the mceuens

2010-11-07T20:33:00.001-08:00

I can't figure out why they are so tiny... but something (finally) is better than nothing, right?

Baby Seth is here!

2010-07-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

It was a long and uncomfortable pregnancy, but we survived! We went in on the 20th around 1:30pm and Seth was born May 21, 2010 at 1:14am. There were no major complications, except how lousy I was feeling. You can tell by his yellow coloring he had jaundice for the first couple of days and spent a day in nursery under the UV lights. He recovered quickly as did I. Now he's a happy and healthy little boy! Here are picture from his first 8 weeks:
I don't know what it was but I felt awful that day... I was so glad to have him in my arms instead of in my belly.Big sister Maci!
Licity loved holding her baby brother! Ethan was so proud of his baby brother... he acted very "fatherly" telling everyone to wash their hands and watch his head. He's such a good boy and has been such a huge help!

Grandma and Grandpa Rees... they were so great to take the kids for a couple of days. They moved to Arizona just in time!

"G" and "Pop" McEuen

Coming Home! He was nice enough to pee all over the first outfit... we called him Mr. Brown a lot after this outfit.

Seth (almost 2 Months already)

2010-07-16T10:06:00.001-07:00

It's a...

2010-01-28T13:09:00.000-08:00

BOY! It's a little old news by now but for anyone who hasn't heard, now you have :) We are so excited to balance things out again in our house. Ethan was the typical crazy boy who was always getting into trouble so we are assuming a little bit of that again... and yes, it does scare me, but I'm still excited. The worst part really is just coming up with his name. Kyle and I have always struggled with this, any suggestions would be helpful!!

Catching up...

2009-12-21T16:19:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!
I wanted to get started off right by doing a little catching up on the blog... I do have a good reason and it has something to do with baby McEuen #4. I've been in survival mode and have gotten nothing done for the last 10 weeks. Now that I'm 17 weeks, I've been doing a lot better and hopefully will get back into the groove of things... or not :)

Sorry to the many who didn't receive a card this year, I somehow lost my newer address list and only sent cards to those on my old list. I will try harder next year to have it all up to date. We are still thinking of you and have loved getting the fun updates on your families.

A great end to a great season! GO ROPERS 8-0!! Ethan's gang: Gannon, Holden, Ethan, Caden, Brandon, Anthony

We know it's not pretty... but that's some real Ropers pride!

I'm so proud of you Coach Kyle! The only team that scored a point on us was the one week that Kyle wasn't there to coach. Some may say "bad luck" but I know better than that.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN ... (2 months late)

The Big Kids Club

2009-09-16T12:18:00.000-07:00

Ethan was getting a little nervous that his time would never come... but as if on que, his 1st tooth became loose. We've been wiggling it for a couple of weeks now, but finally today I decided it was time for it to come out (and it's picture day). So with his first missing tooth, Ethan is officially part of the Big Kids Club!

Lil' Cheeky

2009-09-05T21:16:00.000-07:00

She's just too cute. She kept telling Kyle, "I do it dust a wittle much"... that went on for about an hour. Kyle was thrilled to have such an efficient helper :)

FOOTBALL!!

2009-09-05T20:37:00.001-07:00

I didn't know I had it in me, but I'm completely loving football! Kyle decided to coach this year which makes me the team "Business Manager". Notice I didn't say "Team Mom". This is sooo much more than that! I have kept busier than I could have ever imagined, but I secretly love every bit of it! After 4 weeks of practice we finally had our first game last Saturday. We're 2-0... so far, so good. Kyle is a natural at coaching!
(I don't have any real good action shots of Ethan actually playing football...but the girls are cute!)

This is Maci with her little friend Olivia during one of the many late-night practices. They're doing whatever it takes to stay entertained-It works for me!
(That's one good looking coach!) We actually got caught in a down pour right before our game started so the girls got to experience the rare act of wearing a jacket in AZ in September. What a treat!I think it's worth mentioning how hilarious Maci is in the background :) She'll always pose for the camera (even when it's not her that's getting her picture taken), but you can rarely catch Licity ever looking at the camera.

The lastest on the McEuen's

2009-08-19T14:51:00.000-07:00

Weekend camping get-away
We needed a break from the heat and decided to head north to the Rim. We had the best time and great weather.

Lisie's 1st day of Kindergarten!

She's so sweet. No tears were shed, but she knew things were a little off and stayed very solemn. You could ask for a smile and she'd give it her best shot at not being too fake. By the second day she was asking to walk by herself.

Ethan's first day in 2nd grade!

This is old news for him, he wouldn't even let Kyle walk him to the gate. He's got this big kid thing down!

Happy 5th Birthday Lisie!

We avoided a party by bribing her. We offered for her to go to the toy store and pick out anything she wanted... worked like a charm. She ended up with 2 more barbies (surprise, surprise) and a very large stuffed mermaid doll.

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-08T20:51:00.001-07:00

Our Forth was filled with family, friends, fireworks and food! I feel so blessed to live in such a wonderful land!Licity started the day going to the mall for one of her favorite friend's birthday party. They dressed up, put on make-up and got their hair done. Heaven! Maci was not originally invited, but was so excited when she heard it was time to go to the princess party that she got herself dressed with shoes and everything. The mom felt bad and insisted she tag along! She loved it!

After the birthday party, we headed to our cousin's for another party. Licity, who normally runs from the camera, is quickly following in her cousin Brooklyn's footsteps as she strikes a pose!

Ethan with his cousins Brody and Casey.

Maci snuggled in with "G".

Maci decided she could swim "aw by myself". She insisted on practicing like we make Licity and so I thought I would see what happens if I let her go... apparently she swims! We've practiced a little more since then and sure enough, she can swim! She's 2 people!!

Finally it was time for the real show! We were a little late and just grabbed a spot on the nearest sidewalk. But, for us, it was perfect!

Maci might have been the only one excited, but that alone was worth it!

California Lov'n

2009-07-08T17:11:00.000-07:00

The kids and I headed to Cali last month for a quick last minute trip with my sister Kim and her daughters. We filled each day with beach, pool, food and games... it was the perfect get-away. Thanks for sharing with us Kim!

Lis, Maci and Ethan with cousins Lindsay and Ali.

One of Ethan's many sand castle masterpieces.

Maci with her friends Davis and Lyric.

The gang: Ethan, Licity, Maci, Davis, Tatum and Lyric.

Notice their dinner of hot dogs on bread, popcorn and root beer in fancy glasses. (We were finishing off any left-overs before we left.)

Hooray Maci!

2009-06-29T20:45:00.000-07:00

Maci finally did it! She is officially a Big Girl! She had no problem when I told her we were all done with diapers and loves to say "Bye-bye poo-poo" as she flushes the toilet. She's such a good girl! After 7 consecutive years of buying diapers, I think I'll finally plan that trip to Hawaii!

2009-06-29T20:44:00.001-07:00

Crazy Days of May

2009-06-19T20:55:00.000-07:00

One post a month is not too bad, but May needed a daily update... so, here's a late summary.

On May 3rd Maci turned 2!
She has completed surpassed anything I could have imagined in my second little girl. We love that she follows very closely in Licity's footsteps, but with her own adorable style. She is always smiling and commands attention at all times. She can talk... sentences that make us laugh out loud because they are so logical. She is and always has been a sponge and soaks up everything going on around her. She loves playing with friends and can find someone her size to buddy up with anywhere we go. We just adore this girl!!Her birthday was on a Sunday, so we had Aunt Leslie and her family come over to celebrate with ice cream sundaes. It was a perfectly low-key birthday. Maci was completely happy to get her new and slightly upgraded baby stroller with a new baby. It just happens to be the exact gift she got for her 1st birthday (but who's keeping track?).

On May 8th Ethan turns 7!

This kid is a stud! He is smart and talented and athletic and just recently has come up with this adorable wit. He is a great big brother and is so good to his little sisters (especially anytime before 8:00am with Mom still in bed). It's been amazing watching him grow, each year I'm more and more proud of him!

His gifts included a skateboard, a basketball "outfit" (with much hesitation from his mom) and a Chess set. Plus, we had a slightly more involved birthday celebration for Ethan.

FRIDAY: He was dying to see Monsters Vs. Aliens which had been in the theaters for about a month so finally we let him invite a couple of his best buddies and we did a guys night (and Mom and Lisie). Kyle had to be somewhere else at the time so he and Maci had to miss out.

SATURDAY: We had his baseball party at the batting cages with all of his school buddies. It worked out great. Mom (aka: ME) even packed some hot dogs, chips and drinks just like at the ball park. The boys loved it and had no problem hitting balls for an hour straight (and were even sad when it was time to go).

SUNDAY: We still wanted to hang with the McEuen cousins so we had them over on Sunday for dinner and more birthday desserts. This is Maci with her cousin Brynlee. (Somehow this is the only picture of the night.)

On May 16th Licity has her first dance demonstration.

She was just like an angel... if the angel refuses to smile for the camera, dances only when she feels like it and looks absolutely ADORABLE!

Also on May 16th (and every other Saturday) Ethan has a baseball game. He didn't completely love his first year of baseball, not quite enough action. But, of course he did really well and completely nailed the ball almost every time!

On May 18th Licity graduated Mrs. S's preschool.

On May 20th Licity graduated Mrs. Kate's Preschool.

AND on May 20th we left on our much needed family vacation to Utah. But that post (and other updates) will have to be added on another day!

Easter Threads

2009-04-27T17:09:00.000-07:00

A few things I love about Ethan:
He is such a hard worker. He is the most dedicated player on his teams. He loves his sisters. He's extremely independent. He loves to learn new things. He's a great listener. He's absolutely a lady killer (but doesn't have any clue yet).

A few a things we love about Licity:

She is super lovable. She gives the best hugs. She tells hilarious stories. She loves to be equally loving to everyone. She loves school. She's an adorable dancer. She loves to make-believe. She's friends with everyone. She has the most beautiful eyelashes.

A few things we love about Maci:

She is absolutely full of life. She is always smiling. She is super smart. She talks- A LOT. She counts to 20 and spells her name. She takes care of her big sister. She has the most beautiful eyes. She is completely in love with her mommy (and her daddy).

*I took these pictures myself and obviously still need a little work with the lighting :)

Hmm... where to start

2009-04-15T00:12:00.000-07:00

It seems like such a long time since I've posted, but really I can't think of anything too fun that has happened. I did miss a post on my trip back to St. Louis for my Grandma Rees' funeral. I wanted to write about it, but when I started, I decided I needed a good picture of my grandma to go with it and so I started digging through my old photos and not finding what I was looking for, I got side tracked, and well, obviously nothing ever came of it... so I'll start again.

I hadn't been together with all nine of my siblings (without our families) since before I can remember. And even better, my parents were able to join us with a short leave from their mission in Romania. So just like the good old days, we rented ourselves a van and piled in together (well two vans). We shared a combination of 4 rooms and had some good ol' Rees family bonding. Being the youngest of the nine, I realized how little I remember about growing up with a full house. Some of the stories were absolutely priceless (and confidential). Knowing that it will most likely be a long time before making it back, it was a great farewell to my hometown.

Maci with her Grandpa Rees and cousin Bradley- she was the lucky one who got to tag along on the trip. I couldn't have asked for a better traveling buddy. She was SOOO good and adorable. By the end of the trip I found myself getting a little annoyed at how many people had to stop us to comment on how cute or sweet or well behaved she was. Not much of a complaint, huh?

Back Row: Rich, Mike, Kim, Les

Front Row: Suz, Amy, Sarah, Rebecca, Me

Maci with Grandma Rees and cousin Colton

In other news, Ethan has started his first season at baseball. I can't say that he's loving it, because he keeps talking about playing basketball and football but I do think it's safe to say that he loves sports in general and this one is doing the job for now. Plus it's the first sport where it's actually okay to slide- and that he likes a lot!

Ethan and his best buddy Caden (who came to watch his first game).

I have some more fun pictures from Easter, but I'm calling it a day for now. Stay tuned!

New Year's Day Arizona Style

2009-01-09T11:13:00.000-08:00

The weather has been so beautiful here! I love when it is just cool enough for a light jacket, but then warms up enough to take it off in the afternoon. Anyway, New Year's day was like that, so we took advantage and drove out to Scottsdale to this beautiful bike trail. The girls rode in the bike carrier, but Ethan kept up on his own bike. He did awesome- not that I'm surprised, but it still impresses me. This was a perfect way to get 2009 started!
This is Maci saying "Cheeee-se!"FYI: Ethan got a haircut after I saw this picture, he has the best cowlick in the front of his head, but with added bed-head it makes for some really bad hair days. Good thing he's so darn handsome anyways.

Christmas at the McEuen's

2008-12-28T19:26:00.000-08:00

We Started with the
Christmas Program for preschool...

Then we were ready for our very own McEuen program on
Christmas Eve at Aunt Nikki's...

After that, we went to Aunt Leslie's for a wonderful Christmas Dinner and Gift Exchange but didn't get any pictures. (Darn it.)

Finally,Christmas Morning...Ethan got Bakugan, a Nerf (mega) gun and new video games. Licity got the Diamond Castle Barbie, Carriage and Castle.Maci got a phone a purse and a Barbie car with a new barbie.

Kyle and I got a promise for extra chores from Ethan and lots of hugs and kisses from the girls. After dumping all the candy from the stocking, Licity found the apple at the bottom... she's the best eater!

These KettCars we got as a hand-me-down from Kyle's boss... just in time to stick a bow on them and take all the credit! The kids LOVE them!

And then, Christmas Dinner at "G" and "Pop's" house...

It was certainly a Magical Christmas at our house this year! Ethan's expressions were just what we were hoping for. We may have spoiled the kids a little too much and set the expectations a little too high for next year, but this year was perfect!

Christmas is a time for...

2008-12-18T11:02:00.000-08:00

A visit to Santa...An attempt at a family picture...Getting a nap wherever you can...And not sending out this year's Christmas Cards...

(Maybe next year.) MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Love, The McEuen's

Mmm...Pie!

2008-12-05T21:30:00.001-08:00

It just wouldn't be a great Thanksgiving without pie for breakfast the next day.

So yes, it was a wonderful Thanksgiving. We spent the day with Kyle's parents and the kids were spoiled. Ethan started with going shooting with his daddy and "Pop" in the desert. We squeezed in a super yummy Thanksgiving feast prepared almost entirely by my very talented mother-in-law and also included a Lucky Charm appetizer for the kids. Then it was back to the desert for more shooting (but this time Lisie joined the boys, pig-tails and all).

The next day was spent at this awesome park that the cousins met up at. They had these great bike "ramps" that even Kyle and I had a blast on!

We went back for more the next day (and I'm sure it won't be the last time).

Aunt Leslie's House

2008-11-24T09:32:00.000-08:00

Now that I've been on Facebook and have reunited with so many of the Rees cousin back in St. Louis, I've had a flood of childhood memories. Some of my favorites are the times we spent meeting with all of the cousins at my Grandma Rees' on Sunday afternoon. Now that I have my own kids I love that they will have similar memories, both at their Grandma McEuen (G's house) and since my parents aren't available (on a mission in Romania) they also have Aunt Leslie's house. I was reminded of those days when I saw these pictures. My kids LOVE to go to Aunt Leslie's house- I'm not sure if the feelings are mutual, but they keep inviting us back. Thanks Aunt Leslie for the Sunday afternoons that my kids will always remember.

Nick just loves all the attention- can't you tell?

Picture Perfect Sunday

2008-11-09T16:38:00.001-08:00

It was a gorgeous overcast day. In Arizona you really appreciate a little cloud coverage. Unfortunately the kids were starving and so we only had time for a couple of shots- it's too bad, we could have actually had our Christmas cards done early for a change.

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-02T15:07:00.001-08:00

Elyse, Licity, Ethan

Nick, Elyse, Licity, Maci, Ethan

This year was a really fun HALLOWEEN, thanks to Leslie and her fabulous neighborhood! I'll admit that we did lose Licity for a little while (like 20 minutes), but when we found her the large group that had formed around her starting clapping. We were told that she didn't freak out- she just felt special with everyone looking at her (that's just like Licity). Ethan loved the haunted house that a neighbor had built and went through like five times. Maci really loved collecting candy, but hated keeping on a costume. She ended up wearing a princess skirt with some random butterfly wings- luckily she's cute in just about anything (but not worth forcing any pictures).

The never ending Arizona Summer

2008-10-30T16:25:00.000-07:00

I don't always notice the long hot summers, but it was just too hot today. I'm pretty sure I say that every October. Luckily it cools off at night (finally) so we are trying to take advantage of that.
Now that Maci has fallen off the swing, she hangs on for dear life and loves to go high like her friends. (Yes, she has friends- because she thinks she's 3 going on 16...) Lis has learned how to pump her legs- Wee, go Lisie!!
This is Ethan's "basketball outfit"- even though I might have mentioned once or twice that it doesn't match.

Lisie got her hair done

2008-10-27T15:17:00.001-07:00

I'm not the type to take Licity to get her hair done- I should, but I'm not. We even do our own haircuts at this house. So anyway, Licity went in to this cute little boutique and they offered to do her hair- PRINCESS STYLE. I have never seen her sit so still, (and I'm sure she never will again) so I wanted to document it. Unfortunately I couldn't get very good pictures of the fancy do with the sparkles and the big poofs but you get the idea.

Classic

2008-10-21T14:36:00.000-07:00

This is just Priceless. I had to post it-

Ethan was so concerned that the toothfairy wouldn't take a "dirty" tooth. So I thought he should right a note. He is so funny. His notes are becoming a real highlight in our house.

Princess Lou Lou as Snow White

2008-09-29T13:46:00.000-07:00

Just a "couple" more shots...

2008-09-29T10:49:00.000-07:00

I took a ton of pictures at the last game and some came out pretty funny, so I'm sharing:

Pure determination

Series of events

Ethan gets thrown down (and truly shocked)!
But he gets back up and lines up for the next play.
So you can see how this kid was just asking for it.

No Stopping Him
That's Ethan behind the two red players, #11 and some other kid.
That's Ethan breaking free.And that's Ethan leaving them in the dust! (If you look to his left, Ethan's teammate was doing the same thing in each of those pictures!)

Cutest cheerleaders I've ever seen

More Pictures

Sharing some of Mom's drink.
Getting the drink taken away. Licity comforting her sister.

Okay, NOW I'm done with the Football pictures!

Go Ropers!

2008-09-24T14:51:00.000-07:00

Watch out soccer mom's- it's football season! This is not a sport to be taken lightly. Just ask Ethan! He is loving every second- good thing because there is a lot of seconds that go into his football- luckily it really is fun for the whole family. This is the second go around for football with us, but we had him in a different (less competitive) league before where they didn't put too much effort into teaching football. This year has been great, they take it very seriously. He's not the oldest or biggest player but he does super good and can hold his own just fine. He is an awesome "blocker"- not even the big guys scare him. Maybe some of those anger issues will be worked out on the field! Go get 'em #6!!

That's him- the one putting his whole weight into the white player.

Ethan is just about to recover a fumble, not that it mattered in flag, but it was exciting!

What a great sport! Her cheeks are so flushed- it was like 110 that day (or felt like it)!

Anger Issues?

2008-09-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

I'm really not sure what prompted these signs, I'm thinking it has something to do with Licity always making a mess that Ethan always gets stuck cleaning up. If only Licity could read.

Where should I start?

2008-09-02T19:09:00.000-07:00

It's been a while and it seems that I've missed out on some fun updates- so, let's see...

LAS VEGAS!

I really thought I wouldn't be back to see Las Vegas for a while, but as luck would have it, just three months after my last visit, 5 of my sisters were able to throw together a last minute weekend retreat. For me, the timing could not have been better. I had a great one-night get-away with Kyle for our anniversary earlier that month, but really it just wasn't long enough. So, Kyle got left behind to take care of the kids while I went and spent THREE WHOLE DAYS RELAXING!! Not even the extra 2 1/2 hours we spent in the car to get there (because of bad directions and perhaps a bit too much talking) bothered me. We did pedicures, dining out, lounging at the day spa, laying by the pool, "site seeing", shopping and a lot more dining out. One of the highlights was a show Kim found called The Mac King Show- it was so much fun, definitely a must see if ever your in the area. I'm waiting on some fun pictures to go with the post- I'll update when I get them. I do have a few funny pictures that I found on the camera when I got home: apparently Kyle did just fine without me (although he claims it was harder than he had expected- and I'm probably not allowed to do that again for a while.)

This great idea was one that I might not have approved of at first, but turned out to be a lot of fun. (As a result we did end up with one broken leg on our poor little cousin Taci, but now that she has a hot pink cast with rhinestones I think we've been forgiven.)
These pictures were taken at at 10pm when I guess Licity "couldn't sleep".

LICITY TURNS 4!!

Happy late birthday Licity! She got her first real birthday party with all of her little friends. We did the luau theme and had all the kids wear their swimming suits. It turned out a little crazy and a whole lot of fun!

Here are some of the shots I attempted:

Licity and Maci on her birthday:

Party pictures:

Back to School

2008-08-13T16:44:00.000-07:00

Peace and Quiet and a little bit SAD... (I said just a little bit). It's back to just Maci and I for the afternoons. It does make things a little boring. Licity is home with us all morning now that she's in the afternoon class and even though her and Ethan spend a lot of their time fighting, she seems to miss him terribly now that he's gone. But I guess we will all just have to adjust so our smart little Ethan can go and conquer the world- and Licity too of course.

Before School...
After school... still as happy as can be! She really LOVES her school and is amazing me with everything that she's learning!

Gett'n our groove back

2008-08-08T10:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, Licity is finally good to go- it took two weeks on the nose, but hopefully it will all be worth it in the long run. Everything else is starting to move along again. Licity started school and dance and Ethan's gearing up (literally) for his upcoming football season and starts school on Monday. Maci is Maci and is as funny as ever. She has really picked up a vocabulary- she loves to say "N0ooow" which is really just "no" but with emphasis towards her siblings. Anything else she will happily repeat and is surprisingly clear to understand.

This is Lisie and one of her best little friends Sammy.

I'm not sure what it is that makes Ethan so cool in this picture, but we wouldn't dare tell him otherwise.

Surviving...

2008-07-27T15:27:00.000-07:00

It's been a long week for Licity (aka: ME!). She is doing better and again it's to be expected but she has had a terrible time recovering. There is not much I can do for her. She feels lousy and the only thing that seems to help is to hold her (preferably while standing up). I have kept her home all week and have realized that that life just doesn't work for me. I got stir-crazy and tried going to the mall thinking she could just ride in the double stroller with Maci. It worked just long enough to get what I "needed" but by the time I left I was pushing a non-turning double stroller while holding Licity, balancing a cup of very messy pink sherbet and trying to hush a very mad Maci who was smelling a little funny. I'm thinking that I can go a little longer before trying that again. Anyway, she does seem to have turned a new corner just today and is eating really well so maybe next week won't be quite so rough.

Milk and Cookies...

2008-07-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

For Maci, life just doesn't get any better.

MACI- 14 months

2008-07-20T21:17:00.000-07:00

I cannot get over how hilarious Maci is. She is so crazy- she has been from the very beginning and she is obviously not going to change anytime soon. She has to have the attention on her. She will laugh at anything and smile at everything. Last week we spent at least 20 minutes of me saying "Hi." and her just cracking up. I LOVE it! She has tons of tricks- my favorite is that she'll follow any set of directions (go get me a diaper, get Licity her blankie, go throw that in the trash, etc.) She is trying to talk and can copy just about any sound she hears- which can get pretty funny sometimes. She is feeding herself now and will actually refuse food if you try to feed it to her- yogurt gets a little messy, but always worth when I see her so pleased with herself. She has already started causing trouble and makes more messes then Licity (not good). I'm a bit nervous for what the future holds- but I'm sure that, like Licity, she'll provide me with some great blogging stories.

Poor Licity

2008-07-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

Well the time has come and gone- I've been dreading the day for a month now... Licity had her tonsils (and adenoids) removed last Friday and now we are dealing with the recovery. She is trying her best to be a good sport, but you can tell she's just miserable. She won't talk because it hurts, so she's started tapping and pointing and then it's a guessing game on what she wants. She's not eating yet and although we have six different types of popsicles, she's not even tempted by those. She does do pretty well with drinking cold water and hopefully she'll be eating a little better in a couple of days. This is all to be expected from what the doctor told us, so we're not too concerned. And besides the food, she really is being pampered in every other way- I've gotten her some new toys (prized possessions that normally would be saved for a birthday or Christmas) and they have done just the trick for distracting her for some of the day- the other 90% of the day is spent on the couch in front of the TV of course. I've only watched Mulan 4 times in two days (not bad) but Caillou has played back to back (the same episode) for something like 3 hours at one time. The rest of the time is Enchanted. Anyway, long story short- we are surviving.
Licity can't resist a smile when she sees Maci. (Or at least for the first day before all of the numbing meds wore off.)* No Rechelle, she's not by the toilet-that's Maci's highchair.
Licity's new best friend for the week. I can't even count how many Little Mermaid dolls I've bought- and we've lost. But regardless, it's always a great purchase.

Carlie really knows how to party!

2008-07-16T10:18:00.000-07:00

I really want to post something just because I love hearing from everyone-
Unfortunately, I have nothing fun until my sister-in-law sends some pictures. She's been visiting from Washington and it's been one BIG PARTY! We started on the forth with a BBQ (well, pizza actually because it was just too hot to BBQ) and then we headed to Brimhall pool for a mini Trejo family reunion- we rented out and had it all to ourselves (SO FUN!). We partied at Kyle's parents on Sunday and then met again on Tuesday for a day of fun at Amazing Jake's- we stayed from 11:30am to 7:30pm! It was better than Disneyland! That night Carlie and her four kids came and stayed at our house- it was a good kind of crazy I promise! Wednesday was a relaxing day out at Rechelle's pool and then Thursday was another relaxing day at "G and Pop's" pool back in CG. We gave Carlie Friday and Saturday off but came back to invade G and Pop's again on Sunday. It would be wrong to not mention the highlight of Sunday's craziness when Ethan and Brody jumped down the laundry shoot- second floor down to the first floor. Yes, they're still alive and I still laugh when I think about the process of Ethan trying it first then coming back to persuade Brody into doing it. Anyway, we finished off Carlie's visit with one more pool day luncheon with the Trejo ladies. Like I said, PARTY!! Thanks for coming Carlie- we really wish you lived closer!

The REAL reason I love my husband so much...

2008-06-27T12:31:00.000-07:00

The day I knew I loved my husband was not after a romantic date. It was not after he bought me an extravagant gift, or after our first kiss. The day I knew I loved my husband was the day that I walked in on him doing his math homework. I stood watching just long enough to hear him talking his way through one of the problems using a particular voice EXACTLY like I had always used when I did my math homework. That was the beginning of many similar quirks that made us perfect for each other- which brings me to last night...
So, I went out on a quick errand and realized that I had gotten to the store without my debit card (something that Kyle does often, and I usually give him a hard time for). I called him and asked if he could bring it to me to save some time. He (having empathy) gladdly met me with my card. Ten minutes later, Kyle calls to tell me he managed to lock himself out of the house and would need me to hurry home so I could let him in. I grabbed the last of what I needed and checked out. On my way to the car I started thinking I hadn't seen my keys and couldn't remember where they were. By the time I got to my car I was certain they were locked inside. Thinking Kyle would be a bit annoyed but still he has nothing better to do anyway I called him and asked him to bring me the spare key... which I really thought was a great plan until he reminded me that the spare key was inside the house and he was still sitting outside - completely locked out. This is when it occurs to me the REAL reason that I love my husband... only he could understand how we could get ourselves into a situation like this- he, locked out of the house, and I, locked out of my car. He has the spare to my car inside the locked house. I have the spare to the house inside my locked car. So anyway, after a lot of laughter (mostly from me) and a little panic (mostly from him), I finally asked if he knew where his second set of house keys were. After a minute of thinking he finally looked in the console of his car and realized he had had the keys to the house the whole time... he still had to meet me with my spare car keys, but considering how close we came to a hopeless scenario, I think everything worked out perfectly. And it makes for a great story to blog about. :)

From Blog to Blurb

2008-06-25T12:44:00.000-07:00

This last week has been such a battle between where to spend my free time, Blogging or Blurbing. I have officially begun working on a Blub book (http://blurb.com/) and have completely fallen in love with it. It is exactly what I've been waiting for- the alternative to scrapbooking. I actually am a scrapbooker- I enjoy doing it and actually do it for someone else for a little money on the side. But for me, I've always been concerned that as soon as I finished one year, it would already be out-dated and out of style. So I kept thinking I would wait... but not anymore! The Blurb book has solved my problems. I can easily transfer my pictures to an already formatted page and add a few words and I'm done. It will still take a little while to catch up from before the Blogging days, but I've just begun and I'm already six months into 2007. This has really taken a huge weight off my shoulders. I can't wait to see the end results!

June what?

2008-06-22T22:45:00.000-07:00

Wow this summer is flying by. I really can't believe June is almost over already. School starts so early in August that it's really just over one month before we're back into school schedules.
I have been so pleasantly surprised by how smooth this summer has gone. Right off the start I knew I was going to need a plan, so I started by giving myself something to look forward to each day and signed up for the gym. Kyle got inspired by this and decided to join me, so now we meet up 3 to 4 times a week for a good, hard core workout. I must admit- it has been way too long and I could not have needed this anymore. In addition to that, I made up the official "chore chart". Yes, I now have Ethan helping me with anything and everything that I don't want to do (ie. toilets, floorboards, windows, etc...). He has done so well with this reward system I took from my cousin- he does 8 "chores" a day which earns him beans in a jar which will earn him $10.00 when it's full. It's taking a lot longer than I thought to fill it- which amounts to less than $.10 a day at this point- I am obviously also applying the life long motto, "Over worked and under paid". Poor kid. We have managed to squeeze in a little fun so I'm pretty sure he's not miserable. Truth be told, the kids are up at 7:00am, chores are done by 9:00am and then we play the entire day- it really is a good life (for all of us)!

This was a pretty cool summer day- our neighbor who is a firefighter, hooked up a huge fire hose to the hydrgen and connected it to this cool fireman trailer. It was actually a game to spray the water into the holes in the trailer. When the buckets inside the trailer were full, the sirens and sprinklers would go off and the other side would get drenched. Pretty fun! Licity lasted about a minute and then was back inside in her favorite spot- in front of the TV. She really likes to wear the swimming suit, prance around and pretend she's going to get wet, but she is definitely the one watching from the sidelines. I put her in swimming lessons for the second year- which worked well- except that she refuses to actually swim now.

I just love Maci's smile- she seems to smile with everything she's got- and the dimples are awesome.

I'm getting there...

2008-06-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

As you can see, I'm "trying" to change my heading- but it never fails that as soon as I start working on it I get interrupted... So this is what I have so far and instead of erasing it I decided this will have to work for a little while. Stay tuned for the end result...

I know that this is not ideal and is kind of hard to read, but I'm working with limited supplies and still learning the Photoshop program. When I've got another 3 days to work on it, I might get around to changing it.

Is there anything cuter?

2008-05-25T20:26:00.000-07:00

Seriously, Lisie was SO Cute! The whole "graduation" was adorable. Her teacher has done such an incredible job with her. It's going to be a long summer, but because of some mispronounced letters she continues to qualify for this program and will be able to return in the fall. I never thought I would be excited for my daughter to have a speech delay. Hooray!

Birthday Season and other stuff...

2008-05-21T15:47:00.000-07:00

It's been a little busy since my last post. We've done Maci's 1st Birthday, Ethan's 6th Birthday and we can't forget my personal favorite, Mother's Day all within about a week. And now with the end of the school year activities and a trip to Las Vegas that we squeezed in last weekend I'm struggling to even make this post...

So let's get started-

MACI TURNED ONE!!

I really wanted to send announcements and probably still will next week but ever since her birthday she has been SO grumpy! She has been fighting off every germ out there while her miserable teeth all decided to come in at the same time. She has had runny nose, cough, soar throat, throwing up and fevers all consecutively for 3 WEEKS!! I can't blame her for being a bit crabby, but I have to admit, it's getting a little exhausting (for me).

In stead of the big 1st birthday shin-dig, we decided to stick to just family this year. (It's about all my small house can handle now as our family continues to grow.)

ETHAN TURNED SIX!!

We struggled on what to do for Ethan's birthday. Kyle was able to take him to a D-Back's game the night before so we wanted to keep it simple and definitely NO PARTY-we thought just a few friends that we could take to do something fun but when all was said and done- we had a party. He had about six little boys come over for pizza, doughnuts (Ethan's request) and a bike ride. It was still very simple but it worked out great!

We headed back to Las Vegas for our final farewell! Jake has officially graduated from Medical School and they are headed to Michigan next month. I really like Nevada- we're going to miss having an excuse to go again.

ONE MORE THING...This was also the last time we will see my parents for the next year and a half. They got their mission call... they are headed to Romania!! Wow- looks like we probably won't be visiting. How fun though. That is definitely a day down the road that I look forward to with Kyle.

My Mr. Smarty Pants

2008-04-24T16:56:00.000-07:00

This is Ethan's most recent spelling test. I was especially impressed with this one because, one- I'm not sure I could spell all of those words, and two- we normally get the new words on Friday and then he takes the test the next Friday, but we were out of town and didn't get the words until Wednesday and then because of a school holiday that Friday, he took the test the next day on Thursday. Is it just me or does that seem pretty incredible for a kindergartner.

Don't mind me...

2008-04-18T20:25:00.000-07:00

I was so personally inspired after watching this last General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints that I wanted to make sure I posted something to remember it by. (http://lds.org/conference/sessions/display/0,5239,23-1-851,00.html)
It's so easy for my life to fall into auto mode. I have an incredible life and really feel like I have been given so many blessings already. But then after hearing some of these messages, I'm reminded that there are so many things that I could be doing differently that would make my life even more enriched. I, like many of my family and friends, have this amazing opportunity to be counseled by the most incredible leaders of the church who always seem to have such a simple yet profound message for me. There were two talks in particular. The first was by Elder Holland who talked about some misconceptions on the Mormon beliefs. He pointed out that so many other religions seem to dispute whether or not it is possible for Heavenly Father to speak to us today. My ears perked up when I heard this because it seems like this particular topic has come up for me and I never seem to have the right words even though I believe with all of my heart that we have a prophet today. In such a humble and simple manner he taught how it is possible and how wonderful it is to have a prophet speak to us today. http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-851-30,00.html
The other talk that spoke literally to me was by Elder Ballard. He spoke about being a daughter of God. He gave so many inspiring words on mothers and the sacrifices we are making to be mothers. His words were so touching and really showed me that what I am doing here in my life at this time is such a privilege. I just need to slow down and enjoy it. http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-851-37,00.html

So, like I said, this is my reminder, so when life goes into auto mode again (like it is sure to do), it might not take me so long to regroup, slow down and remember that Heavenly Father is still by my side, willing to help at any time.
If there is anyone who may wonder about the Mormon faith, this web link is perfect for answering questions: http://www.mormon.org/mormonorg/eng/

Happy Birthday to me!

2008-04-17T15:44:00.000-07:00

No it's not actually my birthday- but, I certainly celebrated like it was! Kyle was the one who turned 30 last Saturday so for his birthday I planned a surprise trip to California. We had a blast (I had a blast!)!! I wanted to make sure we had plans for each day so I made an agenda and we actually stuck to it. It was such a great trip and more than anything, it was awesome spending time together as a family.

Friday we spent the day at the beach. Maci had no fear- she loved the water! And Ethan and Licity could have stayed forever- or until the food ran out. It was the perfect beach weather!

Saturday we woke up and went on this pretty cool hike- the kids especially loved the snakes that were everywhere.

Saturday night Kyle and I went to see Wicked (the original birthday gift to Kyle and the reason we came to California). I loved it! Oh and I think Kyle liked it too- I'm kidding, he actually liked it a lot. It was hilarious and the music was just so fun- it was magical.

P.S. Not the best pictures- but I insisted on a picture for memories sake, so after taking a few of ourselves, we finally just asked some guy in the parking lot.

Then On Sunday we relaxed with our wonderful hosts, the Nelson's.

Monday was the big day- DISNEYLAND!! I was more excited for this than anything else. Sadly, I may have been just a tad bit disappointed (based on our last time at Disneyland, my expectations might have been a little too high), but overall it was definitely still worth it. It was just really exhausting and poor Licity heard "No." a lot that day- she tends to wander a bit. Lucky for us we met Sarah and her family there which made it even more exciting to have cousins with us, not to mention it was a beautiful day and there were hardly any lines for anything. My lessons learned are: It's never worth parking at Disneyland- get a cheap room within walking distance; if you want to do roller-coasters make sure everyone is 40in. (Licity threw fits every time Kyle and Ethan would leave her behind; check the times on the shows- we missed both the Fantasy Faire (princesses) and the Jedi Training (bummer!). Besides those things- it really was super fun day. I almost think that had we planned for a second day at Disneyland it would have been a lot better and probably would have solved a lot of the other problems- well, except Licity and her wandering (there's not much you can do about that).

Licity was so thrilled to meet Little Mermaid- she had no problem singing her favorite "Ah, Ah, Ah..." song to Ariel.

It's one o'clock and this is Maci's first nap.

It was just one ride too many...Both girls completely broke down at the end of the night and ended up passing out on my lap together.

Seriously?

2008-04-01T08:18:00.000-07:00

Alright, I know this is getting old to hear about (especially for me), but this really is my life... constantly. I promise I'm not a completely careless mom (yes a little bit, but not completely), but seriously, I should be able to turn my back every once in a while, right?

Apparently not.

Common questions some may ask:

1) Blue paint?

- Yes, royal blue (permanent) paint that I usually hide in the preschool closet, but had just taken out about 10 minutes earlier for a project.

2) Where were you?

- I was happily listening from downstairs to my two girls playing so well together.

3) How much damage was done?

- A very large stain on the carpet (luckily only upstairs), a permanent hand print on the preschool rug, 1 white shirt of Kyle's gone, one very cute outfit of Licity's gone, one not so cute outfit of Maci's gone, a bit of blue smudges on the new leather couches and a few blue specks on every other wall in the house, oh yeah, and that cute white dress Maci wore for her 10 month pictures, yes that too has blue on it...other than that, not so bad. :(

4) How did you manage to take pictures?

- Even I couldn't help but laugh out loud when I saw poor little Maci. She was completely thrilled with all the attention.

5) How did you get it off?

- A couple extra rinses and a little more scrubbing and it wasn't too bad- although, they both have a bit of a blue tint to them and my tub has a permanent blue ring.

Really, I should have seen this coming. Licity's has been into painting herself lately but up until now it's only been with food. A couple weeks ago I found both her and Maci completely covered in ranch dressing (hands, arms and face) and then last week Licity had painted herself with applesauce (I could see this becoming a pattern, so I took a picture of that one).

All I can say is, what a wonderfully creative child I have and I feel so lucky to be her mommy!!(That sounded sincere, right?)

Check us out!!

2008-03-17T15:16:00.000-07:00

SEE THE FULL STORY BELOW!

So... here's the full story (finally). Kyle and I were invited to a Phoenix Suns banquet with one of Kyle's good friends Curtis. We weren't sure what to expect other than we were hoping to get an autograph or maybe stand in line for a picture with whichever player was around. But as it turns out, all of the players were there. (This story will be better when I have all the pictures to go with- Curtis was the only one with the camera.) When we first got there there weren't any celebs out, but quickly they just started filling the room. Most of them I didn't know (famous sports announcers, ex-players, team owners...etc.) Then SHAQ walks in. He didn't stop to talk to anyone so we totally thought that was it- and even that was pretty cool to just have him walk right by us. But after a few minutes all of the players started coming out. We saw Boris Diaw next- I need the picture to explain how nervous we were to approach him (it took us like 20 minutes to ask for a picture and then we ended up cutting his head out of it), but after that we totally got the hang of it. So after taking some less important pictures (at least to me), we went into the banquet room and saw Shaq just hanging out at his table. We were thinking of going over when this random lady (the one in the photo) grabbed on to me and my friend Emily and shoved us straight into him, insisting on a photo with "the pretty girls". We got the photo but didn't say anything to him, but because of that Kyle was able to go over and shake his hand and get a picture with him also. Nash was next, and that took a little more stalking. He was pretty much bombarded with people all night but as soon as he was free our friend Curtis (who seriously was hilarious) went up to him and got our perfect photo. Each of us said our token "Your awesome, man." type of comment and that's about the extent of a conversation but even that you could tell he was a really cool guy. After Nash we lost a little bit of drive. The banquet was really fun. They had this painter come- I can't think of who but he is this amazing artist who only uses his hands and one paint brush, paints really quick while rotating his huge canvas and somehow comes up this amazing painting- this one was of Shaq. They auctioned it off and started the biding at $10,000. With the help of Shaq- who was hilarious, the bidding got all the way up to $41,000 and would have kept going but they decided to do two more of that painting (since it literally took 10 minutes to do) and sell all 3 of them for $41,000. (WOW!) Queen Latifah was there and sang which was really cool because it was such a small venue and she invited everyone up close so we (Emily and I) went right up there next to the stage and danced. Things pretty much came to a end after that, but when every one had kind of left we saw the coach, D'antoni. He was super nice and even made small talk with us for a minute. Kyle was so stoked! He was seriously like a kid in a candy store. I've never seen him blush so much- that was probably my favorite part of the whole night! Wow, what a blast. I will definitely add more pictures when I get them.

10 Months of Loving Maci

2008-03-04T12:46:00.000-08:00

She's all grown up- well, I guess not all grown up- but 10 months! That went by so quick for me. It's been so much fun having her. She is still the happiest, craziest, busiest little girl ever! I love that she loves me so much and will (literally) bend over backwards to get to me wherever I go. She stands on her own pretty well now and took her first steps last Sunday but is a still a little ways from walking. She loves to crawl on her hands and feet (doesn't want to get her knees dirty). It looks really funny because she can cruise so fast, she looks like a little spider. She can wave (bye,bye and hi and sometimes when she's tired she'll start waving), she can clap and often claps for herself when doing something well, she can make lots of noises and loves to try to mimic others. She loves to knock things down and hates when things are in order, my nice neat piles of laundry for example. It's as if it were her life's mission to scatter them all over the room. She's still a bit leery of strangers (okay she brakes down if they approach her) unless her mommy is holding her and then she is happy to smile for anyone. These are just a few of the things that make Maci so fun to love (well, that and the fact that she's just so cute). I will take her in for some better pictures (where she actually sits still) , but for now these will have to do.

We love you Maci!

A Winter's Day in Arizona

2008-02-21T07:51:00.000-08:00

I know my kids are pretty scroungey in these pictures, but I couldn't resist the oppertunity to show off a typical, beautiful, Febuary day here in Arizona- that and I want to be able to look back in two months and remind myself why I'm tolerating the heat.

Viva Las Vegas

2008-02-19T11:30:00.000-08:00

It's a little late but I didn't want to forget about our mini vacation to Las Vegas. Kyle had a business trip there and so last minute we decided to throw the kids in the car and drive up with him. I was reluctent because we had quite a few things that we had to rearrange, but as soon as we got there I knew it was worth it. I love Las Vegas- well, Henderson anyway. Kyle was a little busy with something called responsibilites, but thanks to Jake, Amy and Luke, who were such wonderful hosts, the kids and I had a blast. The highlight was by far BouncU!

The many shades of beauty

2008-02-18T15:37:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would document all of Licity's creative ways of wearing "lip gloss" (a.k.a. paint, nail polish, markers and mascara). It's been an obsession that I thought she would have gotten over by now, but she continues to amuse me. I may need to be concerned that she seems to favor black.

After painting her own lips she decided to also paint Maci's head-poor Maci.

Licity in mascara.
Licity in marker.

Licity in nail polish.

Licity in... hmm? What exactly is that?

Really... Blue?

2008-02-14T13:16:00.000-08:00

What's Your True Color?

My Result: Blue

You're blue — the most soothing shade of the spectrum. The color of a clear summer sky or a deep, reflective ocean, blue has traditionally symbolized trust, solitude, and loyalty. Most likely a thoughtful person who values spending some time on your own, you'd rather connect deeply with a few people than have a bunch of slight acquaintances. Luckily, making close friends isn't that hard, since people are naturally attracted to you — they're soothed by your calming presence. Cool and collected, you rarely overreact. Instead, you think things through before coming to a decision. That level-headed, thoughtful approach to life is patently blue — and patently you!

What are you? http://web.tickle.com/rd/50651/color/index.jsp?testname=colorogt&resultid=E

Christmas Break Highs and Lows

2008-01-02T11:52:00.000-08:00

It was fun uploading the new pictures from my camera today. Having the kids in school, as well as me teaching preschool, we find ourselves locked into such a tight schedule. Now that we've had a little time off things got a little more interesting...

1) Maci is always finding new and interesting things to try from the floor. Pine needles are the most curious but usually cause her to throw up later. All her hard work of scouring the floors finally paid off when she found her first candy cane... and loved it!

2) Christmas morning was perfect! 4:30am is a little early, but once Kyle and I realized there was no stopping it, we were forced to give in. By about 5:40am all the presents were open and our house was pretty well destroyed.

* You might notice that one of the highlights of Christmas morning was the cute baby bunny that Santa left for us to care for... we had two wonderful days before that sweet little bunny died. Apparently they can't have carrots that young. Poor little bunny, his name was Nibbles. :(

4) Christmas evening, after the toys and friends and stopping by to say "Merry Christmas" to Grandma and Grandpa Rees, we headed down to Casa Grande for dinner at G and Papa house. Before the festivities began we decided as a family to visit the grave site of Kyle's oldest brother, Troy who died as an infant just days after he was born. G (Vicki) had arranged for each of us to lay a pink rose on the gravestone. It was a very special experience.

5) Remember when I talked about Licity and how anything can happen as long as she's wearing a white bow? Well, pink bows count as well. This is actually nail polish on her lips but she couldn't be more proud of how pretty she looks.

6) Licity is potty-training. I have nothing positive to say about that yet so I won't get into it, but I did need to explain why Licity may not have any clothes on in some photos.

) We decided to head to the cabin for New Year's with the Trejo's. I love that you can drive a couple of hours North and still find snow in Arizona! Besides the near fatal blow to Rechelle's head from a falling 80lbs. beam- we had a great time! Rechelle is okay and actually opted not to have stitches even though the gash in her head said otherwise. They stuck it out and we were able to go sledding just a few miles North of the cabin. Your such a trooper Rechelle! (I wish I had a photo of that- why didn't we think to take a picture!)

And that brings us to today... more potty training, and still nothing good to say about that. Maybe tomorrow.

Hope you all are also having an adventurous winter break!

Dear Santa...

2007-12-20T12:41:00.000-08:00

Dear Santa,

I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited their doctor's office more than my own doctor's, and sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground.I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmas', since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt, in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes:

I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze; but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store.

I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy.

If you're hauling big ticket items this year, I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music; a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals; and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools.

I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your brother", because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.

If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container.

If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely.

It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back.Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in to dry off so you don't catch cold.Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always, MOM

P.S. One more thing ...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children young enough to believe in Santa!

I found this on a friends blog and thought it was pretty close to reality- here's where it came from: http://www.sugardoodle.net/

Christmas Card Drama

2007-12-18T13:11:00.000-08:00

I don't think I have to tell anyone how difficult it can be to get your Christmas cards out. I'm pretty sure most of us stress over family pictures- coordinating outfits, finding the right day, not to mention getting everyone to sit still, smile and of course, no picking your nose. But when all is said and done, there's always the possibility that maybe you could end up pleasantly surprised. So here is the end result of our 2007 Christmas Card (and a few behind the scenes).

You might notice that it's not a family picture... much easier.

Savor this moment

2007-12-06T19:03:00.000-08:00

I've been waiting for an excuse to use this picture, but decided it was worth just putting up on it's own. Kyle HATES taking pictures. Family pictures are not welcome and individual shots are just pointless. So although he may be a bit bugged by me during this particular photo opt, he actually came across as the true hunk that I know and love...

What in the world??

2007-12-03T16:00:00.000-08:00

I was busy on the computer this morning but could hear Maci getting into something in the bathroom. I walked into find this

The crazy thing is, I have NO IDEA what she got into! I sheepishly admit there may be somethings on my bathroom floor that don't belong there, but when I looked to see what it was that she had smeared all over her face, I found nothing. I guess we'll never know.

White Ribbons

2007-11-30T08:56:00.000-08:00

Most people who know Licity would agree that she is one of the messiest little girls. Food on her face, no problem. Slobber on her chin, great. Lip gloss up to her ears, beautiful. So as a mother of my first little girl (and a skewed vision of what a little girl entails) I say, "How about a white ribbon?" Luckily, she has always tolerated the bows I put on her. So the next time I hear, "Mom, Licity's getting into your makeup." I just say, "but does she still have her bow in?"...

I've been tagged...

2007-11-13T15:40:00.000-08:00

I've been tagged by my friend Melissa. Which should be fun but I'm really struggling to think of 6 things about myself- or really just anything at all interesting so let me see what I can come up with...
1) I love my life! That sounds a bit cliche, but it's really how I feel. I have an amazing husband who is extremely handsome, hard working and honors his priesthood responsibilities and is of course a perfect daddy. And I have 3 beautiful and healthy children who (for the most part) really try their very best to make me happy. Not to mention a beautiful home to live in. What else do you need in life?
2) I have three triathlons on my resume and I'm determined that one day I'll be ready for more. I was 18 for my first one and came in 2nd place, I was 19 for the next one and came in 1st place, I was 22 and one-kid-later for the third one and was happy to not pass out when crossing the finish line. I have high hopes for the next one.
3) I enjoy dabbling in anything creative. I've tried sewing, scrap booking, knitting, quilting, photography, deco page, jewelry making, bow making, painting, wood work and many others that I try to block out from my memory. I love to be able to claim I know how to do things, but doing them well is a very different story.
4) I was quite the rebel growing up, and maybe, just slightly, still am. I really don't like doing things that people tell me to do. My poor mom- I'm really sorry... really, really sorry.
5) I watch soap operas. It's sad, I know. I really got into All My Children and actually record it so every once in a while I'll get behind and then have an All My children marathon. What a great way to numb the mind.
6) My favorite thing at the end of the day is to curl up next to Kyle with a cup of hot chocolate and a little treat that I've managed to hide from the kids and tune in to one of our many favorite (and very addicting) TV shows.

I'm not sure if that was at all interesting for anyone else but that was a lot of fun to take time to think about me. So Amy, Sarah and Lara you've been tagged!

Maci (May) 6 Months Old

2007-11-07T14:48:00.000-08:00

I can:

- Roll over (old news)

- crawl/scoot backwards

- Talk in high pitched squeals

- giggle when tickled under my chin (or back, legs, chest, tummy or feet)

- yell at my mom when hungry

- Smile for anyone who's watching

Flashback Friday... Wow Licity!

2007-11-02T12:14:00.000-07:00

This picture makes me laugh every time I see it! For anyone who doubted when I told you Licity was a REALLY big baby... she's only 4 months here. (And it's not just the picture, her head really is bigger than Ethan's.)

The art of Halloweening

2007-11-02T09:27:00.000-07:00

What is it about Halloween ? There's the costumes, the pumpkin patch, pumpkin carving, the cookie decorating, the Halloween party, the school parties (sugar cookies for Licity, candy for Ethan, games, treats, crafts and pictures for my preschool class). Then there's the actual Trick-or-treating with pictures and candy and... did the kids even eat dinner that night? Needless to say, we are glad it came and we are really glad that it went! Phew!

But, the kids did look really cute!

Halloween

Party in the Park

Pumpkin Patch

The dirtier the better!

2007-10-18T20:14:00.000-07:00

We went on the annual "camping on the beach" trip to Doheny, CA with our good friends the Nelsons... it pretty much rained the entire time. Rough on the parents, but SO much fun for the kids! It was dirty and sandy (and snotty), but was honestly one of the best trips all summer! Thank you Nelson family- we wish you were closer!

Ethan loved the sand! Each day he would build "the great wall" and wait for the tide to come up and wash it away.
Licity's vacation revolved around "lil' mermaid". It's amazing how entertaining one doll can be (sing, dance, swim, etc.).

Licity being "lil' mermaid"

Not even Maci could stay clean on this trip.

Highlight of the trip... one of Kyle's famous (way too scary) stories.

I'm back!

2007-10-17T16:28:00.000-07:00

Hooray! I finally have a camera again- I'm still not sure how it works, and the lighting is all off on all of these, but I'll get there. So here's what we've missed... Ethan continues to thrive in school. He is so excited about everything he learns and is easily enticed by whatever reward they're using at school. He's started the "Book It" program and is so focused on getting a free pizza (like we don't have pizza once a week anyway) that he will read both morning and night because that's what he thinks he needs to do. I love his determination and know how wonderful it is to not have to fight him on homework.

Licity is as crazy as ever. Her favorite thing is sitting on the counter in the bathroom making silly faces in the mirror, applying mommy's "lip glogs" (see also: slide show from September), or coloring with deodorant all over the mirror. Fun! She also loves her school but for very different reasons than Ethan- I would love to know who Hunter is? She is also impossible to get mad at- not because she doesn't do infuriating things, but because she is always smiling (especially when she's doing something wrong).

Maci is a busy baby. She's well on her way to crawling and is so intent on grabbing anything within reach. She went through a nightmare of a time switching to bottles, but she's adjusted now and is such a happy baby-She definitely has one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen on a baby.

My Smart Little Ethan

2007-10-10T15:46:00.000-07:00

So I asked Ethan a question about something that he had done the other day that I knew he didn't want to give me the answer to... after pausing for a long time and with a very dumbfounded look he finally said, "Well, I guess it's better to tell the truth than to lie." WAAWHO!!! He is listening! There is hope after all!

Where did September go?

2007-10-08T14:13:00.001-07:00

September flew by so instead of writing it all out, I thought these pictures could explain most of it.

Flashback Friday!

2007-10-01T15:30:00.000-07:00

Well I didn't quite get this done on Friday so really it's flashback Monday-- I heard someone else using this idea and thought it sounded fun. I'm going to start way back to the days when Kyle and I first met... It's been 8 years since I first saw him giving his talk in Sacrament meeting in the MCC 2nd Single Ward. I can't say love at first site because that's just cheesy, but I knew for sure this was a guy that I wanted to meet. A friend of mine introduced me to him... and his girlfriend, who was in town visiting. Fortunately, a couple weeks later, we were both running late and bumped into each other again in the parking lot (without the girlfriend). We started talking and there were definitely sparks -- until he went on to go sit with all his friends while I stood there alone... Anyway, I persisted and invited him to a "family home evening" that night-- which he stood me up... and again, I invited him to play soccer the following week-- which he failed to return my phone call -- until finally he did call. We talked all night long and I decided that I would try again to invite him out on a double date that my roommate and I had just planned. A couple nights later we went out and had a great time. He called first thing the next morning but then I didn't hear from him for 2 weeks! I was totally confused but I knew we had so much fun when we got together so I thought, "Okay, one more time." I had been given tickets to the circus and knew he was the only one I wanted to go with. After canceling a few of his own plans we met up and went on the most amazing date- we laughed, we flirted, we talked and we had our very first kiss... The rest is history. He proposed 6 months later and we were married four months after that on August 4th, 2000. I finally found out that there was a very good reason for his hesitation and it just showed me more of why he was such a great catch... and besides, 7 years of marriage and three kids later- I think everything worked out perfectly.

My Blue Eyed Thumb Sucker

2007-09-07T19:39:00.000-07:00

I know I shouldn't be excited about a thumb sucker, but I can't help but recognize the similarity she she has to me (not now of course), but thumb-sucking is what I did. My habit was a bit obsessive so we'll try to avoid that- but so far it's just at naptime and nighttime and it's just as she's falling asleep. Sure, I'm aware what a potential nightmare this may be, but for now, it's just so sweet.

Schools in Session

2007-09-06T16:23:00.000-07:00

I am totally loving school!! I really don't think it's because of my kids being out of the house (but yes, that's an added bonus). I just love how much I see my kids growing already and I can't take the credit... which seems like a down side but it really just eases my burden of being the only one invested in their well-being.

Ethan is at Noah Webster this year. I've always been excited about that, but never really knew what that entailed. Now I'm seeing how hard they push those kids, and luckily, Ethan is eating it up. He insists on doing everything right and loves when I tell him how smart he is now that he's in Kindergarten. What I would have done (if I had a working camera) is posted a picture of Ethan's first spelling test- not a 100% but pretty close and I am definitely a proud mama!

Licity tested in for the Amancer Program through the Gilbert School District. I knew she wasn't talking as much as Ethan and thought she might not be comprehending as well as she should by this age, so I took her in for an evaluation. She is now enrolled for a free, 5 day a week, with door-to-door bus service at the elementary preschool that is right in our neighborhood. I can't say for sure how she's doing in class, but she loves getting on the bus in the morning and is as happy as can be when she gets home. I'm just feeling really blessed with how everything has worked out this year.

Just getting started (original version)

2007-09-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

This is how new I am at this blogging... this post is actually the original post that I started with last month sometime that took like three days to write because of all of the interruptions and then when I came up to my computer to finish it I saw that someone had closed it out! Little did I know, it was here all along under 'drafts'. Duh! So here is the original McEuen Summery...

So, getting started on a 'blog spot' is a bit intimidating! I figure it's easier to just start rather than obsess about all of the different frills to add. So here we go...

This is my family; Kyle, my husband- he's 29 and started a fairly new job as a Client Manager (??) for this newer company which is sounding a little sketchy as I'm writing this but is a surprisingly good place for us to be at right now. He's the world's best dad- I couldn't ask for anyone more perfect with the kids and also as a husband. I'm extremely lucky to have him.

Ethan is our oldest- he turned 5 last May. He has to be the smartest kid I know, so intuitive. He can argue any point and often ends up winning (legitimately). With that, there is good and bad- I am anxious for the good to start paying off but I'm afraid that might be few years away. We do love how often he makes us laugh (in amazement). He also uses his determination in sports which he loves! He's really good at soccer (if I do say so myself) and basketball and baseball and .... He's a fun kid!

Licity is our middle child (although I don't think she realizes that yet). She just turned 3 in August but seems determined to be the baby of the family- I think we need to stop spoiling her so much. She is a funny little girl- so happy! She's impossible to discipline because of her adorable smile (and she knows how to work it)!

Maci is the baby- almost four months now. She gave us a scare the first couple of months with her sleeping habits (or non-sleeping habits), but she has totally come around. She seems to just wait for you to look her way so she can smile back at you. She's still trying to figure out a schedule but is so content that it doesn't really matter if she's awake all day.

I feel so boring that I won't go into me- really, talking about my family says everything about me... they are my life. I do have a few other things that occupy my time- I love scrapbooking but am two plus years behind on my family, I also love reading a good book and since I'm being honest I'm really into a few (too many) TV shows. I won't name all of them but my favorite is The Office.

Anyway, that's enough to get started... I'll add more details as they come.

My Wonderful Husband

2007-09-05T20:19:00.000-07:00

I showed my husband my blog and his comment was one I hadn't considered...
"Nothing about a husband, huh?"

I know I have pictures of him on here, but I don't think I have even mentioned having a husband. So here it is...

KYLE MCEUEN IS THE BEST HUSBAND EVER!

I love you honey!

By the way- it was really hard to find a picture of him alone (or with me). I promise to be better about including him in our family.

Broken Camera

2007-09-05T13:29:00.000-07:00

What a bummer! My camera broke- just after I started this blogging thing... I figured I'd still write, but it's not near as fun without pictures to go with.

Rees Family Reunion 2007

2007-08-27T17:32:00.000-07:00

Our most recent trip was to Park City, UT. It was so fun to see everyone! If I had it my way, all 9 of the Rees clan would be living right next to eachother in their own private culisac... or neighborhood. But until then we'll have to settle on our reunions to bring us all together. Here's some fun photos...

Just getting started

2007-08-27T17:05:00.000-07:00