"The Pajama Game" Party

I got to have a "Girls' night Out" for the first time since Tessa came. She did great, by the way, and slept the whole time I was gone.

Kameron, Carla, & I got tickets to the "Girls Night Out" showing of THE PAJAMA GAME at the Arizona Theatre Company. As part of the festivities, we were told to wear our pajamas to the show (and consequently to dinner before at "My Big Fat Greek Restaurant"--they didn't even laugh at us and served us FAST so we could make it to the show on time!) Well we are either the most obedient or least self-conscious theatre patrons, because almost no one else, except for the ushers, was wearing their PJs. It's OK, though. We got lots of attention and several ladies told us they wished that they had worn theirs, too. We were probably much more comfortable than they!

The show was a really professional production with a really fun retro stylized set and costumes, and some Fosse-like choreography. Of course, the plot is mostly fluff, but tons of fun. I had to keep biting my tongue so I wouldn't sing along and it brought back so many memories (some fonder than others) of our production of "The Pajama Game" at PHS, so many years ago! Mom, do you still have that VHS? I think I'm secure enough to watch it now. :-)

Thanks, K&C for another night of memories!

Our Prophet Dear

I'm sure everyone has heard by now of the passing of Pres. Hinckley. You wouldn't think it would be surprising to hear of the death of a 97-year-old, but I was surprised. He has held on strong for so long, it was hard to imagine this happening. He will be sorely missed, but what a joyful time it must be for him--being reunited with his sweet wife and being welcomed home after such service to the Lord! I wonder if he will finally rest, or if he will want to get busy with his work on the other side of the veil.

For the benefit of my posterity, I want to record that I have had a strong witness that Gordon B. Hinckley was indeed a prophet of God. I remember watching General Conference all alone many years ago, when Elder Nelson gave a talk about Pres. Hinckley. The spirit that came over me was undeniable. I have since come to appreciate the personality and human-side of this man as well, but clearly he was called to do a great work on this earth and he has now completed that work!

May I introduce you to MY INSANITY

Since I don't have anything else to do with my spare time (ha, ha!), I have decided to start a second blog. It's a place for me to share all of my ideas(or my insanity...depending on how you look at it).

Check it out!

3 Months

As you can see, Tessa has become quite the smiler. She even laughs occasionally. She has rolled over a couple of times from tummy to back, and sure isn't lacking in the chub department! She truly is a joy!

UPDATE: For some reason, this big little girl is in a hurry to grow-up. Not only does she look huge next to her new cousin, Jackson. But as of Sunday night (Jan. 27), she has consistently been rolling over onto her tummy. This seems really early to me. And where her size was making it difficult to keep her in the bassinet any longer, her mobility is signaling that it is time for the crib. Crazy kid!

Trenton vs. Spiderman!

Grandpa and Grandma know how much energy our little man has to burn off, so they decided to help us out by getting him this Spiderman punching bag and gloves for Christmas. Here he is in action!

Staring down the opponent.

Remember the law of inertia?


Hugs for Spidey!

Creative Cakes

Trenton's friend, Jared, came over to play one morning when I needed to work on the cake for Mikelle's baby shower. I had enough extra batter to make this snowman cake that they decorated with Valentines sprinkles.

This is the finished monkey cake for the shower (the blurred edges are to hide the mess I make when I bake) :-)

Look who's getting BIG!

Tessa is now big enough to use the bumbo seat!

I realize her hair looks really red in this pic, but that is mostly due to the lighting...still, there is some fire in there!

Fun with Family!

Amber is great at playing with Trenton. I think they are playing walkie-talkies, here.
I thought Grandma and Tessa both looked so "pretty in purple." She's wearing the Winnie the Pooh dress that Grandma gave her.

Ice, Ice, Baby!

(I must have early 90's songs going through my head today!)

Did you know that Prescott Valley has its own minor league ice hockey team? Neither did I but it has become quite the big deal in the area. So we all went to check out a game. It was lots of fun except for the guy behind us who was teaching Kira all kinds of new vocabulary words, and the woman behind us whose whistle is unlike any other sound I've ever heard a human make (and my ensuing headache!).

As a parent I have to wonder about the disciplinary techniques used by the refs. Putting those guys in time-out (penalty box) sure didn't seem to dissuade them from fighting more. :-)


Trenton hanging with Uncle Jared

Things that make you go...VROOM!

While we were staying in Prescott, Barry's parents rented a backhoe and enlisted the help of their sons in clearing out a large section of their property. Of course, Trenton had to help, too! When he wasn't helping, he enjoyed riding on the 4-wheelers, with our friends, the Goringers.

First Christmas

Cool Christmas Presents

Here are the hooded towels my mom and I made after Tessa's birth. I designed and she sewed--I think we make a good team!


Here they are being put to use.

Some of the neatest presents we could have recieved came from Barry's parents. They gave each child their own 72-hr. kit in these fun personalized backpacks. It is so great to have these and be able to check that off of our list! Thanks, Grandma & Grandpa!

Christmas Morning!

Coming downstairs...

Santa's been here...
who are all of these for?

Please can we open our presents now?

The kids actually let us get a good night's sleep and were quite patient about the present opening. When Trenton made it down stairs he immediately reached for a present. He was reprimanded and told it wasn't time yet, to which he quickly replied,"I was just fixing the bow!"

Sure you were, Trenton!

Christmas Jammies!

Every year my mom nearly kills herself (this year she drove a sewing needle through her finger) making Pajamas for all of her grandchildren to open on Christmas Eve. Kira loved her turquoise nightgown (her favorite color), but as you can see...Trenton wasn't at all excited about his Star Wars Jammies! :-)

Christmas Outings in Prescott

Prescott is known as Arizona's Christmas City. This may come from being one of the few places where it is cold enough to feel like Christmas, but beyond that, there are many fun activities to do in the area. On Christmas Eve we visited the Gingerbread House display at the Prescott Resort, went to see an awesome train/Christmas village display at a friend's house, and drove through the "Valley of Lights" in Prescott Valley.

Sleeping with Tessa

My little girl apparently has the power to make those near her very sleepy. Resting with Tessa was a favorite activity over Christmas in Prescott.

Barry "had a ball" for his birthday!

Lots of them, actually. I sent him on a paintball adventure this year on his b-day. I had some of his buddies (thanks, Adam!) kidnap him early in the morning and take him out to the paintball field. (They kept threatening him that they would shoot him 32 times for his b-day).

It was great fun to surprise Barry just a little with this, mainly because it drove him crazy to not be able to be perfectly prepared in advance!

The kids and I drove out to surprise him at lunchtime with the three-layer "Motherload" cake from Claimjumper. The kids had fun throwing around the old paintballs and Trenton loved getting to practice shooting the gun. He will be a formidible opponent in a few years!

Later that night, Barry and I went to My Big Fat Greek Restaurant for a yummy dinner. Barry was a bit beat- up after his adventures, but he says that's part of the fun.