christmas shoppers beware...

Just a picture of my family who I love soooooo MUCH!

Today Kris and I got a sitter and took a few hours to first visit our new nephew Maddox! He belongs to my bro. Matt and Patricia. He is so precious, born this morning at 1:30 am. We are so excited for a new baby in the family!

Then we were off to do some Christmas shopping! its funny how when you think you are almost done you realize you have A LOT more to do than you thought. The stores were PACKED with many couples like Kris and I but with one major difference. Kris was happy to be shopping for his kids, on his own missions to find the perfect gift, unlike MOST of the other dads out there. It was so funny to watch these husbands push the cart with grimaces on their faces while the wives shopped. It made me so happy to have such a wonderful husband and I loved every minute of the crazy hussell and bussell of shopping 2 Saturdays before Christmas because I was with him. Good luck to all of those shoppers out there who still have last minute buys, its a jungle out there!

only 6 months later!

I just downloaded over 500 hundred pictures of the last 6 months! Yes I have have slacked on what I was calling my family journal. Well here is just a couple of pictures to show what we have been up to. Life is great. Kris is still loving work, I can't believe he has been in the field for almost a year. I'm still not so much loving work, we all can't be as lucky as Kris, but still pushing along and doing my best. Lacey is doing AWESOME in first grade. Mia is loving preschool and loves being able to do the monkeybars. And Kannon is just a Mama's boy. His personality is a crack up and we all just love him! We are all excited for Christmas and all the joy that the holidays bring!

We went to Idaho and Utah this summer to visit the Marsdens and go to Justin Lynch' wedding, fun,fun,fun!!!!

We went to Sea World... The kids new favorite! we can't wait to go back!

We went camping at Eagle Lake for the Shippen Family reunion, one of the best years ever!

We went to Clovis to go boating for a day with the Calls, Thanks John and Kristie!

I coached Laceys soccer team and we had a fun season with her cousins Bella and Gabrielle. Lacey scored 3 goals this year.

Lacey made the cutest Dorothy, Mia the cutest Tinkerbell, and Kannon the cutest Peter Pan for Halloween.

Kannon has renamed himself "Helmet Boy". He wears it every where!

And two weeks ago we renewed our Disneyland season passes, YAY! Lacey went on screamin for the first time and Kris got a GREAT video of her terrifying yet awesome experience. Mia went on everything her hight permitted which was alot, she's very brave. And Kannon just wanted to kiss all the girls, what a lady's man!

Flowers, races, birthdays and more...

When we bought our house we were so excited to be home owners and to be able to work on it to make it our home. Well, our front patio has always been a sore eye and it is mainly my fault. I mean look at these rose bushes! Unpruned and dead! So I don't exactly have a green thumb, but luckily I'm married to someone who cares enough about our little front patio to make the effort to make it a little bit nicer to look at.

So this is what we did today. This darn little piece of dirt in front of our window has been so ugly for 4 years now. Maybe if we had more visitors, or used the front door more often it would have been more urgent, but Kris had finally had enough of the dirt. I always have just put it off because it is so expensive to plant, and we can all see how well I am at keeping flowers alive, but i do have to say it looks so much better and the $100.00 we spent will motivate me to keep these flowers alive. I love the Hydrangeas! They are suppose to get big! pretty huh!

Kris took Kannon to his first motocross race. If you know Kannon you know his OBSESSION with motorcycles. Kris could not wait to see Kannon in pure heaven and I think Kris got the reaction he had hoped out of him. They had so much fun with just the boys.

Lacey had her 6th birthday on May 19th! She is getting so big and maturing so much. Tonight when she was praying she asked for "Kannon to grow bigger and to learn how to talk better, that Mia will prepare herself while she is little to learn more, that Dad can be safe at work and learn everyday more about how to be a good policeman, and that mom can.... teach us more of what we need to learn." I thought it was cute because I guess I already know everything I need to learn. It really made me think for a minute that Lacey thinks it's important for her mom to teach the things she is suppose to learn and what a huge responsibility that is! I'm not going to take that lightly and I'm going to work harder at that.

Mia turned 4 April 26th! She had a great birthday filled with miniature golfing at Mountasia, dinner and ice cream at Mc Donalds, and a bounce house at Grandma and Grandpa Vandys! We had a lot of fun and I was so excited to do something fun for our cute Mia. I hope she never gets the middle child syndrome. She is so special to us, and we just love her to pieces!

Mia had her last ballet recital with Amber before they moved to Idaho. She did soo well and is so cute in her costume! Thanks Amber for the many years of dance classes!

The Girls in their Easter Dresses! Kannon was asleep and woke up angry! he wasn't to happy about pictures.

Like father.. like son!

Kannon is a true boys boy. Today I was returning phone calls when I heard Kannon calling Lacey from the garage,( yes, I left the door open when I was doing laundry, BAD MOMMY!) I wasn't to concerned though because I could hear him talking and laughing so I thought he had climbed into his go cart. I finished my call and went out to check on him and he had climbed up onto Dad's motorcycle and was turning the throttle and making his "cycle" noises. I have NO idea how he got up there, safely anyways. It makes me laugh at how much he LOVES motorcycles, and I know it makes daddy so proud. He is definitely ready for a bike of his own. Just 2 more years!

Good Job Lacey!

Lacey was recognized in an award ceremony at school for receiving an award for Fairness. Her teacher said she liked how Lacey always makes sure everyone has a turn in reading, and that she is a good friend to others. We were proud and she got a very cool medal. Both her cousins also received awards that day, which the teachers said was completely coincidental.

Lacey's "friend" Matthew also received an award

Pay It Forward!

This has been on a couple of my friends blogs and the idea sounds fun. A little excitement when the mailman comes and something to get your creative juices flowin' when it is your turn to send it out.This is how it works:Pay if Forward Exchange is based on the concept of the movie "Pay it Forward".I will send a hand made gift to the first three people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join the PIF exchange.All the gifts will be made and posted out 'sometime within the next year'.How exciting to not know when your surprise package will arrive!What you do in return, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.This Exchange is only open to those with active websites or blogs.ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PROMISE TO POST THIS SAME 'PAY IT FORWARD' MESSAGE ONTO YOUR BLOG, WHICH MUST BE ACTIVE IN ORDER TO PLAY. YOU WILL PAY IT FORWARD TO THREE PEOPLE WHO COMMENT ON YOUR BLOG.I'd love for you to join me! Will you?Other comments are welcome,but only the first three will be my Pay it Forward recipients.Sounds like fun, right? No pressure, just fun.

SNOW DAY!

For the past week Mia has prayed 3 times a day to go to the snow. Luckily when Saturday came there was still snow in the mountains and we made a trip. Mia LOVED every second but she especially loved going down the hill on the sled. She had a smile on her face the whole day. Lacey wasn't dressed quite as well for the snow but she was a trooper and just laughed every time she fell on her bottom. Kannon wasn't as big of a fan so we'll try it again next year. We went with our friends Ashley and Scott, Jet and Dane and at the end of the day we made an awesome snowman!

Then we came home, changed back into our shorts and t-shirts and enjoyed a warm day in sunny California, man life is rough!

Lacey was Star of the week!

Lacey has been so excited to be star of the week at school all year. Of course when it is finally her turn she gets sick for two of the days. She was excited to have dad come in and read a story to the class and talk about his job a little bit. She even brought a cops favorite food to share with the class, doughnuts! Some of "all about me" that was shared with her class is...

*Her favorite food is Orange Chicken, from Panda Express of course

*Her favorite color is Yellow

*Her favorite book is Junie B. Jones

*Her favorite game is Monopoly

*She likes to play games

*She is really good at art

I wanted to add also that she is an amazing reader, a great big sister, and she loves her TV time.

I'm so happy she is enjoying her Kindergarten year!

What have we been up to the past six months?...

We took the subway to Down town LA for a day on the town! It was a great way to get out for a cheap day of fun!

We rode our bikes to Venice beach and then played in the sand and looked for treasures with my new toy! Forever I have wanted a metal detector and of course my hubby always comes through and Merry Christmas to me! The best Christmas present ever!

Kris trained and trained and trianed... He got Badged...

He got Sworn in....

And he GRADUATED!!!!

WE are so proud of Kris! Out of 75 that started the Academy with him in August only 54 graduated. He excelled in the Academy which helps me to know that he will be the best cop around! Although it REALLY Sucks to be 2nd, He was only 1/10 a percentage point away from receiving the award for top overall recruit in his class. He says 2nd might as well be last but we all know he is the best! We love him and are proud of his accomplishment. Now we just pray he will be safe, love his career, and come home every night!

BIG BOY'S RULE!

He started on the Motorcycle...

Then to the Jeep...

then to the Car...

And WAAA LAAA!!!

Look what we did today! Kannon got his first big boy hair cut. I've been preparing Kris for this and he said it was fine as long as I took pictures, however, I think he is going to be a little suprised at the "TRIM" we gave him. The lady was so fast that I didn't even get before pics but thats ok. Although he does look handsome and so big, I already MISS MY BABY BOY!!!!

I know.. I know...

Not that I'm sure many people read my blog these days, but if you do I know I have seriously been neglecting this thing I call my family journal. So here is a quick catch up of pictures from the past month. Hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas season so far!

Lacey loved,well liked, her a+ student ornament, Mia LOVED her ballerina Minnie, And Kannon can't keep his hand off Buzz!

Mia and Carson had a date to see Santa and lunch.

Thanksgiving was FABULOUS, if you minus the fact that Lacey was quarantined all day for barfing. We loved seeing all of my family and the kids love the great grandmas.

This is what Kris came home to one night after work. Kannon was not going to let a good brownie bowl go to waste! He loved every second of it!

Yes, I was one of the crazies lined up hours before to see Twilight at the first midnight viewing. It was ALRIGHT?

It's A Wrap!

Lacey had a great soccer season with the Pink Sparkles. She loved her coach, Aunt Kim who did a great job, and loved her friends. She was most excited about getting her first trophie and she "had a good feeling inside her" about it. She took a break in the middle of the season to pick the daisies but she finished the season strong scoring a goal and working really hard. We were very proud of her and the whole team. Lacey loved having her dad assist the team, and that she was surrounded by family. Thanks to everyone who came to games to watch and support her. It was a fun season!

Halloween finally....

We had a crazy week for Halloween, but after 5 parties, and a great night of trick or treating we called it a success. Lacey originially wanted to be something scary but finally decided on the Christmas Belle. She was BEAUTIFUL! Mia loved her Boo costume and has found a new love for her character. She is just so dang cute! And Kannon born to wear that Yoda Costume! I can't tell you how many people stopped us to tell how cute he looked. Thanks to the Morris' and Edwards' for letting us borrow the great costumes this year. Here are some fun pictures.

We also can't forget that Grandma had a birthday also on the 28th! Thanks for all you do for our family! We love you! Have a great year and a happy birthday!

The battle is over and the victory is ours!

We have learned so much about ourselves from the past few months of rallying together for prop 8. We've won this one, but we know there will be plenty of more battles to come. Of course we are ecstatic and grateful to have won but, I thought about what would have happened if we didn't. Not socially but from a personal point of view. I wondered, would it have mattered if we all worked so hard and had so much faith and then had lost? I've decided it wouldn't have mattered as far as my faith was concerned. I think what was important was that we did what our Prophet asked and we stood firmly on the "RIGHT" side. I know I have a stronger testimony of the family and I'm grateful to have been apart of this battle.

The battle is raging, the war is on...

I don't think it is any suprise to anyone who is reading this that my family will be voting yes on Prop 8 come Nov. 4th. We live in a crazy time where we have to define what is right and what is wrong for our Families and for our children. 40 years ago we would not be having this battle because it was clear then that marriage between a man and a woman is what strengthens the family instead of destroying it.

To those who question where they draw their line I would ask this... Is it RIGHT for a MAN TO MARRY HIS DAUGHTER? OR A BROTHER TO MARRY HIS SISTER? or as my bro-in-law says A MAN TO MARRY HIS DOG? OF COURSE NOT. Many of us would say these ideas are disgusting, morally wrong, but more important they destroy the family unit. I'm drawing my line at MARRIAGE ONLY BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN for the sake of the family. Every child has the right to a Mother and a Father. If we are so concerned about the rights of those who are In love no matter what their gender, than why not the same rights for those who love their daughter or sister. We all have to draw a line and take a stand for what is right and for what is best for our families.

It is so gratifying to stand on the side who peacefully holds their signs high and proud. I can honestly say their is NO HATE from the yes on 8 side. However, There is no mistaking the anger and hatred that comes from the oppenents. I can tell you I been sworn at numerous time for my right to believe and say what I may. The other day at a protest on a corner, one man with a yes on 8 sign stood amongst many with the opposing belief. My thought was good for him. Than next to him read a sign "Somebody punch this guy =>". Now that is what I call hate. It angers me to be called a "bigot" or "hater" when I feel it is very clear what side I stand on.

So to all of those who share my views, please vote. We need to do all we can in the next 6 days to encourage all to protect the family, protect marriage!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABBY!

Happy Birthday to our Adorable, Sweet, Quirky, Fabulous niece Abby! It's crazy to think in 2 years you'll be in young womens!

Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere!

We love going to the pumpkin patch every year but even more we love the pictures. This year was a little different. Mia will not look at the camera, Lacey has a hard time just being natural and smiling and well, Kannon is one! So we did our best and after much frustration this is what we got. We did have fun though when we weren't trying to take pictures!

Family Fun At Disneyland!

Kris had the day off today so we decided to spend our precious family time at where else besides Disneyland. The high lights of the day were Lacey going on Indiana Jones for the first time and Mia going on Space Mountain, Star Tours, Thunder Mountain, Soaring over California, and TOWER OF TERROR, for the first time! Yes my little Mia went on all of these big rides and she loved every second of it! It was so funny, after Tower of Terror she asked "that was just the elevator... now can we go on the ride?" She did have the help of about an inch and a half of toilet paper stuffed under her heal in her sock but she thought it was so cool! It cracked me up every time we readjusted her lump to make her taller. Oh and the other best part of the day was we got Year of a Million Dream Fast passes! WOO HOO! After going all year we finally got something! That made our day. As we were leaving Lacey kept saying "This was the best day ever!" and " This was such a great day". We sure did have a lot of fun!

Mia made it 40 in! And this is why... I love her double heel!

Styling Boy!

We have to give a big THANK YOU to cousin Katie who sported Kannon with a whole new wardrobe! Lots of these clothes were brand new with the tags still on them! Kannon definitely is styling! THANKS KATIE!

My favorite were these brand new converse! so cute!

Grandma Day with Grandma Vandy!

Can you say SPOILED! Today Mia had her Grandma day with my Mom since Lacey got one a couple of weeks ago. Of course Mia had to do just what Lacey did so off they went to Build A Bear. Both of their bears say really cute things in their own voices, which I love! They had great days spending time with Grandma Vandy and I'm glad they have such great grandparents who love them and love to spend time with them.