Doing Well

I am so sorry we are so behind. I need to get caught up on blogging but we are doing great! Emily is now six months old and Alissa just turned seven this weekend. I am making a goal to get 10 posts done by next week and be caught up by the end of November! Hope you are all great!

Emily is 6 Months Old

Wow, how times flies. I seriously feel like I just had Emily and yet I know it can't be. This little munchkin is now six months old. She weighs about 14 pound and is 24 inches long. Emily is starting to make a lot of fun sounds and says Hi. She also can wave and loves kisses. Emily is such a joy to our family! She is good at making everyone laugh and is finally getting to that "fun" phase as I like to call it. I love when they are awake all the time and happy and smiley and learning. Emily starting her first goat milk bottles this week. She gets two a day and is loving feeling full. The first time I gave her one, she drank seven ounces after her feeding so I knew she was hungry! She is starting to crawl and loves to stand up and hold onto things. I am so happy to have another girl in the family! Now, if she can just stop waking up four times a night!

First Day of School

I now how two kids in school. It is crazy to think we are already to this point. I was nervous having to say good bye to Kenzie but luckily he only goes half day. Half day Kindergarten is much better transitioning then full day was with Alissa. I am glad they are they for each other! Kenzie has Mrs. Giffin and Alissa has Mrs. Powell. They are both excited for this year and love to learn!

Emily's Blessing

I have to say this was a very special blessing. We blessed Emily on Independence Day and I could not help thinking about how thankful I was for the Independence to believe how I wish. I am thankful to be able to have married who I chose, and have the right to have the children we have. It is true that our life is only ours and our journey. I am thankful for the choices I have made, good and bad, that have led me to this point in my life.

Emily's blessing was full of a lot of love! Ryan's extended family was in town for a reunion and we had the privilege to have his Uncle's and grandparents there. The circle consisted of Ryan's father(Layne), his brother (Tim), Our brother in law(Bill), Ryan's Uncle's Todd and Kenn, Ryan's best friend(Aaron), my Uncle Jim...hmm see I think I already forgot, but hopefully that is everyone. One reason to record things when they happen. We even had two people take notes but Ryan ended up losing both of them. Note to self, give things to me next time. I do not remember much of what was said but I know it was special. The important thing was that it happened and I am thankful for the memories I have. Having Ryan bless our children has been amazing! I always knew that some day I would want to marry a righteous priesthood holder who would always be there in times of need and for the milestones and I thankful to him for keeping himself worthy for us.

I was very thankful for all the wonderful people who came and for the spirit that was there. Emily you are very loved and very special!

Summer Fun!

I wish they walked around like this all the time! Summer time is my favorite because we are all together for almost three months!

Songwriter

I wanted to post this somewhere so I do not forget. Alissa came to me yesterday afternoon and said, "Mom, I love songs and I love to sing, so I am going to be a songwriter." She then proceeded over to the printer, grabbed a stack of about 100 pieces of paper and went out in the front yard. When she came in for bed, she had three pieces of paper completed and the rest blank. I want to record what she wrote so I always have it.

Pom trees look good to me. I love the way thay look. When I think of pom trees I feel the ocean brees. I love the pom trees because thay have food it is cocnut. It tasts so good to me. It tast dilishis to me. That is why I like pom trees.

My favrot exrsis is something that sometimes a girl plas it and sometimes boys do. It is exrsis its my favrot thing I love jumprop. I jump up and down.

So, here is to supporting my little songwriter. I love her spelling too! So original!

Busy Busy

Well, Emily is now three weeks old and I find that most of my time is used well between my family. Emily consumes most of it right now and she is amazing. I can not imagine our lives without her and her sweet personality. She is such a good baby and is making things easier for me right now. She has already had a night where she slept 8 hours and sleeps at least five most nights. She really is such a help in letting her mom sleep. The kids all love her so much and take good care of her too. I have to say though that my mom has been the biggest help ever. She has taken care of almost everything for us awhile now and it has helped immensely. I am so thankful for her sacrifice and service to my family. My children all adore her and I am glad they have her.

As for the rest of life:

Ryan is working for University of Phoenix and loves his job. He is really good at what he does and is enjoying the hours. He is home by 2:30pm and doesn't ever work weekends or holidays. It is wonderful!! Ryan is also starting his Masters in Psychology in June and that will start to occupy some of his time. The program will be completed in 1 1/2 years. He also is a big help with the kids and spends so much time with them. He is such a wonderful father and does more than I ever imagined a dad could do. He is so good to me and treats me like a queen to which I am also thankful.

Alissa is almost done with first grade at Val Vista Lakes. I am thinking she will miss her friends when the time comes for school to be out, so we shall see. She is a social butterfly and loves being out and with people. She is growing up so fast and is such an honest girl. She is going to be in the school talent show on Wednesday singing "Party in the USA", her favorite song. She loves to shake those hips too. I am proud of her for taking the initiative and wanting to try out on her own. She loves having so many little girls in our neighborhood too and would be riding her bike all the time if I would let her.

Kenzie is still building things all the time. He loved his year in preschool and can not wait for his birthday party. He is getting so tall and has a wonderful imagination! Kenzie is obsessed with toys and says he loves all of them. Our focus for him is to start learning to read and riding a two wheeler this summer. He has asked to learn both of them which I am glad to see his is ready. He is very interested in animals and dinosaurs. His favorite right now is sting rays and manarays and he would wear his stingray shirt every day if I would let him.

Taft is definitely a toddler. He says and does the funniest things all the time and can always make us laugh. He loves to watch Kidsongs and Disneyland Sing a longs. He also LOVES his baby sister. He always has to hold her and kiss her and see her. He also loves swimming and can hold his breath 3/4 the length of a Jr. Olympic size swimming pool.

As for me, it has taken me two weeks to write this. Emily does not want to leave my arms and I only usually have one to do things with because she occupies the other. I am so thankful to have my family and am especially thankful for my mom right now. She is truly wonderful and such a help to me with the kids while I tend to Emily. She is such a great friend and I am glad she is here with us.

Life is good, we are so blessed! Hope you are all well!

Baby Emily is Here!!!

7 lbs. 11 oz

21.5 inches long

Chubs Snuggles Emily

The QTies Hold Their New Baby Sister!!!

Still Waiting

Well, I couldn't find any baby pictures of Kenzie on here but obviously we are still waiting for baby Emily to come out and see us. We hope she comes soon! In the mean time I really enjoy looking at these pictures of our other munchkins just a few hours old!

The Phoenix Zoo

Ward Easter Egg Hunt

Taft and Sela with the coolest Easter Bunny ever!

The Ultimate Pouty Face

Alissa contemplating life.

Our Ward

Taft at Breakfast!

So, I am a bit behind. We went to our ward Easter Egg Hunt and had a blast! I truly love our ward! It is so close and like a family and hadn't felt that until we moved to Hawaii and I love having it again! They really went all out and the kids had such a great time.

Randomness

So, we have been very busy lately and had lots going on. Mostly, I have been sick and down. I had a kidney infection and through that they found out I had e coli so Ry has been handling most things lately. He is a trooper and I am thankful he has been home and taking care of me so well! We are still loving Arizona and all the family around and all we get to do here and feel blessed for all the small and simple miracles in our lives. I have six weeks left of this pregnancy and feel the best I have in a pregnancy. I hope Emily is as good out as she is in! Here are some random pictures of lately.

Ryan made it to the top of this thing and the man in charge said he had never seen anyone do it because it is so slippery. Ry is awesome at rock climbing!

Mema was a trooper and did the bumper cars with Ryan and Alissa and it was great to see her laugh!

You can not tell very well, but Ryan and Ryan Taft have the same shwoop in the front of their hair. I had to take this before I cut both of their hair this weekend. Taft's is even more prominant.

This is Kenzie's rendition of cow jumped over the moon. He is very artistic and creative and loves to draw!

Taft was not big enough to ride but did it anyways. This is everyone together at a local place here called Amazing Jakes! The kids loved it!

Alissa and I went on a Mother Daughter Date this weekend! We went to see The Princess and the Frog at the dollar movie. Alissa rode the Carousel at the mall. We shopped and she tried on clothes for fun. Then we went to Claire's and I ended up getting my ears re pierced by accident, after that she decided clip ons would do and she would be the only "old person" without real earrings. Fine by me we had a great time and I am really glad we went and plan to do it more often!

Chocolate Festival

We had the privilege of driving to Glendale last weekend for the Glendale Chocolate Affair Festival with Uncle Tim and Aunt Sonia! We looked at all the booths and listened to music and sampled treats. Then we got to take a shuttle to tour the Cerretta Candy Company. Taft fell asleep in the stroller while touring and the it was quite interesting to see how the chocolate was made. We had such a great time and were glad to spend time with family!

A Good Job

Well, it finally is happening. We have been waiting to find the perfect job and it came. Ryan will begin working at University of Phoenix in Phoenix as an Enrollment Counselor in March. We are so excited for this wonderful opportunity and all the benefits that come with it! This will also give him the opportunity to get his Masters and PHD while working there. We feel very blessed and relieved to have found a great job in this economy.

Not Much For Pictures Lately

Well, I haven't been taking lots of pictures lately but we have been very busy and up to lots. Lets see where to start.

Ryan has been applying for jobs left and right and working hard to get himself out there. I am so proud of him. He is hopeful for one job particularly so prayers please! Ryan was also called to be a ward missionary and is keeping very busy magnifying this calling. He is so good with people and I love how much he is enjoying it! I have to say my favorite thing for Ryan here in Arizona is his brother Tim. Ryan has so much fun with Tim and I am so glad they can hang out together. This last weekend Tim and Sonia came over Saturday morning for breakfast and the boys went to play racquetball at the clubhouse where we live. They were gone for along time and I am glad because they had so much fun! I wouldn't mind making this a Saturday morning tradition because we love having Sonia over too! Ryan is also focusing on all over health right now so although he stills runs, he is spending just as much time working out other ways to get an all over wellness approach. I am glad he is healthy and takes such good care of himself.

I am starting to feel pregnant. I feel so blessed to have felt so well for so long. I have not thrown up in a few weeks now and it feels great. I love my midwife and am so excited to be having another home birth. I am really trying to also set small personal goals and work at them which is nice. I love walking and going to play "racquetball" with Ryan. I don't really know how to play and can't play rough but Ryan is nice enough to go hit balls with me. I am really happy to be here in such a wonderful area and love the weather here. I am thankful to have a temple close by too! I received a ward calling to work in the Primary as a fill in but spend most of my time in nursery which is fine by me. I think I have spent about five years in that calling but I truly love it!

Alissa is growing up so fast. She is loving school and I am amazed at how well she has transitioned here. Whenever I miss Hawaii I think of her and what a great change has happened for her and immediately know it was worth it. She has made a best little friend a few doors down and loves to play with her as much as possible. She loves to come home and teach us new things she is learning and I love how happy she is most of the time! Alissa is also taking a little dance class from a lady in our ward and will be earning the classes by helping clean at her house. She wants to start taking piano too from my grandma, which will be great if it works out. I have to say my favorite things about Alissa right now is her silliness(which sometimes drives me crazy) and her ability to be a leader. She truly is a leader and I am thankful for that in her.

MacKenzie is growing quickly. In fact he is considered tall and skinny for his age group which is fine by me. He is still the most tender little boy and I love his sensitivity! He too has made a best friend here in our neighborhood and wants to play all the time. Although, Kenzie also loves playing with Taft which is nice. They usually spend the first several hours of the day playing pretend and our great at taking care of each other. Kenzie has also started preschool again. We started up a co-op preschool here like the one we did in Hawaii. There are seven kids and it is working fantastic! This week was my week to teach and I love it! Kenzie loves to draw! He is great creating things with tape, paper and crayons. He is very inventive too! My favorite thing about Kenzie right now is his prayers, he says the most amazing prayers and they are long and sincere. He is truly such an example to me! I also love how obedient he is. He always tries to do the right thing and is so good at looking out for his siblings.

Taft is just hilarious. He is so feisty and bossy and it cracks me up most of the time! He likes to be in charge and the boss. The best thing is he always still loves his Mamma. I am thankful that we nurtured him so much because it is paying off now. He is very smart and talks a lot. He is finally starting to get back to wanting to go potty too which is nice! Last night he was talking about going on a airplane to the beach, he hasn't done this in awhile but I am constantly impressed with his memory. He really is a sponge. Taft loves to be doing everything Alissa and Kenzie are but also has such a unique outlook on things. He says and does the funniest things at church. He is very active in participating in everything and feels a need to experience everything for himself. I love his great hugs he gives to everyone and the way he runs is just down right adorable.

Well, that is kind of where we are at right now. We are having lots of fun with all the family around and staying very busy with lots of free things. I feel very blessed to have such a wonderful mother in my life too. She truly enriches our family and makes our life so much better. We would not be a complete family ever again without her. We always say we have six in our family and one on the way because she is a part of us! We are loving Arizona and living in Val Vista Lakes and hope to stay here for good! We have been very blessed in our life and even though we do not have a lot of money right now we have our family and the gospel. We learn more everyday how much that truly is all that matters. I am thankful for these opportunities to grow!

We hope you are all well and that life is treating you well!

Wacky Day

Wacky Day at School!

Alissa Roller Skating

Alissa was soo excited! After only her first week of school she got invited to a birthday party at Skateland! One of the little girls in her class invited the whole class and she was very excited! She comes home with her invitation and says," Mom, Mom, not in Utah, not in Hawaii but here in Arizona I got invited to go to a skating party!!" I also had to explain that it was not ice skating like in Texas, but roller skating. Ryan decided to go with her to help teach her how to skate! They had such a good time together and even stayed an hour after the party had left. I am very glad that they got to go on a Daddy Daughter Date sort of too. Alissa sure loves her Daddy and they had a great time. Here are the pictures Ryan took. He also made a video that is on Facebook if you want to check it out! Alissa is adjusting amazingly here too! She loves going to school and we never get a battle like we did in Hawaii. She has mellowed out again and is truly loving all the friends around. Although there are many days we sit and think about all our wonderful friends and experiences in Hawaii, I feel truly blessed she has adjusted soo well!

Brio Italian Restaurant

Yay!! Ryan got a job at Brio Italian Restaurant! With this economy we have been very nervous trying to find a job. We have been applying for weeks now to just about everything that could suit Ryan. This last Saturday Ryan went and applied at a local restaurant that had just posted on Craigslist they were hiring servers. It was the first job who wanted to meet you in person at the same time you applied. This was a good sign considering most jobs now days will not even see you until you have filled out a resume online. He went in and they called him back with in a few minutes of getting home. So Saturday interview, Monday he started. They were only going to hire two servers but the manager felt impressed by his resume and wanted to make him part of their team. He had his first day of orientation yesterday and will be training all week. It seems to be a great place to work and we feel blessed that we will have an income again!