COMBES FAMILY

E.'s first band concert

2011-12-23T09:56:00.000-08:00

E. started playing the clarinet at the beginning of the school year. Her first concert was during the elementary Christmas concert. She did excellent and she playes very well. She's a natural.

More hockey....

2011-12-22T13:44:00.001-08:00

J. is having a blast playing hockey. He even got a little aggressive last week and check someone. He also got in the penelty box (We don't know the reason), but he was pretty excited to be there.

J.'s fan club.

HALLOWEEN 2011

2011-11-21T19:18:00.001-08:00

For Halloween this year the kids were hockey players. E. played the part really well, 3 days before Halloween she dropped a weight on her finger and bruised it really good. She couldn't use it for 2 weeks.

THE SHARKS

2011-11-21T19:14:00.001-08:00

This year J. wanted to play Hockey. It turns out that he finally found something that he loves. He is really good. His season runs from September to March, so we have a lot of hockey to watch. GO SHARKS!!!!

POWER SLAPPERS

2011-11-21T19:06:00.001-08:00

This year's fall soccer team was awesome. They played hard and only lost a couple of games. E. scored in about half of the games. We love our POWER SLAPPERS!!!

Washington DC

2011-11-17T13:46:00.000-08:00

WOW!!!! Where has the time gone? I have been so busy, that I have forgotton to update my blog. Well, lets start with Fall Break. In October we were able to go to Washington DC. We had a blast and the kids loved it.

2011-09-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, I've been meaning to update, but we've been pretty busy. School started for us on August 16th and time has just passed us by so fast. The kids like school. J.;s schedule consists of Math, Spanish, Guitar, English, US History, TA, PE/Health, and Science. E. loves her teacher and is enjoying 8th grade. Well, I gotta run, I'll post some pics later.

J.'S NEW HAIR CUT

2011-08-05T18:57:00.000-07:00

DOUGHNUT FALLS HIKE

2011-08-05T18:49:00.000-07:00

PALISADE TRIP #2

2011-08-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

On our second trip to Palisade State Park Rob, Stephanie, Logan and Sydney came to camp with us. On Saturday, Grandma and Grandpa Combes, Spencer, Amy, and Michael came to have fun in the lake and have some good dutch oven food.

4th of July 2011

2011-07-21T10:50:00.001-07:00

On the 4th, I made the kids pretend to enjoy getting their picture taken.

PALISADE STATE PARK TRIP #1

2011-07-13T07:40:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun at Palisade State Park. We got to spend 4 days there. We swam in the lake, kayaked, played in the raft, (J. named it The Black Pearl Jr.), played golf with Grandma and Grandpa Combes, and rode bikes. We had 2 really good days, and then the wind started to blow so it was hard to raft and kayake because of the white caps on the lake.

NO MORE BLING!!!!!

2011-07-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

NO MORE BLING!!!!! J. got his braces off and now he sports this new colorful retainer.

2011-06-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

"Oh what can you do in the summer time,"... Here are a few pics of the kids in the sandbox.

WOW!!! WHAT AN UPDATE

2011-06-17T19:38:00.001-07:00

So, I think I have pretty much everything we've done since spring break. I'm sure there's plenty more, but this is what I can remember. It starts with June and then goes back to April.

June 2011, When Jason went to Australia we went to Idaho. We rode motorcycles, played with cousins and of course had lunch with Gramie.

J. thought it would be really funny to put a blanket in his pants and then go jump on the trampoline. What a "Comedian". Oh ya, in his 7th grade year book, he was voted most likely to be a comedian when he grows up.

E. was given the IB Leadership award at school by doing 15 extra services during the school year. May, 2011

Tent Camping with Dad and Uncle Rob!!!! Jason and Rob took all the kids tent camping. They got rained on a little, but they had lots of fun. The Power Slappers....That was the name of E.'s soccer team. She played awesome.
She even scored a goal. Her favorite part was her bright orange cleats, playing goalie, and playing forward.

Easter, 2011.. The big easter egg hunt in the backyard.

SPRING BREAK 2011

2011-04-18T16:14:00.001-07:00

We had a great time down in NewPort Beach. We had pretty good weather. We spent almost everyday at the beach. We also went to The Queen Mary and Knot's Berry Farm. We did a little sight seeing too. We went to some tide pools in Corona Del Mar and went to the little beach where they filmed Gilligan's Island. We also did a little kayaking. It was so much fun we didn't want to come home. We took so many pictures so here are a few of them. It was so hard to choose.

QUICK UPDATE!!

2011-03-27T18:08:00.000-07:00

WOW!!! Where has the time gone? I can't believe how fast the last three months has passed. For a quick update, we are doing good. We just finished the third quarter of school. We are so proud of the kids. E. got all A's and J. got 4 A's and 3 B-'s. Jason has been busy traveling, He's been to Florida, New York, California, and a week long trip to China. I've been busy with work, keeping track of homework assignments, and trying to juggle everyone 's schedules. We haven't had any time to take pictures so there are none. As we look towards the next couple of months, we are going to our favorite place in the whole world, New Port Beach, Califronia, E. starts soccer, J. just wants to be outside, and Jason is busily planning our camping trips for the summer. Until next time......

2011-02-13T12:56:00.000-08:00

J.'s Creation: One day J. got mad, (because we made him do something, like clean his room), and so he went outside and put all his energy into making this creation.

2011-02-13T12:47:00.000-08:00

At E.'s birthday party, Gunner wasn't feeling that great. The one person he wanted to cuddle with was his E. They have a special bond. Aren't they just cute?

E.'s 9th Birthday!!!!

2011-02-13T12:38:00.000-08:00

E. had a great birthday. We had a small party with her friends and then the next day we had her family party. She got everything she wanted. A new gaming chair (mom got a the best deal ever for the chair), a pillow pet cat, and her favorite gift a Lakers shirt and hat.

CHRISTMAS 2010

2011-02-13T12:19:00.001-08:00

Christmas morning was alot of fun. Grandma and Grandpa Blaylock got to spend the morning with us and then we headed up to Grandma and Gramdpa Combes house.

DISNEYWORLD, 2010

2010-12-21T19:08:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun in DisneyWorld at the beginning of December. Between my pictures and Jason's dads pictures, and photopass pictures we have about 1500 pictures so I had to pick just a few to highlight our trip. We got to see lots of characters, ride on lots of rides, we really didn't have to wait much. We got to do something different this time, when we booked our trip we were able to get the Disney Dining Package free. With this package we were able to go to one sit down breakfast, lunch, or dinner every day. We had to plan in advance and make reservations. This was one of the biggest highlights of our trip. Everybody's favorite place was in Epcot at the country of Japan. The cook cooked our food right in front of us. We also enjoyed a breakfast with all the princess's in the castle. We had a blast. We did eat to much. The one day we went to lunch at a place called Prime Time Cafe in Disney's MGM Studios. We had a shake, a meal, and then dessert. We were stuffed. The weather was a little crazy. There were record lows while we were there. Oh well, we just started out with layers and then shed them as the day went on and put them back on for the evening activities.

2010-11-12T15:02:00.000-08:00

Everyone, enjoy the scrapbook that I made of grandma's 80th birthday party.

grandma 2

2010-11-12T15:00:00.001-08:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

HALLOWEEN 2010

2010-11-07T17:57:00.000-08:00

Halloween was lots of fun. The day started out cloudy, but a little warm. By the time we had our yummy chili and donuts it was pouring. The kids went out anyway and had lots of fun. It eventually stopped raining. E. was excited to take her cousin Gunner trick or treating for his 1st time.

E. as a ninja, and J. as the reaper man.

J. the scary reaper man.

J., Gunner, and E. ready to go trick or treating.

Our scary pumpkins

OCTOBER FUN

2010-10-22T19:12:00.000-07:00

October has been a fun busy month. E.'s soccer season was awesome. We only really froze 1 time. The Fireballs ended the season on top. E. played forward and mid-fielder. She played goalie on time, but said it was boring because there was no action. Then she was chosen by her teacher for the IB trait of caring, respect, and being a good communicator. She would write poems to other kids in her class that were having a hard day. We then made our way to Boise for Grandma Blaylock's 80th birthday party. We had lots of fun visiting with extended family members. Finally the first quarter of school has ended and surprisingly both kids did excellent. We are ready now for Halloween, so bring it on.

Here is the Blaylock Family

Me and my Grandma Blaylock.

E. recieving her IB award. She was really excited.
E.'s soccer team this year was the Fireballs.

UPDATE!!

2010-09-14T17:45:00.000-07:00

OK, so I lied. I'm not going to be able to keep up scrapbooking my pictures before I get them on the blog. Our lives have been crazy ever since school started. Between homework, my usual errands, life, and activities we are usually on the go most of the time. So, here is a quick update of what we have been doing over the last month. We finished our camping season off at Pallisade State Park with Rob, Stephanie and the kids. It was alot of fun. Poor Stephanie was sick the whole time. The wind blew hard the whole entire time we were there. Sometimes I wondered which wind gust was going to take the trailer and us with it. Then we had a fun BBQ for Labor Day, and then the kids have been busy outside playing hockey and anything else they can fit in before homework and bedtime. Hopefully one day it will slow down. E. had her first soccer game last night, so we are now heading into soccer season fo the next couple months. J. decided to take a break from hockey and work on his golf swing which works better for all that fun Jr. High homework and social stuff (the girls have already started calling).

Our Labor Day BBQ. We had lots of fun. The best was dessert. Jason made homemade ice cream and we had left over extra large marshmellows from camping and had smores. These marshmellows really are the best ever. I don't think I can go back to the small ones.

Here, E. is mad because she had to slow down and finish her homework so she could play.

Really J., how old are you? J and E found this wonderful thing in our shed. It broke years ago. Even though it was J.'s when he was little he still wounldn't let E. take it apart and try to fix it. Instead he made his friend Gabe and E. push him around in it. I can't believe they actually did it for him.

Palliades State Park

The winds was blowing so hard the kids had a hard time paddling against the wind.

2010-08-29T18:44:00.000-07:00

So, I decided that sometimes it takes me just as long to blog about our fun adventures as it would be to scrapbook them. So I'm going to try and scrapbook the events and then post them on the family blog. We'll see how long I can keep up. This is our camping trip we took a couple of weeks ago with Grandma and Grandpa Blaylock.

One word.......OVERWHELMING!!!

2010-08-05T15:24:00.001-07:00

All of a sudden anything that grows on vines just took over the whole garden. Oh well, we'll just pick what we find, where we find it.

UPDATE!!

2010-07-30T11:52:00.001-07:00

I thought I'd just do a quick update on what we have been doing during July. We've been camping at Mill Hollow, tennis, went to St. George and Las Vegas, swimming, school shopping, and this last week was golf camp at Thanksgiving Point. Very very busy. I only took pics when we were camping and they were limited so sorry about the no pictures on this post. Now we are down to the last 2 weeks of summer, we are very bummed.

4th of July 2010

2010-07-14T18:40:00.000-07:00

4th of July Fun. The annual 4th of July picnic and fireworks show at Grandma and Grandpa Combes.

PALISADE STATE PARK

2010-07-06T18:24:00.000-07:00

Last week we loaded up the trailer and headed to Palisade State Park near Manti. We had so much fun. I took so many pictures that I had to pick a few of each thing that we did. So just scroll down and enjoy!!!

First off, the kids sat every morning on our bed and spied on everybody in the camp spots next to us. They even made up names for the people. It was hilarious to listen to their conversation as they were spying.

The kids loved going on bike rides around the lake.

The kids played in the water almost the whole time we were there. I was a little nervouse, but they wore their life jackets. Their favorite thing was to swim out to the dock and jump off.

One day we rented one of these paddle boats. The kids had a blast. J. made an anchor out of the chain on the side and a stick. J. and dad did most of the peddling. E. pretended she was Captain Sig on the Deadliest Catch and she was on the hunt for crab. Her favorite line "Get to work or your fired."

For Father's Day and Jason's birthday we got him a kyake. The kids had fun going for rides around the lake. J. and E. really like to use the oars.

Of course one of the best things about camping is Smores. We couldn't have a fire, so we used the coals from the volcano to cook our marshmellows. They were delicious. Grandma and Grandpa Combes came and golfed with us and Grandma brought huge marshmellows. They were so good.

The kids spent many hours in the water trying to catch minnows. They final count before dumping them back in the lake was 19.

Of course, we spent some time golfing. The course was beautiful. It's amazing how they could make an 18 whole golf course through a canyon.

IDAHO

2010-06-25T21:06:00.000-07:00

When dad had to go to Australia, the kids and I headed to Idaho to visit. We had lots of fun. We started out with playing at the creek at Aunt Staci's where we later had a wonderful dutch oven dinner to celebrate Father's Day.

Actually, E. loved playing with all the animals. Aunt Staci has a plethera of aminals to play with. 5 dogs, 1 hamster, and now 1 new cat.

The next day was J.'s birthday, so we headed over the the care center where Grammie is and we had a fun picnic and birthday. We had BBQ hamburgers, chips, fruit, and cookies. The kids had fun making things with their party umbrellas, chips, and grapes.

Then that afternoon we headed back to G-ma's and Pop's house for some play time. The girls wanted to swim in the swimming pool, and the boys rode the motorcycles.

E. and her little "tutu".

E. playing with the Abby and Belle in the pool. Abby had fun in the pool, Belle just looked at it.

Drawing with chalk.

Our dare devil. He just keeps getting braver and braver.

Then it was off to bed, the kids all thought it would be fun to sleep on the deck. J. made it until 11:30 when the wind started blowing. The rest made it all night.

Finally they both drop.

What a great trip we had.

74 Stuffed Aminals!!!

2010-06-13T09:30:00.001-07:00

We have been dejunking the kids bedrooms. E. has collected all these stuffed animals. The last count was 74 and counting.

2010-06-13T09:21:00.000-07:00

Just some pictures we took of the kids since they were all together.

This would be the first time Uncle Jason held Gunner. Below the great-grandmas and all the great- grandkids.

2010-06-13T09:06:00.000-07:00

For J.'s birthday he wanted a new mountain bike, so everyone went in on this gift together. He was so excited. We only have 1 very important rule he has to follow, he has to wear his helmet every time he gets on it. A couple of weeks ago he was riding the neighbor kids bike and was going a little fast and the brakes didn't work and he ran into a wall. His knee swelled up really big and we had to take him to the doctor. We were very lucky nothing was wrong with his knee. A little swelling and some blood around the knee cap. The first thing the doctor asked him was, "Were you wearing a helmet?" I let J. answer that one. He got a big lecture from the doctor which I am grateful for and perfect timing with the new bike. Our pediatrician is very adement that kids were helmets. He told J. he was lucky he hit his knee and not his head because the damage would have been alot worse.

2010-06-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

For J.'s 12th Birthday party, we let him invite some friends and we took them to Cowabunga Bay. The kids had a blast. There was brownies, ice cream, and pizza. The water slides and lazy river were a lot of fun.

CATCHIN' SOME RAYS

2010-06-13T08:11:00.000-07:00

E. and J. catching some early morning rays with Belle. Gotta catch them while you can

2010-05-25T17:31:00.001-07:00

Just posted my first Shutterfly book below. It is ordered and on it's way.

california 09

2010-05-25T17:29:00.001-07:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Sometimes you just need to get away!!!

2010-05-11T15:55:00.001-07:00

We took this last minute mini-vacation to St. George. We had lots of fun. Grandma and Grandpa C., Amy, Spencer, and Gunner were all there as well.

E. was the perfect babysitter. She liked watching Gunner and making sure he was always happy. He liked it when she pushed the stroller, played with him, and she checked on him every five minutes when he was napping.

Here are the kids playing tennis. J. is getting really good at tennis.

Of course we can't go to St. George without going to our favorite park. The kids even took Gunner down the slide for his first time.

On on of the days the guys all went to Zions and did some hiking. One of the trails they went on was Angel's Landing. Grandpa was under strict orders from mom that they only go half-way up. Once they got to the chains they had to turn around. Jason and Spencer did go a little further, but then decided it was too risky.

Soaking in some sun!

2010-05-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

J.'s New Sport

2010-04-08T19:07:00.000-07:00

Well J. decided he didn't want to play baseball this year, and just concentrate on his golf game. After going to his cousin's hockey game, he decided he wanted to give it a try. He's pretty good at it. We told him he had to take the "Learn to Play Hockey" class to see if he actually liked the sport before we get all the gear and get serious. The last two times he has come home exhuasted, but he says he loves it. We'll keep everyone posted on what the outcome will be.

First Game of the Season

2010-04-08T15:24:00.001-07:00

The first game of the season was tough. Once the Dodgers warmed up in the first inning they were doing great. We lost, but the kids had a great time. E. played catcher, 1st base, and 2nd base. She had good plays at both bases. She also hit the ball 2 of the 3 times she was up to bat.

The Kids

2010-04-08T15:02:00.001-07:00

Babysitting Gunner was a lot of fun for the kids. E. took really good care of Gunner. She pushed him in the stroller all over the house, fed him, and held him while they watched Sponge Bob together. Here are a few cute pictures I took of them.

Here is J., E., and Gunner watching "Nacho Libre"

This is my favorite picture of E. and Gunner

Easter, 2010

2010-04-08T14:48:00.001-07:00

Easter Sunday was a great day. We just hung out until it was time to go to Great-Grandma Walters for lunch. The kids were so excited, by that time all the snow had melted and we were able to have the Easter Egg hunt outside.

E.'s Baptism

2010-03-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun day with family and friends to celebrate E.'s baptism. We are so proud of her. She is such a wonderful fun loving and smart girl. E. is always lots of fun to be around she has such a great spirit and wonderful personality. We love her very much.

Our Family

Here is E. and Dane. Dane had the honor of baptising E. She was so excited that he came.

Here we have all of the Combes Family Grandchildren...

and here we have all of the Blaylock family Grandchildren.

Here is Staci's family.

Grandma and Grandpa Blaylock with all the grandkids.

Great-Grandma Combes and Great-Grandma Walters, with the newest member of the Combes Family Gunner.

Here is E. looking at her very own Geneology book that Grandma Combes made for her. Each grandchild gets one when they are baptized.

E.'s Snow Creations

2010-03-14T15:57:00.000-07:00

E. was so excited to play in the snow that she went out first thing this morning before it melted and made these cute face creations all by herself.

SUMMER WHERE ARE YOU????

2010-02-15T15:55:00.001-08:00

Here is a picture of the kids playing in the rain in the sandbox. They are ready for warm weather.

Just a few pics!

2010-02-15T15:43:00.000-08:00

We haven't done a whole lot lately to take pictures of, so here are just a few snap shots I took over the last couple of weeks.

Baby Gunner came over a couple of times and E. just loves to hold him and talk to him.

E. watching a movie with all of her favorite stuffed animals.

E. and her friend lined up the whole front walkway with snowballs from the snowball maker.

LOOK WHO'S 8

2010-01-29T14:42:00.000-08:00

WOW, she's 8. I can't believe it. E. turned eight last week. She had her friend party at Classic Skating and then we had a family party later that afternoon. We all had lots of fun.

THE NEW SMILE!

2010-01-20T12:35:00.000-08:00

Well it's official, J. now has braces on his top teeth. He is doing quite well and was really excited to get them on. He is doing a great job and has done everything the dentist has told him to do so far. After his front teeth move for a couple of months then they will put on the bottom ones.

A visit from Gunner

2010-01-20T12:28:00.001-08:00

Aunt Amy and Gunner came and visited us the other day. E. was so excited to show him her Sponge Bob and Patrick stuffed animals as well as her huge puppy that she bought with her christmas money.

2010-01-20T12:22:00.000-08:00

The kids found a small rope that broke off one of the sleds, so E. wrapped it around her and had J. hold onto the other end and she pulled him on his skateboard with her alterain vehicle.

SKATEBOARDING

2010-01-20T12:14:00.000-08:00

Here is J. trying out his new skateboard he got for christmas. He is now toooooooo cool to wear a helmet. Kids, who knows what to do with them?

SLEDDING

2010-01-11T12:54:00.000-08:00

Here are the kids sledding down the one tiny ice ball that used to be a dinosaur that they made.

CHRISTMAS DAY, 2009

2010-01-02T17:38:00.001-08:00

The anticipation of christmas. J, wondering if Santa really left him something fun or a lump of coal, and E. just excited to see if Santa came. Christmas was a lot of this year. We got to enjoy family all day. First we spent the morning together, then we went food and fun at Grandma and Grandpa Combes house, then we got to come home and have more fun opening presents and visiting with Grandma and Grandpa Blaylock.

THE WAIT IS ALWAYS HARD.

E. was excited about her new mountain bike.

J. loved his new tv. J. was really nervous Santa would give him a lump of coal because he's been a little naughty this year.

The Fowlers gave E. this fun all terrain tryke. She loves it. J. on the other hand is a little big and fell right off as he went over the snow in the driveway.

Of course we all had fun holding Gunner in his cute little christmas outfit,The Combes grandchildren. (G. was missing, she was really sick).

CHRISTMAS EVE, 2009

2010-01-02T17:26:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve, we went to visit the great-grandparents. We had so much fun visiting, opening gifts, and of course taking our turns holding Gunner. The kids finally were brave and decided to hold him, now they want to hold him all the time, but then so does mom.

SPAGHETTI TACOS ANYONE?

2010-01-02T17:20:00.000-08:00

E. was watching I-Carly and they made spagetti tacos. So last week when I made spaghetti she had to give it a try. She said they were pretty good. I don't think I'm willing to try it, how about you?

2009 Christmas Letter

2009-12-15T17:31:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

I can't believe another year has come and gone, and a whole year of new memories have been made. We started the year out by remodeling our kitchen and some other projects around the house. When skiing season was over, baseball started. This year J. and E. both played. E. played for the Dodgers and J. played for the Red Sox. E.'s favorite position was catcher and J. played 3rd base. Once baseball was over camping season started. We enjoyed spending time making smores, hiking, and fishing. We spent some time golfing and swimming over the summer, and in the fall we were able to head to our favorite place for a week, Newport Beach, California.

This year both kids started in a new charter school. No more off track time, we are finally on a regular schedule. J. started 6th grade, and E. is in 2nd. They both have wonderful teachers and are enjoying the change in schools. They have made some really good friends and love learning. E.'s favorite subject is Spanish, and J. likes drama. Jason keeeps busy with his job. He still works for Rio Tinto in Investor Relations. He travels some. This year I was able to go with him for a quick trip to New York. It was great. He still enjoys skiing, golfing, camping, painting rocks, and hanging out with the family. As for me, I have had a big change this year. I went back to work. I am a teacher's assistant at the kids school. I've really enjoyed the change. I have also been teaching primary. I still like to read, scrapbook, and card making. I also started digital scrapbooking this year. I love it. As we end this year, we hope that this letter finds each and everyone of you happy and healthy. We have recieved many blessings this year and are so grateful for our family and friends. Please keep in touch with us over the new year by visiting our blog. For some of our fun times of 2009 please go to the blog archive and enjoy.

We love you and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The Combes Family

DECORATING THE CHRISTMAS TREE

2009-12-02T20:49:00.001-08:00

In all the hussle and bussle of the start of the Holiday Season one of my favorite times is when we as a family get together and decorate the christmas tree.

MEETING BABY GUNNER

2009-12-02T20:37:00.000-08:00

E. and J. were so excited to meet Baby Gunner. E. sat beside me and just watched him pull all of his cute faces and his cute little noises. He is such a cutie.

THANKSGIVING 2009

2009-12-02T20:06:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was lots of fun. Both of the Great-Grandma's were able to come for dinner. We ate lots of food and had lots of fun visitng.

GUNNER

2009-11-23T20:14:00.001-08:00

Here are a few updated photos of Baby Gunner. He's adorable. This is the hat that E. picked out

for him. She loves her new cousin.

"BABY GUNNER"

2009-11-20T19:49:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures that Grandma C. took of our new addition to the Combes Family. Amy and Spencer welcomed baby "Gunner" (his nickname) on Friday, November 20th at 1:30 a.m. after almost 2 days of labor. He weighed in at 8 lbs 3 ozs, and 20 inches long. We are all excited to meet him and give him lots of love.

HALLOWEEN, "09"

2009-11-01T13:55:00.001-08:00

J. and E. all dressed up to go trick-or-treating. E. was a baseball player and J. was the tapout wrestler dude.

First Snow Fall, 2009

2009-11-01T13:49:00.000-08:00

E. playing in the snow with her boots and capris on. Sometimes I wonder about her. Below the kids building their first snowman of 2009.

Newport Beach, 2009

2009-10-19T19:17:00.000-07:00

FALL SOCCER

2009-09-27T18:00:00.001-07:00

Fall soccer has begun. E. has done a great job so far. Her favorite position to play is goalie. She stopped all but one goal Saturday. We are hoping the weather holds out for us to finish our season.

A FINAL LOOK AT THE GARDEN

2009-09-27T17:36:00.000-07:00

One final look at our garden before we have to clean it up for next year. This year we produced tons of zuchinni, 4 big round pumpkins, some green beans, 4 strawberries, and some cucumbers. Our corn died so we didn't get any this year. We learned alot this year about gardening and have many changes to make next year. The kids loved watching the vegatables grow. E. checked everyday and learned when the zuchinnis were just right to pick.

Our two small cantelopes that grew. We are hoping that we can pick them soon.

Here is our tiny watermelon that grew. Now with the weather changing I don't think it will be big enough to eat, but we will open it up this week to see what's inside.

QUICK UPDATE

2009-09-22T14:40:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update. Everyone is doing good. E. started soccer last Saturday and scored the only goal of the game. Last night she played with her team and then the other neighborhood team so we were at the soccer field for two hours. It was really chilly. I guess that's fall soccer. J. has been hanging out with his friends and his cousin. The phone starts ringing the minute we walk in the door. Jason has been traveling alot this month. He'll be home Thursday, hopefully for a while. I have been busy with work, house, errands, and running the kids all over the place. We are still working on a new routine with me working. We just finished tiling our bathrooms and entry way and next week we are getting new carpet. We can't wait. We are also getting ready for our vacation in a couple of weeks. It's amazing how time flies. Well, gota get everyone off where they need to be today. hopefully I'll have pics next post.

NEW YORK, 2009 14TH ANNIVERSARY

2009-09-07T17:38:00.001-07:00

For our anniversay, Jason surprised me by taking me to New York. I was lucky that Labor Day was a little later this year, because Jason was going to be out of town this week anyway and would be gone for our anniversary. So we went a little early. I had to come home today, but Jason is still there. We had so much fun. On Saturday we went on the double decker bus tour. We saw all the major sites around New York. We stopped at the South Seaport Pier and we had lunch, walked to ground zero, and then went on a harbor cruise around the Statue of Liberty. We then finished the downtown loop of our tour. That night we went on the night bus tour that took us over the Manhatten Bridge and to to Brooklyn to get a great view of the Manhatten Skyline. On Sunday we toured the uptown loop where we went to Central Park and Harlem. We learned alot of history and saw alot of the city this way. We then went to the broadway show Wicked. It was sooooo good. We loved it. We had really good seats and enjoyed every minute of it. We ended the day walking thru tons of people in Times Square. It was packed with people. I really enjoyed the weekend. We had lots of fun. I have a great husband!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to go back again.

Here we are in Central Park, behind me is the Plaza Hotel

This is St. Patrick's church. When we went inside there was a wedding in progress. We got to watch some of it.

Here is a picture of the Empire State Building at night. Each holiday it has different colors at the top. This week it is red, white, and blue for September 11th.

The Statue of Liberty

On our harbor cruise.

Pier 17 where we had lunch outside on the pier and where we boarded the harbor cruise tour.

WALL STREET

Of course, here's Jason at the beginning of Wall Street. Below is the New York Stock Exchange building in which Jason will stand with the Rio Tinto president next year and ring the opeining bell.

GROUND ZERO

Here in background you will see a large crane. This is where the twin towers once stood. Below this picture was taken when the gate briefly opened for a truck to get in. The mood is very somber and respectful at ground zero,

Here is the Peace Bell which London gave to the United States after the attack of Sept. 11th
Below is the little small church of St. Paul that is still standing right behind ground zero. Here inside the church is the memorial place for Sept. 11th. Inside the church there is all the information times and dates of which things happened after the attack it also served as volunteer headquaters for Sept. 11th. This place was my favorite part of the city. With all the destruction it's amazing that this small church is still standing.

Here is the famous ball in Time Square

The Empire State Building

Rockefeller Center

HAWTHORN ACADEMY

2009-09-01T15:25:00.000-07:00

WOW!!! Our summer came to an official end yeterday as we started our new school and I started work. I can't believe it. The kids love their new teachers and are making alot of new friends. J. was so excited because he gets to have his own locker. Today he asked me if he could bring some pictures to hang in there. Wow they grow up. M. loves her class and is always outgoing and making friends. As for me, I'm exhausted. It will take time to get used to working and getting up early. I've enjoyed being in the classroom again. I am the TA for the 1st grade. I spend an hour in each room everyday. I love it!!!

Our new school.
J. at his locker. He thinks he's pretty grown up now.

Getting dressed in the morning is great, they have to wear a unifrom. Mom doesn't though, I have to dress up. yuk!!

SOAPSTONE CAMPGROUND

2009-08-30T17:27:00.001-07:00

So this weekend was our last summer outing. We went up to Soapstone campground up Mirror Lake Highway. We had so much fun. We played in the river, and of course looked for rocks for dad to paint over the winter. We did a little resting, reading, and digiscrappin. The kids had alot of fun building their shelter and of course having the evening fire and smores. Now it's off to school and work.

So, mom forgot the most important part of a smore, the chocolate. So J. decided instead of having a smore he'd roast a double stuffed chocolate cream oreo cookie. He said it tasted quit good.

The kids built this shelter to play in.

Playing in the river by the campground

E. doing push ups in the river.

J. was very tired on Saturday, he spend alot of time laying down resting.

Here are the kids hangin' out with Belle.

Digiscrappin'.

We had lots of fun around the fire.

My other blog!

2009-08-23T20:13:00.000-07:00

So, one of the girls at our scrapbook nights that does digital scrapbooking posts her pages that she has completed on a blog. So, I have decided to do this as well. I think it will be a great way for all of my family and friends to enjoy the pictures of our family and the wonderful fun adventures we have. So make sure you click on the link to take a look.

JUST SOME FUN PICS!!!

2009-08-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

Today Dillards had a denim exchange where you got some money off a new pair of jeans if you traded in a gently used pair. Well, J. got to get these jeans that he has wanted for a long time. They are the volcom tight skate jeans. He really thinks he's hot stuff now.

Here are the kids with Belle

J. and E. posing while taking a break from roller hockey.

Belle loves to eat popcicles so whenever the kids have one she thinks she has to have one too. Good thing they are cheap!!!

MY NEW HOBBY, DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING

2009-08-13T16:08:00.001-07:00

Ok, here's what you've all been waiting to see, so here they are. I'm having so much fun with it. I'm starting to get the hang of it. I still have times where I want to throw the computer out the window because it won't do what I want it to do, but I'll get there. Enjoy!!!!!!!

Quick update!!!

2009-08-09T14:27:00.000-07:00

Playing at the park in Daybreak.

Fishing at Smith-Moorhouse

Golfing at Mountain View

Wow!!! The summer just keeps going and going, just like the energizer bunny. I feel like it is never going to end. The kids have really kept me busy. We have been to the neighborhood pool, golfing, camping, St. George, Idaho, Classic Skating, bowling, and anything else they can find to do. We've all enjoyed ourselves, but it will come to an end in three weeks when school finally starts.

The few minutes we are at home, I've been enjoying my new computer. I love Digiscrapping. Once I figure out how to download the pages to the blog I will share what I've done. It was a little hard to get started, but once I did I can't stop.

Jason's been busy with work, but he always loves to go and do things. He has really enjoyed all of us golfing, now he gets to go alot more.

Well, I think I got everything. Keep checking back, I promise to update!!!

ZUCHINNI ANYONE???

2009-08-09T14:23:00.001-07:00

When we came back from St. George, we had 2 big and 1 little zuchinni which I shredded and made cookies and bread, and put the rest in the freezer. Besides zuchinni we have harvested beans, 3 strawberries, and 1 cucumber. E. loves to go out with me and help me pick the stuff.

SAND HOLLOW GOLF COURSE, HURRICANE, UTAH

2009-07-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun playing golf down at Sand Hollow Golf Course. The weather was hot, but there was a little bit of an overcast. The kids are doing very well with their golfing, I might add I'm not doing too bad myself.

J. hits from the red box.
The view of the 9th hole.

Mom and J. on the green.

J. and dad hitting out of the large, ginormous sand trap.

The tiny lizard was one of the animals we saw on the course.

Dad watching Megan get ready to hit.

SMITH-MOOREHOUSE

2009-07-09T18:10:00.000-07:00

We had lots of fun camping this weekend. We left on Sunday and came back on Tuesday. The campground was really quiet. We got a spot that was right next to the creek. The kids got to play in the water and even made rafts out of sticks. Each of the kids caught fish, but J. was the only one that wanted to keep one and try eating it. Well, he didn't really like it, but he tried it. The weather was perfect and it was relaxing listening to the creek.

Here we are cooking smores.
J. and E. fishing at the lake.

Here are the kids eating a fast lunch before we have to pick up and come home. What a bummer they could stay all week.

Here is the fish that J. wanted to keep and try.

The kids hiking around the campground.

The creek was so fun. The kids played in it for a couple of hours on Monday. They loved it. In this spot it was only ankle deep so they could play in it. They were playing like they were pirates. They always find something to keep them busy.

4th of July

2009-07-09T17:59:00.001-07:00

The 4th of July was lots of fun. First we went to Grandma and Granpa Combes for a BBQ, and then we came home and did fireworks with our neighbors. We didn't even have to use all of ours because our next door neighbor had the good fireworks that went up in the air. He spent alot of money on them so we had quite a show.

E., J., and Gabe. These guys are the best of friends. They are the 3 musketeers!!!!

Here's a new picture of mom and dad.

J. loved being able to light all the fireworks. Now that he's old enough we just sit back and supervise.

Picking out fireworks with dad.

E., Gabe, and Abrie having fun lighting fireworks.

J.'S BIRTHDAY PARTY

2009-06-24T11:09:00.001-07:00

We had lots of fun on Sunday. It was Father's Day and J.'s birthday. We had both of the families with us to celebrate. We had lots of good food and fun. It was also special because J. was actually born on Father's Day!!
All of us eating the yummy food

J. riding his rip stick G that he wanted for his birthday!

2009-06-24T11:06:00.001-07:00

2009-06-24T10:38:00.002-07:00

2009-06-08T13:04:00.001-07:00

QUICK BASEBALL UPDATE!

2009-06-03T07:34:00.000-07:00

I have no pictures, but J. has made some awesome plays the last two games. On Saturday, J. was playing third base and got a grounder sideways and then threw it hard to first base and the first baseman caught it and they got the batter out. Last night, J. hit his first ball of the season. We were so proud. Usually he either strikes out or walks. He got the team ball for both of these plays. He was so excited last night. I didn't take the camera because it had been raining. Oh well. It was better in person to see the excitment on his face.

THE GRINDING RAIL

2009-05-29T15:05:00.000-07:00

While we were in Idaho, Pop B. made this grinding rail for J. He really likes it.

TRIP TO IDAHO

2009-05-29T14:45:00.000-07:00

We had alot of fun in Idaho over the weekend. The kids went non-stop. They played outside, rode bikes and motorcycles, had a picnic, and hung out with our cousins. It was lots of fun because Grandma and Grandpa were able to take off work and play with us.

This is what J. did most of the time. Around and around the house he went over the jump and back around again.
Here are J. and E. playing with the tractors in the dirt.

Here are the kids in the tree at the care center where Grammie is.

Here we are having a fun picnic with Grammie. She really enjoyed having all the kids come and eat with her. It was a beautiful day.

Here are Pop, Lulu, and E. on a ride.

BELLE'S SLEEPING SPOTS

2009-05-22T18:01:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures of the kids while asleep.

J. and Belle cuddling. Belle loves the softness of the satin pillow case. So she sleeps really close to J.'s head.

Here she is at the bottom of E.'s bed. E. thinks that Belle never sleeps in her room, so we took this pciture to prove that she does sleep half the night in her room.

Here is E. snuggled with her stuffed animals. She loves to collect them.

GARDEN

2009-05-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

This year I decided to do a small garden. Dad made the box, and the kids and I planted the vegetables. We planted corn on the cob, zuchinni, pumpkins, stawberries, watermelon, cantelope, beans, and carrots. Of course we all know how picky my kids are. We'll just see how much they try of each vegetable.

WHAT DO I WANT FOR SNACK?

2009-05-14T17:34:00.001-07:00

Almost everyday after school, E. comes home and sits in front of the pantry and eats her snack. She told me she likes to sit there because she might need to pick another snack.

J,'S BASEBALL GAME

2009-05-09T08:30:00.001-07:00

Well, the weather was freezing cold, but we finally got some baseball in. Here are a few pics of J.'s game on Friday night. He really likes it. This game he played short stop and third base. He struck out once and got to slide into home twice.

Here he is heading off second base to steal third.

Here he is playing short stop.

Batter's up !!!!

MOTHER'S DAY LUNCH

2009-05-09T08:08:00.001-07:00

We had such a wonderful Mother's Day lunch on Friday. E. skipped school and her and I went to surprise Grandma B. and Grammie for Mother's Day lunch at Red Lobster in Pocatello. The drive was so worth it. So Grammie got to celebrate with her daughters, all the granddaughters and great-daughters, and her sister. It was really fun and a great memory to have.

E., me, and Grammie

Grammie, E., Lulu, and Jo.

My sister and her kids with Grammie

My mom, aunt, and GrammieMy Grammie and her sis are the best of friends

E.'s BASEBALL GAME

2009-05-06T19:15:00.001-07:00

Here's my girl playing catcher. The gear is as big as she is. This game they won 10 to 4.

Here she is running into home. No slide this time.

Here she is playing right field.

Here she is on 3rd base with dad as the third base coach.

WEEKEND PICS!!!

2009-05-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few pictures I took over the weekend of the kids hangin out.

E. and J. think they are pretty cool sitting in the back of the van together. They got these awesome glasses from Pop C. from the lost and found at the golf course.

J. showed off his skateboarding skills. Yes, he ususally wears a helmet, but he wanted to show me real fast because I had the camera and he was too lazy to walk across the street to get it.

During a rain break on Sunday the kids and their friend G. made a tent.
These guys play together all the time and have lots of fun.

BASEBALL NEWS!

2009-05-02T20:15:00.001-07:00

This weekend was a wash out with baseball. Friday night we started at 5:30 with a drizzle and by 6:45 we were in a down pour. We were all bummed because Andrew was pitching for his first time. We didn't even get a picture of him. Next time. Today both games were rained out again. Hopefully mother nature will let us play soon or we will be having lots of make up games.

Quick Update

2009-04-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update. We have been very busy over the last couple of weeks. After school are evenings are filled with baseball, baseball, and more baseball. On top of games and practice we also have homework. J. is having trouble with fractions, so him and dad work up until it's time to play ball. E. has homework and piano to practice and then she's off to ball. On top of everything both kids are doing very well. J. is reallly enjoying baseball this year. We are hoping that either Friday night or on Saturday's game that he will be able to pitch an inning. He is really excited. He has been practicing every night. E. got to play catcher last night and the gear was so big it protected her whole body. (forgot the camera) She also did her famous thing of sliding into home plate. She loves to do that.

Tonight however, we have our first night of no baseball this week. We are all going to totally enjoy it and catch up on all of our shows we've had to tape, especially our favorite American Idol. Hopefully the weather will stay nice and the kids will be able to run off some of their energy by playing outside.

That's it for now. Hope you are all doing good.

JUST SOME CUTE PICTURES!!!

2009-04-20T18:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend G-ma and Pop B. came to watch J. and E. play baseball. When it was time to go home, Abby wanted to make sure she wasn't left so when Pop was done packing the car she jumped in and stayed in there until they left. Of course Belle didn't want to be left out so she jumped in too and then E. jumped in to pet them. What crazy dogs.

LET'S PLAY BALL, FINALLY

2009-04-15T17:53:00.000-07:00

We finally got to play some ball on Monday night. The kids had alot of fun. It was their first games of the season. J. plays for the Red Sox and E. plays for the Dodgers. Hopefully mother nature will start cooperating and we will be able to play our season.

E.'s best friend is on her team. His dad coaches and E.' dad is the assistant.

E.'s on peewee's so 3 innings are machine pitch and 2 innings are kid pitch.

J.'s in the minors, so he has all kid pitches. He really has to concentrate on what the pitch will be ball or strike?