Im ready!

I am so ready to kick 2008 out the door and start a new year! 2008 was a rough year and Im hoping that 2009 will be better.

- We've had vet visits with Izzie (French Bulldog) to figure out why she is itching so bad. She has allergies to pretty much everything. She scratches herself until she has no hair and sores everywhere. She looks pretty bad. Izzie turned 1 in September.

- Dallas (English Bulldog) turned 3 in November. It seems like just yesterday we were picking her up as a 8 week old puppy from the airport. Dallas is a pretty girl, she's still mean and doesn't like anybody, but we love her anyway. Dallas is a HUGE daddy's girl. She loves to lay with her dad.

- Tater (English Bulldog) turned 2 in May. He is a big silly guy. He looks like a body builder muscle guy. Tater Tot loves everyone!

- Mox (Boston Terrier) turned 2 in June. He is quite a character that enjoys stealing toys and starting fights with Tater.

- KayCee (Boston Terrier) is my little princess. She turned 2 in November. KayCee loves her mom and wants all my attention on her. She doesn't like to share me with the other dogs.

- We made a big change in September and switched to RAW food. All the dogs except Tater eat RAW. We feed raw chicken, goat, fish, lamb, beef, pork, turkey, rabbit. We switched to RAW hoping that it would help Izzie's allergies. It has helped some but she is still itchy. The dogs coats have improved so much, they are all beautiful! Dallas is a deep shiny red. They don't shed hardly at all. And their poops are small, and don't stink. We are loving the RAW diet so far.

- We moved in May. What a pain in the butt! We moved from Mesa, to Queen Creek. We LOVE Queen Creek so far. It's a farther drive for Dana to get to work, but it is so much quieter in Queen Creek. We moved into a 4 bedroom, 3 full bath house. It's a nice size house, not to big or to small.

- Blake started Jr High at J.O. Combs Middle School. He has made alot of new friends, and still stays in touch with his Mesa friends. His first day of school he found out that his electives were going to be Drama and Guitar. He was not excited about either one. He ended up enjoying Drama quite a bit. He did good in guitar class, but didn't enjoy the teacher. Blake is also getting into skateboarding. He is really good and Queen Creek has a skate park that he can go to and skate.

- Jayden started school at Ranch Elementary School. It is a brand new school, they barely finished building it in time for school to start. Jayden has made quite a few new friends too. Michelle is her best bud. Michelle has horses and Jayden enjoys going to her house. Jayden also stays in touch with her Mesa friends. Jayden chose to take band again and still plays her flute. She is very good and getting even better at playing it.

- Dana is still working construction, building freeways. Right now he is working on the 101 freeway in Scottsdale putting in HOV lanes. Dana also still hauls cows with Ty when he can. Dana and Ty have made quite a few runs to Northern California hauling calves. I know Dana enjoys it when he goes with Ty. Dana will be going back to California to work. He will be near Yuma building a canal in the middle of the sand dunes. That should be a fun job for him.

- Im still busy. With 2 kids, 5 dogs, 1 Amazon parrot, 3 tortoises, 2 parakeets, and 2 cockatiels, I have plenty to do and am never bored.

Jayden and Gramma's

Jayden got to spend some time at her Gramma Debs house. She went home with Gramma on Saturday Dec 20th. Jayden, Cody, and Gramma went to Graham Mountain to collect some wood to make a bird perch for my birds. It was cold on the mountain but they got some good wood.

On Sunday evening Jayden got to go to Auntie Krikets house and play with her cousins. The first night there.. Jayden, Tyler and Destiny decided to go to the little corner store for soda and candy.. it was 2 in the morning! They had their PJ's and shoes on, and left the house while Kriket was sleeping. They came back home after they walked to the store and found it closed. Silly kid

While at her Aunties house, Jayden and cousins got a visit from Santa! Jayden and Tyler ran and hid, but Kriket managed to convince them to sit on Santa's lap. She even got a few pictures.

All the kids played outside from the time they woke up until it was dark. They got to go play in the snow for a little while, and they all enjoyed that. I'm so thankful that they all get along and play so well together. This was the first time that they have really been able to play.

Jayden came home on Christmas Eve. We drove to Miami and met Gramma Debs and exchanged some presents. Jayden missed her cousins and her cousins were very upset that Jayden had to go home. They are already making plans for this summer.

Merry Christmas

I just wanted to post real fast and tell everyone - MERRY CHRISTMAS!! I hope everyone enjoyed their day, and spent it the way they wanted too. I also hope that you got what you wanted or needed the most!

We spent the day at home. Just relaxing with the kids and dogs. It was nice to stay in PJ's all day and just relax. We did lots of coloring in Jayden's new coloring books. Blake was sad, he got a new skateboard and grind rail and couldn't use it because it rained all day.

Anyway... Merry Christmas to my friends and family.

Some new pictures

We snapped some family pictures.. finally!

Me and the kids being silly.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! This year was a little different then most years. We like to stay home and make our own dinner. Usually we have someone over that has no where else to go. Blake was invited to go to the dunes with his Uncle Brett and his cousins. We dropped him off at the Pilot truck stop in Eloy on Tuesday night. He was so excited to see his cousins and head to the dunes. Jayden had a school project that was due on Wednesday so she stayed home.

Thursday morning we get up early and start the turkey. I love all the preparation that goes in to getting the turkey ready. Jayden got to help in the kitchen with everything this year. She helped to make deviled eggs, she helped make stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole. And she layed out the celery and cheese. She is a big help in the kitchen now.

We ate at about 3pm. It was just Jayden, Dana, and me at our table this year. We had a good time, and ate alot. We called Blake and talked to him. We managed to catch him in between going riding and got to talk to him for about 15 minutes. It was a real good day!

I am thankful this year for -
- My kids. They make me a better person, and mother.
- Dana. He works hard to provide for us.
- My family. Families are the best.
- Friends. Without friends, where would we be?

It was a perfect day. Now the holidays are in full swing. I am looking forward to decorating for Christmas. I love putting up a tree, putting up lights, and being with family.

Nov. 4th...

I know Im running way behind. November went by so fast. I try and blog once a week or so, but it's been almost a month since I sat down and blogged. So, here goes......

November 4th, 1995 -

(Look how young we are Haha :)

We celebrated 13 years together. I don't think anyone expected us to make it this long. But we have. We've had a bunch of ups and downs, highs and lows. But, we are still here. We've had 2 wonderful, perfect, great kids. And we love them with all our hearts. We have a houseful of animals that we love along with their messes and noise. We aren't perfect, no one else is anyway. We both have made and will make mistakes again, Im sure.

Thank you Dana for taking care of me. =)

Smart Kids

Blake and Jayden both made it on the Principal's List for the 1st quarter grades!!

This was the first time for Jayden, we are SO proud of her for working hard and getting her grades up.

This was Blake's second time on the Principal's List. But, it's a first in Jr. High!

Way to go Blake and Jayden, keep up the good work. I love you both!

School Pictures!

The kids got their school pictures back. I think they turned out really good!

Blake - 7th grade

Jayden- 6th grade

Updates and new stuff

- Update - Blake didn't make the basketball team. He was upset about it until he heard from his friends how the first practice went. The first team practice was this morning (Tues, Oct. 28th), they had to run suicide drills for an hour before school. Blake knew his feet would have been hurting bad and he would have had no way to ice them after practice. That wouldn't have been a good thing for him. We had a nice talk with him, and we decided that at least he tried out, and he tried his best. He is planning on trying out for baseball in the Spring.

Jayden had her first band concert of the year. Her school, Ranch Elementary, is brand new so they had the dedication for the school. Jayden plays the flute again this year, and she is really good. Her concert was on Oct. 22. She did great!

Thursday Oct. 23rd, I volunteered at Jaydens school for an after school Science Club activity... We dissected squids! I had a group of 10 girls, including Jayden. We all had our own squids, and a paper sheet to follow with directions. Most of the girls did not want to cut their own up and find the parts. I took my camera, but my hands were to slimy to take any pictures. (I doubt anyone wanted to see those pictures =) ...I spent my time going from girl to girl helping out. We all learned alot about how squids work, and also how to tell a male from a female once they are cut open. We even got to write our name using the squids ink! Jayden is my daughter through and through. Not one time was she grossed out. She was the only one that I didn't have to help out. I am VERY proud of her.

Basketball!

Blake has spent the last week trying out for his Jr. High basketball team! He said that there are 12 spots on the team, and there are 28 kids trying out. We are keeping our fingers crossed for him that he can make it on the team.

His feet are hurting him. I think everyone knows about his feet problems. He took a year off from sports, like his foot specialist recommended. He is wearing his molded pads from his Gramma Debs, and his feet stretchy bands from Grandma and Grandpa Clerc. He is also wearing good hi-top shoes. At this point (only a week into practices), the swelling and tenderness, and lumps on the back of his heels are back. We have him icing his feet as soon as he walks in the door from practice, and taking an Advil. By morning, he can barely get out of bed. He knows the risks he is taking by playing, but he wants to take that risk and play sports. He is so good at every sport he tries. And we support him fully. I think we are going to go back to the Dr. and see about getting a referral to another foot specialist. I don't know what else to do for him. We do *NOT* want him to have the surgery on his tendons, and are willing to try every alternative. So, please keep Blake in your thoughts and prayers that he can get better and play the sports he loves!!

The basketball coach will be posting the kids that make the team on Monday morning. Blake has said that he will call me and tell me if he made it. This is his first time trying out for a sport, and his first school sport. He said that he won't be able to sleep Sunday night because he'll be so nervous.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Dana!! He is 33 today!

Jayden's Haircut

Jayden decided she wanted to get her hair cut. She wanted to cut it pretty short. She's never really cut her hair before, so I asked her to think about it. She thought about it for 2 weeks, and decided to get a new 'do. It turned out really cute! Dana isn't happy with her short hair (he likes long hair), but even he had to admit that it turned out cute. And... here are the pictures to prove it!

before -

after -

Fall... already?

I can't believe that it is already Fall. Even tho it doesn't feel like it on most days here in Queen Creek. We are still getting above 100 degrees! But the calendar says it is fall.

It seems like just yesterday that we were putting up pants, sweatshirts, and jackets. It seems like just yesterday that Dana and I were freezing our butts off on the Harley when we went on the Hells Angels Prison Poker Charity Ride. That was in Feb. We froze in March too when we rode on The Lost Dutchman Poker Charity ride. It was alot of fun, but cooooold! Brrrrrr!

Pretty soon Halloween will be here. Then before we know it, Thanksgiving, and Christmas! I love the holiday season.

Fall means -
1. School starts
2. The holidays are fast approaching, ready or not =)
3. The leaves change
4. FOOTBALL! (A huge hit at our house)
5. Cooler temperatures/ able to open the windows in the evening and let some of that cooler air blow thru the house.
6. We are able to walk the dogs without worrying to much that they are going to overheat.

School Projects

**UPDATE** Blake got an A+!!! He scored 200 points out of a possible 200! Way to go Blake!!




Blake had to make a Civil War battle re-enactment project for Social Studies class. Here is how it turned out. He worked really hard on it and it's a big part of his grade.

Go Diamondbacks!

Sept 12th - Friday night- We scored 2 free tickets to the Diamondbacks baseball game (Thanks Alex!!) We decided that Blake and me would go. We were told that the tickets were behind home plate about 20 rows up off the field, alright! Those are good seats! We got to the game right as the first pitch was being thrown out. Brandon Webb was pitching. This was mine and Blake's 4th game this season. We sat in our seats, we were behind home plate, looking straight down the 3rd base line. We were just out of the net that blocks foul balls. Blake was so excited. We have had some good seats before, but none were THIS good! We were so close that you can hear the guys talking, you can hear the umpire, and every crack of the bat had me ducking for cover thinking a ball was heading our direction. Me and Blake have a deal at all games... if a ball comes our direction, I hit the deck and he saves me! (He's such a good boy, saving his mom)

In the 3rd inning, Blake's all-time favorite Diamondback player, Chris Young #24, came up to bat. Chris Young hits alot of homeruns. We hear the crack of the bat, and the ball heads straight for us! Blake stood up right away, the ball was flying right toward him. Im thinking to myself "He's going to catch it and break his hand".. He wouldn't care, he'd have a ball from his favorite player, and get on ESPN. He's such a BOY! The ball ended up hitting 1 row behind us, bounced into our row, and the guy in the seat next to us caught it, handed it to Blake and said "Here ya go buddy"! That made Blake's night!! He thanked the guy probably 10 times, the guy was very nice!

The Diamondbacks ended up winning 3-2 against the Cincinnati Reds. It was a fun night!

*We had left the house so fast to get to the game, I left without my camera*

Blake's Day -

Blake had quite a day! He gets to school at 8:45 am. He was in Homeroom, which is Science class, when an announcement came over the PA system that all classes in the 7th grade pod needed to go into lockdown mode. That includes getting into a classroom, under a desk. Blake is in a temporary class, kind of like a big office cubicle. His class got up and walked into the nearest classroom and they got under the desks. The principle, Brenda Mayberry, got on the PA system about 30 mins later and told them that they needed to evacuate ASAP, but that they needed to do it in a very calm manner. The teachers moved them out to the baseball field. The kids didn't know what was going on. They have lockdown drills and thought this was a drill until they were asked to calmly but quickly move outside. There were SWAT guys, Pinal County Sheriffs, firefighters, ambulances, bomb sniffing dogs, and Mesa cops moving the kids along. The kids were asked to sit on the baseball field for 30mins, in the sun. The bomb dogs went thru the 7th grade pod while all grades (7th, 8th, and 9th) were moved into the gym, which is all the way across campus from the 7th graders pod. They spent the next 3 hours locked down in the gym! After the 3 hours, nothing was found anywhere in the school and the kids had to form a line and go thru a check point type thing to have their backpacks sniffed by the bomb dogs. After it was over, the kids were allowed to go back to their classes.
At about 1pm, I got a call from the school saying that there was a bomb threat directed at the 7th grade pod. They also said that Pinal County Sheriff Department fully checked out the area and found it safe. We were *not* to come pick up our students, that school would be released at the normal time of 3:48 pm.
It was so hard to wait to go and get Blake! When I got there to pick him up I asked him if he was scared, he said "No, we didn't even know what was going on for a long time." He was more upset about missing all his classes then anything!

Thank goodness that it turned out to be nothing! Thank goodness for bomb sniffing dogs! Thank goodness that Pinal County took the threat seriously and evacuated the kids and checked everything out! Im glad that it all turned out so well.

Remembering September 11th 2001

September 11th, 2001 was a sad, sad day. I remember where I was when I heard the news. Dana was working nights on the 60 freeway in Mesa. I had to wake up early to pick him up from work. I was driving down Greenfield road, listening to the radio and they were talking about a small plane hitting the World Trade Center. At that time, it had just happened and there wasen't very much information available. I got to the yard where I pick Dana up and all the guys were standing around a bosses truck listening to the radio. While we were standing there, reports came in that another plane hit the towers. At this point, everyone around us is saying that "this canNOT be an accident!" News reports came in saying that they weren't little planes, they were big passenger planes. We were all thinking "what is going on??"

We drove home listening to the radio the whole time. As soon as we got home we turned on CNN, the first images we saw were the burning towers, people running, and smoke and fire all over. There were so many news reports and stories coming in. Before we knew it, the towers were falling to the ground!! And news came about a plane hitting the Pentagon.

The kids were school age. Blake was in Kindergarten and Jayden was in Preschool. I didn't want to send them to school. The country was on lockdown, scared, and afraid of what was coming next. I ended up taking the kids to school. Word came about the hi-jacked plane that went down in the field in Pennsylvania. I sat glued to the Tv, watching CNN all day. I cried and cried thinking of the poor people trapped inside the towers, in the Pentagon, on the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania. I cried for the families of all these people. I cried for the workers, police, and fire department that died.

Today I will be thinking of the 2,974 people that died in the attacks, and their families. *We Will NEVER Forget*

School Pictures

It's that time of the year again... School pictures! Jayden has her pictures today. Blake's aren't until mid-September. Here is what Jayden wore for pictures. She looked really cute. She is at the age where she is picks her own clothes and doesn't rely on me to pick them out for her. I think she did a good job!

Jayden - The Toad Wrangler

Jayden went to her friend Michelles house over the weekend and brought home 11 toads! We have some big mud puddles near our house and was filled with tadpoles! So... we collected tadpoles today! We were covered in stinky mud, but we caught a bunch of nasty little tadpoles!

Let's see if I can add a picture.

Blake and Jayden

First Post!

Im new to this whole blogging thing. I thought I'd try it out and see how it goes.