Fall School Pictures

Here are my 3 lovelies.  Aren't They co cute?!

my baby is 4

It is so weird to think that we have lived in Phoenix for 4 years already!  I keep good track of this because Lew was born 3 months after we got here.  He is an Arizona Desert Rat as my friend calls himself and all those born in Phoenix. 

Since Lew doesn't really get birthdays yet we didn't have a party.  My parents were down here for a meeting so they took Lew and I to lunch at BJ's.  Sooo delish!  Lewis was in Heaven with Grammy and Pap as his lunch dates.  He really enjoyed the men's bathroom with my dad because it had the urinals that go all the way to the floor and then "the waterfall" came down to flush the pee all gone. He had to do the bathroom twice while we were there just for the pure fun of it!

say cheese

makin a wish



i love Percy

We did take cupcakes to preschool so Lewis considered that his birthday party. Grammy and Pap got him a McDonald's gift card (which we plan on using today!) and he used Grandma and Grandpa's money they sent to buy himself a Percy the #6 engine train. Daddy and Mommy and Griffin got him a huge train set, because 6 buckets of train tracks is clearly not enough, and the girls got him some Toy Story 3 action figures.

He is one happy boy!

1st day of school

Here are the kiddos on their 1st day of school this year!

3 happy back to school kids!

Helen has the huge bandage because the Sat before school started she got a huge road rash riding sitting down on a skate board at my bro's house.  Her shoulder was all scraped up and her elbow/arm took the brunt of it.  The giant ace bandage keeps on the giant bandage that never wants to stay on an elbow!

Grif and Mrs. Bulger

  

Lewis is doing preschool 2 days a week and loving it!

Yeah!  My 1st day of Preschool!!

Lew and Mrs. Sterr

Lewis' birdhouse art project

the master at work

 Lew found himself an art project one day.  Mary has had this little gem in her room in a box for 2 years.  Lewis decided it was time for it to come out and be painted.  He got it out all by himself and started painting away.  I was able to talk him into letting me open the paint, set him up with a plate and give him a little water to wash the paint brush with but other than that, he did it all by himself.  I like it!

Nephew Missionary in the General Conference Choir

My nephew, Elder Joseph Cruz, is 3:23 into Priesthood Session of General Conference. Joseph was in the MTC choir which got to sing for the evening priesthood session. He's the handsome Elder in blue tie next to Elder with yellow tie when song says "truth", so listen for..."all may rejoice the long night is o'er, truth"...and bam...there he is!!! Yeah for my missionary nephew!!!!   I might be tearing up just a little as I type, I won't lie, it was a thrill to see him and then to listen to the words to the song to Hark, All Ye Nations. . .   "Chosen by God to serve him below to every land we'll go!"  (Yep, I'm fully crying now!)

Click on the link below to see him.

http://new.lds.org/general-conference/watch?lang=eng&vid=621787340001

He is in the next song, Go, Ye Messengers of Heaven too, beginning of 2nd verse 8:29, 9:15 and 9:34 in I believe. 

and last song Called to Serve 1:52:14 in case you were wondering.

Summer 2010 Swimming Lessons

The boys took swimming lessons this summer for 3 sessions which equals 6 weeks.  They did fantastic!  Lewis was the smallest in his class because he is so advanced in his swimming.  I took him to swimming classes all last year so he could learn the lifesaving techniques--the ones where they teach the kids to roll over and float on their backs then flip and swim then roll over until they get to the side of the pool, so if they ever fell into a pool they wouldn't drown.  

So lets just say Lew is a very advanced 3 year old swimmer.  They only reason they didn't bump him up to Griffin's class (learning the strokes) is because he was so little!   So in class you are supposed to hold on to the side of the pool until it's your turn for whatever they are doing next.  Lew just couldn't do it!  He had to let go and swim to the bottom and pop back up which made for some very nervous lifeguards.  By the end of the first session they had his number and it was just a matter of time before he was sitting out next to one of them until it was his turn.  He really never learned his lesson (stubborn little thing) and had to sit out often but not daily by the end of the 3rd session. 

both boys with their teachers

lew has the floating down pat, dave isn't even touching him

lew demonstrating he knows how to hold on to the wall

sit and kick with lifeguard teacher david

sitting out

Griffin spent this summer learning the strokes.  The plan is for him to do swim team with the girls next year.  He did pretty well.  He gives it all he's got, it's not pretty but it gets the job done.  It is quite comical to watch his teachers swim after him as he heads into another class.

grif with his teacher kicking for all he is worth!

Grif beginning freestyle on one end

Griffin in middle of pool going full length

The Return trip

Terrin & Andy's Baseball Wedding

Happy Couple with us

My niece Terrin got married last weekend to Andy.  Terrin belongs to Brad's brother Dave and his wife Terrie.  She is their oldest and 1st to get married.  

Brad and I drove up to Logan so we could go.  It was such a fun wedding with a Baseball Theme.  They got married on home plate and the food was all baseball food, hot-dogs, watermelon, lemonade, cupcakes with baseball rings, water bottles with their pictures on them and the wedding cake itself was a baseball.  They even had kids walking around passing out popcorn.  It was so fun.   

Enjoy the photos!

Happy couple on Home Plate

Terrie, Terrin and Dave

Jenkins and their boys

The Jenkins Family

The Jenkins Men

Wedding Cake

Yummy food

Brad and Dave

Awesome Uncle John

My bro John is really fantastic to take Grif and do fun stuff with him one on one.  The last time Grif was in Flag, John took him out on the Rino for a day of treasure hunting.  They had a great time and Griffin says "Uncle John is the BEST ever!"  I agree!!  The pic is from Amie's camera phone as the boys were pulling out. Thanks John.

Riding the Army Depot Train at Camp Navajo

Grammy and the grandkids

My parents had an activity out at the army depot in Flag which involved a train.  That's all that needed to be said for us to be all in!  Lewis worships trains and was thrilled to be able to go ride on the front of one.

It was a fun activity with a cookout, lots of yummy food, a huge play area and finally the train.  "Plablow" drove the train for us.  (That's Pablo for you non-3-year-old speakers) 

Remnants of the money we smashed

First we put a bunch of money down to get smashed flat then we all got on the train and rode it up the track and then backed down the track for the return trip.  Lewis requested a 2nd trip and...wish granted!  He was sooooooo happy!!!  It was the best day ever!

the boys

Grammy's Birthday & Gift

Blow those candles out!

My mom had a milestone birthday this year. (check the cake if you want to know the number.)  We happened to go up to Flag to visit the weekend before so we had Aleksia and her Aunt Bre make her a cake on the sly.  We surprised her with it that night.  She loved the cake and the surprise.  We were happy to be able to share it with  her. 

Mary, Grammy, Helen and Aleksia

She and my dad went to Vegas the next day to celebrate.  They saw Donny and Marie live at the Flamingo and  LE RÊVE, at Wynn Las Vegas, which "offers breathtaking performances in an intimate aqua theater-in-the-round. The show features aerial acrobatics, provocative choreography and artistic athleticism.  The cast of 85 captures the imagination with their outrageous antics and daring feats of strength and agility. Live music and elaborate special effects immerse the audience into a world of fantasy, adventure and intrigue."  She and my dad had a fantastic time and had a great time celebrating her birthday.  

Since we did her birthday a little early, our gift wasn't ready yet.  This past weekend we got to give it to her.  She loves it!  Yippee...its always nice to give a gift they really like.   Here it is installed on the wall in their front entry.

Close up of quote

Front Entry