4 Years Ago!

2012- Yesterday for Crazy Hair Day

Found him "fixing stuff" with his little drill and of course the safety goggles!

So happy to get his baseball trophy last week

2012- Tie Day at school

2011

2010

2009

2008

That's right.  4 years ago tonight, we stepped off the plane with our little Serbian.  He was so tiny and low tone.  Not anymore.  Now we wonder if anyone has told him that he is not supposed to be so strong!  Boy is he an athlete! He cannot wait until he can play more sports.  This year he played baseball and hit coach pitch better than half the team. (And he is by far the youngest player.)  He can run, jump and climb like you've never seen.  OK--I had never seen.  My other 3 were busy but mellow.  Max can rearrange a room in 10 minutes.  I mean, everything out of the closet, mattresses on the floor, water bottle emptied on the carpet...  Max is my "always know where he is or you will pay for it" kid.  :-)  He LOVES the garbage truck and could watch a landscape crew all day.  He loves hats, sunglasses, crazy colored socks, and scarves.  He is funny as funny can be.  He is smart and figures out  everything before I think he can/should.  He is so fun to sing with as he uses his funny voices to make me laugh. His smile is the best around.  I really, really cannot imagine my life without him!  He adds spice to my life making sure it is never dull or boring.  Oh how I love that boy of mine.  I thank my Father in Heaven for leading us to him! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIA

10 years old! Wow. So, in honor of her 10th, here are 10 things about Tia:

1. Tia is our little entertainer. She loves to sing and dance and talk. And talk. And talk.

2. She is super flexible and can tie herself into a human pretzel.

3. She's a picky eater and has eaten the same things since she was a year old, pretty much. I'm so done smelling Vienna sausages. But the girl loves them!

4. She has several celebrity boyfriends. She especially loves Greyson Chance! If you don't know who he is, you tube him. He's adorable.

5. She HATES to have her hair done! But she also hates to wear her hair down. Everyday she begs for "just a ponytail".

6. Her favorite color is pink pink pink!

7. She is in 4th grade and she loves school.

8. Her nickname is Tia Maria Sophia Tortilla Shnookems Girlfriend.

9. She has an amazing memory and rarely misses a spelling word.

10. She is happy most of the time which is a huge blessing! She is just super fun and contagious.

Is this a Reality show?

So here are a few more of the funny things my kids say/do:

Tyler recently got new glasses. As the woman fit them to his face he turned and looked in the little oval mirror that sits on the table. Then says, "Well hello Mr. Huff." We were totally laughing. I love that guy!

The other day my sitter was putting Max down for a nap. We turn the light off by the string hanging off the light on the ceiling. This way the boys can't just get up and turn the wall switch on all the time. Well, this is not a problem for me as I am 5'8" but my sitter is 5'4". She was jumping to get the string and Max says, "Tammy. CHAIR." Like, duh. HAHAHA

This is for all you Veggie Tales lovers out there: Tia was saying she didn't want to go to sleep because she was scared. Tyler said, "Don't be scared Tia. God is bigger than the boogie man." To which Tia said, "Oh, your right Tyler." I laughed but you know, it worked.

So my allergies have been horrible lately. I woke up and was sneezing and sneezing. Tia asked if I was sick and I told her I think I have allergies. She said with great concern, "Oh no. I hope you're not allergic to Roxy!" Now friends, you need to know who Roxy is to make this story funny. Roxy is Tia's IMAGINARY cat! I assured her I was NOT allergic to Roxy.

Now this one I had to wait to tell until was actually laughable to me. Others could laugh much earlier at this story than I could. So here goes:
We had an exchange student for 2 weeks during the summer from China. Sweet 14 year old girl who did not speak much English. I woke up the first morning she was here a little before 6 to get the boys. I noticed Tia's bedroom door was open and neither she or our student were in there. I got the boys and as I came into the front room I noticed the front door wide open. As the anxiety began I looked quickly around the house and didn't see them. So I went outside with a boy in each hand and call for Tia. No answer. (Anxiety mounting) Then our student comes running around the corner. Here's the conversation: (She's JR)
JR: Tia at park. She need help. I help one, I help two, I cannot help anymore. I come to get you mom.
Me: Tia's at the park now?
JR: Yes.
Me: And you are HERE?
JR: Yes.
(Anxiety changed to panic)
I run inside, wake Kevin up and tell him Tia's alone at the park, here's the boys, gotta go.
I take off running for the park. JR is running and only speaking Chinese quietly. (Probably praying I don't kick her out. Poor girl.)
So, I round the corner to the park which is about 2 blocks away, I see Tia. And my anxiety decreases. Hooray for that.

So, what is Tia doing? She is completely wedged in the baby swing. Feet dangling. PJ's on, bare feet hanging. Legs lodged in the holes up to the fold where the thigh meets the hip. You know the swings with the four holes for babies? Well, they are really for babies!!! So let's recap: Tia convinced JR to unlock the door and take her to the park-- before 6 am--while everyone is sleeping. Then she convinced her to put her into the baby swing. Now she can't get out. Her body weight apparently pushed her into the holes but because she was all the way past her thighs, there was NO getting her out. I pulled and JR held the swing but it was never gonna happen.
At this point, what are the choices? I call Kevin who does not answer his phone. So, I tell Tia and JR we will have to call the Fire Dept. JR doesn't understand so I say, "Police." She gets this terrified look and says, "For me?" Seriously, people this is her 1st day in America!!! This poor girl! I know she was just being nice and following my daughter's lead. My daughter with NO concern for safety or danger apparently NOT the best to follow.

So, I do call the Fire Dept. and Kevin eventually answers and loads the boys in the car to come see if there is anything he can do. As he is loading the boys, Tyler asks where they are going. Daddy tells him they are going to help Tia who is stuck in a swing at the park. Tyler then says, "This is Serious." (Wonder Pet fans will get that.)
I was glad Kevin came because the F.D. went around the corner to where I could hear the truck but not see them and they could not see us. Kev ran over and redirected them. I say them. Yes, all 5 of them get out of the truck. People, I am in PJ's. It is not attractive. It is barely 6am. My daughter has left the house without my knowledge and is stuck in a swing. I'm a tad humiliated!

I joke with them about it being a slow morning for them and tell them the situation. And yes, they had to take HUGE cutters of some kind and cut the swing up both sides to get her out. So if anyone in my neighborhood is reading this and wondering why one of the swings was cut and cursing the teenagers that must have done it---it was us. Sorry.

So how was Tia you ask? Does this tell you? "Thank you firefighters! Thank you so much for saving me firefighters! You're my best friends firefighters!" Social butterfly to the tee. But her legs were fine. A bit bruised but fine.
I came home and was ready to crawl into bed for 24 hours as my adrenaline crashed. But no, it was only 6:15 am the day was yet to begin...

So now let's vote? Who wants to trade lives? Liars! You just want to be a fly on my wall and watch the mass chaos that is our life. I love it but I need a therapist! Hahaha Seriously, I know that morning could have been disastrous for us and I was truly blessed to have it turn out as easily as it did.

Hope I made you laugh today and appreciate your own families. I sure do love mine!

First Day of School 2011

Week 3 of school and all is well. We actually have the same aides as last year!!! That has never happened before. I love it. It saves so much time/stress when they already know about my child and his/her capabilities. They can help the new teachers get to know my child quickly too.

Short post today. Just wanted to get the pics up to show how adorable and awesome my kids are. *smile* I will post more about our fun summer another time.

Our California Adventure

Tia's cheer team attended the Nationals in Anaheim. It was amazing to see them perform at such a huge venue. There were 5 special needs teams and hundreds of other teams. Tia was in heaven as she cheered for other teams. Every time she walked by a group of girls she complimented their hair, outfits, makeup, something! In her element for sure. She "won" a trophy, medal and national champion jacket. It was great to see the typical cheer teams interacting with our team and really loving their performance. Thank you to Elite Gym in Scottsdale for giving us this terrific experience!

The day after Nationals, we went to California Adventure which was a blast! Tyler loved Soarin' California, Tia loved the shows, and Max loved driving the bumper car the best. A really great trip.

March already?

Ty's 7th Birthday



New Year's Eve



My husband's full costume Risk game. I think if you click on it, it will be bigger.



The kiddo's Christmas pic.




Adorable pic of Max one fall morning waiting for the bus.



Tia's 9th birthday!


OK so it's been a LONG while and my family and friends are not happy with me. I know that few of you actually want to read my blog, you just want the pics of the kids and I don't blame you. However, I will take a second to catch you up.

Tia's birthday- My big 9 year old girl had a mommy made Dora cheerleader cake this year. Tia is having so much fun in Cheer this year and it has been an awesome experience. I'm sure it will continue for many years to come.

Christmas- was fabulous. Kevin gave me tickets to the opera (Turandot) and I gave him tickets to Pro Bull Riding. We have discovered over 13 years of marriage that we are ying and yang. Sometimes easy, sometimes hard but we compliment each other very well. The kids are amazing at Christmas and I can't imagine it being more fun. They love everything they get and are so thankful. (It was also Max's 4th birthday but we celebrate in May to give him his own day. He is still small and gets asked if he is 2 quite often. Oh well, we can't all be basketball player size.)

Christmas Night-The big Risk game. Kev's family has been doing this since before we met. It used to be hats required, now as you can see from above, it is FULL costume. It is only the guys in the family. (Thank goodness because I do not have any desire to play Risk.) Us girls watch a chic flic and hang out.

New Year's Eve- This year AZ legalized fireworks for a few days a year so we took advantage. The kids had so much fun doing sparklers and watching the fireworks we bought. It was really nice for us because our kids never stay up late enough to see 4th of July fireworks and we were NOT keeping them up til midnight for New Years. My sister's family came down and the kids always love hanging out with cousins!

Tyler's 7th Birthday in Feb.- Added to his collection of Toy Story characters. He had a mommy made Diego and Dora cake and pizza (which for him equals heaven). Lots of friends and relatives over for a great day! I can't believe he's 7.

Lately, we have just been busy with school/work, friends etc. We have had a pretty good winter as far as health. AZ got hit really hard in our area with lots of winter junk so we are lucky not to have anything serious. Right now it is Spring Break so I have been trying to keep the kids busy. Zoo, playground, petting farm, etc. Only one more IEP before summer--hooray. My school is the best and we have been so blessed. Hope everyone is doing well. I will try, try, try to update more often.

HELP A CHILD FIND A FAMILY

How Gorgeous is Jayson?! We want him to find a family!! So....

www.NorthPoleSecretary.com
My friend has a business at Christmas time working for Santa. She sends Christ-centered letters from Santa to children and families. My kids LOVE these letters! This year she approached me about giving part of the proceeds to a child on the Angel Tree at Reece's Rainbow. (See more children on the angel tree at www.reecesrainbow.org I am so thrilled she would do this!!! Let's raise lots of money and get Jayson a family!
Here are the details:
After Nov. 14th North Pole Secretary will be raising funds for Reece's Rainbow, a non-profit agency that helps fund adoption expenses for children with Down syndrome.
35% OF ALL SALES WITH THE PROMO CODE: RR WILL GO STRAIGHT TO OUR SPONSOR CHILD.
Individual letters for your child are $8
A letter to your family is $18

The letters are very detailed and are personalized for your kiddo/family and come postmarked from the real North Pole, Alaska. All letters also recognize your child for an accomplishment this year and talk about the Savior,serving and the true meaning of Christmas.

This is such a fun memory for your kiddos. This is also a fun way to keep kids on their toes through December... parents tell me that their kids were extra good because they got an early letter and knew Santa was watching them! I have clients who order this as a tradition every year!

Last day to order is Dec. 10th.

Letters will begin to be sent out right after Thanksgiving for a Pre-Christmas delivery!

Please visit the website www.NorthPoleSecretary.com to order and pay with debit/credit through PayPal. ON THE ORDERING PAGE THERE IS A PLACE FOR A PROMO CODE. PLEASE ENTER RR SO WE CAN RAISE LOTS FOR THE ANGEL TREE FUND!!!