The Reuters

Happy 4th birthday to the best surprise!

2011-12-22T22:56:00.000-08:00

Today Kendall turned 4! We gave her a pink and purple (her favorite colors) glitter bike. She rode it around the kitchen and loves it! We had pink cupcakes and ate dinner at Red Robin. It was her last day of preschool at her current school then we met friends for lunch. Michelle Cole took Addie and Kendall and got their toes and fingernails painted! It was her first trip to the salon! All in all it was a fabulous fourth birthday for our sweet girl!

Happy Halloween 2011!

2011-11-02T14:59:00.000-07:00

Evan football player and Kendall Snow White. Blake went trick or treating with a friend and they made their costume that afternoon. I haven't seen photos yet. He and his friend Breckin made a double headed ghost costume! We trick or treated and handed out candy with our neighbors Lisa and Josh. Kendall is posing between their twin girls Ella and Kadyn. Evan and their son Jonny went trick or treating together. They got a ton of candy and had a fun night!

Kendall's Preschool Costume Parade

2011-11-02T14:55:00.000-07:00

Kendall's preschool celebrated Halloween with a costume parade and a party. She dressed as Snow White. The teachers all dressed as different colors M&Ms. It was cute to see all the costumes and celebrate Halloween with her classmates!

Gary's 44th Birthday!

2011-11-02T14:50:00.000-07:00

Gary celebrated #44 on October 4th. The kids and I made his birthday cake and decorated for him. We made his favorite dinner and had a fun family party!

Day 2: Evan's baseball tournament

2011-11-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

Luckily the second game of the tournament was close to home. They played two games on day 2 and lost both games. The last game they lost by one run and Evan was tagged out at home. It was a tough loss and he took it hard but hopefully he learned by from it.

Evan's baseball tournament

2011-11-02T14:40:00.000-07:00

Evan plays for a travel baseball team named the Firebirds. They had a tournament in Gilbert near Andrea's house. Andrea, Grandma, and Grandpa all came to watch and cheer Evan's team. Sadly his team lost both games!

Eating Blake's catch!

2011-11-02T14:35:00.000-07:00

Blake was so proud of his salmon! He helped prepare, bbq and then eat it!

September 17th..salmon fishing day two!

2011-11-02T14:17:00.000-07:00

Brendon Sloan & Blake

a highly entertained Frank Sloan

Brendon and his catch

Blake with his 2nd catch

Captain Jeff Melberg

Day two salmon fishing both boys caught almost 30 pound salmons! Lots of fish for all to enjoy! It was cold and rainy as you can tell from the jackets and happy faces nonetheless the boys enjoyed it!

Salmon fishing

2011-11-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

Gary and Blake went salmon fishing while in Portland with one of Gary's clients Jeff Melberg. He's an avid fisherman and is known locally to be one of the best in the area. Blake caught the only fish of the day! It weighed close to 30 pounds and is very tasty! They cleaned it up and brought it home and it's stocked in my freezer. Blake was so excited about catching the salmon he called me right away to tell me!

Portland, OR

2011-11-02T13:53:00.000-07:00

Back in September Gary and Blake flew to Portland for a salmon fishing trip. They also went on a shooting trip with Gary's clients. Blake loved shooting the gun. I believe they shot at clay disks. I'm almost positive! They stayed with Frank, Cathy, Brendon and Tyler Sloan and the boys took Blake on the canal.

Kendall's first day of preschool!

2011-08-28T22:13:00.000-07:00

Kendall & Ms. Stefanie

Her first preschool craft!

Kendall started at Creative Castle Preschool on August 16th. She attends school on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:00 to 12:00. There were no tears her first morning but I could tell she was a little nervous. I stayed for about 5 minutes til I knew she was comfortable and we said our goodbyes. I think I got a little misty eyed and she was dry eyed! When I came to pick her up she had huge smiles and lots of excitement! She couldn't wait to show me her "kissing hand" craft and tell me all about school!

First Day of 2011-2012 school year!

2011-08-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

Evan (8) ~ third grade

Blake (10) ~ 5th grade

Blake and Mrs. Beeman

Evan and Mrs. Rosenbaum

Monday, August 15th was the first day of the school year for 2011-2012! Both boys seemed to be excited to start school. Our summer flew by! We went on a lot of fun trips (Las Vegas, Durango, and California) and spent many days at Wet N Wild water park, Makutu's Island, summer movies, Jump Street, Chuck E Cheese and more. The last week before school started the boys helped me stuff back to school folders at the school. I joined the PTA last Spring and I'm on the board as the VP of Volunteers. They got to meet their teachers and see their classrooms a few days before school started. We are happy with both of their teachers and feel confident that they'll have an excellent school year!

Kendall's Preschool Orientation

2011-08-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

Next to Kendall's name on the tree they placed our family photo!

dress up fun!

exploring the classroom

painting a craft

We went to Kendall's preschool orientation on August 11th. We saw her classroom, met her teacher (Ms. Stefanie) and aide (Ms. Diane), and toured the preschool. The preschool is Creative Castle and they have a big castle with slides and other gadgets in the middle of the school. She sat down at the table and painted her picture and then played with the classroom toys. It was a fun experience for her. And we were happy to meet her teachers and spend some time with them and her classroom.

Day 6 & 7 ~ San Diego vacation

2011-08-28T20:40:00.000-07:00

Mission Beach, San Diego

Blake's new skimboard

Evan taking credit for someone else's hard work

feeding fish at our resort

Blake feeding the Koi fish

lots of Koi fish

Evan loved the table tennis!

Blake and Gary's checker game

We stayed the last weekend of our trip in San Diego. Gary finished work and was able to enjoy some beach time with us. Blake got a new skimboard and spent hours in the ocean. Evan and Kendall liked to build and play in the sand. We stayed at the Hilton Resort in Mission Bay where we normally stay and enjoyed their pool, table tennis and checker boards. We left San Diego on Sunday afternoon and drove home and had a 40 degree temperature change!

August 5 ~ San Diego with the Mortons!

2011-08-28T20:33:00.000-07:00

Blake and Breckin

Evan and Breckin walking out to boogie board

Evan, Kaiden, Breckin

Blake skimboarding

Evan warming up

Kendall & Breckin building a huge hole

Breckin, Kaiden, Blake, Evan, Kendall

@ Belmont Park

All 5 kids in the hurricane simulator (Kendall is below Evan being hugged by him)

Breckin & Blake

Evan & Kaiden

Kendall & Evan on submarine ride

On Friday we drove south to San Diego and spent the afternoon/evening with our friends the Mortons. Breckin is Blake's friend from school and we enjoyed spending time with his brother Kaiden, parents Dorothy and Iain and Dorothy's parents Phyllis and Jerry. We spent the afternoon at the beach near the beach house that they rented then we went to dinner and Belmont Park. Belmont Park is an amusement center with a rollercoaster (the old wooden rickety kind) and lots of games and attractions. Kendall enjoyed the carousel and then submarine ride with Evan. Gary took the boys on the roller coaster minus Evan. They all had a blast! It was a very fun day spent with great friends!

Day 2 and 3 ~ California Vacation!

2011-08-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

swinging @ San Clemente Beach

sand crabs

Alina Beach near Laguna

playground @ the beach!

Alina Beach

sand crab in Blake's hand

sunset @ Laguna Beach

bucket full of sand crabs

digging for sand crabs

Day 2 and 3 we spent at San Clemente Beach and Alina Beach which is near Laguna. Alina Beach is stunning. It's such a pretty beach. San Clemente had swings on the beach which Kendall and Evan loved. The boys loved digging for sand crabs at Alina Beach. We watched the sunset there and it was beautiful. Gary didn't get to enjoy the beach days with us. He was busy working while we played!

California Vacation!

2011-08-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

The first week of August we tagged along with Gary on his business trip to California. First stop Palm Springs which is a 4 hour drive from Phoenix. The weather is about the same as Phoenix but felt hotter. We stayed at La Quinta Resort which is a very pretty and historic resort. There are 40 pools on the property and several times we had the swimming pool by our room to ourselves. The kids enjoyed jumping on the rafts into the pool! There were times when we were swimming that it didn't cool us down! It was that hot!

Dbacks V Rockies July 24, 2011

2011-08-28T19:26:00.000-07:00

Sunday 7/24 we watched the AZ Diamondbacks beat the CO Rockies 7-0. It was Evan's idea to go watch a ball game and it was our first game of the season! After the game the kids ran the bases!

MLB All-Star Game Festivities

2011-08-28T18:04:00.000-07:00

Evan Blake and Brady Giordano

Blake pitching

Evan sliding

Gary, Blake, and Evan along with our friends Bill and Brady Giordano went to the All-Star Fan Fest when the All-Star game was in town. It was all baseball activities such as pitching, hitting, catching, sliding, etc. They got some autographs but can't remember the gentleman's name in the above photos!

Mesa Verde, Colorado

2011-08-28T17:58:00.000-07:00

On our last day of vacation we visited Mesa Verde National Park near Cortez, Colorado. It was fascinating and we all enjoyed it. Once again Gary visited this park when he was a kid on their Durango vacation. There are several cliff dwellings that we were able to hike and tour. All of the ruins are over 700 years old.

River rafting on the Animas River

2011-08-28T12:21:00.000-07:00

Our hotel in Durango was next to the Animas River and we would see rafters constantly on the water. Blake wanted to raft but Evan wasn't so sure. Gary took them rafting one afternoon and both boys loved it. They said the rapids weren't fast enough though!

Ouray and Telluride, Colorado

2011-08-28T12:16:00.000-07:00

Our second day on vacation we visited the towns of Ouray (Switzerland of the Rockies) and Telluride. We rode the gondola to the top of Telluride mountain. Both towns were beautiful and the drive from Durango to Telluride was gorgeous. There were mountains all around us and we found a beautiful mountain lake which we hiked around.

Durango Silverton Train!

2011-08-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

Gary and I took the kids to Durango, Colorado on vacation from July 8-12. We rode the Durango-Silverton train on July 9th from 8:00 a.m. til 5:00 p.m. It was a full day! The kids enjoyed it. Evan got a little bored towards the end and Kendall fell asleep for the last hour. Blake loved it. The scenery was spectacular. We saw some snow on the mountaintops and looked for bears but couldn't find any. The train takes you from Durango to Silverton and you stop in Silverton for an hour and half. We had lunch and walked around the town and found their city park. It rained on us and we had to run back to the train in the rain. The kids enjoyed that too. We stopped at an ice cream shop to get out of the rain. Gary remembers taking the train as a kid with his family on one of their family vacations. We rode on the open condola train and the weather was perfect. We had coats and pants in case it got cold but we never got rained on.

Four Corners, NM/AZ/UT/CO

2011-08-28T11:40:00.000-07:00

On July 8th, we embarked on our family vacation to Durango, Colorado. We stopped at the Four Corners Monument which is located on the Navajo Nation bordering the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. It is the only place in the United States where you can stand on four states. It was fun for the kids to stand on the state where they were born which for Blake is Utah and Evan and Kendall is Arizona. Gary also enjoyed laying down in Colorado!

Kendall's first dental visit

2011-07-24T20:38:00.000-07:00

Kendall had her first dental exam on June 14th. She was excited to go and we placed her appointment between Gary and my exams. When it was her turn she got a little scared but then got in the chair and was great. Dr. Guest says her teeth look good!

Danielle & Ricky's Weddings ~ June 10 and 11

2011-07-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

Seik Wedding ~ June 10th

Christian Wedding ~ June 11th

Gary's cousin Danielle (Shimek) married Ricky Dhaliwal in Minneapolis on June 10th. It was a Seik wedding. The next day they married in a Christian ceremony at Balsam Lake, WI. Gary and I left the kids with Grandma and we flew to MN for the 3 day event. Both wedding ceremonies were beautiful and we had a lot of fun!

Las Vegas!

2011-07-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

Vegas baby!

2011-07-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

Monte Carlo swimming pools behind the window

Evan - lost his front tooth a few days later! It was barely hanging on!

The kids and I tagged along with Gary on his business trip to Las Vegas mid June. We stayed at the Monte Carlo Resort on the strip. They had a lazy river, wave pool, hot tub and swimming pool. We swam and played while Gary worked. We walked the strip one night and had dinner at an old school italian restaurant. I took Blake, Evan and Kendall on the mono rail to visit some casinos (Mandalay Bay, Luxor Bay and Excalibur). They enjoyed riding the mono rail and we rode it several times in a row! On the way home to Phoenix we stopped at Hoover Dam...photos to follow in next post.

Evan's End of Year Class Party

2011-05-25T15:23:00.000-07:00

Evan and Aiden

Vinnie and Evan

Evan and Mrs. Johnston (also Blake's 2nd grade teacher)

Tomorrow is the last day of school for 2010-2011 school year. Today they're having their end of year classroom parties. Evan thought today was crazy hair day. It was pajama day. He got that part right! He has a fun class and a great teacher!

Blake's Science Fair Project

2011-05-13T14:49:00.000-07:00

Blake decided to do a science fair project which involved using fish. Both of us were against this for quite a few reasons. Blake finally talked us into it. He took two goldfish and kept them in separate tanks. Then he took them both into a dark room and shined a black light on one fish. His hypothesis was: Do fish turn black, white, or stay the same color by shining a black light on them or does darkness have the same effect? He predicted that shining fish one who he named Rockstar with the black light would turn white. Rockstar didn't turn white and unfortunately he passed away. Monster aka fish two did not turn white either when he was left in the dark room. Yesterday afternoon the parents were invited to see all the science fair projects at the school. There were some great ideas and then quite a few how quick does an ice cube melt and what cleans a penny projects! The kids did a great job. And I'm happy to report that Monster is doing well and lives in an aquarium on my kitchen counter!

My Confirmation

2011-05-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

Dana & Katy

Brady & Breana with our kids

I was confirmed on May 7th at St. Rose Catholic Church. I was never confirmed as a teenager and decided it was time to do it. My friend Dana was my sponsor and my confirmation name is Gianna after St. Gianna Beretta Molla. St. Gianna was a Catholic Wife, Mother, and Doctor, and she was canonized by the Pope in Rome on May 16, 2004. It was a beautiful ceremony and I was surrounded by Gary, Blake, Evan, Kendall, my parents, sister, Dana, Bill, Brady and Breana.

a new do

2011-05-13T14:32:00.000-07:00

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Kendall and her friend Addie decided to give each other haircuts one morning. Kendall had her hair cut first and then as Kendall was starting to cut Addie's hair Michelle caught them. Kendall's hair took the brunt of the haircuts. Michelle handed me a bag full of Kendall's hair! She was so worried that Gary and I would be mad that her hair was cut. We weren't we actually thought it was funny! Kendall got her hair cut the next day and it looks really cute!!

Happy Easter 2011!!

2011-05-13T12:23:00.000-07:00

We went to Easter services with Grandma at her church. Then Grandma had a mini egg hunt on her patio for Blake, Evan and Kendall. Afterwards we celebrated Easter at Auntie and Uncle Jeff's house and had another egg hunt. This egg hunt was a big one! The kids swam in their pool but it was cold so they didn't swim for long. The weather was beautiful and we ate our Easter dinner on their patio.

Easter Eggs

2011-05-13T12:11:00.000-07:00

We colored eggs on 4/23 and the kids enjoyed it. I made 18 eggs and probably could have made 100! This was the first year that Kendall was able to dye and color eggs (with a little help from Daddy). The eggs were colorful and some had words and patterns drawn on them.

MOMS Club Easter Egg Hunt

2011-05-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

We had our annual MOMS Club Easter Egg hunt on April 18th. Kendall ran to collect eggs. She was on a mission and succeeded! She also enjoyed a cupcake with bright pink frosting!

Blake's Guitar Recital

2011-05-13T11:31:00.000-07:00

Blake had his guitar recital on April 13th. He had been taking lessons at the local recreation center for 6 weeks. They were group lessons and thus a group recital so you could decipher Blake's guitar from another. They did a good job for only 6 weeks worth of lessons. Blake has continued with the lessons and hopefully at the next recital will show some improvement. And yes Evan was as bored as he looks in these photos!

Blake's Blue Jays game!

2011-05-13T11:19:00.000-07:00

These were taken on April 11th at Blake's baseball game. He was pitching this game. He typically pitches at least one inning per game. He throws quite a few strikes but unfortunately has also hit some kids. I guess that's the nature of the game. It's fun to watch him pitch!

Kendall's Ballet and Tap Dance Recital

2011-05-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

Better late than never! Kendall had her ballet and tap recital on April 9th. This time she participated and it was adorable!! She is registered for the class this summer.

Evan's first baseball game of the season!

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

Evan had his first farm game on 3/12/11. His team are the Mudhens. Per Evan they "killed" the other team. I can't remember since this post is a little late. It was a good game and Evan played well.

Evan's first tooth!

2011-03-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

Evan lost his first tooth tonight! Yeah!! He turned 8 last month and has been anxiously awaiting the loss of his first tooth. The tooth fairy will be making a visit to the Reuter house tonight!

Kendall's face!

2011-03-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

On Friday while I was at school, Michelle took Kendall and Addie to Imagination Avenue for the day. The girls played all day and got their faces painted too! Kendall's face looked adorable!

Kendall and Addie at the zoo!

2011-03-03T12:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I took Kendall and Addie to the Phoenix Zoo. We had a fun day. The weather was beautiful 80 degrees and sunny. A perfect spring day!

Basketball

2011-03-03T12:12:00.000-08:00

boys playing together

Gary coaching a game

And their biggest fan!

The boys have been playing basketball since January and their season ends this weekend. Both have played well. Blake has become a much better defensive player and we've seen his improvements this season. Evan is a fast scrappy player and he plays with the older kids and holds his own. As for Kendall she comes to most games and cheers the boys on!

Mom's Birthday!

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

We celebrated my birthday on February 21st. The boys made me cupcakes and added the birthday candles..I think you can see the "3" candle and the "8" is there too. It was a fun treat! They all made me homemade cards and wrapped their own gifts for me. Blake gave me $15 and a pack of gum. Evan gave me one of his notebooks (gently used!) and one of his pens and pencil. Kendall gave me some of her (again gently used) chapsticks and one of her little princess figurines. They were all super cute gifts that I loved opening!!

Happy Eighth Birthday Evan!!

2011-02-19T09:27:00.000-08:00

Evan celebrated his 8th birthday on February 15th! We hope you enjoyed your 8th birthday Evan!!

Happy Tenth Birthday Blake!

2011-02-10T20:58:00.000-08:00

Today Blake turned 10. It doesn't seem possible that ten years have gone by since we brought our first son home from the hospital. He's growing into such a wonderful young man! Blake is at a great age. He still wants to be with us, play, be a kid but is becoming more mature at the same time. We hope you enjoyed your tenth birthday today...you are now double digits!

poker face

2011-02-03T07:50:00.000-08:00

Not really kind of rhymes with marker face (from yesterday's post)! So last night I walk into the living room to give Kendall something and almost dropped what I was going to give to her. Her brows! She looks almost menacing, scary, dangerous...I knew this was not her handiwork. If she gave herself extra brows they'd be on her cheeks or top of her forehead not directly on the brows. Evan fessed up and said "because he felt like it" which I guess is a good reason to color your little sister's face. Hopefully tomorrow there is no photo of the day aka Kendall's face!

marker face

2011-01-31T14:19:00.000-08:00

She was a busy girl today! I didn't photograph her matching hands and feet. They were green.

Great Grandma's visit!

2011-01-31T13:07:00.000-08:00

Great Grandma with Kendall

Katie Schnepf and Kendall

Grandma and my Dad

The whole gang

Matt Schnepf and Kendall

Gary's Grandma came to town this month for a 2 week visit. We spent one afternoon at Dillon's Restaurant with the Schnepf family (Connie, Paul, Katie, Matt, and Scott), Bonnie and Bernie Zelasney, Anita and Jeanne Beguin, my parents, and other friends and family. We had a great time and it was fun to visit and spend time together! I know everyone enjoyed the warm AZ weather!

Ballet & Tap!

2011-01-31T09:55:00.000-08:00

Kendall is 3rd from the left

Tap!

Kendall & Addie

Kendall is taking a ballet and tap class for 3-5 year olds at our local rec center. She has taken 2 classes and has 4 more in this session. She enjoys the class and loves to dance!

Principal's List Q2

2011-01-29T10:41:00.000-08:00

Breckin & Blake

Blake received Principal's List for Q2! His first two quarters of 2010!! We are so proud of you and your accomplishments Blake!

4th grade field trip to the state capitol

2011-01-29T10:32:00.000-08:00

Gabrielle Giffords' memorial

Mrs. Hoernig's 4th grade class (Blake is next to Mrs. Hoernig who is on the far left)

The fourth grade had their first field trip to the Arizona State Capitol on January 12th. I chaperoned and it was a lot of fun (and work!). We took a tour of the old state captiol building which is 111 years old. And then we took a tour of the House of Representatives building. It was very interesting and I'm glad I was able to join Blake on his field trip.

Evan's outfit!

2011-01-29T10:21:00.001-08:00

The boys returned to school after holiday break on January 3rd. Evan decided to lay out his clothes the night before. I like how he placed his shoes as feet and a small football for his head!

2011-01-29T10:18:00.000-08:00

Better late than never...Merry Christmas 2010! Blake received an accoustic guitar from Santa! Santa brought Evan a set of golf clubs and Kendall a new bike!

Happy Third Birthday Kendall!

2010-12-22T19:13:00.000-08:00

Today is your third birthday Kendall. I feel like I blinked and you're now three. It has gone by so fast. I hope you enjoyed your third birthday! We went to the zoo today because you love the animals. We had a lot of fun! It was quiet and the rain held off so we could have a beautiful day! Happy Third Birthday sweet girl!

The Dora cake!

2010-12-22T10:39:00.000-08:00

the template

the makings

the finished product

Dora the Explorer cake

Gary made Kendall's birthday cake for her party. It was a "Dora the Explorer" theme which Kendall chose. And she asked Daddy to make her a Dora cake. It looked and tasted great! A friend of mine commented that it looked like me!!!

Kendall's Dora Party!

2010-12-22T10:37:00.000-08:00

Kendall & Savannah

lunch time!

Sophia

Breana

Birthday girl

Addie

Pinata time

Sydney

Zac

craziness grabbing candy!

Auntie & Kendall

blowing out her candles

opening presents

Kendall celebrated her third birthday at the park with a "Dora the Explorer" birthday party. We invited her friends, grandparents, Auntie and Uncle Jeff. We had a birthday cake pinata filled with candy which the kids bashed with a plastic bat. Kendall got lots of Dora toys, clothes, and purses. It was a fun filled third birthday party!

goggles in the tub!

2010-12-22T09:47:00.000-08:00

Evan and Kendall took a bath the other night and wanted to wear goggles. These photos are a little painful to look at! Kendall's eyes look really freaky!!

Zoo Lights

2010-12-19T15:25:00.000-08:00

On Thursday evening December 16th we visited zoo lights. It's our 2nd annual Moran family zoo lights! This year it was our family, Grandma and Auntie. We had a lot of fun. Kendall was mesmerized by Jenga the talking giraffe. She stood there and listened and didn't want to leave. She asked me what the giraffe was doing there! She was probably confused why Jenga wasn't with the other giraffes! She kept asking to see the animals and was happy to see the otters and camels. It had been raining all day and cleared around 6:00 p.m. There were no crowds at zoo lights and it was easy to walk around and see everything.

Evan's Reconciliation

2010-12-12T12:25:00.000-08:00

Evan celebrated his first Reconciliation on Thursday, December 9th at St Rose. Gary took him because Blake was home sick. They celebrated afterwards with a chocolate explosion blizzard from Dairy Queen. You can see Evan's chocolate lips in the "praying" photo! Evan will celebrate his Holy Communion and Confirmation the Spring of 2012. God Bless Evan!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-28T11:03:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving at Auntie and Uncle Jeff's house. The dinner was delicious and the company fun! Blake and Kendall were happy to have their photos taken but Evan wanted to play football instead.

ABC's of the First Thanksgiving Play

2010-11-23T18:58:00.000-08:00

Evan's second grade class presented the "ABCs of the First Thanksgiving" play today. Each child had a letter and they spoke their lines. Evan had "N" is "November there was plenty to eat no one will be hungry this winter" and "Z" is for zany the children act zany running all around with their new friends. They had a wonderful time." After the play each child presented his or her "Thankful" poster that they made at home with their family. It was cute to hear what each child was thankful for. Evan was thankful for his family, friends, food, car, God, football, and basketball!

Dalton Gabriel's Baptism ~ November 21, 2010

2010-11-23T18:42:00.000-08:00

Corey, Krista, Chase & Dalton Rockwell

Dalton Gabriel

Deacon Jim

Godparents, Rockwell family, Deacon Jim

Our Godchild

Reuters and Dalton

Dalton & Blake

sweet Dalton Gabriel

Corey and Krista asked Gary and I to be Dalton's Godparents. His Baptism took place on Sunday, November 21st at St. Gabriel's. It was a beautiful ceremony. Dalton was calm and quiet during the ceremony. We celebrated afterwards with a yummy lunch at Olive Garden. Blake wore his Holy Communion suit and looked so handsome! He wanted to wear it. Gary and I are honored to be Dalton's Godparents!

Grandpa's Birthday

2010-11-12T12:16:00.000-08:00

We celebrated my Dad's birthday (a.ka. Grandpa) last Sunday November 7th. The boys picked out cupcakes and Kendall chose a Princess Ariel one for Grandpa. We had dinner, sung Happy Birthday, and ate cupcakes! Happy Birthday Grandpa..we love you!!
And just in case you're wondering why Kendall is naked...she didn't want to wear clothes that night!

Principal's List Q1

2010-11-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

Blake made the Principal's List for Quarter 1 of the school year. This was his first time on the list. He made Honor Roll Q1-4 last year (3rd grade). We are very proud of him and his accomplishments. Blake loves his teacher, Mrs. Hoernig and she tells us he's a great kid (which we know too!)!

Kendall got bored during the assembly and fished around in my purse for lipsticks. She always looks at my lips and says "I want some of that" and today she got some. She actually applied it really well!!

Trick or Treat 2010

2010-11-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

We carved pumpkins on Saturday or should I say Blake and Gary carved pumpkins. Blake sat down after Gary had helped with his design and carved his own pumpkin. He did a great job. Then he took a small one that Kendall had found at the pumpkin patch and carved that. Grandma, Grandpa, and Auntie came over on Halloween for dinner and trick or treating. Gary and I take turns handing out the candy and going door to the door with the kids. This year we had a pretty Princess, a Ninja, and a Mac Daddy. There were lots of kids this year like always and tons of candy! Happy Halloween!

a pumpkin patch in the desert!

2010-10-24T09:44:00.000-07:00

Kendall and I went to MacDonald's Ranch Pumpkin Patch on Friday morning. It was overcast and a little chilly but soon brightened up. Kendall had her first horse ride on Blondie! I didn't think she'd ride the horse but she did and she enjoyed it! We bought a new camera so I had fun taking photographs of Kendall. She finally told me "no more pictures Mommy!" They had a petting zoo with 2 black pigs, 2 cows, goats, chickens, bunnies, and peacocks. We had a fun morning together and Kendall picked out a cute pumpkin!

Broncos V Jets

2010-10-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

Gary took Blake to his first Broncos game last Sunday. "Tim Tebow scored his first touchdown of his rookie season and we got to go on the field" said Blake. "The Broncos scored 20 and the Jets scored 24. The Broncos also made 3 interceptions. And I got to meet a hot cheerleader whose name is Lauren." Blake also told me "John Elway was in his booth right above our seats and it was orange Sunday."

Jessica & Sean

2010-10-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

Gary's cousin Jessica from Minnesota visited Phoenix last weekend with her boyfriend Sean. We met for dinner and had a fun time. It was great to meet Sean and spend time with them.

Baby Dalton

2010-10-15T08:19:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors and friends Krista and Corey had their second son Dalton Gabriel on September 14th. The boys and Kendall love him. Blake and Evan always want to hold him. And baby Dalton loves to snuggle and be held.

P is for Picnic

2010-10-13T15:09:00.000-07:00

Kendall & Addie

Kendall's pumpkin

This morning we had a "P is for Picnic" with our Moms Club. We each brought a pumpkin and the kids decorated them. And then they each got a pumpkin or ghost sugar cookie to decorate. No she's not wearing orange lipstick it's orange frosting! We had a fun morning with our friends!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2010-10-04T14:23:00.000-07:00

Today is Gary's birthday. We celebrated yesterday with dinner and an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen (Gary's former employer!). Grandma and Grandpa joined us and we had a fun birthday celebration! Happy Birthday Daddy...we love you!

San Francisco

2010-09-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

Coit Tower, view from ferry

Andrea and I at Ferry Marketplace

me, Violet, Andreas, Mom, sister

Violet & Andreas

Stinson Beach

Golden Gate bridge

the painted ladies

Nob Hill neighborhood

My Mom, sister and I flew to San Francisco and spent 4 days in the city celebrating Andrea's 40th birthday. We had a fun trip. We saw "Dreamgirls" at the theatre, had dinner with Violet and Andreas, shopped at the Ferry Marketplace, took a ferry to Sausolito and had lunch. We rented a car one day and drove through the Presidio and across the Golden Gate bridge and saw Stinson Beach and the beautiful coastline. We shopped, ate great food, had wonderful weather and saw great friends!

Growing

2010-09-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

Gary and I have never made a growth chart for our kids. I saw this one on a blog and liked it was large and portable. I ordered the vinyl, bought the wood and then got to work. I sanded and stained the wood then added the vinyl. Next up is adding the kids heights from birth to now and on going!

Kendall's bed!!

2010-09-13T14:52:00.000-07:00

She loves her new bed! My dear friend Jessica made her bedding and we love it! It's very pretty and feminine! Kendall is sleeping all night in her bed and she made the transition fairly well. She loved taking photos on her new bed with her tiger!

First day of 2010-2011 school year!

2010-08-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 16th was the first day of school for Blake and Evan. Blake entered 4th grade and Evan 2nd grade. Evan has the same 2nd grade teacher Mrs. Johnston (former Miss Templeton) that Blake had. And Blake's teacher's name is Mrs. Hoernig. She comes highly recommended so should be a good year for Blake and also Evan! Kendall was so sweet and wanted to hug her brothers when they went into their classrooms. Blake was embarrassed but let her and Evan stood up and gave her a big hug. She keeps saying "I go to baby school." I think she'll be ready to go to school soon.

Spokane & Seattle Vacation

2010-08-10T19:26:00.000-07:00

riding the light rail to downtown Seattle Pike Public MarketThe first ever Starbucks!the fish market Mariners V Yankees cousins in the bath!Woodland Zoo Alki Beach

While in Seattle, we went to Pike Market downtown and a Mariners/Yankees baseball game. The children and Dads (Gary ran with Kendall and Uncle Jason with Henry) ran the bases after the game. We took the kids to the Seattle Woodland Zoo which was like a jungle. It's a pretty zoo. We walked along Alki beach, ate fish n chips and played in the rocks/sand. Seattle is a beautiful city! We also spent time in Spokane where Uncle Jason, Aunt Jill, and Henry live.

Priest Lake, Idaho

2010-08-10T19:07:00.000-07:00

We flew to Spokane, Washington mid July to spend our summer vacation with Jason, Jill and Henry. It was our first time meeting Henry and we had so much fun with him. We spent some time in Spokane and then several days in Seattle. And we rented a house at Priest Lake which is about 85 miles from Spokane in northern Idaho. It was beautiful there. Jason borrowed a boat from one of his partners and we cruised the lake. My Dad came down from Montana where was staying and joined us at the lake.

Kendall's new bed!

2010-07-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

On July 5th, we bought Kendall a mattress. We already had the bed frame, box spring, and headboard that one of the boys used before they switched to the bunkbeds. We decided to move her into a bed because she'd been sleeping with the boys quite a bit this summer. This was her first night and you can see Evan underneath her leg fast asleep. She's been sleeping OK in her new bed. We're now trying to have her sleep alone and she cries for "Blakey" and "Evvy" before she falls asleep. Now it's time to shop for her new bedding!

Uncle Jeff's Birthday and the 4th of July

2010-07-19T12:01:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Uncle Jeff's birthday on the 4th of July. His birthday is July 5th. Auntie and Uncle Jeff had a pool party and BBQ. It was a fun 4th of July swimming, eating yummy food and birthday cake, and enjoying family!

Fireworks!

2010-07-19T11:57:00.000-07:00

On the 3rd of July, we watched the fireworks after the Diamondbacks game. We watched the game first but they lost to the Dodgers. I think the final score was 13 to 1. Ouch. The fireworks were amazing though. They made up for the big loss. Both Gary and I said they were probably the best we'd ever seen. Kendall got a little scared so she sat on Daddy's lap. The boys loved them!

First Camping Trip of 2010

2010-06-10T07:11:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we traveled up to the Mogollon Rim near Potato Lake and joined my Dad for a camping trip. It was a fun weekend. The kids were filthy dirty!! Isn't that what it's all about though?! There were several other families who camped with us so there were children for the boys to play with. They fished and hiked and we ate yummy meals including smores over the campfire. Gary, Kendall and I left on Sunday and the boys are staying this week with my Dad. They do it every year and have a memorable week with Grandpa. I think Grandpa is pretty worn by the end of the week but he enjoys it as much!

Last day of 2009-2010 school photos!

2010-05-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

Last day of First and Third Grades!

2010-05-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

Ms. Scragg

Mrs. Molina

Blake's Holy Communion and Confirmation Celebration!

2010-05-16T21:08:00.000-07:00

We had a celebratory lunch at the Olive Garden after Blake's ceremony. Our guests were Mary and Todd Defilippis, Kim and Mike Collins, my sister Andrea and Jeff, my parents, Gary's Mom Yvonne, Giordano Family (Bill, Dana, Brady & Breana), and Krista and Chase Rockwell. We had a delicious lunch followed by a yummy chocolate cake. It was a wonderful cap to an amazing day! Two more years til the next one!

Blake's Holy Communion and Confirmation

2010-05-16T20:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated Blake's Holy Communion and Confirmation. He chose St. Michael the Archangel as his Saint. It was a beautiful ceremony. Blake's Godparents, Kim and Mike Collins came from Colorado and Mike was his sponsor. Grandma Yvonne also came from Colorado. We were all so proud of Blake. He was nervous and very excited. Congratulations and God Bless Blake!

Mother's Day

2010-05-16T20:37:00.000-07:00

Blake and Evan making breakfast for me!

Evan made this for me in class.

Roses from Gary, Blake, Evan and Kendall

And a Mother's Day poem from Blake! I was a spoiled Mommy!

"Bugz!"

2010-05-11T09:21:00.000-07:00

Evan was a boll weevil in his first grade play "Bugz!" He had several speaking parts and they sang a lot of songs. It was a fabulous production and all the kids were great. Grandma and I made his costume. Boll weevils are nasty little bugs that eat cotton and destroy cotton crops. His music teacher suggested we take a brown tshirt and cover it with cotton balls. We also made him a hat too. After the concert he complained how the cotton balls made him itch!

Little bike rider

2010-05-08T15:14:00.000-07:00

Gary installed the bike seat on my bike and took Kendall for a ride. She didn't like it. Now she loves it. We have fun on our family bike rides!

Easter Eggs

2010-04-14T14:40:00.000-07:00

The day before Easter we colored eggs. Grandpa seemed to really enjoy coloring the eggs. Kendall enjoyed it but insisted on doing it herself. She didn't like Daddy's help too much. Our neighbor Lexi joined dyed eggs with us. I only boiled a dozen eggs and the boys were bummed when they only colored 1-2 eggs each. Next year I'll boil more especially since Grandpa enjoyed it so much!

Toy, Book and Cookie Drive

2010-04-12T16:07:00.000-07:00

Blake had to complete 10 hours of community service for his Holy Communion and Confirmation. Blake and his friends Jake and Luke Kachurka had a toy, cookie and book drive for Phoenix Children's Hospital. They collected as you can see in the photos a lot of things for the hospital. The cookies are given to the parents and grandparents of children staying at the hospital and the books and toys are for the children. We thank everyone for helping with this wonderful service project!

Suns V Blazers...Suns WIN!

2010-03-22T16:59:00.000-07:00

Gary received 4 tickets to the Suns V Blazers game last night. It was a 7:30 p.m. start and we debated taking the boys since it was a school night and the first day back from Spring Break. However the seats were awesome and we thought it would be a great way to end Spring Break. Gary, Grandpa, and the boys watched the Suns beat the Blazers 93 to 87. The boys told me this morning that they sat by Steve Nash's wife, Dad, and his daughters. Evan said "it was so fun and the Suns won by 6!"

twenty-seven months

2010-03-22T16:54:00.000-07:00

Kendall is growing way too fast. I looked at the date and realized she's 27 months already. I took these photos over the weekend when she was showing me her latest owie. Last weekend she crashed her tricycle and banged up her face. This week it was her hand. She's part princess and part tomboy and 100% FUN!

Outstanding Achievement Award

2010-02-23T19:51:00.000-08:00

Evan received an Outstanding Achievement Award for All Academic Areas from his first grade teacher, Ms. Scragg. At the assembly, she told everyone that Evan finishes all of his work on time and completes all assignments and that he is outstanding in all his studies. We're very proud of you Evan!! Keep up the good work!

Robot

2010-02-23T19:38:00.000-08:00

It is Robot week for first grade at Evan's school. Evan had to build a robot out of recycled materials and it could not be more than 2 feet tall. His robot was about an inch taller!! Tomorrow at school we're invited to go see all the robots on display. Gary and Evan took about 2 and a half hours to build it. Evan named him "lightning."

Evan is Seven

2010-02-23T19:36:00.000-08:00

Evan turned seven on February 15th. He celebrated his birthday on President's Day so he had the day off school. We went to the park and In N Out for lunch and then basketball practice followed by dinner at Islands with the Giordano family. His birthday party was on Valentine's Day at the AMF bowling alley. His friends Chase, Ethan and Colin came and bowled with him. Each boy won a game! We had pizza and the big top cupcake Mommy made. We hope you had a wonderful 7th birthday Evan!! Hope seven is the best year yet! Love you!

Kendall pics

2010-02-14T19:44:00.000-08:00

Here are some Kendall pics that I took this week when she got her hair cut. I played around adding text to the photos. She's at such a fun and sweet age!

They do love each other...

2010-02-14T19:40:00.000-08:00

Kendall's favorite book is "Brown Bear Brown Bear" and I discovered Evan reading it to her. It was a very sweet and kind sibling moment.

Blake's 9th Birthday

2010-02-14T19:34:00.000-08:00

Blake enjoyed steak (his favorite food) at Outback Steakhouse on his birthday. Then he had 3 friends over for a slumber party. Gary took them to the movies and they saw "The Blind Side" and stayed up til 2:15 a.m. He requested the big top cupcake for his birthday cake. He saved his birthday money and bought an IPOD Nano which he is loving!

Nine Years

2010-02-10T13:16:00.000-08:00

After 18+ hours of labor, Blake William was born at 4:31 p.m nine years ago today.

I'll always remember:

How tired I was.

How Gary and I cried together when he was born.

How alert he was.

How I didn't think my world could get any better.

How much I loved the apple juice, ginger ale and sprite concoction they gave me after labor.

How I immediately loved him.

And look at him now! Nine years old. Loves basketball + cartoons. Silly. Kind. Smart. Happy.

Happy Birthday to the one that made me a mother first. I love you Blake! Happy Ninth Birthday...may all your dreams come true!