The Philadelphia Griffitts

Catching Up Again

2012-01-12T20:29:00.000-08:00

I am going to attempt to cover the last few months...try to keep up.

OCTOBER

This little guy is growing up. In October he got his first teeth and was rolling everywhere.

Kyle continued to love preschool. These are his dino feet.

In October I took Emma and Abby to Vegas to catch up with some awesome ladies. These fabulous women were all friends from Philly and running in a Rager race. I have never wanted to be a runner more just so I could spend more time with these ladies but it was fun just to see them before and after their race. It was my first trip away from my boys and I missed them more than I imagined but it was an awesome trip.

I was not the only one who got to catch up with old friends. Emma and Abby were friends with Maggie and Audrey our first year in Philly and even though they only see each other occasionally they are great friends.I just love this picture. My boys working!

We carved pumpkins and contrary to Abby's face she really enjoyed it.

Kyle REALLY wanted to be Lightning McQueen and with a little help from the Internet and Trevor I was able to make it happen. I have never had more fun making a costume. The look on his face when he saw it was so worth the time.

This the the best pic I could get...these kids did not want to stop collecting candy.

The preschool group...love these kids.

My favorite costume of the year...Nacho! He was missing his cape for this pic but you get the point.

WAY TO MUCH CANDY!!!

NOVEMBER

We had Thanksgiving at our house this year. It was so much fun! Emma made a fruit turkey with Grandma and Aunt Kaylee. She was pretty pleased with it.

We managed to get everyone sitting around the table. I really appreciated all my blessing this year. It was so fun to be surrounded by friends and family.

Abby turned into curly sue one Sunday morning.

Abby was student of the month. Her teacher had really nice things to say about her. Her award said "Abby has a positive attitude, works hard and gets along with all her classmates. Simply put she is WONDERFUL! I enjoy working with her and I sure do appreciate her."

DECEMBER

This little man started to crawl and sit in the same weekend. None of my kids moved this early and I am not sure that I am ready for it but it sure does make him happy.

This girls built their tallest tower yet with a little help from Trevor.

Cowboy Zac dressed up by sister Abby.

Glasses courtesy of you guessed it...Abby.

We took a trip to the LA temple to see the Christmas lights. It was actually a warm night and we were a little over dressed but we still enjoyed our hot chocolate when we were done. One happy happy family.

We decorated gingerbread houses. I love the difference between the girls sides of the houses. Emma's is pretty neat and organized.

Abby stuck as much candy as she could on her side. I am surprised the roof did not collapse.

This guy just ate candy but he was happy.

We went to the science museum and the kids got to make gingerbread go karts. They were kind of a pain to make but we were all amazed when they actually rolled down the track (the wheels were make out of ritz crackers!!!)

Christmas Eve was perfect! We had an amazing dinner cooked by my hubby on our new grill. This pic cracks me up because we were so excited about starting a fire. It is so funny to see them in front of the fire in shorts.After dinner we did the nativity story. My parents were great sports. My dad got to play all three wise men since we were a little short on actors.

Then we opens some gifts. My kids are very lucky.

Love those eyes!

Christmas morning was lots of fun. Trevor was able to round early and make it home for presents and church which was the best Christmas gift of all!

LOVE HER FACES!

Hers are pretty good too!

It was tough to get this kid to even look at the camera. He was way to interested in his toys.

Emma got her American Girl doll from Santa.

Abby got her Polly Pocket Race to the Concert set.

Kyle loved his tools although you can't tell from his face.

Proof Zac was there.

After all the fun of Christmas was had even more fun at Knotts with my Aunt Lisa and Uncle Brad and their daughter Jenna. Emma said it was the best trip to Knotts EVER!

Next up was Abbys birthday. Grandma and Grandpa Griffitts sent some money for Abby to pick out her own American Girl doll. We decided to keep it a suprise. From the parking lot the girls could see the Hollywood sign which from their reaction could have been Abbys gift.

Here she is talking to Grandpa finding out where she get to go.

Abby chose a look a like doll complete with glasses and freckles.

My girls with their dolls.

Abby wanted a three layer cake. My mom was kind enough to make one for her and then let her decorate it with left over christmas candy.

Abbys traditional birthday dinner...waffles.

And then there were more presents...a Lego game from Grandma and Grandpa.

A really cool shirt from Aunt Shayla that she can color with special markers and then wear. When it is washed the colors come off and she can color it again.

Emma gave her a coupon book which included things like a room cleaning, a closet cleaning and all sorts of other things Abby does not like to do.

After Abbys birthday we got to celebrate my Grandma's birthday who was visiting from Boston. My Grandma is an amazing woman. Just being in the same room with her makes me feel good. She is everything I hope to be. Here she is with some of her grandkids.

Here she is with my kiddos. They love her as much as I do. There is just something about her and I love her!

Well there is a random recap of our crazy life. Hopefully this year with bring more consistent blogging although I can't promise and less crazyness.

Crazy Hair Day and Student of the Month

2011-09-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

The girls school had crazy hair day this week. The girls actually had tame hair in comparison to some of their classmates. The school smelled like hair spray!
Emma was also student of the month!!! She is a fantastic student and a great example to all her friends. She continues to love reading and met her AR goal for the trimester within the first couple of weeks of school. She ended up setting a new goal for herself and I have no doubt she will achieve it.

Mommy Preschool

2011-09-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

Kyle started school last week with two of his friends. This week we learned all about the letter A. We made applesauce, decorated apples, made apple up on top hats, pretended to be animals and made animal cookies. It was a fun week with some CUTE kiddos!

The Boys Stats

2011-09-23T16:36:00.001-07:00

Last week both boys had their well visits...here are their stats.

Kyle
weight 36 pounds 90th percentile
height 40 inches 96th percentile

Zac
weight 15 pounds 13 ounces 75th percentile
height 26 3/4 inches 96th percentile

4 months

2011-09-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

Zac is 4 months old already. He is so much fun to have around. He has recently learned how to roll over both directions and does not like being on his back at all!!! As soon as I lay him down he will flip right over onto his tummy. He is discovering his hands and working really hard on trying to figure out how to put things in his mouth. He mostly settles for just chewing on his own hands. It is always easy to get a smile out of him but giggles are a little harder to come by. His feeding issues seem to be resolved. He has finished therapy and we are just waiting for a repeat swallow study to make sure everything is okay. He has pretty bad reflux and as of today he is on four different medicines. Hopefully they will help because it is so hard to see him uncomfortable. He is such a good natured guy when he is feeling well. He is still a great sleeper which I am VERY grateful for. His brother and sisters adore him and we can't remember what life was like without him.

Wonder Boy is 3!!!

2011-09-23T15:10:00.000-07:00

Our miracle boy had a fabulous birthday. It is so fun living near family so that they can help us celebrate and this little guy got spoiled!

Kyle really was not sure what to do with the presents. He had quite a pile but every time he opened a gift he had to play with it right away so it took a while to get them all opened.

I have decided that buying toys for boys is way easier and more fun than buying for girls. Pretty much anything with wheels is sure to be a winner.Who knew that watching cars race in a circle could bring HOURS of entertainment.

Flashing lights and noise are also go over really well.

Another track=even more hours of entertainment!

This year Kyle asked for a yellow cake which I was happy to provide. I don't do cake decorations and I was afraid he was going to ask for a Lightening McQueen cake. Dyeing frosting is more up my alley.

Such focus and determination. I think it took about three tries!

LOVED the ice cream...did not touch the cake.

Kyle is doing REALLY well. To look at him now you would never know what a rough start he had. He knows all the letters and their sounds, can count to 20 and is finally getting his colors straight. He continues to get stronger every day and for the most part keeps up just fine with his friends at the park. He is off all of his meds except for his inhaler. He loves the movie CARS and could line up his cars for hours on end. He is still the pickiest eater EVER!!! but he did attempt spaghetti for the first time last week and liked it. He likes to play with his sister and build towers with Legos. He is working on learning to ride a tricycle and loves anything outside. We love this little man and we are so grateful to have him in our home and to be part of the miracle that his life is!

Baby Zac

2011-08-22T14:16:00.000-07:00

Little Zac has been neglected in the posting department. He is about 3 1/2 months old and a sweet baby. I can't remember what he weighed at his 2 month visit but it was somewhere around 12 pounds and he was in the 75 percentile for height and weight. Just after his two month visit he had a sleep study and a pH probe which is really just as bad as it looks. He did not sleep much which kind of defeats the whole idea of a sleep study. The room was small and hot and they did not have a cirb for him to sleep in so he was baricaded into a normal bed. Every time he would fall asleep one of those blasted leads would be out of place and the tech would have to come in and replace it and in the process wake poor Zac up. The study was done and we knew we would not get any results until after our vaction so I just put it out of my mind. In the meantime Zac pulled out his feeding tube and started eating full feedings without any problem (I credit his vital stimulation therapy for the amazing turn around) and sleeping much better. While on vacation he started eating 8 oz a feeding and sleeping 8 hours at night. We did get results of the pH probe while we were on vacations which showed that he had pretty bad reflux. Trevor brought up his new medicine when he came to Idaho and Zac started sleeping even longer at night and being much happier durning the day.

The cranio facial pediatrician gave us the results of his sleep study which showed 2 epidodes of sleep apnea but his oxygen levels never went below 85%. He still wants us to follow up with ENT so see if it is an airway problem but I think that it was related to his reflux and now that we have that under control he is sleeping great.

He is a really happy guy most of the time. He loves to be talked to and has really found his voice and can "talk" back. He can roll from his belly to his back and he is trying to figure out how to use his hands. It is easy to get a smile out of him and he is even starting to laugh. He moved into his room with Emma this weekend and is sleeping great! We love him and can't imagine life without him.

Happy Birthday Emma

2011-08-22T13:28:00.000-07:00

On August 13th Emma turned 9 and we celebrated with a pool party. This was Emma's first official birthday party and I have to say that I never want to do a party any other way. When there is a pool involved that is pretty much the only planning you need to do. Emma even wanted PB&J for lunch so the food was even easy! The cute girls in the hot tub from left to right Riley, Jillian, Robin, Emma, Amanda, Louanna, and Abby.

Kyle loved being the only boy at the party and enjoyed "pushing" the girls in the pool.

Blowing out her candle and her ice cream cookie sandwiches.

They were messy but good.Kyle enjoyed his too.

Presents are always fun and with Emma they are a blast. She get super excited about EVERYTHING. If you ever have to buy Emma something know that she will LOVE whatever you give her.

Barbies and Polly Pockets are what she is into this year.

No idea what she is opening, I just love the face.

Pure joy!

Grandpa had a special gift for Emma out in his car...his baseball hat with built in reading lights. Emma has had her eye on that hat since he got it and the scream she let out when he gave it to her was priceless. Now she can read in bed even when Zac is sleeping.

Happy Birthday girl!

I forgot to take an after picture when the curlers came out but trust me she was cute! Here are 9 things that I love about Emma in no particular order...

1. She has a pure testimony of the gospel. She loves her scriptures and going to church and she is never embarrassed to say what she believes.

2. She is a fabulous big sister. She plays well with both Abby and Kyle and she is always willing to hold Zac when I need a free hand.

3. She loves to clean and organize things. She is in a room with Zac which she always keeps clean. I even find her cleaning my room sometimes.

4. She is a good friend. On the first day of school I was walking her to class and I was amazed at the number of kids who said hi to her and she was equally friendly to all of them.

5. She loves to read. She recently finished all the Harry Potter books and she also likes Nancy Drew. She will read just about anything she can get her hands on.

6. She loves the water. She is always trying to get me to go in with her. When we were in Idaho on vacation and I jumped in the lake she said to me afterwards "Mom you did it!!! I really did not think that you would!"

7. She has a sweet tooth. Emma loves her sweets but she also tries to eat healthy even when that means eating something that she does not like.

8. Emma is addicted to Phineas and Ferb. We don't have cable but she has seen every episode on Netflix multiple times and can sing most of the songs.

9. Emma always tries her best. She is very dedicated and consistent with anything she sets her mind to. I am so glad that she is my oldest. She is an amazing example to everyone she meets.

Visitors

2011-08-22T13:12:00.001-07:00

When we got back from vacation we had some friends come and ease us back into real life. It is so nice to have such great friends just a short drive away. We spent a day at the beach. It was cold at first but it turned into a beautiful day. Unfortunately when the sun did come out it was not very nice to our visitors skin :(

This is Emma before she "got swept out to sea." (That is how she describes it.) There was a pretty strong rip tide that day and she was playing with a new friend and they got out farther than they realized. They were having a hard time getting back to shore when I heard Emma start calling for help. Luckily there were two boys about 10 years old who were close enough to swim over and let the girls have their boogie boards so that they could get back to shore. Emma was a little shaken up but a healthy dose of reality is good for her because sometimes she is too brave from her own good.

I did not get my camera out much which I am really disappointed about but I did get a couple of the kids eating dinner one night.

Some things never change and I am so glad.

On the last day of Angies visit we got a visit from our friends the Palmers who were passing through on their way to Utah. It was so nice to visit together and be reminded how blessed I have been in my life to have GREAT friends. I am so glad Angie was able to visit. We did not do much other than eat, chat, and referee our kids but sometimes those are the best kinds of visits.

VACATION!!!

2011-08-21T15:28:00.000-07:00

***WARNING***Picture overload ahead :) We have been back for two weeks now and I can't seem to find my groove...I miss these faces too much. It was the first time we had all been together in five years and we definitely made up for lost time.

You may notice Kyle is not in this picture...the boy CAN NOT sit still!

We were able to stay with my sister for a couple of days and her in-laws were so nice to let my kids take a spin on the four wheelers. Don't let Abby's face fool you...she LOVED it! Uncle John let Emma drive!!! She could not stop talking about it all the way home.

Kyle did not want his turn to end. He kept saying "I got to ride the tractor!"

I am pretty sure he would have been happy to sit and pretend on it all night long.

Ashlyn was my buddy the whole vacation but it had nothing to do with me and everything to do with baby Zac. Any time Zac was awake she was right by my side asking questions and doing everything she could think of to help.

Ava also loved holding baby Zac. You can tell she is a great big sister.

I think Viviann was just happy to have someone smaller than her. She was very sweet with Zac.

I don't even remember what these things were called but Grandma told the kids that if they got the ends wet they would stick together. It did not take Abby five seconds to realize that they stuck to more than just each other.

Everyone else had to get in on the action too.

We took the kids to get lunch at the elementary school one day and it was Kyles favorite...hot dogs and chocolate milk. The little kids really liked being able to eat in the cafeteria and the moms liked not having to make lunch.

The kids got to put on a play with Grandmas help. Emma got to be the monkey queen.

The costumes were awesome and the kids did great remembering their lines.

After the play the audience was treated to some songs.

Another night we played Minute to Win it and even Kyle got into the action. He is trying to balance dice on the end of a popsicle stick.

Some serious competition between Grandpa and...

Grandma. Those pesky golf balls did not cooperate very well.

Trying to get the Oreo into their mouths. Kyle though this was REALLY silly and just put the cookie right into his mouth.

Tissues out of the box with one hand...tougher than it looks.

Stacking chap stick with chop sticks...very tricky even with steady surgeon hands.

The grand kids got to do some golfing with Grandpa. Emma turned out to be a natural and was sent home with some clubs to practice with.

I love this picture...especially the clubs falling out of Ava's bag and she has no idea.

He was a little bit dangerous with a club, but he did finally manage to give the ball a whack.

We had lots of fun with the fire pit. Notice the size of those marshmallows!!!

It took a while to toast those monster mallows and they were overly sweet for me but what they lacked in taste they more than made up for in...

STICKINESS!!!

Fire, a stick, sugar, and Grandpa! The perfect combination. Kyle actually did not like the sticky marshmallow but he loved his chocolate gram cracker sandwich.

More messy goodness.

Even Grandma had a tough time containing the goo.

Big enough to do it on his own!

We had an unbirthday party complete with a water balloon launcher. The kids were really getting some great distance.

Kyle thought that this was AWESOME and become the water balloon loader.

Abby had great form!

Here Trevor and Bud are reminding us all just how mature they really are. They are seeing how many grapes they can fit in their mouths. I think they got up to 24!

We took a drive up to Sandpoint to see Darbye and Lyle's cabin. The kids loved throwing rocks into the pond.

Catching some serious air.

Before we made the drive back we ate at Mick Duffs. Yummy!

Swimming in the lake was a favorite passtime even if it was COLD!

Abby taking the plunge.

Taking a break to warm up on the sand.These guys were not outdone but their kids...they jumped in too a litte later.Muscle man arms! He got in too. I don't think kids can feel cold!

There goes Trevor.

I could not be shown up by my kids and my husband so I jumped in too...twice! The first time with Heather but I can't get those pictures to load and the second time with my sisters.It actually was not as bad the second time!Glad I had great people to encourage me.

The kids made monster shirts with Aunt Heather who has a gift with puffy paint. Here is Kyle's.

Abby'sEmma'sWe had great intentions of doing the Mudgey and Miley trail but settled for just one stop because it was HOT and we were tired. My kids have had this book for years so it was fun for them to actually see the statue.

Abby loved being able to sit in his antlers.

Kyle did not want to get down! He though Mudgey was way cool.

We went to Silverwood which was lots of fun. This is the only picture that I have of the girls because they did not want to stop moving from one fun thing to the next.

They waited in line for a while for this one but Emma informed me that is was "totally awesome" so I think that it was worth it. Abby went on it too. She found a new sense of bravery here and even rode her first real roller coaster!

Proof that I was there too!

This little guy loves water as long as he is in control. He does not like to be squirted or surprised in any way but give him the hose and he will soak anyone in range.

He really did not like this slide becasue at the top there is a sprayer that gets you as you go down but he did it a few times for the camera. Our last day was spent taking family pictures in the morning and then we got to go to a Trash Can dinner. I was not sure about the whole idea but it ended up being a lot of fun. Karina and her family came and brought my Mom and Dad so that only added to the fun.There was a steep hill to get down to where we ate so the host used this to bring down all the supplies. Kyle thought it was the next best thing to his "tractor" that Unlce John let him drive.

My Dad with his son in laws.

These kids had no problem entertaining themselves while they waited for dinner to be served.

Here is how they cooked dinner.

Most of the gang waiting for the food to be dumped.

I guess they usually dump it on a huge tarp on the ground but since there was a dog around they decided to dump it on the table.

Abby thouught it was worth the wait! (Abby got glasses while we were on vacation and a hair cut...she aged five years right before my eyes.)

The Dad's waiting their turn.

What a cute bunch of kids. It was a great way to end our vaction. We are so glad that we got to see so much of our family and just enjoy being together. Lets not wait another five years!!!

Fourth of July Weekend

2011-07-07T21:48:00.000-07:00

We had an extra long and wonderful 4th. Trevor was finishing up his Medicine rotation and the attending gave him the last two days of his rotation off. We started it off with a trip to see Cars 2 which was a great movie but it had a little too much plot and not enough McQueen for Kyle. He spent that last half of the movie doing laps around the theater but the girls loved it. The next day we decided to use our passes to Soak City and it was the perfect water park day. Zac pulled his tube out as soon as we got there so I had to get a picture of his cute tube free face. He did great at the water park and spent most of the day asleep in the sling.

The water park had a huge area that was perfect for Kyle. He was not quite brave enough this time to conquer the slides but he loved the different sea animals.

Abby liked the slides but she preferred the bigger ones. I have no pictures of Emma because she was constantly moving from one slide to the next with the wave pool and the lazy river thrown in the mix.

This was Kyles favorite part of the water park. It had different pipes that you could use to cover different holes and make water come out of new places. He spent at least 45 minutes playing with it and scarring away any other kids who even looked at it.

After the water park Trevor dropped us off at my parents house before heading home to start his first day of his second year :) I have very mixed emotions about the second year. It was a milestone that I have been looking forward to since we started last July but really there is not much difference. In fact I think that he may be even busier. He works so hard and I am so grateful for all that he does for our family. He always seems to have his priorities straight. We spent Friday running errands with Grandma and then when Grandpa came home Kyle got to do his most favorite thing and help Grandpa mow the lawn.

On Saturday we tried to escape the heat by heading to the beach with every other person in Southern California. It was crowded but still a great beach day. This little man LOVES the sand. He likes that water but most of his time is spent rolling in the sand. He even put his head in the sand a few times and pushed it around like a bulldozer. It took a few baths to get all the sand unstuck from his scalp.

This little gal loves the sand even more than her brother!

This is the only picture I have of Emma because she is 100% water girl. This was a rare moment out of the water examining shells with Aunt Kaylee would was able to come down from Provo for a quick visit.

Zac was a little fussier on this trip to the beach but once he fell asleep he was out for a while and seemed pretty content.

Taking a well deserved break!

On the 4th we started the day off with a great breakfast put on by my parents stake. They have been doing it for years and have it down to an art. There was enough food to feed an army which included eggs, pancakes, muffins, fruit, milk, juice and ice cream.

You can't see their plates in this picture but both girls were loaded up. Emma ate at least 6 pancakes and Abby ate her weight in muffins and fruit.

Zac started smiling this weekend and we showing off for Grandpa.

He really likes his Grandpa!

After a relaxing afternoon and yummy grilled kabobs we headed down to watch the high school fireworks. We were so glad that Trevor could spend most of the day with us!

Abby was a little sad because she wanted to be closer to the fireworks. She told me that she wanted it to be the best 4th of July ever and she needed to be closer for that to happen. Once the fireworks started she seems a lot happier with our location.

Kyle was not sure about the fireworks at first but as soon as he saw the cool lights that went with the loud noises he LOVED it. He kept saying "I watch the fireworks go BOOM!"

Proof that we were there too!

It was a great weekend! We love our family.

The Garden

2011-06-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we went out to check the garden and could not believe what we found! There is nothing like fresh picked treats from the garden.

This cucumber looks like it should be ready to enjoy soon.

These little beauties were yummy and I don't even like tomatoes!

This bush is loaded. It has been a success so far...now we just need to get rid of our little friend the gopher before he steals the rest of our tomatoes.

Sunday Morning Miracle

2011-06-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

It is tough getting four kids ready for church by myself, but a miracle occurred in our home this morning... All four kids dressed and happy in time to snap a few pictures.

Kyle really loves Zac. He is always aware of where he is and what he is doing. He does not even mind when Zac cries. He just says "Zac is talking!" They are really starting to look alike now that Zac is putting on some weight.

I am one lucky Mom!!!

Beach Day

2011-06-23T14:14:00.001-07:00

Trevor had a day off so we decided to escape the scorching heat of the Inland Empire and head to the beach. She loved every minute of the day in the sun!

Kyle got wiped out on his first trip down to the water and spent the rest of the day just playing in the sand. I am not complaining because it was a lot easier to keep track of him. I am just hoping that he will give the water another try next time.

This is where I spent the first part of the day. Our friends let us borrow this awesome tent. It set up in about 10 seconds which was perfect since neither Trevor or I am very good with anything camping related.

This is why there is sand in every crevice by the time we are done.

Gotta love that face!

This little guy seemed right at home. I think the sound of the waves lulled him to sleep and he took his best nap ever.

Snack time! I think that Kyle ate more sand than cookie but he was happy.

There is a sand crab somewhere in that mound of sand. Abby was an expert at catching them this trip.

This girl has no fear. There was a pretty tough riptide but that did not stop her. She got wiped out a few times but she just got up and went back for more.

We already can't wait for the next beach day!

We love Grandpa

2011-06-23T14:00:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we got to celebrate my Dad's birthday. That has to be one of my favorite things about living here is being able to celebrate happy occasions together. It is something that I missed living on the east coast. This is a picture from a few weeks ago and I just thought that it was cute.

To celebrate we went out to dinner at Lucille's which has to be the best BBQ place I have ever been to (it could have something to do with the really long wait and the fact that I was starving but their biscuits were heavenly)

Trying to keep Kyle entertained while we waited for our table. He finally got a hold of Trevors iPhone and was happy.

What a great looking bunch! Zac was SOOO good while we were out. It must have something to do with being held by his awesome grandma!SO much good food! Even my picky eater Abby who does not like ANY kind of sauce on her food thought the BBQ chicken was yummy. Kyle on the other hand ate french fries, strawberry lemonade and mini M&M's since there were no hot dogs on the menu!

After dinner we went back to the house for cake. Kyle was so excited to see the candles and tried to blow them all out himself.

The sugar high had just started. The girls were just as excited as Grandpa when he opened his gifts. It was a great day spent with a great guy. Happy Birthday Dad!

One Month

2011-06-12T13:23:00.000-07:00

In some ways it is hard to believe that it has been a month and in other ways it has been the longest month ever. The good news is that I am feeling so much better and am even getting antsy to start exercising again (I am sure I can find time somehow...I hope!) The hard part has been that Zac has struggled to gain weight. For some reason this picture makes him look huge and I love it, but trust me he is only a couple ounces bigger than he was when he was born.

He really is a sweet little guy. He has some upcoming tests that will hopefully help us know how we can help him eat better and feel more comfortable so we can see more pictures...

like this. Zac is a good baby but he does not have very much quiet alert time. He seems uncomfortable a lot of the time and the OT we saw last week thinks that he has a swallowing problem or possibly reflux.

This face sums up how he feels about his feedings.

We love our little Zac and are looking forward to watching him grow and getting to know his personality better.

Zachary Robert Griffitts

2011-05-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

It is really about time that I have gotten around to posting about our new little man... I had a scheduled repeat c-section on the 10th. We got the girls off to school, Kyle to a babysitter, and headed to the hospital with a packed bag. It was the first time that Trevor and I have gone to the hospital together to have a baby. He has always made it in the past to the deliveries but it was so nice to have him there from start to finish. We were suppose to have an 11:00 delivery but we got bumped for a couple of more urgent deliveries which was fine except I was starving!!! A little after 2:00 it was finally our turn. I went back to the operating room where they put in the spinal block (my least favorite part of the whole experience!) and then they let Trevor come back. It was a really long procedure for a c-section but there was lots of old scar tissue from the last delivery and my placenta had also started to detach before the delivery. At 2:56 Zac was born.

I just got a peek at him before they took him over to clean him up and check him out.

Another hard part about a c-section is the separation from baby. While I was in recovery Zac spent some time with the nursery nurses. It was SO HARD to wait to get to see him.

Look at the size of those feet!!! He weighed 7 pounds 10 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long (although I don't think they stretched him out all the way because at his doctor visit six days later he was almost 21 inches).

Here he is all bundled up and waiting for his Mommy!

It was so fun to finally get to hold him. He looked a lot like my Grandpa and my Dad with a little Kyle mixed in. I did not get to snuggle with him for long before his other visitors arrived and wanted a turn.

Kyle loves Zac which I am so thankful for. He always wants to know where baby Zac is and he wants to "pet" him all the time. He is not bothered by Zac's crying and he just says "Baby Zac is talking!"

Abby loved holding Zac and she is very helpful if I need anything.Emma is going to be an excellent little mom. In the last week she has gotten a lot more comfortable holding Zac and she can't wait to have more responsibility.

Very happy Dad!

Grandpa drove out to see him and loved every second he got to hold baby Zac while he lobbied for his name to be Augustino because he really did look like my Grandpa.

My Mom is an awesome grandma, although she looks too young to have five grand kids!

Auntie Shayla got to be the first Aunt to hold him which I am pretty sure puts her at the top of the list of favorite aunts right now since she is the only one he has met :)

Family of six!!! Still hard to believe.

Zachy all ready to go home in his oufit picked out by his Dad. I love that it is warm enough here for him to wear shorts already!

Being a patient waiter while we got ready to leave.

Loved his car seat which is a relief since he has three busy siblings and will be spending a lot of time in it soon.

Relaxing at home!

Napping with Dad.

Playing with Dad.

Napping with Emma!

First bath at home.

He did not like having his body washed at all but calmed right down when it was time to have his hair washed.

Resting with Dad again when it was all over.

***This is where the pictures end and I have to record the rest of what has gone on in the last week. Feel free to stop reading now as this is just for journal keeping sake***

The days after bring Zac home were really tough on me. I just kept telling myself that it was because I have never had a c-section and brought the baby home right away and I had never had four kids before. I really just felt awful. I was more tired than I could ever remember being and simple things like walking to the bathroom and taking showers left me wiped out. I had a headache that I could not get rid of even with the strong drugs they give you after a c-section. On the Tuesday after Zac was born I went back to the hospital to have my incision checked because when I left the hospital there were two small openings that needed to be watched. The docs were happy with the incision but when I told them about how I was feeling they did some blood work and found that my iron was really low. I ended up getting two units of blood and being sent home. The next day I felt a little better and thought that the problem was fixed. As the day went on I could tell that my milk supply was really low which was strange because I had been pumping off the excess for the last couple of days because there was so much. By Thursday morning I had nothing and I became even more of a wreck. Zac had already lost so much weight that the doctor wanted me to supplement and I felt horrible that I was starving my baby and that was before I lost my milk. On Friday I decided to go back to the hospital because the headache was back and I just felt like something was wrong. They did an ultrasound and found that I had a LARGE clot and lots of blood still in my uterus so they had to go back in and clean everything out. I have to say general anesthesia is brutal, I feel like I got hit by a truck but overall I think things have taken a turn for the better. Retained placental fragments is a reason to loose milk so now that that is taken care of I can work on getting my milk back and teaching baby Zac how to eat again. Although it has been a rocky road I am so thankful to have Zac in our home and to once again be shown how good the people around me are. We have received so much help and support through all of this and I am truly grateful!

Easter Fun

2011-04-26T13:56:00.000-07:00

We had a really nice Easter weekend. We were lucky that Trevors vacation included the weekend. On Saturday we went to a friends house for a yummy BBQ and egg hunt. While the Daddy's were hiding the eggs outside all the kids had a special lesson on Easter symbols and why we celebrate Easter. They were all really well behaved considering that they all knew that as soon as the lesson was over the hunting would begin.

Kyle was a pro at shaking the egg and deciding if the candy was worth keeping or not.

Emma racing to find another egg. All three kids came home with full baskets.

After the hunt we went home and colored some eggs. Kyle has never eaten an egg. I have tried to give them to him in every form imaginable but I never thought about leaving the shell on. We did stop him before he managed to bite through.

Trying so hard to get the right color that she won't even look up at the camera.

This is Abbys perfect kind of activity as you can tell by the smile.

We managed to only spill one cup of dye this year so I am considering it a complete success.

Unfortunately this is the only picture I took on Easter. He looks like he is in a sugar coma. We had a great day with even better company. I really like Easter. When the choir sang I Know that My Redeemer Lives I received a powerful witness of how blessed I am to truly know that He really does live. I am thankful for my Savior and the power of the Atonement in my life.

Vacation

2011-04-25T20:38:00.000-07:00

We just enjoyed a great week of vacation! I am not sure who needed it more, me or Trevor but we really had a good time. We started off the week with a visit from Trevors sister Darbye and her family. The girls and I had not seen her since before her mission almost five years ago so it was fun to see her and meet her hubby and cute little Tenley who is probably the most easy going baby I have ever met.

The weekend was HOT!!! The girls have been asking since November when they would get to go back to the pool so they were thrilled when I told them I thought it was hot enough. The water was still cold but it was a good alternative to the 95 degree weather.

Can you tell that someone is excited!

Kyle was content to play on the steps with his water toys. We found a lady bug in the water and played with that for quite a while. About 20 minutes later he held up his finger and said to me "Look Mommy another lady bug!" You can imagine my horror when I saw he had a giant wasp on his finger. I am pleased to report that I stayed calm and quickly dunked his hand under the water and told him that we don't play with those kind of lady bugs!

We were also lucky to meet up with some friends from Philly. It was a little chilly at the beach at first but it warmed up and my girls were sad that they did not have their swim suits although that did not stop them from getting wet and sandy.

We also put in some tomato plants in our back yard. We think that we may have a gopher so hopefully the plants will survive long enough for us to enjoy some fruit.

Kyle was quite the little helper!

Roma tomatoes, two varieties of of cherry tomatoes and one cucumber plant.

We ate A LOT during vacation week. The girls enjoyed chocolate covered treats at Market Night. Emma has a dipped banana with smashed oreos and Abby has a dipped ice cream bar with Lucky Charms. Trevor and I split the best funnel cake I have ever had!

This place also happened to open up during vacation week so of course we had to see if it was as good as we remembered. I have to say that after having In and Out and Five Guys in the same week there is no contest! I would take a Five Guys burger any day!

On Friday the girls had a half day at school so after lunch we headed out to Palm Springs to try out our water park passes. Emma was SOOOO excited to see all the windmills along the way.

The park was WAY crowded but it was clean and we all had a great time. This is Abby trying to keep up with Emma on the lazy river.

Emma had pretty much died and gone to heaven. I have to say that I was a little jealous. I could not go on anything! Of course I was expecting not to be able to do any of the slides but the Lazy River...come on that has to be a pregnant woman's dream come true!

Trevor took Kyle and it took him a minute to warm up to the idea but then he really liked it.

Emma has turned into one brave kiddo! When Trevor told me that she went down this slide I did not believe him. He said that when he was watching her come down there were some teenagers behind him who were way impressed that someone so young conquered the big slide. Emma was pretty pleased with herself and is now ready to try all the roller coasters at Knotts Berry Farm!

Abby also found a slide she liked. She said it was pitch black inside but still fun.

Even Kyle found a water slide just his size.

On Saturday we headed out to watch an Angels game. The most exciting part for Abby was the walk into the stadium. As soon as we found our seats she asked me when half time was so that she would know when it was going to be over.

Emma was VERY excited, just like she is for anything new and she even told me that she HAD to wear red to the game to support the Angles.

This little guy was a handful but I have to say that we made it all 9 innings. How did we do that you might ask...

we let him eat and ....

and eat....

and eat and...

and then eat some more. Between the ice cream and the jelly beans who wouldn't be happy. It was a great vacation and I am counting down the days till the next one!

They are Related!

2011-04-25T20:33:00.000-07:00

So this is Abby at 2 1/2...she made herself a zebra... This is Kyle at the same age...he is a more colorful zebra.

Maybe their Mom should keep a closer eye on her kids :)

Student of the Month

2011-04-25T20:26:00.000-07:00

Warning...Mommy bragging ahead... A couple of weeks ago Abby got an award for being the student of the month in her class. This little smarty pants has really found her spot in the first grade. SHE LOVES IT!!! She has read the most books of anyone in her class and is already past her reading goal for the end of the year. She has made new friends and loves her teacher. I am so glad that we fought to have her moved out of Kindergarten. WAY TO GO ABBY!!!

New Dresses

2011-03-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

So I don't sew clothes but when one of the girls in my ward asked for some help making a dress and skirt for her little girl from a tutorial she found on line I decided that my girls could use one too! It was a new experience taking the girls shopping for fabric. Usually I go by myself and can pick whatever I want but these girls had some definite opinions. With a few points in the right direction (toward the sale fabric) they picked out some cute fabric. I was happy with the results but it was a tricky process and I may just stick to sewing straight lines.

I LOVE these kiddos!

Happy St Patricks Day!

2011-03-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

So to be honest none of my kids had anything green to wear. Thank goodness for $3.oo shirts at Walmart! We started the day with preschool and then headed out to the mall to try and find a couple of needed items.

We finished the day with our traditional green waffles with strawberries and green whipping cream. They tasted a lot better than they looked (despite the looks on the girls faces). The girls even wanted green milk instead of chocolate. It was no corned beef and cabbage but with my picky eaters it went over a lot better!

Knotts Berry Farm (not the happiest place on earth but close!)

2011-03-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we went to Knotts. It is the perfect size place for our family and a whole lot cheaper then the other theme park in the area. There were no lines and we LOVED it! Abby was really hesitant about some of the rides. She did like saying Hi to Snoopy.

Emma loves ALL the rides. She was even in line for the scariest ride in the park but got a little nervous right at the end, so maybe next time.

This ride was every ones favorite.

Kyle thought he was driving Lightening McQueen! We had a fun day together.

Update

2011-03-22T08:55:00.000-07:00

A month has gone by and I have no excuses for not blogging, other than I don't use my camera like I use to. We are doing well and enjoying our second week of spring break. We all like not having to be any particular place in the morning and usually hang out in our jammies all morning. This little guy is growing up. With the new baby coming we have been trying to help Kyle make the transition into a big boy bed. The first night he laid right down in his bed and went to sleep. He took all his naps and slept all night long in it for a week and a half. He never came out of his room and he really seemed to like his new sleeping arrangements. About a week and a half into it I was putting him to bed and he said that he wanted to sleep in his crib. He informed me that he was going to sleep in the crib and that the baby could have his new car bed. I did not want to make a big deal out of it so I took his new pillow case off his pillow and moved him into the crib. He slept in the crib for two weeks. I always asked him if he wanted to sleep in his cars bed and he just would say "No, sleep in the crib." The last few days he has switched back into his bed and hopefully he will stay there!
Kyle is also enjoying "preschool". He is learning to sit still and he knows most of his letters and sounds. He would usually rather make a mess then do the project during preschool but he is getting better all the time. He is obsessed with the movie CARS and knows all the characters names and can even quote some lines from the movie. He is adjusting to the idea of having a baby in the house and he seems to be a little more excited. The other day he asked me to take the baby out of my tummy so he could hold him. He is still my pickiest eater which is saying A LOT when you compare him to Abby. He eats a cereal bar and a piece of fruit every morning for breakfast and lunch is usually a hot dog or chicken nuggets with string cheese and another piece of fruit. He rarely eats dinner and he gags on anything new if we can even get him to put it in his mouth. He will still not eat veggies, pasta, eggs, pizza, chicken, any kind of meat, and the list could go on forever. He LOVES junk food. He is always asking me for a treat!

This little girl has had a big past few months. In January she started the first grade. The first week was ROUGH!!! She came home exhausted every afternoon and it took her over an hour to do two pages of homework because she could not stay focused. I really wondered if we had made the right decision. The second week something just seemed to click and it has been smooth sailing since. She LOVES her teacher, has made good friends, and is learning tons. She did her first project on Niagara Falls and of course loved putting the presentation board together. I just met with her teacher before spring break to get her report card and she is doing AWESOME! She is near the top of her class in everything. She met her reading goal in just a couple of weeks so her teacher has given her a much more challenging goal this time around. She loves math and has gotten really good at counting money. Her teacher says that she has made the transition without any problems and she actually apologized to me because she said that Abby fits in so well that she forgets sometimes that she has not done certain things before and does not give her directions. We are really happy we made the change.

Abby also treats us to scenes like this on a daily basis. She is always creating something and we love it. I just wish that she was as excited about cleaning it all up!

This girl is growing up WAY too fast. She got straight A's on her report card and really enjoys school, especially writing. Her class just had an assignment were they wrote imaginative stories and I have never seen a girl so excited about homework. She loves to read! Her favorites are Nancy Drew and The Babysitters Club. She has made some great friends and it is never hard to get her out of bed in the mornings for school.

Emma also loves achievement days. She has some awesome new leaders and they have done some really fun things so far, including making Valentines, having a makeover day, and making smoothies. Emma only wishes that they were more often then every other week.

Emma also loves to help. She is always asking me what she can do and she will do whatever I ask (except mop the floors and who can blame her!) The other day she told me she was bored so I told her I had plenty of things for her to do. She ended up cleaning the whole first floor including vacuuming the stairs. I think that clutter bothers her as much as it bothers me! Maybe some of that will rub off on Abby.

Emma is a great big sister. She has a great imagination and loves playing with Abby or Kyle. She will play cars with Kyle or do projects with Abby. She has also gotten pretty good at Mario Kart and she is currently working on winning all the characters.

Trevor is as busy as ever, but for the most part he enjoys what he gets to do. We are looking forward to May when he goes off service for a couple of months and should have a better schedule.

I am 32 weeks and feeling pretty good for the most part. I am excited to meet this little guy but nervous about adding another person into the mix. I feel like I have a lot to do still so hopefully I will make it to term this time. I feel better than I did with either Kyle or Abby so it just might be possible!

We are all doing well and hopefully I will get better at taking pictures again so that this blog does not suffer so much :)

Happy Valentines Day

2011-02-14T21:15:00.000-08:00

We hope that your Valentines Day was as enjoyable as ours! Yesterday after church the girls spent a couple of hours making a surprise for Trevor and I. We were not allowed to go into the playroom all day yesterday so that it would stay a surprise until today. They did a great job.

My Valentine brought me yellow roses which are my favorite and we had a nice take out dinner, so no cooking or dishes which is the best present he could have given me this year.

After dinner and the traditional Applesauce cake we just hung out! This is the face that Kyle made when I told him to use his mouth to smile :)

Yes we are as tired as we look but we are both happy!

Isn't this the way you end your Valentines day...with a wrestling session. You have to burn off the sugar somehow. Emma was calling herself the human trampoline and everyone was laughing and much to my surprise nobody ended up in tears. It was a successful day all around!

Pregnancy Update

2011-02-13T20:11:00.000-08:00

I have had a lot of request lately for some pregnant pictures. I am not good at taking pictures of myself when I am not pregnant so you can imagine how good I am at it when I am. I found this picture of me pregnant with Kyle at 26 weeks.

This is me tonight. I will be 27 weeks tomorrow. There is a pretty big difference. It is amazing what amniotic fluid can do. My eating habits this time around are a lot different too. With Kyle my cravings were mostly for fruit. My favorite snack was a Granny Smith apple with a scoop of peanut butter. This time my cravings are more along the lines of anything with sugar in it including donuts, cookies, starbursts and ice cream.

I am feeling really good. Around Christmas time I was having lots of contractions and wondering if this little guy was going to join our family way too early. The last month has been contraction free and I am actually starting to think that this baby might stay in the longest. I get weekly shots that help keep my uterus relaxed and it seems to be doing its job. (Which is a good thing because they HURT!!! and I would hate to get them for nothing). I feel really good other than tired, but show me a mom with three kids who isn't tired.

We were at the store yesterday and I picked up a little newborn outfit and it hit me that we really are going to have another baby!!! The girls are thrilled and we are trying to warm Kyle up to the idea although if you ask him if he want to have a baby come stay at our house he will tell you "NO!" Hopefully he has a few more months to get use to the idea.

Vacation Week

2011-02-02T08:39:00.000-08:00

Last week Trevor had his first week of vacation. We were trying to save up his time for when the baby comes but he was told he had to take a week in January. At first I was really upset about it but I am really glad that it happened the way it did. The whole family REALLY needed a vacation. We are already looking forward to his next week off. Although Trevor was on vacation the list of things to do around the house that I could not do myself was LONG. He was so good about checking ALL the things off my list with a smile on my face. When I apologized for making him work on his vacation his response was "I just like being with my family." One of the other residents asked him yesterday if he ever gets tired of having to go home to a family. He asked him if he ever wished that he was single again. Trevor's honest reply was that he loves it when the kids hang all over him. It makes all the work he does everyday worth it. He is such a great husband and dad. Just a few of his many jobs last week include, replacing our back screen door, fixing the sliding glass door so I could actually close it without having to use both hands, fixing Kyle's crib from all the jumping that little monkey does in it, taking down the Christmas lights, weeding the back yard which included taking lots of bug infested ivy off our back wall, cleaning out all the junk in our garage left behind from past tenants and killing lots of spiders. He ran all my errands with me, helped with homework and school pick up and played with the kids.

Kyle really enjoyed having his Dad around. This week has been tough because he misses Trevor. I came down stairs one day and this is what I saw. He stayed in this position for over 15 minutes which is huge for this busy little man.

We did manage to do a few fun things with our limited budget this vacation. A couple of weeks ago we saw an episode of Man vs Food from downtown LA. The French Dip sandwich place looked amazing and my pregnant taste buds would not let me forget about it...so we made the drive down to Philippe's.

The inside of the place reminded me a lot of a place you would find on the east coast.

The sandwich did not disappoint. I only wished that there was more of it! They dip the whole sandwich in their famous sauce and you can ask for a single dip, a double dip, or a wet sandwich. I only did one dip and I think I will try two next time. They also serve it with this SPICY mustard. I was so spicy that it makes your eyes water and your nose run but it is so good. The spice only lasts for a few seconds, instead of lingering so it was perfect!

Enjoying his first (I am sure that it will not be the last) Philippe sandwich.We also had perfect weather so we took the kids out of school early on Friday and headed to the beach. The water was still COLD but we all had tons of fun just playing in the sand.

I did bring clothes for this little man but about 5 minutes after we got there Kyle had a blow out! He did not seem to mind running around in his diaper.

The only other clothes I had were warm ones in case the wind was too chilly. He was not happy about this outfit! I think that he looks like he belongs back in New Jersey.

Emma dug a DEEP hole and this is Abby trying to reach the bottom with her hand.

Just taking a little rest.

Kyle found a pair of pool goggles in the beach bag and wore them around for a good 20 minutes.

I am surprised that this is the first football stadium that Trevor has built at the beach.

Playing a little football. It was an awesome day and it helped me remember why people put up with the scorching summers. A beach day in January is totally worth it. We had a great week and can't wait form our next vacation with Trevor. Maybe next time I won't make him work so hard :)

Abby is 6!!!

2011-01-09T13:42:00.000-08:00

So for a girl who had about a million parties her Mom did not have her camera at a single one. Having family around for birthdays is lots of fun! Abby got to blow out four different birthday cake candles and got super duper spoiled with the amount of presents she got. It is a good thing she is such an amazing sharer or her sister would have been jealous. It is hard to believe it has been six years!Getting ready to go home from the hospital!

1st birthday!

2nd birthday!

3 years old!

4 years old and the start of her love affair with bacon!

5 years old!

What a beautiful six year old!

Abby plays hard and sleeps hard.

Abby is never afraid to get her hands (or any other body part) dirty.

She knows how to have fun no matter what she is doing.

She has an amazing imagination. I never know what is going on in her head but she never ceases to amaze us and keep up laughing.

Lost her first three teeth before she turned 6!

Hanging out with Aunt Shayla before the last birthday party began. What a lucky girl she is to have her birthday on New Years Eve! She gets to stay up extra late.

She waited very patiently to open her presents. Trevor and I had spent the day buying a new car so by the time we got to present opening time she had been waiting ALL day.

This is an awesome gift from Aunt Shayla. It is a "Never Bored Again Bucket" There is everything a creative kid could ever want inside a bucket. There are feathers, googly eyes, colored Popsicle sticks, stencils, pom poms, well you get the picture. She loved it!

A new game for the DS...now if we could just find the cord so we could charge it and she could play!

Abby is finally into Barbie. She and Emma have played with the Barbie and the Polly Pockets for hours on end!

Blowing out her candles on her chocolate cake with strawberry frosting and chocolate chips (you can actually see the last cake from her last party in the background!) Love the cute cheeks.

We LOVE our Abby!

Christmas

2011-01-05T21:31:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas and this year did not disappoint. The only thing that is lacking are the pictures. I remember as a kid having to stop opening my presents to smile at the camera and show what I had just opened and I really did not like my present opening being interrupted. So this year I had Trevor take the pictures because he is much more laid back than I am and that is also why there are no pictures of kids actually looking at the camera. I need those pictures...I know it is selfish but next year there will be lots of cute faces holding up their Christmas morning treasures. So now on to the big event... This was one sleepy, confused but happy boy. We woke him up just after 7:00 to open presents. He had no idea what was going on but he perked up when he found a candy cane full of M&M's in his stocking.

Christmas morning came with a giant surprise for the kids. Grandma and Grandpa Griffitts had arrived the night before after the kids were in bed so Christmas morning there were able to surprise the kids.

It was pretty awesome. How many kids get to have both of their Grandparents around on Christmas???

Yes she is really that excited about tape. At the beginning of December I bought her two rolls of tape and told her that when they were gone she was out of luck and hopefully Santa would bring her some more. Well the tape lasted about a week and it was a good thing that Santa did not disappoint her.

I have no idea what she is opening but I just love her face.

Kyle got an airport which at the time was SOOO not as cool as the candy in his stocking but it has since become one of his favorite toys.

Emma has been asking for boots for FOREVER and this year she finally has them even if it is too warm most days to wear them!

My family has a tradition of wearing bows on their heads while opening their gifts. The girls don't like to do it but Kyle seems to enjoy it.

The only way Kyle eats oranges (I don't really let him eat the skin but he sure does try EVERY time)

She looks so grown up when she is actually wearing the dress.

Emma got a camera that promptly broke. We were able to return it and she was even happier to get to pick out her own toys at the store to replace it.

That is one giant stack of construction paper...I give it a month at the most.

Trevor got me a Cricut. He actually went out on Black Friday on his way to work at 5:00 in the morning. He told me later that it was the easiest shopping experience ever. He walked right in, picked up what he needed and did not even have to stand in line. I think that I might need to take him with me next year if he has that kind of luck.

This picture is so staged but we had to get one for the sake of pictures. Trevor got an iPhone for a birthday/Christmas gift, but I still wrapped up the package so that he would have something under the tree.

Kyle really likes the family present from Grandma and Grandpa Griffitts. It is a one octave Marimba. It really sounds pleasant so I don't mind him pounding away at it.

THE gift of the morning came from Grandma and Grandpa Griffitts. As if flying all the way down to see us was not enough the girls got American girl dolls. I LOVE their faces. You may have noticed that they are looking at each others boxes...well there was a little wrapping mix up...

this is what happened when Emma realized that Abby had her doll.

Even hugging the box brought joy!

I would have to say that this way his favorite gift. A little vacuum that makes noise and lights up. (Thanks Angie!!!) The rest of the day was spent at my parents house enjoying good food and great company and playing with all the new toys.

The next day we went to my Aunt Rachael's house to celebrate with my Dad's side of the family. Again their was more good food and great company along with a few fun rounds of mafia where my sweet Grandma ended up being the best murderer I have ever met. Then we opened few gifts. My Grandma gave all of her kids family pictures. She had several old pictures that she knew everyone wanted so she had copies made of the originals and now everyone is happy. I especially love this one of my Dad when he was younger.

This is Abby with MY cousin Jenna. The two of the could be sisters. They look so much alike that both Trevor and I confused them from behind a few times. They are both even missing the same teeth.

They played so well together that we did not even know where they were most of the time.

My wonderful Grandma! I am so glad that we got to spend Christmas together. She is an amazing lady.

Christmas Eve

2011-01-05T21:07:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas! It has been a long time since we have been around family for the holidays. Hanging out before dinner.

Trevor had to work Christmas Eve during the day so my family made the drive out to our house to celebrate with us. Trevor made it home by 5:30!!! and he even said that the attending was apologetic that he had to stay so late. Oh how I am going to miss anesthesia!

Growing up my Dad's side of the family celebrated Christmas with lobster and spaghetti. A couple of years ago we started the same tradition but soon found out that our girls were not big fans of lobster. Last year we tried steak and lobster and it was a hit so we pinched our pennies this month and feasted Christmas Eve. Emma even took a bite of the lobster and said it was okay! Let me just say it was WAY better than okay. Trevor gets better at it every year and it was so nice to be able to grill our steak outside in December!

After dinner we read the nativity story and sang songs. I have to say that this is when I started missing our friends and having lots of kids around to distribute parts to but we still managed to pull off a pretty good story. Here is my Dad acting as Mary's donkey. Mary had some trouble staying on but I thought that it was pretty realistic.

The treadmill made a pretty good stable and Emma was an excellent Mary.

Abby loved being the angel and Trevor and I were decent shepherds. It was a great way to end the evening. The Spirit was strong and it was nice to be reminded of why we celebrate.

The kiddos ended the night with opening the Christmas jammies and actually went to bed really well. Kyle got jammies too but I was a horrible photographer this year and there are lots of things I missed. Take my word for it, he was CUTE!

Abby's School Birthday

2011-01-05T20:47:00.000-08:00

Having a birthday over Christmas vacation has its advantages...you get to start celebrating two weeks early! The class sang Happy Birthday and there were even real candles on the birthday box.

She got all six!

Abby really wanted to frost sugar cookies with her class. Her teacher was nice enough to let us do it and it was a lot of fun.

One HAPPY girl. I don't like sugar cookies very much so I don't make them too often. I especially don't like frosting them so Abby was glad to finally get the chance.

Abby's teacher Mrs. Morris is a great lady. We are going to miss her when Abby starts the first grade next week. After several months of debating and discussion and lots of road blocks we have decided to move Abby to the first grade. She was the oldest in her class and way ahead so we are so grateful to all of her wonderful preschool teachers that helped her get to where she is. Her new teacher seems awesome and there are three kids from our ward in her class. She is way excited. Now we just need to make sure she can get up and get moving in the mornings :)

Baby Makes Six

2010-12-06T19:03:00.001-08:00

The ultrasound today told us we are having... A BOY!!!
Our newest addition will hopefully wait until May to make his appearance. Everything looks perfect and we have are excited to become a family of six. I have been SUPER tired and on the queasy side but things are getting better. I have more good days than bad days now. The girls are very excited and will be great helpers and it will be so fun to watch Kyle with a brother!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-12-06T16:07:00.000-08:00

This was our first Thanksgiving with my side of the family in eight years. It was also the first time my whole side of the family has been together in three and a half years!!! We started Thanksgiving day off with family pictures. I am pretty sure that it was a Thanksgiving miracle that everyone is at least looking at the camera. Here are a few of my favorites...

I love these girls!

This was near the end of the shoot and Kyle had pretty much had it!

They all behaved well for their Aunt Kaylee!

So lucky to have such good aunts.

Yes Kyle is holding an iPhone in this picture. He LOVES them and Grandpa will do anything to keep him happy.

After pictures we threw the football around.

Kyle was so happy to finally be free.

What a beautiful day! I really do love this place. After pictures we went home and feasted on everything Thanksgivingish.

After dinner we needed to work off some calories with some basketball.

On Friday we did the normal shopping and football watching. We also took a trip to the LA Temple to see the lights. Sadly they were having difficulties with the lights due to the recent rain. Luckily one of the best dessert places was just minutes away and because we had not eaten enough in the last 24 hours we had our ice cream sandwiches from Didi Reese. You get a huge ice cream sandwich with your choice of cookie and ice cream flavor for $1.50!!! Abby thoroughly enjoyed hers.

She was kind enough to share with cousin Kelsi.

Emma decided she needed to sit to fully enjoy her treat!

It was a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend!

Piano Recital

2010-12-06T15:59:00.001-08:00

Emma started taking piano lessons back in September and last month she had her very first recital. I think that I was more nervous than she was. She did AWESOME! She played "I Hope They Call Me on A Mission" and "Happy Happy Birthday"

Toothless

2010-12-06T15:57:00.000-08:00

While we were in Vegas Abby lost her first tooth with a little tug from Angie. She has since lost the bottom tooth below it and has two more that are loose. She will be singing "All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth" in no time!

Las Vegas

2010-12-06T15:24:00.000-08:00

Hooray for friends!!! The weekend before Thanksgiving the kids and I headed to Vegas to hang out with some pals. We missed Trevor but we had a great time. These kids picked up right were they left off.

The fountains at the Belagio were pretty amazing, as you can tell by the fact that we could not get any of the kids to turn around for a picture.

Enjoying their frozen hot chocolate.

We only got to live near these kiddos during our first year of dental school before they moved away but our girls are still great friends.

What a bunch of goof balls!

We also got to visit our friends the Cardons from Philly. These guys were too little to play together when we left Philly but I think they would have been good buddies.

All the kids!

You can tell we were tired but happy. Thanks for a fun weekend ladies!

New Look

2010-12-06T15:15:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago we were able to get Kyle some glasses. Although I always thought that he looked good in his old glasses they were really the only option we had for his small little face. But now that he is older and we live in a place with an AWESOME children eye wear store, it was so fun to have options. He looks so stylish!

Discovery Science Center

2010-12-02T21:43:00.000-08:00

Trevor and the girls all had Veterans Day off so we decided to do something fun all together. The Discovery Science Center fit the bill perfectly! As soon as we got into the museum the first thing the girls noticed was the rock wall. They were pretty good climbers for two gals in flip flops!

Kyle tried hard to get in on the action, but this is about as high as he got.

Abby was really hesitant to try the bed of nails but she overcame her fears and did great. She did start to sit up a little too early and got a few pokes in the behind but she still said that she was glad that she did it.

Emma really enjoyed it and it made it even more fun that she understood the science behind it!

The girls also enjoyed the tornado force wind in the wind tunnel.

Abby could have stayed at this table ALL DAY! You were suppose to follow directions on the screen and build space station things but Abby quickly got bored of that and made her own much more advanced structures.

Emma may have a future as a goalie. She had no fear of the puck and blocked all three of Trevors shots.

I love this picture. You pull yourself up in the chair by pulling on the rope. Abby worked HARD! We had a great day and can't wait to go back.

Preschool

2010-12-02T21:25:00.000-08:00

Kyle has been lucky enough to get to do preschool with some kids in our ward. When I was first approached about the idea I thought that he was way too young to get anything out of it but we both needed some friends so I decided to give it a try. I am so glad that I did. He loves it and not only is he learning to sit in one spot for more than a few seconds he can recognize most of the letters of the alphabet. My letter last month was I and the kids had so much fun making Indian headdresses and playing in the tepee.

Kyle liked his headdress so much that he wore it around the house for the next few days.

We also made Igloos out of frosting and marshmallows but Kyle was way more interested in eating the marshmallows than making an igloo.

They all really enjoyed making their own ice cream in a bag. It was a little tough for some of them to wait the five minutes but they really had fun shaking the bag.

Enjoying the results of their hard work. What a cute bunch of kids!

Halloween Round 2

2010-11-02T15:41:00.000-07:00

Our ward had a trunk or treat and I have to say that I enjoyed being able to do it outside with shorts and flip flops on! Kyle was not happy to be taking a picture since they had just announced that the trunk or treating was about to begin. He really wanted his candy!

Much happier with a bucket full of treats and a sucker in his mouth.

One sassy looking witch.

At home with their major haul! That is what happens when you go around to every car about 10 times. The handle on Emmas bucket could not withstand the weight and snapped about halfway through but that did not stop her. Not sure what she is doing here but I am sure that it involved candy.

Happy Halloween from the Griffitts!

Carving Pumpkins

2010-11-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

The girls really enjoyed carving pumpkins this year. Abby designed her own and did a lot of the carving but really she was more interested in playing the the seeds and stringy stuff from inside the pumpkin.

Emma was all business and carved her pumpkin all by herself!

It turned out pretty awesome!

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

2010-11-02T13:45:00.000-07:00

Last week I got to go with Abby and her class to the local pumpkin patch. It was a lot of fun but it sure did make me miss good old Freddy Hills farm. On the tractor ride around the pumpkin patch. They had all kinds of pumpkins that I had never seen before. There were white ones, red ones, green ones, ones that looked like they had popcorn all over them and the standard orange ones. The kids did not get to go out into the field to pick their own (which as probably a good thing with about 110 kids total) but it was really fun to look at all the different kinds of pumpkins.

After the tractor ride the kids got to go feed the goats at the petting zoo. It was CRAZY! I felt sorry for this worker who was swarmed by kids and goats trying to get some food. Abby was persist ant and ended up with several handfuls of goat food.

After the petting zoo they picked out their mini pumpkins from a large wagon and then took a class picture on the giant hay castle. It was a fun day!

Boys and Trucks

2010-11-02T13:37:00.000-07:00

Last week we had a little car trouble...
Thank goodness from AAA! Not only did they come and tow the Jeep to the mechanic but they provided free entertainment for two very excited little boys. I am still amazed by this picture. Kyle DOES NOT know how to sit still. He can not even watch a cartoon in one location but sits in about 20 places during a 15 minute Curious George. He and his friend Bryton from down the street sat perfectly still for the entire 15 minutes it took to load up the Jeep. They were fascinated! These boys sure love trucks.

Primary Program

2010-10-24T16:29:00.001-07:00

Today the girls were in our wards Primary Program and I was struck with a deep sense of gratitude for the gospel in my life. The sweet testimonies from such young kids was very powerful and the music was amazing. Songs have come a long way from when I was a kid. They are so full of doctrine and testimony. My favorite was "I Know that My Savior Loves Me". I am so grateful that my kids get to have the same principles taught at home reinforced at church. I am grateful for amazing primary teachers and leaders and to everyone who helps raise my kids.

A long time ago in a beautiful place, Children were gathered ’round Jesus. He blessed and taught as they felt of His love. Each saw the tears on His face. The love that He felt for His little ones I know He feels for me. I did not touch Him or sit on His knee, Yet, Jesus is real to me. I know He lives! I will follow faithfully. My heart I give to Him. I know that my Savior loves me.
Now I am here in a beautiful place, Learning the teachings of Jesus. Parents and teachers will help guide the way, Lighting my path ev’ry day. Wrapped in the arms of my Savior’s love, I feel His gentle touch. Living each day, I will follow His way, Home to my Father above.

Such a beautiful message. If we all could remember how much our Father in Heaven loves us we would all be so much happier.

Halloween Round 1

2010-10-24T15:57:00.000-07:00

My parents ward had their Halloween party this weekend so we decided to get dressed up a little early. Emma was SOOO excited when she saw the donut dangle game. She raced right over and showed off her skills.

Abby was pretty good too. Those two would do just about anything to eat a donut.

Kyle spent a lot of his time in the bounce house. He did not spend a whole lot of time on his feet but he still really seemed to like it. I think that his monkey costume provided lots of padding.

I really like this picture. Emma is trying to drag Kyle through the Halloween parade and Grandpa is coming to the rescue.

A much happier monkey when Grandpa took him through the parade.

What a cute little witch and Dorothy.

This little monkey really did not like his costume but when he realized that all he had to do was hold out his bucket and people would drop candy in he was hooked. The bucket is so heavy he can barely haul it away.

Aquarium of the Pacific

2010-10-24T15:47:00.000-07:00

We were able to get an awesome deal on the Aquarium this weekend. My whole family was able to get in for what it would normally cost just one person. Grandma and Grandpa were even able to come along for the fun! My pictures are all outside because my camera did not do very good indoors. The fish were pretty amazing though. The kids loved the touch tanks. Emma would have jumped in with the fish but Abby was was more hesitant.

They had a fun little play area for the kids to climb on and get their wiggles out. This shark was a favorite.

I always wonder what it going on in her head.

This eel jumped right up at Emma.

Kyle wanted to go swimming too, and was so happy when Grandpa freed him from his stroller so he could splash in the water.

He Sings!!!

2010-10-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

Oak Glen

2010-10-20T15:10:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Grandma and Grandpa took us up to Oak Glen. I have great memories of going there to pick apples as a kid. It was about as close to fall weather as I ever got. When I was young I did not appreciate the cooler weather but after leaving the east coast I have really been missing the fall weather so I was excited. Well the weather was a cool crisp 75 degrees so even though I did not get my fall temps we still had a great time. What a good looking trio!

This boy was a major GRUMP until he got a hold of a tasty apple and then he changed his tune and was all smiles.

The best apples are always up way high so it helps to have a tall grandpa around to lift you up.

Looks like Grandpa has been going to the gym!!!

Abby with her giant Glen Seedling which turned out to be a really tasty pick.

On the way down from claiming the biggest apple on the highest branch.

So my favorite part of the apple picking experience at Oak Glen is making your own apple juice. Now I am not a big fan of apple juice but the fresh stuff is YUMMY! Here is Emma starting to load up our box.

They have three large boxes of different kinds of apples and you get to fill up a smaller box with any kind of mix you want.

They have an old fashion juice maker which is what makes it so fun. First you wash your apples off in a tub of water and then one person throws the apples into the chute while the other person spins the wheel to crush up the apples. The wheel is NOT easy to turn but Emma did the majority to the work, even if she had to jump into the handle to get it to turn.

Abby did take a turn at the wheel but she was better at throwing in the apples and luckily she did not loose any fingers in the process.

This picture gives you an idea of how it works. The apples go into the black box and get smashed in to tiny bits as the wheel is turned. Once you smash all your apples to bits then you scoot the bucket forward and put a special lid on it attached to a crank kind of thing that you spin and as it spins it lowers and squeezes all the juice out of the little chucks of apples.

Here are Emma and Abby turning the crank with a stick. Emma only got knocked in the face this one time but it was the only time I took a picture.

When you are done smashing your apple bits you strain your juice to make sure no bees get into your juice (I have never seen my girls so calm around so many bees!!!) and then you get to drink the yummy stuff. It was well worth the wait in the blazing sun.

After apple picking and juicing we headed back down the hill and ate lunch and topped it all off with a yummy apple pie. I can't wait to do it again next year! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

Last week I got to take Kyle to the pumpkin patch. It was really fun to have a date with my little man. The patch was HUGE!!! We did not actually pick our own pumpkin because they were a little on the pricey side but Kyle had fun just looking at them all.

Kyle was not very cooperative when it came to taking pictures. There was way too much to see and do and touch to have to sit still on my lap and look at the camera. He did think that these ginormous pumpkins were kind of cool. Too bad they were $119 dollars each!!!

They patch had a really cool petting zoo and Kyle REALLY wanted to get in with the chickens in their coop.

He did get to pet a baby goat. There were lots of goats and some of them were a little on the ornery side which freaked Kyle out but we were able to find this little fellow and he and Kyle were instantly friends. I had a hard time getting him to part with his furry new buddy.

The pumpkins had lady bugs ALL OVER them and Kyle thought it was pretty awesome! In this picture you can see one on his forehead. We had a great day at the pumpkin patch.

Student of the Month

2010-09-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

Emma has adjusted very well to her new school. We both LOVE her teacher and she has made some good friends. It was so fun to see her recognized in such a fun way. She really is a great kid and we are so pleased with everything she does.

Daddy Makeover

2010-09-29T20:17:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago the ward had a Daddy daughter activity where the Dad's got to make over their daughters. I love the big E on her forehead! She loved how colorful her hair was(the picture does not do it any justice).

Abby had very colorful fingernails and toenails and also some great stripes in her hair.

Trevor got his fingernails painted by his beautiful daughters. He was a good sport but he spent the next day picking it off. They all had a great time.

Wonder Boy is 2!!!

2010-09-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

It is so hard to believe that two years have brought us... from this...

to this!!! He is even blowing out his own candles on his monkey cake.

He really liked his cake. Actually he just really likes making this face. He mostly just moved the cake around on his tray.

Kyle got lots of fun presents. This racetrack was a hit.

The flashlight kept his interest for a while.

But everything paled in comparison to his Lightening McQueen tricycle. We have about 100 pictures of him on this bike but he is not looking at the camera in any of them because he is too fascinated with all the cool things that the bike does. It makes all sorts of car sounds, plays music and talks.

I can't say enough about how much I love this little guy. He loves to make what we have named his "crazy face" and he really likes it if you make it back at him.

Don't let this picture fool you. Kyle really does not enjoy meal time. He is the pickiest eater EVER. I am amazed that the kid can live on hot dogs and grapes. I have been trying to get him to eat with a spoon which is the reason he is so happy in this picture. He loves to smear whatever is on the spoon everywhere but his mouth. Things Kyle will occasionally eat include...yogurt, applesauce, chicken nuggets, cheese, cereal bars, raisins, pretzels, teddy grams, peanut M&M's and all things made of JUNK. He does love hot dogs and will even ask for them at breakfast (I have not given in yet) Things Kyle will NOT eat include but are not limited to veggies, eggs, pasta in all its varieties, any kind of meat unless it is a hot dog or a chicken nugget, strawberries, raspberries, mashed potatoes, and pizza. The list could go on but you get the idea.

This is not the most flattering picture but it shows another side of Kyle. He is a mamas boy. I hear "Mommy hold you, you, you!!!" About a million times a day. I bought that sling when he was an infant and I get more use out of it now then I did then.

Kyle loves to "drive". We spend a lot of time in the car taking the girls to and from school and whenever we get home as soon as we pull into the garage Kyle is asking to drive. I could sit and spin the wheel and push buttons for hours.

He has learned how to open doors and we always have to make sure that the front door is chained or he will take off down the street to his buddy Brightons house. He has also locked himself in my bedroom which luckily only required an open window and a ladder instead of a call to the fire department.

Kyle LOVES LOVES LOVES the vacuum. It is kind of a strange obsession but he will go over to where I keep the vacuum and ask for it. He can't move it around very much so I have small areas of carpet that get extra clean. He also loves anything that plugs in. His favorite toy is an extension cord because he can plug it into itself and I don't have to worry about him electrocuting himself.

Kyle loves to help. He always wants to do what his big sisters are doing. He loves to throw things away and he is still really good at cleaning upHe likes to watch football on Grandpa's big TV. He has no real interest in cartoons other than an occasional 10 minutes of Curious George who he calls "Monkey George".

Kyle is doing well in every way. He recently stopped his inhaler and is down to only one medication a day for reflux. He went to an evaluation for therapy and he is at or ABOVE his age level in everything. I have never been so happy to hear that we did not qualify for something. He also no longer has to wear his ankle braces. We go to the doctor this week for his official stats but I am sure he is above average for his age in height and weight. He loves to talk and is putting three to four works together. He also recently started to try to sing which is ADORABLE. He loves balls, cars, books, blocks, and playing outside. He is a daily reminder in our home of how the Lord loves us and answers prayers. WE LOVE OUR KYLE!!!

What a goof!

2010-09-19T15:55:00.000-07:00

Abby has more imagination than any kid I have ever met. A couple of Sundays ago she decided to made herself a mask. With the help of scissors, tape and markers here is the result

Berry Picking at Oak Glen

2010-09-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

As a kid I remember going with my family to pick apples at Oak Glen. There was always a chill in the air and the apple pie always tasted better up there. We now live only about 20 minutes away so I was excited to find out that they also have berry picking during the summer. We got to take a fun little tractor ride up to the berry patch. Kyle started screaming when he saw it but once we got on and it started to move he really liked it.

This picture pretty much sums up Kyles opinion of the day trip. He was hot, dirty, and not a huge fan of the raspberries.

We also decided to pick some pears. It posed a little bit of a challenge because there were no pear picking thingys and the pears were really high in the tree. We managed to fill our bag and I am so glad that we did because the pears were SOOO good.

Emma was an excellent berry picker. She found the ripest ones and she ate half the basket before we even made it to the car.

Abby also enjoyed berry picking. She was not quite as good at finding the ripe ones but that did not stop her from eating them all! It was a fun day and I can't wait till the apples are ready to be picked and I can have some apple pie!

Crazy Hair Day

2010-09-19T15:38:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago Emma's school had Crazy Hair Day. She knew exactly what she wanted...her hair to stick straight up in the air! Well I could not quite manage that so she got about thirty little ponytails all over her head and she seemed happy with the result. I just thought that it was funny that she could hold still for 30 ponytails but when I want to put just one in it causes a major meltdown.

When I droped her off that morning the whole school smelled like Aquanet. It was a fun day and the kids can't wait for the next special day...pajama day.

Chalk Drawings

2010-09-19T15:33:00.000-07:00

It is so fun to have a driveway... Even Kyle got in on the action.

Abby made a giant flower.

Emma decided on a rainbow.

No idea how she gets that much chalk on her face!

There is probably more chalk on their legs than on the driveway but I think that it is a sign of a good time!

Happy Birthday Emma

2010-08-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

By this point I think that everyone was pictured out so there are only a few pictures of Emma opening her presents but don't be fooled...she got everything she wanted with so many family members around. With all the things going on we forgot to buy candles so Emma blew out a lighter eight times.

Here she is with her two favorite toys...Jessie from Toy Story and Bolt. We told her that when she was eight and Daddy was done with school she could have a dog. Well the owners of the house we are renting don't really want a dog and to be honest I am not ready for a dog so for now Emma will just have to be happy with Bolt and she seems to be. He sleeps in her bed and she says goodbye to him every morning before going to school.

A scripture purse to hold her very own...

scriptures! Lets hope that the excitement for reading them continues through her whole life. Here are eight things about Emma in no particular order...

1. She is easily excitable. We hear "This is the best day of my life!" about five time a week.

2. She is willing to help me with just about anything.

3. She has a strong desire to make right choices.

4. She can make her life into a musical. She loves to sing and I think she is going to get some good use out of her new Wii singing game.

5. She likes Taylor Swift so we can listen to the same music in the car.

6. She loves all things containing sugar!

7. She love to read. Right now her favorites are Nancy Drew books.

8. She has a strong testimony and love of sharing the gospel.

WE LOVE OUR EMMA!!!

It's Great to Be 8

2010-08-19T16:02:00.001-07:00

After a fun and CrAzy couple of days the event that everyone came into town for was here. Emma was baptised into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I know that I am a little biased but I don't know that I have ever met another eight year old that was as prepared and excited as Emma. One of the counselors in the bishopric made the programs for us and even printed a colored copy for Emma including her picture.

Emma knew she wanted her Dad to baptise her.

Emma is a great example to her sister.

The song "We are a Happy Family" kept running through my head. It was so nice to have so many family members with us and participating in Emma's big day.

This is Emma's primary teacher Sister Memmot. She is wonderful!

The smile says it all. When I was helping her get dressed after the baptism she was so cold but she could not stop smiling and saying how happy she was. She was so calm through the whole thing and even thanked me and Trevor for teaching her about Jesus Christ. We feel very blessed to have her as our oldest.

After the baptism we walked across the parking lot to the temple. It was such a cool experience to talk to Emma and let he know that she had made the first step to being able to enter the temple someday. It was a very special day.

Random

2010-08-19T15:37:00.001-07:00

Here are a few random pictures that did not really fit anywhere else. This was our attempt at a cousin shot with Grandma and Grandpa...can you tell they are all tired! Abby and Ava playing with Paysons Leapster.

Auntie Heather knew the fastest way to Kyles heart...sugar.

Kyle brushing my hair with a fork.

Tackling Uncle Scott...don't worry I was told that he likes it.

Some of my cousins and my sisters. It was so fun to see them.

Payson was totally enthralled with the solar system app that my Dad found on his iPhone.

Kyle LOVED this thing even if all he could really do with it was turn it on and off.

Kyle feeding Ashlyn pretzels.

The Happiest Place on Earth

2010-08-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

With all the family in town we got to take a trip to Disneyland together. It was Emma's birthday and she thought it was the best present to get to skip school to go to Disneyland. Can you tell the kids are excited!?!

On our way into the park. Aunt Heather is pointing out the Monorail.

It was an interesting trip to Disneyland for me. My girls were quick to inform me that they are no longer interested in the Princesses and Kyle is too young to care about any of the characters. On one hand it was nice to not have to wait in line to see a princess but it was sad to think that my girls are growing up. Here they are listening to Princess Aurora tell a story and that is about all we did with the Princesses.

Waiting in line too ride Dumbo. Cute story...The hat Emma is wearing belongs to Grandpa but for some reason Emma decided that she loved it and needed to wear it all day. Grandpa was a good sport and even ended up giving Emma the hat to keep before they left.

They are so big!

Riding the boats in story book land. It is a rough start to the ride when you have to go through Monsto the whales mouth but all the kids were way brave!

Playing on Tom Sawyers island.

She really looks like a caged animal.

Happy to be out of the stoller and out of my arms.

Hanging out with Aunt Heather and sharing her glasses.

Riding Its a Small World with Aunt Lindsay.

Kyle LOVED Its a Small World. He was facinated but everything. I don't know that I have ever seen him sit so still.

Exploring Donald Ducks boat.

This is where the princesses teach you how to dance. Emma wanted nothing to do with it until they brought out the pole with all the ribbons and she was hooked.

Wiped out!!!

Kyle REALLY wanted to drive the car and he was WAY annoyed with Emma for not letting him do it. He kept yelling at her the entire ride.

For dinner we met my family at the ESPN zone in Downtown Disney. Trevor was even able to make it! I LOVE THESE PEOPLE!!!

Kyle was pretty excited to see his Daddy.

Watching fireworks was the perfect way to end the day.

Farmers Market with cousins

2010-08-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

So if you ever come to visit us make sure that your visit includes a Thursday and we will take you the the local Farmers Market. We usually skip the healthy fruits and veggies and go straight for the sugar.
Heather, Payson and Ashlyn came to visit and we had to get our sugar rush. Emma and Ashlyn have slushies, Abby has a chocolate covered marshmallow dipped in sprinkles and Payson has mini cinnamon sugar donuts. Does your stomach hurt just thinking about it?

Self Portraits

2010-08-19T14:24:00.000-07:00

Kyle has learned how to work the camera. He gets so excited every time he sees the flash go off. He also drools like crazy when he is focusing on sometime so enjoy the pictures and the drool!

First Day of School

2010-08-19T14:11:00.000-07:00

So school starts pretty early around here. So early that I had to keep reminding myself that it was coming. Both girls were super excited to start school and their new school has made a good first impression on all of us. Here is Emma outside classroom 12 where she will spend the 3rd grade with Mrs. Hardesty. I love the fact that she is wearing a sweatshirt and you can see a lady behind her wearing a tank top. It was in the low 60's but Emma insisted she was cold so that she could wear her new sweater. She has wanted one of these for over a year now and thanks to a great sale at the Gap outlet she finally has one. Her favorite thing about her new school is that she get to eat lunch outside and they have Art.

This is Abby after her first day of school. She is in the afternoon kindergarten class which oddly enough starts at 10:14. After dropping Emma off we went home and just started playing. I lost track of time and when I realized what time it was we only had 8 minutes to get out the door and to school which is normally about 10 minutes away. We raced out the door and made it just in time for Abby to hang up her backpack and take her spot on the rainbow rug. I think that it was actually a good thing that we were rushed because Abby did not have time to think about being nervous and she did great.

I really miss having my girls around. It has been so fun having them home and I think that Kyle missed them the most. He walks around the house asking for them. We are already looking forward to Labor Day weekend!

Cafe Rio and the Park

2010-08-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

I am a month behind on my blogging so lets play catch up! My sister Karina came into town at the beginning of August. We had fun taking the kids to the zoo, the beach and just hanging out. On Saturday we all had dinner at Cafe Rio and then headed over to a cool park by my parents house.

I love these girls!

You can't tell very well from the picture but Kyle insisted on holding everyones hand. He has both of Trevors, one of mine and on of Grandpas. It made for some interesting walking.

He finally gave up and settled for just two hands since four slowed him down.So this toy/ride was the hit of the day. It is a seat that you sit in and it spins you around. Here is Karina trying it out with Kelsi.

Emma was the one who discovered this ride and it was hard to get her off of it to let anyone else have a turn. She had a hard time walking straight for a while.

Kyle thought that it was lots of fun for about three seconds and then started to yell "All done!"

I love Trevors face in this one.

We tried to get them to go down at the same time but they both had a mind of their own.

Taking a break with Grandpa and playing with the iPhone. It was the perfect Saturday afternoon.

Another Day at the Beach

2010-07-19T12:38:00.000-07:00

So this first picture has nothing to do with the beach, I just thought it was really cute! The city where we live has a Farmers Market that is open every Thursday night. They have amazing fruits and veggies, breads, and just about every treat you can imagine including funnel cakes and caramel apples. They also have lots of booths set up selling jewelery, flowers, Tupperware and clothes. They also have tables set up that can tell you whether you are going to heaven or hell based on a simple quiz! =) The girls are enjoying their treats...Abby has a giant slushy that she has already downed most of and Emma had chocolate covered marshmallows. Trevor had a chocolate covered Belgian waffle on a stick. I think that we will be frequenting the market often!

So Trevor has been CRAZY busy so I decided to take the kids to the beach with my Mom. After sitting in the worst traffic, and getting a little lost trying to take a short cut we made and it was an awesome day. This is a typical Abby shot at the beach...covered in sand.

She did take a few trips into the water to ride the boogie boards.

Emma spent THE ENTIRE DAY in the water on her board. Even though she insisted on pointing her board in the wrong direction and having to deal with some pretty rough waves she had a great time.

My beach girls!

I am so glad that Kyle likes the beach even though this is what he looks like about 30 seconds after we hit the sand. I am always amazed at the amount of sand in his eye lashes.

Me and my little beach buddy! This was a brief break when he was not making me chase him down the shore.

So this beach has an elementary school right on it. Can you imagine going out to recess and getting to play here?!?! I wonder if the kids take their shoes off?

We had a great day at the beach and some much needed distraction!

Fanfest 2010

2010-07-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we got to go to Fanfest at the Anaheim Convention Center. My Dad was offered tickets that he kindly passed along to us. Although I don't consider myself a baseball fan the event was still fun and it was nice to be able to do something together. There were lots of different stations set up from getting autographs from different baseball legends to testing your skills in the batting cage.

Disney was involved and there were several different Mickey's dressed up for the event.

They had a big section set up with the different awards in baseball. The World Series Trophy was Emma's favorite.

We all had to sign waivers and get our arms stamped so that if we broke our legs trying to steal home we could not sue anyone.

Chevey was a big sponsor of the event and they had all of their different cars set up around the venue. Emma thought it was pretty cool to be able to sit in the drivers seat.

The girls got to try on Angel uniforms and have their pictures taken for the paper.

This station was a hit! The girls got to try to steal a base. Both girls decided that they would be Chase Utley from the Phillies. Here is Emma getting ready to take off.

Abby decided to slide in head first.

Even Trevor decided to get in on the action.

For successfully stealing a base they got a free taco from Taco Bell.

This one is for Aunt Heather and her Cardinals.

Emma was hitting them our of the park!

Kyle was just happy to be out of his stroller!

Abby has pretty good aim!

And of course the highlight of the day...face painting. Most of the people getting their faces painted were getting something related to baseball but not my girls. Abby is a peacock and Emma is a cat. They were so excited that it made the hour wait almost worth it! I think that we are going to have to try this event again when Kyle is a little older and will appreciate it more.

July 4th Weekend

2010-07-07T21:17:00.000-07:00

We had a nice 4th of July weekend with family and I still feel like I am detoxing for all the junk that I ate. My parents and sisters came out to visit on Saturday and we spent the day enjoying the pool and playing games. Abby had to have her picture taken with the shark that she "borrowed" from some other kids at the pool.

Kyle decided that he liked to wear the girls goggles. He was probably wondering why he could not see very well with them on. He has learned how to say "Cheese!" for the camera and that is what he is doing here.

Trevor had Sunday off so we spent the afternoon hanging out, eating good food and just enjoying being together. That night we went with some friends to see some fireworks. Not as impressive as Philly but way less crowded and crazy.

On Monday we went to my parents house for a barbecue and to see some family that came into town. The girls had so much fun playing with my cousins kids and my little cousin Jenna. I think that grandma and grandpa may need to go and buy more bubbles.

Aunt Shayla was such a good story teller that she put Kyle right to sleep!

This is my Aunt Rachael and the girls love her just like I do!

It was hard to get these kids to hold still long enough for a picture but they sure are cute.

I just had to add this picture in because "Wonder Boy" finally got his cape. (It is just a blanket that my dad tied on him but he walked around with it on like it should have always been there) Hope everyone enjoyed their 4th!

Home Sweet Home

2010-07-04T18:47:00.001-07:00

We have been in our new home now for a little over a week and I have had a few requests for pictures. We are enjoying it and trying to make it feel like home. I think that I was living with my parents for so long that I just felt like I was on vacation and the fact that I live here is not really real to me yet. Here is a picture of the front of the house. You may have noticed that only Trevors car is in the drive way and that is because mine is in my favorite part of the house...

THE GARAGE! Every time I don't know where to put something I remember "Hey I have a garage now!" By the time we move in four years it will probably be a giant collection of junk, but it is so nice not to have to store the kids bikes in the living room.

Here is the big empty living room which for right now the kids call the play room. What you can't see in the picture is the bookcase holding all the kids toys. Their bedrooms are tiny so most of their toys are downstairs.

The kitchen...nothing special but I fridge does have an ice maker which makes Trevor VERY happy.

The family room...and three kids totally entranced by the TV. They don't even know that their picture is being taken. Someday we will have furniture but for now this works. Just remember that if you come to visit to bring your own chairs.

The backyard runs a close second to the garage for my favorite thing about the house. Abby says that we have a park in our backyard and all the kids really enjoy the swings. There are also two orange trees which will be lots of fun when they start to ripen. The bedrooms are all upstairs along with the washer and dryer which I really like having upstairs. As you can see we have plenty of floor space so if anyone wants to come for a visit you can camp on our carpet. Hotel Griffitts is open for business!

Random Happenings

2010-06-21T22:00:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures of some of the things we have been up to... Reading lots of books and enjoying good cuddle time. We are still experiencing June gloom but we did get a good beach day last weekend. This boy loves the sand...I think that those long eye lashes must help keep the sand out of his eyes.

The girls slept in sponge rollers and had curly hair for Fathers day.

My builder hard at work. The girls also found lots of sand crabs but we did not get any pictures.

We saw Toy Story 3 in 3D. The movie was great!

Dressing up with tissue paper.

Emma wanted to be a pioneer kid with a sun bonnet.

Kyle loves the rock band drums almost as much as he loves the piano.

Being silly with Aunt Shayla.

Celebrating Grandpa's birthday!

Hanging out with Grandpa...what this picture does not show is that Abby is begging for a turn on Grandpa's iPhone. Today he added a Phineas and Ferb app for the girls but if the truth must be told I think he likes it just as much as they do.

We have done a lot of just hanging out and it has been nice to be able to spend time with family. We move into our new house on Thursday and we are glad that it is only an hour away instead of across the country. =)

Piano Man

2010-06-21T21:43:00.000-07:00

This is one of Kyles favorite things to do at Grandma and Grandpas house.

Fathers Day Gift

2010-06-21T21:21:00.000-07:00

The kids made great Fathers Day gifts for Trevor and Grandpa in Primary. They made ties that came with this cute card that said...

Happy Fathers Day!

We love you so;

We wanted everyone to know

So we designed this nifty tie,

Cause we think you're a

special guy.

Wear it with pride, don't be afraid.

(Wait till you see what the other kids made.)

And anyone who stops to stare

Will only see how much I care!

(Please wear this "new" tie on Fathers Day - You won't be alone)

Happy dad with his very cute kids.

The Dad's wore their ties after a little trouble getting them tied (there was a lot of glitter!!!) but once they were on they wore them well.

Close up of Trevors tie. I especially love the googly eyes.

The girls also sang two song in Sacrament meeting "I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home" and "My Daddy is My Favorite Pal." You could hear both girls loud and clear. We had a nice day and I am very lucky to have such wonderful Dads in my life.