It's a Wonderful Life!

Aaron's Jedi Training Camp Party

2009-08-15T17:18:00.001-07:00

Despite the fact that Aaron has never actually seen any of the Star Wars movies, when I asked him what kind of party he wanted for his 5th birthday, without hesitation he said, "Star Wars!" It never ceases to amaze me how every boy age 3 and up seems to instictively know who Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, and even Princess Leia are, despite having never actually seen the movies. I credit various Lego tie-ins and video games for the obvious familiarity, although ironically, Aaron really doesn't have any of those things, either. However, the 4 best friends that Aaron had at his party today certainly know all about Legos and video games and have generously shared their wisdom with their less-experienced friend. So, a Star Wars-themed party it was--and our Jedi Training Camp was a huge success!

After arriving at the Training Camp, Jedi Master Coombs introduced them to the first of their training missions--finding their Light Sabers. Following a trail of carefully placed clues throughout the house, the 5 Padawans soon found their weapons and were thrilled to try them out on one another. Jedi Master Coombs had his hands full trying to teach them the "Jedi Rules of Conduct," such as "Only hit the light saber, not the person," and "No head shots!" Luckily, we started with 5 boys and ended with 5 boys, so no young Jedis were harmed too much in the exercise.

The Jedis-in-training were then taken outside for some target practice with captured Storm Trooper pistols (aka Jon's airsoft guns)--the 5 boys did remarkably well, and since the goal was hitting a target and not each other, this activity seemed slightly less likely to inflict any harm on anyone.

Following all of this training, it was time to see how well they could use the Force by playing a "Pin the Tail On the Donkey"-like game where the object was hitting various Imperial ships while blindfolded. While all managed to hit at least one target, Colton was the final winner, having managed to secure the most points in the exercise. Way to use the force, Colton!

Finally, all their training for the day was put to good use as they battled it out against the Death Star--a candy-filled pinata that succumbed to the obvious skills of the newest Jedi Masters.

Once the Death Star was eliminated, the young Jedis headed to base camp to fill up on pizza, grapes, and chocolate cupcakes--favorite foods of all newly-trained Jedi.

The party turned out great and everyone had a wonderful time. I have to admit, though, that throwing a party for boys is MUCH different than throwing a girl party. Despite the fact that Aaron's party only had 5 boys in attendance, it was 10 times crazier than Sarah's Princess party last April, where 9 little girls and Aaron attended. But despite the overabundance of Jedi energy, we all survived our day of Jedi training and loved every minute of it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AARON!!!

A Sarah Gem

2009-08-03T15:19:00.001-07:00

I just had to share a cute Sarah-ism with you all. Even though she's always saying darling things, I rarely get around to sharing them with you. (I know, that's just so selfish of me.)

So, in humble penitence, I send you this gem.

Anyway, Princess Sarah Coombs (as she prefers to be known) loves playing imaginatively with her Little People and other "people" toys (Barbie, etc.) On Friday, she was playing by herself with her King, Barbie, and a little Noah figure. They were all going to a party, apparently on Noah's boat.

The following conversation ensued:
King (to Barbie): So, where is Tiger Lily?
Barbie: Tiger Lily? Oh, she can't make it?
King: Why not? Where is she?
Barbie: Oh, she's far away. Far across the sea...Given this land...if she lives....righteously.

Sarah never skipped a beat. I, on the other hand, watching from across the room, almost fell out of my chair giggling. I hope you enjoyed!

Aaron--the BIG Kindergartner!

2009-08-03T15:00:00.004-07:00

So much to blog, and so little time! I guess I'll have to catch you all up on our fun summer vacation/family reunion stuff a little later, because the big news this week has been Aaron's starting kindergarten!

Last Thursday, July 30th, Aaron started his first day of Kindergarten at Cambridge Academy, a new charter school that just opened up this year, and we couldn't be more thrilled. His teacher, Mrs. Romm, seems great and Aaron has loved his first few days at school. Aaron is also lucky to be starting school with a lot of his friends from church, too, including one of his best friends, Matthew Rose, who ended up in his same class. I'm looking forward to getting involved as a parent volunteer at the school, as well--sometimes I don't know who is more excited, him or me! Anyway, I've been loving seeing my big boy grow up, and unlike some of my sappier friends, I haven't shed any tears--I've just been having too much fun!

It's a Date!

2009-06-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

Jon and I decided to start our first official day of vacation with special Father/Son and Mommy/Daughter Dates! Jon took Aaron to see Up!, his first offical movie in the theater--so exciting!--while I took Sarah over to Build-a-Bear so she could create her very own teddy bear. Sarah, being the ultimate girly-girl that she is, picked a white bear covered in rainbows and decided to dress her bear in a frilly pink ballerina outfit. Of course, just as we were checking out, Sarah became quite adament that her bear also needed a purse, so she got a cute "make-up bag" purse with all sorts of teddy-bear appropriate make-up. Sarah was in heaven and spent the rest of our time at the mall applying her pretend makeup to "Rainbow" (her bear's name). In fact, she really hasn't stopped all day. =) It was such a fun day for us all, we'll have to make sure to make a tradition of these date-days! It's a date!

Summer Kickoff--Memorial Day!

2009-06-08T19:02:00.000-07:00

Summer is here! Yaayy!! Jon finished his last day of school on Thursday, so we are officially "on vacation" now.

Summer really kicked off, however, on Memorial Day, the official starting day of Summer. Jon started the day by helping the Scouts put up flags for their fundraiser project throughout the neighborhood--it helped us all remember why we celebrate and all the extraordinary service men who sacrificed so much for us to have the freedoms and blessings we enjoy. Thank you to you all. Later, we celebrated with our friends at a pool party/BBQ at the Roses. It was a great relaxing day that reminded us that summer had officially begun!

Hilari, Rebekah, me, Kristen (Rebekah's sister from California), and Tami--just relaxing in the shade.

Jon enjoyed the pool as much as the kids.

Sarah and Aaron wax patriotic as they admire the flag in our front yard for Memorial Day.

The weather was so nice, we finished the night with a nice long walk through the neighborhood, admiring all the flags.

High Priest Jon

2009-06-08T15:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Jon was ordained a high priest in our church as he was called to be the Second Assistant in the High Priest Group Leadership. It was kind of an unexpected and weighty calling, but Jon has a willing and faithful heart eager to serve. Jon's dad came down from Utah to perform the ordination, and it was one of the most special blessings I have ever heard. Now that Jon is officially a high priest, though, I have loved teasing him about being so "old" and how he can now start sleeping in Sacrament Meeting. (Joking, of course!)

One of the things Jon was asked to do because of his leadership role within high priests was to shave off his goatie. I had to make sure I got one last picture right before he went to shave it off. While I was in mourning at first, I have to admit, I really like the new clean-shaven Jon!

Peach Pickin' at Schnepf Farms!

2009-05-18T15:59:00.002-07:00

One of the best highlights about living out here in Queen Creek is our proximity to Schnepf Farms (think a 1950's pre-amusement park version of Knott's Berry Farm), especially during late Spring/early Summer, because that is when their peach trees start weighing down under the weight of the juiciest peaches ever and we get to go enjoy a morning picking our own peaches to take home and create various culinary delights.

So, Saturday we decided to go pick our annual peaches with the Roses, but when we got there, the place was PACKED. That's when we realized that it wasn't just pick-your-own peaches time, it was their annual Peach Festival, complete with hay rides to the peach orchards, a petting zoo, fun vendors, and yummy samples. Although the cost was $2.00 per person to get in (we hadn't planned on spending any admissions fees to pick our peaches), we decided to make a full morning of it and had a blast. Two hours later, with sticky faces and fingers and borderline sunburns, we left the farm with a huge box of delicious hand-picked peaches that later became an amazingly tasty peach cobbler that we shared with the Roses and Howards Sunday night.

Happy Birthday, Sarah!!

2009-05-10T21:02:00.002-07:00

The end of April brought our last great event for the month--Sarah's 3rd Birthday! Sarah LOVES her birthday and couldn't wait to have a real birthday party this year, so we threw Sarah her very own Princess Party. Sarah invited 8 little girls (two came a little late, so they weren't in the pic above), who all came dressed up as their favorite princess. Not to be excluded, Aaron came dressed as a knight and I came dressed as the Queen, of course. We had a perfectly girly-girl party with princess games and crown-decorating and a flower-shaped pinata. Sarah specifically requested chocolate cupcakes with pink frosting, so I made sure she got them. All the girls got to leave with goody-bags filled with princess jewelery and their loot from the pinata. There were so many cute pictures I decided to post a slide show along with a few pics here. Overall, the party was a HUGE success and all the girls (myself included) had a great time. Sarah is still wondering why it's taking so long for her birthday to come around again!

Oh, and a little note to go along with my super-big girl--Sarah also was potty-trained back in March! No more diapers for me!! Yes, that's two for two. Life sure is good! =)

Master Jon!

2009-05-10T20:43:00.001-07:00

Congratulations, Jon!! On Friday, April 17, Jon officially graduated with his Masters in Educational Counseling from Ottawa University. It was an amazing graduation ceremony and even Dad Coombs, who was very hesitant about going to a non-BYU graduation ceremony since he expected it to be a raucous and irreverant affair, was very impressed with the wise words of wisdom proffered by their University President. I was especially affected by his comments that we should all strive for a life of significance, not just success. I actually left feeling very inspired by some of the insightful comments made that night.

Anyway, we were all very proud of Master Jon. We even made up a cheer--"S-M-R-T--you are smart!" Okay, so the rest of us don't have our Masters, yet. =) The Roses, Howards, Browns, and Mom and Dad Coombs all came to celebrate the occasion with us, making the event even more special. After the ceremony we headed to Claim Jumper, where Jon and I got to share our favorite dessert--the chocolate chip calzone. That's when we knew it was a true event!

I included the first picture below, even though you really can't see Jon (he's in it, though!), just to give you an idea of what the ceremony looked like. I still get teary every time I hear Pomp and Circumstance play!

Grandma and Grandpa at the Zoo

2009-05-10T20:16:00.002-07:00

Mom and Dad Coombs came down from St. George to help celebrate Jon's graduation, so we decided to enjoy a day at the Phoenix Zoo with them while they were here! The kids LOVED being with their grandparents, and the weather was perfect for a fun trip to the zoo. Grandpa had a great time stopping at every snack stand he saw buying a new treat every 25 minutes--from sno cones to churros, our kids were quite happy during the trip. I think Grandma and Grandpa were quite happy, too, since being "on vacation" gave them a few more cheats from their normal uber-strict diet restrictions.

The only damper to the day was that we broke our beloved camera, so these were the last pics with our old camera. In fact, the last pic I posted (the really dark one) was the very last picture our camera ever took. Word to the wise--be VERY careful when handing your camera to someone else, especially when the camera is on. Open lenses are not very forgiving when dropped on hard cement. (Don't worry, we have since that time replaced our camera, so the pics will still keep coming!)

Happy Easter!!!

2009-05-10T20:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! I know it's already May, but I'm just trying to catch you all up on some of the exciting things that happened in April. It was a very busy month for us, but lots and lots of fun. Easter was a great this year--it was the first year our kids actually received a visit from the Easter Bunny, although I have to admit, I'm not sure I approve of all the treats he bought. I've often wondered if the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy have any kind of shady deals worked out for getting the kids teeth to fall out faster. Hmmm....

Anyway, we all had a wonderful time dying Easter eggs, having a wonderful Easter dinner with the Roses (man, we know how to plan a good meal!), and having a great Easter Egg Hunt and dessert at the Howard's home. We certainly love holidays!

Brian Head was AWESOME!

2009-03-14T22:13:00.000-07:00

Here we are Sunday night enjoying our hot chocolate and a fun game of Settlers. Jon and I won, by the way!

Monday we all went tubing in the snow storm. It was cold, but so much fun!

Aahhh, aren't we cute? Tuesday was perfect ski conditions--look at that blue sky!

The whole group getting ready to conquer the mountain! Okay, Darice and I were heading to ski lessons on the bunny slope, but the rest of the group did a pretty good job conquering anyway.

This Trip was AWESOME!!

2009-03-14T11:40:00.002-07:00

Okay, according to our new resort friend, Bob, everything in Brian Head is AWESOME, but, ya know, he was right! Our 4 day/3 night adventure with the Roses and the Bosleys couldn't have been more perfect! Thanks to some great grandparents all around (and Darice's sister, Vanessa), we enjoyed a kids-free vacation filled with lots of games (where everyone won enough to make sure no one felt too jilted), great food (we brought most of our own food and made meals together, including delicious spaghetti and pot roast with Ranch mashed potatoes, yum!!!), and absolutely perfect ski conditions!

Monday morning we took a resort tour (with Bob) that gave all three couples $100 vouchers for the ski resort (nice!), and then we headed off to do some tubing. It was pretty cold and snowy, but the conditions certainly didn't diminish our great time racing down the hill, narrowly avoiding being launched over the barrier below. We actually did see one man catch some serious air and disappear in the snow drift behind the barrier, but since such antics got him kicked out of the tubing area, we decided to play it a little safer, thoroughly enjoying seeing how close we could get without actually touching the end of the ramp. We headed back to our resort after to warm up in the hot tubs and saunas, and then enjoyed playing games the rest of the night.

Monday's cold snow storm gave way to perfect blue skies and 8 inches of fresh powder on the slopes for our ski day Tuesday. Not only were the conditions unbelievable, but the resort was practically empty, leaving us to enjoy the day almost undisturbed. PERFECT!!!! Darice (who had never gone skiing before) and I (who had only been twice, quite some time ago) took some ski lessons while the others headed up the mountain to conquer the black diamond slopes. We hear Ryan is quite the daredevil, but it sounded like everyone was able to at least kinda keep up, minus a few face plants. (Just so you know, I only fell once the whole day, and that was only when I had stopped to help another ski class member.) We met for lunch, then I headed to the second level of slopes while Darice practiced her newly-learned skills closer to the lodge and the others ventured back to the top of the mountain to carve their way through the untouched powder above. After we all got back to our resort, we headed back for another dip in the hot tub to soothe our achy bodies. All in all, it couldn't have been a more perfect time!

I just have to say...I love the Roses and the Bosleys! Our trip was so much fun and having them with us just made it all the more AWESOME!!! I can't wait to get all of our pictures posted! We'll just have to start planning for next year!

Shooby Dooby at our 50's Sock Hop!

2009-03-14T11:33:00.003-07:00

The one nice thing about being released from Primary is the opportunity to try out some other exciting callings in the ward. With Rebekah and Derek being called as the new Activities Coordinators in the ward, it was a given the Jon and I would be a part of their team. Our first great event? A 50's Sock Hop, complete with a real soda fountain (and my own Jon as a "soda jerk" serving root beer floats and Orange Cremes) and make-your-own ice cream sundaes, and of course, plenty of fun dancing to classic 50's tunes. I got to be the emcee for the events, which included a hula hoop, limbo, and costume contest, and a "drag racing" competition. Even Sarah got into the limbo contest. The event was a huge success and tons of step-back-in-time fun. Stay tuned for the rest of the pics--they're classics, too!

Happy RockStar Birthdays To Us!!

2009-03-14T08:36:00.004-07:00

Jon's Costa Vida Birthday!

My Rock Band Birthday Bash!

January and February are always fun months for us because we have both our birthdays to look forward to. It helps ease the post-holiday letdown a little. =) First, we celebrated Jon's birthday in January. It was kind of a low key event this year, but we did go to Jon's favorite restaurant, Costa Vida, with all our friends to celebrate. Maybe we'll have to do a bigger Shin-Dig next year.As for my birthday, it was anything but low key! I told Hilari and Rebekah that I wanted a Rock Band Party for my birthday, and boy did they deliver. Hilari hosted the entire event and we had about 25 people there, all rocking out upstairs to Rock Band or competing downstairs on the Wii. It was a great night filled with delicious food, fun people, cool decorations, and all the celebration a girl could ask for! I LOVED it. I'm sure we'll have to throw another similar party soon, so if you couldn't make my birthday party, make sure you stay tuned for our next big bash! Thanks Hilari for making my birthday the best!!!!

Two Causes/ Two Runs

2009-03-14T07:16:00.005-07:00

This year, Jon and I both participated this year in London's Run at Schnepf Farms to support Pediatric Cancer (January 31st) and in the 2 Sisters/1 Heart Run (February 14th) benefiting 2-year old conjoined Bailey twins.

London's Run was super fun because the entire Atkinson family joined us--Mom and Dad; Kristin, Greg, and Emily Moon; and of course, Rebekah and Derek. I ran the 10K with Becky Kleen, who helped keep me motivated enough to beat my time from last year (1 hour 4 min compared to 1 hour 5 min last year!), while Jon and the Atkinson clan, who were all running it for the first time, ran the 2 mile fun run. After the run was over, we headed over to the Roses for some of Bro. Atkinson's famous whole wheat pancakes--mmmmmm..... What a fun morning!

Then, 2 weeks later, we both did the 5K 2 Sisters/1 Heart Run at Walker Butte Elementary. Half our ward showed up to support this run since a lot of people know the Bailey family, and our friend Jamie Kieta was actually one of the organizers. It was GREAT! Not only was the run super fun (except that my MP3 player died on the last mile! I hate running without music!), but they had a ton of fun activities in addition to the run, including a little train and a petting zoo for the kids. My time on the run wasn't my best (33 minutes), but I still had a great time running and I wasn't too tired to enjoy all the other activities afterward--or my fun Valentine's date with Jon later. =)

Both Jon and I love doing these runs, other than the fact that my knees swell up to the size of an elephant's when I do. I did get new shoes before the 2 Sisters run (my belated Christmas present from Jon), and that did help. I don't get elephant knees when I just run on my own--maybe it's the stress of wanting to beat my time when I do timed or competition runs. But I still love them, so I guess I'll just have to put up with the swollen knees a couple times a year. It's all worth it!

Jon's Update--originally a family email

2009-01-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

I find myself in an interesting position today at work. I actually have free time. Hence, the reason I am writing this at noon. I was at first twiddling my thumbs thinking, "what do I do?" Then I realized that I have this window of opportunity to check my email...something I don't do as often as I should.

For those of you who have checked out our blog, you will see that Heather did a great job with updating it with tons of pics of this last holiday season. We sure have a great life...even though we are poor. It just goes to show you that money is not the source of happiness. :-)

Today I filled out the forms and made out the check to the dept. of education and I will send it in to have my Masters in Guidance Counseling added to my certificate! I FINISHED!!! Oh how fun it is to be home on Monday nights to do FHE! ( that was the night I had classes). I had missed that and now that our kids are older it is so much fun. We have our lesson and the kids will pray and sing the primary songs and they love talking about Jesus. We then will play a game or something. A couple of their favorites are: Hi-Ho Cherry-o, Chutes and Ladders, and of course Candy Land. I think that was one of my favorites too.

Heather is not working full time right now. She sadly had to say goodbye to her long term sub position because they felt guilty turning down certificated teachers. She did an amazing job and they didn't want to let go of her. I truly understand their feelings. I feel the same way.. and the beauty of my position...I don't have to. :-) and I won't. So, she is enjoying being home a couple of days a week and playing with the kids and they love it too.

Aaron is amazing and his speech is improving. He slurs all his words. Hmmm ,I wonder where he gets that from. I am trying to enunciate my words better to help him and be a better example. He loves to ride his bike and he constantly asks to play with Colton Howard so he can play Star Wars Legos. Yesterday, he asked to go play with him and Heather said, "oh you want to play the Star Wars movie?" Aaron responded, "Mommy, it's not a movie. Its a game." He said it so seriously that I had to laugh. He is a doll.

Sarah is amazing too. She is the cutest little imp and loves to watch Barbie Mariposa and Tinkerbell. I would write more, but the bell just rang and I have to get to class. I love you all and I hope to be more diligent in reading my emails.

Love, Jon

Requiem for an Identity

2009-01-23T08:53:00.004-07:00

Okay, now that I've finished updating you on all of the fun holiday festivities we've been involved with, I guess it's time to update you all on how we're actually doing. The past few months have been crazy ones for us, not just because we've been super busy, like the rest of the world, but it seems like it has really been a time of transition and redefining for us, or at least for me.

You know how you begin to define yourself by what you do? "I am a Mom," or "I am a teacher" or "I am a nuclear physicist", etc. Okay, so I've never defined myself as the latter, but over the course of the last 5 months, I was defined as the "ELD Teacher at Ranch Elementary". I was also my ward's Primary President for the past 2+ years, a weighty calling that certainly kept me busy and on my toes. Well, at the end November, I was finally released from my Primary calling (something I had known was coming since July, so it wasn't a surprise), and then in December, I found out they had found an ELD-endorsed teacher to teach my ELD class and that she would be starting right after the Winter Break. While neither change came as a huge shock, I have to admit, I went through a type of mourning period for my identity. I felt like I had lost a sense of who I was. Of course, I also greatly missed both my calling and my class, but it was more than just that. I no longer got up and got ready to see my students everyday. I no longer felt a sense of urgency on Sunday as I made sure all 17 of my primary classes were running smoothly. I was no longer "needed" in either of these positions. I had been replaced, and I didn't really know who I was. Well, I'm still working on trying to figure it out, but as time has passed, I have moved on to some other ventures, and I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that a few more doors will open up.

In the meantime, I'm back to regular daily subbing, which I have to admit, I have thoroughly enjoyed. Not only have I had a lot of fun with the work, but it has also allowed me to have a little more time with my family and friends, "Mom" and "friend" being a few of my identities that had been feeling a little neglected with my busy-ness over the last several months. Unfortunately, the loss in pay as a regular sub is substantial and I'm still looking for full-time employment, another identity on hold since most places are letting employees go, not hiring new ones. We had planned for me to start my Masters program this spring, but between finances and the intense time away from my family this move would require, even that pursuit is on hold, at least temporarily. This has been more than a little stressful and challenging, but both Jon and I feel the Lord is watching out for us and the right opportunity will come at the right time.

As for church, while I do still miss being in Primary and the intense ward involvement my calling as president afforded me, my hints and out-right begging paid off, and I managed to get called to my favorite calling--Relief Society 4th Sunday Teacher. I always said, when I was released from Primary President, I wanted to pick my next calling, and, well, I guess I kinda did. (Hmmm...squeaky wheel?)

As for Jon, he has his own identity issues. He did add "Masters Degree" to his personal definition in December, an accomplishment we're both proud of, but as this degree is also opening new doors and opportunities, it is also providing new stresses as Jon has many decisions to make regarding which path to follow--stay as a HS teacher, move to elementary, go into counseling, pursue administration, etc. It's a lot to take in, and since finances are always an issue, every decision is a pull between desire for a position and duty to provide. Sometimes having too many choices can be an even harder place to be in than not enough choices!

So, as we enter the new year, the Coombs family does so with a lot of anticipation (and a little apprehension) for the upcoming opportunities and changes that may come. But while our identities may be in flux, I want to assure you that our foundation has not and will never change--I thank my Heavenly Father daily for the daily constant of who I truly am. I am and will forever be wife to my loving husband, mother to Aaron and Sarah, stalwart and faithful Latter-day Saint, and friend to you all. Stay tuned, however--I'm sure the rest of my identity roller-coaster should be a fun ride!

Coombs Great 8 Christmas!

2009-01-19T14:01:00.001-07:00

Christmas Fun 2008

2009-01-19T13:45:00.001-07:00

Coombs "Great Eight" Christmas Week

2009-01-19T11:45:00.001-07:00

Christmas with the Coombs!

2009-01-19T11:21:00.004-07:00

The holidays were super fun and now I have to catch-up with it all! I've posted a slide show showing some of our holiday fun--seeing the lights at the Mesa temple, holiday parties with friends, Ward Christmas party, and just enjoying the festive atmosphere together. Santa was good to my kids, despite his budgetary considerations, and showered them with new games and DVDs, their favorites being Mariposa (a Barbie movie) and Candyland. It's great when they're still so young--kids can be thoroughly overjoyed with just a few simple pleasures. We kept Christmas relatively low-key (at least financially) this year, but it certainly didn't dampen any of the magic. I simply love the holidays!

The day after Christmas, our family headed up to St. George for a giant Coombs Family Great 8 Christmas reunion. Aside for the epidemic sickness that ran rampant through the family (our family amazingly remained unscathed!), the week was simply magical and we LOVED being with all of Jon's siblings. We planned a lot of great activities for the kids (there are 19 kids now!) like a family carnival with every family providing a booth, lots of hikes and park days, and just time to run around with cousins. Of course, there were plenty of activities planned for the adults, too--lazer tag up in the red rocks, family dinners, game nights at the hotel, etc. It made the whole family hungry for more time together, and now we anxiously await our summer reunion up in Park City this June! Enjoy the slide shows of all our family Christmas activities--we hope you all had a great holiday season as well!

Happy Birthday, Warren Brown!

2009-01-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving weekend also marked Warren Brown's "Surprise" 30th Birthday Party that Cary had spent the better part of a year planning. With all of his family and friends in town, Cary planned several amazing activities, from activities at a park, a concert of Warren's Band, and a morning of ATV/Quad riding up in the hills. Unfortunately, Jon spent the better part of the weekend being sick in bed, so the kids and I made it to what we could. It was all a lot of fun. Happy 30th Birthday, Warren Brown!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2009-01-03T12:58:00.001-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving! Jon and I hosted a wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner at our house this year, with the Howards, Browns, Huffmans, and Kathermans--that's 10 adults and 15 kids, for those who are counting. The whole dinner was delicious and fun, and we ended by heading to the Howard's home for dessert and a little Rock Band. What a perfect Thanksgiving!!

Jon and our beautiful bird--man, I love turkey!

The Howards and their amazing turkey--lovingly tended to by Paul himself. That guy is truly a master when it comes to the kitchen!

Cami Brown entertained us all with her mud-antics in my back yard. It was all well and good until she decided that the other kids should be involved as well and started hucking mud balls at them. Sarah, the girly-girl that she is, was devastated when she got nailed in the center of her pretty pink dress by Cami's mud slinging two minutes after she went outside. After that, an abrupt end was put to all mud activities. My home took several days to truly recover from all the mud that we found tracked throughout the house.

Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot

2009-01-03T12:48:00.000-07:00

On Thanksgiving morning, Jon and I, along with several of the Brown family, participated in the Annual Queen Creek Turkey Trot 5K Run. This year was even more special to me because the proceeds went to benefit my favorite principal, Eric Samuels, who was diagnosed with a rather advanced cancer very unexpectedly in the middle of this last semester. It was a huge blow to our school, but he's doing quite a bit better now and should even be able to return to Ranch Elementary this January. Anyway, the Turkey Trot was a lot of fun, and Jon and I finished the 3.2 miles together in 32 minutes. Not too bad! Also, it made us feel a lot less guilty when we started stuffing ourselves later that day!

Jon and Cary before the race began.

Jon and I right after we finished.

My pricipal, Eric Samuels. This was the first time he had been out of the hospital in over 6 weeks. It was really great to see him there! His wife, Beth, actually pushed him the whole route, so he could finish his own Turkey Trot!

Halloween Night--the Kids!

2008-11-08T15:53:00.000-07:00

Halloween night was a lot of fun for all of us. Cary and Warren brought their 4 cuties down to our area, where we combined with the Howards, the Roses, the Dunns, and for a while the Harmons, to make our our trek through our neighborhood. We actually didn't hit quite as many homes this year as we did last year, but it was still fun and the kids still managed to come home with a load of sweet stuff--which we have been carefully portioning out in small, controlled amounts since. =) Our last stop was at the Dunn's, where we all hung out and talked outside while enjoying some homemade rootbeer (and a few pilfered treats--shhhh!) Aaah, and it's only the start of the holiday season. =)

Aaron "fighting the bad guys" on Halloween night as a firefighter.

Princess Sarah waving to her fans.

Aaron loved the Howard's red wagon and insisted that he hop in between every house, even though the next house was only a few steps away! I guess this was his version of the red firetruck!

Sarah and Spencer sat down and examined their finds once we got down to our final destination--the Dunn's home.

Halloween Night--the Big Kids!

2008-11-08T15:50:00.000-07:00

The adults had almost as much fun as the kids, which is usually the case. Peep decided to wax nostalgic and go as a younger version of herself--an award-winning gymnast (hence the medal around her neck), and I decided to wax prophetic and go as a queen. Oh, wait, maybe that's getting ahead of myself. =)

This picture was supposed to be of the three girls, but our picture got crashed by Jamie in the back. Oh, well, it's a good thing we like him!

Me and Cary--no picture crashers this time.

The boys--don't ask me what Jon was doing in this picture!

The girls outside of Tami and Jamie's house.

Carving the Pumpkin

2008-11-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

Jon did a great job carving our Halloween pumpkin. The kids were fascinated, watching everything Daddy did. Just as a word of note, the second picture, with me, Sarah, and Jon, was taken by Aaron. Not too bad of a photographer for a 4-year old!

Field Trip to Schnepf Farms

2008-11-04T20:34:00.000-07:00

On Halloween, I had an opportunity (thanks to the 3rd grade team) to take my kids on a super fun field trip to Schnepf Farms. What made this trip extra fun was that during October, Schnepf Farms has their big Fall Festival, with all their rides and shows (including pig races, my kids' favorite!) open. The kids and teachers were invited to wear their costumes, and wanting to keep in the spirit of the holiday, but not wanting to don my complete Queen attire for a whole day on the farm in 95 degree heat, I opted to go as a less constricting black cat. I thought my homemade ears came out particularly cute. =)

The other teachers all got enough chaperones to basically take the day off from kid supervision, but I chose to spend the day living it up with my favorite 14. Although the weather was hot, the kids were whiny, and we did have one minor heart-stopper--I lost one of my 1st graders in the corn maze for 20 minutes!--I still think everyone had a fun time and I still would have chosen to spend the day with my kids instead of completely pawning them off on chaperones. But a few extra sets of hands (eyes, ears, etc.) could have come in handy, though. Maybe next field trip, I think I'll do some things a little differently.

Okay, so maybe the rides weren't Six Flags worthy, but it sure beat a day of reading and writing!

During the Pig Races, individuals were chosen from the audience to come up and "represent" one of the racing pigs. Ironically, someone from my class (including me!) was chosen for each of the 4 races, and 3 out of 4 races, we won! (Okay, I was the only one who didn't represent a winning pot-belly.) My 3 girls each won pig noses for their swift swine, which they wore with pride. =)

Trunk or Treat and Chili Cook-off!

2008-11-02T16:35:00.000-07:00

Saturday, October 25, our ward had its annual Halloween Chili Cookoff and Trunk or Treat. As always, it was SOOO much fun, but even more importantly, out of over 20+ chili entries from our ward, I came in 2nd with my already prize-winning white chicken chili! Okay, it wasn't 1st place this time, but considering the greater number of entries I was competing against (some that included white chicken chili, so I didn't win this time on the novelty of my non-beef and tomato chili), I felt pretty good about my culinary accomplishment! Woo-hoo! In the picture, I'm holding my prize, a bottle of Tabasco sauce. Okay, so we don't use Tabasco sauce, but I may have to display it on some shelf anyway, so it's just as well. =)

As you can see, Sarah and I had a whole costume theme going--I was a queen and she was my princess. Yes, we felt very royal. Too bad we couldn' find Aaron's knight costume that he wore a couple of years ago, but he sure looked cute in his fireman costume. Sorry I don't have any pics of him--he was having too much fun to sit still long enough for something as mundane as a picture! And Jon opted not to dress up this year, going as his everyday World's Best Husband and Father. I know...what a cop-out! =)

Happy 30th Birthday, Rebekah!

2008-10-17T23:48:00.002-07:00

Okay, so even though Rebekah's actual birthday isn't until next week, we did the big Girls' Night celebration tonight. Following what has become our usual format, we started the night at Pei Wei (gotta love that Mongolian Beef and Brocolli!), and ended the night with a giant Pizookie at BJ's. It was so fun to see some of our friends like Darice and Nicole that we haven't seen for a while. (Seeing how big Nicole's "baby" is reminded us what horrible friends we've all been for not getting together sooner!) The whole night was a ton of fun, but all of it was just to celebrate Rebekah's big 3-0! I think having me and Hilari hit 30 first kinda eased the blow for her--she's finally catching up to the big kids. (Okay, so I hit 30 a while ago, but who's counting?) Well, Happy 30th Birthday, Rebekah! We all love you!

Halloween Fun!

2008-10-17T23:25:00.005-07:00

Rebekah, Hilari, and I just couldn't wait until Halloween to get our cute kids all dressed up together (that, and I was off from work this week!), so we had a fun little Halloween party for them this morning. Aaron and Sarah, my fireman and princess, loved being dressed up and were so cute in their costumes. All the kids got to decorate goody bags, played musical chairs, decorated their own pumpkin and ghost sugar cookies (which turned out delicious--I'm so proud!), and munched on "mummy" dogs for lunch. Of course, our kids rarely need any organized activities to have a good time together, so they spent the rest of the time running around the house and yard entertaining one another. It was just such a great morning! =)

My ELD Class

2008-10-15T15:43:00.006-07:00

So, we may not have won Spirit Week, but we sure came in close! My class did awesome dressing up for all the Spirit Week days--crazy hair, hat, socks, pajamas (my favorite!), and sports jersey (go Y!). I've included a couple of fun pics from my class. Man, I love these kids!

Here's the whole group--yes, they always have this much energy. =)

Sports Jersey Day--those without pinned paper jersey numbers to their backs.

Pajama Day--this really should be everyday. =)

Crazy Hat Day--gotta love the black with orange feathers!

Time flies...

2008-10-15T15:21:00.003-07:00

Wow, I can't believe another month has flown by. So, I've officially finished my first quarter teaching ELD 1-6 (yes, I have 1st through 6th grade all in the same class--guess you can call me Laura Ingalls Wilder in my one-room school house), but it has been fun. A crazy whirlwind, but fun. I finished all my parent/teacher conferences on Friday afternoon, and they all went great. Big surprise--one of the kids I've been having the hardest time dealing with this quarter (one of my first graders) is....AUTISTIC. Yep, that explains A LOT. Kinda wish I would have known that earlier. Well, at least that will help me approach him a little differently moving forward.

Well, enough about my school kids, the best part is that now I'm on a week of Fall Break, and get to spend every waking moment with MY kids (insert Happy Dance here!) I mean, I hate to brag and all, but does everyone realize just how cute my kids are? I know Jon does, but I guess he's a little biased, too. But really, do kids really come this darn adorable? Sarah has been cracking me up this whole week, and Aaron is as darling as they come. I have to admit--I really do feel blessed.

Moving from one biased topic to another, my cute husband just finished his Fall break and went back to work this week (lousy timing), but at least he got to spend his break working near me. Jon needed to finish his observation hours for his Master's program, so I hooked him up with my district's head counselor, Maria. Jon had an amazing experience working with her for two weeks, and may seriously be considering leaving high school Spanish teaching for elementary counseling. The only holdback right now is, of course, economics, but we'll have to see. Long-term, this is something he'd love to do.

Speaking of long-term, it seems my long-term plans may be changing a little. I always knew I wanted to go back and get my Master's (and Jon just happened to do the exact program I want to do), but we might be looking at moving up the timeline a bit and having me go back to school starting in January. It would be a whole lot of busy and a whole lot of crazy, but it kinda makes sense, too. I'll keep you posted on what we decide.

In the meantime, we're both still teaching, Jon and I are finishing up our Ironman Triathalon challenge (we're almost there!), and I'm getting ready for my 3rd Primary Program as the Primary president. This year Aaron gets to be in it!!

I'll be posting some more pics soon from some of our fun-filled activities this last month. Make sure you check back at the end of this month--I'm sure our Halloween pics will be worth checking out!

August--whew...we made it!

2008-09-01T12:07:00.004-07:00

Sorry it's been a while since I've updated, but life sure got busy the second August hit! Just a quick update on all the Coombs family:

Jon: Jon's back to teaching at Basha high school and is having a great year. Although he's been enjoying having a prep period this year (giving him a little more time during the school day), he's needed that extra time because he is also in the middle of writing his thesis and trying to get his observation hours done for his Master's class . That certainly has been keeping him busy! If things go well, though, he should be completely done with his whole Master's program (thesis included!) by December. Yaaay!!!

Heather: Okay, so I've been UBER-busy this last month. I managed to get myself wrangled into a long-term teaching assignment this year, with very unusual circumstances. I'm teaching ELD (English Language Development) for grades 1-6, a class that no other teacher wanted due to its inherent challenges. It's an inclusion class, which means my students are with me all day, except when I send them out to their grade level for math, which has been a scheduling nightmare in itself. Not only is it challenging due to the diverse grades levels I have, but even within those grades levels they are at very diverse language abilities. I have some students that are reading/writing at a 4th grade level (inlcuding my 6th graders), while I have others that don't even know their alphabet sounds! (My 2-year old knows most of her alphabet sounds!) So basically I have to prepare about 3-4 different lesson plans for every day! I have 14 students at the moment (it changes weekly as they discover new students that should be in my class). Oh, and the kicker of it all--because it's a brand new program in the state of Arizona, there are no books, no curriculum, no previous teacher or lesson plans to follow--so, basically I'm making this up as I go along! It's been a challenge, to say the least, but it's been fun, as well. The one nice thing about having no precedence to follow--I also have no one telling me I'm doing it wrong!

In addition to teaching full-time, I also started teaching a cardio step and toning class on Monday nights at the Copper Basin YMCA, our local gym. I've been having a blast, so anyone reading this in Queen Creek--come out on Monday nights from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m and join us! The class is a lot of fun, and I promise to give you a REALLY good workout! =)

Good thing we got rid of the TV! Whatever time I have left after teaching, lesson-planning, grading, working out at the gym, playing with friends, and doing my primary stuff (which has been keeping me rather busy lately with teacher-training, activities, meetings, baptisms, and just keeping my teachers in place!), is spent adoring my sweet children and husband. I really wish I had more time with them, but I do try make our time together as quality as possible!

Oh, yeah, I did find time to finish the last book of the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn, as well! Yes, I loved it. =)

Aaron: My big 4-year old has had a busy month, too! He turned 4 on August 20th, and we had a big party for him with all his friends, a pinata, games, art project, and of course, pizza, cake and ice cream! It was a lot of fun for everyone, except for the cleaning crew (i.e. Jon and Heather) that had to reassemble my house after being rampaged by 10 kids between the ages of 2 and 5. But it sure was worth it to see how much fun Aaron had!

Aaron's also back in school now. He goes to a special-needs preschool for his speech delay 4 days a week for 3 hours a day at a local elementary school . He has a great teacher and really loves it, but his favorite part--he gets to ride the bus!! This is a good thing that he thinks the bus is the coolest part of his day, because unfortunately, he's the first to get picked up and the last to get dropped off on his route, keeping him on the bus for almost 2 hours a day. Poor guy--but like I said, he loves it.

Aaron continues to be an angel child and really is so much fun and so easy to love and adore. His speech is improving by leaps and bounds and he continues to be a head taller than most of his friends. It's just fun watching all the ways he continues to grow!

Sarah: Sarah is always the life of the party. Her speech is quickly catching up to her brother's and she is getting pretty good with her numbers and letters. She loves being the center of attention, hates bugs and pretty much all animals, loves dresses and anything girly, and makes us all laugh daily. Our biggest struggle with her right now--just trying to get her to go to sleep. We've tried everything, but that's our biggest fight with her. For the last several months, she's simply cried herself to sleep on the floor behind her door. I can't even remember the last time she actually slept in her bed. If you have any suggestions (although we've probably already tried it!), we'd love to hear what's worked for others!

So, that's the update! I'm posting some pictures of Aaron's birthday, our trip to the Arizona Museum of Youth (so fun!), and our super-fun night at Can o' Frags (Derek's all-night game-a-palooza which includes all things gaming--computers, WII, X-box, and my favorite--Rock Band). It's been a fun, albeit busy, month here for the Coombs. Hope to hear from you all soon!

Aaron's 4th Birthday

2008-09-01T12:04:00.001-07:00

Art project--each child got to decorate their own plate. We had them trace around 4 of their fingers of their handprint for Aaron's "4th" birthday!

Everyone got to get some good whacks in on the pinata. I think Josh actually made the final blow--although watch out for Colton and Bryce! Those guys are headed for the major league!

Present time--Aaron got some great stuff, including cars, puzzles, Moon Sand (uh, thanks Peep, I guess.), some knight figurines, and this favorite from his Grandma Judi--a remote-controlled dinosaur! Unfortunately, it didn't work, but it was still a hit.

All the kids had fun playing with Aaron's gifts.

Surprisingly, some of the kids were too interested in the toys to stop and eat cake--not these guys! They're happily waiting for their slices.

CoFLan (or Super Fun Game Night at the Roses!)

2008-09-01T11:58:00.003-07:00

Here's some pics from Derek's first ever Can o' Frags Super Game Night. Why was it a SUPER game night? Well, not only did they expand their gaming repetoire to include Wii and Rock Band, they also invited the wives. Yes, we wives do tend to make everything super. =) Anyway, it was a HUGE success, tons of fun, and enjoyed immensely by all. Okay, it was enjoyed immensely by me, but, hey, I'm writing this blog, so I'm assuming fun was had by all. The next one is this coming Friday, September 5th--hope to see you all there! (If you know the Roses, you're probably invited. If you don't know the Roses, but just think that a great night of good clean fun sounds right up your alley, then you're probably still invited.)

Carpenter Family Reunion

2008-07-26T17:52:00.001-07:00

A month of Reunions!

2008-07-25T14:47:00.003-07:00

Well, starting with the return of Mom and Dad Coombs from their mission in England, July has been a huge month of reunions for us. Before Mom and Dad Coombs had even left Arizona, Jon and I took off for a 2-day drive up to Washington State for my family's huge extended reunion. It was by far the longest car ride we've taken since we've been married, and we were a little leery of how our Sarah and Aaron were going to handle the trip, but the two 15-hour days of driving actually went really well, thanks in large part to a portable DVD player in the back for the kids and The Chronicles of Narnia book-on-CD for me and Jon in the front.

This was actually the first time we had gone to visit my mom since she moved to Washington State a few years ago. My mom lives on 10-acres of picturesque forest in a small town called Newport, just over the border from Idaho. It was BEAUTIFUL. Literally, every view should be in a calendar. Unfortunately, it did nothing for our discontent with the dry, hot, brown state we call home, but that's a whole other blog.

Anyway, my side of the family (from Grandma Berta down) has a huge family reunion every other year, and this year, my mom decided to plan and host the event. My sister and I arrived a few days before the reunion to help finish all the last minute details (meals, activities, organization, etc.), and by the time all our aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. arrived, the reunion practically ran itself. We were all staying in a fabulous Bed and Breakfast owned by a family in my mom's ward, and it was so fun to reconnect and enjoy being with all my great family. Okay, so my family is crazy, but I guess that's what makes us so endearing.

One of the biggest highlights was Friday, when we got to spend the entire day at Diamond lake, just down the highway from my mom's house. Another family in her ward owns a beautiful lake house with all the toys--kayaks, floats, a dock, a canoe, etc.--and add in my parents' boat, it was a perfect day. Check out all the great pics in the slide show!

Another memorable moment for all of us was the great family testimony meeting we held Saturday night. How amazing it was to hear the testimonies and feel the spirit of my wonderful extended family! It was also a true testament to the power of one righteous example--despite many ups and downs in her life, my Grandma has always been quite a rock of righteousness and has an impressive legacy of stalwart Saints to her credit. I can only hope to one day sit in a room with all my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren and feel the strength of their testimonies filling the room.

The rest of the reunion was spent with chatting, card-playing, eating (of course!), and exploring the cute town of Newport, WA. We also played a great "Carpenter Family Feud" game, which I hosted, and unfortunately the Parmalees won. (We all know they're just a bunch of cheaters, anyway. =) Hee, hee!)

We extended the trip home to three days, which gave us a chance to stop by Provo and have lunch at Los Hermanos with one of my old college roommates, Missy. It was so fun to see her and catch up with all the old Alta people she's stayed in contact with over the years. (Living in Utah valley helps facilitate staying in contact with people, I've noticed.) We also stayed the night in St. George with Jon's family and had a fun dinner and night of games with all the St. George Coombs.

So, in the course of 2 weeks, we got to see almost all of our family on both sides, with the exception of Mark and Jenn's families, and an old roommate. Don't you just love reunions!

They're home!!!

2008-07-04T14:09:00.004-07:00

After a gruelling (i.e. completely idyllic) 18 months slaving (i.e. playing) away in the picturesque British Isles, Mom and Dad Coombs are finally home from their mission! Yes, yes, we have all teased them endlessly about the vacation-like mission they have been serving over the last year and a half, but we are so lucky to have such amazing examples in our parents who are diligently trying to wear out their lives in service to the Lord. And to be honest, they certainly deserved such a fabulous mission experience after their amazing, albeit more challenging, mission to Thailand and Sri Lanka. Now we are all wondering how we can get ourselves signed up to head to England! That's the way to serve a mission!

Anyway, Mom and Dad arrived Monday night, June 30th, and have been staying with us and enjoying their time reacquainting themselves with their Coombs and Brown grandchildren. Unfortunately, with some unforeseen illnesses, errands, and urgent care runs, the week didn't go quite as planned, but it has been fun to spend time with our world-travelling parents, nonetheless.

I'm posting some pics of us picking them up from the airport--a true mission homecoming experience. I'll be sending out some pics of our 4th of July festivities later on. We leave tomorrow to go see my family for a couple of weeks, so I'll have a lot to update when we get back!

First Haircuts

2008-07-04T10:17:00.004-07:00

On June 25th, Sarah and Aaron got their first professional haircut! Actually, this was Sarah's first haircut ever, and she did great! (Of course, it didn't hurt that Kayla bribed both of them with lollipops if they did well.) Aaron, who has a deathly fear of all clippers, didn't fair so well (hence the tear-stained face in the pictures), but he was able to settle down a little when Kayla put the clippers away and got out the scissors. They both looked so adorable and are all set to see both sets of their grandparents over the next few weeks!

Six Years!

2008-06-19T10:01:00.003-07:00

It's amazing how six years can play tricks on your mind. Some days I can't remember a time when Jon and I weren't together, as if eternity has already somehow squished itself into those few short years. Other days, it still seems like I'm a newlywed, still playing a grown-up version of "house" as I giddily wait for Jon to get home at night. Either way, the past six years have flown by in a whirlwind of bliss and happiness. For those of you who will catch this reference, Jon is definitely my "lobster". =)

To celebrate our 6 years of wedded bliss, Jon and I decided to enjoy a traditional "dinner and a movie" date night. While for many this might not seem that special, but considering we actually make it to a movie theater 2 or 3 times a year, this was a treat. We went to T.G.I.Friday's for dinner (delicious!--especially the Brownie Obsession dessert!) and then saw Prince Caspian, the latest Narnia movie. Movie Review--Outstanding! We loved every minute of it--definitely worth the price of admission. The night was as fabulous as we could have imagined it. Happy Anniversary to us--and we look forward to MANY MANY to come!

Peep's Breakfast Shower

2008-06-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

With this being Rebekah's 3rd baby, and another boy at that, she was definitely not interested in having a full-blown baby shower. (What could you really need for a 3rd boy, right?) Well, we friends wanted to at least do something for our dearest friend, so we threw a little breakfast for her, hosted by Tami Dunn. (Thanks Tami!) Yummy food, fabulous friends, and lots of cute little things for baby Jacob to wear when he makes his great entrance. Any excuse to have a party--and Jacob is a wonderful excuse! Now it's just the final countdown for Peep--and boy is she ready. Good luck, Rebekah!!

Summer Fun in May!

2008-05-31T12:50:00.003-07:00

May was a jam-packed month of fun. It went way too fast, probably because as school teachers, Jon and I eagerly countdown the arrival of Summer Vacation. Both our districts got out the past week or two, so now we're just getting ready to enjoy the summer. May in Arizona is wonderful--the weather is warm without being hot, and everyone is enjoying being outside. We made a couple of trips to Schnepf Farms to fill up on peaches (I even made fresh peach freezer jam to go on my homemade bread--Mmmm.....), had a wonderful weekend visit from Jon's sister Amy, and had a fun Memorial Day party (complete with bounce house and blow-up pool, perfect for the kids!) at the Brown's home with the Howards. With a couple of trips to the pool, a lot of trips to the gym, and just fun times hanging out, May was a party!

For those who know the game World of Warcraft, I actually started my own character. I know, I know, I never thought I would get into Jon's little secret passion, but when Rebekah joined up to spend more time with her hubby, I thought I'd give it a try. It's been fun spending this time with Jon, who's been helping me out a lot as I play. I'm not the junkie that Jon and his friends are (and admittedly never will be), but I have to admit, I do think my character (a level 12 hunter named Lauryl) is pretty cool. =)

For the summer, Jon will actually be starting his observation hours for one of his Masters classes, as well as taking night classes 2 days a week. So despite being "on vacation", Jon will be gone M/W from 7:30am to 9:40pm, and T/Th from 7:30am to 5pm. At least we'll have Fridays together. Aaron will be starting swim classes 2 days a week at the YMCA this Monday, and I'm just looking forward to spending time with my kids, reading some good books, and getting ready for our big trip to Washington state in July. It's going to be a busy summer, but super fun. We'll keep you posted!

Summer Fun in May

2008-05-31T12:48:00.001-07:00

Picking Peaches

2008-05-18T15:21:00.001-07:00

Last year, when my sister came to visit, our family discovered one of our favorite things about living out here in Queen Creek--our proximity to Schnepf Farms and its Pick-Your-Own-Peaches time! Schnepf Farms is an actual working farm (it's also home to a lot of outdoor festivals and events, including the 10K run I did in Februrary), and is only about 5 miles from our home. So, upon learning that peach-picking time was upon us, we loaded our family in the car and headed to Schnepf last Friday.

For $1.75/lb., you can have the joy of traversing their acres of ripe peach trees, picking off the perfect peaches to later be turned into any number of peach delights--ours, in fact, became a scrumptious peach cobbler. The best part--as you enter the groves of ripe fruit, the smiling attendant reminds you, "Eat as many as you like while you're out there; we only weigh your box, not you." Woo-hoo! You don't have to tell us twice!

Sarah especially got in on the fun, eating near her weight in peaches that she giddily plucked from the lower branches. Each time we returned to the box with arms laden with peaches, Sarah's eyes nearly popped from her head as she exclaimed, "More Peaches!" But, Sweet Sarah is not without gratitude for such blessings--with a wave of her sticky hands, she loudly proclaimed as we left the fields, "Bye trees! Bye! Thanks for the peaches!! See ya!!" We plan to return next Friday to sample a different variety of peach that will come ripe this week. I'm even considering my hand at canning, but I'm sure a cobbler or pie will also make it onto our weekend menu. I just hope that I remember to thank the trees as I leave next time! =)

So, that is why Sarah is so sweet...

2008-04-28T14:30:00.004-07:00

Okay, so I think I might need to be a little concerned. Anyone who has been to any social events recently where food has been involved will understand my dilemma. My beautiful, charming, 2-year old daughter has been body-snatched by none other than...the Cookie Monster. That can be my only explanation for the endless pit she becomes anytime a food substance with a sugar content higher than Cheerios is placed within her general presence. This morning we went to Brooke Perkins 4th birthday party at the park, and my daughter NEVER LEFT THE FOOD the whole 2 hours we were there. No, seriously. A whole park and even her bike were at her disposal, but she was more interested in being a garbage disposal--taking down 2-3 cupcakes (not to mention the frosting off of about 5 others), 3 Otterpops, and more handfuls of a cookie/pretzel/goldfish mix than I could count. And you should have seen her face when I finally put my foot down and stopped Gwen from giving her a 3rd Otterpop! You would think Gwen had kicked her in the face. Poor Gwen, she had to run away just to avoid looking at Sarah's puppy dog pout. (By the way, Sarah ended up getting her 3rd Otterpop by shmoozing up to some of Hilari's unsuspecting children. Sorry Emily and Natalie!) I really do feed my child, I promise!

Maybe other parents have this problem as well, but for the moms who saw my petite little munchkin go at it today (or at last week's Girls' night or at the Ward party on Friday, etc.), it is awe-inspiring, to say the least. Sarah never really had sugar before she turned 1, and Aaron hardly had any sugar at all before he was 2. We rarely even keep sweets in the house. And to think, my girlfriends used to give me a hard time about being such a sugar-Nazi, and of course, this is what I get. Hmmm...maybe they were right.

"Birthday....to you...." =)

2008-04-25T23:49:00.002-07:00

Here's a fun clip of us singing to Sarah for her birthday!

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

2008-04-25T16:37:00.005-07:00

So all day yesterday as we were driving around in the car, Sarah would randomly break out singing, "Birthday...to you....Birthday.....to you...." at the top of her lungs with a gigantic 2 year-old grin on her face. And if you ask her how old she is now, she'll proudly tell you she's a whopping "Two!" Ya think she knew it was her birthday?

Well, yes, yesterday was Sarah's 2nd birthday, and even though I think 2 is a little young to have a full party, we couldn't help but celebrate at least a little! Since I had to work yesterday (her actual birthday), Kjer (Aaron and Sarah's babysitter extraordinaire), really made sure that Sarah had a special day, from a homemade crown and fun birthday hat, to a picnic in the backyard. After preschool, Jon joined us and we all headed to the park until the almost 90 degree sun chased us away and we decided to go do a little birthday shopping for Sarah. Unfortunately, we're still a little undecided on what to get her (do we go with a trike where she can actually reach the pedals or do we go with the dress-up clothes?), so after about 45 minutes of playing in the toy section of Walmart, we left empty-handed. Don't fear, Sarah, you'll still get something great, even if it's not on your actual b-day!

Because Jon was off today, too, (it's good to be married to a teacher!), we decided to really celebrate Sarah's birthday today, so I made super-yummy cupcakes, invited all the friends, and we headed to a nearby(ish) (nothing is too close out here) McDonald's with a fabulous play area. Despite my overall aversion to MickeyD's, everyone still had a great time, especially the kids, who even after more than an hour had to be torn from the play area. Sarah loved all the attention, the presents (including a fabulous crown and wand from Kjer!), and the cupcakes. Overall, I think Sarah's 2nd birthday was a HUGE success. Happy Birthday Princess!

Mommy's Little Girl

Sarah with her cupcake and birthday loot.

Is that the face of an angel, or what?

All dressed up, and I'm sure she'll think of someplace to go! (Although I may be able to blackmail her with this picture when she's a 'tweener!)

What's Your Personality?

2008-04-15T13:53:00.003-07:00

Hey everyone,
Gwen sent me this link to a fun personality quiz. I've taken a lot of these in the past (I used to administer them a lot for my job as a College and Career Specialist in California), but I always think it's fun to get to know yourself a little better. It's a pretty simple test, of course, but I thought my outcome, at least, sounded a lot like me. I'd be interested to hear what other people came out as. If you do the quiz, leave a comment on my blog and let us know!

Here's the link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/whatamilike/index.shtml

Here's what I came out as:
Provider:

Warm, caring people who value order and tradition
Loyal workers who follow through on commitments
Think of themselves as sympathetic, easy-going and steady
They don't feel comfortable with radical change

More about Providers:

Providers like to make plans with other people and then to work with them towards achievable goals in a fun, harmonious environment. They support people that are important to them and respect their individuality.
Providers have traditional values and support order and responsible behaviour. They enjoy social events, particularly family celebrations, and often help plan them.
Providers work hard to avoid conflict, but they will state their beliefs when they think it is suitable.
In situations where they can't use their talents or are unappreciated, Providers may doubt their abilities and focus solely on the needs of other people. Under extreme stress, Providers may withdraw completely and become excessively critical of themselves and others.
Providers prefer warm, face-to-face communication and often express their ideas by telling stories from their own lives.
Providers are often drawn to jobs in education, health care or religion.

Hilari's Birthday--Through my eyes

2008-04-14T10:27:00.009-07:00

Hilari's birthday week was fun for us all. Here are some pics to prove it! Happy Birthday, Hil!

Hilari's family gathering around the cake!

All the girls--Hil, Gwen, me, Rebekah--and Hil's new toy!

The Girls and the Guys--"Happy Birthday, Hilari!"

Girls' Night/Birthday Party at Pei Wei

Outside of Barnes and Nobles--a little post-dinner window shopping

It's Good to Be Me

2008-04-14T09:41:00.004-07:00

Happy 30th Birthday to Hil! I'm sure Hil will post all the juicy details of her party-filled week, so I'll let you read her blog for all that. But I have to admit, it's nice to no longer be the only girl in our group over 30. It's weird, but even though I'm 3 years older than most of the girls in the group (and substantially older than some of the others!), I've always just considered myself the same age as all of them (even the 26-year olds.) Could that be because I have younger children than most of them, or because I got married later than most of them? I don't know. Maybe it's because I still find myself learning from all of them so much that it's hard to consider myself older than them. I know...it's simply my eternal youth that makes my age seem so insubstantial. =) Yeah, right. If only that were the case!

Well, whatever it is, I love my age, my friends, and my life in general. As I sit here writing this with my sweet Sarah on my lap, who is alternately giving me kisses and force-feeding me bites of her Cheerios, and Aaron in the background excitedly playing with his trains, I can't help but be struck by how special my life is. I have two amazingly sweet children, I have a husband and marriage that defy most fairytales, and I have a circle of friends that is truly an extension of my family, and I have an extended family on both sides that is truly a circle of friends. I have always had more than enough--without having too much to appreciate what I have. As busy as I get between work, church, family, and life, I love everything I do. And I have the Gospel in my life and in my home, which not only has contibuted to all the above mentioned blessings, but also helps me keep an eternal perspective whenever life does seem a little overwhelming. I feel very blessed and very grateful. Sorry if I seem to have rambled or if I seem at all braggy in this post, but my heart feels very full today. It really is good to be me. =)

April Kids

2008-04-14T09:39:00.001-07:00

Semi-Annual Intercession Conference BBQ!

2008-04-06T19:18:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday James!

2008-04-06T18:50:00.001-07:00

Fabulous Conference Weekend

2008-04-06T17:38:00.002-07:00

What a fun weekend! Not only was it Conference weekend, always a favorite in our home (bonus: I don't have to do anything for Primary!), but we started by celebrating the arrival of Cary's newest little one (her fourth), James David Brown. We got to enjoy Jennifer's visit, as well, as she spent the week being Cary's personal angel and helping her take care of anything and everything during her final week before James' arrival. We visited Cary in the hospital Friday night, and, of course, she looked completely radiant, unlike myself after childbirth where I resemble something out of a Stephen King novel for quite some time. Oh, well. That is why she has 4 children and I only have 2--I can only endure so much pain and humiliation. (I guess it helps that her children literally slide right out of her without even pushing. Way to go, James.)

Conference was, as always, a delight, and we loved being able to sustain Pres. Monson during the Solemn Assembly. I was priviliged to actually be in the Tabernacle for the Solemn Assembly when Pres. Hinckley was sustained, which was an amazing and spiritual experience, but I have to admit that the Spirit was undiminished by the fact that I could only participate via my television this time.

Today we also enjoyed our 12th Semi-Annual Intercession Conference BBQ, (yes, that's an official title), a twice-yearly tradition that Jon and I began the first conference of our marriage back in October of 2002. The "Bring Your Own Meat and Any Side Dish to Share" open invitation ensures that there is plenty of good eats to go around. Some years we've had as many as 30+ people attending. This year we enjoyed the company of the Roses, Howards, Harmons, and Trevor and Chelsey Howard--with kids, our total was 25! (We missed the Browns, Dunns, and Lees, who would have made our total 42!)

I'm posting some pics of all our fun adventures this week--hope you enjoy!

Vegas Pics!

2008-04-04T14:42:00.002-07:00

Here's our Vegas pics, as promised. Jen's in town right now to help Cary get ready for the new baby, which should be joining our family any minute! Cary's at the hospital as I write this, so hopefully we'll here some good news real soon! Updates to come!

Las Vegas Pictures!

2008-04-04T14:41:00.001-07:00

A Few Fun March Pics

2008-03-28T16:18:00.004-07:00

Having fun at the Primary Easter Activity. It didn't take long for my kids to be covered in melted candy!

Jon's favorite girls, all ready for Easter.

Cool Aaron out for a cruise on his bike.

Before the moms could turn around, all the 3 & 4 year-olds had jumped into the car-strollers at the mall. Aaron's leading the pack as they pretend to race "Lightning McQueen" style.

Sarah, ever a girlie-girl, couldn't help but play "Beauty Shop" with a none-too-thrilled Aaron.

Spring Break!

2008-03-28T16:14:00.003-07:00

Well, it’s been a busy and fun couple of weeks—no wonder I haven’t had time to update my blog. That, and my camera broke, and what’s a good blog without pictures, right?

March is always such a fun month here in Arizona. Not only is the weather perfect (hint, hint, for anyone wanting to plan an Arizona getaway), but Jon also gets a two-week Spring Break! Yeah for year-round teaching! Crystal surprised us during Jon’s first week off with an impromptu visit. Unfortunately, she immediately became so homesick that she only ended up staying 36 hours. Oh well, we enjoyed her while she was here.

During Jon’s second week off, we headed to Vegas to spend a fun-filled 5 days with the Huffman family. Sarah and Aaron loved playing with their cousin Eli. David Huffman immediately began showing signs of an allergic reaction to Vegas (a malady Jon has often exhibited whenever within Vegas city limits), and spent much of his time seeking the comfort of his bed. (I heard he made a full and immediate recovery upon arriving back in California.) Jon’s Vegas allergies were slightly lessened this time around due to the only insightful decision Vegas has ever made—to ban cigarette smoking except directly in the casinos. Since we tend to avoid the casinos like the plague they are, this greatly increased our ability to avoid excessive smoke inhalation, as well. Now if we can only get them to ban the blatant pornography, but I guess one good decision from Vegas is all we can expect this decade. Needless to say, as we all are not fans of the Strip, we spent most of our time enjoying off-strip amusements, such as the Ethel M. chocolate factory (don’t get suckered into buying grossly overpriced M&M’s, however!), a fun Old West Ghost Town with a petting zoo, our resort’s pool and amenities, not to mention plenty of downtime playing games of Hand and Foot. (The poor guys never stood a chance against me and Jen.) We even ran into an old friend of Jon, Dan Wyatt, who works is the sales center of our resort. How crazy! It was fun to hang out with him during our brief excursion to the Strip before heading out of town. Again, my camera was broken, but pictures will be forthcoming as I managed to convince Jen to be my personal photographer throughout the week. (Poor thing probably ended up with more pictures of my family than hers!)

We ended Jon’s two weeks off with a great Easter, highlighted by our Primary Easter activity with a huge Easter Egg Hunt (which of course my primary presidency and I were in charge of, so it had to be great, right?), and a delicious dinner with our “second” family, the Roses and Howards. The Lee family joined us and it was a perfect Easter and a perfect way to end Jon’s break. Now, it’s all back to the grindstone for us. (I’m actually typing this on my break at work!) We hope you all had a great and memorable Easter, and we’ll post some pictures of our adventures soon!

Chili Cook Off

2008-02-26T20:57:00.004-07:00

Tonight I participated in my first official culinary competition--the 1st annual YMCA chili cook off. Why this may not have been Iron Chef America or anything, the $20 entry fee (all going to support the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign) seemed to ensure that there would be some pretty tough competition. One thing I learned about chili competitions tonight, however, is when it comes to chili, it all boils down to very personal preferences. What one person heralded as the best of the best, another person could hardly choke down a single bite. Case in point--my favorite chili (other than my own, of course) was a unique vegetarian dish that Jon couldn't stomach. Another chili, the hottest of the group, seemed to be either a favorite--or an anathema--to those who tried it.

With that said, I'm proud to announce that the winner of tonight's culinary contest was ME! (Why else would I be so excited to blog about this!) Even without the slightly (and I emphasize slightly) biased votes of Jon, Hilari, and Rebekah (who all agreed mine was the best, despite the threats of retribution I innocently insinuated), I still pulled off an impressive victory with my chicken green chili, a truly original recipe since I doubt I could ever exactly duplicate it. Maybe it was because it was unique amongst all the beef and tomato-based dishes, but I have to admit, I'm feeling quite pleased about the win, especially since I more than doubled the votes (5 to 11) of the second place winner--the super hot chili. (That, and I also won 3-months of free family membership to my gym.) So, to Sister Peterson, my BYU freshman ward bishop's wife--it's true. Someone who could once burn water really can grow up to be a decent cook!

Girl's Night!

2008-02-24T15:48:00.001-07:00

Game Night and Girl's Night Out

2008-02-24T15:35:00.001-07:00

Every month, all our guys get together and have their big "Game Night"--a night where they link up their computers and spend the evening more or less vying for shoot-em-up supremacy while filling themselves on all the junk food and caffeine their wives try to ban the rest of the month. They've been holding these monthly bonding rituals since our early days back in Las Campanas (in Tustin, CA), where some nights would attract as many as 30-40 guys who often played until the sun was coming up. While their numbers don't usually rank anywhere that high these days (I think they average 5-12), and while most are home and in bed between 1-2 am, it's still fun for them to get together, computers in tow, and enjoy a night of just being one of the guys. We wives fully support this event, especially this month when it meant we got to go out and enjoy a real Girl's Night Out.

Most of the time, "Game Night" for the girls ends up being all the girls hanging out at someone's house--with all our kids. While this can be fun, 15+ children running around has a greater likelihood of producing further gray hairs and migraines than producing fun and enjoyable moments of mommy escapism. So, this month, we planned ahead, got our babysitters, and headed out for a night of decadent food and conversation. (Yes, both the food and the conversation were decadent!)

We headed first to Pei Wei for dinner (an offshoot of PF Chang's for those who aren't blessed to be familiar with this yummy establishment) and ate and talked till we noticed the restaurant had gone from standing room only to a few lingering parties. Realizing we had spent way more time at dinner than we had estimated, we were forced to forgo our plans of wandering the cute shops around us and decided to go straight to our next plan--Dessert!! (There's always time for dessert, right?) A Party Platter Pizookie at BJ's seemed to pique everyone's interest (and saliva glands), so we headed there to fill in any available space left in our stomachs with a pizza-size cookie and 9 scoops of ice cream--mmmmm.... I think all that sugar (and just fun company) had its effect on us because we were not exactly the quiet and unassuming group we usually are. (Yeah, right. I know that whatever you were drinking just came out your nose as you read that line and thought about me, Rebekah, and Hilari attempting to be quiet and unassuming.) Okay, so maybe raucous and obsene are slightly better adjectives, but people definitely knew we were there. Despite scaring away a few waiters and almost putting Cary into labor with all our laughing, we had the greatest time and I'm sure we're all looking forward to the boys enjoying their "Game Night" next month so that we can escape for another Girl's Night Out. Do you think we should call and warn the waiters?

Heather's Birthday at the Park

2008-02-19T15:17:00.002-07:00

Happy Birthday Heather!

2008-02-19T14:00:00.003-07:00

So, now I can say that I am actually "in my thirties." No longer considered "just thirty" or even "early thirties", but turning 33, I feel, seems to come with a sort of acceptance into the "I'm-no-longer-just-a-kid-pretending-to-be-an-adult" club. Of course, that's just me fooling myself into believing that I will ever actually qualify as a real adult, but at least I don't feel like I'm forced to endure the condescending advice of those whose "mid-thirties" have granted them so much more experience. I certainly don't feel like I'm much older than my "late twenties", but if having another birthday seems to grant me a little more substance in the adult world, I'll accept that additional birthday candle with pride. And who knows, maybe in a few years I, too, can offer all the condescending advice of an experienced "mid-thirties."

Okay, enough waxing philosophic about my birthday, here's how I spent my fun-filled weekend!

Since Valentine's Day falls just 4 days before my big day, I consider V-day as my birthday kickoff. Since I'm way too practical to allow Jon to buy me the "typical" Valentine's Day gifts (flowers are always grossly overpriced and who wants to work off a whole box of chocolates?), Jon has found other ways to woo me, always to my delight. This year, I came home to find my bed covered with hearts and love notes--a perfect Valentine's Day treat. (Of course, Jon also had a love note from me, as well.)

On Satuday night, Jon and I celebrated a combined V-day/Birthday date night by going to dinner at a new place to us, Boston's gourmet pizza, and then enjoying one of our favorite activites--wandering the Chandler Mall and sampling some yummy treats. Saturday was about sharing a Cinnabon and a double chocolate chip iced creme from Starbucks. Delicious, but I did end up with a slight tummy ache by the end. Monday, my actual birthday, Jon and I went to the temple in the morning and then had a big party at the park with friends and family where we enjoyed chinese chicken salad, french bread, and Girl Scout cookies. An eclectic mix, I know, but it all tasted great and it was just fun to sit and hang out while we let the kids go crazy at the park (i.e. not bothering the parents--a main consideration in choosing our park location.) To top off the night, my sister Mel was calling as we walked in the door from the park, thwarting my plans to go to the gym, but ending the night on a high note. All in all, it was a fun weekend that passed way too quickly.

Happy Valentine's Day to you all! Hope it was filled with all the love you can handle!

Heather's Big 10K

2008-02-17T18:19:00.004-07:00

On February 2, I ran in a local 10K charity event. It was my first such competitive run, and although I was nowhere near the head of the pack, I finished the 6.2 miles in 1 hour 5 minutes, a pretty respectable time, especially for a first-timer. The race was held at the local Schnepf Farms, so the whole race was basically done on graded dirt--providing its own unique challenges to the run. My dear friends Rebekah and Hilari, as well as my personal cheering section of Jon, Aaron, and Sarah, were waiting for me at the finish line where Aaron actually jumped onto the trail and finished the last little bit with his mommy. (We've always called Aaron our "runner"--I'm sure one day we'll be watching him finish these races for real.) Who knows, maybe next year I'll be up for the 1/2 marathon. I've always loved a good goal. =)

Happy 32nd Birthday, Jon!

2008-01-21T18:54:00.001-07:00

Jon celebrated his 32nd birthday with a ton of fun and friends all weekend long. Thanks to his new calling in Scouts, Jon went on an overnight campout Friday night to Saturday afternoon and had a ton of fun, although he did come home exhausted. Part of his birthday present was camping gear, so he's getting even more excited about these monthly campouts.

Sunday night (Jon's actual birthday) we went and had a great birthday dinner with the Brown's. Cary made a wonderful BBQ brisket dinner and I made one of Jon's favorite cakes for dessert, then we stayed and enjoyed playing a couple of rounds of Hand and Foot, our group's favorite card game. Cary and Warren were nice enough to let us win both rounds, but that was probably only because it was Jon's birthday. =)

Tonight we extended Jon's birthday (I'm a full believer in milking your birthday for all it's worth) and had a big birthday bash with all our local friends at a nearby park. (One of the perks of living in AZ is having outdoor parties in the middle of January.) We had a huge 6 foot sandwich, tons of other yummy sides, and enough running around the park to get all the kids exhausted and ready for bed. (Yeah, bedtime!) It was a great party, and I think Jon felt truly loved for his whole birthday weekend. (Of course, I think Jon usually feels loved every weekend, we just had a bigger excuse to celebrate it this weekend!) HAPPY BIRTHDAY JON!!

New Year--New Blog!

2008-01-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

Another year, another blog. I really wish I could get the hang of keeping up to date with this. 2007 just passed too quickly. Hmmm...maybe this will have to be one of my New Year's Resolutions. Anyway, here's the quick update on what we're up to now:

Heather--I've been busy substitute teaching, serving as Primary president to almost 200 kids (not including the 4 nurseries), and enjoying being a mom to Aaron and Sarah. I love where we live (although if you ask me in August, I might not be so appreciative), I have amazing friends around me (most of whom we brought with us from CA), and I really enjoy all the busy things I've been doing, although it does seem a little overwhelming at times. During the fall, I did a long-term substitute teaching position for a very rambunctious 5th grade class. While it was a really good experience and I really loved a lot of my kids, it was also very stressful, or as my husband liked to put it, "I didn't even recognize my wife! She was like a different woman! I wanted my real wife back!" Needless to say, I don't think Jon (nor my friends, who never saw me) will ever want me to do a long-term sub position again. But now I'm back to regular daily subbing, having fun, and enjoying having a little more time for family, friends, and all the things I never had time to do while working full time!

Jon--Jon, too, has been busy. He teaches a 6/5 schedule of Spanish 2 at Basha high school (which means while normal teachers teach 5 classes, Jon teaches 6 classes), he is over half-way through his Masters program, and he was recently called to be an Assistant Scout Leader in our ward. (Okay, so I think this Scout calling may be more of a trial for me, because it takes Jon away for a full weekend every month for campouts.) While not busy working or studying, Jon has gotten himself addicted to an online game that all his friends play called World of Warcraft. (For those who know WOW, he and his friends are the "More Cowbell" guild.) Even my 3-year old likes watching Daddy play, although Aaron simply calls it "Daddy's Movie". =)

Aaron--Aaron is a big 3-year old now. Actually, I should say, Aaron is a TALL 3-year old now. Aaron is a long, thin bean pole who towers over most of his friends, even those who are much older than him. (Sorry Matthew!) Aaron started both Sunbeams in Primary and preschool this last week. He is going to a special preschool for his speech delay and we're hoping that this really helps Aaron with his language abilities. Aaron loves school so far and we can't wait to see (and hear) how he progresses. Aaron loves watching movies and Playhouse Disney, playing with trains and cars, being outside, going down slides and on swings at the park, running (man, this kid is fast!), and playing with/torturing his younger sister. He is very energetic and is hard to keep still, but he is also the sweetest boy ever and loves to cuddle and hug. This last summer we potty trained Aaron, and my superstar was fully potty-trained in exactly 1 week. (Anyone who has ever potty-trained a toddler knows why I have to blush with pride about that!)

Sarah--Despite having an older brother, Sarah is all girl. She loves shoes, phones, babies, having her hair done, and watching Mommy put on makeup. It's really fun to watch! While Sarah has always been super-easy from Day 1, it's easy to tell that she is going to have much more attitude than her big brother. Her favorite word is already "No", but she says it in such a cute way that Jon and I can't help but simply laugh at her. (Of course, this just usually makes her more stubborn.) Sarah loves playing with Aaron and wants to be a big kid just like him. While this is great in some ways (she's very independent and can do things that Aaron never would have even tried at her age), it can also be very challenging (mainly because she is very independent and does things that Aaron never would have tried at her age.) But when she isn't busy being almost 2, Sarah is one of the cutest, most adorable, most fun little girls anywhere. Wow, we love our kids!

So, that's the wrap-up for us. I'll post some pictures, as well, and try to get on here once a month. We have some fun things coming up, so I'll try to keep you posted!

With Love from the Coombs Family

2007-04-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

Heather, Sarah, Aaron, and Jon in Newport Beach in January '07.

Playing Catch-Up!

2007-04-23T21:05:00.000-07:00

Could it be any longer since my last post? Maybe I shouldn't answer that too soon, or it might be over a year next time.

So much has happened since I last wrote, I can hardly catch up. Since coming back from Colorado last year, things have been busy. In August, I was called to be the Primary President of my ward. While this might be a large calling anywhere, my ward had over 200+ kids, not including the 5 nurseries. Luckily, our ward has since split--now we only have 130+ kids and 3 nurseries! Primary has certainly kept me busy, but luckily I have a great presidency to help me out, including two of my great friends from California--Rebekah Rose and Hilari Howard. Okay, maybe that was a little bit of favoritism in calling them to my presidency, but when you've got good people, you've got good people.

In addition to my church calling, it recently became necessary for me to help out with the finances a little while Jon begins his transition from high school Spanish teacher to elementary teacher and eventually to an elementary school administer. He's currently working on his Masters degree in Counseling in Education (the same Masters program I want to eventually do!), and will soon start his Administrative Credential, as well. Hopefully that will mean in another 3-4 years, Jon will be an Elementary School Principal somewhere making twice what he's making now as a teacher. In the meantime, we have been redefining the word "poor". So, being the problem-solver that I am, I decided to do something to help out our financial woes.

First I decided to try my hand at becoming a Pampered Chef consultant. That was a lot of fun, but I was spending more time and money on marketing than I was on doing shows--not very profitable, although I got some great products out of it. So in January I started substitute teaching in a local school district, which is much more up my alley. I really love it and it's been fun being back in education again. Cary watches my kids for me while I sub, which is the only way I would be able to do it. My kids love their Aunt Cary and their cousins, so I never have to feel too guilty leaving them with her. And then in March, I got a call from the local YMCA asking me to come in for an interview to work their front desk. Well, it caught me so off guard and before I knew it, I was working a third job, this time every evening, Tues through Friday, 3:30 to 9:oopm, and some Saturday mornings. Yes, this schedule is crazy (especially on the days that I both substitute teach AND work the YMCA), but at least I love what I do. But, unfortunately, I miss my family way too much, so now I'm in the process of applying for ONE full-time job in education, possibly a school secretary or attendance clerk and hopefully at the same elementary school that Jon will be working in next year. At least I'll be home in the evenings with my kids and my sweet husband. We all need that. I'll keep you posted on what happens!

As for the kids, they are SUPER adorable. Sarah turns 1 tomorrow (April 24th), and isn't quite walking yet, but loves to cruise around as long as she has something to hold on to. She is so sweet and is exactly the type of baby that makes you want to have more babies. Trust me, when you see how cute she is, you'll be wanting to take her home. Aaron is getting SO big. He's already almost as tall as his cousin Emma who is over a year older than he is. While Aaron luckily isn't the daredevil type, he is my runner and takes every opportunity he can get to run off and explore. You can't take your eyes off him for a minute--just ask any of my extended family who was with me at Corona Del Mar in January! (That was a heart-stopping scary few minutes!) Aaron is the sweetest little boy who loves everyone, gives great hugs, loves trains, baths, parks, movies and juice, and is just silly and fun. We have Aaron working with a speech therapist right now because he is severly speech delayed, but his comprehension level is well beyond his age, so I think that once he gets the hang of speaking, we won't ever be able to turn him off!

As for fun happenings, we took a small family reunion down to California last October and had fun visiting tons of people and just basking in the fun that is So Cal. We still miss it. Then in January, we got to go back again, this time for the Coombs Family Reunion. We stayed at the beautiful Newport Coast Marriott Grand Vacation Resort right overlooking the ocean and loved every minute we got to spend with the family, especially Mom and Dad Coombs who left on their second couples mission at the end of January to England. Unfortunately, Jon only got to spend one weekend at the reunion because of work, leaving me a single mom for the rest of the week. That part wasn't much fun at all, but it was still nice to be there with the rest of the family. Our final journey was just this past March to St. George. Just a time to relax and visit with that part of the family in southern Utah.

So, that at least catches you up on the big stuff. We've been busy, but it's been fun. We're hoping for life to settle down a little in the fall, but who are we tryin' to kid, right? We sure do love you all!

Love, Jon and Heather Coombs

Beautiful Colorado

2006-07-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

My mom, Jon and Aaron are enjoying the beautiful day in Breckenridge. The scenery looked almost unreal, like it was some movie set. It really was amazing.

It did rain a little on one or two days, but after coming from scorching Arizona, the rain felt wonderful. This is another of the many picturesque locations in Breckenridge. Even though it was starting to rain, I had to stop for a picture.

One of the fun outings we did in Estes Park was take the tram up to the top of the mountain where we got to hike around, feed the friendly (and rather fat) squirrels, and enjoy the view.

Catching Up

2006-07-28T13:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long again. I'm really horrible at keeping up with this. Not that I don't think about it, but my uninterrupted time seems so short and precious that I never quite commit myself to sitting down and writing. Well, I'm back to update you on the last couple of months, so here we go!

Well, Sarah, who turned 3 months this week, is certainly living up to her early reputation as an angel baby. She is just so happy and sweet, loves everyone and everyone loves her. And did I mention that she is also just the cutest thing in the world. Her smile alone could knock over a football player. But don't just take my word for it...I'll be posting some pics so you can see for yourself.

Aaron is being a great big brother. He does get a little bothered now and then when he's not getting quite as much attention as he'd like, but on the whole, he's been great with Sarah. Better than I had expected, actually. Unfortunately, with Aaron turning 2 next month, I have seen some signs of the impending "Terrible Two's" already--a little more defiance, a little more aggression, and a lot more independence. If only I could just skip over the next couple of years, but I know that along with the trials, I'm sure there will be a lot of super sweet and special moments as well. Having Aaron look at me with his big eyes and huge smile and say, "Mom!" as he gives me a huge hug is just one such sweet and special moment.

As for what we've been up to, other than the usual fun hanging out and playing with family and friends, which we do A LOT =) , Jon and I also just got back from a week-long trip to Colorado for a family reunion. We took both kids on their first airplane trip and both did remarkably well. Aaron was adorable falling asleep on Jon both ways. (Having Jon home for 6 weeks this summer really helped strengthen his and Aaron's bond. Aaron sure loves his daddy.) We spent the first part of the week in Breckenridge with my mom and sister and their respective families, and then the second part of the week we spent in Estes Park at my huge Carpenter family reunion. (Carpenter is my mom's maiden name, so it was basically my grandma and her descendents--about 50 of us.) Breckenridge is a great touristy mountain resort and we loved going through all the little stores, hiking around the area, and just relaxing with my family. In Estes Park, another cute mountain resort town a little more north, we stayed in this great lodge on the edge of a fishing pond (jumping fish and all!) and had a blast. Lots of card-playing, hanging out, reminiscing, and catching up. Sarah was the belle of the ball--I hardly saw her all weekend except to feed her. Everyone thought it was very nice of me to bring such a cute baby to the reunion. Well, you know me...I do what I can to please. =) It was great to see all my cousins again and catch up--because we all live so far away, we only really get to do this every two years at this reunion. Grandma does a really good job at guilt-tripping everyone into being there--thanks, Grandma!! I really do have a great family, both immediate and extended. And in-laws, too, for that matter. Man, I'm lucky!

Jon started school again this past week and has been loving it this year, although he does come home exhausted every night. The Lord did bless us with the 6th class that Jon was hoping to teach (a 20% increase in salary for us to barely survive on)--and it turned out to be this new experimental Spanish 1/2 transitional class. Jon's really liking it. It does mean that he has 3 different "preps" (subjects) to prepare for now (last year he only had two--Spanish 1 and Spanish 2), but since this is his third full year as a teacher, he seems to have the process down a lot better. Also, this is the first year he has his own classroom, so that will make it a little easier and a lot more fun for him, as well.

As for me, I've been enjoying staying at home with my two beautiful children, playing with my friends quite often, and trying to make our home the haven I hope it to be. It's been a great year for us so far--we can hardly believe it's almost August!--and despite the unbearable heat, we've been loving our life here in Arizona. We welcome any of you to come visit us, although I might recommend waiting until late October!

We sure love all of you! Let us know how you're doing, and hopefully it won't be 2 months before I update this again.

Isn't She Sweet

2006-07-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are a just a few of the so cute pictures of Sarah. She really is a doll. I'll post more on my Yahoo site, so check those out as well. (P.S.--Mom, just be sure you've taken enough insulin...these pictures are just that sweet!)

And don't forget our cute boy!

2006-07-28T13:38:00.000-07:00

Not to be outdone, I felt I should add some super cute pictures of my sweet Aaron as well. Aaron continues to make us laugh and smile everyday.

She's here!!

2006-05-09T12:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is the second time I've had to write this entry, since the first time my internet stopped working just as I was finishing, and of course I lost everything. After boycotting my blog for a few days out of sheer frustration, I am now back and will hopefully be able to finish this time. I'm sorry for the delay in getting this out--I've been called to repentance by more than a few of you for not sending out pictures, etc., of the newest member of our family sooner, so let me take this grand opportunity to introduce you all to our precious little girl.

After 5 days of impatient waiting (Sarah was due on April 19th), Sarah Ashlyn Coombs finally joined our family at 6:35 a.m. Monday morning, April 24th. She weighed 8 lbs. 9 oz., was 20 inches long, and was simply perfect--healthy, rosy, and everything else you hope a baby to be. She was born with a whole head of light brown/dark blond hair, and while her eyes are dark blue at the moment, I have a feeling that she might end up with brown eyes, which I'm sure will make her a favorite with Grandpa Coombs. (Sarah's cousin Haley is the only other grandchild with brown eyes, and Grandpa Coombs loves brown eyes.)

For those of you who know what I went through following the birth of my first child (not being able to hardly walk for 4 months, etc.), you can imagine that I was more than a little apprehensive preparing for Sarah's delivery. Let me just say that I have an extreme testimony of the power of prayer, and a great big thank you to everyone who kept me in their prayers over the last several months, because this delivery was nothing like what I went through with Aaron. I finally discovered what having a baby is supposed to be like.

I actually went into labor on my own around midnight late Sunday night and we headed to the hospital a little after 3 a.m., made it to the hospital by 4 a.m., started pushing at 6:20 a.m., and had Sarah in my arms at 6:35 a.m. By Monday afternoon I was actually up and walking around, and I left the hospital to go home at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, less than 36 hours after I had arrived. In comparison, Aaron had to be induced 10 days after his due date, required 12 hours of pitocin (the labor-inducing drug) before I was able to push, another 2 hours of pushing to convince him to come out, and then another 2 hours of being stitched up to repair the damage he did to me on his way out. (Now you know why it took 4 months to recover.) Since Sarah's birth, I've been feeling really good, albeit tired from late night feedings and a lack of naps. (Having 2 kids means that by the time I'm done meeting the needs of one kid, the other one requires attention.)

As for personality, Sarah is just precious. She mostly just sleeps and eats, loves to be in her swing, and likes to just cuddle up into whoever is holding her, and so far she seems to be happy being held by anyone. She basically only cries when she's hungry and when she's trying to fall asleep on her own (a skill I'm trying desperately to have her learn), and has a little fussy period in the evening, a very typical infant trait. Of course, she's still only 2 weeks old, so we'll see if anything changes as she spends more time awake, but after living through Aaron's colic, Sarah's crying seems like nothing.

As for Aaron, he's being great. He's such a sweet boy anyway, and after a short adjustment time, he seems to be actually trying to live up to his role as a big brother, helping out his mom, being more responsible, and listening more when I ask him to do something. He has no problems with Sarah at all and excitedly squeals whenever he takes notice of her, but he does, however, get a little tempermental when I have to nurse her and can't dedicate my full attention to him. Don't I know that he's supposed to be the center of my universe and that I'm supposed to leap up at his every request? Luckily my mom was here the first week to help keep Aaron entertained and Mom and Dad Coombs are here now to help out. But I do think having a sibling will be good for Aaron, hopefully teaching him a little patience as he begins to realize the world doesn't revolve around him, a tough lesson for any 20-month-old.

So, now you've all been introduced to our new sweet Sarah and have been updated on all the excitement here at the Coombs home. I'm sure there is much more to share, but since I want to make sure I get this out to you all today, I'll have to wait for another day to write any more. We love you all and thank you all for all of your love, prayers, calls, and concern. We are grateful everyday for all of you in our lives!

Sarah's Here!!

2006-05-07T17:08:00.000-07:00

Sarah Ashlyn Coombs was born at 6:35 a.m. Monday morning, April 24, 2006. She weighed 8 lbs. 9 oz. and was 20 inches long. And more than anything, she's a perfect angel.

At the Zoo

2006-04-12T14:58:00.000-07:00

Jon, Aaron, and I got to visit the Phoenix Zoo twice during Jon's Spring Break in March. It was a lot of fun, and Aaron LOVED seeing all the animals. Hopefully we'll get a chance to go a few more times before it's too hot to enjoy it as much!

My Baby Shower for Sarah

2006-04-12T14:54:00.000-07:00

With only 11 days to go 'til Sarah's due date, my friends threw me a fantastic shower last Saturday, April 8th to help me get ready. The girls in the picture are all the ones that helped put it together and made it so wonderful. From the left--Darice Bosley, Hilari Howard (the shower was held at her house), Rachel Colby, Rebekah Rose, Me, Cary Brown with Spencer, and Tami Dunn with Bridgete.

Just Waiting

2006-04-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry everybody that it's been so long since we last updated our blog--unfortunately I really don't have much of an excuse other than I've been trying to take advantage of the little remaining time I have before Sarah comes to take more naps while Aaron is down for his nap. Sarah's arrival is now "presumably" just a week away, but since Aaron had to be induced 10 days late, I'm not holding my breath for anytime too soon. But that's okay by me, as I'm not quite sure I'm ready for the late night feedings, painful recoveries, hormonal imbalances and complete lack sleep again! My parents will be coming to stay with us for about a week starting April 19th (Sarah's due date), so hopefully she'll be here at least before they have to fly home! Mom and Dad Coombs are also planning on coming down to help out a little later after I've gotten a little more settled with Sarah.

Aaron still has no idea the changes that are about to happen in our family. I try to tell him that he's going to have a little sister soon and that there will be another little baby in the house, but he continues to be blissfully ignorant of the impending interruption to his Aaron-centered life. That may be the trickiest part of this whole two-kid scenario! I just don't know how Aaron is going to deal with the divided attention he's going to have to share with his sister.

Some fun and exciting things have happened since the last time I had a chance to write. In February I celebrated my 31st birthday with all our friends at Claim Jumper, which was a lot of fun. I have to admit the only reason I chose Claim Jumper (and endured the hour-long drive to get there) was to indulge in one of their chocolate chip calzones, a true taste of Heaven that I hadn't had a chance to enjoy since California. It was definitely worth it!

On February 26th, we celebrated the arrival of Spencer Michael Brown, Cary and Warren's third child and first son. I have to admit, with as many false alarms and hospital runs that Cary had to make, most of February was spent in nervous anticipation of the big event as Jon and I were on call to watch Emma and Cami whenever necessary. I think I felt more nervous waiting for Spencer than I feel now waiting for Sarah! But Spencer did arrive and he is adorable--one of the sweetest and cutest little babies I've seen. Cary and Warren certainly know how to make cute kids!

Spencer's arrival also heralded the arrival of much family, and we loved playing host to both Mom and Dad Coombs and then Amy Coombs. It was so much fun to have them all in our home and we were only sad when it came time for them to leave. Mom and Dad spent most of their time with Cary helping her recover, but Jon and I joined them most nights at Cary's for dinner. I also got to enjoy being with Mom and Dad as we took Emma and Cami away to the mall while Cary enjoyed some alone time with Spencer and Warren. I think that was Cary's favorite part of their visit!

Amy's visit coincided with Jon's two-week spring break, so it was extra fun to have her with us. Amy did her best to make sure everyone had time to be with her one-on-one and as a big group. Several game nights, movie nights, trips to the zoo and to the mall, and great meals made for a fabulous week with Amy. We love having people come stay with us, so don't hesitate to come visit!

And finally, we once again hosted our fabulous Bi-Annual Inter-Session Conference BBQ the first weekend of April. This was our 5th BBQ and it has become one of our favorite traditions. We had a great group this year with 5 families (including 13 kids!) joining us between sessions of Sunday's conference. This is one tradition we hope to continue for many years to come!

Well, that pretty much hits the highlights of the last couple of months. It's been fun, and now we are just sitting back and preparing for Sarah to come. I have to admit, as uncomfortable as I am (at 39 weeks pregnant), I'm still a little nervous about the delivery and recovery after the 4+ months of trauma I endured after Aaron's birth. My doctor is very optimistic that I won't go through that again, but if I do, we may end up being just a 2-kid family! Okay, I'm probably joking, but please keep me in your prayers that this time is nothing like last time! We'll keep you all posted on everything and I'm sure we'll have pictures up as soon as possible.

We love you all and would love to hear how everyone is doing, so don't forget to keep us updated on your wonderful lives!

Jon's First Surprise Party

2006-01-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

The whole gang at Applebee's for Jon's 30th birthday.
Joining me, Jon, and Aaron were Cary and Warren Brown (with Emma and Cami), Hilari and Paul Howard (with Haley, Colton, and Emily), Rebekah and Derek Rose (with Matthew and Joshua), and Darice and Ryan Bosley (with Carson and Morgan)

Happy Birthday Jon!

2006-01-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

Hey Everybody! Jon is now 30!

Amidst teasings and jests about his impending "old age" (including those from his almost 31-year-old wife), Jon turned the big 3-0 on Friday, January 20th. Now, I love birthdays (particularly mine), so of course I wanted to do something special for my Sweetheart's 30th birthday. Unfortunately, planning a party for him turned out to be more difficult than I had expected because everytime I would bring up the subject of a birthday bash, Jon would become very non-committal, even uninterested in the idea of having a party with our friends. Of course, with as many kids as there are adults now in our small group of friends, group gatherings have become less of a fun, social experience and more of a crazed episode of Fear Factor as the adults try to referee or salvage everything from fights over toys and sippy cups, to hungry and tired temper tantrums, to daredevil stunts and the ingestion of anything inedible (rocks, bugs, dirt, Drano--you get the idea.) Anyway, accepting our social lot in life (heck, we have 3 more kids due between now and June within our circle of friends), I wasn't willing to give up the idea of having a party for Jon's birthday. Finally, after continual badgering of the birthday boy regarding what he might want to do, I eventually got out of him that he had always hoped that someone would throw him a surprise party. Shheeeesh! How are you supposed to throw a surprise party for someone who asks for one? Kinda removes the whole element of surprise--the key ingredient to a good "surprise" party. Well, not wanting to disappoint my dear husband, I set to work on ways I could still surprise him for his big day.

Since Jon's birthday was on Friday, a school day, I got up super early (5:15am!) to spend some time with him before he headed off to work, which since he wasn't expecting that, I suppose qualifies as a surprise. Then later that morning (and this was my favorite part), I drove out to his school in Chandler and decorated his car with Post-it notes filled with fun messages, balloons, and a love letter outlining the "Top 30 Reason Why I Love You". Of course, I could think of many more than 30 reasons, but for the sake of his 30th birthday, I decided that would do. So, that was his second surprise. Then, that night, Jon and I had planned to go to Applebee's for dinner with just the 2 of us (and Aaron), so as my final surprise, I arranged for all of our friends to meet us there for a big party. SURPRISE! Jon loved having all of his friends there, but I have to admit, it was better in theory than in practice as it took us about 2 hours for them to seat our party of 20 (10 adults/10 kids). But it was still a blast, everyone had fun, and the kids (who by the time we were seated were all starving and exhausted) did remarkably well. But the thing I think Jon enjoyed the most about the evening was going back to Cary and Warren's home and having all the parents put their kids down so that we could enjoy some real adult conversation completely uninterrupted. And by golly, it worked! We had 7 kids soundly snoozing away throughout the house, while 8 adults just relaxed and chatted like the good ol' days. Heck, that might have been the biggest surprise all day! All in all, I think Jon had a great birthday. And I was even able to make it one full of surprises.

Happy 30th Birthday Jon!

Finally "Baby Girl" Gets a Name

2006-01-22T13:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I think Jon and I finally decided on a name for our soon-to-arrive little girl. Of course, we still have almost 3 months to change our minds, but I think we may have a winner...

Sarah Ashlyn Coombs

Jon picked the first name (although we are both partial to Biblical names) and I picked the middle name (one my mom mentioned to me that just kinda stuck with me.) Doesn't she sound beautiful already? =)

Happy New Year!!

2006-01-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

Jon and I celebrated the New Year with Mom, Dad, Crystal and Kekoa up in St. George. It was a small gathering, but filled with lots of fun, tons of food, and all-night game playing. Even Mom and Dad stayed up to ring in the New Year, something they hadn't expected to do. And, of course, I got to kiss my Sweetheart at midnight. What more could you ask for in a New Year's Celebration!

2006-01-09T15:53:00.000-07:00

This was the grounds of our beautiful resort in Las Vegas. The large Mayan temple behind us actually has a cascading waterfall (that was unfortunately turned off for the winter) with a hot tub underneath on one side, and water slides on the other. We'll enjoy coming back here again during warmer months to enjoy the huge pool, multiple hot tubs, and shaded hammocks that dot the lush grounds.

2006-01-09T15:49:00.000-07:00

Aaron had a blast playing at FAO Schwartz inside the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace. This was definitely our favorite place on the Strip.

Ringing in 2006

2006-01-09T15:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, such a fun and exciting Christmas and New Year's, I hardly know where to begin! First of all, we hope you all had a great holiday as well, and we wish you all the greatest for 2006.

Jon and I actually stayed in Queen Creek for Christmas this year and celebrated the day with Cary and Warren and their girls. We enjoyed a great choir performance directed by our musically-talented Cary at her church building, went back to the Brown's home for cinnamon rolls and orange rolls (special request--i.e. requirement--of Jon) and later had a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings at our home. It was my first year doing a turkey with stuffing, and I have to admit I thought it came out great, as did my homemade rolls. I'm all set now for next Thanksgiving!

Our real vacation started the day after Christmas, however. Jon had the two weeks following Christmas off, so we left for a 10-day trip that included 5 days in Las Vegas and 5 days in St. George with Mom and Dad Coombs. In Vegas, we got to stay at our time share, the Cancun Resort, for the first time and it was absolutely beautiful. It will be an even more fun place to visit during the summer when it will be warm enough to enjoy the huge pool and waterslides. Unfortunately, (or maybe fortunately), Jon has an almost allergic reaction to the Strip in Las Vegas, so out of our 5 days there, we probably spent maybe 4 hours on the Strip, but we actually found lots of fun things to do away from Sin Central, including touring the Ethel M.'s chocolate factory and seeing their cactus garden all decked out with holiday lights, visiting an old western village complete with a melodrama and other productions and a petting zoo, and catching up on a couple of movies that we had been wanting to see. (King Kong was really good, but Chronicles of Narnia was exceptional.) What made the Vegas experience really nice, however, was that Mom and Dad Coombs and Crystal kindly offered to keep Aaron for 2 days while Jon and I enjoyed some much desired time alone. We dropped Aaron off on Wednesday afternoon in St. George, drove back to LV for 2 days, and then headed back to St. George Friday afternoon. This was the first time Jon and I had left Aaron for longer than half a day since he was born, and although we both had been looking forward to the time alone, I have to admit, it was harder than I thought it would be! I cried for almost 20 minutes after we left, and I missed him the whole time. Okay, maybe I am a little extra hormonal because of being pregnant and all, but both Jon and I were excited to see our cute boy when we got back to St. George. On the flip side, Aaron did just fine without us and charmed Grandma and Grandpa just like I knew he would.

The rest of our vacation in St. George was a blast, too. We didn't really do anything extra special, but just hanging out with Mom, Dad, Crystal and Kekoa was the best we could have asked for. We played lots of games, went for a beautiful hike over red rocks, looked at a couple of nice homes in the St. George area (for future reference, of course), and ate Mom's really good food. Jon and I also got to see the new Joseph Smith movie playing at the Temple Visitor Centers, and it was wonderful. Of course, it made me cry (again, I am pregnant), but I was comforted by the fact that most people in the room were also crying. Overall, the time at Mom and Dad's was wonderful and relaxing--we didn't want to leave.

Jon and I reluctantly returned home on Wednesday, January 4th, but it was fun coming home and having our new neighbors, the Roses, all moved in down the street! Cary and Warren hosted a big gathering of the old Las Campanas group on Friday night, and it was just like old times--only with bigger homes and more kids! We're totally looking forward to all the fun we'll be having together over this next year.

In other news, we also came home to a message from the Stake Executive Secretary asking to visit with Jon and his lovely wife. Right then, we knew Jon was in for a new calling, and we both started crossing our fingers and hoping it wasn't Elder's Quorum President. Well, Jon did get a new calling--he is the second counselor in the Elder's Quorum Presidency, so I guess our silent prayers were answered. He'll be a great member of the presidency and it doesn't surprise me at all that he's been called to serve. Jon is looking forward to getting to know all the men in Elder's Quorum better and working with the other members of the presidency, all of whom he loves and respects a great deal.

Well, Jon headed back to work today, and I settled back into my routine being Aaron's mom. Sadly the decorations are now all down and put away, and we still have over 350 days before we'll have another Christmas to enjoy, but until then, we have many fun and exciting events to look forward to, including Jon's 30th birthday on January 20th! We hope you all had a great holiday season, and may all your New Year's Resolutions hold true! We love you all!

Lights at the Mesa Temple

2006-01-08T16:20:00.000-07:00

Jon, Aaron, and I loved going to see the lights at the Mesa Temple. We got to enjoy a beautiful high school choir perform and had fun hanging out with the Browns and the Bosleys. This will definitely be a fun family tradition for us as long as we're in Arizona.

2006-01-08T15:25:00.000-07:00

Aaron was so cute clapping for all the lights and each musical number.

Drumroll please....

2005-12-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

AND...It's a GIRL!!!

For those of you who are interested in how I told Jon, I made him close his eyes and hold out his hand, and then wrapped a pink ribbon around his little finger. We've always said that he would be in trouble if we had a little girl because she would have him wrapped around her little finger. I thought it was cute, anyway.

Jon and I are both so excited, although Jon was so sure it was going to be a boy (we both kinda were) that it still hits him every once in a while, but we couldn't be happier. Actually, we would have been equally excited either way. But now we will have one of each, my little girl will have the big brother I always wish I had had, and I'll get to start making plans for cute (but not so pink) girl clothes, decorations, etc. (I hear having a girl is more expensive--just on the cute clothes alone!) Cary has already agreed to switch baby clothes--her girl clothes for my boy clothes--but if anyone else has a bunch of cute little girl things gathering dust in a closet, I'd be more than happy to help take them off your hands. I'm so generous that way. =) Also, we're still trying to think of some good names, so if you have any ideas on that, feel free to send them our way as well. You could even leave them as comments on our blog here so other people can see what kind of names are being recommended.

Well, that's all from us for now. We hope you're enjoying the start of the holiday season. Jon and I sure are.

A Very Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving

2005-11-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

The whole David Coombs clan (all 29 of us!) spent a wonderful Thanksgiving together in St. George. It was the first time since Crystal's wedding that we had EVERYONE together. Of course, by the next time we all get together, there will be at least 3 new little ones. We can hardly keep up with our growing families!

2005-11-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

Jon, Aaron, and I had a wonderful time in St. George. Here is our small--but growing!--happy family enjoying the beautiful red rock backdrop.

2005-11-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

Aaron LOVED exploring the beautiful red rocks behind Mom and Dad Coombs' house.

A Wonderful Coombs Thanksgiving

2005-11-30T12:39:00.000-07:00

Jon and I had such a wonderful Thanksgiving up in St. George with the entire Coombs family. It's hard to believe that there are already 29 of us! Even harder to believe that 7 of those were added just since Mom and Dad Coombs left on their mission two years ago. The Lord really does bless families of those who serve missions! And there are still 3 more due in the next 5 months--I guess those blessings just keep on coming even after the mission is done.

Jon and I were unfortunately the last to arrive for the festivities, getting there late Wednesday night, but I think we still felt that by making the most of the time we did have, we didn't feel too jipped. It was so nice to see Mark and Lisa's family, especially the kids, since it had been way too long since we had seen them last. I hardly recognized Jonah! Hopefully we won't have to wait that long to see them again. Thursday we enjoyed a morning at the park near Joe and Cindy's, and then an afternoon filled with the most delicious food. Several of the family members, particularly the Mark Coombs family, had special traditional recipes that they shared with us all, and they were amazing, particularly Mark's pumpkin bread, sweet potatoes (tasted more like a dessert than a side dish), and Jim's Dutch apple pie. Thanksgiving is by far my favorite meal of the year--all of my favorites (turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, etc.) all spread out on one table. What a dream! That night we showcased our talents in our Coombs Family Talent Show. I noticed that many parents used their kids' talents for getting out of performing themselves, but when you have kids as cute as this family has, who could blame them? Jon and I displayed our well-honed psychic abilities to read each others minds, much to the amazement of all--or at least the 10-and-under crowd. Well, other than eating too much (but isn't that what Thanksgiving is for?), the whole day was perfect.

Friday started out with more pigging out as we enjoyed scones at the park. I still remember the morning I was first introduced to scones with the Coombs family back at the beach in California when Jon and I were still dating. It must have been then that I decided I needed to be a part of the Coombs family. =) Well, the guys and some of the girls spent the morning burning off their scones playing ultimate frisbee, while the rest of us burned off our excess calories chasing after our little ones. I'm still not sure who got the better workout that morning--me or Jon! We spent the afternoon playing games at the house, relaxing, and gearing up for our Christmas celebration (two holidays in one--since we won't all be able to get together at Christmas time) that night. We had a family devotional, sang plenty of Christmas songs, exchanged gifts (thanks Amy for the beautiful prayer stool!), and enjoyed dinner at Golden Corral thanks to Dad.

Saturday was nice because it was very relaxing, fairly unscripted, and as interactive as we wanted it to be. Some chose to go shopping, many of us played games (of which I was the reigning King in our game of Scum!), and some took the opportunity to nap, or set the hills on fire. =) At least Mark had permission for that, even if it did get a little more out of control than Mom would have liked. (Check out our Thanksgiving photos on our Yahoo site to see the hills ablaze--and that was after it had calmed down!) That night, Jon and I, Shelly and Jim, Amy, Mom and Dad, and Christien went to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which Jon and I had been particularly anxious to see. The movie was great, and I thought the best of the four Harry Potter films, but no movie could possibly live up to the book, so I was still a little disappointed. Not a movie for the younger kids, but Harry Potter-reading adults will probably like it. It was just nice to get away and see a movie in an actual theater, though, something Jon and I haven't been able to do very often (maybe 4 times!) since Aaron joined our family. That night, despite my and Jon's need for sleep, we stayed up late talking to Mark and Lisa one last time, a very special treat that we would have loved to have been able to enjoy for longer. Sunday morning, after difficult goodbyes, Jon and I hit the road for home, finally arriving in QC 9 hours later.

So, that was our happy Thanksgiving. It seemed way too short, but we enjoyed every minute. The weekend only served to strengthen Jon's resolve to one day have his whole family living close. And with that, we hope you all had joyous and thanks-filled celebrations with your own loved ones. We certainly are grateful for all of you!

Happy Halloween!!!

2005-11-01T15:06:00.000-07:00

Aaron went as a tiger for Halloween, and I have to admit, he's the cutest tiger I've ever seen... although, I may be a little biased. =) Aaron had fun at our Halloween Party and the ward's Trunk or Treat, but he's still a little too young for candy, so we skipped the trick or treating this year. Maybe next year... I'll post more cute Halloween pics, including pictures from our Halloween party on our Yahoo site, so follow the link to the right to see some more fun pictures.

2005-11-01T14:54:00.000-07:00

Here's our whole family at our ward's "Trunk or Treat" Party on Halloween night. I went as a 50's girl while Jon donned his Grumpy outfit for the night. At our Halloween Party on Saturday, Jon went as a surfer dude and I was a spider. Too bad we didn't get any good pictures of that night--I actually won the award for the most creative costume in our costume contest! Aaron went as a tiger both nights.

Happy Halloween!!!

2005-11-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long since we've written, but really, nothing too exciting has happened recently. Mostly it's just a lot of progression in things that I've already mentioned.

We had a great Halloween Party last Saturday night with most of our old California friends and one family of new friends. Hilary and I planned a progressive Halloween party that started at our friend's home around the corner, then moved to our house, and then ended at Hilary's home. It's fun living so close to our friends so that we can do something like this! It was a lot of fun, but a little chaotic with so many kids there, but we had a great time playing games, talking, having a costume contest, and of course, eating! We hope all of you had a Happy Halloween!

My pregnancy continues to get easier, although I do still hate being pregnant, but at least I don't feel the need to be horizontal ALL the time. I love being at home with Aaron who continues to get cuter and cuter everyday. He's such a good, happy, easy kid, and he makes it so easy to be his mom.

Jon still struggles with enjoying his new job. He loves his students, but just hasn't found any coworkers with whom he can really bond. It's hard for someone as social as Jon to eat lunch everyday alone in his classroom, but he's found that it beats having to put up with the crass and often inappropriate conversations he was being subjected to in the teachers' lounge. And with teaching a 6/5th schedule (meaning he teaches 6 periods compared with the usual 5 period load of other teachers), he comes home every night exhausted and a little down-hearted. I think Jon counts down the days to vacations and breaks even more than his students do!

As for the prospect of moving to St. George next year, we're still waiting for the final word, but things look like they're moving forward. Dad Coombs seems to being having the success he was hoping for in getting his investors interested in the Hurricane and Apple Valley land, and if everything goes as planned, Jon and I will likely be heading to St. George next summer to help him in the selling of homes on the land. It's a great opportunity, but we have to admit, it's not the business that is drawing our interest--it's the opportunity to live so close to so much of Jon's family. If things go as planned, we expect that Cary and Warren, Mark and Lisa, and Amy will all be heading to St. George with us, where Joe and Cindy, Crystal and Kekoa, and Mom and Dad already live. That's almost the entire Coombs family! This has been Jon's dream for as long as I have known him. So, yes it will be nice to experience some financial independence and freedom, but that's not what's taking us to St. George. We'll keep you posted on any developments as they happen.

See, nothing too exciting. Jon and I are loving more and more where we live. I absolutely adore my new ward. (Our old ward was split and we were added to another ward that already existed.) Jon and I have been called to be CTR 8 teachers in the Primary and we have the most adorable kids. (Who would have thought I would have loved Primary so much!) We've had a blast making new friends and hanging out with our dear California friends. It actually will be really hard for us to leave here next year, but we really do feel like this is what we need to be doing. It always surprises us the way the Lord leads our lives.

We hope all of you are doing well and we love you all! Don't forget to keep in touch!

Happy Halloween!

2005-11-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

Jon and I had a great time at our Progressive Halloween Party. This is us in the donut eating contest. I think Jon spent more time posing than eating, though!

Looking towards the future...

2005-09-23T09:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm FINALLY starting to get out of the worst of my pregnancy sickness, and it feels so nice to not NEED to be horizontal all the time. This pregnancy is truly following the pattern set by my pregnancy with Aaron, almost down to the week. I start feeling sick around 7 weeks, I gradually get worse and worse until around 10 weeks where I can hardly function due to being so sick, and then I wake up one morning...and the sun is shining and the birds are chirping, and all seems relatively right in the world. I'm just now getting to that point. I'm still pretty tired and a little sick, but the fact that I'm sitting upright typing at the computer is a sure sign that I'm on the mend, at least.

So, enough about that. I'm sure you don't want to hear about my being super sick. The big news affecting pretty much the whole Coombs family (Great 8) is all the real estate developments going on in St. George that may have most of the family moving to St. George by next summer, getting their real estate licenses, and helping dad sell new homes in Hurricane and Apple Valley. It's a great oppportunity for everyone, and what makes it even more special is the chance to have the whole family together. Of course, nothing is set in stone or finalized yet. It's pretty much a waiting game at the moment as we see if the investors like the property and want to start developing it. The hardest part for us, of course, it the thought of leaving all of our friends whom we moved to Arizona to be close to in the first place. We'll see what happens...there are still a lot of prayers and pondering to take place, but it's an exciting opportunity to think about, no matter what happens!

Well, that's the big news from us. Jon is looking forward to his two weeks off at the beginning of October (oh, the joys of being a teacher), and I'm looking forward to finally getting some energy back. We sure love you all!

2005-09-02T12:41:00.000-07:00

Wow! What an amazing view! Jon and I hiked to the first falls on Mt. Timp. It was beautiful.

2005-09-02T12:40:00.001-07:00

Aren't my boys cute?