Rylan's 4th Birthday Party

Amazing Pizza Machine in Omaha Nebraska was the hot spot for a 4yr old's birthday party. My parents got him a birthday room where all the family met for food, presents, and cake. The boys got T-Shirts that everyone signed and colored on. Since Tanner was not in Nebraska, they decided to have a little something for him as well.


After presents the boys got to go out and spin the "big wheel" for extra tickets. They each received 1000 tickets to buy whatever they wanted when they were all done playing games and riding on rides. I think the gokarts were the hit of the afternoon! Fun was had by all, both child and adult.

Memorial weekend trip to Omaha, NE

Going back home for Memorial weekend is anything other than a vacation. Its more...how many people can we see in 4 days and not upset anyone. Both Chad and I have family there. Everyone wants to see the boys and spend as much time as possible. Which is great! We want to see everyone just as much.
The trip started out a bit rocky. Phoenix was having bad weather and so was the entire central part of the US. Our flight was delayed an hour. We were supposed to arrive at 11:30pm. After it was all said and done, we ended up having to stop in KC to refuel and then on to Omaha arriving at 3am! That's right 3AM I said!! That was real fun with the boys. When we arrived we still had to rent our car. It was roughly 4am when we got to my parents house. UGHHH!! Not cool!
Because of our early morning arrival, we slept in pretty late. We had plans to spend the day with Chad's dad(Rick). Scott and Sema were in town from LA and Chad's mom (Bobbi) were also there. That night was designated to our old Omaha friends at Prestige Club.....
The boys ended up staying the night at Rick's house.
They love playing there. Marilyn has 2 older daughters and they have a blast with Rachel and Hannah. They were catching frogs in the pond when we left. EWWWWW
Sunday my Dad got a call from my Great Grandmothers assisted living place saying that she had fallen and needed to go to emergency room.
He litterly spent the whole day there. This was the day we were supposed to hang with my family. At this point he had only seen the boys for about an hour since we got into town. The boys stayed home and hung out with my Mom while Chad and I went shopping for Husker gear and to check out the new outdoor mall that had just been built by my parents house.

Later that evening both sides of our families went to the Amazing Pizza Machine to celebrate Rylan's 4th birthday.
The boys got presents, cake and lots of tickets and points to play all the cool things this place has to offer. We rode rides, played games, went on go-Karts & bumper cars. Every time we go here we spend about 3 hours playing around.
Monday was Labor day. We did brunch at our usual place, Summer Kitchen with Chad's entire family.
After we went to go see Grandma Maxine and my grandma. No, that is not Granny Maxine flying down the hallway with my two boys. That would be the crazy daughter!


Later in the afternoon we cooked out with my family.

My sister has 2 girls and my brother has 2 boys. Since the cousins live in different states, they cling onto one another when we get there. They pick up right where they left off the last time we saw them. After everyone left, Chad went to a friends house and my Mom, Dad, I and the boys played the Wii I got my parents for Mother's/Father's Day. Mom is addicted now.
Tuesday we went over to our friends house for lunch. The wife couldn't meet up Saturday night with us because they had no sitter for the kids. Angie made really great sandwiches and a salad. I have been trying to duplicate since we got back home. Can't seem to get it right. Chad and I had an hour or two to kill so we went to get tattoo's.
Since we only had time for one of us. He had me get mine. Last year I got a sun in San Diego on my lower back. I wanted to add little squiggly thingies to it on both sides of the sun. I had obviously forgotten how much pain I was in the last time I got one. It hurt so bad. It looks good though...we like it. Chad wanted to touch up the tribal band he got on his arm when we went to Mexico a few years back and add a sun behind it. That would have taken a really long time. We'll do his later. I on the otherhand, will never get another one!
My parents wanted to take the boys to Thunder Bowl for their last night. We bowled one game...Rylan's ball takes a really long time to get down the lane! They also have a game area, restaurant, and go-karts. Unfortunately the go-karts were closed down cause of the heavy Memorial Day traffic they had the day before. Bummer!! I think that was the main thing we were all looking forward to.
The whole trip was very nice. We didn't really have any time to just sit around and do nothing. But that's the way it is when we go home. It was great to see everyone and we all had a great time! We miss everyone!!

Trip to Omaha...Night out with Friends

Saturday when we arrived in Omaha, we set aside one night so we could see most of our friends. It was really neat to see everyone. I haven't been able to see alot of my girlfriends since I moved to Phoenix, 7 years ago. I went to High School with most and worked in a salon with the others. Chad also had some of his high school buddies there. We pick up where we left off. It was awesome to see everyone and we all had a great time. Miss you guys!! Here are a few pictures from our night out.

Tanner had many 8th birthday parties

On April 21, We celebrated with just the four of us on his acutal birthday. Chad and I bought him a Wii game that he really wanted, Smashmouth Brawl. I made him his favorite chocolate and we had ice cream.

A week later Grandma Bobbi, Aunt Sheri, Uncle Scott and Sema came into town hoping that they would be able to see Tanner and Rylan's new cousin being born. So we celebrated Tanners birthday again with the family. This time we got an ice cream cake for all to enjoy.



Our little baby Ethan decided he wasn't ready to be born yet. The family hung out for the weekend and just enjoyed the nice Arizona weather. We played a little Rock Band and sang on American Idol on the PS3, bowled on the Wii, and played a game called Qwelf in which we all did and said some silly things. Scott had to wrap himself up like a mummy, Sema had to wear a box in her shirt and Grandma Bobbi had to play Peek a Boo with anyone who wanted to talk to her. I have never laughed so hard!



On May 3rd Tanner had 4 of his closest friends over for a slumber party. We took the boys to Rock Bottom where they each made their own pizza and to Dave and Busters for a game of bowling and video games.




It was after 10pm when we left. Presents were at home waiting to be open. Since Tanner already had 2 birthday cakes we did not have another one. I just made cookies for all the kids instead. The boys didn't seem to mind or even notice. Tanner received alot of cool gifts. His friends mostly got him Pokemon or Naruto cards. Star Wars toys were a big hit and of course the other Wii game Chad and I got him...Mario Kart. Once it was time to wind down, we realized that it was 11:30pm. The boys needed to get some shut eye. They were going still going to be here a good portion of the next day to go swimming. I hope they get in...the pool is still quite chilly. 76 degrees. aaahhhh!! All the boys slept together in Tanners room. Of course Rylan had to be in on the action with the big kids. They piled in one by one where the could. Despite the fact they actually fell asleep after midnight, they were still up at the crack of dawn. Ready for eggs, bacon, pancakes, and fruit for breakfast.


They couldn't wait to play the new Mario Kart game afterwards. But much of the morning was spent playing Smashmouth Brawl. Their boys, what can I say. They are very much into the battles! Eventually I made them go outside and get into the pool. We had not been in yet, just a bit to chilly for me. They were a little hesitant at first. I told them I would count to 3 and whomever was last standing would get thrown in. Needless to say, I did not have to throw anyone in. :) Thanks for a great time boys!
I just want to say one thing about having 6 boys...I could not imagine having to feed that many boys all the time. Chad and I had an assembly line going for breakfast to get all the kids fed. By the time one of us would sit down to eat, another child would ask for some more, than another... you get the point. Just could not EVEN imagine.

Girls night in

Chad was out of town for a week and so was my neighbor, Tonya's husband. So we decided to get a bunch of neighbors together and have a girls night in. Tonya, Jen and I got sitters for our kids at one house and the rest had hubby's at home for their kids. The ladies gathered at my house for food and drinks. My old neighbor Traci who moved away to Washington, recently MOVED BACK. I had tried to call her to invite her several times to come back to the "hood" and I never heard from her. Little did I know she was trying to surprise me and drove all the way up here from Maricopa.(hour trip) She decided she was just going to invite herself to sleepover...yeah, now its a slumber party!! So we sang and sang on American Idol, chit chatted, and had lots to eat and drink!!

100 plus more things about me

This seems to be on ongoing list that I keep adding to...it used to be 100 plus 2
-I got married when I was 20
-I became a Christian 5 yrs. Ago
-My husband is an Atheist
-I love Chads quick wittedness and personality, he always makes me laugh
-Chad completes me even though we have different beliefs, I wouldn’t trade him in for the world
-I was named after my babysitter
-I didn’t want to move here from Nebraska and now I could never go back
-I miss my family and think about them every day
-I am addicted to Fit TV and love to work out, sometimes even twice a day
-At one time I trained to do fitness competitions, but never actually went through with it. I don’t like to get up in front of people.
-I love doing hair and making people feel good, but after I get my scissors sharpened I always cut the top of my knuckle off pretty bad
-I can’t stand the feel of hair on me…even though I cut hair all day long
-I sliced off the tip of my right pointer finger with a meat slicer when I worked at the grocery store in the meat and cheese department
-I hate wearing black and white, but wear it everyday to work
-My favorite stores to shop at are Kohl’s, Target, Von Maur, Express, and Black House White Market
-My favorite color is pink
-My children’s laugh’s are contagious, I love to hear them
-Tanner and Rylan obviously have the same parents, but are completely opposite of each other
-I love onion rings, but hate onions
-I don’t like to eat fish or anything fishy at all
-I hate hearing people talk about other people especially if its bad
-I am easily amused and easily irritated
-Being around people that are negative all the time irritates me
-It takes me 2 hours to fall asleep and Chad 2 seconds. That irritates me
-I hardly ever go to bed before 11-11:30pm
-I check on the boys in their rooms before I go to bed every night
-I don’t and cannot take naps unless I have a horrible headache
-I am addicted to Young and the Restless
-I cry every time I watch Extreme Makeover Home Edition
-I love to play air hockey
-My idea of a great vacation is going to an amusement park and riding roller coaster’s all day long
-I have no desire to go to Europe
-I used to be a very bad driver…that is still debatable
-I have been in 5 car accidents, only 2 were my fault. And I wonder why I am falling apart
-I get a speeding ticket about every 2 years…thank goodness I can take the class each time
-I hate it when dishes are left in the sink, even though sometimes I do it myself
-I have to fall asleep to either a TV or a radio
-I always have to wear chap stick or have it with me at all times or I panic when I can’t find any
-I love the look on Rylans face when he comes stumbling out of his room when he gets up in the morning.
-My cat attacks me when I work out
-I love to lay out in the sun….I just started wearing screen this year
-I love the ocean and going to the beach, but hate the sand
-I cannot stand bugs, any kind, shape, or form
-If I find the smallest bug anywhere in the house, I will go hunting for more until I cant find any.
-I will get down on my hands and knees and look in crevices and corners for the tiniest one and kill them all
-If I find a single bug in the house it makes me feel like I have bugs crawling all over me. If its before I go to bed, it keeps me up at night….just talking about it now makes me jittery
-I love practical jokes
-I am scared very easily
-My children are very sweet, but we are not saving college money for Rylan, we are saving bail money
-I didn’t like vegetables other than potatoes, corn, & green beans till after I had kids.
-I am extremely picky eater, everything on the side
-My new favorite vegetable is the mushroom
-I love Reiner cherries
-I started falling apart when I turned 30...neck, back, shoulders, knees…now its my wrist.
-I used to be a swimmer in High school
-I taught both my kids how to swim.
-I am obsessed with sweeping or vacuuming my floor after anyone is in the kitchen
-I love the Vichy room in our day spa. The Lemongrass-Bamboo-Lavender scrub is my favorite
-I check my email several times a day when I am at home
-I cannot grill anything without burning it
-I would die without my DVR
-After all the years of being married to a sports freak, I really like to watch certain football games. Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals,& the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
-I like to watch the Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders, and KC Chief lose their football games
-I am a big Phoenix Suns fan
-I never thought I would be driving a mini van….it still takes some getting use to
-I would rather live in 110 degree heat than in the freezing cold winters of the Midwest
-I wanted to be a marine biologist when I was a little kid
-I used to collect Dolphins
-When I eat salsa, I don’t scoop. I only get the edges wet.
-If I read before I go to bed, I immediately fall asleep
-I only wash my hair once or twice a week if I blow it dry straight or every 2 days when I wear it curly
-Rylan still doesn’t have a baby book. I am in the process of making a scrapbook for him, but only on month 9.
-I used to hate rainstorms cause in Nebraska we would get them all the time, now I love them.
-I love the sound of thunder
-My favorite kind of ice cream is the Cold stone Oreo overload creation
-My favorite drink is Crystal Light Green Tea
-I was diagnosed with IBS 10 years ago…just like all the other women at my work
-I don’t like fundraising for my children’s school, but since I am very competitive I sell as much as I can for them
-Fourth of July is my favorite holiday
-I am in better shape now than I was in high school and after having two kids
-I enjoy having people over and playing games
-I had a peeping tom look in my bathroom window, my husband chased him around the block
-I did my best in Human Physiology and Law Studies. Where's my creeper peeper??
-After my creeper peeper incident, I wanted to beomce a police officer
-I always look outside the front windows of our house and check to see if there is anything suspicious going on before I go to bed
-I dislike confrontation
-My husband squeezed a toot out of me while giving me a hug on our first date
-My husband thinks my chocolate chip cookies are the best.
-My favorite lunch spot is Wrap and Frap or Paradise Bakery
-I hold my hands out like a bowl if I think my kids are going to throw up
-I used to country dance
-I consider chocolate chip muffins breakfast
-My belly button is pierced and I have a tattoo on my lower back
-I think my feet are perfect….Chad says they look like hoofs. I still think he is hilarious!
-R & B and Hip Hop are my favorite types of music.
-As hard as I try to keep my desk organized, it sill looks like crap
-I suck at Trivia
-Oscar, Overboard, Titanic, and Notebook are my favorite all time movies
-I have never experimented with drugs and have no desire to
-I tend to be controlling
-I don’t like my laugh lines, but love to laugh
-I am addicted to the reality show Big Brother. I pay to watch them online and will watch them on Showtime after dark
-I think I am an American Idol and I can’t sing.
-I think Steve Corell is hilarious. I love his show the Office and his movies are great
-After seeing the movie Poltergeist I believed there were clowns under my bed and they were going to drag me under
-I went to Disneyland for 4 days in March 2007 and Disneyworld for 8 days in November 2007 and still want to go back
-I hated school, I cannot spell, I suck at English and grammar...I expect to be corrected.