New Years Eve

My parents came to AZ for New Years. My dad took us all to Paradise Bakery for dinner, yummmm!! After dinner we all went to Jess and Nichole's for Settlers and lots and lots of ice cream and cookies. We had a great time welcoming in the new year.

Christmas with the Davis Family

A couple of days after Christmas we drove to Merrietta, CA to stay with my brother Darren and his family. My mom and dad were there and then Daisy and her friend Dave came to visit the next day.

All of the kids had a huge slumber party in the family room. The next morning they all stayed in bed and watched a movie.


The kids always ask Grandma Jeri for breathe mints. Jayden still thinks they are a little too hot.


Grandma Jeri also brought little gifts for all of the kids.

My one year old nephew Ryder.

My four year old nephew Dennam has many fun faces.

Of course we played Settlers. Unfortunately I never won.

Daisy and Dave.

Darren worked real hard to make all of these blocks for his kids for Christmas. Sadie built this awesome tower by herself.

Dave is very good at acrobats and defeated Daisy on the trampoline.

Darren and the kids then had a great time.

Lazy Darren!

Christmas Morning

For the second year in a row we have had Christmas at David's parents house in CA. They are redoing the inside of their home; new paint, lighting, flooring, furniture, etc... They had already ripped out the carpet so Grandma was quick to find some rugs to make it more comfortable. We made do. It was nice to not have to worry about any spills on the carpet:)

Just like last year we shared Christmas morning with David's sister, Christine, and her family. My kids loved playing with Nathan and Sara. We had a great time.

Grandpa handed out all of the gifts. It's a Rich family tradition. I think he was overwhelmed with the duty this year:) There were a lot of gifts with 6 little kids. Since we all had to travel to CA we didn't buy any big gifts; just small ones.

Alison got some projects for Christmas this year. She received materials to make a fleece blanket and a regular blanket; that I will teach her how to make on the sewing machine. She also got some cross stitching materials. I'm trying to figure out what projects she might like. She loves to stay very busy doing all sorts of things.

Our family got "Wall-E" for Christmas and Jayden was VERY excited.

Jayden's excitement is very visable here. He got a "CARS" blanket, tent, sleepers, slippers, sleeping bag, and back packet. He was all set up with his favorite character and he was very pleased; as you can see.

All Sadie wanted for Christmas was Martian Matter. She gets to make all of her own little martians and she loves it. She especially loves to share it with others.

David's sister, Christine, and her husband Aaron in their Christmas morning attire:)

Emma loves to play with her little horses. She had asked for the miniture baby foals to go with the horses she already had. I went to buy them and they were gone. Thank goodness for the internet. I found some on-line and had them mailed to me.

Emma also loves stuffed animals that are realistic. She was so excited to get a tiger and a lepord. She now sleeps with them every night. Her huge stuffed horse has been shifted to the foot of her bed:)

Christmas Eve at Knott's Berry Farm

On Christmas Eve we surprised our kids and took them to Knott's Berry Farm with some of David's family. Our kids were super excited. Grandma and Grandpa Rich paid for all of the grand kids:) While we were in line to pay for ourselves someone came up to David and handed him two free tickets and said, "Merry Christmas." We were so happy and thankful for such nice people. We were hoping that by going on Christmas Eve the crowds would be light. It was also cold and threatening to rain, we just dressed warm and hoped for the best.

We spent the morning in Camp Snoopy. There weren't any lines and we even got to see Snoopy.



As the kids rode this fun ride one of them yelled out, "It tickles my tummy!" It is such a joy to watch smiles on kids faces.

Of course Jayden loved his ride in an airplane.

Emma was in heaven. She wasn't ready to ride any roller coasters, but she enjoyed everything else.

Alison and David went on a ride in Camp Snoopy called The Sidewinder. We thought it would be a mild kid ride. It ended up being quite intense and Alison closed her eyes to whole way. David even said, "Once was enough." The seat would spin as in went on the speedy track. David said it threw off ones equilibrium. I'm so glad I didn't take her. I would have probably gotten motion sick:(

Sadie enjoyed being with her cousin Sara. She loved running from ride to ride. Us adults loved that there were no lines.

Alison, Emma, and their cousin Nathan rode the swings three times in a row. They didn't even have to get out of their seats between turns. They squealed with delight.

This picture cracks me up. Alison is terrified and consentrating while trying to survive. She's braver than me, that's forsure. Her favorite ride was actually The Jaguar. I think she rode that 3 times.

Grandma Rich's favorite ride...an electric scooter. She was very happy.

Before the day was over we watched Snoopy on Ice. David, his dad, and my brother in-law, Aaron, rode the craziest ride called The Silverbullet, 3 times. Alison and I even rode The Log Ride; hoping we wouldn't get wet. Thank goodness we didn't. We all had a wonderful time and it never even rained. We had so much fun that we are hoping to go again next year with more of David's family.

Confessions - I Now Love Bananas

I haven't really been a banana lover before, but if I slather it with peanut butter and put chocolate chips across it I can eat one everyday. Hey, it has fruit, protien, and dessert all wrapped in one. I shouldn't tell you that I sometimes count this as my lunch, maybe too often actually.

My Good Girls

Emma and Sadie were both chosen by their teachers to attend the Royal Breakfast for this quarter. Alison was chosen last quarter. One or two students are chosen from each class who have done an excellent job.

This breakfast consists of donuts and orange juice. Of course my kids choose the chocolate covered ones. They take after their mother.

This is Emma's adorable teacher Mrs. Klontz and the other student that was chosen from her class.

After the sugary breakfast I helped in Sadie's class with their holiday party. MORE SUGAR! They made gingerbread houses.

This is Mrs. Weber, Sadie's teacher. Sadie is doing a great job in school.

Sadie's Reading!!!

On December 14th Sadie picked up a book called "Are You My Mother?" and read it. We were both surprised. Neither one of us knew that she could do that. She had a huge smile on her face and said, "I can read!!!" I love these milestones that kids reach and to see their excitement when they accomplish something so big.

One Thing I Love About AZ

The sunsets are to die for in AZ. I had just finished a photo shoot when I looked up at the sky and saw this. The sky looked like it was on fire.

Alison and Her Clarinet

This year, on top of learning the piano, Alison wanted to learn the clarinet. We were able to rent one for a very good price, so I said, "Go for it." I do have to admit that I make sure she practices the piano everyday, but I let her make her own choice with the clarinet. Therefore I never hear her practice:)

On Dec. 10th her school had a Christmas concert for us to enjoy.

Here she is warming up her instrument.


We all clapped when she was finished. She seems to really enjoy it. After the concert I asked her why I never hear her practice. She said, "I didn't want you to hear my songs before my concert." Wow, brilliant. I guess I have to attend every concert in order to hear her play and then I can't ever figure out which sound is hers.



Here she is with one of her best friends Peyton. Peyton plays the bells.