Silly Gracie

Our silly dog thinks that she is human! I peeked out the window and look what I saw. Haha she was sitting so proper too. Gracie, you crack me up.

Let it Go

 Getting ready for Halloween over here! The girls have their costumes! They are pretty excited to be Anna and Elsa.

Garden Update

Here is an update from just 2 weeks in! Look at those green beans! I cannot wait to taste this yumminess.

Spicy Sasha

Jaida: Mom, take my picture and send it to Aunt Salsa and show her my pants.

Me: Aunt who?

Jaida: Aunt Salsa, you know like the spicy stuff!

hahaha thank you Aunt Sasha for giving her these adorable pants that she LOVES so much.

Black Tie with my love

One of the fun parts of Trent's job is that we get to go out on fancy dates to events like this. We were invited to the FUSD (Fresno Unified School District) annual black tie event. All in all it was a great night. We sat through a rather long presentation, but loved hearing the stories of so many people that have sacrificed so much to furthering education of children. We kind of like kids.
Dinner took a really long time to be served, but once it finally came it was SOOOOOO yummy! Grateful for times like this when I get to have time just me and Trent. I love you Pup.

Dance party

Sometimes you have to blast the soundtrack of FROZEN and "Let it GO" a little impromptu dance party. Family is everything.

Basil Brock

Of all my kids Brock has been the most interested in the garden we planted and checks in on it every single day. Our basil is going so fast. We decided to make some yummy marinara sauce and put it to good use. Brock was sure excited to be in charge of that task.

Life

 Trent went out of town and so Jaida and I decided to dig out the flower beds and plant some new flowers to cheer up our yard. It was a lot of work, but something that makes me smile every time I see it.

 Our reward was going to Chick-fil-A for dinner. Yummy! I love that place. I was grateful for very well behaved kids. In fact, a nice couple even stopped by and complimented how great my kids were being. I am grateful for people like that. Thank you for making a point to do that, because it totally made my night. Lets face it, it is a rare occasion that all 4 kids are on their best behavior all at the same time.

And I treated myself to a new haircut and some blonde highlights once Trent returned. I am so glad he came home. Life as a single parent is super hard. He is my strength and my energy boost. Love ya T.

My garden

 While my dad was here in town he helped me fulfill my dream for this backyard. He rented a huge rototiller and got the soil just right. We planted our seeds and boy was I surprised to see these just one week later! I couldn't believe my eyes. Yummy..I can't wait to try all this yummy stuff. We planted tomatoes, green beans, lettuce, spinach, carrots, beets, zucchini, and basil. I am so grateful that my dad came to help me do this. Not just because of the crop to come, but because I got to spend this time with my dad and it will be forever a time that I treasure with him.

My girls

 Everyday the girls love to go for our walk to pick up the boys from school. They love playing with their friends Robin and Cassidy. One thing that makes me laugh is that Jaida always says that they are safe from the bees in the shade because bees hate the shade. So they hide under this tree so that they don't get "attacked".

 This was a day at costco... not a super successful trip. Both girls were in tantrum- tear mode. Luckily they saved it until the very end.

 Here is a picture of Allie.. Pierce wanted me to take it because he was laughing that Allie looked like Malfoy in Harry Potter.

 Then of course Jaida had to have her picture taken too. She is pretty cute so I was ok with that.

 Here is another cute picture of my girls waiting for their boys.

Uh..Oh this girl is trouble! Someone learned how to pull a barstool over to the pantry to get herself a snack!
My favorite thing about these two girls right now is how much they truly love each other. I love seeing the joy on their faces when they are reunited. I love hearing them laugh and giggle together. I love that they can't get enough of each other. Love my girls.

a picture of me..just because

 In case you wanted to see what I looked like at this time in my life.. here you go. 31 has been good to me!

Grandparent Love

 Allie has a strange way of showing her affection for others. She piles them up with toys. Papa was a great sport and let her do her thing. She loves being with her papa.

Pierce was having a hard time accepting that Grammy was leaving. He decided that he was going to sleep right next to her. Grammy later told me that he held her hand all night and occasionally gave it a  squeeze to make sure she was still there. In the morning she had to wake up early to leave. He made sure to wake up and give her a hug and kiss goodbye. This kid sure loves his grammy.

Young Women

Being a Young Women President is a lot of work. I am often overwhelmed, not appreciated, tired, stressed, and feel like a failure. I think it is probably pretty common feelings. I am 100% sure I made my leaders feel these same thoughts. The truth is that makes me really sad. That makes me want to give them a big giant hug and say sorry. I HAD NO IDEA HOW HARD THIS CALLING COULD BE!!
Then there are times like this when every bad thought, every hard trial, every stressed moment disappears when you find this kind of stuff on your porch. Thank you for making me feel important, like you care, like I am making some kind of a difference. I love these girls with all my heart. I can't wait to see what they do with their lives. This calling has been a blessing too.

Happy 9th Birthday Pierce

 Pierce turned 9!! I can't believe he is so old! He was super lucky and got to have both Papa Russ and Grammy in town for his special day.

 He got spoiled with a BB gun, Batman costume, water bottle, legos, clothes and spy gear.

 Jaida was sure excited to celebrate her brother's birthday.

 Grammy and her grandkids.

 Pierce has been so excited to get this batman costume. He is really into batman lately. Here he is showing off his superhero skills.

 Pierce asked me to make him a batman cake. I am definitely not a cake professional, but luckily he isn't too picky!

 For his birthday he really wanted to have a couple of friends over for a little party. We obliged, but Pierce being the social butterfly that he is decided to invite a whole bunch of his friends! Ahhhh. Dad and Papa took them all to boomers for some gokart racing and mini-golf. They had a blast.

Then they cake back for pizza, cake and ice-cream. Pierce has been so lucky to have such a great group of friends.

 He invited his cousin Tyden, Ethan Jones, Jack Dockstader, and Grant Budge. There were a few who were unable to make it.

 Pierce.. I am so grateful that you were born. You made me a mom. You have given me 9 fabulous years of motherhood. Thank you for being such a kind, caring soul. You are always looking out for others and want to make people smile. I love you and can't wait to see what you become.