collins crew

puberty

2012-01-27T04:17:00.000-08:00

rocco hit puberty over the weekend

apparently, so did presley

Camping and Hiking Sam Houston

2012-01-07T18:44:00.000-08:00

3 New Posts Below

2011-12-23T10:00:00.001-08:00

Be sure to scroll down and enjoy!

Dance Recital

2011-12-23T09:41:00.000-08:00

Ruidoso

2011-12-23T09:23:00.000-08:00

Brotherly Love

2011-12-23T09:05:00.000-08:00

Discharged and Liking It

2011-12-03T20:54:00.000-08:00

Mama and Daphney have departed their environment of sterility that is sometimes slathered with the occasional staff infection. Ahhhh, home!

Done Deal -->

2011-12-01T19:03:00.000-08:00

7 lbs

20 inches

born 6:18 by emergency c section after 12 hours of trying. baby was face up. Mama and Daphne are doing well, recovering...

Dirt Bikin

2011-11-24T18:04:00.000-08:00

Before

2011-09-01T17:06:00.000-07:00

so this post has been a long time in coming. Sometimes when its all clean, I just dont think to take pictures, but here is the house during the reno back in April. This house was built in '05, it had sat vacant for 2 years and needed some love and love it got!!! We are comfortable here in the new house and I feel like we have made a nice home! We are happy!

loft area

Guest bath

stairway

Master bath

master bedroom looking intto mater bath

same thing as above, just more bathroom

other view of the loft

kitchen

There was these orange looking tiles all throughout the house. They werent in terrible shape, just not our taste

dinning room

front entry

living room looking into family room

front of house

After

2011-09-01T16:46:00.000-07:00

Mike has worked so hard to get our grass to looking this good, tons of watering and he mows for an hours at a time. The front yard is so big and it is lots of work, he comes in so sweaty and Im so lucky to get his sweaty shrit thrown at me everytime. But, he does a great job, Im planning on doing some more planting, but waiting till it cools down a bit.

After leaving Bakersfield, I feel like I left a lot of storage behind. We had tons of closet space and pantry space and although this house is just slightly bigger, it doesnt nearly have all the storage, so we had to come up with an alternative.

This was the solution to all the toys that had been in our hall closet. Its working just fine!

guest bath, there is a door that leads to the guest bedroom from this bathroom and I dont have any pics of that room, because there is nothing exciting about it yet.

Roccos room, he made his bed this morning and layed all these toys out like this!

Presleys room

She has about 10 different animals to choose from each night before bed, but pillow pet and kangaroo are always her favs! This room will change once baby girl comes,they will share a room,that is after baby learns to sleep through the night.

Master bedroom. I decided last year to change all my bedding, but unfortunately all the decor hasnt changed with it, that will come eventually

In the little nook that is in the master bedroom

Nook , just across from the dresser

loft, the black table was our old kitchen table and I loved the idea of having a palce for coloring and homework, so we brought it up here and we have used it a lot. This is also the office area.

Stairway, needs pictures, but I dont know what yet, waiting for some inspiration

right off the front door and headed up the stairs

hall way off front door

dinning room off to the left is a half bath and garage door

kithchen, I want hardware for the cupboards and drawers and that will help it all tie in

We got a copper sink and we love it, it matches the granite perfectly with the specs of copper that are in it.

After this picture I reailzed the table wasnt centered and that has now been fixed.

Family room looking into kitchen

Family room

living room looking into family room

Living room

This is the view from the front door

I feel like I still have some adjusting to do to the area.It has been so HOT!!!! Worst drought in100 years and its just relentless! Im sure being prego doesnt help, but now that school has started and Im in the Primary Pres, there is lots to do to keep us busy. Im so glad I had Niki here for 6 months. She made the adjustment easier and it was so amazing to spend that much time with a sister and a niece. I miss them like crazy and wish they would come back!!! Niki is such an amazing mother and the love she has for Evie is so pure and precious. You can just tell by looking at her that she thinks Evie is so special, and Evie is, we wanted to keep her!!! I am so lucky to have such a talented family
, Niki helped decorate and Im so glad she was here, because Im sure pictures would still be leaning against the wall. There is still plenty to do in the house and as my taste evolves and changes it just makes me want to snap and change it all, but I am happy thus far!!!

2011-08-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

My sweet babies are school bound!!!! This is so weird to have 2 days a week for 3 hours at a time to have no kids and not have a babysitter to do that!!! we made it through the first week and Im telling you and its wearing me out! The kids come home poooped and so do I! It will get better, but this is all new for me!

Presley goes to Paddington British Private School and has to wear a uniform, its so cute!!She went in there and had no problems, she is growing up so fast!!!

Rocco is my big kindergartner!! Im so glad we made the decision to keep him back. He was so confident and not scared at all. He wouldve been the youngest in his class and now he is the oldest and it is such advantage. Im so proud of him. Not to be biased either, but he is the cutest and best dressed in his class!!!

Mike reminded me Im doing this school thing for like the next 20 years!!! Man that is forever!!!

2011-08-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

We went to Garner state park last week and went camping and swimming as a last hoorah before school started!! We had a fabulous time and hiked for a couple hours each day and then went swimming down at the agua fria. Which s not fria!!!

attempted family portrait on a rock that ended up slipping , hence the blurry pic as it started to slip

We went and saw 10 million bats leave their cave for the night to go get dinner. It was really cool to see.

Climbing out of crystal cave. It was nice and cool in there and a nice break from the heat.

I love being with my family , we have so much fun together!

Galveston

2011-08-01T05:26:00.000-07:00

Family Trip to Galveston

Restroom and shower on wheels, the only way to visit the Beach!

Rare moments of togetherness...

Boogie boarding, the new craze for Rocco

2011-07-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

a little of what weve been up too..... I hated the color of the cabinets so I wanted to paint them a light cream. They are cheap laminate cabinets so, it was a lot of work and I still need to touch up. These are just pictures I had that happen to show the color of cabinets from my phone. But you get the point! I couldnt have done it without Nikis help! I dont want to do it again for a long time!!!

The after.... Ill get better shots later, but you can see the change

Lost and Lonely

2011-06-30T09:28:00.001-07:00

Dear Mandi,
I feel lost and lonely. You say you will be better to me but I am beginning to feel that our relationship has grown cold. I miss the times you used me to keep everyone updated, gracing my wonderful body with words and visual stimulation. If you no longer yearn to spend time with me, let me go. I await your response on the status of our relationship.
Sincerely,
Your blog

a girl after my own heart!!!

2011-06-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

So artichokes have always been quite the delicacy for the Crum family! We would get so excited to have them in the summer months, salty butter dripping down your chin, mmmm there is nothing better. Now as a Collins, I realized Mike had the some fond memories of the delicious chokes, thus a tradition was recreated and kept in my own home. A couple weeks ago we had some and the kids wanted to taste, and I will have to say, I didnt share willingly! These are precious and all the little bites to get to the glorious heart, brings out the selfish side in me! However, I spared a few leaves and then they decided they liked them! So yesterday when we were grocery shopping the kids said we should get some, so I bought 4, one for each of us. When I cooked them up today Rocs decided he didnt want his, at first I thought what a waste, but then Mike and I thought, More for us!!!! Presley loved hers , but when it came time to the heart, she was done. Yippe I was in luck, Mike ate Roccos and I got Presleys heart! It was heaven, 2 hearts in one sitting, a dream come true!! I think from now on the kids will always get"their own chokes".

sorry

2011-05-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

so I know I made a vow to be a better blogger, but i really have a good excuse.
with moving in and unpacking, it has been a little crazy. I would say the inside of the house is about 80% done, so I'll just post pics soon, cause its never done right?
But my other excuse is

This family of four

Will be a family of 5 December 7th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are so excited and I cannot wait for our new little arrival.Its been a long time since Ive been pregnant and man! I dont remember feeling so tired. But, In a weird way I love every symptom, because Im so happy! The kids call it "öur baby" and I love it. Rocco will be 6 by the time the baby is born and I think it will be so fun to have a baby around for him, he loves Evie and wants to hold her all the time and he is so protective, that it just melts my heart.Presley will be a little mommy, but reassures me that I cant pat her back, but that I cant pant our babies back.Because she is growing up! But , we are thrilled, I can't wait to have a foot in my side and have a big belly, seems like that so far off, but then again December will be here so soon.I am so grateful and so privileged to be a mom!

In and Unpacked

2011-04-13T22:10:00.000-07:00

We are officially in and things delivered. Now the fun begins, a house full of stuff to sort and store!

What the.......

2011-03-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

So some of you may be wondering what that last post was all about. If anyone reads my blog anymore, cause i havent blogged in forever and Mike has done the last 2 posts. Anyway in December Mike interviewed for the Director of Transportation position in Spring Tx.

Wait a minute, let be back up a bit. I have longed to be by family, for the past 6 1/ 2 years I havent lived by family. I have prayed for a way to be by family, fully knowing that we wouldnt make it back to AZ any time soon. So in November Mike has this offer to interview for a position in Spring , Tx. We talked about it and I said "where the heck is that". He informs me its a suburb of Houston. Well my sis Niki and her family went to Houston last summer for work. When I heard about the position for us in Spring, this overwhelming feeling of peace came over me. Why? I am a person who dosent like change, Im getting further away from family moving to Tx, and Rocco will be in school this year, which makes traveling even harded. But, I couldn't resist the feeling that we should go there.. So the process of interview came in December, I was on pins and needles and Mike had worked soooooo hard to perfect his interviewing skills.

As a side note:Back a couple of years ago, when we got the job to Bakersfield, Mike called me and said"pack your bags baby we are goin to Bakersfield!"so the next day after his Tx interview I got a call from him and he said"pack your bags baby we are going to Spring!" My eyes welled with tears, I was so proud of him , he worked so hard to do good, and it payed off!!! I couldve grabbed him thru the phone and gave him a huge kiss !

Thus began this journey. We got our house listed, first day on the market we get an offer,by the end of the week and doing the countering, the offer was accepted!! I was in shock, I was certain it wouldnt sell in this market. From then on we have had blessing after blessing!!! This move has gone so smooth. The railroad has been so generous and I am amazed with how they have helped us through this process. Flash forward a couple weeks and we pull out of the driveway in Bakersfield, semi loaded, on Feb 11th. I arrive in Mesa on Feb 12th and Mike couninued his drive to Spring. So for the last month I have had the wonderful oppportunity to spend time with my family. It was Heaven!!!! 2 weeks into my stay I flew out to Houston to house hunt. mind you that was with no kids,thanks family, we locked one down and we are currently in the process of closing. That is another post entirely.

So, I can truly say that my prayers have been answered!!! I have had prayers been answered before , but never so noticably like this move. Niki and Boyd and Evie will be here till September, and I cant even begin to thank My Heavenly Father for giving me the chance to live by a sister. Even if its only for 6 months, I will forever be humbled and grateful for the opportunity. The Lord answers yor prayers in ways you would never think, and this a true testament to me the He hears and answers our prayers!!!!

So here we are in this condo by the lake awaiting the day we get to move into our new house. I am super excited to be in our home and to make it ours. But, I cant help the feeling of missing all that is familiar and special. I loved Bakersfield!!!!! Let me emphazise that again, LOVED. It really is a pretty place and has everything you need , without it being super busy and crazy. But what made it so special was the people. I made friends that will forever impact my life. I realized that life can exist and go on without family right next door, and that your friends can become your surrogate family and help fulfill your life! I hope I can find that here in Tx, I have Niki and that is more than I could ever ask for!! but when she is gone, Im gonna need a buddy! someone to grocery shop with and be silly with and get Sees candy with and have girls night outs and random lunch dates and have kids play together. I pray for a friend and I hope I will be able to be just as happy to be here as I was in Bakersfield.

I know the power of prayer is real and with faith we are guided to do the things we need to do and be in the places we should be. I know my family is supposed to be in Tx right now and I hope I can do what is asked of me, in return for the blessings that have been poured out to my family.
I love my family and I am madly in love with my hubby. I am looking forward to this new adventure! I promise I will be a better blogger!

Lake Conroe - Temporary Living

2011-03-11T12:56:00.000-08:00

Our Home for the next 30 days...

Little Sledding...

2011-01-09T19:35:00.000-08:00

2010-10-31T20:18:00.000-07:00

last nights trunk or treat

Pres was a fifties"gell" aka girl, she loved it and thats probably an understatment. We borrowed one of my friends cyndi , daughters dance costumes and she thought she was beautiful,not cute, beautiful. I stood corrected .

she was running down a hill and I got this mid run, its perfect timing, but dark!

Secret agent man, didn't love his suitcase, however I thought it was funny! he originally wanted to be a fire breathing dragon, but I wasn't sure how to come up with that costume, so the next option was a secret agent like the backyardigans. I though he pulled it off great!

I love my little kiddos and they make all of these holidays so special.

keep reading for 2 other posts

2010-10-31T15:48:00.000-07:00

Preschool trunk or treat

secret agent man

2010-10-31T15:32:00.000-07:00

this is rocs and his girlfriend, thats right I said girlfriend! Isabella loves rocco, she always wants to stand by him and she wanted, no insisted she ride in the same car as him on the way to the preschool pumpkin patch field trip. She is super cute and her mom dresses her really cute, so Im glad they think eachother are cute

checkin out the animals
group shot

Rocco is loving school and is so smart!!!! he loves to follow the rules and listen to the teachers. he is such a good boy and is alwways trying to do what is right! we love our Rocs

late but worth the wait

2010-09-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

So I constanly feel like I am doing catch up posts! whats the deal with that, I just cant get motivated to sit here while it takes forever for the pictures to upload and i can only do 3 at a time, but I'm here and we are updating!

I cannot tell you how exciting it is for me to have a relative that is somewhat close to me, Tara is now only 2 hours away and it is so refreshing to me to feel family close. A couple weeks ago Mike was going out of town and I called Tara up the day before and asked her if she wanted to come and have a sleepover. She Came and We had a great time! We just hung out here at the house, but it was so fun to have Scarlet and Pres play together. The minute Scarlet walked in the door they were off to presley's room to get tutus and heels.Pres is alwasys hangin out with Roccos friend, that she loved having a girl around. I just cant wait for them to be friends because I feel like they are so much a like, not to mention half their wardrobe is the same, because me and Tara shop at all the same stores and apparently have the same taste. Its funny , many pictures of Scarlet I see, I think "hey Presley has that but in a different color!" And I have had a couple people tell me they look like. Scarlet is so cute and says the cutest, funniest things. Tara, I will gladly take her for a couple of days aftere the baby if you will let me!!!! Tara and I have been best buddies since birth and I admire her so much! she is so driven!! when she was in high school she really wanted braces, so she took it upon herself to clean the orthos office so that, that could be the payment for her braces! Who as a teenager does that! She is so smart and reads all these books and is so knowledgeable. I learn so much from her. she is so kind and loving and a great mother and wife. Tara I love you and I hope you really know how excited I am to be so close to you. I look up to you so much and I am so lucky we share the same blood!!

Last week we went to Utah to go to the cabin and see grams and gramps! we had a great time!!! quad riding, hiking, eating, relaxing, Seeing Tarazan at Tuachan in St george! If you have never been to see a show there, I highly reccomend it. The setting is beautiful, outdoors against the red rocks! The kids loved it. Little mermaid and Grease are playing next year and I hope to be able to go to it again!

Hiking in Zion, a walking stick is a must! we did 2 1/2 miles, and Rocs walked the whole way without a complaint. We loved every minute of it

Gramps came with us and was so fun to have around! he is so wonderful to the kids and he is so active and vibrant at 82 years young!

Presleys little legs got tired, so we all took turns carrying her

Dont they look like they are posing for a prom picture!

This pretty little lady was right next to us when we were waiting to get out of the park. I thought it looked like she posed and puckered her lips and widened her eyes, she almost looks like she has eyelashes, thus the reason I am calling her a girl.

We rode down to the ice caves and had to do a timer family phot op!

Mike is such an amazing father, he is so patient and loving an truly enloys his children. he makes sure we always do fun things! he has been riding his bike to work for the past couple months and has lost almost 30 pounds!!!!!!!! he Looks HOT !!!!! I am so proud of him, he logs his calories daily and watches his portion size, he has done great and it really helps me to have anoher person on this weight loss train with me! I love him so much and I still have a pitter patter in my heart when he comes home from work.

Thank you Grams for always being so wondeful to us when we come and make a tornado of your life while we are there. You take such good care of us, and the kids love coming to see you! You have taken me into the family so willingly and I feel so special for that. We love you guys so much!!!!

2010-08-22T22:39:00.000-07:00

We had another birthday around here!Can you believe my first born is already 5! It makes me so sad to see how fast time goes, luckily I get to have him at home one more year before shipping him off to school. He has been anxiously awaiting his birthday since Pres had hers. He told me he could do whatever he wanted. He could put his feet on the table, no one could be mean to him, he didnt have to help set the table, he had it all figured out.

Rocs never sleeps with a shirt on anymore, it makes him sweaty, and Pres wants to be be like him some nites and not sleep with hers on!

Breakfeast was green cinamon rolls except for the exception of Presley wanting blue frosting

This was after church! most sundays we hang out in comfy clothes and since its summer I guess Rocs dosent wear shirts all day either!

He insisted on these poses, he was doing kung fu

The dessert request was brownies on the bottom, frosting, then caramel and a race car on top. You ask and you shall receive....... This is my meager attempt at makin him a ramp for the monter truck to drive off. I made homemade caramel and drizzled it on top, it was so rich you only needed a few bites

I love this picture, perfectly puffed cheeks

This was his pure joy! gotta love it

The long awaited pillow pet! he has seen this infomercial many times, I tell ya Nick jr does this so that the kids see it all the time and want it so bad they can hardly stand it. He informed me they are machine washable and they even close so tight you can fit your pajamas inside and go to grandmas house!

Rocco is such a special boy. He has such a desire to do what is right and loves to be cuddled and hugged. He is very smart and loves to do things right. He has a memory that is crazy!!! we were driving to a friends house for the second time and he knew exactly what street to turn down , just from going there one time before. I use that to my advantage sometimes, if I cant remember where I parked , or if I forgot to close the garage. He quotes lines from different infomercials, like pillow pets, but on another occasion I was telling Mike my sink was clogged in the bathroom and Rocs proceeded to tell us all we needed was a long thing you stick down the sink called a snake! He cracks us up daily! He has memorized his first article of faith and is working on the rest. He is so handsome and has the best smile and those little spaces in his teeth just melt my heart.

Rocco is such a good big brother and watches out very closely for Presley, during high school years we will all really appreciate that. I love being his momma and have loved the boy he is growing to be. He can now ride is bike too ,but that is another post coming.

the trincess is 3

2010-08-14T16:20:00.000-07:00

another year has come and gone and my sweet baby is getting to big!!!! Yesterday was Presleys birthday, of course being such a girlie girl all things revolved around pink, princess and tutus

We had to curl her hair, so she could wear her crown

We had to have pink minne pancakes

The crown stayed on all day, she calls it a crownd, is a must have accesory

She still thinks she is 2 and is trying to use being 2 to her advantage, when she dosent want to do something. "But I'm still 2 , I cant do that". I think she is to smart for her own good

She got all sorts of fun things this year and she loved all of it!

Presley is such a fun little girl, the new things she is into is givin kisses. She wll stop me from walking down the hall and say"wait I need to kiss you" on your arm or leg, or wherever she can reach. But, you must say thankyou, and if you dont, she tells you, you need to say it. Its pretty darn cute.

She has the best voice and says the funniest things. Princess= trincess, Wand= dwond, Brother= drotha, these are just to name a few.

She loves to read books to herself and will lay on the couch with her legs kicked up and read to herself out load, and she tells quite the stories, sometimes its seems to be in another language.

Presley has been praying for the past couple months to stay dry so she can go to dance class, and this happens every prayer, blessing the food prayer and all. Well this past monday she got to go. I think she was too nervous and she just stood there on her mark with her fingers in her mouth. By the end of class she said , but what about dance class. I told it was already over and that she didnt do it, she was so sad. So come this Monday we will see how she does

Since our last visit to Mesa she has grown a love for Party in the USA, by Miley cyrus, she loveeesss it and has the best moves to it. sings it everywhere, I otta get that on video, its a riot

She is roccos little shadow and loves to do everything he does, but can still do it all girlie

She brings our family so much joy! to see my kids be best friend is the most precious thing in this world. We love her so much and keeps us entertained daily. I love being her mom

life

2010-07-18T21:27:00.000-07:00

Weve been up to whole lot of everything

the kids love it when I wrap them up like this after the shower, they are pretty cute!

the best $4.50 I ever spent. This slip n slide has been tons of fun for the kids

Shes pouting bcause she couldnt do it

The beginning of the sommersault

he just learned how to do a good when, so he does them when the mood is right, while dancing, on the hard tile, on the slip n slide, hes a star!

and tonight we had company for dinner!

Happy sunday!

2010-06-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

well I finally figured ho to get my pictures up.... it wasn't the computer , it was the operator. I can only upload 4 pics at a time and not 5 lke i was trying to. so anyway, here's lots of pictures of the fun time we had on our vacation.

ths has nothing to do with the vacay, it is just a sweet picture

the was the 2nd day at yosemite , rocs had conquered the rock

brother sister love!

there was this weird place on our hike that had all these little rock towers everywhere, it was very strange, Ím talking like hundreds of them . bigger rock on the bottom going to small', who has the time?

They are being statues, couldn't you tell?

The water was flowing, we went at a great time of year, the snow was all melted and the river was high and the waterfalls were plentiful. It was stunning!

There was about 8 falls flowing

Come august, there is only about 2 that flow

My sweet family!

This was called tunnel view, you drive out from this long tunnel and this is the view you are greeted with!!! The angels are singing!

See the water! months from now, you will be able to walk right under that bridge

First eaing out in Frisco! China town

You make rocs happy if you get him orange chicken

Alcatraz, it was super cool and so interesting, one of the former inmates was there signing books, that was weird to know that all of that didn't happen that long ago. I think this is a must see if you go there

Aquarium, Presley is listening to the guide, she got to feed the starfish lunch, she loved it!

He's a ladies man!!!!

from their view, I thought their world looks a little different then mine

The 7 sisters, Whatever happen to perdictability, the milk man the paper boy, evenin TV. I hope thats the words, but nonethe less, you all know what this is

Golden gate bridge. We took the double decker bus there and we rode on top and man , by the time you reach the bridge, it is freezin, but beautiful

All the sea lions on Pier 39

On the trolley!, we took these everywhere, and they dont wait for you, they have places to be, and the kids loved them. By the end of our trip, mike could navigate us everywhere, he is a good man to have around.!!!!!

double trouble

this was our last night there. we had an amazing time and I would do both places again in a heart beat! Iwas so impressed with my kids,they were troopers and they had a great time too. We made some good memories

Watch where you step

2010-06-18T21:27:00.000-07:00

We just got home from a fabulous vacation to yosemite and san fransico, and I have like 30 pictures to upload but the computer is dumb! so, instead till i figure it out I will leave you with an email that Mike sent me tiltiled"watch where you step".
Is this not the freakiest thing you have ever seen, I thought those snakes traveled alone!

Sweet dreams everyone.........

2010-05-30T21:07:00.000-07:00

We've got a budding artist on our hands. He loves to color and those markers that only color on the special paper have kept him entertainted for hours. His imaginaton is growing and he is constantly thinking up new things, I heard him try and strike up a deal with Presley tonight, that he would give her , her pillow back if she would trade spots with him. I thought that was funny . Speaking of imaginations, when he was pretending to be an alien, remember that, well we got sent to ucla to an ENT specialist to check his ear. He definately has a whole in his eardrum and has mild/ moderate hearing loss . They are giving him another 6 weeks to see if the hole will heal on its own and if that dosent work, then surgery will be necessary to graft the hole shut. Man, all because he wanted to be an alien.
Anyway while we were at stake conference a couple weeks back, we took a stack of paper to let the kids draw and stay busy. I asked him what all his drawings were and this is word for word what he told me, i was fairly impressed

This is a shark, I had written the answers on top of the paper, but they didnt scan that dark.

This is Tyrone from the backyardigans, which by the way has got to be one of the best cartoons, and who do you think are behind those awsome voices, do you think they are kids?

Person

A pig spider

Turtle family

Wammer hammer doll, I think this idea came from wubzy

Pablo from the backyardigans, the funny thing is I was watching the show the other day and I can totally see why he drew his hat like that. I love how his little mind works

Pig

Live D's. Lots of his drawings turn into "live" something. He drew a candle and then added eyes and a mouth, theerfore it became a live candle. He just kills me!

Spaceship

constaltion. I dont know where he even learned that word, but he is using it appropriately according to his drawing.

Lately Mother hood has been very challenging for me. Presley has all of a sudden decided she didnt want to pee on the potty and she pees her pants 5-7 times a day. It was really taking a toll on me. I felt defeated , like a failure, crazy, and at my whits end. That had been going on for weeks, like 7 to be exact and i couldnt and still cant figure out the problem. On Monday she was sitting on my lap and totally just peeded on ME! She didnt get antsy or start to move around or anything, the flood gates just came open and there was pee all over me. That was when I started to be mad. I know she knows how to do it and thats the most frustrating part of it all. Come Wednesday I had a complete break down, because I was so frustrated, my poor kids couldnt figure out what the heck was wrong with me. We had to go into the beauty supply store and I totally have a tear stained face and my patience is thin. I keep trying to coral the kids and keep them from touching everything and I may or may not have had the most loving tone of voice, and then Rocs says"why are you being so mean to us", it broke my heart to pieces. That moment, I decided I can't keep feeling like this and I had to get a grip! I pleaded with the Lord for patience, because obviously a 2 year old peein her pants is makin me freak out, I didnt have much. So I reverted back to potty training her and for the past 3 days she hasnt had an accident. I told her if she stayed dry for a week we would take her to "the regular dance class"(thats what she keeps calling it, I'm not sure why , but it's funny)I have felt a renewed love for my kids and motherood in general. I just smile when I look at them and I think they are so funny.I never knew such little kids would've been able to cause me so much frustration, but they do, and then you step away from the problem take a deep breath and try it again. Good thing we love them endlessly and they love us just the same. If any of you mothers have encountered this I am very much open for advice. She has been potty trained since Nov. she couldve possibly had a UTI, which from researching, could very well be the cause, but any advice would greatly helped. I love my children so much and even in the midst of the tears of my frustration, thier sweet concern for me is so precious. I love being the mama to my kidos!!!

monday funday

2010-05-17T16:34:00.000-07:00

this is how rocs left the house today, we went out to lunch and he insisted he needed the knee pads for his protectin incase he fell. I guess he was damaged from pretending "I 'm am alien" while having Qtips in each ear and running into the wall, followed by a loud sream, cuz blood was coming out of his ear. We don't know the extent of the damage to his ear yet, but he isnt acting like he is in pain, we went to the dr and he is on drops till wed, till the swelling goes down. I hope and pray there is no permenant damage. Kids do the craziest things

ode to mother

2010-05-09T18:47:00.000-07:00

Never did I know how much my mother loved me , till I became a mother myself
Motherhood is the most difficult, challenging, exhausting, job I have ever had, but it is the most rewarding, precious, priceless, amazing, experience I will ever have. Nothing is so pure than the love we as mothers have for our children.
Which brings me to understand how much my mom loves me. And i too love her more so much.
Mom, I love you , you are such a great example to me. You have been through so much and i stand amazed at the strength you do it all with, most would put there head in the sand , but you have stayed strong, with your head held high, holding strong to the gospel. I gained my testimony at a young age, because you taught all us girls how to live the gospel. You were so fun to be with when we were young teenagers , always having a home atmosphere for us to bring our friends too, that they truly enjoyed being around. Still to this very day our friends come over to talk to you, even if none of us are there.
As I am a mother now, I truly understand how hard you worked to keep us happy and healthy. It is tireless work and you did and are doing it daily with such wonder. I cherish our time together when I get to come home and I love to talk to you on the phone daily. Our relationship now that I am a grown adult and mother is precious to me. I truly truly enjoy you and my sisters company . I dont love you just because we are family, I love you because you are beautiful, patient, understanding, a counselor, wise, a good listener, funny, silly, u can make any situation fun, you can make up the best names for everything, give the greatest advice, non-judgmental. I love you , because you are you and we are an eternal family. Thankyou thankyou.

Without you, I wouldnt have these kiddos, that are the light of my life.I love being a mother!!!

2010-05-02T21:24:00.000-07:00

hey everyone enter this giveaway for a chance to score a new suit for the summer season. I know we all dread wearing swimsuits, but at least it could be a cute one!

Look Ma , no hands!!!

2010-04-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

these toothbrushes have suction things on the bottom of them and i was having the kids brush their teeth while in the shower. Rocco puts it on the wall and tell me to look

I was crackin up, hes so innovative. and of course Pres had to get in on the action too when i yelled for Mike to see what rocs had come up with.

Arent they funny!

2010-04-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

so we are stepping back in time,a blast from the past. Lexi put me, i mean all of us up to this challenge. check out the rules of the game here.
I ve only been graduated for 10 years now, but my o my how times have changed. When I wore these outfits I was in style and this is what everyone was wearing. I guess that fashion has turned a different direction, which is probably for the better!

I guess that holding onto their ties made this a little"daring"

Yes I have babies breath in my hair, not sure why, but it's there

This hairdo looked better in my head, by the time it was done there wasnt enough time to fix it,

"Note to self, when hair is that short, please don't do shirley temple curls, especially when you are 17"

I received a lot of slack from this picture. Everybody teased me, because I was grabbing his pecks, but I really wasnt trying to make it that way, where else was I supposed to grab?

What were we thinking?

cowabunga dude

2010-03-14T21:17:00.000-07:00

our camera has this cool thing where you can take a picture and make the mouth turn to a bigger smile. Mike was foolin around with it and I seriously laugh every time I look at them, maybe you 'll think it is as funny as I do.

I'm still laughin!

boys will be boys part II

2010-03-14T20:59:00.000-07:00

exhibit A standard attachment for the vacume hose

Exhbit b add a butter knife and you.........

Exhibit C A cool new weapon

2010-03-01T21:54:00.000-08:00

we had a productive day today! mondays are our Saturday since Mike works on the real Saturday. We had a list of things to do which began with......

Finding frogs

Helping daddy "mowter"

Playing soccer

A bike ride was involved too!, It was a beautiful day to accomplish much

Today

2010-02-12T20:25:00.000-08:00

Today.........
It's 8:25 and the kids are already asleep! no naps makes for a magically wonderful early bedtime, love naps,but, sometimes love early bed time too, it's a trade off!

Started off the morning with a personal training session at the gym,which was complimentary, so I thought I would give it a whirl. Thought I was in good shape (I can run for some long distances) umm, guess again, not so much, I was a little embarresed by how quickly I was tired out and how running and cardio dosen't make you strong. Then I did some leg lifts in which he touched my leg to show my where they should be, ooopppsss, hadn't shaved my legs in 3 days and I have dark hair,so I'm sure he was grossed out. Then,I got called to the child care to take Pres potty, he rolls his eyes! I'm not scoring points! Then when we are done, he tries to sign me up , tells me I need to get my priorites straight and see if my health is that important, ummm,it is,but I can't afford $330 /month!
I leave feeling like a I had a good workout , but, in his eyes, I'm a hairy, weak, cheap, lazy, mom, who dosen't have her priorities straight.

Then off to the mall with Jess, we hit up old navy and I scored! Kids Easter outfits... check. 4 shirts for $13... check. free perfume at Victorias Secret...check... free 10 day sample powder at bare minerals w/ brush... check= good day at the mall!

Then home, finally got a shower, blow dry my hair, (now I know why in movies girls can't go out sometimes, cuz they are washing their hair, I feel like it is such a chore and I have to schedule it).Get all excited to make my Amish friendship bread that I had been painstackingly massageing for ten days. Pour it in to my bread pan,put it in the oven. 50 min later...smelling the delicious cinnamon goodness, I realized I forgot to add one whole cup of oil!!!!!! Are you kidding me, my hard work and anticipation, ruined! Now I have a brick! At least I can keep one of my starter doughs and try again!

There is always tomorrow!

Boys will be Boys

2010-01-27T18:24:00.000-08:00

Concept conceived entirely by the 4 year old mind and executed likewise:

Try #1

Try #2

7 years and going strong

2010-01-25T22:12:00.000-08:00

7 years ago he stole my heart! and he still has it, and will for eternity. I love you Mikey!

in a nut shell!

2010-01-17T18:36:00.000-08:00

so, I know I know i haven't blogged in forever, I've been busy having so much fun! There has been so much going on this holiday season, I don't seem to have the energy to put into my own blog. I have so many thing to talk about , so I figured I would let the pics do the talking. These are in no particular order, but I'm sure you'll get the point

This past Tuesaday, my family decided to make a trip toDisneyland. They all flew in and we drove and met them there. We had a 3 full days at the happiest place on earth. Let me tell you, it really was , I 'm not sure who had more fun, me ..or the kids, I'm already having withdrawls.
The kids loved the carousel, That was probably Presley's favorite.This little Avrey is so sweet, her little tiny body, makes her that much sweeter, she is a zippy little thing, she can run so fast and she just melts your heart. Her big eyes and that long beautiful hair, is to die for! She is a good girl and is always willing to share with my kids when we are in town. She likes to take care of Presley and is a little mommy already.

Gotta stop and Pose with the characters

This picture takes the cake of them all. The pure love in a grandmommy's eyes for her little grandbabies.

she's so nice, she's on here twice

our little Easton boy, is boy through and through! he loves cars and has loved them at a really early age. He talks so good and so clear, and he is just barely 18 months, you really understands what he wants. He is funny and friendly and a little explorer. He loves his milk and to play with his belly button while drinking it, it soothes him! I could eat him up!

The oldest of the grandbabies, Livvy Lu. Being the first niece on the crum side,she got a lot of attention. I remember coming home from work and wanting to rush over to Lindsay's to love on this angel. I always thought she kind of looked like me, I definately have a soft spot for her. She is smart and creative and can think of the best names for her toys. I ask Presley what we should name her baby and she says"baby". Livvy on the other hand thinks of names for her kitty and it's "meowma". Are you kidding me, Not even I could think of that.she is beautiful and such a good big sister

My little Rocs, he was absolutely amazing on this trip, he was an angel and loved every minute of it. He complained a few times"it's just so hard to wait" for all the rides, but he really is growing up and he is so fun! He went on Tower of terror with Spencer! I was shocked, he didn't want to go on it again,but was rewarded from uncle Spencer with some cotton candy

Could you just die over this sweeteness. Evie and Baron,are just 3 days apart.They are such good babies and never fuss. I couln't hold them enough, while at disneyland, I actually thought about how I could take them home with me. They are smiling now and it just melts your heart.

The parade at both parks were darling and the kids danced and smiled and loved it!

Pesley is a dancin machine, she can get low! she is a spit fire and gives me a run for my money, Mikes says it's a good thing, he's say the boys won't walk all over her when she's older. I guess we'll see

Bugs Life movie! Presley cried and nuzzled her face into my chest, but Rocs loved it!

They could be siblings

They were doing a fly by, I tried to get an action shot

Lexi is the best! she is a great Auntie to all the kids! I love spending time with her and wish some of her amazingness would rub off on me.

They really love each other. Disneyland was truly magical and I am so happy we got to go. The only thing that would have made it even better was, if Mike was there! He was off working in Texas, And we surely missed him

Before we went to Disneyland Mike and Rocco went on the anual father and son trip to the Cabin. Mike said he loved the snow this year , he would have to tell Rocs that it is was time to come inside. In years past he was cold and wouldn't really play in the snow

His first snow angel

My most favorite men

I think he is getting braver than me, when it comes to sledding

This wraps up our adventures for now!

merry christmas

2009-12-20T22:30:00.000-08:00

I love my family!! they all looked so cute today. I love having an excuse to have everyone match. Hope you all are having a lovely holiday season

2009-12-17T21:25:00.000-08:00

we had some rain and it created a small river in the back, so the kids decided to run in it while still in their jammies and crazy bed head.

Do you notice anything in these pictures?

That's right, Presley is in panties and fully potty trained. She has done awsome and I would do it 50 more times if it was this easy each time. No babies in diapers anymore,with the exception of bed time. I think on the savings I will do with the diapers I deserve a new shirt. For all my efforts,hmmm I like that plan

2009-12-14T19:20:00.000-08:00

Last week we had the opportunity to host Mike's work party at our house. I stressed for a couple of weeks cleaning like mad, but it was worth all the efforts,
Here is the result...

I couldn't have done it without the help of my friends, Cyndi,jessica, and Karen. we rallied together and collected any thing gold and I rented linens, and voila a party for 16. thanks to my sweet friends, you guys are great and I am so thankful for you.

I love him!!!

2009-12-01T19:38:00.000-08:00

Last week, on thanksgiving to be exact, Mike drove down to Victorville to go look at a truck. This was just not any truck,it is a white, four door, chevy, long bed, allison transmission, truck of his dreams.

When he went to see it he fell in love with it, and the next day the owners were here in Bakersfield and the deal was done!

He finally has the truck he has wanted since he was 17. I can't think of anyone who is more deserving of this than Mike. He works so tirelessly everyday ,often times 24 hour days, without ever a complaint. I often wonder how he does this and never complains,because I get one hour less sleep on somedays and I complain about that.

He is such a fun dad, the kids can't wait for him to come home each night. Presley wakes up asking where daddy is, and Rocco will do something good and then say"Daddy will be so happy"They love their Daddy and I love that.

He is a man of many talents, he really knows how to do anything and can fix anything. One time a couple years ago, we were driving ome from Lake Havasu in this old toyota truck that didnt have a working gas gage, so we didn't know when we needed to get gas. So, somewhere in Glendale we ran out of gas on the side of the freeway. We happen to be pulling the jetskis, so Mike getsthis brilliant idea to siffen some gas out of the jet ski and into the truck. He pulls some tubing off the jet ski and puts it in the gas tank of the jet ski and sucks a little, and lo and behold some gas come out and then he puts just enough in the toyota to get us to a gas station. I mean seriously, who thinks of things like that.

I'll tell you one thing,I want to be on desserted island with Mike, ause I wouln't have anything to worry about.

He is my true Love and I am so blessed to call him mine. He deserves much more than this truck, but I'm so glad he was able to get.

Ilove you Honey and I love our family.

my favorite thing

2009-11-27T16:26:00.000-08:00

Are you Arizonans jealous?

sunday extravaganza

2009-11-08T21:51:00.000-08:00

Each Sunday we like to make an extra special dinner, every Friday night or a text Saturday morning, I give Mike the big questions of what's for dinnner on Sunday. He has a great imagination of new and creative meal ideas.
This Sundays request was, Cheescake Factory avacado egg rolls and shrimp tacos. So, I searched the web for the copycat recipe of the egg rolls and voila! here is dinner!

Everyone must try this. It is a little time consuming,but so worth it. The sauce is what makes it! and you can't complain about shrimp tacos,

This is the aftermath..... I guess we liked it.

And the finale was, chocolate peanut butter shakes!mmmm

I wonder what we'll have next week?

2009-11-01T18:49:00.000-08:00

we had a great Halloween! we went to our wards trunk or treat and then to a friends party. the kids loved every minute of it and loved eating their candy.

Rocco was a pirate, his mustache was itching him and I told him to stop it scratching it. He then said"there is ants on my chin and it makes me itchy" This kid cracks me up every day and he has so many funny things to say.

My little fairy was so cute. We put some mascara on and blush and some sparkly eyeshadow and some red lips! She loved getting her makeup on and when I told her to show mike her makeup, she puckered her lips. She is a girl after my heart,she likes makeup!

Hope next year is just as fun!

2009-10-31T10:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!!

Have a spooky Day

rocco's version

2009-10-25T21:12:00.000-07:00

Rocco pulled out a blue crayon and said"mama,do you have blue eyes like this", I said "yep"
He says"I'm gonna draw a picture of you"

This is the final product.....

Aren't I pretty!

2009-10-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

have you ever got that nasty smell in your towels after they have been used to many times
terrible, nasty, yucky, mildew smell. I've soaked them in bleach,washed them right away, nothing gets rid of it. They smell good when they come out of the dryer, but once they get wet again, the smell starts up.
So if anyone has some good tips about this situation, let me in on the secret.

2009-10-13T15:27:00.000-07:00

This time of year is the best.....

So glad Fall Is Here

Funny thought

2009-09-26T13:08:00.001-07:00

I was driving home from the grocery store, and the kids in the neighborhood were having a lemonade stand. The dad was outside watching them and it was just a cute little sight. I purchased my lemonade and a brownie for $1.not cuz I really wanted or needed it, but I wanted the kids to reap some rewards for there efforts.

Now I'm home and I got to thinking how I could make some money, What If I stood on the corner with a sign that said" waxing and facials, Brows $10, Facials $40" Do you think I would get some new clients. I could have my table set up and everything all outside. Hmmmmm.... Interesting, this could go somewhere!

There may be something said about going back to the enterpenuerly skills of a child.

I'm laughing as I think of this what a funny sight!

attention!!!

2009-09-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

there was a pile of clothes sitting on the fireplace. Their was a couple pairs of shoes and jammies and I mentioned,"Rocs ,you are getting quite a pile of stuff", well, Rocco comes walking over and scoops up all his things,and goes and puts them away.Can you BELIEVE IT!!!I was schocked! I said ,oh my gosh Rocs you are so awesome!I can't believe that you did this. I said I totally have to blog about this. Well, I haven't heard the end of it, Rocs keeps asking me to blog about what he did with his clothes. So here we are. My good little son has become a great helper.
But, I'm going to need all of your help. If everyone could leave a brief comment about how great Rocco did,maybe(I'm crossing my fingers) just maybe, this will create a domino effect, and he will start cleaning up all his stuff.

Those Moments

2009-09-11T22:55:00.000-07:00

I was just flipping through the channels last night and landed on VH1 and stopped for a few minutes. I found myself watching Antonio Sabato, trying to find his one true love through the most ridiculous dating show ever made.
Well on this particular episode the girls had to perform a Hawaiian hula dance to tell a story of why they wanted this man, they don't even know. Anyway, the locals then interrperted the dance and what the story meant through their hula and then told Antonio .
Can I just tell you I was so embarrased to watch this,what fools they were making of themselves . I literally had to close my eyes and and cower my head of how dunb I felt for them.
I couldve run out of the room and screamed at those girls and told them to stop!.
Sometimes I just can't handle how embaressed I feel for people.
Does anyone else get this way or am I weird?

life thru pictures

2009-09-07T21:46:00.000-07:00

Be prepared for lots of pictures,this is what our life has been about.

Presley loved all her presents,her joy is so precious

gotta love it

They do love to fight, but every now and again there is tenderness

We went to the cabin 2 weeks ago and rode the quads,I love how the kids are all helmet

life is better with a little marshmellow on your lip

We went to the Manti temple,and it is now my favorite temple. I reccomend trying to go if your ever even near it. The town is tiny ,but you have this amazing temple. The grounds are beautiful with so much grass it is crazy. the kids loved running around and running up the hills

Bryce Canyon

precious

Rocco caught 6 fish and reeled them in all by himself

watching the fountains at the Bellagio,

2009-08-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

My babies are growing up, Pres has hit the big 2! I will post pics of her opening gifts after once I find the cord to my camera,but she is such a joy and a blessing to have in our home.She is so funny and smart.She talks up a storm and is such a copy cat. Anything Roc's does, she does. I feel like I don't have babies anymore and it is sad.I love the little girl she has turned into .We love you Presley!!!

2009-08-21T14:31:00.000-07:00

I couldnt find a tiny picture of Rocco,but this one is so cute.We used this to make a shirt for Mike's grandpa, hence the writing. Rocco is growing up so fast and is such a little man.He loves to be loved and snuggled and tease Presley. He starts preschool next month and he can't wait to wear a backpack and have is own pencil box. He brings such a smile to my face and he is such a tender spirit. He loves to be silly and he has got some serious moves. He can really shake it. Happy birthday Rocs. we cherish everything about you,we love you so much and can't love you enough

my handsome boy all grown up

2009-08-02T21:58:00.000-07:00

I've been out of town for a while and having a great time, so needless to say the blog suffered.

But while I was away

The mice did play!!!!!

2009-07-06T21:20:00.000-07:00

Roc's final swim lesson...conquering all fears. He didn't want to go down the slide and Robyn talked him into it. He loved it . when he was done he swam to the side !

As Robyn would say" you're a champion swimmer"

splish splash

2009-07-01T21:24:00.000-07:00

This Monday Rocs started swim lessons. He has alway been really fearful of the pool,mearly sitting on the steps ,never getting his face wet,or walking around throwing stuff into the pool.
Can I just say,I am so AMAZED at the change he has made. After his first lesson, we went swimming, and I was shocked that he was getting his full body wet and putting his face in and kicking. He is now jumping of the edge and then turning around and grabbing onto tho the edge and pulling himself out. Tomorrow we work on more breathing,so we will keep things posted

This is at the pool when we went to play after he had his first lesson.
I love the water drops on his face

Presley sometimes looks like a one eyed monster when she cries,apparently she does too when it is bright outside

We had a great time and we are really enjoying our time with the kids and being a family that does fun things.

2009-06-25T22:35:00.000-07:00

I just have some random pics that I need to share. I've been meaning to show my family these pics of the kids that I framed up

I got these stools for the kids at Ikea,but they needed a little dressing up.

The picture is kind of bright,but it is blue with brown underneath. Rocco asks to keep them ugly,but mama said they need to look pretty

On Monday we went to the lake with grandma, and we had a great time in spite of all the flies. Presley had to plop herself on the chair and eat her hot dog

Some pictures of the kids after church. I love being able to do Presley's hair. It really is a highlight of the morning. Having a girl is so fun

to school or not to school that is the question

2009-06-17T21:50:00.000-07:00

I need all of your help out there. I feel quite torn to a big step the will be comng into my life.
Next year, we are talking 2010 school year. Rocco will be of the ever tender age to be entering the world of kindergarten. Here in the great state of Cali,the deadline to enter kindergarten is Dec 1st. This means you have to turn 5 by Dec to go to that school year. Now,this means that there will be lots of kids who are still 4 years old that will be in kindergarten. Rocco's b-day is August 22nd,so as you can see, he will meet the deadline. But, this is where I' don't know what I want to do. Arizona's cutoff is September 1st. So,I wouldn't put Roc's in kindergarten if we lived in Az ,because he would totally be the youngest. So,if I wouldn't put him in in Az ,why would I in Cali. He won't be able to drive till he is a jr and then he will have a year between graduation and a mission. But,if I don't put him in he will never be in the same grade as his church buddies,he makes the deadline by,4 months, and I know he will be too ready if he has to do 2 more years of preschool. The boy is very smart,has a killer memory and he is excited about learning. He has a desire for it,so I don't want him to be bored while waiting to start kindergarten when he 6.
I need some opinonions on the matter and reasons why you think the way you do,so that I can make some well informed decisions for my son's future, no pressure,huh! what I decide in kindergarten will impact him for the rest of his life.Not to mention,I have had a mild panic attack about my boy leaving ,never to be home with me again. This is a roller coaster of emotions!
Help me !

2009-06-09T16:15:00.000-07:00

2009-06-09T14:11:00.000-07:00

I know it has been an eternity,but I've been MIA and having technical difficulties.
Lots has been happenig around here. I feel like I haven't posted in forever and We have had busy couple of months.
I had a birthday in April, I turned 27,and I'm feeling old.I am closer to 30 than 20 and I don't like the sounds of that. I feel like I still just got married and just graduated high school. I never pictured myself in my thrities and it is quite scary.We had a guest speaker in young womens on Sunday and she was s bubbly sweet 21 year old and the girls were so excited to talk to her and they visited with her in the hall afterwards. I then felt really old. I am always the youngest of the group and I love it cause,I feel like I can relate,with the young women,well I guess I am reaching up with the older women. Too bad we can't turn back time. I just get better as i get older,right?

May involved lots of traveling. I went to Mesa for a week to see Lexi graduate. And I am never , dissapointed with endless hours of fun and spending time with so many of my favorite people. We shopped ,went out to eat,hung out,cleaned closets,got some hand me downs out of it, and the main attraction,was Lexi's graduation. This was such a bitter sweet thing for me, I am so proud of her and she is so amazing, but I feel like I've been gone for most of her high school life, that it is strange that she is done now,where did it all go? I can't believe my mom has no more kids in high school. I just can't wait for her to enjoy her time now. It is exciting and she will experience the best times of her life.
After, I returned home from Mesa ,we kept our bags packed ,because we were headed out for another week on our family vacation to Lopez Lake,Ca. We packed up our trailer for some fun times camping and enjoying ourselves. The weather was colder than expected and I was, well, not prepared for that. I didn't pack for the occasion and being the end of May, no one had any sweaters to buy,so the kids wore the same dirty sweater for a couple of days. We had a great time! We stayed up late,woke up late,rode bikes,went fishing,went to the beach,saw a movie,enjoyed camp fires. All in all we had a wondeful time.I feel like the kids are getting old enough now to enjoy things and it not be so difficult and so hard to travel.
When we arrived home from this trip,in the mail waiting for us was a wedding invitation. From a friend of Mikes. We really needed to dress for the occassion,so this past week has been filled with shopping for the right outfits and making sure we had a babysitter,lined up for a 12 hour day,which is the longest time I have ever left the kids. We had a delightful time at the wedding,we looked great,we had a nice meal,we danced together,we were in love!It was in a Cathloic church ,it was ornate with beautiful wood and stained glass,they had a latin mass after the wedding ceremony,which was interesting to see . We enjoyed our time as a couple and I feel rejuvenated I missed my kids. It was fun to see them the next moring after they woke up. I went to get Presley and she held onto to my neck so tight,but she wouldn't look at me. She missed me ,but wanted me to know that she was mad.
Now we are into a new month and things are going good around here.
I promise to blog more,because we have a new camera(yeah!) so I should have fun things to talk about. But,I know you wondering where are all the pictures of the adventures we have been having,here is where comes the technical difficulties come into play. I start the process of uploading the pics and it goes to the screen where it says loading,and then it flashes the page,web page cannot be displayed,which is odd cause the internet is still working. Anyone know what is wrong?Hopefully pictures will be in the near future.
It's good to be back!

2009-05-10T16:16:00.000-07:00

Mom! I love you so much,you are my true example of who I want to be. You are so strong and have been through so much and you have come through it all with such grace.You are always so willing to be a listening ear and give the best advice.I feel lifted up after talking to you and feel that I am the better for hearing your words.You are my strength,my shoulder to cry on,my best friend,my example,my everything. All that I learn about motherhood is from you and I hope that I am the mother to my kids that you are to me.
Moving away has been so hard, but through it all, we have talked many hours and have drawn so close in other ways than by being near each other. I love you, I love forever . I love you for always,as long as I'm living, my mommy you'll be.LOve you infinity

2009-05-06T22:35:00.000-07:00

I'm Baaaaaack!
After a couple weeks of a virus, eating our computer. We are finally in working order. Apparently technology in the collins household is not on our side. Still,we have no camera. But, Mike took this sweet picture of the kids,when we went to the temple in Fresno.They are double trouble.They feed off eachother and egg eachother on. They are starting to really love playing with one another,Rocco is wanting to include her and they hug eachother out of the blue.I love it and can't wait for their relationship in the future.

2009-04-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when a 20 month old is unattended on the swing set.
Of course, in the chaos a photo op is nessecary

no signs of a concusion as of yet

extra extra, read all about it!

2009-04-17T12:04:00.000-07:00

Lindsay is havin a sale. Come one come all and have a ball,buy something big,or buy something small, from 7-12 ,but not at the mall,on Harris off of Brown you little dol

The Junque fair has arrived,it is so fun and I wish I could be there so you all have to go in my place. Sat morning from 7-12.be there!

2009-04-12T16:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!!!!

2009-04-03T14:42:00.000-07:00

since My camera isn't working,I thought I would look through my folders and see what I have

In front of the Bellagio,happy as a clam

After a train ride,what a pair

just a chub

A helmet and high heels,good combo

A couple of bowl heads

Like father like son

This is a funny picture,Avrey in a bucket. Sorry it's sideways

precious picture with mimi and Rocs

Mike and went to New Zealand in'04. We had an amazing time.We stopped at a museum and we had to try out this huge bike

New Zealand

Still New Zealand,in this funny car

This was just off the side of the road,just a beautiful ocean

Mike's turn! he even had to to make his hat funny,so he would seem like he fit the part

Our mode of transportation,WE traveled by motor home and the most incredible sights

betrayed!!!

2009-03-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

My heart is sad today.The thing that we women dread the most,the thing that is the biggest no-no in a marriage, the thing that all women dread in a marriage, the thing that hurts so bad.
I've been cheated on.......by another ........................................................ Esthetician
Mike went and got a massage yesterday,and while he was there he talked to he therapist about the estheticians and how many they had and she mentioned they had a brow bar and did nose waxing. Well,his ears perked up,nose waxing,he has always wanted this taken care of . So,he got it done....he had some other estheticians hands on him,someone elses wax on him.

But,he is forgiven. I didn't know how to do nose hair waxing,so I have no reason to be mad and maybe I'll go get it done so that I can learn.

I'm really not mad,I'm just teasing Mike.

2009-03-20T13:55:00.000-07:00

Well folks,my camera pooped on me,well actually the kids broke it,they held the lens closed when it was trying to come out and they stripped the gears. So,needless to say I won't have pics till a new camera,but these are some pictures from Mikes phone that he sent me and I feel like I haven't had any fun kid photos for a while.

Last night while I was at enrichment ,Mike took the kids out for a treat. He emailed me this and it was titled "sharin the love". What a good brother he is being.
Monday night we took a quick trip to Fresno to go to the temple. Mike did a session in the morning,while I got ready and did breakfeast and then we flopped and while I was at the temple ,Mike took the kids to the park.

Mike said she was so brave and went down the slide by herself lots of times

There was a fence all around this pond where the ducks were and Presley wanted to see them so bad,so she tried to get in,and she got stuck. Mike had to perform surgery to get her out.The people just watched as Presley cried and Mike wiggled her out.Of course it was a photo op

My little boy is growing up so much,I love these jeans on him,they make him so old

Just a random pic with some stranger

2009-03-15T22:11:00.000-07:00

A weekend treat at Mcdonalds

=

Fun times!

2009-03-08T20:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a chance to see how well you really know your husband. Cut, paste and fill in the answers, then check with your spouse, to see how right you really are.

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?man vs. wild, or operation repo,or cops

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?Ranch. with a little pepper on top

3. What's one food he doesn't like?pizza and pasta.he said if he never ate pizza again he would be alright and pasta makes him lethargic

4. You go out to eat and have a drink. His drink would be?Well, if it is Sunday then some sparkling fruit punch, strawberry or grape or blood orange itilan soda will do the trick. On a regular basis Pepsi or Diet Pepsi if he trying to be good

5. Where did he go to high school? Lake Havasu High School '96

6. What size shoe does he wear?13

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be?Watches,he loves having him a nice watch and would love to have more

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?Not a cold sandwhich lover, so he would like a hot Italian or a hot pastrami with swiss

9. What would he eat every day if he could?sushi,all day,if we were rich he would have him his own sushi chef in the house

10. What is his favorite cereal?dosen't love cereal,in fact wouldn't be sad if he never had it again,although he will eat the Quaker squares,they have lots of fiber,helps make you regular

11. What would he never wear?anything trendy

12. What is his favorite sports team?Not heavy in to sports,but he does like baseball,so I will say the D-backs when they were good

13. Who did he vote for?We don't discuss politics

14. Who is his best friend? Me, but he would have to say Grandpa

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do?Leave the lights on,be late, try to cleanup stuff as we are leaving

16. What is his Heritage?Not exactly sure, but there is someone long ago named Michael collins

17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake? Cheesecake

18. Did he play sports in high school?no,but he raced motorcycles

19. What could he spend hours doing?Welding,working,loving me(that's what he said)riding his dirt bike,being in the snow,geting massaged,(not by me though,paying someone,he just got one on Thursday and talked about it all day long)

.20. What is one thing you appreciate about him?All of him,he is a incredible father,he is so fun and does silly little dances all the time and is just such a fun dad. He works so hard to provide for us and allows me to stay home. He never complains,even if he only sleeps a few hours,or has to go back to work,I never hear one word of complaints. He is so selfless,gives of his time at church and is willing to serve .I love that he loves me and allows me to be me. I just love all that he is!

I tag,kristy ,kristen,jacy,Stephanie,and Shannon

the size 13

2009-03-01T15:25:00.000-08:00

Valentines weekend we went up to Duck Creek ,Utah, Mike's grandparents cabin. We Had a great time palying in the snow and some time with our family. This is Presley's first time back since she was 6 months old and she did so good. She loved riding on the snow mobile and Rocco loves it just as much. They had lots of snow this year! Everyone prayed for it and boy the Lord heard.

She really hated getting dressed ,but loved it when we weere done
Rocs love the cabin and talks about it reguarly

This is Me,I cover all areas, i hate my lips getting cold. In this shot I asked Mike if he could tell that I was smiling. I really was! Can you tell

Turkeys in the snow? We rode down this street and saw at least 20, it was crazy,rocs wanted to chase them ,but we weren't sure how nice they were.

Me and Presley,you can tell it is her by her pink goggles, she gets Rocco's hand me downs, so I'll be sure to get more unisex clothes in the future

I was sledding down this hill,Mike would pull me with the snow mobile and then I would let go and go flying. It was so fun! I tried getting a shot of Mike going down,but the picture was just of the snow,apparently,he was to fast and I missed him

2009-02-22T16:45:00.000-08:00

I did my usual grocery shopping yesterday,but while I was their I forgot some buns for our pulled pork yumminess for tonight. We had the adult session of Stake conference last night so we went to eat before it started and then enjoyed the meeting,(well,kinda I feel more confused ,if anything) but anyway,we ran to the store on our way home for the buns,while in the bread isle I saw all the...... donuts! Especially the powdered ones!If there was one guilty pleasure of food that I could eat and not feel guilty about, it would be donuts,long johns,boston cream,powdered,those chocolate dipped ones that leave a film in your mouth and taste like plastic,but are still so good.don't forget glazed from krispy creme,fresh from the conveor belt.mmmmm,can you taste it now. I can't tell you the last time I had a donut,because I know that are so bad for you, and I don't want the guilt. I will dream about them though! I did walk by the donuts and have my mouth water a bit, but kept on walkin.
If you could eat anything without feeling bad,or should I say, without adding the lbs , what would it be?

cookie tag and Valentines day

2009-02-14T11:51:00.000-08:00

A while back,Niki tagged all of those who read her blog to make her cookies and document when we made our own and put it on our blog. Well the timing worked that I need cookies for valentines day,so we had a double whammy of a post.

Junior baker,Mom sent this apron for Rocs and he just loves it.

getting busy!

makin oat flour

Lots and lots os chocolate chips

more chocolate chips

and more

get all warm and delicious

finished product

the delivery, in our valentines get up

double trouble

The valentines cupids delivered cookies to daddy at work. we put the cookies on sticks and made some heart shaped rice krispy treats. I think is was a hit. Hope you all are having a day full of love xoxoxox

My divine Role

2009-02-08T16:30:00.001-08:00

Today our lesson was about having good skills and most importantly, cherishing our role as a mother. I am so blessed to be a stay at home mom. It is by far the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I love waking up to ,my babies every day and they always wake up with a smile.They love you in spite of all your weaknesses and to them, they know no weakness. My children are my joy and the reason I have so much happiness in my life.
Rocco has this ritual,everytime we put him down for nap or bedtime,he is in his bed for only a few seconds, comes out and Says"rub my back". When you go in there and put him back under the covers,we rub his back and then he rolls over and lifts his shirt for his tummy to be rubbed.If your hands are cold he asks to be rubbed on top of his shirt. If your lucky he then asks for you to sing "twinke star". Well he sometimes he will wake up at 2am and need the same ritual done. To be woken up out of a deep sleep and be asked to sing"twinkle star"it can be difficult.Sometimes I get frustrated and just try to convince him to go back to bed. Well,just today he does this when it is nap time and I said"rocs,just go to sleep ,you are a big boy" Mike say what does it matter, in just a few years you will be wishing he would ask you this. I just said the same thing to my sisters,I don't want this to bug me,I want to cherish it. I want to keep him little forever,I want to scoop him in my arms and just squeeze him and he giggle cause it is so fun. Soon, he will be silly when I want a kiss, because he is big.
I vow today, to be happy to rub that little back and tummy and sing "twinkle star" when the time arises.

I am so happy I married this man,so I had the opportunity to become a mother
Families can be together forever

Smiles for days

Fun times from the simpliest of things

2009-01-25T14:45:00.000-08:00

January 25th 2003, the magical day that has forever changed my life. I can't believe another year has gone by. 6 years dosen't sound long,but we have accomplished a lot in those years. 2 moves, 2 babies,death , life! I love this great man with all that I am,he he my one true love.

We were able to get away for the weekend.We went down to LA on Friday,we went to the temple and then Saturday we dropped the kiddos off at Mike's cousins house in Hunington and went out to dinner and a movie. I know this sounds like a small date for an anniversary,but let me tell you,we don't go out on dates often, so this was so fun to actully see an entire movie through, and eat a whole meal without spills and messes.

The day I met Mike,I was smitten.He wore a nice suit to church and that is what caught my attention, At the time being a tender age of 20,most boys my own age were on missions and the boys I knew didn't wear a full suit to church. I was intrigied,who was this mystery man and wear did he come from? Well we talked and set up a date for the following week. When he arrived to pick me up,he had a bundle of dasies and sweetly handed them to me.I was super impressed,on a first date,flowers! oh be still my heart! I had never been treated with such kindness and what a gentelman he was.I couldn't believe I was dating someone with such a good career and a house . But,you know how finiky women can be, I still wasn't in the relationship fully.So, Mike calls me and we are talking and he tell me that this relationship wasn't going anywhere and that we need to stop dating. What? you are calling it off with me,I thought to myself. I couldn't have this! So,I dreaded the thought of loosing him, and that is when it finally clicked. I didn't want to loose him,I loved him! The butterflies were in full force after that,and they still haven't left!

Engagement pictures

Mikey ,I love you so much.I am honored to be your wife and I am so grateful for all that you do for me and our family. You are such a good man and we are so blessed to be an eternal family. Here is a big ol smooch comin your way, mmmmuuuuuaaaaaahhhh!

My Niki

2009-01-20T22:18:00.000-08:00

My sweet Niki, I hope tomorrow is a good day! I have been thinking about you and praying for you.I am so blessed that we are family and best friends.I love you infinity and am so proud of all you are. You are so patient and have learned so much through this process and I am stronger from watching you go through it,so I can only imagine the strength you have gained throught this process. The Lord has a plan for you and I know you know this. I'm sending 6.2 vibes your way!

Tommorow I hope you can find out if you can do this

and can be this,smiley and Happy!

For those of you who are confused ,Niki has a drs appointment tomorrow to see if her A1C levels are at a good level to see if she can try for a baby.It all has to do with her diabetes, so lets cross our fingers .She is not really prego in the pic above,she was just really full after her birthday festivities.She call it her food baby.

laundry

2009-01-15T17:02:00.000-08:00

Dear Laundry,
I hate you! You are never done and when I think you are done,someone takes a shower and just adds more to the pile.You are like a bad habit,you are just always there.You know that commercial,I think it is for "swifter", where the old mop keeps peeking around the corner or rings the doorbell and someone is seranading "Baby Come Back", That is what you are doing to me. You must love me so much,you just want me to put you in the warm tub of soapy water and then get whirled around in a tub full of warm air. What ever your reason,I wish you would cut me some slack.Please. And then you expect me to fold you and put you away. You are asking a lot from me!

Towels are the worst!

I try to organize you and make it easier,and this helps,but, for once I would love it if the hamper just stayed empty .

You love to get all dry and warm

But, first you had to take that soapy bath

There is one good thing about you though, you smell so fresh and clean when you are done and how nice it is when a warm towel is thrown around you or to crawl in a freshly made bed with clean sheets. That is the Best.

Although I hate you,I love you at the same time.We wouldn't be anywhere without you. I guess I just have to accept that my life will forever consit of you. So I guess I will say to you Mr Laundry, see you everyday and we will be friends forever,or is it enemies?

2009-01-11T16:23:00.000-08:00

I've been a bit in a blog quandry.I haven't had any good ideas for a new post! I went to NIki's blog and she just did a roandom post of things,so that has given me the idea to do a random post about things we have been doing. If you haven't ever gone to Niki's blog,please do so.It is always fun and cute,she was the inspiration for all of us Crum's to start our blogs and we are thankful for that!

I moved the book case underneath the picture,Which came to me from my mom(the picture)I have it's sister of roses picture and mom didn't want this one anymore.So my last trip to Mesa I brought it home,along with all the things for Christmas,which made for a very full back seat. I should have taken a picture. It took us at least 2 hours to figure it out,it was a puzzle.We made sure everything was sequre(sp?) and it made it here in one pieceWhewwww!

Kids just being cute,Pres looked like a snow bunny,we had to have a photo op

Her little hat looks so cute on her,she loves it.at first that was not the case,she was always pulling it off.But,know we walk by it,and she wants to put it on,all that wearing of the bows has given her practice.

We were having some sticker fun,who said stickers were for paper

At our house ,they are for bodies

Hellooooo Everyyyyybody! I am blogging to you all!

2009-01-07T16:31:00.000-08:00

Fill in with one word answers

1. Where is your phone?purse
2. Where is your significant other? work
3.Your hair color? blonde
4. Your Mother? inspiring
5. Your Father? amazing
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your dream/goal? constant
9. The room you're in? office
10. Your hobby? parenting
11. Your fear? trajedy
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? AZ
13. Where were you last night? meeting
14. What you're not? thin
15. One of your wish-list items? body
16. Where you grew up? mesa
17. The last thing you ate? dumplings
18. What are you wearing? sweater
19. Your TV? enjoyed
20. Your pet? fish
21. Your computer? dated
22. Your mood? content
23. Missing someone? daily
24. Your car? pilot
25. Something you're not wearing?retainer
26. Favorite store? Target
27. Your Summer? adventerous
28. Love someone? definately
29. Your favorite color? blue
30. When was the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? Sunday
32. Something you crave? everything
33. Why you blog? connection

I tag: Kristy,Kristen,Stephanie,Jessica

Pure Love

2009-01-02T16:44:00.000-08:00

We were able to get our family pictures done in November by the fabulous John Walker,who did an amazing Job, and he was able to capture ,what I feel is, priceless.
My family is my true happiness and the reason I feel such so much joy in my life.
I had to hold off on showing these because we gave them out as Christmas presents. Here is there debut.
This is minus 20 lbs for me and about the same for Mike. We have new goals for the new year.The holidays proved to be delicious,maybe a little to delicious. Luckily I stayed the same, so onward and upward. My new goal is 15 more lbs by April 22nd.

Christmas Past

2008-12-28T15:06:00.000-08:00

I'll have to admit, I feel as though I have given Birth and the post partum is setting. I feel sad that Christmas is over. I love the feeling in the air,the music, the goodies,and everything about the holidays. I love the kids being excited and me being excited for them and then just like THAT! it's over.I have to take down the tree and the music is off the radio every day, I feel a little depressed. Being away from my family this Christmas was a little foreign,No noise ,well more than we usually have,is what I missed,but it was still lovely. I tried to recreate the Christmas eve dinner that I was used to, shrimp cocktail,cheesy potatoes, salad with homemade ranch, and a lovely cut of meat, followed by a delicious peach cobbler. It was divine and we ate and ate and I am still eating. I gotta get back on track.
Christmas morning was fun and the kids loved ripping open there parcels to find some goodies
Presley couldn't quite rip the paper , so she would grunt and hand it to me to get it started. She was a joy and rocco didn't care what was inside ,he just wanted another one to open.
I sent Mike on a wild goose chase to find his collection of cds he was so badly wanting,he didn't think it was as funny as I did.
We ended our night with a trip to the cinema to see Deperaux,of which I can't say if it was good or not beacuse, Pres wasn't very interested, so we were in the halls playing and people watching.
All though I am a little blue,Christmas was lovely and I am so grateful for all those who love us and our kids and spoil us so much. Thankyou everyone for making our holidays so special.Muuuuah!!!!

Christmas morning!We got to sleep until 8:30,Iknow this won't last but, It felt great
This is my centerpiece I made, I got some flowers at Costco and I tried to create, and this is the creation!

This toy car from grandma Collins is a hit,they love pushing eachother!

Pres loves slippers,so Santa brought her some Elmo ones

Mimi got this art set for Rocs and he was trying to show it off

Mike and Rocco are off to the cabin for a few days and Presley and I are having girl time till Wednesday, anyone who wants to play,I'm up for it. I am hoping to get some projects done and have Christmas put away,we will see how proactive I am.

Time Out!

2008-12-17T21:30:00.000-08:00

This is not part of my post,but I had to include,because how could you resist this face,she has quite a personality

The other night Mike and Rocco were having a pillow fight.They were having a great time and laughing until.... Mike hit our picture on the table and knocked it off. Rocco gasped and said"Daddy that fragile(yes he said fragile,I say that often so he picked it up) you naughty."So we proceeded to put Daddy in time out. Much to his dismay,I caught it all on film
.

I was cracking up,everything I told Rocco to say, he did. "Look at my eyes,what do you need to say? and so on". We told him he needed to stay there for a minute of every year of life. Um... he'll be there a while.

He had to put his face in the corner and then had to kiss Rocco and say sorry for his behavior.

Mike ended up being good and getting out early,because he would have been there for 31 minutes,because he just had a birthday. He is ofically in his early thirties. He his such a good man and Father. I hope he knows how much we love him and hope he felt special on his day. Love ya Honey!!

2008-12-14T14:02:00.000-08:00

Life sure gets crazy around the holidays,but this is what we have been up to.

Our tree has been decorated since Thanksgiving and the kids love it. Their little eyes light up at all the bulbs and sparkle,and it makes the holidays that much more fun.
In our first year of marriage,we bought as a cheapy tree at Walmart,$25, it is a 6 footer,so on the small side. I thought maybe later we would get a bigger tree, well later has come and gone and I still have a 6 footer. I have made do though and have made a box with a shelf in the middle of the box, for the tree to stand on. It raises the tree at least a foot and I got to decorate the box, like a present. I love it! I had it made 2 years ago, and this is my first year actually using,because of moving and whatever else.

Last night was the ward party, Rocco threw up there, so we quickly left. He looked so miserable,I feel so bad. On the way home he told me" I throw up on my sweater, in my mouth, and on my sweater, mama."

This is Prelsey the day of her surgry. She did really well. The Dr. put 2 tubes in each ear and then removed her adnoids. Ever since the surgery she has done great. This morning she woke up with green bugers, so I will cross my fingers that all goes well.

I put her little hair in piggytails. I thought it looked so cute with some little blue bows, however we went out to eat and the server asked, what do the boys want for dinner, for real people!,does she look like a boy with hoops in her ears, and when they took her back for surgery, they said oh he'll be just fine. She had pink on a and a kitty on her jammies. Here bows are what give her , her gender I guess. Both times she was mistaken for a boy she didn't have a bow. I can't wait for her hair to grow in.

another sunday fun day

2008-11-30T20:51:00.000-08:00

Sunday's are such lovely days. The tv is off and we spend time as a family. This was our day in pictures.

we had a fire

we jumped on the bed

bath time,it was so fun we have it up here twice

yummy dessert

more wrestling

eating

making messes

family meal time

2008-11-26T13:42:00.000-08:00

I love to watch HGTV,most of the time I find shows that I love,for example ;House Hunters,Divine Design,Designed To Sell,My House Is Worth What?, Decorating cents ,just to name a few. But, I do have a bone to pick with the producers.Some of the shows are so dumb,I can do some better designs then these people. I think we should all ban together and get these shows off the air.

Hidden potential
The idea of the show is fun,but what is the point of not showing us the finished product.I would like the show if I could see there vision come to be

Color Correction

This woman can't design.Everything is so matchy matchy,and she just bugs me.I know you all feel that to.

Color Splash

Don't like his designs and he is just a bit much for me. To much bold graphic art.

What are your favorite HGTV shows?

2008-11-22T14:26:00.000-08:00

Being a mother is by far the most rewarding and difficult thing I have ever had to do. My children are my greatest joys in life and yet so exhausting. How can this all be?
Lately I wonder where my little girl has gone,while we were on vacation she was a nightmare crying all the time , wouldn't let me sit down, tried to get away from me and then you put her down and that didn't make her happy and she would scream some more. I couldn't win. I felt defeated ,emotional ,frustrated, exhausted, sad. I didn't know what to do. She got another ear infection,which marks 2 post tubes. What is going on! Why all the problems?
We get home from vacation and she is a different baby, fun ,happy, so dang cute.Well,four days later here come the runny nose, and with that always comes cranky. So here we go again. I am at a loss. I am praying fervently each night,for an answer of what I need to do. I plead for patience, for help,anything! I finally get the impression to take her to the doctor. Not, really knowing exactly why I am taking her. On the phone with the office I am almost in tears,because I feel at such a loss and so bad for all the discomfort Presley is in. They get me scheduled for Fiday, so here we go, another appointment.
I tell the doctor with my shaky voice all the troubles we have been experiencing. He looks at me with concerned eyes and proceeds with the exam. Right ear... looks good. Left ear...... oh wow..... ooohhhh.... oh this ear is all backed up! Lets do some more tests. We head to the back to get her hearing checked. Left ear hearing is down. Not good. So,I say what do we do ,why is this happening after just having the tubes for 2 months. He explains to me that her pipes are just small. There is no way for the fluid to drain and the opening is still to small. So,he wants to go in and put 2 tubes in the left ear and remove her adnoids.What are adnoids? I guess they are part of your lymph system that helps all things drain. After a year of life you don't really need them anymore, because we have so many other lymphs that can take over and do the draining.
So, this is the recommendation,we need to make more room to allow for the fluid to be able to drain. I sigh silently,like maybe this is the answer,maybe We can have our baby back,maybe my sweet baby can feel better and not be so irratable.
I don't know what the outcome will be. But. I feel better knowing that something is wrong and I am not a crazy mother that dosen't know how to deal with her moody baby. I know she has a stubborn personality and part of this is coming out as she get older,but this is different. She has her good moments and the screaming is not all the time,but when you hear it you would know. I want her to feel better and to be able to happy and enjoy her life.
In the grand scheme of things this is not that big of a deal. and I know this. I thank the Lord for healthy chidren,because they are.This is fixable and we will be able to move forward. I would take her pain if I could. I would do anything for her,so hopefully this can all be part of steps toward a happier , healthier Presley.

On the other hand,I was able to get a ponytail on Presley. Her hair is getting thick in the back,but still not a whole lot on top.

I love you Presley and I am so thankful that you are ours. I want you to feel better,soon angel soon.

Black Sausage.....

2008-11-17T21:51:00.000-08:00

Now, I don't really remember to much these days,so Mom forgive me if this is wrong,but... I didn't grow up where we had a big breakfeast all the time, I remember Saturdays and Sundays Mom made a nice breakfeast.But. school days we had cereal or eggo waffles or whatever was fast and easy. However Mike loves to have breakfeast,he loves bisquits and gravy, eggs and some kind of meat. So, not being used to making these kinds of things, I have learned to adapt and on Sundays and Mondays(Mike's days off) I try to make a nice breakfeast.
I am not very good at cooking sausge links. They are angry suckers, they splash grease on you and make a greasy mess everywhere.I tend to over cook them, in fear of them being raw. Which I have done that before too.
Anyway, I had to go out with the sister missionaries this morning, so Mike started cooking breakfeast,sausage links,which Rocco loves and eats gobs of. As mike started cooking them, he put them in a pot to boil, which I guess is the trick to fully cooked and then browing them in a pan, when they are boiling they turn kind of white, back to the story... Rocco sees these and yells out "daddy, I want black sausage" I started cracking up. He wanted black sausage because that is how they always look when I cook them. I looked over at Mike and we both laughed. Sorry Rocs they aren't supposed to be black.

Just a side note, Mike then says, are you gonna blog about this? Yes I do feel like this was a blog worthy moment.

another trip down

2008-11-14T15:31:00.000-08:00

this is roccos picture taking skills,I found this on the camera and thought it was funny

On our way home we stopped at the Vans outlet and all got a pair of shoes.Mike and Rocs have the same an I couldn't resist a photo op. I want Rocco to wear an outfit just like Mike.I think father and son matching is irresistable

Our humble abode while camping. This is my kind of camping!I got to sleep on a real bed and have a bathroom and running water.

my boys!

one of Presley's possesd moments

Rocco and Kylee.Mikes brother's daughter.

One of her happy moments

While we were gone on our date,I came back and looked at our camera and saw all these sweet babies.

These kids are such great friends,I love these little girls as if they were my own. Lindsay does such a wonderful job with them and they are so special. .Love all guys for all your help and letting me and Mike feel young again.

well we made it back and had a great time.we had a whirl wind vacation.To Havasu,to Mesa,and back to Havasu, for some camping and quad riding. Presley was possesed the whole trip,crying,wouldn't let me sit down,but we survived and now she is fine that we are home.Rocs did good and had so much fun playing with his cousins. Mike and I got to be alone a couple of times this visit. We got to go to the temple together,we did sealings and happen to be in the same room we were sealed in,oooh isn't the neat. We went on a date and ate yummy food and then met up with everyone at a piano bar and listened to fun music. Unfortunately no pics of our date nights ,but here is what I got.

happy halloween

2008-11-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

Old mc collins had a farm ei ei oh, and on his farm he had a chicken, eiei oh with a cluck cluck here and cluck cluck there here a cluck there a cluck everywhere a cluck cluck.
ol Mc collins had a pig with an oink oink here and an oink oink there........
Here are my little farm animals.We had a fun Halloween the kids were happy and Presley kept her nose on the whole night,I think she liked the attention.

tagged again

2008-10-27T21:38:00.000-07:00

kristy tagged me.the name of the game is to look in the 4 th folder of pics and the 4th picture and then explain it.

This was Halloween '06,we dressed up as Elvis and Prisiclla and went to a party,where you go to different people's houses for the different parts of the meal. Mike made is own outfit ,glued the sequens on and ironed on "the king" on his back. I wore heals that were so tall, that it hurt my feet so bad I didn't end up wearing them,the whole night.I had to make these little witch hats made from tortilla chips,so that they could float on the soup.It was so cute and we really had fun. I wish we had more fun parties to go to.We got invited to go to one this year,but for one reason or another we didn't go,but we always have the ward trunk or treat,yipee!

I tag niki,alli lindsay, mom have for that matter anyone who reads this post!

i've been tagged

2008-10-27T16:13:00.000-07:00

2-7 random facts about me

1. I hate scary movies! I have only recently come to this apifany. I used to like them till the last scary movie I saw was "The Ring" The day I saw this in the theater there was a girl dressed up and at the end of the movie she stood around all scary like and hauntingly.I hated that feeling I had and vowed never to see a scary movie again.It is not fun to lay in bed all night and be all worried about the noises you hear,so to avoid this,no scary movies for me

2. I have a real pet peeve for girls who work out with their hair down. Can you really get your excerise on if you are constantly moving your hair around or it is bouncing in your face as you run. The thought of it sticking to your face as you sweat sounds unpleasant.

3. I am a terrible worrier! I'm sure you all know this by now,but it is grown since my children.I worry about everything,from peoples feelings to knowing if I am doing everything well in my life.You can't say something to me and say oh nevermind because I worry about what it could be and I create terrible scenarios.

4.I have a dish phobia.Dishes can't be hangin in the sink for to long because it makes me feel like things are so messy.Mike is often looking for his cups,and I snatch them up to fast and put them in the dishwasher. What can I say,I love a clean house

5.I love love love talking on the phone,I get so much done while I'm on the phone. It is my outlet,to the outside world.I love seeing a glimpse in to others peoples lives and I live through them.

6. somtimes I fell like I hold myself back,like I feel when I'm in a workout class and I'm feelin the energy I want say whoa yeah and do a little dance,but I get nervous what people will think,but if I had a buddy with me I wouldn't feel like that.Strength in numbers is my motto.

I tag Kristy,Kristen,tara

Trent Tomlinson

2008-10-26T17:12:00.000-07:00

last night we went and saw a FREE concert,by Trent Tomlinson.It was fun to be outdoors and let the kids run aroud and not worrying who is crying.
My heart ached a little for Trent,he used to be kind a popular and now he is playing free shows in Bakersfield California,this is a sad day in his career!
The show was fun and he sounded pretty good,it probably sounded even better cuz it was free.

Thanks Trent,even though you said at the end of the show"thanks for spending your hard earned money to come and see me."Maybe he didn't get the memo.