Parties--Parties and more parties

Carlee's party was the first party--I am not a big party person but Carlee hasn't had a party in a couple of years so I thought why not--I certainly didn't have anything else to do!

She invited 10 of her friends and we were going to heat up the jacuzzi in the pool but....Russ tried getting it to start about 15 min before everyone was suppose to get here and still couldn't get it to kick on 15 minutes after everybody was already here. I didn't have a lot of stuff planned because this was going to be a big part of the party. I asked him (very nicely) to try again because it was freezing outside and we really needed a jacuzzi. He went out and started crossing wires and heard a loud pop--not a good sign! He thinks he might have blown the whole motor and luckily for us not himself. I was proud of myself for coming up with the idea to use our jacuzzi tub (that we haven't turned on for over 10 years.) It worked! We put some candles in the bathroom and played Christmas music and changed the party to be in rotations. Since it was in our bathroom we could add bubbles and the girls loved it. I was so glad they were only 11 and we were able to pull this off. Carlee told me it was her favorite part of the party. (and we aren't going to worry about the pool jacuzzi for a couple more months!)

Lovely green masks!

After the rotations, the girls watched Ramona and Beezus (such a cute show!)


Christmas cupcakes for dessert. The girls seem to have a good time but maybe they were just being nice!

Carlee's Birthday

It's hard to believe Carlee turned 11! She really doesn't like to be referred to as the "three little girls" anymore and I guess that is understandable since she is so close to being a teenager--but it might take a while for it to sink in with Russ and I!

Carlee's favorite dessert is mississippi mud (ice cream, cool whip and oreos!)

11 things you might not know about Carlee--

1. She is super sweet!

2. Always caring about other people and their feelings.

3. Worries about the disabled and always tries to be their friend.

4. Great at dancing and loves it.

5. Aggressive soccer player

6. Best big sister to play with (for Cami and Chloe)

7. Always feels guilty whenever she does something wrong (even the smallest thing--the teenagers are trying to get her over this one...I personally like it!)

8. Loves to babysit and is so excited to babysit for other people.

9. Peacemaker

10. Learned how to play "Mormon Bridge" with the adults (teenagers)

11. I love her and we are so lucky to have her in our family!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARLEE!

Okay--so I have a new plan--Thanksgiving

My kids keep complaining that I haven't updated since summer (really it was Sept but I was behind) anyways...I keep getting further behind. Our life just keeps happening and I'm taking lots of pictures but no time to post. So...my new plan is to start with Thanksgiving and catch up from there. Slowly but surely I will go back and update and lie about the date so it will be in order. Hopefully this will work--at least that's my goal!

For Thanksgiving we always rent a cabin in Pinetop and spend the weekend with just our family. It was freezing this year and there was snow on the ground when we got there. You realize after a few short days that we do not like the freezing cold. Maybe it's because we don't really have the clothes to keep us warm and we think we will be fine with a sweatshirt. After all it is still pretty hot in Gilbert!

Each of our kids get to pick something to make for dinner. Clay always goes for the mashed potatoes because they are not his favorite and he doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings for not eating them. We love this dinner because it is all of our favorite things and we just eat until we can't move anymore. In our defense...we do go for a walk afterwards but it was freezing!

Yes...we do use paper plates. We always have to make sure when renting a cabin that the table is big enough to accommodate all of us at once!

Happy happy dishwashers!

The rest of the week is just spent relaxing and doing pretty much nothing. We take a few quad rides...

Read Harry Potter....
Getting ready for our annual kickball game...

Everyone definitely inherited the competitive gene!

too bad it was a foul--way over our heads even with the ball from Walmart!


After church we packed up and started for home. It was snowing like crazy and we couldn't even see the roads. I was driving and we were pulling 4 heavy quads with no brakes on the trailer. Traffic was moving very slow and it took us almost an hour to go 10 miles. I was glad I was following a big truck because I knew if I hit him it wouldn't do too much damage. I did go sliding once and luckily was able to stop a couple feet from the truck who was also sliding. By the time we got to Showlow I was done driving. They had closed the road going through Payson so everyone was going through the Salt River. They had threatened to close that road also but we had to get home. Chantz had a final on Monday and Russ was suppose to set apart a missionary that afternoon. Russ said he would drive and proceeded to go down the mountain very slowly. Luckily we made it home safely--what a blessing.

Summer-time Fun!

We always have so much fun swimming all summer long! We love when the Roberts (my sister and her family) come to visit....they definately need to move closer!

Happy Father's Day (just pretend)

I know this is so late but I am so thankful for Father's Day and the opportunity we get to honored our fathers! Our family has been so blessed to have such a wonderful dad--Russ is always there for the kids and tries so hard to do what he knows is right. These two girls have really had an adjustment to make since Russ has been bishop and has had to gone quite often. We started our own business when Cami was one and he has been working out of our home since then. He is the best playmate around and will even be Ken when they want to play barbies! He has been home and has taken an active role in helping me with whatever I need help with. I am so thankful we have been blessed and have been able to keep our business because it provides for us but mainly because it allows Russ to be home with me and the kids! Thanks for being such a wonderful Dad!!

I am also so thankful for this wonderful Dad! He is such an example to me of one who serves. Every sunday--even during tax season when I know he has put in long long hours--he and my mom prepare Sunday dinner for us. Not only is it yummy and delicious, but he then sends us home with 2 or 3 loaves of homemade bread. We are in heaven! He also always welcomes us to their home and never makes us feel like we are intruding. I know there have been many times when we have all been over there and he comes home being so tired and sees a house full of people yet he always makes us feel loved. I hope I can be like this! Thanks Dad for all you do and know how much we love you!

Just a little love!

Home-made cards--let me just say they keep getting more and more creative!

Everyone makes cards--I hope Chantz will be just like his dad-- Happy Father's Day!

Dance Recital--(Finally June)

This year's dance recital was so much fun! Near the end of each year the girls start getting tired of going to classes and all the extra practices--then the recital comes and they love dancing again! I am so glad they gain the self-confidence that comes from performing in front of people and doing their best! Chloe did a great number to Beyonce' s "Put a ring on it"

Cami's class performed a fast tap dance to "In the Navy". I am always amazed at how much they improve over the year.

Carlee had three dance numbers and two production numbers. I love to watch her dance!

It's great to have a big family that yells your name (even when we are not suppose to!) Chantz and Clay are always so good about coming to one of the three recitals--not that they have a choice...but they are great about it and its nice when our older kids make the girls feel important! Our "favorite" tap teacher--Jennifer. She has been everyone's tap teacher starting when Chelsey was 6 or 7 and I still love her! We are so proud of these girls and love watching them perform!

Chantz's Graduation 2010

It is so hard to believe that Chantz graduated! I can't believe how fast time flies. When we had our first 4 kids two years apart I had no idea it would seem like things just keep happening so quickly. Honestly....it seems like Chelsey just graduated! Luckily for us it didn't rain and it was actually not bad sitting on the football field while close to 700 students graduated. We are so proud of Chantz--Way to go!!

I had so many pictures and I didn't want to leave anyone out--so sorry for so many collages. We are so grateful for family and friends for supporting us! Since Aly (Dena's daughter) also graduated we decided to combine the party afterwards! It was so much fun and I'm sure our relatives were happy to hear 2 names they actually knew! Chantz was great and stayed awhile before heading out to the graduation parties--he has a great group of friends and they always have a great time!

Clay and Grant --8th grade graduates--Congratulations!
They didn't have the official 8th grade graduation ceremony because of budget cuts---something about renting the chairs cost too much for over 800 8th graders. It's not usually my favorite ceremony since it is outside and you have to get there really early to try to get a seat in the shade....so I wasn't too upset. They did have a ceremony like academic night so Clay was able to participate in that and it was inside!!

Baccalaureate--This is probably my favorite part of graduation. It's on Sunday afternoon and it only lasts one hour. The choir and orchestra performed together "Come thou font" and it is incredible.

May Happenin's--Awards

Clay received the best choral student award for 8th grade--He really enjoyed Choir because of his teacher. Luckily I convinced him to stick with it in High School--I did have to use the boy-to girl ratio to help convince him...whatever works!
He even sang in a quartet on the last concert.

Chantz received the Provost Scholarship to ASU because of his grades and ACT score. We are so proud of him and it really helps to have his tuition completely paid for....especially since ASU keeps raising it!

They always have a scholarship awards ceremony and I'm always amazed at the number of scholastic scholarships Highland students receive. It is definitely tough competition!

This is why---

This is why I never am very good at writing in journals. I get so far behind and want to keep everything in order so it gets overwhelming! I am going to get this up to date if it takes all year--I thought once the kids were in school (sad but true....all of my kids are in school) I would have so much time to get everything done but it hasn't happened yet. Once the kids get home it is crazy and by the time 12pm rolls around I am too tired to do anything productive and so I just look at everyone else's blog thinking I should really work on mine. September is already busy and I haven't even scheduled all the soccer games--I signed them up for the same things I always do...dance and soccer but having 2 football games a week to watch (Clay--freshman and Cassie--Varsity) and losing two drivers...Chelsey and Chantz (both work and go to ASU full-time) has made things quite HECTIC! Oh well---enough with the excuses...I'll just start updating and stop complaining....maybe!

Chantz Senior Pics

I can't believe I am just getting around to this--especially since he has already graduated but please just bear with me....slowly but surely I will catch up eventually. Jacque my neice took these great pictures of Chantz--wow he is handsome! (he will kill me for putting that on but it's my blog and I'm the mom!)

Happy 20th Birthday--Chelsey!

Hard to believe Chelsey is 20! (on April 29th--still catching up) I am so glad she is still living at home. I know that is really selfish of me but it is so hard for me to get use to the fact that our family could change quite quickly in the next couple of years. Chelsey just finished her second year at ASU with all A's. I am so proud of her for her determination and her ability to accomplish the goals she sets for herself. We love you and wish you a Happy Birthday!

Cassie had her final One Image Dance Recital (that Chantz was also in--it pays off to have them attend dance recitals their whole life because I was amazed at the moves Chantz had with absolutely no training!) So we went out for dinner to Cafe Rio on Taco Tuesday and then went to the Recital tonight. Chelsey left with her friends for Disneyland at midnight just so she could go to the recital and of course open presents! I appreciate her being so accommodating to our family and trying to fit everything in.

I am so glad these girls are best friends!

20 things you might not know about Chelsey

1. Beautiful both inside and out

2. Loving

3. Talented

4. Good sense of fashion--she keeps me in line

5. 4.0 College student

6. Brave to try new things

7. Loves Disneyland and everything about it

8. Wants to live in New York

9. Loves Cheesecake

10. Diet Coke all the way

11. New full-time real job (with benefits and everything!)

12. Accomplishes goals and strives to do her best

13. Loves to mess around with family

14. Hates chores but loves the results

15. Best oldest sister

16. Example to everyone around her

17. Great friend

18. Loves to read

19. Creative writer

20. Still loves her family and wants to go on our vacations!

Prom

Chantz getting ready for prom--pretty handsome if I do say so myself!

Chantz and Amanda

The whole group--too big to fit in the family room!

The boys--nice socks!

The girls--it was fun to see all the different styles of dresses. There is some benefit to having pictures at your house!

The group again. Chantz had a great time with Amanda and lots of fun with this group! Hard to believe it is his Senior Prom!

Prom--day date

For Chantz's day-date he wanted to go quad-riding (which I wasn't too excited about because of all the liability) but after getting everyone's parents to okay it and agree not to sue us we decided to take them. We went to the Oliver's cabin in Pine and had a great time. This is the group before the quad-ride---nice and clean!

Ready to go--

The group after quad-riding--I'm not sure some of them knew how dirty their faces were. I have to admit--this was a great group! They were so appreciative and easy-going. Not a lot of drama and I think everyone had a great time.

Amanda was a good sport about everything!!