The Malaga Family

First and second days of school 2011

2011-08-31T12:18:00.000-07:00

Beautiful 6th and 8th graders...watch out Bush Bulldogs!

Home Sick

2011-08-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

Today I am feeling homesick - for my St. Charles home. It may sound silly to call it home because we only lived there 3 years, but once your friends become like family, it feels like home. I still can't figure out how to load these pics in order so this is what I don't miss:

just looking at this picture makes me shiver.

what this pic doesn't tell you is that with the wind chill, it's -20 degrees!

my snuggie

And WHAT I DO MISS:

hanging out in downtown Chicago

wearing sweats (not too sure what Steve is doing...)

my bff's. this is just a few of the great friends I left taken from one of our bunco nights. I miss these girls (and more not pictured).

my home - especially at christmas time.

the girls friends. they were such a huge part of our life and i didn't realize how much i would miss them all.

mads picks her friends wisely and had a few great friends who i love!

my a-day girls. seriously the sweetest, happiest bunch of girls ever. i had the best time leading them in so many activies for 2 years.

our YW. again, such a great group of girls and fun, happy leaders who made YW and girls camp fabulous for maddie.

mads & halina

ry, claire, livvy, jessie, & lunas

i also miss:

-movies with steve during the day in the theater room

- bi-weekly 3 hours lunches with susan

-trail walking with emily and our dogs

-antique shopping in quaint geneva and st. charles

-great neighbors who i could count on

-crafting with friends

-our 'station' workouts with steve, girls and makayla

I am grateful for the fun friends we have already met and got close to in san antonio. i'm sure that in 3 years, I'll grow to really love this place too...it just seems so long away.

Annual beach trip

2011-08-06T06:57:00.000-07:00

Steve claims the Oregon coast is a 'fake beach', and wonders how others can enjoy it in their parkas and wetsuits...but enjoy it we do! We have gone every summer since the girls were born - either to Cannon Beach or if we also need to do a little shopping to Lincoln City. This beach is in Lincoln City near Taft, where we once had a little house a few block from the inlet. I loved to see that nothing has changed, especially all the sea lions lounging in the sun. The girls had such a great time (Jace didn't want to be the only boy and stayed home - I can't blame him!) stalking all the crab fishermen (if that's what they're called or crabmen?) and playing with the sweet seaweed.

Maddie holding the crab, I think in '04?

How cute is this? See, we loved these crabs then too!

Algae braclets?

Ava was so cute and brave. She was holding the crabs, identifing the gender and guessing whether or not it was small enough for the people catching it to keep it!

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

Going ons

2011-06-10T12:11:00.000-07:00

In an effort to wish the June heat away, we've been staying busy doing:

Heights Hammerheads swim team. Man, our girls can swim. It's been a 4 years since they were on swim team in Highland Village (although I just remembered they did swim for a few weeks a summer at St. Charles North High) and you wouldn't know they missed a beat. I also thought it would be challange to get them up and to practice at 8am during the first few weeks of summer, but they were troopers and happy about going. Maddie swore she wouldn't do a meet, (bribery works) but they've done a few and always placed in the top.

Rylee had her first track meet after qualifing at her school. We hope there's lots more of these.

I'm loving this new subway art trend and thought I would make one of my own signs. Lots of paint sampling going on in the background!

Listening to the jack-hammer 8 hours a day dig through the solid limestone that will eventually be our pool! You can see in the photo that the top 6 inches is soil and the rest is complete stone! We can't wait.

Partaking of Rylee's happy face breakfast!

Trying to figure out how to decorate this new place and have determined that I hate yellow walls.

Watching these beautiful sunsets that the camera does no justice for from our front porch.

Blue Lily

2011-06-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

Blue Lily did not disappoint. I saw that they were coming to Austin when we were still in Chicago and jumped at the chance to have a photo session with them. I may have had shared a little too much information with them and told them I felt like I was meeting a celebrity couple and if they wanted to come to San Antonio, they could stay with us anytime and that even Steve was laughing uncontrollably at one of their blog posts (Steve does NOT read blogs, even ours) and so maybe we could be best friends. Maybe. They were just as cool, talented and easy going as they seem to be. And when I congratulated them on the fantastic lifestyle they lead (traveling the globe with their kids +nannies while making a billion dollars) Tyler responded by saying "life for us is just easy, you know?" No, actually I don't. It's rewarding and worthwhile, but not easy. Gotta love the attitude. Wendy thought Rylee was 15 and Mads 17. Ugggg.

Steve was at training in Dallas and so we did photos of mostly just the girls.

What's taking me so long?

2011-05-11T07:21:00.000-07:00

Luckily, most of the house does not look like this, but a good portion does! Someone come see me so I can get my butt in gear!

Bonus Room Reveal!

2011-05-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

I don't want to have to post this all over again, so I've linked the girls bonus room photos to my Inspire blogspot. It was the most fun I've had in a while!

Gratitude

2011-05-07T05:46:00.000-07:00

This will probably be long and boring (and personal) but I intend to blog more and get more long and more boring and more personal because this IS my journal. :)

This last 2 years have been a crazy time of life for us; definitely the hardest we've had in the last 16 years. During Steve's separation from OG it was especially trying and we had to do our best not to be bitter at the total injustice we were facing. It seemed so unfair that after 22 years of excellent performance and a steady move up the ladder, a female minority boss with something to prove and a chip on her shoulder (someone needs to write a book on the antics and wrongful treatment of mostly executive female bosses to their male employees - I've heard so many stories) could completely change the lives of an entire family just because she didn't like Steve. We thought about the possibility of a lawsuit and were told by professionals that we could definitely win - and win big - but after lots of consideration we decided it would only add to our bitterness and despite the payout, would effect our quality of life negatively. So, the search for a new opportunity began. We kept going back and forth between opening our own restaurant, buying a franchise (or whether we could even do that financially) or back to a corporate job. Month after month passed and it was clear that we couldn't be choosey, we pretty much had to go with whatever happened first. It seemed to drag on FOREVER (it didn't help that it was dreary and freezing cold outside for 6 months straight) but I look back now and wish we had a bit more time so that we could develop the SilverSaver and realize the huge potential that it is slowly becoming (I'm working on that now while Steve is in training). Long story short, finally in November the opportunity to move to San Antonio and open up a restaurant franchise with a partner (we are the minority partners - I always feel the need to tell others that - least they assume we could afford 11 restaurants on our own!) came up. Our house was already on the market and had been for a good 6 months. Within weeks of this opportunity (and the same day Teish and Kara were visiting for Thanksgiving - long, funny story), a family came to look at our house and made an offer the next day which included most of the basement furniture and much upstairs also. We knew we would be down sizing and wouldn't have room for all our furniture, so this was a great blessing. Even though we lost TONS of money on the house, we could have lost more as more homes came on the market in spring and competition heated up. So.....to sum things up, it's been an unsettling, crazy, challenging but blessed time for us and I have continually prayed to be able to see all the many blessings we have through all the crap. These are the things that keep coming to me:

Our country: I cherish the many opportunities we have in this country. As Susan said, there are a million ways to make a million dollars in this country. We were able (Steve dreamt it up) to invent a product that can help restaurants save money, claim that invention as our own so no one else could copy it- via a patent, source out someone in China to make it, market it in trade publications and eventually sell it to make a great profit. Our country allowed all this to happen and in many, many others it is not possible.

My work ethic: I am so very grateful that our mom taught us hard work. I LOATHE laziness. A good day for me is a productive one. Not a relaxing one. Not a fun one. I realize at times this is a fault of mine and that having fun and relaxing is a good thing; but to me, I'd rather be productive. I especially love creating something out of nothing (building, painting, decorating) and this usually involves hard work. Our mom usually made work fun; she would set a timer and all 7 of us would work together one room at a time. Once the timer ran out, we were done in that room. It became a game to see how fast we could collectively go. Many times we were rewarded with candy! Our favorite thing to do was surprise mom with a clean house when we knew she was headed home from wherever. Maybe this is why I feel so strongly about capitalism. Dennis Prager said "Capitalism makes people work harder. Socialism makes people want harder". I love the simplicity behind that. One should not be penalized for working hard and be rewarded for not working hard.

My family: This morning as I was letting the dogs outside to go potty I heard Steve snoring (he had been banished to the guest room because he's snoring a little louder than normal because he has a cold) from the other room. I have never been so excited to hear him snore and experienced a feeling of excitement, love and relief at the same time. He has been away at training in Dallas (a huge adjustment after being home for almost 2 years) and we haven't seen him for 2 weeks. I love that he makes us laugh so often and although totally demanding, is the center of everything when home! I am so grateful that he has always been a great provider for our family and takes that role seriously. Madison and Rylee are at such fun ages now and I completely and totally love hanging out with them. I get so excited to see them when they come home from school; like a friend arrived at my house! It's been a very tough transition for them (especially Mads) but selfishly, I love having lots of time for them and they are a bit nicer when not surrounded by friends all the time.

A home: I'll admit that it was so depressing to go house shopping in San Antonio; we had to literally cut the price of our home in less-than-half and the size of the home followed. I know that is totally spoiled and snotty, but it's the truth. After 15 years of progressing in home quality, size and beauty, we were going back in time and it stunk. I spent lots of time doing a self assessment and getting to the root of this in-gratitude. It boiled down to 3 things for me 1)insecurity 2)too much pride and mostly 3)I love pretty things. My surroundings are very important to me and I appreciate beautiful craftsmanship, etc. I live and breath interior design. It's not me trying to show off my nice, expensive furniture, fabrics, accessories, etc. If no human ever walked into my house I would want it to be beautiful and look exactly the way it does just for me. This is totally evident to me in our new oak kitchen; I hate being in there because it is ugly to me! Anyway, this new house is growing on me; I'm realizing that I prefer a smaller home. I don't feel so wasteful and it's easier to find and be next to each other! It's a heck of a lot easier to clean and forces me to only keep things that I love out. I am loving this great opportunity to change some things and learn some new DIY home skills. When it starts getting overwhelming deciding what color to paint the cabinets or which countertop surface to go with, I remind myself that I am blessed to have the opportunity to change these things. I also feel so grateful that I have the luxury of focusing on these home improvements instead of throwing myself into a job.

Carribean Cruise with fam

2011-04-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

We started planning for this cruise in spring of 2010, and despite the fact that we were going to move 3 days after we got home, we went anyway and I'm so glad we did! We really thought Steve would be working when the time to go came but alas, he wasn't and being the trooper that he is, stayed home and packed. This was the first cruise for Mike, Sage and boys and also for Karas great friend Rebecca.

Mads on a long board

she's so focused!

Ryry on the long board.

Gods work in Puerto Rico. Amazing.

One of us in this picture is scared of these dirty birds and the other one is very brave.

Even Becks got in on some pigeon action.

We loved all the color in San Juan - with the blues skys as a backdrop it was visual candy for us.

Ry had so much fun with the boys and took great care of them.

We got to spend the day at the beach with the boys while Mike and Sage went kayaking. I loved every minute of it - it was so fun to see the differences in how the boys played compared to how my girls played - everything they say is true!

These iguanas were everywhere.

Our favorite stop was definately the island Grand Turk of Turks and Caicos. The water was unbelievably clear and warm. I took a quick trip alone to see a little more of the island while everyone stayed at the beach to find that most of the island was farm land, I even saw wild horses! One of the shops (aka a grass shack with 10 or 11 mismatched items) had a few bags for sale with 'Provo' embroidered on them. It was in fact not for Provo, Utah but for the main island of Providenciales. And yes, I did have to google that spelling.

Surprise breakfast

2011-03-27T11:17:00.000-07:00

As I've said before, we have such great friends and our lives are so much richer because of them! Kelly, McKinnely and Madison arranged to surprise the girls in the morning and steal them away for a yummy breakfast and games at their house before our move. It went off without a hitch: the girls were totally surprised and felt loved and happy. :)

*Maybe soon I'll learn how to place picutres in proper order on blogger. Dang it.

Ready to go!

Waking Maddie up - she might kill me for posting this.

Check out Rylee's face! Definitely surprised.

Headed upstairs to wake the girls from their slumber.

Leaving for the Thompsons

Feeling comfy playing Wii in their jammies.

Brrrrrrr!

2011-02-02T09:31:00.000-08:00

Usually the weatherman/woman grossly underestimate the amount of snowfall/temperature/rain/ but this time they did not disappoint! The first day of being homebound was super fun and the next 3 were not!

Rylee's 11th birthday!

2011-01-28T11:58:00.000-08:00

I always seem to forget just how easy it is to have birthday party's "offsite" and that really, in the long run, you end up spending close to the same amount you would have if you held it at home...right? It's also much easier to send the kids packin' when you are at a facility and they are turnin and burnin parties every 1.5 hours and want you out the door. REMEMBER THIS CAMMIE :) Anyways, we tried something new and went laser tagging. It was a blast! Steve and I got in on a few rounds and are now addicted to it!

This is the year of the 'Bieb' and we had to get in on the action. This time I was actually thinking ahead and ordered party supplies 5 weeks prior...good thing cause they were back-ordered and I had to wait that long to get them.

My first fondant cake every! Can you tell? It's a good thing I can't hear through the computer. It only took me 8 hours - Duff makes it look so easy. Again, something to remember for the future.

Rylee is intent on winning this game!

The crowd. I love Rylee's group of friends.

AAWWEEE!

Charlie's Angels (minus 1)

Rylee's 11th birthday - part 2!

2011-01-24T19:46:00.000-08:00

Because 2 hours of partying is simply not enough... we agreed to a sleepover with 5 of Rylee's bff's who have all been over enough and are like sisters so it was low maintenance.

Callie, Elisia, Jessie, Livvy (Olivia), Claire and Ryry!

Isn't she beautiful??

Rylee's b-day fell on a weekday so we had a little family celebration on her 'real' birthday.

They love each other so so so much...

Oh wait, give it a second... things change by the minute around here.

We picked up a slice of red velvet from CPK (which Ry had once with Kara and loved) and it was not yummy at all so Rylee decided to fulfill a dream of hers and smash her face in it.

Looks fun!

My 29th birthday with my favorite peeps

2011-01-19T07:23:00.000-08:00

I was treated to my favorite place Wok and Fire (maybe not my favorite place, but they have my favorite dish, Chilean Sea Bass) for my birthday. It was so fun to have Kara with us - she came out to play mommy to the girls while Steve and I were in San Antonio. Of course the girls loved having here there (she actually cooked for them!) and I didn't want her to go - I needed a shopping trip with her in hopes of picking up some of her fashion awesomeness!

The 1980's called this local putt-putt corse and want their ficus trees back! Awesome, huh?!

Steve's Heaven part 2

2011-01-13T20:55:00.000-08:00

This is yet another view of what Heaven looks light for Steve: being surrounded by his favorite girls while eating a picnic dinner on the living room floor and watching football. Ahhhhhhhh. Gotta love 'em.

Downtown Chicago...again!

2010-12-30T19:52:00.000-08:00

We just can't get enough of this fantastic city! Even in the winter! I brought Madison and her good friend Brittany and Rylee and her good friend Claire to spend the night downtown. My girls are at such a fun age and they are such fun-seekers that it makes everything that much sweeter.

In the lobby at the hotel. The girls got all fancied up and we walked over to Grand Lux for dinner. Apparently, dinner was the most fun for them all because we had a little battle over who could take dessert off of who's fork the fastest!

Thursday night at the Chicago Art Institute is free, and I definitely wanted to take advantage of this because we have yet to go. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I had to ask a musuem employee if this Van Gogh painting was the real deal (of course it is dummy, it's in a museum with guards!). Last year I taught Rylee's 4th grade class all about this painting and the symbolism behind it (the walls which are closing in, disorganization, etc.) and so I was so shocked to see the original painting!

We attemped to go up to the top of the Willis Tower, but it was super cloudy/drizzly and visibility was 0...ZERO! We were so bummed.

Of course we had to visit Ed Debevics. And let me tell you, it didn't disappoint! Lots of booty shaking going on!

What a fun 2 days! We took the train home on New Years Eve, just in time! :)

Sledding!

2010-12-27T10:08:00.000-08:00

When life gives you snow, you go sledding. Unless of course your the momma and you don't enjoy freezing, then you stay home by the fire with a good book and let the poppa take the kids sledding. Thanks babe.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T13:30:00.000-08:00

fdfd

Christmas eve service

2010-12-24T13:15:00.000-08:00

For the past 2 years we have gone to the Marklund home on Christmas eve to help the sweet, sweet residents there open the enormous amounts of Christmas presents they receive from the community. With just 3 hours of our time, this really is the highlight of the season for me, and I wish we did more like this.

This year a few family's from the ward came - including fav's the Thompson's!

Our Christmas card pic, thanks to Sagie!

2010-11-28T19:42:00.000-08:00

Seriously, how beautiful are they? No, no not Sadee and Zowee...Madison and RYlee!

We're hoping Sage doesn't catch on when we invite her to Thanksgiving each year, but boy are we grateful for her photography skills! WE LOVE YOU SAGIE!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-26T20:16:00.000-08:00

We were able to uphold tradition again this year and both Teish and Kara, and Mike, Sage and the boys came out this year for Thanksgiving. We had such a great time, as we always do. It really is such a great mix of relaxing, sight seeing, game playing, movie watching, boy kissing (the little ones), etc. I can't wait for the year when we can all be together.

The rest of this post is rated PG - I know this is iffy but it sums up Becketts affection for Kara. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with her beautiful, blonde locks. :)

The Bean

Millenium Park Ice Skating Rink.

Porter has a mild obsession with dinosaurs so naturally the Field Museum was our first stop. This is Sue. She is very old.

Madison and Rylee flanking Elle...I mean Kara. :)

I am so thankful for my family; Steve, Mads, Ry and my sisters and brother. I love, love them and spend my years looking forward to their too short visit.

Doesn't Dad look pretty?

2010-11-20T19:39:00.000-08:00

Madison's masterpiece!

HA HA HA HA! Who knew Steve would make such a pretty girl? He may just kill me for this.

Pierce Boys

2010-11-10T18:12:00.000-08:00

My sistas have skills! Sagie took this picture of 2 of my 3 favorite nephews, whom I adore. Someday we will all be close enough to watch each others kids grow up, have Sunday dinners together, go to the movies when are husbands are out of town (or even if they're in town), borrow eggs on a Sunday, ask for a dog sitter, get mani's and pedi's together, and celebrate manaws birthday together. I think maybe I'm feeling a little sister/home sick. :(

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T18:03:00.000-07:00

I love these pictures of Madison, the ghost. Do notice her pink bow; she's not just any ghost, she's a stylin one!

Scary!

Rylee with her bff's Jessie and Claire. The funniest thing about Rylee costume (80's girl) was that we found most of her costume in retail stores like Claire's and H & M! They really are back!

Posers!

We have done this candy exchange every year and I remember doing the same thing as a kid (when we snuck out to go trick-or-treating 'cause Mom wouldn't let us!)

Thanks to the Simmons for letting us stay warm at their house and for the awesome chili and cornbread!

The Eyeball

2010-10-23T17:51:00.000-07:00

Can you believe this beauty didn't win anything? Nada. We entered this pumpkin eyeball in Ferson's annual pumpkin decorating contest after we were inspired by Chicago's own eyeball. Rylee (ahem...me) spent 1 hour painting multiple coats of white, 30 min. dyeing the noodles (aka veins) red, 1 hour glueing said noodles and 30 more painting the retina for a grand total of 3 hours on this bad girl! Oh well, it made for a cute porch decoration.

It was a cool sight (pun intended) to see, but in such a weird, scary area that we didn't want to stay too long.

Can you see the eyeball reflection in Steve's glasses?

On the train, headed into Chitown. Thought I would try out Kara's tounge-on-the-side-of-the-mouth pose!

McAllen, Texas

2010-10-22T18:59:00.000-07:00

From a 30 thousand foot view, this may look like paradise but actually it's McAllen, TX, approximately 25 minutes from the Mexican border. I took Ry with me for a quick trip to see if it was somewhere we could find ourselves for the next 10 years, but sadly it was not.

Palm trees make me giddy. I love them. When we landed the trees were swaying, the air was moist, the vegetation was lush and the area outside the airport smelled like flowers. I don't know many airports that smell like flowers!

I love this girl! She reads any chance she can get!

This one is for Porter.

A sweet sand sculpture inside the visitors center at South Padre Island. It was about 1.5 hours from McAllen, and is a vacation destination for many Texans. I wasn't expecting much and was pleasantly surprised.

The beach at South Padre is actually pretty nice. We had it almost all to ourselves so we sat on some bench we weren't suppose to be on because it belonged to a hotel and read our books.

I'll take this 88 degree weather in October anytime. :)

It was a fun little trip and I had a great time with my buddy Rylee!

I can die now

2010-10-14T18:40:00.000-07:00

Turns out my role is a mother is complete now: my girls can (and love to) craft.

Our Halloween Candy Corn tree (admittedly copied from some website)

The jewelry holder (knobs were replaced with way cuter ones) that I taught for Super Saturday)

Spraying what was/is suppose to be our really pretty Christmas display (to go into my antique milk jug). I didn't anticipate the leaves curling after death and so now it's not quite as full or fresh looking. We're working on it though. :)

Scarecrow Festival

2010-10-08T17:14:00.000-07:00

St. Charles really is a great little city with lots happening! When we learned that we were moving to this area everyone (and their dog) told us that Naperville was the place to be and so we spent the majority of our house-hunting time there. It wasn't until the last day of our trip that we came to St. Charles on the advise of a friend from our ward (I guess not everyone!) and have been so grateful that this is where we ended up. Every year we (the city of St. Charles) host the Scarecrow Festival and even those big city folks from Chi-town come out to our neck of the woods.

The girls sitting with the grandpa they never had! :(

Behind these cute kids is the Fox River, which runs through St. Charles. There were even a few fly-fisherman in there today.

Look at Maddie's face!

See previous posts about Maddie and how she cannot seem to keep her shoes on. ANYWHERE!

Emily is way more brave than I am! I only wish (sortof) that I could still brave these rides.

The Remedy Group

2010-10-03T18:31:00.000-07:00

Just had to throw this post out there cause I want to remember the ambition and determination of my man. This is his awesome set-up for the SilverSaver/consulting/his book at a food industry trade show which was suppose to be well attended but was in fact NOT (I think he said a total of 3 people showed). The most impressive aspect is that this is Day 2 of the event- even after the bomb dropped he still followed through on his commitment to be there. I can always count on him to do what he says he will, and I love that about him!

Walking w/Emily

2010-09-29T18:24:00.000-07:00

In the name of diet and exercise (of course!), Emily and I go walking a few days a week in the morning. It has been so much fun and we are dreading the impending winter so thought we'd better take our exercise downtown. Apparently, we still had lots to talk about because on the way home we totally missed our stop at the Geneva station and ended up it nowhere land until Steve came to rescue us! It was so fun to mix it up a bit. One can never have too many photos at the Bean!

Blue Man Group

2010-09-18T17:59:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time in the city going to the Blue Man Group and felt like real grown-ups! :) It was so interesting, fun, interactive, thought-provoking, funny, crazy, and messy with a cherry on top. The whole time I was thinking about what a blast the girls would have and how I must take them soon. We are so blessed with such fun, adventurous friends.

Please disregard this horrible picture of me, it's the only pic I have and if I'm ever to remember anything before yesterday, I need pictures.

First day of school for the 7th and 5th graders!

2010-09-05T18:36:00.001-07:00

Since when did I raise a 7th and 5th grader? After a little arm wrestling at the main office, Maddie has a schedule she is happy with and feels pretty confident at Haines. But would you believe they have no air conditioning in the entire building? Steve thinks it's going to take the death of a student from heat exhaustion for them to make a change! Let's hope not. Rylee is now the top dog at Ferson Creek and has a wonderful teacher, Mrs. Goodfellow. Although her bestie, Livvy, is not in her class, she's got some other great friends in there.
This picture cracks me up. Maddie is clearly very irratated with me for taking pictures when she and Makayla should be on their way to the bus stop! And this, my friends, is why I have more of Rylee.
I had to get a picture of Rylee's hair. We crimped it and then she put a little braid on the side. Too cute.

Down-town Chicago

2010-09-05T17:31:00.000-07:00

The reason for the hyphen in Down-town is because each and every time we would drive to Beaverton from Vancouver and would drive through Down-town Portland, we would get excited about the city lights, the Willamette River, the bridges, and the fact that we were at least halfway to aunties/manaws/uncles and would loudly exclaim "Down-town Port-land". All 4 of us are lovers of big cities (although the girls are not lovers of walking!) and Chicago takes the cake! Last spring when Steve was jobless, he and I would take the train downtown as soon as the girls got on the bus to get our daily exercise and would take the 1:40 back so we could be home in time to get Rylee of the bus. I have great memories of those times and am grateful to live near such a great city.

This slide rocked! I don't think it's really a slide per se, but we couldn't resist.

Who wants a Mac?

2010-08-11T19:03:00.000-07:00

Our computer decided to quit on us (I love my Mac's but shouldn't they last more than 4 years?) and so for our 15th anniversary, Steve and I decided we would buy each other a new set-up. We brought our old computer to the Mac store for a data transfer but they told us we had to take it back with us because they can't recycle it at the store. Anyway...after I signed the paperwork and used the bathroom, I found Steve outside the Mac store with this little display. He didn't want to carry it to the car and being the entrepreneur he is, thought he could make a few bucks too. Man, he keeps me laughing. (The little 3 X 5 card in the corner says $25.00)

What we have been up to lately

2010-08-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

Dealing with poorly shipped SilverSavers,
Making SilverSaver displays and driving across Illinois to deliver them,
and fixing broken SilverSavers.
The End

Cousins

2010-07-15T18:59:00.000-07:00

How many kids can brush their teeth in the same sink at the same time? Apparently 5! Their sleeping arrangements were perfect; Teisha's living room made one big bed!

I Love these kids!

And the braces come off!

2010-07-06T16:36:00.000-07:00

Maddie made it almost 2 years with braces and the torture paid off...her teeth (and her) are beautiful! Actually, there wasn't much torture because she still ate taffy, chewed gum and chomped on jaw breakers. I remember a weak parenting point I had when we were on a field trip to the Naperville Settlement and she was pleading with me to buy some taffy. I told her to call the orthodontist and if they said she could eat it, I would buy it for her. She called and they told her...that SHE COULD HAVE IT! At that point all the 'braces' rules went out the window and she never had any issues. :)

Maddies's 12th Birthday

2010-06-24T20:33:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADSTERS!

This is one happy birthday girl; surrounded by great friends Britton and McKinnley and eating a chocolate bar!

Rylee and Kennedy jumping for joy with the completion of the toilet papered tent! The big girls were inside and didn't know what they had in store...the bad news for Rylee was that it rained that night and she got to clean up wet toilet paper!

S'Mores outside.

McKinnley, Brittany, Emma, Britton, Sydney, Addison, Caitlyn, Maddie, Amelia. This really is such a great group of girls - I love them all like my own.

Mads got to celebrate twice this year - what with her popularity and all - we had to split her parties into 2 groups; friends from school and friends from church.

Both groups made puffy paint t-shirts and (attempted to) camped out in the tent.

We've had a wee bit of an issue with brown dog ticks this year - we may or may not have found them in our beds with us at night. Stuck.to.us. Anywhoo, Mads regularly has nightmares about them and so I had to let her know that I would kill all the ticks in the world for her on her Birthday sign!

The kitchen, decorated with birthday signs.

We are so grateful that Madison is a part of our family. She is often the life of the party and loves to make everyone laugh. She is not afraid to be silly and/or make fun of herself and doesn't take life too seriously. She has a HUGE heart and honestly wants to do what is right. WE LOVE YOU MADS!

Sunday afternoon's

2010-06-14T19:27:00.000-07:00

Steve may kill me for posting this, but I had to capture a familiar Sunday afternoon activity: naps on the couch and a little grooming from the girls. Sometimes they buff and file his nails (he HATES to cut his fingernails...claims it hurts him??) sometimes pluck his eyebrows (but finds this strangely relaxing) and also allows an occasional makeover...but we won't go into details here!

Ryry's dance recital

2010-06-13T16:30:00.000-07:00

I am still mourning over the fact that I didn't get any pictures other than those here. And it's not just cause I spent over $130 on the costumes, although that was one hard check to write. It's cause Rylee looked so stinkin' cute...she danced 2 different performances: the first was Cinderella and the second was West Side Story. State Street really knows how to put on a show; the performances lasted the ENTIRE day! Really though the day was a great culmination to 1 year of weekly dance practices with Ry and her 2 besties Olivia and McKenzie.

Saysay and ZoZo

2010-05-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

Cause what else do you do when your dogs are pawing at your leg and crying for your attention while you're working at the counter?

Flower shots by Rylee

2010-04-27T19:34:00.000-07:00

I cannot tell you how often I download my pictures and find gobs of photos of flowers! Seriously, it's been going on for like 4 years now, and she's not to shabby at photographing them either!

Wight's visit 2010

2010-04-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

How is it that I have the greatest friends in the whole world? I remember our very first Sunday in our new ward, Fairway Village of Vancouver, whispering to Steve "I'm going to be friends with that cute girl in the front!"and 11 years later she is still gracing me with her presence! We had such a blast when Karen and Madeline came to visit us and, as usual, played until we dropped!We spent a couple days at home and a couple in my favorite place, downtown Chicago.

How sexy are we?

The girls put on a fantastic show for us which involved some risky stunts!

When Rylee broke her glasses (if I were prepared, she would have a back up pair... oh well) we had to tape up the middle of her frames, nerd style. Karen put her vanity behind her in a effort to make Rylee feel better. See what I mean?

We frolicked in fountains,

Posed in the "Bean",

Shopped till we dropped for just the right purse for Karen,

played in the turnstyle,

pretended to be 5 while eating brunch at American Girl,

wished we could eat the Worlds Largest Chocolate bar (only $99),

and quite possibly the funniest of all, were entertained at Ed Debeviks. We may have had a few bums in our faces while the servers were pole dancing!!!!!

Come back Wights! WE love you!

Mads

2010-04-10T19:31:00.001-07:00

Is she really headed to YW this year? It seems like just yesterday...

Forida with friends

2010-03-07T14:21:00.000-08:00

We were lucky enough to be invited by the Meeks to join them in WARM (we thought it would be anyway) Florida Keys. It averaged about 65 degrees while we were there, but that didn't stop us from laying out by the pool anyway. Actually, it was amazing and seeing the vegetation and my favorite, the palm trees, was plenty rejuvination.

The drive out of our resort- nice, eh?

Susan with her cute girls Rachel and Taylor. Jackson invited his friend from Cleveland and Susan left the baby of the group (Dylan) behind. They all got along great and secretly Mads and Ry want a brother now!

Our 'villa' was decorated with such vibrant, tropical colors and with the lush grounds around us, the whole trip was eye candy for me! I wish I would've taken a photo of the main lobby area, in had a huge, dark wood plantation style porch with (classy) wicker rockers on it and celing fans to blow the breeze around. Heaven!

Valentines '10

2010-02-14T19:42:00.000-08:00

This year we were lucky enough to get reservations to a fantastic restaurant called "Malaga's". Man it was delicious, the wait staff was friendly, efficient and some of the cutest girls I've ever seen! They waited on us hand and foot and the sous chef did an incredible job too. Thanks for the best Valentines Dinner ever! (gotta love the red lipstick and the lions robe Steve was wearing!)

If only I could learn...

2010-02-05T19:57:00.000-08:00

“Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security.”

Happy Birthday to me

2010-01-18T14:59:00.000-08:00

My girls rock! They made me a happy birthday carrot cake (my fav) all by themselves (Steve wasn't feeling well).

I'm not saying I'm a princess or anything, but my mom spoiled us BIG TIME on our birthdays and as a result, our expectations are a wee bit high. I think I've mentioned before that the only way to really please us Thibault girls is to celebrate the entire birthday month. So, Steve and girls are getting a little better every year, and you gotta love the signs they make and hang everywhere (thanks to the Wight family).

Christmas morn 2009

2009-12-25T15:13:00.000-08:00

Once again, despite our current challenges, we had a peaceful, blessed, merry Christmas. The girls 'Santa wish list' was short as usual, but as usual, we (and Santa) had so much fun shopping for them that they ended up with way more than they wished for. Traditionally, we head to the movies on Christmas day but we were having so much fun that we decided to skip them.

The anticipation is killing us!

This one of them hugging had to be posted for posterity. :)

Mediterranean trip

2009-11-26T16:36:00.000-08:00

I can't figure out how blogger is doing their picture posts anymore, but when I do, I will comment on these photos. This was an amazing trip, once in a lifetime, and we learned so much. We came back with a whole new appreciation for our country.

Happy birthday to everyones favorite sister! We love you!

2009-11-01T18:39:00.000-08:00

Slippers to church?

2009-11-01T16:58:00.000-08:00

As we pulled into the parking lot of the church this morning, Madison exclaimed "Oh my gosh I'm wearing dads slippers!". She was wearing them around the house all morning and forgot to change them for church. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt, what a nice way to start a Sunday.

Boo Bash

2009-10-23T17:59:00.000-07:00

We had fun at the Ferson Creek annual Halloween party.

Maddie, sans costume because she's much too old for that, and her friend Leta.

Olivia the monkey, Rylee the banana and Mckenzie the other monkey.

Ryry, Olivia and McKenzie take dance class together every Friday and used parts of what they've learned there to shake their stuff for the boo bash dance contest. They had some really cute moves and did a great job. I also did a great job in pulling off a costume overhall when Ry decided last minute that she didn't want to be a monkey (or didn't like the way the costume looked on her). I was pleasantly surprised that Halloween Superstore had banana costumes in stock.

Harvest Banner

2009-10-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

I'm loving all the "Happy Birthday" banners I've seen lately with really cute fabric and wanted to make a fall one with burlap. I loved them so much I made about 15 to sell at a craft show a few weeks ago (some say 'give thanks') and a grand total of 1 sold. Hmmm....maybe it's just me who thinks they're cute!

Surprise!

2009-10-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

Steve had a fun surprise planned for the girls (Makayla too) when they got home from school. He blind folded them and drove around for a while, taking all kinds of wrong turns and had the girls guess where they thought they were. They ended up at the bowling alley, Steve's favorite place lately. Good times.

Madsters

2009-10-07T18:34:00.000-07:00

Madison is such a beauty I had to take these pics of her. It's hard to believe she's had her braces on for almost one year and has just 6 months to go.

Dinner compliments of Steve

2009-10-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

Steve made (and photographed, which I thought was so cute!) these delicious cucumber rolls.

I forgot the name of this salad but it was delicious. And so colorful. We had the elders over and even they liked it.

Ryry with contacts

2009-09-26T18:17:00.000-07:00

This is me without glasses. I was with my friend Mackenzie at her brothers football game. I had a lot of fun dressing up for his home coming game!!! I got contacts, but I don't wear them all the time because they bother my eyes and they are hard to put in.

Signed, Rylee

Est. pillow

2009-09-15T18:41:00.000-07:00

All credit goes to Annie for the fab design of this pillow (I totally copied her) and I love how this turned out. I have a facisnation with burlap lately, really I'm loving all kinds of different organic material lately. I got a new sewing machine last week on Costco.com and it's really easy to use, Rylee even made a few things for me (craft show).

Ed Debevik's and Mary Poopins

2009-09-06T18:50:00.000-07:00

My baby is 11!

2009-06-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

I remember thinking that when I have an 11 year old - a middle schooler- then I will be old. I think I thought that about the time Rylee was a toddler. I'M OLD!

We took Mads to Jamba Juice for a little BK. I let her get a juice, oatmeal (It's so yummy, it's like a treat) and the yogurt parfait. Here's to splurging!

I'm not sure what this face was for, but alas, it's her party and she'll cry if she wants too!

Madison has changed SO much in the last few weeks, it's crazy. She has become such a sweet, thoughtful young lady who is so beautiful on the inside and out. More on this later...

Swimming

2009-06-22T18:07:00.000-07:00

The girls took swim lessons daily for 3 weeks at the high school here. They are amazing swimmers! In order to pass level 7 (the next level is swim team) they had to swim a 500! That is TWENTY laps! I'm lucky if I can go there and back and don't die.

All Done!

Last day of school!

2009-06-11T17:37:00.000-07:00

I may be just as excited as the girls for school to get out. That darned homework is killing us all slowly. Madison had ISAT's (statewide testing) towards the end of the year and it added 1.5 hours of homework to the already 1.5 she had. Whew.....

I made these for the teachers. While neither of their teachers were warm and fuzzy like we're use to, they turned out ok and most importantly the girls got a good education this year.

Madison was perturbed that I was taking her picture, again. Can you tell?

Someday Madison, you're going to be ticked that I don't have more last/first day pictures of you.

Around the world in 3rd grade

2009-06-09T17:57:00.000-07:00

I thought this was such a great idea - Each classroom was decorated like a particular country, had various different kinds of authentic food from that country and the kids watched a short video about it. I made enough rice pudding for 180 kids and about 140 of them said "Ewww, that looks like oatmeal" as they passed right by their cup. It was actually very delicious so their loss. :)

Rylee in her tourist hat signed by her classmate. Rice pudding in background.

Happy Birthday to you, happy birtday to Stevie

2009-06-01T17:50:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Steve's 29th b-day by watching a solo fashion show with his new birtday clothes.

Apparently this is Steve's go to pose. He had a picture like this one on Teisha fridge for about 3 years!

This one's for Kara!

2009-04-29T16:59:00.000-07:00

I'm terribly sorry to admit this but one of the funniest things I've ever witnessed was Kara tripping over something on the sidewalk near Michigan Ave in Chicago. I'm sure it was one of those situations where you had to be there, but she was all dressed up, looking SO very cute and stylish (I think she was wearing heals and fish-net tights) and out of nowhere, pulled this Superman stunt and ended up facedown on the sidewalk. She promptly stood up and brushed herself off while her loving aunt was busting up laughing on the ground. When we got home later she showed me her knees covered in bruises. So, in memory of Kara's fall, Ry and Ash had to show their condolences in the same spot. WE LOVE YOU KARA!

Updating

2009-04-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

The harassment can end now! I'm still updating but I pinky promise I will be finished by Friday the 1st. Promise.

Yet another trip to American Girl!

2009-04-28T12:02:00.001-07:00

Cheers!

Ashley, in awe of her very cute food, the "All American picnic lunch".

Love all the cute colors on the tables.

Spring has sprung, for the day anyway...

2009-04-20T12:51:00.000-07:00

We had beautiful weather today and had to take the guniea pigs out for a little vitamin C, really, they need daily doses of it either in their water or from the sun.

This may be one of my favorite pictures, Season has taught her kids to pose well!

Sadee is so cute with the piggies, Zowee would like to have them for lunch. (Which is why she's not pictured)

Ryry could swing all day long if she had the chance.

I let the girls use the camera while I went inside a bit and this is what I find. Wonder how the conversation went?

Shaving cream fun!

2009-04-18T12:45:00.000-07:00

'Cause what else do you do on a Saturday afternoon? I'm just glad Steve only had 2 cans of shaving cream left, and one was a travel size.

Ashley's here!

2009-04-16T10:44:00.000-07:00

Ashley has come to stay with us for a few months and to say we are excited to have her is the understatement of the year! The girls have always been close (especially Ry and Ash) and have missed her so much over the years, and personally I have always dreamed of them going to the same school, same sports teams etc. She flew here by herself (she was so brave on the plane) and will go home sometime in June after school/softball/theater class is done.

Her bedroom door. The girls have sleeping arrangements planned, Mads and Ry get to trade off sleeping with Ash each night. That girl should feel loved!

Before school. Ashley got the same teacher as our next door neighbor (and friend) Mr. D, who I hear is THE teacher to get!

Making milkshakes for FHE

Our newest family member, Beckett

2009-04-02T17:48:00.000-07:00

Beckett was born on April 2 (kinda a joke cause Mike really wanted him born on his birthday, which is the 1st). We are so proud of Sage and her successful VBAC. We can't wait to meet this little guy.

Look at the two of them smiling! Since when does a 1 month old baby smile? Porter is such a proud big brother!

I love, love this picture! He looks like a little pea pod. ;) Sage is a very talented photog.

Carribean Cruise

2009-03-30T10:18:00.000-07:00

Miami- before we set sail. I love me some palm trees.

The turtle farm in Grand Cayman. They were so funny, they would violently flap their little legs unless you would rub them on their belly.

Happy 9th Ryry!

2009-01-24T15:17:00.000-08:00

I know people say this all the time, but I really mean it when I say I cannot believe my baby is 9 years old! She is such a joy and brings so much happiness to our family.

This is how I still see her, 5 years old with all baby teeth!

We had one heck of a birthday party, it couldn't get much girlyer...is that a word? Madison and friends painted nails and did makeup, I helped the girls bedazzle some skirt purses and of course had ice cream in the parlor.

Next year we will find an off-site location for sure!

Rylee's playing basketball!

2008-12-20T10:43:00.000-08:00

I must admit that I am now pleased that the girls can't play softball year round, because it forced us to sign Ry up for basketball. As usual, she had an amazing (short lived) season of b-ball even though she had never played. Even though she has decided this isn't her sport, I'm happy she has another skill to add to her repretoire.

Ry, making the last shot of the game.

I love this picture I took in action mode. :) (see the girl in the green?)

Playdough

2008-12-17T09:39:00.000-08:00

Told you, lots of activities for the wee ones. Notice the sunshine and flowers? Wishful thinking!

A common expression from Rylee these days. Makayla sporten the Illinois state shirt.

Gingerbread house attempt

2008-12-15T09:26:00.000-08:00

With a winter like the one we've been having, one must plan plenty of indoor activities for the wee ones. I actually had every intention to bake REAL gingerbread but spent a good part of my day shoveling instead. Next year, for sure.

The before shot

And after!

After asking the kids (all 3 of them) to clean up the floor, they decided this would be the most efficient way to do it.

Should have bought this kit from 2003! Look at my babies hugging, that's right, they use to love each other. :)

Decorating our very dangerous tree

2008-12-11T11:06:00.000-08:00

Note to self for next year: DO NOT buy an austian pine tree for your Christmas tree. Yes, it may look very pretty but can cause some serious pain while decorating and probably won't create those warm, happy memories one usually has of decorating the family tree. Actually we all ended up on the floor laughing because it was so comical and needless to say, the tree got about half decorated.

Steve, after bringing the tree inside before we wised up and got gloves.

Cuttin' down the tree

2008-12-10T10:28:00.000-08:00

Beehive Bash

2008-12-08T09:49:00.000-08:00

We had all the Beehives over so we could celebrate some birthdays with some games and ice cream. We all had so much fun, these girls truely amaze me every time I am with them. They are so kind to one another despite their differences and the fact that only 2 of the 12 go to the same school. A few Sundays back I was teaching one part of my lesson which suggested several ways we can study our scriptures better. I asked the girls how they can make sure they fit a few verses in on their very busy days and one of the girls told us that that wouldn't be a problem, she reads 1-2 chapters nightly and then proceeds to summerize what she learned with a 1-page essay! These girls really put me to shame!

Corinne, Ali, Me, Annika, Kelsy and Brooklyn.

Playing Scrabble

This game is so funny! The girls don't know what the picture is that they are wearing on their heads is and they have to guess based on some clues. Madison and Rylee loved playing with the Beehives too.

Sister Julie Koch playing Apples to Apples with some of the girls.

It's okay to have a few favorites right? If so, then Alison (facing camera in blue) is one of mine!

The grand finale...ice cream sundaes in the parlor. I'm lovin' these girls . ;)

Sledding in the backyard

2008-12-04T10:20:00.001-08:00

2008-12-02T18:58:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving dinner

2008-11-28T17:52:00.000-08:00

the Pierce's fabulous totally from scratch stuffing

We have been using this tablecloth (a.k.a bed sheet) for 6 years now. If you can't see, we each make a turkey out of our hand (classic nursery tactic) with permanant marker and list the things we are grateful for in the fingers. It's fun to see how things change.

down-town Chicago

2008-11-26T17:47:00.000-08:00

I love this city! I remember taking those fun little quizzes my friends gave me when we were younger about who we wanted to marry, where we wanted to live, etc. One of the questions was "Do you want to live on a beach, on a mountain, in the country or in the city?" I would always answer in the city and now as a big girl I would choose the city of Chicago! It's got that big city vibe like NYC, only much cleaner and not so overwhelming. Anyway, we had the chance to go see 'Wicked' and jumped at it. I saw it with Maddie a fews years ago it Dallas, but this performance was much more broadway style. Steve was so nice to take Porter home with him so we could see it. It was fun to see it through Karas eyes, who is also a big city girl and quite the shopper!

cute cousins

We all laughed hard at these smart pigions warming up by the fire. Too bad they don't have a fire pit for the humans.

Ford Center for the Performing arts

girls will play while their mommy's away

2008-11-20T17:00:00.000-08:00

Here is a small (very) sample of the pictures I found on my camera. I wasn't away too long, just upstairs folding laundry. My budding photog Madison used mucho creativity posing her little models!

Makayla (next door neighbor and girls bff), mummified.

Not sure what this pose is all about?

Makayla catching some air...on the couch we don't jump on!

Their version of "Big" the movie (totally dates me). Totally confused about what happened and why their clothes are too big/small! So cute

Basement Phase 2 & 3

2008-11-14T18:55:00.000-08:00

Notice the long stone on the far right tilting down? They didn't mention in the mag that I needed a level....Also what you can't see behind the scratch coat is the electrical outlet I accidently covered up. Oops.

We (okay, I) saw a picture of a stone fireplace in a DIY magazine and thought it would be SO easy to do. Why do they do that? We drove up to Wisconsin on a Friday to get this stone from a one-man stone veneer manufacturing plant (we saved a ton of money this way) and planned to complete the wall on Saturday. Well, if you will notice in this first picture it's daylight and in the second, pitch black. I finally quit at 9pm, resolved to get help! It was actually a great experience and brought me a whole new appreciation for masonry. Back in the day when I would play Tetris, I would close my eyes at night and would see little Tetris pieces and would place them where they fit. After putting this rock puzzle together (as far as I did) I did the same thing at night!

Family room

Family/playroom looking into bar/parlor area

Workout room. Steve and I debated heavily on what color to paint this room. I thought it should be red - energizing and motivating, right? Steve insisted blue would be a better choice because it's soothing and would encourage one to stay longer. Personal preferences aside, we googled "what color to paint our workout room?" and tallied the results. The winner? Orange!

Theater room. We had this half wall removed, thanks to the advise of my VT's!

Basement Phase 1

2008-11-14T18:47:00.000-08:00

We were lucky enough to find a house with a deep pour, walk out basement - unfinished - and ready for our finishing! Start to finish took about 2.5 months.

The soon to be ice cream parlor

Maddie, hard at work on the ladder

Sadee & Zowee

2008-11-14T18:34:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how Sadee and Zowee have escaped our blog thus far????!!! They are such a huge part of our family (the girls refer to them as their sisters) and we love them so much! We adopted them on Jan 8 of 2007, the day after Alex, our shar-pei passed away. The breeder told us they were both Yorkie-poos but our vet pretty much told us she was lying that they were in fact 'dorkie poos'! That's yorkie, poodle and daschund (strangest spelling ever). I guess that's what we get for meeting the breeder in the parking lot of a grocery store w/o mommie and daddy dogs. They are 100% lap dogs and both have perfect ears for Steve to pull. :)

Family pics

2008-11-14T18:18:00.001-08:00

The lovely Shannon Sewell took these of us while in Portland on vacation this past summer. I'm considering a few for Christmas cards but can't decide if they're too old. What do you think?

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

Every year the girls organize their loot and made trades. Poor Maddie had to give away anything chewy or sticky.

Madison and Josie decorating pumpkins

In Maddies classroom we had different stations set up for the kids to rotate through. I did this fun m&m game...the kids each had 2 cups and 20 m&m's that they had to suck with the straw and transfer to the other cup. First one w/all m&m's in cup #2 won a bag of m&m's. If they had extra time, I had them make different Halloween shapes with their candy. Madison won this round, but she may have had extra practice at home! Shhhhh...

Madison and school friends. I think it's so funny that she reverted back to being a bumble bee (she was one at 3 years old), but after seeing the costume at Target, that was it!

Rylee the magician on the schools parade route. I pity the kid who doesn't celebrate Halloween at this school!

Go girls, go girls!

2008-10-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

Mikayla, (our next door neighbor and instant best friend for both girls) Lexi (in Maddies class and girl scout troop) Madison and Rylee. Playing the audience.

I so wish I had a video of this, they were so funny! They were rockin out to Taylor Swift and would each take a turn being Taylor. 'Taylor' would walk past the crowd and give them high fives while they would screem at the top of their lungs "We love you Taylor!"

First day of school 2008

2008-09-16T19:02:00.000-07:00

Ferson Creek Elementary, here they come! After a less than exciting Back to School night, the girls were so excited for their first day of school. I was so nervous :[ for them (especially around lunch and recess time), but they met some friends right away and didn't have to eat/play alone! Steve and I walked them in to stand with their classmates on the playground and true to form, Steve starts the jokes and even throws out a few comments about the ferrets (their kid magnets) so the other kids would start talking to the girls! What a good daddy. As for me, I sat on the couch and watched soaps while eating Bon Bons. (do they even sell those things anymore, and if so, where??? Yes, I have looked for them.)

double trouble

2008-09-16T18:56:00.001-07:00

The best money we ever spent was the 'photo booth' option on our Mac. The girls and their friends spend hours being entertained by this thing!

Then, and now

2008-09-14T19:15:00.001-07:00

I am forever grateful to American Girl for helping to soften the moving blow! Both girls have always loved that place, especially the AG Chicago. I loved comparing these photos of the girls from our trip here in 2004 and now, in 2008.

Ok, Ok...

2008-09-14T16:13:00.000-07:00

To those of you threatening my person, I apologize for the delay in posting - you can call off the hit man cause here it is!

We have settled in quite nicely here in St. Charles. We've met some great neighbors and have such a great ward! The ENTIRE bishopric came to our house to meet us shortly after moving in. I think we've done more outdoors than we did in a whole year in Texas! Steve bought a canoe that we've taken to the Fox River a few times-it's only got 2 seats but Mads and Ry don't mind sitting on the bottom - they don't have to row that way! I'm still looking for those friendly mid-western folks I heard about before we moved here, so far, they seem more like New Yorkers (except our neighbors and ward).
From Rylee:
I like it here, not as much as Texas yet though. I have made a few good friends and am excited to make more. I'm scared because of the flooding. My friend Mckayla's back yard is flooded. I'm glad we got ferrets (in a high pitched, silly voice) they comfort me. I really like playing the violin. My teacher at school is really nice, her name is Mrs. Jonke, it rymes with Mrs. Donkey. Bye.
From Madison:
I wish we could move back to Texas.

4th of July

2008-07-04T16:16:00.000-07:00

Madison taking a picture of the firework with her cell phone to save as a screen saver!! (Yes, she does have a cell phone - I lost that battle and she and Steve won.)

For the fourth of July, and our 2nd day in St. Charles, we went to a beautiful park on the Fox River with a really funny name, Pottawatamie. We had a great time but missed being with our cousins/sisters as we have been for the past forever. Not pictured is the feast we brought with us from KFC - quite possibly the highlight of my night.

I'll be back soon!

2008-06-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

Teish has advised me to inform my faithful blog readers (all 5 of you) that I won't be posting for sometime (shocking, I know) due to our recent happenings! I'm sure Season will help me (force) when we're in Portland in July.

Happy 10th Birthday Mads!

2008-06-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

Maddie has always wanted to have a food fight (anyone want to volunteer their place?) but since her mean mommie won't let her, this is as close as she gets; spreading food all over her face.

Macy, Rylee, Adrian, Madison,Madison S., Arden, Haleigh

Mads and Macy

We took Madison and 5 of her best friends (Megan was out of town :() to the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine to celebrate her 10th birthday. What a great choice! I was a little worried after I had to take all 7 girls into Limited Too to get Madison a swimsuit (I think hers was packed). I felt like the queen ant with all her little ants scattering in different directions...Once back in the car I was a little (not much) more in control. The girls changed and went into the water park right away and didnt' stop until we forced them to take a break to eat pizza. We are not big fans of sleepover so much to Madison's dismay, Steve brought them home at 10pm and we spent the night (a very loud night) at the hotel. I am so grateful Madison has such fun, good friends to be with and I'm happy to report their were no girly fights. :) We love you baby!

Schools out pool party

2008-06-19T11:33:00.001-07:00

Megan, Macy, Taylor, Madison & Taylor

Emily, Taylor, Jenna, Amy, McKenna & Rylee

Macy, walking on water!!!!

Ouch!