Skatin'

Nick actually had the night off tonight (for everyone counting, yes, that is 2 whole nights in a row...amazing)! Anyway, we took full advantage of it. After stuffing our faces with a great BBQ dinner, we decided to work it off and take the kids rollerskating. We have never gone rollerskating as a family. Masyn has been a hand full of times with Kids Club (her after school program), Zain has never been, Nick used to be professional back in the day and I grew up roller-blading, not rollerskating (yes, I WAS that roller-blading dork)! The last time I went rollerskating was with Nick about 5-6 years ago in Colorado...he was so good that I decided to pout and trade in my skates for blades just so that I could attempt to keep up with him.

Anyway, tonight we had a blast! There was no trading in my skates (I tried, they don't do roller-blade rentals at the place we went), instead we stayed together as family. Masyn was on her butt the entire time, then she would stand up and laugh at herself and then fall to her butt again. Zain was like gum stuck to the bottom of a chair, except he was glued to the wall! When Nick wasn't holding one of the kids hands (which was very rare) he managed to show of some of his old-school tricks! I stayed back with the kids a lot and just went a long at a my own pace...which, I have to admit was not to shabby!!

Take a peek at our silly, fun-loving, full of laughter and exhausting night...

Pretend City

We discovered a great little place last weekend ...Pretend City! It provided the kids with hours of fun, it was very close to home and the kids loved pretending to be little adults! It was perfect for their ages. The big kids (Masyn, Summer and Zain) spent hours doing jobs to earn their paychecks, which in turn they could cash in at the ATM. They where grocery store clerks, farmers, construction workers, servers and cooks, doctors, and much more. The little one (AJ) spent the afternoon under the spot light dancing on the stage. Everyone had a blast!

She Cares...

She cares for her family,
She cares for her friends,
She cares for those around her,
She cares about herself,
She cares about school,
She cares about God...


Last Friday Masyn was awarded "Coyote with Character" at her school! It is an award given out once a month to one child in each class that exemplifies a certain character trait. The month of December was the character trait...caring! We were sooooo proud of Masyn. It is just proof that all of our hard work as parents does pay off...we ARE doing something right (hehe)! We can only pray and try our hardest to continue to lead our kids on the right path. GOOD JOB MAY!!

Accupuncture!

Welcome 2010 and welcome allergies and sinus infections! Shortly after the New year, I have found myself suffering from horrible allergies that has now led to the worst sinus infection I have ever had! After a visit to the doctor and finding myself desperate for some relief my mom suggested that I try acupuncture. Without hesitation, I booked an appointment in hopes of some immediate relief. The needles had nothing on the pain I was experiencing in my nose, in my eyes and in my forehead. During my session I found myself laying on a table with 4 needles in my face and 14 others throughout my arms, legs and chest! It was a little awkward just laying there for 30 minutes with tiny needles everywhere and trying to relax at the same time. All in all, I definitely felt immediate relief as I was able to breathe for the first time in 5 days! In fact, I went back the next day for round 2. I definitely recommend it for anyone in any sort of pain! (P.S. If you look close in the picture you can see 2 needles above my eyebrows, 2 on the side of my nose and 1 in my chest)

Fun Times for Lil' Miss May!

Masyn rung in the New Year with lots of fun with some of her closest friends...lucky girl! Before school started up again she had a sleep over with 2 of her friends, Jalyn (preschool Best Friend) and Jordi (neighbor and school friend). Oh, and don't forget Zain...he manages to keep up with the girls too! They all had a blast together doing karaoke, painting nails (no, Zain did not paint his nails), watching girly movies and staying up till mid-night!! And on top of that, they all got along perfectly. Wow!

The next day the fun continued at Irvine Park! We met up with some friends and went to the zoo, rode the train, rode water bikes and played in the park. It was a fun and relaxing way to end winter break and welcome in 2010!Happy New Year!!

Christmas Fun!

We had another wonderful Christmas this year...and it was even a little better than usual as we got to enjoy dad for the whole day! For the past 6 years he has always had to go to work on Christmas right after opening gifts...but this year he got the entire day off!! We celebrated with Grammy, Auntie Shell-Shell, Uncle Smitty, Adam, Jill and AJ. We got to enjoy a yummy Christmas Eve dinner at Grammy's and then everyone came over to our house Christmas day to lounge, eat, drink, play wii, play skipbo and eat some more!! It was a great day all in all and we feel so fortunate to be able to spend it with great family and friends.

P.S. Zain is showing off is signature "Smitty smile" above!!

7 Years and Singing!!

On Tuesday Nick and I celebrated 7 years of marriage with a nice 3 hour dinner, a bottle of wine and just the two of us!! Oh how I love our time together. We don't get it often enough, so when we do get date nights every now and again, we both truly appreciate them and one another even more. These past 7 years have been amazing, rewarding and full of so much love and I look forward to many more to come!!

In addition to our Anniversary, Zain also entertained us with a Christmas Musical at his preschool on Tuesday! It was honestly the cutest thing I've ever seen and you couldn't help but smile from ear to ear and laugh the whole time. Every kid was doing something different, some weren't singing at all and some where so loud that was all you heard (Zain)!! Here is a peak of Zain's upcoming musical career...hehehe!! Enjoy!