Just Down the Street

Griffith Park is so beautiful and so huge. Do you know that Griffith Park is bigger than Central Park? It is 46oo acres! It's got 50 miles of horse riding trails, biking and hiking trails, a carousel, many, many picnic areas, and awesome areas to explore. There are bridges everywhere and trails and creeks running under the bridges. Of course it is also the home of the LA Zoo, Griffith Observatory, Travel Town, and even the famous "Hollywood" sign. We merely scratched the surface! Do I sound like a commercial?

Do you know what is the coolest? We literally are 5 minutes away. We could bike there. I am so excited!I am shooting for taking the kids once a week. Whenever you come visit, you can bet we will go take you there. Best of all, it's FREE!

Winter Wonderland

It is so hard to believe that Big Bear is only two hours from Burbank. I still can't get over it. It is like being in a different world. It is so gorgeous up in these mountains. The kids had such a great time together. Grandma and Grandpa's friend owns this cabin and let us use it for the weekend. It was a super nice place. The kids built forts, snowman, and went sledding right in the backyard. Awesome!

Sledding is Awesome!

Last weekend we went to Big Bear with Grandma and Grandpa and the Lanes. We had such a blast! Everyone got along great and we had SO MUCH SNOW! It was incredible. We had about one foot come down in just one night! We played, had great food, went to church there, and just had fun. It was crazy how fast the kids were going down those hills. The little kids were so brave!

I Spy

Carina absolutely loves I Spy books and has created several scenes of her own. Here is her latest creation "Wacky Victorian Dollhouse" She is really excited for her cousins and friends in Sierra Vista to do this.

Find the following : race car, puppy, shower brush, one die(not two or it would be dice), ribbon spool, tiny magazine, fishtank, bear rattle, peeking horse, cup with an umbrella, horse's tail, and a baby.

After you find everything, let Carina know how you liked it.

Sick Kids

Are any of you feeling cabin fever because of your sick kiddos? Mine have been sick since we moved here. I have only had 4 days without sick kids at home since Christmas vacation. Sometimes I feel my kids aren't very good at sharing, but when it comes to sharing germs we are EXPERTS! I have washed coats, sheets, quilts, shoes, curtains, etc. When my mom was here a couple of weeks ago she went crazy with lysol and cleaning my house. I have been very frustrated about it for a while. I now am on hold with the pediatrician's office. We are trying to get established as new patients and the recording says, "your call is important to us. Please remain on the line and a representative will be with you shortly." Shortly? It has been 18 minutes now. I hung up and called them back and they said they don't know what's wrong and can't find out cause they aren't even in the same office as customer service. AAAAAHHHH!!!!!

Reptile Skeleton

I can't remember what this is. Maddie did this in Science last December and the teacher dsiplayed them out in the hallway.

Team Sequo

Team Taco

Extreme Makeover

We have been quite busy with our house trying to get unpack and settled and give it our own style. I was gonna do a before and after, but I'm too tired and I am just so excited to put these up. If any of you remember what this house looked like with all the floral 80's wallpaper, then you'll understand. Yes, I know it's only a rental, but I need to be happy where I live. The wallpaper removal was a complete nightmare, but it's finally over thanks to many family members who helped out, especially our moms. The kids also contributed with the painting. Wes and I painted the dining room by ourselves and had a good time together. The plate wall in my dining room is the start of my plate collection. I love plates! I decided I am mainly sticking to black and white plates and a splash of red. Hope you like them!

Makeover

Here are two of my favorite little areas of our house. I absolutely love my window. The side windows open and I can hear the birds and see the beautiful trees and plants. I sometimes actually enjoy doing my dishes. Zachary and I made the "X's and O's" banner last week when he was home sick. I am attempting an ivy topiary again. In the past, I have lived in dry areas and always killed the plant. Wish me luck!
My front room is fun because I love my red chairs and my funky curtains. I love that Salvation Army! My leather chair was too small for our bedroom, so we left it in the front room. It is my fave phone spot because I can sit and look out my window at the tree- lined street that dead ends into ours. It is gorgeous!

Homework Nightmares

Why is homework time such a nightmare? Is it just me, or do other people have problems with their kids getting their homework done? We haven't had cable for over a year and we don't play on the computer until Fridays and we aren't involved in any sports right now. Can anyone tell me why my kids are still up doing homework? Zach is in his room bawling because he can' t write cursive and Maddie is still trying to pack up her stuff and get my signature on stuff. Why do I need to sign so many things? The amount of paperwork makes me LOCA. The worst part is that I just lost it with my kids. After 8pm I want to be DONE! Wes has been home from school for two days with a high fever. I sure hope he's better tomorrow. The semester just started last week and I feel so bad that he is missing school already. Wes has lots of homework too, especially math. The worst part is that I have to wait for Willie to get home to help him because I don't remember algebra. Pathetic huh?

Busy, Busy, Busy

We have been super busy the last few weeks. We are getting settled in our new home and the kids are adjusting to their new school. We all miss our friends and ward, but have felt very welcomed in our new ward. People have been so friendly and so excited to have us here. We are in a very small ward of about 80 or so who attend regularly. The primary is very small as well as the youth. Wes has already been on a scout campout on the beach. The nut even swam in the ocean in MID JANUARY!
Last week, Wes, Willie, and I spoke in sacrament meeting. I knew that was coming! I also got called to primary as the 5-6 year old primary teacher, so I will be Carina's teacher. She is pretty excited about that.
Maddie's and Zach's class are the biggest primary classes, so I am pretty happy. Zach thinks his primary teachers (married couple) are the coolest because they love video games and are planning on having the whole class over to their house next week to have a wii party and junk food and get to know each other. We had pack meeting this week and got to retire three flags. It was pretty neat. I'd never seen that before.
I've been busy at home unpacking and trying to decorate a little. Wes and I painted the dining room and it looks great. We are still working on removing the walpaper in the master and then we will paint.
After that I need to take the CA written drivers exam. Can't wait to start studying. Yuk!
Willie is doing well at his job and enjoying it especially since he gets to work with one of his oldest friends, Kurt. We've had some cold weather and some rain lately. Willie says the cemetery looks very green and beautiful.

Big Toe

Warning: This is a photo of Willie's injured toe. Not for the faint of heart.
It's disgusting, and I probably should have thought better of putting it up here anyway.
I mean, really, who puts a picture of their feet or toe online? Wierdo.

Boring story, playing basketball in running shoes. Stupid.