The Mishlers

First Snowfall

2011-11-09T13:13:00.000-08:00

The first snowfall was the day before Halloween. Kenadee woke up, saw the snow and begged to go outside. We bundled her and Bennett up (Benson had a meltdown and didn't want to go out) and headed outside. Kenadee did several snow angels.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-09T13:03:00.000-08:00

Here are the kids with their Halloween shirts.
Benson our Spiderman

Kenadee the good witch

Bennett my little guitar

For trick-or-treating we went to the church for the annual trunk-or-treat. It was crazy this year, because it was snowing hard, it was also very windy and freezing cold! We got to the parking lot at 6:40pm did one quick round, passed out the rest of our candy, closed the trunk and took off by 7:15! It was the biggest candy haul in the shortest amount of time that i have ever seen!

Pumpkin Carving

2011-11-09T12:48:00.000-08:00

This year we had the Chappells girls for about a week in October. One of the nights they were with us we carved pumpkins. Kenadee and Makenzie got one pumpkin and Benson and Jordyn got the other pumpkin. With help from mom and dad we carved these.

Reindeer Farm/Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-09T12:31:00.000-08:00

WE found some coupons on groupon for the Reindeer Farm pumpkin patch. So we bundled the kids and headed to Palmer to check it out. They had a hay ride, a maze, pony rides and of course a 'pumpkin patch'. The kids had a great time, despite it being a little chilly.

Halloween Craft

2011-11-09T12:22:00.000-08:00

We painted these jars and made faces on them, then put lights in them for the kids rooms to decorate for Halloween.

Fall in Anchorage

2011-11-09T12:13:00.000-08:00

Family Picture Time

2011-09-22T22:24:00.000-07:00

My cute friend Lindsay was kind enough to take these awesome pictures for us. I love them and am so grateful that this time around I got a few good family pictures before my baby was one!

Kenadee- 4 yrs. old

Bennett- 9 Months

Benson- 3 yrs. old

Bennett is Crawling

2011-08-31T14:56:00.000-07:00

Haircuts for the boys.

2011-08-31T14:54:00.000-07:00

Attempted Photo Shoot

2011-08-31T14:49:00.000-07:00

It didn't go so well!!

Girls Day Out

2011-08-31T14:43:00.000-07:00

I took Kenadee and Kenzie to Alice in Wonderland, put on by some youth who were in a summer acting camp. Afterwards we went to McDonalds for ice cream cones. These girls are such good friends, and they are so fun to be around.

Nate and Millie's Visit

2011-08-31T13:48:00.000-07:00

At the begining of August, Nate and Millie came to visit us for just over a week. Once again, we had a very fun filled time, checking out new places and taking them to some of our favorites.
This was Nate's first time meeting Bennett!

Day one Millie and I took the kids to the park while Nate and Ben went mountain biking.

We were lucky enough to have Millie here on her birthday, so we celebrated with homemade lasanga and this yummy chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting and strawberries!

Of course we were bound to have some rainy days. To any of you who want to come visit, we have learned that August is the rainy month!

The boys in the back of the van.

We found this great park close to our house with this super cool blue bridge. We had to take advantage of a photo opportunity!

Love these two!

Monday night we headed up to McHugh Creek for tin foil dinners and smores. It was raining, but we didn't let that stop us!

This is one of the falls along McHugh Creek.

I think they look great with a kid!!

Here we are hiking near the Anchorage Science Center. The kids love throwing rocks in the river.

Bennett on the other hand loved eating the rocks, sand, sticks, pretty much anything he could get his hands on!

We recently found a spot that you can go down to the beach. It is very close to the airport, so you get to watch airplanes taking off right over your head on the beach! It is so cool!!

Of course we have to take time for crafts. This one was a great one to have Uncle Nate help with. We took three pringles cans and made our own rainstick. The kids were loving nailing the nails into the cans.

We used hot glue and duck tape to keep it all together. We filled it with rice and pinto beans. It works pretty good. I just hope no one falls on it!

We took Nate and Millie to the temple for sealings. It was such a wonderful experience to be in the temple with family!

Of course we made a stop by the conservation center. Millie and Bennett are just chilling with their new moose friend.

I don't know the name of this little lake, but isn't it amazingly beautiful? The picture doesn't hardly do it justice!

This is u pin Whittier. We heard about some other fun hikes up there. This one came to some gorgeous falls. We made up our own way down. We discovered this cool little area along the way.

It was so green!

I also don't know the name of this hike, but it was amazing. It ended up at this platform with a beautiful view of Whittier. All along the way there were wild blueberry and salmonberry bushes.

Cute Benson fell asleep in the pack on Nate's back. I guess we really wore him out this day!

We had such a fun time having so much family out this summer! We feel very blessed to have so much support, and loved the opportunities to check out this beautiful state that we live in! Hopefully next summer we can do it all again!!

Papa, Paige and Maddie come to visit

2011-08-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky this summer to have my dad and little sisters come visit us. We had a blast with them seeing some of what there is to see here in Alaska. I loved having my dad, who is just like me with seeing it all and going until we can't walk anymore. I think we had a couple of days that we really wore out our crew, but it was fun!
Papa and the kids

Paige and Bennett

Kena and Maddie

Hike at Bird Creek

Maddie and Paige at Thunderbird Falls

A brown bear fishing at Russian River Falls. It was so cool to see him across the river.

Our family at the Crow Creek Mine

The whole group at Winner's Creek

Me, Maddie, Ben and Bennett at the Winner Creek hand tram. Dad, Paige, Kena and Benson are in the tram.

Kena in front of the beautiful wildflowers on the Trail of Blue Ice

Bennett posing for us in Whittier, AK. Whittier is this very quaint port town about an hour south of Anchorage. To get to the town you have to drive through a 2.5 mile one lane tunnel.

The girls and Bennett in Whittier.

Papa, Kena and Bennett by the river close to Byron Glacier.

Dad, Maddie, Paige, Kena and Benson in front of the Elk at the conservation center.

Group shot in Whittier.

Ben visits Utah

2011-08-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

This is Ben's youngest sister Jessica and her beautiful family.
Ben and his 3 brothers, Jared, David and Hyrum.

All the Mishler siblings with mom, Aunt Pat and Cindy.

Benson is 3

2011-08-23T11:13:00.000-07:00

Our little guy turned 3 in July. I can't believe how time flies. We had Papa, Aunt Maddie and Aunt Paige here for his birthday. We made a race car cake, which he loved. He got some super fun presents from everyone.

This one was from the Chappells.

4th of July

2011-08-03T22:40:00.000-07:00

We decided to go up to Whittier for the 4th of July celebrations. It was a rainy day there, but we had a blast. My mom was up visiting from Arizona and we met up with some friends in the ward too. The little town of Whittier has a very small 4th parade with games, face painting and a free bbq. The kids had a blast. The best part was the money dig at the end. They threw about $300 of change into the rocks and let the kids go at it. I told Kenadee to just go for the silver coins. I think she ended up with about $10!
The kids with grandma

Waiting patiently for the parade to start.

Throwing rocks into the bay

BB gun contest. Ben and Brian went for best two out of three.

Ben won so Brain got to have his hair spray painted pink.

Classic bean bag toss

McHugh Creek

2011-07-21T23:47:00.000-07:00

Lindsay Skinner and I took our kids up to McHugh creek for a little hike. It was a beautiful area!

Heidi comes to town

2011-07-21T23:03:00.000-07:00

Heidi came to visit in June. We filled our time with lots of fun new things. Her first day here we set out for the reindeer farm and the muskox farm in Palmer. They let us feed the animals at both places. Kenadee was a little nervous, but Benson had no fear.

This was one of the many rivers that run through the state. (I'm not sure which one.)

This is Thunderbird falls. It was a pretty little hike that we all enjoyed.

Just call me the pack mule!

This was a bear up at the Alyseka hotel in Girdwood. We took the tram up the mountain which was amazing.

Heidi and I hiked Flat Top. It is in Anchorage and had amazing views from the top.

We went down south one day to Seward to check out the sea life center and exit glacier.

This is Benson at Portage Lake. It is also at about 10pm!

The day Heidi left we went down the Turnagin arm to Beluga point. It was rainy, but that didn't stop us.

It was so fun to have Heidi come visit! Benson keeps asking to go to the airport to pick up Heidi. Oh I wished it worked that way!

Canoing with the Chappells

2011-06-30T00:28:00.000-07:00

Garrett got a canoe for his birthday and we all went out to give it a test run. The kids loved it.
Here are the kids throwing rocks into the "sea" as Kena called it.

Another Family Hike

2011-06-29T23:08:00.000-07:00

We are loving all the hiking here in AK!

Feeding the ducks

2011-06-25T00:24:00.000-07:00

We went to this cute little park by the library with the Chappells to let the kids feed the ducks. They had a great time. Then we attempted a group shot. This was the best we could do!

Sea Life Center-Seward AK

2011-06-24T22:19:00.000-07:00

Father Sons Campout

2011-06-24T22:10:00.000-07:00

Night out w/ the Mishlers

2011-06-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

David and Cindy took us up to Girdwood for our first night at the Alyeska Lodge. It was amazing! We took the kids swimming, had a delicious huge breakfast and went on a beautiful hike! All four of the kiddos fell asleep on the hike, so all four of us adults ended up very tired.

This was Bennett's first time swimming. He seemed to like it.

Go Sun Devils

2011-06-23T15:06:00.000-07:00

Rocking out the ASU garb, thanks Aunt Heidi

New Haircut

2011-05-31T22:57:00.000-07:00

Yep, I chopped it again

Happy Easter

2011-05-10T22:33:00.000-07:00

Easter is always a fun time for the kids. We had two egg hunts this year, dyed eggs and had our traditional finding baskets Easter morning.

4 months

2011-05-10T22:28:00.000-07:00

So I am totally late with this 4 month post. Bennett will actually be 5 months this Saturday.
Bennett is truly a happy baby! We are loving this little guy. He has started laughing which has everyone trying to make him laugh all the time. He is a very easy going little guy.
Oh and he is a total chunk. We are loving the rolls. This kid is 17 lbs!!

So sweet

2011-04-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

Kenadee loves being the big sister. In fact she is already asking when we are going to have another baby. She told me she wants lots of brothers and sisters. (Mom has other plans :) But she definitely is a great big sister. Our boys love her!!

What to do with a box

2011-04-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

We made a playhouse. I let the kids paint it, which they loved. I think next time we'll do it outside! :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

We made a leprachaun trap this year to try to catch a little guy. The kids had a great time and even though we didn't end up catching a lephrachaun we enjoyed the Skittles he left behind.

Bennett Blessing

2011-03-08T17:41:00.001-08:00

Our sweet boy was blessed this last Sunday. He did pretty good, just a little crying. Ben gave him a beautiful blessing through the power of the priesthood. I am so grateful for the Gospel and the blessing that it affords us. I am also very grateful for this precious baby!

Uncle David and Uncle Garrett stood in the circle with Ben, the bishopric and our home teacher.

Alaska Wonders

2011-03-08T17:38:00.000-08:00

There are some seriously talented people up here in Alaska! This weekend we went down town to check out some of the festivities going on right now. There was a snow carving contest. These are just a few of the entries. I am impressed!!

Girls Day Out

2011-03-08T17:34:00.001-08:00

There is this great theater up here called the Beartooth. It is a discount theater where you can order food and eat during the show. They took out everyother row in the theater and added tables. So Saturday Kenadee and I headed out with Steph and Kenzie to see "Entangled" in 3-D. The girls loved it, although eating in the dark with kids proves to be pretty messy!!

Dad Mishler's Birthday

2011-03-08T17:30:00.000-08:00

Ben's dad passed away three years ago. We decided to celebrate his birthday each year with a cake and pictures and stories. We want our kids to know who he is!

Wii Fun

2011-02-22T17:31:00.000-08:00

Our friends the Jones' let us borrow a kids dance game for the wii.

Kena and Benson were hilarious to watch. They both loved it!

Siblings

2011-02-22T17:02:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day

2011-02-22T16:55:00.001-08:00

Valentine's Day was relaxed this year. Ben and I had gone out to dinner with David and Cindy Friday night, so Monday we just took things easy. The kids and I made and decorated sugar cookies and we opened up Valentine's gifts. Grandma Sue sent the kids a package with some treats and a puzzle. Ben got Kenadee and I some beautiful roses. Daddy and Bennett were also able to fit in a little snooze!

Arctic Playground

2011-02-22T16:49:00.001-08:00

They have this great indoor playground here in Anchorage. We went with the Chappells and had a blast! The kids played for a few hours on the slides, in the play-houses, kitchens, cars, boat and with the dress-ups. We will definitely be visiting this place again soon!!

2 Months

2011-02-22T16:46:00.001-08:00

I love this picture, because Bennett looks like he is waving at you!
Our little guy is now 2 months, it's crazy how time goes by. He is smiling regularly and even laughing a bit now. He loves to hold my hair. He is sleeping fairly well at night. We get a consistant 6-8 hour stretch and every now and again a 10 hour night! (Those are my favorite!)

1st Day of Preschool

2011-02-02T20:55:00.000-08:00

Kenadee is doing preschool with Stephanie Chappell. She loves it! I think it was definitely time for her to get out on her own. :)

Little Man Update

2011-01-11T22:20:00.000-08:00

Bennett is growing like a weed! He is a pure joy to our family. The kids can't hardly keep away from him. Bennett eats very well and is sleeping fairly well. I could certainly use a little more sleep! :)

Christmas 2010

2011-01-11T22:08:00.000-08:00

We were very blessed to have my mom and sister with us this year for Christmas. It was also a very fun year since we had Bennett join us. The kids got some great gifts and we had a wonderful visit.

Christmas Eve

2011-01-11T22:03:00.000-08:00

One of our traditions at Christmas time is getting new pajamas on Christmas Eve. This year we let the kids pick out their own jammies. (Bennett may have had mom's help! :)

Fun in the Snow

2011-01-11T21:56:00.000-08:00

7 Years

2011-01-04T15:21:00.000-08:00

I've been so blessed to be married to my best friend! We just celebrated 7 years. In that 7 years we've lived in 4 states, moved 10 times, had 3 kids, graduated dental school and managed to have several wonderful experiences. I love this guy and am so grateful for him! I look forward many more years.

First Bath

2011-01-02T18:37:00.000-08:00

Kenadee helped me give Bennett his first bath. He resisted at first, but then seemed to really enjoy it! Kenadee got to brush his hair afterwards.

Ben Turns 30

2011-01-02T18:34:00.000-08:00

Ben's birthday got a little overshadowed due to a new baby. But we still celebrated with ice cream cake and friends! Ben is a wonderful husband and father. Me and the kids feel so blessed to have him in our lives!!

It's a Boy!!

2010-12-19T21:51:00.000-08:00

Bennett Otis Mishler joined our family December 14th at 4:41pm. He weighed 8 lbs. 3.6 oz and was 21 inches long. He had a full head of dark hair and perfect little features! We are so excited to have him join our family!! The delivery went very smooth, thank goodness for epidurals!
I was so grateful to have my sister Heidi here!

Mom, Dad and baby Bennett.

He came out and hardly cried at all! This kid already has such a sweet disposition.

Here's our family of 5! The kids love him. Kenadee wants to hold him all the time. Benson often looks over at him, smiles and says "That's my brother!"

The Story:

Tuesday morning I woke up wondering if my water had broke durning the night. There wasn't any gush, just a slow and steady leak. I was unsure so I took Ben to work and told him to keep his phone on him. I went home, showered and got my hospital bag together, then I called my sister-in-law Cindy who said she thought I should go to the hospital. I wasn't sure because I wasn't having consistant contractions. It was so much more obvious with my other two pregnancies that it was time to go to the hospital. I also called the doctors office and they said to go to the hospital. The worst that would happen is that they send me home. I went and picked up Ben and we went to the hospital. It was about 9:30am. When we got there they said they had to check to see if there was amniotic fluid present. If so they would admit me and then start patosin to get labor going. Well it was my water breaking! I was admitted. I asked if I could have an epidural before they started the patossin. (My experience with Benson taught me this!) Once everything was started it was just a waiting game. I was exhausted and completely relaxed from the drugs, so I slept off and on until about 4pm. At that time Ben wanted to run home and grab Heidi, so he asked if the nurse could come check my progress. I was dialated to an 8 1/2 and 100% effaced. The nurse Lauren called the doctor who came in to check on me. He said ok when you feel pressure give me a call again. Well as he was walking out the door I felt something. I asked Lauren to check and sure enough the head was in place ready to come out. The doctor came right back in. The first push brought out the head and the second the body! At this point they asked Ben to announce the baby's gender. It was a boy!! We were thrilled. He was healthy and perfect! They put him on my chest right away and the sweet boy let out just one little cry then just hung out while he was wiped down and cleaned up. As for me there were no tears at all! This by far was my easiest delivery!!

Kenadee's Princess Party

2010-12-19T21:33:00.000-08:00

The Saturday after Kenadee's birthday we had a party with Heidi, the Mishlers and the Chappells. I had made the girls these tutus for the party. Kenadee helped plan her party. She wanted to make bracelets, paint nails, dance and watch a princess show. Grandma Sue sent up the crown, earrings and banner.

She got some great gifts! The Chappells gave her the Cinderella and Aladdin movies. The Mishlers gave her a reading light and Cindy's favorite childhood Christmas book. We got her this kids camera. This girl loves to take pictures!

Here are Kenzie, Kena, Jordyn and Benson enjoying their princess cake.

Cute Benson wanted a picture too.

The girls in their tutus. (Jordyn, Kena, Kenzie and Lilly)

Kenadee with her princess cake.

Kenadee turns 4

2010-12-19T21:24:00.000-08:00

My sweet little Kenadee turned 4! She is such a sweet and spicy little girl. She loves to sing and dance. She is extremely inquisitive! She loves to use her imagination and make up silly stories. She is an absolute blessing in our lives!
Uncle David brought Kenadee a ham for her birthday. Don't ask, just know it was Uncle Dave!

Kenzie came by to say hi and brought Kenadee a treat and a rose.

Kenadee opened presents from Grandma Sue, Papa and Nana and Aunt Heidi. She got several great books, a game and some money.

For her birthday breakfast we made pancakes, eggs and sausage. Her favorites! That night we had dounghnuts and sung her happy birthday.

Christmas Crafts

2010-12-19T21:20:00.000-08:00

Grandma Sue sent up these cute gingerbread people to decorate for our tree.
Aunt Heidi came to visit and help out with things when the baby comes. We love our aunt Heidi!!

Cutting down the Tree

2010-12-19T20:43:00.000-08:00

The day after Thanksgiving we bundled up and headed north with David, Cindy, Lilly and Garrett to cut down our own Christmas trees. It was a bit of an effort for me being 37 weeks pregnant! It was a lot of fun though, and we are excited to make this a yearly tradition for our family.
I always thought it was silly how we make snowflakes with paper. I mean seriously do snowflakes really look like that? Well the answer is yes!! Can you believe the detail on this thing? This is how snow falls here in Alaska!

This is the tree we picked! It looked like the perfect size out there in the woods, but when we got it home we had to cut off another 3 feet!

Kena and me enjoying laying in the snow.

Here is Lilly performing her back bend exercises.

Kenadee just plopped down and started doing snow angels. (Thank goodness for snowsuits!)

Here are the troopers! Kena and Benson did amazing.

Here we are just getting started. This is when we were still warm!! :)

Cindy and Lilly getting bundled up for the journey.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-19T20:35:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving with the Chappells. Stephanie made a killer meal, with a very juicy turkey. I added my part by making a pie. Serious points go to Steph for all of her efforts!!
We enjoyed everything traditional about a good meal. Potatoes, stuffing, green beans, rolls, deviled eggs, fruit, the yummiest candied sweet potato pie, and of course turkey.

The kids loved their little table.

It snowed that whole day, so the girls bundled up and headed outside with the dads.

Kenadee and daddy with his true Alaskan hat from the lovely ladies at work back in AZ.

The first snowfall

2010-12-19T20:32:00.000-08:00

It snowed the day after Halloween. The kids were excited to go out and "crunch" the snow

Halloween 2010

2010-12-19T20:26:00.000-08:00

This year for Halloween we put the kids in skeleton pjs for their costumes. We went to the ward trunk or treat and froze! The kids both had tights under their pjs, snow boots and hats and coats, but our thin Arizona blood kept us chilly. The kids were happy though that they were getting tons of candy!

These are Stephanie and my pumpkin creations. I made a spooky house and Steph did an owl in the tree.

Our 1st week in Alaska

2010-12-19T18:45:00.000-08:00

Or first week in Alaska was very eventful! We are blessed to have family and friends up here! We stayed with Stephanie and Garrett Chappell for almost 6 weeks, until we got into our own place. Thank you so much you two! You were incredible hosts!!

Here the kids are at the library. There was some ice on the walk and my kids were so intrigued by how slippery it was.
Anchorage zoo. It was an awesome zoo! There are seals, tigers, 3 kinds of bears, muscots and much much more.

We went to the park one day. It was absolutely freezing!!!

Here are the kids decorating pumpkins with stickers.

Saying Goodbye

2010-12-19T18:39:00.000-08:00

We went over to Dad and Christina's for our final goodbyes before flying to Alaska. I don't like goodbyes. It was so fun to have a couple of years to live so close to family! I have loved watching my kids interact with their grandparents and aunts and uncles. Kena and Benson are quite spoiled being the only grandkids on my side. They get a whole lot of attention and love every second of it! We are looking forward to having our family up to the last frontier for visits! We love you all tons!!!
Me and my sisters, Maddie and Paige

Papa with Benson

Papa with Kena

Mishler Girls weekend

2010-12-19T18:34:00.000-08:00

Aimee invited all the Mishler girls down to Arizona for Time Out for Women. Alice, Jessica and Melissa were able to come (we missed you Cindy!!). For the conference my cute mom joined us. It was a great weekend, filled with spiritual insight. Ladies you all amaze me. Thanks for a fabulous time!!

Turning 30

2010-12-19T18:27:00.000-08:00

I turned 30 in October! It's kind of crazy to be out of my 20s. I look forward to my 30s. I had a great day filled with family and birthday wishes. Ben took me to breakfast and for dinner we went to my favorite restaurant with family, Nello's! If you've never been there, go, it is yummy!!!

The kids and grandma made my this beautiful cake.

Mom of 5?

2010-12-19T18:23:00.000-08:00

My sister in law went to Science camp with her two older girls so I watched her younger three for a couple days with my two. Total we had 5 kids ages 4 and younger! It was a little crazy, but thank goodness I had the help of Ben's brother Hyrum. Here are the kiddos at the park.

Benefield Halloween Party

2010-12-19T18:19:00.000-08:00

Dunking for candy.
Cute little Rachel

Princess Kena and surfer Benson

Phoenix Zoo

2010-12-19T18:16:00.000-08:00

This was our last zoo trip with Courtney and Colter Davis. :( They were our zoo buddies in Arizona!!

Tonto Natural Bridge

2010-12-19T18:02:00.000-08:00

We took a last Arizona trip to check out two of my favorite places, Tonto Natural Bridge and Fossil Springs. We took Ben's brother Hyrum with us. It was a beautiful day! This is the kids at Fossil Springs.

Here is Hyrum scaling the rocks at Tonto.

This is the bridge.

Kenadee at the begining of the trail.

There is another small set of waterfalls that you can hike to. It looked like a little tropical paradise.

Goodbye Big Red

2010-12-19T18:00:00.000-08:00

In preparation for our move to Alaska we sold Big Red! It was a sad day, this scooter was our best friend in San Francisco. Maybe in Alaska we can look for a snow machine! :)

September Reunion

2010-12-19T17:55:00.000-08:00

I love these families!! We were able to get together with the McDonoughs and Ences for our annual reunion trip in St. George this year. The Ences were wonderful hosts and we had a great time hanging out!

Future love connection?? We hope so!

Destination: Alaska

2010-10-07T08:46:00.000-07:00

We are moving! It hasn't seemed totally real, except now it is only two weeks away. We have decided to head north just in time for the winter! We are making the move to Anchorage, Alaska. So if any of you need a fun get-a-way, keep us in mind! :)

Benson is 2

2010-09-30T23:10:00.000-07:00

Benson turned 2 in July! I can hardly believe that my baby is that old. He is a crazy kid who brings so much joy to our family! For his birthday we went to the Phoenix Children's Museum during the day and then had a lasanga dinner that night. Here is Benson with his school bus cake. (His favorite song is "The Wheels on the Bus")

Bear Lake 2010

2010-09-28T08:34:00.000-07:00

On the same trip to Utah we were able to go up to Bear Lake and meet up with my dad and the girls. Ben flew in this weekend too, so we could all be together for the 4th of July. It was so nice to just relax and enjoy the cool weather!

July 2010-Utah

2010-09-23T16:16:00.000-07:00

Heidi and I and the kids headed up to Utah for our cousin Tiffanie's wedding. While we were there we took the kids to Lagoon. We were able to meet up with Nate and Millie too. We all had a blast. I was impressed at the number of kids rides that there were. This shot was taken after a blue Icee.
We were all able to go on the log ride. Benson is in my lap, I couldn't quite get a shot of the whole gang.

This was on one of those spinning rides. It was so funny to watch the kids faces. They both take after their mom and love to get dizzy!

Here is my cute cousin Tiff and her adorable husband Alex. They make such a beautiful couple!!

This is the kids on the walk to Bridal Veil Falls.

June Recap

2010-08-14T16:02:00.001-07:00

In June we had the chance to go up to Utah for Lilly Mishler's blessing. David and Cindy did great work with this little cutie!
Her hair is amazing!!

Our family at Bridal Veil Falls.

My little acrobats wanted to show mom their tricks!

May Recap

2010-08-14T15:50:00.000-07:00

My brother Nate and his wife Millie bought a house. In the backyard after having had a huge bonefire to burn out an old tree stump they dug this hole to make their own swimming pool. The kids loved it!!

We are still alive

2010-08-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

We are still alive I promise! Life has been very hectic lately, so the blog has gone by the wayside. We had the fun news in June that we were being evicted because our landlord wasn't paying the rent and our house had been sold at auction. We had two weeks to get packed up and moved. Ben's wonderful sister offered to take us in again, so we are back living with family for the next few months.

2010-06-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

April Update

2010-06-02T21:13:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Heidi's 23rd birthday with a strawberry cake and breakfast at Denny's. Nate was able to join us for breakfast. (Can't get a serious picture out of this kid!)

Michelle and I took a weekend trip out to St. George to visit Tami and meet this cute little man. Reggie was adorable!

These ladies are two of my most favorite!! It is always fun to get together and chat!!

I was also lucky enough to meet up with two of my college roomates while in St. George. I love these ladies!! Steph and Kellie and two of the funniest gals I know!!

Easter was wonderful! Benson and Kenadee loved finding Easter eggs in the backyard.

Disneyland 2010

2010-03-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

We just got back from an amazing trip to Disneyland! We met up with the Chappells and played in the parks for 3 days. The kids loved everything! Kenadee had no fear. She went on rides like the Matterhorn without blinking an eye. It was so fun to be able to watch the excitment on the kids faces with everything they saw.

Kenadee and Kenzie in their matching pjs.

Benson and Daddy meeting Mickey Mouse.

Kena kicking back in the teacups.

Meeting Minnie Mouse

An attempt at a self taken group shot.

Our cute little munchkins on the Bug's Life area.

Kenadee behind the camera.

Princess Tiana

Our little Snow Whites meeting Snow White! They were so excited.

Kenadee and cute little Jordyn.

Family picture with Kenzie.

Gearing up for the fireworks.

The final day at the park. The kids were totally zonked!

The Ocean and Ellie

2010-03-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

After a wonderful week at Disneyland we headed over to the beach. Kena collected shells and Benson splashed around and got soaked!

We met up with Ben's cousin Ellie and her beautiful baby Keausha for lunch. It was wonderful to catch up!

Ladies Man

2010-03-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

Snow Day

2010-03-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we drove up to Flagstaff to play in the snow. We took a tube and had a blast! It was a beautiful warm sunny day. The snow was more like packed ice, but we still enjoyed ourselves!

Isabel comes to town

2010-03-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

We were very blesssed to have Isabel and Michelle come stay with us for a night! My kids loved little Isabel. Kenadee wanted her to stay with us!

Baby Hinckley

2010-03-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

I have a new nephew! Adorable Hinckley Eric Benefield was born February 19th. He is absoslutely precious!!!

Big Mouth

2010-03-17T13:21:00.000-07:00

Benson was cracking us up one night. He took this little toy that has a bulb on the end that lights up and spins and stuck the whole bulb in his mouth. Then he would pushs the button to make it light up and his cheeks would glow! Ben and I decided to try and put it in our mouths well...
It fit in Bens...

It wouldn't fit it mine! Benson has a bigger mouth then his mom, wonder where he gets that from?? :)

Surprise Visitors

2010-03-12T08:49:00.000-08:00

Back in February I got a phone call from my friend Stephanie asking if I could watch her adorable girls for a week, while she flew to Utah to help take care of her dad. Of course that wasn't a problem so two days later they were on the plane headed for AZ. MaKenzie and Jordyn were a blast to have around. Kenadee and Benson were in heaven and I got to experience life with four kids three and under! They were great, everyone slept through the night, we only had a couple of time outs and everyone was still friends after the week! We celebrated Valentines together and had lots of fun!
Here is cute Jordyn in the stroller

We did sparklers one night. The kids loves them! Benson singed his pjs that night.

This is decorating cookies at the park. My ward did a Valentine's play group.

Kena and Kenzie sporting the robot boxes.

What are girls without dress-ups?

Best little pals, Kena and Kenzie

Playing out back. Kenzie and Jordyn were loving our 70 degree weather!

Princess jammies and balloons. The day Kenzie and Jordyn came in we went to eat at Chick-Fil-A. It was kids eat free night and the place was packed! There was a balloon guy there making amazing creations for all the little kids for free! Kenzie asked for Tinkerbell and Kenadee got a ballerina.

Maddie's Play

2010-03-12T08:46:00.000-08:00

We had the wonnderful opportunity to see my little sister perform in a play over in Mesa. She was the star of the Twelve Dancing Princess and did a fabulous job!!

Girls Trip to SF

2010-02-09T13:24:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I had the priviledge of meeting up with some of my most favorite girls in my very favorite city for a relaxing weekend! We shopped a ton, ate at all of our favorite places and talked till all hours of the night!

We met up with Rachel, Michelle, Stephanie and Pepper for dinner at the E & O Trading Co. It was delicious!!

Courtney, Tami, Becca, Michelle and I stayed at the Marriott Marquis hotel and had a fantastic weekend!!

Uncle Wayne comes for a Visit

2010-02-09T13:17:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago my mom's brother came to town for work. We met up with him one night for dinner. It was so fun to hang out with family. Thanks Wayne for treating us to a yummy meal!
Benson wanted to feed everyone.

They've got the same smile!

The Zoo Again

2010-02-09T13:11:00.000-08:00

Benson had an Oreo, this was the result! I think he looks good sporting a goatee!!

Binkie war-Contenders: Boston and Benson

Kena and her cute friend Kyson.

Benson loves brushing the goats.

My Three Favorite People

2010-02-09T13:09:00.000-08:00

Playing with the kids

2010-02-03T20:26:00.000-08:00

Temple Square

2010-01-11T19:51:00.001-08:00

I love this place!!!

Trip to Utah

2010-01-11T19:38:00.001-08:00

Ben and I decided we wanted to make a quick trip to Utah for New Years. We packed up the kids and made the 10 hour trek to hang out with family and friends! It was so much fun to hang out with people we love and miss! We were able to get together with some dental school buddies for what is quickly becoming an annual Christmas party! The Ladies (Tami, Me, Michelle, Cindy and Becca)

The Guys (Mark, Ben, Aaron, Dave, and Brian)

Kena with sweet Isabel. (She wanted to take her home with us!)

Cute little Ryder

My hungry kiddos

Christmas Evening

2010-01-11T19:09:00.001-08:00

For Christmas dinner we went over to my dad and Christina's house. We had a wonderful lasanga dinner and stayed up way too late playing the Wii! It was so fun to be with family! My brother Nate thought it would be very funny to give my kids each a box of matches for Christmas, (he had recently taught them both how to strike a match!!) and he gave me a fire-extinguisher!! There were several fun gifts passed around. My kids were totally spoiled! Benson got a ride on dump truck and Kenadee got a little piano along with a ton of other stuff!
Kena and Benson love their Papa!

Because he lets them do stuff like this!

And this (My kids thought they were really playing, it was so funny to watch them move around like everyone else with the wii remotes!)

Me and my dad

Nate and Millie

Miss Marie (my family's adopted grandma), Paige and Christina

Heidi and Maddie

Christmas Morning

2010-01-05T20:40:00.000-08:00

My mom and Heidi came over to our place for Christmas morning. It was so fun to wake up with the kids, at 8:30, and go out to see what Santa brought! (This may be our last year to sleep in on Christmas morning!) The kids were so excited! Kenadee got several games and books, Benson got a tool set and some balls and together they got a play house. Ben got some games and gift cards and surprised me with bedding! We had a yummy breakfast of carmel french toast, scrambles eggs with bacon and cheese and orange juice. It was a wonderful day!

Christmas Eve

2010-01-05T20:35:00.000-08:00

For Christmas Eve we went over to the Benefields. We had dinner, watched the Miracle on 34th street and visited. Afterwards we took the kids home and let them open one present each, then read the Christmas story in Luke. I love the expression on Kena's face as Benson opened his Thomas the Train bathtub toy from the Benefields!
Kenadee opened a package with some fun balls from Samantha.

Christmas Projects

2010-01-05T20:33:00.001-08:00

This year I made a lot of our gifts. These sock monkeys were my favorites!

The Zoo with Maddie and Paige

2010-01-05T20:26:00.000-08:00

Since it was Christmas break, my little sisters Maddie and Paige came to stay a couple of nights with us. We took them to the Phoenix zoo. Kena and Benson absolutely love the zoo! It was so nice to have extra help with my kiddos!

Christmas Clothes

2010-01-05T20:23:00.000-08:00

Here are Kenadee and Benson in their Christmas Sunday best.

Ben's Birthday

2010-01-05T20:11:00.001-08:00

Ben turned 29 on December 17th. We flew out to Illinois that day for his company's work party. Heartland flew out all of their doctors and spouses. It was a kids free trip which was a great birthday present for both of us! The party was a black tie affair and was held at the founders home in Effingham. It was so fun to get all dressed up! When we got home my mom and the kids had the house all decorated. Kenadee picked out Legos for Ben, I got him some new work clothes. We sure love Ben! Thanks for being a fabulous husband and a wonderful daddy!!
Eric also works for Heartland so we were able to hang out with them. While Eric and Ben went to meetings, Aimee and I went shopping!

This Ferrari is one of the founders many exotic cars.

This is his home. It was incredible, but I sure wouldn't want to be the one to clean it! :) Thanks Jen for letting me borrow your dress and shoes!

McCormick Train Park

2010-01-05T19:57:00.001-08:00

We started our Christmas season this year by heading over to the McCormick train park with our friends the Jurcas. Every year in December the park sets up a ton of lights and run the park until 9:30 pm. The kids loved all the lights! We went on a Saturday night, but the main train line was so long we decided to go back on another night too! They had a huge decorated tree and several costumed characters walking around.
Benson loved the train. He wanted to sit all by himself.

Kenadee and daddy.

The Mishlers

The Jurca's

A ride on the horsies.

Kena and Benson

Elmo, Steve and Joe. Joe wasn't quite sure about him!

Elmo, Kena, Ben and Benson. Benson loved all the characters.

Kenadee is Three

2009-12-11T09:13:00.001-08:00

My little girl turned three yesterday! I can hardly believe she is that old. Kena is such a fun part of our family! She is extremely loving and cuddly. She is also a little mom. She likes to take care of Benson and let us know when he needs better care. :) She loves to dress up, have tea parties and build forts. We are so grateful for this little girl in our lives!!!

We had her birthday party last weekend, so on her birthday we kept things a little more simple. I asked her what she wanted to do and she said go to the zoo. So I bundled up Kena and Benson and we had a great time at the zoo! When Ben came home we enjoyed a pancake dinner and she blew out the candles on her giant cupcake.

I thought this picture was hilarious. 6 little monkeys sitting in a row!