Life 9/2/2011

Wow it is September already!! This year and my life is just flying by at break neck speed. Okay well since my last post the kids started school. Sydney is a junior, Zach in 7th grade at Santan, Kyle in 4th he has Mr. Shimizu and Chloe in 1st and she has Mrs. Ferber. They really like their teachers and are very happy at Fulton. I enjoy going in and volunteering and I think the kids like it too. Sydney turned 16 on Aug 2nd and we decided to throw her a surprise party! On her real birthday we took her to lunch(Pei Wei) and to dinner (Olive Garden) with grandma and grandpa Gardiner. She got bath and body works stuff and Toms Shoes in red. Then on friday Aug 5 we threw a party for her. We had friends from all the schools tell people and then they all showed up around 730 and Sydney came around 8. Taylor Williams took her out first and they went to skateland and got something to eat. Then she brought her back here and she was so surprised when she took off her blindfold!! So she had fun with her friends, games, food etc.... then g&g drove her new car over and parked it out front. We waited for her to notice it and she was SHOCKED!! The look on her face was priceless. We got her a Volkswagon Beetle 2003 in silver and black convertible!! She loved it! It was such a fun birthday for her. She now has a job working for Origami Owl at the mall (it's a kiosk) and she loves it. She is also on the Hamilton Dive team and is doing good. she get nervous for some of the back dives but I like that she is trying. Life has certainly changed for her in a good way and I know she is very grateful for what she has and it's been so nice to see who she is turning into.

Zach is busy, busy with school and soccer. He plays on the Santan Legacy red team he was picked up after only playing one soccer game. He is very athletic and could do anything he puts his mind to. Jr. High is better for him he says but it's alot busier. He just earned his Star in scouts and is on his way to getting his Eagle, I'm so proud of him and his efforts. He passes the sacrament each sunday and it make me so happy to see him doing the right things.

Kyle is just starting soccer and Chris is his coach he is so happy about that. Kyle is enjoying 4th grade and just wishes that we had a pool then he says our house would be perfect :) Kyle just earned his bear in scouts and I am proud of him for working hard and continuing to be excited about the scouting program.

Chloe just turned 6! She is doing great, she loves 1st great with Mrs. Ferber and likes to ride the bus with her friends. She had a fun party we rented an inflatable waterslide all day last saturday and she had Jillian, Bradley, Katie, Callie, Thea, Maya, Mariah, Peyton Shore, Tricia DeSpain, and Abbie Merchant all come. They played on the slide and ate lunch (corndogs, chips, grapes and donuts) For gifts she got, squinkies, barbie, robe $42 in cash, art stuff, shoes, clothes, Tangled DS game, candy, small pillow pet, barbie movie, treats, box of cereal and decorate your own jewelry box, shirts, jewelry, jump rope and more. It was a great b-day for her.

7/16/2011

Today is saturday and it has been a pretty uneventful day. Chris got up early to take Stephen to his driving class. I fed the animals for Chris (ugh the big goat stinks!!) I worked on my lesson for YW tomorrow, I'm teaching on repentance. We had the kids help pick up weeds in the yard and we tidied the house. Kyle and Chloe had their friends Blake and Maya come over to play. Sydney was home all day (yeah) and Zach went to Nathan Merrills to swim. Tonight we had our good friends Kevin and Rees Wiscombe come over to play the farming game. We used to play in Utah in 1995-1996. It was so fun to do it again. Sydney is now at the Harry Potter #7 part 2 movie with Ashley and Chelsey. Good day altogether, tomorrow is sunday I love sundays.

7/15/2011

Today was a good day. Sydney got home from Utah last night she did so good on the flight by herself. She had alot of fun and really enjoyed her trip. She hung out with Taylor and other friends and her cousin Whitney one day too. I'm glad she was able to go and have fun. I missed her alot. Today she went to hang out with Ashlyn and the rest of us were at home just relaxing. i've been feeling sick so it was nice to be here. I got some groceries and then tonight we went to dinner with kyle and chloe and Sylvia, Stephen and Naomi and Bro. Niemann. It was fun just to eat and relax and spend time with her and her sweet kids. Zach went to the movie with some friends. For YW this week we went to eat at Joe's Farm Grill it was fun to just talk and enjoy each other's company.

7/13/2011

This week has been busy. We have been school shopping for Kyle and Chloe and thank goodness we didn't have to buy too much. Jillian has supplied Chloe with alot of clothes and so she got 1 new outfit, tennis shoes, undies, backpack and school supplies. Kyle got some new shorts and shirts, undies and supplies. Zach and Sydney's supplies will have to wait until we know exactly what they need. I love school shopping and the smell of the new supplies (wierd I know). Sydney has been gone to Utah and has had fun with G&G Brereton and Taylor H. They went to see Grandpa Sackley grave and to temple square on sunday. THey have been shopping, getting nails done, and hanging out. She comes home tomorrow night I've missed her. Salviah kids Stephen and Naomi are staying with us for a few days this week I hope I can entertain them and feed them good enough. They are so sweet and I'm so glad they are here. I've been sick since yesterday with a sore throat and runny nose I hate being sick especially when I need to entertain.

Summer is flying by!!

Summer is coming to an end well not really it just means that summer for the kids is coming to an end. School starts 2 weeks from monday! It's been a fun last few weeks. Zach started All-star baseball and they have lost 2 games and won 1. Not a super season but a good learning experience. Jessie and her 4 kids came to visit us. We swam alot, watched movies, went to see Despicable Me, and Cars 2. It was just just to hang out and talk and let the kids play. We went out to dinner one night at Garcia's with Christ Hatch & Cory and Ashley McKinnon. One of the nights that I was at Zach's game, Jessie stayed home with all the kids. She was so sweet and totally cleaned the entire house and then the biggest Haboob hit the phoenix area. It was a massive dust storm that lasted over an hour!! We had so much dust in the house all that she had cleaned had to be cleaned again the next day. It was super crazy it was so dark at times that we all had to drive with our hazard lights on. It was the worst dust storm I've seen since I've lived in AZ.

Jessie went home on 7/7/11 she also took Sydney with her so she could spend some time with G&G Brereton and see Taylor Heyman of course. I think she is having fun. Today is saturday and I did some school shopping with Zach and Kyle and Chloe are playing at Blake and Maya's house and Chris went down to the farm. Tonight we have another game for Zach and then tomorrow is sunday and another discussion with Bryan Weber. We also had an informal discussion with Summer Kelly on thursday it went well, I know she felt the spirit but she is in a place when her parents are pulling her in opposite directions. It is hard for her. I hope she continues to come. Bye for now.

6/30/2011

Well this week has been busy but fun. Jessie and her kids came to visit us on tuesday. They are staying until next week. We love having them here with us. The kids seem to get along great and they enjoy being together. We went swimming yesterday at Hamilton and then last night we watched Country Strong. Today we went and saw the summer fun movie Despicible Me and tonight Zach has his first CNLL All-Star game of the season. Salviah's kids are getting baptized on saturday and Chris volunteered me to talk on baptism (yeah). I'm so thrilled they have decided to become members of the church and I hope they find joy in their decision. Chris and I are talking about building a pool in the backyard so we will see how it turns out. I'll write again soon.

It's been way too long!

Here I sit on a sunday morning worrying that I am missing out on my kids lives by not recording what is going on. It is June 26th and the year has flown by very quickly so far. A quick catch up...School ended, sports ended and now we are in full swing in the summer. We went to the JW Marriott Desert Ridge resort for a staycation for a few days. We basically layed by the pool and read books and just relaxed! Chris's company paid for it so it was even better on their dime. Sydney and I went to girls camp June 14-18. It was so much fun! I love being there with Sue Yocum and Kristen Benson, they were so helpful and wonderful. THe girls were fantastic, no drama, no problems, nothing! It made for a great week. It was so nice to be up there with Sydney, she was a YCL this year and they were given more responsibility. They had to teach the certification classes and give devotionals and be more involved in the wards activities. She did a great job. OUr YCL were fabulous, they gave great heart felt devotionals and were so awesome with the girls. During the same week Zach went to scout camp up at camp Raymond. He unfortunately got sick on the first day and was throwing up until monday night, late. Then he felt better but then got a rash on his body from who knows what and was miserable from all the itching. I think he was more than ready to come home. Sydney then went to EFY Flagstaff June 20-25 and loved it! She had great classes, great friends and learned alot. I love sending here there and giving her every opportunity to feel the spirit and be enlightened and grow spiritually. She had to say good bye to her good friend Taylor Heyman as he went to school at BYU this past week. It has been hard on her but it will get better with time. We have Kyle in tutoring this summer to help prepare him for 4th grade and we are really working on all the kids reading and staying motivated in their school work. Zach made the CNLL all star team again so they have been practicing alot and the games will start this week! Jessie and her kids are coming this week and staying for 8 days, yeah!!

My goal is to write something every day in this journal, I don't want to forget anything about my kids and my life. Chris and I are doing good we are enjoying our new house and we are just busy all the time it seems like. Life is very good.