MEXICO

Kevin and I went to Mexico to see the Baja 1000. This is a dream of Kevins to drive this race so he was really excited to go... Me I was excited to go to the beach. We all know that I have tananorexia and I love love love the sun.

We drove down so that we could take the 4runner so that we could drive around all over. We left at 6:00 at night and got there the next day at 9:00. Hello!! Our backdoor neighbor has a house down there. Well technically Americans can not own oceanfront property so they lease some space and they tell you to only put on the property what you can take if they decide to take the land back. So they have a 5th wheel down there and they have built a huge porch and large room upstairs and bathroom. So cozy and fun. Here is a picture of it.

Kevin driving all over the beach

HEAVEN

No one else on the beach!!!! IT was amazing!

The view from the house.

And next time I come how about I lose the muffin top!!

We got there and unpacked and we drove to the race. (well a small section of the race) We were at mile mark 300 give or take a few. (They had 700 more miles to go!) These trucks go 60-80 miles an hour over the whoops. It was so much fun to watch them. Kevin of course could hardly stand it. He thinks that this is hands down is the best thing he has ever seen. Even better than Moab, which that man loves! So we will let him keep dreaming of building a trophy truck to race and in the mean time we have found a new place that we will be coming back to soon!!!

They have helicopters to keep up with them.. so cool




You couldn't even talk to Kevin he was so into the race!!! LOL

Happy Happy Halloween

I am the room mother for Emma's class this year so I was helping in her class for the Halloween party. They were such a hoot! I bought 72 rolls of toilet paper and they had to wrap each other up like mummies with 3 different rolls and then wrap the next person. The kids had a blast. Once again I left my camera at home... I have got to stop doing this! Anyway it was fun to watch them play the games.





My mom always has a Halloween party for the kids and even though she had just had a knee replacement she still wanted the kids to come over. We did a scavenger hunt around the neighborhood, decorated cookies and Russell was in town so he set up the ever famous haunted house downstairs. He sectioned off the room downstairs with sheets hanging from the ceiling and my dad of course was always at the end ready to scare the crap out of everyone. The kids thought this was the best thing ever!!!! I can remember as a little girl my family always doing the neighborhood haunted house and us kids were in it. I remember i was some mummy laying on the piano one year. I also remember being so so so scared to be downstairs in the dark waiting for people to go through. Even though I knew it was my dad at the end with a big scary mask on it still freaked me out. Once again no camera for this activity!!!!! I should not be out.

Kevin and I didn't have the kids this year for Halloween, which I might add is very very difficult. I hate not being with the kids each weekend little alone on holidays. My friend Jackie had a Halloween party at her house so we went the for the night. Which by the way was to much fun!

ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLE????

Gabe started Football this year and not only has he loved it, I have loved watching him play. He started out a little timid and by the end of the season this boy was sacking the quarterback and tackling every guy that came to his side. He played Offensive and Defense and was many times in every play of the game. Gabe had the best coach. I just can not say enough good things about this guy. He told us at the first parent meeting that he will not yell at the boys and if he sees any parents yelling they will be asked to leave. He stuck to it. Every single game Gabe would mention how mean the other coaches were for yelling at the boys and how grateful he was that his coach was nice. His team did really really well. They lost one game the whole season and went to the playoffs. We won the first round and lost in the second round just missing the championship game. I cried, Gabe cried, the coach cried when they lost, but the coach with a tear in his eye said you boys are champions to me. Ohhh it was a good good season. Gabe earned a few times different awards throughout the year, one for most 100% effort and one for team work. Gabe loves this game and I am so excited to watch him learn and grow with it. It is such an amazing feeling to watch your child play!!! I couldn't miss one game and we took a couple of trips during the season and Gabe always wanted to come back and play his games, which I thought was great sportsmanship. So after all the many long drives back and forth to the sand dunes and back and forth from Midway... It was worth every single mile. Great job Gabe!!

Mom his #1 fan

Max was the team Mascot

A little Offense

Huddled up

Half time

Some defense

Gabe turns 9

OK so I feel terrible for forgetting my camera for the bday party! I did have my phone so I was able to capture a few pictures, but oh I hate it when I don't get a ton of pictures :(


Gabe wanted to take a couple of friends boating for his birthday. The boys had so much fun, tubing and playing in the water. It was something new to not have a big ole production for the birthday and I tell ya what it was fantastic!! I loved it.

Gabe is such a sweet boy. He loves to be home all the time and he rarely complains. He has to live with 2 sisters so he doesn't really get to! HA He loves going to scouts and has just started football which he is loving. Gabe has a love for animals, especially reptiles. He loves his turtle and gets so excited to find creepy crawly creatures out in the desert. I couldn't be happier with Gabe and how well handles life. He is such a help to me and I am so thankful for how much he has blessed my life.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

I can't believe how time is slipping past me. The kids were very excited to start school again this year. They still want to go to a school where they don't have to wear uniforms, and not have to drive to school when the bus stops right in front of our house. But I think that one day they might thank me. Doubt it, I'm sure if they are anything like me they will hold it against me.


The kids were so excited to go to the school and see the class list posted of which class they will be in and who was going to be in class with them. I still remember riding my bike over to Twin Peaks like 5 times a day to review the list again and again like it was going to change or something! HA

Jacob is going into the big 9th grade, Emma is going into 5th grade, Gabe is going into 3rd and Lauren is going into 2nd.

Our new Baby!

We have been wanting for some time to get either a cat or a dog. Since I was informed by Kevin that we will not get another cat in this house we went with a dog. I have been looking online for some time now and found this darling little PUG. Lauren had received a lot of money for her birthday and said she wanted to pay for half the dog. Soooooooo I loaded up the kids and we went to go look at the puppy. Of course we had to get him. So meet our new member of the family Max. The puppy is the sweetest thing. He is so much fun. Lauren has been very responsible and takes the dog out to go to the bathroom. Cleans up after him and of course lugs him around every where we go. He is such much fun and he is great with the kids. The cat has even learned to tolerate him.

How can you not just love him?!