Keeping You Posted...

Yes, we're finally here in Chandler, AZ. We've been here since Saturday, but feels like we just got here yesterday. So much to do and so little time. Especially when the kids are barking at you all day to take them swimming. Don't get me wrong, I love having a pool (i fell i'd die w/out it in this heat), but it's hard to get things done. Then, we're always exhausted after being outside and swimming. Oh well, we'll get the hang of it. Pictures are on the way. Want to give a shout out to all the Family that helped us out Saturday and this week as well. We love you and don't know how we've managed without you for the last 6 yrs. We glad to be back home!

Happy Father's Day!

Daddy,
Hope you have a Wonderful Father's Day! We love you so much and are so grateful for you!

Daddy was away most of the week! He was in Boston for an Ebay Convention. He had lots of fun and went to Fenway "Pawk". But, we missed him. He came home Saturday with toys and trinkets for the kids...just in time for Father's Day. The kids had some gifts for him as well. Reagan made him a bookmark at school and Briggs made him a clay tie tack at Cub Scouts. He loved them. They also each made him a M&M bow tie at church. Mommy made Gulash and Daddy taught her how to make Spetzla noodles to go with it, yum.


The poem reads...
Happy Father's Day
To my special DAD
You play with me
and you make me glad
Here is a bow tie
and this is a clue...
You can wear it, or eat it
and I LOVE YOU!

It was our last Sunday in the Foothill Ward. Briggs and Reagan recieved their BIG Cookies for memorizing the 13 Articles of Faith. They also made me and the kids stand up while they sang us a Goodbye song. I had managed to stay composed for all of my meetings, until this little farwell. It is a great ward and we will miss it dearly. I'm surprised how attatched we became with our ward family in only one years time and I'm grateful as well.

Quiz Time-Out...

We've been busy packing and Jens left to take "stuff" to D.I. soooo, I thought I'd check up on my blogger friends.
I thought I'd hurry and take this quiz that Rachel posted before he gets home.

1. When was the last time you ran? a week ago. but, I did work out yesterday!
2. Do your jeans have rips, tears and holes in them? Always!
3. Do you get the full 8 hours of sleep a night? I have to!
4. If you had someone "stop by" without you knowing what would your house look like? right now? FULL of boxes and a complete mess!
5. Do you eat raw cookie dough? yes!
6. Have you ever kicked a vending machine? No I don't think so.
7.How do you eat an Oreo? twist em open and lick off the cream!
8. Have you ever stayed online for a very long time waiting for someone? I don 't get it, either.
9. Could you live without a computer? it would be rough. I've gotten so used to it.
10. Do you wear shoes in the house? No
11. At what age did you find out Santa wasn't real? don't know?
12. How many phones, house and cell phones are in your house? 4
13. Who would you call first if you won the lottery? ?don't play!
14. Last time you saw your best friend? Today! he came home this morning from a business trip. I hadn't seen him since Wednesday!
15. What jewelry are you wearing right now? none.
16. What is the first thing you do when you get on-line? check e-mail and blogs.
17. Do you watch 'Grey's Anatomy'? yes, love it!
18. How do most people spell your name? " en " instead of " in "
19. When was the last time you left your house? Last night!
20. Do you return your shopping cart? Sometimes
21. What noise do you hear right now? The garage door opening, ooops, he's home, I better hurry!
22. Who is the youngest in your family? ME
23. Who does the dishes at your house? mostly, I do.
24. If all of your friends were going on a road trip, who would be most likely to over pack and who would drive? I would over pack and I would like to drive, I get car-sick easily.
25.Do your siblings ever pay for stuff for you? Yes, they're very nice!
26. Do you know anyone with the same name as you? Very few!
27. When was the last time you cleaned your toilets? Last week, I think....that's really bad for me!
28. Do you watch movies with your parents? not really.
29. Do you get your hair cut every month? No, my hairstylist lives in AZ. Since I've been away it's been about every 6 months. But, that will soon change, hooray!
30. What was the last thing you purchased? packing paper and boxes.

Ok everyone, copy and paste...you know you want to!
Thanks Rachel! You put some fun in my day!

The Last Few Days In A Nutshell...

Wednesday A Day To Remember: Tanya took me on a tour of Santa Cruz. She was born and raised there, so knows the ins and outs and cool spots. We had so much fun. We went for a walk along West Cliff. She showed me her special place = some rocks where she would sit and watch the waves come in, her soul searching place. I immediately understood why she had chosen it, it's very beautiful! Then, we ate at her fav taco joint. Very Delish! We also visited Capitola and walked around. It was so cute. We saw where her and Josh spent their honeymoon, a very romantic little inn by the sea, we spent way too much $ on taffy and then I bought a kite for Eryn and we went to the beach to fly it because it was quite windy, a perfect kite flying day. It was so clear and just the perfect temp. Thanks Tanya for a great day, one of the greatest I've spent. We were exhausted when we finally got home, but it was well worth it!

Thursday Choir Performance: We attended Briggsy's choir concert and took brownies for their choir party afterwards. Briggs did very well! Besides the occasional yawn and fidget with his belt, He sang well and remembered all the words. It was a good show. Eryn was a little distracting. She found a 4yr old friend who is just as wild as she is and they got quite loud from time to time. All in all, it was a very good performance. Way to go, Briggs!


Friday Field Trip: If you haven't noticed, Briggs has been recieving a lot of attention lately. I think Reagan's been having some jealousy issues. So, I figured, the best way to resolve this was to be a helper in Reagan's class and go on their field trip. Tanya graciously agreed to watch Eryn Jane..thank you..and I was good to go. The first graders have been learning about careers lately and goods vs. services and all that fun stuff. We walked to the Wells Fargo Bank, Pasta Pamodoro (restaurant), Jamba Juice (they got a free sample, yum!), and Mail Boxes Etc. I'm sure you can bet what they were most excited about...J.J. There was a employee there that was dressed up in a big banana costume and then they let the whole class walk inside their big freezer. Who could ask for a better day? Getting shoved inside a freezer with your friends and free Jamba? I'm in! Yes, it was a success. I think Reagan, once again, felt loved by her Momma!

Saturday A Day At The Beach: Saturday we woke up early and got outside to help Jens take down the trampoline and pack it up. We only have so many more days, we thought we'd get started. It was actually quite fun. The kids were very helpful and had a good time. It was probably due to the fact that we promised to take them to the beach. Yay! Which we did, we took a beautiful drive up to Half Moon Bay. It was gorgeous! We were driving along the coast and Eryn said, "Look there's the lake!" The kids disagreed with her, but she finally got her way. We finally stopped at the "perfect" beach. The wind was cold, but the sun and sand were sooo warm! The kids and I hung out, played and flew our kite at the beach while Jens went on a bike ride. He came back, we ate and then he took the kids exploring while I got to lay out and get a little shut eye! What a life. There's nothing like taking a nap while your listening the waves. And, on the way home we saw a ton of Kite Surfers out on the ocean. It looked like so much fun. Briggs said he would like to try that sometime. We had such a great day, one of our last times to visit the beach for a while, so sad, but we're grateful we had this day!

Sunday A Talk, A Scripture & Prayer, & 13 Articles of Faith: First things first...Daily Funnies...We were sitting in sacrament meeting and they had just passed the bread. Eryn Jane was sitting on Jens's lap and they were whispering. I started listening when...
Eryn - you like bread Dad? you're a boy Dad?
Jens - Yeah, what do boys eat?
Eryn - bread!
Jens - what do girls eat?
Eryn - Poskiscles!
In Primary, Briggs gave the talk. He did very well and we're very proud of him, considering that all morning he insisted that he Was Not going to do it. Well, he made it through. Then it was Eryn Jane's turn to say the scripture and prayer. I started reading her the scripture in her ear, and she copied me, until about half way through and then realized that she likes to do everything HERSELF! and started screaming into the microphone, "I DO IT!" I finally had to just let her say the prayer. She said a very nice, very long prayer. I tried to get her to end it, of course, she didn't like that one bit and started screaming into the mic again. Then she said, very sweetly and reverently.."and..thank you for a pokemon battle..in the name of Jesus Christ, amen." Needless to say, she has become all the primary kids favorite little Sunbeam.
Now...For the really, really excited news...DA DA DA DUM...
Briggs and Reagan finished passing off all of the 13th Articles of Faith today! They worked so hard and did such a good job! We are so very proud of them. And, now, next Sunday , on their last Sunday in our San Jose ward, they'll each get a huge, giagantic cookie! They were beaming as we walked out to the car! Reagan said, "oh..I just want the cookie now!!! I can almost taste it!" Then, Briggs said, "So,what are you guys going to give us?" Typical!

Oh, Say Can You See....

Finally!!! I have been trying all freakin'weekend to upload this video. I had to cut it short, but I've uploaded the best part... Briggsy's enthusiasm.
For those who were'nt aware....
Briggs's school choir sang, along with all the other choirs in the Evergreen School District, the National Anthem at a San Jose Giants baseball game last friday night. He was so excited and had so much fun being out on the field. He behaved himself very well and did an excellent job, as did all the children. We're very proud of him. His choir teacher told me recently that, "When Briggs is paying attention and participating (uh-oh ), he has a really good voice and sings very well." WOW! He's finally letting one of his talents shine through again. When he was a toddler he sang ALL THE TIME. But, I think he got shy for a while. Well, he's back! And we're so glad. Now for the piano lessons...right!

Daily Funnies...

Eryn asked me AGAIN this morning, " Soon I go to school Mom? "
" Yep, after summer is over, you'll get to go to Pre-school."
" Silly Mommy, it's PRETTY-school! "

Opening Night!

Lights! Camera! Action!
We had so much fun tonight! First we went as a family to Taco Bell (Briggsy's choice) for dinner and then headed off to Laurelwood for the play. Briggs was so excited! He told us just what to do, "Go and find seats in the gym. Wait there! I have to get ready in my classroom." Reagan and Eryn were just as excited. We found seats just a few rows back, but they saw their friends, Lauren, Justice and Jewel sitting on the front row and had to join them. Front Row seats are the best, right! They behaved themselves and had a great time watching the play. We saw a lot of Briggsy's friends and neighbors in the play as well. Clark was the "Hairy Godfather", Jenesis was the main girl, Gabriel was a Pirate, Brenna was part of the backstage crew, and Anuj was the King. They all did very well in their parts. Briggs did an awesome job! He's quite the comedian and said that his favorite part was when the audience would laugh at the jokes and silly parts. He also said he was sad that it was over. He loves being on the stage. Uh-oh! Has he caught the bug? We'll see. We had so much fun sharing the evening with him and as a family! So, we can truly say..... and they lived Happily Ever After (at least for tonight!) The End!

Preview of the All-Star Play: Good Books

Here's a sneak peak of the upcoming play Good Books performed by the 3rd grade class of Laurelwood Elementary. Opening night will be Thursday,May 31st. The show starts at precisely 6:30pm.
Briggs Dunford,a rising star actor, plays the comical and loveable Sir Garwin. When we asked Briggs, in a recent interview, what he thought of his upcoming role he replied, "I think it's perfect for me. They don't call me the class clown for nothin'!"

ZZZZZZ....

Lately she's been climbing into bed with Jens and I in the middle of the night. Doesn't she look so harmless and peaceful and sweet. No, she's all over the place. Kicking and moving.....Jens finally had enough and removed himself to the couch. Poor Jens! But, it is fun when she'll snuggle.

Memorial Day Weekend in Monterey

We spent Saturday down in Monterey with the Oditt Family. We met Dan, Nancy, Daniel & Emily at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. They got us in for free with some extra guest passes, Thanks Guys! and we had a great time. It was pretty crowded, but it was expected and we still had a blast.

Eryn didn't want to take her picture......she was too busy. It was hard enough to get these 4 to sit still.

Nancy and Emily working on a craft.
Then, it was off to Pebble Beach. We found a picnic table to eat some lunch and then hung out on the sand in the freezing cold. The kids didn't seem to mind, in fact they loved it. It didn't take us long, though, to convince them it was time to go. So we drove the 17mile drive and ooo'ed and awww'ed at the mansions and the beautiful scenery. Thanks Oditt's for the fun day. We're so glad we got a chance to hang out again before heading back to Arizona. When you're in AZ again give us a call, we'd love to see you.

Uh-Oh Emily!

Reagan dragging seaweed.

Daniel, trying to start a sand fight with mom. He didn't quite get the response he was hoping for.

The adults sitting back watching our fearless kids, trying to keep as warm as possible. Poor Dan, forgot his jacket at home.

Briggs! Lord of the Beach!

Congrats to Jordin!

I am glad that Jordin won. I think she did an awesome job. I'm not sad that Blake didn't win. I think he and everyone else, knows that he is going to have an awesome career. We didn't get to see most of the finale and missed the first 30 mins of the Lost finale because our power was out. We were quite frustrated. A lot of people were telling me that Blake did an awesome number. Oh well, I believe them. And, we got to see most of Lost and we were happy with it. No matter how much I think I've figured out I always am frustrated and confused at the end. I love it. I can't wait until next fall.

So, without further ado, it's time we all say goodbye to the Blake Lewis bobblehead. I know how much we all loved it.

Daily Funnies...

Eryn Jane - look Mom, there's the school bus.
Mom - soon you'll be going to school.
Eryn Jane - yes! I'll go to pre-school with my pack-pack and I'll get a boy.

I'm It! I'm It!

I've been tagged by my best friend Christine! As she explained it in her blog, this is when you are given a challenge to come up with 7 wonderful things about your life, other than friends, family, etc. I had a feeling that this challenge would soon come to me as I was reading my friend, Jeni's blog. She had tagged Christine, and somehow I knew.....it was coming. I'm sure the feeling had a lot to do with the fact that Christine is always there to listen to me vent. Now she wants to hear some good things...she's tired of hearing the bad. So, Christine, this is for you. I hope not to disapoint.
This is harder than I thought....(most of them will probably be food.)

1. The new Pomegranate Paradise Jamba, with Protien and Burner Boost ( I need all the help I can get! ). Eryn would disagree....her favorite is the Strawberry Whirl. It's so fun to stop at Jamba Juice and pick one up on the way home from the gym. It's nice to treat yourself after you've done something good, Right!

2. The Work and The Glory series....I've become something I never thought was possible. I'm a reader. I love these books. I'm on book 7 now. They're fun to read and I feel like I'm learning church history at the same time. Jens has been reading another series by Gerald N. Lund called The Kingdom and The Crown. I'll start those as soon as I finish with the Glories.

3. Television! I'm sorry, but yes! There's nothing quite like the thrill of waiting all week to watch your favorite shows. Lost, The Office and Grey's Anatomy. Oh, and don't let me forget AI. How could I forget Blake? Oh, what a long summer it will be without my shows!

4. Blogging! I love to scrapbook and journal, but I never find the time. It's so hard to get out all the paper, tools, stickers, print out stuff on my computer and put it together. Blogging is Fantastic, I can be creative, scrapbook and journal all at the same time without making a mess. I love it and, as I have previously stated, I'm obsessed with it.

5. Working out with your friends. 2 birds with 1 stone! I just have to say thanks to all the friends who poked and proded me to get to the gym and/or get outside. Walking with Christine, Going to the gym with Dena, Interval Training in my backyard with Tanya, Running up the Papago and on the beach in San Diego with Kaci and Danielle, Cycling class with Jens. How can you workout and love it if you're not chatting and bonding with your friends and family at the same time.

6. San Jose weather! The weather here lately has been beautiful! Warm sun, nice cool breezes. I love being able to leave my windows open. I love to hear the wind blow outside! I love that at times it's almost cold! I love the green trees and hills! I love all the flowers that have instantly bloomed in our backyard! I love that at the beach, the air is cold, but the sun and sand is nice and warm! Maybe I'm noticing it more due to the fact that in one month we will be living in smoldering, blistering hot weather. I'm trying to enjoy this weather as much as I can. I know I can't take it with me, it makes me sad. Thank Goodness we'll have a pool!

7. I've saved the best for last! My ipod! I love music! I love singing and dancing with my kids while we're listening to the ipod play in our kitchen. I love listening to it in my car. I love listening to it while I work out. I love it! It's small and easy and organized and very clean. No clutter of CD's to mess around with and have laying all over around the house. The Hills Are Alive!

Well, I thought this was going to be hard, but as I got going I realized that I had to leave out a few things to only pick 7. Like, eating your kids cheerios and pretzels snack at church (they taste so good.), strawberries & raspberries in season to make jam, sunday naps, Oma's Gulasch, free cool haircuts (thanks Kase!), my daily banana. I could go on and on, now. I'm still pretty proud of my list and hope you enjoyed it. Thanks Christine and Jeni! It is nice to reflect on all the wonderful blessings in life that you don't normally think of... The things that make you smile and help you get up in the morning. The things that make your day good or hopefully great! I do have to say, in closing, how much I do love my family and my friends. They are at the top of my list!
Oh, I almost forgot. It's my turn to tag someone, right! I tag Brooke! I'm so excited to have this chance to get back in touch with some of my high school buddies! It's fun to see what their lives are like now and remembering what they were like way back when. All of them look the same, if not better, to me! (not fair!) So, Brooke, I remember some of your favs from high school. What are they now?

Daily Funnies!

Eryn - Daddy, it's time to wake up
Daddy - OK! (rubbing his eyes, getting up from a Sunday nap)
Eryn - You're hurt Daddy? What you have?
Daddy - My eyes itch, see? (Jens opening his eyes wide) They're all red.
Eryn - Oh! Daddy! They're cracked!


Reagan - Mom, is it going to take long to drive to AZ.
Mom - yeah, it's going to take us all day.
Reagan - Oh, so if we leave at like four will we get there at five?
Mom - it'll take a bit longer than that.
Reagan - Mom, when we move to AZ and live there will my cousins not be my cousins anymore?
Mom - Of course they'll still be your cousins.
Reagan - But, we'll live right by them?

Spoiled Much?

Today, I took the girls with me to get Subway for Jens. Jamba Juice is right across the parking lot, so I asked the girls if they wanted Subway or Jamba. Eryn stated the obvious - Jamba Juice for me, mom. Well, we waited in line for Subway and the girls got thirsty and wanted a drink. I asked Eryn again to choose between the two. She changed her mind, so I got us all Subway and drinks there. As we were drivig away, we passed J.J. Sprite in hand she says (more like yells) - Hey! Mom!?! What about my Jamba?

Your Mom Is Really Nice!

Briggs was playing in our backyard with Gabriel (our neighbor) yesterday afternoon. They had a great time. It was a beautiful day with a cool breeze blowing so, we had the windows open. Jens overheard them talking:
Gabriel - your mom is really nice!
Briggs - Yeah, she has her moments!

Need I say more?

Obsessed & Totally Insane

So, right now I'm feeling a little crazy. I've become obsessed with blogging and itunes. I can't stop. Jens is going to be very upset with me for two reasons...1) I've had a pile of clean laundry on my couch waiting to be layed out and/or folded since 8am this morning..it's still there and now his shirts are completely wrinkled. No big deal, some would say, but those who know me best know that ironing is not my thing....and he has to do it himself. And b) I've bought way to many new songs lately. It's so easy when you're account is all set up and you just have to do a couple of clicks and the song is yours. Then you realize when you look at your bank statements how easy it really is. Stomach sickening easy! So, he'll be checking the statement this weekend. Pray for me, will you!

Hannah Jayne & Eryn Jane

Yes, I'm A Geek!

I don't care what everyone is saying.....this is the first year I've been "in to" American Idol and I've liked Blake from the beginning. I think everything about him is cool, he's got a certain appeal. Yes, Melinda Doolittle has the best voice, but , in my opinion is not as fun to watch, she's a little boring, but I guess that's just taste in music. Also, I think Blake will end up selling a lot more records than Melinda. Is that really what this competition is about? I don't know. But I'm glad Blake made it to the finals.

More Questions....

Today we were driving to Eryn's friend, Isabella's, house for a playdate. She was so excited I think she couldn't just sit still and be quiet. She had to say something...
"Mom, do spiders hurt dinosaurs?"
"Do kittens lick hands?"
"Say Yes, Mom, kittens lick my hands and it tickles."
"Kittens are so cute!"