Christmas Day at Pahrump Grandma and Grandpas

By 7:00 a.m. we were on our way to Pahrump grandma and grandpas house for there third Christmas. They were very spoiled there as well. Kasen again reminded us on our short drive to grandmas that we are actually celebrating baby Jesus birthday.

Kasen got this really cool remote control dinosaur named Spike. He roars, walks, bites, snores and many other different things. The adults had just as much fun playing with him as Kasen. Avery got her very first doll house. She loves it.

We are very lucky to have the family we do. We love them all very much.

Kasen, Alex, and Jackson (cousins) having dinosaur fights. Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Day

The kids awoke bright and early (5:30 a.m.) Christmas morning. They were ecstatic that Santa came to our house. Kasen reassured us that he had been good all year. Kasen loves music and wanted a drum set. Well Santa gave in and brought him one. BIG MISTAKE!It is so loud, but his face was priceless when he opened it. He also got the WII in which he loves playing Mario Kart. Kasen loved all of his gifts and couldn't wait to open and play with each one.


Avery's favorite gift was her motorized Volts Wagon Bug. SCARY DRIVER she is. I am not sure how much more our walls can take. She got a Dora Magna Doodle in which she loves drawing on and baby puppy who wines and cries. By 7:00 a.m. We were off to Pahrump Grandma and grandpas.

Christmas Eve in Las Vegas

It is tradition that we go to my parents house on Christmas Eve in Las Vegas and spend Christamas day with Nicks family. My kids are one of the lucky few that get three Christmas by the time we are finished. We always have a nice dinner. This year was the best yet. It was so cute to listen to Kasen tell my parents that Christmas is not just about presents, but it is actually Jesus birthday. He was really excited and gave our Christmas dinner prayer. Also a couple of weeks ago he gave a talk in church about the birth of Jesus and why we celebrate Christmas. He had asked if he could give that same talk at our Christmas dinner. It just set the tone to such a beautiful and fun night together as a family.

Now, I would be lying if I said Kasen did not care about presents. He loves them! I think he loves opening them. Some of the packages he ripped open so fast he didn't even look inside. He was just on to the next one.

He got a remote control car, doctor set, umbrella, clothes, Power Rangers, Transformers and the list goes on. He just got plain SPOILED! Avery on the other hand kind of sat back and watched for a minute. It didn't take her long to figure out that unwrapping was a blast. My mom does a cute thing to label the gifts. Instead of writing their names on tags, she prints pictures of them that she has taken through out the year. Little Avery had no trouble finding all of her gifts.

Avery got a Pack n Play set, new baby, remote control car, umbrella, clothes, etch a sketch and her list goes on as well. Her auntie sent a cute Princess tiara and wand. It was so funny. Later Avery kept saying Abbra Cadabra (spelling error I'm sure) make brother disappear. Our evening came to and end and my kids were so grateful to spend time with their Las Vegas grandma and grandpa. Thanks again for all of the wonderful gifts.

Snow Day..... in Pahrump!!!

Snow Day in Pahrump! Yep that is right. I got Thursday, December 18 off of work. I was in the shower when I got the call. We had thought something bad had happened because you usually do not get phone calls at 5:00 a.m. When my school secretary called and said snow day me and Nick kind of chuckled. There was only about an inch or two of snow. Of course my children always wake up early so by 6:15a.m. we were outside playing in the snow. By 7:00 a.m. we had gone up to McDonald's to get breakfast. The rodes were just fine. We had a great time playing in the snow and lucky me I got the day off of work! (The top right pic was taken Wed. at about 4:00p.m. The others were taken on Thursday.)

Avery hates wearing jackets or clothes in general. When I saw that she was crying I thought she was just cold. I was wrong. She was mad about having to wear her jacket and hat.


Nick and the kids worked hard building a snowman. I am sad to say that it had melted before I even got a picture of it. I think the last time it had snowed like this it was in 1979. What a fun and exciting day!

Pre-School Christmas Program

Kasen had his Pre-School Christmas program on Wednesday, December 16. He had a huge fan club. Both grandmas and grandpas came, great grandma and grandpa, uncle Mike, Uncle CJ, aunt Nikki and cousin Matthew all came to watch. Kasen did a great job. He SANG! It is hilarious watching all the kids up on the stage and all the funny things that they do. Kasen worked hard learning all of the songs and bible verses. We are very proud of him.

Avery, cousin Matthew and Kasen. Kasen was so happy that his cousin came to watch. We have a fantastic family and thanks for all the support.

Christmas Tree

We decorated our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. I think we beat the record. Our tree was up and decorated by 6:45 a.m. Yes, we are sooo lucky our kids are early risers!( a little late on the posting)

Santa Claus

Kasen was in deep conversation with Santa. He told him that he wanted dinosaurs, Power Rangers, Transformers, a baseball set and the list just kept on going and going and going. It was so cute. Now when it came to Avery that was another story. In between the cries she kept saying "your a naughty Santa and you scare me.















We finally were able to bribe her with a candy cane. She ran up long enough to grab the candy cane and took off running back to dad. Maybe next year.

Family Cristmas Pictures

I was so excited that we had are apointment booked over Thanksgiving. I vowed there would be no procrastinating this year. Of course that also came with a price. Avery was extremely sick with a cold(and a bright red nose), we had to leave Parhump at 7:30 a.m. and of course nobody felt like taking pictures.

It all worked out. We were able to pick a few that we liked. Nick agrees that when it is all said and done it is worth it. So for all of our family out there I hope you appreciate the pics! HA HA

Thanksgiving Day!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

As Nick and I reflected on what we were thankful for we did agree on 1 thing being FAMILY. Kasen is thankful for his house, family and his sister. Avery said she is thankful for chicken nuggets. Have a fun and safe day!

Primary Program

I was really looking forward to Kasen's primary program. It being his first he was really excited. He memorized his part "I will be resurrected" and so did Avery. His teacher burned a cd with all of the songs they were going to be singing. For about a month he listened and sang to the entire cd before going to bed. It was so cute to hear him each night. He also would call Las Vegas grandma and papa and rehearse his part with them as well. We were not sure how well he would do sitting and waiting so long for his turn. That definitely was not the problem. He sat perfectly occasionally standing up to wave to us and say hi. When it was his turn to speak he got right up and said his part with no problem. All we could see was the top of his little head because the podium was so hi. We were the proud parents with the huge smiles. The singing was the problem. He did not sing one word and when he attempted he made sure to cover his mouth. It was kind of funny because we would hear him each night singing his heart out. It was a great program and all the children did a very nice job.

My Little Fireman

The Fire Department came to Kasen's pre-school and put on a fire safety assembly. When we got home Kasen lined me and Avery up and taught us how to stop, drop, and roll. He also sat Avery down and told her how dangerous it is to play with fire and to never ever pick up matches. It was neat to listen to him teach us all about fire safety. This week he wants to grow up and be a Fireman. (it is always something new)

Trick or Treating ....

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

When the kids awoke Friday morning at 6:00 a.m. the first thing Kasen wanted was to put on his Ninja Warrior costume. Of course Avery followed. Avery only lasted about two hours in hers, but when it came to nap time Kasen was refusing to take his costume off. It took a while but he finally decided that it would be to itchy to sleep in. By about 4:00 in the afternoon the kids were dressed and ready to go.

They both love holidays. (probably because mom and dad do to). Nick started decorating the first of October and everyday after work the kids would go out and help him. Nick made a cemetery and put "SCARY DONNA" inside. She is a creepy lady who makes very creepy noises. The kids love to play with her.

Las Vegas Grandma (my mom Linda) came with me and the kids trick or treating. Nick decided to stay and hand out candy. As we were driving from house to house all we could hear is the crumbling of Avery's candy wrappers. We mostly just went to family. We all thought Avery was going to throw up. She refused to eat dinner because she just wanted her candy. At one point she was sucking on three different suckers. They loved running up to the doors and saying trick or treat. Kasen always like to help dad pass out candy when we get home. Thanks mom for coming we had a lot of fun.

Our turn out was not as good this year. We are usually completely out of candy, but we have about an entire grocery bag left. I teased Nick that is was because our house was way to scary!

Thanks Grandma for teaching Kasen this song! Ha Ha

Disneyland

Nick's favorite holiday is HALLOWEEN! We usually go each year to Disneyland in November and also watch one of his cousin's play in his college football game. Nick surprised us this year with tickets in October so we could do the whole Halloween Disneyland experience. We left early Friday morning (October 17) and came home late Sunday night. Grandma and Grandpa Moore were able to come along. They are always fun to hang around.


The kids loved riding Pirates of the Caribbean. After the third time we had to say no more. They also enjoyed Buzz Light Year, the Jungle Cruise and loved watching the parade. They both were very scared of the Haunted Mansion.



We also went over to California Adventure. It was decked out a lot more than Disneyland was. They had a very cute Candy Corn Patch. The kids loved the new ride they just recently opened called Midway Mania.

It was a fun trip and I am SURE we will be back next year!

Pumpkin Decorating

ACE Celebrated their 45th Anniversary a couple of weeks ago. This year they had the kids decorate pumpkins. My two were so excited to decorate their own and put them out side the front door. ACE also cooked free hot dogs and had their big screen T.V. drawing. Because it was the 45th they decided to go big. Nick arranged "Music in the Park". It was a free event for the town. He hired the band that plays at the Toby Keiths Bar and Grill. They are fantastic. There were a few vendors and also had a climbing wall. Everybody had a fun time. Another great event Nick!

Fall Festival 2008

Each year the Fall Festival comes to town. We went to the Carnival both on Thursday night and Saturday and night. The kids had fun riding on rides and eating a ton of junk food. They thought cotton candy was the best. We watched the parade Saturday morning. While Kasen was diving for candy Avery just sat and waved at every float that went by. After we watched the 1 1/2 hour parade we headed down to the park for more carnival fun. We met there little friends down there and had to of gone on every kiddie ride two or three times. It was very hot (98 degrees)but of course the kids did not care. I enjoy watching my children having such a fun time!

Johhny Appleseed

Happy Birthday Johnny Appleseed! Each year our Kindergarten and First grade classes celebrate Johnny Appleseed's birthday. His original name was John Chapman and was born September 26, 1774. We have our Principal dress up as Johnny Appleseed and pass out apples to the kids. In the past we have always had to buy the apples. This year we decided it would be a lot cheaper to go up to Nick's grandma's cabin and pick them off her apple tree's. The kids had so much fun deciding which were the good apples and which ones we needed to throw over the fence to the deer. I think Kasen and Avery purposefully went around biting apples just so they could throw them. It was pretty funny. We only needed about sixty but I think we ended up bringing home double the amount.

Back to School

Kasen had is first day of Pre-School today. He was so excited he picked out his clothes the night before and got his backpack all ready. I do not know if he is more excited to actually go to school or just have some time away from Avery. It is definitely a crazy schedule. He actually goes with Nick to work at 6:45a.m. Nick drops him off at school at 8:00. He goes back and gets him at 11:00 to take him to the babysitter. Nick is DAD of the year! He went two days last year and will go 4 days this year. He loves to learn and picks up on things very quickly. He has already made a couple of friends.

I started back to school on August 25. I transferred to a brand knew school named Floyd Elementary. I am still teaching Kindergarten and I just love those little guys. How quickly I forget that they end the school year so independent and begin the year so needy. It has been a bit stressful. There are a lot of kinks to work out being a new school, but our staff is great and we are getting there. The school is named after Nick's grandparents which is cool. We are the only school that has 4 student computers in each room, computer lab, Elmo's, Mimio boards, LCD projectors, T.V and DVD players and digital cameras. Some of you are thinking what is all of that. I was to. I definitely have a lot to learn. I teach two sessions with 13 students each. It is looking like I have a great bunch of students.

This is Early Childhood and Kindergarten's very own playground.

Slip 'n' Slide

Kasen had gotten a SLip N SLide for his birthday in June from his grandama Julie. Summer was just so busy we never had time to set it up. Kasen talked me into setting it up so I did. I feel cheated. When I was little we had just a yellow piece of plastic that barely ever stayed wet. This one is so cool. It has water that sprays down the middle and two big splash pools at the end.I was so tempted to go, but it in big bold letters it said NOT FOR ADULT USE. In fear of ripping it I decided not to go. The kids had so much fun sliding down it. It kept them entertained for a couple of hours. I had to beg and plead for them to come in for lunch.

30th B-Day

WOW! I hit a brand new numerical system. I turned 30 on Aug. 14. It was tougher than I thought it would be. I am not liking the idea of getting older. I had a wonderful birthday. Nick's mom planned a girl's night out on Friday. She got four rooms at the Bellagio. There was my mother in law, sister in-law, two aunts, three cousins, and two friends. We had dinner at Margarittaville. It was a blast . They have people walking on stilts making balloon figures hence the lovely hat. They also have a volcano that erupts in which a girl slides down the lava into a big glass. It is pretty funny. After dinner Nick, Nick's dad and Keoki met up with us.

We went to Toby Keith's where we danced the night away into the wee hours of the morning. From Left to right Tina, Lori, Me, Mother in-law Julie, and Katie. I guess my legs are not used to that much exercise. I can barely walk. Thank you Julie for a fun night. I celebrated with my mom and dad Saturday morning. I couldn't have asked for a better 30th birthday.

The kids had just eaten green cupcakes. We called them the green monsters.

Avery and Kasen 2 and 4 year pics

On Friday, Aug. 8 we went to Kiddie Kandids in Las Vegas. We had Kasen's 4 year and Avery's 2 year pictures done. Kasen was so excited to say cheese. Avery wasn't. I told Avery if she would do what the lady asked and say cheese I would let her have a lollipop. She did it and we got great pictures. We were in and out with pictures in hand within 1 hour.

Avery's Ear Piercing

I finally gave in. I pierced Avery's ears on Wednesday, Aug. 6. I was taking Kasen to gym class in Las Vegas when we made a detour to the mall. I got them done in Claire's. The FIRST time I had them pierced at the same time. Avery actually cried when they dotted her ear and was fine when they pierced them. She was very happy when the ladies gave her a sucker and a sticker. Of course Kasen had to have them to. Her left earring actually fell out twice on Thursday and we left town on Friday and she lost it again Friday night. By the time we got to Vegas on Sunday it had closed so we stopped to get it re -done. This time Avery was not so cooperative. She was screaming so bad that a couple of people left and stood outside until we were done. I felt like the worst mom in the world. Nevertheless we got them done and she looks very cute. She always says pretty ears mama.

Mammoth Creek

After we left my family reunion we headed over to Mammoth Creek to spend the night with Nicks mom and dad. It was so relaxing. The weather was wonderful. We rode on the rhino. Avery would kick her feet up and just smile as we rode around. There is a horse swing that Kasen enjoyed swinging on.

All Kasen would talk about is going fishing with his Pahrump Papa. As soon as we got there him and Papa went fishing. He caught his first fish and was so excited. This is the river that Nick's parents cabin sits next to.

We took these pictures just up the rode a bit. There was a cool little bridge you could cross and then we walked down to the river. Thanks Grandma and grandpa. We had a fun time.