First stop- Gilroy, CA

Kirk and I recently decided that we want to visit all Continental 48 states with our children before they "grow up" so this summer we crossed off CA, OR, WA, ID, UT. Our first stop on our trek across the Northwestern states was Gilroy, CA to see Jeanna, Jason, and Jacob. We had a great time, as usual. We really miss these guys and wish we could see them more.

This awesome ranch (Gizdich) had hundreds of rows of stawberries, blackberries, boysenberries, and raspberries which we all enjoyed picking. My kids could have picked berries for hours.

Carter and Emma especially loved the "all you can eat" buffet.


I was very happy to find out that all the strawberry and bosenberry juices came out of their clothes without a problem -Whew!!!

You can't go to California and not visit the beach (even if it was freezing and I had to wear Kirk's jacket the whole time)

Usually Katelyn doesn't like to get dirty so I asked her if she liked burrying herself in the sand and she said "no, but it makes me warmer"

Happy Father's Day and Anniversary too

(Photo: courtesy of Kaleb)

Kirk is an awesome dad. We LOVE him, and I don't know what I would do without him!!! The kids filled out a paper about their dad in primary and this is what they had to say about him.

Katelyn and Kaleb both agreed that his name was Kirk, his favorite color was blue, and his favorite food was fajitas. However, they had different points of view on the following questions

He loves to:

• Play the wii (Katelyn)


• Take a nap (Kaleb)

I like when he:

• Goes swimming (Katelyn)


• Plays the wii with me (Kaleb)

It's funny when he:

• Eats spinach and it gets stuck on his teeth and then he talks like a pirate (Katelyn) I wish I had a picture because it really is funny.


• Tickles me (Kaleb)

He loves to go:

• to Idaho (Katelyn)


• to a restaurant (Kaleb)

He loves me because:

• I give him hugs and kisses (Katelyn)


• I help him do jobs (Kaleb)

As you can see there are so many reasons we love Kirk

Happy Birthday Carter (2 weeks ago)

Things I never want to forget about Carter...

Lately when he has been choking/coughing we hit him on the back. The other day he started coughing and I look over to see him wacking himself on his bum- hilarious.

Carter is addicted to treats. He has known the sign language for treats since he was about 12 months old (which is your finger touching your cheek). He has modified his treat sign and sticks his finger in his ear.

When I say "a birdie says tweet" he automatically puts his finger in his ear for a treat.

He always shares snacks with Emma- ALWAYS!!!

He has peed in the potty about 5 times. Now we will just have to work on not playing in the water.

He has graduated from his crib to a regular bed (he learned how to climb out of his crib)

Sometimes you think he is coming to give you a big kiss and instead you get a big lick.

Kirk gave me a blessing and Carter crawled up on my lap and put his hands on my head too.

Emma's Birthday

(Katelyn made Emma a birthday crown and drew her a cute picture of a fairy with the title "You are fairy big today")

Wonderful things about Emma

• She has 4 beautiful teeth- two top and two bottom
• And always smiles
• Last week she ate a fly, yum yum.
• As soon as she touches a soft or silky blanket she immediately puts her thumb in her mouth and lays her head down.
• She is so close to walking. She can take a couple of steps by herself and loves to push around her scooter
• She loves to read books and swing outside.

Wait a second, who's party is this

Temple Day

We decided to skip school today and go to the Gila Valley Temple open house. It was a great family trip with all 8 of us in my parents car. We ate lunch at a local hamburger joint (along with everyone else coming to Pima for the open house), played at a park while the chain gang (yes I mean inmates) mowed the lawn, and ended the trip with a beautiful tour of the temple. The chandeliers were amazing. I have never seen anything so beautiful. We are excited for the dedication in a couple of weeks, especially because Katelyn is now old enough to join us.

Happy Easter

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and General Conference weekend!!!

You may be wondering where are our other children???

They had a fun cousin sleep over.

Candy, Candy, and more Candy

Saturday Grandma & Grandpa put together a great Easter party for all the cousins (except Jacob, we missed you). The kids had a Easter egg hunt, followed by pizza. The men left for Priesthood and Grandma, Dani, and I were brave enough to decorate eggs with 7 small children. Our hands were not the same color they started out but that was part of the fun. Carter enjoyed throwing the eggs like a ball and crushing several with his bare hands :) And of course there were lots and lots of treats. We all had a great time!!!