Parade of LiGhTS!

Samantha marched in the Boulder City Parade of Lights this weekend. She was so excited and had been asking for weeks when her parade was coming. Matt was studying for finals and made it to the parade about 2 minutes before Sami walked by us, so I had to leave her with her teacher and take the other kids and go and find a place to sit. I told Sami to stay with Miss Brenda and not to leave, she kept telling me she was fine and I could go and find a place to sit. I was so nervous to leave her, but she thought nothing of it. She marched with her class and thought she was so big. She happened to be on the other side of the street when she came by and with my great and wonderful camera I was not able to get a picture of her walking. Here are a few of her before and after her grand adventure and the rest of us waiting patiently!

Happy Birthday EAsToN!

Easton turned 7 today! Man my kids are getting so old. We had a great weekend of celebration. He had a friend party on Saturday and then we celebrated with our family on Sunday complete with Eastons choice of T-bone steak for dinner!
Matt is busy with finals, so we needed to celebrate when he was home. Easton was most excited about his new robe that he got! What child wants and is excited about a robe?

We had grand plans to go spend his birthday money and go to lunch today, but Ava decided to get sick and earned us all a trip to the hospital. Easton was so sweet when I apologized to him for having to spend his birthday in the Drs office and the hospital but he said,"It's ok mom I just want Ava to get feeling better." That shows Eastons true nature and personality.

A few things that I love about Easton are

* He has one of the kindest, most tender hearts of any one I know.

* He always tries his best and does not give up.

* He tries hard to be obedient and to do what he is asked.

* He is all boy, he loves to wrestle, play hard and work hard.

* He has no issues playing tea party with his little sisters!

* He has a genuine concern for other people.

I am grateful for Easton in our family. He brings such happiness and laughter into our home.

Happy Birthday East, we love you!!

(And seriously WHAT is up with my camera!)

Life is too short to be SHoRT!

Ava has earned a few nick names around our house because of her lack of stature; munchkin, midget ( I know that one is not very P.C., but oh well), shrimpo, well you get the idea. She has used her evolutionary skills of adaptation and figured out how to make her life easier. She has taken to toting her trusty stool around with her so she can get into and on top of what ever she deems necessary. She is still to short to get onto the couch with out assistance! Here are a few examples.... Please excuse the grainy pictures, my camera does not seem to like me lately!

Family Pictures!

Last week we had our family pictures taken. I have not had decent pictures taken in a long time, so I was very excited and I was not disappointed. Here are a few pics of some of the cutest kids around, (and the parents don't look half bad either!) Enjoy!!

Going Private, Last Chance!

I will be going private with my blog next week. If you have not left a comment and you would like to continue to read, please leave your email. I know that your lives will not be complete and fulfilled unless you can know what is happening in our family life.

Happy Birthday!

We had a great weekend of birthdays around here! I turned 31 on Saturday and Austin turned 10 on Monday. I wasn't feeling old until I realized that my oldest was 10! That is a little hard to swallow. I know people say it all the time, but I can not believe how fast he has grown. He is such a great kid and a major influence for good in our family. Austin is a very responsible and caring boy. I always comment on how glad I am that he came first in our family. Austin loves donuts, so he opted for a donut cake and he chose crepes with cream for dinner! You can tell who has the sweet tooth in our family!

<;div>We celebrated by going down to Primm to ride the roller coaster and log ride, have lunch and go to the outlet mall. Austin was talking about riding the roller coaster for weeks; until we got there. He said, "I didn't remember it being that big!" Needless to say I rode with Easton, and Austin decided that he would ride next time. We had a great family day playing arcade, riding rides, and shopping. I love that Austin would rather still spend time with us and not need to have a friend party. I know that this will not be the case forever! Just a few things I love about Austin:
*He is very serious about his school and I don't have to worry much about him in that repsect.
*When he is genuinly happy, he has the best smile!
*He is always willing to share and play with Easton. They don't fight all that much. Hopefully that won't change!
*He loves to spend time with our family, especially his dad!
*He has a very sweet and caring personality. He is getting better with the concept that the world does not revolve around him.
*He does not ask for much and understands when we have to say no.
*He reminds me a lot of myself, good and bad!

Happy Halloween!

We had a great Halloween. Matt is not a huge fan of the day, but having four kids it is nearly impossible to not participate! We started the day by going to The District and having an outdoor lunch with some friends. It was great to be able to eat outside at the end of October!

The kids came home with more candy than I thought possible. Matt has taken some to the school clinic to ensure that he continues to have patients! The kids were so cute. Austin did not want to dress up this year, I told him that was fine but he could not go trick or treating either. He thought about that and then decided to throw on his black robe from last year. It was a little strange to go out on Halloween without having to wear a coat or jacket. I was still wearing flip flops. I just don't think that is right!

Sami and her future husband Jack!

Our neighbor went all out with his decor for the holiday. Austin would not even go up to the door!

Going Private!

I am going to make my blog private on November 15, 2008. If you would like to continue to view our family blog, please leave a comment with your email or email me at schofielddanielle@yahoo.com and I will send you an invitation. Thanks!

Eeezzzz!

Now that Sami thinks that she is old enough to have a schedule, Ava and I have a few hours a day that we are alone. Between pre-school, ballet, and play group Samantha is scheduled out every morning but Wednesday for a few hours. She wakes up every day and asks what day it is and she actullly asks what is on the "schedule" for the day.

I love the time that Ava and I are able to spend together. She is such a happy baby and she makes all of us laugh. She does not want to talk much, but she seems to be able to communicate with us in her own way. Her best trick, and one that the boys think is hilarious, is when she really wants something. She clenches up her fists and holds them close to her face and squeezes really hard. While doing this she tries to say please which comes out as "Eeezzzzz." We all laugh and of course give her what she wants. Her vocabulary consists of about 10 words, but she always seems to get what she wants. I guess that is one of the perks of being the baby!

Tagged Again!

4 Things I love about my husband...
1. He always puts our family first.
2. He is a great dad.
3. He puts up with me and loves me unconditionally.
4. He cooks!

4 Movies I could watch more than once....
1. Pride and Prejudice
2. Sound of Music
3. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
4. Gone With the Wind

4 TV Shows I watch more than once...
1. News
2. The Unit
3. Amazing Race
4. Greys Anatomy

4 Places I have been...
1. Hawaii
2. Mexico
3.Florida
4. Washington D.C.

4 Favorite Foods...
1. Anything Mexican
2. Chocolate Cake
3. Buffalo Wings
4. Chicken Florentine

4 Places I would like to visit...
1. Italy
2. Ireland
3. Tahiti
4. Brazil

4 Things I am looking forward to in the coming year...
1. Being almost done with school.
2. The Holidays
3. Spending Christmas in Utah.
4. Ava being potty trained! No more diapers!!!

Campout!

This past weekend we had our ward campout. We went up to Mt. Charleston, which is about an hour away. It was 104 degrees when we left the city, but it soon turned cool 60 something once we reached the canyon. The kids were so excited. Sami woke up at 5:30 am on Friday morning and wandered in our room to ask if it was time to go on the campout! We have not been camping since we moved here, so it was exciting for all of us. The boys spent hours running around, shooting their slingshots at the squirrels, and exploring.
Sami hooked up with the little girls who's parents where smart enough to bring toys and dolls. She was entertained all night. Ava just loved being able to run around outside.
Matt and I were a little surprised at how cold it got at night. We were not as prepared as we should have been. We made sure the kids were fine, but Matt and I were got a little cold. Most of our camping supplies and sleeping bags are still at my parents house, so we had to make due with what he had.The kids loved sleeping in the tent.
We had enough room that we brought Ava's playpen. As soon as we put her down, she was snoring, and we did not hear from her until morning.

Which happened to be around 6am when Easton woke up and wanted to go out and play. All in all we had a great time. The kids are all ready asking when we can go back.

Super Hero!

I was talking with the kids the other night and the topic of "what I want to be when I grow up" came up. Austin said that he wants to be a nucleur scientist, he wants to talk to Grandpa Schofield about the bombs that he helped build during WWII. Easton wants to be his dads "companian" and be a dentist. When I turn to talk ask Sami, the drama started. She wanted to know where she was going to live when she grew up and she was all distraught and tears started to flow when she learned that she would not be living with mom and dad. I then told her that she could live with us as long as she wanted. She then switched gears and said that she wanted to be a super hero when she grew up. She then turned to me and asked,

"But mom, who will do my hair after I am done flying around being a super hero?"

Mom, "You can fly back to our house and I will fix your hair for you."

Sami,"But how will I find our house?... I know! You can draw me a map!"

She is so funny and comes up with the most amusing comments. Kids are the greatest!

I've Been Tagged!

5 THINGS

10 Years Ago...

1. I was 7 months pregnant with my first baby!

2. I was working full time.

3. Our house payment was less than $600.

4. Matt was starting flight school.

5. I had been married for 2 1/2 years.

5 Things I Need To Do Today...

1.Go grocery shopping.

2. Hold Cub Scouts YEA! (that was sarcastic in case you didn't know!)

3. Soccer Practice.

4. Work on a paper for school, yes I have added one more thing to my plate and I have gone back to school!

5.Go running, which I am going to take care of while I am at soccer practice!

5 Snacks I Enjoy...

1. Junior mints

2. Spicy Guacamole Pringles

3. Strawberries

4. String Cheese

5. Chocolate Cake (All of theses are so healthy,hence the reason I need to run!)

5 Things I Would Do If I Were A Millionaire...

1. Pay off student loans

2. Buy a house with an actual back yard.

3. Travel, Travel, Travel.

4. Buy Matt a car that we don't need to pray will make it to and from school every day.

5. Have a personal trainer and a chef!

5 Place I Have Lived...

1. Henderson. NV

2. American Fork, UT

3. Salt Lake City, UT

4. Sandy, UT

5 Jobs I Have Had...

1. Cool mom! At least I hope I'm a cool mom!

2. Office Manager, at a company whose owner is now running from the law!

3. Closer at a Mortgage Company

4. Target, well for 3 nights does that count?

5. Telemarketer

5 People I Tag...

1. Emilie

2. Emily

3. Brooke

4. Alleen

5. Brittany

Rules: Each player answers the questions themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let them know when you've answered the questions on your blog.

First Day of Pre-School!

Sami started pre-school today and she thought she was queen bee of the house. She could not stop smiling and telling everyone how excited she was. I looked at her today when she was sitting at the table and realizing how fast she is growing. I know that she is still only three years old, but she acts so much older than that at times. She has been counting down and preparing herself for weeks. She was all set to use Easton's old red backpack until Matt questioned her about it. He asked her if she was really ok with using the old backpack. She wrinkled up her nose and thought about it and then she said,"Dad, I'm really not that ok with using his old one, can I get a new pink one?" Matt has a hard time resisting his girls, so he went out and bought her a new pink and brown backpack. She came home and told me how fun it was and the she loves going to school with her friend Jack. When she came home I asked her what she wanted for lunch and she said that she needed a school lunch. I asked her what that was and she said, "a sandwich, chips and cookies, just like the boys!" So she had her school lunch and said she had the best day ever! Hopefully she stays this excited about school.

Summer Monsoon!

It is not very often that we get a lot of rain here. Yesterday it came down hard. We were all ready to get loaded up for Easton's soccer practice when the skies let loose. It only lasted for about 20 monutes, but the kids were so excited. They ran outside and had so much fun playing in the rain and in the puddles. They were soaked in about 2 minutes. Ava was laughing and loved to feel the rain on her hands. Austin woke up this morning and said that he hopes that it will rain again today!

Kid Free Vacation!

A few weeks ago Matt and I took our first kid free vacation ever! We have only left the kids maybe two nights total since Austin was born with out at least one of us home with them. This trip was LONG overdue. We went to Cancun Mexico with some good friends of our, Damon and Kelly. We stayed at the most gorgeous hotel with a perfectly white sandy beach.
We spent a lot of time doing absolutely nothing. We read on the beach, swam, drank a lot of pina coladas, and were actually able to close our eyes with out checking to see if some one was drowning or not! Not to mention that fact that we ate a lot!
We went out to Chichen Itza ruins. Matt and I had been there before, but it was a first for Damon and Kelly. It is an awesome sight to see the huge buildings out in the middle of the jungle.
After sweating our heads off at the ruins, we went swimming in a natural well called a cenote. It was beautiful! We had to walk down through a tunnel that was carved into the mountain to get to the water. The water was over 120 feet deep with vines growing down from the ceiling, which was at ground level.
On the fourth day there, Damon got really sick and ended up in the hospital. He was in the hospital for two days! We felt terrible. It was their first trip out of the country and he ended up getting horribly sick! While Damon was in the hospital and Kelly was keeping tabs on him, Matt and I went to an island called Isla Mujeras. It was absolutely beautiful and so quaint. When we got to the island we rented a golf cart and took off to go explore. We ended up on the north end of the island at the most beautiful beach I had ever seen. The water was crystal clear.
We swam out to a sand bar and were able to stand up in the middle of the bluest water. The far side of the island is not used for swimming because it is mostly rocky cliffs.
Matt and I found a way down and we found some HUGE seashells. They were a little beaten up from the rough rocks, but our kids thought that they were the best souvenirs ever. While we were out on the island, Matt was in his typical good samaritan form. A golf cart full of women got stuck in the sand and he stopped to help them out. This is so typical of Matt!
It was very hard to come back to reality and leave the beautiful beaches. Of course we could have stayed longer, but life has a way of rearing its ugly head at times! So after a LONG day of delayed flights, airlines changing terminals on us without notice, and literally running through airports to make connections, we made it home. It was so nice to be able to spend some one on one time with each other without having to think about the kids first. Damon and Kelly were great to travel with and we had so much fun, even with the fact that Damon got sick!
Thank goodness for my fabulous parents that took such great care of our kids. They were all sad to have to leave Grandmas and come home. This will definitely be something that we will do on a more regular basis. I'm not so sure that my mom wants to hear that! I think the kids wore her out and kept her hopping for the week!