December Highlights...

Did Thanksgiving just end?? Because it seems like December was a blur! First of all an apology to anyone who reads my blog and did not get a Christmas letter or card this year. Please don't feel bad, because I didn't get the letter written....yet! It may come, it may never come! Life is just busy, as you can all relate.

In the first week of December....

C and M played the violin and sang with the school choir at the town Christmas tree lighting. It was nice to feel the small town spirit, even if it was in Arizona and there wasn't any snow. After the tree lighting, and the girls performance, the girls and I went to McDonalds and had dinner. (Calla's choice)

The next day, C marched in the Christmas parade with the Junior High School cheerleading squad.

They marched to "All I want for Christmas is You..." by Mariah Carey It was the first time in the 5 years that we have lived here, that we went to the Christmas parade. It was really fun and it made you proud to be part of our small but yet growing city!

In the Second week of December....

Mike had to cook for 500 for the church breakfast with Santa. I stayed home and worked on my take home final, did my report cards, and lesson plans.

In third week of December...

M played the cutest elf in the fourth grade musical. I had to sew her costume. Thank goodness her elf costume was easy and finals were over!!

In the fourth week of December, came Christmas Vacation!

M making Christmas cookies

I hosted Christmas Eve dinner at my house, and we had Mike's sister and my nephew, and Nana and Papa. We had the traditional clam chowder in bread bowls, and then we loaded up the car and went to see the loop of lights. After seeing the lights, we came home and read the story of Jesus from Luke, and then had baby Jesus' birthday cake.

This is the tree on Christmas morning. The girls held out until 6:30 which was pretty good. (the next day the slept in until 8:00 go figure!)

I was really excited this year, because Mike had suggested things he wanted for Christmas, and I got everything he suggested, and I even surprised him with a giant tool chest from Sears! (except...I got him a larger version of the one he already had! Darn it! I thought I bought the lower section. He took it back)

Santa brought T some scrapbooking stuff. She is really crafty and talented when it comes to things like that, and maybe she will stop using my stuff:) She also got some shirts and jeans.

C's list this year consisted of contacts, a cell phone, and clothes. She was a little disappointed to realize that mom and dad were serious when they said that she doesn't get a cell phone until she can drive! She did get a 3 prong curling iron, a flat iron, and clothes. (other wish list items) C is into zebra print, so Santa brought her a zebra flat iron, zebra purse, wallet and jewelry.

I got clothes, an ipod, so that I can listen to music when I run at they gym, and jewelry.

M played Santa this year, and passed the presents when it was your turn for the present. She asked Santa for a Skateboard, and DS games.

Santa gave our family a nice surprise this year, (even one that I didn't know about). He brought our family a Wii and a Wii fit for me! It was a really nice Christmas, and I am sad to see the season end. It's too bad that the weeks leading up to Christmas are so busy! The girls are growing up so fast and soon Mike and I will be celebrating differently, and the girls will be making their own traditions; Until then, I cherish the small things that we do to make the holidays and the birth of our Saviour so special! After the presents were opened, and the wrapping paper scattered about. We charged the Wii, Mike made breakfast for us (another tradition) and then I went back to bed! Late that afternoon we went to Mike's parents for Christmas dinner and relaxed with the family. We then came home and played bowling on the Wii.

(here are the neighbor girls and C playing hulu hoop the day after Christmas)

Fall Frolicing.....

Nothing is better than playing in the leaves, especially with cousins that you don't see that often.

Climbing Grandpa's apple tree to help harvest the apples.

Climbing on the shed to reach the highest branches.

We took a day and visited Jensen Historical Farm in Cache Valley, Utah. Here are the cousins all posing on the hay. Being in the fall leaves, pumpkin patches, and cool brisk air, really had me missing the 4 seasons.

The kids loved jumping off the tall hay bales into the straw. They were doing flips. I think this was their favorite part. (above is Calla and below is my niece Bailey)

We all tried the slide.

(above my brother Dave, below my nephew Ryan)

We all tried flinging the gourds. Sometimes it took team work, to get the pumpkin

to fly far.

You can't go to the farm without seeing animals. Here Avery is riding the ponies.

It was so fun to visit Utah and see family. The kids love seeing their cousins. When they are together, it is like no time has passed. They all get along so well. I just wished that there wasn't so many miles between.

A Brain Break or Road Trip?? Part 1

The fabulous the thing about "modified year round school" is that we get these little Brain Breaks every nine weeks. For our break this time we headed north to visit family and honor my dad on his retirement, it was a quick trip...2 days in the car, 2 days in Utah. Here are some things that we saw on the 13 hour drive....(it is hard to pass the time in the car)

A view of Lake Powell.

My favorite part of the trip. The Virgin River, with the red rock mountains in the background.

An indian hogan.

Sleeping children, somehow make the road trip even Nicer!

"Excuses are like feet...."

Okay, I orginally was going to give you a bunch of excuses of why I have fallen out of 'bloggy land.' From tissue paper state flag projects to an 11 page research paper, or farm town and face book; I decided after catching up on all of your blogs, and quoting Rex from Toy Story,

"I have guilt... " Excuses are like feet they all stink!!

I have missed my bloggy friends, believe it or not!

I have missed a friend who has lost 50 lbs,

another has lost a loved one,

another has written a book,

another started student teaching,

one is on vacation in Disney,

and another had a rock thrown through her master bed room window in the middle of the night!

I have missed Chanelle's Thrify Thursdays and my neices and nephews running a 5k for school.

I promise to not let time be to long before you hear from me soon. We are on fall break now, and I am off to paint base boards! (gotta love year round school)

HiP HiP HoORaY!!

Three cheers for C! She tried out for cheerleading again this year and made it!! It was so much less stressful this year! This year the coach posted the new team on a school cheer blog. I will never forget how sad I felt and how devasted it was orginally for her, as she searched on the list for her name and number. All the while, the coaches, and some of the girls who made the team were standing there giggling and gloating. C cried herself to sleep for 2 days. Then, three weeks later, we got the call from the principal that C's score card had been put in the reject pile, and they were adding her to the team! She makes such a good cheerleader. She is physically strong, and so energetic! Her first assembly is next week and the first football game is in 2 weeks. I guess, I will get out my megaphone again!

July....It came in warm and went out like an Infereno!!

YOU KNOW YOU LIVE SOME WHERE HOT, WHEN YOU CAN REALLY COOK AN EGG ON THE STREET!!!

I have been so busy this month, that I am doing a post in dedication to the fun times we had with family and friends in the month of July.

July started out with a camping trip to Overgard with Ty and CC, (my brother and sister-in-law) Mike Piazza and his son, my father and mother in law, and 7 dogs for the 4th of July!!!

Here is CC and I enjoying a relaxing moment by the fire!

The men caught crawdads and we boiled them and ate them. Here they are sucking the heads off!

Here is Mike fishing.

We took the kids into watch the 4th of July parade in Overgard.

The kids had a good time riding the quads.

JULY 9th - C's friend Ginny came for a visit from Arlington, Washington. We took her to the lake and she enjoyed a ride on the tube.

Ginny and C had a good time. They went to the Queen Creek Monsoon Madness Mud slides and came home covered in red mud! Needless to say, there underwear is no longer white:D They did pedi's, went to the movies, and had slushies!

July 16th- My brother Brent, his wife Jessica, and my neice Bailey came from Utah to visit us. I warned them of the heat, but they came and we had a fanastic time!

Here is Bailey and M wishing that they could fill the bikinis. But don't grow up too soon girls!

Day 1: I took them to Chandler Mall and the girls bought school clothes. Bailey and Maddie got matching shorts and t-shirts. After Jessica and Brent treated us to Chili's for lunch. For dinner that night, the kids stayed home and swam in the pool, and the adults wento out to all you can eat sushi. Mike and Brent tried chicken feet.

Day 2: We took them up to the lake and we tubed and played in the water. We had a good time. The lake was the perfect temperture and we enjoyed a relaxing day swimming and boating.

July 29th. THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??? i guess if it is so hot outside, we might as well be inside learning!

My body parts are talking to me...

I got up to run this morning at 5:00 a.m. It was already in the 90's so I crawled back into bed. Now I am having runner's remorse!

If only it was this easy!

"Kiss my Grits"

C was invited to a really fun Murder Mystery party last weekend. She was assigned to be "Miss Jade" the hair tonic salesman. We decided to be a hair tonic salesman she needed to be "ALL ABOUT THE HAIR!" My neighbor Tiffani does hair and used to do hair for the Phoenix Sun dancers and cheerleaders so she came over and did C's hair. We decided to go with the "Beehive" hair do from the 60's. Remember Flo from Mel's Diner?Well, here is my C as "Miss Jade" or "Flo"

C won the prize for the best dressed and most enthusiastic, and guess what? she ended up being the murder! SO as Flo might say "Kiss my Grits!"