"Elroy the Elf"





So we had a delivery from the North Pole today. It was "The Elf on the Shelf". The kids were exstatic that an "Elf" from the North Pole actually came to our home. They had to give him a name and they chose the name Elroy. (a total elf name) He leaves every night and reports to old Saint Nick, but returns before the kids awake. The kids get up and search for him in the morning. He can't be touched or he'll lose his magic and he can't talk but he does listen. The kids were so cute about it and it's a great tradition to have every year. These are the things that make the spirit of Christmas come alive.

"Hum Bugs" Suck!!!

So for those of you who don't know I love, love, love Christmas. I love the trees, the smells, even the snow(in December), the gift giving, the food, the cozy fire, hot coco, wrapping paper, the parties, the lights....oh wait the lights! I don't have my lights this year.
And that's why I'm warning all, "Hum Bugs" suck.
I have a little story to vent about that nearly ruined the happy spirit of Christmas for me.
So it all started about 8 years ago when we bought our first house. I knew when I had my own home I (meaning Jason) would put up my all time favorite lights on our house, Clear C9 lights. Well after a lot of exploring I realize they are hard to come by, they are the first ones gone off the shelf. Year after year I searched as soon as all the Christmas stuff was put out. Well it wasn't until last year in our second home I finally succeeded. Yes! Yes! Yes!
Jason spent days putting them up just right to make me happy. I was like a little kid on Christmas morning. The house was decked out and I had waited years for it to look like that.
Well here's where the story turns. We sold our second house earlier this year and because of the snow we couldn't get the lights down, there was still plenty of ice and snow on the roof. So I asked the new owners ( who I politely let move in a week early) if we could get them sometime later because I had just purchased them and they were hard to find. She nicely said " sure that's fine, it's much too dangerous to get up there now." She even said she may just have her son take them down when the snow melts. We moved to our new house and carried on.
Well as life got busy and school started for the kids I didn't think too much about it. Come the beginning of November I start looking through my Christmas stuff getting all excited and realize, I don't have lights. So I don't have a phone # for them but I know the address (being that it was our house) So I sent a polite letter telling her I realized after looking at my Christmas decor I still hadn't picked up the lights and if it would be possible when convenient to pick them up. Normally I would have just said Oh well, no big deal, I'll get new ones. However in this situation we know how long it took me to get the first set of lights.
Well, I get a voicemail a few days later saying (in an I don't give a crap tone) ......."Sorry hun, my husband said your just gonna have to get new lights. If you wanted them you should've come and gotten them sooner. Hope you have a Happy Holiday!"
"*@*%@*" What! Who does that? We had an agreement. I was in tears. Those lights were more than just lights to me, they were a big part of my Christmas happiness.
My sweet hubby searched for lights for me everywhere. But, no luck! I guess I have another 8 years before I will have the lights that make me so happy like a kid on Christmas morning.
So the moral of the story is, there are a lot of "Hum Bugs" out there but don't let them take away your Christmas spirit!

Winter Family Pics!


Our good friend Kim did our pictures for us. She did such a great job and picked such an awesome location. Thanks Kim we really appreciate you taking time out of your day for us!
P.S. I love all the color editing you did.

Funny lil' Sasha! Short and Sweet!


This is what I will always remember about my kids being young.
They are so cute and carefree and I think I can learn a lot from them.
So if ya need a smile today, I know I can guarantee one after watching this!

Happy 8th Birthday my Kaili Girl!!

(Kaili's 4th Birthday, look
how sweet. Ku'uipo & Kaili)

Oh how fast you've grown!


So we celebrated Kaili's birthday a bit late due to our trip to Florida. She chose to have a bead party with some friends from school after we got home. They had fun making and designing their own jewelry, eating cupcakes, and lots of giggling.
It's hard to believe she is 8. I can still remember taking her home from the hospital, hearing her repeatedly saying "uh-oh", jumping off everything, and getting black eyes. She is such a good girl and we are so lucky to have her here in our lives. Happy birthday sweetheart, I love you!!

Family fun in Florida!!

FLORIDA!!

So I promised lots of pics from our fab trip. There are a lot but they're worth the time.
Just a quick list of what we did and why we were not bored once.
1. Check in and get the kids their last surprise, a convertible. (too bad it was freezing cold)
2. Meet my cousin Mike and his wife Amie at their house for talkin and yummy dinner. Thanks guys, it was so great catching up and too see your pretty house.
3.Meet up with some of our good friends and old next door neighbors, Jen, Ryan, and kiddies. We went to lunch and St. Augustine Beach. It was a blast, the kids were so excited to see each other. Thanks for showing us around. We love you guys!
4. Spent our first day at Disney World.
5. Headed to Key Largo to stay the night in the Hilton right on the beach. So beautiful, but freezin cold.
6. Went to the alligator farm. Jason was forced to overcome his fear of snakes thanks to his brothers volunteering him at the snake show.(paybacks gonna get ya)Rode the air boats and watched a man get the crap whacked out of him by an alligator.
7. Back to Disney World for Halloween Party with Mickey. (worth the extra money)
8. Attempted Daytona Beach. It was chilly.
9. Fly back home where I was really looking forward to relaxing and celebrating Kaili's 8th birthday! It was nice to get away and it was great to have Jason all to ourselves, but really there's no place like home.

We had a great time, but it's really great to be home. While we were out there hitting record lows since 1953, I heard of the weather here was 60-70. Nice!!

Disney World!


We are in Florida still, but I thought I'd share some pics of Disney World. We celebrated Halloween there. It was awesome and it was totally worth the extra money. We thought we'd get the girlies faces painted to match their costumes, however, Sasha didn't want to because she thought it would not come off. So check out her onry face. I will post more of our trip later. Enjoy!!!

Frightmares!!!!





We spent the day at Lagoon Frightmares. It was such perfect weather, not hot or cold, just jacket weather. The kids had a blast as always. It was just a warm up for our Halloween trip to Florida. Happy Halloween to all!!!

Best Birthday Present Ever!!!

Just want to send out a little congrats to my sister and her hubby. They both just had their bithdays and got a little "miracle". They are pregnant with their 5th baby. Yes 5th, cinco, # 5, 1 2 3 4 5, all fingers on one hand 5. I can't imagine being prego 5 times. The baby is due in June, but as we all know our babies don't like to stay inside for long. We are planning an April delivery. I am excited to have another baby in the family that I can play with when I want, then send it home so I can go to sleep like a normal person. (who am I kidding I've never slept like normal, I'm a mom.) Well if you want you can check out her blog from mine (Kevin & Stacie).
Congrats!! We love you guys!!!

Charity Ride!


We went on a charity ride this weekend. It was for an officer that had been shot a couple of months ago. A lot of people came to show their support. We had a lot of fun. We went with some friends and Jason's brother. The canyon was beautiful as always for this time of year. I just listened to my i Pod and danced like a dork as we cruised on through. Afterwards we had to take the kids to do something since they couldn't go, so we took them to Lagoon for the rest of the day with Jason's family. Fun! Fun! Fun!



Fall ball begins.




The girlies had their first game of the fall season. Just wanted to share photos of how cute they are. Be sure to check out the video's too.

Kaili's got skills!

This is Kaili's second year of softball and she loves it. She gets so excited for her games and she reminds me of her softball schedule. Today she got two hits and got three people out. She did such and awesome job. This is just a video of one of her hits. If you notice Sasha had just hit and is on first base. ( I know the shirt might be a little big but, she wouldn't let me tie it up.)

Cutest video ever!


This was Sasha's first softball game and she did so good. She hit the ball twice and was very helpful in the feild. But, she also did a lot of dancing, winking, twirling, and high kicks. This video is just a taste of what the whole game was like. I am so happy she liked it. At her first practice she said she never wanted to play again because she got hit in the ear with the ball, so to watch her be so happy was great!

School Days!

Oh life's rough!

Cutie Pies!

First Day of School!






So today my girlies started school. Kaili is older and wiser now being in 2nd grade and Sasha is as nervous as can be going to Kindergarten. Kaili loved it and is super excited to be back in school. I wish I could be like her and make friends so easy. Sasha on the other hand, didn't love it. She started off ok (probably because her cousin is in her class) but, later said she just wanted to go home ( look at her cute grumpy pics). I am so proud of them . They look so stinkin cute in their uniforms. I love them so much!

Boating!



Today we went boating with some of our friends. We had a blast. Kaili did so good on the tubes, she could stay on all day. My kids are such water bugs. Sasha really drove the boat while Kaili was tubing. Look at the picture, it's for real. Jason had so much fun having knee boarding wars with his friend. What a fun day, I'm sad summer is almost over. My family is so cute, I just had to share.

Summer Fun!

Uncle Corey and Girlies
Daddy and Kaili
My brave cuties!

Summer Fun!




Andy's Wedding




So we had one of our good friends join the married couples world this weekend. Jason and his Swat buddies wanted to show their support by wearing camo shorts and flip flops to this formal event. Everyone loved it and they got great feed back all night. We had a blast.

I surprised Jason and booked a room in Park City for the night. (no kids) It was a nice little break. Jason is so good to me and the girls. I am so lucky and I love him so much. I can't believe we have been together for 12 years, wow how time flies when your havin fun.

Yep, my baby turned 5 and will be starting kindergarten soon. She had a swimming party and a princess cake of course. She was so happy to spend it with her cousins and friends. Jason and I can't believe she is going to school already. She is growing up so fast. Happy Birthday Sasha!!

"The Gang"


My baby blowing out 5 whole candles!


Fun times at Lagoon!

Kaili has been begging us to go on the Skycoaster all summer so I finally got up the nerve to do it. For those who aren't familiar, let me explain. You get all harnessed up to be taken 150 feet in the air. Then you pull the dreadful cord that drops you (possibly to your death) and swing til you loose all your momentum.
So Jason, Kaili, and myself did it and we lived! Kaili has absolutely no fear. She was so much braver than I ever was and I'm not 7. I am so proud of her. I love that my kids aren't afraid to try new things. It was a great experience and Sasha can't wait til she's big enough to do it.

FAMILY