Ryan . Sarah . Beckem

Birthday & Easter

2011-04-23T21:16:00.001-07:00

Let me just say that I've been having a hard time dealing with the realization that my little boy is turning 2! How did this happen? Sometimes I wish I could go back and do the last 2 years over again so I could have more time to spend with Beckem. Here are some photos from the past month:

So handsome!

After the egg hunt.

Beckem's getting so big!

Beckem & Papa on the train at the zoo.

In the pecan groves.

Halloween Fun

2010-10-31T12:34:00.003-07:00

Beckem and I at our ward's "trunk or treat".
I let Beckem eat one piece of candy and he chose this blue sucker that left his whole mouth blue. I had to brush his teeth 3 times to get it all clean! Yucky!
Pooh with "Tig" and "Pigly" as Beckem calls them.
In the fall grass at my parent's house in Idyllwild, CA.
Beckem was very excited to visit the pumpkin farm!

3 months in a nutshell...

2010-09-05T19:16:00.007-07:00

Beckem and cousin Riley in the tub.
Staying cool on the back patio.
At the beach. Beckem really enjoyed digging in the sand!
I'm too cool...
Beckem and cousin Delaney on a warm summer day.

I wish I was better about keeping up with this blog so I wouldn't have to cram 3 months into a little paragraph! We had a very busy summer. To start, we all went to California to visit friends and family. We took Beckem to the beach for the first time and got to enjoy cooler weather. Then Beckem and I flew up to Washington to visit my sister and her daughter, Delaney. The cousins had so much fun together! Beckem went to the zoo for the first time and got to have a little friend 24/7. They fought and played together just like brother and sister! I went back to work early in August and have a tough class this year. 14 boys and only 9 girls. And all of the boys are very, well, let's just say they're ALL BOY! I've really been hitting the behavior management hard so that it will pay off later and I can actually get some teaching in : ) Here are some photos to enjoy.

Perfect Portrait

2010-06-13T20:28:00.002-07:00

Beckem is almost 14 months! I don't know where the time goes! I caught this cheesy grin at the park on Saturday. He is such a smiley, happy baby and laughs at everything.

Splish, Splash!

2010-06-09T21:06:00.003-07:00

After dinner it was still 95 degrees outside so we decided to take Beckem down to our local splash pad to cool off. He had never been and it was so fun to watch him discover the water and try to figure out when it would shoot up.
Whoa! Look at that one!
That just went up my nose!
Umm, hello? Water, are you in there?
I never seem to be able to catch the water, but this is still fun!

2010-05-07T18:19:00.002-07:00

Beckem's best birthday gift was a pool from grandma & grandpa. It was 95 degrees today so we busted it out. Beckem was so excited to be taking a "bath" outside.
It is so big that Ryan and I got in with him. We all played together for awhile.
Mom, can you stop taking pictures and get in with me?
Thank you grandma & grandpa for the birthday gift!!

A Little Behind

2010-05-07T12:38:00.002-07:00

That's the story of my life these days! Always behind. Well, I have the day off of school today so I thought I'd catch up a little bit. Here are some photos from April:
Here's Beckem with Ryan. We went to old town Mesa and I found this old abandoned building to take some photos by. This wasn't a posed shot...that's what's so cute about it!
Here's Beckem in his Easter best. Yes, he's on a hill...that's why it looks slanted!

Family Time

2010-03-21T21:42:00.002-07:00

Everyone who knows Beckem knows that he's a very cuddly, snuggly kid who loves to give "loves" as Ryan and I call it. He gives the best hugs and loves around. Here he is giving his mama some sugar. (This is my favorite part of being a mom!)
Ryan and I decided to get all of our housework and chores done during the week to leave Saturday free for family time. Each week we choose a different thing to do as a family...usually something for free that the city is putting on, or a place to go that's free. This past weekend we went to a place called Schnepf farms in Queen Creek. They have a little play area, a petting zoo, and a little farm store where they sell fresh jam, baked goods, etc. And in the spring you can pick fruit in their orchard for $1.50 a lb. I'm holding out for the peaches in May. Yummy! Here's Beckem on one of the old farm chairs just being his cute self.
I'm still trying to figure out how we had such a cute child. He got the best of both of our genes I guess!

Spring Break

2010-03-16T14:03:00.004-07:00

So I don't have any cute photos to post with this blog (I know, what kind of photographer am I?!) But I do have some good news. Beckem said his 3rd word over spring break. He has been saying "dada" for a few months now and my husband has just been eating that up. Then about 2 weeks ago he started saying "mama", much to my relief! (I seriously worked with him every night in the tub..."Say mama" and he would smile and say, "dada"...I swear he did it on purpose to frustrate me! : ) Anyway, so he is saying "mama" and "dada" now and then we go to California and stay with my grandparents, who just got a dog. Well, let me tell you, Beckem and this dog were best friends...through the sliding glass door that is. Beckem didn't like the puppy in person because, well, it's a puppy and would nip and pull on his clothes and jump around. But through the door he would giggle and talk to the puppy all day. The puppy would put her paws up on the glass and Beckem would copy her and put his hand up....so cute! Well, on our last day there, Beckem comes crawling into the kitchen and sees the dog waiting for him and says, "dog, dog, dog, dog" as he's crawling toward her. It was the cutest thing ever! Now, he has said random words before and then never said them again, so I wasn't quite sure if this was a fluke or a real new word. But then, when we got home I took Beckem with me to run in the park and he saw a dog and I hear "dog, dog!" and I look down and he's pointing at the dog. I know I'm a little bias, but I have the smartest freakin' kid!!!

March...really?!

2010-03-02T20:54:00.003-07:00

I'm not sure what happened to February... I mean, it is the shortest month of the year, but give me a break! I didn't have a chance to wish Beckem a happy 10 month birthday last week. Here he is being "shy". I'm also going to attempt to load a video up. If it doesn't work on here, then I will post it on my facebook page.

2010-02-18T20:52:00.002-07:00

One Sunday after church the weather was PERFECT...high 60s and sunny with a little breeze. We took one of Beckem's play mats out onto the back patio and just let him play.
And he was quite happy!
My parents came to visit this past week and we went to the Stillman Railway Park in Scottsdale to ride the train and go to the museum. This is Beckem enjoying his first time on a slide.
And on the train with Daddy and Grandpa. He's not quite sure what's going on, but he sure liked the sound of the train and all of the other kids that we saw.

2010-01-26T21:33:00.002-07:00

I can't believe Beckem's already 9 months! His two top teeth are descending nicely and he doesn't seem to be in as much pain as he was. I haven't had to give him any Tylenol or Motrin in 2 weeks. Beckem is the happiest little baby! He loves to laugh and "dance". His favorite toys have become kitchen items...wooden spoons, an ice cream scoop, and a spatula. I have been blending up our dinners more and more to feed to him and he really enjoys his "big boy" food. His favorite snacks are Joes Os (Trader Joes Cheerios) and strawberries.
Here he is... all 18 lbs 6 oz!
This one is my favorite. He looks so good in hats!

The past week...

2010-01-07T20:51:00.002-07:00

Pain, agony, sleepless nights, discomfort...and this is all I have to show for it?
Ummm, hello? Anyone there?
There you are! Hello! Oh, by the way, you might want to lower the crib now...

I make this look good...

2010-01-03T20:10:00.002-07:00

I turned 8 months old the day after Christmas. I better start checking for gray hairs!

December in a nutshell:

2010-01-03T19:58:00.002-07:00

I got to open lots of fun presents!
I got to play with my cousin Delaney who is so cool. She's 6 months older and can run circles around me!
I discovered my friend in the mirror. "Hello in there!"
I got my first teeth! The bottom 2 came first and I'm working on my top 2. Ouchie!
Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's house. It was exhausting and loud, but fun!

Ho Ho Ho! You'll shoot your eye out...

2009-12-14T20:58:00.002-07:00

We took Beckem to our ward Christmas party on Saturday night. He wasn't so sure of the whole Santa thing...as you see in the first photo, Daddy is standing by. But once Beckem heard the jolly "Ho ho ho" he just laughed and smiled! He's such a happy boy. Then he got to ride on the big boy train at Uncle Brad's house. Cool photo spot right in front of the tree!

Happy 7 months!

2009-11-29T10:18:00.001-07:00

Well, another holiday is over and we're decorating for Christmas. It seems like not long ago we were decorating the tree...I was pregnant...and now it's Christmas again and Beckem is 7 months old! Why does time travel faster the older we get?! We had a nice Thanksgiving at Ryan's mom's house. My parent's came into town as well and we had a nice, but too short, visit. Only 3 more weeks of school to get through until winter break! : )

New Stuff

2009-11-11T20:06:00.001-07:00

I love this photo of Beckem!

2009-11-11T20:04:00.003-07:00

This is my new haircut. Ryan has been begging me to cut it since we got married and last summer I cut it short, however, he didn't think it was short enough. I figured I may as well do it. It will grow back, right? I'm slowly liking it.

2009-11-11T20:04:00.001-07:00

Do you like Mommy's new haircut??

Is it November already?

2009-11-01T14:45:00.002-07:00

Lots of exciting things happened in October. Here are some photos from the past month...

2009-11-01T14:44:00.002-07:00

I ate my first solid food...brown rice cereal mixed with breast milk. Yummy!

2009-11-01T14:43:00.001-07:00

I think I like this stuff!

2009-11-01T14:41:00.002-07:00

My first leaf experience at my Auntie Jenn's house. I'm not too sure about how they feel on my skin.

2009-11-01T14:40:00.001-07:00

This was taken on my 6 month birthday. I love to sit up now!

2009-11-01T14:39:00.004-07:00

With Daddy waiting for the trunk-or-treat to start.

2009-11-01T14:36:00.002-07:00

I saved the best one for last - "Aren't I the cutest pumpkin?"

Happy 5 Months!

2009-09-26T16:05:00.002-07:00

Beckem is 5 months old today. I can't believe how quickly time flies! He is the sweetest, dearest boy ever. He is a very happy baby and loves to giggle, grab is feet, and roll. I just wish I could slow down how fast he's growing a little bit!

Our growing boy...

2009-09-13T21:01:00.002-07:00

I photographed a wedding last week and while at the reception I asked someone to snap this family photo. I just wish Beckem was looking : ( I can't believe that he's 4 1/2 months already! He is growing so fast and getting fatter. Look below for some recent photos.

2009-09-13T21:00:00.001-07:00

I love sitting in my exersaucer (sp?).

2009-09-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

Do you like my hat?

2009-09-13T20:58:00.000-07:00

I found my foot recently and love to grab it any chance that I get.

Monkey Laughs

2009-08-18T19:13:00.002-07:00

When Beckem and I went to Washington to visit my sister, she got him to really laugh for the first time by making this deep gorilla noise. It was so funny! Well, just see for yourself...

Lots of Smiles!

2009-08-18T19:04:00.002-07:00

Wow! I can't believe how fast time goes by. Last weekend I packed up most of Beckem's newborn and 0-3 month clothes and got out the 3-6 month stuff. I almost cried as I realized how big he is getting and will continue to get. It seems like I just brought him home from the hospital! He is talking so much now and when he thinks something is hilarious, he will giggle a lot. He seems to be adjusting to being home with daddy now that I'm back to work full time. I'm just thankful that he's a mellow, easy-going baby who is very flexible. Do you see why it's hard for me to leave him every morning?

2009-08-18T19:02:00.001-07:00

Hmmm...
(I just love this photo of him. I wonder what he's thinking about?)

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-06T14:05:00.001-07:00

Hi! I'm 2 1/2 months now and Saturday was my first 4th of July. The fireworks were awesome!

2009-07-06T14:04:00.001-07:00

I'm so happy that I live in this wonderful country!

2009-07-06T14:02:00.001-07:00

...o're the land of the free and the home of the brave! (Oh, were we not singing right now?)

Happy Boy!

2009-06-24T19:07:00.002-07:00

This video speaks for itself!

Reading with Mommy

2009-06-24T18:59:00.002-07:00

The first time I read him this story he smiled and was talking to the pages. But, of course, when I had Ryan grab the video camera it wasn't quite as exciting the second time he heard the story...but still cute!

Mommy's Little Buddy...

2009-06-09T14:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, so he actually giggled a little bit here...so cute!!

2009-06-09T14:08:00.000-07:00

Right after this shot he spit up down my shirt...nice!

My Big Day...

2009-06-05T19:48:00.001-07:00

I was blessed on Sunday, May 31. I wore the same outfit that my mom and grandpa wore when they were blessed. It was a very special day for me!

2009-06-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

This is everyone who came to my blessing. My dad, grandpa, uncle Brad, DJ, and Bishop Johnson were in the circle.

All Smiles

2009-06-05T19:39:00.002-07:00

One of my favorite things to do is to go outside after dinner, just when the sun is setting. I like to lay in the grass with my mom and dad and listen to the birds, look at the roses, and feel the breeze on my face.

2009-06-05T19:38:00.000-07:00

Hi! I'm so happy...

Happy 1 Month Birthday!

2009-05-29T19:35:00.002-07:00

I can't believe it's been a month since we brought him home. It has flown by and Beckem is growing and changing every day. I haven't been taking a lot of photos so I thought I'd better for his 1 month birthday.

2009-05-29T19:34:00.001-07:00

Beckem has been smiling a lot more lately. He'll focus on my face or Ryan's face and smile. It's so cute!

2009-05-29T19:31:00.002-07:00

Ok, don't think we're horrible parents. I saw Beckem sitting there with his bib on next to Ryan and I thought it was funny that he had a bib on and Ryan was eating dinner. So, I had Ryan PRETEND to feed him this french fry. He didn't actually taste it.

Beckem's 1st photo shoot

2009-05-07T15:59:00.000-07:00

I don't like baths!

2009-05-07T08:55:00.002-07:00

Well, Beckem's ambilical cord fell out on his 1 week birthday so we decided to give him a bath. He was a little fussy to begin with and I thought a warm bath would sooth him. Boy, was I wrong! I have never heard a baby more hysterical. But what do you do? He was already wet and soapy, so we just finished quickly and took him out. This picture is of the aftermath. He looks a little traumatized...sort of a "deer in the headlights" look. Pathetic! (You can really tell how small he is by the size of the binky in his mouth). I guess we'll try again another night...

My first trip to the doctor

2009-05-02T18:31:00.003-07:00

On Thursday, April 30th, I had my first trip to see Dr. Leavitt. He is my pediatrician and he was also my daddy's pediatrician. I was 5 lbs 14 oz but Dr. said that's ok...I'll gain the weight back by my next appt in 2 weeks. He said that I am going to be tall because of my long legs!

I am nursing great now...I finally figured it out! Mommy is very happy about this. I looked cute in my carseat and loved the ride to the doctor. I even opened my eyes for this photo.

Welcome, Baby Beckem!

2009-04-30T11:41:00.003-07:00

Well, after all the waiting and preparation he's finally here! Meet Ryan Beckem Moorefield. He was born on Sunday, April 26th at 6:03 pm. He weighed 6 lbs 7oz and was 19 inches long. My water broke that morning at 5:30 but I didn't have contractions. So at 10:30am they started me on pitocin (sp?) and I finally started into labor. At 5:20pm I was still only dilated to a 6, but then I went from a 6 to a 10 in 30 minutes! After 13 minutes of pushing, he came out! Can I just tell you how weird it was to hold him, knowing he was just inside of me? It was a little overwhelming and Ryan and I were both crying. What a special moment! Here he is at home doing his favorite thing... sleeping in his bassinet under the window soaking up some sun.

Prego Pictures!

2009-04-19T22:14:00.005-07:00

Well, here we are, the happy couple. Ryan's brother Sean took some pregnancy photos for us today. This was towards the end and I was really sweaty (it was like 90 degrees here today) and so I decided to take a break and sit by this stream with my feet in the cool water. Ryan joined me and "click" one of the best shots was taken!

The Nursery

2009-04-18T16:07:00.002-07:00

Well, we finally finished the nursery. It has been painted for a while but we just bought the crib bedding and finished hanging pictures. The orange paint is actually more subtle than the picture shows...I'm not sure why it looks so bright. We put together the stroller this morning and have the carseat all ready to go. It's nice to have everything done, although now it's just the waiting game. Will he come next week or wait until his due date? I've been having contractions on and off, but nothing major. I have another Dr. appt. on Tuesday so we'll see if I've made any progress from last week.

A Slight Addiction Maybe??

2009-03-31T08:23:00.003-07:00

Ok, so I realize that I might have a slightly addictive personality when it comes to things like books. When I start to read something that intrigues me it consumes my life and I am pretty much useless until I'm done. Usually I don't start an interesting book unless I'm on spring break or it's summer because I don't have the time to devote. But I messed up. I started reading the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer last Friday...just picked up the first book to check it out. I've been resisting reading it since last summer when my sister told me to read them. I thought "Vampires, really?? That's going to be so lame." Whoa! Was I wrong. Who knew? So, now I've been sucked in and pretty useless since last Friday. What's worse is that I've sucked my husband into it. We rented the movie Saturday night after I finished the first book and he watched it. I caught him up last night past midnight reading the 2nd book after I'd succumbed to my tiredness and went to bed. I purposely left the book at home today because I knew I'd try to read it any free moment I get today and I have a lot of work to do!

On another note, I'm 35 weeks now and still feeling great. Other than my restlessness at night and bad sleep I'm doing pretty well. The countdown has started!!

10 weeks left...but who's counting?!

2009-02-25T14:15:00.002-07:00

Hey everyone! I just realized it's been a month since I posted anything last. Life is a little crazy at the Moorefield house. My parents came out for a nice visit last week and the nursery is now painted. The closet is filled with baskets and little clothes too. Ryan's project is now to sand and paint the crib that we scored for free (it's not very cute right now) so that I can really start decorating. I am now 30 weeks and still feeling good. I notice that I wake up a lot more during the night and have had a few nasty leg cramps, but other than that, I can't complain. I found a great pediatrician and Ryan and I will start our birthing classes next week, so it's definitely getting closer! Sometimes I am so excited and just want him to be here and other days I am scared to death and don't feel prepared at all.

When I went to the doctor this week I realized that I've already gained the 25 pounds that I wanted to gain the entire pregnancy...so, I guess that goal is not going to happen. Maybe I can get away with only gaining 30 pounds? We'll see.

Ryan's Little Hippo...

2009-01-19T20:08:00.001-07:00

Or so my husband affectionately calls me. Believe me, if I wasn't pregnant, it wouldn't be cute. But I don't mind my belly growing so much. I am 25 weeks now and love being pregnant. I feel great, have lots of energy, and am not limited yet as to what activities I can and can't do. I still go to my kick-boxing class on Saturday mornings and have been doing all my normal exercises. I know that it won't last for long, though, and am enjoying it while I can. I was leaning over with my feet on my coffee table Sunday morning painting my toenails and realized that pretty soon my belly will be too big to do that. I told Ryan that I hope he's good at painting nails because he will have to do it for me eventually.

We picked the color for the nursery walls this weekend. It's called "pumpkin spice". Don't cringe at the name...it's not hideous. It's actually a soft orangey-tan color. It will look great with the crib set we chose. Enjoy the photos of my belly. This might be the last time I'm courageous enough to take photos of myself for awhile!

Sipping hot chocolate...

2008-12-24T13:45:00.002-07:00

while the snow falls down outside. Nice and cozy!

Birthdays and boys and more, oh my!

2008-12-24T13:36:00.004-07:00

On Monday Ryan and I went up to Flagstaff to spend the day. Little did we know that we were headed into a winter storm! It snowed the entire day and we left just in time! We ate lunch, walked around old town, and toured the Riordan Mansion. We had the most amazing hot chocolate that came in bowls, not mugs. It was fantastic! Then yesterday we found out that we're having a boy! Yes, the baby cooperated much better this time. He was swimming around and posed nicely for the camera. We are so excited!

Double URGHH!!

2008-12-05T18:23:00.003-07:00

So what is with Chilis? I used to love that restaurant, but after tonight I'm not so sure. Maybe it's just because I'm pregnant, or maybe they are just lame. I go there craving their caribbean chicken salad and, to my horror, cannot find it anywhere on the menu. So I politely ask the waiter, who tells me that it's discontinued! Well, don't tell a pregnant woman she can't have what she's craving! Take a deep breath...Then, I decide to order the lettuce wraps because they are my second favorite. What?! They're discontinued too?? What is this? Did they know I was coming and want to mess with my mind? Needless to say I was forced to eat second-rate food that I wasn't craving. They seriously should have given me my meal for free after all of that trauma! I left feeling less than satisfied. Boo on Chilis!

URGHHH!

2008-12-05T07:53:00.002-07:00

What a frustrating doctor's visit I had yesterday! First, I step on the scale only to find out that I've gained 8 pounds since my last visit (only 4 weeks ago). I winced slightly and felt my cheeks turn hot and red. Then the doctor made a snide comment about it..."wow, looks like you had a big weight gain this time!" Like I hadn't noticed...thanks for reminding me. Then the baby was very uncooperative during the ultrasound. It was "pretending" to sleep all curled up with its legs tucked under and wouldn't budge. When the doctor tried to push around on my stomach to get it to move, it kicked at him. Nice. I already have a stubborn, fiesty child. I bet it will have red hair!

So, I am going back in bright and early in the morning on December 23rd to have another look and I am NOT leaving the office until I know what it is. My sister is waiting to unload tubs of boy clothes on me at Christmas if it's a boy. Wish me luck...I'm going to need it.

Sick!

2008-11-14T13:41:00.002-07:00

The only thing worse than being sick is being pregnant and sick! Ugh... it started out with strep-like symptoms (a sore throat and fever) and then moved into my lungs and head. Now it's just a cold. Humph! This week has c r a w l e d by it seems. I managed to make it through the whole day at work today, but am now very tired. I am thankful for a kind husband who took care of me and went without dinner for a couple nights in a row. What a trooper! It was soup and toast for me. Hopefully I will finish recovering this weekend.

Spooky Stuff

2008-11-03T21:00:00.005-07:00

Can you guess who carved which pumpkin?? I'll give you a hint...mine took about 30 minutes to draw and carve. Ryan's took over an hour! He really gets into this type of thing!
Ryan and I had a pretty uneventful Halloween. We didn't have very many trick-or-treaters, so Ryan munched on the candy all night and I took the rest to school for my kiddos. We watched a movie (The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown) and I made this yummy white chicken chili and cornbread. It is finally cooling off here and feeling more like fall.
I am 14 weeks now and still feeling great. I am not really showing yet...I just look like I've been eating too much Halloween candy! It will be great during the holidays...I can just wear some baggy clothes and chow down! Ryan and I have been having fun thinking of names and how we want to decorate the nursery. My only real "cravings" so far have been bagels w/ cream cheese (which I've been eating almost every morning for the past 2 weeks) pineapple, raspberries, apples, broccoli w/ ranch dressing, and sourdough bread. I guess it's better than pickles. Oh, and thanks to my sister I've also been eating mass quantities of the Dreyer's Loaded icecream...chocolate peanut butter cup flavor.

It's a .... we don't know yet!

2008-10-23T20:23:00.005-07:00

For those of you who don't know yet, Ryan and I are expecting! I am 12 1/2 weeks along and feeling great. It's been fun so far learning and reading about all the amazing things that are happening to my body. It will be an exciting journey : )

Apologies...

2008-05-22T10:27:00.004-07:00

I'm such a slacker! My last entry was at Easter! So Jenn, you're doing better than me :) I have some pictures to post but am currently at school on my computer, so I'll load those up later. There are 9 1/2 days left of school and I can't wait! My kids are starting to not be cute anymore. They are bordering on obnoxious and I am starting to get that burn out feeling. Last week my family came out to Arizona to enjoy our freakishly cool weather for this time of year. It's currently cold and cloudy outside now and tomorrow it's suppose to rain. Very random, but appreciated! Anyways, I took my mom and sister to get their first pedicures and I think they enjoyed it. Jenn's feet are very ticklish and apparently my mom's are too! They couldn't handle the pumice stone.

Ryan and I had a gorgeous reception and, like I said, the weather was perfect. It went by a little to quickly though. I feel like I wanted to do it over to enjoy it more. I promise to post photos soon!

Easter

2008-03-24T20:19:00.003-07:00

The Easter bunny knew just what to bring me this year... a whole bag of Ghiradelli DARK chocolate : ) Ryan and I had our first guests since the roommates moved out and they stayed in our newly remodeled guest bedroom. After church and an Easter brunch of massive french toast smothered with fresh strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, we took a little nap. (Hey, Sunday is the day of rest, right?) Then Ryan and I headed over to his mom's house to celebrate family style. We had lots of yummy food, including a coconut cake that I made for the first time. We were watching the Sound of Music intermittently throughout the night and I was shocked to look over and see Ryan and all of his brothers singing right along with me during the puppet song (or as we all know it, the "Yoda-lay-whoo" song) My mom remembers when I used to watch that scene over and over again. I probably wore out the VHS tape in that part!

DISNEYLAND

2008-03-20T20:40:00.004-07:00

Spring Break just kind of crept up on me. It seems like the 3rd quarter of school goes by the quickest. Ryan and I were lucky this year to have our spring break overlap, so we headed out to California...where else? It felt like sooooo long since I'd seen my niece and nephews...and sure enough, they were all taller and Carson was much fatter. He is so happy and smiley and such a good baby! Ryan couldn't believe how little he cries (I'm sure Jennifer is thinking otherwise right now because he's been teething). Anyways, we went to California Adventure one day with my sister and the kids. My dad came too. We couldn't get him (or my husband) to go on the roller coaster, however, the rest of us enjoyed ourselves. (Although Bradley insisted that it did not go upside-down.) The next day Ryan and I (big Ryan) went back to Disneyland by ourselves. It was such a perfect day...70 degrees and NO lines! Peter Pan was our longest wait at 20 minutes, but even Space Mountain was only 10 minutes...it was great. Although, not as much fun without little Ryan holding the map pointing saying, "we go here, and here, and here..." but fun enough for two big kids like us : ) Ryan did have to work a little bit on over spring break. He had some homework and he had to take a fire test for LA County Fire Dept. where my brother in law Steve works. We hope that he did well because that would be a dream for us to be able to move back to California. Jenn and I could be in the same ward! And I could see my cute little ones every day! Check below for some more Disneyland photos.

Counting Down...

2008-02-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

I never thought I'd be counting down to Super Tuesday...but, with a husband who is a political science major I guess it comes with the territory. He's on the phone right now calling for the Mitt Romney campaign to encourage voters to vote on Tuesday. I have never followed an election so closely in my life. It's actually interesting! I have seen all of the debates and listened to more talk radio than any human should be allowed to!

I have been doing a lot of cooking and baking recently. I've been experimenting with some recipes of mine because I've decided to write a cookbook. I realized the other day that I make up recipes all the time and am always being asked by friends for the recipes (which I always have to guess at because I just sprinkle and pour...I don't measure). So Ryan suggested that I write a cookbook. He seems to think it will be a big hit. I guess all of you will be the judge of that.

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-01-14T20:59:00.001-07:00

Happy New Year!

2008-01-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

Well, it's 2008...I can't believe it! Ryan and I graduated from high school 10 years ago. Let's take a look into the past:
10 years ago...
Gas was .99 a gallon
It was $5.50 to see a movie
Min. wage was $5.25
The avg. home price in Temecula, CA was $120,000
Pretty depressing, huh?

Ryan started back to school today. He has 4 classes this semester, but one is online. Of course all of his classes are at night so we're back to hardly seeing each other. We had a great Christmas break though and were able to visit lots of family in California and Utah. I am having fun at school trying to teach my kids about place value. It's so hard for me to teach things that are so simple to me! I just expect them to understand it. I wish I could get into their little heads sometimes and see how they are thinking about stuff. I have also been teaching them compound words which is pretty hilarious. Because of their first language being Spanish they were putting the words together backwards, like "cagebird", "housedog", etc. The best one was something out of a horror movie...They were suppose to match up "lady" and "bug" but put "buglady". Cute!

Catch up!

2007-12-13T07:55:00.000-07:00

Well, in case you haven't noticed, Ryan and I haven't updated this thing in a while. Work, school, and holiday activities have kept us very busy. Ryan finished all his finals and projects for this semester successfully. This was his best semester so far at ASU for grades. And he past his National EMT practicals! So now he just has his written test to take and he'll be a certifed EMT! This is a huge accomplishment for him and I've never seen him study so hard for anything. Hopefully it will pay off with a fireman job sometime in the next year....we'll see. Ryan and I were both so sick this past weekend. All day Sunday we stayed in bed with fevers and aches. I, fortunately, was better by Monday. Ryan, however, got worse and worse. He finally went to the doctor on Tuesday and got some massive drugs. I didn't know that they even had medicine for the flu, but apparently they do. It's called Tamiflu and it seemed to work. He was so much better within 24 hours. I am just thankful that we had this before Christmas so we will be able to enjoy our holidays!

Final Crunch!

2007-11-24T22:25:00.000-07:00

As finals draw closer Ryan has become an absolute hermit! I haven't seen much of him except when he comes out from the office to rummage through the fridge for food (which is quite often)!
We had a crazy Thanksgiving with the Moorefields at Mama Moorefield's house. There were 15+ people crammed into 2 tables...add 2 hyper little boys running around and some turkey and that sums it up! Ryan's sister and her husband flew out from San Diego and surprised everyone. That was a treat! It was good to see you Erica! Ryan braved Black Friday and got up at 5am to shop for my birthday and Christmas. He was gone for 3+ hours but made it back in one piece and with a lot of gifts. Good job hun!