Mini-van Mom

It's official I am a mini-van mom! I wasn't sure I was willing to do it. I thought I wanted to try out an SUV, but they make these vans so mom-friendly that I couldn't resist! We bought used, but its in great shape and we love it!
After having it for about a month, I got hit while parked in a Joanne's parking lot, so this is the beast I get to drive while my van is being fixed. It's fun to have the opportunity to try out a Suburban too. It is super nice and I love feeling huge on the road, but I've decided with little kids I like the van more.

10 Year Reunion

I had my 10 year reunion last weekend. It was so much fun. I spent the weekend in Gilbert going to bed around 1 or 2 am each night hanging out with some of my most favorite people! We started the weekend with a BBQ at the Chapmans. Thanks for the wonderful food! (Rhona, Meg, Me, Jaeleen, Tiff)
Next we headed out the last homegame for HHS. It was crazy to be back at the school! This is Tiffany Alexander and Tiffany Lassetter Chapman.

Sarah Wright Dunn, Megann Richey Heath, Jaeleen Payne Munns and Me.

After the football game we met up with Natalie McCabe White and Leah Sellards Martineau for some old school tping! The target...Curtis Beecroft our buddy from highschool. It was so fun to be out with 6 other near 30 moms being crazy! Girls I love you, you made high school very memorable for me! Thanks for sticking with me for over 10 years!!

Creative Play

I've been feeling like a dud mom with our play lately, so I subscribed to Family Fun and I haven't been disappointed! We took our recycle boxes and containers and made a little store.
Kenadee used her fake money to buy stuff. She loved it!

We made handprint tulips.

And then homemade finger paint! (This one I got from snips and snails)

I stripped the kids down and let them paint the tub! Everything just washed down the drain when they were done!!

Halloween 2009

This year Benson was a little lion and Kena was a cute lady-bug! These two loved trick-or-treating around our neighborhood. Once Benson realized people were giving him candy, he was all about going from door to door! Kenadee was absolutely in heaven. Grandma Sue and the Benefields came with us. The kids ended up with enough candy to last all year! :)

Pumpkin Carving

This year we carved 4 pumpkins. The smallest isn't in these pictures. The kids enjoyed watching and using the large spoons. Neither wanted to touch the seeds or the goo!

David & Cindy's Visit

Ben's brother David and his wife, Cindy, came down from Alaska last week for a visit. We loved having them here! We ate out, played and visited a ton.
Dave & Cindy bought everyone ice cream one night. Benson and Kenadee loved it!!

We visited Sadona one of the days that they were here.

The group, The Benefields, David and Cindy and Us.

The kids loved their Uncle Dave!!

A Site I love!!

29 and Feeling Great!

Last Friday I celebrated my 29th birthday. This is officially my last year of twenties! It's crazy how time goes by, I feel the same way I did at 18 or 20 or 25. As far as I'm concerned it's just a number right? :0 For my birthday I told Ben all I wanted was to go camping. We packed up and headed up to Sadona. My brother and sis-in-law came, my brother-in-law and sis-in-law and three of their kids came and my cute friend Tiff and her husband and two boys also came. We had a great time, filled with food, sweets, laughs and fun!! The next day we explored Slide Rock. Thanks for a wonderful birthday!!
Millie (my sis-in-law)

Nate and Kena "building the fire"

The Chapmans

My oh-so-cute family!!!

Makutu's Island

We heard of this place called Makutu's Island over in Chandler. It has a huge indoor tree house, tunnels and slides for kids and their parents to climb through. We met up with Tyson, Courtney and Colter there. The kids loved it!!

Several random entries!!

A couple weeks ago I wanted to get out of the heat. My cute mom and sister came with me and we took the kids up to Sadona. (My favorite place in AZ!) The kids loved playing in the water.

This cat lives in my mom's neighborhood. Kenadee loves it! Oreo is his name.

We went to the Zoo for the last free day in September. We met up with our friends the Arnolds. Kenadee and Maize are such great little friends! They loved the animals, the splash pad and of course their snowcones!

Kenadee and I have been trying to have some craft time during Bensons morning nap. We made masks, colored salt, and painted "catapillars" (egg cartons).

This little vacuum has been the best 50 cents I've ever spent! I found it at a garage sale and Benson loves it!

Amazing how much fun a plastic tub can be!

Ward Sock Hop

Our ward did a 50s Sock Hop recently. It was so fun to dress up and take the kids. We also took my sisters Maddie and Paige and two of my nieces, Sam and Kaylee. Everyone was dressed up! Benson and Kenadee were right at home on the dance floor!

Embarrassing Potty Training Moments

I thought when Kenadee had an accident at my sister-in-laws that was bad, but then she decided to have one at a new friends house but we couldn't stop there, we had to mark our territory in the mall food court...I thought that was the worst until yesterday when we were at Barnes & Noble. Kena starts this dance and as I go to grab her the wood floor around her feet starts to puddle. Seriously?!? I had to be resourceful so I used one of Bensons clean diapers (extra absorbent) to get the majority, baby wipes to clean the rest and a WetOne to disinfect. Please tell me all you moms out there that you have had similar experiences!!

Phoenix Zoo

Last week we went to the Phoenix Zoo with Courtney and Colter Davis. It was so fun to watch the kids get so excited about all of the animals!

Before and After

We had Bensons favorite meal the other night, spagetti!
Doesn't he resemble an oompa-loompa from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?

Photo Shoot

The other day while Benson was napping Kena and I had a little photo shoot. She was a great sport! It's amazing what Skittles can do. :) These are just a few of my favorites!!!

Mom Turns 50!!

My sweet mom turned 50 on Wednesday. We went over and decorated her house and then took her to dinner. For her birthday we blew up a family picture and framed it. She loved it!!!

Baby Isabel

The adorable McDonough family recently enjoyed the arrival of beautiful Isabel to their family. Tami Ence and I decided to go out to Colorado to meet this cute little girl! We had a great time, thank you Aaron and Michelle! Baby Isabel is absolutely beautiful and sweet as can be!

Crafty Moment

I've seen these tutus for sale on Craigslist for $20 and thought, that looks easy to make, so I made a trip to JoAnnes. Here is my skirt and it only costs me $6!! I just wish Kenadee wanted to wear it longer than 5 mins. :)

Diamond Backs Game

Last night we were able to go see the Diamond Backs/Dodgers game. The kids loved it! Kenadee kept saying we were going to a soccer game. It took a few reminders that it was a baseball game. Everytime the crowd cheered the kids faces lit up and they started clapping like crazy. We definitely kept them up too late, but it was worth it!

Sunsplash

We went to Sunsplash last week. The kids loved this slide!!

Bensons latest talents

He climbs onto the table.
Makes himself comfy in his highchair

Warms his own bottles.

Climbs onto any stepstools he can find.

He likes to listen to the dishwasher.

So I don't know how to move around my posts. Below Bensons one year post is our
Alaska trip.

Benson Turns 1!!!

Our little boy turned one yesterday. It is crazy how fast time goes by. We had a fun day with a trip to a splash pad, pizza and cupcakes. Benson loved it all. At one Benson is walking, waving, clapping, climbing, playing peek-a-boo, eating everything in sight and being an adorable and happy boy! Benson we love having you in our family, Happy Birthday!!!

Alaska

We had the fabulous opportunity to go up to Alaska with Ben's sister and brother-in-law to visit his brother and sister-in-law. It was a kids free trip full of adventure! We did everything!! It was so fun to visit with family and see so much of beautiful Alaska. Dave borrowed this motor home from his friend so that we could travel in style and comfort!!
This picture shows what 10:30 at night looks like! It only gets dark for about 4 hours in the summer.

Aimee caught the first of two salmon on the Russian River.

Here is Ben with Dave carrying our catch.

The next day we went Halibut fishing. We caught several fish, but we were only allowed to keep to halibut each. This was the biggest of our catch, a 65 pounder.

Here is the group in front of our chartered boat.

On this trip Dave planned a 26 mile one day hike. It was gorgeous! By the last 3 miles I felt ready to die!!

The landscapes changed all through the hike! We had snow and glaciers, then pines and wildflowers.

About half way through the hike we had to cross a river. Dave brought a pair of flip flops for the crossing. The rest of us had water shoes. Ben decided to give Dave one of his shoes. About 6 feet into the river Ben and Dave each lost their flip flop! The water was freezing glacier water. It burned so badly!! We were so grateful when we reached the other side!

Here is a group picture from the hike. Aimee and Cindy went on the first two miles and then headed back, but we were joined by one of Dave's friends Keith and his wife Kathy (who was 7 months pregnant and was a champ!!).

This is our group at "Musky" something. It was an Alaskan steak house. It was yummy!!

The girls outside the steakhouse. Cindy, Me and Aimee. There were wild daisy's everywhere!!

We rented quads one day and went on a long ride up to this glacier. It was so fun! We were filthy by the end!!

We had 5 quads between the 6 of us.

We were in desperate need of showers after this ride! I look like I have a full beard! :)

Another day we went sea kayaking. Our guide built this little shelter while we went hiking to a nearby waterfall.

We went out to what they call a bird rectory. There were hundreds of birds who built nests on this rock. It was crazy! We saw sosme bald eagles come in and try to eat the babies. It felt like we were in a National Geographic movie!

Benson and the Slide

Rhona's Visit

Benson Walking

Big Girl Bed

We love to jump on beds at our house! And Kenas new big girl bed is the best one to jump on!
She is so happy to be in a big bed now! We left up her crib for a week to use as leverage to keep her in bed, it totally worked! She won't get out of bed until we come in and get her in the morning! She has done great!!

Grandmas Toys

Grandma Sue came to visit this week and brought her fun building blocks! She decided to leave them for Kena and Benson to play with for a few more days since they love them!
Grandma keeps them in this fun basketball hamper that also acts as a perfect "fort"!

Summer Swim

We have been spending a lot of time in the water the last few weeks! Benson and Kenadee have been loving it!!

Home is Where Your Heart Is

Here is a little tour of our house. The front and living room/dining room

The messy kitchen and family/play room

Backyard and kids bathroom

Spare room (future Library/Office) and Kenas room

Bensons room, the only one in the house fully put together.

Master bathroom and bedroom. (Doesn't our little queen bed look tiny?)

There you have it, our current abode! We are loving it!!

My Favorite Dancer

Ladies Night

5 Moms + 0 kids + lots of chocolate = too much fun!!

This last Friday night we had a much needed carefree getaway! My highschool girls went up north to Nattie's cabin. It was do fun to talk about the good old days, share in the excitment of the present days and dream of our future days! We missed our sweet Megann, Rhona and Morgan! Natalie, ,Leah, Lindsay, Alissa and I were able to make it. Ladies, you amaze me! You are witty, fun and sassy still!! I love ya!!
Nat and Linds

Alissa, Leah and me

Papa Bears chair

Group hug, next year lets all get there!!

Update

Life is good! Ben and I have been busy trying to keep up with our very energetic kiddos. Work is going great for Ben and I feel like my house is finally in a liveable state! I have decided that it's time to take a short break from projects!!

Benson is 10 months. He doesn't eat baby food anymore, it's all about the big people stuff! We cheated and turned him forward facing in his car seat because he is incredibly strong and weighs about 21 lbs. He is taking more risks with his walking skills, has started dancing when he hears music, hugs his mom all the time, and climbs into everything!

Kenadee is 2 1/2 and is a firecracker! She loves loves loves to dance and sing. We recently went to see my little sisters perform in a dance recital and Kenadee tried to convince me she "needed" to dance on stage! She loves talking on the phone to anyone who will listen. She surprises me with cute phrases all the time and is constantly telling us "I love you the most!"
I thought it would be a good idea to try Benson in the sling while I made cookies. He was able to reach the flour!

Kenadee just climber right in after I took out the clothes

I gave Kena her first haircut. I trimmed just a little hoping to stimulate some more growth.

Benson's favortie place to play. If anyone leaves the bathroom door open Benson will find out!

After dinner the other night Benson was so filthy I just stsuck him in the kitchen sink, of course Kenadee had to join him!!

Dinner Tonight

So tonight for dinner the kids had spagetti-os. Benson was covered and needed a bath. While I was bathing him Kena was out "spicing up" her dinner. Here is what I found when I came to check on her. The salt shaker was full at the begining of dinner!

Projects

I've been busy painting lately. My first project was this crib that we were given. It had been through 5 kids and looked a little worn.
Amazing what some paint can do!

My second project was this tv hutch that Christina found for me at a garage sale. It was blue and scratched all over.

Now it's black and I love it!

Pottys and Binkies

We are potty trained and binkie free! It's been a busy couple of weeks, but Kena did it! We started potty training about a month ago, ,but we just completed our first full no accidents week!! Kena even goes to the potty on her own, without help from mom!
We also said goodbye to the binkies last week. Its been me who was attached, and I finally decided to give it up! :) We had Kena put all of her binkies in a tin and put them on the front doorstep for the binkie fairy to take to babies who really need them. She got a cute little teddy and some treats in return, and hasn't complained since. I thought this was going to be so hard, I kept putting it off, but she did great!

Happy Birthday Sister

Last week was my cute sister Heidi's 22nd birthday. We drove over to Gilbert to take her to breakfast. Afterwards her and I got pedicures it was wonderful!!
Benson was loving the toast.

Grandma and Kena (who was being shy of the camera)

The birthday girl and me!

Surprise

For a few months now Tami and I have been planning a baby shower with Michelle's mom and sister. Michelle had no idea!! This last Saturday was the day and boy was she surprised when Tami and I walked in! Alicia (Michelle's sister) had the great idea to do a bird theme, everything turned out great! We were so excited to get to be a part of this shower to celebrate baby girl McDonoughs arrival!
Tami, Michelle and I

The food table, this was an early picture, there was a lot more delicious food!

Alicia (Michelles sister), Lisa (Michelles mom) and Michelle

Alicia's adorable birds nest cupcakes!

Girls Lunch

Last Monday my dear friends Natalie and Megann came over for a visit with their cute little girls! We talked, ate and laughed at the kids. It was so fun, thanks girls for making the trip across town!

San Francisco

We got to take a trip home! I really do feel like SF is my home! So much happened there. We went out to meet little Jordyn Kay Chappell. It was so fun to see friends, eat great food and just be in the place I love! We were a little worried that it would take Kenzie and Kena a little while to get comfortable with each other again, but they were friends instantly!
Kenzie adores her Uncle Ben!

Ben and Garrett took the girls to the Elders Quorum crab fishing.

Benson and Sadie hit it off again too! What a little cutie!

The kids did better than I thought in the hotel! Once lights went out, they both settled right down, it was amazing!

The view at Coit Tower.

Benson loves riding on our shoulders. Apparently Ben's ears are the perfect handles!

It got really quiet for a while, we went searching and this is what we found! Double Trouble!!

Kena loved baby Jordyn! We even got a cute smile out of Jordyn