Raia Family

5k run

2011-04-09T23:39:00.000-07:00

Today I walked/ran a 5k. It was to support a great cause, The Prayer Child Foundation. My sister Kelli was in charge of the run. I initially signed up to support my sister and the foundation, but then got really excited about it. As I reflect back over the last 10 years of my life, this was a very big accomplishment for me. About 10 years ago I had some major health problems that have changed my health for good. I had a series of episodes that happen, for 10 1/2 weeks I could not walk on my right leg, had limited use of my right arm and had bells palsy in my face. I made it through the first episode and tried my best to stay positive. I was back on the road to recovery and then it happened again and this one lasted for 6 1/2 weeks. It was getting close to the holidays and it was really hard for me to get around. I was thinking at this point that this might be my way of life. I stayed strong and through physical therapy and many days of fasting and lots of prayers in my behalf, I started to get better. The doctors did many, many, many tests on me and came up with several different diagnosis. My neurologist told me I would not be able to have anymore kids. Much to our surprise, I once again proved the doctors wrong and have had two more amazing children. I live with pain throughout the whole side of my body on a daily basis, and get extreme migraines on a weekly basis. Today made me so thankful for the health that I do have. 10 years ago, I would not have even thought of doing a 5k. I completed it and didn't even come in last. Lol. I have such great friends and family that support me, even if they think I am crazy for doing these things. I am so grateful for such love and support around me.

Here I am crossing the finish line. It rained pretty good the whole run and made it really muddy, but it was fun. YAHOO!!!!! I did it.

Father's and Sons

2011-04-09T22:30:00.000-07:00

Frank and Andre decided to go on a Father's and Son's outing with our church. They went up to the Globe area. It rained pretty good the whole time and even started snowing on them today. They had a great time with each other. Here are some pictures from the campout.

Frank and Brooke go hiking

2011-04-06T23:52:00.000-07:00

Frank decided to take Brooke for a hike, just the two of them. Brooke has been wanting to go really bad and so her dad took her. She didn't have the right kind of shoes, so before they went on their hike, they went to get Brooke some new hiking shoes. She was so excited. They had a really fun time and Brooke actually hiked the whole way up the mountain. Last time we all went Frank and I both had to hold her at times. She is getting so big. Here are some fun pictures of their hike.

Here she is hiking up the mountain

Here is one of the many deer they saw while hiking.

Brooke and her Dad having fun.

The rainbow they saw as they were leaving to come home.

Day at the zoo

2011-03-12T22:33:00.000-08:00

My neighbor and friend, Sonja and her son went with us to the zoo today. We had a really good time. It was a beautiful day, not too hot. Here are some pictures of our fun adventure.

Here is Brooke and Cash riding on the camel. Brooke wasn't sure she wanted to ride it at first, even cried a little, but loved it in the end.

Here are all three kids having fun in the play area of the zoo. Brooke even ran into one of her friends from school.

Here are the girls are hanging with the Orangutan. They were having lots of fun.

Final fundraiser and bake sale for the Memorial Fund

2010-12-11T22:00:00.000-08:00

I have had so much help and support for this bake sale, it is unbelievable. We have had so many food donations and they have all been wonderful. We sold green chile burros and they were a hit. They sold out in less than a half an hour (I think almost 4 dozen burros). My sister Kelli made the meat and when she found out they sold out she went and got more meat for us to cook and deliver for the pre-sold dinner rush. I had a surprise visit from some friends we hadn't seen in a long while. It was so great to see them (I wish I had more time to sit and visit). Their whole family came to support us (speachless). There were so many people that helped me today that I can't thank everyone enough for all they did to help us out. I had two great friends that helped me in the kitchen baking and serving people all day long. I had many great friends and family members that came to purchase and support us. Just even the honks and the waves as people passed by really meant alot. We are finally done raising money and Mom can be buried and rest in peace. Well I say that with hesitation because we still don't have a signed death certificate from the doctors. Maybe by Monday (hopefully).

This is the setup that Frank and Susan Eck did. Thank you Susan for the canopy, signs and yummy, yummy food. You are amazing.

Ma's Memorial Service..

2010-12-04T15:53:00.000-08:00

Today has been an amazing day. We got to celebrate the life of our Mom (Victoria Raia) at a beautiful Memorial service. I am exhausted now that it is all over with, but we all held up pretty good today. Frank and I both spoke about his Mom's life and he did an amazing job of letting everyone know who she was. She was such a sweet lady. So kind and so giving. She never asked for things for herself (unless she was absolutely desperate). She gave to people and served people even when she didn't have anything to give. She was a great example to me and my family and we will miss having her around. The music and the speakers and the prayers were wonderful, everything just fit together like it was supposed to. We are so grateful for all of our family and friends and even our silent little angels that have helped us through all of this. Our ward did a wonderful luncheon for us after the services. It was excellent food and very nice that we could stay together as family and friends and talk. Thank you to the Val Vista Ward sisters.

Here is a picture of our family! From left to right Jack (brother in law), Sandy (sister) Kristen, Andre, Megan, Me, Frank and Brooke and Shelby in front.

Here we are!!

This is a picture of all the beautiful flowers that were at the Memorial service and luncheon. Thank you Val Vista Ward.

Our final goodbyes

2010-11-30T12:00:00.000-08:00

What a completely exhausting day this has been. We met Jack and Sandy at the Mortuary to say goodbye to Ma today. My friend Trudy came to stay with our daycare kids again, they love when she comes over. Thanks trudy!! I keep telling myself that I can't brake down and start crying now, I have too much to do for the Memorial service on Saturday. I held up pretty good and tried to be a great support for everyone else. It wasn't sad for me to see Ma today, maybe because I knew her spirit was gone and she just wasn't the same. It was sad to see Frank so upset and not be able to take the pain away from him. Everyone had a really hard time saying their final earthly goodbyes. Even though we know that we will see her again some day, it is still hard to let her go. We were so blessed to have her in our lives. It has been so hard for me to not feel like I need to rush off to see her or call to check on her. That really makes me sad. Below are some pictures that we took while we were there saying goodbye. I have cropped her out of the pictures, just didn't feel right about showing her.

Jack and Sandy

Sandy and Frank saying goodbye

All of us but Shelby. We felt like she was too young to be there.

The kids!!

The kids hands on the blanket that Grandma was covered up with.

A benefit bake sale for Grandma!!

2010-11-27T21:28:00.000-08:00

My friend Susan called me last night and told me her and her daughter Sophie wanted to do something to help us raise money for Franks Mom's burial fund. Sophie wanted to know if Brooke would help her do a lemonade and goodie stand today. I was delighted at the idea and I new that Brooke would be so excited to help. So we planned to do it at 8:30 in the morning. To our sad surprise she passed away in the wee morning this morning. After such an emotional morning, I wasn't sure how we could go on with the bake sale. We cancelled it and all fell asleep. Brooke woke up and told her Dad that we had to do the sale for Grandma. So I called and talked to Sophie and she said she still wanted to do it. Yeah!! Susan, the amazing person she is, not only brought Sophie over but she brought baked goodies a canopy, signs etc. I got busy making goodies and the day was very successful. It was alot of hard work but worth every minute of it. We had many people that came by and donated goodies and bought the goodies. At the end of the sale, our next door neighbors and great friends came over and made a very generous donation and bought out all the rest of the goodies. Thank you Craig and Sonja. We have had many wonderful calls, facebook notes etc. We are truely blessed with the people we have around us in our life. We could not ask for better family and friends. We are so grateful for the plan of salvation and the knowledge that we will see Vicki and everyone else some day. Thanks again for the amazing but sad day that we had.

Rest in Peace MA!! We love you!!

2010-11-27T21:02:00.000-08:00

Well, this morning was the morning of the dreaded call. Sandy called Frank and let him know that their Mom had passed away this morning. He woke me up after getting off the phone with her and let me know. It is such a bitter sweet moment. We are so glad for her that she is no longer suffering, but sad to let her go. Kristen and Megan came over and the two girls and Frank and I went to see her at the nursing home. I am glad we went to see her. It was nice to see her with such a peaceful look on her face. It was amazing to see her not suffering anymore, no more loud machines. Finally, no more pain!! It was really hard to leave her there, so we waited for the person from the mortuary to come and get her. When he arrived we asked him to give us a few more minutes with her. A half an hour later we were having a hard time pulling ourselves away from her. It has been a hard day physically and emotionally. We love you Ma.. We know we will see you again. What a grand reunion you must have had with all of your family. Your Mom and Dad, brother, son and family. They have been preparing for your return for some time. Rest in peace, you gave it a good fight and anyone that knows you is a better person for that.

Little Caesars Pizza kit fundraiser!!

2010-11-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

We did a Little Caesars Pizza fundraiser for Ma's Memorial Fund. Our goal was to sell atleast 100 kits and we made it. We sold 100 kits and made $500.00. Yeah!! We are so grateful to have such great friends and family. Frank helped the guy unload the kits and Trudy and I delivered for a while and Andre came home from school and took over the delivery. Our ward has been so amazing by helping us out in any way we need it. We are so blessed.

Christmas Tree for Grandma....

2010-11-16T20:07:00.000-08:00

Last night Brooke and I went to Big Lots and picked out a Christmas tree for Grandma Raia. We found the perfect tree and some beautiful ornaments. Brooke and I were talking about all the good times we have had, making Christmas ornaments with Grandma. Anyone that knows Vicki at all knows that she has made Christmas ornaments for years. She has made hundreds all year and if you helped her or just knew her, you were on the receiving end of the ornaments. She would not only give them to her friends and family, but she would make one for each of the doctor's office employee's, the whole fire department (if they had helped her), dentist office etc. She always remembered everyone. She was so amazing at making people feel special. This last year she wasn't able to make them anymore and that was a hard thing for her to accept. Brooke went over in July and they made some snowmen ornaments, these were her last ornaments made. Brooke and I had a great time remembering the fun, crafty side of Grandma. So tonight we met Jack and Sandy at the group home and Brooke decorated the Christmas tree. Ma was somewhat alert and when we walked in, Sandy told her Brooke was there and she said "Oh, my sweet, sweet Brooke". That made Brooke feel so special. While Brooke was decorating the tree, Grandma wanted to see it. So we held it up for her to see and then Brooke finished decorating it. When it was finished we showed her again and she was so happy. We know she won't be able to enjoy it for long, but we hope it makes her day a little brighter. We thought Ma had gone to sleep and Sandy and Jack and I were talking amongst ourselves and she pipes in with a funny. She never ceases to amaze me. It is sad to see her suffer.

A benefit garage sale for Frank's Mom

2010-11-06T15:07:00.000-07:00

We have been raising money for Frank's mom, for her burial fund. Today we finished the second day of our big garage sale. I wish I had pictures, I wasn't smart enough to take them though. Ugh!! I sent out a quick email to all the wonderful sister's in my ward asking if anyone was wanting to get rid of extra stuff, if they would donate it for our garage sale. The reply that I got was tremendous. We got so many donations, it was wonderful. We had the garage sale Friday and today and raised over $600.00. Between people donating their items and the cash donations, we have raised over $1500.00. It will take $7500.00 to bury Frank's Mom, so we are getting there. : ) We found out today that she has a small policy for $1000.00 and it is transferable to the mortuary we have pick to use. Now that brings our total to $2500.00. YEAH!! Every penny helps. We have a funeral service this Monday for a sweet, sweet 19 month old baby that passed away in our ward. The viewing is Sunday night. Her family is amazing and we love them so much. It has been a really sad couple of months. Next week about Wednesday I will be starting the Little Caesars Pizza kit fundraiser we will be doing next. We have been so blessed with such great friends and family around us. Our family has gotten so much closer from these experiences.

2010-10-31T23:50:00.000-07:00

Because Halloween was on Sunday this year we didn't do much on Halloween itself. Frank and I went to see Mom again and today wasn't so good for her either. We took the little girls to Kristen's work to show her them dressed up. After she got off work she came over and Frank, Kristen and I took Brooke and Shelby trick or treating at a few houses.

Kristen and Shelby

Brooke doing some trick or treating

Halloween 2010, night before

2010-10-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

Halloween this year has been hard to get into, with Mom being so sick. She has really good days and really bad days. We dressed the kids up really early and drove the 40 minutes to see her and show her the little girls outfits. We got to the hospice hospital and today was a really bad day. We couldn't even get her to wake up to look at the girls. They were really sad. Brooke spent many hours coloring pictures and drawing her own pictures to decorate Grandma's room. She loves Brookes pictures. Well, we stayed for a while and hoped she would wake up, but she didn't. So we were then off to the Halloween festivities.

Frank, Shelby and Brooke outside of the hospital, playing in the grass.

The girls resting after running around. Don't they look cute.

Frank and the girls passing out candy at our ward trunk or treat. This was a great way to take our minds off everything going on for a little while.

Brooke's school Monster Mash

2010-10-29T23:05:00.000-07:00

This is our first year going to the school Monster Mash. Brooke came home today from school and told us we had to go. We didn't even know what this was. It turns out that it was a dance. Frank and I took the two little girls and our friend Trudy and her two boys came too. As you can see in the pictures below, we had a blast. It was fun to see Frank have some fun with the girls. The music was so loud and it was a flashback to the 80's.

The school sign!!

Frank and Shelby dancing..

Brooke and Shelby dancing together. They had a blast.

All of us together

Our Final Goodbye. Rest in Peace..

2010-10-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

Today was the day that we went to the Mortuary to say our final goodbye's to Frank's Dad. It was good to see him again but sad that this was the last time we would see him on earth. We were there for about an hour and a half and it was really, really sad. We have all had a really hard day today, but I think it has been the hardest on Frank. The kids had a really hard time letting him go, it is heart breaking to see them so sad. What a wonderful reunion he must have had with his son, mother, father, brothers and sisters that have gone before him. Below is the obituary that I submitted to http://www.obituariesforangels.com/:

Anthony Frank Raia Sr.
Nov. 1, 1926 to Oct. 21. 2010

Our beloved father and grandfather. He is survived by Sandy Harmsen (daughter), Frank Raia (son) and Tawna Edgmon, Kristen Raia, Megan Raia, Andre Raia, Brooke Raia and Shelby Raia his grandchildren. He also had two great grandchildren. You are loved and will be missed. Dad was a WWII veteran and will be buried in the VA Cemetery in Phoenix, Arizona. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio and moved to Arizona and lived there for 38 years. Rest in peace.

Rest in Peace Tony, until we meet again!!

Grandma and the kids..

2010-10-22T22:56:00.000-07:00

Here is Kristen and Grandma Raia. She was having a good day today. She remembered who the kids were after they told her. She replied "Oh my grandkids"! :) She had lots of visitors today. Sandy and Tawna, Frank and I and our three oldest kids were there to spend time with her. We love her so much.

Here is Andre with Grandma Raia. As you can see, she is happy to take a picture. Monday they will be moving her from Trillium in Mesa to the Hospice facility in Scottsdale. We will see how that goes and how she likes it. We have decided that we will do comfort care with her, which means that they will do the things for her that she wants. She hasn't been eating or drinking much for three months and now she is off the IV, so the ball is in her court. I hope that she decides on her own to get better, we need her around for a lot longer.

Shock of the century

2010-10-21T21:56:00.000-07:00

Well, we have had a really shocking day today. I got a call today about 11:30 am from Frank telling me that his Dad was in full cardiac arrest and was being taken to Banner Baywood Hospital. By the time I pick up the kids from school at 12:30 the police had called me on my cell phone telling me to get my family to the emergency room. With that phone call, I knew right away that he was gone. I got the kids home, my friend Trudy came to watch the kids for me and we rushed to the hospital. The doctors informed us there that he had passed away and that he had died instantly. That was a relief, that he didn't have to suffer. They were never able to resesitate him. We knew he was sick with an infection, but nothing we thought he would die from. We had been so focused on and worried about Frank's Mom that we had no clue this was coming. Frank's sister Sandy and her husband Jack, along with Frank, Kristen, Megan, Andre and I got to spend a couple of hours with him in the emergency room after he passed. It was really sad, but great to see him. We knew we would be able to see him again at the Mortuary, so this was not our final goodbye. It makes me so sad to see Frank so upset. He is our Rock, I wish I knew how to take some of the pain away.

Here is a picture of the kids holding Grandpa's hand. This was very touching

Here is the rainbow that we saw when we left the hospital. He was letting us know he was ok. :)

A Visit with Frank's Mom.

2010-10-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

Today wasn't a very good day for Ma. She was really tired when we went in to see her. She didn't really eat or drink much today. Not enough to sustain life. Tomorrow is a new day, we will see how she does. Here is a picture of Frank and his Mom. He sure does love her.

Here I am with Ma. We even got her to smile a little bit. We love to visit her and I think she likes us to visit her too. Frank got to feed her dinner last night and that made them both very happy. We took her a kids meal from Sonic, with a diet coke (her favorite). She drank it and said "Umm, that is good"! What a treat it is to make her happy.

Brooke's 7th birthday

2010-10-08T20:15:00.000-07:00

Brooke had a Princess pamper party this year. She had 8 little girls over and they watched the Barbie and the Mermaid Tale movie and then enjoyed pizza and cake. The gift bags that the girls took home were filled with bath stuff, fingernail polish, lip gloss and princess stuff. It was all planned at the last second and we pulled it off. Thank goodness Brooke has such great friends. Here are a few pictures of her party.

Here are the girls watching the movie waiting for all the girls to get there.

The cake that Megan (big sissy) made for Brooke. She loved it.

The girls enjoying their pizza and great friendship.

Brooke opening her presents. They all had a blast.

On our way to Utah!!

2010-07-05T22:57:00.000-07:00

We got home from Payson about 11 or 11:30 pm last night and at 6:00 am this morning we are heading to Utah. Andre, his friend Rick, Brooke, Shelby and I are making the journey to surprise my sister and her husband. We are on our way, having a great trip. We prayed as a family before leaving that we would get there safely. I am driving, Andre is my passenger keeping me awake. Brooke, Shelby and Rick are in the back watching Wubbzy (sorry Rick). We are doing good, no problems what-so-ever. We get to Page and stop at the Burger King on the hill to eat lunch. We have a great lunch and go out to leave, get in the suburban and it won't shift into gear. We try for over a half an hour to get it out of this parking spot. We have tried everything by now. Well almost everything. Andre mentions that our prayer this morning didn't really work because we haven't made it to Utah safely. I tell him that it is a good idea for us to pray again. After some hesitation he offers a prayer that we could get out of the parking spot we were in. He finishes praying and I turn on the truck and put it in gear, shut up, it shifts into gear. We all look at each other with amazement and quickly pull out of the parking spot. We make it down on the highway again and it shifts out of gear again. I get out of the truck run up to Checker Auto Parts and they give me the name of a mechanic that is open on the holiday. I call him and he tells me his tow truck is out of commision and I will have to call someone else to tow me to his shop, just up the hill. I think he could tell I was stressed out beyond belief, I told him I would just try to make it up the hill to his shop. We made it half way up the hill and couldn't go any further. I call Frank and am shaking and crying I am so upset. This angel of a man and his wife pull up behind me and it is the mechanic. He tells me that when he didn't hear back from me he got worried and decided to come looking for us. His wife came in her own vehicle to drive us to the shop and the rental car place and make sure we were all safe. His wife was 8 1/2 months pregnant. Well the diagnosis for the Suburban isn't a pretty sight, the transmission is gone. Needless to say we had to leave it behind to get fixed and rent a car to get the rest of the way to Utah. As we got our rental car and headed back to the shop to load our stuff from the truck, one of the workers at the shop was standing outside smoking. As I walk into the shop he says, "wow lady, you are really lucky that you made it to Page without braking down. If you were on either side of Page you would have been in trouble trying to get help." This stopped me in my tracks. It took a man I didn't even know to remind me how lucky we really were. We could have broken down the night before on the way home from Payson. We were traveling so late and there isn't really anywhere to pull off, if we had. We could have broken down really far from help. How blessed we were to make it to Page. Then he says " You must be living your life right. you had someone looking out for you today". Wow, these are the small miracles that we take for granted on a daily basis. Everything that happened that day, happened for a reason. Exactly the way it was supposed to happen. There were angels that entered in our lives that day, that changed me as a person. Even though the experience was scary, being by myself with the kids, we were blessed beyond belief. Well, at this point we are way behind on our trip and are not going to make it to dinner to surprise anyone. We make it the Sandy about 8:00pm (Utah time). My niece gets my sister and her husband to go get a yogurt after dinner and we were still able to meet them there and surprise them. I don't think surprised is the word. They had no idea.. I love doing that.

We love the Payson fireworks!!

2010-07-04T21:40:00.000-07:00

Grandpa and Brooke just hanging out.

We had a great time watching the fireworks with my Mom and Dad. Shelby cried when they fireworks let off the big boom. She is not fond of loud things. We sat in the back of the truck and watched them. Megan and Andre sat on top of the suburban and had a great view. After the fireworks we headed back to Gilbert because in the morning we are heading to Utah to surprise Aunt Jodie and Uncle Sam.. Yahoo

Megan and Andre with the best seat.

The greatest Mom and Dad on earth. I am glad we get to spend time with them.

Shelby is sad. She hates the noise.

Hiking up in Payson

2010-07-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

Frank and Megan goofing around..

So we left this morning for Payson, to stay with my Mom and Dad and celebrate the 4th of July. We love going up to stay with my parents. It was Frank, Megan, Andre, Brooke, Shelby and I that went up. After we got there and got settled in we decided to go looking around and hiking. We found a really neat spot with this creek that is not far from a small waterfall. We had fun playing in the water, but it was so cold it hurt to put your feet in. Megan was really brave and crossed the whole creek. Brooke played for a while and I whimped out pretty fast. It was a very fun day.
Shelby fell asleep, so Andre decided to stay with Grandma and Grandpa to watch her.

This water was flippin cold. It hurt to have your feet in it.

Brooke and big sissy, Megan.

Megan giving the thumbs up, that the water is nice. (she was lying)

Brooke playing in the creek!!

Megan mother's the Brooke's boys while Mom and Dad are gone for a week.

2010-01-27T18:40:00.000-08:00

Megan got asked to watch the Brooke's boys while Brian and Sarinah went on a trip for a week. She learned really fast the life of three great boys. They have a fast paced life with lots of sports and church activities throughout the week. This was Carson's pack night, where he was getting his Wolf badge. I went to take pictures and it was a fun night. Carson is the boy on the very far right hand side.

Here is Megan with Carson after he drank his fake wolf blood. She had to play Mom and go up there with him. He was so shy.

The boys had to hug their Mom's after they got their award. Here is Carson shyly hugging Megan. She had a blast with the boys and will miss them dearly. They did a lot of busy and fun things throughout the week.

Shelby's 2nd Birthday Party..

2010-01-24T18:14:00.000-08:00

We went to Peter Piper Pizza for Shelby's birthday. It was a last minute decision and not very big. Shelby's Grandma and Grandpa Jones, Megan, Andre, Brooke, Maddi Budge and Cash and his mom Sonja came and of course Frank and I were there too. This is a picture of Brooke, Maddi and Shelby getting ready to go play. Yahoo..

Shelby tried going up the maze of tubes the right way and got lost and cried. So after Megan saved her again, she went around to the slide the other way and would walk up it as far as she could and then she would slide down.

Wow, what's that. Megan and Shelby had fun playing games.

Here is Megan helping Shelby and Cash play a game. They had a blast just watching people play and playing their own games.

Finally the cake. Shelby is dressed in her birthday gear and ready to eat her cake (cupcake). This was her favorite part of the day. She didn't care much about opening her presents. Cash, Maddi and Brooke did that for her. Next year will be the big party year.

Shelby's Birthday at Mc Donalds!!

2010-01-22T18:12:00.000-08:00

Shelby getting ready to go to Mc Donalds. We told her Happy Birthday when she woke up and she said "where's the cake?" Too funny.

This is the sweet little boy that Megan and I watch everyday. Megan, Cash, Shelby and I walked to Mc Donalds to eat and have fun. You can't have a birthday and not have a fun day.

Shelby and Cash got to enjoy some icecream after they ate. Shelby loves icecream. Thanks Megan. No cake today.

Cash had a great time running through the maze of tunnels. After Shelby was brave enough to go in there, she kept getting lost and crying. Her big sissy Megan had to climb in there to save her. She somehow made it to through the tunnels to the seering wheel, but needed help finding her way out.

Shelby and Megan just hanging out at Mc Donalds.

2010-01-09T15:07:00.000-08:00

Frank's buddy Mark from work called and asked him to go hiking with him. He agreed to go and they left and drove up by Camp Verde. They were supposed to be gone from Wednesday to Friday. Due to some business that needed to be done they arrived home Thursday night. They were only gone for a day and a half, but they had a good time. Frank loves being in the outdoors, hiking and camping. Mark brought his dog with him. He warned them when he heard anything approaching. It is nice that Frank can get away and enjoy his friends.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-26T17:05:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year was fantastic. We were very blessed by some special angels. We are so greatful to have so many people that love us. We shared our Christmas with not only our family but with a couple of the kids friends that would not have had Christmas. It is tradition that we go to my Mom and Dad's on Christmas eve for chili and great bonding time. We then come home and Santa has left the kids their christmas pj's that they wear that night. The kids go to sleep and Santa comes to visit. We wake up surprised to see that Santa has been very generous and then we have fun opening our presents. Grandma and Grandpa Jones come to see what we got and then we go to my sister Kelli's house for Christmas breakfast. We were extra blessed this year to share our Christmas with two of Andre's friends. We had fun watching them open their presents and sharing the day with us. Megan and I walked home from Kelli's house, it was a little over 5 miles and a great day to be out walking. I love my family so much and I am grateful for each one of them personally. They make me be a better person each day. I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ. I am grateful for their example and the blessings and the trials I receive from them.

Kristen's 22nd birthday

2009-12-21T17:27:00.000-08:00

Wow 22 years, where has the time gone. I can't believe that we have a daughter that old. She is such an amazing girl. She has such a sweet and helpful spirit. We went to Red Robin to celebrate. We always love the time we share with Kristen. She works non-stop and lives in East Mesa, so we don't get as much time as we would like. Happy Birthday, Kristen! We love you.

Brooke's Choir Christmas Program

2009-12-19T02:54:00.000-08:00

My very good friend Tammie and her husband put together a choir group for the holidays. Brooke was thrilled to join this group. They had practices for 6 saturday's and then a performance. Brooke was so nervous to get on stage but she did really well. This was a great experience for her to do something she hadn't done before. She loves to sing and the program was very good. My Mom and Dad were able to go with us to watch it. Thanks to Tammie and her husband Jeff for their dedication and love of music.

John and Kelly's wedding in Kansas

2009-11-10T16:29:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to go with Shelby, my Mom and Dad, my sister Kelli and my sister Jodie and her husband Sam and my sister Wendy and her husband Doug to Kansas. We had been invited to my nephew John's wedding and we were going to surprise them by just showing up. We arrived in Oklahoma a few days before the wedding. The flight was great until we went to land and I found out Shelby had an ear ache. She wasn't too happy to say the least. We landed and got rental cars and went to eat and check in our hotel rooms. The next day we got up early and headed out to Kansas, which was a 3 hour drive. We headed to the Beasley home. We were all nervous because they were not expecting us to show up at all. We weren't sure how our welocme would be. We drove up to the house and were greeted by lots of hugs. That was a relief. : ) Meludy the great host she is made us homemade pizza that night for dinner. Shelby didn't feel good the whole trip, but thanks to Jodie and Sam we got some medicine down her. We had a blast just being together. It isn't very often, in fact not often enough that we all can get together. Meludy and Jim have such a great place out in Kansas. They have lots of property and animals and even a river (or big creek) that runs through. The wedding was so nice. We were so blessed to be there. John and Kelly are a great couple. Welcome to the family, Kelly. Shelby and I shared a hotel room with my Mom and Dad and had a great time. I feel bad they had to hear her cry so much. I miss getting time to just have fun with my Mom, Dad and sister's. This was a priceless trip. Thanks Frank for letting me go. Love ya.

Camping with the Neiners

2009-10-17T15:11:00.000-07:00

Frank and Rick Sr. decided to take the little kids camping. Brooke was so excited to go. She loves to go camping with her dad. So Rick Sr. brought Amanda and Josh and Frank and Brooke went. They woke up early in the morning and Brother Neiner drove. They had lots of fun camping and swimming in the creek. These times are precious.

Checking out trails

2009-10-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

So Frank and Andre decided to go up to Payson and check out some trails while they were there. They had a great time just being together. It was a quick trip, just overnight, but worth it. Mom and the girls stayed home and had a girls night.

Weight Loss

2009-09-16T23:39:00.000-07:00

Ok, so anyone that knows me, knows that I have been struggling with my weight for the last 5 years. Before having tyroid problems and very large fibroids in my uterus removed, I hadn't been over weight. This is a really big insecurity of mine and I am hoping to change it soon. I am starting a life changing way of eating. I have stopped drinking soda and any other beverage, it is water for me. Yuck!! : ) I have put a tracker on my blog and will be adding a before picture so you can see my progress. I am hoping that this will make me more accountable and I will have the will power to stick with it. Wish me luck and I will update my progress on a weekly basis (every Monday).

Weight Loss Tracker

2009-09-16T13:53:00.000-07:00

Andre's surgery in August 2009

2009-08-25T01:38:00.000-07:00

Andre had a growth on his arm that grew bigger over a few months. We took him to the doctor which referred us to a surgeon. The surgeon said that it was a virus that was trapped in that area and was just growing bigger. It needed to be cut out and the virus burned away. Andre would have to be put under for this surgery. We had it scheduled for the end of July and when he came back for the Colorado hike that him and Frank went on his arm was really itchy. A day or two later we discovered he had shingles and would have to postpone the surgery for 3 weeks. Five days before his 16th birthday he bravely had his surgery. He did really well and was released that day. The surgeon that performed his surgery was the same doctor that did his emergency appendectomy the summer of 5th grade. What a small world.

Brooke's 1st day of Kindergarten

2009-08-11T03:12:00.000-07:00

This was Brooke's first day of kindergarten. She is so shy so I wasn't sure how she was going to do. She did great, infact much better than her mom did. I had a really hard time letting her go. She loves going to school and loves all the new friends she has made.

Church hike in Colorado

2009-07-26T01:26:00.000-07:00

Frank and Andre went on a big church campout in Colorado. They had such a great time. They got to see such great views and many different wild life. In fact the first night they arrived after setting up camp and putting their food high in the trees a bear came into camp. He quickly climbed up a tree and stole a bunch of the food. A close call and a little scary to start off the trip. They were gone for 5 days. We missed them while they were gone, but were really glad that they could get away and have that male bonding time.

Ember's visit to Arizona

2009-07-20T02:15:00.000-07:00

Ember came into town with her family and we were able to go to lunch with a few of our highschool friends. What a great time we had catching up on each others lives. Ember and her family and Brooke and I were able to attend the ward of one of our Bishop's as we were growing up. Bishop Andersen happened to be the Bishop that married Frank and I, 23 years ago. Wow how time flies. Sister Andersen was one of our favorite mutual leaders. It was great to see them both and catch up on their lives before they left on their mission. It was so much fun having that extra time to hang out with Ember and her family. Our little girls had such a great time with her kids. I also got to go and see my second Mom and Dad, Ember's parents and visit with them one night. I really miss those good old days. I really hope it is not another 10 years before I see Ember again.

4th of July in Payson

2009-07-04T23:32:00.000-07:00

We decided to go to Payson to my Mom and Dad's house for the 4th of July. We had spent the last two years in Utah at my sister Jodie's house, but couldn't make it there this year. Andre was in Utah spending time with the Pew family. We wanted to go somewhere for the holiday but also wanted to stay safe, so we headed up to the mountains. We had a great time while we were there. We went on a hike at Woods Canyon Lake. It is such a beautiful hike and it is kid friendly. We could have the stroller with us and enjoy the great outdoors. We were glad that Megan could go with us, we really enjoyed the time together. The local fireworks show was wonderful. We are truly blessed.

Girls night out!!

2009-06-27T01:45:00.000-07:00

Wow!! I have not seen these ladies in well over 10 years. Maybe even longer than that. Robin came in town for her Mom's temple sealing and we were all able to get together. It was so great to see everyone and catch up on each others lives. It brought back a flood of memories both good and bad times. : ) I wish I could get together with them more often. Ember will be coming to town soon, so I will tell about that next week. I can't wait. It was great to see you girls. Stay sweet. Lets not wait another 10+ years to get back together.

Frank's Birthday!!

2009-06-24T19:48:00.000-07:00

Well the day before Frank's birthday, Brooke says to Frank "Daddy, guess where I am taking you on your birthday?" He says where, and she reply's "to Peter Piper Pizza." I give him a grin and wait to see what he will say. (I am sure there are a million places he would rather be.) He says "I can't wait!" She was so excited. So here are some pictures from his birthday. My mom and Dad came with us and we had a blast.

Father's Day

2009-06-21T20:07:00.000-07:00

Father's Day was nice and quite. We went to my parents house for dinner and had meatballs and gravy etc. It was really enjoyable. It is always nice when the family gets together. Then we came home and gave Frank his presents. He got candy and the older girls made him this wonderful framed collage. I didn't even know they were putting it together, it was a touching surprise. I am glad that Frank had such a great day.

Summer Cooking Class

2009-06-15T02:42:00.000-07:00

During the summer Megan and I offered some kids classes for ages 4 to 12. The cooking class was the most popular. We had a blast with this class. We learned alot about the kids that attended our classes and enjoyed every minute of it. These pictures are from the last class. We made food for a picnic and went to the park and ate and played. I look forward to doing it again next year.

Mother's Day

2009-05-12T18:03:00.000-07:00

I am so very lucky to have such a great family that loves me. These are the treats that I woke up too. They love to surprise me and it gets better each year. I am so grateful to have my Mom here that I can spend time with. She is my Hero. She has struggled with her health for the past couple of years and it has been hard to watch. I am glad each day that she gets better. I love you MOM, you are the best.

Locks of Love

2009-03-09T22:59:00.001-07:00

Brooke decided to get her hair cut tonight and to donate her hair to Locks of Love. She was so brave and loved every minute of it.

This is a picture of her hair before her hair cut.

This is after she cut off the braid for Locks of Love. This piece we saved for Dad.

Here she is holding the hair being donated.

Where is my baby? She looks so grown up now. :-)

Daddy, daughter night

2009-02-13T22:53:00.000-08:00

Our church had a daddy, daughter night. The dad's took their daughter's out to eat and then met up at the Wirthlin home for dessert and entertainment. Frank took Brooke and Shelby to Carrabba's to eat. Kristen was working, so she sisn't get to sit down with them but they still got to see her. Megan didn't get to go either, because she had to work. After dinner they went to the Wirthlin's house, where all the dad's came with their daughters. As you can see there was quite the crowd, but they had a great time together. Thank you to the Wirthlin's for hosting a fun night.

Emmee's baptism day.

2009-02-07T22:39:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful day we had today. It started out when I went to Emmee's baptism. She made the decision to be baptized in the LDS church and we are so proud of her. She had two of her older sister's talk and they did so well with their talks and they were good about letting her know how much they love her and are proud of her. Her dad Clifford baptized her and confirmed her a member of the church. Even though she has gone to church all of her life, this is such a life changing decision. Emmee, we are so proud of you and your decision to be baptized. Thank you for the great example you are to Brooke and Shelby. We love you!!

Carlee and David's wedding

2009-02-06T22:21:00.000-08:00

Here is the happy couple. What a great wedding, you two are amazing.

Oh my, what is David doing?? Just kidding, he is getting the garder.

Carlee and Brooke dancing. Brooke loves dancing. Thanks Carlee.

David dancing with Brooke. Thanks David for being a good sport.

Brooke got Grandpa Jones out on the dance floor, but what is he doing? :-)

Brooke dancing with her cousin Chris. You can see Jade (Chris's wife) and Lisa in the back ground.

Ok, so this was such a fun wedding. David and Carlee were so cute. They joked with each other during their ceremony and were silly the whole night. I love how down to earth they are. What a cute couple. We are so happy for you two and we hope you had a great honeymoon. After they song you sang to each other at the reception, we are sure you did. :-) JK We love you both..

Andre's road to Eagle video

2009-02-05T19:00:00.000-08:00

This is the video I made for Andre and presented it to him at his court of honor. It was a blast from the past making it. I can't believe that he has grown up so fast. I hope he liked it, he seemed to. Andre, Dad and I are so proud of you and we love you sooooo very much!

Pictures from Andre's court of honor

2009-02-05T01:02:00.000-08:00

This was such an amazing day. Andre worked so hard to receive his Eagle Scout award and he did it. We threw a court of honor together in 4 or 5 days and weren't sure how it would turn out, but with such great family and friends, it couldn't have been more perfect. He could see by the attendance to the court of honor, how many people truely love and support him. Thank you so much to everyone that participated in one way or another. We are so blessed to have such amazing people surrounding us.

A day at the zoo....

2009-01-31T22:27:00.000-08:00

Joel going ape for Megan!! :-)

Brooke, Emmee and Shelby just clamming around!!

Kade, Brooke and Emmee riding the camel.

Shelby and Megan

Brooke and her cousin Emmee

We had a great day at the zoo. It was half price day, if you wore cardinals stuff for the superbowl weekend. So we all wore shirts to support them. The kids rode on a camel and Brooke thought it smelled pretty bad. :-) We walked for a really long time. I thought we would just go until about noon and at 4:30 we were all dead meat. What a long but wonderful day.

Andre is an Eagle Scout.

2009-01-26T13:34:00.001-08:00

It is official!! Andre got his Eagle Scout certificate, card and paperwork in the mail. Now we can do his court of honor. Ya hoo.. We are so proud of him, he did a great job.

A great hike!!

2009-01-24T10:25:00.000-08:00

Today we went for a hike in the Las Sendas area. It was Frank, Megan, Joel, Shelby and I that went. We had a lot of fun.

This is the first hike that Megan and Joel have gone on with us. Here they are racing down the hill.

Great job for your first hike.

We always have so much fun being outdoors.

Oh our sweet little Shelbers is so tired. Megan and Joel head on and finish their hike. About half way in Frank and I go back because Shelby is too tired. It was fun though anyway. Next time we will have a babysitter. :-)

Our girls outing..

2009-01-24T09:28:00.000-08:00

Brooke and I had a fun night last night. Just the two of us went to see Kristen at Carrabbas. Of course we had to sit and eat. We had a good time just talking and coloring. It is so great to have a little one on one time with each of the kids. Brooke is such a big helper and doesn't mind sharing her time with mom and dad with her siblings. She and I had Salmon and pasta and of course that wonderful bread. YUMMY!! Thanks Kristen for the wonderful dinner.

Shelby's 1st birthday!!

2009-01-23T01:30:00.000-08:00

We had a great day as a family. We all can't believe that a year has already passed. Shelby has been such a blessing in our lives, as all of our kids have been. Time is just flying by too fast. We had cake and ice cream at my mom and dad's house. Shelby wasn't sure about the cake at first, but she decided really quickly she loved it. She devoured the cake and made a big mess. It was great to watch this. She loved all the great presents that she got from everyone. She got some clothes from sissy Megan, which was good so she could change after the cake thing. It was great to have the whole family together. Thanks to my mom and dad for hosting her party and a big thanks to the Roger's for coming to share this special day with us. These are some fun pictures of her party. The cake and presents wore her out. She was out for the count shortly after opening her presents. Happy Birthday Shelb's, we love you!!

MISSING!!!! PLEASE LOOK AT THIS PICTURE!!

2009-01-20T05:20:00.001-08:00

Our friends daughter is missing!!! Please look at this picture and let us or the police know if you have seen her. I will be sending out an email to everyone I know, please pass it on. Jenika is our oldest daughters age and I don't know what I would do if this was me. Please help bring Jenika safely back to her family..

Sandy, Utah Dec 2008

2009-01-04T23:51:00.000-08:00

We had such a great time in Utah. We got to see my sister and her family. We stayed with Jodie (my sister) and Sam and had the pleasure of seeing their daughter and her family and their two sons and their families. We also got to spend time with the Smart's and the Ellett's while we were there. I came to Utah sick with a pretty bad cold and a couple days into our trip got a really bad tooth ache. I wish I would have felt better so we could have done more and we could have visited more of our friends while we were there. Next time we will. :-) We are so fortunate to have such great family and friends in Utah and love going to visit. The kids loved the snow and played in it constantly. We got pictures of the girls playing in it but I could never get any pictures of the boys playing. Everytime I would try to get pictures of them they would hide and throw snowballs at me. Above is a slide show of pictures we took while we were there.

Scenic drive to and from Utah

2009-01-04T23:28:00.000-08:00

The Sunday after Christmas we left for Utah. Don't have a heart attack but Frank drove us there. If anyone knows Frank, they know he hates to drive for long periods of time. He was a trooper and drove the whole way there and back. Because of the weather we drove through Las Vegas on the way there and decided because of the back up at the Dam we would go the other way home. We had a great drive there, it was Frank, Andre, Rick Niner (Andre's friend), Brooke, Shelby and I that went. We went home through Flagstaff and when we left on Saturday morning it was snowing and had snowed the whole night before. It was a slow start to our trip home but about an hour into our drive the weather eased up and we were on our way. Here are some pictures of the beautiful scenery we saw on our travels.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!

2008-12-25T17:02:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! I am sorry that I wasn't on the ball enough this year to get family Christmas cards out. We did take a family picture and I had every intention on getting them out this year, but my good intentions weren't enough. I love getting pictures and cards every year so I can see how everyone is doing. So thanks goes to everyone that sent them our way. We had a great Christmas minus a few sicknesses. It was great to have our whole little family together for a couple of days. Kristen is now 21 and still manager at Carrabba's and working her tail to the bone. Megan is 18 and living out in Queen Creek with Kristen and looking for a job. Andre is 15 and is glad to have the whole Eagle project behind him and can't wait to have his court of honor. Brooke is 5 and just loves playing and helping out with her little sister. Shelby will be 1 next month, boy time has flown by. She is just such a sweet baby and a joy to have around. Frank and I are so blessed to have been given the opportunity to raise such great children. They all have their own unique personalities and ambitions and were are so proud of them. To all of our family and friends we are so lucky to have you in our lives and we appreciate all you do for us on a daily basis. Thanks for your support and love.

Andre gets approved for his Eagle

2008-12-18T15:58:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged for while and I need to catch up, but I couldn't go another minute without letting each of you know how proud we are of Andre. Andre had his board of review for his Eagle Scout Thursday night and got approved to recieve it. He will be having his court of honor soon and I will be letting you know when it is. I want Andre to know how much we love him and again, how proud of him we are. This was a great accomplishment for him and he will be so glad that he has it. A special thanks to my Dad (Mel) and Bishop Budge for going with Andre to his board of review and for their love and support. They are great examples to our family. We love you!!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-02T15:52:00.000-08:00

Wow, we had a great Halloween. This was Shelby's first Halloween and she loved it. Brooke was a purple butterfly fairy princess and Shelby was a cow. They were both so cute. Our Halloween week started on Tuesday, the girls and I went to my sister Kelli's ward party. It was too dark for pictures, but the girls had a lot of fun. They had chili and corn bread to eat and the kids went trick or treating from person to person. Then on Thursday we went to our friend Lisa's ward party. It was set up like a carnival. They had a rock climbing wall, carnival game booths, jumpy houses and little ponies to ride on. The little pony ride was a hit with Brooke, this was her first pony ride and loved every minute of it. They had food to eat and made kettle corn, shaved ice and cotton candy right in front of you. Halloween night was a good ending to the week. We went to see our Grandma Raia and loved our visit with her, then we were off the see Grandma and Grandpa Jones. We scored big at both of our grandparents houses. Then we went trick-or-treating a bit in our neighborhood and at about 8:00pm headed to Carraba's to see our sissy. Of course we had to stay and eat while we were there. I wish I had a picture of us all there but there was Frank, and I, Megan, Joel, Brooke, Shelby and Maddie Budge and our new friend Trae. We ate good food and enjoyed each others company. What a wonderful week we had, thanks to everyone that was involved in it. We so appreciate all of our family and friends and love you dearly.

My car accident

2008-10-21T02:33:00.000-07:00

So one of my biggest nightmares finally happened. I hate driving on the freeway, because people are in too big of a hurry. I was on the freeway, on my way to a 10:00 appointment, when the driver next to me came into my lane and hit me. She was a nice 18 year old girl that got spooked by someone entering the freeway to her right. She didn't know what to do and hit me. It took all my might to stay in my lane and not cause any additional accidents. We drove hooked together for a while. This happened during rush hour traffic and there was someone looking out for her and I both. When her car finally released from my van, she went flying across all of the lanes of traffic. It was a miracle she did not get hit by any other cars. I was really sore from the impact, but very grateful my kids weren't with me and that I wasn't hurt worse. It really makes you stop and think about the things and people that you appreciate in your life. When these things happen, it makes the problems in your life you think are so big, seem rather small.

Woods Canyon Lake

2008-10-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

To end our Payson trip we decided to go the Woods Canyon lake and go for a final hike. We didn't go clear down by the lake, but about half way down they had some beautiful trails. It was so cold, but worth every minute of it. The kids enjoy being outdoors as much as we do. We took some pictures of the great views that we experienced. We had a great weekend trip and hope to take lots more in the near future.

The natural bridge

2008-10-11T18:25:00.000-07:00

As you can tell we love to hike and be outdoors as a family. Frank, Andre, Brooke, Shelby and I went up to Payson and stayed at my Mom and Dad house. We had such a wonderful time getting away. It is only about an hour and ten minutes away, but it is far enough away that you feel like you are on vacation. We get to relax and enjoy no work for a couple of days. We drove up to the Natural Bridge and hiked down into the canyon. As you hike down past the bridge there is this little waterfall that comes down and gets you wet. When you get down to the bottom there are many rocks you climb up and over. Frank hiked with Andre and Brooke back to the farthest part of the canyon and I stayed out with the baby. After they came back, Andre was nice enough to watch the girls and Frank and I hiked back there and had a great time. I love how adventurous Frank has turned out to be. We really enjoy our hikes together.

Brooke's big hike

2008-10-11T02:18:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures of a hike we took a couple of weeks ago. This was Brooke and Shelby's first hike. Brooke was such a trooper, she hiked all the way to the mountain and hiked up the mountain on her own. Shelby got to hang out with Dad, what a life. When we got to the top of the mountain we sat up there and enjoyed the view and ate a snack and had a drink. We stayed for about a half an hour and just enjoyed watching the girls having fun. We hiked back down the mountain and about half way back, Brooke got really tired. I was so tired too but was able to piggyback her for a while. Then she walked for a while and I piggybacked her the rest of the way. She enjoyed being on the mountain but I don't know how eager she will be to go on another hike with us. That might have been a little to far.

A walk at Fountain Hills Park

2008-10-03T18:17:00.000-07:00

Frank and I both had some broker price opinions (BPO's) to do in Fountain Hills. We went to take the pictures we needed of the properties in Fountain Hills and then went to the park. We love to go out there and enjoy our time at the park. The girls love to play and watch the geiser go off. We had a picnic and walked a couple of miles around the park and played on the toys. We also had a great time feeding the ducks our left overs, until the ducks started coming at us really fast. Brooke got a little scared, but no one was hurt. Here are some pictures we took along the way.

Andre's final Eagle project

2008-09-08T00:28:00.000-07:00

Well, Andre finally got it completed. He did his fundraiser and was able to raise enough money for 4 picnic tables. To his surprise 2 picnic table kits were donated. Thanks to Brother Blaser and Brother Udall. This meant that Andre was able to purchase 3 park benches also. All of the boys and leaders in his troop met and assembled the picnic tables kits and stained them too. Michelle Budge and I put together the park benches. Brother Stapley and Frank made sure everything was put together right and all screws were tightened up. I know Andre really appreciates everyone's help. Thanks to Sister Taylor and Sister Budge for helping to deliver pizza kits. Thanks to my Mom for helping Andre and I sort pizza orders. This took alot of time and cooperation from many people and it turned out great. Delivering the tables was the funest part of the Eagle project. Both places receiving tables were so appreciative of the donations. It was really exciting for Andre to see the great need and for him to know that he was the one person that made it happen along with alot of helpers. Thanks to Frank, Mel (my dad), Joel and Rick for the help delivering. Andre will be turning in his whole packet for approval soon. We will let you know when it gets approved.

Kristen at Carrabba's

2008-08-08T23:58:00.000-07:00

Kristen is going through the management program to one day own her own store. She is finally done with her back of the house training and will be moving to the front of the restaurant to train. Here are a few pictures of her back on the grill.

Andre kicks off his Eagle project

2008-08-01T23:54:00.000-07:00

Andre has finally kicked off his fundraiser for his Eagle Project. Yahoo.. He is selling Little Caeser's Pizza kits to raise money to help out the MesaCAN facility of A New Leaf. We went to visit this facility and what a great place it was. They provide help for people with low income that might be facing foreclosure on their home, can't pay a utility bill etc. They also are starting the WIC program there for Women and Children. They have an after school program for the kids with no families to walk home to after school. They have a room with a bunch of tables and computers. These kids walk there after school and get mentored and tutored by the workers. This facility is in great need of seating. They have no seating out front or in back of the facility and not much seating in the lobby for waiting. Andre is going to provide some seating for the outside. He has commited to four picnic tables right now, but he would like to provide benches for out front too. They are in desperate need of these items and it is for a great cause. If you can help in any way, please let us know. Any donations are gladly appreciated.

Frank and I go hiking

2008-07-14T15:47:00.000-07:00

Ok!! It is Monday, July 14th and Frank asks me if I will go for a bike ride or a walk with him. I am fine with either, I am just not as accomplished as a mountain biker as he is, so we decide a walk would be great. We go to this trail that is off Power road, North of Thomas. It is in the mountains and is like a dry wash, that is really rocky and slippery at times. We walk, probably a mile back, it seems farther than that to me. :-) I have to say, I am winded, but enjoying the quiet and the alone time with Frank. We see a police helicopter that is circling around and hovering over this mountain, as if he is looking for someone. That was a little nerve racking. Apparently he doesn't find what he is looking for and he leaves. Frank normally bikes this trail, I don't know how it was hard to hike it. WOW!! We stopped to take a few pictures on our phones and enjoy the view and then hike back out. I know girls aren't supposed to sweat, but I was sweating. I had a really good time just holding hands, talking and enjoying Frank's company. I might be a little sore in the morning, but it will be worth it.

4th of July

2008-07-05T15:39:00.000-07:00

We went to the Thomsen's for the 4th of July. We ate dinner and had homemade icecream, then watched the fireworks. Brent and Amy have a beautiful home and were very nice to have us over. We had some grilled Halibut, that Brent caught in Alaska and brought home. Very yummy, I don't usually like fish. We also had rice, salad, fruit, rolls and hotdogs for the kids. Jodie made wonderful homemade vanilla icecream. We also had cookies and cupcakes.
After we ate, Brent put on a great fireworks show. The kids played with sparklers while the big fireworks were going off. Brooke was afraid of the fireworks and the sparklers, because last time she held one she touched the top of it while it was hot and got burned. She isn't big on trying things twice. Shelby just fell asleep as you can see in the pictures. She found her favorite two fingers to suck on and was out.

Summer is almost over

2008-07-04T15:46:00.000-07:00

Wow, It is already the 4th of July and it feels like summer is almost over. We are in Utah right now. Well part of us are, Andre, Brooke, Shelby and I drove up with Grandpa Jones. Grandma Jones had to fly up for health reasons and we are so glad that she could make it. We had a great ride up here and will be coming home on the 9th. Frank, Kristen and Megan had to stay home because of work. We miss them alot. Alot has happened while we have been gone. Megan got an ear infection that closed her eardrum about 95% of the way. The doctor gave her drops and if they don't help open her ear canal in the next few days she will be heading to an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. Then Frank calls me and tells me he took my van to get it detailed at the car wash and our camera is missing. If you know anything about my work, you know that my camera is my bread and butter. Besides losing all the pictures we have taken for the last 5 years. Poor Frank, he stayed and worked from home the next day and was at the car wash when they opened. Thank goodness we had an honest detailer that just forgot to put the camera back when he was done. I was glad to get the call that it was back where it belongs. Yah hoo.. Now the next call is from Kristen and she has cut her finger at work. It is pretty bad, her Dad tells her she needs stitches, so off they go to Urgent care. Sure enough she needs 3 stitches and a tetnus shot. Dang it, I wish I was there to comfort my girls. Frank has really been through the ringer since I have been gone and he is handling it like a trooper.

Barbeque at the Smart's

2008-07-02T11:13:00.000-07:00

Neil and Shawna invited us over for a barbeque and swimming party. We had a blast! We ate grilled hamburgers and chicken, salad, fruit and popsicles for dessert. Some of us went smimming. Brooke was really brave floating around the pool on a raft, she is so afraid of going under water. This was shelby's first time in the pool. I wasn't sure how she would like it and she loved it. I wouldn't have been caught dead in a swim suit so Sierra was very nice to hold her and let her play around. Shelby and her cousin Kennedy have really enjoyed each other. They are finally big enough to notice each other. Andre had fun with the big kids, playing around. Brooke finally got up enough courage to jump to her cousin Chris in the pool. She tried and tried and she did it, I am so proud of her. Shelby and Kennedy sat and ate popsicles and enjoyed every minute of it. Thanks to Neil and Shawna for their great hospitality. They are great.

High Adventure Camp

2008-06-20T15:54:00.000-07:00

Andre and Frank were able to go on the High Adventure Camp for our ward. It was held in San Diego, California. They drove over there and the first night went to the Padre's game and then stayed in a hotel. The rest of the trip they stayed at the Navy barricks on Coronado Island. They got to do some really fun stuff like, looking at jets, they even got to sit in it. Then the pilot took off in the jet and showed off for a bit. They went fishing, kayaking and for a ride around the bay in a ship that holds a tank. Andre even got to drive it. Andre was glad his Dad could go and they could spend time together. Wow, the two boys without all us girls. I am glad they had fun!!

Brooke's Pre-school Graduation

2008-05-29T10:36:00.000-07:00

Gosh, I can't believe she has gotten so big. She will be 5 in October and is ready to move onto Kindergarten. She misses the cut off, so she will do school at home next year. She is so excited, she is so ready to learn anything and everything.

The Exodus

2008-05-29T01:26:00.000-07:00

Andre left Monday morning and returned on Wednesday night from the Exodus. The Exodus was the pioneer trek for our stake. They walked many miles and worked really hard. I will post more pictures when I get them.

Shelby's 4 month check-up

2008-05-25T01:09:00.000-07:00

Well Shelby had her dreaded day at the doctor. We always love to go see Dr. Robin, infact Brooke insisted on going too. She stayed in the room until it was shot time and then went to the waiting room so she didn't have to hear her sister cry. After the appointment we went outside and played on the toys to make them both feel better. Brooke is our new photographer. She loves taking pictures of anything and everything.

Megan's Graduation

2008-05-25T00:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much to those of you that supported Megan on her big day. I know that not everyone could be here, but she really appreciated the cards and gifts and loving phone calls. Since her graduation she has moved out and now lives with her sister Kristen in her new home. A special thanks to Jodie and Sam for coming from Utah to attend Megan and Sadi's graduation. We couldn't ask for better friends and family. WE LOVE YOU ALL!!

About Us

2008-05-25T00:13:00.000-07:00

Well, this is our 1st family blog. 2008 has been a great year for us so far. Shelby was the latest addition to our family. She was born, January 22, 2008 and she is the newest joy of our family. Kristen is 20. She started the Management program at Carrabba's restaurant. Hopefully she will have her own store in a few years. Megan is 17 and graduated from Gilbert High School and is the child care director at Golds Gym in Gilbert. Andre is 14 and just got home from the Exodus, church trek. He really enjoyed it. It was alot of walking and hard work, but he learned alot. He is also working on his Eagle project and hoping to go to Utah soon. Brooke is 4 and she graduated from Pre-school on May 19th. Her birthday is in October, so she misses out on going to kindergarten at Sonoma Ranch. She will be in a virtual kindergarten course through AZ Virtual Academy. Shelby is 4 months and just got her check up and the dreaded shots. She got 4 of them. She was 13 lbs. 13 ozs., she is a little chubs. Her brother and sisters love her dearly.