Building STRONG friendships...

 

Building good friendships with others is SUPER important to me!

When we moved to Queen Creek 3.5 years ago...

having my kids find GOOD friends was one of my top priorities!

While I was growing up,

I made SEVERAL great relationships that I still have today...

Those relationships helped me stay ACTIVE in the church,

develop characteristics that would help me be a good friend,

and helped me be the WOMAN I am today.

GIRLS especially need each other...

so imagine how GREAT it is that my cute girlie daughters..

have found those type of friends.

During FALL break we had a WARD campout

in the beautiful PINES of Arizona.

I took the opportunity to do a "brief" photoshoot...

with these amazing GIRLS!

Rachel's AGE group loves to be SILLY...

and are always UP for taking pictures!

Katie's AGE group had MORE fun hiking and playing...

than in taking PICTURES!

One things for sure...

THESE girls are the BEST!

Fall BREAK...beach style!

You can not go to CALIFORNIA...

without going to the BEACH!

It doesn't seem to matter that it is only 60 degrees outside!

or that the WATER is way too COLD!

It just matters...

that us ARIZONIANS...love the BEACH!

So on our 2nd day in California we had to spend time,

building sandcastles,

looking for sand dollars,

swirling seaweed above our heads,

or just plain "chillin" (literally).

And of COURSE...

you have to eat SEAFOOD at Joe's Crabshack...yum!

JACOB loved the seaweed...til he HIT himself with it!

And LASTLY...

our (free) ROOM with a VIEW!

 Goodbye...San Diego...until next time...

WE WILL MISS YOU!

Laughing all the WAY through Fall BREAK!

I can not believe that

FALL BREAK

is almost over.

We have had such an amazing week...

I'm so grateful to my family for helping me LAUGH

all the way through it!

The girls started the week...

at a CAKE decorating class at Joann's.

The rEsUlts were nothing short of aMAzing!

We didn't stick around LONG...

we were OFF to SEAWORLD and San Diego!

They REALLY do LOVE each other!

(This photo was there idea too...yippee for me!)

We FELL in love with this Walrus...

Jacob LOVES his mommy...and tells me that OFTEN!

Mommy LOVES all her kids!

and I loved it that my KIDS wanted to ride all the RIDES...

but you've got to LOVE Katie's face in this picture!

The FACT is that she RODE it all THREE times...the only one to do it EVERY time!

Jacob RODE it too...

but soon figured out it was more FUN getting WET running

away from the RIDE!

I love the FACT that at SEAWORLD so many things are 

HANDS on!

and that you ARE never too old to have some FUN!

Way to go kids...you are AMAZING and so much 

FUN to hang with! 
Postscript...this is only takes us through day 2 of our week long adventures.  Stay tune for more Fall Break fun.

JUMPING into TEN!

Cutie Kate...

as I like to call her...

TURNED the good ole' age of TEN!

She sat down with me and TOLD me exactly what she

wanted me to do for her birthday.

1.  Bring Donuts (not cake-she hates cake) into class

2.  Do not bake a CAKE at all!

3.  She wanted Panda Express brought into school for lunch.

4.  She wanted French Toast for breakfast.

5.  She wanted Chicken Enchiladas for dinner.

6.  She wanted a birthday party with friends at Jump Street.

7.  She wanted MONEY only for presents!

8.  Never mind....she will take perfume and lotion, too!

So because we ALL love her so much...

we made it ALL happen!

 

 

On your mark...

 

get set....

JUMP!

 To my beautiful 10-year old little KATIE...

Happy Birthday!