Piano Recital

we are super proud of Blaine!!!  he had a piano recital this last weekend and did great!!  he has been playing for about 2 years now and is really making great progress!  this year he really wanted to play "called to serve" for his piano piece!  he worked really hard on it for a couple months, and ever memorized it.  despite being super nervous, he did a great job!  we love you blainey!  and thanks to his teach Sarah for being so good with him.  

Happy Mother's Day

i am one lucky mama!!!  i am so grateful for my sweet boys and for the opportunity i have to be a mother!  even from the time i was little, all i wanted to be when i grew up was, A MOM!  unfortunately things haven't always gone my way...but i am so grateful for my 2 sweet boys who make me laugh, crazy, drive me crazy and make me proud.  they are such a blessing to me everyday!  i love being a mom!!!

 i am also grateful for this crazy lady!  i love my mom so much!  i couldn't ask for a better mom, friend, mentor, grandmom to my kids, and everything else.  i love everything about my mom and am so grateful for all she does for me!  even still today!  i someday home to accomplish and be half the woman she is!  i love my amazing MOM!!!

 and of course my mother in law...thank you for raising such an amazing man! if it weren't for my mother in law, i wouldn't have my beautiful kids, and i know my boys are so amazing because they have such an awesome dad!  thank you for always supporting us and being so amazing!
 
happy mothers day to all the amazing moms out there!  i am inspired by all the moms in my life!  xoxo

a sweet experience....

i just want to share a sweet little experience i had with Blaine the other day.....
so his class was planning on going on a field trip (about an hour away), and the night  before for some reason in my night time personal prayers, i decided to ask Heavenly Father to protect the class on their field trip.  i wasn't even thinking about the trip when i started my prayers, but when i prayed for it, i got this overwhelming feeling like Blaine was not suppose to go.  i just thought to myself, GREAT....Blaine has been looking forward to this all week, and now i don't think he should go.  so i asked Jake to pray about it and we also prayed together.  i was hoping maybe i was just feeling anxious or paranoid, and after i prayed with jake he said he didn't really feel anything one way or another.  the next morning jake called me and said that again he didn't feel one way or another about the field trip, but he knew that he was suppose to support what ever my decision was.  thanks a lot....put that on me now!!  haha.  so i went in to wake up blaine that morning and here is our conversation:

me- "Blaine it's time to get up"
Blaine- (sat right up) "Today is the field trip!!!!!!" (super excited)
me- "well, i actually need to talk to you about that.  i was praying last night and i got a weird feeling about it, and i'm not sure if you should go"
Blaine- (his immediate response) "Well mom, that is the Holy Ghost!  he must be warning you about something.  i probably shouldn't go"
me- "i know, but do you want to pray with me and see how we feel?"
Blaine- "it's ok, i already know the Holy Ghost was trying to warn us...that's what that feeling was" (as he is teaching me immediate faith!!!!!!)  "i'm so glad you had that feeling so nothing will happen to me...thanks for listening to the spirit mom!"

we ended up staying home....and after school we saw the kids from the field trip! everyone had a great time and everything was just fine.  but Blaine never questioned why he wasn't' suppose to go...he just knew he wasn't.
i am so thankful and humbled by this kid.  he is always helping me and my testimony grow.  there are so many times i have said, i know he is here for ME...and not the other way around.  i don't know how i got so lucky, and i often feel inadequate  to be him mom, but he makes me a better person and pushes me to be better for him.  i love my sweet boy and his strength, unshaken faith and testimony!  thanks Blaine for always being such a great example for me!  i love you!

Cinco de Mayo Fiesta

Since i am always looking for an excuse to have friends over and eat good food, we decided to celebrate Cinco de Mayo!!!  wahoooo!  we had a couple families come over and everyone brought part of the meal (makes it easier if we all help out right?!).  anyway, we had sooooo much food and it was all sooooo good!  thanks everyone who was able to come.  we are really enjoying our new backyard and putting it to good use!!

 we had the Batemans, Padilla/Thomas' and Gardners over...

 we invited the elders to the party too!

 we made yummy drinks and had soooo much good food.  i could eat mexican food everyday!

 we also played a couple games for the kids....pin the tail on the donkey...

 and of course a PINATA!!!!  we actually made it, so that was extra fun.  the boys sure had a good time destroying it

thanks again everyone for coming!  Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Happy Birthday Junior

Happy Birthday to our sweet little boy Junior!!!  i'm pretty sure i say this every year, but i really CAN'T BELIEVE it's been 6 years!  wow, so much has happened in that time.  

 this year was particularly hard for me, because this was the first year since moving to Arizona that we were not in california to celebrate.  we have always been able to be out there on his birthday, but we could not make the trip this time.  i am so so so grateful that my parents still live close by the cemetery and that my mom was able to go by for us.  she brought him a rose and cleaned up his spot for us.  i am so grateful for that.

 our annual balloon release!  we were out late as a family at dinner, so by the time we got home it was dark...we still let them off and watched them fly up to junior's party in heaven!!

 my mom sent us some money to go out for a treat, and we had left over for some flowers too...so beautiful.  and my sister Karen came by to wish junior a happy birthday too with balloons and candy!!

i made a new picture this year to hang in our home...this is something that i have always wanted to do.  i was able to use one of my favorite quotes and add Junior's actual foot/hand prints to it.  they are so small...but still fully developed with is so amazing to me.  he was such a little guy!  i think another reason why this year was really hard on me was because i friend of mine just lost a baby of hers this month too.  my heart was breaking watching her family go through all the same things we went through and it brought back all those emotions from 6 years ago.  losing a child isn't something ANY parent should have to go through, but i can tell you i have seen so many blessing in our lives because of it.  even just having a deeper understanding of the gospel and eternal families...it's also allows me to help others going through similar situations (at least i like to think it does).  as much as i still wish he was here with us, i am so grateful to know i will see him and raise him again some day!  Blaine asked me the other day...."i wonder what he would be like?  Ty and i are so different, i wondering if he would be more like me or ty?"  i would like to think he would would be his own little person.  each of my kids have touched me and affected me in so many ways, even in Juniors short time with us he has changed me and continues too all the time.  i love you baby and can't wait til we are reunited again!  mama will always love you!  xoxoxo

CINDERELLA

well i can sum up this last week (and several months) with one word...CINDERELLA!!!  my sister Diana had this great idea to direct a school play and allow an opportunity for kids to act, sing and dance....and she roped me in along for the ride!!  even after many stressful practices, hours and late nights, i am so grateful i was able to go on the wild roller coaster experience with her!  We started rehearsals way back in September, and the show seemed eons away, but man this year flew by and before we knew it, it was time for the show.  Blaine auditioned and got the role of king....my nieces were also casts as Fairy Godmother, evil step mother, and Jake played a town boy.  

 we were not allowed to take pictures or video during the show (due to copy right laws), but i was able to sneak a few pictures during practice and back stage!

 Blaine as a townsperson and the King

 Me and my crazy sister Diana before out final performance....we were still alive and standing at that point!  she was an amazing director and did such a great job with the kids.  i pretty much just ran around back stage like a chicken with my head cut off making sure everything ran smoothly on stage...my job was just to make the kids look good!!  mission accomplished!

 Becca as stepmother and Sara as Fairygod mother...how great were these costumes, and can we say attitude?!! i love it!

i feel so blessed to have this experience and watch all these talented kids grow and make new friendships.  i am super proud of Blaine who came out of his shell and made an awesome king.  my sister is already talking about next year's show...i might need a few more months off before i commit to another show, but i know that one will be great too!  way to go Diana!  you are amazing and all your hard work truly paid off...these kids were AWESOME~

Happy Easter

The boys were up and excited nice and early Easter morning to find what the Easter Bunny brought for them.  after much searching, they were able to find their baskets.  that tricky bunny gets harder every year!

 Then it was time to put on their Sunday best and head out to church.  it's always hard to get up and going for 9am church, but the boys were excited to go to church and have lessons on the true reason for Easter.  Both boys came home with handouts and stories about Christ and the Atonement.  i am so grateful to be a member of our church and to know of the true reason for this season....HE is Risen!!

 me and my boys

i have the handsomest boys in the world!  i love my family!  xoxoxo

Easter Egg Hunt

On Saturday morning we had our ward annual Easter Egg hunt!  it is always so much fun to see all the kids run and get excited over something simple like plastic eggs and candy!

 Ty lined up with his buddy Logan...ready to go

 and Blaine with a few of his big friend buddies!

Hoppy Easter to these cute little bunnies

dance, dance, and some more....DANCE!!!!

i feel so lucky, i've been able to dance and teach dance sooo much lately.  i really love working with these kids and have so much fun!  they all did so awesome!

 these pictures are from my 2 regular classes.  i had a little class ages 5-8 (plus little sydney in font who is 3) and an older class ages 9-12 (plus a couple younger who were ready to advance).  this was the last day of class before they "Performed" for their parents.  i made those little tulle skirts and the girlies looked sooo cute.  i also made shirts for my older kids with "afterparty" on the front and their name on back!   both classes were AWESOME!!

 my future B-boy Ty guy....he was ready for class too!  haha

 then, i was approached by the local Jr High to help with a number.  i told them I DON'T CHEER...but they wanted to do something more "hip-hoppy".  i was super honored that they wanted me and we really had a great time.  this was my biggest group number and such a great learning experience for me...oh and did i mention, the girls were AMAZING!!!!  i was so glad i was able to work with them and had such a great time.  this was their FINAL performance of the year and they really went out with a BANG. showing off their stuff!!

 the girls even taught me a couple things...and we were able to add some stunting in the routine.  so fun!

thanks again girls for letting me come and play!  :)