The Wright Family

Christmas

2011-02-19T08:41:00.000-08:00

It took me a while to get in the Holiday Spirit. Going to Brazil, moving in december, and everything else that goes on around holidays kept me really busy.

We normally have our Christmas decorations up on Thanksgiving weekend, not last year. We moved on December 12th. We didn't get decorations up until December 18th. At first it felt like a waste. Dragging all the boxes upstairs and decorating the house, but I'm glad we did it. We always have so much fun doing it.

Our tree this year. The kids do most of the decorating. They are getting better at decorating the whole tree and not just one side.

Cam and Izzy having fun.

Amos and I trying to untangle some of the ornaments.

Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday. I know a lot of people don't like how crazy it gets, but I love it! I love deciding on the menu for Christmas Eve dinner, getting the piano books out to play Christmas Carols, cooking, making candy with my sisters, seeing the kid's faces when they open their presents, amigo secreto with my family, I love everything about it!

Last year we talked to Cam and Izzy about Santa. They already didn't really believe in it, so we explained to them how the Santa tradition came about. I was surprised by how ok they were with it.

So this year they knew that if they weren't good mom and dad wouldn't give them anything...not really, i just love using it against them. I don't think I've ever gotten this much help on Christmas Eve. Cam and Izzy wouldn't stop asking me what else they could do to get the house and dinner ready. Izzy and Crystal set up the dinner table, Cam and Amos got aprons on to help me with dinner. It was great!

The "amigo secreto" is always so much fun! After so many years of doing it, I'm amazed at how many new funny things we can say about each other. I love how my family is so into the game!

A couple of years ago, we also decided to start singing Christmas Carols again. That is really the only time a year I play the piano. It's fun to gather around. It brings back lots of good memories.

Cam and Izzy on Christmas morning. This year my mom was living with us. We normally go to bed between 2-3am on Christmas Eve. My mom is used to sleeping in, but not this year! The kids made sure she was up early to open Christmas presents. She could barely walk upstairs! It was quite funny.

Then continuing on with traditions, we went to Gil and Becky's for more Christmas fun. This year Grandma and Grandpa Hoover couldn't make it. It felt very strange not having them there.
All the grandkids had such a great time! Cam looooved his new pogo stick! Izzy loved all of her arts and crafts supplies!

To end the day Amos and I decided we should always have dinner at our house. I love cooking! It was fun to plan two meals for Christmas. Most of his family came over. We had a great time over great food and conversation.

Cam, Izzy, Quinton, and Avry playing my favorite childhood game "Tapa Certo". My siblings and I spent so many hours playing it. Not sure why we don't have it here. It's so fun!

We had a great Christmas! Everything was perfect! Can't wait for next year!

Thanksgiving

2011-02-18T07:15:00.000-08:00

Last year's Thanksgiving was very different. I was in Brazil, where Thanksgiving is not celebrated.

I didn't grow up celebrating it. In fact, when I moved to Utah, I had not idea what it was all about. Over the years it has become one of my favorite holidays. It's nice to have a day where all you care about is spending time with loved ones, feeling grateful for all you have.

This day always makes me realize how much I have. How lucky I am to have the friends and family that I have. Life is so fragile. Sometimes we get so caught up with what's going wrong instead of all the things that are going right. It's not always easy to remember that our glass is half full.

Before I left for Brazil I decided that a Thanksgiving dinner there would be a perfect way to spend time with loved ones. I had to take a few ingredients from here and make do without others, but it turned out perfect!

My aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was such a great night! We haven't all been together likes that in so many years. Such a special picture!

Our dear family friend Claudio and his wife. So many great memories with him. My brothers and I spent countless hours with him.

My mom and her siblings. It's been a few years since they've all been together. It was great to have Tia Noemi come from Japan at the same time my mom and I did.

Mika wanting to be part of the conversation. I love this picture! She sits in the car or on the furniture like she's a human being.

Claudio's little boy totally in love with Thor.

My aunt and uncle. Beautiful couple!

Brazil

2011-02-16T06:55:00.000-08:00

After 14+ years I went back to Brazil to visit. I had so much anxiety on the months leading up to it! It had been so long! I had changed so much, life was just so different now. I didn't know what to expect.

Moving here was definitely the right choice for me. I'm glad I did. I learned so much about myself and how to appreciate the little things in life.

Going back was great! There was so much extended family and friends that I had not seen in so long. I realized how much I miss having them around. It brought back a lot of great fun memories. And the food! Oh do I miss the food!

Amos and I decided to be healthier and get in better shape. It was nice to loose some weight before my trip. I was able to eat whatever I wanted, which was all junk. Thanks to my aunt's Pilate's, yoga, and personal trainer I didn't gain any weight back!

I got to Brazil on Thursday 11/18. I can't sleep in airplanes, so I was exhausted, but the new Harry Potter movie was coming out at midnight, I had to go see it! My cousin Fe asked/ begged one of her friends to give me his ticket. I got to say that it was an experience I will never forget! I thought midnight shows were bad here...it was insane there! A lot of waiting in line, running to get good seats. I couldn't stop laughing!

There was a lot of hanging out with little cousins that aren't so little anymore, playing video games, watching Fe read the Hunger Games trilogy non-stop, eating out. It was so fun!

We went to a Rodizio called Fogo de Chao. It was absolutely delicious! I thought Rodizio Grill was pretty good, but compare to the one in Brazil it really sucks! I was only going to eat a little, but a little of everything turned out to be a lot!

My family was great! I had such a good time with everyone. I got to eat passion fruit mousse, brazilian pizza, esfihas, kibe, chocotone, yakult, pastel...so many things I loved. They all tasted sooo delicious! Why don't we have that stuff here???
Then we had the "big anniversary party". The whole reason why I went. It was a fabulous party! The music, food, ambiance, everything was perfect! It was very strange to go to a party without Amos. I so used to having him with me at events like this. It felt like something was missing.

My cousins Flavio and his girlfriend, Bruno, and Vanessa.

My cousins, Aunt Noemi, and Aunt Ana Maria.

My Tio Peter.

My Tia Gi.

My little cousins Bibi, Fe, and Vanessa. Aren't they gorgeous?

I loved the masks! Brazilian parties are fabulous!

I ate so many brigadeiros. There are so many different flavors now! And the sweetened condensed milk is so different, it makes brigadeiros taste a million times better!

Of course I had to go to the mall. I loooove the malls in Sao Paulo!
Nerds were so expensive! Who would pay that much for it???

It was very strange to have Christmas decorations in the summer. Yes, I grew up there, but snow makes it feels more like the holidays.

There was a pet store inside the mall!

I got to see some dear friends from college. Leila, Luciana, and I used to study and hang out together all the time. It was so good to see them and their beautiful families.

It was an amazing trip! Hopefully I'll get to go again in less than 14 years again...lol

Cam's Bday

2011-02-16T06:40:00.000-08:00

I know i'm way behind, but we've been crazy busy with life! So I'll be posting a lot of things in the next few days to catch up.

I'm pretty sure this is where I left off. I can't believe I didn't post anything for it.

Cam turned 10 last november. I can't believe he's 10 already! It seems like yesterday I was pregnant with him, passing out, getting hit by a truck while riding my bike...yes, pregnancy with him was crazy!

Time flies after having kids! There's always something going on. Life is just so much better! Every year I can't wait to celebrate holidays and their birthdays. Yes our lives revolve around the kids, but there's nothing else we would rather do.

Cam is an amazing kid! Besides the "not wanting to shower and brush his teeth" phase, I couldn't have asked for a better son. He does incredibly well in school. He's caring, loving, helpful, confident and full of "fun facts".

I love watching him grow up! Life just wouldn't be the same without him!

Halloween

2010-11-11T07:35:00.000-08:00

New Obsession

2010-11-04T07:52:00.000-07:00

For the past few months I have been obsessed with reading. I've always gone through phases where I read a lot and then I don't read at all. This time the reading phase is not going away! I keep finding more and more books I want to read!

I've read a lot of sad books: My Sister's Keeper, The Last Song, Nights in Rodanthe, Dear John, The Hunger Games trilogy... of course I cried through all of them!

My sister-in-law Cristina started doing eyelash extensions. She asked if I could be her guinea pig and I thought why not??? Well you're not suppose to get your eyelashes wet for the first 24 hours. Reading sad books was definitely not good! My eyelashes came off!

Amos and I are now both reading The Girl Who Played With Fire. We read The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo and liked it. I never thought I would like a murder mystery type book, but this trilogy is great! A little graphic, but very good.

Izzy loves reading too! She's been reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. She's flying through them. Hopefully Cam will get a little more into it too.

My little artist

2010-11-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

Izzy is so into arts! It's so fun to watch her color, paint, and come up with new creative arts and crafts. She's always making something.

Last week she got Principal's Pride Award for her coloring. She did a great job on her art project. I'm glad her teacher recognized her efforts.

Zions National Park

2010-11-04T06:30:00.001-07:00

For UEA weekend last month I took the kids to Zions National Park with some friends and family. The kids had such a fun time! The weather was perfect!

We hiked through the Narrows and the Emerald Pools. The water was freezing at the Narrows. But it was gorgeous! Cam and Izzy were so good! They surprised me with no whining during the hikes, and we did hike a lot!

Too bad Amos didn't make it, although I'm sure he enjoyed 4 days to himself! Who wouldn't right???

Good Thinking

2010-10-27T08:17:00.000-07:00

Last week when the weather was still nice during the day, I got an e-mail from Izzy's teacher requesting she be reminded to bring her jackets home. Both of my kids forget their jackets, gloves, beanies at school all the time. So I wasn't surprised to receive that e-mail.

Of course, I e-mailed her teacher back stating I would be happy to talk to Izzy about that, but that I was sure the reason she was forgetting to bring them home was because the weather was still nice and warm in the afternoons.

Well, Izzy happened to forget her homework that day. Since we live only a block away from the school she hurried back to get it. A few minutes later I got another e-mail from her teacher explaining that Izzy grabbed her jackets and that the reason why she kept them at her desk was to make her chair more comfortable, because the school chairs are really hard and she has to sit on it all day!

I was laughing so hard when I read that! It was such a typical Izzy's response.

Life is so fragile

2010-10-19T12:44:00.000-07:00

Last week one of my friends died in a 4wheeling accident. She was only 28 years old. I was so shocked! Having kids myself, I can start to comprehend the pain her family is going through. I always thought I knew how much I would love my kids when they came, but it was not until I had them that I realized how much parents really love their kids.

These last couple of weeks have made me think about how I take so many things in life for granted. It's so easy to think that the people I love are always going to be around, but the truth is, something can happen to them at any minute. I can loose them! That thought really scares me!

Growing up my father never told us he loved us, was proud of us, or appreciated anything we did. He taught us a lot of great things, but expressing our feelings wasn't one of them.

I tell my kids and my husband I love them everyday, but I have never really told my siblings and parents how much I love and appreciate each one of them. My father always told us that we need to do things for the living. That once people die, going to their graves and crying won't help with any regrets we have. He is so right (although I hate admitting it)!

So I decided to write down a few of the things I would say to my family:

Dad- we don't always get along...well, I should say we hardly ever get along, and although you were so strict and hard on me growing up, I appreciate all the good values and morals you taught me. I know you love me in your own way and I love you too! I wouldn't be who I am today without you.

Mom- There aren't words to describe how much I love you. You have been there for me through everything. I don't think I could've gone through the hard times in my life without you.

Alex- You're so full of wisdom, so calm. You're such an example to me. You have accomplished so much in life.

Sam- You have always taken care of me. You were so crazy at times growing up, but I have always admire how you weren't afraid to do what you felt you should.

Camilla- You're so independent, so self confident, so tough. But there's also this soft, caring side to you that I love so much.

Jenn- I know I can always talk to you. You always stay so strong and have such a great attitude. You always help me see the good things in life.

Sarah- I'm so proud of you! I can't believe you're all grown up. You are so responsible and so mature. And of course, as mom says "voce e a mais linda de todas!"

Life is so short! I really need to start appreciating every minute of it. Some times it's so easy to only see the half empty glass. I really need to start enjoying my half full glass.

I did it, I did it, I did it!!!

2010-10-19T11:34:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to run a half marathon for a while now, but have never had the courage to sign up. But Amos got into running this year and decided he really wanted to run one, so I decided why not???

At first I was super excited. I followed the 12 week training perfectly. As the weeks went on it got harder and harder, but I was still determined to run it.

October 9th came so fast! I was sooo nervous! But I figured I'm already signed up, might as well run.

It was harder than I thought! I did finish it in less than 2 1/2 hours, which was my goal. I was tired, but seeing my kids waiting for me gave me the energy to keep running and cross the finish line.

I will definitely run another one. I will train a little more though, so I can improve my time.

Amos on the other hand, did great! He's so fit! I was so impressed! He finished 2nd in his age division and 33rd overall. He ran the half marathon in 1 hour and 45 minutes! He motivates me so much!

Andy and Debbie's Wedding

2010-10-19T11:17:00.001-07:00

Our friends Andy and Debbie got married a couple of weeks ago. I know, as usual I'm way behind on my blogging. The wedding was great! Debbie looked beautiful!

Amos and I had a great time...well, I should say that Trish and Amos had a little better time than Cody, Kariann, Rusty, and myself, but I will not got into details. lol

My beautiful family

2010-09-17T07:38:00.001-07:00

I love this picture of us!

Cam and Izzy are sooo cute! They were great! Smiling in all the pictures, playing with each other. I couldn't have asked for better kids.

Daniel and Ethan. I don't think the photographer could get enough of them!

My mom trying to take a picture with all the grandkids. Ethan was not in the mood for it! He cried for " meu papai" the whole time!

My beautiful niece Crystal.

Ethat finally happy in his mom's arms.

Daniel. He's got to be the cutest little boy on this planet! Always in a good mood, great personality, super happy!

All the girls in the family. Wow!

My whole family, well almost! One of these days we'll get a picture with my dad and Joanne.

I love this picture of Izzy. She is gorgeous! Such beautiful hair!

My little family.

Bee's Game

2010-09-16T07:59:00.001-07:00

On Labor Day weekend my family went to a Bees game together. The weather was great! The game was fun, the Bees won!

Ethan and Daniel did great! That day happened to be a pet adoption day. They loved all the dogs they had!

Cam, Izzy, and Crystal had to let Bumble dump water on them! It's so funny to watch all the kids line up to get wet!

Back to School

2010-09-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

This summer went by so fast. I couldn't believe it was time for the kids to go back to school. Cam and Izzy weren't too excited either at first, but now that they get to see all their friends again, they are happy.

Cam and Izzy at home before school. They are growing up so fast!

Izzy with some of her friends.

Cam and Izzy together. She actually wanted me to curl her hair! I was shocked! They are sooo cute!

Flaming Gorge again!!!

2010-09-09T13:31:00.000-07:00

We had to squeeze on more trip to the Gorge before school started. It was so much fun!!!

The weather was great! Amos got to wakeboard and kneeboard. Cam thought it was really cool how his dad could stand on the kneeboard.

Cam, Izzy, and Crystal had a lot of fun with the tube. Even if it was just tied to a dock floating around!

Me, still working on my wakeboarding skills. Getting better each year though!

Izzy decided to give kneeboarding a try. She had a lot of fun!

Of course the kids had to jump off the boat into the water. They love it!

Grandma and grandpa Hoover.
Amos roasting marshmallows with the kids. Just what you want to do before bed time! Load the kids up with sugar...lol

It was a short trip, but still a lot of fun! Thank you grandma and grandpa!

Parker Boyd Sloots

2010-09-09T13:23:00.000-07:00

Born on 08/19/2010 at 7lbs 11oz 21inches.
still catching up on my blogging.

Donut Falls

2010-08-27T16:03:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I decided to take Cam, Izzy, Crystal, and Daniel on a hike. I read up on Donut Falls and found out that was a really easy hike, perfect for kids!

I was nervous about little Daniel. My brother had told me that he doesn't enjoy walking so much, but he did great! In fact, I think he was did the best out of all 4 kids.

I love being outdoors! There's something peaceful about the sounds of nature. The beauty of it's incredible. I'm glad my kids are learning how to appreciate and enjoy it.

Cam, Izzy, and Crystal climbing up the rocks around the falls.

The kids posing for a picture.

Little Daniel was so good! He didn't want to get close to the water. It made it much easier for me. Although I did have to carry him on my shoulders for part of the hike. Good thing I've been working out! It finally paid off...lol

The kids are really starting to enjoy hiking. I will definitely have to find some more little short hikes to go on with them before winter gets here.

Congratulations Scott and Tausha

2010-08-26T19:50:00.000-07:00

It was a great day! Tausha made sure the wedding was really what she wanted. Everything turned out great! She looked beautiful!

I love this picture! Amos has his eyes opened and is not doing any inappropriate hand signs. :)

Leslie with 3 of her granddaughters.

Amos and I with the happy couple.

The 5 siblings together.

I love this picture of Izzy and Kenzie. They are so cute!

Gil and Becky.

Amos and I with our family/ friends. What would we do without them????

Izzy, Avry, and Kenzie. They had so much fun together at the wedding. It was fun to watch them.

My cute little family.

Amos and the girls dancing. The girls danced all night! Amos tried to...and somehow talked me into it too. Although I'm a terrible dancer!

Amos dancing with his siter.

We are so happy for Tausha and Scott! They are perfect for each other.

Wright Family Reunion

2010-08-26T16:09:00.000-07:00

Every year the Wright Family gets together in August and in December. It's nice to see everybody. It seems like everyone's life gets so busy, that is hard to get together.

Of course I had to get a picture of Amos and I. I love taking pictures. I feel that's all you keep from past moments in time. It helps us appreciate the good memories in life.

Izzy, Avry, and Kennedy. Avry is getting so big! She's like the mom to the little cousins. It's so cute to watch them together!

Our little family with Grandma Wright. It was so good to see her. Two of my grandparents passed aways after I moved to UT, and I wasn't able to say goodbye. It's so hard to feel like you needed one more moment, and to think of the things you would have told them if you got that moment. I always tell Amos to enjoy his grandparents, because you never know how long they will be around for. They are such special people, full of wisdom and experience.

Amos' aunts and uncles with their spouses, Grandma Wright and her brother. Such a great picture!

Just the siblings with grandma and her brother.

It was a great day! Long drive from Manila to get to it, but totally worth it!

Flaming Gorge

2010-08-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I decided to take the kids up to Grandma and Grandpa's house. I've been there quite a few times already, but had never driven myself. I'm usually the one asleep or reading a book on the passengers seat, not really paying attention to where we are going. Besides missing the exit on the way there, the drive was great!

This was the only picture of me on this trip. Izzy took it, after my thursday run. It was hard to run on the dirt roads and higher altitude.

I took the girls for a hike, while grandpa and Cam went fishing.

The bibi guns were a success! The kids shot so many cans into the creek.

We roasted marshmallows every night. The kids loved telling jokes and stories around the fire.

One of my favorite things is watching all the humming birds. Grandma is always filling up the bird feeders, but never seems to have enough. There are so many of them!

The kids are always just happy with the creek. The run up and down chasing plastic boats, cans, or whatever they can find. Who needs expensive toys right???

Of course we had to catch some crawdads. The kids love to look for them. My niece Crystal really wanted to do it, until she started doing it...then she gave up.

I know this picture is blurry, but I could not believe the size of this bee. It was huge!!!

The kids playing in the lake. They love swimming, diving, jumping.

Crystal kneeboarding. It was her first time.

Cam was really brave this time. He has never really been into kneeboarding. This trip I couldn't get him back in the boat. He was loving it!

We had such a good time thanks to grandma and grandpa Hoover that we will be going back this week. Thanks again for everything!

Another shower for Baby Parker

2010-08-15T19:13:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago Becky hosted a Baby Shower for Amber. All the boys went to a movie, while the girls worked on and ABC baby book. It's always fun to see the family. The books always turn out so cute!

Bell Canyon

2010-08-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite hikes! We couldn't go to the upper reservoir, but going to the waterfall is still way worth the hike. Cameron came and he did so well! I'm so proud of him for keeping up with everybody.

Pioneer Day

2010-08-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

This year we had a BBQ and fireworks with the family at our house. I love having BBQ in the backyard during the summer. It's so nice to be outside, enjoying the nice weather.

Cam with his cousins playing video games. Not sure what these boys would do without it???

My adorable nephew Daniel. He's the happiest, friendliest kid ever!

The girls and Brayden jumping on the tramp.

All the kids starting the fireworks.

Cecret Lake

2010-08-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy hiking and now that the kids are getting older, I would like to get them to enjoy it as much as I do. So a couple of weeks ago I decided to take them up to Cecret Lake.

It's a short hike, about 3.5 miles total. A lot of wild flowers, rocks, and a lake. The kids had a really good time. I brought a couple of their cousins with. It was great!

The kids thought it was crazy to see some snow up in the mountains. They pretended to be climbing Mount Everest. It was funny!

There were a few big Rocks on the trail. The kids had to climb all of them.

My favorite part is seeing all the wild flowers. It's absolutely beautiful!

Izzy and Crystal wanted to hide in the flowers. You could just see their little heads poking out. I love it!!!

I had such a good time with the kids. They are growing up so fast!

Another Bee's Game

2010-07-31T06:41:00.000-07:00

It was a nice hot Sunday, perfect for a baseball game.

Cam and Izzy enjoying a snowcone! I'm pretty sure they love the food more than the game :)

It was so hot all the kids were lining up to have the BEE throw some water on them. Cam was the first one.

Amos and I enjoying the game...and the snacks too, specially the liquid ones! :)

Parker's Baby Shower

2010-07-31T06:33:00.000-07:00

Amos' sister Amber is having a baby boy next month. I can't believe it's almost here already! It seems like we just found out she was pregnant...I'm sure to her it feels like an eternity.

Amos and Scott took the kids to go hit some balls. I went to the shower. It was the fastest shower I've ever been too!

Afterwards Amos and the kids came over. All the cousins played together and had a lot of fun.

Golf Camp

2010-07-30T16:25:00.000-07:00

Grandma Becky was brave enough to take all the grandkids to golf camp this year. I'm sure she was exhausted at the end of the week!

Cam and Izzy had such a great time. They've been wanting to golf like their dad for ages! They have tried it a little bit, but the camp was a perfect idea to get them ready for some rounds with dad.

All the grandkids. Quinton and Izzy are practicing their putting in the back.

The boys getting some balls for class.

My little man hitting some balls! Isn't he so cute???

My little princess Izzy. She's so adorable...specially when in a good mood!

Thank you Grandma Becky for taking them. Cam and Izzy had a great time...Amos and I had a great break! lol

4th of July

2010-07-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

This year for the 4th of July we went camping with Amos' family down at Yuba Lake. It was sooo fun!

The kids love being with their cousins. Plus they can get dirty, there no chores, is just play time all day long! What kid wouldn't like that???

All the kids. Life jackets, sunblock, snacks, and drinks...they were set for the weekend.

Me attempting to wakeboard. One of these days I'll get really good!

Amos doing a much better job than me on the wakeboard.

Izzy and Cam were having so much fun jumping off the boat! Every time we stop for someone to wakeboard, they asked if they could jump out.

On Sunday it was rainy in the morning. We got all the kids to watch a movie in the trailer. I'm still not sure how we manage to keep them all quiet. We must have had a really good movie! :)

The other days we had perfect scorching hot weather. Just what we wanted.

MS Ride

2010-07-21T09:59:00.001-07:00

It was sooo long, but a lot of fun! Amos came this year. He rode with Rusty and Cody. Trish and I tried to stay together. We rode 75 long miles on Saturday and 35 miles on Sunday. We will definitely do it again next year!

Father's Day

2010-06-27T15:11:00.000-07:00

We had such a great Father's Day this year! Breakfast at Gil and Becky's house and the Zoo after that with the family.

Amos is such an amazing father. In Cam and Izzy's eyes he does everything bigger and better than everybody else. It's great to see their relationship and how much of a hero he is to them.

Tausha's Bridal Shower

2010-06-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

Amos' little sister Tausha is getting married in October. A few weeks ago I went to her Bridal Shower.
We are very happy for her! Scott is a great guy! Perfect for Tausha!

Becky, Tausha, Amber, Kenzie, and I.

One with Leslie, Amos' mom.

Can't wait for the wedding! It's going to be fun!

Bee's Game

2010-06-21T06:50:00.000-07:00

It's finally warmed up enough for us to go to a Bee's game. The kids love going. It's a lot of fun.

New Kid

2010-06-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

Cam decided he didn't want long hair anymore. It was kind of sad, but he looks really cute!

Here is his before picture:

Here is the after picture:

I'm still getting used to it.

Moab- Memorial Weekend

2010-06-08T16:57:00.000-07:00

Once again this year we went to Moab for Memorial weekend. This year everybody took their kids. Izzy and Cam had a lot of fun playing with their cousins and friends.

As usual, there's so much to do in Moab. It's hard to fit everything we want to do.

It was very hot there this year. Last year we got rained on and the temperature was only in the 70's. This year, it was 95F on Friday! Super hot.

So, not really thinking, Amos, Cody, and I decided to go for a jog on Friday, while the kids rode their bikes. It was insanely hot! It's hard to run through rocks and sand...add the high temperature and you have a miserable run!

After our run we decided to go to town. Of course we had to go to the winery and brewery. That is always a fun part of the trip. The kids liked going into the shops and looking/ buying some of the local crafts.

On Saturday we went river rafting. And that turned out to be a disaster! Cam and Izzy both don't want to go again for a long time. Next year we may have to figure out something different to do.

On Sunday we rode Slick Rock...well I should say, Amos, Rusty, and Cody rode the trail. The other girls and I rode the practice loop. It was fun! After what had happened on Saturday I was really "chicken". I had to take slow. Amos and I both looked at each other and promised to do it without any injuries.

After our ride we went on a short hike. It was sooo busy! It took us to a little water fall. The kids had a lot of fun crossing the water creek. It was so hot that it did feel nice to get wet!

Overall it was a great trip! Can't wait until next year!

Race for the cure

2010-06-08T16:52:00.000-07:00

I'm so behind on my blogging this year! The Race for the Cure was in May. This year Camilla and Sarah couldn't come, but Joanne, Kacey, Tia Gi, and Fe came with Jenn and I.

It was a lot of fun as usual. A lot of people. It's hard to believe so many people's lives are affected by breast cancer.

Useless

2010-06-01T18:55:00.000-07:00

I thought I had been through a lot of hard things in my life, but this last weekend during our Memorial trip to Moab I had the scariest, hardest one ever!

Last year we went with just adult friends, this year we decided to take the kids. We were having a great time. Friday was a hot beautiful day and Saturday looked like it was going to be the same. We were all going river rafting. I thought I was in great shape, a lot stronger than I've ever been...I was sooo wrong about everything!

We were having fun with the kids. We made it down about half way, when we went over some big rapids and Amos fell in the water. I felt the raft start to tip and I didn't know what to do, but it leveled out again. I looked back to tell Amos that we were lucky, little did I know that the reason it leveled off was that he was no longer in it with us.

I started panicking! I couldn't stop the raft! There was nothing to hold on to! The river kept taking us! At first we couldn't see him. He was under water. The kids were screaming. I started yelling trying to get Rusty's attention (he was in a raft not too far in front of us). I was hoping he could help me, but he couldn't hear me over the water noise. Finally I saw Amos come up, but there was nothing I could do! I tried to get to the back of the raft and hand him the paddle, but I wasn't fast enough.

I was finally able to get Rusty's attention. He stopped and a few seconds later I was able to hold onto a branch and stop my raft. Cam and Izzy were crying and yelling for their dad. I was doing my best to stay calm, but I had no idea what the end to this ordeal was going to be.

We couldn't see him. I had no idea if he was ok. I was terrified! Cam and Izzy kept asking me what they were going to do without a dad. I kept telling them that everything was going to be ok.

A few rafts went by. I asked them if they saw Amos and they said no. I was starting to get really worried. In the mean time another raft capsized in the same spot Amos fell off. I watched this girl go under water 3 times before she was able to get out to a rock ledge. I was really hoping Amos had gotten out too!

After what it seemed like an eternity, but really only an hour, Amos finally came floating down the river holding on to a log. He told me that he thought that was it for him! He was swimming as hard as he could, but wasn't moving. Somehow he managed to hold his breath the whole time and get out of the water. Rusty was finally able to see him and tell him the only way out was to jump back in. While he was trying to work up the courage to jump, this huge log came floating right by him. He knew that was his chance! He held on and it all worked out. The log took him down the river to exactly where I was with the kids.

I have never felt so helpless and useless in my life! All I could think was that maybe if I was stronger I could have helped him steer the raft. So many things went through my mind!

When we got off the raft, the adrenaline rush was gone and I was ready for a meltdown. I hugged Amos and thanked God for sparing his life. Then, of course, I had to call my mom and cry, away from the kids and everybody. The strong Erika was gone, the tears rolled down my face, and I was so thankful everything turned out ok.

Jenn's Bday

2010-05-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

Of course we went to Leatherby's for Jenn's bday. The ice cream is delicious!

Then we went bowling. The kids love it! I get happy if I break 100...needless to say, I suck!

The Wedding

2010-05-23T15:06:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Sarah and Clayton! Everything was perfect! Sarah looked drop dead gorgeous!

Rehearsal Dinner

2010-05-08T12:52:00.000-07:00

I'm way behind on my blog. I'm going to try to catch up.

We've had a really busy fun wedding week. On Wednesday we had the Rehearsal Dinner. As usual, it was fun to have everybody together.

Cam, Izzy, and Crystal trying to stay out of trouble!

The cute couple, Sarah and Clayton.

Alex's Bday

2010-05-08T12:34:00.000-07:00

This year for my brother Alex's bday we had a bbq at my house. My uncle Flavio, cousins Denise, Daniela, Fernanda, and aunt Gi were here from Brazil. We were so excited to have them here! We don't get to see them very often, so it was a very, very special day.

Sarah's Bachelorette party

2010-05-08T12:07:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday we went out for my sister's bachelorette party. Sarah is getting married. I can't believe my little sister is old enough to get married!!! She's still just a little baby to me.

I'm really excited for her. Clayton is such a great guy. They make an awesome couple!

The girls all went out to sushi. We went to Tsunami, YUMMY! It was a lot of fun. My mom and Cristina came to dinner with us. We had a little sake. It was delicious!

Then of course we had to eat some desert! We had to go to Gourmandise! A little coffee and some pecan pie was just what we needed!

Then out dancing just the girls. We went to the W and The Edge. The guys went to Gracie's. We had so much fun! This random guys kept trying to buys us drinks and dance with us, specially with my sister Jenn. She was the "gostosona" of the night!

A few drinks...maybe more than a few, and a lot of dancing made it for a perfect night out with the girls!

Izzy turns 8

2010-04-27T15:39:00.000-07:00

I can't believe she's 8 already! She's growing up so fast! She was so excited for her birthday. It couldn't come soon enough.

Izzy has been such a blessing! She's so loving and caring, although stubborn at times. I wonder who she gets that from...lol

She tells everyone she's my "everything buddy"; shopping, movie, eating buddy. I love it!

Everyone tells me to enjoy this time with her, because when she turns 13, a switch will turn and she won't like us for a few years.

Last weekend we celebrated her birthday. She had such a good time with her little friends and family. Of course mom was overwhelmed, but everything turned out great!

Cam's Principal's Pride Award

2010-04-27T15:30:00.000-07:00

Last week Cam received Principal's Pride award for his reading and comprehension. That is definitely not his favorite subject in school, but he excels at it.

It's fun to watch him grow and learn new things. Cam is a very intelligent kid. Hopefully he will use his brain during his teenage years...lol

Sarah's Bridal Shower

2010-04-27T14:54:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago we had a Bridal Shower for my little sister Sarah. It was a lot of fun to plan it with Jenn and Camilla.

Sarah is so organized and on top of things, we wanted to surprise her. We didn't tell her anything we were doing, it was hard to not say anything. I have a really hard time with keeping surprises. I get really excited and want to tell them everything!

Sarah's friends and Clayton's family came. It was nice to meet all of them.

We asked Clayton a bunch of random questions and recorded his answers. We asked Sarah the same questions and watched Clayton's answers. It was really fun to see how well the knew each other. My favorite one was when we asked Clayton what his biggest accomplishment in life had been, he said it was asking Sarah to marry him...awww :)

I'm so happy for them! They are such a cute couple.

Izzy's Soccer

2010-04-27T07:14:00.000-07:00

Izzy is playing soccer again. It's so fun to watch her! She's still a little afraid of the ball. She tells me, she doesn't want to get hurt. She's kicking the ball a few times during the game, and running with all the other kids. At this age, they still all run together in a big cluster. It's pretty funny!

Cam's Baseball 2010

2010-04-27T07:03:00.000-07:00

Spring Baseball is here again. This year Cam is playing for the Mariners. He loves playing! His coach is a little too competitive. So for the month prior to games starting, Cam had practice for 2 hours, 5 nights a week! A little excessive...but what can you do??? We don't want him to be benched because he didn't go to practice.

Now that games have started, he has 2 games a week, and practices on the other nights. He's enjoying it. Amos and I really like watching him play. He's getting better and better.

Utah Federation Club Festival

2010-03-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

Cam and Izzy's piano teacher encourages her students to participate in different competitions throughout the year. Last weekend we had the Federation Festival.

The kids have been practicing their songs for a few months now. A couple of weeks ago they had a recital in preparation for it. Izzy was so nervous that she forgot one of her songs!

After that happened she became more anxious for the festival. I was just as nervous for them. There are 3 judges watching them. It's quite intimidating.

Anyway, they both did great and received Superior ratings!

Izzy told me her stomach felt really weird before playing. She almost started crying. But after playing she felt great!

It's a lot of fun to watch them perform and get better each year.

Happy Birthday Daniel

2010-03-21T16:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated cute little Daniel's 2nd Bday. All the kids had a great time rollerblading and jumping around.

For some reason Daniel didn't want to pose for pictures. He kept turning his face, pretending to be shy.

Sarah, Jenn, and I were a little bored! Playing with brigadeiros and beijinhos sounded fun. I feel bad for Alex and Cristina...they have a lot of pictures on their camera of our boredom...lol

I can't believe he's 2 already! He's so cute, and happy. Cam and Izzy both love playing with him.

Girls Day Out

2010-03-21T16:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Clayton's mom, Maxine, invited all the girls in my family to lunch at her house. It was fun to go out with my sisters, mom, Izzy, and Crystal. We always have a really good time when we're together.

Maxine was so cute. She had a delicious lunch prepared for us. Izzy loved all the M&M's dishes throughout the house. She also love the lizard skin Clayton has from the time he spent in Ghana.

Maxine, Sarah, and my mom.

All the girls together. I love Izzy and Crystal's pose! They are so fun together.

Kenzie's 4th Bday

2010-03-21T13:59:00.000-07:00

We have so many birthdays this month between my and Amos' family. It seems like all our siblings are deciding to have kids at the same time! Please no more...lol
Last Friday we celebrated Amos' nice Mackenzie's bday. I can't believe she turned 4. She's growing up so fast!

Alivia Gayle Wright

2010-03-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

Greg and Amber finally had their baby after 4 trips to the hospital...lol
She's absolutely beautiful!

Jazz game

2010-03-10T08:14:00.000-08:00

After the birthday party Amos' dad took us to dinner and a Jazz game. I love going to Jazz games, specially when they win.

Gil, Becky, Amos, me, Kariann, and Rusty; getting beer and talking to friends at half time.

Dinner at P.F.Chang's...yum!

Ethan's 1st B-day party

2010-03-10T07:41:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday we celebrated my nephew Ethan's 1st B-day. I can't believe he's 1 already! Time flies after you have kids.

My brother Sam and his wife did such a good job on the party. Of course there were lots of Brazilian food, my favorites; and the decorations were so cute! They picked a clown birthday party theme, and dressed him up as a clown. He looked so cute!

Izzy had so much fun. She loved popping the balloons at the end of the party. She said it sounded like fireworks.

Sam, Roberta, and cute little Ethan. They leave for Brazil today. I'm so jealous!

My cute mom and Izzy.

Sam and Ethan.

Alivia's baby shower

2010-03-03T08:57:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday Izzy and I went to a baby shower for Amos' little brother Greg and his girlfriend Amber. We had a lot of fun seeing everyone.

The cute cupcake umbrella cake Becky got.

Everyone working on their cute pages for the ABC baby book. Amos' family has been making this on baby showers for a long time. I think his aunt Carolyn said for the past 40 years.

Amber's Dr says she could have the baby anytime now. We can't wait!

Pinewood Debry

2010-03-03T08:40:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago Cam participated in his first Pinewood Derby. I'm not sure who was more excited, Cam or Amos. It took a few days over the course of a couple of weeks to get his car ready. Amos was so into it. He didn't have the fastest car, but he sure had the best paint job!

Cam with his scout group.

Amos and Cam after the race. Cam was so excited about his car. It was fun to watch him.

Cam also received two awards that night. Now he has to do a couple of good deeds to get the tails off his shirt.

Izzy waiting for the race to start, so she could cheer for her brother.

Cam's "banana" car. Amos said it's a cyclist helmet, I think it looks more like a banana. You can't see it in this picture how the red fades into the black on the bottom half, and how shinny it was. Both, Cam and Amos, were really proud of their accomplishment.

UDA

2010-03-03T08:33:00.000-08:00

Lunch at Little America with all the girls. It was good to see everyone.

Julie, Alta, and I.

Stephanie and Heather.

Brandi and Taylor.

Lindsey and Alta.

My little author or should I say "ather"

2010-01-29T11:45:00.000-08:00

Izzy received the Principal Pride Award today at school. She was so excited. Every week the teacher chooses one student that has excelled in something to receive the award.

Last week Izzy and her friend Keri wrote a little book. Izzy wrote the story and her friend did the illustrations. Izzy is very creative. She love writing.

Their book was posted on the School Board for everyone to see.

Izzy and her friend Keri.

Izzy and the Principal.

After writing their little book, Izzy decided to write another one. She let me post some pictures of it. So sorry this post is a little long, but I wanted to show the whole little story she wrote.

I thought that was very cute! She's absolutely adorable!

Jr Jazz

2010-01-29T09:53:00.000-08:00

Last Friday we got to go meet one of the Jazz players through Cam's Jr Jazz basketball league. We didn't know which player would be there. Cam wanted to meet Brewer and Izzy, Williams. Neither one got their wish. Paul Millsap was there. They were still pretty excited.

Cam decided he didn't want to get a picture standing on the court. Izzy was less shy, but she wouldn't go by herself.

We got to sit on the 3rd row up. There were so many people. I'm glad we got there early.

Cam playing a game with all the other 3rd and 4th graders. There were so many of them. You can barely see his #9 shirt in the crowd!

Snowboarding

2010-01-27T09:30:00.000-08:00

We've been having so much fun snowboarding this year. Izzy learned how to get off the lift on her own and go down the mountain without falling. Cam and I are still working on our S turns. Of course he's doing better than me, but I'll get there.

Crystal skiing.

Cam waiting for his class.

Izzy waiting for her class to start.

She's so cute! Last Sunday after she got off the lift twice without falling she told me:" I'm proud of myself for doing it on my own, aren't you mom?" I love watching her. And of course I told her I was proud of her too.

Amos waiting for the kids to come down.

Becky and I chilling for a minute.

Fe's Visit

2010-01-27T06:42:00.000-08:00

Last month my little cousin Fernanda came to visit us from Brazil for a few days. It was so good to see her.
We watched a few movies, did some shopping of course, and ate a lot of burguers and fries.
Friday night we all went out together. We had some Italian food for dinner and then went to Gracie's to play some pool. My sisters and I aren't very good, I always like to team with Amos so we can win, Maybe I should say, he can win.

On Saturday we had a girls day. My little sister Sarah is getting married in may, so we went shopping for wedding dresses. I'm not sure who had more fun, Izzy or Sarah. I think Izzy was just as excited to try on dresses as Sarah was.

Sarah had a couple of appointments. She found "the dress" and it's absolutely beautiful. I can't post any pictures, she doesn't want me to.

That night we all got together to play games. The boys played Catan as usual and the girls played what we call Stop. Fe had to play by our rules, and as usual I won. Not by much this time. I guess I will have to play by her rules when I go visit her.

On Sunday we went to Park City. It was a little cold. We kept walking on the sunny side of the road.

It was a very fun week. Hopefully she will come in may for my sister's wedding.

New Year's Day

2010-01-15T09:25:00.000-08:00

Every 1st of January we get together and cook Japanese food with my mom. We all love the food, and it's always nice to have an excuse to get together with my family.

Jenn was very kind to offer her house again this year. It makes such a mess. We all try to help cleaning up, but I'm sure she's still left with a lot to do.

This year my dad and Joanne decided to stay an extra day and eat with us.

Poor Jon had the worst job of them all, grating ginger; while Alex was busy reading all the rules for his new Catan game.

My mom of course, explained to Joanne and Leslie all the traditions and foods. She is so cute!

Even my dad was helping! Who knew he could cook something other than "gororoba"!

Leslie's B-day

2010-01-15T09:11:00.000-08:00

Between my family and Amos' family there are a lot of birthday's in December. We celebrated my dad's on the 30ht and Leslie's on the 31st.

This year we just planned dinner and games at our house. It was fun to have everyone over. Amos and I stayed up past midnight for the first time in a few years.

Of course Cam and his cousins played video games all night. He's still showing them the games he got for Christmas. What is it with boys and videogames???

Izzy and Crystal played with their rollerblades. I'm pretty sure that was Izzy's favorite Christmas present.

Dad's 60th Bday

2010-01-15T09:04:00.000-08:00

Last December my dad turned 60 years old. His wife Joanne planned a surprise party at the Desert Star Playhouse. It was a lot of fun. My kids loved it!

All of my siblings came, well except for Camilla (she was in Costa Rica), and most of Joanne's kids. I think this was the first time since their wedding that we've all gotten together.

We watched "The Nutcracker, Men in Tights". Cam and Izzy were laughing so hard. I wasn't sure they were going to like it. We will definitely take them back for another play.

Thanks Joanne for planning this. We all had a lot of fun.

Snowboarding season

2010-01-02T19:23:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday we went snowboarding for the first time this season. Izzy didn't want to come, so it was me, Leslie, and the boys.

I finally have some pictures of me on the board. I'm always the one taking pictures. It was nice to have someone else taking them. Thanks Leslie!

Christmas Lights at Temple Square

2009-12-30T19:45:00.000-08:00

This year we decided to go the day after instead of before Christmas. I was surprised by how many people were there.

My whole family decided to brave the cold and come walk around Temple Square.

Cam and Izzy always have a great time with their cousins.

As usual we had dinner at Squatters with Cody and Trish, Rusty and Kariann, and Leslie.

Christmas

2009-12-29T17:16:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Cameron was surprised, like he wanted to be; and Izzy got the things she most wanted out of her outrageously long letter to Santa.

On Christmas Eve we got together with my family. We don't get together until 9pm. Then we have a big dinner and gift exchange.

This year it was a my house. I love Christmas. It's my favorite holiday! I start thinking about what I'm going to cook weeks in advance. My family likes to try new recipes, so every year all the sisters pick something different to make.

I tried talking my family into having a little talent show. I wasn't very successful. Izzy and I played a little duet, and Cam played a song on his own. Joanne wrote a poem about the time the kids spent with them in ND. Jenn read a Christmas story. We also sang some Christmas Carols. It was a lot of fun. Maybe next year I can talk more of my siblings into it.

We also had our traditional gift exchange. We do it a little different than most people. We don't tell each other who we have. Then on Christmas Eve we all have to say things about the person we have, so everyone can guess who it is. Is really fun. We've done it for so many years that is hard to come up with something new.

On Christmas day we had dinner with Amos' family. We went to Rusty's house. It was the first year we were able to get all the siblings together at the same time on Christmas. It was nice to be able to just relax and enjoy each others company.

Mine and Sam's bday Dinner

2009-12-28T13:22:00.000-08:00

Our birthdays are 5 days apart. We always try to celebrate it together to make it easier on everybody. It's such a busy time of the year. It's hard to get everyone together at the same time.

Bowling with friends

2009-12-28T13:10:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago we went bowling with some friends for Rosie's bday. The kids had a lot of fun. Cam and Izzy love bowling.

Amos had 5 strikes in a row this night! Needless to say he had the highest score.

Eaton's Christmas Party

2009-12-21T19:24:00.001-08:00

After a few years of not having a family party, Amos' mom decided it was time to re-start the tradition.

Leslie picked a day and our house as the place for it. So on the 12th we had the party. We were kind of nervous! We didn't know how many people would come, and if would be able to accommodate everybody. I didn't get a lot of pictures, but I thought I would post the few that I did get.

In the end it all turned out great! Every one had fun.

Wright Family Christmas Party

2009-12-12T18:19:00.000-08:00

Every year on the first weekend of December, Amos' dad's family gets together for Christmas. The family is fairly big, it's hard to keep track of who's who, who goes with who.

The kids like going and playing with their cousins. There are always different fun games for the kids to play. This year they had ornaments for the kids to paint. Of course Izzy painted a lot of them, so she could hang it on our "homemade" tree.

You would think that after 10 years of going to these parties I would know who everyone is. Not yet, maybe one day.

Opposites

2009-12-11T16:30:00.000-08:00

With have been talking to the kids about Christmas and trying to figure out what they would like. They both believe in Santa. A few questions about his existence has come up, but we told them that you only get presents if you believe.

Isabelle had no problem writing her letter to Santa. There were a lot of things that she would like. Cameron on the other hand, decided not to write one. I asked him why? And he said:" Well, a couple of years ago all I asked for was a pogo stick and I got like 500 presents and the pogo stick! So this year I figure I would just be surprised."

So we have one kid that is asking for everything she could possibly think of, and one that just wants to be surprised. Hopefully they'll both be pleasantly surprised!

Christmas Tree

2009-12-06T07:49:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we finally got our Christmas decorations up. I love Christmas! It's my favorite Holiday.

Every year we put our Christmas decorations up on Thanksgiving weekend. This year we were a little behind schedule.

Anyway, the kids had a fun time, and Amos finally admitted he likes our tree. Yea!!!

Issy's letter to Santa

2009-12-03T16:13:00.000-08:00

I just thought this letter was so adorable!

New Tradition

2009-11-29T18:57:00.000-08:00

Every year Amos complains about our Christmas tree. I really like it to be a certain way. All the ornaments have to match, even the wrapping paper on the presents under the tree have to be a certain color. I know..I'm crazy!

So this year Amos' grandma asked if we would like to go cut a tree with grandpa while in Flaming Gorge. The kids and Amos were really excited! Finally a tree that they can decorate however they would like.

On Friday before we left Amos, Grandpa Hoover, Mike, and the kids went out to look for the perfect tree. All the kids had a blast.

Today we spent the day making ornaments for the tree. Issy was really into it. In fact, she's been making ornaments since we got home Friday night!

Grandma Becky and Grandpa Gil came over to help. Cam and Issy were really excited to decorate the tree with all the ornaments they had made. They asked me if this could be a new tradition, so I guess we will do this every year from now on.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T18:24:00.000-08:00

I love Thanksgiving! It's such a great holiday. We get to enjoy great food and quality time with our family.

This year has been a challenging year for Amos and I in so many ways. This holiday has really made me think of all the great things and people we have in our life.

As with most couples Amos and I rotate Thanksgiving between our families. This year was "in-law" year. Although I missed seeing my family and spending time with them, I had a really good time.

For the first time since we've been together we decided to go to Flaming Gorge to spend the Holiday with Amos' grandparents. The kids love going there. It's always a lot of fun.

Grandma and Grandpa Hoover are always so nice and welcoming. We love going to their house. It's just so relaxing and peaceful...well maybe not for grandma and grandpa. lol

Amos with his parents and siblings.

Amos and Grandpa Hoover entertaining the kids before dinner.

Grandpa taking the girls for a ride on his new Razor.

Grandpa after spending the day with the grand kids. I'm pretty sure they wore him out!!!

Baby Shower for Nick and Becca

2009-11-24T20:07:00.000-08:00

Amos' cousin Nick had a baby boy about 3 mos ago. Last Sunday they had a baby shower for him and his wife.

It's tradition in his family to make an alphabet book for the baby. Each member of the family picks a letter and makes a page.

It was fun to see his aunts and some of his cousins. We don't get to see them very often.

Camilla's Bday

2009-11-22T10:19:00.000-08:00

We have a lot of birthdays in November and December. Last week we celebrated my sister Camilla's birthday.

It's always nice to have an excuse to get together with my family. Not that we really need one. We love getting together to eat and play games.

This time Jenn's house was the place to go. Her kitchen is really big. It makes it easy to cook when we are all there.

Of course the food was delicious!!!

The guys playing Settler's of Catan. It's the new thing this year. Every time we get together either Alex or Sam will bring their game.

My mom with Ethan. He's getting so big. It's so fun to watch him crawl around!

Getting ready to sing Happy Birthday. Jenn made a really yummy raspberry cake.

Sarah and Ethan.

Crystal and Issy. They are such good friends. Last week Amos was helping Alex with some stuff at his house. The kids went there everyday with him. Crystal told us it was the best week every! I asked her why and she said:" I got to see Cam and Issy every day!" It was really cute.

Sam brought Ethan's walker and we were all saying how cute he was in it. Daniel decided he wanted to be cute too...lol

Cam's Bday Party

2009-11-22T09:42:00.001-08:00

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated Cameron's 9th birthday. I can't believe how big he's getting. Time flies after you have kids!!!

Now that he's older we always have a birthday party with just his school friends during the day and dinner with the family.

He decided to go to dinner at Red Robin. He loves ice cream shakes!

Daniel loves playing with Cam. He tries to be a part of everything the big kids are doing.

All the kids eating together.

We took all the kids to Boondocks. All the kids love that place. Amos and I not so much. It is soooo loud! I had a headache after 4 hours of it.

Cam's favorite attraction is the Laser tag. Apparently it was every one's favorite. They spent most of their time there. It made it really easy to keep track of all of them.

Cam and Issy school pics

2009-11-21T15:09:00.000-08:00

Aren't they sooo cute???

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-11-01T15:02:00.000-08:00

The kids were so excited to trick or treating this year. Issy kept asking how much longer before trunk or treat. She was counting down the hours.

As usual we had our family over for some food and games. The weather was perfect! The kids had a great time!

We went to the Trunk or Treat at the church to start the night. The kids love going there. They go around the circle of cars a few times and get a lot of treats.

Cameron asked us if we were going to be ordinary people again this year. So we had to dress up. It was kind of last minute, but I think we did pretty good.

Amos' family came trunk or treating with us.

Cameron and Carter.

Issy and Kennedy.

My cute little nephew Ethan.

Cristina, Jen, Erika, and Sarah.

My adorable nephew Daniel.

Kariann, Erika, and Sarah.

Sarah and Clayton.

Halloween Recital

2009-10-31T22:28:00.001-07:00

Last Tuesday we had Issy and Cam's annual Halloween Recital.
It's always fun to watch them play the songs that they have practiced so much. All the grandparents and their cousin Crystal come and watch them.

Spooktacular!!!

2009-10-31T22:11:00.000-07:00

This year we took the kids to the Halloween Party at the gym. They kids had a blast. There were so many things to do. We were planning on just staying for an hour, but end it up staying for about 3 hours.

There was a reptile show. The kids got to see a lot of different snakes, lizards, and etc.

Cameron loved all the big blow up slides and obstacle courses.

Issy riding a pony.

Issy and Crystal waiting for the Hay Ride to the pumpkin patch.

Cameron picked the biggest pumpkin he could find.

Cameron and Felipe had a cookie eating contest. It was hilarious!

We had a great time.

Crystal's 10th Birthday

2009-10-31T12:41:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, my niece Crystal turned 10 years old. To celebrate the whole family went to dinner at Macaroni Grill.

She was so excited for her birthday this year. She finally got the cell phone she wanted. All week long she kept texting every one about her birthday. It was really cute.

The next day we went to her party at Lifetime Fitness. The kids got to rock climb and swim. They had a lot of fun.

Cody and Trish's 4th annual Halloween Party

2009-10-31T12:02:00.000-07:00

For the past 4 years we've gone to Cody and Trish's Halloween party. It's always a lot of fun.

The kids get to dress up, paint pumpkins, and play different games. The adults get to talk and watch sports.

All the kids trying to get some candy from the pinada.

Isabelle painting some pumpkins! She actually painted "YOU SUCK" on a pumpkin and gave it to Chris Jensen. It was quite funny and unexpected.

Trish's watermelon brain.

Cam in his Bumble Bee costume.

Debbie and I.

Amos and Cody

Heather in her belly dancing outfit.

Rosie and Jackson.

Becky's Bday

2009-10-31T11:39:00.000-07:00

I'm really behind on my blogging. A few weeks ago we celebrated Becky's birthday.

The whole family went bowling. It's been a long time since we've all gotten together. It was a lot of fun!

Belle's Soccer

2009-10-31T11:36:00.000-07:00

This was Issy's 1st Soccer season. She had a lot of fun! She is so excited about her trophy!

Issy's team did really well. They lost the first couple of games, but won all the other ones.

Hogle Zoo

2009-09-29T18:50:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we took the kids to the Zoo with Amos' family. It was a beautiful, hot day. We had to enjoy the sun one more time before winter comes.

The kids had a blast with their cousins. Hopefully we will have a few more warm days after Wednesday's storm. We're not quite ready for winter!

Sarah and Clatyon are engaged!!!!

2009-09-29T18:47:00.000-07:00

Congratulations!!!

Cam's first basketball game

2009-09-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

Izzy's first soccer game!

2009-09-20T18:12:00.000-07:00

Planetairum

2009-09-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

This week we took the kids to the Planetarium. They have so much fun every time we go there. It talked about a lot of different types of fish, coral reef, sea lions. The kids had a lot of fun...specially with the 3d glasses!

Dinner with the family

2009-09-20T11:06:00.000-07:00

Last week we had dinner at my brother's house. My mom is starting to feel better. She can get out a little bit. It was good to see how well she's doing.
Amos and Izzy playing Pit.

Cute Ethan. he's getting so big!

Playing games. The girls and Amos were playing Pit and the boys were playing Settler's of Katan.

Cam, Crystal, and Izzy.

Sarah and I with our cute little nephews.

Keisha's Wedding

2009-09-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

Surgery

2009-09-07T18:27:00.000-07:00

Last week was kind of crazy. For the last month my mom has been complaining about her back. She hasn't been able to do much because her left foot was going numb.
She went to her family Dr and got a referral for a spine specialist. Of course she couldn't get in right away, so she had to wait a couple of weeks.
When she finally got in the Doctor told her she would need surgery. They told her it would be better to have it done sooner than later. We just didn't know that sooner meant right away.
On Wednesday we found out she would be having surgery on friday. And on thursday late afternoon we found out it would be in the morning. I'm glad I don't work fridays, so I was available to take her to the hospital.
I was really nervous at first. When you think of someone going into your spine to clean out fragments of your disk it makes you wonder:"what if they slip and cut something they are not suppose to?"
We got to the hospital and I had a chance to talk to her Doctor before she went in. He seemed very nice. He answered all of our questions, which gave me some peace of mind.
We thought she was going to be in the hospital overnight. But she was doing so well that we got to bring her home that afternoon.
My day was very long. She slept for a few hours after the surgery. It was funny to listen to all of her comments while high on medication.
She's doing well. She can finally feel her toes again. She is not running yet, but I'm sure she will be in no time.

Congratulations Andy and Debbie!

2009-09-07T18:19:00.000-07:00

I'm still trying to get caught up on my blog. A few weeks ago our friends Andy and Debbie got engaged. We are so excited for them.

They had a little party with all the friends and family. It was a lot of fun.

Congratulations!!!