Saturday, May 19

Faboulous Flirty and Thirty ;)



30!!!!
Actually I thought turning 29 was harder...the realization that this was my last year in my 20's... so I think I had a whole year to come to accept the fact I was turning 30. So when I turned thirty it was no big deal. It was Fun because I had so many people around me I was thankful for!

My parents took me out to lunch during the day to Cheescake Factory



Josh's Parents took us out to Musashi Japenese...The boys loved it!
Saw one of my birthday Sisters out that night too! HB Carolyn!




And my SIL Steph took me out to a yummy dinner just us two at Exotic Thai Bistro...Thanks Sis! It was fun! She turns 30 tomorrow! ;)


Then my parents threw me an awesome Birthday Bash!

The Decorations...



Waiting for the guests to arrive...


Man I love these four... ;)


The party...

My HS bestie Sarah {Pear Bear} We were cheerleaders together and had lots of fun with our crazy group of mormon friends! hahaha and making the best videos...she was even so nice to let me borrow her boyfriend at the time to go to Prom with hahaha...what a nice friend...{she was a grade younger}I guess real friends share everything hahaha...

Lily looking Fabulous!


Growing up I had three girl cousins and we were all born the same year! This is Crystal! She's an awesome runner and such a sweetheart and always has been the sweetest girl! oh and her man Michael is in the pic too ;) 


This is Tammy and Kayla!
Definite long time - life long friends! Met them in the Pageants but have remained friends still! Tammy is super funny and so real! I have the best time with Kayla especially watching Talent at the beauty pageants! She is a beautiful Pageant Queen and wins all these titles everywhere she competes! Love them!


This is my Nina {moms sister} and Kim {moms best friend} They are my next biggest fans after mom of course!  We have so many memories with these ladies. They both have a daughter my age, Jenny my cousin and Kristi my childhood BFF. So we were always doing something together from Pageants, Family Fun, Cheerleading, Holidays...You name it we were all there!  


And the people I love most and who love me most!!





blink 182

BLINK 182
October 2011
Love these guys...Josh and I went with a couple of Josh's bros, Jared and Jesse.
Blink hadn't come out with anything in like 10 yesars or so and they just got back together as a band and came out with a new album so at the concert they played all their old stuff and a few new ones. It was super fun! Felt like High School! ;)

Me with Hubby at the Hollywood Bowl


Me with bros Jared and Jesse ;)

Can you see the Hollywood sign??
{dead center at the tip top of the hills}


Tuesday, May 15

Tough Mudder Race

Squaw Valley, CA
September 18th 2011
Josh, Jesse and Eric
Crazy Guys...and to think they are gearing up for Round TWO here in Southern Cali with 7 new guys! hahaha...
Meet the Super Heroes...
Can't wait to show off their costumes this year!


Getting Marked Up...
{so they know who you are if they find your body...} :/




The kids waiting for the daddy's and uncles to finish...






 This one's Mine ;)

The Stoeckle's came out to support Josh and we went and had dinner with them that night...just before we spotted a BEAR!!!! Fun Night! {right behind the silver sedan in the picture below}



Relaxing in Tahoe... I will miss being close to this place :(  That's for sure...



Monday, May 14

Disney's 1/2

Disney's Half Marathon!
September 4th 2011
{Lily's Birthday}
It was HARD!!! But I did it! and I absolutley love my Medal!!!
This was my goal after I had Lily, my last child, to get back in shape by training to run 13.1 miles in a half marathon with Josh, April and Jesse... It was a crazy day but I will always be proud of myself and know that they were right there cheering me on right next to me...

This year I will be running the Tinkerbell Half at Disneyland which is a women's race and I am so seiked to get Tink's Wings in medal form! ;)





Thursday, May 3

Lily Turns One

Lily Turns One
September 4th 2011
I can't believe my last little baby turned one! She was my hardest baby but even being my hardest, she was pretty good compared to a lot of other babies...So I hear and so people tell me...I don't care she was hard but probably because I had four others who needed my attention with my oldest being only nine...but I am so glad we went ahead and tried for her...I had a miscarrrage before her and we were pretty sure we still wanted to try for that last little #5...So glad we did... She really does complete our family quite nicely...So glad my Lexi has a sister...and they will have each other always...

They are five years apart and I think that is perfect...They will always be sisters rooting for each other and not always so in competition {I Hope} hahaha...



Happy Birthday to our little Lilypie ;)



Her little Presents

My mom and Linda helped me throw an awesome little party over at my moms...




Tuesday, May 1

New School..Temperorarily

New School...Wood Ranch Elementary in Simi Valley.
So just a week after we moved all of our three truck loads of stuff into two large storage units the kids started school in Simi Valley. This was the first year I was going to drop all three off in the morinng and they would all three go all day!  Super excited except school began at 8am and got out at 2pm...So by the time I hit the gym, showered, ate lunch it felt like it was time to pick them up already! Of course Lexi made a best frien right away, funny thing is she moved away about a month before Lexi did...So that worked out for both of them hahaha...


Dalen my big fourth grader...Can't believe that!!! 9 years old and so so hlpful and mature...He is a very good student..always a friend to all and very helpful to teachers...


Deveon - My sweet and silly third grader... This one is always ready to play...sometimes drives me crazy when it's chore time...but he loves math and is very good at all subjects.. 8 Years old



Lexi My cute and sweet little 1st Grader...She is very fast at grasping concepts and loves art and has very neat writing... 6 years old...


So now I spend my days with these two cuties! Noah-3 years and Lily 1 year...
They love the kids club at 24 every morning and grabbing lunch with Grandma and Grandpa Dubois during their lunch hours and going to the mall food court with Grandma Miles...

Goodbye to our old home...

This was the day I drove Lexi, Noah and Lily down to Grandma's before flying back up a day later for our big move to So Cali! Which by the way was suppose to consist of Josh driving a truck, Brother Jesse driving second truck with girlfriend at the time Shelbee and me driving Josh's car down to Simi...Except half way through the loading up day, We realized we were not going to cut it with only two trucks! So who had to drive a small Uhaul down to Simi??? ME! I almost cried but I stayed strong...had to put my big girl pants on and just do it! It was pretty awful but whatevs! Shelbee had to drive Josh's car so we were all alone in our cars/trucks...

Back to our drive down to Simi with the three little ones in my car, we stopped at In'n'Out for lunch and Noah shouts to all the people standing in line "Hello to all the People of the World!!!" Had me laughing...oh that kids does not have a shy bone in the body!

This is our Cute home in Elk Grove ;) Man this is weird seeing this picture...Kinda miss it :( It was a beautiful home and we had three of our five kids here...I'm glad I took all these pictures of the rooms so I can always remember and show the kids when they are older...I love seeing photos like that of my childhood homes!

Living Room looking into the Kitchen

 Boys Bedroom


Our Office/Lily's Room hahaha...see her pack'n'play? We are ghetto like that...Noah did that too...oh well...


 Our Family Room

Our Kitchen


Our Laundry Room/Mud Room


Our Living Room



Our Bathroom Downstairs



Lexi and Noah's Room


Can't believe it's been 8 months now since we moved from this house...Wow... Seems crazy but I will always have some fun memories in this house and we are loving our new house! ;)

Friday, March 2

Yes, We are still alive...

I guess I just dont know where to begin... We finally made the move back down to Southern California and I should feel complete since this is what we have wanted for a long time but I have mixed emotions. We are only a half hour away from the family {on both sides} but we are still a half hour away so we again find ourselves somewhat sort of lost in a new town with a new ward Again! I really miss my best friend Tami and her adorable little family that is growing and changing without us there in Elk Grove I know we will always stay close and visit often, especially since we have already visited eachother a total of three times since August! and a fourth trip is already in the works lol... I have to admit that since we've moved, it is even unsettling to even go onto my blog without tears coming to my eyes as I think of all my Elk Grove memories. My whole blog began while in Elk Grove {well technically it was started in Simi at the end of a Europe trip and I wasn't sleeping since I was still on Euro time} but our life was in Elk Grove and seeing all of those pictures makes it painful to look at remembering our house, our parks, the kids friends... I know change is hard and even though this is what we wanted it is so painful to let go of the past. I would never trade it for anything, some of the bestest friends we have we met in Northern California but I think getting this out will help me to start the new chapter in our life. This week has been especially hard since I am not really enjoying being the new girl anymore. But I know these things take time, but patience is not a strength of mine.

I just wish it would start to feel normal again soon.

My kids have now gone to 2 schools since we moved from Elk Grove. We stayed in Simi for 4 months while we sold our EG home and looked for a house here in So Cal. They attended Wood Ranch Elementary which we Loved! I love Simi ;)

House Hunting was NOT fun. Someone said it was fun...It was fun for about a minute...No, you know when it is fun, when your not intending to buy. While we were in Elk Grove, me and Josh would just take an occasional Saturday and just pick a city we wanted to move to out in Sacramento and we would go look at model homes or drive around and see some areas we would maybe move to. That was fun. But we could never decide on a city. We would settle on a city or area, until the next time we went looking, and bam! we would find a new area we loved! hahaha...

But when it came down to actually putting an offer on a house...That was scary and not fun.
We looked everywhere in Los Angeles near Pasadena or Duarte {where hubby's new job is}, including Brea in the O.C. and Chino Hills in San Bern., We actually put an offer on a house in Brea, I secretly hoped it wouldn't go thru since I just didn't feel like it was the one. They didn't accept. Then the night before we were going to put an offer on a Short Sale REO in Granada Hills, I went online to look at the model homes in Santa Clarita my Sis In Law April told me about and since it was in our price range I deceded to give them a look before we made the offer. Here we are in Santa Clarita and we are quickly learning that this city is L.A.'s best kept secret ;) shhh...you didn't here me say that...

Josh's new job is amazing. I think he really likes it. He has gotten used to his commute which is hardly any traffic and is ~5o minutes to and ~40 minutes home. That's great for L.A. ;) We live here off the 14 so he takes the 14 to the 5 to the 210. He is getting to know lots of good restaurants in the fancy Pasadena area since his co-worker lives out there. Then he takes me! Josh does research in a lab as a Nuclear Pharmacist for the Beckman Research Dept. at the City of Hope Cancer Center in Duarte CA. yes it's a mouthful ;) he works on cute little cancer induced mice :( but one day he might cure cancer ;)

I knew I had to vent before I could move on start my blog again. That this was just a hiccup in our little world. Josh and I have new callings in our ward which is helping to make things seem a little more normal and we spoke and are going to sing in church in a couple weeks. We have met some really nice families in our community and some really nice girls who all love to excercise at our church every morning except Tuesdays when we go to the park {they even let me be an instructor for a couple zumba routines that I made up} I really enjoyed it!...

I had actually thought about starting a new blog and ending this one but I decided that's not me. I want all of it here together. My world. My blog... My favorite people and my favorite blogs.

I'm excited to finally take our yearly family pictures next weekend. They are at least 3 months over due but maybe I can get Easter cards sent out instead of my usual Christmas cards! lol

Please leave a comment if you have a blog and you're not on my blog list...;)

Next step...Uploading my pictures from September to now...