THE GOODMANS

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2011-01-21T14:23:00.000-08:00

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hey there. . .it's been a while

2010-02-16T11:52:00.000-08:00

I've neglected to post so many things. . .where to begin? Christmas was wonderful. Our girls had a blast and it is so fun to watch them as they begin to make memories of a lifetime. Now, Valentine's Day has passed and the year is zoooming by. Kelsi is loving the 1st grade. She loves to read and has become so good at it. I have a new appreciation for teachers. I registered Kaitlyn for kindergarten and I'm feeling like I may have a tougher time letting go of her than I thought! She has been my little helper for the past few years. I just love her and her sweet spirit. Kennedy keeps us hopping....terrible two's to the max! But she's so dang funny and cute that I love it! Time passes too quickly not to enjoy every second. Kamryn is (holycow!) 6 months old now! Such a sweet little bundle. She fits perfectly in the mix of our life.

Though this year has definitely brought it's share of challenges to Jesse and I, we've been blessed with so much and our love for eachother has only increased. I have everything I could ever want right here with my family....everything else is just frosting!

. . . and if you're not my friend on facebook TELL ME - that's where most of my updates and pics are. I'm making my blog more journal-y. . .in other words. . .boring :)

Christmas Is Coming, the Goose is Getting Fat!

2009-12-13T14:19:00.000-08:00

I L.O.V.E. this time of year! I love the hustle and bustle of the holiday. Receiving Christmas cards in the mail, and mailing ours out, buying gifts for family and friends, the music, fun holiday movies....there is nothing about the month of December that I don't like. Here is a little bit of what we've been up to.

Kennedy had her playschool Christmas program on Thursday. All of the kids were adoreable and sang the cutest songs! Kennedy's favorite part, of course, was the treat afterwards :)

I took the girls to Entz Elementary's annual Reading Under the Stars. Because of the rain, it was moved to the gym. We even got to see the Grinch!!

Val Vista Ward had it's annual Pancake Breakfast on Saturday morning. Kennedy loved the visit from Santa. She ran and cut everyone waiting in line to get on his lap. Kelsi made sure to ask for her IPOD Touch (yeah right) and to "put in her order" for Kaitlyn, who wants nothing to do with Santa's lap as long as she gets the present.

Here is our latest family picture. My girls are growing up so fast and I am constantly reminded and amazed at the great blessing it is to be a mother. I love my family and am so grateful for the joy that we share with eachother.

To Be...or not To Be...PRIVATE! ahhh...whatever!

2009-10-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

K - so I am lazy and have not added many readers to view my private blog. Many have told me that they can no longer view it...sorry if you weren't on my list! Part of me feels like, "who really looks at it anyway?" A lot of you just don't leave comments!! :) I haven't kept up with blogging as much because it's all about Facebook now guys :) But it is a good way to journal so I will post every once in a while.

We just enjoyed a fun October trip to Cali with the Goodman's....Disneyland in the fall is the best! Pics to come...I lost my camera up there so my fab sis in law took all of our pics. It's A-OK though b/c her camera is the best!

{us goodman girlz + steph's 2 cute boys} - {the dad's weren't quick enough to get in the pic!}

Whew! I'm not insane!!

2009-09-19T08:45:00.000-07:00

Life with 4 girls has been great so far! The reality of having 4 under 6 has been looming over me since I found out I was pregnant. I envisioned chaotic days with a messy house and wondered how I would survive. I'm happy to report that things have gone more smoothly than I could have ever hoped for! I've recovered so quickly this time around (I even taught a class at the gym last week!) and I've been able to keep my house clean {relatively speaking}.

Kamryn @ 4 weeks

She sleeps great for a 4 week old...not through the night yet, but I'm able to get a few hours in at a time. I have enjoyed her so much and feel like she is getting so big already! I want to just freeze time with her.

My meltdown gal :o)

My Kennedy Rae has not been a lucky lady since the new addition to our family. Her life has been turned upside down and it's all my fault!! HA...that's just what she would say if she could talk! We have daily meltdowns {thowing, kicking, hitting, screaming) it's not pretty. . . but I know things will get better. I try to spend as much fun time as I can with her and ignore the ugly outbursts. My saving grace has been playschool!! Go Spuhler Sprouts! It has given her something to look forward to. With 2 busy older sisters and a demanding baby, no wonder she feels left out! Plus I get a little break a couple of days a week. BONUS!

Life is good..................Bring it on.................

What an August!

2009-08-31T16:08:00.000-07:00

This has definitely been the busiest month of my life! Where to begin? My sweet Kennedy turned 2 on the 16th. She is a little firecracker and will start playschool next month. If you ask her "who is the cutest girl in the world?", she will raise her hand and say, "MEEEE"! She also says, "awesome" and talks a ton. I love this girl!

Kaitlyn started school on the 17th with Miss Peggy's Preschool. She went last year and loved it. This year she has 4 neighborhood friends that go with her. It will definitley be a fun year!

Of course the most exciting event was this cute little thing!!!
Kamryn Jessi Goodman was born on August 21st. She was 7.08lbs and 19 1/4in long. She looks just like Kaitlyn's baby picture. Kamryn is eating super well and giving me the rest I need! I couldn't ask for a better baby! I am enjoying every second with her.

My nurse made a cute little bow inside of the hospital cap for Kamryn. Super fun!

And lastly, I celebrated my 29th birthday on the 29th of August! Whoo hoo! It was a great day! What more could I possibly ask for than these 4 little darlings!

{Jesse's cousin Brandis took some super sweet newborn pics of Kamryn - I can't wait to see them all. Check out her photo blog!}

1st Grade...Are you kidding me??

2009-08-12T08:54:00.001-07:00

Check out this cute girl!

Kelsi was ready for 1st grade...couldn't stop smiling! Ahhhh...watching her walk across the crosswalk by herself was torture. She's such a brave little girl and I adore her to pieces!!!

Aunt Val came over to see Kelsi off. Hope both of you have the best first day ever!!!!

Summer Fun!

2009-07-26T11:58:00.001-07:00

August 8, 2009

I started this post a few weeks ago...finally I can cross it off my list of "to do's" :)

My one and only summer time post - we've been trying to keep busy and have loads of fun before school starts and the baby comes. I think we have succeeded. I can't believe in a couple of days school will be back in session.

It's been a great SUMMER. Here are some highlights...

Grammy G Camp

Every Friday, Grammy G would have the older girls over for a few hours. They kept a journal, made cute flipflops for the 4th of July, read books and even went to the circus! Kelsi and Kaitlyn looked forward to every Friday. The girls are lucky to have such great cousins, aunts and grandma's to look up to.

Greer with the Reed Family

Our vacation with my family was the best. What a perfect way to spend a week while preggo. Cool weather, comfy clothes and lots of relaxation. My dad put together the best games for us all to play....frisbee golf, whiffle ball and some other "made up" games that were tons of fun. My sister Meg brought up her Wii and we found out that Kelsi and Kaitlyn are naturals at bowling. We went for hikes (Jesse took the girls by himself on a super long hike up a mountain...luckily my dad saved them by bringing them back in the golf cart :) Jesse also made homemade pizza for us the first night and found he has another "specialty" besides queso. Delicious!!

(aren't these miniature pics cute? that's what happens when you save them from facebook)

We've swam, hung out with friends and family and really enjoyed being together. And how can I forget??? WICKED!!! My most favorite musical ever...we got to go with Jesse's parents and it was definitley a highlight. My parents took the girls overnight and I had a nice and quiet Saturday morning afterwards. Bummer that I didn't take any pics. We were in a hurry and I had use the restroom before the show! The line was forever; we barely made it!! :)

Here are Kelsi and Kaitlyn getting ready to go see High School Musical at Broadway Palm.

I am sad to see the summer end and for my girls to not be home with me all day. But I am also anxcious for more of a structured schedule and for our new baby! August 21st is the scheduled day, but I'm not expecting her to follow the rules. It's a guessing game as always.

I am super thankful for all of the help I've received from friends and family. I have great examples all around me and I glad my girls have so many wonderful people in their lives.

I love you ALL!!

6 !This Girl is Six! 6

2009-06-05T12:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some fun little facts about my Kelsi Leigh!

*She is very excited to be six...she tells everyone she sees that she is six now.

*She is a very sweet girl. Definitely my peacemaker and has the sweetest heart ever!

*Her favorite food is creamy tomato soup from Paradise Bakery...however, her birthday meal of choice was a pancake with strawberries and whip from IHOP.

*Her favorite show is SpongeBob of course!

*She has her daddy's taste in food. Nacho's with lots of sour cream and Pace salsa.

*She loves to sing and dance

*She pretends to be a character from whatever movie she is watching and likes to copy whatever moves they make.

*This girl can stay up late! If I didnt' make her go to sleep she might stay up all night.

Here she is trying out her new rollerblades!!!! Yikes!!!!

Yay for Summer!

2009-05-31T10:35:00.000-07:00

In my lame attempt to get my blog up to date.......

It's been a whirlwind of events...the last day of school being the best one!!! Kelsi and Kaitlyn both had their end of the year programs. Each one was so fun to watch. They sang the funnest songs and did the craziest dances.

Kelsi was lucky enough to be able to invite three grandma's to her program. She was so proud of herself and looked so cute up there! Her class practices for months and her teacher makes them do everything perfectly! "No coughing, yawning or itching", Kelsi would tell me everyday. They had a big rain of jolly ranchers afterwards for their reward for doing so well.

Kaitlyn learned the hula dance and memorized part of a story as well. She was darling and loves to perform for people. She will be lucky enough to go to the same preschool next year. This little one is the reason for my "break" from the blogging world. She keeps me on my toes! Kennedy climbs on everything! She loves to keep up with her sisters and does too good of a job at it! She has decided that staying in her crib and taking naps are optional. The day after school got out we headed up to Pinedale for a softball tournament. Jesse had some great hits and his team ended up winning the championship. It was a nail biter game and they scored 13 runs in the bottom of the 7th for the win! Good job guys!

Of course the girls loved the mountains and the cabin. We took walks and played on a very cool swing. The field had a little park and big dirt mound right next to it. The girls got dirty and loved every second of it.
Kelsi and her cute cuz Tatum...what little hams! Even after a long day at the fields they were all smiles.

Easter Fun!

2009-04-13T17:28:00.000-07:00

HAPPY EASTER!One of Kelsi and Kaitlyn's favorite foods is a hard boiled egg. They were super excited to decorate them but even more excited to eat them all up afterward. Saturday we went to the Annual Goodman Easter Egg Hunt. The little cousins had so much fun scavengering through papa and grammy's backyard to find all of the eggs.

Us adults had even more fun going on our 3 legged egg hunt. I had high hopes for Jesse and I...we were ready to win! Keeping with tradition we came in dead last though ((but still scored 25 bucks)! Congrats to Sunni&Trav for taking home the grand prize...AGAIN!

Kaitlyn was in heaven holding her newest cousin, Dallin. Ignore the weird line going down the pic. I have no idea where that came from! He is a precious, little, doll with hair that I can only dream of having on one of my babys :)

The girls were darling on Sunday in their matching dresses. Thanks to my mom for decking them out...shoes and all! I am actually pretty excited to be able to dress 4 alike next year. Wishing you all a happy Easter!

2009-04-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

Here is a short clip from JesterZ. They asked Jess a series of questions about work, family, hobbies and put it into a little skit. When asked how many kids he had, Jesse said, "3 girls and 4 on the way". Meaning number 4 was on the way. They made me look like octomom -too funny. The old man is supposed to be Jesse jackhammering at work. Hmmm....

PaRtaY!

2009-04-09T17:36:00.000-07:00

I couldn't let Jesse's 30th birthday go by without planning some sort of grand celebration! I made a big sign and taped it to the garage and found a priceless picture {Ill just say, speedo, mission, and pose} and placed it for everyone to see.
On his actual birthday we had dinner at Matta's with my Italian Stallion and his fam.

Love ya, Val! You are the funnest!

All Jesse wanted to do for his party was play HALO on XBOX with his friends. So us girls had fun just chatting it up and hanging out. We will definitley do it again! They had 4 guys in one room and 4 in the other. They could've played all night long. We had Costa Vida salads and Jesse's mom made a fantastic German Chocolate Cake (from scratch!) It looked like a million bucks! After our dinner/XBoX party we took off to JesterZ and met up with some more family. It was such a bummer that we ended up going on a night where the rookies perform and not the actual JesterZ; but it was funny anyway and now we have loads of free passes to go back and see another show. All and all, I think Jesse enjoyed his birthday and has now officially climbed OVER THE HILL!

Look who's turnin' 30!!!

2009-04-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

What a STUD! I love you babe - You are one HOT old man!

Here We Go Again!

2009-03-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

zoo time again....

2009-03-09T16:41:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday I went on my 2nd annual zoo trip with Miss Peggy's Preschool. Last year with Kelsi, this year with Kaitlyn. It's a great time and we learn a lot, BUT I have to say that it reminds me why I haven't been to the zoo in almost 2 years. We were there from 9 - 1pm and I came home totally exhausted. My girls fell asleep in the car so of course no nap when we got home. But the weather was wonderful and all of the animals were out and walking around. The tiger even climbed up in a tree for us.

I know how you feel girl! I should have taken a picture when we first got there.

Kennedy was so tired!!

Look who's lost a tooth!!!

2009-02-26T13:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday when I picked Kelsi up from school she was all smiles...she pulled her tooth out at school! I saw the cutest little smiling face running up to the car - she was so excited and couldn't wait to put her tooth under her pillow to be picked up by the tooth fairy. What a cutie!

Baby Gunner "GunnyBuns"

2009-02-19T05:38:00.000-08:00

My sweet little nephew passed away on Sunday, February 15th at almost 3 months old. His parents are Travis & Sunni Goodman and our hearts go out to them. Words cannot express how sad we are for them - but it's in these times we are grateful for our testimony and that we have the knowlegde of the Gospel.

All my love to you Travis and Sunni

You have a sweet little spirit waiting for you in heaven.

The viewing and funeral will be held at the Pioneer Ward LDS Chapel -

on Guadalupe between Greenfield and Higley in Gilbert

Viewing Thursday, Feb. 19 6-8pm
Viewing Friday, Feb. 20 9am
Funeral Friday 10am

Say what, Kelsi??!!

2009-01-29T07:56:00.000-08:00

On Monday we went to the Goodman's for family night. Jesse's sister Melinda prepared the funnest FHE for the kids...well, when Papa G asked the kids who the prophet was, Kelsi's hand shot right up and she had that "pick me, pick me" look, so excited...and then shouts,

"BARACK OBAMA!"

She is learning all about the president in Kindergarten and has learned all kinds of interesting facts about him. I guess it had her a little confused. We straightened her out real quick!!!!

Has it really been 100 days?

2009-01-20T13:53:00.000-08:00

Kelsi had her 100 days of school celebration today - The kindergartners had a parade and marched around the school with a box they had made with 100 things glued inside . She made hers a Valentine theme and did a great job gluing, cutting and coloring it. I thought it would be hard to try and find 100 things, but it added up fast with buttons, stickers and paper.
The exciting days of school are definitely over for her though. Ever since Christmas break she has decided it's way more fun to be home than go to school. I think she realizes just how long she is gone in all day Kindergarten.

She came home smiling though and said she ate way too much candy. I'm guessing they got a hundred of whatever it is they ate!

Happy Happy Birthday Kaitlyn Dear!

2009-01-07T11:41:00.001-08:00

Wow, it's hard to believe my Kate is 4! She looks so grown up and is such a little angel.

Her favorite things: Telling elaborate crazy stories with great big hand gestures

Lipgloss (I think she eats more than goes on her lips)

She loves being "mom" to Kennedy, she'll make a great babysitter one day

She loves "Max&Ruby" and "Dora"

Since her birthday is on January 1st she was lucky enough to stay in nursery for a whole extra year! She is finally a Sunbeam and came home from church very excited. She is very smart thanks to her older sister, Kelsi. Kaitlyn wants to do everything that Kelsi does...it's funny because everything that Kelsi did in preschool last year, Kaitlyn had to do. So now she knows a ton and still has another year to go in the same preschool.

We had a little party for her...I love birthday parties. I'm not one to have friends over all of the time, so I make up for it with the birthday party. I felt bad because I had to scale down the invites this year due to a little condition called pregnancy (say what? yeah, you read right)...but it turned out fun and the kids were so good! We made candy necklaces, decorated gingerbread men and cupcakes.

The party is the birthday gift from us and then we let them go and pick out a little something from the store. Funny story: We are all at WalMart and heading over to the toy dept. I ask Jesse if we should tell Kaitlyn she has a limit; like 10 or 20 bucks. That way if it is over the limit she can't have it. Jesse says, "no, it's not like she is going to want the whole store". OK then. I knew he had no idea how much toys could cost. First Kelsi sees this big barbie dream house for a hundred bucks and Jess knew he was in trouble. Kaitlyn is so good though and doesn't want anything but this 4 dollar tiarra, earring set. Gotta love that! She was so excited about it and has worn the earrings everyday since. Next time, there will be a limit though! Kelsi is my expensive one! :)

I'll post more info when I know, but I'll probably be due sometime around August. It seems like forever away...I would love to say this is my Fourth&Final...it has a nice ring to it! In these uncertain economic times we weren't totally planning on it, but are very excited. I had a goal to complete my family by the time I was 30 so I'll be a year ahead! I could post more, but I've got to get around to cleaning my bathroom counter...Kennedy banged my half full bottle of MAC foundation on the counter this morning and it shattered everywhere. I was hoping it would clean up on it's own.

We Wish You A Merry Christmas....

2008-12-27T20:25:00.000-08:00

and a Happy New Year! I like to keep my blog up to date, but have had very little time to do so lately. If you see my comments as being few and far between it's because it's all I can do to post! And I know I'm not the only one! It's hard to keep up with everything and once I get a moment, the last thing I want to do is stare at my SLOWER than molasses computer :)

BUT, we've been having fun. I love not having a school schedule...my kids are home. My favorite gift was a calendar that Kelsi made in Kindergarten. Every month is decorated and some even have pics on it from different events from the year. My dad even made an appearance in it :) Kelsi had to write about both me and Jesse for the Mother's/Father's Day month. She said that I am 20 yrs old and weigh 50 pounds. Jesse is 30 yrs old and weighs 60 pounds! I almost cried at this gift - it was so sweet!

We are fortunate enough to live close to both our parents. By close I mean, a walk away. So it's easy to go back and forth on Christmas. I love this holiday and the togetherness it brings with my family.

The girls were too excited to get Biscuit the dog (the only dog I will ever own). Santa also brought them a mermaid with a fin that moves, and a doll that laughs. Nice and easy still....gotta love it!

The Goodman clan is so good about doing Christmas pictures.

Here they are from 07 to 08!

P.S. I love my hair dark :)

Oh What Fun It Is......

2008-12-18T10:50:00.001-08:00

Christmas programs, parties, dinners, temple lights...it's all happening right now! I've been waiting for this time of the month to come! Am I ready for Christmas? Of course not, that's part of the joy right? Getting stressed out beyond belief? It's organized stress I think. I know what needs to be done but it's getting done that takes a while.
Kaitlyn had her Sacred Silent Night preschool program yesterday with Miss Peggy. You never know with Kaitlyn. Sometimes she will talk your ear off, other times she is as shy as can be. Sometimes she will outright refuse to look at the camera! I was overjoyed to hear her belt out all of the Christmas carols - She had so much fun. My favorite song was called "Jingle Bell Variations" They sang Jingle Bells opera style, rap style (Jingle Bells YO! with sunglasses) and with a southern twang (cowboy hats). I had been wondering why she would come home singing Jangle Baayls, Jangle Baayls....ha! At the end of the program they dress up as a nativity scene and sing, "Picture A Christmas". It's too sweet. Kaitlyn was an angel in it.

That night we went and watched Chorale sing at the Temple. Kelsi and Kaitlyn had been dying to see Baby Jesus. We'd seen the big camels and shepherds from Main St. as we've passed the Temple at night - but they really wanted to see Baby Jesus. Last night was their night.

Kaitlyn in an "I'm not looking at the camera" mood.

Today I got to help with Kelsi's Christmas Party. Her teacher, Mrs. Hubbard, is over the top! They made Christmas trees, gingerbread ornaments and decorated gingerbread boys. A dad even dressed as Santa and came to visit the kids. Kelsi is the sweetest little girl. She loves when I come visit, but isn't sad at all when I leave. I love to watch her play and interact with her friends. She makes me so proud.
And the best part of all of this fun? There is lots more to come! I just love this time of year!

Reading Under the Stars

2008-12-10T07:08:00.000-08:00

Monday night, my mom and I took the girls to Kelsi's school. We bundled up in the courtyard with our hot chocolate and blankets and listened to 2 fun stories that were read aloud. Afterward, Kelsi and the rest of the kindergartners recited "Twas the Night Before Christmas" by memory! They did a great job!I love the cold weather! It's finally cold enough to turn on the heater and bundle up in blankets. Thank goodness for Arizona winters! I don't think I would survive anywhere else.

{Happy December} Kids Don't Forget!

2008-12-01T06:40:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad it's December and officially the season of Christmas! Kelsi made me laugh today (and also feel a little bit guilty) so I thought I would share the story.

Background: We leave the toys from Santa unwrapped on Christmas morning. Last year both girls got what they wanted from Santa and then we threw in this huge castle tent. They didn't ask for it, but we thought it looked fun. Well, it wasn't. The girls loved it but it was huge and a pain to set up so we took it back. I don't remember telling the girls or them even noticing it was gone.

Today: We were talking about Santa and Kelsi says, "MOM! Remember when Santa brought that huge castle for us?
Me : Uhhh.....
Kelsi: And then you had to send it back.....to Target. Why????
Me: wracking my brain to think of something: "Well, Santa thought we had a bigger house. So we gave it to someone else that would be able to use it better".
Kelsi: Oh, OK!

Reed Rocket Fest

2008-11-30T09:21:00.001-08:00

Reed Rocket Fest

2008-11-28T19:42:00.000-08:00

We got to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Reed side this year. A trip to Safford, turkey dinner, Grandma Jesse's famous pies, and rocket launching are all part of the fun. I am definitely thankful for such a wonderful family. I have been in absolute heaven with this 4day weekend! We had a great Thanksgiving yesterday, and the best, most relaxing day today. No pressure to clean for Sunday, no cooking - just putting up Christmas and enjoying the wonderfully cool weather. And the best part is???...tomorrow is Saturday! I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving as much as I did! Visiting family and eating yummy food all day....life doesn't get much better :)

No Shocked Faces

2008-11-25T08:19:00.001-08:00

I finally did it...not a big deal to me really; I don't have a huge attachment to my hair and I love to change things up a bit. Plus it's my natural color anyway! I've been startling myself in the mirror more from the fact that it's all one color! I've weaved blonde&brown in my hair for more than 10 years! I would just use more or less each time.

My fab sister in law (Melinda...works at Tantrum...amazing {like the plug?}) gave me this awesome new color!

So....no shocked faces when you see me. That's the worst part :0) I hate attention!

I love it...sorry to Jess (he doesn't so much) but I love him anyway!!!!!

TwiLighT @ MidNighT

2008-11-22T10:39:00.000-08:00

Friday night my friend Kristen and I braved the crowds and headed down to SanTan to see Twilight. We walked right in at around 11pm and got a nice and close 3rd row seat :) The movie was disappointing to say the least but it was fun and we had some killer awesome shirts. The teenagers were jealous and that's what it's all about isn't it? haha Seriously, it felt like I was back at a high school assembly again. But the 2 1/2 hours of sleep I got that night proved to me that I am old because it took me 2 days to recover. I felt a little dangerous driving on the road the next day! Thanks for going with me Kristen!

accidental tradition

2008-11-19T17:44:00.001-08:00

From the time Kelsi was 1 1/2 years old I've taken my girls to Target to get Christmas pics. It's not always the best photography but the memories are captured and it costs less than 20 bucks total! Can't beat that deal! I finally had them all smiling this time {last year Kaitlyn got mad at the photographer and would not smile! I'm not kidding} Kennedy had a hard time standing still but we got it done and here they are! Individually all of them look great...the group pic of the three of them cracks me up! I bought it for memories sake! They will laugh at themselves :0)

OK! I just noticed this at this very moment! Do you see that big fat chunky orange ring on Kaitlyn's finger??? I took it off while she was getting the pics taken. I guess this one snuck past me! This girl is always wearing jewelry without me knowing! I pick her up from preschool and she'll have on 3 bracelets and a necklace and my moms watch that she gave her. I'm like, "how did I not notice this before you went to school?" SERIOUSLY! 3 girls is a whole heckofalotta work! Last year, I noticed chipped sparkley blue nail polish on their fingernails in the picture. I guess it makes for fun memories right?

Hahaha...I really can't not laugh when I see this picture. I was laughing when it was taken....It was the last pic of the sitting and I think Kels&Kate were a little tired of smiling! And of course it was the only one where Kennedy was standing still!

3goodgirlz

2008-11-04T06:28:00.001-08:00

Glitter Graphics Maker & MySpace Layouts

I gave Kelsi and Kaitlyn our "I Voted" stickers. Kaitlyn lost hers and Kelsi tells me "MOM! Kaitlyn lost her ROCK OBAMA sticker!"

Say what girlfriend?

HaLLoWeeN cRaZe

2008-11-03T15:35:00.000-08:00

So fun....and the best part??? The holidays are right around the corner! I love this time of year...it just needs to get cold already!!! Kelsi was dying to be a mermaid this year.

Kaitlyn wanted to be SleepingBeauty (but the costume was too scratchy) so she went with SnowWhite.

But, of course, the day of Halloween comes and the neck on SnowWhite is bothering my little Kaitlyn so what do we have to do? Yeah, cut it off! Bad mom moment confession: No way was I going to ruin and cut a brand new costume - but the crying continued, we were late for our neighborhood halloween party, couldn't find my camera to top it off. I gave Kater 2 choices. Stay home and cry or go to the party (the neck is staying on the dress). Finally, this girl would not give up. I relented and cut it off - 2 choices out the window - ha! a bad mom moment - I'm sure there are lots more to come! Shouldn't Halloween be an easygoing happy day? You can't even tell it's cut off, but is was way cuter how it was {sigh}

Kennedy is easy and will wear whatever I put on her. She wore a cute PINK MinnieMouse costume. I love to dress up and had this great, last minute idea to go as Donald Trump and his new wife Melania. Jesse wouldn't humor me though and wear a suit so he just looks homeless :)

This is my only pic of Kennedy. Sad! But my camera was gone. I am going to dress her up again and recreate it - she'll be in a better mood anyway. All of the Goodman cousins (except one) aren't they cute?
The day started with a fun little halloween parade & program for Kelsi's Kindergarten class. Darling, Darling! They sang the funnest songs and were all so fun to watch! The grandpa's were invited to come and carve pumpkins and watch the show as well. Mrs. Hubbard has been doing this for a long time and goes all out! Her room was decked out SPOOKY!
Walking in the parade...it looks like she is doing a Miss America wave Kelsi thought the pumpkin smelled so gross!
The finished product - it's hard to tell, but my dad carved glasses on the pumpkin just like Kelsi asked him to.

Here is Kaitlyn's preschool class. Her teacher always wears the funnest costumes. This is where my camera COMPLETELY dissapears! I was holding Kendi in one arm, taking a pic with the other. When I went back to the car, Kendi was crying and didn't want to get into her carseat. I needed both hands to help her (must have absentmindedly put the camera down).

Later we went to our neighborhood party and enjoyed hotdogs, popcorn and snowcones. TrickorTreating was fun too, but we have way too much candy on our hands.

Whattya think? Should I get extensions and dye my hair dark? :)

****CAMERA UPDATE****First, let me tell you I SEARCHED everywhere all weekend for this thing! I just knew it had to be in the car. I got a flashlight and looked in EVERY hard to reach corner. Then I thought someone pickpocketed me at the costume store.

Ahem...Jesse gets in the car today and finds in under the gas pedal. Thanks Babe - your wife needs some help

Slimey Witches Brew

2008-10-29T09:05:00.000-07:00

Kelsi is singing a song in school called "Witches Brew". We decided to make some on Sunday .{with 3 o'clock church we have to get creative to pass the time} It was so fun - we basically just layered jello in a clear glass and added gummy worms and fruit snacks (bugs). They didn't end up eating much of it...the fun was in watching it set up, adding the second layer of jello and putting the bugs in.

Fun Tag but....

2008-10-27T09:17:00.001-07:00

I'm changing the rules! So I'm supposed to go to my 4th album and pic the 4th picture and post it. I've already posted that picture so I'm just picking a random pic from my library of pics. Who doesn't love looking at a brand new baby! I didn't blog when Kennedy was born so I thought I would post this one.

Why is it that I don't totally cherish and appreciate the peacefullness that a baby brings into a home? I am always waiting for the next new/big thing while trying to keep up with the cooking/cleaning/the older sisters. Someone told me that is why it's so great to be a grandma. You get to love your grandbaby's and then give them back at the end of the day. Plus you're not recovering from just having given birth!!! So is that what my next big thing is to look forward to? Ha!

Thanks for the tag LT!

Check Her Out!

2008-10-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

I usually fast forward the musical guest on SNL (most of them are a little too scary for me :) This girl, however, was AWESOME!!!!!

.....I Can't Make You Love Me and ChasingPavement are my faves.....Cold Shoulder's good too!

I've also listened to Beyonce's new song, If I Were A Boy, about twenty times tonight. Definitely a worthwhile download. There is nothing better than some good tunes on the IPOD as you clean while everyone sleeps!

There is such power in music! It can make you happy, sad, energetic (spiritual on Sundays :)

I absolutely love it!!!

I hearby....

2008-10-16T13:08:00.001-07:00

PROMISE to use this candy jar for decorational purposes ONLY and at no time will I indulge in this delicious snack of candy corn, reeses pieces and pumpkin spice hershey kisses!!!

OcToBer BreaK

2008-10-14T23:07:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm a slave to the Mesa Public School schedule, I have to make the most of my time with Kelsi&Kaitlyn while they are home. We have been busy and are sometimes a bit "over scheduled"....I miss the days bundled under a blanket watching HigleyTown Heroes with them on the couch in the mornings.Kelsi got sick on Tues (missed picture day!!! ugghh) so we had almost a whole week with her at home. Kaitlyn had the week off as well so it was back to the good ol' days for a while. I took a little break from the gym and just kicked back and enjoyed being at home with my kids. We had some "cheap" fun and took them to the Bass Pro Shop at Riverview on Thursday. They got bored fast, but loved seeing the aquarium from the elevator.

On Friday, I joined Chucky Cheese online and got a large pizza, 4 drinks and 40 tokens for 18 bucks! Pretty sweet deal! And Saturday, we topped it off with a TacoBell dinner at Fountain Hills. Fun times...but if you ask them what their favorite part was about their weekend...they would say when Aunt Meagen and Uncle Chad came to babysit. We just can't compete with that.

Have you learned the Pledge of Allegiance or something??

2008-10-09T21:02:00.000-07:00

Every time Kelsi says the family prayer now she goes off and starts saying the Pledge! It's so funny! For some reason she's always said, "please bless the United States of America". But now she adds, "please bless the United States of America...and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all". From there she will continue as normal until she says AMEN!

What is in this stuff?

2008-10-07T16:15:00.000-07:00

MMMmmmm....I am so in love with PBLOCO right now.

Love+Peanut Butter makes a great combination....

I'm showin' off some good ol' white bread filled with nutella (which I didn't know is just melted chocolate!) bananas and dark choc peanut butter. It doesn't beat the razzledazzle which is rasberry peanut butter/marshmallow cream and bananas...of course you gotta go white with the bread! Why do they give you an option?

While the guys went to the priesthood session on Saturday, I had a little girl fun! It doesn't get much better than a trip to Scottsdale and some pbloco for a snack!

Here we are: Sunni (almost 8mos. preggo...can you even tell? NO); Bre (who's fiancee is severely allergic to PB! YIKES!); and me...thanks guys for letting me have my fix of this yummy creation! We'll be back soon....hopefully with more of y'all!

I LOVE

2008-10-01T13:50:00.001-07:00

HALLOWEEN! Every holiday is fun; but for some reason this year is so exciting! Maybe it has something to do with not being pregnant and having my kids under control. I can breathe! So I went and got some pumpkins (ready to carve)! There is a great cover on Woman's Day Magazine with the cutest pumpkins. We are listening non-stop to a hilariously spooky halloween CD that Kelsi got from preschool last year. If you want a copy let me know...it has put us in the mood! Kelsi wants to be a mermaid and kaitlyn wants to be Belle. I am going to try and convince Jesse to dress up with me this year. Last year we half attempted...I'm off to GoodWill to find me a killer 80's prom dress and hopefully a tux for Jesse (with ruffles).........Here are some pics of Halloween's past....Care to share what you're doing for Halloween this year? Is it a secret?

Holy {8}Eight{8} Years!

2008-09-28T11:46:00.000-07:00

I would love to share my beautiful, non-digital, pre-photoshop wedding pics, but I really don't have the time or desire to scan them. We aren't doing much to celebrate romantic style...but I know we'll have fun anyway - Kelsi knows it's a special day for us and Kaitlyn is wondering where the party is going to be....So here's to 8 years and counting on ETERNITY :)

Today, Monday, is our anniversary....So to celebrate I thought I would share the funniest anniversary post that I've ever read. If you've never seen seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com then check it out. This was the first post I read and it cracked me up. I honestly didn't even know if it was real or not. Sad huh! It's basically a satirical "made-up" blog, that pokes fun at the too perfect mormon blogs that you know are out there! I've read about the girl that writes it...supposedly she's a returned missionary and even some of her friends don't know that she is the writer of this blog. She uses her fake husband's initials and not his actual name. I'm probably not supposed to copy/paste these posts, but whatever...don't tell K?

It's long, but it's worth reading...promise~

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME! This day brings back a literal flood of pure, wholesome, unsullied joyful love magic memories. Marriage is COMPLETE BLISS and we have had non-stop fun since we married! No, since we met! No, since we were BORN! No, since the PRE-MORTAL EXISTENCE! Couldn’t get any funner. Memory lane, here we come!!
It was basically a kick-A fairy tale day I swear. Planning my wedding (JJWT always calls it “ours” but whatever) was the third hardest thing I’ve EVER done, after that semester of hair school/college when I took 12 hours…ugh!...and also after I read THREE HUGE BOOKS in one day when I became obsessed with and hardcore addicted to this GORGEOUS fake vampire! Anyways, despite the stress, everything worked out PERFECT and most important, I did good at looking smokin’ hot (in an uplifting way) and way drop dead sexy gorgeous and literally every single person that saw me told me I belonged in a magazine for sure and let’s be honest, they were right!!! My BFF from hair school and 10 other bridesmaids helped me make sure my tiara and vale and face sparkles were SO stinkin’ perfect, while my OTHER 10 bridesmaids ironed my clothes for the honeymoon, and my OTHER 10 bridesmaids prepared the photofetti (teensy pics of us to throw at me when I left that night!! HEAVEN ON EARTH), while my little sisters and younger girl cousins rubbed my feet and fed me grapes…seriously, so cool.
So, blahblahblah, ceremony, blahblahblah, time for PITCHERS! I came out for pics and there was TONS of brides out there, which not to be rude but I was TICKED cuz I’d reserved all the rooms under fake names so we could be the ONLY ones, but some brats snuck through, which was a huge trial for me so I prayed for patience. Anyone who knows me at all knows that I HATE to be mean, but I had to tell them to move it or lose it since after all, it was MY WEDDING DAY. Plus, my ring (my dad gave JJWT the diamond and then he spent tons of his pest control/security systems money on the setting I had designed in 8th grade and been sleeping with it under my pillow since girls camp 2002) AND tiara (which my mom brought home from Italy way before I got engaged and then told JJWT to get crackin' because she didn't see what the hold up was now that I had my tiara) AND my rhinestone flip-flops were glittering in the incredibly perfect sunny sunshine and couldn’t be more beautiful (at least, that’s what everyone said).
Then, my RECEPTION = AWESOME. We invited 2500 people and every single one of them came!!! My cake was GINORMOUS and it had a Mickey and Minnie bride and groom on it because two weeks after JJWT and I started dating, he came to DISNEYLAND with my fam on the best vay-cay EVER and we got mouse ears with our names on them and inside of mine JJWT had them write, "To my favorite Mousketeer" and then we took TONS of pics of us kissing wearing them! So basically my ginormous cake was unique and romantic and exspecially special. After the reception and the photo-fetti, it was time for our H-moon, so we hopped on a plane (first class--thanx again dad!!!) and we went to Hawaii were we stayed in a family condo we have there and took thirty thousand pics (all appropriate!!! :)). JJWT learned to surf, I learned to hula, we ate special fish and went snorkeling and bought pineapples and got way tan. Oh, and Pearl Harbor…total downer! But then we went to a luau and I totally forgot about it.

HappyBirthdayJohnnyAppleseed!

2008-09-26T12:15:00.000-07:00

Today I had the fun privilege of helping Kelsi's kindergarten class with Johnny Appleseed Day. My hugest thanks to my cuzinlaw Brandis for watching Kaitlyn&Kennedy for me. She braved 4 kids under the age of 3! Not an easy (or very fun) task :) Both Brandis and I have a unique commonality....all 3 of our kids are just days apart. It's always nice to find someone that you can trade the babysitting with!

What a huge class that Kelsi has! It was fun matching the faces to the names of the kids she talks about.

Apples, apples and more apples! The whole room was filled with them. There were about 6 different centers of apple activities. I don't think Kelsi will be hungry for lunch after all the food that was shared....apples, crackers with peanut butter, apple juice, cobbler - it was fun to watch her interact with her friends. I am so impressed by the parent involvement.

Mrs. Hubbard, her teacher, is an absolute riot! Kelsi has come home with all sorts of new terms and phrases that I can just imagine her teacher telling the class. Just today when a boy wasn't paying attention she says "If you don't stop, you're sitting in the bathroom and That's It!!" I guess there is a bathroom in their classroom. Her motto is "she is tough on them but she loves them to pieces." She definitely keeps all 28 of them in line. They know who is boss for sure!

Here is Mrs Hubbard, with "Johnny Appleseed". All of the kids got to shake his hand before he left. Love the pot on his head :)

Here are a couple of the girls in the neighborhood that Kelsi loves - it's gonna be so fun (and sad) to watch them grow up. It's all happening way too fast.

Couldn't Resist

2008-09-14T22:51:00.001-07:00

My fave clips from SNL - I love this GIrl!!

Yes! The Target Lady!!!

2008-09-14T22:41:00.001-07:00

I could watch this lady all day!

Love Kristen Wiig

2008-09-14T22:33:00.001-07:00

You Know You're Tired When....

2008-09-04T14:06:00.001-07:00

You can't warm up a hot dog without falling asleep on the counter!!!
I told Kaitlyn that she could put one more hot dog in her mac&cheese...when I went to check on her, this is how I found her. Totally Exhausted!

And then there is Kelsi...we went swimming after school yesterday and she came home and ran all over the house getting everything done so she could go. That girl requires no sleep whatsoever!

I'm Hooked....Again!

2008-09-01T22:13:00.000-07:00

We've watched Prison Break since season 1 and I keep thinking that there is no way that the show can possibly go on for another season. Once again, we are proven wrong. It was a great premiere and I can't wait to see what happens next. A TIVO must!!! Rent the seasons and catch up...you won't regret it!!!

Kelsi just saw my new post with music and she thinks my blog is scary now :)

Happy Birthday To Me....{28!}...yesterday

2008-08-30T10:36:00.000-07:00

I love getting older! I've just all of a sudden started feeling like a "real" adult! It's kinda funny...and I love it!

Here are some reasons why I love turning another year older!

1) I don't care so much what others think of me...I am way more comfortable with myself now than I have ever been.

2) As my kids get older, they get more fun!

3) I feel stronger and am in better shape than I've ever been. No more yo-yo dieting...that is a huge one for me!

Here are some of my loves....

1) FlatOut Wraps from Costco - it makes a yummy PB&J

2) Body Butter in the new scent from Bath&Body "Dancing Waters" - thanks Mom!

3) Making salsa - Can you believe I just made my first batch like 2 weeks ago. It's so fun and yummy. I'm going to make some today and put some ranch dressing mix in it ??? I don't know, it just can't taste bad with ranch seasoning in it right???

4) Half Reg/Half Diet Coke in a styro cup! MMMMmmmmm

5) Anthropologie - thanks to my sis Allie for the gift card...I might be able to afford something there now :)

All&All a great birthday! I went to lunch with some of my favorite friends to WholeGrain Bread - they are too good to me and way to much fun to hang out with...you know who you are!!! We went to Amazing Jakes last night with my whole fam and it was a blast. My sister Meg's birthday is today and we just had a fun double celebration!

Happy Birthday today to you Meg! You're the best!

So Sad, but So True!!

2008-08-22T08:58:00.001-07:00

Kaitlyn's First Day!

2008-08-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

Peace and quiet...that is what I have right now. Kennedy is sleeping and Kelsi&Kaitlyn are in school. 2 1/2 hours of bliss for me :) Deep Breath, ahhhhh.....

I've posted about my Kaitlyn before - She is Miss Personality. When she is happy she is really happy, a ton of fun to be around and so hilariously funny. When she is mad she will kick, scream, yell, pout - no fun .

Needless to say, I am so happy she got to go to preschool this year. She definitely needed something to occupy her time and something that was JUST for her! Kelsi gets to do so much more than her and always gets to do things first because she is the oldest. Go to preschool, have friend parties, get her ears pierced, go to music....it was time for Kaitlyn to do something on her own. I am so glad she got to go to Miss Peggy just like Kelsi did. I can't say enough about this teacher...she makes these kids so independent and excited for school.

Kaitlyn was so excited for her first day. She had her backpack ready to go and even put a few extra books in it so that it would be "heavy enough". - her words - She wanted her hair curled just right and even let me roll up her jeans! If you don't know, Kaitlyn likes to wear only jeans and she likes them to be long. I have long lost control over what my girls wear :)

The kids looked so little walking up to the door. It made me a little sad to think of how much she will grow this year. Last year, with Kelsi, all of her friends looked so grown up to me by the end of the year. I am a little saddened, but also excited to think that the same thing will happen to my Kaitlyn.

Fun Filled Weekend

2008-08-18T21:52:00.000-07:00

So not only was it my baby's one year old birthday...I got a little early birthday present myself! Jesse suprised me with tickets to Martina McBride on Friday night. Our girls spent the night at my parents house, so we just kicked back and enjoyed the show. It was great! She is such a talented performer...right up there with Celine Dion. Every note was belted out perfectly.
I loved it especially because #1. it was FREE! Our neighbor works for KMLE Country and hooked Jesse up. We sat dead center about 20 rows back. And #2, She sang a ton of covers! Bryan Adams, Pat Benetar (Hit Me With Your Best Shot), Journey (Don't Stop Believin'), Lean on Me. Anything 80's will definitely get me up out of my seat!

Here we are before the concert with the "Camel" mascot. I accidentally pulled on the camel's chain and it started to sniff my face. The guys said, "Don't Do that!" I had know idea...so while the guy taking our pic is trying to figure out my camera, I am thinking this thing is going to eat me.

Here she is with her daughter Ava...how fun would this be? She sang "This One's For the Girls" and danced with her daughter....sweet....

On Saturday we celebrated Kennedy's birthday at Neilsen's. She got to try frozen custard for the first time.

On Sunday we just had a "dessert party" for her and invited our fams over for some pizzookie and icecream.

Here she is blowing out the candle on her pizzookie cake.

A Fun Filled Weekend For Sure!

They Say It's Your Birthday....Happy Birthday to you!

2008-08-16T09:52:00.000-07:00

Today is my supersweet BABYGIRL's 1st birthday!

You just can't get any cuter that this yummy ball of chub! I love this girl so much and am so excited to watch her learn and grow in this new stage of her life. So far she is taking a few little baby steps all by herself, she can say nana and dada and is already showing her cute little personality.

Time is definitely passing me by way too fast! I wish I had a pause button!!

It's Time....

2008-08-14T11:28:00.000-07:00

There comes a point with all of my children where I just can't rock them to sleep anymore...for my own sanity. Sadly, it's that time for Kennedy :( Today was the first time I put her in her crib awake for her nap. Remember that cute swing that I posted about a while ago?? She's still been napping in that. It was great! Swing + Bottle = Sleeping Baby! Well, now she won't go right to sleep and ends up hanging halfway out of it trying to get loose. I shouldv'e taken a picture, it was quite funny.
So to ease my guilt I bought this wonderful musical aquarium ( the pic is SO decieving!!) It makes me feel less guilty leaving Kendi in her crib, but I think she could care less!! About 15 min of screaming (it felt like 525,600 minutes! haha) she finally gave up and when to sleep.

I have to say, that is one of my favorite sounds. Screaming and then silence! The silence of my sleeping Kennedy learning to fall asleep all by herself!

Someone Call the Whaaaambulance!!!!!!

2008-08-08T14:11:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of All Day Kindergarten for KELSI!

825-3pm!

She is now in the hands of a great teacher, Mrs. Hubbard.

My sisterinlaw Val had her 10 years ago...FUNNY how time flies!
I know she's excited and can't wait for her to have all of the fun experiences that a 5yr old can have in school. Holiday Parties...lunch in the cafeteria...learning to read...recess...making new friends...

In some ways I'm so not ready for her to grow up, but in other ways I totally am! It does get easier and way more fun the older kids get!

My house has been pretty quiet today. Time has actually gone by pretty fast..I might be liking this all day deal :) And as an added plus to all day kindergarten, I am picking her up right in the middle of Sonic Happy Hour :) SaWeet!
Have fun my little KelsiBee!

Kelsi is lucky in the fact that she has all 5 of her primary friends in the same class with her. It definitely made it easier to send her off! Here she is with her cute friends, Maggie & Lauren. Kelsi was so excited to wear this Hello Kitty outfit.

She picked it out all by herself on a shopping trip with her Grandma Cindy. It has a cute little charm belt and Kelsi told me when she put it on that "When everyone hears my charms they are going to think it's the school bell." Cute...

2008-08-04T19:43:00.001-07:00

Catchin' Some Waves in Coronado

2008-08-04T14:23:00.000-07:00

The beach in Coronado was great! Complete with golden, sparkley sand. We had a great time on the beach playing volleyball, renting 4 seater bikes, boogie boarding and just chillin'. Kennedy did great in her pack'n'play and the girlies loved playing in the sand. All&All a great vacation!!!!

!VayCay to Cali!

2008-08-04T12:58:00.000-07:00

What a great week we had....where to start!!??

Jesse's parents treated all of their 7 children + fams on an unbelievable trip to Coronado Island; a fun little place just outside SanDiego. We stayed at the Hotel Del Coronado; a magnificent building that was built in the 1800's. The lobby, elevator & staircase looked like it had been taken right out of the movie Titanic. Everything was very detailed...not one room in the hotel was designed the same.

As you first walk in you see this amazingly HUGE fresh flower arrangement. I had never seen such a big bouquet before - it was beautiful! Note to Jesse: Our anniversary is next month...here is a picture of what I want delivered to my door. Can you seriously imagine what this would cost? They had just changed the flowers out right before we left. When we arrived it was more colorful with white tiger lili's inside.

There is someone in the elevator at all times to open and close the door for you and take you where you need to go. Stephanie and I had some fun with one of the elevator guys, Andrew. For some reason he liked us and would always remember our names and knew just where to take us. I think it might have something to do with the fact that we both had humungo strollers that we would squeeze in about 10X a day.

Every night we would walk down the street and find a restaurant to eat. Not an easy task when you are in a group of 22 people! I was so suprised at how accomidating everyone was. Everywhere we went we were practically in our own little secluded room. We ate so good and the food was fabulous. Well....maybe not the sushi. Jesse and I tried sushi....thanks to the ever adventurous Bryant! :) Now I can say I've tried it and I WON"T be tryin' it again!

Here is Jesse gettin' ready to hurl all over the table...j/k...pretty funny though!

On to more appetizing things...ICECREAM! Moo Time anyone??? The best little icream shop ever. The first night we got a plateful of dessert nachos for 5 bucks...what a deal! Yummy homemade waffle cone pieces drizzled with chocolate, caramel and marshmallow cream. Dip it into your choice of icecream and DELISH!

Jesse and I are all about cheap mexican food...MMmmm...Jesse had wanted to try a place called Clayton's all week. He went to the concierge desk to find out where it was and the guy was telling him what a hole in the wall it was. So obviously the place has to be good right? The breakfast burrito was sooo good. Obviously, we did more things than eat. But I have to say that eating is one of my favorite parts of a vacation!! Moo Time has a saying on the wall that is now my motto for life!! "EAT HERE, DIET AT HOME" I love that!

The most buttery, flakey tortilla I have ever tasted. I am not a huge sausage fan, but this sausage was crispy and yummy! I would make a trip back just to get another one! :) Good choice Jess!

No pics of SeaWorld :( But on our last day we got to see good ol' Shamu. Kelsi was so excited and screamed when he jumped out of the water. It was a great moment (I wish I had it captured)

We reluctantly headed for home about 630 and had a nice quite ride. The kids were exhausted and it was fabulous!!!

Cali Vacation 2008

2008-08-02T17:56:00.001-07:00

Fun Times!

2008-07-24T14:09:00.000-07:00

Here we are: myself, evonne, kristen & heather

Jesse is at scout camp and what better way to spend my time than with some friends. Thanks to these fabulous ladies for inviting me on such a fun overnighter! We had a blast! A shout out to my sister Meg for staying overnight with my girls & Val for coming over and hanging out with them until Meg could get there. You both are the best!
We decided to get a hotel room and just rock the night away. We shopped(I have a new found love for Anthropology), ate (way too much good food) and saw the movie Mamma Mia(the girl in it is way too cute)! It was so fun to just chill with a group of girls and not even worry about what time it was or when we were getting home.
Breakfast the next morning consisted of the best PB&J sandwich ever from PB Loco and a few Sprinkles cupcakes. I saved one for my girls and thought they would love it. Yeah...I found Kaitlyn's cupcake soaking wet in the sink with a little bite taken out of it. A nice 3.50 down the drain. I am still recovering from lack of sleep and I now have a house to clean, but it was so worth it!

The AmaaaZing Race!

2008-07-21T14:08:00.000-07:00

Fun Times at Girls Camp! Here we are with our Flag right before we left on the buses. Yes, those are lamp shades. Aren't we darling?

I just LOVE Girls Camp. Or, I should say, I love Young Women. They are the funnest. I could seriously hang out with them :) One of these years, maybe I will actually look like a leader. Maybe it's funny the first time you hear that you look like "one of the girls" but really, by the 3 rd day I just wanted to smack someone. This was the first year I was able to go for the entire time. The girls and I had a blast. 2 ladies from our ward (super talented ladies) wrote an amazing production that the YCL's got to perform. Seriously, it was made into a professional movie and what made it even sweeter was that my awesome sis in law Val was in it. She is totally amaaazing herself :)

Here's Val & I after we did our skits/dances...whatever they were. I was supposed to look chinese and Val is one cute KungFu Panda :)

Here I am with my fellow beehive leaders doing a big HIYA!!!! Gotta love Kelly and Angie!

We stayed up way too late and woke up way too early but it was worth it.
Here is a pic from our 4 hour, 9 mile Second Year Hike. It was so fun to be with the second year girls. We had a great group! I have been sore for days from this hike! I call it, "toilet seat soreness" I'll let you figure out why...
Why don't I have a good group photo of all of us? Seriously, where is the professional photog???

A Fun Fourth & A SWEET hook-up!

2008-07-06T21:43:00.000-07:00

What a FUN group of girls!! Thanks Val/Bre for setting up our "field"!

Our 1st ever annual Goodman Fourth of July brunch/watersoftball BLAST!!! Seriously, what a fun day we had on Friday. We got it started with a delicious breakfast; pancakes, cinnamon rolls, eggs, bacon, sausage, am I forgetting anything?? Then went and worked it all off playing a very "goodman friendly" competition of water softball.

Keeping the kiddo's busy so we could play!
Way to splash into home, Jess!

Then off to the Reed family for a yummy bbq and fun visiting.

Kelsi was so excited to see the fireworks this year. We told her we would from my parents balcony, but then found out that CentralChristian was bailing out this year. So we decided to try TempeTownLake. We just happened to invite my sister Meagen and her husband Chad. We grabbed a blanket and decided to "brave" the crowd. Chad just happens to think that maybe his dad would have a hook up since he has been involved with the building of the TempeTownLake Condos. Come to find out, his dad has a key to a 2.5 million dollar condo model that is empty. We totally got to hang out on this massive (very high, very scary) balcony on the 11th floor. It was crazy!!!! The fireworks were right over our head. Tempe did good!!! ;) Of course, you know me, my camera battery was dead and I still haven't figured out my flash. No good pics, but I could've got some awesome ones!

I wish we would've known, I would have made it a party up there and invited y'all!!!

Pics Are Here

2008-07-01T22:15:00.001-07:00

We finally got our pics back from PiedPiperPhotography! It only took about 6 weeks! I have to say it was worth the wait! When she was taking them we had no idea what to do or how to stand. I feel like you can kind of tell in some of them :) But the girls are just priceless! She totally captured their personalities - it made the awkward family pics worth it :) She has openings for the fall (I would love to do some Winter Christmas pics! Yeah right!!! Our money is spent, but maybe yours isn't :) Her prices go way up so I am glad we got in when we did. Here are some fun ones....

I feel like we all have the expression, "so..what are we supposed to do?"

Kelsi is such a poser!

I love her photo editing...every picture has some sort of special "edit" to it. This distressed look is my favorite.

Here is Kelsi twirling...she loved wearing her tutu. Kaitlyn...not so much :)

Kaitlyn's face is priceless! I was bribing her with so many things to just take "one more picture" I did get a couple cute ones of her in it :)

Just for fun...gotta love my KatieLady! She finally got that tutu off!

Fun times with a Fun Ward

2008-06-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

Val Vista Ward Ice Cream Social....Hawaii Style

Kaitlyn with a mouthful of ice cream

Smokin' hot dancers :) You think it's all in the hips and it's not! It's all in the knees - that was a cool bit of knowledge

So I am probably the only one to actually blog about a church activity! But I could be posting about going to the public library....
We love Hawaii...have never been, but actually looked the part thanks to our in-laws who were there one month ago.

Kennedy in her super cute Hawaiian dress

We made yummy Oreo ice cream and added a secret ingredient. Frozen Oreo pie! It made it really thick and yummy. Won Jesse second place! I won second best dressed which was cool because it will probably never happen again. Thanks mom-in-law for the dress! So fun to get dressed up!

My girls actually wore the same outfit (without complaint) and wore their Hawaii T-Shirts (without complaint). I guess I just have to have some place exciting for them to go and they will wear anything. :)

A fun filled night with the fam, complete with fun Hawaiian games: bball with beach balls; coconut bowling and a hula hoop contest.

One more month until vacation...!!!!

Great Dad!

2008-06-29T15:45:00.000-07:00

So I missed posting about Father's Day. Something about 2 sisters getting married and 3 crazy girls that got me off track! So for journaling purposes and if you are like me and are entertained by reading the happs of other people read on:

Dad Day '08

I made a quick run to Albertsons after Ali's reception to go get the goods for Father's day. We're talking about 1030pm... So lame, I know. I had already given Jesse his gift (Under Armour bball clothes that he was in desperate need of - I won't go into further detail). So I figured I would just make him a fabulous breakfast! Well, his version of a fab bfast is sausage, eggs, potatoes, red peppers, onions and whatever else is leftover in the fridge. My style is more homemade pancakes and fruit. I REALLY did not want to wake up early and cut potatoes. I thought of making that cute DAD cake. Then thought, do I really want to do this tomorrow? And who is going to eat it? The answer, my girls :) So no on that! Then, as I always do on Sat night at Albertsons...I see a friend from my ward. I tell her my lame father's day plans and she tells me about SKILLET CREATIONS!!!! Now we are talking!!!! If you haven't tried these, it is sooo good! I even liked it! It's just as Jesse would make (because he is the one who makes this kind of breakfast) Potatoes, sausage, peppers, cheese. No chopping, just plop the bag on the skillet and in 15 minutes DIG IN! Jesse loved it and I was glad I didn't totally lame out for a truly fantastic guy!

Here he is playing with the girls. He always takes them in the backyard to play games before they get ready for bed. This leaves me time to clean up dinner and/or blog :) He plays red light/green light, tag or police officer. It is so cute to watch!

Jesse has more motivation and self discipline in his right arm than I have in my entire body!!! This past year he has lost more than 80 pounds!! This is another post entirely, one that I will get around to soon!

Jesse makes THE BEST nachos EVER! I won't even attempt to make them for him. Every chip is perfectly placed...to the point of obsessive compulsion :) And they are yummy!

He is a great example to me. There isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't read his scriptures. Even if it's Friday night at 11pm I will see him open them up and read. I really admire and strive to achieve his strong testimony and love for the Gospel. He motivates me everyday.
I don't like my posts to sound perfect - we definitely have our ups&downs. We have worked hard on the communication factor and I feel we (or just he, haha) have come a long way!!! We both want what is best for each other and don't ever bring one another down. We have the utmost respect for each other and I am grateful to have such a fine husband!!!

2008-06-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

I told my friend Sarah that I would advertise for her. Plus I thought she would love this picture on my blog :) She wants to fill some afternoon spots in July. We have gone to her for 3 years and Kelsi just loves her! She focuses a lot on swim strokes and is a master at synchro.

I think this should entitle me to a free lesson:) HA!

For more info click on my SwimBySarah link

{Note to Self}

2008-06-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

Do not leave Desitin on bathroom counter as I will inadvertently put it on my toothbrush in my rush to get to the gym and not realize it until my mouth is a white gooey mess! Ewww! I can still taste it!

The Lion King

2008-06-24T18:12:00.000-07:00

I was in desperate need to give Kelsi&Kaitlyn something to do this summer. When I saw an email advertising Performer's Inc. by Erica Soelberg I was sold. I love the 3-5 age group. It means Kaitlyn doesn't get left out and can join in on the fun!It is very ironic that I just did a tribute post to my sweet, fun loving Kaitlyn. Here's proof that she definitely does her own thing.

All week while the girls were practicing, they would both show me some moves and sing Hakuna Matata and I Just Can't Wait To Be King. But as you can see in the pictures, I think Kaitlyn would have rather been a spectator than a participant. Unfortunately I haven't figured out my flash on my camera. It will just shut off on me. The pics are pretty dark, but you can see that she looked a little confused at times and decided to just sit and watch the older group sing.

Oh, that girl...Kaitlyn told me later that she didn't sing because she didn't get to stand by Lauren. Lauren and Maggie are two friends that Kelsi got to do this with. Kaitlyn seriously felt so grown up to be able to "hang out" with these girls.

{I knew it! I am an idiot! hehe..K - so this might not make sense...BUT I am not ashamed to admit when I am a complete fool. I didn't realize the pic would keep scrolling down by itself. Seriously, I even told someone that I didn't have enough room to scroll my pic down where I wanted it. Hurray! I figured it out - THX people for your help. U know who U are!}

{Can Somebody Please Help Me?}

2008-06-21T18:16:00.000-07:00

I must be a little slow....everyone does this and I haven't been able to figure it out. How in the world do you post a picture and put text underneath it...another picture/text...ect.ect. All in one post
It must be so simple....

A little post about my KaterBug

2008-06-19T12:33:00.000-07:00

This girl is a classic "middle" child. I just love her sweet personality. She can be so funny and tell you fascinating stories full of hand gestures and facial expressions. The next moment she might be a total drama queen and get so upset. Her face crumples up, sometimes her lips even turn blue! And she will cry (scream) for as long as it takes. Then, sometimes, she is super sensitive. She will say, "I'm not happy!" and go pout, lip quivering, and it honestly makes me worry that I am really not doing enough to make this girl happy. So whatever she does....it's workin' for her because she has me in the palm of her hand!

One of her favorite games(my least fav) is that she will sneak outside (even in 111degree heat) and knock on our door. I have to answer the door and in my sweetest voice say, "hey little girl, what are you doing out there? Where is your mommy" She will then say in her most sweetest, shy voice, "my mommy is on vacation" - So then I will tell her she can live with us and she makes up a fake name etc, etc,. I can't remember how this started, but we do it about once a day before I lock the top latch so she can't go outside.

Fun Facts:

Kaitlyn refuses to wear anything but jeans. And they have to be long. So usually she is in Kelsi's 4/5T's and they are falling off of her. Her favorite jeans are so holey and worn out. She is in a dance group this week and has had to wear shorts/skirts with tennies. She told me the first day of wearing tennis shoes with shorts that she felt like the mailman.

She calls High School Musical "high smell musical"

So happy or sad, tantrum throwing or game playing, I love this girl! When she crawls in bed with me in the morning and when she aks me to stay with her at night. She is my sweetheart!

Last...but not least

2008-06-15T21:46:00.000-07:00

My little sis got married on Saturday! All of us Reed girls have now tied the knot! Of course, Kelsi & Kaitlyn loved getting all dressed up (they even wore makeup but don't tell their dad :). The wedding took place at The Wright House and the food was delish! There was even pizzookies for dessert made in little foil tins. Super cute! Ally didn't want punch, so we had bottles of Jones Soda. Mighty tastey! It was a fun exhausting night and we are so excited for her. She married Dave McLaughlin, a police officer for the city of Mesa. Such a cute couple. Congratulations! Have fun in Jamaica!

I must add that Dave's uncle came up to me and was like, "you must be Allison's little sister". Ummmm....no, older sister by like 8 years. See these 3 girls, yeah, they are all mine.

Do I look like I'm 20 or something?? Or maybe my sister looks like she is 30! haha

How fun is this?

2008-06-11T07:14:00.000-07:00

One of the advantages of being up at 2am with a baby.....sometimes you see a good idea on TV :) This was from Your Life A to Z. They used 1 cake mix and put 1/2 in a square 9X9 pan and 1/2 in a circle pan. Bake and let cool. Cut the circle in half to make two D's. To trim the sqaure pan: Find the center and cut a diagonal from the top to bottom on both sides. This pic is from familyfun.go.com but the one from Your Life was cuter. I couldn't find the picture though. Their website might not have updated yesterday's show.

They decorated the letters with candy. M&M's shaped the letter A and reeses peanut butter cups and hershey kisses and kissables were on the D's. Very fun and very cute!

What a fun day!

2008-06-03T22:30:00.000-07:00

I jumped the gun yesterday and posted about Kelsi's Birthday. I just couldn't resist. It is actually today and it felt like a holiday/vacation day all rolled into one. Kelsi had her very first "friend" Bday party! I used to just do family parties but I realized that it's way easier to feed a group of 5 yr olds chicken nuggets and mini corndogs. Less stress for me and fun times for Kelsi. We have so many little girls that live in our neighborhood. Add cousins and some good preschool friends and you've got a party! We decided to rent an inflateable slide. It was so fun! We had it pretty much all day long and had a blast. Kelsi went to bed asking when she was going to turn 6. Ummm...in exactly a year from today. Then she said, " Today was so super fun. Can I get a more fun slide next year?" Ummm...you need a more fun slide?

It's Your Birthday...Shout Hurray!

2008-06-02T22:45:00.000-07:00

My Kelsi Leigh is turning 5! Every year gets more fun! She is so excited to start school and loves to play!

She has "Because I Liked the View" from H.S. Musical memorized. It is hilarious to hear her belt it out. I have enjoyed every second with her and am so grateful to be her mom. She is our peacemaker and loves to please. One of her favorite things to say is "that's super cute!" I just love to be around her and will be sad to lose her to the mesa public school system coming in the fall :)

To celebrate her birthday we took her to get her ears peirced! I always said I would wait until 8 yrs old. Not for any reason really...but I thought how fun it would be to start kindergarten with earings. She was so excited. The look on her face getting it done says it all. She didn't even flinch! Of course when she was picking out the earrings, she wanted the hugest fake diamond on the display. It was pretty funny. Even at this age she wants the biggest diamond ever. Then on we went to get a pizzookie from BJ's. Yummy! It's so fun when your child is big enough to be so excited about their birthday. She has been counting down the days for a week!

Happy Birthday Sweets!!!

Val Vista Sista's

2008-06-01T22:46:00.001-07:00

I love girls...I think that's why I have 3 of my own and hopefully a fourth will come next :) I'm sure I would be fine with a boy, but as my 4 yr old says, "you get what you get and you don't throw a fit".

Anyway, I spent Thursday to Saturday camping at our bi-annual YW Laurel Retreat. Such an awesome experience. The laurels got to be pampered and had a wonderful spiritual experience. The mia maids and beehives were together most of the time and really bonded together. I seriously think I am in YW because I am more on their level than an actual adult. Everything about them amazes and inspires me to do and be better. We had a fantastic speaker the first night (her last name is Matter) How dumb that I don't remember her name. She is an author and has written books on how to love yourself and not be jealous. Her main point was that your body is just a "costume" for your spirit and everyone has the same amount of worth . It doesn't matter how much money you have, how skinny you are, whether you wear designer...we are all born with the same amount of "perfect" worth. It was awesome and I will definitely have to get her books. I know I need reminding of my own self worth sometimes.

We started out on Thursday doing a HUGE service project for a family of 7 in Clay Springs. There were 50 of working all day long piling up wood, painting, picking up trash, building a deck, planting flowers, pulling weeds....the girls never complained and worked so hard.
The girls also went on a "Solo" experience out in the woods for an hour and wrote in their journal, said a vocal prayer and received letters from their parents. It was amazing. We went and picked each one of them up and saw them praying and writing and crying. I love the YW and hope the time never comes when I am released. It's been almost 2 yrs now so I know it's coming. I will just enjoy every second of it while I can!

Almost 30 of us stayed in this huge tent. So dusty...so dirty... but so fun. I have to admit, coming back home and taking a warm shower and sleeping in my own bed felt sooo good!

It's so great working with such fun leaders & girls that make being away from your family so worth it!

Peace & Quiet???

2008-05-24T00:38:00.000-07:00

These 2 words don't always go together. Jesse took Kelsi&Kaitlyn up north over memorial day weekend. He played in a softball tournament and the girls really wanted to go. He is such a good sport and very willingly took them. They were so excited to be with their dad. I knew I would miss them terribly so I kept saying, "are you sure?" "you're gonna miss me" "it's 4 days until you see me again." Saying this didn't work. So then I said, "hey! I'll take you to get your toes painted." "we can go to the movies!"...nothing. They really wanted to go with their dad. So me and Kendi had lots of bonding fun together. There was definitely a lot to get done and I am grateful for the chance to catch up! But it was way too quiet around here. My house is more peaceful when I hear my girls playing and I know that my husband is home with me. So it was quiet, but I wouldn't say peaceful.

But I got a lot done...painted some cabinets, watched 4 movies; juno, 27 dresses, catch & release (loved them!) and p.s. I love you (hated it). I went shopping and tried not to worry about my girlies. Jess did a great job -they came home in one piece!

{is anyone thinking Target right now?}

American Idol Upset!

2008-05-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

Did anyone else predict David Cook? I would have bet money on Archuletta. I will just buy both of their CD's...plus my own personal fave Carly Smithson. Anyone want to go to the top 10 tour? I've never wanted to go to one before, but I am totally there this year!!! (Val & Bre, you better invite me :)!! This has been my favorite season by far. And what a great finale! It will stay on my TIVO forever!!! I will watch Archuletta sing with One Republic anytime!!! And of course, Carrie Underwood. My all time favorite winner. She is stunningly beautiful with an amazing voice!! I still think she could've worn a skirt under that jacket! haha

We had a fun little AI party over here. Jesse's fam came over and brought a few friends. Of course Kelsi & Kaitlyn got in on the fun too. They had a little pajama party and danced around the house. I love that they are growing up into some fun little gals :) I think Jesse even enjoyed it! Maybe it was just the food though!

School Year Celebration '08

2008-05-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

Kelsi had her end of the year program on Wednesday. It was fantastic! Of course I would leave my camera at home. I took it out of my purse to check the battery and left it on the table!! But luckily I had my video camera, I just can't transfer video from a cassette tape! Bummer! They sang some really fun songs and entertained us all! They learned the hula dance (miss peggy loves hawaii and they spend a month learning about it). They recited pages from a book and each had a part. It was fun helping Kelsi memorize her part about a "lady that wrings out the paper and hangs up the news". I think every preschool teacher is amazing for doing what they do. So much time and effort goes into every single preschool day! I am so grateful for Kelsi's teacher Peggy Nielsen. I am also glad that I was the last person on the waiting list that got in! She is like a grandma to these kids. Genuinely loves each one of them and got teared up just talking about them during thier program. She is so fun and makes preschool ALL about THEM! Kelsi has learned so much and has had so much fun! It's definitely been more about FUN than homework. Kaitlyn missed her cut off by one day but I will be able to "sneak" her in :) She will enjoy Miss Peggy for 2 years and I am thrilled for her. So instead of posting pics from the program, here are some random pics from throughout the year. Thanks Miss Peggy!!

Preschool Burnout

2008-05-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

I'm a little nervous now for Kelsi to start Kindergarten. No, not because I will miss her so much or that she is growing up too fast. It's because I will actually have to schedule in homework time and reading time (and it will actually count!) I feel like I have "senioritis" towards preschool! Preschool didn't stress me out. She did her homework fine we read the quota of books each day. She learned what she needed to learn and much more. And I was still a total slacker. I definitely didn't make much of an effort to play every file folder game that she brought home. (some are still on the desk needing to be cut out!) I hardly ever went over the flashcards even. Whatever, it's preschool. It's not like I care if she is the "smartest" but I want her to have good homework habits. It's up to me to create those habits and I guess it starts in Kidergarten. It's way more fun to just play!

I am so ready for summer!

It makes me wonder what all you mom's feel like with older kids in school. Are you looking forward to summer? Or is it, "dang, my kids are home all day long!" I feel like my life is changing forever this coming August 11th! I know it sounds so dramatic :)

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-07T23:10:00.000-07:00

Being a mom is hard! Being a good mom is even harder! Feeling like you are a great mom is the hardest of all. There is an enormous burden of pressure on us to be "perfect". This mother's day, I hope everyone realizes how wonderful and blessed we are and how magnificent being a mom is.

I love being a mom! It is the most rewarding calling of my life! I am so blessed to have three beautiful girls that I know will be my best friends. It's scary to think of what it will be like in 10 or 20 years. You just hope and pray that you do your best so that your kids will stay close to the Gospel and to you.

The greatest gift for me on Mother's Day would be to have all of my children get along and be so super happy all day! I would be in heaven!!! Lately it seems as if I am a referee more than a mother. Constantly breaking up battles between the two girls; who stole the others shoe? - she bit me, pinched me, pulled my hair, etc.... -" I don't want to watch Wow Wow Wubsy, I want to watch Max & Ruby!" - Ugggh. That's why I love this song so much. Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing is just a grain of sand...(a really good music video by the way, it made me cry - i tend to be a cry o holic sometimes though :)

Does it really matter? We are all happy, safe and healthy. What more could I ask for?

Happy Mother's Day to all of you fantastic mom's out there!!!! We are superheroes!

Happy Mom Day!

2008-05-07T23:02:00.000-07:00

Before I was a Mom

Author Unknown

Before I was a Mom -I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom -I cleaned my house each day. I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -I had never been puked on - Pooped on - Spit on - Chewed on, or Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and My thoughts. I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom -I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests...or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom -I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom -I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known The warmth, The joy, The love, The heartache, The wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

Mui Bien!

2008-05-06T18:06:00.001-07:00

We ate these fabulous enchiladas at our last enrichment night. They are sooo good! I made them for cinco de mayo yesterday and they were a hit! Just thought I would share...I have become quite food obsessed lately and love to cook! I think it's because of this fab blog called Picky Palate. Check it out! I made the best snickerdoodles...seriously! Then I made the black & white chippers from Paradise Bakery. They tasted the same! I love knowing a recipe will turn out! I have yet to make anything from picky palate that hasn't! Here is the recipe for the yummy enchiladas...they have cream cheese in them! Oh my! I have to say though that I used corn tortillas. It was my first time actually boiling chicken and frying tortillas! Usually I use canned chkn and use chkn broth for the tortillas.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
6 chicken breasts- bone in and with skin
2 cloves garlic- minced
½ cube of butter
2 {4oz.} cans diced green chilies
2 ½ cups yellow onion-diced
1 large red bell pepper- diced
4 {3oz.} pkgs. Cream cheese-cubed
4 cups grated Monterey jack cheese- divided
Oil
25 flour tortillas {salad plate size}
1 ½ cups water
1 cup sour cream
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
1. Place the chicken breasts into a large pot and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until chicken is cooked through.
{About 20 Minutes} Remove from water and set aside to cool. When cooled, remove skin and discard bones. Shred all breast meat and set aside.
2. In a fry pan put enough oil to fry tortillas and turn heat to medium. When oil is hot, dip each tortilla and turn once until tortilla is limp. About 4 seconds per side. Drain well on paper towels.
3. Heat butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add green chilies, onions, red peppers, and garlic. Cook and stir for a few minutes until well combined. Reduce heat just a little. Add the cubed cream cheese and 2 cups of Monterey Jack cheese. Stir constantly so cheeses won’t stick. As the cheeses melt, slowly add water until well combined. Stir in sour cream and continue stirring. Turn heat to low. Add shredded chicken and mix well. Remove pan from heat.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a very large baking pan OR 2-9x13 inch pans. Spoon filling down the center of each tortilla. {About a heaping ¼ cup per tortilla} Roll up and place in pan {or pans} seam side down. Repeat until all tortillas are filled. Top enchiladas with remaining 2 cups of cheese. {You can add more cheese if you like.} Evenly pour cream over top of enchiladas. Bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes until golden and the center enchilada of pan is hot. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!!

Let's Play Music

2008-05-01T19:31:00.000-07:00

Kelsi had her first "recital" for her Let's Play Music class tonight. It's the first & only "thing" I have her in at the moment so it was exciting for us (me). She told me afterward that "when people clap for me my stomach freaks out" haha! I love little kid langauge.

Basically, this year, they learned some pretty cool songs and how to play with bells. She knows what a major/minor scale is and how to keep a beat. She'll be musically smarter than me pretty soon. I have to say that when I first signed her up I was wishing she was in dance instead. I had to attend the class every other week and that got old fast. But it was quality time spent with JUST my Kels. (That's what I would tell myself :0) Now it's something that all my girls will have the chance to do and I am loving it.

TuTu Cute!

2008-05-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

We got our family pics taken last week and these are a couple of sneek peeks that we got to see. I can't wait to see them all! My cuz Lindsay made these tutus for my girls: Check out TuTu Heaven, they are SWEET!

Of course, as I always say, pictures lie! Taking family pics is not my favorite thing to do. Luckily, we don't do it very often! (with a professional photog anyway)

I had to drag my three girls to the mall 3 separate times (poor things) to get coordinating outfits. It was nightmarish, I won't do it again!

Kaitlyn wasn't cooperating very well - She is my "jeans" girl and refuses to wear anything but jeans everyday. When all of hers get dirty she will wear Kelsi's 5T's. Thank goodness for adjustable waists! I love her personality though and really don't care how she expresses herself. I had to bribe her with icecream to put the tutu on - she finally relented. After she put it on she crossed her arms and looked pretty upset about it :) Can't wait to see that one!

Kelsi loves the camera and loves to pose. Kennedy is just the happiest thing and did awesome too. My props to Pied Piper Photographer Lindsey Silsby. She does awesome with the editing and color of each picture. I love how she captures the personalities of my kids as well. She never told them to smile or how to pose - she just let them do their own thing.

Dangerous Weekend

2008-04-28T18:43:00.001-07:00

Blogging is such a great outlet for me :) My kitchen is a mess from dinner, I've been dealing with 4yr old life drama all day and it's family night (we haven't started the lesson yet). My girls just went outside to play (they are Happy and not fighting right now, hurray!) and I am doing several breathing exercises to keep me sane. I've decided to post some pics from a less stressful day!
I about had a heart attack when Jesse put Kaitlyn on the roof. Why must he do these things? He started with the plant shelf on a high vaulted ceiling in the play room. He would put Kelsi and Kaitlyn up there and I just knew it would cave in and they would be stuck between the wall. I guess they got sick of that so now they can play on the roof??? This guy needs some boys to rough house with, let me tell you.
This morning I found Kaitlyn trying to climb up the french door. She broke the curtain trying to squeeze inbetween it and used the fabric tie to sit on. Fabulous!
And the joy of the weekend??? Kennedy learned to crawl! Yay! She's 8 1/2 mos old - Time flies way too quickly. I love it!!

American Idol Alum Josh Gracin

2008-04-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

So I have a new favorite song at the moment; Josh Gracin's "We Weren't Crazy". I always have CMT blaring while I clean my house on Sat mornings and this video came on. I was mesmerized...My first thought when I saw him was, "He better still be married" b/c I remember him on AI and his wife was pregnant - he was in the military - and they were so cute together. He was one of my faves! The video shows pics of his family before and after he became popular. A must have download for me!
Check it out!
Has anyone else heard that David Cook is dating Lacey from last season's So You Think You Can Dance??? They met on Idol Gives Back - Sorry all you single lady friends :)

Welcome Home Melinda!

2008-04-24T22:20:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, the Goodman Fam went to the airport to welcome Jesse's sister Melinda back from her mission; she served in Orlando, Fl. We missed her a ton! She is such a great example for our girls and they just love her. Both of them were counting down the days until she got home. All of the cousin's held little signs with one of her many "nicknames" to greet her with. It was so cool to see her meet Kennedy for the first time. We named Kennedy after Minda, and gave her the middle name, Rae. She showered the kids with hugs and gave them each a stuffed minnie mouse. Kelsi is constantly carrying it around and even woke up in the night looking for it.

We Love Ya Girl, Welcome Back!

I've Been Tagged!

2008-04-18T20:40:00.000-07:00

Cool, so I've been tagged for the first time! Thanks to my long time high school friend Lindsey!

What was I doing 10 years ago?
Yikes! Getting ready to graduate highschool! I had some pretty good high school years but overall I am glad they are over! I am excited about the reunion in June! Go Toro's '98!

5 Things on my To Do list:
1. Sweep and mop - it's amazing how wonderful it is when your baby can start eating cheerios. Put 'em in the high chair and they can eat and entertain themselves forever. But the mess it creates - thrown cheerios, stepped on cheerios...I find cheerios everywhere!
2. Grocery Shopping - When I got married I loved to go grocery shopping. My cart was completely organized and I had a list! Now, I hate it and I mostly go up and down the snack isle. 3. Get my 2 oldest girls to go to sleep! If I have to go into their room one more time....
4. Organize my desk - an endless stack of piles
5. Watch the movie Juno - Feeling the need for a girl movie!

5 Snacks I enjoy:
1. 100 Cal of hershey chocolate pretzels. I usually eat 3 packages
2. Movie popcorn loaded with whatever comes out of that metal pump - lots of salt!
3. Chips and homemade salsa/guac
4. Cereal - While I am pregnant I eat a big bowl of cereal every night!
5. Ice Cream - Marble Slab Creamery, birthday cake icecream with brownie and caramel. You have to try this. They make their brownies fresh right there! It's next to Costa Vida - Great combination!

5 Places I've lived:
1. San Manuel, AZ - born there. Maybe I am half mexican???
2. Mesa, AZ
3. Elk Grove, CA
4. Borderline Apache Junction
5. Back to Mesa

What would I do if I were suddenly a billionaire?
Hmmm...hard question. Seriously, I would try to give as much as I could to people and children that needed it. I hate to see poverty. But I'm sure I would be very materialistic as well. Hair extensions, maybe some surgical procedures (should I say that?) you know, all the fun stuff!

5 jobs I've had:
1. Java City
2. Haw's Flower Shop
3. SRP Credit Union
4. Group Fitness Instructor
5. MOM of three and lovin it

5 Things you don't know about me:
1. I bite my nails horribly so I have to get fake ones! I hate it!!!!
2. I have a hard time sitting still
3. My all time favorite show is Frasier and I still watch the reruns at night
4. My name is Kristen and I am a recovering caffeineaholic :) I've been caffeine free for 3 full days!
5.I read and reread every email I send/message I post, over and over! I really wish blogger had spell check! I hate grammatical errors/spelling mistakes (not that I don't make a ton of them!) But I try not to! Please don't try to find any :)
I'll tag whoever finished reading this post!

Survivin' without the Good Stuff

2008-04-16T12:26:00.000-07:00

I have never attempted a resolution like this before...to stop drinking pop! True confessions...I have had a diet coke everyday since I graduated high school. And I'm not talking about one can either. We're talking about a 32oz with a couple of refills.I'm sure I've skipped a day here or there, but it's definitely a mid day craving that I love and look forward to. I know it's unhealthy...learned in a nutrition class that regular coke is actually better for you - But I always thought, hmmm...zero calories or 180...hard choice. I just love the cold carbonation especially if it is in a styrofoam cup! Sonic happy hour - the best!! It's something I have never had the desire to live without...until now! I have started to feel tired all of the time. Except for the 20 minute caffeine kicks :) But they go away and I feel wiped! So what do I do? Drink more Diet Coke!
I have gone a day and a half without ANY soda. I am done with it! I have been drinking so much water too! It's like my body has been craving it this whole time and I ignored my thirst and went right to the Diet Coke machine.

Spring Fling!

2008-04-13T09:50:00.000-07:00

Every year our neighborhood throws a Neighborhood Block Watch party called the "Spring Fling". This is the 3rd one that we have been able to attend and it gets more fun each year as my girls get older. We have a rock climbing wall, 3 huge boucers, cotton candy/snow cone machines, fun games, hotdogs, even fire engine rides. It's great being able to let our kids roam wild while we enjoy visiting with friends.
We really have a tight knit little community over here. Every once and a while I want to go look at model homes in Gilbert and move into a "new" house. These events are what keeps me here. I love our neighbors and our neighborhood.

One Fine Day

2008-04-08T23:32:00.000-07:00

I am so happy for my little sister Meagen! She was married on April 4, 2008! I have been the only sister married for almost 8 years - it's exciting to think that by mid June all three of us "Reed girls" will be married.

Meagen is such a wonderful example to me. I always tell my Beehive girls in YW's during my temple marriage lessons that it is OK if you aren't married when you want to be. I have my sister as a perfect example of that! She has traveled to more places and done more things than I could have ever done! (I was barely 20 when Jesse and I got married) She has been the R.S. Prez of her singles ward and now teaches Kindergarten at Johnson Elementary. I know she has definitely been blessed and prepared for this day. I had to fight back tears in the temple as I looked at so many of her friends that were able to be there with her. What a neat experience! Definitley worth the wait!

Shower, Shower, Shower

2008-04-08T23:10:00.000-07:00

I was so SUPER excited to throw my sister Meagen a bridal shower. It was a great success! She is so much more popular than I am - I love it! I couldn't believe how many people came and the food was amazing. We had yummy homemade rolls (thanks Celia) and a delish pasta salad and sugar cookies (thanks Debbie) Seriously, these ladies totally saved me! I thought making 2 salads and 2 desserts would be a peice of cake - but I am not baker and don't plan ahead. It took me from 6am until I had to take everything over to set up by 6pm. I made brownies and used a heart cookie cutter to make them into some huge hearts. Topped with pink mint frosting and andes mints- they were yummy! Thanks to AJ's fine foods for some awesome lemon bars as well! My wonderful husband left me alone and occupied the kids for the day. It turned out great though and was a great time!! I love this picure - Sorry Allie! You should be with us! She had taken my girls back home because they were getting tired and restless. Thanks girl!

Deep Breaths!

2008-04-08T22:49:00.000-07:00

I have never been the kind of person who has a crazy busy life. I like to keep everything calm and under control. The past few weeks have been enormously out of control!! For real! Jesse and I had the wonderful experience of going on an Exodus (AKA pioneer trek) with our wonderful stake. Thanks again mom for watching our girls. My mom broke her shoulder riding a quad with my dad the day before we left!!

But we had a wonderful time and I am SOO glad that we were able to go! I love being with the youth. It's way more fun as a leader! Your job is basically all about having fun - and making sure the kids have fun too! Of course, I couldn't get by without some other leader thinking that I was a laurel!! She said something to the effect that I would love garments because I said that I couldn't live without my shade undershirts! HA! Actually, I have worn g's for almost 8 years. But whatevah!
I am a much stronger person from going on the trek - sleeping outside under the stars with no chairs to sit in for 2 days and minimal water has made Camp Lomia look like a 5 star resort!
It was fabulous and we had a great family/tribe! I have such great examples around me and am grateful to have had this experience.

More Deep Breaths!

2008-04-08T22:37:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness! I have been without the internet for almost a month! Thanks mom for bringing my computer back to life!! I couldn't have done it without you!! Actually, I didn't do any of it - my mother did! One handed even (she broke her shoulder a few weeks ago). Seriously, my mom is amazing - a totally separate post, one that I will definitely write later :)
So...if you are a computer idiot like myself, you have never bothered to put a virus protection on your computer. It's embarassing to admit, I just never got around to it. My mom told me that cox has one for free even! Did I listen??? NO! I have had to reboot my entire computer, which basically means delete everything!! Pictures, emails (I had over 600 saved!), documents, MUSIC!! - EVERYTHING! It's kind of liberating in a way :) It took a while to save everything on CD's (and my mom's laptop) but now I am up and running!!

Virus Alert!

2008-03-30T18:43:00.000-07:00

So...many of you may be wondering what has happened to me. My computer has a stupid virus or something and I haven't been able to get on the internet. Ugghhh!! I decided to put this super cute shamrock background on my blog and it messed up everything! All of my "friends" have been deleted as well :( My mom is the computer whiz and she has a broken shoulder right now so it's taking a bit longer to get fixed! :( Hopefully it will get fixed this week. I have so much to update on! I went on an Exodus Trek with our stake which was AWESOME! I threw a bridal shower for my sister, Meagen, which made me CRAZY! She's getting married on Friday - YAY! And we celebrated Jesse's Bday on Saturday! He will turn 29 on Tues - the old man! Just kidding! So basically I've been very stressed out so who needs a computer anyway, right? You'll just have to keep looking at this outdated St Patrick's Day blog!
By the way, back to my American Idol post....Is't Chris Cook amazing???!!!!

This is American Idol!

2008-03-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

Couldn't resist! My all time favorite show and I haven't missed a season! I am loving it now because I have 2 little girls to watch it with! Jesse has always hated the show (or at least he pretends to). It's funny, Kelsi and Kaitlyn shout out "she's not modest!" to practically every girl contestant. That could be an entirely separate post. In order to get them to wear an undershirt one time I gave them a little modesty lesson. Now, whenever we see anyone in a tanktop they point and shout, "they're not modest!" Fabulous...they're learning early I guess. Still, we love it! I am so glad that David Hernandez is GONE - was not a fan! Kelsi likes the "tatoo lady" and Kaitlyn likes the girl from Mesa because she looks pretty. So we have our favorites and look forward to watching it every Tues/Wed.

Zoo Trip!

2008-03-04T11:46:00.000-08:00

On Monday I had the privilage of going with Kesli to the zoo with her preschool class. It was so fun! Even Kaitlyn made a new friend. I love to watch my girls interact with other kids - I love how they get so excited to see eachother - I love how they run, jump, hold hands and giggle...it's fun being a girl!

I haven't been to the zoo much this season, just a couple of times. Last year the sister in laws and I went every week. Next year it will be a lot easier to keep that tradition going...Kelsi will be in school so I will be down to two kids again.

I left Kennedy with my mom so I decided to scrap the stroller. Kelsi and Kaitlyn never sit in it anyway and who doesn't need the exercise right? They did awesome, but toward the end they were hitchin' rides in wagons and sneaking into extra stroller seats. Kaitlyn said her legs "stopped working" so I piggie backed her up a few hills. Next time I will bring the stroller :)

We had fun though...I went to places in the zoo that I forgot were there. Usually we see the giraffes and circle around by the tiger and monkeys. I had forgotten about the frogs and snakes and all of the birds! Kelsi's preschool teacher, Miss Peggy, told us all of the little stories that went with each animal. I definitely learned a lot and realized that these preschool kids were smarter than me!

BabyBaby!

2008-02-29T22:23:00.000-08:00

My sweet little Kennedy Rae! I've decided to start a post on getting my 6 month old baby to sleep through the night in her crib without the bottle!! Everyone has their own "sleeping through the night" theories. My oldest, Kelsi, was spoiled, fed and rocked each night before bed. She is my worst sleeper; go figure :) It took her until Kaitlyn was born before she would go to bed on her own. Pretty soon, Kelsi got her way and was being rocked before bed again; she was 2yrs old.

Kaitlyn, about 4 months old, had to "cry it out" in her crib. It took 20 minutes of crying before she fell asleep. After that first night, amazingly enough, I could just lay her down awake in her crib and she woud go to sleep on her own. It was a miracle!! I was now a firm believer in the "cry it out" method!

Now comes precious baby #3. She got a cold about a month ago and I put her in her swing so she could breathe better. I have loved this...I prop up a bottle for her (I know...baby bottle tooth decay...) and she falls sound asleep where she stays until 7am! Fab, fab, fabulous! But, as we all know, you can't sleep in a swing forever; and I really don't want to mess up her invisible teeth. So, with a heavy heart, I realize that I must get the swing out of her room and use the crib for what it's meant for.

Tomorrow night maybe....

Wicked Sista's

2008-02-22T14:23:00.001-08:00

I finally got to go to Cali and see Wicked w/ my sisters. I had been before but thought it would be a great excuse to spend time with them before they get married! Meagen's fiancee, Chad, tagged along as "photographer" and "driver". Just kidding, Chad! It was so fun; we shopped, ate, saw my fav musical and I was back home in a day!

Maybe someday I will talk Jesse into seeing it - he thinks that since I've seen it for the 4th time that I will have had my fill. Not true, I will probably keep going until he sees it with me. My friend also thinks that I should venture out and start seeing other musicals. I have yet to see one though that gives me the same heart pounding, goosebump feeling that Wicked does. Thanks Meg & Alli for a great trip!!!

Sweet Cakes!

2008-02-20T13:50:00.000-08:00

The great thing about Jesse's job is that is has a lot of "early" days and usually we will go out to lunch. Once you get into the habit, mac&cheese and pb&j, just don't quite cut it anymore. :) Today we went to SweetCakes. I finally talked him into it...he used to think it was "girl" food. Whatever that means...BUT...I found out something so awesome! They now sell their sugar cookie dough, frosting & sprinkles!!! Yay!!! No more all day in the kitchen, trying to make the perfect "sweet cake" sugar cookie only to be severely disappointed. I love to make sugar cookies, but can never get them exactly how I want them; super thick with light & fluffy frosting. Now I can make them AND pass them off as my own, because technically you did bake them right?? I am so excited! FYI - it was 15$ for about 3-4 doz cookies worth of dough and $4 for frosting. I say, if they come out like a Sweet Cakes sugar cookie - it's worth every penny!

I am going private

2008-02-18T16:09:00.000-08:00

Sadly, I have had to make my blog private :( A couple of inappropriate comments from people I don't even know, with nothing better to do, made the decision easy for me. I've loved catching up with people through my blog and I hate finding someone I know, only to find myself "uninvited" to view their blog. But now I totally understand why and I could go on and on about the lame, idiotic people out there who ruin it for the rest of us!

:) Love to all! :)