Together we make a family

Catching Up

2011-05-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

Recently, I have felt the need to be better at keeping a journal. I've decided that this blog will be the best way to do both, my journaling, and keep everyone up to date with my crazy family. It's been a LONG TIME since I've done any blogging. So, we'll start with an update on everyone.

Molly -
Molly is still living in Utah. She's still working at Sam's Club, as a cashier. She plays softball on Krystal's work team and is currently recovering from Gall Bladder Surgery. She's considering moving back to Snowflake in August....(we'll see).

Hannah -
Hannah is still living in Snowflake. She was accepted to NAU (Nothern Arizona University) and will moving to Flagstaff, to start school in the Fall. She manages to stay very busy with School, Church and Friends.

Krystal & Justin -
Krystal and Justin are living in Utah. They are both working full time and keep extremely busy. They teach the 7-8 year olds in their Ward. They LOVE married life.

Joshua -
Josh is still living in California. He keeps very busy with work and family life with Charlene and her kids. He coaches City League Girls' Softball and umpires on the side.

Melinda -
I'm still living in Snowflake and running my brother's drywall business. I'm currently the Young Women's President in my ward and LOVE it! I enjoy being so close with Russ and Marcie's family and love having Friday Night Sleepovers with the kids. I miss all my children like crazy and look forward to each time we get to visit.

You GO Mo!!

2010-06-23T23:22:00.001-07:00

Molly got a job! She'll be working as a cashier at Sam's Club. Way to go Mo!! We're so proud of you!

Announcing...

2010-06-06T00:37:00.000-07:00

Krystal's engagement! Yep.... the time has finally come. Krystal is engaged to Justin Bennett. The wedding is set for September 17th, 2010 in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. (South Jordan Utah)

Congratulations Graduate!

2010-05-23T00:08:00.000-07:00

Congrats Hannah!! We are so proud of you.

Hannah graduated from Northland Pioneer College with an Associates of General Studies. She'll still be attend next semester and will have her Associates of Arts. Way to go Hannah! You're doing excellent. We all love you!!

Happy New Year

2009-12-30T17:00:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas is over. It was a wonderful day. We missed Josh terribly and hope that next year he'll be with us. We just cannot believe how fast this past year has gone by. Unfortunately, we've all been so busy that I didn't have much time for blogging. So here are the highlights for 2009.

Melinda -

I'm still living in Arizona and this year I turned 51. I watched my baby graduate from high school. I went to the Temple with Krystal and my baby sister, Rochelle. I was able to go to Disneyland with Marcie's family for a week and enjoyed every second of it!! I'm still working/running/operating Muddy Boys Drywall while my brother is in the Police Academy. I participate in and enjoy a "card exchange" group. I became the Young Women's President in our ward...and LOVE it. (which I didn't think was possible) I participated in the Snowflake Annual Pioneer Fun Run and in the Heber Daze 1 mile run. I also did A LOT of canning this summer with Marcie and Krystal. We raised goats, chickens and turkeys this year, and I learned alot about them, including how to butcher them! I still love living so close to my nieces and nephews and watching them grow! I hope that great things are in store for 2010 and I look forward to many new adventures!

Josh -

This year Josh turned 26. He is still living in Madera, California. This year he got an apartment with a friend. He's still working at the glass company, Saint Gobain Containers. He went to Disneyland for Thanksgiving. And while we were so, so sad that he did not get to come home for Christmas, he did get to enjoy the day with Karsta and the girls. We love him and miss him SO MUCH. And we pray that he enjoys many new adventures in 2010!

Krystal -

Krystal turned 25 last week. (this was her "golden" birthday...turned 25 on the 25th) This year Krystal went through the Snowflake Temple to receive her Endowments. She served as the 2nd Counselor of the Relief Society Presidency in her single's ward. She ran her own business, while also working as a receptionist at a gym and was the field manager for the Show Low City, Co-Ed Softball League. She spent the summer learning how to can food and made TONS of homemade Salsa...YUM! Krystal also learned (thanks to Russ) how to butcher, cook, and eat goats! (disgusting) She was also a good sport in learning how to raise and butcher chickens. Her and Molly took a road trip to California to pick up Hannah over the summer. She recently moved back to Utah and is currently working at a Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts store. She's loving life and I hope that she also will have many fun and exciting things to come in 2010.

Hannah -

Hannah turned 22 this year. She's currently attending Northland Pioneer College. She will graduate next semester with an AGS and the following semester she'll have her AA. She's currently on her single's ward Enrichment Committee as well as the Ward Web Aministrator. She's enjoyed several opportunities this year to do baptisms in the Snowflake Temple. She also was able to spend the summer back in Kansas, with her father and then a couple weeks in California visiting friends. Hannah has a busy and exciting 2010 to look forward to!

Molly -

Molly turned 18 in 2009. She played on her school's Vasity Softball team. She was elected MVP of her Arizona Senior All-Star League. She graduated from Snowflake High School and is now attending Northland Pioneer College. She coached the Snowflake Jr. High Girl's Softball team... and LOVED IT! She also spent the summer learning how to butcher goats and chickens. She has a newspaper route and is currently serving in her single's ward Visiting Teaching Committee. We love Molly's spunky personality. And I know she will have many new experiences in 2010.

So...that's us! We hope that everyon had a very Merry Christmas. And we hope and pray that everyone will have a fun and safe New Year!

Happy 22

2009-11-14T10:52:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Hannah is 22 years old today. Can't believe how fast time flys. We love you Hannah.

Hope you have a fabulous birthday!

Update

2009-11-09T13:41:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since we've updated our blog. It seems that we've all been staying pretty busy. But, I'll fill you in on what's been going on with each of us.

Melinda - Still working hard for Muddy Boys. And spends all my free time with the family. And spoiling Riley, Raegan, and Reese as much as a Ninna possibly can. We all helped butcher the Thanksgiving and Christmas Turkeys this last weekend as well as the rest of our meat chickens. We're so glad that it's finished. It's a lot of hard and gross work.

Joshua - Still living and working in California. He recently found an apartment with a new roommate and moved in about a month ago. We're hoping that he'll get a few days around Thanksgiving to come out and celebrate with us in Snowflake. We love and miss him so much.

Krystal - Just moved back to Utah. She's been there almost a month now and found a job working at a JoAnn's fabrics for the holiday season. We're sad that she won't get to travel back home for Thanksgiving, but we're so happy she found a job and is loving life.

Hannah - Is still going to school at the community college. And spends most of her free time with friends, being the social butterfly. She continues to be a big help around the house. And is very active in her single's ward.

and last...Molly - She's still attending school at the community college and is READY for the semester to be over! She's doing very well in all of her classes but is ready for the winter break. Both Molly and Hannah are taking a trip back to Kansas during their winter break to spend a week with their dad. They're both looking forward to their trip and their sister time.

Happy Birthday Molly

2009-08-22T11:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Molly's 18th Birthday. We can't believe our baby is all grown up. We love you Molly. Love....Mom, Josh, Krystal, and Hannah.

MVP

2009-06-29T10:28:00.000-07:00

We are so dang proud of Molly. This past Friday she had her Senior's All-Stars tournament. She rocked!! It was an all day competition. Begining at 8:00am check-in. There were fun contests all day long. Lots of practicing and they had a fabulous lunch at Licano's (mexican steak house). The girls were split up between North/East and South/West. There were 4 seniors from Snowflake. Technically they were supposed to be on the East team. However, there were too many girls from the East, so they put Snowflake with the South/West team. They played 2 games in the evening. Both games were pretty intense. The first game the North/East team won 9-8. They were neck and neck the whole game. And even had to play an extra inning to break the tie. They had a 15 min. break and then played again. The 2nd game was even more intense. It was in the 7th inning... the score was 12-11, and the other team was at bat. They had a player on 1st and 3rd. And then pulled Molly in to pitch (a mother's worst fear). Talk about all the stress!!!! Molly was FABULOUS!! She struck the first batter out. (PROUD MAMA) Then, the next batter up, she swings, and she hits the ball...HARD...straight into MOLLY'S GLOVE!!!!! What does Molly do???? Throw the ball to first, before the other girl on base could 'tag-up' for a DOUBLE PLAY to WIN THE GAME!!!!!!! There was lots of screaming and cheering and tears (on my part). We were so proud of Molly. She's an amazing ball player.

Right after the game, the girls lined up to recieve awards. There were 3 medals given...for something. And then there were 2 trophies given. One was for the MVP of the first game (from the winning team). And then one for the MVP of the 2nd game (winning team). The announcer says, " and MVP for the 2nd game...and my personal MVP for the WHOLE TOURNAMENT....MOLLY ORTON!!!!!!!!! More screaming, more crying, more hugging....blah blah blah....Molly you did it!!! She was amazing. Everytime Molly did something he would say, "and that folks is Molly Orton, from Snowflake High. She's been playing great Defense and Offense all day. She never lets us down."

The umpire takes Molly aside after the game and says....he's going to start making calls on Monday to get her into a JC to play ball. So, hopefully we'll hear back soon. Keep Molly in your prayers.

Molly we love you so much. We're so proud of you. And we're so excited for you. You had a great finale to your Senior year. You definately ended it with a BANG!!!

Krystal's Update

2009-06-08T21:58:00.000-07:00

Krystal has been keeping busy. Her business is picking up for the summer, which we're so greatful for. Lots of waxing and body wraps. She also has been covering the front desk at the gym when she doesn't have clients. This gives her an opportunity to not only pick up some extra cash...but it allows her to advertise herself to the gym members. May was a VERY exciting month for Krystal. On May 5, 2009 Krystal had the opportunity to go through the temple and receive her endowments. She was so excited to get to do this. She started temple prep classes in March and went through the temple in May. It was a beautiful experience. She absolutely loved it. It was a special day with Me and my daughter. She was thankful that Marcie and Russ were able to go with her as well. We made a goal that we will attend the temple at least once a week...and so far, we've kept our goal! We also had the opportunity this month to go and do baptisms for the dead. At Molly's seminary graduation, the Stake President announced that you do not have to have a large group to go do baptisms. He said that as long as there was at least 1 adult, any small group of friends could go. So....the 4 of us girls went. Mel, Krystal, Hannah and Molly. It was a beautiful experience as well. We feel so blessed to have a temple right here in Snowflake. We love that we can see it from our street.

Hannah's Update

2009-06-05T22:36:00.000-07:00

The past couple months have been busy for Hannah as well. During the month of April she had lots of school projects and finals to study for. She passed all her classes with A's. Yay Hannah!! She also picked up a job as a nanny for the summer. Unfortunately, after only a month, the mom backed out because the grandma wanted more time with the little guy. This did however free up her summer. So, she took off to Kansas for a couple of months. We're not really sure when she'll be home. But she's having a lot of fun, relaxing and hanging out with her father. We miss you Hannah!!!

Hannah...keeping Reese occupied while we do yard work.

Molly, Mel, and Hannah.

Sisters... minus one.

Molly's Update!!

2009-06-02T22:31:00.001-07:00

Our blog is long past due for an update. So much has been going on here with the Sipes/Orton clan. Rather than overwhelm you all with a LONG rundown....I decided that we'll update you, one girl at a time. Starting with the baby.

***Miss Molly ***

Molly has been so busy the past couple months. In April, Molly went to her Senior Prom. In May she was busy with finals, Gradnight, Softball, and GRADUATION!! For Gradnight, the seniors get to take a "Senior Trip" to both Disneyland and Six Flags. They were gone for 3 days and they had a BLAST!!! Molly was sad to be done with softball this year. Softball is her passion. This year, during the State Championship Tournament, Molly was awarded the AAA East Region - All Region - 1st Team. This is a HUGE compliment. Basically it means, that if the state of Arizona were to pick it's top 12 players and make a "perfect" team.... Molly would be on it!!! We are so proud of her and all of her accomplishments. She was the only member from her high school team to make ' All Region - 1st Team'. And finally......GRADUATION!! We can hardly believe it, but our baby Molly has graduated high school. We're so proud of her! We love you Molly.

Senior Prom

It's official!!!

Proud Mama and the Graduate!

All the kids...so proud of their baby sister!

Josh and Molly....the first and the last.

Silly girl....caught in the 'walk'.

SPRING FEVER!!!

2009-03-24T17:52:00.001-07:00

I know...we haven't updated our blog for a while. We just didn't have anything new going on. But, we figured it's time of an update. So here we go. Our Molly Girl has been playing school softball. She's on Varsity this year. And has been playing 3rd base and pitching. She LOVES softball. This past weekend, she had an out-of-town tournament in Winslow (which is only an hour away). It lasted for 2 days. Her team played 6 games. Only losing one game. Which put them in 3rd placed for the whole tournament. (Molly even hit one over the fence during one of the games scoring her run plus one runner that was already on base) Go Molly and ...GO LADY LOBOS!!! Hannah and Molly are both on spring break this week and loving every minute of it. Hannah especially is enjoying the break from her very busy school schedule. Krystal's business is quickly picking up (thanks to the arrival of spring) and keeps her busy throughout the week...and lately even into her weekend. We definately have SPRING FEVER here at the Sipes/Orton residence. We are ready for the sun! We've had beautiful weather the past couple of weeks (aside from the 50mph winds). It's been beautiful and sunny. This past month our Stake President has asked every family in the Stake to plant a garden. So, we've been getting our soil ready and buying seeds. This week since the sun has been shining, we decided to plant our "starts". We have a large variety of vegetables. Bell peppers, black beans, onions, cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, green beans, corn, carrots, lettuce, peas, pumpkins, watermelon and a variety of herbs. We are so EXCITED for our yummy garden to grown. We (Sipes/Orton Clan) also decided we are going to raise some small farm animals. We already have two goats, Nelly and Toby. So, we began this week with Chicks. We got a varity of egg laying hens. We bought them today. We have 4 that are 2 weeks old and 12 that are only 4 days old. They are SOOOOO CUTE!!!!! We've never done the 'farm animal' thing and the girls are very fascinated. They've even gone as far as getting library books on gardening and raising chickens. We are so very blessed that we live with Marcie and Russ and that they too are on board with the self-sufficiency plan. We all have the "preparedness" bug. We've all been working so hard on getting our food storage built up. And the garden and chickens are just that much more to our preparedness plan. We'll let you know how it all works out. And here are some pictures of our new little friends. They have to live inside for the next month. We love them!!!

Molly Girl playing 3rd Base.

After the game!

These are the 4-day old chicks.

Krystal...with a baby chick (she's been asking for 1 for about 4 years)

Hannah...with a baby chick.

Happy Birthday Joshua!!

2009-02-10T12:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was our Joshy's 26th Birthday. I can't believe how fast the time has flown. We were sad that we couldn't be there to help celebrate. Hope your day was great Josh. We love you. Happy Birthday!

Esthetics By Krystal

2009-01-28T11:42:00.001-08:00

Hey Everyone! Krystal has a new skin-care blog. All skin-care comments and questions are welcome. It's www.estheticsbykrystal.blogspot.com. Be sure to visit often and watch for new specials and discounts! PS....advice is free.

Let it Snow..Let it Snow..Let it Snow!

2009-01-03T15:52:00.000-08:00

We decided to go play in the snow today. We worked hard on Friday to take down the Christmas tree and decorations and get the house organized so that we could have one last play day before everyone gets back to our crazy schedules. We had so much fun!! Here are some pics.

(Hannah icing her knee in the snow.)

(Go Molly Go)

(Who says Moms can't have fun?)

(Krystal...comes to a stop at the bottom.)

(Hannah....trying to fly down the hill._

(We're exhausted...but had tons of fun!)

(Ready to hit the slopes!)

Happy Birthday Krystal

2008-12-29T12:18:00.001-08:00

Happy 24th Birthday! Krystal's birthday was on Christmas. And she's 24! (Yes, she was a Christmas baby!) This year she was excited about her birthday which made it way more fun than last year. (Last year Krystal insisted that she wasn't having a birthday and it took us a lot of convincing to even get her to let us make her a cake) But this year she was happy to celebrate. She asked for Carrot Cake...so we made her one. It wasn't beautiful....but it sure was AMAZING. Best Carrot Cake ever! (except for Jeri's) She also asked for a bike. Yes....Silly, but she really wanted one. She was sad that she didn't get it Christmas morning. And she was really excited with her other birthday gifts. BUT then......She got the bike. Crazy girl!! It was too dark and cold for her to ride it on her birthday...but as soon as she could the next day....she was riding. Happy Birthday Krystal!! We love you.

And The Stockings Were Hung...

2008-12-13T20:21:00.001-08:00

Okay....So, Krystal and I went to a couple of craft fairs the past few weekends. They were small little fairs set up in various buildings around town. But they were full of really cute ideas. And this is one of the many that we came upon. It's perfect for houses that don't have a mantel to hang their stockings on. The original was a lot bigger and bright red and black. Krystal made this one for us....it looks rustic. We went with a cranberry red and cream. Anyways...We're so excited because we don't have a fireplace. We only have a wood burning stove. And you can't very well hang stockings on a stove. SO....This is our new Christmas decor. We love it!!!!

Christmas Tree

2008-12-07T20:14:00.000-08:00

This weekend we bought and decorated our christmas tree. We found a beautiful tree. And it smells wonderful. We started a new tradition, back when it was the first christmas with just us girls....which was to have a themed Christmas Tree. This year our theme is "snow". We are so pleased with our tree this year. It's beautiful.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-02T20:39:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was really nice this year. We drove back to California and spent a few days there with family. We all really enjoyed ourselves. It was a full, busy, and crazy house. There was a total of 37 of us crazy Sipes'. And the kids far out numbered the adults. There were 21 cousins....and 14 of those were under the age of 5. LOUD doesn't even begin to cover it. We're so greatful we had the opportunity to spend the holiday with family. Here are some pictures.

Nay, Joy, Ninna, Mason, and Shelly

Innocent....I think not! Hunter, Thomas, and Riley.

Thomas, Tanner, and Hunter.

Krystal and Mason.

Long day.....Josh and Thomas.

Hannah....protecting the turkey.

With all those kids....naps were a must. Lily and Molly.

Happy 21 to Hannah!!!

2008-11-17T20:15:00.000-08:00

Oh my heck.....can you believe it?!?! Our little Hannah-girl is 21!!! That's insane. It seems just like yesterday she was 3 and inviting the whole town to her "birthday", throughout the whole year long. She certainly has grown up....only the people she knows are now invited to the annual celebration. Her birthday was on Friday, November 14th. Yes...the same day as Molly's Winterformal. Hannah was such a good sport and was willing to share the attention....for a little while at least, just until Molly was dressed and out the door. For her birthday, she spent the day with her big sister, Krystal. They got up in the morning and Krystal took her to get a Massage. Then, they did a little shopping and lunch. Then, they just hung out and watched movies. After Molly left for the dance, we had the birthday dinner. Can you guess what we ate????? NO....I don't think you could ever guess. Hannah chose to have a birthday SALAD BAR....Yes. We actually had Salad for dinner. Yum. Pretty random, but that's what she chose. We had all the fixings. It was actually pretty good. Hannah had a couple of friends over. We ate dinner, played the wii, ate cake, and sat around and chatted. It was an enjoyable eveing. Hannah got a fun winter mug and hot chocolate, a gift card to DQ, a cute picture board from Marcie and Russ, and a PINK digital camera from the family. We love you Hannah. Happy Birthday!!! Hope you have a fantastic year!

Hannah....concentrating hard at bowling. It worked....She got a STRIKE!!!

Hannah's friends Becky and Becca came to help her celebrate the big day.

Winter Formal

2008-11-17T19:41:00.001-08:00

So, our little Miss Molly went to the Winter Formal this last Friday evening. She had tons a fun. She wore a beautiful blue gown. Which looked gorgeous with her baby blue eyes. Her date was her friend Austin. They went with her friend Keighty and her date. Tradition in Snowflake, is that on the day of the dance, the couples go on a fun date. Then, they get dressed up and go out to dinner and then finally the dance is late in the evening. For their fun date, they had a scavenger hunt. They had 30 minutes to see which team could get the most things off their list. For dinner, Keighty's mom and dad set up a beautiful dinner at the park. They decorated it like a winter wonderland and used all of their nice china. There was sparkling cider and candles. Very fun. The only down part of the whole evening, is that the weather was freezing. Too cold for an outside dinner. But....they stuck it out. Luckily, there was some preparedness and there were blankets in the car. So, the girls had blankets across their laps while they ate. And the SILLY boys....they wore their blankets on their heads. Here are some pictures.

Molly....in her fabulous blue dress. The dress shop was really great. The woman that owns it is LDS...so she is willing to take any dress and make it modest. We bought the black material for the jacket and the lady made it to go along with the dress. HOORAY!!

Molly and her date, Austin.

The whole group, Keighty, Gannon, Molly and Austin.

So....while Krystal was giving Molly a "cinderella hairdo" and getting ready for the "ball", Raegan decided she wanted to go the "ball" too. She had Krystal curl her hair like Molly's and pull it up. Then, she went into her room and put on her Cinderella ball gown and her tiara. SO CUTE!!! She kept dressing up all night in all of her princess dresses. She even slept with her hair up and wore it the same way the next day. She IS a princess.

Molly's fabulous hair. Krystal was having a hard time making enough curls....so she went and bought a matching hair piece to put in it to curl with the rest of her hair. Can you tell any of it is fake??? Nope, didn't think so. It matched PERFECT!!

First Snow

2008-11-09T20:36:00.000-08:00

Tonight was the first snow of the season. It was raining for quite a while, and then.....tada!!! It turned to snow. It snowed for about an hour. But, it melted rather quickly. About 20 minutes after it started snowing, we lost our power. The power stayed off for about an hour and a half. Thank goodness we had a warm, toasty fire burning. And we had several candles we were able to light so we could at least see each other. Here are some pics of the snow....before we lost power.

Best Brownies Ever!!!

2008-11-07T20:31:00.000-08:00

So....tonight is a pretty cold night. The temperature is somewhere in the low 30's. Brrrr....perfect for a warm, toasty fire and movies. But, we all know you can't watch movies, with a warm fire and not have chocolate. So, Krystal decided to make some brownies. She found this recipe on another blog and decided to try it out. It is definately a keeper!! Here is the recipe:

Cream Cheese Brownies

- Preheat the oven to 350'
- Use a "family size" brownie mix and make it according to the "cake-like" direction
- Pour the cake batter into a 9x13 pan (but, don't put it in the oven just yet)
- In a separte bowl, mix the following ingredients:
- 8oz of cream cheese (softened)
- 5 tbs. butter (softened)
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tbs. flour
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- Pour the cream cheese batter over the brownie batter, and spread it evenly around the pan
- Next, use a knife and make cute swirly designs, so that some of the chocolate shows (have fun and be creative)
- Put the brownies in the oven and bake for approximately 30-40 minutes (depending on your oven and altitude)
- When brownies are finished...serve hot!!

They are seriously AMAZING!!

Krystal Got Tagged

2008-11-02T16:15:00.000-08:00

Thanks Marcie for tagging me. It was fun!

1. Where is your cell phone? ......nightstand
2. Where is your significant other? .....none (let me know if you know! haha)
3. Your hair color? .....brunette
4. Your mother? .....crazy
5. Your father? .....Kansas
6. Your favorite thing? .....family
7. Your dream last night? .....interesting
8. Your dream/goal? .....family
9. The room you're in? .....bedroom/livingroom
10. Your hobby? .....quilting
11. Your fear? .....dark
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? .....happy
13. Where were you last night? .....church
14. What you're not? .....unhappy
15. One of your wish-list items? .....house
16. Where you grew up? .....California
17. The last thing you ate? .....chips
18. What are you wearing?..... pj's
19. Your tv? .....off
20. Your pet? .....goats
21. Your computer? .....pink
22. Your mood? .....happy
23. Missing someone? .....kristen
24. Your car? .....honda
25. Something you're not wearing? .....socks
26. Favorite store? ......target
27. Your summer? .....over
28. Love someone? .....lots
29. Your favorite color? .....pink
30. When was the last time you laughed? .....now
31. Last time you cried? .....today

I award the following people the " I love your blog award". And in doing so, tag them to complete the above questions with ONE WORD ANSWERS. Kristen and Holly. Love you guys!!

Molly's Senior Pictures

2008-10-26T19:47:00.000-07:00

So...This year our little Molly-Girl is a Senior. We can hardly believe it!!! The school takes senior pictures, but they are nothing special. And you don't get to choose from any cute poses. Needless to say, Molly HATED her senior pictures. So, beings Krystal took Hannah's senior pictures, Molly asked if she would take some of her. They went out and got some fabulous shots. These are just a few of our favorites. There are tons more. We have it narrowed down to about 20. All of the pictures were taken at the Elementary School and the Temple grounds, just around the block. We can't believe how grown up Molly is. Let us know what you think. And which one is your favoite. Hopefully, with your help we can narrow it down.

#1 - Temple grounds.

#2 - elementary school

#3 - this photo was taken across the street from our home.

#4 - Temple grounds

#5 - elementary school

#6 - elementary school

#7 - elementary school

#8 - elementary school

#9 - Temple grounds

#10 - Temple grounds

The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-20T21:17:00.001-07:00

Tonight for Family Home Evening, we went to the Pumpkin Patch. It was a short and sweet visit. There were only small pumpkins. Hannah got the biggest pumpkin there was. It was also very, very stinky. We went with Russ and Marcie and the kids. Raegan was so funny, she was having a hard time holding her pumpkin and pinching her nose at the same time. Luckily, we all found pumpkins very fast and were able to get out of there without having to smell it for too long. Happy Fall everyone!!

Krystal and her pumpkin.

Hannah....with the biggest pumpkin there was. (and it's not very big at all)

Molly and Reese. (I think Reese wants the pumpkin)

Esthetics By Krystal

2008-10-03T14:33:00.001-07:00

Esthetics By Krystal is officially in business. Krystal finally was able to start her own business. She's been taking clients for 2 weeks now and she LOVES it!!! She is doing fabulous. She's already got a pretty steady clientele. Her clients love her and all of them rebook before they leave. She's renting a room out of another business called One Tan Banana. It's a tanning salon and gym and then next door they do hair and nails. There's also a massage therapist in the builiding. So, it's really a "one stop shop". It's nice that all the businesses feed off of eachother. These are pictures of Krystal's room. It's very cozy, but it works well with just one of her.

This is a pictures from the head of the facial bed. You can see her wax cart and her steamer and magnifying lamp in the back ground.

This is a picture from the door.

This is also a picture from the door. The crockpot is used to heat her towels and the drawers hold all of her linens. That's her Arizona Esthetic License below the clock.

This is a picture from the side of the bed. The sink was installed just for her. All of her product is held in those cupboards. Everything is decorated in chocolate brown and burgundy.

She has a huge mirror. It makes the mirror appear bigger.

These are her canisters. They hold gauze, wax sticks, and q-tips in them. The bows are just to tie them into the room.

Krystal is so proud of these curtains. She had to hem them herself and they turned out pretty terrific. She's done an amazing job at putting her business together!!!!

All My Kids Together Again!!!

2008-09-27T20:32:00.000-07:00

Josh came to Arizona to visit last weekend. We were all so excited that he came. It was really fun to get to show him around the town and just hang out. It was a very relaxing weekend. We played games and BBQ'd. Lots of fun. We miss Josh so much. And we're so thankful for the time we got to spend with him. Hopefully he'll come back for the holidays.

The girls. Hannah (20) Molly (17) and Krystal (23)

The Family...together again!

We had a lot of fun taking pictures. We got a little silly!!

Brother and Sister

2008-09-09T16:36:00.001-07:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

The Can Can

2008-09-09T16:10:00.001-07:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

The Snake Encounter...

2008-08-25T14:25:00.001-07:00

We had a house guest last Saturday night. Krystal was the unfortunate victim to open the front door and there, sitting on the porch, was a snake. She came screaming into the house...where everyone sat and stared at her 'freak-out' dance. There were some chuckles, but Molly finally went outside to witness the guest. And...Krystal wasn't lying. There really was a snake. It began to slither away. Mom decided to spray it with the hose. But we all decided we didn't want it to get mad. SO...Molly chased it with a pair of tongs. Hannah held the hose for back up. They decided to put it in an ice chest until Russ got home and he could take care of it. As Hannah and Molly went off to war to capture the beast, Krystal and Mom hid safely in the house and watched out the window. Molly was our hero. She captured the snake and put it safely in the ice chest. Then proceeded to place 2 pkgs of bottled water on top so the monster couldn't escape. Krystal looked online and discovered it was a Gopher Snake. Which is actually a good snake. They eat small rodents and insects. Eventually, Russ and Marcie got home. Everyone looked at the snake. The kids freaked and even Russ didn't look so excited about it. Molly and Randal took it down the street and let it go. We continue to keep an eye out for our little, squirmy uninvited guest...but so far, all is safe.

Happy 17th Birthday Molly!

2008-08-23T19:10:00.000-07:00

August 21st was Molly's 17th Birthday. WOW!! We can't believe how grown up she is. It makes everyone feel old. We surprised Molly by "heart-attacking" her car while she was at school and filling the inside with balloons. Molly celebrated by going to see the new movie 'Mama Mia' with some of her friends. When they got back from the movies we made home-made pizza. She had lots of fun! Happy Birthday Molly.

Molly didn't want a birthday cake this year. But while she was gone at the movies with her friends, Hannah and Krystal surprised her by making one anyways. Hannah baked the cake and Krystal decorated it. It was yummy!

Molly got an I-pod from Mom. And Marcie and Russ and family got her a cute pink case to carry it in. She loved her gifts. Molly also received a balloon from Tink (the neighbor) and a red rose from the Young Women in her ward.

Molly & Raegan.

Randal

Hannah & Raegan.

Molly and friends (Rachel and Katie)

Marcie and Reese.

Krystal and Raegan.

We miss our Joshy

2008-08-16T21:42:00.001-07:00

While we're all glad that Josh is doing well back in California, we still miss him so much. He's still living in Madera with his girlfriend, Karsta and her 2 girls Emily (7) and Haily (4). Josh is working at a company called Star Finishes. He does powder coating....although, we don't know exactly what that is. He keeps busy and works hard. We love them all so very much and always look forward to the next time we get to be with them. Karsta and the girls feel just like part of the family. Emily is in 2nd grade and has a mind of her own. She loves to be the boss of her little sister. She recently got a cell phone and loves to call everyone. Haily is full of herself. She is cute....and knows it! She just smiles and you can't help but give her anything she wants. Karsta works at RiteAid. She's a Pharmacy Tech and works lots of hours. She fits right in with all the girls in our family. She's just one of us. We love you all!!

Emily and Haily

Karsta and Krystal....in Vegas. They went to see Phatom of the Oprah.

Molly's First Car Accident

2008-08-16T21:14:00.001-07:00

Well, it's unfortunate to report that little Miss. Molly has been in her first car accident, the week before her 17th birthday. Fortunately, no one was hurt. It was just a little 'fender bender'. It is however a little humerous. Molly had just pulled into a parking lot. A vehicle was backing out of its stall. So, she was being polite and was waiting for the car to back up. The person in the car backing up, was on his cell phone and didn't see Molly waiting. He backed out.......and kept backing out.....and kept backing out, until "WHAM" he hit Molly's bumper. The best part of the whole story is that the SUV that hit Molly, just so happened to be a Sheriff. Boy did he feel stupid. He wasn't even paying attention. He apologized to Molly. And had another Sheriff nearby write up an accident report. He admitted it was 100% his fault. The car was only slightly damaged. It busted out the cover for the headlight and bent the hood in a little. But it's nothing that can't be fixed and painted over. We're just so glad that Molly was ok. And no one was hurt. We still love you Molly.

Quads...New Found Love!!

2008-08-13T20:13:00.001-07:00

We've discovered a new love this summer....A couple weekends ago we went on a family camping trip. It was a rather large party of 4 families. 20 people in all. It was a blast!! Russ and Marcie brought their toy hauler along with the new Ranger and 5 quads. We all took turns riding. We rode 'til we had blistered hands and muddy faces. It was the most fun we've had in a very long time!! Russ took Mel to the top of Hundred Dollar Hill. The girls were excited to buy a pink helmet for the trip. Next time...we'll invest in gloves for the blisters on our hands.

Thanks for a GREAT weekend Russ and Marcie!! We love you guys.

Krystal....snapping on her PINK helmet...ready to ride!!!

Mel (aka Dare Devil)....ready to hit the hills. (You should seriously see her ride. FEARLESS)

Molly...tightning her helmet....ready to eat dirt!

And....the end result of a LONG and DUSTY ride!! The 3 hottest chicks in town for sure.

Krystal is moving to Snowflake!!

2008-06-11T17:13:00.000-07:00

We are happy to let you all know that Krystal will be joining me and the girls down here in Snowflake, Az. We are so excited!! Me and the girls will be making the 10 hour drive to Utah towards the end of July to help Krystal with the move. We'll keep you updated as to how it goes.

Look who turned 50!!!

2008-06-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

50!!! Can you believe it... We had so much fun. Krystal came to celebrate. We all went out to lunch and shopping. Krystal gave me a facial. The girls bought me a season of my favorite show, Gilmore Girls and an hour massage. Marcie and Russ bought me a beautiful portrait of Christ. Then Russ BBQ'd Salmon and Tri-tip. Then we topped off our bellies with homemade German Chocolate cake!! Yummy. It was a relaxing and enjoyable day. May 31, 2008