Daylen's Birthday

For Daylen's 5th birthday on June 11th we decided to try a new place for his party.  It's called Jump and Shout play center and it's right by the Scout shop at Mesa Riverview.  Well. . . the kids never knew the difference, but can I just say NIGHTMARE!  They were very understaffed that day and seemed to not be able to give us their full attention.  So our time in the party room was already disorganized.  When I scheduled the party they told me that 12 cupcakes would be included in the party and that I could bring my own in so we would have enough for the adults as long as they were store-bought.  So I got cupcakes from Sam's Club with cute little Spider-Man rings on top. As we were eating our pizza, the girl comes in and says she is really really sorry but that she had dropped our cupcakes all over the ground.  Uh. . . excuse me ? Are you kidding me??  So I calmly ask her where their cupcakes are and she says, "Oh, we didn't get any because we saw that you brought yours in so we didn't think we needed any."  Uh. .  . excuse me??  Are you kidding me??!!  There were about 4 that didn't hit the ground so we were able to use those while we waited for their manager to run to whatever local grocery store she could find and bring in some random cake that they had on hand.

  The cake wasn't bad other than it was still frozen in the middle. 

 It was a very frustrating party for me, but like I said, the kids had a blast and didn't even know there was ever a problem! 

So, for all my trouble, I ended up with a free pass to go back "anytime I want"! 

Um. . . excuse me?  Are you kidding me? 

(Yeah right, don't think I'll be going back there any time soon!)

It's Great to be 8!!

Look at this handsome kid!!

On February 1st, Tanner turned 8! He is growing up so fast and we are so proud of the young man he is becoming!! We have a rule in our family that you get a birthday party every year until you turn 8. Since that is the year you get baptized, you get to have a big family party/dinner after your baptism. Then you only get a party when you turn an even number after that. Tanner's birthday was on a Sunday this year, and since he wasn't having a party with friends this year, we took Tanner and his friend Jackson out on Saturday to get some lunch and play laser tag at Stratum with Dad, Addison, and Daylen. The next morning, he got to open his presents from Mom & Dad. . . new scriptures, and Grandma Webster. . .a CTR ring, a journal, and a savings bank with the 3 compartments for mission, tithing, and fun.

He is also wearing the new suit he got to wear to his baptism. He looks so sharp and grown-up in it! That night we had a cake with some family over and a couple more presents.


One of the most exciting presents came on Tuesday when Grandma Skousen came. . .

CUB SCOUT STUFF!! YAY!

Then on Saturday. . . Tanner got BAPTIZED!

It was a wonderful day and we all enjoyed being together for this special event for Tanner.

This was his invitation. .

. . . and I've been looking for the camera that has the pictures of his baptism day ever since I started this post back in March! Aaaaah! Well now it's June so I guess we'll have to post those later if we ever find them. Time to move on!

Catching Up

Okay, Okay I know. . . I am the biggest blog slacker ever!! I got so into this stuff and got some of you into this and then I just got so behind because I couldn't keep up with making sure I posted something about everything that was going on! So I just posted nothing!!! I just kept waiting till I had enough time to go back and catch up! There is some "perfectionistic" quality in me that won't let myself skip the last 4 months! So here goes. . . my attempt at catching up!!!

Sorry in advance if this is so long that you get bored!!

1st off was Addison's 10th Birthday!

Her birthday party was "oh, so fun"!! Everyone got to make their own necklace while the chocolate fountain got set up.

Then the girls got crazy with the chocolate and started painting it all over their faces! After we were able to pull ourselves away from the chocolate, Addison opened presents and then the girls rocked out and sang karaoke to Hannah Montana! Such FUN!!

Addison sure is growing up and becoming a young lady fast and not so much of a kid anymore. Kind of a bitter-sweet thing. It is so fun to see her grow and blossom but sad to see those days of childhood fading. Addison you are such a wonderful girl! You are so much fun and a great example to everyone around you! Dad & I are so proud of you and so blessed to have you as our daughter! We love you Addison!!

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Next, on to Halloween!!

Here's my Ninja, Gymnast & Power Ranger!!

And my little clown!

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Thanksgiving Pics!

Believe it or not. . . this was everyone that came to our house for Thanksgiving dinner!

Just us!

Cutest kids ever!!

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Now, on to Christmas!
The Sunday before Christmas the kids got to open new stuff to wear to church that day.

Addison got a red dress

Tanner & Daylen got matching red ties.

The rest of us just wore old stuff we had that was red.

The end result. . .

Not so bad for 4 months in a nutshell, huh?? Now I can move on and try to stay

caught up!!

AJ's 1st Birthday!

I can't even believe this beautiful baby girl is a year old already!! Avery's birthday was August 31st. I know, I know. . . I'm way behind on my posts. She has brought so much joy and happiness to our home. We have enjoyed her so much! This past year has just flown by. It's been so fun to watch how the other kids interact with her and really enjoy her too. Preston says that I got just what I wanted. . . one like me! She is a lot like me. . . you know, in that she loves to eat! Especially anything sweet! She is by far the chubbiest of all my babies. Such a cutie. We love you AJ!!

Licorice Monster

Ok, so this is what happens when the kids leave a whole bag of red vines out on the table where the baby can reach! Boy did she have fun. I had lots of fun too cleaning all the red splotches off the carpet!! Just look at this face!! What a cutie.

Oceanside, CA in August

Just wanted to share some pictures from our trip to Oceanside, CA. We went the first week of August, right before school started. It was a great way to end the summer and make it through that last week of kids being bored and ready to start school. The kids had a great time at the beach. We got Addison and Tanner little wetsuits so they wouldn't get cold in the water. They worked great. They both learned how to body-board and were able to ride those big waves all the way in to the shore! It was so fun to watch them. I spent most of my time on the beach under the umbrella watching Daylen play in the sand and shallow water. We put AJ in her exersaucer by me and she had a great time.

Daylen would sneak out into the shallow water and then when a wave came he would RUN back towards the beach before it could catch him! He did that over and over in between building sandcastles and playing with the other kids around.

One day Preston went down to San Diego to go scuba diving. So the kids and I went for a walk. We rented a "bicycle built for 5" and rode up and down the street that runs alongside the beach. We stopped and got some shaved ice and played at a park and then found a McDonalds right by the bike rental place to have lunch after we returned it. It was a fun way to pass the time without me worrying about watching all 4 kids at the beach by myself. Not to mention. . . it was a great work out since the kids couldn't really reach the pedals on their side!! It was all up to me. . . scary. This is where Avery liked to hang out any time we were in the condo. She would head right for the balcony if the sliding glass door was open and just watch the waves. It will be much easier to go with her when she is walking instead of crawling. She got so filthy and the sand would just stick to her hands.

On our way home, we stopped by the San Diego Temple. I had never actually been there, only seen it from the freeway. It was so beautiful and fun to stop and see it close up.

Joining the Masses

So I have finally joined the blogging world! It is fun and exciting to try something new. I am still working on getting some pictures posted. Hopefully soon. . .