Field Trip to the Zoo

 Before Christmas break, I got to chaperone Cheyanna's class field trip to the Phoenix Zoo!  I kind of hate chaperoning because I have to ride the bus, and I get motion sickness on the bus.  But the chance to spend a school day with one of the kids in a different environment is always fun.  There were so many parent volunteers for this trip that we had a nice, small group:  Cheyanna and her friend, Cassidy. 

C

 The girls loved this cactus slide! 

 These two girls were so cute and fun to hang out with.  My boys have always been in groups with a lot of boys, and those trips were a lot more active and stressful trying to keep track of everyone and keep all the boys under control. These girls were laid back, sweet, and easy going. 

 The petting zoo is always fun.  Out of all the animal exhibits, Cheyanna's favorite part was the flamingo exhibit. 

I love being able to go on field trips with the kids.  Being in school is busy for me sometimes, but I love that I'm still able to spend time with my kids, and do fun stuff with them, and be there for them when they need me, or want me.  For a few years, it seemed like there were endless field trips that my kids wanted me to go on, but now the older kids don't really have field trips any more, and it makes me appreciate that these days are numbered.  I have to enjoy each day that Cheyanna is in first grade, and each field trip I get to go on, because I know in a blink, it'll be over, and there won't be any more field trips to chaperone.  I'm suddenly reminded of the Billy Joel song, "These are the Times to Remember"   (:

Snow in Mesa!

 On Dec 30, I had a couple of friends from school over (and all their kiddos), and we were having fun talking and hanging out when Cheyanna came running in from the back yard saying that it was snowing!  I assured her it was not snowing (we live in Mesa and it never snows in Mesa, AZ!)  She insisted I come see the snow, so I looked out, and sure enough, it was snowing!!!

 Here's me getting some pix and video with my new phone!!

I don't know why my kids were wearing shorts and had bare feet while they were outside playing in the snow, but here you have it.  It snowed for about 5 minutes, and the kids loved every minute of it!  I wish I had gotten some pix of Rachel and Amy and their kids while they were here, but the snow was the big attraction and news of the day. 

Jumping

 My mom took these pix of Carson, Cheyanna, and Cade jumping on the trampoline. 

Christmas Day

 After the excitement of Christmas morning died down, we headed over to the Kendall's house for Christmas dinner and family time.  Megan and Jennie made a nice dinner (honeybaked ham and cheesy potatoes), and we had lots of pie!

Cheyanna LOVES her cousin, Grace.  Grace is the closest thing to a sister she has.  Grace and Cade are the same age, and Cheyanna looks up to Grace and loves to be around her.  

 The boys with Grandma at the Kendall's house.  The kids had so much fun making mini-movies with their cousin, Ashley.  It was nice to be around so much family on a special day. 

Christmas Morning

Here are some pictures from Christmas Morning 2010.  Cade got a Club Penguin Membership from Santa.

 Cheyanna got an alarm clock and a watch from Santa, and a new bed from Mom & Dad.

 Carson got Epic Mickey from Santa.

 Charlie got a new basketball from Santa. 

 Aunt Dina and Uncle Scott gave our kids each a Wii game and $100 bill!  They are super excited to have some cash to spend!

It was a great Christmas morning.  My mom was taking most of the pictures, and didn't manage to get into any of them.  It was nice to have a peaceful, pleasant morning of love and happiness. 

Christmas Eve

 We had a fun Christmas Eve with Chuck's parents, sister's family, and my mom.  Here's Chuck's sister, Megan, with her 5 kiddos and 3 of mine. 

 Cade and Cheyanna with their cousin, Blythe

 Charlie and his cousin, Cole.  Cole just turned 13, so these guys are now both 13 for a couple of months. 

 We had pizza for dinner, then did a little nativity with all the cousins.  Chuck read the narrative from the bible.  Here's Chuck with his mom, Jennie (aka Granny).

 Charlie was King Herod.

 Here's everyone dressed up.  Ashley was Mary, Cade was Joseph, Blythe was baby Jesus, Grace was a sheep, Cheyanna was an angel, Carson, Gavin, and Cole were shepherds. 

 Cade and Gavin

After the nativity, the kids did a fun/silly gift exchange.  Then the adults did a real gift exchange.
Then Granny made a fun treasure hunt for the kids, with new PJ's for everyone at the end.  Then we all watched Mr. Kreuger's Christmas (our family's tradition). It was a fun night with family!

Cade's Baseball Season

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 Cade played baseball in the fall, and he had a lot of fun!  It was great for him to be on the same team as his best friend, Hayden.  Cade improved a lot during the season, and he earned the game ball one game when he got a walk, a hit, and two runs. 

Here are the Roadrunners!  Cade is front and center, and Hayden is on the left. 

Gingerbread Houses

 We assembled gingerbread houses on Christmas Eve, which is always a fun and yummy activity! 

My Birthday

 It doesn't seem like turning 36 is something that should be celebrated, but then when I stop and think that my father never saw his 36th birthday, it changes my perspective.  Every year of life is a gift to be celebrated and be thankful for.  So I'm not celebrating getting older, but I'm celebrating the gift of life. 

 One thing I love about having my mom here is that she takes lots of pictures.  I think Carson and Cade look a lot alike in this picture. 

 Charlie is at a stage where he doesn't love getting his picture taken, but he'll tolerate it from Grandma.  (:

 My birthday is 3 days before Christmas, so it is a hectic time of year.  The benefit of having a birthday right around Christmas is that some people give me bigger, better gifts because they combine the two holidays into one big gift.  My Christmas/Birthday gift from my sister was a new front loading washer/dryer. I LOVE it!!  It fits bigger loads of clothes, uses less water, and my clothes feel softer and smell cleaner than they used to. 

My Birthday/Christmas gift from Chuck was a new cell phone, with texting and web capability.  It is a My Touch 4, and it is so great!  If you saw my old cell phone, you would understand what a huge upgrade this is!  Friends, text me anytime.  (:  Happy Birthday to me!