I just entered the kids in the Gap Casting Call. I have been meaning to do this for years, but always miss the deadline! So, everyone please click here and search on the bottom left for member name mason030677. So far I have 4 pictures up (you are allowed 5) and each one is considered a separate entry - so vote for all of them! You can vote once every 24 hours, so i expect all my friends to vote every day (wink,wink).... Come on, help us get $1,000!
Oh and for those of you who would like to enter their kids as well - I'll make you a deal: if you vote for mine, I'll vote for yours! Let me know!
"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them." ~Desmond Tutu
Friday, September 25, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Silly Quotes
Brayden is growing up so fast, but sometimes some of the silliest questions come out of his little brain.
A couple of weeks ago, he noticed someone with a shaved head and a small braid at the back of his head. Brayden asks me, "Mom, why does that guy have a cord coming out of his head?" It was all I could do to not fall over laughing before I calmly explained that it was not a cord, it was a braid. Then he wanted to know why a man would have a braid!
Today at church we were listening to a beautiful duet by two of the sisters in the ward when out of the blue he asks, "Mommy, when I was born did you lick me clean?" After he asked the question, he realized how silly that sounded and started to giggle himself. Then he wanted to know who gave him a bath, etc, etc. How that thought entered his mind I'm not sure.
Anyway, Brayden starts his community day school this Wednesday, so I'll be sure to post "first day of school" pictures soon!
A couple of weeks ago, he noticed someone with a shaved head and a small braid at the back of his head. Brayden asks me, "Mom, why does that guy have a cord coming out of his head?" It was all I could do to not fall over laughing before I calmly explained that it was not a cord, it was a braid. Then he wanted to know why a man would have a braid!
Today at church we were listening to a beautiful duet by two of the sisters in the ward when out of the blue he asks, "Mommy, when I was born did you lick me clean?" After he asked the question, he realized how silly that sounded and started to giggle himself. Then he wanted to know who gave him a bath, etc, etc. How that thought entered his mind I'm not sure.
Anyway, Brayden starts his community day school this Wednesday, so I'll be sure to post "first day of school" pictures soon!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Summer Vacation!!!!
So we just returned from our summer vacation and boy are we all tired! First, we went to Utah to visit Mike, Melissa and the kids. We stopped in St. George and saw the Brigham Young Winter home and let the kids play at a park. There was a really nice park with some amazing water features that the kids were able to cool off in.


The kids were so excited to see their cousins! While we were there we went to the park and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire pit. There was a beautiful little creek where the kids, Mason and Mike went wading. Mason says that the water was really cold and his feet were numb almost instantly!


We also visited the ice caves near Paris, Idaho. On our way there it got really cloudy and started pouring rain. We were traveling along the mountain roads and we hit a hard BUMP! We looked at each other and the van seemed to be doing OK, so we continued on our way. Well, about 30 minutes later, our tire started shredding! So needless to say Mason and Mike had to go change the tire in the pouring rain. Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures of that. We did end up at the ice caves, though.

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Of course, we also spent a day in Salt Lake to visit Temple Square:
After Utah, we headed for Northern California. We stayed at our timeshare resort in Angel's Camp. It's a little mining town from the 1850's and it's super cute. Their claim to fame is a story by Mark Twain called "The Jumping Frog of Calveras County." Apparently, he used to love this area and stayed here often. That inspired a book, which in turn inspired an annual jumping frog contest! We were a couple of weeks late for the contest, but all the frog memorabilia around the city is really cute.
We also visited Big Trees State Park which was amazing! We were able to take a 1.3 mile hike along an accessible trail. The kids were exhausted, but we had fun and took some really cool pictures that I'm going to hang (someday when I get around to it).
The last day we went to Murphy's (about 10 minutes from where we were staying). It's another cute mining town with a lot of history. We did a self-guided walking tour and met the town burro named Clarissa - too funny! Afterwards, we went to the cutest ice-cream shop called The Peppermint Stick and had ice cream for lunch. Brayden thought that was the greatest thing and he's still talking about it: "Mom, remember when you let us have ice cream for lunch?"
Anyway, now onto the fall - school, work and hopefully some cooler weather soon!
The kids were so excited to see their cousins! While we were there we went to the park and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire pit. There was a beautiful little creek where the kids, Mason and Mike went wading. Mason says that the water was really cold and his feet were numb almost instantly!
We also visited the ice caves near Paris, Idaho. On our way there it got really cloudy and started pouring rain. We were traveling along the mountain roads and we hit a hard BUMP! We looked at each other and the van seemed to be doing OK, so we continued on our way. Well, about 30 minutes later, our tire started shredding! So needless to say Mason and Mike had to go change the tire in the pouring rain. Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures of that. We did end up at the ice caves, though.
Of course, we also spent a day in Salt Lake to visit Temple Square:
After Utah, we headed for Northern California. We stayed at our timeshare resort in Angel's Camp. It's a little mining town from the 1850's and it's super cute. Their claim to fame is a story by Mark Twain called "The Jumping Frog of Calveras County." Apparently, he used to love this area and stayed here often. That inspired a book, which in turn inspired an annual jumping frog contest! We were a couple of weeks late for the contest, but all the frog memorabilia around the city is really cute.
We also visited Big Trees State Park which was amazing! We were able to take a 1.3 mile hike along an accessible trail. The kids were exhausted, but we had fun and took some really cool pictures that I'm going to hang (someday when I get around to it).
The last day we went to Murphy's (about 10 minutes from where we were staying). It's another cute mining town with a lot of history. We did a self-guided walking tour and met the town burro named Clarissa - too funny! Afterwards, we went to the cutest ice-cream shop called The Peppermint Stick and had ice cream for lunch. Brayden thought that was the greatest thing and he's still talking about it: "Mom, remember when you let us have ice cream for lunch?"
Anyway, now onto the fall - school, work and hopefully some cooler weather soon!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
The Lazy Days of Summer -- Yeah, Right!
OK, so summer's here. We finally got a new camera!!!! Yay for both! Anyway, we have been super busy, as usual. Let's see....
Brayden graduated from preschool. That's right, he is officially a kindergartener. For those of you who didn't know, we are planning on homeschooling next year, so wish us luck. We are going through a charter program called k12. If you have never heard of it, or have ever considered homeschooling, check it out. It is an awesome program. Brayden can't wait because he will get his very own computer (given to borrow through the school).
Summer has just begun, so we have really only done a couple of things so far. Last week we went to the San Diego County Fair. We did all the classic fair stuff (rides, games, fair food) and had a ton of fun. Plus, it was $2 Tuesday, so the kids were free and we got in for $2. About half of the concessions had $2 "taste of the fair" samples, so we didn't even have to make a choice for food. Instead, we snacked all day on "smaller" samples. Of course, fair food is always enormous, so they were really just regular sized portions of chili cheese fries, BBQ sandwiches (OK these were small), cinnamon rolls, etc. We had a blast, and of course despite the discount day, we spent WAY more than planned - but who doesn't need a new iron?
The other thing keeping us busy for a while is t-ball. This is Brayden's first year, and he seems to be really enjoying it. Most of the games are in the evenings, so it's not too hot and he seems to be doing pretty well (for his first time anyway). He is on the Rockies and naturally their colors are purple, black and gray.
Anyway, stay tuned (now that we have the new camera and all) for more updates through the summer!
Brayden graduated from preschool. That's right, he is officially a kindergartener. For those of you who didn't know, we are planning on homeschooling next year, so wish us luck. We are going through a charter program called k12. If you have never heard of it, or have ever considered homeschooling, check it out. It is an awesome program. Brayden can't wait because he will get his very own computer (given to borrow through the school).
Summer has just begun, so we have really only done a couple of things so far. Last week we went to the San Diego County Fair. We did all the classic fair stuff (rides, games, fair food) and had a ton of fun. Plus, it was $2 Tuesday, so the kids were free and we got in for $2. About half of the concessions had $2 "taste of the fair" samples, so we didn't even have to make a choice for food. Instead, we snacked all day on "smaller" samples. Of course, fair food is always enormous, so they were really just regular sized portions of chili cheese fries, BBQ sandwiches (OK these were small), cinnamon rolls, etc. We had a blast, and of course despite the discount day, we spent WAY more than planned - but who doesn't need a new iron?
The other thing keeping us busy for a while is t-ball. This is Brayden's first year, and he seems to be really enjoying it. Most of the games are in the evenings, so it's not too hot and he seems to be doing pretty well (for his first time anyway). He is on the Rockies and naturally their colors are purple, black and gray.
Anyway, stay tuned (now that we have the new camera and all) for more updates through the summer!
Friday, May 15, 2009
I love it!
I love it when kids are learning to speak and they make silly little mistakes in their English. The other day McKenzie looked up in my closet and wanted to know why her clothes were in my closet. I asked her, "What clothes are in there?" and she responds, "Well, it's not clothes...it's just one cloe" So, cloe is one piece of clothing and clothes are two? I was laughing so hard it was hard to try and explain that cloe isn't a word for one article of clothing.
Then this morning I was listening to the kids play in the next room. McKenzie (again) says, "Ladies and Gentlemen...Boys and Girls...Welcome to the flableelus tunnel!" And she kept saying "flableelus" all day long! It was so cute, I couldn't correct her. When I asked her where she learned that word, she said she had heard it from Brayden, of course. I must have missed that part of the conversation.
Anyway, hope everyone has a "flableelus" day!
Then this morning I was listening to the kids play in the next room. McKenzie (again) says, "Ladies and Gentlemen...Boys and Girls...Welcome to the flableelus tunnel!" And she kept saying "flableelus" all day long! It was so cute, I couldn't correct her. When I asked her where she learned that word, she said she had heard it from Brayden, of course. I must have missed that part of the conversation.
Anyway, hope everyone has a "flableelus" day!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Messy Buns
OK, so I am on this new shift at work which keeps me there until 1 in the morning. Basically, that means that I have TONS of time to sit and do nothing on the internet. For the past couple of days I have been looking at various hair blogs (thanks Augustina!) and getting some really cute, simple ideas to do McKenzie's hair. Today, I decided to just be quick and put two little messy buns in her hair. We looked in the mirror and I commented on how cute she was...
Well, McKenzie was having none of that. She promptly burst into tears and hid behind a towel on the floor! She kept saying that she didn't want to be cute, that she wanted to be pretty! I was actually kind of hurt, because it was so quick and easy and looked so darn cute. Why do girls have to be so picky?!
Well, McKenzie was having none of that. She promptly burst into tears and hid behind a towel on the floor! She kept saying that she didn't want to be cute, that she wanted to be pretty! I was actually kind of hurt, because it was so quick and easy and looked so darn cute. Why do girls have to be so picky?!
Happy Mother's Day!!!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Playing Catch-Up.
So, we still can't find the camera, but I have LOTS of pictures on my phone! So we're going to play catch up. Here are some of the things that we did in March and April....
To start with, Mason and I went to Disneyland for our birthdays. That's right - just us without the kids! It was nice being able to go on the "big" rides and not have to worry about the kids fighting over what we were going to do next. While we were there, we got our annual passes and put them on the new payment plan for socal residents. How cool is it that you can go to Disneyland all year long for only $20 per month for four people?! Anyway, Brayden and McKenzie stayed with our friends, and this is what they looked like on the way home:



To start with, Mason and I went to Disneyland for our birthdays. That's right - just us without the kids! It was nice being able to go on the "big" rides and not have to worry about the kids fighting over what we were going to do next. While we were there, we got our annual passes and put them on the new payment plan for socal residents. How cool is it that you can go to Disneyland all year long for only $20 per month for four people?! Anyway, Brayden and McKenzie stayed with our friends, and this is what they looked like on the way home:
After Disneyland, we all had a minivacation. We went to Las Vegas for a business trade show and had some fun while we were there. On our way, we visited a ghost town. In Vegas, we went swimming in the lazy river pool, played on the playground, saw the lions at the MGM grand, went to the m&m store, and to the Ethel M Chocolate Factory.
Then for McKenzie's birthday, we took her to Disneyland and let her do whatever she wanted. Most of those pictures are on a disposable camera that our friends the Coromandel's bought for us, so I'm going to get them developed soon. However, she wanted to dress up as Aurora so I do have a picture here...it's a little grainy. We let McKenzie pick all of our rides and activities for the day and we had a blast. For dinner, we ate at Ariel's Grotto with the princesses. We met Cinderella, Ariel, Aurora, and Snow White. They placed us at the first table, so they all came and told McKenzie happy birthday before they saw anyone else! It was super expensive, so it will probably only happen once or twice in a lifetime, but the food was fabulous and our little princess had a 3rd birthday to remember (we hope).
OK. Now onto Easter. My Dad, Corinne, Amber and Mindy all came down from Northern CA to visit. We haven't seen them since the previous summer, so we were really excited! We went to Belmont Park and had a nice Easter Dinner. Even my Grandpa and his wife, Alice, came to join in the fun!
Monday, March 2, 2009
They're Growing Up (sniff, sniff)
So, we lost our camera and can't find it ANYWHERE! I am now resorting to using my phone, and thanks to my wonderful brother in law (thank you Mike), I have a way to transfer the pics/videos to the computer. So you'll have to forgive the 2mp pictures that are to follow, but they are better than none at all, I'd say.
Anyway, onto the title of my story today. Brayden is now 5, for those of you who didn't know. I would've posted birthday pictures, but I lost the camera a couple of days later. This week, he learned how to ride his bike without the training wheels! He was really scared at first, but his training wheel fell off and I told him that we weren't putting it back on. He cried and we put the bike away to go run errands. When we got home, he said, "Mom, I'm ready to try my bike now." So, we did and he got the hang of it in about 5 mins. Now, I can't get him off the bike and he keeps saying, "Thanks for letting me ride my bike without the training wheels!"
Now, McKenzie has also been suprising me. She has been begging for a bike since Brayden started riding his and then I remembered: Brayden got his (with trainging wheels) when he was three. Ohmygosh -- she's almost THREE?! Where did the time go? Of course, when I was taking video of Brayden, McKenzie also wanted a video, so here she is singing her ABC's.
Anyway, onto the title of my story today. Brayden is now 5, for those of you who didn't know. I would've posted birthday pictures, but I lost the camera a couple of days later. This week, he learned how to ride his bike without the training wheels! He was really scared at first, but his training wheel fell off and I told him that we weren't putting it back on. He cried and we put the bike away to go run errands. When we got home, he said, "Mom, I'm ready to try my bike now." So, we did and he got the hang of it in about 5 mins. Now, I can't get him off the bike and he keeps saying, "Thanks for letting me ride my bike without the training wheels!"
Now, McKenzie has also been suprising me. She has been begging for a bike since Brayden started riding his and then I remembered: Brayden got his (with trainging wheels) when he was three. Ohmygosh -- she's almost THREE?! Where did the time go? Of course, when I was taking video of Brayden, McKenzie also wanted a video, so here she is singing her ABC's.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Missionary Work and Modern Times
I was on LDS.org when I found the coolest thing: The Church now has a You Tube Channel! There is supposed to be a new message each week promoting the basic beliefs of the Church. Here it is:
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