Newman Family

Easter 2009

2009-04-16T21:10:00.001-07:00

Easter was so fun this year. The kids and I headed down to Sacramento for the Holiday. We had a fun Easter Egg Hunt that Aunt Marlo put together on Saturday, and then it was over to dyeing Easter Eggs and Aunt Mo's house that evening. After church on Sunday we headed over to our friends mom's house for lunch and homemade ice cream yum! Then to Aunt Marlo's for a yummy dinner and another Easter Egg Hunt with the cousins. I love Easter and was so happy to be able to spend it with Family and Friends.

Getting Ready for Christmas

2008-12-07T19:27:00.001-08:00

Taking Christmas pictures is always such a joy!! I give up... I think this one is going to be our Christmas picture this year!!

One of our Christmas trees!! Didn't think I would put any up this year. We will be at my parents house for Christmas!! So I'm still trying to figure out how I got roped into putting up two!!

Halloween Fun....

2008-11-03T19:04:00.001-08:00

The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

Molly's 7

2008-10-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

Snow White- Molly 5
Molly 2 days old
Running threw the sprinklers
Love that belly!!
Molly as Minnie Mouse- 2 years
Molly, My big girl, it's so hard to believe that you are 7. You are such a spunky girl. Love you so much.

Quick Quarantine our House

2008-10-16T11:39:00.000-07:00

So, for the last 2 weeks somebody has been sick at our house. Funny thing is we've all had something different. Molly had the stomach flu, I got a really bad cold, Tyler got a fever and Rash... (well, he still has it) So I'm just waiting to see what Ellee gets. This should be good. Poor Tyler....

"Man"cation to Utah

2008-09-18T14:01:00.001-07:00

Every year Mark goes on a little Vacation with the boys. It's filled with Golf, the BYU football game, GOLF, good food, oh, and did I mention more GOLF. Wow 5 rounds in 3 days!!

Mark's trip to Utah

2008-09-18T14:01:00.000-07:00

Wow, Playing Catch up......

2008-09-09T23:15:00.001-07:00

Us girls took a little trip down to LA for the filming of 2 Dr. Phil shows. We had a blast. Going to the shows, shopping at the mall and laughing til our cheeks hurt. So much fun.
Went out to eat with a few friends from the gym. Fun times were had by all!!

Football, Football, and more Football. Tyler is doing his best out there. They haven't won one yet, but I'm sure they'll get there. Go Jaguars!!
And a lot of dinners with the Whitmore Family. It is so much fun to get together with close friends.

Catchup

2008-09-07T22:02:00.001-07:00

Are you ready for some football??..........

2008-08-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

This year Tyler is playing football instead of soccer. I was a little worried with his size, but he is doing great. He's playing first string both ways. On offense he's playing tight end and loving the position. Saturday they had their first game. Ty was very excited when he caught a pass and ran it for 20 yards for a touchdown. Go Tyler. We have a great group of kids. Go Jaguars!!!

Priscilla's 30th Birthday

2008-08-13T10:46:00.000-07:00

Me and the kids.
Priscilla the Birthday Girl and her crazy husband Unga
From left to right: Meggin Newman, Raquel Cordoza, Priscilla Kauvaka, and Becky Grant

My good friend Priscilla was turning 30 this last Friday, so her husband decided to throw her a surprise Birthday Party. I was glad to be able to help plan the party. We had it at our club house, and it turned out great. She was so surprised she cried. The party was so much fun!!

Good Golly Miss Molly...

2008-08-04T21:50:00.000-07:00

Molly is such a crazy girl. She has NO FEAR. She keeps begging for us to put her in gymnastics. She is constantly doing push ups, sit ups and jumping jacks. Her new favorite thing is to do hand stands. She's getting really good! I guess this would be about the time to start her, so we'll see.

Oh yes it's ladies night.....

2008-08-04T21:31:00.000-07:00

Actually I got two really fun ladies nights out this week. A group of friends and I went out to dinner, saw Mamma Mia and got cold stone! What could get better than that. Then on Friday night Breaking Dawn (the last book in the Twilight series) came out, so we headed down to Borders and waited until Mid-night to get a copy. I've pretty much done nothing but read the book since then. It was Fabulous!! I Loved it!! What a great week!! The worst thing this week though was when we asked some of the young women in our ward to take a picture of us with our books. Thinking we were so cool until the girl taking the picture said, " Say TWILIGHT MOM"S!" How depressing. When did I get so old??

Our Crazy Fast Weekend.....

2008-08-01T09:04:00.000-07:00

This last weekend Mark had a couple days off, so we decided to take drive up to Chico to visit our good friends. We had a super fun time! We went to Outback, (which was one of my highlights) saw Batman, went running in the park, Mark and Todd went golfing (of course), we swam, and had a campfire at Caper Acres park. We always have a fun time with the Lewis Family no matter how short the visit. We left the Lewis establishment on Sunday morning and headed down to ELK Grove. We stopped off at the Crandall's , for a yummy BBQ and everything tasted Fabulous!! We then headed over to my sisters for cake and ice cream for my nephews birthday. It was a crazy fast weekend with lots of fun stuff shoved into a few days, but very well worth the trip!!

Amber and Molly making the traditional homemade pizza!! Amber was so good to let Molly help her make dinner.
Ellee getting ready to dive into the swimming pool!!
Molly diving in
Road Trip to Chico. It was a long car drive but the kids were still somewhat happy!!
The Lewis Family

On our way back through Elk Grove, we stopped for my TWO nephews birthday parties. It was great to see all my family. Picture above: Megan and Meggin
Mams and Ellee
I don't think Maryn was very happy that I took her picture.

Yay, the kids are Back!!

2008-07-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

After a long week of the kids being gone to Donner Lake with my parents, the kids are finally back. My good friend Kate was driving down to LA and stopped through Elk Grove and picked up the kids!! What a fun reunion, my kids and a Kate and her kids. The house was no longer quite, I loved it!!

What to do when Tyler and Molly are away???......

2008-07-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

You always think that sending your two oldest away for a few weeks is a good thing until you realize that you are the one that then needs to entertain the 3 year old!!! Tyler and Molly left last Friday for a fun week up at Donner Lake with My parents!! They are having a blast and I am so glad that they got to go!!!

Ellee is not so happy. I guess I'm boring because she keeps asking every morning if today is the day that Tyler comes home. I tell her no and then she asks if she can go to a friends house? What's up with that.

Maybe its the fact that the older kids are gone and now I'm listening to her all day, or maybe she just got funny over night, but she is saying some of the funniest things.

She changed out of her clothes today and came downstairs and told me she wanted to go "sprinkling". (she saw the sprinklers on and decided she wanted to run through them)

I told her to go asked dad if he would watch her, since I was making dinner. She came back in and said, Dad's "computering" he said no!!

Such fun new vocabulary she's giving us!

The kids Yearly Pictures

2008-07-14T16:45:00.000-07:00

Finally picked up my pictures from Picture People. These are a few of my favorites. I think they did a great job. I love them.

Disneyland with Molly

2008-07-11T09:57:00.000-07:00

The Monster's Inc. Ride. One of my favorites. This really is a cute ride. Dad got hit on by Rozz.
We went to Arial's Grotto for dinner. Such a fun place to go when you have princesses of your own.
At the Anne Geddes Store in Downtown Disney. Molly loves these dolls. She really wanted one. Too bad they are $200.00.
The New Toy Story Mania ride. It was really cool. We loved it so much we went on it 3 times. Long wait and all.
The girls were so tired after a long day of riding rides that when we sat down to wait for the parade they fell asleep. It was so funny, they were out within minutes.

The big summer movie of 08' Walle. Look how cute he is.
Don't know why I have this picture posted twice.
Right inside of Adventure Land.
We went to ESPN Zone for dinner. They have the best food there.

Big Thunder Railroad. Molly said this was her favorite ride this trip.

My friend Dana and I decided since we are both Disney Freaks we would take our girls for a few days to Disneyland. My mom and dad were there too!! It was so much fun. The girls were great and there wasn't any fighting, almost. After all it is the happiest place on earth!!

Newman Look-alike Meter

2008-07-07T21:48:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Family tree search - Geneology

Newman Look-alike Meter

2008-07-07T21:40:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

Newman Look-alike Meter

2008-07-07T21:35:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Family, Food, Fireworks, Flags & Fun!!

2008-07-06T16:59:00.001-07:00

Our own little weed garden.....

2008-07-03T17:22:00.000-07:00

It has been brought to my attention by Molly that we have a little weed "garden" in our backyard. For some reason I have always picked the weeds in our backyard until this year. I figured it was part of the "yard work" that Mark says is his responsibility. Well because I haven't done it the weeds continue to grow. So at church on Sunday the teacher was talking about God's creations, and the fruits and veggies that can be grown in our gardens. Molly told the teacher that we have a garden. A weed garden. Nice.....

I guess I didn't realize how bad the weeds had gotten until I went out and inspected my back yard. Needless to say, I went right out to Target and bought some gardening tools and gloves for me and the kids. It took Molly, Tyler and I about 3 hours of hard work in very hot weather to pull the weeds. It was a fun project working with the kids outdoors on it. Tyler said, "mom, your a great mom, you always know how to make chores fun!!"

I'm so glad that big project is done. However, it's sad that we no longer have a garden.

Princess Jasmine

2008-06-27T15:24:00.000-07:00

br>You Are Jasmine!

Independent and adventurous. You don't want much; just to break out of the guilded cage society has put you in and experience life to the fullest. Following orders isn't really one of your strong points, and you would rather live a life of poverty than being forced into something that you hate.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

I finally got my kids pictures taken

2008-06-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

These of course are not the real pictures. But I brought my camera with me and took a few snap shots of the kids all dressed up. When we get the ones the photographer took, I'll post those. For now here is a preview.

I also chopped Molly's hair off once again. Mark wasn't to happy about the hair cut but I sure am!!

A fun Weekend away.......

2008-06-22T16:17:00.000-07:00

Tyler and Tyler, two A's Fans. They were so cute . Ty and Ty had a plan of what they were going to do. First play with the Rocket they won from John's Incredible Pizza, then play Webkins, then play baseball out in the backyard. They had a blast. I think there were a few balls lost to hits over the fence.
The girls had a fun time playing in the kids section of John's Incredible Pizza. They are always fun to watch.
Kate and I take a quick picture to show that we were there too. No one ever takes a picture of the moms.
One of the days I was in Elk Grove, I stopped by to see Marc, Stacy, and Montana. We decided to go over to the park and feed the ducks. The little girls had a blast. It was really cute to watch the little girls. I think I was more afraid than they were to feed the ducks. Some of them were quite aggressive.
Me with Montana and Ellee at the park. It was really hot. Who's idea was it anyway to go over to the park when it was over 100 degrees.
Ellee and I at John's Incredible pizza. Just thought it was a cute picture of us. Ellee is so silly!!!
After John's Incredible Pizza we headed back to Jeff and Kate's for a very yummy dinner and Jeff very yummy shakes. Thanks guys for a fun day.

We also spent an evening with Shane and Marlo's family, worked out with Mike and attended Blake's fun Birthday Party, and spent an evening with our good friends the Crandalls. Thanks to all of you who put up with us. We had a great few days back in Elk Grove!!!

Ode to all the father's in my life.

2008-06-16T13:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks Dad for being my dad! I love spending time with you. I appreciate every thing you have done for me whether it's driving with me and my crazy kids half way across the country, or a fun trip to Disneyland. You've always been there for me and I love you. You are a great Father, Happy Father's Day!
Grandpa, still thinking of you on this special day even though you are now gone. I love you so much!! You always could make me laugh, and I enjoyed all the wonderful times spent with you. You are a wonderful generous man, and I will always look up to you.
Mark and little Molly taking a cat nap.
Mark and Ellee on a hike up Red Rock Mountain. Ellee looks like she's having a little more fun riding than Mark climbing.
Mark and little Tyler.

Thanks Mark for being a great Father to our kids. We love you very much!!

A weekend visit with the Carters

2008-06-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

We went swimming at our pool. It was a little cold but the kids didn't mind too much. The boys made up a fun little game of running into the pool and trying to knock down the other boys to see who would be the last man standing. The little guys pretty much held their own against Justin. Even Maddy played for a little bit. Molly enjoyed laying by the pool watching. The little ones really didn't get in. They enjoyed the warm out door showers better.
I really loved this picture. Megan and Ellee were so cute holding hands the whole way to the park. They were talking to each other the whole way too. They really have a special bond between the two of them. They really are cute together.
Michael playing with one of the 15 frogs Molly and Tyler had caught in the backyard. Yuck! I hate frogs!
Justin and Tyler playing a little DS. I don't know how much fun it really is to watch someone else play that thing but I think Tyler was just in heaven being with his cousin.
The girls. They are quite the posers. It was so funny they kept posing and telling Marlo and I to take pictures of them. This was the best pose. Watch out boys.............
Mitchell is such a funny kid. He does some of the silliest things and makes some of the funniest faces. He such a happy kid. I really have missed watching him every day.

2008-06-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

Yikes!!! Schools out already......

2008-06-05T14:19:00.000-07:00

Tyler won an award for academics at the last school assembly. He was very excited because it was the Presidents Award. This is his friend Seth.
Molly started her Swim Meets. She is doing so well. When I figure out how to post the video of her swimming I will post it. It really is cute. I love her dive into the pool.
Last weekend we headed up to Porterville for a family picnic. Afterward Mark decided that we all needed a tour of his office. This is a picture of him showing the kids his locker. I think Molly was a little disappointed when she wasn't going to see prisoners. She kept asking where they kept the criminals.
Ellee went to her little friend Shayna's birthday party. It was really cute. They had a little tea party. Fun times.
My friend Dana and I decided to rent the kids a Jump house on the last day of school. I think Dana and I had more fun jumping than the girls. I actually was able to still do front flips and back flips. I also did a toe touch but think I pulled something..... Oh well, it was really fun.

Oh, We are the Champions!!!

2008-05-22T14:51:00.001-07:00

We went out for pizza after the game to celebrate the victory. Yeah for Mark and Tyler!!

On Saturday, Ty's baseball team was tied for the 4th spot in the Championship games. On Monday they played the tie braker game and won. Then they played the first game in the Championship tournament and Won. On Wednesday they played the final game and killed the team!! Way to go team! This was very exciting for our family and for Tyler who pitched all three games!! He did a great Job and Mom and Dad our proud!! All in all it was a great season!

Oh what do you do in the summer time......

2008-05-17T18:12:00.000-07:00

Rambo Tyler
Water dancing...
Ellee wasn't sure at first about the sprinklers but ended up loving them.

Is it summer already??? This last week has been so hot and our pool doesn't open until Memorial Day! So my friend Dana and I put on the kids suits, Dave got the squirt guns and then the kids had a blast running through the sprinklers. Fun times!!

Our little swimmer!!

2008-05-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

Molly decided she wanted to swim this year. She is doing very well. At first I was a little scared but after only 2 weeks of practice she can now dive in and swim the length of the pool. We are so proud of her.

In Honor of Mother's Day

2008-05-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

This is a traditional picture of all the girls. Wow, I can't believe there is so many of us. It is also a 4 generational picture. Mother's Day 08'

I drove up to Elk Grove on Saturday and spent the day with my mom. It was so much fun. I always enjoy spending time with her. I feel so lucky that I got her all to myself. It was great!! It was nice to be able to spend the day with all my sisters, mom, and Grama. ( It was great to see the boys too, of course)

Take me out to the ball game...........

2008-04-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

This year Tyler is doing great with pitching..... He's only hit a few kids. We like to call him "wild thang" (He throws hard but he's pretty all over the place. When he gets it in the strike zone, no one can hit off of him)

Ty stealing 2nd base.

Weekend with the Lewis'

2008-04-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

Ellee pretty much didn't leave Keith's side throughout the day. It was the cutest thing. She loves Keith!
Scottie pretty much wasn't interested in anything but the Elephants. Or maybe it was the climbing of the structure that he liked more????
Look at that tongue. Yuck!! Of course Scottie loved it!
This picture cracks me up the most of Ellee and Keith. Look at the way she looks at him. I think we have a crush.

This weekend was fun. I drove up to Fresno and picked up Scottie and Keith. We went to the zoo while Amber was at a funeral. Amber meet up with us at my house later that evening and we had a party. (ice cream and popcorn!!)

It was fun to have you guys here!

Disneyland with Nana & Poppa

2008-04-10T08:51:00.001-07:00

My haircut

2008-03-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

So I annually get a hair cut. So here it is.

Easter 2008

2008-03-25T09:26:00.001-07:00

Ellee Turns 3!!

2008-03-25T08:50:00.000-07:00

We were able to be down in Elk Grove for Ellee's Birthday. It was a lot of fun. We had Dora cake, and egg hunt and lots of yummy food. Thanks to everyone for coming!!

Ty wins an Art Award

2008-03-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

We are so proud of Tyler. He was one of 14 kids that won 1st place in a calendar art competition. This was for all the schools within Tulare County. They said there was over 1100 entries. His picture is featured for the month of September. He won $25 in cash and got a certificate presented at the city council meeting. He will also be on the 5:30 & 10:30 news! Yeah for Tyler!!

Fresno Zoo

2008-03-17T18:58:00.001-07:00

Spring has Sprung

2008-03-09T12:02:00.001-07:00

Spring is in the air.....

2008-03-03T12:48:00.000-08:00

The flowers are blooming and the weather is beautiful. If only it would stay like this and not get scorching hot!! I love spring!

Newman Happenings

2008-02-23T11:50:00.000-08:00

Mark has been trying out new hair-dews. He cracks me up. He comes downstairs after getting ready and asks me what I think of his latest dew. This night was just too funny. I had to get it on camera. Ellee thought he looked like Link from Hairspray. I thought that was pretty funny. Mark said he got a lot of funny looks and comments at work so I'm figuring that I won't see this Hair-dew anytime soon. (Thank goodness!!)
Tyler is reading like a mad man. He finished Harry Potter in a few days, and is currently working on the next Harry Potter and Eragon at the same time. He has finished probably 10 pretty long and hard books since the beginning of the year. He loves to read and begs to stay up later so he can finish a chapter. How can I refuse. Max is doing great after his little episode a few weeks ago. We are all so happy to still have him. Isn't he a beautiful dog. He has the prettiest coat.
Molly learns to ride a bike. For a long time Molly has pretty much been riding on two wheels. The other day, I asked her if she wanted me to take off her training wheels. She said, "Sure!" I held onto the the back of her bike getting ready to run up and down the street with her and she told me to let go. She took off around the block like she had been riding forever! Only a few small crashes
Ellee start pre-school at a very cute little Montessori School close by our house. She loves it as long as she doesn't have to "take a nap on the little mat."

Husband Tag

2008-02-13T19:10:00.000-08:00

1. What is his name? Stephen Mark.

2. How long did you date? From meeting to marriage was approx. 8 months.

3. How old is he? 31.

4. Who eats more? In general most likely me. When he actually eats normal meals him. He eats way bigger portions, but he could also go all day without eating. He is a camel.

5. Who is taller? He is.

6. Who has more speeding tickets? Him! HeeHee! I've never even been pulled over.

7. Who is more sensitive? Neither one of us is sensitive really, the real question who is more insensitive. Probably this would be him.

8. How long have you been married? 9 years 2 months.

9. Who mows the lawn? Him.

10. Who said I love you first? I believe he did.

11. Who is smarter? Probably him, but I'm usually RIGHT!!

12. Who does the laundry? I do, he tries to help, but it's too scary. He never learned how to separate laundry. Last time he did it he washed my IPOD.

13. Who does the dishes? He does most of the time. I hate doing dishes.

14. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Looking at the bed he does. It's the closet to the door, so when the kids wake up in the middle of the night they come to him first! Good theory anyways, he works grave yard shifts and so we usually don't sleep together.

15. Who pays the bills? I do.

16. Who cooks dinner? I do, sometimes when I go on strike, he will.

17. Who drives when your together? He does. He is the worst back seat driver, I refuse to drive the car when he is in it!

18. Who is more stubborn? Close call, but probably him. He pretty much gets what he wants.

19. Whose parents do you see most? Mine -- they live only 3 hours away.

20. Who proposed? He did.

21. Who has more friends? Me, in fact, he is looking for another golfing buddy in Tulare.

22. Who has more siblings? He does, 2 sisters and 5 brothers.

23. Who wears the pants in the family? I over heard him yesterday telling one of my friends, "You know who wears the pants in this family!" (Referring to me!)

Tag, to whoever wants to do it!

Disney on Ice

2008-02-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

Last night Raquel and I took the girls to see Disney Princess Wishes on Ice. The girls loved it. Ellee was on the edge of her seat the whole 2 hours. Little Mermaid was her favorite. I don't know if its that I'm getting older or what but it just wasn't as good as I thought it would be. Raquel said it was one of the worst ones that she has seen. When I think of Disney, I think of a great production. Raquel describes it as if we got all of the left overs. It actually to me was pretty disappointing. Although, it was all well worth it to see Ellee's facial expressions and clapping like crazy after each performance. (Notice a little spaghetti sauce left on Molly's face from the chicken I had made for dinner. The skating rink was in Fresno, and I was rushing to get my family and the missionaries fed for dinner before we needed to leave.)

Max

2008-02-03T20:45:00.000-08:00

So, my dog feels the need to eat everything!! He really is a good dog, he just likes to eat anything and everything. Friday, as I was trying to get ready for family and Tyler's baptism, I wake up to a huge mess in the garage. The dog was in his crate and he had had quite the accident. Anyways to keep from throwing up I let him out and raced out of the garage to get some fresh air. (kinda of funny that the fresh air was cow poop!) Anyways, I took him for a walk and noticed that he was pooping out blood. He wouldn't stop and so I decided to go into mom mode and check out the mess in the crate. His poop consisted of a large piece of his flannel blanket, lots of bark from our bag yard, and some red christmas ornament shards. (he ate a red christmas ornament at my mom's house on New Years when I was there.) I of course was freaking out when the Vet gave me a $2,700.00 estimate for what needed to happen to him. Turns out that he must of had a blockage, but got everything out. He didn't have any internal bleeding and is acting just fine after some medicine and i.v. fluids. I think I need to invest in some pet insurance, seeing how almost our whole backyard is bark and he does love to chew it. I'm so happy that he is all right. I cried most of Friday thinking that I might have to put him down at 11 months old. He is a wonderful addition to our family and we all love him.

Tyler's Baptism

2008-02-03T20:28:00.000-08:00

We finally baptized Tyler. It was a very proud day for both Mark and I . One down two to go. Thanks to all of our family who drove the three hours to make it. Thanks to our friends who took time to join us also. We love you all.

My Celebrity Look a-like

2008-01-23T23:38:00.000-08:00

One of my friends did this and I thought it was fun. Don't really think I look like any of these girls, but, whatever! It was fun to do it anyways.

My Celebrity Look a-like

2008-01-23T16:25:00.001-08:00

Love Tag

2008-01-20T19:30:00.000-08:00

Where did you meet your husband?
This is kind of a long story. We actually grew up in the same ward. But I didn't know him, and he didn't know I even was alive. He was my sisters age and he had a younger brother my age. Anyways, my senior year at Christmas I was at this boys house I liked. We were getting ready to go to a Kings game. Mark just got off his mission and was coming back to Elk Grove to visit. So, it just so happened that Mark had grown up a few houses down from this boy I liked. Guess who showed up to visit? That's right, Mark. Anyways I thought he was cute and told this boy I liked that he needed to hook me up with Mark. (The boy I liked would be leaving on a mission for 2 years) Anyways the boy I liked and Mark went back to Ricks for the winter semester and left me to finish my Senior year. Well, in May, Mark decided to come back to Elk Grove to sell Pest Control instead of going to stay with his family in Champaign, IL. I didn't know this at the time but Mark had talked to the boy back at Ricks about me, and told him he was going to date me. He found out from his brothers girl friend that I was in his brothers ward and came looking for me that first Sunday back. I wasn't at that ward, I was actually at the Singles ward and so Mark came to the singles ward. He got there right after Sacrament meeting and we ended up sitting next to each other in Sunday School. The rest was history.
What was the first thing he said to you?
Ummmmm..... I can't remember
When was your first date?
The day we met Mark invited me to the CES fireside at the church. The next week he and some of his friends came swimming at my parents house. The next week he invited me to Chevy's with a bunch of the pest control boys. From that first Sunday on though. I don't remember a day when we didn't talk on the phone or see each other. I think I went a picked him up twice in that first week because he locked his keys in the car.
When was your first kiss?
I think it was probably a couple weeks after we met. I do remember that it was on my parents couch in the family room.
Engagement?
We started dating in May, got engaged Aug. 15th, and got married on Dec. 19th of 1998.(The same year I graduated High School, it was a busy year!)
When did he purpose?
Aug. 15th. We went flying with his brother who needed the hours. We flew over a house in Elk Grove that said. "Marry Me" in white lights. I thought it was for Mark's brothers Girlfriend, but it wasn't, it was for me!!!!
When did you get married?
Dec. 19th of 1998
Where did you honeymoon?
Lake Tahoe. We went snow boarding and I broke my leg falling off the ski lift!! It was great!!

Wicked!!

2008-01-17T18:44:00.001-08:00

Okay, Wicked is now my favorite Musical. One of the nights we were in LA for our Girls trip, we went to see WICKED! It was so much fun! The Musical was great, we had great seats, and I LOVED it! Thanks girls for such a wonderful Birthday!

Girls Trip- Disneyland 08'

2008-01-17T18:43:00.001-08:00

Me

2008-01-13T17:57:00.001-08:00

6 Things About Me!

2008-01-13T17:21:00.000-08:00

Awhile ago I was tagged and haven't gotten around to responding. I figured with it being my 28th Birthday and all, this would be as good of time as any to write about myself. Pretty boring mostly....
Here goes.... 6 things that most people might not know about me.
1. I once was very athletic. I was a competitive gymnast for many years. I stopped when High School was going to begin. I took up cheerleading instead. I also started up a dive team. Finding the coach and getting people to sign up, so that the school would fund one. I was captain of the our High School Varsity dive team my Soph, Jr and Senior year, placing first in our league and 3rd in Sections. I loved it. I also played fast pitch softball for many years, even attempted a league as an adult in Wisconsin.
2. I love Scrapbooking, Card Making and pretty much doing anything I can create. I taught for several years at a couple of different Scrapbook Stores. I also designed several products that were sold in stores throughout the US for a small company. With my life being what it is now I don't really have time for working in a store but I am a consultant for Stampin' Up.
3. I love, love, love Musicals. I think that my dad is to blame for this. Some of my favorites; Hairspray, 7 brides for 7 brothers, Grease, Oklahoma, Newsies, and my all time favorite is Annie. Although it might rival Wicked. Mark said he was going to take me for my anniversary and I can't wait. I listen to the soundtrack daily and even Ellee knows all of the songs. I just finished reading the book and I loved it. Can't wait!!
4. I love Disneyland. Another thing to blame on my Dad. I love everything about Disneyland. This year we bought season passes in August. Ellee, my mom and Dad and I went in September, our family went with some friends in October and I'm going next week with a group of my girlfriends for my Birthday and I can't wait. Every time it gets close to a trip to Disneyland I get butterflies in my stomach, I just get so excited.
5. I love shopping! Well, most of you probably already know this about me. I love it. I'm sure it's an addiction. I can't help it! It makes me feel better even if I don't get anything! It can even be the grocery store, just something to get me out of the house. Some of my favorite stores to go to; Gymboree, Disneystore, PotteryBarn and Target!
6. I'm horrible about having my cell phone on me. I don't ever listen to the messages on my cell phone, and my cell is hardly ever charged. This isn't or shouldn't be a problem if I was home where you could get a hold of me, but if you refer back to #'s five and four you will find that I'm never home. This might also be the fault of my parents, who never have their cell phones, and never charge them. Those who know me and have ever experienced this fun little task of getting a hold of me I'm sure know the frustration. Unfortunately I probably will never change.

New Years in Chico

2008-01-04T17:32:00.000-08:00

Thanks Amber and Todd for a great New Years!! We had so much fun all though looking back at all of our pictures, I'm starting to think there was something in the water up there in Chico. After dinner Todd turned on some Justin Timberlake and everyone starting doing crazy things. Amber was dancing and doing toe touches, Todd was break dancing and Mark was doing his famous ballet moves! We put the kids to bed pretty early, so we could all enjoy Oceans 13 without kids. I think I feel asleep first well, maybe it was Todd I'm not sure, but it was about 5 minutes into the movie for me! So, just like ol' times Todd and I were asleep and Amber and Mark stayed awake watching the movie. Mark decided to not leave us out though for New Years and woke up the whole household by banging pots and pans together!!! Oh, what fun that was.
Mark and Todd played several rounds of golf and Amber and I got to go running in the park near their house. It is so beautiful up there. A little more hilly than I'm use to but it was great. We also bundled up the kids and took them to a cute little park called Kaper Acres, so..... 6 hats, 12 gloves, several scarves, 6 coats and 2 blankets later,(40 min plus) we were on our way. I think only 3 hats, 7 gloves, 2 scarves and the coats (2 secs later) made it out of the car..... It was however a lot of fun despite the very cold temperatures.

New Years in Chico, Ca

2008-01-04T17:31:00.001-08:00

Disney World and the Disney Cruise

2008-01-04T16:57:00.002-08:00

So, if you are starting to wonder just how crazy are family is about Disney, well..... let's just say it starts from the top and goes right on down the line. The Disney craze starts with my parents and now we are all in love with Disney.
My parents take small groups of their grandchildren on a trip when they turn 8. Since Tyler was the youngest in this group they waited for his birthday to go. Noah and Michael are just one year older and they all get along great. My parents decided to take this group on the Disney Cruise with a few days in Disney World too!! How spoiled but so much fun.
My mom said the boys were good and ate a ton. It sounds like the favorites were Lots of Bacon, Lots of Chocolate Milk and Lots of self serve Ice Cream. It's probably a good thing I didn't go or I would have gained 20lbs.
Overall, it sounded like they had a blast with just a few home sick moments!

How Tyler spent New Years

2008-01-04T16:57:00.001-08:00

"Christmas" Morning

2007-12-29T19:32:00.000-08:00

Santa came to our house on Christmas Eve this year. Mark was very excited and woke everyone up at 6am. Thanks Dad! Even Max was still tired but joined in in the festivities. The kids had written letters to Santa the night before, asking him questions. It was really cute to watch them read Santa's responses. Tyler wanted to know what Santa does when he is not looking at the notty and nice list? Anyways it is always so fun to watch the Magic in my kids eyes... I love Christmas.

Silent Night, Or Was It??

2007-12-28T10:43:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve was a blast. The kids and drove up to Sacramento. (Mark had to work) The night was filled with great food, fun games, good company and most of all utter chaos. So many presents to open! Great Grandma of course got all her great grandchildren the traditional matching Pjs. (and the older boys I'm sure were glad to see that Aunt Meg had not done the shopping this year for the pajamas after the very snug fitting fiasco of last year.) We are truly blessed to have each other for the Holiday Season.

Tyler turns 8!! Dec 16th

2007-12-17T09:28:00.001-08:00

A night in Zerahemla

2007-12-17T08:31:00.000-08:00

This year our ward's Christmas party was a night in Zerahemla. The kids had a lot of fun dressing up. Tyler wanted to be a Lamenite, so did Molly, but she wanted to be a bad one. Of Course. The decorations were beautiful and the atmosphere was calm. It was great. Although I can't say the kids were calm the next morning during primary.

Molly's Christmas Program

2007-12-15T16:05:00.000-08:00

Family Pictures

2007-11-17T19:20:00.001-08:00

With the Christmas Season coming upon us, I felt it was about time for the annual family photo!! ....... So why is it that this is such a headache?? I wonder why exactly I put myself through the torture of this blessed occasion??? Let's just say that I am so glad that this day is finally over! I'm very happy, the pictures turned out great!! Thanks Kate!

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-11-17T19:17:00.001-08:00

Trip to Elk Grove

2007-11-13T09:14:00.000-08:00

This last weekend was Veterans Day, so what better thing to do on a long weekend than go up to Elk Grove and see family and friends! Friday we drove up to Rocklin and visited Kate. We decided to go off on one of our adventures taking the kids to the Mall. We always wonder after the fact why we do this to ourselves, but it is always fun. We headed to Chuckee Cheese for dinner. A little fun for the Mom's and a little for the kids.... Saturday was Montana Belle's 1st Birthday. She had a dress up princess party. It was so much fun to use the princess outfits Mam's had given them. Ty headed up to several of his cousins football playoff games. That night was tapped off with a game night!! It was so much fun to visit with Mike, Brooke and Monique. I pretty much got slaughter playing Blockus and Apples to Apples...... Sunday was great to go to the old ward and see lots of friends. After church the Mcdonalds had us for dinner. It was so yummy. The girls had fun dressing up and making the boys play house with them. That didn't last to long though with wii as the other option. Melissa was nice enough to let them stay the night. They had a blast!! (Some how I think I got the better end of the deal....) Monday was nice and relaxing. The kids had fun helping Mams and Pompie decorate the first of 4 Christmas trees!! I don't know if Mams and Pompie enjoyed them helping as much as the kids did. All and all it was a great weekend!! Can't wait for Thanksgiving!!

Trip to Elk Grove

2007-11-13T09:13:00.001-08:00

Trick-or-Treating 2007

2007-11-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

Halloween 2007 we went to a friends house and ate pizza, passed out candy, and went trick or treating.

Soccer & Pumpkins

2007-10-28T14:52:00.001-07:00

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-10-25T16:53:00.001-07:00

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-10-25T13:49:00.001-07:00

The Penthouse Tour

2007-10-18T16:08:00.000-07:00

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-10-16T22:43:00.001-07:00

Disneyland October 2007

2007-10-16T22:20:00.001-07:00

Mickey's Penthouse

2007-10-14T15:18:00.001-07:00

Mickey's Penthouse

2007-10-14T15:16:00.001-07:00

Mickey's Penthouse

2007-10-14T15:13:00.000-07:00

The Parade

2007-10-12T15:19:00.000-07:00

Year of a Million Dreams

2007-10-12T15:04:00.000-07:00

So, we just got back from Disneyland again......... We actually met the Nisbets and Lewis' down there for a few days. It was an amazing trip. Of course going with the Nisbets and Lewis' usually is, however we had a once in a life time opportunity this particular trip. Lucy just happened to be sitting in the right spot on the right ride at the right time to be chosen for the Grand Marshall of Disneyland for the day. Being the Grand Marshall comes with some pretty neat perks: Getting front of the line passes for the rides, a special meeting with Mickey Mouse, a Free dinner at the Blue Bayou(which consequently we had just checked for reservations and they had told us nothing was available til after we were gone), getting to ride the double decker bus in the parade and the best of all staying in the Mickey Mouse Penthouse for the evening. Words can not describe the pure enjoyment and overall craziness of the whole thing. Oh, how do we involved........ Seeing how we were one big party, they made accomidations for all of us to participate in the whole thing. It was unbelievable. On top of it all we ran into Jeff and Kate Murray, it was one big reunion. Thanks Lucy, and Thank you to the girl that was speeding so Mark had to go to court on Friday and we were able to be there on Wednesday to take part in all of the excitement!!

2007-10-03T20:45:00.000-07:00

Down on the Farm

2007-10-03T20:19:00.001-07:00

Tulare has opened us city folk to all sorts of new things.....Today I rode my first 4-wheeler and shot paint ball guns!! These are the kind of youth activities that go on in Tulare. On the drive home we had the windows open and the kids were gagging.. It was quite funny. Anyways, it was a blast. The kids can't wait to go back for more.

2007-09-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

Disneyland with Pompie

2007-09-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

My mom had a conference at the Paridise Pier Hotel, so my dad decided to take a few days off of work and go to Disneyland. They drove down and stayed the night at my house. Ellee and I decided to go with them to Disneyland. Who could pass up the chance to go to Disneyland. Tyler and Molly were sad, but they had school so they had to stay behind. We had a blast walking around looking at all the really cool Halloween Decorations around Disneyland. Ellee got vey spoiled by her Pompie!!! The world pretty much revolved around her for those few days, doing and getting what ever she wanted.(Being the 3rd child she really hasn't had the "two on one" attention that the first child usually gets, so she was in heaven) We have all felt the after math here for the last few days that we've been home. She is going through a little Pompie Detox!! I must say I enjoyed having my parents all to myself too!! It's always fun to be the kid again!! It was hard on Saturday to get back to my "Motherly" duties when Molly woke up in the middle of the night barfing! Thanks Mom and Dad for a fun fun trip! Can't wait to do it again.

Tulare County Fair

2007-09-16T13:41:00.000-07:00

This week was fair week in Tulare. For some reason the fair here is pretty big. Anyways the kids actually get a day off of school just so they can go to the fair. With the encouragement of a few friends, they got me to go with them. We aslo went to the parade in the morning. I've never seen so many "Twrillers" in my life. A fun time was had by all, and we finished the day off with a nice bath for everyone who attended!!

Labor Day!

2007-09-09T13:11:00.000-07:00

Thought we would break in the club house pool by throwing a Labor Day Bash. It was great to have so many friends join us. The best was that Mike, Brooke, Blake and Maryn decided to drive on down and join us. Thanks for making the trip, wish we still lived around the corner from you guys.

More Disneyland Pictures

2007-09-02T16:08:00.000-07:00

Weekend in Elk Grove

2007-09-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Elk Grove for a visit. It was fun to go to my nephew Justin football game! Marlo also invited us over for a quick swim and dinner. It was great! Thanks Mar. I stayed at my mom and dad's. The girls went shopping and Tyler and Pompie planted a tree, worked out in the yard and got haircuts. Tyler was in heaven having Pompie all to himself. Of course the shopping spree was right down my alley.. Thanks Mom and Dad for everything. It's always great to have a place to come and crash in. Hope construction is going well.

The Year of a Million Dreams

2007-08-17T08:53:00.000-07:00

Well, we just got back from Disneyland. It was so much fun!! Mark had 6 days off and so we decided we would take advantage of the opportunity and go to Disneyland. This was Ellee's first time (where she could remember) to Disneyland. She wasn't too sure about all the characters or Matterhorn but she sure did love It's a small world! A woman after my own heart. Molly was such a rider, it was great. She loved Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, and the Hollywood Tower of Terror! Unfortunately she was to small for Indiana Jones and Screamin' California. Tyler said he would save Tower of Terror for DisneyWorld. Good Luck Mams and Pompie. He did finally warm up to the other rides. The highlilght of the trip was when Snow White took Molly and Ellee and played with them. She took them down to the Fantasy Fair. It was really cute.

Dinseyland Aug 2007

2007-08-17T08:41:00.001-07:00

First Day of School

2007-08-12T12:55:00.000-07:00

Oh...Thank heavens for the start of school. I thought my kids were going to kill eachother. School brings me so much joy.

And they LOOK so Innocent.....

2007-08-07T10:33:00.000-07:00

There's something about these two. They are soo cute together, and love eachother so much, but when they get together they are T-R-O-U-B-L-E!! Megan my neice came to visit over the weekend. We had a lot of fun. It's soo cute to listen to them from the other room. They just have their own conversation. I can't understand Megan most of the time but Ellee seemed to because she would respond right on back after Megan would say something.

More pictures of our new house

2007-08-04T20:50:00.000-07:00

Molly's Haircut

2007-08-04T10:23:00.000-07:00

In preperation for the new school year, we cut Molly's hair. I love it. I think it fits her very spunky personality.

Sequoia National Park

2007-07-23T18:25:00.000-07:00

So, we are finally starting to get settled and Mark has these big plans to take us up to Sequoia National Park. It's great idea, however he never plans these kind of trips in advance. The other problem is 4 of the 5 in the family get very very car sick on curvey roads. ( I'm sure you can figure out who isn't carsick!! ) There were a few promises made before we left, 1. Bathrooms 2. A place to stop since for food and drinks ( since he was planning last minute and we didn't have stuff to take with us ) 3. An hour drive that did not have hair pin turns.
Needless to say, It was about a 2 hour drive, no bathrooms, no services past the hour and a half of hair pin turns. I love it when I'm right. After about 30 min.'s my stomach finally stopped shaking and I could enjoy the beautiful atmosphere. Moral of the story always do your research on a trip even when Mark says " I'm positive, trust me, I've done the research!"

The Last Swim

2007-07-23T18:20:00.000-07:00

Melissa and I high-jacked Amber's pool on the last day of school. Who knew it would be the last time we swam at the Lewis'. Thanks Amber, sorry you had to be at work.

Our New House

2007-07-23T18:14:00.000-07:00

Many thngs that were not thought about when buying a house. #1. Mark would need to "learn" how to mow the lawn!!

Mark's CHP Graduation

2007-07-23T18:07:00.000-07:00

Finally! Mark Graduated from CHP.