Grandma's Birthday

While visiting Grandma she had a birthday we got to celebrate with her. I took a whole bunch of pictures having all the kids together to celebrate makes for some good pics.

Here Justin is rough housing with some of his cousins. He loves his cousins. Seriously this ball is almost as big as Sariah.

Funny picture of the dog as he was waiting for Grandma to open up her presents.

Part of the Miller and Peel family...just missing the two little ones who were rough housing with Justin. So much fun at this house!

James and his Uncle Greg.

Giving Daddy kisses.

Birthday kisses for Grandma.

Getting treats from Grandpa, he always has treats.

I was able to make Grandma her birthday cake, which I love to do. She likes German Chocolate and asked for 2 layers. Here she is blowing out the candles on her cake.

Here is the inside.

Everyone said it was yummy...I liked it and Grandma loved it.

Little Miss hanging out with her Uncle and the dog. Sariah loves dogs.

Hanging out with Aunt Carla as she fixes her shoe.

The next morning after the party we had to get going but not before breakfast.

Oh and we had a little snack of raisins.

Of course we had to take pictures too.

Grandpa is looking at Sariah who wouldn't get in the picture. My 2 boys are so handsome in this picture.

Last Minute Trip to Grandpa and Grandma's

A few weeks ago my cute husband realized that we needed to go to California before he started his new job. He didn't know when he was going to have any vacation time so we loaded the kids up and took Justin out of school for a extended weekend visit to Grandma and Grandpa Peel's house. We love visiting their house, it's so peaceful. Thanks for letting us come and spend time with you.

Aunt Carla and her kids came over and played soccer.

Cute Christin didn't want to play with the crew....so she sat with us looking pretty!

Thomas and Sariah are about 10 months apart and they were all over the place exploring together. Here they are exploring the patio.

Discovering the flower garden.

Figuring out the bucket seat.

She really is the cutest thing ever. Grandma and Grandpa's last name is Peel and this is the Peel Drive sign that leads to their house.

Hi everyone!

Giving Grandma some love!

Getting treats from Grandpa.

Even though they are 10 months apart Thomas is a good 10 pounds and 12 inches bigger then little miss. They are such a cute pair as the wonder off to explore the olive orchard.

Opps the caught me following them.

They found this old truck in the orchard and I thought it was pretty neat. The sun had just set so my flash was on when I took this picture.

We had lots of fun on a trip to California...even if it was a very quick one...we love spending time with the Peel's and Miller's.

Morning Fun

Since the weather is getting cooler here in AZ we get to go for bike rides in the morning and after school with Justin. My kiddos love being outdoors playing together. Here they are all ready to go for a ride to Justin's school. When this little Miss smiles her whole face lights up. She truly is such a beauty.

Justin is the greatest big brother. Sariah will do anything Justin does. Here they are on the little animals.

I don't remember what Sariah and Justin were talking about but she was pretty animated about it.

Sariah loves the Ducky but this is Justin's least favorite one to ride because the tail of the duck goes right up his backside. You can tell how much he loves his little sister as he rides this duck without any painful faces.

Aren't they the cutest?

What is Justin doing? He goes so much faster.

Loving the swing.

Exploring the tunnel.

Hey how did you get on this side Mom?

Oh I think it might be time to go home.....what do you think?

The first day we went to this park Sariah climbed up to the biggest slide and went down on her tummy all by herself. Now every time we go she has to go down that slide at least once. I love that I can take her to the park most mornings. It's a great time for both of us.

Here is a the big slide that she goes down....seriously...wouldn't you be afraid?

We Love Soccer

Soccer is the main focus at our house this season. With practices during the week and games on the weekend, we pretty much are thinking about it often. Here are a few pics from the game when Justin was captain of the team.

Sariah loves to watch her brother play. She actually prefers playing soccer with him but does really well watching the game. Here she is with her game day attire and jug of water.

We love Coach Rick. Justin thinks he is the greatest coach and he does such an awesome job at coaching the boys.

Getting ready for the game.

Wahoo Copperheads!

Here is Justin with the Referee's for the coin toss.

Action shot...Run Justin!

He is getting in position. He plays great, never gives up even when his energy is running low. He just keeps on going. He is an amazingly great shape!

Laurel's Birthday Party

Our cute little Laurel turned 9 this past month and we celebrated!We went to Amazing Jakes with the whole crew and had lots of fun. It's a place with a salad and pizza buffet and a whole bunch of rides and games that are geared toward ages 5 and up. There were a few rides Sariah could do. This was her first carousel ride.

Justin and James on the ride that went around and around, forwards and backwards really fast.

Because Amazing Jakes was geared toward older kids, I was alone with Sariah most of the time. I totally did not take any pictures of anyone else. There was this little play gym that she got to run around on for a good bit. Her and I also played the games that you just push the buttons to win tickets for prizes. She had a lot of fun pushing those buttons.

Laurel asked for a cupcake cake with rainbow icing. I don't know what it is about making cupcakes into a cake but I love doing it. I am not the greatest icing putter oner but it's fun to do.

Here is the inside so you can see that they are cupcakes.

Happy Day for Laurel! We love you.

Job Job Job

We got great news this past weekend. James got a job and we are excited. He decided to tell me in a tricky way. He has been having interviews every week with different companies. This week was no different, so while I was putting groceries away he came in the kitchen to tell me he didn't get a job.
Being the supportive wife I said "oh that's ok, you had those other interviews and you really wanted that other job anyway, maybe that one will work out."
Then he proceeds to say with a solemn looking face, "well I found about that one too and I didn't get the other job because I got this one."
I had to do a double take as I realized he got the job he wanted and a scream of shock came out of me. It is so exciting for us that he got a job and that we are suppose to be here in AZ. I was starting to doubt things a bit but this has been a huge answer to many prayers in more ways then I can begin to explain....even down to what he gets to do....he is going to love this new job!!!!!
Congrats to my amazing husband who works soooo hard to take care of our family! I love you!

Cranky

I woke up so uber-cranky this morning...you know the kind of cranky where no one could do anything right. Why did I have to be that way?

What Matters Most.......

How can you help the military???

Some of you may know that I am a couponer...I don't know if that is a word or not. I coupon weekly and love it. I know you might think this is too much work and sometimes my obsession can turn into a lot of work but it doesn't have to be...I just make it that way.
I am also a supporter of our military. I have 2 brothers who were in the military, a husband, grandpa's, and uncles. They have all sacrificed for our freedoms.
Anyway, I found a way for my obsession with coupons to turn into a benefit for the military men and women serving overseas. I am posting this in hopes that there are other couponers who would love to help the military as well. Did you know that overseas military members and their families can use expired coupons up to six months past their expiration? Isn't that awesome? All of those coupons that I end up throwing away or can't use will now go to a good cause besides the garbage!
If you would like to help here is the link to the blog where I found out the information. What do you think?