Field Trip...

Early yesterday morning, I loaded everyone up and dropped Marc and Liliana off at school. They were headed up north for a field trip to the Grand Canyon. The day was jam packed with activities. Include... Montezuma's Castle, a 2 mile hike at Thumb Butte, Sharlot's Hall, and Lowell Observatory (which they didn't end up having time for sadly), and the Grand Canyon. It was an overnight trip, which is why Marc was a chaperone. I would have gone, but I was not allowed to bring the baby! They had a blast and brought back a couple hundred pictures. Here are just a few...

Off They Go...

Marc and Liliana are in route up north! They will be visiting a few places before finishing the field trip up at the Grand Canyon. It's an overnight trip. This should be interesting! Have fun Marc and Liliana! We can't wait to hear what fun you guys had and see all the pictures you take!

Sippy Cup Success...

At just 5 months and 3 weeks old, Rosalia has mastered the sippy cup! Well as long as someone holds it at her mouth.

Corn Nuts Have NO sugar...

Woohoo! Another tasty sugar FREE snack!

Spring Training...

It was a gorgeous day! A gorgeous day to take in a spring training game. The Cubs were scheduled to play the Rockies. We had lawn seats and got to spend some family time with Aunt Jeneen, Uncle Pat, Matthew, and Jason. We didn't take Garrison or Ava. We had little confidence in Garrison being controllable and Ava had ZERO interest in going. So it was just Marc, Liliana, Dillon, Rosalia (she had to come along for feeding purposes), and myself! Its always fun to do things as a family, but when there is an opportunity to do things with just a couple kids it makes it that much more special for them! The kids enjoyed the typical stadium foods... hotdogs, peanuts, Italian ice (it was HOT out), and drinks! Marc took them on a walk around the stadium during the first couple innings and explained the game to them before joining the rest of us in the lawn seating area. It was a relaxing afternoon, but I think we can all agree the sun was a bit warmer than we had expected it to be AND wanted it to be! Good ole sunny Arizona!

We didn't stay until the very end. We didn't care much who won. We only cared about enjoying some family time and letting Dillon see how the big boys play baseball!

First Game...

Today, Dillon played his FIRST baseball game. He had so much fun, despite having to do a little dance the entire game. I didn't know until the game was over, but he had to use the bathroom. He didn't realize how close the bathrooms were, so he chose to hold it until the end! I thought he was just antsy for a ball to get hit to him!! Haha He plays coach pitch, which is exactly what it sounds like... the coach pitches to them. It's one level up from t-ball. They play 4 innings and all players hit each and every inning. If the first 3 players get out, every player still hits but no runs can be scored. Dillon went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI's! Needless to say he did an AWESOME job! We are very excited for next Saturday's game!

Counting Money...

Counting money is something Dillon has been doing a lot lately. In first grade they focus on them being able to differentiate between coins but also what value they have. A way Dillon's teacher has incorporated money into their curriculum is with a class store. Each day the children have several opportunities to earn money. Every Friday, a volunteer (usually a parent) comes in and "cashiers" the class store. The last couple weeks I have been that parent. It's very funny and interesting to watch them first count their money and then decide whether to spend it or save it. I have discovered Dillon is a spender. No matter if there is nothing he really likes up for grabs...he will ALWAYS buy something! At least he is getting really good at counting his money!

DIVA...

DIVA... is Rosalia's new nickname. Recently, Rosalia has mastered how to get someone, any one's attention! However, she seems to enjoy getting Marc's attention the most! She doesn't just coo or talk at him anymore... these days she full on screams and cries. Typically, if Marc picks her up in the middle of her "fits", she will look for me and begin full on screaming at him. His reaction is usually to give her to me while telling her she is a "DIVA". Once in my arms, she calms down but smirks at Marc, as if she knows she is being a bit dramatic and "diva-ish"!

I guess it's not all that hard to get "Diva Status" when your the 3rd girl in the family!

YES!!!

Dino Nuggets have NO SUGAR!! Woohoo. We do enjoy dino nuggets for lunch from time to time! YES!!!

A Sitter...

She can SIT! She can sit all by herself! It's crazy how fast time is flying by. It's amazing how fast Rosalia is growing. It's amazing how much she can do at just 5 1/2 months old!

Look What We Found...

While running a couple errands with Great Grandma, we discovered a small section in the snack aisle that had sugar FREE snack cakes! They aren't as bad as I thought they would be. My tastebuds are learning that if I want a small taste of something "sweet" to enjoy snacking on one of these!

Lemon Recipes...

I am on the hunt for lemon recipes. Reason why...

Aunt Jeneen gave me a HUGE bag FULL of freshly picked lemons from her neighbors lemon tree. Oh the endless recipes I have in my head.

Only 1 problem... they need to be sugar FREE recipes!

The hunt begins!

Pigtails...

Look her luscious locks are long enough for pigtails!!

Napping On Great Grandma...

Naps are refreshing. BUT naps on Great Grandma are refreshing AND comfy!

I Can Do What You Can Do Too...

Everytime Garrison made a face at Rosalia... she would make a face back at him! If he kissed her... she kissed him back! Awwwww!

Wanna Smile...

Look at this face and tell me you can't smile?

We LOVE Reading...

Reading is AWESOME. I NEVER liked reading when I was younger. As I get older, I still don't LOVE reading when its an "adult" book but put a Dr Seuss book in my hand and I will read with LOTS of animation!
Kid books are so much ................................................fun!

So far all 5 children LOVE reading! They love being read to! I hope it stays this way.

Today we went down to a local library and signed all 5 kids up for their spring reading program. Such a GREAT motivator (although my read-aholics don't need motivation)! For the older 3 children, they must read 5 books, return their card log to the librarian, and then receive a FREE certificate for an In and Out burger! Oh how the kids LOVE In and Out burgers (which they don't get very often might I ad)!


The younger 2 kids get a FREE board book once completing the 5 letter challenge which includes reading with mom or dad, playing with a small soft book, and singing nursery rhymes!

Freebies are great motivators. Books are fun to read. When combining the two... my kids LIVE and BREATHE books!







Thank you local library!

Spring Pictures

Today I took the kids to Freestone Park to take some pictures. Its a beautiful, local park complete with a duck pond, walking paths, playgrounds, and even a mini carnival area. After taking pictures, the kids played for a bit before taking a ride around the entire park on the train! It was a fun morning and the pictures couldn't have come out any cuter!