Our DIY Project

I had seen some cool DIY projects on Pinterest, and Olivia being the crafty girl she is, volunteered to help me do one of the projects. We decided on the Yarn Chandeliers:

They actually turned out really cool and weren't that hard to do. Olivia and I had a lot of fun making them, even if we did get a little messy in the process. :) Here's some some pictures of the process:

The 4th of July!

This Fourth of July we really put our swimming pool to use. We celebrated by having the Morrows and Halls over to swim and have tri-tip for dinner, angel food cake and homemade ice cream for dessert, and fireworks once it got dark. Here are some pictures of our Fourth of July:

Our pool full of people...

 Kennedy and Grace playing in the pool

Ellory, Emilie, and Olivia

Kennedy and Grace

Mom and Joel

The end of the evening

We're Back!!

A few nights ago I went back on my mom's blog and had so much fun looking at all the pictures from years ago. I would tell myself the next post would be the last, but it didn't really work! :) The last few days I've been thinking about my mom re-posting and starting to blog again...Instead of her posting, though, it's Audrey. The last few years I have really enjoyed taking pictures on family vacations or just us hanging around the house swimming. I thought blogging with those pictures would be even more fun! So here I am! I can't wait to update the blog with pictures and posts very soon!

Our family...according to Elizabeth

Merry Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas 2011…

Our family is wrapping up another busy and full year. As the years fly by we realize how important and life-giving our friends and family are. We are grateful to God for you, we pray you experience the love and joy of Christmas this year.

I’m enjoying being a full-time stay at home mom. I swing from feeling very overwhelmed to being completely content with the crazy chaos of my everyday life. I enjoyed running two half-marathons this year in Fresno. I love cooking and baking, catching up with friends over coffee, and the occasional trip out of town just Joshua and I (Napa Valley & Avila Beach this year). I hate doing laundry and if you come by unannounced you can tell.

Between family and work, Joshua doesn’t find much idle time these days. He loves spending time with the kids, cheering for Audrey and Elizabeth (very loudly, I might add) at their cross country meets, and helping them with their homework. In July, Joshua transferred to Lyles Mechanical Co. and was promoted to Vice President. He is enjoying getting to know his new colleagues, and the challenges of learning a new sector of the construction industry. When he does find a few spare minutes, Joshua spends it hanging out with friends, helping at the church, and working on projects around the house. He is certain that 2012 will be the year that he finds a hobby…(tune-in next year to see if he does).

Audrey is 10 and in the 5^th grade. She continues to enjoy school even though her homework and projects keep her very busy. She is a driven, achievement-oriented, and helpful first-born child. She has some fun field trips this year, including a trip to the Reagan Library in Simi Valley and an overnight “ship trip” in the San Francisco Bay. She enjoys playing volleyball, running cross country, cooking and baking, holding babies, playing/walking our dogs, writing stories, playing teacher, and reading.

Elizabeth is 8 and in 3^rd grade. She is shy, but has made some great friends this year despite her quiet demeanor. She also ran cross country and made it to the district finals. She hates being late and isn’t too fond of change. She loves playing outside, whistling, doing ballet, and reading (her favorite book this year was Soul Surfer). She dreams of going to Hawaii, learning to surf, and meeting Bethany Hamilton.

Olivia is 6 and in the first grade. She loves her teacher. She has an outgoing, magnetic personality but she also is very compassionate and empathetic. She loves anything collectable (rocks, Pokeémon cards, stickers, erasers, junk). She loves to jump rope, race against her big sisters to see who’s faster, climb trees, wear pajamas, and play house.

Grace is 4. She is a sweet, loving little girl. She and Joel are great playmates while the big kids are at school. She decided to cut her own hair a few months back, she told me, “Don’t be mad mommy, it looks pretty!” She loves to wake up early, dress herself, sing, and help mommy cook. Joshua was telling her the other day that he would like her to stay little forever, she very matter-of-factly told him, “Daddy, I can’t because Jesus is growing me up!”

Joel is 2. He is active, loves all things boy, like balls, trucks, monsters, swords, guns, masks, cars, destroying things, and dirt. He loves to sit on the couch with daddy and watch “ball games.” This summer he got his first haircut. He is adored by his sisters, but he can annoy them very easily by pulling their hair, kicking, or running off with whatever they are playing with. He loves playing outside, feeding the ducks, watching the trash truck, coloring, and reading books with mommy.

We are blessed;; we have so much to be grateful for this holiday season. Thankful for the hope, grace, and joy we find in Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year,

Joshua, Laura, Audrey, Elizabeth, Olivia, Grace, and Joel

Summer

These little people have been keeping me very busy this summer. In the coming weeks I hope to be updating the blog. We have been very busy and having lots of fun this summer!

encouraging words...

Ode to my mom....Happy Birthday!

me, my mom, and my sis, Lesley

Today is my mom's 68th birthday! I am sure she will love that I posted her age on my blog :) Don't worry mom, there are only a few faithful readers since I never blog anymore.

I knew being a mom couldn't be easy, but after I had kids I realized I appreciate my mom a whole lot more than ever before.

Things I love about my mom:

• Her patience (she has attempted to teach my older girls how to knit without cussing at them once)
• Her love of snail mail
• She is always up for an adventure
• She is slow to anger (I'm not sure this is accurate, but I don't remember her getting mad very often growing up, she never seems to lose her cool)
• She is very good about giving people the benefit of the doubt (full of grace)
• Her ability to burrito wrap (or swaddle) a newborn baby in 2 seconds flat (she was a labor & delivery nurse for 40+ years)
• Her love for a cheap glass of white wine
• She loves ANYTHING orange

I could write hundreds more, but frankly I don't have the time. Love you mom!

Our 14th wedding anniversary

14 years ago today Josh and I got married. The years have flown by. We have much to be thankful for. God has been good to us... all of us, November in Prescott, Arizona

in August on a trip to Portland, Oregon

a night out at Daily Grill

Olivia turns SIX!

She has taught me an enourmous amount about joy...she's fun...makes friends easily...gets her feelings hurt, but forgives quickly...she is a great BIG sister...she is a great LITTLE sister...she is a joy to have in our family! Happy Birthday Liv!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Friends & Family,

Another year has flown by and I’m trying to find a few minutes to scribble out what we’ve been up to…

Joel is 18 months old. He has confirmed for us what having a boy is all about. He is active, rambunctious, and into everything. His favorite words are gog (dog), go, and uh-oh. As soon as he wakes up each morning he hits the ground running. He can climb onto the kitchen table, spill dog food everywhere, or smash a bottle of nail polish on the tile floor faster than any girl we’ve raised.

Grace celebrated her 3rd birthday in October. She made history in our family this summer by breaking the FIRST bone (her right arm). She broke it climbing out of her crib. She sported a pink then purple cast just as summer was debuting and all the other kids were swimming. Grace loves to play in her kitchen, take baths, and being big sis to Joel.

Olivia started kindergarten this fall and continues to amaze us with her love of life. She is fun, makes friends easily, and can make a mismatched outfit look so cute we dare not make her change. She loves school, reading, riding her big wheel, wearing her pajamas, singing, and touching and her toes to her nose.

Ellie is in 2nd grade. She is quiet, shy, observant, super helpful, and very reliable. She loves to read, write stories about her family, play uno, and ride her scooter/bike. She is tall and has the longest legs, I have a feeling she’ll be taller than her big sis soon.

Audrey is in 4th grade. She is a driven, achievement-oriented, and helpful first born child. At the end of last year, Audrey decided to take advantage of a great opportunity and attend Manchester GATE school for 4th grade. The new school requires her to ride a bus to/from school. She enjoys school, training and walking Gabbie (our dog), running cross country, doing plays at school, helping cook in the kitchen, and playing with her younger siblings.

I’m continuing to keep very busy even without working outside the home. Taxiing the girls to/from school, helping with homework/school projects, helping in their classrooms, going on field trips… some days that seems like a full-time job. In my time off, I enjoy exercising, cooking, hanging out with friends, drinking coffee, and facebook. I ran two half-marathons this year (Disneyland and Fresno), and hope to run more in 2011.

Joshua remains busy at work. Kaweah recently began a merger with their sister company W.M. Lyles Co., whom Joshua now works for. The transition is keeping him hopping, but he continues to enjoy what he does and is especially grateful for the wonderful group of people that he works with. In his free time, he loves hanging out with the kids, extended family, and friends. He also enjoys spending time helping with different ministries at the church and taking the occasional trip out of town.

We pray this letter finds you and your family well. We hope you experience love, joy, and peace this holiday season. We are blessed to have you in our lives, Merry Christmas!

Aspiring Actresses (and a boy with a sword)

My oldest sister, Cheryl is amazing! She offered to babysit so we could go out to dinner in downtown Prescott. We were away for a few hours, came home to a production put on by a box of dress-up clothes, 4 sassy girls, and one amazingly patient woman. Cheryl claimed she was only the costume director and Audrey really produced and directed the play. The play had something to do with 2 princesses, one bunny fairy, and a sassy bumble bee.

watch out Hollywood...

Joel trying to get his place in the limelight, of course he is holding a sword (his favorite toy)

Cheryl with the actresses :)

Dinner Out in Prescott, AZ

A night out without the kiddos, lots of childhood memories, we laughed so much our faces hurt by the end of the night. This was also the night of Carlos' FIRST chinese fire drill, Lesley was driving and Josh and I took it upon ourselves to teach Carlos :) Great night!

all of us (Josh, me, Jennifer, Eric, Peggy, Kevin, Lesley, and Carlos) at dinner

Jennifer & Eric (my nephew and his wife...our hosts for the week, brave souls)

Peggy and Kevin

where we ate

Lesley, me

Prescott fun

Our Prescott vacation over Thanksgiving was awesome. We did a lot of relaxing, lots of catching up with family, lots of eating, and lots of card playing. The favorite games were uno, war, and go fish. The girls are learning how to strategize, win, and lose....gracefully! Josh, Grace, and mean game of war

uno madness

look how focused Eric is, the girls named him "Fish Face"....maybe this picture is why

My dad and Joel

Prescott, Arizona OR BUST

Fresno, California to Prescott, Arizona

600+/- miles

10+/- hours in the car (with no stops)

which means 12 hours in the car with an 18 mo old, 3, 5, 7, and 9 year old, oh boy! in pajamas, breakfast in hand, ready to go

this is our rig... before you laugh at our trailer please remember we have FIVE children, TWO adults, a playpen, a stroller, and a week's worth of luggage that must go with us :)

Grace watching a movie (and yes I should brush her hair, but it was 7 a.m.)

Disneyland 2010

Earlier this year we got FREE Disneyland tickets thru the 'Give a Day, Get a Day' promotion Disneyland was running. We volunteered at the Community Food Bank here in Fresno, awesome experience, we will definitely do it again, even if we don't get Disneyland tickets :)

We had a great time at Disneyland, we went on a Monday in a true effort to stay away from huge crowds, and we were successful....most rides were a 20 min wait. This year was especially fun because the girls were old enough to really ride most everything.

I loved getting to know each girl's rollar coaster personality. Audrey HATES rollar coasters, we went on the Matterhorn and she sat with her head buried into me yelling that she hates rollar coasters and she was going to die. As soon as the ride was over she smiled, she went on to try Thunder Mountain, but hated that one too, she could not be coaxed to even try Space Mountain. Ellie and Olivia loved the fast rides, they wanted to go on Space Mountain over and over. They loved Splash Mountain! Grace was not big enough to do any BIG coasters but she would have. She loved dumbo, autopia, and pirates. It was an amazing, magical day!

I think we loved Disneyland just as much as the kids.

all of us Disneyland goers....me, Josh, Carlos, Lesley, Audrey, Ellie, Liv, and Grace...first ride Pirates of the Carribean


family shot (minus Joel, who was with Grandma)

Liv, Audrey, Ellie

My birthday....the big 35!

I turned 35, wow, that's halfway to 70! My birthday was perfect. My family brought me panera pastries and coffee in bed, I had lunch with sweet friends, and I had dinner at my favorite place in the whole world...in-n-out. I got new pajamas, a crock pot, and laser hair removal (that may be too much information). My pjs are warm and flannel, my crock pot is still in the box but I'm excited about the huge amount of roast, soup, and pulled pork I can make in that thing, but my hairless armpits are really the most exciting gift of all! Josh wrapped up an empty razor box and Liv gave it to me and screamed, "You'll never have to shave again!" Here's to 35 and hairless armpits :)

Halloween 2010

Kendall and Audrey, at the Sutton's Halloween party

the trick-or-treating gang (Kyllos, Halls, Wilkinsons), that folks equals 14 children...when our neighbors opened their front doors more than one jaw dropped

Audrey: in-n-out employee

Ellie: go go girl

Olivia: cheerleader

Grace: mouse

Joel: superman

Pure Joy

Joy came to visit from Thailand! It's been almost 5 years since we saw her last. Joy lived with my family for 3 years while we were in high school. She was in the United States for 3 weeks, she came to Fresno and experienced Halloween with us. Joel was superman so we dubbed Joy "Lois Lane"....she really wanted to watch the kids trick-or-treat. My kids loved having her here, it went too fast! Olivia, Joy, Ellie

Joy, me, Liv (those eyes)

Grace turns THREE!

Grace is THREE... We celebrated with homemade mac and cheese for dinner and homemade cupcakes with vanilla frosting and pink sprinkles for dessert. This a picture of Grace and her most favorite friend, Drew. He came over and enjoyed dinner and dessert with us! Grace is fun, easy going (most of the time), absolutely loves Caillou, and never too far from her blankey and pacifier.