I know it has been a year since I have last posted anything but I just had to share these pictures. The kids were so good when I took these. Are they adorable!!

A fun March so far...

I figured it was about time that I post something. So much has happened in the last few weeks and I am disappointed in myself for not taking any pictures!

We headed out to Michigan during the first week in May. We had such a wonderful time and are already really missing the kids. This time we stayed at my mom and dads house. It was really nice to be there. It is just so relaxing for me there. I just let the kids run loose and they come see me when they are hungry or tired. Actually, it worked out great because I got a cold the third day into the trip and felt really bad. I cannot think of another circumstance that I would have been able just to lay around all day. It was really nice. We were really excited because we were able to make it for Madelynn's 8th birthday. With so many nieces and nephews, it's hard to make it to any parties. We were so happy. She is getting so big (My heart just aches talking about them). I just miss them so much!!!!! It was bittersweet leaving Michigan because we knew we were going to miss everyone so much but also really missed Robert. By the end of the trip the kids were starting to cry at the drop of a hat. I knew it was because the kids were missing their daddy.

This last weekend was pretty busy. Aubrey had her first soccer practice. It was only for 5 minutes because I got lost trying to find the field but it amazes me how positive Aubrey always is. It is just so easy to please her. She just melts my heart. Anyhow, she is so excited to be on the pink Dalmatians team. I look forward to seeing her in action. On Saturday Caleb had his first tball game. He was so nervous. He said that soccer was just so easy and that baseball is so difficult.He did great though. I'll get some pictures of his next game. That Saturday we went to a horse race up towards LA. It was an event for Rob's work. We had a blast. The kids liked seeing the horses and they won gift cards to Target. We even won an ipod! Robert was excited.

Sunday we went to Church for the first time in a few weeks! Yikes! When the kids woke up from their naps we picked Amy up and headed out to a movie with the kids. We had fun but the movie was a bit too scary. The review we looked at didn't disclose how intense "The Race to Witch Mountain" was. Caleb and Aubrey really enjoyed the time with the grown ups though. All in all, we had a great few weeks.

It has been a fun and crazy two weeks. Shaun and Melisa have moved to California and moved in with us for a month. It is going great! The kids are having a great time with their Aunt and Uncle. Melisa has been to Disneyland three times in nine days. She loves it just as much as her nieces and nephew. We are also really enjoying their dog Reagan. She is such a sweet dog.
Last weekend we all made it up to Big Bear to stay in our Aunt Kellie and Uncle Mike's cabin. It was wonderful. We met our cousins Jennifer, Cheyne and Caden. We really enjoyed their company. We went for dinner and sledding the next morning. Family is such a blessing.

Speaking of family, we head out to Michigan tomorrow night. We cannot wait! I feel like it has been so long since we have seen all of my nieces and nephews. I am having huge withdrawals. We are going to be staying for six days. I am excited we will be able to be there for Madelyn's birthday! It will be a fun and relaxing time. Melisa is coming with us and I am happy about that because Robert is staying in California. It will be nice to have the help on the plane. We will miss Robert though. He has planned a really busy schedule while we are gone to make the time go by faster.

We had a busy weekend. We went up to Studio City to see our friend Felisa's new apartment. It was really cute. She lives walking distance to fun shops and restaurants and she lives around the corner from the Brady Bunch house. We got to drive by it. How funny is that?! We spent the night in Simi Valley and went to Church with Rob and Leah. When we came home we had just enough time to hit the pool.

I am very excited to show a picture of Aubrey's new haircut! I have been wanting it cut for over a year now but Robert wanted to keep it long. Robert took Caleb to get his haircut this morning and Aubrey wanted to tag along (the hair dresser passes out suckers at the end). I was very surprised to see her new haircut and how beautiful her hair was.


We had a fun-filled weekend. Robert and I made last minute arrangements to go skiing in Big Bear. We have never skied together and it has been about ten years since either of us had skied at all. Our Aunt Meme graciously watched our kids. We left the house at 4am to beat the traffic, which I was very thankful for. Robert put chains on the tires for the first time and he did a great job. We were up there by 6am and just hung out and had breakfast waiting for the slopes to open. It was just breathtaking. They had gotten over four feet of snow in the past week. For those of you who haven't been to Big Bear, there is an amazing view of the forests and a beautiful lake from the top of the mountain. The skiing was unbelievable! I have never seen so much powder. Robert and I both felt like it was just yesterday we skied although our bodies said something totally different. We had only been on the slopes for two hours and my legs were exhausted. I found myself taking five of six breaks on the way down. What a great workout! It's a little different from the hills I am used to skiing back home in Michigan.

Since Robert and I managed to play in the snow on Saturday we decided to take the kids up to the snow on Sunday. They have been asking us for a month to take them to the mountains again. This time we went up to Mount Baldy. It is a smaller mountain then Big Bear but it is only 45 minutes from home. We meet Rob and Leah at the foot of the mountain and drove in one car. We had a lot of fun. Caleb loved the hills. He kept wanting to go on bigger and faster runs. Aubrey was very content sledding on a hill that was only two feet high.
Kylie went sledding a few times but was mostly interested in eating the snow!

This afternoon we were headed to the theater to watch a kids movie with Amy and Meme. We drove about twenty minutes to Irvine to the dollar theaters. Well, I guess everyone else had the same idea. There were two kids movies and they were both sold out. We were a bit bummed but improvised and rented The American Girl movie and had a pizza party on the floor. The kids had a blast. Kylie thought she was so cool sitting on the floor with the older kids. Amy suggested we take a picture of the adults joining in on the party so she was the photographer. We had fun. I think Robert was more into the movie than anyone!!!!

All in all, we had a wonderful weekend. We are just so blessed!!

A busy weekend

We had a fun filled weekend. On Friday our cousin Jennifer brought her son Caden to the park with our kids. It was warm winter day here. The kids loved the park in Irvine and we even got to have a picnic!
On Saturday, our friends from Arizona came and stayed the night. It was a last minute idea for them to come out and I cannot tell you how much the kids enjoyed them. This family, the Lemons, welcomed us immediately when we moved to Phoenix. They really helped the kids transition quickly. Laina is the oldest who is a sweet as can be. Cad is Caleb's age. They get along great. Mason is the youngest and is now old enough to really enjoy Kylie. They played all weekend. They got to go swimming and even braved the "cold pool". We went to the beach and chased the seagulls and ran as the water chased us. It was wonderful.








Here are a few pictures of Caleb's first baseball practice on Monday. He wanted to make sure I brought the camera because he wanted to show people how handsome he looked. He instantly made friends will all the boys. I think he is going to really enjoy baseball.


So yesterday, the kids and I went to play at the play area at Carl's Jr. ( a fast food restaurant). They love going to those places because they get to climb up really high. While I was busy with Kylie on the lower level, the kids were up top having fun. Well, I thought they were having fun. About fifteen minutes of playing, I heard Aubrey shouting, "Don't touch my brother. Stop! Stop!" I ran over to see three girls about Caleb's size pushing, punching and hitting him. I couldn't believe it. I yell out, "Knock it off! Caleb and Aubrey come down here!" The girls moms were outside of the play area not even paying attention. The girls stopped of course and my kids came right down. We left immediately. After hearing the entire story from the kids, I was pretty proud of my kids. I guess the girls didn't want a boy to pass to go down the slide. They told him if you come up here again, we are going to hurt you. Well, Caleb decided to challenge them and he went up again. Sure enough, they started to "pick" on him. I guess he let them do it for a minute and then pushed down "the leader" and then tried to get away. It was then that I heard Aubrey. I couldn't believe that hap pend. My favorite part of the story was what Caleb said when we got into the car. Will a lot of excitement he said, "I never had a chance to try out my muscles and I couldn't believe how strong I am. It was a good thing I didn't use my Batman moves on them our the would have really gotten hurt." I thought that was hysterical!!!

Bubble Party

We had a bubble party today. When Melisa was out visiting for Christmas, she helped me paint the kids room. I was a little nervous about the colors but I think it turned out great. Melisa sure has an eye for picking colors. Jeff, Amy's husband, put up the chair rail, which was so generous of him. I really think that made the room look beautiful but it didn't look like a kids room. Amy had the idea of the round stickers. The kids love it. We had so much fun putting them up. Now all we need is some blinds (I am going to miss the brown blanket) and the room will be complete. Now we just need do the other seven rooms in the house! One room at a time, right?

I am having fun with this blog creating the collages. The top one is of the kids and their cousins (the Troeger girls) at the tide pools in Laguna Beach this Jan. It was amazing to see God's creation of the underwater animals. Everyone really enjoyed looking at the starfish, splashing in the water and posing for the camera.

The bottom picture is from today. We went shopping for Caleb's baseball uniform and he couldn't wait to put it on. He wanted to wear them all day. He made sure that I took pictures of him so I can put it on the computer. The girls wanted to get in for some poses too.

Visit to the museum

The kids and I went to a children's museum in Pasadena. We had a great time. Kylie loved painting and all three of the kids loved the bikes. I really enjoy home schooling the kids because we can just pick up and go anywhere. Just this week we have been to Disneyland, the zoo and the museum. We could not be more blessed!!