BMZTG

Zoe's Talents!

2011-12-22T21:14:00.000-08:00

Zoe had a dance and a piano recital recently and we got a chance to see her talents. She has been working so hard and we are so proud of the progress she has made. She is growing up way too fast!

Sorry this one is a little blurry when it starts out.

Can you believe how old she looks?

Thanksgiving...

2011-12-11T19:53:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

We have been so blessed this year. There are so many things to be grateful for here are some of the many:

1. Zoe, Tate, Grey, and baby yet to be met. Our kids are so sweet and special. I love spending every second of my spare time with them. They are so much fun. They are so smart. I cannot believe how blessed we have been.

2. Ben...I could talk all day about this guy. He is so patient and loving. He is an amazing father. He works so hard to make life great for our kids.

3. The Gospel. I would not be the person I am without it. I can see the difference it makes in the lives of my children. I feel so comforted knowing that I still have the room to learn and grow.

4. Friends. We have been so blessed in the friends we have made as we have made our moves and rebuilt our lives. We have always felt so loved and supported.

5. Education and learning opportunities. We have all been able to learn from some great individuals.

There is so much more but I won't bore you further.

Let's get to the pictures...

Tate made a pioneer hat at school and he was so excited that he insisted I take a picture, so he put it on and this is what we got...

Then he looked at the picture and said "Wait that's not right, let me fix it."

After the adjustment... "Wait not quite"

Perfect! Love that chocolaty grin!

Now without further ado...The food!

The pies: 2 Chocolate, Apple, Cherry, and Lemon Meringue

(2 Cohcolates because I am pregnant and I am not very good at sharing!)

We had our good friends the Bastians over for dinner so for lunch we had appetizers so it was easier to eat while we played games.

We made the turkey and I think it was the best one we have ever made!

Tina came up with the most adorable place setting ideas.

Look at that cute place setting turkey!

Here are the kids places.

Here we are getting ready to enjoy our meal.

Cute boys sat at the counter.

Oat's first Thanksgiving. He likes turkey.

Tina and Grey played cars.

Tina is Grey's best friend!

Tina brought some crafts for the kids to do. One of them was a turkey hat. Grey made one and I tried to get a picture of it...

Clearly he ate too much sugar.

Still going...

This is as close as we got to a still shot.

Cute hat eh!

Family Pictures

2011-11-20T16:14:00.000-08:00

So last year was so crazy around this time that we skipped family pictures. This year I looked for a photographer for 6 moths. Either they were unreasonable expensive or they couldn't come to Wenatchee. It was so frustrating. Finally I found a reasonable priced photographer that I liked who came to Wenatchee but I still had to wait 4 months for her to come out. It was totally worth it! Our session went by so fast and was so easy. Greysen didn't even have time to get squirly.

Tate Lost his First Tooth and other Random Cuteness

2011-11-12T14:39:00.000-08:00

This post is kind of a random collection of pictures that just did't fit into any other post.

This is Oat at a recent trip to the temple.

Grey discovering the joy of licking beaters.

Yummy!

The more on the face the better!

Tate lost his first tooth.

Can you see the gap?

Tate playing dress up.

Look at the cute bunny!

Halloween

2011-11-05T18:05:00.000-07:00

If you know me you know that Halloween is my favorite holiday. This may be hard for some of you to understand but that doesn't really matter. I still love it!

Every good Halloween celebration starts with a trip to the pumpkin patch.

We were lucky this year to have our good friends the Sampsons with us.

Greysen knew right away what to do.

Too bad he couldn't lift it.

Neither could Zoe.

Here we all are looking for the perfect squash.

Zoe, Jack

Tate, Grey and Kenzie

Cute face!

Spooky! And cute!

Me and Zoe.

I wasn't feeling great that day due to our new little addition.

Grey caught a ride!

Next we have to carve the pumpkins

Greysen can't believe what we are asking him to do.

Tate dug right in.

Grey is still not sure.

There he goes!

Zoe too!

Even Oat got into it.

He doesn't like to get dirty.

Carving is very serious business.

Here are the masterpieces!

Tate's is the spooky tree and Oat free handed the face next to it. Pretty amazing for a first time pumpkin carver!

Ben made the Darth Vader of course, and the one next to it was Zoe's first attempt at carving free hand. Not bad eh!

Here we are all dressed up for trick-or treating

Can you guess what we are?

Those of you with small children probably had an easier time,

Ben and I are Phineas and Ferb. Zoe is Candace. Tate is Heinz Doofenshmirtz and Greysen is Agent P, or Perry the Platapus.

Halloween cake pops made a delicious Halloween craft. To bad they make me sick to even look at now.

One last fun fall activity.

Raking leaves...

and...

then...

Jumping...

in...

them!

We have always loved the fall but here in Wenatchee it is so much easier to love. The fall here is amazing! It is warm and sunny and colorful. Plus lots of crunchy leaves instead of soggy ones. We love it!

Oat's Homecoming

2011-11-01T19:07:00.000-07:00

This was Oat's first experience with an American dance. The whole process from the "asking" to gathering all the needed supplies, to pictures and dinner and paying for the dance. The whole thing was very foreign to him. He was so confused about why I wouldn't just let him call the girl to ask her out.

Thankfully his friend Natalie helped him come up with an idea that wasn't too intimidating.

Here is his date Caroline. Isn't she gorgeous!

Here are a bunch of the girls in the group he went with.

Silly girls!

Here is the whole crew.

Handsome fellas!

They ate thier dinner at our neighbors house because they have an outdoor pizza oven.

Yumm!

Pizza!

This is the Oat pose.

Tate's Soccer Pizza Party

2011-10-30T19:28:00.000-07:00

Tate finished out his first soccer season in the best way possible, at the pizza parlor!

Clearly Tate had a great time!

Some amazing mom made these fabulous cupcakes.

Here is his cool bobble head trophy.

Here is the whole team there are only 2 girls not 3! Tate just needed a haircut.

Tate and Coach Burns. The best coach ever!

Yummy Pizza!

Zoe's First 10K

2011-10-09T17:13:00.000-07:00

Zoe has always had a very difficult time with running. Unfortunately she got that from me. I really hate running. Ben wanted to help her over the summer by taking her running with him. After running with her a few times he thought it would help her by setting a goal. He wanted to plan to run a 5K at the end of the summer. The only problem was that there were no 5K's around the Wenatchee Valley at the end of the summer so they decided instead to run the Chelan Shore to Shore 10K. I thought that seemed pretty ambitious but Zoe was excited about it, that is until she ran 3 miles. After months of training though she was able to run the whole 6 miles.

Here they are lining up with all the other runners.

Off they go! Ben bought them matching t-shirts and promised to stick with her no matter how slow she needed to go.

Here they are crossing the finish line about an hour and a half later. Zoe was the youngest runner in the race. They ended up coming in last but because Zoe was the youngest she came in first in her age group and still got a prize which was a glass with the race info on it.

She looks so tired!

They also got these great shirts.

Let me just give a shout out to this guy. He is the most amazing father. He totally had to put his pride aside in order to make this day all about Zoe. He said there was one time where an elderly woman was walking faster than them on the sidewalk and he just kept telling himself ...This is all about Zoe!

They have tons of yummy snacks for the runners.

The race began and ended at Manson Park. There is a beautiful marina of lake Chelan there so we decided to hang out and have some fun.

What better way to cool off after a long race!

Tate's First Day of School and Soccer

2011-10-04T20:26:00.000-07:00

Tate started kindergarten this year. His first day of school came about a week later than Zoe's. Ben and I met with his teacher the week before and she showed us the curriculum. I was a little worried because I was pretty sure that he already knew the list of words that he was supposed to know at the end of the year. His teacher assured us that if he knew all of the words they would just start him on the first grade list. So that is what they have done. What happens when he has already learned the first grade list?

Here is my silly man in the morning before school. He loves his camo backpack.

Here he is out in front of the school. He was anxious to go and he wanted Ben to leave right away.

Here he is in line telling Ben that he should leave. And Tate wouldn't even give him a kiss goodbye.

Ben played secret agent and followed him to class to see how he did. He was just so ready.

Tate has been in his first real soccer league this fall.

A lot of the games look liked this picture at first. The boys standing around looking at the ball not sure what to do with it.

Now he starts getting into it!

Can't wait for the after party at Abbey's Pizza!

The kids rode the bus for the first time about a week after school started. Zoe and Tate ride the same bus and best of all it picks them up right in front of our house.

This picture was taken from my front door!

There's my sweet little guy!

Look at this styling guy!

Silver Falls Hike and Welcome Oat!

2011-10-02T17:45:00.000-07:00

We have heard so many good things about the Silver Falls hike in Entiat. We have been wanting to do it fo a while but the 45 minute drive to get there has kept us from being able to go. Finally Labor Day weekend we were able to go with the Bastian's and the Fry's.

The great thing about this hike is that you hike along the waterfall the entire time.

The water was so beautiful and clear.

And here is Oat. Oat is a young man from Thailand. He came to the U.S. as a foreign exchange student but his host family fell through. He was going to get sent home. Our friends told us about him and we decided to let him stay with us since we have a spare room. So he is the 6th member of our family for the year! He is a great kid. Very smart and funny.

Here we all are. Zoe, Ben, Grey, Mauvia, Tate, and Oat.
I know Oat looks very serious but he is really very funny. I asked him why he never smiles in pictures and he told me, "It's not my style."

Here are the Fry's minus Nick. Kyla, Leslie, Cora and Ava

Greysen's favorite ride!

I love this picture except for the part where the camera looks like a goiter on my neck. No worries, I do not have any tumors.

Here we are again; Oat, Tate, Ben, Grey, Mauvia and Zoe

Caden, Kyla and Zoe hiking. There is someone else there too but I can't tell who it is.

Caden Kyla, Zoe, Oat, and Leslie

Caden, Chandler, Leslie's nephew, Zoe and Brooklyn.

Zoe and Brooklyn

It wasn't just the waterfall that was beautiful the views were amazing!

Okay this picture is kind of hillarious. Ben stayed on one side of the waterfall so that he could get a picture of us across the falls. So in this picture you can see me holding Tate. He had just gotten his first bee sting (see below). Next to me is Jeremy Bastian holding Greysen. You can also kind of see Oat through the waterfall. Oat's red shoes had gotten dusty so he washed them off in the waterfall and they turned his fingers red.

Here is the picture of Tate's first bee sting. There was a hive right next to the trail. It is kind of hard to see but there is a pale pink circle just below the knee.

This was his poor sad face.

As if she isn't tall enough already!

Holding a big stick always cheers Tate up.

Look at that big man!

First Day of Middle School for Zoe!

2011-09-29T19:25:00.000-07:00

In East Wenatchee Washington there a few things that are different.

Lots of sunshine and apples and...

5th grade is Middle School

My Zoe is now in the 5th grade so we had to make the emotionally trying transition into Middle School.

Ever the fashionista she put together this "fun, funky, fashionable" (her words)

outfit from her school clothes.

We also did our hair the same so we could think about eachother throughout the day.

Here she is with her school in the background.

Her first locker.

This was a huge source of anxiety for her and for me.

The first time she tried it she could get the combination without a problem but she wasn't physically strong enough to life the latch. What can you do about that? Have her lift weights? We were all very concerned. Thankfully her locker partner is buff.

1st period.

Zoe and Fatima.

Zoe is growing up so fast. She is becoming so responsible and she has handled this new scary adventure called Middle School with so much grace and maturity. I am so proud of her and so thankful to have her in my life.

Lake Chelan again...

2011-09-27T19:28:00.000-07:00

We got to spend a day of Greysen's birthday week at Lake Chelan.

This was the first time that we had gone to the lake for the purpose of swimming since we moved here.

We are still learning the best places to go so we went to this park that we had gone to with the Dame's for thier daughters birthday.

What we didn't know was that there was no beach at this park, just a 10 foot retaining wall that you have to jump off of directly into the icy cold waters!

Crazy eh?!

We had fun though once we all got over the freezing adjustment.

Here Grey and I are after we took our swim and were soaking up the sun.

(Through SPF 50 of course!)

Zoe swam all over the place.

Tate found a big stick shaped like a gun.

Here Grey and I are on our swim. He really did have fun despite his expression.

The kids got to feed a duck.

And Ben got to snorkel.

Later that night the kids hung out with the Dames kids and had a sitter while Ben and I played with Haley and Jon.

We rented paddle board which neither of us had done before but was so much fun.

Ben and I shared one. First he stood and paddled while I rode on the front. Ben doesn't have great balance so the board was shaking. I kept reminding him to have "grounded feet" which was something we used to say in dance to help us balance. This reminded him of the Friends episode where Ross kept saying "Pivot! Pivot!" Which made him laugh so he shook even more and then he tipped us. Then I took over paddling and we got the hang of it. Later he had another turn and did a great job. It was so much fun.

Our First Garden

2011-09-25T20:40:00.000-07:00

We planted our first garden this year.

This is our first full year where we have had a yard to plant a garden in.

We went from having no garden to having 300 square feet to work with. We had no idea what we where doing so we just planted a bunch of stuff that sounded good.

Peas, potatos, carrots, chives, bak choy, radishes, pumpkins, corn, oregano, thyme, articholkes, raspberries, basil, cilantro, kale, greenbeans, tomatos, egg plant, green peppers, jalipenos, zuccini, yellow squash, spagetti squash, butternut squash, strawberries, blueberries and cucumber.

Here are some things we learned:

1. Some things need to be planted before they go outside. For example tomatos, green peppers, jalipenos, and egg plants all need to be "started".

2. Birds love peas, strawberries and blueberries so you have to protect them somehow.

3. Slugs love beer

4. Marigolds are awesome to keep away tomato bugs.

5. If we don't label our plants sometimes we forget what they are.

6. Zuccini takes up a lot of space.

7. We don't like spagetti squash.

8. Pickles and marinara from the garden rock!

Pretty Eggplant

Cute Pumpkin

Our corn row path

Here's Zoe's reaction to some unexpectedly large produce.

Zuccini mustache!

Unicorn squash!

This is one days worth of produce.

Pickles and Pickled Green Beans.

Yummy!

Happy Birthday Greysen!

2011-09-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

Our little man has turned 2!

Look at that sweet face! Don't you just want to smush those cheeks?

Our little man is so funny and smart.

Here are some of my favorite things about Grey:

1. He says "I puds" When he needs a diaper change and points to his bottom.

2. He hums the Star Wars Theme and the Darth Vader Theme

3. He loves to pretend to be a monster

4. When you ask him for something he says "Sure!" In his sweet voice.

5. He loves cars, trains, trucks and anything with a motor. On the way from the car into the church every sunday he names every vehicle he can see ie: car, truck, truck car.

6. He has squishy kissable cheeks.

7. He does very dramatic fake deaths when playing Star Wars.

8. He pats your back when he is trying to comfort you.

9. His little voice is so sweet.

10. He still thinks that my kiss heals his ouwies.

Greysen decided to wear Ben's shorts.

The infamous blanket, only he doesn't cover his body with it he wrapps it around his head while he sleeps.

Greysen does not like cake so for his birthday this year we had fruit and whipped cream.

This was Greysen's personal birthday cake made specially by Ben.

Happy Birthday to Greysen!

Yummy Birthday Cake (minus the cake!)

Birthday Presents!

Whenever we ask Greysen how old he is he says "I dknow"

Love the monster!

He loves dogs!

Epic Star Wars Battle

Leavenworth pond

2011-09-03T20:56:00.000-07:00

There is a pond in leavenworth that is stocked every year with trout in the summer. Kinds under 15 are allowed to catch 5 fish a day there.

We thought that would be a great place to spark the kids interest in fishing by actually catching a fish.

Zoe casted out one time and immediatly caught her first fish. She was so excited and scared and kind of grossed out.

Grey isn't fishing yet so instead he filled his pockets with rocks.

I taught Tate how to cast so that he could fish on his own. I am very proud of the fact that I taught both Zoe and Tate to cast. Tate had so much fun that he told me he wanted to be a professional fisherman when he grows up. Or a scientist that studies dinosaurs.

There is that gorgeous girl of mine catching fish like crazy.

There were 6 fish caught in total. Tate caught one and Zoe caught 5.

Greysen fell in the pond and pushed Tate in also.

It was a great day.

Summer Fun

2011-08-20T18:10:00.000-07:00

We did a lot of traveling in the beginning of this year so we decided to stick close to home this summer and try to get to know what is fun here in North Central Washington.

Some of our most fun memories happen when we are just hangin out as a family.

One of our favorite family times happens every Friday night when we have family sleep over. We stay up way too late playing games or watching movies and usually just fall asleep in the family room. (Then I wake up turn everything off and go back to my bed! Shhh!)

Here is Tate dressed up like a super secret sassy spy detective

Greysen had to take his turn too. I love that chubby cheek!

Doesn't he look so sly!

This is an example of the sleeping arrangements on sleepover night.

Why are all those bugs crawling allover Tate?

Well, they are actually tatoos left over from Halloween. Do you like how Tate is flexing his massive muscles?!

We love the rainbows that we see from our house on the rare rainy days.

Our fabulously fun and never boring friends the Sampsons came out to visit us.

We did a little exploring of Leavenworth.

Yummy cheese and sausage.

Funny hats! That fish is eating Grey's head!

Spooky tentacle girl!

Hmmm...what is Grey eating?

Mmmmmm...Looks like Beth has some too.

Wow, everyone has some yummy gelato. Don't worry I had some too and it was delicious!

We hiked around the Wenatchee River in Leavenworth a little bit.

Here's the whole crew.

The river was so high the rapids where really impressive.

Love this picture of Tate.

Got almosr everyone in this shot. That's Ben's elbow and Pestie's backside.

So pretty!

This is our crew.

We have also done a lot of bowling this summer. I love bowling. It is the only sport I can even come close to beating Ben at. Usually I am pretty good.

Not this day though.

Zoe did really good though.

Tate did good too.

Brooklyn did good.

And of course Ben did really good.

Good for him.

I am not at all bitter!

We did take one small trip to my dad's family reunion.
We didn't take too many pictures. We were having too much fun.

Here are the ones we did get.

These are my cousins Dakota and Lindsey. Thier dad Dale was my dad Dennis' brother. Both of those brothers have passed now, but it is so nice to see them once in a while.

This is my Uncle Randy's family. He is also my father's brother. Not all of his kids where there but these guys are Dayler in the back left Jayden, and Randy holding Jaylene's oldest. Then Ross, Laynele, Bon and Jaylene holding her youngest.

How can a summer out here be complete without a trip to Chelan.

Doesn't it look like Tate is standing in front of a postcard?

There's my sweet man! I can't count how many times a day I kiss those cheeks and it is never enough!

Crazy man!

This is his I am telling you a story face.

Zoe practicing her casts

Tate too!

Ben was the bate man. Don't worry though no fish were harmed during this adventure.

Hiidden Lake Hike

2011-08-14T16:19:00.000-07:00

There are so many beautiful places to see here in the Wenatchee Valley. We have been trying to get to know the area. One of our adventures was to hike to Hidden Lake near Lake Wenatchee.

Turns out we really like hiking but Tate LOVES hiking. Can you see that orange spek there in the distance? That's Tate!

Here it is!

Isn't it beautiful. Totally worth the work to get there.

We had to walk across a log over a stream which we had a lot of fun with.

The kids wanted to jump into the water right away.

Looks cold though...

Let's think about it for a while...

Testing the waters...

It's pretty cold!

Nope, Ben isn't even going to try!

See Zoe's face! Yeah it was THAT cold!

Wow! It was so pretty.

My sweet face!

The Twins

2011-08-07T20:58:00.000-07:00

My sister Taryn had twins in June.

I was lucky enough to be able to go down and meet these sweet little ones and help out for a few days.

Meet Joshua and Chelsea!
They are very tiny and very sweet.

I tried my hand at newborn photography while I was there. Clearly I am a novice but below are some of the best pictures.

Joshua has light reddish hair.

Joshua and Chlesea

They are both so cute and snuggly.

Joshua

He was so sleepy.

Chelsea was very alert during the photo shoot.

Chelsea has dark hair and an upturned nose.

Doesn't it look like they are having a little chat!

For some reason this picture keeps turning sideways.
I am not sure why.

Crabby bums!

Cheraden the big sister and Chelsea

Joshua and Chance the big brother

Joshua, Chance, Cheraden, Chelsea

This is my beautiful sister Taryn with the little ones.

Taryn and Joshua

Taryn and Chelsea

Love those sweet feets.

Each twin was born with one clubbed foot. Can you pick out which ones are clubbed?

While I was there we took the babies in to get thier first casts.

Chelsea went first.

Then Joshua

Casted crabby bums.

Quick kiss!

On the way home we got to stop in and visit sweet little Odessa. What a lucky Aunt I am!

Let's Celebrate Zoe!

2011-07-24T17:13:00.000-07:00

Zoe has had a busy couple of months and with all of her fun adventures needed a post all to herself. Our Stake had a pinewood derby for the Activity Day girls.

This was Ben's first experience making a pinewood derby car. Zoe designed the concept and Ben made it work.

All the other girls had flowers and princesses on thier cars. Zoe was going for something more fierce so she designed a dragon.

This was the finished product. Pretty cool eh! She named it Firebolt. Her car took first place in the ward and second place in the stake.

Zoe recently had her 10th birthday.

I can't believe she is in the double digits.

Here are 10 things we LOVE about Zoe:

1. She makes great pancakes, crepes and waffles from scratch. She makes us brunch every Sunday.

2. Zoe is a great big sister. She cuddles, tickles and entertains like a pro.

3. She is very determined. When she sets a goal she works hard to achieve it. She hates running but she set a goal to run a 10k and she is up to running 3 1/2 miles.

4. She is very artistic. She draws, plays piano, and dances beautifully.

5. Her laugh is hilarious.

6. She has a strong sense of who she is and where she wants to take her life already. If she doesn't do well on an assignment she will always ask me, "Mom does this mean I can't go to BYU?"

7. She has a strong testimony of the gospel and she let's that guide her life. She is happy to let us know if we are doing something she doesn't feel good about.

8. She has great fashion sense, and since she is already wearing a size 7 shoe we will be sharing clothes very soon.

9. She is incredibly kind and soft hearted. She wants people to be happy and when others are hurting she hurts.

10. She is open to new experiences. She is always willing to try new food, or new adventures. She loves excitement.

Ben made the frosting flowers.

Isn't that the most awesome thing ever. What an incredible dedicated father and an amazing homemaker.

Our friend TIna came to help out with the party. She ROCKS! You can always count on her crafty nature to come up with a great idea.

Again, trampolines are the best birthday party investments ever!
Sprinkler+Trampoline=Happy kiddos!

Birthday presents.

Zoe's friends were so generous. She was so appreciative.

This was Zoe's outfit for the last day of school last year.

She is quite the fashionista.

Zoe had a dance performance at the end of last year for Jazz and Ballet.

She made some good friends, and had a great time.

Venom!

2011-07-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

So there used to be this indoor arena football team here in Wenatchee, it recently left town but we got to go to one of the games before they left.

Try not to pay attention to all the empty seats.

The Bryans came to join in the fun

Here is Tate with Shawna and Sydney

The Bastiens where there too.

The guy in the cap is Theron

Hello Tate!

Tina is the toddler whisperer! It was way past Grey's bedtime!

San Fransisco continued...

2011-07-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

We had the chance to visit a couple of other places while we were visiting family in San Fransisco.

Ben and Tate braving the Tyranosaurus

Tate and a Turtle

Zoe giving the turtle some love.

We also got to visit the Botanical Gardens...

I don't know flowers but they were beautiful.

Me and my monkeys in the jungle.

Zoe and I did an impromptu photo shoot while we were walking around the park.

Isn't she gorgeous!

Zoe and I popped into the fine art museum while the boys went to get the car. We were only able to be there for 15 minute or so but it was a fun adventure for the 2 of us together.

We like to challenge our kiddos to eat new things. We found these crickets that were cheese flavored at Pier 39. I wasn't sure if they would do it but they gobbled them up!

Looks delicious right?!

The last day we were there we went to Six Flags.

Tate (with his growly face) and the tiger.

They are checking eachother out!

Zoe is our roller coaster junkie. You might have to enlarge us to see it clearly.

Cute man!

Baby Taylor. I could snuggle him all day! Except that everyone else wanted to so I had to wait my turn.

Goofy Tate.

Sleepy Jacob. Such a cute boy.

Can you find the roller coaster junkie and her dad in this picture?

One last picture of baby Claire before we headed home.

San Fransisco

2011-07-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

While we were in San Fransisco for the baby blessings we decided to do some tourist stuff that we have never done before.

We stayed in the city because I had a conference I had to go to and we were only about a mile from Pier 39. We were able to walk down a couple times and enjoy the sights and smells...and the FOOD!

Ice Cream!
Uncle Jeremy treated Zoe and Tate after thier trip to the Aquarium.

Tate hanging out by the boats...

The whole crew...sadly I was in a conference for this part. Looks like fun though eh?!

Look at these strange creatures they found at the aquarium!

What adorable sea creatures!

Maybe they will let me take them home.

Love the squishy nose!

Oooooo! That's a nice one too!

Maybe I can have all three!

How could I resist!?

Also while I was in meetings they got to go to the zoo.

The perfect form of transport.

Tate, Grey, goat, Jacob

Popular goat!

Wait! Aren't those the cute creatures from the aquarium?

Ben and I were able to take advantage of many willing sitters to have a night to ourselves.

We had a great time touring around the city.

China Town
Seriously like we entered another country.

Union Square

There were tons of artist displaying thier work and some of it was amazing.

Then we went on a bus tour of the city. Our tour guide was hilarious! He ate loudly and got lost a couple times but taught us lots of interesting things about San Fransisco. Did you know that only pets and military can be buried there. Where do all thier dead go?

This pic is for Melanie. This is one of the cables to the Bay bridge cross sectioned. Inside there are thousands of thumb width cables. It's not rebar but still very interesting eh Mel?!

Then we took the ferry to Alcatraz

There's the bay bridge in the background

There you can see Alcatraz behind that bardge.

The skyline from Alcatraz

Serving 20 to life but should get out on good behavior.

Baby Blessing

2011-07-03T18:06:00.000-07:00

Our family has been blessed with 4 new babies this year. We made a trip to San Fransisco to celebrate the blessings of two of our sweet new additions.

Introducing Claire

and Taylor

Aren't they both the cutest things EVER!

Well, at least since my kids!

Ariel, Nanna and Zoe

Spending quality time with all the family is the best part of getting together.

(Notice the feather in Zoe's hair, cute eh?!)

Jacob and Grandpa

Tate and Isaac are on a mission of destruction

Mission accomplished!

Eliza, Nanna and Zoe visiting over dinner.
Another great part of family get togethers; yummy food!

Sweet kisses
Another great thing about family get togethers!

Here are the proud mommies and sweet babies

Pa, Tyler, Claire, Meesh

Meesh, Claire, Smith, Sam, Eliza, Isaac

Pa, Taylor, Jeremy, Jacob

One star of the show...

Baby Claire

And the other star...

Baby Taylor

What a blessing we have to be part of such a sweet family. They are all great examples to us and so fun to be around. We are so grateful for all of them!

Star Wars

2011-06-25T18:20:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day weekend was the last weekend that the Star Wars exhibit was in Seattle so of course Ben and Tate HAD to be there.

I don't know all of the correct terms for things so you will have to be patient with me. This is some kind of space ship.

Grey decided this was the perfect place to perfect his dance moves.

Tate says this is called Droidica.

R2D2 right?

C3P0

Yoda, oops kinda cut Ben's face off.

Grey wanted to shake his hand. Brave kiddo!

Good old Darth. Tate was in heaven.

Chewy was TALL!

Another space ship of some kind that I should probably know the name of.

Tate was totally freaked out by the storm troopers.

Tate got to drive a hover car.

Another ship

Is this one of the Fetts?

Anyway it was fun to see the boys experiencing thier favorite fantasy story. Totally worth standing in line with hundreds of Jedi knights. We were underdressed.

Ocean Shores

2011-06-21T20:22:00.000-07:00

Totally off topic I got these feather extensions. What do you think?

In April my sister and her family met us in Ocean Shores for our very first combined family adventure. We got to the hotel first and headed straight to the beach.

This was the view from our hotel

April is not typically a very warm time of year at Ocean Shores but we totally lucked out with the weather. A little breezy, but clear skies and warm.

Here is Zoe easing herself into the beach experience. She is not wet yet but she has found a treasure.

As you can see Grey warmed up pretty quickly to the water. He was actually trying to run away from a wave but got pulled under. It was a good thing I was standing right there to pull him out.

Love this fun picture of Tate's reflection. Ben should be a photographer right?!

Sandy toes! Can you guess what else was sandy? Um yeah, pretty much everything.

See those concerned eyebrows! He wouldn't go near the water unless he was carried after that.

So fun!

Poor soggy man!

Ben took this picture to replace the one he took when Tate was Greysen's age. Had to get rid of the hunchback!

This was the second day.

My sister got to Ocean Shores late in the night and her car had broken down. So we had the whole day to walk around and play. The kids had a great time.
Here is Stetson, Cheraden, Tate and Zoe

Zoe and Tate racing the waves.

Jasper and my sister Dwan carrying little Odessa

Chilly me and Grey

This is as close as he would get by himself

Ben was trying to coax him back to the water

My amazing sister carrying both of her children

Cheraden, Zoe and Stetson

Little Odessa

Someone help us!

Silly hats

Silly Tate

Love this little character!

Under attack!

Oh no! Not Ben too!

Sleepy boys. Jasper is too funny with his hands behind his head.

Trophy Cupcakes back at the hotel

We made our way back to Wenatchee after a short trip to Pike's market where we saw the gum wall for the first time. It was truly disgusting and my only picture is on my cell phone which I don't know how to transfer over. Maybe I will add it when I figure it out.

Okay I figured it out. The next few pictures are from our cell phones during our quick trip through Seattle. We drove by the Space Needle.

Grey got to pet the pig

Cheraden with her baloon heart at Pike's

Here we are at the pig

The gum wall, blech!

Then we made it to our house after a very long drive

Odessa is about the cutest thing EVER!

Greysen thinks so too, he kept trying to take her.

He had to settle for a kiss

Sweet Odessa snuggles! Can't get enough.

Jasper was fun too but he had to be watched from affar. He wouldn't let anyone but mommy and daddy too close.

We were so blessed to be a part of little Odessa's blessing. Isn't she so beautiful?!
Sweet girl.

Ward Talent Show

2011-06-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

The Saturday Morning before Easter our Primary put on a Talent Show. Each of us got to play a part...

As a Primary Presidency we showed off our Sunday making skills...

Not messy at all.

Tate showed off his Transformers pictures that he colored.

Zoe and Ben Played Over the Rainbow together. I loved watching them practice together to prep for the show. It was so sweet.

Easter

2011-05-29T15:22:00.000-07:00

This year Easter was kind of a busy weekend.

The Easter Bunny visits our house on the Saturday before Easter to help us usher in the solstice and celebrate the renewal of spring. To prep for our bouncy visitor we get to try out our artistic abilities. Forgot to get pictures of the process, it was one of those nights where we had already gone to Costco for groceries and when we got home we realized that we had no vinegar. Ben ran to the store to get some and when he got home he realized the cashier hadn't put the vinegar in the bag so he had to run back to the store. We didn't start dying eggs until after 8pm which is usually bedtime.

This was Grey's first Easter Egg hunt, we had to reming Zoe and Tate to leave some for him.

Tate is showing Grey how it is done.

He is getting the hang of it. Notice how dark it is outside? Yep they were up at 5:00am!

In the afternoon on Saturday we met up with some friends at the park for some more egg finding fun...

What a handsome bunch

Look at the cute Bastian clan
Brooklyn, Kaden, Chandler
Tina, Jeremy

Okay, not in order but the kiddos are inspectinn thier loot here.

Zoe and Brooklyn went for the same egg and had a head on collision that resulted in baskets flying everwhere. It was kind of funny to watch and thankfully no girlies or eastereggs where hurt.

Tate's loot

One of the girls there took it upon herself to help Greysen find his eggs. It was so sweet.

Looking...

Looking...

Here is most of the group, Tina and Michelle are taking pictures.

They had to take a break from the search to play at the park.

Wow! That looks fun!

Will he dare?

That is the face of a kiddo having FUN!

Does anyone else want to squish those cheeks?

The whole group of kiddos

Later we went back to our place for a BBQ and some strawberry shortcake.

Yummy!

More fun!

Here we are in our Easter gear.

What a way to welcome Spring right?!

Soccer...Piano and Smelly Moo!

2011-05-08T18:34:00.000-07:00

This is a Friday night sleep over. We do it every Friday that we are at home. We pop popcron, watch videos and sleep in the family room. (At least until about midnight when I get up and go get into my bed!)
Tate on a sleepover night.

Wenatchee really is a beautiful place to live. This was waiting for me one morning when I left for work.

It went all the way across the valley

Ben and Grey on a weekday morning...I sooo wanted to crawl back into bed with them!

Tate took another camp with the fire tots soccer. This was the last time that he would be young enough to be in with the little kids.

Love the hair!

Dodge...

Stretch...

Rest...Happy guy!

Zoe has been taking piano here in Wenatchee since we moved here. She had a recital and ajudications at the end of February. She has made so much progress and all of her practice is really paying off.

Sorry we are still learning how to use the camera so the video got split...

My old roommate and dear friend Melanie came to visit us is this February. We were roommates at Rick College (BYU Idaho) in 1995! Can you believe it has been that long?! So we have a long history of late nights, ice cream runs and Jane Austen movies.

She came to spend the weekend with us and we had so much fun that I forgot to take pictures until she was just about to leave. She was up in Seattle working on the 504 floating bridge. She lives in Las Vegas now but apparently they send thier engineers to other places in times of need. Probably because she is so awesome. Her middle name is Smart after all!

We are so glad you came Mel!

A Day at the Park and Valentines Day

2011-05-01T20:29:00.000-07:00

So I reserve the right to change my mind later but so far I am LOVING this Wenatchee weather. These pictures were taken on a beautiful day in February as we played at the park.

Wow I love these faces!

Am I biased or is she gorgeous?!

Sweet boy loves to swing.

My other sweet swinging boy!

Look at the pure joy!

You know you want to kiss those cheeks!

and those!

Ben made an amazing dinner and dessert for Valentines Day including chocolate covered strawberries...

Steak and heart shaped potatoes. Everything tastes better if it is heart shaped!

Happy Birthday Tate!

2011-04-24T19:15:00.000-07:00

The Great Tate turned 5 in February!

Here are 5 fun and memorable facts about Tate:

1: He is totally obsessed with Star Wars (which will explain much of the rest of this post)

2. He is a great reader

3. He can be very sweet and supportive as a brother and a son

4. He is for the most part very good natured and easy going

5. If you catch him at the wrong time when he hasn't had enough sleep and is engrossed in an activity and you need him to do something else, even if it is something fun, he can be very stubborn and will lower his eyebrows all the way and stomp all the way to where he has to go and say FINE!

5 funny things Tate says

1. Kisses are unvisable (which means you cannot wipe them off) and he has a net to catch them with. Also that's disgusting whenever Ben and I kiss.

2. They shouldn't cut down trees, what will they do if the dirty air comes?!

3. I want that for my birthday (started the day after his birthday week this year)

4. Mom do you wanna scrimadge?

5. Butcept, you know when he is disagreeing with you.

Wow, that is an incredibly unflattering picture. Oh well, here I am trying to give Tate the Star Wars birthday of his dreams. Thanks to my friend Shawna with her pancake molds so I didn't have to attempt freehand.

Zoe and Yoda...

Tate and Darth...

Plenty for all to eat...

Storm Trooper.

Sweet little mug and his new Star Wars Legos.

The beautiful thing about having a trampoline is that it is like an automatic party. Kids come over, they jump, they eat cake and go home!

Good fun and Good for you!

Love the trampoline hair!

Have to give Ben mad props here because he did not have any molds and these things totally look like what he wanted them to. Tate is not a cake man so we did rice crispy treats instead.

We love this little man so much!

Final Disney Day

2011-04-13T20:17:00.001-07:00

Phew! Finally we are at the last day of our exhastingly-fun-filled Disney trip. We spent our final day in the parks running back and forth to all of our favorite attractions. We were all pretty tired but determined to get the most out of our last day.

Hi Zoe on the ferris wheel!

Me and my sweet boys WAY up high. Does Greysen look worried? Ben totally has the bigger muscles right? Water water everywhere but not a drop...

Poor tired man

Who is that behind my Tate?

Tate is about to get decontaminated!

What is Chip hiding in Tate's hood?

Peek-a-boo!

Wait...we've seen this princess before...only with a different face!

Is Zoe slightly underdressed?

One of these girls really does have red hair.

That was one heavy bunny!

Keep in mind that we were there in January. Sure it is warmer there but not THAT warm. I wanted to loan her my jacket!

This was actually from the day before, we caught them on the run.

We had such a nice time on this vacation. We were all truly worn out at the end of each day but we had so much fun. The best part was the time we had together and getting to know eachother better.

Skippin by the castle

2011-03-20T21:59:00.000-07:00

Disney Day 3

2011-03-20T18:56:00.001-07:00

We started our morning on the third day with breakfast with Mickey and Friends.

Grey started to warm up to the characters finally so he wasn't always trying to run away.

He may have even had some fun with them!

There was hardly anyone else there so we had a great time hanging out and playing with the characters.

See! He totally warmed up to Mickey.

Is Mini trying to eat Tate's cereal?

Greysen's too?! She must be hungry!

Dance time!

How cute!

Silly Mickey! Daisy was NOT happy when she found out!

Grey is not so sure about this guy...

Zoe has no problem though.

Mickey is very friendly...and short!

Get Down!

Shake it! Shake it!

Booogie!

Tate had something very important to tell Pluto!

Pluto loves red headed ladies!

And handsome balding men!

Since it was the week before Tate's birthday they brought out a waffle with a candle in it for him to blow out while they sang to him.

Yay! Disneyland! With the sun in our eyes.

Zoe took a similar picture on our first trip...

Look at that sweet little mug! I can't believe how much she has grown!

She had so much fun posing that day.

Silly girl!

Beautiful girl!

Silly guy!

Okay so now the trip is catching up to Tate. See that red spot on his cheek? He gets that spot when he is very tired. He really needed a nap at this point.

Greysen was still good to go though!

A good friend of our has a brother who works in Disneyland. He arranged for us to get a picture with the whole cast. It had to be quick and kind of covert so a large crowd wouldn't gather. Tate had been waiting in line to ride the Dumbos and because he was alreay tired and grumpy he was not the most cooperative.

Maybe with the second picture? Nope, still the grumpus.

Grey loved it though!

Wow, a lot of stuff happened between these two pictures. We went back and forth between the two parks going on all our favorite rides again. Zoe went on the Tower of Terror a couple times. Tate went on the Toy Story ride several times too. We also ate lots of yummy food including homemade icecream and waffle cones. Our feet are about to fall off but we are having a blast.

I love this silly picture of dinner.

We had cajun food with benaise for dessert.

So yummy!

Cool picture Ben!

Tired, Tired boy!

or should I say boyS!

Disney Day 2

2011-03-11T20:46:00.001-08:00

We spent our second day at Disney California Adventure.

We love the low key vibe there.

We got to enter the park early so there was no one else on the rides

Zoe and Tate got to keep going on these swings until thier bottoms hurt.

What a beautiful girl!

Silly guy!

Grey was not so sure...

I am sure this rock was shaped like something...

Climbing while carrying Grey was my workout for the day.

Sooooo much harder than it looks!

We got to go eat lunch with the princesses where Zoe got to get up in front of the whole restaraunt and introduce the princesses and Tate got to eat meatballs on a stick. Guess which one we got a picture of...

Zoe and Aurora...

Cinderella...

and Belle.

Prince Greysen!

That army man had the coolest makeup!

Grey loved to pet his fish.

So stinkin adorable!

Can you tell we had a good time!

Grey is looking at the Ferris wheel.

3D Glasses are always good for pictures.

I wonder if kisses are better in 3D?

Sweet faces!

Who would buy those crazy toys?

Bumper Bugs!

Yum!

Tate was totally in heaven.

After meeting Lightening McQueen and Mater he could have gone home happy.

The Fall of Darth Vader

2011-03-11T20:45:00.000-08:00

Defeat the Dark Side!

2011-02-12T22:23:00.000-08:00

While we were in Disneyland Zoe and Tate decide to do there part to help defeat the dark side. They went through Jedi training documented in the previous post and lucky they did because some infamous sith lords showed up.

Zoe took on Darth Maul

Scary right!

Disney Day 1

2011-02-12T13:38:00.000-08:00

Ben started a tradition in our family when Zoe was 4 years old. She was beginning to learn to read and he wanted to reward her and motivate her to keep practicing at the same time. He promised her that when she learned to read he would take her to Disney land. A family tradition was born. Tate was about to turn 5 and has been reading for a while and it was his turn.

That coupled with the fact that I have been working non stop without vacation meant that we were off...

The hotel prepared a little surprise for Tate.

Here is a closeup of the gift

The kids were so excited to see Goofy waiting for them in the lobby of the hotel. The mood was set from the beginning. Look at the HUGE grin on Tate's face.

We went to breakfast in the park the first day with lots of the characters. Eyeore was the first character waiting for us. This was the friendliest Grey was with any of the characters.

He even gave him a kiss!

Tate liked him too.

Zoe's fairy godmother was there too. Zoe wished for waffles and we ate them every morning we were there!

Zoe needed her Eyeore love too.

Pirates anyone?

See Greysen's indifference to Mini? That is how he usually was with the characters unless they got too close.

Chip thinks Tate needs a haircut!

So funny!

Grey was only there for the food!

Gipeddo

Ahhh! More snuggles!

So sweet! ( I hope they clean those suits regularly!)

Ummm the Captain is pretty close...

Too CLOSE a little too CLOSE!

Tate looks so little here!

At this point Zoe is wondering when she gets to go back to her food.

Our first ride.

The benefit of going in January is that you practically get to walk right on to the rides. That and the 80 degree weather!

Zoe and Tate got to train as Jedis. This is Tate practicing his dodge.

I love this picture! It is so adorable how intently Tate is listening to the Jedi master!

Zoe the Jedi in training.

We have to post the video of the kids fighting the dark side once we figure out how to do it!

Of course we had to visit the Mad Hatters. Which one do you like that best? Does that look like my real hair?

Every girl need sparkly mini ears!

The pirate and the wizard!

They caught us and put us where we belong.

What adorable monkeys!

Fire and Ice

2011-02-05T08:04:00.000-08:00

One last post before Disney!

The weekend of Martin Luther King Jr day the Dames invited us up to Chelan for the Fire and Ice festival.

There are ice sculptures, ice skating, and people jumping half naked into the ice.

Sounds like way too much ICE for me but I am trying to embrace the whole 4 season thing so we decided to try it out.

It is amazing what these men can do with a chainsaw and ablock of ice!

We had some of our favorite neighbors with us. Brooklyn and Caden were staying with us while thier brother was in the hospital.

The detail was amazing!

We went to dinner with the Dames to get out of the cold at this really yummy pizza place.
Greysen loves pizza!

Haley and Scarlet...So adorable!

Brooklyn, Cozette and Tate.

Brooklyn looks kinda bummed because she was going to have to eat red sauce on the pizza. Don't worry we got her a white sauce pizza.

Caden is so goofy!

But you can't fool Zoe!

Atticus was very hungry and that will make anyone cranky!

Scarlet likes pizza!

Here is the fire part of the Fire and Ice Festival.

After the fireworks we had to make a mad dash for the car because it was pouring rain!

Thanks Dames for the great evening.

Christmas...kinda...

2011-02-03T19:21:00.000-08:00

I really want to post our Disneyland pictures but I guess I should do the rest of the update first.

Ben and I celebrated our 11th anniversary. He gave me these beautiful flowers. We also had a super fun and relaxing stay date. Our kiddos went to play at someone elses house and we hung out at home by ourselves. Sound boring? Not to us! We had a great time and can't wait to do it again.

Zoe was in a production of the Nutcracker. She got to play a mouse and a special angel. She did a great job and had so much fun.

Ben's birthday cake. His favorite from Costco of course! Yum!

This little puppy wandered into our garage. Sadly (to everyone but me) we did not get to keep him. He was very cute though.

Believe it or not this is the only picture that was taken Christmas morning! Can you tell what BEN was excited about? He was the one in charge of the camera. So funny! We had a very nice and relaxing Christmas with our family though which probably would have been boring to look at anyway.

End of the Year Updates...

2011-01-04T15:09:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. I haven't posted Christmas pictures yet. Partially because most of it is video and it is very time consuming to post and partially because we got a new camera and I am not sure how to use it. December was an eventful month for us though so I wanted to update everyone.

Ben had a birthday.

I love celebrating Ben's birth even though it was particularly hard work for me this year. We do birthday week which means that for the entire week of your birthday you get little gifts and treats, you choose the menu and you do not have to do any chores. This is much harder to do when working full time but totally worth it!

Ben had asked for an electric guitar, and I found a great deal on one off Craig's list that was barely used and a good brand. Tate was with me when we picked it up but he did a great job keeping the secret.

So birthday week day 1 we gave Ben a video game "Halo Reach" which he loved.

Day 2 we gave him a shoulder strap for his guitar. He looked very confused and said "Um I guess I will have to get out my old guitar." To which Tate replied, "You don't have a guitar". Funny because Ben really does have an acoustic guitar but hasn't played it for roughly 6 years and Tate is only 4 so he has never seen it. Also good because Tate is keeping the secret.

Day 3 we gave him some cozy long sleeved shirts. (It is dang cold here right now!)

Day 4 we gave him the amp. He looked very suspicious but Tate said, "Dad it is for your old guitar!"

Day 5 we gave him the new Wheel of Time book that he already knew he was getting since I had read it before I wrapped it. (Yep, that's how I roll!)

Day 6 we gave him the guitar case all wrapped up. When he unwrapped it and opened the case he looked very disappointed and said, "Where is the guitar?" Tate replied, "Up under Zoe's bed!" Oh well, he had done so well all week.

This was also the day of our 12 anniversary.

Can you believe it 12 years. It seems both too long and not long enough at the same time for all of the experiences we have had together. It seems to me that he has always been there sharing my life with me. Although, he is probably grateful he wasn't there for the first few years. I am so in love with him.

Day 7 we staged a scavenger hunt to find the guitar. It was so fun for the kids to make up clues to help him find it. The most memorable clue was "Your favorite room" He knew exactly what that was. Do you?

That was also the infamous day we had our tithing settlement that turned into a new calling for me as the Primary President of our ward. Very unexpected. Ben burst out laughing once the Bishop said what the call would be. Needless to say I am learning a lot.

Well, that sums up December. Pictures still to come.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Thanksgiving and more...

2010-12-20T17:41:00.001-08:00

Look at this cute little munchkin!

Tate has developed a new love for Star Wars. Ben and Tate spend about ten minutes a few times a week playing the Star Wars video game. Really Ben runs around fighting bad guys while Tate walks around in an AT AT Walker looking at the scenery.

Ben's parents came up from Utah to visit us for Thanksgiving. Mani made us all sorts of delicious treats.

Our neighbors the Bastian's also came to eat good food and play. They are awesome Settlers players!

Mom and Dad enjoying a pre-feast snack.

Here we are Thanksgiving Day.

Nana and Grey playing cars.

Here are our beloved reindeer antlers. I have no idea where they came from but every year we have to get pictures in them.

Grey was not a fan!

Silly Zoe!

Say cheese!

Get them off!

Decorating the tree. Tate looks thrilled!

This was in Leavenworth. We went with Ben's parent's and this is the only picture I got. Oh well we will have to go again!

Tate and Grey enjoying our first snow.

Grey enjoying more snow...

Grey trying to eat the snow...

Too much snow!

Silly!

Happy Holidays!

Halloween!

2010-11-07T16:49:00.000-08:00

Well, our camera is getting old but we managed to get a few good Halloween pictures in. We tried out the corn maze and pumpkin patch here in Wenatchee this year. You will notice that there are no pictures. It was a total bust. The corn maze was more like a corn path and the pumpkins that were left were all mush. Lesson learned we will make the 2 and 1/2 hour drive to Carpenito Brothers next year.

So we bought our pumpkins at good old Fred Meyer but still had a blast picking out designs and carving.

Sadly there are no great pictures of the finished product. The first night we lit them it was breezy and they kept blowing out and after that I just kept forgetting. I just went outside to see if I could get one now but the pumpkins are more black than orange now. Oh well... Here is Ben's attempt at lighting them the first night.

Tate and Grey admiring the one that stayed lit.

Tate picked the theme this year. Can you guess who we are?

Yoda, Leigha, Han, Luke, Padme

We went Trick-or-Treating in down town Wenatchee on Saturday. We got lots of comments, and compliments. The funniest though was when we would run into people we know and they would recognize me and then ask where Ben was. I guess he doesn't look himself in a 70's shag.

We didn't Trick -or-Treat on Sunday but we had a steady stream of treat seakers at our door from 5pm until we turned our lights off at 8pm. How fun to be in a neighborhood!

The Fall here has been so beautiful.

These last two are pictures of our front yard.

We had a great Fall party at our place last weekend. Many people from our Ward came and the Dames came down from Manson. It was so much fun. The only sad thing is that I only got two pictures that were in focus of the whole thing. Bummer!

This was one of the games we played. The kids had to be blindfolded and carry leaves to a bag across the yard. So funny. We also played put the eyeball on the skeleton, eat the dangling doughnut, and had a mask painting station. Mostly I just visited with the ladies and prepared treats while Ben ran the show. He was thrilled. We had great treats too though. Peanut butter bites, caramel apple bites, caramel popcorn (thanks Tina!), Kettle corn (thanks Shawna!), hot cider, and homemade hot chocolate. Sugar coma!

Blast from the past!

When we were putting up Halloween decorations Tate wanted to try this on again.

Surprise it still fits!

Trampoline!

2010-10-24T19:08:00.001-07:00

One of the many joys of having a backyard is to finally have the room to get some fun toys. I have always wanted one of these...

Fun eh!

(Yes my children are outside in their pajamas, it's our backyard!)

Look at Zoe's skill! She learned to flip so quick.

Come jump with us!

Baptisms, Birthdays, First day of School and Other Adventures

2010-10-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

We had quit a busy summer and early fall. Soon after we had settled in to our new home in Wenatchee we had the opportunity to attend our sweet nephew Matt's baptism. We were so grateful to be able to attend such an important occasion in his life, and we are so proud of his choice.

This is Matt and his dad Uncle Brent who Zoe and Tate adore.

Greysen turned 1 in August. He is such a sweet and funny boy. He lives life with reckless abandon which at times has resulted in tears, but also resulted in walking earlier than any of our other children. When he first started walking he would stand up at the couch to get his balance. Throw his hands in the air, and take off across the floor at a run. Squealing and laughing for about 5 steps and then crash to the ground. So much for slow tentative steps.

Look at those sweet curls.

He likes to press his nose right up to the bars of his crib so he can watch for us through the door.

We have a picture just like this of Tate at the fair.

Cool dude!

Grey went with us on his first bike ride. The helmet was not his favorite.

He decided bike ride time was nap time.

Thankfully he was strapped in!

First birthday also means first haircut...

He looks suspicious...

He was not a fan of the haircut. Ben had to work pretty hard to keep him distracted and still. The only thing that worked was chocolate birthday cake (mixed with hair clippings)

Yep, that sums it up!

Zoe had her first day of school. She was very nervous and had an upset tummy all morning but was of course very excited about her new outfit.

Her classroom this year is in a portable.
She ended up loving her teacher and making many new friends.

She did come home concerned one day because one of her friends was french kissing her boyfriend on the bus. Ben and I were both holding in our shock and trying to stay cool. She went on to say that she knew she wasn't ready for those types of things and was looking for friends that shared more of her interests. She also mentioned that a boy had tried to hold her hand on the bus but she didn't let him. Needless to say she doesn't ride that bus much anymore. Thankfully the following day she came home and told me that she found a friend that was interested in science like her and they spent the recess looking for varieties of bugs. It is so scary to be facing these types of challenges already. I am so thankful for her little sharp analytical mind that allows her to see past the pressure from her peers. I hope that can hold. I am grateful she feels comfortable talking to us about these things.

Greysen discovered corn on the cob.

Tate started soccer. He doesn't look too thrilled in this pictures but he actually really loves it and has a natural talent for it. His lean little body is quite speedy.

So adorable!

We had the chance to go to Silverwood for the first time this summer. It was a long drive but a lot of fun.

This was a train ride where we unexpectedly experienced a "hold up" (well maybe not too unexpectedly) It kinda stressed Tate out and Zoe and I got soaked.

Ben Zoe and Tate went on the bumper boats. Here is Ben trying to include me in the fun. Isn't he so thoughtful!

Zoe loved this ride and got into battles with total strangers.

Ben went with Zoe on her first field trip here in Wenatchee with the boys to learn about salmon.

Zoe creating her own salmon.

Greysen trying to run from the salmon. Or maybe just trying to get away from Zoe.

Zoe's class

Who is that fish baby?

Two stories about Tate:

First for the penny...He thought it would be interesting to stick a penny between a plug that was plugged in and the outlet. All we saw was a big flash of fire and the lights went out. When the confusion passed we discovered the penny still lodged in the socked with two notches melted out where the prongs touched it. Miraculously, Tate didn't even feel a shock. He received quite an education about electricity that day.

The second story happened earlier this week. Tate had gone on a play date with a friend to the park. When I got home that night he complained that there was an owie on his bum. I took a look at it and found a small scratch on his right cheek. I cleaned it, put medicine on it and a band aid more for his emotional well being than physical. A few days later I asked if it was better. He said no, so I checked it again. Now it was raised and inflamed. It was evident that there was something in it. Surgery commenced with me playing the role of surgeon. After some slight poking around I discovered the sliver and began to pull it out. It was huge more than half an inch long! Don't ask me how it got in there! I guess I can add bum surgeon to my list of qualifications.

More Catch-up!

2010-09-05T21:05:00.000-07:00

If you are not my child I apologize that you have to see this first picture. This is one of my sillier moments and I am including it so that they can fondly remember my silliness one day. After they are over being incredibly annoyed by it which I am told will happen very soon. Hey kiddos, I love laughing with you!

Earlier this summer we took Tate to meet Thomas the Train. Tate is a big fan and was very excited. So excited that he was slightly put out to have to turn around for pictures.

Classic "Why are you making me do this?" face.

Notice the change?

Even better right?
Tate loved the train ride and grinned the whole time.

The rest of us enjoyed it too.

Nice view eh?!

If you haven't noticed this blog is not in chronological order. The following pictures happened over the 4th of July when our friends the Sampson's where here. We went to visit Ohme Gardens here in Wenatchee.

The boys...

more silliness...

beautiful plants and ponds...

pretty poses...

more silliness...

Well, it's Zoe so of course there had to be more pretty poses...

Great friends...

and tired feet.
Thanks Sampson's for the fun trip.

Red Head Photo Shoot

2010-08-29T12:22:00.001-07:00

These were the pictures we chose from the read head photo shoot. There were many more but these were some of our favorites....

Catch Up!

2010-08-15T07:29:00.000-07:00

Business has gotten me behind on my blogging so here is a random catch up blog...

This was Ben's last day of school. I was a really big deal for both of us because he had been teaching there for 9 years. It was his first "real" job in his career. He really loved working there and discovered himself as a teacher over his years there. I was surprised by how strongly attached they were to him at his farewell party. One teacher cried A LOT and the principle kept saying "Really if you ever move back to this area you will always have a job here." I kept waiting for Ben to have some type of emotional reaction but he just seemed so peaceful about the whole thing. I personally felt a little panicked that we were leaving a job that has supported us through the majority of our children's lives.

This was Zoe's very last show with British Dance Academy. They did Peter Pan this year. Our video isn't converting for some reason but I wish I could show you how much she has grown as a dancer since her beginnings. This picture was on the way back to the car after the show. Zoe and I were both crying.

One of Zoe's favorite teachers Miss Magna from British.

I got to go with Zoe on her end of the year school field trip this year. We went to the Pacific Science Center and had a great time. This is Zoe's friend Maria.

Zoe and Dana BFF's!

Okay totally random cuteness. We got home late one evening and while we were putting stuff away Grey crawled over to this blanket and fell fast asleep.

I told some of you that we were having our pictures taken for a book on redheads. That will be a separate post. The same photographer organized a Guinness Book of World Records event to get the most redheads in one place. There ended up getting 902. Can you find us?

Here's the whole crew!

Grey has mastered straw drinking...

But not pants wearing!

Zoe turned 9! Soooo CRAZY!!! Here she is snoozing on our couch...

Red Velvet birthday cake from Costco (her choice!)

The Sampson's came out to visit for the 4th of July and Zoe's birthday. Ben was so excited to play MAN games on the XBox.

More random cuteness.

and again.

Jack and Tate

They do have playgrounds here!

My first attempt at cake decorating. It's not great but it is hand painted so I felt very proud.

This last bit of nonsense is the add the clinic ran in the paper here in Wenatchee. I realize I should feel proud or something but mainly I feel embarrassed when someone says "Nice picture in the paper." I guess I like to be relatively anonymous.

The Move

2010-07-05T10:28:00.000-07:00

Hey All!
Big news for the Sorensen's we have moved.
Many of you already know the story but here is a recap.

Mauvia graduated in December with her psychiatric Nurse Practitioner License.
After that she began looking for jobs and interviewing around the country.
She had telephone interviews in: Pittsburgh PA, Albany NY, (somewhere in) Arkansas, Ogden Ut, Spokane WA, Richland WA, Wenatchee WA, and Redding CA.

Notice that none of these places is in Seattle (at the time no one was hiring).

Through the process of elimination she accepted face to face interviews in Pittsburgh, Spokane, Richland, Wenatchee, and Redding.

She was flown all over the country and wined and dinned and eventually offered 4 of 5 jobs. (Richland was not a good fit)

This made for a very difficult decision that we agonized and prayed about for weeks. Then we decided that Wenatchee was the place for us and found a home there. The next week Mauvia got an interview in Bellevue. Life is so ironic!

Anyway, we have moved and so far we really love it. Mauvia loves her job. We love our new home and we have found our way to the Costco!

Life is good!

Here is a tour of our new place...

Piano room

Living Room

Harry Potter's bedroom

Kitchen

Front Yard

Family Room

Betcha can't guess whose room this is!

The boys room

The view from the back deck.

We have been so blessed through this process and we are so grateful for how everything has worked out. Now all we need is visitors! Please come! We have a room just for you!

Greysen Update

2010-06-05T08:10:00.001-07:00

It has been crazy in the Sorensen house lately but here is a quick update of Greysen's progress.

He mastered sleeping in his high chair.

He follows me wherever I go...Can you guess where I am?

He had his first, second, and third plane ride. He did great! No tears.

He got his first black eye...

And his first make-shift ice pack.

He mastered crawling

sitting up

pulling to stand (and pulling my clothes off the hangers)

and standing on his own all in a matter of weeks.

He recklessly goes for what he wants, hence the black eye!

He also recently mastered clapping!
(video pending)
So much fun!

ZOE

2010-05-09T16:12:00.000-07:00

Zoe has grown so much this year I feel like I cannot keep up with her. Since she is my first born I have no idea when to introduce new responsibility and usually she asks me for it before I think of it myself. Because of her own initiative she can now do dishes, cook pancakes by herself, and take care of the bunny independently with only a few reminders. She really is amazing. She continues with her piano, ballet and jazz lessons and is doing very well. The first two videos are from dance and the third is her piano recital.

Zoe has been fortunate to have great teachers both in school and with her extracurricular activities. Her dance teachers have known her since she was 3 and know how to get her to do her best. Zoe also loves her piano teacher Sister Apken who put on the sweetest recital for her. You can see in her recital video she is wearing her medal from dance exams. This year she worked just as hard as last year but had much less anxiety about it. She was able to achieve a red ribbon again and really enjoyed it this year.

This is a picture of the group she did exams with.

Zoe is also doing very well in school. She has always been a strong reader but she is doing very well at math and science as well. She can already multiply better than me.

Funny Story: For Christmas Santa brought Zoe a microscope. It came with a slide that has a paramecium on it. Zoe decided this was very interesting so she wrote her observations down and turned them into her teacher without telling me. So I was very surprised when her teacher sent a letter home asking if Zoe would like to do the science fair. (Typically 3rd graders don't do the science fair here).

These are pictures of the project we put together. It was a family effort but she was very proud of it, and so was I.

I am just so proud of her. She has really started to understand things on a different level. Her testimony is growing, she truly wants to do the right thing and she has such a big heart for those who she thinks need help. She is so great! And I am so excited to see what things are to come.

Easter

2010-04-11T16:54:00.000-07:00

Decorating eggs is one of our most favorite activities. We get really into it. None of this drop an egg in die and be done stuff. We each like to create little masterpieces. Here are some of the best from this year...

Tate was totally into it this year. He decorated his eggs,
half of Ben's and all but one of mine!

Zoe is quite the artist!

Tate decided that the color pallet we provided was too limiting and
began to mix colors of his own.

Hmmm...I wonder where they get it from?

As always the Easter Bunny has very good taste. He decided this year it would be fun to match us up. He was right it was pretty fun! Now he just needs to give Ben red hair!

So CUTE!!!

We were so blessed this year to have conference on Easter weekend. We watched in our home and felt the spirit all weekend. We are so thankful for our Savior Jesus Christ and the sacrifices He made for us.

6 months-ish

2010-04-01T13:43:00.000-07:00

People are always trying to figure out which feature on our children came from which one of us. Aside from the obvious red hair!

Here are some pics of each of us at about 6 months so you can compare for yourselves.
And also bask in the cuteness!

New Addition

2010-03-28T20:10:00.000-07:00

For those of you who didn't know, we lost our bunny Cotton last summer. It was a very sad time for us. With the new baby coming we decided not to get a new pet right away.

About a month ago we decided we were ready.

Introducing...Duchess Patches
Zoe and Tate both contributed a name.

Zoe takes care of all the feeding and litter box changing, Tate takes care of the chasing and frightening. Who do you think she likes better?