March Madness...another crazy month

Kids Cottage Fairs, Caleb's basketball tourney, Ryan's birthday, Sedona, Castles n Coasters, Easter...just a few of the exciting moments for the month of March.....

It started out attending Madelyn and Caleb's Cottage Fairs at their school. Madelyn's was first, and hers was on the 10th . Her class sang songs that represented moments in American history. It was very cute, and I was so proud of her and her accomplishments.
Caleb's Cottage Fair was on Arizona Connection, and was considered a "family project." He picked an Arizona town and had to come up with a presentation on a part of that town. Caleb's town was Pinetop/Lakeside...a very beautiful place with much sentimental value to our family. So Caleb and Mom went to work, gathering facts and pictures. Then mom put together a video that went along with a poem I (and Grandma) wrote. It was quite the unique presentation and turned out great.
Then it was off to Caleb's first basketball tourney with his new team, Little Powerhouse. I'm so impressed with his new coach and his new team. I know Coach Glenn cares about Caleb and truly enjoys working on the kids skills, making them better athletes. I am excited about the growth and future of this team.
Little Powerhouse took the Bronze on this tourney, but only lost to the 1st place team by 4 points. They played well and will only get better. My favorite moment was when we were playing Caleb's old team and Caleb totally stuffed his friend and school mate. Tyler did not have a prayer against Caleb...
Caleb is definitely a force to be reckoned with. His size totally scares most of the kids his age. When he is in they think twice before driving the lane. His rebounding and shooting is getting better and better with each practice and game. Some people call him the next Shaq (except Caleb can shoot...hee). As I say with Madelyn, Caleb is so fun to watch and I look forward to many years to come...

We celebrated Ryan's birthday on Saint Patrick's Day, having a little family get together at their house. The kids had a blast, as they always do. And Great Grandma Margaret even joined us, and actually enjoyed the caos with all the screaming children. She enjoyed it so much we had to get a picture with her and her great-grandchildren. She is 88 years old and such a joy to be around...she'll talk your ear off, but still such a joy.
A day in beautiful Sedona wasn't enough for one weekend...we had to stop at Castles n Coasters on the way home and spent another 5 hours there. Although it is no Disneyland, it definitely filled the roller coaster void for the kids. Last Spring Break was spent at Disneyland, and with no plans for this Spring Break this year, we had to come up with something quick. And this is the next best thing that Arizona can bring. They actually didn't know much of a difference...a ride is a ride
is a ride
is a ride...

We miniature golfed
and road ride after ride...
We shut the park down. The kids had an absolute blast and want to know when we're going back. Uhhhh, not for a while I hope :)
The next morning....Happy Easter. We barely got home and to sleep in time for the Easter Bunny to come, deliver some goodies, and hide eggs. When you have to wake up your 3 and 4 year old and force them to go see what the Easter Bunny brought, then you've got serious problems. My kids have never been the "wake up at 5am cuz their so excited" kind of kids...like I remember me growing up.
But they still got excited once they arose, and we had a wonderful morning together as a family.
Even Bella had fun finding Easter eggs... Another basketball tourney for Caleb, this time playing kids older than them. It makes a big difference with another year of growth, strength, and coordination. It was a tough tourney, but they came out with another Bronze, winning the consolation game in OT by 1 point. We are so proud of them!And that raps up March. Oh, and I can't wait for April...another busy and exciting month ahead...as always.

I've been TAGGED...twice!

Okay, I've been tagged twice. So, I will do both this once. I guess it gives great info and memories to look back on in the future...so here goes!

TAG #1:

All about my BROWN SUGAR!

What is his name? Joseph Timothy Medina

How long did you date? I can't remember when we started "dating" exactly. We hung out as flirty friends first. Then got more serious as we became the best of friends. I would say we dated for about 2-3 years total.

How old is he? 34

How old are you? 37...yes, I was robbing the cradle :) I like my men young...

Who said I Love You first? Ya know, I can't remember exactly, but I think he did.

Who is taller? I am taller, by 2 1/2 inches. It used to bother me a lot, but I'm okay with it now...obviously. I don't own any high heel shoes though...

Who can sing better? Definitely Joseph. I actually love to hear him sing. Wish he would do it more. I do love to sing though, even though I can't carry a tune. And so do my kids. Hopefully they will get their singing ability from Dad.

Who is smarter? I am at math. He is at everything else...including common sense :) Yes, I do seem a little blonde at times.

Who does the laundry? I do it...although he will get it started for me sometimes, and will even fold every now and then. I don't mind washing, it's the folding and putting away I can't stand.

Who does the dishes? I do. I'm kinda anal about how it is placed in the dishwasher. So everyone just gets it to the sink and I do the rest.

His guilty pleasure? His children. I know that seems odd and kinda funny, but he absolutely loves his children and will do anything with and for them. If it involves the children, he's game.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? He does, because the alarm is on the left, and there's no way he's getting up to turn it off. It would go on for hours...

Besides you, who is his best friend? His children. He will tell Caleb he is his best friend...it almost makes me cry it's so sweet. As I already said, his children are everything in life to him and he wants to spend all his extra time with them. (Thank goodness he doesn't have too many close friends from his younger years...he didn't hang around the best crowd...)

Who cooks dinner? I do mostly. But if there's meat involved, he usually cooks the meat. Oh, and he cooks the weekend breakfast. My kids won't eat my eggs.

Who drives? He does. He thinks he's the "worlds best driver" and everyone else on the road is horrible. I would have to agree to an extent...especially in Arizona.

Speaking of driving, had to share what the gas prices were during the time (not so long ago). Found this picture and my mouth dropped. Wonder what it will be in another 10 years.

Who is more stubborn? I hate to admit it, but it's ME. He is a little, but I think mine over powers his...

Who kissed who first? I kissed him first. In fact, I wonder where we would be today if I hadn't taken the plunge...

Who asked who out first? He asked me first.

What was your first date? He took me to a movie. We went to an R rated movie (can't remember the movie), and we both got carded...he was 21 and I was 24. And they thought we were 16...hellllooooooo. I'll never forget that. We also went to the pool hall a lot and played pool...and went dancing a few times...back in the day when that was cool to do (lol).

Who proposed? He did, at the bottom of our stairs on Christmas Eve.

Who has more siblings? We both have 4 siblings each.

Who wears the pants? I do for the most part, unless he makes me feel guilty.

What is your favorite thing about him? His love for his family. He absolutely is the best father, and I just love that. He is all about family and what we can do together. He has no selfishness in him in when it comes to his "own" time. His choice would and will always be spending time with his family. This quality has made him so much stronger in the church too, which I love him even more for it. I could not have picked a better husband and father to our children. I love you Honey!

OKAY, NOW FOR TAG #2

OUR LOVE STORY...

1. Where did you meet?
We both worked for Motorola, and a mutual friend was having a party. It was actually on Joseph's birthday, and we met at his house. I had seen him around at work prior, but was not formally introduced until August 31, 1994.

2.What was the first thing you said to him?
I have no idea.

3. Where was your first date?
He took me to a movie. We went to an R rated movie (can't remember the movie), but we both got carded...and he was 21 and I was 24. And they thought we were 16...hellllooooooo. I'll never forget that. Kinda funny.

4. Where was your first kiss?
It was actually at a co-workers house. We all went out to play pool, then back to her house to hang out. I can't remember exactly how it went down, but I know I kissed him.

5. How long did you date?

We dated for about 2 years I think. We were friends at first, so I can't remember when our official dating started.

6. Where did you get engaged?
It was Christams Eve. We were getting ready to go to the Horne Christmas party. He was down stairs, I was upstairs. He yelled to me to come downstairs. I turned the corner on the stairs and he was down on one knee. I started to cry. It was a very emotional and exciting moment.

7. When were you married?
We were married on September 26, 1997. We got married at my parents Stake Center by their Bishop. Ten years, 6 months later, we are preparing to be sealed in the temple for time and all eternity...a day that I cannot wait for.

8. How did your reception go?
The reception was absolutely awesome. Everyone raved about it for a long time what fun they had...they'd never been to a reception as fun as ours. We had a DJ and danced the night away to Mariachi, pop, country, even the electric slide...you name it. Both sides of the family were out on the dance floor jamming and having a grand ole' time. The food was mexican, prepared by Joseph's family...and it was awesome as well. A very fun night I'll always remember.

9. How was your honeymoon?
Our honeymoom was even better. We took a week cruise to the Western Carribean, then spent another week at DisneyWorld. Two weeks was awesome and perfect. We can't wait to take our children back.

10. And the rest?

History...

I'm back....bringing you February

Okay, so it's been 1 1/2 months since I've written...so much has gone on I can't even remember half of it. My motivation was to journal more...that didn't work. Any ideas on how to find time to blog??? I barely have time to use the restroom...

Anway, where do I start? February was a busy month for Madelyn, as she finished up her season of soccer with 3 tournaments. We're so proud of her and her potential, words can't even explain. At 7 years old, she just continues to amaze me. I cannot wait what a few more years of experience will do for her. Not to mention she has met so many new friends that will become lifelong friendships.

These are Maddy's biggest fans, next to Mom and Dad...

And she is just so darn cute too! You can't tell from the picture above, but she lost 2 teeth this month as well (3 in the last 2 months...the tooth fairy is going to go broke). Now she gets to sing, "All I want for Easter is my two front teeth."

Maddy has a little break now, from just about everything except school. I took her out of piano...plan is for about a year...for my sanity and her safety! Funny though, since I've done that she has gone to the piano several times herself to play some songs. And what it took to get through one practice with her.....you can't even imagine. I may put her in some Mariachi dancing for fun and for exercise during the spring. We'll see if I come through...if I can find the time to get her there...

Caleb continues to carry the busiest schedule of any child I know. For February it went something like this (and it can change from month to month, but never gets any less busy)...Monday - baseball practice, Tuesday - cub scouts...basketball...wrestling, Wednesday - one-on-one basketball practice...piano, Thursday - basketball practice, Friday - baseball practice, Saturday - game time!!!! This doesn't even include his 2-3 hours of homework per night, the extra conditioning Dad has them do, and the fact that he doesn't even get home from school until 4:30. I don't know how he does it, but he does, and does it well! He does get a little scatter brained sometimes, but his teacher incorporated this new "Fun Friday" concept if you get everything done during the week...that sure motivates Caleb. That's all he needs is a motivator and it's done! I am so proud of Caleb for his hard work in everything he does. He has so much passion for what he does...he is going to be a great leader someday!!! Not to mention an incredible athlete at whatever sport he decides...and every woman's dream man...at 6'4", offensive tackle, and...playing the piano!

Caleb also had his Pinewood Derby this month, and did quite well. He came in 3rd place, which is absolutely awesome considering the 1st and 2nd place winners were brothers, and their dad bought their cars (cheater cheater pumpkin eater)... He was a little sad since he took 1st place last year, but we told him he can't always expect that and needs to be proud that he got 3rd...

For my little miss Abigail...she is such a joy to be around. Even on her bad days, she's still enjoyable to be with. If she's not singing some kind of song, then something is seriously wrong. She absolutely loves to sing (which I might add...her mother is NOT musically inclined...although loves to sing too..hee). I sure hope she takes after her dad...

Abby's preschool (Arnette Montesorri) took a trip to the zoo this month. We had so much fun with her class, and her friends.

She loves being with Nathan (who lives down the street) and Gracie (who I babysit), which are both in her preschool class too. Abby and Nathan are inseparable. Nathan won't even go to primary without Abby. It's very cute to watch! And Abby looks forward to Gracie coming every morning...and is sad when it's not my day to watch them.

Abby is by far my best cleaner. She cleans better than her older brother and sister. And she actually puts it away in the correct place...which is major for a 4 year old. I'm so happy she is neat, but I hope she doesn't become OCD like I am when it comes to a neat and orderly house... :)

Now Jacob...he is and will always be my crazy kid! Joseph said he reminds him so much of himself, which is very scary because he was BAD!!!!! I'm just happy to say that we haven't been back to the emergency room for stitches in the last year. He will do and try anything...and has NO FEAR doing it! He is getting so big, saying such big things, and keeps me on my toes with everything...even dropping his pants anywhere to pee....

He even keeps me in check with my words... "Uuummmm, Mom, you said a bad word...you said stupid. Daddy's going to give you soap." (okay, that's one of my favorite words when I'm driving...to all the "stupid" drivers out there on the road that don't deserve to have a license...)

So now for my 5th child...even Bella has had excitement! Abby decided to put her on the pool table and see if she can walk along the edge around it. To her dismay, she didn't do very well, falling on her front leg.

Because she was so small, we didn't know if it was broke or not...so off to the Vet we went. And let me tell ya, those Vets can charge you whatever they want, and you have no say! They sure are making a good living. I paid $34 just for the bandage wrap that probably cost them 50 cents. My $350 puppy now just became my $600 puppy! But I'm happy to say she recovered from her sprain just fine and is doing wonderful. She's 100% crate-trained, and probably about 90% total potty trained. Once she perfects that, she'll have the run of the house (which she kinda already does). And Jazmin is getting better with her too. She still lets Bella know who owns the house, but she is getting nicer with her...thank goodness.

And last but definitely not least...Sheri and baby Trent graced us with their presence. It was a quick weekend...more sanity check for her...but so nice to see her and her beautiful baby. I was having so much fun visiting, I forgot to take pictures until the end of the night, and only got Trent...tired and hungry...but still dang CUTE!

So there you have it...my February...hopefully my March brings us good luck and more excitment.