Menlove Memories

FIRST...

2011-08-29T20:58:00.001-07:00

FIRST...the school fairy came bringing new backpacks, lunch boxes, water bottles and tooth brushes!

Then it was time to read "The Night Before Kindergarten"

The FIRST day of School Picture

The long walk to the classroom

FIRST day in 3rd grade!

FIRST day in Kindergarten

The FIRST day without Alli and Zach

The FIRST thing Josh and I did to make us feel better was to take silly pictures of each other!

And yes, this is the FIRST blog post in almost two years but hopefully not the last!

Halloween

2009-12-14T10:12:00.000-08:00

The end of October brought a trip to Disneyland which was fun to see all decked out for Halloween. Ryan was so sick that he was unable to make it, but we tried to have fun without him! Zachary was the first to tell me what he wanted to be for Halloween...a dog. But when it came to his Halloween parade at preschool he wanted to wear his dress-up police costume. Whatever makes them happy, right? Allison chose to be a cat, and then I got to thinking that it would be fun to do a family costume related to cats and dogs. I came up with "It's raining cats and dogs," I had planned for Ryan and I to wear rain coats and rain boots, but Ryan was still under the weather, and it was extremely hot, and Zach and Josh were coming down with something, so we were lucky to get the picture we got! We did a little trick-or treating until Zach got a fever and then we called it a day!We saw all the Disney characters dressed up, which the kids LOVED!

Here is Zach with his teacher Ms. Jennifer

Allison was very proud that her pumpkin was carved liked a cat!

Here are my munchkins

"It's Raining Cats and Dogs!"

Fall Fun!

2009-12-12T08:52:00.001-08:00

October was a busy month with lots of fun activities. The first part of October we went to the Cal Poly pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins. It was our first time going there, but definitely not our last. We had a ton of fun! Ryan told the kids they could pick out any pumpkin as long as they could carry it. Allison looked long and hard for the biggest one she could carry! Zach was happy with whatever one was right by his feet. The kids got their faces painted and played a few Halloween games. Other then the almost 100 degree weather, it was how I pictured going to a fall pumpkin patch would be. Fun times!

6 Years Old!

2009-12-10T15:05:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are almost to the end of 2009 and I am hoping to catch up on my blogging! I feel that much of this year has been "catching up" when it comes to blogging, but something has to take a back seat to changing diapers, volunteering in Allison's classroom, teaching in my classroom, going to violin lessons, taking care of sick kids and husband and self, Wednesday night church activities, mounds of laundry, you get the idea! So...we start up again at Allison's sixth birthday, September 12, 2009. I really can't believe my little girl is six. She is fun and spunky as ever! She is always in a good mood and really cares about everyone. The littlest things make her happy and we are so lucky to have her in our family. For her birthday it was just Ryan, myself, and Alli that went to Downtown Disney to Build-a Bear where she got to make her very first bear. She loved it! It was nice to spend time with just her. We then surprised her by meeting up with the Koch's, Grandma, and the boy's at Chuck-E-Cheese for dinner, games, and cupcakes. It was a great day!

Here she is in her new sweatshirt from Grandma and holding up six fingers...very proud to be six!
After Downtown Disney we blindfolded her to surprise her with Chuck-E-Cheese. She didn't like it one bit! She was mad because she didn't know what was going on. She really likes to know what is going on at ALL times. She forgave us once she saw where we were.

Here she is with her new bear. She named it Rainbow Birthday Bear.

This sweet smile reminds me of something she recently said. She had a dentist appoint met the other day and before we went she said, "Mom, I hope I get a silver front tooth." I looked at her very surprised and asked why. She said, "because I want to be like my friends at school." All I could say was I loved her and her teeth just the way they are! Love you so much Allison!

First Grade, Preschool, and Joshy!

2009-09-24T13:18:00.001-07:00

Allison started First grade and she is loving every minute! I can't believe how fast the years are going.Here she is in front of her classroom. She is in the main hall this year and thinks that is pretty cool.
Here is the studious worker! I think she is more social than studious, but she is doing great so far. On Fridays I eat lunch with Mrs. Langdale, Alli's teacher, and she has already shared some funny stories. Like, Allison asking her to microwave her leftover pasta for her. Or if Mrs. Langdale could organize her desk for her while she is at recess. Who gets this kind of treatment? Where does she think she is? Club Med or something? Mrs Langdale is great and handles her well, and says she is always so happy and fun to be around! I agree.

Here is Zachy boy on his first day of Preschool. This is his second year at the preschool and he is very excited to be in the monkey class with Mrs. Jennifer. I had to work that day, so this is the only picture we got of this sweet boy!

And here is my Joshy boy! What else can I say but we have tons of fun while Allison and Zachary are at school. We color on our faces, we squeeze out toothpaste from the tubes, we lock mommy out of the house, we take every shoe out of the closet, we eat chalk, and the list goes on and on. This kid does stuff that my other two never did. I think Zachary says it best when he calls Josh "The crazy-rat boy!"

FIRST lost tooth & FIRST day of FIRST grade!

2009-09-02T09:51:00.000-07:00

It was a close call, but Alli lost her first tooth before the first day of school! (within a couple weeks I should say) She was so sad in Kindergarten when all the other kids were losing teeth and she wasn't. But now she gets to start first grade with a cute hole in her mouth. She is so proud! How the tooth came out...Ryan put on his head gear, tied dental floss around the tooth, gave it a pull, and out it came! Personally, I wasn't fond of this method, but Allison didn't think twice and she said it didn't hurt at all. This is a perfect dad job!
Here is the tooth hanging from the floss!

The proud smile! (Her teeth are a little yellow...maybe lighting from the camera, maybe not!)

First day of school pictures to follow!

What's your cell phone story?

2009-08-04T20:13:00.001-07:00

I didn't have a cell phone story until today. I have heard some funny ones...like my mom dropping hers in the toilet at work and it was an automatic flush and it flushed before she could get it out! I don't think mine is quite that good but now I at least have a cell phone story. Today I was outside with Josh (we were watching the chickens) I was talking to Nora on my cell phone, and Josh got distracted by something in the pool. So, I followed him near the pool and as I was standing there a gnat flew in my nose. I'm not sure why I didn't swat at it with my other hand, but with the hand I was holding the phone with. The phone went flying into the pool and all I hear come out of Joshy's mouth is "UH-O." It's is favorite thing to say right now. For a split second I thought about diving in and getting it (like it was my kid or something) but I went for the pool net and grabbed it out. I let it dry out and it seems to somewhat be working. Certain numbers are not, but maybe it just needs a few more hours to chill out???? If you need to get a hold of me, call the house phone! What is your cell phone story?

Where's Zachary?

2009-08-03T12:18:00.000-07:00

The other day we were out swimming and Zachary need to use the bathroom. I told him to get out, grab a towel and them come back out. This is pretty much a usual occurrence even though I make him go before he goes outside to swim. Why is that? Anyway, it was taking him a LONG time to come back out. So I went in to check on him and this is what I found! He didn't even make it to the bathroom. I could tell because his wet footprints went straight to the bed. He was also barely on the bed and with even a twitch would have fallen off. So the second picture is after I pushed him over so he wouldn't fall off the bed. It had been a long day and Zachy is my one who likes his sleep! I wonder if that was his plan all along...

Fourth of July

2009-07-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July this year was fun as usual. We had our second annual bike/bbq/parade party down in Huntington Beach. Nora has a nice friend who lets us come, crash on her lawn, and watch the parade. There is great food, an awesome parade, and great company. This year David and Kenna joined us with little Addie who at one month enjoyed her first bike ride. Uncle Stevie was down and of course Grandma, the Kochs, and us!

The Gang!

Josh LOVED the parade.

This was Alli's first time riding her two wheeler down to the parade. She did a great job keeping up with all of us. She is getting so big!

Zachary was bumped out of the trailer and rode on the bike attachment

Joshy was buddied up with June bug and kept taking her paci in and out of her mouth. She didn't seem to mind. It was better than the alternative of Charlie riding with Josh. Charlie was originally placed with Josh, but within seconds Charlie was whacking away and Josh was in tears. So..."solitary confinement" it was for Charlie boy!

Father's Day

2009-07-26T15:08:00.000-07:00

Father's day landed the day before Ryan and I left for our big trip (I will post about it soon) so I was busy getting things ready for us to leave. I did make a nice dinner for him, but the only "presents" Ryan got were these cool ties the kids made for him. Alli and Zach were so proud of them and couldn't wait for Ryan to wear them to church. He had to wear both of course!

Last day of Kindergarten

2009-07-22T12:01:00.000-07:00

The last day a Kindergarten was harder for me than the first day. It was saying goodbye to so many things. No more eating lunch separate from the rest of the school, a separate play ground, a special pick up and drop off area, an awesome teacher... it is making me tear up as I write this. Allison had a great Kindergarten year and I am sad to see it end. Allison on the other hand is more than excited to be in first grade. She is ready for the big playground, eating lunch with who she chooses and just being a bigger kid. She is ready, and I guess I have no choice in the matter! This year Mrs. Mitchell, Alli's teacher, was just perfect for her. She was loving but firm. She had so many great ideas and project and I know Allison learned a lot from her. We couldn't have asked for more. The day before the last day of school, her class had a teddy bear picnic. Each family brought food, we ate outside and the kids sang a few songs and poems for the parents. It was a great way to end the year.

Disneyland

2009-07-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

In June, Emily came home with her family for a visit. The highlight of her visit was taking a trip to Disneyland. The whole gang went! I'm a little disappointed because for some reason my camera did not have a lot of pictures on it ( I think mom has ALL the pictures on her camera!) For having two infants (June & Abby) three toddlers (Grace, Charlie & Josh) and two "kids"(Alli & Zach) we had a great day. With Em, Ben, Nora, Adam, Grandma, Ryan and myself, that makes 14! Nora and Em were troopers with breastfeeding their babies on It's a Small World.! The highlight for me was watching my kids faces when I surprised them with cotton candy. Any place we ever go that has cotton candy they beg to have some. They are very good when I say no. They have been turned down countless of times! So, I thought I would surprise them at Disneyland. The look on their faces was priceless! I love the simple things that make kids so happy. It was a super day!

Zachary went straight for it!

Two happy kids!

Joshy meeting goofy (a perfect character for him to meet!)

It's a small world (Nora and Emily are hiding in the back!)

Chicken Coop

2009-07-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

Right before school was out Ryan decided to take on a project. In Ryan's fashion he was looking through the Sunset magazine and saw an article on chicken coops and thought it would be fun to build one. Not that there were a million other projects that needed to be done, or finished (that was my two cents given.) Needless to say the kids had fun building the coop and picking out the chickens. The chickens were just days old when we got them and they had to stay inside with a heat lamp for a couple of WEEKS. Can you tell my joy?! Now they are outside and everyone is much happier. Eggs will be coming in about a month or so. If you are interested in fresh eggs please contact Ryan!

(pictures are out of order)

Finished coop

Messy, baby chickens

The helpers!

Blogging Slacker

2009-07-19T16:40:00.000-07:00

I have been a blogging slacker to say the least. There has been sooo much to post and yet so little time, or desire, or whatever excuse I want to make. But I think I'm ready now to update anyone who cares on what we've been up to over the last few months. So stay tuned!

Tub Talk

2009-05-04T14:39:00.000-07:00

Last night when I was giving the kids a bath, Allison panicked when she saw a daddy-long-leg on the wall. She said, "Mom is that going to bite us?" She then asked me what kind of bug it was. I told her that it was called a daddy-long-leg and that they don't bite. "Oh good," she said. Then without hesitation, and complete seriousness, she said, "I think it's only brother-long-legs that bite." I think Zachary had been "bugging" her a little too much in the tub!

Camping at Pismo Beach

2009-04-19T15:56:00.000-07:00

For spring break this year we went camping at Pismo Beach. We went with our friends the Fords who have three boys the exact same age as our kids. So that's six kids ages five and under! They all did great! We started off our trip by going to a restaurant of all places. Everyone was well behaved and ate a very good lunch. It was a fun start to the trip. The next three days consisted of playing in the dirt and more playing in the dirt! Allison made 24 mud pies to be exact. The kids literally played in the dirt for twelve hours strait! We did walk to the beach but it was too windy to stay very long. They didn't mind leaving because they knew the dirt was waiting for them back at camp! Our campsite was next to a lagoon and there were geese that were very entertaining. One had just laid an egg and was very protective of the area. It was fun to watch the kids being chased away by the family of geese. We did all the typical camping stuff like roasting hot dog, making smores, and just hanging out.

The kids played awesome together and luckily no one got hurt. Josh got a fever the second day and was very mellow and just wanted to sit on our laps. It was kind of nice because I didn't have to worry about him getting into too much stuff. Overall, we had a great time camping at Pismo Beach. We might even try it again this summer when the weather is a little warmer. Enjoy yet another video!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Fun Month!

2009-04-09T10:26:00.000-07:00

The past month has been a fun one. Ryan planted a garden with the kids, he does it every year and they love it. We also went to Disneyland on Ryan's birthday. It was a school holiday so we made the day of it! We had such a great time. After Nora had her baby we took Charlie for a few days and had the best time with him. We made cookies, watched Mickey Mouse Club House (with the stuffed characters, of course, that we got at Disneyland) played outside a lot, and went to Allison's awards assembly. She got a perfect attendance award and a reading award. She was so proud! It was worth the hassle of waking up the three boys from their naps to drag them to a hot cafeteria, to be at a not very exciting hour assembly. It was a pain for me, but it meant the world to Allison! To top off the month the kids got to meet baby June. They were sooo excited to finally meet their new cousin. All these fun activities and this warm weather is making me excited for summer! It's my favorite time of year. Here is another video...it's just easier to make than posting a million pictures!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

1st Haircut

2009-03-21T12:27:00.001-07:00

I finally took Josh to get his first haircut. He has needed it for a while, but I just kept putting it off. Maybe because I don't want my baby to look more gown up! We went to the a place called the Yellow Balloon. We took Zach there for his first haircut too. They get a cookie (which my kids love) play with toys, and of course when it's all done they get a yellow balloon. We also got to take home a certificate and some of Josh's hair. Ryan doesn't really see the point ( he wanted to cut it himself) but I wanted the memories and I think Josh had fun as well!

Loving the cookie!

This man was so sweet with Josh.

He loved the yellow balloon!!

Happy 1st Birthday Josh!

2009-03-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

Joshua is officially a year old! I feel a little sad knowing that he is not so much a baby anymore, but I know I just need to enjoy the present because it all goes by way too fast. He is interacting so much more with Alli and Zach and that it is fun to watch. He loves to play with balls, loves to eat, loves his bath, loves to be outside, and loves to be where the action is. He is just a fun baby. At his one year check-up he weighed 20lbs which is 25% and 30in which is 50%. For his first birthday we had Grandma, Auntie Nora, Uncle Adam, and Charlie over for dinner. We barbecued hamburgers (which Josh loved) and had a nice evening together. Josh LOVED his cake and probably would have eaten it all if I hadn't taken it away from him! Happy Birthday sweet boy!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Josh at 10 & 11 months

2009-02-26T09:24:00.000-08:00

Well, these are the last of the monthly pictures. Where has the year gone?? Josh will be one next week. I really can't believe it. He is such a great baby and we are so lucky to have him in our lives. The past few weeks he has really been into clapping and tackling. He claps when he sees anyone else do it or when he hears someone say "yeah." It is pretty cute. As far as the tackling goes, he loves to tackle Zach in particular. Any time Zach is on the floor, Josh will crawl as fast as he can over to him, put his arms across Zach's back and just lay there. There have been countless times that I hear Zach yelling, "Mom Josh is tackling me." It's very funny and I think very telling of what to expect in the years to come. As far as walking goes, he has taken a few steps but with a lot of coaxing. I think by next month he will have it down. I love this little boy and look forward to the years to come.

Josh 10 months

Josh 11 months

Zach 10 months

Zach 11 months

Alli 10 months

Alli 11 months

Christmas 2008

2009-02-19T09:16:00.000-08:00

Well at least I'm not posting Christmas in July! Christmas always comes and goes way too fast. The kids had a great Christmas, but my track record for great Christmas' hasn't gotten much better. Last Christmas I was seven months pregnant, just gotten out of the hospital, had a broken foot and was on bed rest. This Christmas I was not much better. On Christmas eve I went to the doctor to find that I had a severe case of tonsillitis. I was flat in bed for five days. I got up on Christmas day for about twenty minute and that was it. The kids could care less with all the excitement that Christmas brings, but I was sad to miss it all. I am definitely glad it was me who was sick and not them. The kids have been surprisingly healthy this winter. Allison enjoyed her Kindergarten program, Zachary had his preschool program, and Josh just experienced his first Christmas, the kids were able to sing twelve days of Christmas at the Merkley's which they love, Santa brought a Spiderman scooter for Zach and a special doll for Alli, so overall great memories were made. But with me being so sick we missed driving to Utah for Steven and Melinda's wedding. This broke my heart. But we were able to see them for the reception they had down here. That was a fun night!

Before school started back we were able to enjoy a snow day with Dana and DJ. The kids had so much fun playing in the snow. The funniest thing about that day is that Allison was the scaredy cat going down the sled while Zachary couldn't go fast enough. The faster the better for him, which surprised us all!

Hopefully next year we will all be healthy and the post will come in December!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

"Odd & End"

2009-02-03T08:36:00.000-08:00

Last month Allison had a runny nose. It was barely dripping but even the littlest bit bothered her. At night she kept asking me for a kleenex. After about three trips to her room I finally said,"no more." Being the bright and determined child that she is, she went into the bathroom, got a long piece a toilet paper and wrapped it around her whole head. Problem solved! This was all done without us knowing. I always check on the kids before I go to bed and when I saw what she had done, I couldn't stop laughing. She does silly kinds of things like this all time. She adds so much joy and spunk into our lives!

Zachary Turns 3...

2009-01-28T12:19:00.000-08:00

...over a month ago!! I have been a major slacker with our blog and I'm not sure why. I think a few factors might be that we are still trying to get things figured out with this darn camera, I got behind and then felt overwhelmed, and life has just gotten in the way. But now I am back on board! The "catch-up" will include Zachary's 3rd birthday (December 9th), Christmas festivities, Joshua 10 month (January 7th) and a few odds and ends. This will hopefully take place sooner than later. But for now I will start with my sweet boy turning three. My heart melts for this boy. He continues to be obedient, kind, sensitive, helpful, happy, and just plain sweet. For his third birthday he chose to celebrate it at Chuck E Cheese. Zachary wanted nothing to do with Chucky but had a great time celebrating with his friends and family. We love you Zachy!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

9 months and a new baby...

2008-12-16T09:10:00.001-08:00

...Camera that is! We got another Cannon and I was very happy with it until I uploaded this picture of Josh. The picture on the camera is clear and not washed out. It only looks like this since I uploaded it. I am too impatient to wait until Ryan gets home to look at it, so here is a cute but washed out picture of my baby boy. He turned 9 months on the 7th and is as fun as ever. He is saying "dada"(he said that first. Zachary was my only to say mama first.) Josh does say "mama" very clearly though. He babbles a lot! He also has three teeth. Two on the bottom and a snaggle tooth on the top. He still loves his food and is now wanting to eat everything we eat. He is a good, fun, happy baby!

Josh 9 months

Zachary 9 months ( with 4 big chompers!)

Allison 9 months (Alli didn't even get her first tooth until almost 10 months)

Santa

2008-12-02T14:49:00.000-08:00

It is hard for me to write about my dad because I feel I cannot properly express in words how I feel about him or his passing. Two days ago marked the five year anniversary of his death. Every year at this time when the Christmas music is playing, the decorations are up, the lights are lit and everyone is in the "holiday spirit", it all brings out bitter-sweet emotions for me. My dad LOVED Christmas. He made this holiday most special for us even when money was tight. He wanted us to have memories of Christmas that he never had. I think his most favorite thing about Christmas though was dressing up as Santa. He had the rosy red cheeks, the big round belly, and as the years progressed his beard became as white as snow. He really made a great Santa. He enjoyed having kids (and adults) sit on his lap and tell him their Christmas wishes. He loved everything about this holiday season.

I have thought back to this time five years ago when he was so sick and could not even walk. Allison was only two months old. The holidays were approaching and all he wanted was to look like Santa so she could be on his lap if only for one time. It breaks my heart thinking about that moment. He knew this was going to be his last time as Santa and I am so thankful it got to be with his only grandchild at the time. It brings me to tears to know that all of his grandchildren will not have the opportunity to sit on his lap at Christmas time. He would have loved it more than the kids! I just have to realize that I was blessed to have the best "Santa" around for all the years I did. I need to keep his memory alive by making Christmas special for my kids, enjoying the holiday season like he did, and telling them stories of the greatest Santa around. Love you Santa.

The Other Video

2008-11-25T13:11:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post the "other video" Read the previous post, watch that video, and then this one. Not that it really matters, it's just how it happened in "real life."

Fun After Bath

2008-11-25T12:04:00.000-08:00

About two weeks ago our camera broke, and it takes us FOREVER to decided on what kind of camera we want, so that is why there have been no new post and probably won't be for a while! While I was looking at pictures that were taken before the camera broke I found these two videos that were taken right around Halloween. The kids had just come out of the bath and were having fun with Josh. I have never posted video before but I remember someone telling me that when you take video from your camera it has to be done horizontal, but of course I did it vertical so that is why the first one is sideways. I then realized it and tried to capture the moment again horizontal, but we all know how that goes! Enjoy! It may be a while before anything new comes along!

8 Months!

2008-11-08T12:51:00.000-08:00

Well, another month has come and gone so here we are again. The monthly pictures start to get very "wiggly" from here on out. Looking back at the other kids I noticed that they don't just sit still anymore! Josh was trying to climb over the bear, eat the bear, lung off the chair, but that being said, we managed to get a decent picture with "rapper" hands none the less! Josh is on the move. He crawls anywhere and everywhere. He pulls himself up on just about anything. He only pulls up to his knees but is thinking about attempting his feet. He gives the wide open mouth kisses which is so sweet and we are teaching him how to wave. He is actually getting good at it. He seems to wave most when Alli is saying "Wave bye, bye" in her high pitch voice. Can you just hear it? Josh lights up most when he sees her. I think its a combo of the wild hair, big smile, and high voice! We are having lots of fun with them all!

Joshua 8 months

Zachary 8 months
Allison 8 months

Old McMenlove Had a Farm...

2008-10-28T12:13:00.000-07:00

Last night was the ward Halloween Party and we had a great time. The farm theme started when Allison insisted on being a pig for Halloween. I'm not sure where that idea came from but she wouldn't budge! I first thought they could all be pigs and we would have "The Three Little Pigs!" But the more I thought about Zachy and Josh all in pink, it just didn't sit right. So... we are a farm family this year! Allison LOVES her pig nose because when you press it it makes an oinking sound. Zachary was proud to be a chicken, I let him pick between cow, chicken, horse, goat, and chicken is what he picked. And Josh was just happy being a cute cow!

Grandma came straight from work and no one even knew it!There's my happy chicken boy!

Here are some fun fall pictures I have taken over the past couple of weeks and thought I would share.
Alli is so sweet with her little brother !

These were taken before church a few Sundays ago and all three were just so clean and happy that I had to snap a few!

Seven Months!

2008-10-09T08:28:00.000-07:00

I say this every time, but where is the time going? There is a quote about "time" that I just love and it is so true... "Time is like warm cookies on a plate...always vanishing." I feel like I want to stop time, but know that I need to just enjoy the moment. Joshua is getting more fun everyday. He loves to play peek-a-boo with Alli and Zach. He LOVES his food(sweet potatoes, green beans and pears are his favorites) even though there is still not much meat on his bones. He is scooting around everywhere. I wouldn't say he is crawling, but he gets up on his hands and knees and then lunges forward. My friend says he looks like a frog! He can move anywhere and get anything he wants. He has two bottom teeth and is still just as smiley as ever. He really is a perfect combination of his siblings.

Joshua 7 months

Zachary 7 monthsAllison 7 months

Happy 5th Birthday Allison!

2008-09-20T21:29:00.000-07:00

I was going to just post pictures of Allison's fifth birthday and then I began to look back at pictures of the past five years and thought it would be fun to do a video. My little girl is getting so big and it has been amazing watching her grow and change. She came into this world full of life and we have enjoyed every minute of it! Allison had a great 5th birthday with Grandma stopping by and surprising her with a donut and gigantic balloon. She got to sit in the birthday chair at school and wear a special crown. The next day she had friends over for a party and her only request was a bounce house. She is very pround to be five and announces it whenever she gets a chance! She is such a sweet, fun, energetic, full of life little girl. We love you Allison.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Preschool

2008-09-17T11:03:00.001-07:00

I was about to write a post on Alli's birthday (I am a little behind) and realized I needed to put Zachary's first day of Preschool first. More then ever I have seen how the middle child can get a little neglected. Maybe it is just my middle child because he is so easy going and good natured that he lets his sister and brother take all the attention, but regardless, he is just as important and deserves his own post about starting preschool. It was my first day back at work the day Zachary started school. I am teaching second grade every Friday and every other Monday and those are the days that Zach goes to school. So, Dad was in charge of getting him off to school. And being the great dad that he is, he remembered to take pictures! Unlike his sister, Zach shed some tears as dad said goodbye, but his teacher Mrs. Nancy said they didn't last long, and he hasn't cried since. He is really enjoying school. First day picture with dad
At school
Playing with his friend Georgia. She is the only one he talks about when I ask him about his day!
My sweet boy

6 Months!

2008-09-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

Joshua turned six months on Sunday and it's weird to think he is half a year old! He is wearing his Sunday best with his Ralph Lauren polo suit and his loafers from Uncle Dodo and Auntie Kenna. It was just on Sunday that Alli and I noticed that he cut his first tooth! He loves rice cereal and anything that goes with it, pears, applesauce, bananas. We are going to start veggies this week. I also think he is going to be wild like his sister. I have said that from the beginning. I was making Allison's lunch the other morning and had Josh in his carseat on the floor (not buckled in) all of a sudden I heard him scream. He had launched himself out of the carseat and was face down on the kitchen floor! He is always rolling and moving and loves to be in the mist of all the commotion. He is a very happy baby and is smiling all the time. He weighs a whopping 15lbs. 2oz. which is still the 10%. We love him so much!

Joshua 6 months Zachary 6 months
Allison 6 months

Kindergarten!

2008-09-02T19:48:00.001-07:00

It actually happened... my little girl started Kindergarten! It feels like we just brought her home from the hospital and now here we are five years later. Today was Allison's first day at Wildrose. This is the same elementary school where Ryan and I went, so it was extra fun to see her there today. Sorry, but I have to give the whole run-down of events. We just arrived home yesterday from Utah (see previous post) and Grandma Graham wanted to start a back to school tradition. So, Allison was treated to her very first manicure and pedicure! It was just Grandma and Alli, and they had the best time! Grandma stayed for dinner and we had a nice relaxing evening.
I wanted to start a fun tradition also, so the "School Fairy" brought some fun treats for the school kids. Allison's face was priceless when we read the note and she opened the present(pencil box, erasers, sharpener, pencils, and mints!) We then walked down to Rite-Aid and got ice cream.
First Day of Kindergarten Picture ~ That is one happy girl!
Zachary wanted his lunch box too. He put some mints in his!
Walking up to the school. Yes, they held hand on their own. I love that they do that!
Me and Zachy missing Alli
Overall, sending my first to Kindergarten has been a great experience. I love that she is at Wildrose, I love that I know her teacher, Mrs. Mitchell. I love that I will see her on Fridays when I work there and I love that she is so ready. I asked Alli today if she missed me at all. Her exact response, "No" then there was a long pause thinking about the question, "Never." I looked at her a little sad and she said, "But I still love you." "I love you too Alli" is all I could say, holding back a tear.

Grandma-Great

2008-09-01T15:03:00.001-07:00

I wanted to post this before we left for Utah but didn't get a chance. Grandma Great finally passed away last week. I say "finally" because over the past ten years that I have been part of the Menlove family, it seems like every time we saw Grandma (Roger's mom) it was going to be the last time we saw her. Except for this last time we were up in Utah, two months ago, she was at her perkiest. I had never heard her talk so much! She was interrupting all of our conversations and was right in the mist of all the commotion. She had just returned from a family camp out where she sat by the campfire and had smores. She held Joshua and loved seeing Allison and Zachary run around. I am so glad to have seen her this way and remember her in such a happy way. It was Allison's first real experience with death and it was a good teaching tool for us as parents to explain to her that Grandma is in a much better place and with Heavenly Father and Jesus. We told her that it is important for us to be good here on earth so that we can see Grandma Great again someday. She understood it as much as a almost five year could and after many tears and a million more questions she looked at me and said, "okay, I am not sad anymore." She hasn't brought it up since. If only everything were that simple! Well, I am now getting ready for my baby to start Kindergarten tomorrow, and I think it will be awhile before I can say, "I am not sad anymore."

Do You Ever Feel Like...

2008-08-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

Martha Stewart, WonderWoman, or SuperMom? To answer my own question... RARELY! But the other day I had one of those one in a million days that I just had to document! I think the stars, moon, hormones, all have to be in some kind of perfect alignment for these "un-normal" days to occur. I wish they came around more often, but for now I will just fondly remember the great day that it was. To begin Allison and Zachary both woke up in good moods, and even better they didn't come immediately into our room begging for us to get up. They just began playing together. They were sharing and laughing, and there was no arguing! Because they were being so good, I decided to do something fun with them and make homemade playdoh. We made two batches, a green one for Zac and a red one for Alli. They must have played with it for an hour! Again with no fighting. While I was getting lunch ready, they decided to switch clothes and pretended to be each other. Alli was talking like a boy, and Zachary like a girl (which isn't too hard because his voice is so high anyways.) I was in tears! They were being so funny and feeding off each other. They ate lunch, took a two hour nap and again woke up happy! In the time they were napping I got two loads of laundry done (washed, folded, and put away!) and I went to the store and got my grocery shopping done. When they woke up I decided to make chocolate chip banana muffins. The kids were in heaven licking the bowl and playing chef. The muffins turned out perfectly ( which is rare for me when I do any sort of cooking.) But this was the perfect day, remember? I then began dinner which was a new Mexican dish I found on-line. It turned out good and we had a nice family dinner. Everyone ate with no complaints. The day ended with all three kids bathed, reading books, and easily going to bed. I felt like the day had been a dream. There were no time-outs, lots of laughs, a clean house, good food, no TV, and happy kids! Unbelievable I know.

Alli was trying to show off the playdoh, and Zachary was enjoying the salty taste of it!

Here is my Alli-boy and my Zachy-girl!
The yummy chocolate-chip banana muffins!
Even though every day is not a perfect one, those faces are!

5 Months!

2008-08-09T11:40:00.000-07:00

My baby is not really a little baby anymore. But the good thing is that he gets cuter by the day! He is a very happy baby and still smiles all the time. He is nosy like his big sister and wants to be a part of the action. He eats like crazy even though he is still a string bean. I am going to start him on cereal this week. Maybe that will chunk him up! He loves rolling over ( he rolled off Nora's couch the other day. We even had pillows surrounding him. He cried for a second and then began smiling. I can already tell he is going to be "all boy.") He is drooling like crazy and loves putting things in his mouth. He is very ticklish and giggles so loud. He is such a fun baby. We love him so much!

Joshua 5 months Zachary 5 month (look at that chin!)
Allison 5 months

2008-07-26T09:56:00.000-07:00

As Jen was waking from having her wisdom teeth taken out I could not resist taking a picture.( I know she is going to kill me for this) She reminded me of those national geographic shows when the tranquilize the animals and all the animals can do is look around. She was a trooper and everything went great. I cannot wait for her to be back on her feet. It is times like these that I really appreciate what she does all day.

Summer Fun!

2008-07-15T13:24:00.000-07:00

Allison graduated from Preschool a month ago and "summer fun" has been in full swing ever since! Zachary is officially potty trained...my goal for the summer. We drove to Utah to visit Grandma Menlove. We also had lots of fun with Uncle Stevie, Uncle Dodo and Auntie Kenna. We also saw Great-Grandma Menlove who met Joshua for the first time. We met up with our friends the Lewis' and their sweet family. The kids were great travelers and we all had a wonderful time. The day after we got home from Utah, Emmy, BennyBoo and Gracie arrived. We spent three days at Auntie Nora's house and had the best 4th of July ever. We loaded all the kids on the back of bikes and rode to friends house to watch a pretty amazing parade. That night we got back on the bikes and rode to the beach to watch the fireworks. There were lots of laughs, lots of late nights, and lots of fun! This summer we have been doing a lot of relaxing, swimming, and just enjoying our time together, and it's not over yet!

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4 Months!

2008-07-11T12:20:00.001-07:00

Joshua turned 4 months on Monday the 7th. He has his check-up next week so I am anxious to see how long he is and how much he weighs. As you can see he is still skinny and very long. Some of his nicknames include: string bean, daddy long legs (given by auntie Em) and Mr. Smiles. He smiles all the time and at everything which is a lot of fun. He definitely lets us know when he is not happy about something, but is usually easily soothed. He loves to be on is tummy which my other two never much liked, and has just started rolling over. There are days that I wish time would stand still because it is all going way too fast, but it is also fun to watch him grow and develop a personality. We have already had a fun filled summer, so I will post soon on all our fun adventures! At four months Josh weighs 12lbs. 6oz, which is the 10%. Very similar to where his sister fell on the charts!

Joshua 4 months

Zachary 4 months
Allison 4 months

Ten Years

2008-06-19T08:40:00.000-07:00

Well, today is our Ten Year Anniversary! I have never done a video montage, so I thought this would be the perfect reason to do one. I really wanted to scan pictures of the past ten years but I didn't get that fancy this time. Maybe for our twenty year anniversary! I just want Ryan to know that he is an awesome husband and wonderful father. I truly couldn't ask for more. He makes dinner more than I do, he does dishes, he changes diapers, he gets up early to feed a crying baby, he has lots of energy, he is patient with me and gives me more complements then I deserve. Our marriage has not been perfect over these past ten years, but I think we work well together and I look forward to many more years to come. Happy Anniversary! Ilove you!

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3 Months!

2008-06-09T22:11:00.000-07:00

I have said that once my kids hit three months then I know it can only get better from there. So I guess we have made it! There are still plenty of sleepless nights, lots of spit up, laundry that is never ending, and the house is more often a mess then it is clean, but the smiles and laughter are endless. I think this is why it is all so bearable. Joshua smiles and giggles so often that it makes me forget about everything else. He is a sweet boy.

Joshua 3 months

Zachary 3 months
Allison 3 months

It's a Miracle!

2008-05-27T20:35:00.000-07:00

Ryan has always teased me for loving cereal. I pretty much eat it everyday. There have been days that I eat if for breakfast, lunch and dinner (not often, but it has happened!) I think it's a Graham thing. Allison has followed in the tradition and loves cereal as well. Her favorites include Shredded Wheat, Life, and Rice Crispies. She has enjoyed it from the time she ate solid food. Zachary on the other hand has resisted cereal from the beginning. I'm not sure why because he is not a picky eater and loves eating what Allison eats. When he first started eating solid food I would offer him dry Cheerios and he just spit them out. He refused to even touch the stuff each and every time I offered it to him. Knowing he has a sweet tooth, I would try and give him the most sugary kind possible (with and without milk) and never any luck. But yesterday Ryan tricked him into trying a bite of Golden Grahams (I'm not sure how) and he looked up and said "I like cereal!" I couldn't believe my ears. He ate a whole bowl of Golden Graham and loved every minute of it! For the past two and a half years I have been waiting for the moment for us to all sit down and have a bowl of cereal, and it has finally happened. The things that make a mom happy! I don't drink the milk from the bowl (I promise) he learned that from his big sister!

2008-05-19T20:46:00.000-07:00

Joshua loves taking baths! I probably should give him more considering how much he spits up but sometimes there are just not enough hours in a day! Tonight after his bath he was content just laying naked and watching Alli and Zachy run wild in the bedroom. He was just taking it all in. I love the expression on his face. I think he his thinking, "I can't wait to join in the fun someday!" Along with "You guys are crazy!"

Crazy Weather

2008-05-08T12:08:00.000-07:00

The weather around here has been pretty unpredictable. One day it feels like summer and the next it is cold and raining. Yesterday was wet and winter like, so we were pretty much home bound. Allison decided to put on a show which is always entertaining! Notice the two different shoes. We worked on potty training with Zachy. He is doing really well, but still has a hang up about going #2 in the toilet! And Joshua just smiled at it all!

Two Months!

2008-05-07T13:28:00.000-07:00

Well, two months have flown by. Joshua is showing more his personality and is a sweet baby. He still is a spitter, but I have just accepted the fact that my couches are ruined, laundry is piled to the ceiling, his hair is sometimes crusted and his outfits are never dry. But all that said, I love him to death. Joshua gives lots of smiles, especially after he eats and it just melts my heart. He had his two month appointment and weighs 9lbs. 6 oz. which is not quite the 10th percentile. He is still a little peanut! More pictures to come, I promise.

Joshua Two Months! Zachy Two Months!
Alli Two Months!

Fun in the Sun

2008-04-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

Its only the beginning of Spring, but if feels like summer around here. Ryan spent the day outside doing yard work and the kids were his helpers. They started out helping rake, pick up leaves, etc. and quickly got board with that. Allison asked if she could stick her feet in our big pool. Ryan said sure. Well, within minute she was soaking wet and Zachary was not far behind. So, Ryan stripped them down, pulled out the little pool, and I didn't see them for over and hour. It was great!
Happy Spring!!

One Month!

2008-04-07T16:02:00.000-07:00

As usual, time is flying by! Joshua is one month old today. He had a doctors appointment today and he now weighs a whopping 7lbs. 12oz. He is a little peanut. Other than spitting up, he is a pretty easy baby. Allison and Zachary are great big siblings, and we are enjoying having Joshua in our family.

Joshua One Month

Zachary One Month
Allison One Month

Happy Easter!

2008-03-24T10:57:00.000-07:00

It was such a beautiful day yesterday... the Easter Bunny came, we went to church as a family, we all took a nap, we had an egg hunt and a wonderful dinner at the Toffoli's. What could be better? Here are the kids before we left for Pasadena. The Easter Bunny brought the cool sunglasses! Family picture
Grandma with her grandkids
Waiting for the egg hunt to start!
Joshua slept through the egg hunt
Allison wasted no time checking out the goods. Notice all the m&m's stored in her dress!
Zachary wanted to open (and eat) each egg before he even found another one. He definitely has a sweet tooth!
As always, Annie was so sweet with the younger kids. They love playing with her. She only got one little break to hold Joshua before the kids were looking for her to come play with them.
As if the candy weren't enough, Zachary spotted the cupcakes and ate every last bite. Allison almost always passes on the sweets, but that didn't stop her from eating the whole bowl of pistachios at 9:00 at night!
Hope you all had a Happy Easter!

Sleepyheads!

2008-03-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

I was uploading my pictures from the past week and noticed that the majority of them are with everyone sleeping, everyone but me that is!

Joshua is a pretty good sleeper. Notice the one sock on and one sock off! Dad may not admit it, but he can nap with the best of them!
Uncle Stevie stopped by on his way home to Utah. Steven is so good with babies. You can decide for yourself if he is really asleep or not!
I'm sure it will be hard to tell if Zachary is really asleep! He had been very sweet with the baby.
Zachary is really asleep in this picture, Ryan is just about there, and Joshua is out.
I'll get some sleep someday! Sweet dreams...

One Week Old

2008-03-14T12:34:00.001-07:00

The one week picture is always hard to take because they fall over so quickly and easily, but they sure are fun to have! This week has gone by so fast. We have enjoyed every minute of it! Joshua is a good baby and we are so glad he is here. Zachary one week old!
Allison one week old!

Home, Healthy, & Happy

2008-03-11T11:48:00.001-07:00

I have so many pictures of the last three days that I don't even know where to start. These are just a few of the ones that stood out. Allison and Zachary came to the hospital soon after Joshua was born. It was going on 9:00 at night, so of course Zachy had Mr. Cuddles. He was sharing it with Joshua. Such a sweet big brother!The next day when the kids came to visit they were playing "baby" in the room. Crying, crawling around on the floor, etc. Ryan decided to put them in the "baby's bed" and they thought that was sooo much fun!
Zachy pretending he's asleep!
Leaving the hospital.
Little Joshua in the car seat that looks enormous for him.
We are all happy to be home and look forward to the adventure ahead.

The Big Day

2008-03-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

There is always so much anticipation on what the "Big Day" is going to be like. Will I get the epidural?, will there be pain?, how much will the baby weigh?, what time will he be born?, will he be healthy? Those questions are now answered, and I am so happy to say that everything went great. I arrived at the hospital 4 cm. dilated and 80% effaced with very few contractions. I learned my lesson with Allison not to wait until the contractions start because then it is too late! I got the epidural at 5:00p.m., they started pitosin at 5:30, my doctor checked me at 6:00 and said the contractions hadn't quite kicked in yet, the nurse checked me an hour later at 7:00 and I was 10 cm and ready to push. My dr. had gone home so we had to wait about a half hour for her to get back to the hospital. She arrived about 7:30 and two pushed later Joshua was born at 7:45. It was a great experience and I am both happy and sad that it is already over. Grandma Graham came from work in her scrubs and fit right with the hospital staff! I have been lucky to have her there while all three kids were born.
Auntie Nora was in the room when Allison and Zachary were born. This time she invited herself to be in the delivery room, but I wouldn't have it any other way!
Helena also was there to see baby Joshua being born. She rode down the elevator with my dr. and we had her come to see his birth. It was great having so many people that love and support you at such a special moment.
Kevin came in AFTER the birth and looks like such a pro holding the baby. He will make a great dad in about 5 months!
And of course, the only one who I really needed was Ryan. He is always so calm and excited at the same time. He is a great dad and great husband!

Joshua Graham Menlove

2008-03-08T11:36:00.000-08:00

Well with much anticipation.....here he is! Born Friday, March 7, 2008 at 7:45 PM. 6 lbs 10 oz.

Mom and baby are resting in the hospital and doing very well.

More pictures to come when mom gets home!

Ready or Not...

2008-03-06T20:04:00.000-08:00

Well, today I was "checked" at my doctor's appointment and I'm 3 centimeters dilated and 80% effaced. So, basically the baby is on his way! We are just waiting for contractions to start. I have not taken many pictures of this pregnancy because of all the drama that has happened. I think the last picture that was taken was at Christmas. Tonight Ryan was invited to a Hockey game, and yes he went. I am a nice wife, so anyone is welcome to remind him of that! But as I was sitting on the couch, hair pulled back, jammies on, I thought what if the baby comes tonight and I don't get a picture? So, husbandless, I turned to my 4 year old and 2 year old to get some last minute pictures! Here is Zachy's attempt! Poor kid, I never realized that is what he sees at his eye level!
Here is Allison's first attempt. I actually prefer this one because you can't see my face!
Here is the only picture taken that gives the "full" effect. Not too bad for a four year old! If the baby hangs in there a little longer, I may take a more flattering picture. But this will have to do for now! We'll keep you all posted!

My Little Chefs

2008-03-05T10:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went to story time at the library. Library time consist of a couple of stories being read, singing a song, and making a craft, all of which are part of a theme for that day. The craft usually gets hung up on the fridge for a day, or thrown in the trash (when the kids aren't looking, of course.) But yesterday the craft was making chefs hats to coordinated with the books that were read about cooking. Allison and Zachary LOVED making and wearing them! They are just made out of tissue paper and a band of heavy construction paper. I thought they looked so cute. They wore them for half of the afternoon. After I took the first picture, Allison insisted on having "cooking tools" in the picture to show that they were really chefs. Notice the whisk and wooden spoon!
Happy Cooking!!

Nesting

2008-02-29T10:12:00.000-08:00

When I was pregnant with Allison I had the room ready two months before she was even born. Funny how things change...Now I have two weeks until my due date and I just got the room put together for this baby to come. My friend Tonya, who live just up the street, gave us this cute bedding for the new baby. It was her son's bedding and he is now four, same age as Allison. Thanks Tonya for holding onto it, I love it! We decided to have all three kids in one room for now. Allison will start kindergarten in the fall, so the plan this summer is to let her have her own room and move the boys into the other room. But for now they will all share. Here is what three kids in one room looks like! The pictures are in a clockwise motion as you enter the room.
Allison's bed

Baby's crib and Zachy's toddler bed.
Dresser and changing table. I am lucky to have a decent size room to fit everything. I finally feel organized and ready for this baby to come. We are all getting excited over here. I'll keep everyone posted! I have had a few request of a post on the "belly," so maybe in the next day or two I will be brave enough to post one!

I LoveYou!

2008-01-29T10:31:00.001-08:00

With Emily being the "queen blogger" of the family, I noticed that she has already changed her template for Valentine's day. I figured I'd better get to it! So, as Valentine's Day approaches, I know it goes without saying, but I love my sweet family so much. When this new baby comes we will update our family picture, but for now this one from last year will have to do. I feel very blessed to be where I'm at during this point in my life. I love you!

Random Pictures

2008-01-27T15:17:00.000-08:00

I was looking at my pictures taken this past month and came across a few random ones I thought I'd share. As I was looking at these pictures, I kept wondering what I did before I had kids. Ryan and I were married five years before Allison came along. I know I went to school and worked, but how boring! They have brought so much joy and excitement into our lives that I really can't remember life without them. A few weeks ago, Zachary fell as he was running down the isle at Lowe's and chipped his front tooth. This is not a very good picture but it's the only one I took. Ryan already calls him "Buck tooth Billy" because his teeth stick out from sucking his thumb so much. Now it has been changed to "Buck-Chip Billy!"
Here is my crazy daughter riding her scooter to go take a bath. As I have posted before, she is totally obsessed with that darn scooter. She has never been attached to a blanket, doll, stuffed animal, her mother....nothing! But, at four years old, I can say she is attached to a scooter. The thing never leaves her side. She asks me to "keep an eye on it" while she is at preschool. The other day she decided to attach balloons to the side of it and ride it to the bathroom to take her bath. She definitely keeps us on our toes, but I wouldn't have her any other way.
Then there are the two of them together. Their personalities are so different, but they can't get enough of each other. A couple of weeks ago they wanted to have a slumber party at Grandma's house but grandma had to work the next day, so that didn't work out. Allison said, "that's okay Zachy can just sleep in my bed." They had never done that before, but I thought, why not? So for about six hours they had a "slumber party" until Zachy came into our room and wanted "own bed."

Mom, It's Snowing!

2008-01-24T08:14:00.001-08:00

A little after 5 this morning Ryan and I woke up to hail beating down on our house. I thought for sure the kids were going to wake up because it was so loud, but they didn't. When they woke up around 7, Ryan told Allison to look outside. She ran to me so excited and said, "Mom its snowing like in Utah!" I finally decided to take a picture around 8 and surprisingly the "snow" hadn't melted. The cars were covered and so were all the roofs in our neighborhood. To a four year old eye, it really looked like it was snowing!

Of course she had to see what it tasted like!

To Market, To Market....

2008-01-16T09:14:00.001-08:00

and I'm the fat pig!

This is truly a bad picture of me but the story is too funny that I wasn't going to let my vanity pass up a good post. Yesterday we needed to go grocery shopping. By "we" I mean Ryan since he has been doing it now for the past two months. Since I have been moving around a little bit more he thought it would be nice for us all to go together. I was actually fine with the idea because I have really been dying to get out of the house. I just thought I would walk slowly up and down the isles while he pushed the cart and took care of the kids. But when we got to the store he INSISTED that I ride one of the motorized carts. I tried sooo hard to convince him otherwise, but he wouldn't budge. How embarrassing! Then Allison INSISTED that she was going to be the driver. Yes, we crashed into bins that were on the end of the isles, knocked granola bars off the shelf, and yes she came centimeters from hitting customers in the store. You really had to be there to get the full effect on how funny it all was, but lucky for you Ryan sneakily brought the camera along. Yes I did cooperate to take a picture but only because the whole thing was so funny.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-09T11:03:00.000-08:00

Where do I begin? I have been on bed rest now for a month and because we don't have a lap top, I have been out of touch with the computer world. When I logged onto my blog and still saw the turkeys I thought, how sad! I am now walking without crutches so it makes it easier to get around. Just this past week my doctor said I could walk around the house more and not be so limited to the bed or couch. For those of you who don't know, I was in the hospital for a week at the beginning of December because my water started to leak. I have two more months until my due date, and we'll see if we make it till then. At this point, nothing will surprise me! We had planed all along not to find out what we were having, but with all the surprise that have come our way, I was over surprises! So... we are having a boy! Allison wanted a sister, but she is warming up to the idea. Ryan is not the best picture taker, and with me not being able to take many pictures, the few pictures that were on our camera are here for you to see. Thank you to everyone for all your love and support during this crazy time!

Right after I broke my foot, the kids got sick so Auntie Nora came to the rescue. She set up sleeping bags in the living room and we watched a lot of cartoons. Alli and Zachy love holding hands. They do it all the time and all on their own! I think its so sweet.

Here they are with baby Charlie. They thought pacifiers might make them feel better!

Zachary turned two while I was in the hospital, so we celebrated his birthday there! Grandma made cupcakes and we all had a fun time.

He didn't care where his party was as long as there were cupcakes and a candle. I think he had three cupcakes that night!

We opened presents and knew this would be something we would look back on and laugh about!

Christmas morning was fun. I was just glad to be home! Allison got a scooter from Santa and it has been the best present ever! She does not let it leave her side. We made the mistake of letting her ride it in the house. She has it by her bed when she sleeps, so when she has to get up to go to the bathroom she hops on and is ready to go. It is pretty funny.

The only thing they both asked Santa for were character slippers. Here is the only picture of the slippers on their feet. I have not seen them wear them since!
We spent part of Christmas morning at Grandmas house and the kids had fun with everyone.
It was sad when everyone had to go back home and the fun was over. But thanks to Ryan he knows how to keep the fun going! He has been so great with everything since I have been out of commission. He is especially great with the kids. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful husband.

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-27T15:50:00.000-08:00

I thought before November was over I better get a post in. Other than a particular episode (which most of you know about and I will explain later) we had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Here is Alli at her Thanksgiving preschool program.
Uncle Stevie was home and made it to the see the program
Here are my sweet kids on Thanksgiving day.
They love Grandma Graham!
Here we all are nice and happy before the "big episode" occurred!

So, we were leaving the Toffoli's house after Thanksgiving and I was putting Zachary in the car and when I stepped off the curb I twisted my ankle. Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, I was in so much pain (I was actually doing labor breathing! I'm sure Ryan thought I was being a little dramatic!) I had to be carried in to the house to get the evaluation by everyone there. I hate being the center of attention, but everyone was concerned about me and my foot. And I was in a ton of pain that I'm glad there were so many around to help. When all was said and done, I broke my foot and now am waiting to see a specialist. It is very interesting to be six months pregnant, have to use crutches, have my two kids running around like crazy, and just have to sit on the couch all day. As a side note...There were days that I wished I could put all my cares aside and sit on the couch and watch T.V. and and nap and just do nothing. Well, all I can say is it is not as fun as it sounds. I will be more careful about what I wish for! There will be a post soon of my big belly and broken foot, I have had request! So stay tuned!

Last Halloween Hurrah

2007-11-04T19:37:00.000-08:00

Well, here is the picture we found of me at four when I was a clown.

Here is Allison on the same front porch. I think she fits the idea of a clown a little better!
While Allison was at preschool, Zachy and I went to Glendora to do some trick or treating with Auntie Robin. Zachy was so excited to get the candy all to himself!
We took our annual picture with our neighbor Bryan. These are going to be fun pictures to look back on.
By the end of the night the candy was starting to kick in! We took our second annual picture with our friends Tyler and Gavin. I think the kids are still recovering from all the excitment!

Clowning Around!

2007-10-28T14:55:00.001-07:00

Here are the only two pictures we took at the church Halloween Party. I've learned from the past to take them right when we get there because the chance of taking one during or after the party is impossible! Still, Allison wouldn't look at the camera because she was too excited about the party, and Zachary was distracted by Ryan's wig!

FYI...the clown costumes came about because Allison and Zachary are at the age that Nora and I were when mom made these costumes for us. I will take pictures of the kids sitting on the porch just like we did 20 plus years ago! Stay tuned.

The Winning Pumpkin

2007-10-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor grew a gigantic pumpkin this year and decided to enter it into a contest up north. She ended up winning first place which was $8200.00 (not a misprint!) She was so excited to have won that she had a Halloween party with neighbors and friends. There was a ton of food, Ryan made balloon animals for the kids, and it was a great start to Halloween!

The winning pumpkin!

Ryan doing what he does best!
The kids loved all the Halloween decorations. This witch moved when you got close to it and it scared them at first. After a while they wouldn't leave it alone.
They climbed in bed with Ryan and ended up falling asleep after such a fun party!

They normally don't sleep with us, so I thought it was cute that they fell asleep so fast.

Riley's Apple Farm

2007-10-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

Now that my camera is back from its vacation to Texas I am able to post some pictures. I was a little disappointed that I didn't have as many pictures on there as I thought. When Emily was down for that week I think there were so many cameras going that mine took a back seat. I know mom's camera has a ton on hers, now we just need to teach her how to post!

Adoring Big Sister

2007-09-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

After baths, I usually let the kids watch a video (and then read books of course!) Allison decided that she wanted to lay on the floor instead of sit on the couch. Not a second later, Zachary got off the couch and sat by Alli on the floor. He kept looking at her and adjusting his hands to get them just like hers. He absolutely adores her. We'll see how long that last!

Birthday Finale

2007-09-13T14:56:00.000-07:00

Alli had a great 4th birthday. We finished off the day with Auntie Nora and Uncle Adam coming up. We took pizza to the park for dinner and played until it was dark.

We had a Funfetti Birthday cake, decorated by me (don't be jealous of my decorating skills!)
Alli opened her presents. Now that she is in the dinosaur class, Auntie Nora made her two dinosaur shirts to wear to preschool!
This present is so funny because every time we go to the grocery store Allison begs me to buy her Milano cookies. Of course, I always say no! We have never had these cookies in our house but she must have had them somewhere because she ask for them every time. But being such the nice mom that I am I got them for her birthday and I think you can tell they were just about her favorite gift!
Talking on the phone with her new jammies from Grandma Graham.
Playing one of her new games way past her bedtime. She just about had a meltdown when Uncle Adam almost won. The adults were good sports to let the tired birthday girl win!
Sound asleep at four years old!
One funny side note...We had been doing a countdown to her birthday starting at the beginning of the month. This morning when she woke up she said to me, "Mom, can we start marking off on the calendar until I'm five!"

Birthday Update

2007-09-12T12:53:00.000-07:00

Grandma Graham brought over a treat before Alli went to Preschool

We took cupcakes to preschool to share with her friends. Alli was in charge of the sprinkles!
After school her request was Mac&Cheese for lunch and of course she had to wear the birthday hat that was given to her at preschool!
The party's not over yet! Stay tuned!

Feliz Cumpleanos!!

2007-09-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

Dora was the first to wish Alli a Happy Birthday this morning! Thanks to Grandma Menlove, this life size balloon has made her day!

Hurray for Preschool!

2007-09-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

As usual I have been very sick with this pregnancy, hence not a post for over a month. My life has pretty much consisted of throwing-up and laying on the couch. We were all surviving fine until Ryan had to go back to work last week. He was great entertainment for the kids and a big help to me. But for the past week I was all on my own and lets just say that no one had much fun. But the good news is that preschool started today! We are all a little happier now!

Zachy wouldn't let go of Alli's hand as they walked into the school

Allison is in the Dinosaur class and is way excited!
Saying goodbye.

I promise they did this all on their own!

Proud Mom

2007-07-23T14:47:00.000-07:00

Allison is at the age where she enjoys writing letters. A few days ago I walked into the backyard to find that she had written her name in chalk. She did it all on her own and I think she did a great job. Proud mom moment!

Italian Anyone?

2007-07-15T15:43:00.001-07:00

Because Ryan loves Italian so much, I found this shirt just for him!

"I miss Uncle Stevie"

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

Uncle Stevie has moved to Texas and we all miss him!

More Pictures in Utah

2007-07-11T16:17:00.000-07:00

Last summer in Utah

This summer in Utah. Notice Allison can't keep her eyes off the froggy slide!
Zachy had fun with Grandma
He thought this was the best game!
Grandma is known for her fun scooters.
Can't wait until next summer!

To Grandma's House We Go!

2007-07-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

We just got home from visiting Grandma Menlove in Utah. Even though it was 116 degrees outside, we had a great time! Reading books with GrandmaWe did lots of swimming. This was Alli's favorite place - an indoor water park. She loved the froggy slide. I think because she was in the frog class at preschool!
I promise these were the only swim diapers we could find! We went to the park really EARLY in the morning to avoid the heat, but if you look closely you can still see pretty red cheeks!

I couldn't fit all the pictures I wanted on one post, so there are more to come!

Picnic at the Temple

2007-06-26T16:06:00.000-07:00

With Ryan taking classes and me teaching summer school, Tuesday is the only day we have completely free. So, today we took a drive to the temple and had a picnic on its beautiful grounds. The weather was perfect and we had a great time together. I love summer!

What does a couple do on their 9 year anniversary?

2007-06-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

Spend the day at the tide pools with their kids...
Watch them get excited about looking at crabs...
Take them to a near by aquarium...
Watch " sweet boy" get scared by a fake shark...
Have their daughter take a picture to mark the special occasion!

Yipee, It's Summer!!

2007-06-15T18:45:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of school, which officially marks the start of summer for us. We already have two little pool rats who can't get enough of the water. There is nothing quite like summer!

Preschool

2007-06-13T13:32:00.001-07:00

First day of preschool
Last day of Preschool
Allison finished her first year of preschool today. Next thing you know I am going to be posting her graduating from High School. It all goes way too fast! Notice the frogs on her shirt...she was in the froggy class this year and thought it was so fun to wear her froggy shirt in the froggy class. I'm sure Ms. Jennifer was tired of seeing that shirt!

Fun with Cousins!

2007-06-08T17:51:00.000-07:00

I am so glad Allison and Zachary are going to grow up with cousins close to their age. We had lots of fun with our cousins growing up. As for now, baby Charlie and baby Grace are still a little too young to play, but it won't be long before they are in all the action. When all is said and done, I wonder how many cousins are going to be in the "Graham" family. Any guesses?

Memorial Day Camping

2007-06-07T08:23:00.000-07:00

I thought a good first post would be a fun family vacation. We went camping over Memorial day weekend to Carpenteria beach. It didn't go quite as planned because Nora decided to have her baby on the day we were leaving, so Ryan took the kids camping and I stayed back to be at the hospital with Nora. It was such an amazing experience to be there when baby Charlie was born. I enjoyed the last half of camping with the fam, so I really got the best of both worlds that weekend.