"WRAPPING UP" THE MONTH OF MAY

Well, hard to believe but May is practically over! Four days left of school and my kids are excited to start their summer vacations. These last few weeks have been busy for our family. It seems as though we were doing something everyday between work, band concerts, birthday parties, appointments, Scouts etc. I look forward to the slow down! I will try to quickly update our month of May.

The most EXCITING news is that Kevan received the promotion at Coca-Cola Enterprises that he was hoping for. He loves his new position and is thrilled at the challenges it will bring. He has worked hard and is a year ahead of schedule from the goal he originally set. I am proud of him and his dedication! He is a WONDERFUL provider for our family!



Bailey Rose had her Re-Dedication in Brownies and her Leaders put on a wonderful year end program. It was enjoyable to watch Bailey Rose at the ceremony! Next year she will enter her third year of Brownies and she is really looking forward to it!





Keaton had his last Band concert for the year and he plays so well compared to the beginning of the year. He LOVES the trumpet and plays is all the time. He will have to take a break from it this summer though as he is having mouth surgery and will not be able to play it again until just before school starts. He will take his second year of band this next school year and looks forward to it. He also crossed over from Cub Scouts into Boy Scouts this month with his good friend Kevin. He is looking forward to being in the older Scouting Program. One of his Webeblo Leaders made a display to hang all of his badges and pins that he has earned over the last three years and presented them at the May Pack Meeting!



Bailey Rose had her front teeth pulled by the dentist. For some reason they did not want to come out on their own. She did very good and only squealed a few times. I on only the other hand had a hard time watching my little girl go through that. It is so hard not to be able to experience the hard things for my children and to watch them go through the pain and hurt. I think it is a very small glimpse of the way Heavenly Father feels when he watches all of his children experience pain and hurt. I was glad it was short lived and now she is once again a happy but toothless little girl. I LOVE to listen to her talk with her cute little lisp.



This weekend the kids christened our pool for yet another swimming season! I think the pool is still a bit too cold to swim but I don't think temps bother kids that much. They had a blast!





While the kids were swimming Kevan cleaned the pool filters. He hates the job it is but does it anyways. He won't pay to have someone else clean them since it is a simple job just time consuming. He refused sunscreen and so he is now sporting a nice painful sunburn.



Well tomorrow starts the last week of school and now that all the year end projects and reports are done including Kevan's finals we might just be able to slow down and enjoy this last week a little! Once June hits we take off to Disneyland for a family vacation and will celebrate Keaton's 11th birthday and in July we will celebrate Bailey Rose's 9th birthday. They are growing just too fast!

RANDOM UPDATE!

I cannot believe just how quickly April has flown by. Just this morning at breakfast Keaton blurted out, "Mom, there is only 21 days of school left and that is less then one month!" It has been a busy month and now it is just about over. At the beginning of April Keaton and the rest of his Webelo Troop went on a hike and cooked foil dinners. Kevan and one of another boy's dad went along to help and the boys really had a blast! Keaton received his "Arrow of Light" at April's Pack Mtg. I can't believe Keaton will be leaving Cub Scouts and entering Boy Scouts in the next month. Time just flies too quickly! (Thanks to Lane for all the pictures of the hike and thanks to Heather for sharing them!)


This is my new friend! I love this machine! Kev and I decided that since we have FINALLY paid off his truck that we would treat ourselves so we decided to buy this beauty. Now I can exercise in the privacy of my home whenever I want. I haven't missed a day since we got it. Kev does not consider this a friend but, he has been putting forth a good amount of effort to use it more regularly. I keep telling him that since we are getting older we need to start really watching how we eat and exercise more he is not as enthusiastic as I am about to my new philosophy to eat well and exercise! :) Well, when you live in the desert you almost have to join a gym if you want to exercise on a daily basis because once the heat hits it doesn't let up for several months. So I am real excited about having this, I know I will enjoy this for years to come!


This last weekend, I decided I needed some change so I chose to move our living room around. Now this is quite a job because, it requires moving our "monster" of an entertainment center which only Kev can do because, I am too small to do it on my own. It also requires unhooking of all the electronic equipment etc. and hooking it back up again. I am not so good at doing all those things. There are just too many cords!
He was not thrilled at the idea but, did it for me anyways. I tell ya I just love this man! I didn't really care for the arrangement once we got it all moved but couldn't bring myself to make him move the entertainment center again so I decided I would leave it and it is actually starting to grow on me now but, he knows I will want to move it again in a few months so I know he is anticipating moving it again anyways. He knows me too well!



On a "cutie" note ~ My little Bailey Rose made breakfast for her daddy one morningthis weekend. It was complete with a hard boiled egg, bagels, and orange juice. It was too cute to watch her fix this by herself for her favorite guy. She is a big "Daddy's Girl" and loves to surprise him with things like this. He was very appreciative of it and gobbled it up like any good daddy would. :)

ROLLER RINK FUN!!!

Last night the school had a fundraiser at the local Skate Rink and the kids begged Kev and I to take them. Now neither of my kids have ever been on skates so we figured that since this is something they would have never done then we may as well let them have the experience. It was the most hilarious sight! I couldn't stop laughing at how jello like their little legs went when they got out on the floor. I had to try and contain my laughter around Keaton as he is quite sensitive about people laughing around him. It was like watching them learn to walk for the first time again. Poor Keaton he fell so many times but, he was a trooper and kept getting up and kept trying. Bailey Rose well, she found out that the carpeted floor was a lot easier to skate on and that she wouldn't fall as much so once she discovered that she never left the carpet again. She skated or should I say inched herself up and down the small strip of carpet off the side of the skating floor. She then got bored until daddy bought her a purple glow stick and then she was all smiles again. It was quite fun to get out and skate which is something Kev and I haven't done since we were very young. I think Kev was nervous at first until he got his footing but, soon found out that roller skating is just like riding a bike ~ you never forget how. All in all it was a very fun family activity with chocolate milkshakes to top it off. The kids had so much fun they were still talking about it this morning.

This last week has been a roller coaster! We found out last week that a very dear friend passed away leaving his wife and 5 beautiful children. CP and his family are such dear friends and his wife Tiffany is probably one of the strongest women I know but, with that being said my heart just aches for her and her children and the pain and loss that they must feel. It was extremely hard news to grasp.Kev and I just keep saying to one another how we just can't believe he is really gone. Even Keaton and Bailey Rose are saddened by his passing, they loved CP too, he was always so good to them and boy could he make them laugh! Nobody went unnoticed with CP, he was always serving in one capacity or another. The funeral services were just beautiful and it was very evident that CP touched the lives of soooo many. He was the kind of person that left an impression and we will miss his friendship and his humor and his talents. He had such a beautiful singing voice. We feel so blessed to have known CP and we continue to pray for Tiffany and her family, that they will find peace and comfort as they continue on. We love you guys!!!

I had the opportunity to go to Atlanta, Georgia for a few days to attend a conference for work. The conference was really good and I learned a lot! I also enjoyed the change of scenery. It was so refreshing to see the lush green trees instead of the brown , dry desert. It was a lot harder to be away from my kiddos and my hubby then I thought it would be. I missed them like crazy! Kev took a few days off so that he could play "Mom" and make sure the kids got to school etc. He did a FANTASTIC job! I am grateful for his support so that I could go and have this experience. LOVE YOU BABE!!!

While I was in Atlanta, I had the opportunity to go to the Coca-Cola Museum. It was a lot of fun! Kev was jealous as he is the one who works for Coke. I realized that there is so much history and so many things to do in Atlanta. I would love to vacation there and have the time to see and do everything there. However, I think the kids might appreciate it when they are older. There are a lot of historical places and they have yet to learn about them in school. I did not enjoy the Taxi Cab experience though. They are crazy drivers and I felt like I was risking my life every time I got into one. I would be okay never to ride in a Taxi again for the rest of my life!

I took lots of pictures but will have to post them later after I sort through them!
Yes, it was a busy and roller coaster week and I am glad it has come to an end! The kids have 6 weeks of school left until summer break and then we are off to Disneyland for a much needed family vacation. Nicole and Dayna (Kev's girls) will meet us in California so that they can join us at Disneyland. We are all looking forward to this vacation and it will be good to spend sometime together as a family!

EASTER 2010

Well, the Easter celebration started off Saturday night with dying Easter eggs. This year we chose a Tie-Dye kit and I thought the eggs turned out pretty good. Keaton and Bailey had fun with it too!






Then Easter morning the kids found their hidden Easter Baskets and as we watched General Conference they ate candy! After the last session of Conference in the afternoon we met with family out at Grandpa & Grandma Smith's house. Grandpa had the fun jump set up and the cousins went on an Easter Egg Hunt and got even more candy. They had a BLAST being together. Cousins really are the best! I have such fond memories of playing with my cousins and I'm glad Keaton & Bailey will have fond memories too! This year we decided to BBQ. My parents have so much going on in their lives right now, we thought we would keep it simple and informal just to give them a break from cooking. It was just so much fun and we all enjoyed the food and the company. Kevan really enjoyed just sitting back and relaxing, something he doesn't get to do much of.. He works so much and was able to get off early this Easter so he was able to join us in the celebration.










After dinner Uncle Brian got out the BB Gun and the boys and men practiced shooting soda cans off of the wall. Kev taught Keaton for the first time to shoot a gun and Keaton enjoyed every minute of it. Personally, I think it was because, he was spending time with his Dad doing guys stuff. Keaton actually hit a soda can and boy was his dad proud of him! Keaton was pretty excited about it himself! We all had LOTS of FUN! There is nothing like getting together to eat good food, visit and watch the cousins play! LIFE IS GOOD!

MORNING VISITORS

This morning as I was in the kitchen I heard a weird sound coming from the backyard. I went and looked out the windows and and to my surprise we had visitors. I couldn't believe it, there were two ducks swimming in our pool. Now I have seen ducks many many times before but in all the years we have lived in this house I have never seen them in our pool. I called to the kids and they came running and for about twenty minutes this morning we all sat at the kitchen window and watched our visitors swim, bathe, and explore our backyard. Then they took flight and they were gone. What a fun and interesting sight to watch!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ! I LOVE YOU SWEETIE!


"13" WONDERFUL YEARS AND LOOKING FORWARD TO MANY MORE.

BYE BYE UNION

Kevan who works for Coca-Cola, was the petitioner that has been trying to desertify the Union for the Coca-Cola employees at the Tempe Plant. Well yesterday was the vote as to whether or not the employees wanted the Union to work on their behalf or not. Last night at around 11:30pm Kevan called to tell me that the votes had been counted and that the Union was OUT! This is good news as now we can except fair raises and a much better benefits package. He was told that this was the biggest Union desertification in Coca-Cola history. He was thanked over and over by the BIG GUYS there at the plant as this is better for Coca-Cola all around. Now after 4 long months of collecting signatures and filing of the petition things can get back to normal and hopefully he will move up into the Sales position he has been training for and leave his merchandising days behind! Good job Babe!

AUNT DEB!

This is Aunt Deb! She is my kids favorite Aunt and they just adore her. She is also my little sister and I just love her to death. The kids were so thrilled because a few nights ago because, Aunt Deb was coming to babysit, they could hardly contain their excitement. When we arrived home the kids were in a game of hide-n-seek with Aunt Deb and when we walked in the door my kids booed at the fact that we were home because they knew that it meant Deb would be leaving. They just LOVE her! The next morning the kids told me all about how much fun they had with her and wanted to know when she would be coming back to play with them. It's not like they don't see her all the time at family functions and all but when she is babysitting they don't have to share her with the other cousins. They love their one on one time with her. I'm pretty sure that the other cousins feel exactly the same when she babysits them. She is a pretty SPECIAL person to all of us!

ONE WEEK TO GO!

Yes, I realize we have another week of February but, I am SO looking forward to a new month. March brings warmer weather and the tree in my front yard will begin to bloom new leaves and start to get green and full again. It always depresses me when all the leaves drop off and it is nothing but bare branches. It also means my husband will want to clean up the yard of all the dead leaves and over grown bushes etc. I like it when the yard is all trimmed and weedless and the dead leaves are not seen as a ground cover. March is also the month for Spring Break! We aren't going anywhere but, it means that I can start some serious home projects without the interruptions of having to go pick up the kids from school or helping with homework. I love that March brings the start of Spring and for that I am grateful! It means we have made it through another winter and hopefully this Spring Kev will be promoted to the next level in Sales with Coca-Cola. He has finished his training required for the promotion and he really wants it badly so hopefully the Lord will bless him with it. So hear is looking forward to March!!!

LOCKED OUT!

Well, this Valentine's Day will never be forgotten. First we woke up late for church ( I am NOT a fan of 8am church!) After running around in a mad dash trying to get the kids ready and myself ready we finally made it out the door, an hour late of course. We started to the car and my hubby says, "Diana, do you have your keys?" I usually bring my purse with me everywhere but today I figured there was just no reason to carry it around so I respond, " Nope, I didn't bring it today." Then Kev informs me that in the rush to get out the door he grabbed his scriptures but forgot to grab his keys. GREAT! He has a spare key hidden on the car so getting to church was no problem. However, after church we all assembled in the backyard where Kev is sure he left the bedroom window unlocked and we can get entry into the house from there. Well, after removing the screen and bending the frame so it won't go back on the window without "tweaking it" with tools, we find out that the window is locked. All the windows are locked and we have NEVER given a spare key to any family members just in case this happens. Well, the only thing left to do was call a locksmith. Now of course my husband has his phone on him since he never goes anywhere without it. So this means this morning grabbing his cell phone and his scriptures took priority over the house and car keys. Gotta love the way he prioritizes! Well, after waiting about 40 minutes and enduring Keaton & Bailey Rose reminding us over and over that they feel like they are going to die of starvation, the locksmith came and quoted us $120.00 plus the $35 trip charge to unlock ONE simple lock. Are you kidding me? This was NOT in our budget! Well, after the locksmith opened the door in seconds flat my husband was able to talk him down to $70.00 total. Still it was not in our budget but it is better then $155!

LOVES OF MY LIFE!

I still remember my first Valentine's Day with Kevan. He had invited me over to his place where he had a beautifully set table with a tablecloth ( for some reason he was real proud of fact that he had a tablecloth.) He had candles so we could eat the lovely restaurant bought dinner by candle light and he even bought a classical CD to play while we ate. I remember thinking how sweet it was that he would do something so wonderful for me. We were engaged already and so I really thought, "Wow, how lucky am I?" Well, we have been married for about 13 years now and he has yet to live up to that very first Valentine's Day. However, I love him like crazy and wouldn't change a thing. He has been a fantastic husband and an incredible father. Together we have been through highs and extreme lows and he has been my rock through it all. His is and always will be the love of my life. I LOVE you Kev!

Keaton is the light at the end of a tunnel for me. After the birth and death of our daughter Sierra followed by two miscarriages Keaton joined our family. He was a miracle and when I heard his strong lungs cry out for the first time as he entered the world I marveled at the perfect little being he was and I have enjoyed every minute of being his mother. He is becoming such a wonderful young man and even though it has been hard at times to see him grow up and become more independent, I look forward to the day he finds a worthy young woman to take to the Temple. I LOVE you Keaton!

Bailey Rose joined our family after we were told I had secondary infertility and we could not have more children of our own. This devastated me but we were determined to add more to our family so we started the procedures to adopt through LDS Family Services. After several weeks of paper work we were set up to have our first interview. The night before our interview I found out I was pregnant. Another miracle! After another very stressful pregnancy Bailey Rose came into our family and I can honestly say she makes us complete. She is our little "HAM" and never stops talking and keeps us laughing with her silly little sense of humor. She is a joy to raise and will be a wonderful mother herself someday. I LOVE you Bailey Rose!

I truly feel blessed to be a wife and mother and to spend Valentine's Day loving these three wonderful people.

SURPRISE FILM !

A few weeks ago I opened up my old camera case and found two undeveloped rolls of film. I have not used that camera in years because we had bought a digital camera so I tucked my old camera into the back of a drawer and forgot about it. Well, I was looking into the drawer and cleaning it out a few weeks ago and I pulled out the camera and opened the side pockets of the case and found the film. I had no idea what was on the rolls of film or how old they were. I took them in and had them developed and was delighted to find they were from Bailey's 2nd birthday about 6 1/2 years ago. I was a bit disappointed because the color quality was poor since the film was so old. However, I was able to scan them and try to edit and enhance them on the computer. I'm posting my favorites! Boy, I sure miss my babes being small.

PLAYING IN A BOX

THE "FIX IT" CREW

LOVING MY SISTER

HARD KNOCKS OF LIFE

It seems as though lately Keaton has become resentful of the fact that his dad has to work so much. He gets upset when Kev has to sit at the computer and do school work or when he has to work the night job and be gone at night. Kev and I agreed that maybe the night job was becoming too much for him with school and his full time job with Coca Cola. He actually had kind of a meltdown one Saturday with everything on his plate. Together we decided that even though the money from the night job helped a lot it was time to let it go so Kev would not be stretched so thin and maybe spend more time with at home with us. Keaton was so excited when he heard this and kept asking, "When is dad's last day at the night job?" Well, not long after Kev told the kids he was going to quit he decided not to quit so he could help his parents out with some financial help. Isn't he a GREAT guy? Here is is stretched thinner then thin and just dreaming of the day he could quit the night job which he has come to hate, so he could concentrate more on school and then after talking with his mom one day he decides he will stick it out just to help them. Well, when Keaton heard he wasn't quitting he got real upset. It is weird because, normally Keaton is so passive and just goes with the flow but lately he has been craving time with his dad and feels it is unfair he doesn't get it. Maybe it's because he is getting older but dad is his favorite person right now and unfortunately Keaton doesn't understand that life is not always what we want it to be and that sometimes we have to sacrifice things. I try to tell him that life has some hard knocks and we just have to get through them as best we can and be grateful for the things we do have. It doesn't go over very well with a 10 year old and it breaks my heart that Kevan is gone so much and then when he is home he is busy with school when I know Kev would rather be playing with the kids. I know that someday Keaton will come to understand that his dad is the kind of dad that has always worked hard and that he has done it so that Keaton and Bailey Rose could have the things that they needed and then some. I hope he sees the example Kev sets as a hard worker and that Keaton will be a hard worker when he is a husband and father. However, right now my heart breaks for him at his young age as I see him wanting his dad around more. He loves his dad so much and wants him around more and well, it's just not fair when you are a 10 year old!