Summer

We had a really great summer!

- Swimming for All -

OTG Boy was on the water polo team.

The Professor earned his Swimming and Life Saving Merit Badges.

Bubba found his swimming groove - thanks to his fantastic teachers...

he's actually excited for swim team next year.

After his first week of swimming lessons Junior was pretty sure I was trying to kill him - but he spent the summer singing songs about rowing and kicking and loves being in the pool.

- Scout Camp at Camp Raymond -

Handsome Hubby, OTG Boy & The Professor Spent a Week at Scout Camp

OTG Boy earned Merit Badges for: Archery, Rifle Shooting, Leatherwork, Soil and Water Conservation, Weather, Forestry, Geology and Emergency Preparedness

OTG Boy's favorite memory:  Being the Master of Ceremonies for one of the nightly campfire programs.

The Professor earned Merit Badges for: Rifle Shooting, Weather, Soil and Water Conservation, Geology, Environmental Science, Leatherwork and Forestry

The Professor's favorite memory: Earning his Rifle Shooting Merit Badge.

Handsome Hubby's favorite memory:  Having the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend camp with his two oldest sons.

So, Bubba loved having everyone gone for the week... Junior not so much.  He woke up every morning between 5:30 and 6:00 am, walked into my room to see who was there and then yelled at the top of his lungs, "Where's my DADDY!?!"

We tried to have a little fun while the three of us were holding down the fort... we went to the movies, got happy meals from McDonald's, and went to Jambo (an indoor amusement park).

-15 Years of Marriage -

A lot has happened in the last 15 years!

5 Kids * 5 Homes * 3 Cars * 2 Vans * 1 Truck * 2 States (1 twice) * Handsome Hubby's worked for 5 different companies and I'm the Mom (the job I always wanted) I've had a few odd random jobs here and there... law offices, cell phone companies and insurance transcriptionist... even a paper route :) * We've gone on some great roadtrips and Vacations * Had a lot of Church Callings * Good Times * Hard Times * More Blessings than we can count!

 - Summer Vacation -

Our first full day in Utah was spent at Lagoon.  As a kid I remember going every summer for Stake Lagoon Day!  My siblings and I would plan for weeks which rides we'd try and in what order.  As a teenager I spent my summers working there as a ride operator.  Well our kids have never been to a real amusement park - and it was so much fun to take them to a place with so many great memories.  At the end of the day OTG Boy and The Professor were asking if we could move to Utah - they were thinking it might be fun to follow in my footsteps and get themselves some summer jobs :)

Junior's favorite ride - I can't even count how many times he drove the bumper cars!



OTG Boy & The Professor loved everything they tried - they loved spinning & flying through the air!



Day 2 was spent touring BYU, visiting with my Grandma and spending the evening visiting with my dad, brothers and their families!

Next came Handsome Hubby's graduation day!

He learned so much working on his MBA - the boy's and I are extremely proud!

Our last stop?  Grandpa and Grandma's farm.  The kids had so much fun visiting with family, riding horses, climbing haystacks and being around every kind of animal.  They also enjoyed shooting guns and trying out the bow and arrows... but, I think Handsome Hubby had the most fun - living in the city just isn't the same.

  

Now... the Kids have all been back in school for almost a month!



The High School Student





The Middle School Student



The Elementary School Student



3-Year-Old Student of Life

Time is flying by!!!



Anything Happening at HaHa's House?

I never thought I would say it, but I was talking with Handsome Hubby the other day and all of the sudden I found myself saying how much I missed the good 'ole days of having only one car and two kids under the age of two.

Did I just say that?!?

Yeah, I did... WOW.

For me, life seems to cycle. Sometimes I feel like everything is amazing and then I feel like everything is insane. Lately, I've been feeling overwhelmed - you can tell by the lack of blog posts :) Professional blogging is definitely not my thing - but keeping in touch with friends and family - I thought that should be pretty do-able... I thought.

So, I thought I better get posting so you'd know what was going in HaHa Land!

Handsome Hubby

New calling in the church, Scout Master! With the new calling a new something to drive. Our little old Saturn was having problems right & left... so he got to get a little something he's been wanting for years!!!

The Professor, Handsome Hubby & OTG Boy

Headed off to the Stake Camporee Last Fall

He loves his new toy!

He's studying like crazy to finish-up the MBA - he's doing great - and we are ALL looking forward to graduation! With all of his extra-curricular, life at work is pretty crazy, too... new owners, new bosses, new responsibilities - if you're curious give him a call - he'll tell you all about his adventures.

OTG Boy

On the Go, as usual. Biggest changes - he just registered for high school and I am in total denial! In the meantime, he's doing great with school he's in orchestra and choir and also decided to learn the mandolin for Fiddle Club. And just for fun decided to be part of the Year Book Club, too. He has his eye on engineering, but I have to say he's pretty good with graphic design - yearbook club has brought that out. Summer is over, but he's still volunteering at the library - good kid - works hard.

He also loves to play goalie and took weight training as an elective this year.
It's official - he's a teenager!

The Professor

Absolutely loves his classes for school! Online schooling has been a huge blessing in this kid's life. However, he likes to get out of the house sometimes, too. He has so much fun going to his scout activities and tells me everyday about his amazing leaders. He's worked up to a blue belt in his martial arts class and can make one of the best "intense" faces you have ever seen. The Professor's biggest change?

Braces!

I tried and tried - but no matter how many pictures I took - he still came out looking like a teenager. I guess this little boy is growing-up, too.

Bubba

Bubba loves to have fun! His favorite subject in school is recess and his second favorite is lunch :) You get this kid together with his friends and he does not stop talking! He's been working hard at school and making definite progress with reading & spelling... and the kid is a math whiz! The only day of the week he actually enjoys homework is math day - any other day I think he'd actually prefer having a tooth pulled... if he just didn't have to do homework!

Bubba's biggest news is that he was baptized this past year and it was so fun to have family in town! We were lucky to have both sets of grandparents, a couple of aunts, a couple of uncles and a lot of cousins come by for the happy day... it was really great to see everyone!

Junior

Well, what's not constantly changing about this little man? The one constant? He's still a daddy's boy! A day without Daddy is just wrong! He loves playing High Ho Cherri-o and Candyland. His biggest accomplishment since Christmas - Potty Training! No more diapers at HaHa's House!!!

HaHa

Now you can see why I miss the no car - toddler days. Back then I spent my time, all day - pretty much everyday - at home. No commitments. No craziness. No needing to be four places at the same time while Handsome Hubby is out of town. Just walks to the park with my double stroller and playing in the backyard.

These days I'm driving kids everywhere and trying to organize schedules. I spend my days helping The Professor with school. Reading and singing with Junior. Working on spelling lists with Bubba and trying to keep up with OTG Boy.

Junior, HaHa & The Professor the park in Fountain Hills

It's hard to find a picture of myself - I'm always behind the camera :)

Life is definitely crazy... but... definitely good!

And I am thankful, every day, for the boys who make my life amazing!

Summer Round-up

No need to worry about Junior - he can hold his own just fine!

Dear Family & Friends,
You're probably wondering what we did with ourselves this past summer... especially since we didn't take any big vacations, missed ALL the family reunions, and basically haven't left the state since last summer. (Well unless you count Handsome Hubby - he's been off on business trips to California & Texas... but I don't... I like to travel too!)

If you ask the kids they'll tell you they did chores ALL summer - and they did - but here at HaHa's house we pay on commission so, honestly, it couldn't have been that bad - they were pleased with their summer incomes.

So here's the rundown...

Handsome Hubby - worked a lot, studied a lot, has enjoyed his calling as an 11-year-old scout leader, and is basically functioning on very little sleep - I can't believe how much he accomplishes in the day. Thank goodness the MBA will be done by next summer!

OTG Boy - and the award for "Not Wasting Time" goes to... yes OTG Boy. Not only did he attend Scout Camp for a week, he spent the summer participating in Swim Team, played on a water polo team, had a couple of scout camp outs (in addition to camp), cello lessons, Young Men activities and he volunteered at least once a week at the library. The teenage years are upon us - this is one kid who's hard to keep up with.

The Professor - karate, karate, karate... lots of karate! Also, since he didn't have swimming lessons I "made" him spend time in the pool everyday practicing all his strokes. Don't worry - plenty of free swim time too... I'm not that mean :)

Bubba - took swimming lessons from the best teacher he's ever had! He loved getting his gummy worm at the end of each lesson... such a good little fish.

Junior - well he spent a lot of time with mommy in the car driving to everyone's activities. However, he played in the pool every day, too - he loves jumping off the side and swimming to the steps (still needs help, but he's doing great)!

HaHa - driving, driving & driving. In between activities we managed to throw in our weekly Summer Fun movie at Harkins, plenty of trips to the AZ Science Center (one of our favorite places), a wild morning at BounceU, oh and we can't forget, plenty of trips to the library - the kids completed the both the Mesa & Phoenix summer reading programs (and yes, if you are wondering, I am "that" mean - they had to read separate books for each - but my kids love books so really it's better to have a challenge) - can't wait to take the kids to their free Diamondbacks game!

Also, Handsome Hubby and I had tickets to see "Little Shop of Horrors" - Handsome Hubby thinks I'm so funny but, I love that musical.

And to top off the wonderful summer "break"? A family camping trip - that will get a blog post all it's own.

Very great summer! I'm trying to enjoy them and keep track of the memories - my little boys are growing-up - I love it, but I hate it.

Hope you all had wonderful summers, too!

Love,

HaHa

P.S. We hope to see a lot more of you in the next year!

Mighty Fishermen!

It's been years in the making - but Handsome Hubby and OTG Boy have finally experienced a successful fishing trip!

Good thing, too - OTG Boy was trying to finish up a pre-requisite for scout camp.

Thanks Handsome Hubby for taking care of our boys!

Dinner was delicious!

Unforgettable

14 Years ago I went on a date I just can't seem to forget.

My date had flown in to visit his family for Christmas and had arranged for us to meet that night at Temple Square (his sister was singing in a choir concert).

Not wanting to make a bad impression I left two hours early, from Provo, to make it in to downtown Salt Lake. I ended up being stuck in traffic at the Point of the Mountain for an hour... as soon as I made it to an exit I started driving up surface streets. Well, I was 45 minutes late - and hey, this happened pre-cell phones - and I had no way to contact this guy who was sitting in the North Temple Visitors Center thinking he'd been stood up. Finally, I found a spot to park my car and ran - felt like I was in "Sleepless in Seattle" trying to get to the top of the Empire State Building. As I was running in, he was getting ready to walk out... wow... he'd been waiting!

So, we made it to the last part of the concert... met Mom, Grandma and sisters and we were off... the Christmas lights were beautiful!

Next dinner. We went to a restaurant where we were seated at a cozy little table for two overlooking all of Temple Square... so amazing! We were talking, enjoying the view and the food... when suddenly I hear a loud crack and a crash - half of my glass is standing upright on the table, the other half is shattered on the floor. The table, my plate, and myself are covered in pink lemonade and everyone in the very crowded restaurant is staring at our table. Not a very fun situation for a girl who does not like to find herself the center of attention :)

Finally, my date walked me to my car so I could drop him off at the parking garage to meet up with his family. You may remember I had been in a hurry, so I'd taken the first spot I could find - well it was on a hill and when I started my car it would not shift out of park... great... I asked my date if he could get out and push the car so I could get it to shift. He actually did and it actually worked. He got in the car and the short drive to the parking garage turned into several city blocks as, every time I wanted to turn, the roads were closed for construction. Finally, I dropped him off... drove home sticky and embarrassed... thinking I would never hear from this guy again.

He called me the next day...

Happy First Date Anniversary Handsome Hubby! Can I get you a glass of pink lemonade? ;)

The Man of the House

This is my Handsome Hubby!

I am so proud of him... and slightly jealous... he started working on his MBA this year and he's doing a great job! It's a lot of extra work and I miss having him all to myself in the evenings, but he's learning so many interesting philosophies and strategies that it's definitely worth the sacrifice.

We've been married about 13 1/2 years and it's interesting how we learn and grow together. In our wedding pictures we both look so young... and it amazes me that within just months of meeting we were married and experiencing life together. We've had happy times and sad times, but there's not anyone I'd rather be spending my life with. I think he's amazing!

Love you, Handsome :)

Say Cheese

For all those wondering... this is what a 40 pound block of cheese looks like.

Why do we have a 40 pound block of cheese?

Handsome Hubby's parents are dairy farmers - how lucky are we?!?

What do you do with 40 pounds of cheese?

- send half to your brother-in-law's house

- cut a few smaller cubes for the fridge

- shred, shred, shred...

- put in storage bags and freeze

- did I say shred?
It may look like a lot, but I'm sure the boys will finish it off in no time! Four growing boys... bring it on!

Backyard Fun

When it's 104 degrees - the pool is a wonderful place to be!

Junior loves floating around!

Bubba, the noodle thief!

How about a snorkeling adventure with the Professor?

OTG Boy's up for a little one-on-one any day!

And of course Handsome Hubby and I take turns playing and life-guarding...

How 'bout a swim? Come on over!

Better Late Than Never?

You may remember Handsome Hubby and OTG Boy were going to be in the Easter Pageant at the Mesa Temple this last March. Well they did it... they loved it... and had some amazing experiences!

During the pageant cast members are set apart as cast missionaries - what a great opportunity and reminder to our family that, "it is the Spirit that matters most." Next time you're talking with Handsome Hubby ask him about a few of the miracles he experienced... wonderful times.

So, for those who could not come, this is the pair in their costumes. They did a great job! It was busy, but both will tell you they'd love to do it again!

March Madness

Handsome Hubby & OTG Boy are going to be very busy this month...
subsequently that means the entire family is going to be very busy this month!

Handsome Hubby & OTG Boy are participating in the Easter Pageant at the Mesa Temple this year, which means a lot of rehearsals and 9 nights of performances.

OTG Boy is absolutely thrilled - he's been wanting to audition since we moved to Mesa - so, his dreams have finally come true!

Click here and here for info, dates and times.

The Easter Pageant is AMAZING!

My Hardworking Handsome Hubby

Handsome Hubby works hard...

that's one of the reasons I fell in love with him...

13 years later he's still at it.

Here's just a few of the things he's been working on since July.

He provides great entertainment for the boys!

He coached both OTG Boy and Bubba's soccer teams!

(That's three practices a week)

Dug a giant trench through the front yard!

(with OTG Boy's help)

When your house is on the "old" side it's amazing how many crazy "fix-up" projects come along.

Our latest adventure happened when a monsoon storm blew over the lamppost in the front yard. At first we thought we'd just replace the lamp, but then the wires broke - they're over 50 years old, so then we thought we'd run new wires through the pipe... but when we checked out the pipe it was rusted through and falling apart... so, time to replace the pipe.

So, replacing the lamppost has turned into the beginnings of re landscaping the front yard...

starting with a new, sturdy, post.

Handsome Hubby helped each of the boys leave a print in the cement.

and left a note

HaHa + Handsome Hubby

Then he started making our post beautiful -

he's really quite a craftsman.

Almost done!

Love You Handsome Hubby!

Finding Fall

Here in the Valley of the Sun Fall is different...

After Labor Day I feel the urge to eat soups and chili, wear my boots and put on a jacket...

I'd like to feel that little "nip" in the air and look out my window into a yard full of falling leaves.

Well, frankly that's just not gonna happen, so for October break (after we finished-up with the flu) we headed north searching for Fall.

Bubba didn't know leaves came in any other color but green!

We combined family fun with school research for The Professor - he'll be writing a paper on our findings about some of Arizona's earliest residents.

First we headed to Montezuma's Castle.

Want to know more click here.

Junior loves anything that gets him out of the house - his stroller is his favorite place to be!

Next stop...

First you hike up...

and then go down in...

you're at Montezuma's Well.

Click here if you'd like to read about it.

All those handsome boys!

OTG Boy

The Professor

Bubba

HaHa, Handsome Hubby & Junior

Look!

We found it!

It's officially Fall!