A Domer, A Cougar, and 3 Wild Childs

Daddy Daughter Dance

2012-01-27T19:39:00.000-08:00

The girls school had their annual Parent Student Dance or as we like to call it the Daddy Daughter Dance tonight. When Lexi heard me talking about it with Ryan she insisted that she get to go too so we bought her a ticket. She was probably the most excited to go but the other girls were a little excited too. They had a great time dancing and Lexi got to do the Hokey Pokey and was singing it all night until we put her to bed.

Here they are right before the dance. I love that they want to get dressed up for it and do their hair down (which is not how I usually let them wear it). Don't they look great. I hope Ryan doesn't get sick of these dances because he has a lot more of them in the future.

Tea Party

2012-01-21T19:14:00.001-08:00

The girls have been wanting to have a tea party for a couple of months now and it never worked out. So today we finally were able to have one. They invited their cousins Kate and Summer and they invited Grandma Cardon. They chose all of the decorations, food, and activities and worked on it for days. Here is what the room looked like before it started.

Hailey made chocolate chip cookies and a sign that said "Welcome" on it. Peyton made the cake and decorated it with a play tea set. She also made the place cards, napkin rings, a coaster, a poster saying "Tea Party"on it, and hung balloons from the ceiling. I made cinnamon muffins, sandwiches, and fruit. Alexis made pink lemonade.
Here are the lovely ladies about to start the party. They all came dressed up and were ready to have fun.
After they ate their food Summer decided to have a photo shoot outside. She loves taking pictures and the girls were excited to be the models. Here is Alexis loving being included with the big girls.
Peyton and Kate skipping to go out front.
Kate in the tree.
Hailey in the tree.
Peyton in the tree.
Grandma even got in on the action. Kate wanted her to wear her hat.
4 silly cousins.
Summer, the photographer posing for a picture.
All the cute girls in the tree.
The final activity of the party was coloring tea pots that Peyton had printed off. Each tea pot was different and they had the name of the person on it.

I'm so glad we were finally able to have the party because it was a lot of fun. I'm grateful for Summer who at the age of 14 played along really well and made it fun for her sister and younger cousins. She is such a good sport.

Christmas Break

2012-01-21T16:07:00.000-08:00

We had a fantastic Christmas break this year. My whole family was in town and we really enjoyed spending every day together doing lots of fun stuff. I did the 24 days of Christmas with the girls again this year and they loved it once again. Here they are decorating their gingerbread houses.

We had our Ferrell family Christmas party about a week before Christmas this year. We had a great time eating, exchanging gifts, playing bells and singing, and putting on the nativity.
At our ward party Santa came to visit and Lexi wasn't too excited to sit on his lap but she did.
While my family was in town we did lots of fun things. We had a caramel apple making party, a gingerbread house party, trips to the park, we played at Bounce U, attended an adoption party for my cousin Kari, went swimming at a hotel, had Christmas Eve at my cousin Nicole's house, blessed my new nephew Braeden, had many family dinners, and hung out at night. I wish I had taken pictures of these things but I didn't. Hopefully at some point in time my brother Andrew will send us some of the pictures he took and then I will fill in with a few pictures.

Here are pictures of our Christmas morning. Alexis loved opening her gifts.

Hailey loved her brand new bike without training wheels.
Peyton loved her new Razor scooter she had been asking for.
Here is a picture of some of my family before church on Christmas morning.
After all of my family left back to Utah Ryan took the girls to Flagstaff to spend a few days in the snow. There wasn't much snow but they made the most of it and enjoyed an hour of sledding. Here is the best picture Ryan took. I guess he didn't realize the girls were squinting from the sun. Oh well, at least he took a picture.
The girls had a great time enjoying their time off from school and loved spending time with their family.

Peyton's Orchestra Concert and Hailey's Dance Recital

2012-01-21T15:58:00.000-08:00

Peyton had her first Orchestra concert in December. This is her first time ever playing an instrument and she chose the viola. She practiced really hard and did a great job. She loves playing and has just recently started taking private lessons once a week so she can improve even more.

Hailey had a dance recital in December and did a dance to "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer". She looked adorable and did a great job. She really enjoys dance and can't wait for her next recital.

Thanksgiving and My Birthday

2012-01-21T15:42:00.000-08:00

On Thanksgiving morning Ryan was invited to go shooting with some friends from the ward. He just had to go and he really enjoyed himself. Now he wants to buy lots of guns and go shooting all the time.

We went to my parent's house for a delicious Thanksgiving meal. We had a small crowd this year since most people were out of town but we still had a great time.
That weekend was also my birthday and Ryan and the girls spoiled me. They got me lots of great gifts including the second best gift I have ever been given (my engagement ring is number 1). Ryan had taken my Mita's (grandmother) jewelry stand that I had inherited when she passed away in January to get refurbished. It was falling apart and would not have been able to stand much longer if it wasn't fixed. This jewelry stand means so much to me. I use to play with it when I was a kid and I would go visit my Mita and Papa. She had a bunch of costume jewelry she kept in it and we would dress up and have a great time. Her father had given it to her as a present back in 1931. He bought it in a small village just outside of Paris (my Mita is from Switzerland). It is something I will cherish forever and look forward to passing it down to one of my daughters.
I had a great birthday and am so grateful for my family who made it so wonderful.

Oceanography

2012-01-21T15:21:00.000-08:00

The 5th grade students at Peyton's school have the option of going on the Oceanography trip to San Diego. Peyton wanted to go so badly but it was expensive and I didn't want her to go without a parent. So Ryan's mom generously offered to help pay for Peyton to go so her hopes wouldn't be dashed. I was the chosen parent to accompany her so we set off on an 8 hour bus ride to San Diego. It was a very long ride especially being pregnant and not having a lot of leg room to stretch out but we made it there around midnight. The next day we got up very early and took the bus to the marina for a 3 hour boat ride. Here is the only picture I am in during the trip and of course we took it ourselves.

The boat ride was very educational and luckily I didn't get motion sickness. Peyton was able to help pull up the net that was dropped to see what sea creatures were at the bottom of the ocean.
We saw lots of dolphins swimming in the ocean and that was Peyton's favorite part. It is amazing watching them swim in their natural habitat.
We also saw lots of sea lions.
Later that day we went to Sea World to learn about sea animals and to ride on Journey to Atlantis.
Of course we went to the Shamu show and I made Peyton wear a poncho so she wouldn't get soaking wet if we got splashed. We really lucked out and everyone to the left of us got soaked and I didn't even get a drop on me.
The next day we went to the Scripps Aquarium. Here is a statue that is out in front. It was huge and amazing.
Here is Peyton's group getting eaten by a shark.
The beautiful view of the ocean we had at the aquarium.
Peyton learned about lots of animals and even got to touch a few. Here she is touching a star fish.
We left to go back home after the aquarium and luckily the drive back didn't take as long and wasn't as terrible because I got a whole row to myself. Peyton had a great time and was so grateful she got to go. Thanks Grandma Ferrell for making it possible.

Halloween

2012-01-21T15:10:00.000-08:00

The girls had a great time celebrating Halloween this year. Peyton dressed up like Crest toothpaste (it was a costume we found in the storage area at his parent's house), Hailey was a witch, and so was Alexis.

We were able to go trick-or-treating with Christin and Becky's family this year. My parents even joined us for the fun. It was a perfect night to spend walking around outside.

October Break

2012-01-21T14:30:00.000-08:00

We love going to Utah for October Break and this year we decided to go again. It worked out that it was BYU's Homecoming game during that first weekend so we were lucky to enjoy the festivities. The first thing was the Homecoming parade. It was absolutely freezing that morning especially for us since we live in Arizona and it was hot when we left there. But we still braved the weather to enjoy the parade. Michelle and Drew came down from South Jordan to join us and we had a great time watching with them.

Alexis loves the marching band and was so excited to see it up close.
She even got to pet a llama that was walking in the parade.
That night we went to the tailgate party and the kids had a great time walking around and doing some of the activities. Here they are on the back of a fire truck.
Alexis got her face painted with a cougar paw. We didn't actually go to the game but we watched it on the tv and enjoyed spending time with Andrew and Rachael.
Of course any trip to Utah would not be complete without going bowling at BYU.
We were lucky to get to spend some time with some of our friends in Utah. We got together and went to a fun bounce place with Stacey and Beth. This is the only picture I took because I was too busy talking and having fun.
We also met up with the triplets again and enjoyed playing at the park and going to Cameron's football practice.
We spent lots of time walking up to BYU's campus. We love being so close to campus that we can walk up there every day.
We even spent some time running around the outdoor track. The girls loved having races.
Peyton was nice enough to give Lexi a piggy back ride when she started getting tired.
After racing around the track the girls just had to get some Dairy Queen.
Another favorite of ours is the Earth Science Museum (or as we call it the Dinosaur museum). Andrew and his family joined us along with Rachael.
Here are the girls with their cousin Drew at the Cougar.
A fun pose with Aunt Rachael.
We also went to some Halloween Festival that was super fun. There were tons of witches all around and lots of people dressed up as witches.
We can't wait to go back and visit Utah again this summer.

School Pictures

2012-01-21T14:28:00.000-08:00

The girls looked super cute for school pictures. I just had to show them off.

Peyton's 10th Birthday

2012-01-21T14:11:00.001-08:00

Peyton turned 10 years old on August 22nd. I can't believe I have a daughter who is in double digits now (I must be getting old!). She woke up to breakfast in bed. She chose to have crepes with strawberries and whipped cream. YUM!

She opened her presents before she went to school because she just couldn't wait. She got lots of stuff for her American girl doll and loved all of it.
Here she is with her 2 favorite sisters.
We invited my family over that night for brownies and ice-cream. Peyton's cousin Summer had just celebrated her 14th birthday 3 days before so we included her in the celebration.
The one thing Peyton really wanted to do for her birthday was have a party with her cousins Makenna and Aurora. Aurora lives in California but was able to come because it was the same weekend as the Ferrell Grandparent's going away party. It worked out perfectly.
First they went and got pizza.
Then they went ice skating. They had so much fun skating together.
After ice skating they went to frozen yogurt. It was great seeing them spending time together and enjoying every minute of it.
Peyton had a fabulous birthday and loved all of her celebrations.

The Ferrell's Are off to China (Again!)

2012-01-21T14:06:00.001-08:00

Ryan's parents decided they hadn't gotten their fill of China the first time they went so they signed up to go again. They left in August and we had a going away party for them. All of their children were able to be there except for Tyler and his wife AnnaMarie. We enjoyed a delicious meal in a private room that allowed us to talk and enjoy one last time together for a year. We sure miss them.

First Day of School

2011-10-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

The girls first day of school was back on August 10th (I told you I have a lot to catch up on). I'm not sure how excited they were to start school but we managed to get through the morning without any tears.
Peyton started 5th grade this year and I can't believe how quickly she is growing up. She decided to chop a lot of her hair off right before school started. I was a little nervous to let her do it but it has made her hair a lot easier to manage and it still looks cute.

Hailey started 1st grade this year. I was a little worried about how she would react when we took her to school so I made Ryan do it (she had been crying and worrying about 1st grade all summer). Ryan said it went well and she hasn't cried about going to school in the almost 2 months she has been going which is a huge improvement from last year.

Alexis didn't start school but she wishes she could go. She loves to put her backpack on and pretend she is going to school too.

Here's to hoping that this is another great school year.

Cardon Family Reunion

2011-10-01T09:50:00.001-07:00

Our last vacation of the summer was our Cardon Family Reunion in Munds Park, AZ. This is where we grew up going since my Grandma and Grandpa Gaisford had a cabin there. They owned it until 2002 when my Grandpa sold it after my Grandma passed away. We rented an awesome cabin that had 2 kitchens, 2 family rooms, 6 bedrooms, a tennis court, a huge deck, and lots of land to play on. It was just perfect.
Here is my family just after we attended church in Flagstaff.

The tennis court wasn't in great condition but it made a perfect kickball and baseball field since it was enclosed so the ball couldn't go too far. We had so much fun playing and my mom even hit a home run. Boy was she excited.

Here she is running to home plate with her hands raised in victory. We also had a family talent show which was so much fun. My neice Summer wrote a skit for her and some of the kids to perform. It was so creative and funny.

Alexis started to sing a song but then she got too shy to finish. I guess she got stage fright.

My sister-in-law Michelle did a hilarious skit about a pirate. She is so much fun to be around and keeps us laughing.

Ryan wrote a few lymrics that were funny and everyone was impressed with his poetry skills.

My sister Rachael, her boyfriend Steve, my brother Andrew and his wife Michelle did another funny skit about exercising. (those are Steve's legs Rachael is holding)

My brother Scott and his wife Megan did another funny skit.

At the end of the talent show my parents and all of my brothers and sisters got up and sang our old family talent show song we sang at a family reunion when I was 8, "Somewhere Out There". We all remembered the words and it was fun to think about past fun times we had together as a family.

While we were there the kids played lots of card games.

We hung out and talked a lot while enjoying the beautiful weather.

The kids played outside most of the day and enjoyed each other's company.

We took a walk up to our old family cabin (which has changed a lot since we sold it) and of course had to take a picture. I am sure the people who bought it from my Grandpa did not anticipate the amount of visitors they would receive over the years who just wanted to take a picture or see what the inside looked like. They probably think our family is crazy and need to let go of the past but we have so many wonderful memories there it is hard to let go (I don't think any of us ever will).

Alexis loved having so many cousins to play with and take care of her. Her cousin Jacob is just the sweetest kid and loves taking care of the babies. We can always count on him to be so sweet and kind to the little ones.

Ryan was able to play some tennis with his brother-in-laws and his sister-in-law.

One of the highlights of the cabin was the zip line they had. The kids loved going on it (even the youngest ones) and could have done it all day long.

Here is Peyton riding on the zip line.

We had such a fun time at our reunion and can't wait to go back again in the next few years. Thanks mom and dad for helping us relive our childhood.

Swim Team

2011-09-09T11:34:00.001-07:00

This summer in between all the vacationing we did the girls also participated in swim team. This is something that I did as a kid and so I have carried on the tradition with my kids. Hailey really enjoyed it and loved getting ribbons at the swim meets. She really improved over the summer and really started learning how to do all 4 strokes correctly.
This was Peyton's 4th year of swim team and her enthusiasm is fading fast. This was the first year she had to swim 2 laps for her races and that was really hard for her. She isn't sure she wants to do it again next year but I hope I can talk her into it. It is such great exercise.

We decided to go out for frozen yogurt after their final swim meet. The girls enjoyed this and Lexi especially loved it. I'm really proud of Peyton and Hailey for trying their hardest and doing the best they could do.

Utah and Wyoming

2011-09-08T13:10:00.000-07:00

This summer we took a 2 week trip (we spent 40 days on vacation this summer) to Utah, Wyoming, and then back to Utah again. Our first stop was to South Jordan, Utah where we stayed in my brother Andrew and Michelle's beautiful new house. The girls had a great time playing with their cousin Drew and Ryan and I enjoyed hanging out with Andrew and Michelle. We went to the Children's exhibit in the LDS Art and Church History Museum. My girls love going there to play.
They had dance clothes you could try on and learn how to do some Mexican dancing.

We also went to the splash pad at Liberty Park and they girls loved splashing in the water and soaking in the sun.

We also made a quick stop at BYU to go bowling.

The girls and I went to visit the Museum of Art on BYU campus and we came across this exhibit of used college books someone had built into a huge square. It was really awesome to look at.

Before we left to go to Wyoming we went out to dinner with Andrew and Michelle and my sister Rachael and her boyfriend Steve. We ate lots of good food and had a great time talking.

After a few days in Utah we left to go to Cody, Wyoming to spend the 4th of July with Ryan's family. Ryan's mom grew up in Cody and Ryan spent a lot of his childhood 4th of July's in Cody. He was really excited to go and relive his childhood. His parents, his brother Tyler and his family, his sister Ashley and her family, and his sister Amber and her family all came to Cody to celebrate. Their were 19 of us and we probably doubled the population of this small town. We played at the park a lot and just had fun being together.

Here are all the grand kids waiting for the kid parade to start (there were 3 parades that weekend). Grandma Ferrell loved being surrounded by all of them.

Peyton and Hailey really wanted to get feathers in their hair while we were at the big celebration at the park. It was really cheap so I let them.

One of the highlights of the trip was going to a real professional rodeo. The Cody Stampede Rodeo was so much fun and the girls loved watching it. Hailey even got to sit on a real bull and take a picture with her cousins.

On the morning of the 4th of July they had a huge parade. I have never seen so many horses at one time in my life. It was fun to see what parades were like before they had huge floats and cars.

Here are the two that made this trip possible for all of us. Thanks mom and dad for showing us a great time.

While we were at the hotel we swam a lot with the cousins.

Here the girls are at another park.

Here we all are (just to prove we were all there together).

Lexi and Peyton loved to snuggle on the hotel bed together.

That night we went to go watch fireworks at the top of the mountain. It was a great show until it started pouring rain and we had to run back to the car. We had such a fun time in Cody and it is a trip we will remember forever. It was great seeing how Ryan spent some of his childhood and one of the best parts was getting to see the Ranch that my mother-in-law spent her summer's at.

After our fun trip to Wyoming we drove back to Utah to spend time at the condo in Provo. We spent one day swimming with Michelle and Drew.

We spent a day hanging out with some of our friends from Irvine (who now live in Utah) the Lopez Family. The girls had a great time playing with their old friends and they didn't want to leave their house.

We also got to spend time with our friends from our days at BYU, Beth and Eric, and Matt and Stacey. We had fun catching up with them and the kids had fun playing with their kids.

We spent some more time at BYU and then it was time to head back home. It was sad to leave Utah but we look forward to going back in October for a week.

Hailey's Birthday

2011-09-08T12:58:00.001-07:00

Hailey was born on Father's Day 6 years ago and this year her birthday fell on Father's Day again. The day before her birthday we threw together a little party with some of her friends and cousins. She was so excited to have her own party (I'm not big into birthday parties so it is rare). Here she is with her friends and cousins.
She really wanted a pinata so Ryan was nice enough to go buy one and fill it for her and set it up. The kids had a great time hitting it and getting the candy.

All she wanted was cupcakes from the store and that sounded great to me. She got to pick them out herself so she was super happy with them. She got a lot of great presents and had a fun time playing and laughing.

On her birthday the Ferrell family got together to celebrate Father's Day and they added her birthday into the celebration. Grandma Ferrell even got Hailey her own cake. She loved it and felt really special. I can't believe Hailey is already 6. She is growing up so fast.

Hawaii

2011-09-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of June Ryan and I were able to take our very first real trip together since our honeymoon (which was only to San Diego). We were lucky to get to go to Hawaii thanks to my very generous Father-in-law and to my wonderful mom and sister-in-law Ashley who took care of the kids for us. Ryan had been to Hawaii twice before but I had never been. When we arrived at our beautiful hotel we were greeted with these leis and a great view of the ocean.

Our hotel was awesome and was just right across from the beach. We had a nice kitchen, a fantastic bathroom, a comfy bed, and a spectacular view. Every day the hotel staff would clean our room and leave us delicious treats and then later in the day they would come and turn on beautiful music, set out bathrobes and slippers, and turn down our bed. I really enjoyed every minute of it. Since we had a kitchen with everything you could possibly need I was able to eat delicious pineapple and kiwi every morning for breakfast and we could save whatever leftovers we had from eating out and eat it later. I would definitely stay there again.

Now to what we did while we were there. We hiked up to a lighthouse and had a spectacular view and an enjoyable time looking at the ocean during the whole hike.

Here we are at the top. Isn't the view beautiful.

We were able to visit a few food places Ryan had seen on the food network and travel channel.

We did a session at the Laie Temple. It was so fun to see how different this temple is inside compared to other temples I have been in.

After the temple we went to another food destination. The Shrimp Shack food truck was so delicious and probably my favorite meal in Hawaii.

We went to the Dole Pineapple Plantation and I learned a lot about how pineapples grow.

The pineapple plants were so beautiful and I loved all of the different varieties of pineapple they had growing.

We went to Pearl Harbor to see a part of our American and World History.

I enjoyed walking through the museum and reading all of the accounts of what happened that day. I can't even imagine what is was like to be there. I really appreciated this quote and it really made me think about how I take our freedom for granted sometimes.

We didn't take the boat out to the U.S.S. Arizona but we did look at the pictures.

While we were in Hawaii they were having the Pan Pacific Festival right by our hotel. During the whole weekend they had tons of celebrations, performances, and a parade. Here are a few pictures from the parade. I loved seeing the different cultures all in one parade.

We went to BYU-Hawaii to check out their campus and bookstore. It was beautiful and hard to imagine going to college right next to the beach. I learned a lot about the history of BYU-Hawaii and about the students who go there.

Then we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. This was the highlight of my trip. We spent all day there and I was amazed at the talent of the students and other people who work there. I am definitely going back when we return to Hawaii someday.

Here are some dancers from Tahiti. I loved the dancing from this Island.

Here I am learning to do the hula. Dancing is definitely not my strong point.

Here is Ryan learning to do a Tahitian dance. So fun to watch.

Here we are before the luau. I loved the beautiful leis they gave us.

Here is the pig that we ate. It was tasty.

We also went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. I had never been and am a bit afraid of going too far out in the ocean (I almost drown in the ocean when I was 8) but I still enjoyed it. Ryan wished he had a more adventurous partner but he was so nice to stay with me the whole time.

It was such a fabulous trip and I am so glad we were able to go. I can't wait to go back and take my girls to see all of the beautiful things Hawaii has to offer (when they are older that is!).

I'm Still Here

2011-09-04T20:49:00.000-07:00

Well I promise I am going to blog about our fun filled summer, the start of a new school year and everything else I haven't blogged about over the past couple of months. I did just finally get all of the pictures off my camera and on to my computer so that is no longer a valid excuse (thank you Ryan). But until I get the mental energy to catch up on all that has happened I will just leave you with this one last announcement. We are expecting baby #4 in February 2012. This one was a big leap of faith for me especially because Alexis and the baby will only be 2 years and 9 months apart which is really close in my mind. The girls have had mixed emotions about the news (especially Peyton who isn't quite sure she wants another baby around so soon) but we are excited to add another little one to our family. So don't give up on our blog just yet. I promise you will enjoy seeing what we did this summer.

Happy Anniversary!

2011-08-15T14:26:00.000-07:00

I know I have not blogged in 2 months. Far too long and I have so many posts to do but I can't get my pictures off my camera and I am hoping Ryan can fix it SOON (hint, hint). But I just wanted to say "Happy 13th Anniversary" to my wonderful husband. I can't believe we have been married that long and I can't believe we actually chose to get married in Arizona in August. Ryan, thanks for always being so supportive of everything I have ever done in my life and for allowing me to be myself and still loving me despite all of my faults. You are such a wonderful person, so giving and generous, so patient, and very forgiving. Life would be boring without you. I love you so much. Happy Anniversary.

St. Louis

2011-06-16T12:07:00.001-07:00

After Nauvoo we drove back to St. Louis (that is the closest airport to Nauvoo). We stayed a few days in St. Louis to enjoy some of the great things they have there. On our first day we went to The Magic House. This is a children's museum we had been to before when my sister Christin lived in St. Louis. It was a blast.

They had a new Alice in Wonderland exhibit that the girls wanted to start with. Here is Lexi playing the caterpillars back.
The girls looking through the key holes.
This was a fun toy to play with. You put a ball or handkerchief in the tube and the air would make it go through the tubes and then shoot them out.
They had a huge exhibit on the American government. You could stand behind the podium and pretend you were giving a Presidential address. Here is President Peyton Ferrell.
President Hailey Ferrell in the oval office at the President's desk.
President Alexis Ferrell.
The also had a court room where you could pretend to be a lawyer, a witness, or the judge. Here is judge Peyton.
Judge Hailey.
Judge Alexis.
This is the point where my camera battery died and I didn't have another one or the charger so I have no more pictures from our trip to St. Louis. I was so sad. We went to Six Flags the next day and had such a great time. Peyton loved all of the rides and said that this was her favorite theme park (which is saying something since she has been obsessed with Disneyland for a long time). We had a great vacation and loved spending so much time together. I can't wait for our next trip this summer.

Nauvoo-The last post

2011-06-16T11:38:00.001-07:00

While we were in Nauvoo they were having a BBQ contest at the park by the temple. We decided to go and enjoy the BBQ and other booths they had. There was a miniature horse there and the girls really wanted to pet it and take it for a ride.

On another day we had our own BBQ at a park. The girls loved swinging together and just playing on the equipment. This is Peyton's favorite way to swing with Lexi.

Another great thing about Nauvoo is all of the fun entertainment. The Nauvoo Brass Band rides around and plays music and they also perform in a lot of the plays.
We all enjoyed dancing to the music together.
The plays that the senior missionaries and the performing missionaries put on are so awesome. They are all so talented and the girls loved watching them. You really have to see them for yourself to know what you are missing out on.

We went to a dress rehearsal for one of the plays and the band was playing and invited our girls to come on stage and dance with them. Hailey was embarrassed so she just kind of hid in the corner.
On the morning we were leaving it was so dark and there were warnings of flooding and lots of rain. We had not taken any pictures of our family in front of the temple so we went and this is the best we could get before it started pouring rain. Just goes to show us not to wait until the end to take an important picture.
Nauvoo is one of our families favorite places to go and the girls are already asking when we can go again. We had such a great time and we can't wait to go back. Thanks AnnaMarie and Tyler for vacationing with us.

Nauvoo-Pioneer Pastimes

2011-06-15T22:40:00.001-07:00

The girls favorite thing in Nauvoo had to be Pioneer Pastimes. It is a place that we went every day because they loved it so much. They had fun games the pioneers played, clothes the pioneers would wear, and 2 playhouses with stuff for the kids to play with inside. Here is one of the buildings. I wish I could have one of these in my backyard.

Here are my beautiful girls dressed up in their pioneer clothes.
Lexi didn't want to get all dressed up but wore this hat for a few minutes so I could get a quick picture.
Here is Hailey in the school writing on her chalkboard.
Another pioneer outfit for Peyton.
Lexi loved playing with all of the dishes in the kitchen. She really enjoyed playing with Jane and Katie at the table.

Hailey also loved to cook in the kitchen. Doesn't she look so cute.
Lexi also loved playing with the baby dolls they had there. They had beds for the babies and clothes to dress them in. They also had a place you could pretend to wash their clothes and hang them to dry.
Outside of the houses they had horses and sheep the kids could sit on and pretend to ride.

One of Ryan's favorite things were the stilts. He was a natural and Peyton and I were not. Here he is trying to teach Peyton how to do it.
And I only lasted a second before I fell off of them.
Another fun game was the teddy bear pull. You had to pull on the strings to make the teddy bear go up to the top of the roof. Peyton gave it a try.
Lexi even gave it a try.
Then it was Hailey's turn to try.
Ryan and Tyler loved this place because they could be super competitive with each other. Here they are racing the bears. It looks like Tyler won this race.
Next was this. I have no idea what this was called but they raced each other to see who could finish first.
Of course they had to race each other on the stilts. It was quite hilarious.
And of course it wouldn't be a true pioneer competition without the stick pull. Look at the concentration and effort on their faces.
I think you know who won this one. They were laughing so hard it was great.
There were so many other things to do there that I haven't covered. It was so much fun but you will just have to go there and see for yourself.

Nauvoo: The Family Living Center

2011-06-15T09:53:00.000-07:00

The Family Living Center in Nauvoo was so much fun. They teach you how the pioneers made rope, barrels, bread, candles, pottery, and many other things. One of our favorite demonstrations was rope making. Here we are watching Ryan help make the rope.

Inside the center they had this cute table with plates, cups, fake food, dolls, blankets and many more things that Hailey just loved playing with. Every time we went there you would find Hailey and Katie playing at this table. So cute.
Here Ryan is spinning the rope. He did a great job and we even have the rope to prove it.

Carthage Jail

2011-06-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

While in Nauvoo we took a 30 minute road trip to Carthage, Illinois to visit Carthage Jail. This is the jail where Joseph and Hyrum Smith were shot and killed. I had been here twice before and each time it was such a spiritual experience listening to the recording of their last few moments here on earth. Here are the kids before we took the tour.

I was hoping that if Ryan put Lexi on his shoulders with a treat she would listen and not try to touch anything. Well that didn't work out very well so I left and went outside with her because I had already been in there twice before.
Here are the girls looking at the jail cell that they would have spent most of their time in. It was a very dark room with only 2 slits in the wall to bring air in. I can't even imagine it.
Here the girls are in front of the window Joseph jumped out of after being shot.
And here is an actual bullet hole from that day because this is the original door that was there.
Here we all are in front of the jail. If you have never had the opportunity to come and visit Carthage and Nauvoo I highly recommend it. You will not be disappointed.

Nauvoo Days 1 and 2

2011-06-12T17:14:00.000-07:00

We were able to take a great family trip to Nauvoo and St. Louis at the end of May. We flew to St. Louis on Monday and then drove to Nauvoo after that. We arrived there around 7 at night and met up with Ryan's brother and his wife AnnaMarie who were going to be vacationing in Nauvoo with us. We just got settled in and relaxed before going to bed. On Tuesday morning we got up and started our trip with a stop at the visitors center and a walk around the women's statue garden. Then we headed over to the oxen ride. The girls loved meeting the oxen and Alexis even gave one a kiss.

Here are the girls with their cousins Katie (age 3) and Jane (18 months). We took a ride around a little circle and saw what it was like for the pioneers. I now understand why it would have been more comfortable to walk than to ride in the wagon. It was bumpy and there were no cushions.
A little later in the day while Alexis and Jane were taking naps we went on a wagon ride around Nauvoo. We got to see lots of the homes people lived in and of course the beautiful temple.
The temple is so beautiful and we had the perfect view of it from the wagon.
After the girls got up from their naps we went swimming and ate dinner. Then we headed off to a show the senior missionaries perform every night. It was a cute show and the girls really enjoyed it.

Happy Birthday Alexis!

2011-06-11T19:30:00.001-07:00

Alexis turned 2 back on May 20th. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone. She brings us so much joy and we just love having her around.

Here she is the morning of her birthday. She is looking so grown up.

We didn't have time to celebrate on her birthday since my brother got married on that day but the very next day we had a big party for her. We went swimming at Val Vista Lakes with all of Ryan's family and all of my family. We had a great time.

Here she is playing with daddy in the water.

Grandma and Grandpa Cardon gave her a new swimsuit and some pool toys. She wanted to open them right away.

Look at the smile on her face. She absolutely loves swimming and would wear her swimsuit every day if I would let her.

She had a rice krispy treat cake since she is allergic to eggs and she loved it.

This isn't the best picture but it is the only one I have with me and her in it. I love Alexis so much and I am so grateful that she is part of our family. She has the cutest personality (unless she is getting in to things she is not suppose to) and she has me (and everyone else) wrapped around her little finger. Happy Birthday Alexis!

Hailey's Dance Recital

2011-06-11T09:36:00.000-07:00

Hailey had her first dance recital in May. She took a gymnastics class and really learned a lot. She was super nervous and really didn't want to do it because of her nerves but we knew she would love it once she did it. It was probably a good thing we were so busy before it started because it didn't give her any time to really think about it. Here she is before it started.

Here she is in the splits on top being held up by her classmates.
Here she is about to do a cartwheel.

This is at the end. She is on the bottom with her hand on her shoulder. She had a huge smile on her face when it was over and even said she would want to do it again. I was so glad she had a great experience. Good job Hailey.

Scott's Wedding

2011-06-11T08:38:00.000-07:00

On May 20th my little brother Scott got married to his beautiful bride Megan in the Mesa, Arizona Temple. It was a jam packed day since it was my girls last day of school (they missed the last week for a vacation), Lexi's birthday, and Hailey's dance recital. The wedding and the reception were just so much fun. I don't think I have ever been to such a fun reception. Congratulations Scott and Megan.

Here's the happy couple coming out of the temple. She is just so beautiful and her dress was so classic.

All of my siblings together again.

Before the reception we took pictures at a lake near Megan's parent's house. Here is my cute little family.

The whole family (minus Andy and Joshua)

After pictures we went to Hailey's recital and then came back to the reception when it was over. We had such a great time and stayed out so late enjoying the night (Lexi went back home to sleep while we partied. Thanks Grandma Ferrell for babysitting.)

There was lots of dancing and I have never seen my girls dance as much as they did that night. It was so fun to watch. I loved seeing them dancing with their dad. It was a memory I will cherish forever.

They also had a fun photo booth that you could take silly pictures in. Here I am with my sister's and my niece Summer.
It was definitely a night we will ALWAYS remember. Thanks Scott and Megan for having such an awesome reception.

Batmobile

2011-06-10T17:14:00.000-07:00

Ryan's nephew Taylor won a contest and the prize was having the original Batmobile come to your house. He invited a few friends and family to enjoy it also. Ryan took Peyton and Hailey out to Scottsdale to go for a spin in the car. They loved every minute of it.

I think Ryan enjoyed this as much as the girls did (or more!). Thanks Taylor for inviting us.

Academic Night

2011-06-10T17:04:00.000-07:00

Peyton worked so hard this school year and got straight A's each quarter. She was invited to go to academic night because of all her hard work. She was so excited.

Here she is with Mrs. Apel her principal. She is retiring this year and we are sad to see her go.
Here Peyton is with her teacher Mrs. Eide. She is also retiring this year and she will be missed by all of the school.
Congratulations Peyton. We are so proud of you.

Water Time

2011-06-10T16:47:00.001-07:00

The girls have had a lot of fun playing outside in the water lately. They love to run in the sprinklers and they love to fill cups up with water and throw them at each other. Alexis enjoys getting in on the action and likes to pour the water on herself. I love to see such joy showing on their faces.

Volleyball

2011-06-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

Peyton finished another great volleyball season in May. She is really enjoying playing and has improved so much. I am really proud of her for wanting to stick with volleyball and try to get better. I am looking forward to another season when school starts again. Good job Peyton.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-07T22:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to the 2 greatest mothers in the world. We love you both. Thanks for being so supportive and loving.

Easter Sunday

2011-05-07T22:51:00.001-07:00

Grandma Ferrell bought the girls matching Easter dresses this year. She even made them matching flowers to wear in their hair. They looked so cute. Peyton informed me that she no longer wanted to have matching dresses with her sisters because she was too old for that now. I knew this day would come but it makes me sad because that means she is growing up.
This is the best picture I could get of Lexi because she didn't want to stand still for the picture.

Hailey was all ready to pose for an individual picture.

Peyton opted out of an individual picture as a protest to having to wear matching dresses. So sad.

Easter Saturday

2011-05-07T22:39:00.000-07:00

In my family we always had the Easter Bunny come on Saturday so that we could celebrate the real meaning of Easter on Sunday so I have continued that tradition in my family. The girls found their hidden Easter baskets on Saturday morning and enjoyed the little treats inside.
Later that day we got together with my family at a park and had dinner and an Easter egg hunt. Alexis loved finding the eggs.

Hailey enjoyed finding her share of candy filled eggs.

Even Summer got involved in the hunt even though she thinks she is too old to do it.

But Peyton didn't participate in the hunt because she had caught a butterfly and didn't want to let it go in order to get her eggs.

Alexis had way too much candy that day and threw it all up during the night. We found her like this a lot of the time at the park.

Uncle Scottie was so nice and pushed Hailey on the swing when no one else wanted to do it.

What a fun day it was.

Easter Egg Dying and Easter Pageant

2011-05-07T22:25:00.000-07:00

On the Friday before Easter the girls had a day off from school so we decided to dye Easter eggs. Peyton invited her friend Jordon to come along and help us.
My mom always comes and does this with us (as long as we are living in the same state) and joined us again this year. My girls always ask me when we are going to dye Easter eggs and the next question they ask is if Grandma Cardon is going to come.

Later that day we went to the Mesa, Arizona temple for the Easter Pageant. We got there 3 hours before it started so we could get good seats. It was pretty crowded by the time we got there but we still managed to get decent seats. There is a lot of waiting involved with this event so we brought lots of food and treats to keep the kids happy. My sister Christin and her family came with us and my sister-in-law Amber met up with us a little later.

About an hour before the show starts the cast comes out and walks around and mingles with the crowd. They also bring out some of the animals that are part of it and the kids can pet them. Here is a 3 day old sheep that the girls just loved petting.

Here the girls are waiting for it to start.

Their smiles are cute but this is how they were really acting until it started.

The pageant was as wonderful as it always is and I was so grateful that we were able to go. It reminded us all of why we really celebrate Easter and brought such a great Spirit into our lives.

Grandpa Gaisford Funeral Weekend- The burial

2011-05-07T21:38:00.001-07:00

We weren't able to go to the cemetery on the same day as my Grandpa's funeral because it is not open on weekends so we went on Monday. My Grandfather served in the military so he was buried in a national cemetery and was given a proper military burial service that was so neat to watch.
They placed an American Flag over his casket and saluted it.

A bugler played taps and they had a 21-gun salute.

They folded the flag.

And handed it to my Uncle Hal who is the oldest child.

Here are my parents and all of my siblings and my sister-in-law Michelle. We were so lucky that all of us could be there.

After the burial service we all headed over to the Mexican food restaurant my Grandparents and their children have been going to for the past 50 years, Jordan's.

It was so fun to be in a place my grandparents loved so much and just talk about our family memories. The owner's son came in and told us all how much he loved the Gaisford family and how much they will miss Harold.

All of my Aunts and Uncles were there along with many of my cousins. The food was delicious and the company was even better.

After lunch we drove by my Grandparent's old house in Phoenix. My mom grew up in this house and my grandparents lived here until 1995 when they moved to Gilbert. I loved this house and have so many wonderful memories there. When they sold it I was so sad and wished that I had the money to buy it (I was 16 at the time). It still looks the same from the outside and is just as beautiful as I remembered it to be.

When we got back to Gilbert we all met back up at Val Vista Lakes swimming pool and enjoyed swimming together.

My girls had a great time swimming with their first and second cousins.

My brother's son Drew enjoyed the nice warm weather in Arizona (he lives in Utah) and loved playing in the water.

The adults enjoyed lounging by the pool and talking.

The whole funeral weekend was just fantastic. I really love my family and all of my extended family and I was so grateful to be able to spend time with them. I am hoping that we will still see each other even though both of my grandparents have passed on. They have definitely left a great legacy behind.

Grandpa Gaisford's Funeral

2011-05-02T14:17:00.000-07:00

My Grandpa's funeral was such a great celebration of his life. All of my family was able to be there along with every single one of my cousins except for Geoff who lives in Denmark. We had a great time talking about what a great man my Grandpa was and remembering all of the good times we had with him.
My mom and I with my 3 favorite girls.

My cousin Laura was one of my very best friends growing up and I was so happy to be able to spend time with her because she lives in Connecticut so I don't get to see her often.

More of my cousins (and their children) at the funeral.

My brothers Scott and Andrew along with my cousins Mike and Steven carrying the casket.

After the funeral we went swimming with some of my cousins and just had a great time. Later that evening my sisters and I went to my Aunt's house in Phoenix and hung out talking till late into the night with my cousins. It was so much fun. It was a great ending to a wonderful day.

Grandpa Gaisford Funeral Weekend- The Secret Garden

2011-05-02T13:43:00.000-07:00

On the morning of my Grandpa's funeral I decided that I really wanted to take pictures of my girls in my Grandpa's backyard. Growing up my Grandpa lived in a beautiful home in Phoenix that had a huge front yard and backyard. He had the most beautiful flowers, trees, and grass and I always called it my secret garden. They moved to Gilbert when I was in High School and he built another beautiful secret garden in his backyard. He wasn't able to take care of his yard the past couple of years but the roses were in bloom and it looked beautiful to me.
Here we are in front of the gate to his garden. I love the cute Garden Tours sign.

The girls in front of some of his beautiful roses. My Grandma loved roses so my Grandpa always planted them for her.

In the middle of his yard is a water fountain that use to have cute rubber ducks in it. When Peyton was younger she loved to come over and play with the water and ducks.

I would love to have a secret garden of my own when I have a house. I am really going to miss my Grandpa's garden but I am so glad that I still have it in my memory and in some pictures.

Grandpa Gaisford Funeral Weekend- Park Fun

2011-05-02T13:25:00.000-07:00

My whole family was in town for my Grandpa's funeral so we decided to enjoy our time together. We spent a lot of time at the park playing with cousins and the girls loved it.
Lexi loved playing in the sand with Taylor, Jacob, and Dean.

My brother Andrew and his son Drew drove all the way from Utah to celebrate my Grandpa's life.

Peyton and Kate love playing together.

My mom enjoyed having all of her grandkids around and took some time to push Lexi in the swing.

Kate and Peyton love to swing like this. I remember doing this as a kid.

Jacob loves playing with the little kids. He is such a sweetheart and Julia and Lexi just love him.

My mom, my sisters, and my soon to be sister-in-law. We are missing my sister-in-law Michelle who hadn't arrived yet.

Once again Megan is a big hit with the kids. They love playing Ninjas with her.

Sweet Treat

2011-05-02T13:15:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was downstairs after putting Hailey and Lexi to bed and Peyton came down with a surprise for me. She had cut me some strawberries and added a nice mound of sugar to dip them in. She had a big bowl of ice cream for me to eat. She said it was dessert in bed. Isn't she sweet!

Gymnastics

2011-05-01T16:33:00.000-07:00

Hailey loves to practice her gymnastics moves at night right before bed.
Alexis tries to copy everything Hailey does.

After doing gymnastics the girls like to get crazy. Dog pile anyone?

And then it turns into a pillow fight.

So much fun.

Ryan's 36th Birthday

2011-05-01T16:25:00.001-07:00

Ryan's birthday was back on April 11th so needless to say this post is a little late. On the morning of his birthday the girls and I made him a green smoothie for breakfast.
Alexis enjoyed sharing it with him.

That night Peyton, Hailey, and I took him out to dinner at a fish house he likes. He really enjoyed his meal and the rest of us just tolerated it.

After dinner we came home and had a cake that Peyton made for him.

The girls loved blowing out the candles with him.

We had a few people over to enjoy the cake and ice cream with us.

Happy Birthday Ryan! We love you.

Another visit from the tooth fairy.

2011-05-01T16:21:00.000-07:00

Hailey lost her 3rd tooth the other day but it was her first one on the top. I wonder when the next top one will come out.

Spring Dresses

2011-05-01T16:16:00.001-07:00

Grandma Ferrell bought the girls some beautiful Spring dresses and I just had to take a few pictures of them. They are all wearing different pearls from China with them.

Aren't they cute.

Alexis and Grandpa Ferrell

2011-05-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Ferrell recently planted a big tomato garden out in the backyard and Alexis loves to go out and work in the garden with him.
While he works she loves to play on the 3-wheeler. She loves to pretend to drive it.

But she mostly loves to buckle and unbuckle the seat belt. Just look at her smile.

Grandpa occasionally stops working and comes to talk to Alexis. She loves the attention.

And just so no one forgets who the boss is around our house.

She wears it with pride.

Mita's Vest

2011-05-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

After my Mita died Peyton and I went to her house to pick out a few things we would want as keepsakes. I picked out a few treasures that I remembered from my childhood and Peyton wanted everything she saw. She found this vest and really wanted it so I agreed to it. She decided to wear it to school one day and told all of her friends that it was her Mita's. She was so proud of it and I actually think it looks cute.

Grandpa Gaisford

2011-04-08T00:39:00.001-07:00

My Grandpa Gaisford passed away tonight (April 7th). I can't believe he is gone. He was my last living grandparent and it feels weird that all of them are gone. My Grandpa was such an awesome man. He was so funny and told the corniest jokes. He was such a charmer and was a big flirt. He had the most beautiful singing voice and would sing every time we saw him. I can hear him singing in my mind right now as I type this. He loved my mom so much. She was his only daughter and the youngest child and she was his princess. He told us all the time that he named her after Queen Elizabeth (my mom was born the year she became queen) because if the name was good enough for a Queen it was just right for her. He was such a supportive grandparent and came to so many of my sporting events, my singing events, graduations (Jr. High, High School, and College), and birthdays. He always gave me big hugs and I knew that he loved me. Towards the end of his life I was able to spend lots of time with him and help take care of him. I would enjoy bringing him to my house for dinner or taking dinner to his house or taking him to Fry's to get more nose medicine. My girls were lucky enough to get to know him and spend lots of time with him and I know they will miss that. The last time we went to visit him (a week and a half ago) he sang "Happy Birthday to You" with Alexis because that is her favorite song. I can still hear him singing it now. We each gave him a big kiss and a hug and told him we would come visit him again soon. It was a wonderful visit and I will cherish all the memories I have with him forever. I love you Grandpa and I will miss you.

My sisters and I with my Grandpa about a year ago. My brothers with my Grandpa a year ago.

My Grandpa with Peyton at her baptism.

Spring Break

2011-03-31T11:05:00.000-07:00

We had a really busy spring break. It was so fun and I think the girls had a great time. On Monday we went to the Phoenix Zoo with Ashley and Jaxon and I was worried about how Alexis would behave. She was so awesome. She loved every minute of the 4 hours we spent there. Her favorite animals were the elephants and the monkey village. Peyton loved carrying Alexis around to see the animals. The monkey village is so awesome because you get to see the monkeys up close. Alexis loved it.

The girls favorite part of the zoo was the splash pad. It was very hot (in the low 90's) so the water felt great to them. Just look at the huge smile on Lexi's face.

Peyton loved the tunnel slide and tried so hard to get Alexis to come with her but she wouldn't do it.

Hailey had a great time with Jaxon.

On Wednesday of Spring break the girls really wanted to go to BounceU so that is where we went. Peyton invited her best friend Rachel along and she was such fun to have around. Here they are waiting to go in.

Peyton just had to take Lexi down the big slide. She enjoyed it but didn't want to go again.

She liked playing with the balls in the bounce house.

2 hours of bouncing was enough to tire them out but we had a great time.

Thursday was St. Patrick's Day. I made sure the girls wore green and Ryan played along too.

My sister-in-law Tricia invited us all over to her house for a St. Patrick's day party. It was so fun. She had the house all decorated.

Aunt Ashley painted shamrocks on the kids faces.

Taylor made us some yummy pots of gold.

Lots of green was worn by all.

Here are the fun group of cousins.

The first activity we did was a word search.

The next activity was a game of hot potato. The kids loved it.

Alexis thought this game was great and so exciting.

Hailey won the first round.

Then we all danced to the Irish music Aunt Amber brought.

Aunt Tricia gave the kids these great sunglasses that Alexis loved to wear.

Later that day we were able to go swimming with Ashley and Jaxon. Alexis hadn't been swimming in 6 months and she absolutely loved it.

On Friday we went to the zoo again but this time with all of the Ferrell cousins that live around here. We had 11 kids and 4 sister/sister-in-laws. It was fun to be with everyone again. We rode the tram this time to save us from having to walk too much. The kids had a fun time in the splash pad again and had a great time playing with their cousins.

It was so nice to be able to spend time with the girls doing things that they really enjoyed. We are so lucky to be near our families and be able to make so many wonderful memories with them.

Tyler and AnnaMarie

2011-03-31T10:36:00.000-07:00

Ryan's brother Tyler and his family came to visit Arizona at the beginning of March. They were looking forward to great weather since they live in Minnesota and boy did we give it to them. We spent lots of time outside with them since they wanted to enjoy every minute of the sun. Here is Uncle Tyler driving Alexis and his daughters Katie and Jane in the 3 wheeler. We went on lots of walks together and Alexis enjoyed having her cousin Jane by her side during them.

It was so much fun to spend time with AnnaMarie and the girls.

Peyton loved being able to push the girls in the stroller.

This is the beautiful view of the lake near my in-laws house. We walked down there to feed the ducks.

There is a tunnel right by and the kids of course had to race through it and scream.

Pure joy and excitement.

The girls had fun feeding the ducks.

Here is Uncle Tyler giving them a short ride around the cul-de-sac.

After playing hard it is always fun to take a bath together.

Alexis enjoyed having playmates all day long since she is usually home alone with me.

At the end of their trip we had a big family picnic with lots of good food and even better company.

We miss you already Tyler and AnnaMarie. Please come visit again soon.

Dress Up and keys

2011-03-31T10:25:00.001-07:00

Alexis loves keys. I think she would carry keys around all day long if we would let her. Her favorite thing to do is go outside with someones keys and pretend to drive my father-in-laws 3 wheeler he got from China. She recently learned that she likes to put on dress up shoes from the older girls dress up stuff. Since they don't really use it anymore I guess it is now hers. I just love Alexis. She really has such a great personality and is usually so enjoyable to be around. Isn't she just so cute?!

Crazy Hair

2011-03-25T14:50:00.000-07:00

Peyton wanted her hair really wavy for school so after washing it we put it in lots of braids that she slept on over night. Here is the before picture.
And here is the after picture. Boy does she have a lot of hair.

Zombies vs. Plants

2011-03-25T14:43:00.000-07:00

Peyton and her cousin Jaxon absolutely love the game Zombies vs. Plants. They have spent lots of time hanging out together while Peyton plays the game (Jaxon just turned 5 so he usually lets Peyton play it). One Sunday Peyton really wanted to make a cake and decided that she would like to create her own decorations. She designed it after the level that she was on in the game. While she was making it she insisted that I call Aunt Ashley and invite them over so she could surprise Jaxon with this cake. She was so excited.

I think Jaxon liked the cake as much as Peyton did (although you can't tell by this weird face he is making!). Who knows what Peyton will come up with next. I am just glad this turned out exactly how she wanted it to.

Alexis and Julia

2011-03-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

My sister Becky has a daughter named Julia who is 7 months younger than Alexis. One day when my sister brought her kids over to play they both just happened to be wearing the same shirt so I thought it would be fun to take a picture of them. Well they weren't very cooperative but I at least got them both to look at the camera at the same time.

I hope that Julia and Alexis become good friends as they get older. They will definitely look back at these pictures and laugh.

Sometimes chores are fun.

2011-03-24T20:03:00.000-07:00

One Saturday in February Peyton had her best friend Rachel over to play. They thought it would be fun to rake up all of the leaves that had fallen off the tree in the front yard even though it was so windy that many more leaves were falling down as they raked.
Alexis really wanted to help too so she got a broom out to try to sweep them up.

Hailey thought it looked like fun too so she came and helped. The ground was still covered in leaves after they were finished but they did pick up 3 large garbage bags full of them. I am glad they had fun doing this chore.

Weekend Away

2011-03-24T19:53:00.000-07:00

Over President's day weekend Ryan had to go to California for work. He decided it would be fun to take the girls along with him for a weekend getaway. While he worked they were able to play with their cousin Aurora who lives in Irvine. They had a great time with her. They painted pottery, went out to lunch, and then went to Boomers.

After working all day Monday Ryan decided it would be fun to take the girls to Knott's Berry Farm on Tuesday. They loved going on all the rides and enjoyed being spoiled by Ryan.

Peyton loves climbing rock walls and here she is making her way to the top.

I'm glad the girls were able to spend some quality time with their Dad.

School Music Programs

2011-03-24T14:17:00.001-07:00

Both Peyton and Hailey had their school music programs in the month of February. Hailey was a little nervous because she doesn't like performing in front of large crowds but she did a great job. I even got her to smile for the camera.

Peyton loves to perform so she was looking forward to her performance. She tried out for a solo and she was one of four 4th graders that got a solo. She was nervous she might forget the words but she did awesome. I love that she loves singing so much and I can't wait to see her preform in the coming years.

Good job Peyton and Hailey.

Valentine's Day

2011-03-24T14:01:00.001-07:00

We had a great Valentine's Day this year. In the morning I made heart shaped pink biscuits, strawberries with whipped cream, and bacon. The girls loved it.
The girls were able to wear their matching Valentine's dresses that Grandma Ferrell made them last year.

I love my cute Valentine girls.

At night we had our traditional candlelight dinner and Grandma and Grandpa Ferrell were able to join us.

We had a great time eating together and really enjoyed spending Valentine's with each other.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Daddy Daughter Dance

2011-03-23T15:18:00.000-07:00

Ryan took the girls to the Daddy Daughter Dance at school again this year. This is the first year Hailey got to go and she was so excited. Ryan even bought the girls a corsage. They enjoyed dancing with together, playing with their friends, and getting ice cream afterwards. It was a great night for them.

New Year's Eve

2011-03-23T15:02:00.000-07:00

On New Year's Eve some of the Ferrell cousins came over to light fireworks (this was the first time they were legal in some parts of Arizona again after a very long ban). I am not sure who was more excited, the dads or the kids but we all had a great time even though it was 35 degrees outside (I know that may not seem cold to some of you put it is freezing for us).

Alexis wasn't so sure about all the noise they made and stayed on Grandma's lap.

The she started crying because they were scaring her and plus she was freezing.

Happy New Year to everyone. I hope 2011 is a great year.

Aunt Ashley and Jaxon

2011-01-25T13:42:00.000-08:00

My sister in law Ashley was so nice this morning and took Lexi on some fun errands so I could go to the gym (Alexis has had a cough so I didn't want to take her to the kids club). Alexis had a great time and especially loved watching the donuts go by at Krispy Kreme. It's too bad that she can't eat the donuts but she was sure happy just spending time with Ashley and Jaxon. Thanks Ashley for being so wonderful and taking care of Lexi.

Mita

2011-01-05T13:01:00.000-08:00

My wonderful Mita (Grandmother) passed away on Tuesday morning. She was 96 years old (she would have been 97 in February) and lived a good life. She was born and raised in Switzerland and moved to the US to marry my Papa when she was in her 20s. I was blessed to live close to my grandparents all my years growing up and I have so many wonderful memories with them. I will miss her strong accent (Ryan had a hard time understanding her and I would have to translate her English to him) and her beautiful smile but I know she is happy to be reunited with her husband and son who left this earth before her. I can't wait to see many of my family members at her funeral this weekend and reminisce about all the wonderful things we did with Mita and Papa. I love you Mita and I will miss you dearly.

Good times

2011-01-01T07:16:00.000-08:00

During Christmas break we had a lot of great times with my family. We celebrated my dad's birthday with homemade ice cream and cupcakes.
My sister Rachael and her boyfriend Steve came to visit from Utah and played lots of games with the kids. They all loved it. Hailey even wanted to hold Steve's hand (which is a miracle because usually she wont go near him) and we had to document it.

My brother Scott got engaged to his wonderful girlfriend Megan and we are so excited to have her in our family. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of them so I can't post any. We enjoyed spending time together and just enjoying each other's company. I can't wait until May when we will all be together for Scott's wedding.

Here are a few other things we did during our break. My brother Andrew bought us Mouse Trap for Christmas and the girls had fun playing it.

Alexis and Peyton enjoyed a fun ride on the 3 wheeler with Grandpa Ferrell.

A Dream Come True

2011-01-01T06:15:00.000-08:00

Since Christmas was on a Saturday Peyton had to wait until Monday to get her ears pierced. She was so excited but also a little nervous about the pain. She put on a brave face and went for it. Here she is before she got them pierced.
And here she is after.

She said it was a dream come true and I was glad that she was so happy. She does look cute with them on.

Christmas Day

2011-01-01T06:03:00.001-08:00

On Christmas morning we woke up and got dressed and went over to my parents house to open presents. The girls were so excited and ran straight to their stockings to see what they got. Alexis was excited to see a pack of smarties and some goldfish.
Hailey loved the lip gloss that she got from Santa.

Peyton had the best reaction of the day when she opened the earrings in her stocking (which meant she could get her ears pierced) and she started screaming and jumping up and down. I think she woke up the neighborhood. It was great.

Here is our family right before we opened presents. This is a tradition we have to take a picture in front of the tree before opening presents and the girls were anxious to get to it.

My sister Rachael and brother Scott were also there to open presents with us.

Hailey got a dsi for Christmas and was so excited.

My Grandpa came over and ate breakfast with us and I just had to get a picture with him.

Alexis had a great time playing outside after opening presents. I think this was her favorite part of Christmas.

She had a great time playing with her cousin Dean.

After spending a few hours at my parents house we came back to Ryan's parents house and opened presents with them. It was like having 2 Christmas mornings. We were so spoiled.

After opening presents we had breakfast again (it was at 12:00 and who doesn't need 2 breakfasts on Christmas day especially when someone else is making it for you!?) Later that day we went to the park with my family and some of my cousins and my aunt and uncle. We had a great time playing and then we had a picnic. We are so lucky to have so much family to spend time with over the holidays and it really made it special. I didn't want it to end.

Day 24

2011-01-01T05:55:00.001-08:00

On day 24 of the 24 days of Christmas we celebrated Christmas Eve with the Cardons. Before we left to go to my cousin Nicole's house I had my sister take this picture of our family.
We then headed to my cousin's house for lots of yummy food and lots of playing. The great grand kids all participated in the nativity and Peyton was the angel of the lord and Hailey was the star. Alexis didn't want to participate in this one and I wasn't going to force her.

We then sang songs along with ringing jingle bells that I made for all the kids. After singing we got to the thing the kids look forward to the most, the presents. My cousin has continued my Mita's tradition of giving out bags filled with little goodies. She gets all the girls purses and fills them with chapstick, candy, snacks, rings, gum, and many more fun things. The girls love it and it brings back lots of great memories of my childhood.

As you can tell they all enjoyed their purses. Lexi especially loved the goldfish she found. It was a wonderful evening and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Day 23

2010-12-23T13:52:00.000-08:00

On day 23 of the 24 days of Christmas we were suppose to have a cousin party with the Cardon family. We were going to make gingerbread houses, decorate sugar cookies, and eat pizza together. Instead we were stuck at home with Hailey throwing up, Peyton complaining that her stomach hurt, and Alexis falling off a chair and cutting her lip open. We had a great time. I was so sad that we couldn't go (probably more sad than the girls). I am hoping they all recover by tomorrow so we can enjoy Christmas Eve and Christmas. What a bummer.

Day 22

2010-12-23T13:29:00.000-08:00

On day 22 of the 24 days of Christmas we celebrated Christmas with Ryan's family. We use to do this on Christmas Eve but last year we did it on a different day because Ryan's brother was in town so we decided to do it early again this year. It was wonderful. We started the night off with the kids present game and the girls were so excited for this. As you can tell they are really in to the game and concentrating on which presents to choose.
We then had a delicious dinner of homemade soup and rolls, fruit salad, green salad, and 3 delicious appetizers. After dinner the kids performed the nativity. They did such a great job this year and I was really happy with how well behaved they all were (although Alexis was not really happy to be dressed up).

Peyton was Mary this year and Hailey and Alexis were both angels.

Here are all the cute cousins.

After the nativity we played Aunt Tricia's bells while singing Christmas songs. It was so much fun and sounded great most of the time!

After the bells we ate dessert. Grandma Ferrell's yummy cheesecake and brownies with ice cream. Then we put on a movie for the kids and played the adult present game. Ryan and I came away with some great gifts and had a fun time stealing and trading gifts.

At the end of the night the kids got to do Grandpa's money grab. Now they can't wait to count their change and see how much they ended up with.

We had such a wonderful evening and are so grateful to have so many family members to spend the holidays with. Thanks to all the Ferrell family members who made the night so special. We love all of you.

Day 21

2010-12-21T12:45:00.001-08:00

On day 21 of the 24 days of Christmas we went to Aunt Amber's house and decorated sugar cookies. The kids really enjoyed frosting the cookies and using the many fun decorations Aunt Amber had to make their cookies look great. Here they all are just starting the fun.

Here is poor Lexi who couldn't be part of the fun because of her egg allergy. I really just need to look up an egg free sugar cookie recipe. She did have fun playing outside and going down their slide.
Here is one of Peyton's creations.

Here is Hailey's creation.

After they decorated the cookies they went outside to eat one and to play. It was a great morning full of lots of fun.

Day 20

2010-12-21T12:37:00.000-08:00

On day 20 of the 24 days of Christmas we went to the park and had a picnic lunch. One of the great things about Arizona is that we have such wonderful weather during the winter so we decided to take advantage of this. We picked up Taco Bell and then headed to the park near my mom's house. They girls didn't sit for long and eat their food because what they really wanted to do was play.

Peyton enjoyed climbing on top of the monkey bars.

Hailey enjoyed going across the monkey bars until her hands were too soar to do it anymore.
Alexis really enjoyed swinging, petting a dog, and picking up the sand. But what she mostly enjoyed was getting a few drinks of soda from her sister's cup.

We were lucky enough to have Aunt Ashley and Jaxon join us in the fun. We stayed and played for 2 hours. It was so much fun.

Day 19

2010-12-21T12:26:00.000-08:00

On day 19 of the 24 days of Christmas we went to look at the lights at the Mesa, Arizona Temple. I love doing this every year and every year they seem to get new light features that are even more beautiful. The girls were excited to see the lights but they were really looking forward to seeing this huge nativity.

They love to look at it and listen to the music that plays in the background. Here we are in front of the 3 Wise men display. I love to look at this one because it is a huge open grass area with the wise men in the middle of it.

We invited my parents to come along and join us in this activity. My dad wasn't paying attention so he didn't make it into this picture. We enjoyed having my parents walk around with us.

And just one more cute picture to get you in the Christmas spirit. Here are my 3 favorite girls in their Christmas dresses Grandma Ferrell bought for them. They sure are cute.

Day 18

2010-12-18T20:32:00.000-08:00

On Day 18 of the 24 days of Christmas we had dinner with Ryan's family and then went and looked at Christmas lights on houses. The kids sat in the back of Grandpa's truck and drove around his neighborhood. The kids had a great time and it was a nice relaxing evening.

Day 17

2010-12-18T20:21:00.001-08:00

On day 17 of the 24 days of Christmas the girls finally got to watch their Christmas movie and eat popcorn. Ryan and I were on a date so Aunt Ashley was nice enough to watch the kids and put the movie on for them. I think cousin Jaxon enjoyed spending time with the girls and I was told that no one complained about the movie choice this time! Thanks Aunt Ashley for taking this cute picture for me.

Day 16

2010-12-18T20:13:00.001-08:00

On day 16 of the 24 days of Christmas the girls dipped pretzels in chocolate and decorated them for their teachers. They had so much fun doing this and I really didn't have to help them very much. They loved putting sprinkles on them and enjoyed licking the chocolate off their hands.
We even invited a friend to help out. Just look at the smiles on their faces .

Day 15

2010-12-15T20:06:00.001-08:00

On Day 15 of the 24 days of Christmas we delivered treats to a few people. We sang "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" and spent time talking with some of our favorite people. It was a lot of fun.

Day 14

2010-12-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

On Day 14 of the 24 days of Christmas we had hot chocolate and read Christmas books.
Alexis enjoyed playing with Santa nesting dolls while Ryan read the story.

I made a delicious mint and dark chocolate hot chocolate but of course the girls just wanted regular Swiss Miss. I also made homemade whipped cream. Yummy.

We read "The Gingerbread Man" and "The Night Before Christmas". We had a great time.

Day 13

2010-12-13T19:45:00.001-08:00

On day 13 of the 24 days of Christmas we got out the old Christmas home videos from the last 3 years and watched them. We watched our Cardon Christmas Eve nativities and it was so much fun to see how the kids have changed. It was also great to see the girls reactions when they opened their Christmas presents. The girls loved seeing themselves on camera. It was great to reminisce and enjoy a quiet evening.

Day 12

2010-12-13T19:42:00.001-08:00

On the 12th day of the 24 days of Christmas we made little Christmas pom pom crafts. It was a little more difficult than I thought it would be and they didn't turn out as great as I would have liked but the girls enjoyed themselves.

Day 11

2010-12-13T19:35:00.000-08:00

On day 11 of the 24 days of Christmas I had planned on watching a movie in our pajamas and eating popcorn. After a long day of traveling the girls were not on their best behavior. They were fighting and were in a bad mood. After telling them what movie we were going to watch I did not get a positive reaction so I decided to cancel it. The girls were upset and my feelings were hurt. I guess no one was in top form that night.

Day 10

2010-12-13T19:23:00.000-08:00

On Day 10 of the 24 days of Christmas the girls made Thank You cards for Grandpa Ferrell. He is so great and we are so grateful for him and his generosity. Thanks for this wonderful trip Grandpa Ferrell.

On our last day at Disneyland we left Alexis and Ryan at the hotel and went with the rest of the family to Disneyland and California Adventure. I didn't take as many pictures the second day but here we are on "It's A Small World". I love this ride when it is decorated for Christmas and I love singing along to the Christmas songs they play. We went on lots of rides and were tired by the end of the night. I think the girls could have kept on going but I was definitely done especially since it started to get crowded. I couldn't wait to get back to the hotel to relax.

Day 9

2010-12-13T19:06:00.001-08:00

On the 9th day of the 24 days of Christmas the girls got Christmas socks to wear to Disneyland.
And thanks to Grandma Ferrell they also had matching Christmas shirts to wear. They looked so cute.

Disneyland was a lot of fun and Alexis did okay. She didn't love not being able to walk around whenever she wanted but she did like some of the rides. Here she is on the tea cups with Peyton.

Here we are on Pirates of the Caribbean. I'm not sure Alexis liked this one very much.

She did love Casey Jr. Circus Train. She was smiling the whole time.

Peyton enjoyed it too.

Of course Alexis' favorite thing at Disneyland was feeding the ducks. She would have stayed here for hours.

Peyton loved hanging out with her cousins Aurora and Makenna. She doesn't get to see them very often so she was happy to have a little time with them.

What great posers they are.

The carousel was not their favorite ride but it filled in the time they were waiting for the rest of the family to be done with their ride.

At the end of the night Peyton made me go on California Screamin 2 times in a row and it made me sick. Then Hailey insisted that I go on the Tower of Terror with her because she had never gone on it (neither had I). I reluctantly agreed and I closed my eyes the whole time. That is definitely not my kind of ride. I was ready for bed after that.

Day 8

2010-12-08T07:30:00.001-08:00

On the 8th day of the 24 Days of Christmas the girls got Christmas travel bags for our trip to California. We are leaving today to go to Disneyland with Ryan's family. The girls are so excited and I am just praying Alexis does well on the car ride and doesn't try to run away too many times at Disneyland. Wish us luck at the "Happiest Place on Earth".

Day 7

2010-12-08T07:26:00.000-08:00

On the 7th day of the 24 Days of Christmas the girls made Christmas cards for our family members who won't be with us for Christmas this year. I bought a Christmas card kit for $3 at Walmart and it had everything they needed to make cute cards. The girls had a lot of fun doing this.

Day 6

2010-12-06T20:31:00.000-08:00

On Day 6 we went to visit "Holiday Mountain" at the Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse. We have driven past this for many years but have never stopped to see the whole thing. So I decided this was the year to do it. The girls enjoyed looking at all the lights and it was so pretty to see the lights reflecting off the pool and lake. Alexis enjoyed running around the whole time since we were the only family there to see the lights at that time.

My cute little family.

Day 5

2010-12-06T20:18:00.001-08:00

On day 5 we had a few extra surprises that weren't planned but they sure added to the fun. After church on Sunday my mom called and asked us if now was a good time to help put up her Christmas tree and decorate it (we do it for her every year and we look forward to it). Of course we said yes and drove right over to her house. The girls love putting up my mom's ornaments and they were so excited because my mom let them go in the attic to look around.

Here is the finished product (we did not invite Alexis to help this time).

After we finished decorating the tree Peyton invited my parents to come over to our house for our special candlelight dinner that was planned for Day 5 of the 24 days of Christmas. They accepted and drove on over. Here we are about to start our delicious meal.

It was fun to have my parents there to enjoy some of our traditions with us. After we ate my dad took the girls to see the Christmas lights down the street while my mom helped me clean up. Then they came back and played "Go Fish" with Grandpa. They had a great time. Alexis had a great time dancing with my mom to her favorite Christmas song "Jingle Bell Rock".

What a perfect ending to a fun day.

Day 4

2010-12-06T20:12:00.000-08:00

On Day 4 of our 24 Days of Christmas we went through the girls closet and gathered up all the toys they no longer love and donated them to DI. The girls were really good about giving things that weren't just junk and Peyton really was in to it.

Day 3

2010-12-04T21:05:00.000-08:00

On Day 3 we followed another tradition of ours which is decorating gingerbread houses. We invited Ryan's sister Ashley and her family to join us. I made a delicious dinner (okay so it was frozen pizza but I did make a wonderful salad with chicken for the adults) and then we got to decorating.
Peyton enjoyed decorating her house but she really enjoyed licking the icing.

Hailey wasn't in to eating the icing but she did enjoy eating the mini m&m's that were in the kit.

Poor Alexis was sent to spend the evening watching Santa dance to "Jingle Bell Rock". She loves this Santa and wants to turn him on constantly. He shakes his hips while singing and she shakes her hips along with him. It is absolutely adorable. She definitely has rhythm and she didn't get that from me or Ryan (Aunt Ashley thinks Alexis got it from her).

Here are the 3 houses all finished (if you look closely you can see Alexis shaking her hips in the background!).

Didn't they turn out cute.

Day 2

2010-12-02T19:58:00.001-08:00

Day 2 of the 24 Days of Christmas was a special breakfast eaten by candlelight. I know it might look like interesting food choices (I would have made something homemade) but this is what the girls really wanted. So here you have it, toaster strudel (because they hardly ever get to have them), bacon because they both love it, pears because that is what I had in the fruit bowl, and of course the most important hot chocolate with whipped cream. They were so excited to come upstairs this morning and see what I had done. My mother-in-law has fantastic Christmas dishes so I decided to pull them out of the cupboard and use them.
Doesn't their hair look beautiful in the morning when they wake up!? I'm glad the girls loved it and went to school with full tummies and great memories.

Another tradition I brought back to our family this year is something I did with my parents growing up (not every year but most years). We would light a special candle that had numbers on it and burn it down to the next number each night as a countdown to Christmas. My sister Christin has continued this tradition and gave me a copy of a different scripture they read each night along with a song that goes with it. I don't have the special candle that we used but any candle will do. They girls have loved lighting the candle every night and singing a Christmas song. It really brings the spirit into our home each night and I am so glad we are doing it. Here is a picture of us sitting around the table with the candle while Ryan is reading the scripture.

Christmas to me is really "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year". I love it.

24 Days of Christmas

2010-12-02T19:39:00.000-08:00

Last year I started a new tradition for my family and I call it the 24 Days of Christmas. My sister in law Ashley found an awesome Advent Countdown (picture to come) and we brainstormed ideas together of what to do. Well my girls absolutely loved doing it last year and they couldn't wait to do it again this year.
Day 1
Yesterday was the first day and we decided to put up the Christmas tree and decorate it as our activity. All 3 girls loved doing it and 2 out of the 3 were very helpful (I bet you can guess who wasn't so helpful). It turned out great and we have enjoyed turning off the lights and turning on the Christmas lights.
Here is Alexis putting on her very first Christmas ornament (she then tried to take all of the other Christmas ornaments off the tree!)
Hailey was great at spacing out the ornaments and putting on the bows.

Peyton was such a great help and even "tried" to help Alexis understand that taking the ornaments off the tree was not okay.

Here is the final product. I think we did a great job.

Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday!

2010-11-29T13:31:00.001-08:00

I was able to celebrate my birthday many times this weekend with my family. Since both of my brother's birthdays are the day before mine we always get to celebrate together. On Friday we made gourmet caramel apples and had a pizza party to celebrate Andrew's birthday. On Saturday morning Ryan and the girls showered me with lots of gifts and love.
They also took me out to breakfast and lunch. Saturday afternoon we headed over to the train park in Scottsdale with my whole family. Alexis was trying to escape the train line so Ryan had to resort to putting her on his shoulders. She kept trying to escape this and as you can tell in the picture Ryan was enjoying every minute of it.

Here we are ready to take our train ride.

The park was a lot of fun and the girls had fun playing with their cousins.

We then came back to our house and had dinner and played games. On Sunday we got together to celebrate all 3 of our birthdays with another family dinner. My mom made ribs and a yummy ice cream cake and we had a great time hanging out one last time before Andrew and his family left to go back to Utah. Thanks to all my family who made this such a wonderful birthday for me. I love you all.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-29T13:20:00.001-08:00

We had an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. My brother Andrew and his wife Michelle came from Utah so almost everyone was there to celebrate (we missed you Rachael). It seemed like every day was a big party. Here is our family right before our delicious Thanksgiving meal.
I was in charge of making rolls since my Aunt Leslie was out of town this year (she always made them every Thanksgiving). I was a little nervous that they wouldn't turn out right but everyone said they tasted great. I was pretty proud of myself.

The kids ate outside which was great because they could be as loud and wild as they wanted and we didn't have to deal with them. Arizona does have its perks.

Alexis wasn't too fond of the food and tried throwing it on the ground instead of eating it. Can't you tell how much she loved it by the expression on her face?!

After dinner we headed over to my cousin Nicole's house for pie. She is the best hostess and we had a great time eating and talking. Here are some of the Cardon Great Grandchildren.

I am so grateful to have such a wonderful family that I get to spend the holidays with and I am so grateful for all of them. Happy Thanksgiving.

Gilbert Days 5K

2010-11-21T06:42:00.001-08:00

On Friday my awesome sister in law Amber and I ran in the Gilbert Days 5K. I am not a runner and I really hate running but I thought it would be fun to do. Well the running part was not fun but talking with Amber during the whole thing and seeing my family cheering for me at the finish line made it worth it. Thanks for doing it with me Amber.

Gilbert Temple Groundbreaking

2010-11-15T12:39:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I was able to go to my Stake Center and attend a broadcast of the Gilbert Temple Groundbreaking. I have been looking forward to this ever since they announced the temple more than 2 years ago. It was such a wonderful meeting and I could feel the spirit so strongly as Elder Costa said a prayer and dedicated the land to be a sacred ground for our new Temple. My family can't wait to watch as the Temple is built and I feel so blessed to have had this experience in my life.

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T20:01:00.000-07:00

We had a great Halloween week. We started it off with a trip to the pumpkin patch to pick out the perfect pumpkins for Peyton and Hailey. Alexis loved running around in there and got really dirty.

On Wednesday Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse had a great Halloween party that the girls really wanted to go to. So we got them all dressed up and headed out to play games and get treats.

Hailey was Alice from Alice In Wonderland, Alexis was a princess, and Peyton was an angel.

On Friday night we finally had the opportunity to carve our pumpkins. My friend had these cute Mr. Potato Head pumpkin decorating things on her blog and I knew the girls would love them.

Hailey chose to do the witch.

Peyton chose the pirate.

Ryan was the only one to carve a pumpkin and Alexis was very angry that she was not allowed to "help" out. Doesn't she look so happy in this picture.

On Saturday night our ward had a fabulous Fall Festival. The food was delicious (Navajo tacos and caramel apples) and the games were fun. My parents, my sister Becky and her family, my brother Scott and his girlfriend, and Ryan's parents were all there to enjoy the festivities with us.

Alexis had her first time in a bounce house and loved it until she got trampled on.

Ryan challenged my brother to a race on the bungee run. They had a great time but got a little whiplash.

Peyton was called up to be part of the pie eating contest. She chose an apple pie because she hates pumpkin. She did her best but she didn't win.

She did have a bit of a tummy ache after it was over.

On Sunday the Ferrells had another awesome Halloween party. My sister in law Tricia did all the decorations and it looked great.

People were so creative with their food and had great names for all of them.

Tricia had a Halloween bingo game the kids played with lots of fun prizes. The kids loved it.

My cousin Jennifer did Bloody Sundaes at her Halloween party and I decided to use her idea. The kids loved them and it was so easy. I am so glad that we were able to have so much fun this last week and made lots of wonderful memories.

Sunday Morning

2010-10-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

We don't have church on Sundays until 1:00 so at times the kids get bored just hanging around the house. So yesterday morning they decided to try on some masks Grandma and Grandpa Ferrell brought back from Italy last week. Don't they look cool.
Then they decided to go outside and swing because the weather is finally nice enough to play outside. I am really looking forward to better weather.

They ended the morning with a pretend ride on the 3 wheeler. Alexis was having a great time hanging out with the big girls and Peyton and Hailey were actually getting along. It was a great morning.

The Little Mermaid

2010-10-23T15:21:00.000-07:00

My mom bought me and the girls tickets to go see The Little Mermaid at the Hale Theater and we were able to go see it today. The girls enjoyed everything except they wondered why Ursela wasn't in it. I told them that the play was based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen and that Disney had made their own spin off of it. I love doing stuff like this with my girls and it was so nice to see good wholesome entertainment. Thanks Mom for the tickets.

First Play Date

2010-10-23T15:11:00.001-07:00

Alexis had her very first play date on Wednesday with her friend Henry. Henry's mom had to go somewhere so I said I would watch him so she didn't have to take him with her. Alexis enjoyed having him around and they only took away each other's toys a few times. She especially loved it when we had lunch and I let her sit in a real seat so Henry could use the high chair. Just look at the smile on her face.

I can't believe how grown up she is getting.

Activity Days Halloween Party

2010-10-23T15:07:00.000-07:00

On Monday Peyton had a Halloween party for activity days. She didn't have a costume so I had to run to the store and pick something out without her. She wasn't too thrilled with the angel costume I got but it grew on her and she finally decided she like it okay.
She had a great time with all of her friends and loved the activity.

October Break

2010-10-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful October Break (1 week off of school) this year. We decided to head to one of our favorite places, Provo, UT. Our girls love going to visit Provo and it is great because we have such a fabulous place to stay thanks to Ryan's parents. We arrived in Utah on Friday night and met up with my sister Rachael, her boyfriend Steve, my brother Andrew and his wife Michelle and of course their cute son Drew. We ate dinner and had a great time together. On Saturday we went to BYU's homecoming parade and the girls loved it. They enjoyed the dancing, the marching bands, and the floats but especially loved the candy that was thrown at them. After the parade Peyton, Hailey, and I went to a dollhouse festival that they were having at the library and we had a great time looking at the houses and getting their face painted. Later that day my sister Christin and her family arrived in Provo (they came from AZ too) and we went to the BYU tailgate before the football game. Of course the kids had to get their picture taken at the cougar.
They also enjoyed their own private concert from part of the BYU marching band.

Ryan was able to go to the football game with Andy and Andrew and they had a great time.

No trip to BYU would be complete without going to the Wilk to bowl. Alexis really got into it this time and would take my turn for me. She loved it.

We enjoyed a few lunches at the Cougareat and Hailey loved that they have a Taco Bell there.

We walked up to campus several times and did a lot of fun things there like go to an acoustics show, decorate cookies on the lawn, visit the earth science museum, read books in the bookstore, went to the creamery, and many more things. We love BYU.

On Wednesday we headed to Salt Lake and visited some of our good friends we had in California who recently moved to Utah. The kids had a great time playing with their friends and it was way too short but we will definitely visit with them again in the summer. Then we headed to the Church Art History Museum and met my Christin and her family and Andrew and his family. We had fun walking around Temple Square and stopped to get a picture of the kids in the Visitor Center. We then headed to Andrew and Michelle's place for dinner and fun.

On Thursday night we did the one thing that I really wanted to do while we were in Provo. We went to a BYU Women's Volleyball game. I couldn't wait to go.

The girls enjoyed the game but what they loved the most was playing with Cosmo.

We had a fantastic week and we can't wait to visit again.

Tooth Picture

2010-10-23T14:34:00.000-07:00

Here is the picture I promised of Hailey with her first tooth gone.