Now, if only I can get her to play with her dolls instead of her brothers' lightsabers!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Oh What a Beautiful Morning!
We woke up yesterday to such a beautiful morning. We decided to take the kids to the park to enjoy such a day. There is one thing that makes Phoenix's 6 month heatwave bearable. Yesterday was the reason! It was in the mid 70's and absolutely perfect! Who wouldn't love weather like that in January? Well, you won't hear me singing praises of joy in the coming months. Soon this perfect like weather will turn to the unpleasant days of summer! We will enjoy these days while they're here!
Katelyn quite enjoyed this spinning thing. It was kind of amusing to watch her become dizzy and disoriented. I did feel sorry when she was done as she could barely stand up straight!
The boys love their bikes and take the opportunity to ride them whenever the chance arises!
I love both of these pictures! So cute!
I thought I would just include this picture of Sadie. She always sticks her head through the kitty door as we leave. She must know that we are probably going somewhere fun without her! She didn't get to come to the park this time. :(
The kids love to go to the park. Here they are ready to go!
Katelyn quite enjoyed this spinning thing. It was kind of amusing to watch her become dizzy and disoriented. I did feel sorry when she was done as she could barely stand up straight!
The boys love their bikes and take the opportunity to ride them whenever the chance arises!
I love both of these pictures! So cute!
I thought I would just include this picture of Sadie. She always sticks her head through the kitty door as we leave. She must know that we are probably going somewhere fun without her! She didn't get to come to the park this time. :(
The kids love to go to the park. Here they are ready to go!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
It's a Jungle Out There!
The week of Christmas is rained quite a bit here. Not too long before the rain, we gave our lawn a second round of fertilizer. Well, we came back from spending just over a week in Utah and the grass was so very long! There were some areas where it nearly came to my knee!
Katelyn loves to go outside. We usually just crack the door open just a bit and she wanders in and out at her own leisure. The first day back from our trip, she had gone outside and I realized I hadn't heard from her for a little bit. I look outside and you can barely see the top of her head as she is sitting in the tallest patch of grass. She was pulling out grass and feeding it to Sadie. (this picture was from another spot she was sitting in.) I guess another thing to point out is that yes, in January it is warm enough to let my kids wander around with no pants on!
Here is the cat taking a break in the cool grass!
I just thought I would include these recent shots of Katelyn. When you take her picture you get two faces. This one where she scrunches up her face.
Or this one where she merely just looks at you! She is so cute either way!
Katelyn loves to go outside. We usually just crack the door open just a bit and she wanders in and out at her own leisure. The first day back from our trip, she had gone outside and I realized I hadn't heard from her for a little bit. I look outside and you can barely see the top of her head as she is sitting in the tallest patch of grass. She was pulling out grass and feeding it to Sadie. (this picture was from another spot she was sitting in.) I guess another thing to point out is that yes, in January it is warm enough to let my kids wander around with no pants on!
Here is the cat taking a break in the cool grass!
I just thought I would include these recent shots of Katelyn. When you take her picture you get two faces. This one where she scrunches up her face.
Or this one where she merely just looks at you! She is so cute either way!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Our Christmas Travels
We were able to go to Salt Lake a couple of days after Christmas. It wasn't in the original holiday plans, but we made it work! When we go to Salt Lake, I always have a long list of people to see and my favorite places to eat! It never fails that we don't always get to cross everything off that list! It seems like before we know it, it is time to pack up and head home. Even still, we had a fun time and enjoyed being with our family. Although we didn't get to visit our friends, you were definitely in our thoughts!
Here we are shortly after the 11 hour trip began. Notice nothing has been forgotten. All kids have their blankets and their pillows. Snacks, toys, books, movies. You name it, we probably had it! We even managed to find room for the dog and the cat!
Here Katelyn is having her 1 very short nap for the entire drive!
This is Flagstaff. We got here at 8:00 am and it was -4 degrees! This was also the first snow we had seen in a year, which was exciting for the kids. Well, except for that because they knew there would be snow at Grandma's house, the instinctively thought we had made our destination! Sorry kids, 9 more hours to go!
Carson enjoying a movie and Max enjoying the scenery. I know you must all be thinking that we are crazy for bringing our pets along with us. Honestly they are better travelers than any of the kids! With having just a little kitten, with claws still, I could only imagine what my leather couch would look like if we left him for a week!
Here are the two newest McFaddens, Sophie and Brynlee. So sweet!
My mom's birthday is on New Year's Day. We always get together and have her favorite, Grandma Davis' German chocolate cake.
Katelyn was a big fan too!
Here are the grand kids on my side of the family.
One of the highlights of the trip was watching Utah win the Sugar bowl! We all had a great time watching such a fun game!
My mom got so nervous during the game (as always!) She had to leave the room! Connor and Emma had fun helping Grandma with a puzzle.
Here we are shortly after the 11 hour trip began. Notice nothing has been forgotten. All kids have their blankets and their pillows. Snacks, toys, books, movies. You name it, we probably had it! We even managed to find room for the dog and the cat!
Here Katelyn is having her 1 very short nap for the entire drive!
This is Flagstaff. We got here at 8:00 am and it was -4 degrees! This was also the first snow we had seen in a year, which was exciting for the kids. Well, except for that because they knew there would be snow at Grandma's house, the instinctively thought we had made our destination! Sorry kids, 9 more hours to go!
Carson enjoying a movie and Max enjoying the scenery. I know you must all be thinking that we are crazy for bringing our pets along with us. Honestly they are better travelers than any of the kids! With having just a little kitten, with claws still, I could only imagine what my leather couch would look like if we left him for a week!
Here are the two newest McFaddens, Sophie and Brynlee. So sweet!
My mom's birthday is on New Year's Day. We always get together and have her favorite, Grandma Davis' German chocolate cake.
Katelyn was a big fan too! 
Here are the grand kids on my side of the family.
One of the highlights of the trip was watching Utah win the Sugar bowl! We all had a great time watching such a fun game!
My mom got so nervous during the game (as always!) She had to leave the room! Connor and Emma had fun helping Grandma with a puzzle.
We had a great time and it is always worth the 11 or so hours we spend in the car. Well, I don't always think it is worth it until we are done driving! It isn't always easy to pack the whole house up (animals included) and drive all day, but we always come back with fun memories, so it makes it all worth it!
Friday, December 26, 2008
Christmastime
I love Christmas. I love family traditions and being together. I love shopping for people and I love watching how excited the kids get when they peek around the corner to see if Santa came.
This year Christmas was quiet and simple at our home. Some of my family members were going to come here this year but there were some changes and they weren't able to. As nice as it was not to have to drag the kids around all day, I realized how much I actually like the craziness that comes with all the family gatherings. Kelly had to work yesterday afternoon so the kids and I just relaxed and didn't do much of anything. I did manage to wash my face and brush my teeth, but I decided to wear my pjs all day!
Tomorrow we are driving to Salt Lake and we are all looking forward to it. The kids are so excited to see the snow, especially Carson. He said he can't wait to make snow angels and throw snowballs! Sounds like fun! We will get to see our siblings, including the ones that live in California and Nevada. We will also get to meet two new nieces and cousins. It is no secret that I miss our family and I am really looking forward to spending the rest of the holidays with them!
See you all soon!
This year Christmas was quiet and simple at our home. Some of my family members were going to come here this year but there were some changes and they weren't able to. As nice as it was not to have to drag the kids around all day, I realized how much I actually like the craziness that comes with all the family gatherings. Kelly had to work yesterday afternoon so the kids and I just relaxed and didn't do much of anything. I did manage to wash my face and brush my teeth, but I decided to wear my pjs all day!
Tomorrow we are driving to Salt Lake and we are all looking forward to it. The kids are so excited to see the snow, especially Carson. He said he can't wait to make snow angels and throw snowballs! Sounds like fun! We will get to see our siblings, including the ones that live in California and Nevada. We will also get to meet two new nieces and cousins. It is no secret that I miss our family and I am really looking forward to spending the rest of the holidays with them!
See you all soon!
Friday, December 19, 2008
Here Kitty Kitty....
Our cat, Max, usually goes outside a couple of times a day to run in the bushes or climb the tree. When he is ready to come in, he will sit in our window and meow. This usually happens after 20 minutes or so.
I was talking to a friend at the door and Max ran out. Of course I didn't mind because of his usual routine. Well, a couple of hours pass and I realized that he never came back to the window. The kids wanted to say a prayer. Connor prayed that he would come home safely.
We decided to walk around the block to see if we could see him wandering around anywhere. No luck. I thought maybe when we came back home he would be sitting on the windowsill, no luck.
The evening continued on and several times I opened the front door and called for him. He didn't come. So, off to bed we went, wondering where little Max was. The kids prayed for Max again.
This morning Connor was so sad and thought for sure he needed to stay home to help us look for him! After taking him to school, I made some signs to put up around the neighborhood.
Right when we were getting ready to hang up signs, Kelly heard a meow coming from across the street. Sure enough, it was Max. Kelly brought him inside and Carson was relieved!
This was such a teaching moment for us as parents. First we taught our kids that we can pray to Heavenly Father about anything. Second, we taught them the importance of thanking our Heavenly Father for answering our prayers. So, Carson said a prayer thanking Heavenly Father for letting Max come home safely. It was such a sweet little moment!
Kelly and I learned a lesson as well and headed to PetSmart to get Max a collar and name tag! Now should this happen again, someone can call us if they find him!
I was talking to a friend at the door and Max ran out. Of course I didn't mind because of his usual routine. Well, a couple of hours pass and I realized that he never came back to the window. The kids wanted to say a prayer. Connor prayed that he would come home safely.We decided to walk around the block to see if we could see him wandering around anywhere. No luck. I thought maybe when we came back home he would be sitting on the windowsill, no luck.
The evening continued on and several times I opened the front door and called for him. He didn't come. So, off to bed we went, wondering where little Max was. The kids prayed for Max again.
This morning Connor was so sad and thought for sure he needed to stay home to help us look for him! After taking him to school, I made some signs to put up around the neighborhood.
Right when we were getting ready to hang up signs, Kelly heard a meow coming from across the street. Sure enough, it was Max. Kelly brought him inside and Carson was relieved!
This was such a teaching moment for us as parents. First we taught our kids that we can pray to Heavenly Father about anything. Second, we taught them the importance of thanking our Heavenly Father for answering our prayers. So, Carson said a prayer thanking Heavenly Father for letting Max come home safely. It was such a sweet little moment!
Kelly and I learned a lesson as well and headed to PetSmart to get Max a collar and name tag! Now should this happen again, someone can call us if they find him!
Here Max taking a snooze after Kelly had found him. He slept most of the day and Connor explained that it was because "he was worn out from his journey home!"
We will rest easy tonight knowing that our four legged friend is safe and sound!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Donder or Donner...Now I Know!
In my last post I wrote about several of my favorite things about Christmas. One of the questions in the tag was if I could list the names of Santa's reindeer. To be honest with you, I just copied and pasted them from Tina's blog so I wouldn't have to type them all out!
I decided to look it up! Apparently, there are some common misunderstandings about two of the reindeer, Donner and Blitzen. In Clement C Moore's classic, they were originally named Dunder and Blixem (Dutch for thunder and lightning.) In reprints of the poem they first became Donder and Blixen and then again Donder and Blitzen. When the song Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was written, they became Donner and Blitzen.
The other night I read The Night Before Christmas to the kids and in the book it calls him Donder not Donner. So it got me wondering, had I been saying it wrong all these years?
I decided to look it up! Apparently, there are some common misunderstandings about two of the reindeer, Donner and Blitzen. In Clement C Moore's classic, they were originally named Dunder and Blixem (Dutch for thunder and lightning.) In reprints of the poem they first became Donder and Blixen and then again Donder and Blitzen. When the song Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was written, they became Donner and Blitzen.
Crazy I know! I just wanted to make sure I wasn't going nuts! You probably all knew this already, but I thought it was some fun, useless, Christmas trivia! Next time someone questions their names, you'll know what to tell them!
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