Raising Redfords

This week in words....

2011-08-13T23:39:00.000-07:00

Rides in the canoe......
Picking juicy blackberries......
Chasing Deer out of the backyard.....
Friendly neighbors.....
Mowing, mowing and mowing..... (3 acres takes along time!)
Watching Rio......(atleast 20 times!)
Driving to So. Cal...
Afternoon naps....
Plants VS Zombies.....
Dreaming of going back to Shasta....
Moving boxes.....EVERYWHERE!
Snowcones....
Grandmas house.....
Matt singing all the RIO songs......
Rehearsel Dinner.....
Baby Henry.....
Trains....very FAST & Big Trains!
Smashing pennies on the train track......
Visiting with new and old friends.....
Drinking Shirley Temples & Roy Rogers........
In-N-Out.....
Mary Jane and Caitlin....
Seeing Cousins.....
The Spectrum.....
Grandmas pool.....
Meeting a few famous people.....
The MOST Beautiful Bride.....and Handsome Groom.....
The BEST wedding reception we've every been too......(we partied like rockstars!)
Yummy Carrot Cake.....
Roxy......
THE BAND!!!!!!!!......
Josh & Grandma dancing......
Nicole singing cute songs to Seth....
Dee rapping the best song ever!!!!!!!
Sleepy kids.....sleepy moms and dads....
5 hour energy drinks.....
Being with Family......
Dressing up pretty......
Dancing the night away.....
Mini Milkshakes.....
Gorgeous Moon.......
The Yellow Malibu......
Waiting to be at home for more than a few days at a time........

My evening with a Rock Star

2011-05-14T10:48:00.002-07:00

Cait and I got to hang out just the two of us last night. So. Much. Fun. I love she is old enough to really do that with me now! Well, I was in my bathroom throwing my hair in to a ponytail and trying to look cute in my t-shirt and jeans when in walked Cait..... GASP!

Really? She had just been in the pool dripping wet. And now she had gone all Glam & Girly on me. Short Skirt. (yikes) Jean jacket. Cowgirl hat. Sparkly purse. New Boots... She had really pulled that outfit together.....I felt very under dressed.... And motivated to get on my treadmill for atleast 4 hours a day till my legs looked like that again.

"Mom, could you paint my nails hot pink? And I think I need some lip stuff. And could you put that eye stuff on me?"

I did a double take. Where is Cait? And what did you do to her? I wanted to say. Nails, lips and eyes. Ummmm, okay. My dreams were coming true right before my eyes. My tomboy was asking to get girly with makeup and stuff. Giddyup! So we did the nails, lips and eyes. Then she even posed for me when I asked if we could take a picture.... Because I just had to share this with y'all!

So I dressed up my yellow t-shirt and jeans with some sassy hoop earrings and we hopped in the car for our girls night out.

As we were pulling into the parking lot of Olive Garden, she said to me "Mom are they going to think I am a Rock Star?" I couldn't even respond. What do you say to that? Of course they are! It was so stinkin cute. She was feeling fabulous about herself, and I was just taking it all in. I had the biggest grin on my face! I couldn't stop smiling as all the people saw her and smiled. Several people stopped to comment on her hat and boots. She felt like a million bucks! How great is that?

After dinner we headed to the movie theaters. We saw Soul Surfer. Really good show! On the way home we rocked out to Justin Bieber. Then we snuggled in bed watching netflix till we couldn't keep our eyes open anymore. It was such a fun evening! I love you Cait. Thanks for letting me hang out with you last night!

Puppy update

2010-12-04T08:16:00.002-07:00

Well forget Romeo.....we named him Buster! And he is so stinkin cute! We love him!

Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo.....

2010-11-20T06:49:00.001-07:00

Bella is getting a new boyfriend! His name is Romeo. He gets to come be with us permanently when we return from Thanksgiving in Utah! We are all so excited! He is a little Shih Tzu puppy. He has lots of energy, so he will be able to keep up with Bella! Maybe down the road we can have a litter or 2 of little shorkie puppies and then get them both fixed. We can't wait for our new little furball!

Haunted House with Grandma Redford

2010-11-15T12:04:00.000-07:00

Grandma, Caitlin and Ryan decorated a haunted house a few days before Halloween! It was so much fun! Grandma piped on the frosting and the two little ones put the candy on.... Or put the candy into their mouth..... Or dropped it on the floor for Bella..... Some eventually made it onto the house!

Cute Cait....

Ryan's 'scared' face....

Ryans faces are sooo funny.....

After awhile, Ryan lost interest. So it was just Caitlin and Grandma who finished up.....

Pretty Cute Haunted House!

Happy Birthday Shelly!

2010-11-13T06:34:00.000-07:00

Torie helped me whip up Shelly's Birthday cake for her surprise party Friday night. We had so much fun creating and decorating together. We used my cricket cake machine....but used paper in it! The party was so fun! Our friend Elizabeth did a great job. It was nice to eat and mingle with friends! Thanks Elizabeth! AND... I got to snuggle with baby Micah all evening. It was divine!

Dough art

2010-11-07T06:36:00.019-07:00

Our Sweet Caitlin is an artist! She loves to draw, cut, color, and create. I made pie crust dough for personal pot pies. I had extra, so Ryan and Cait wanted some of their own to make 'pies'. Well, this is what Caitlin came up with!

A little girl, the sun, and birds in the sky.

This is a vampire girl. Notice the eyelashes!

And a horse of course!

"Mom, is this a ...."

2010-11-03T20:07:00.000-07:00

Last night Ryan grabbed my onion keeper off the counter..... "What is this mom? Is it a keeny?"

Well, no. (I am trying to figure out what a keeny is....then he did this).....

HA! HA! HA! A BIKINI. That is really funny! And how cute is he? Crazy kid.

Apparently he is already checking out chicks in nutshell bikinis!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-30T20:47:00.001-07:00

I love this time of year! The changing of the leaves, the cooler weather, the smell of a wood burning stove... and of course dressing the kids up for Halloween!

Here is my crazy crew ready for a party and trunk or treating. We caved this year and let Josh and Matt dress up what I consider to be 'yucky'. I don't like horror movies because I HATE being scared! Yet, here are my boys...dressed scary and bloody. They LOVED it. They were forbidden to scare Cait and Ryan if they wanted to live to see another day!

Matt was a masked axe man. Not so bad!

Joshua wanted to be Jason. Totally creepy!

(He has never seen any of the movies. I am pretty sure the movies would scare him senseless!)

Caitlin was a zombie cheerleader. So cute. Too grown-up looking with that much makeup on.

Luigi. If you know Ryan, this is NOT shocking. The kid sings the mario bros songs constantly!

And what can I say. This kid is such a little gangsta! I love it. His poses are the best!

Grandma & Papa Redford are visiting for the weekend! Yeah!

Cookie Monster - forgotten

2010-10-24T06:57:00.022-07:00

I made these cupcakes for Ryan's Preschool awhile back.

And guess what? 1 kid, only 1 kid new who this was. (Gasp)

Man - I feel old!

I love Sharpies but......

2010-10-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

One morning, Ryan came into my room to find me (I was still snuggling in my bed) . He had just woken up and was hungry for breakfast. He hugged and kissed me, then he turned around.... and this is what I saw.....

What in the?????? I asked Ryan if he knew 'who had dun it'. He had no clue. Well, I figured it out! Matt had gotten in trouble the night before. Apparently this was his way of getting back at me! He wrote on Ryans neck after he had fallen asleep! It was a good think he was at school, or Matt would have been in big trouble. Little Stinker. Instead, by the time he got home from school, I was cracking up about it! Lucky Duck! What will my kids think of next!

Hoodrat Ryan

2010-10-18T12:20:00.000-07:00

I need some gangsta, I'm so thug......

Yes, here is Ryan getting his gangsta on. He was rockin his Mario and Luigi hat with his "no girls allowed shirt". He was just awesome this day. I think I laugh at him everyday, but this day was memorable! :)

Summertime Birthdays!

2010-10-18T12:05:00.000-07:00

Matt turned 10 this last July! We had a fun day with all of his friends over for a pool Party. Even though it disappoints him not to have his birthday during the school year, he is the only kid in our family that can have a pool party! So what are 10 things we love about our Matthew.....

1. He is so sweet with Cait and Ryan. (Most of the time)

2. He loves to give hugs and kisses.

3. He will eat a whole bag of pretzels....on the sly.

4. His soft brown eyes and dimples.

5. His sneakiness. (We had to put a lock on the pantry door to keep him out).

6. That he still likes to lounge in his robe and underwear.

7. He is usually willing to help mom when I need him too.

8. He isn't a tween yet. (Thank goodness)

9. He is stubborn and cute like his dad.

10. I'm still taller than him! :)

Mark also celebrates his birthday in the summer! It isn't a big hulabaloo for him and I anymore. But we still do a cake and a few presents for the old man. :) Here he is, sooooo excited to blow out the candles... I wander where our boys get their goofiness? I love you baby! :) Happy 36th.....

Are you Ready for some Football?

2010-10-18T11:38:00.000-07:00

Josh and Matt both signed up for Football this year. Yeah! I am such a football mom. It has been so much fun to see them practice and play. They were very excited to get their gear. Josh wore his all the time..... Even to play guitar hero! Unfortunately Josh broke his thumb in a scrimmage game at the beginning of the season and hasn't been able to play since! His team is very good. They are undefeated so far! Go Storm!

Matt is so fun to watch on the field! He has fancy footwork. Doesn't like to get tackled, but he is out there trying hard to get the guy with the ball! Go Matt! He is on the Rage this season!

First day of school.....I am way behind!

2010-10-18T11:24:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in so long. I have soo many cute pics of the kids and all the things they have been up too. And I know you are all dying to see all of them. I need to hurry and update! So here is the first day of school for my kids, which was in August! I wish we started school after labor day. August just still feels like summer to me! :)

Does this picture just say it all? 7th grade, waaaay to cool for school! Josh is such a ham! He loves being a goofball. Have fun in Middle School this year dude! :)

Here is our Matthew. Not wanting to smile big. He looks so suave and mysterious yes? He to is a goofball. Matt is a big 5th grader this year! Good luck Matty! :)

Here is our cute little Caitlin! She starts 1st grade this year. She is very excited! She can't wait to see all of her friends she has missed all summer long. Especially Lupita and Shirley! :) Good luck Kitty Kat!

And last but not least...our Ry Guy. Ryan! He is in preschool! He's a little bummed he isn't in the big kids school. Next year!

He is excited to be going to Miss Mindy's and Miss Nikki's preschools this year though! :)

Its almost here!

2010-08-04T13:29:00.002-07:00

Back to school! WooooHooooo! I am so excited for school to be starting. We have had a great summer.

Death by Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cupcake...

2010-01-30T20:04:00.004-07:00

I had some fun today with the kids. We made some yummy goodies for my girlfriends...

3 year olds....

2009-09-13T19:28:00.004-07:00

Ryan found me in the kitchen yesterday while I was canning some pears. He looked up at me and said, "I want some strange cheese from the kickin." Huh? I finally figured out he wanted some string cheese from the kitchen. A while back he was talking about the 'toremaydoh'. Tornado. Another time he was enthuised to tell me that Bella was not barping (barking) at him anymore. Lately, if you ask him what he wants he will say 'anything'. What he really means is 'nothing'. Very confusing. He also likes to change his mind constantly. I will say "Ryan, do you what ...... la la la. He will say no. Then he will change his mind back and forth at least 5 times before I loose my patience and put it on the counter. Then he gets mad and throws it on the floor. huh. 3 year olds. We love em. But they have a mind all their own. :)

Heavenly Cowgirl...

2009-09-10T19:54:00.004-07:00

Last night Caitlin, Ryan and I were driving in the car. Caitlin said "Mom, what will Jesus turn me into?" I wasn't sure what she was talking about, but I said, "When we die we will live with Heavenly Father, and we will look like we do now."

She was very disappointed and said "OH. I wanted him to turn me into a Cowgirl".

Here are a few pictures of one of Caitlin's 'gardening' outfits. This was when Jessica and I were putting in most of the plants in the backyard. She had to get 'dressed' appropriately to help plant the flowers around her cottage. She even did her own hair with bows and everything.

Wow! I wish my legs still looked this cute in a short skirt and boots. Giddy up!

Cowgirl Lessons....

2009-09-02T17:46:00.006-07:00

Cait has been taking horse riding lessons this summer. (Again, sooo cute. Isn't she always? Her legs are so short... she has special stirrups. And when she tries to kick to giddyup it is hilarious because the horse can't even feel it.) Anyway, she is funny because when I pick her up from lessons I always ask her what she learned. She never really has much to say...I rode 'Grandma' the horse yada yada yada. But she never really gives me any details. So it is my favorite when she randomly tells me about what cowgirls do, usually we are out running errands or just hanging around the house when she mentions things like....

"Hey mom, cowgirls don't need water bottles. Cowgirls drink from a hose".

"Hey mom, this is how you are supposed to hold the reigns. (Demonstrates to me from the back seat) Cowgirls do it with 1 hand, not 2."

"I think I need those sharp pointy thingys for my boots". (spurs, uhhhh not a chance Cait)

"We should NOT get a bull. It would run us over"

"Cowgirls don't hold on to the horns, just when you want to lasso a cow" - Good to know. I wander if I could round up the kids for dinner that way?

"Cowgirls don't have to go fast, you can go slow if you want to." (Are you guessing she does not like to gallop? Therefor it is just fine to go slow. This is why she chooses to ride 'grandma' everyday.)

So, according to Cait, now you know how to be a cowgirl!

Ryan's Cootie Catcher

2009-08-30T20:27:00.003-07:00

So today was Stake Conference at church. A 2 hour meeting with no breaks, hundreds of people crammed into the chapel and cultural hall. I have to admit, with 4 kids it is hard to really feel the spirit or hear anything for that matter, but we do our best. Isn't that what is important? :) Okay, so I was pretty sure the meeting was almost over. We'd heard like 6 people talk, the choir had sung twice, the congregation had sung the intermediate hymn. I looked over at Mark (who I am pretty sure was downloading midnight sun on his phone. Men can get away with that though, they just pretend they are reading their scriptures. uh huh. whatever.) Anyway, I asked him what time it was...10:07. Are you serious? We had a whole nother hour!

So I took Ryan for a little walk. We got a drink. La la la. Got back to our seats, and Mark had made Cait a Cootie Catcher. Very appropriate for Cait. The only friend names from school she can remember are all the little boys. Okay, so Ryan decides he wants 'one' too. Mark won't make it for him, so I told him I would. I am half way through folding the paper when Ryan shouts "I want my Booty Catcher". He will not stop screaming this over and over. I was laughing so hard I could not continue to make it, so he kept screaming, and I kept laughing, and he got so mad he wadded the paper up and threw it across the aisle. The man it hit just smiled. Nice of him to do so since we were disrupting the whole area we were seated in. So I had to pick Ryan up, screaming about his Booty Catcher and haul him out of the chapel. Him and I did not go back in. We went outside to look for weird bugs.

Ryan is probably the funniest kid I know.

Everyday is fun...in all kinds of adventurous ways!

Caits 'Red' Friday

2009-08-30T19:40:00.004-07:00

School is back in session. I haven't blogged that yet, or alot of other stuff, I will do a recap later. For now, you get to hear about Cait. She officially started Kindergarten a few weeks ago. SSOOOOOO Excited! She could not wait to go to school like her big brothers. She loves all her new friends. She loves them so much she cannot stop talking during classtime.

The kids start each day with a green light. If they misbehave during the day, they get a yellow light, and if they are really bad (gasp) they get a red light. Well, too many days are Red days for Caitlin. Almost everyday we get a note home from her teacher letting us know how many times she had to talk to Cait about not talking. Cait will say "today, I got really really really red. Like 6 times red". It is so cute it is hard to get mad at her. (You know what I mean if you know Cait.) We have talked to her over and over about sitting still and trying really hard not to talk to her neighbors, but is just isn't working.

On Friday, Cait came home with bad news. She had so many redlights she got a behavior improvement paper aka BIP. Uh Oh. Not only had she talked all day (by the way, I am taking no responsibility for that trait, it is all on Mark. If he wasn't such a chatterbug and social butterfly, Cait would have inherited my quiet shyness and perfect behavior!) Anywho, so she got busted for talking, playing in the bathroom, and cutting off her hair. (GASP...not sarcastic this time) I have been nice mom about everything until I saw the haircut she gave herself during art time. Remember, we did this last Halloween! Fortunately last year she cut hair underneath so that the longer hairs covered it up. Well, not this time. This time she cut off half of one of her ponytails. I WAS NOT HAPPY. So she was grounded Friday night in her room. We cut paper. NOT HAIR! NEVER HAIR!

Long story short, she went to Ellie's saturday. Ellie's mom does hair. She gave Cait a really cute bob. Cait loves it. She can't stop flipping her hair around. So Cute. We love you Caitlin!

She really looks like me in this picture! How crazy. I will have to look around for a similar one of me. She had me take several photos of her with her new haircut. I loved her long hair, but I guess it is time for something new. Cait...you are growing up too fast!!! I wish you could have stayed 4 forever!

Wicked

2009-07-24T21:10:00.003-07:00

Last week Mark and I took the boys to Phoenix to see Wicked. We had a great time!!! (We are however, very glad we do not live in Phoenix. Way too hot. 108 at dinner time, wow...) Anywho, we had a really fun time. Matt has been listening to the Wicked soundtrack on his I-Pod since we got home. Josh is excellent at playing Glenda...toss toss. :) Josh, you are soooo popular.

Mark and I went to see Wicked in New York in April. We had never seen it before. Loved it so much we saw it twice. :) I am sure it helped that we got kickin seats both times. (It's all about who you know. Seth hooked us up......With all of his military and bodyguard training and his swankified Lawyering skills, he was able to rig it so we got great seats, met the stars of the show, and even did some crazy recon black ops stuff to sneek us backstage to see all the props. :) How totally cool is that? Hee hee. Love you Seth. The girl that played Elphaba, that Nicole Parker girl... She was really good! So excited we got to see her perform! Nicole you are amazing! Thanks for everything. Bill and Susan met us in New York. What fun we had! Who knew we all had it in us to go to a show everynight, then go to dinner until wee hours of the morning, and still walk through time square at 2am. Whew, makes me tired just remembering it. :)

My name is Amy, and I'm addicted to....Webkinz.com

2009-07-05T18:57:00.003-07:00

Ok, stop laughing! Were any of you wandering where I was?????? I have not been blogging, or facebooking for the last 3 months because I really love to play on webkinz. (It uses up all my daily alotted computer time.) It all started when we gave Caitlin a webkinz for her birthday in March. I got addicted to playing Pizza Palace...then I got sucked into webkinz gardening. I am NOT a green thumb in real life. So what is better than a virtual garden that I can grow, and then sell my crops? So about a week after Cait's birthday, I had to buy myself my own webkinz. I got a cute little Lamb that Josh helped me name..... Fluffy Biscuit. My favorite game to play right now is Quizzy's word challenge. It is not timed, so I can start a game and do a new word everytime I pass through the kitchen. See, I am HOOKED. I garden, feed my pets (yes, I have 3), and do all the daily activities while I eat breakfast every morning. So, there you have it. I have blogged my addiction to webkinz. Sad but true. I have recommited myself to updating all the fun and crazy things the Redford's have been up to since March!!!! :)

Cait Turns 5

2009-04-08T13:10:00.004-07:00

I can hardly believe that Cait turned 5 in March. Time seems to just fly by! Her birthday happened to be the first day of Josh and Matt's Spring Break , and Mark had the day off..so everyone was home celebrate with her.

Her daddy went out early and picked up some of her favorite

donuts for her breakfast.

Lucky Girl! After breakfast, we packed up the crew and

went to the Phoenix Zoo.

Cait loved the animals, and the cotton candy!!!!

We had a cute cake just for Cait, then she opened presents.

She was excited about her 'My little pet shop" animals.

And her new Princess Bike!!! :)

Happy Birthday Cait. We love you.

Bananas.....

2009-04-05T18:23:00.002-07:00

The other morning, Ryan was in the kitchen and shouted "I want this Naked!" I quickly ran into the kitchen to see him holding a banana. LOL. So I 'stripped' the banana for him. Then it broke in half and he was sad. Cait heard the commotion and decided she wanted one too. I love my little monkeys! :)

A Walk in the Rocks.....

2009-03-12T14:30:00.009-07:00

This weekend we decided to go to Watson Lake (a local lake) and hike/walk around. It was such a beautiful morning. The water was smooth and the sky was a crisp blue. It was fun to hike up around all the Granite Dells (the huge rocks). I hadn't been hiking through the rocks before... Mark has taken Josh & Matt a few months back. What fun we had! Jessica was still with us. (She came down for a girls weekend with me! :) I'll blog about that next!)
Watson Lake

Ryan

Caitlin

Joshua

Jessica, Ryan & Mark

Matt & Ryan

Mark, Ryan, Matt, Josh & Cait

Jessica

Josh's 11th Birthday

2009-03-04T19:35:00.002-07:00

This is my darling Josh on his 11th birthday. I know it is a goofy picture, but Josh is a fun, goofy kinda kid. He loves to joke and have fun!

This is an off year for Josh's birthday, which is supposed to mean that he didn't have a 'huge' party with a bunch of friends, cake, ice cream etc. Well, Josh managed to drag his birthday out so that he ended up having a birthweek, instead of birthday. Monday, 2 days before his birthday, we went to eat at Texas Roadhouse, his favorite restaurant, we gave him our gifts that night. Then on Wednesday his birthday, I decorated and we had 'the family party' which included yummy chocolate cupcakes and balloons. Then on Saturday he managed to talk us into having a 'small friend party', which included 2 friends and pizza. Josh had the evening scheduled. Seriously. I should have taken a picture of the 'to do' list. It was something like this...

1. open presents

2. play nerf guns

3. Eat Pizza

4. play video games

5. Ride bikes

Mark and I are total suckers! Josh ended up having a whole week of celebrating instead of just a day! He said it was better than having one big party!

We love you Joshy woodle doodle bug! Happy Birthday!

Cookies for New York

2009-02-24T13:40:00.004-07:00

Hi y'all. Mom and Jess wanted a picture of the cookies I did for some magazine in New York. They were pitching something to Nivea. Hope it went well!! I am having to much fun to call this work! :)

Valentine Dinner....

2009-02-20T05:38:00.002-07:00

For Valentines day, Mark and I went to dinner with Bill & Susan, and Laura & Gregg. It was really nice to sit and visit with adults for the evening!!!

I love you Mark. Happy Valentines Day!

Valentines Day

2009-02-20T04:50:00.011-07:00

We spent Valentines Day weekend in Irvine visiting Marks family. I was hoping for warm weather with lots of green grass, lush trees and of course SUN. Well.....it was cool and rainy... With a little bit of sunshine mixed in. We still had alot of fun. Friday, the kids really wanted to go swimming. So we went, in the rain! It was cold, I had conveniently forgotten my swimsuit this trip, (It's only Feb. I am not swimsuit ready!) but the kids and Mark had theirs, so we found a heated pool and spent an hour or so splashing and diving.

Saturday it was sunny, and a little warmer. So we decided to take the kids to the beach. We are smart enough now to take extra clothes with us whenever we go to the beach. Even though it's February, and we told the kids the water would be very very cold, they wanted to 'Wade' in the water. Wade means swim, so we put their suits underneath their clothes. Good thing too!

I was worried about Ryan. He can be a loose cannon, and I really didn't want him in the water. Well, luck was with us. He was scared of the sounds of the waves crashing. So he didn't even want to come down to the water. He kept running back to the parking lot. Eventually, we distracted him by getting him to chase the birds.

Grandma and Papa Redford were watching James for the weekend, so the 3 of them came to the beach with us!

So here are the 3 brave kids venturing into the water.....

Finding lots of fun stuff to play with....

Matt is always the one who wants to be buried in the sand...

Josh was so ready to get in the freezing water. I think we must have dropped him too many times when he was a wee one. :)

After swimming for a little bit, he got out complaining that he was cold and ready to go.

Uh...we did tell him it would be cold. They just don't listen. Literally.

Caitlin is my picture girl. She kept hitting funny poses demanding that I take pictures of her.

After seeing Matt buried, Ryan decided he wanted to give it a shot.

Laura came down to the beach to see us. This was a really cute shot of her and Susan.

It was such a fun day. I love the beach. It is so relaxing to sit and listen to the waves crash onto the shore. I really didn't want to leave........but we dried the kids off and headed home.

I guess I can't really say I didn't want to leave. Mark got me a really cute little red surprise for Valentines day, and I was a little anxious to ride home with the top down.

I know, I know, I am incredibly spoiled!

Let it Snow

2009-02-10T08:32:00.005-07:00

It has finally snowed enough to stick! This year we haven't had as much as last year. The kids have been waiting anxiously for

Snow, Snow, Snow.

It snowed a few inches yesterday and last night, enough for the schools to declare a Snow Day. Which means No School today. They are excited, not sure if I am yet! It is amazing how kids are. On a normal school day, Mark and I have to drag them out of bed to get them going. This morning, it is like they just new there was no school...Josh and Matt were both up around 6 am. I don't get it. Hmmm. Well anywho. I took some cute pictures of the kids playing outside. Bella Loves to run in the snow with the kids. It is funny to watch her tear around the yard in the snow.

So Happy Snow Day Everyone!

Matt running in the snow

Caitlin

Matt again. He loves posing for the camera!

Ryan making snowballs. So Cute!

Bella playing with her bear in the snow

The view out the front door this morning. Beautiful!

Silly things we do....

2009-01-20T19:06:00.003-07:00

We were all being a little silly today. Cait ran around with under wear on her head.....
While the rest of us tried on a Grill that was all Bling! Mark would be so proud of our 'Sparkling Teeth!'

This Is What Girls Do When They Have A Boyfriend

2009-01-19T16:53:00.004-07:00

Wow, it has been awhile sinced I blogged. I did not find the time during the holidays, so I have alot to catch up on!!!!! Right now I will just let you in on a startling thing Cait said the other day when her and I were in the kitchen. She looked across the table at me and struck a pose.

And then she said ......................

This is what girls do when they have a boyfriend.

Uh-Huh, do they now? It took me a few seconds to recover. Then I asked her where she learned this. She said Tom & Jerry. Apparantley the girl cat gives this look to Tom. Maybe she shouldn't be watching Tom & Jerry until she is 21 because I don't want her giving that look to any cute boys until then!!!!

HO-MAWK

2008-11-15T20:19:00.003-07:00

I know that I am always blogging about all the funny things my kids do and say, Sorry. It makes me smile, it might make you smile too..
Yesterday Cailtin was telling me that I needed to fix Ryan's hair in a HO-MAWK. :) I love it. It is still making me laugh. Faux-Hawk, or Mohawk. I am not sure which she was going for, but it came out HOMAWK. Hee Hee

Getting Rid of the Skunks....well trying too.....

2008-11-15T19:53:00.006-07:00

So, we still have the skunks. Mark called animal control, which turned out to be the local police department. They wouldn't come out and take care of the skunks for us, but they offered Mark a free trap so that we could catch them ourselves. OOHHHHH GOODY! Is anyone else laughing hysterically at this point? So he picked up the trap and brought it home. He then realized we needed to bait it. With what? A quick search on the internet lead us to these options....

1.CHICKEN ENTRAILS

2.CRACKNELS

3.FISH

4.FRESH INSECT LARVAE

5.BREAD CRUST COATED IN PEANUT BUTTER

WHAT THE????????? I quickly voted for bread and peanut butter. The other stuff totally grossed me out! eeccckkk. Ryan, Cait and Mark set the trap. Placed it in the yard. Then Mark covered the trap with a large beach towel. The police told him that a skunk won't spray what it can't see. Gut instinct tells me that isn't right. But I am not an expert. SOOO now the waiting begins...........

Next morning all the bread and pb were gone, the trap had not sprung. HMMMM. I think we might have skunks come spring, because if we don't catch them soon, they will hibernate in the yard. (Atleast in Over The Hedge they hibernate).

I am not concerned we haven't caught the skunks. I am more concerned about what we will do when we DO catch the skunks. We will have to catch them one at a time. And release them one at a time. Which means we will be taking atleast 4 trips to 'the wild' to let them go. In what I ask? We don't have a truck, and neither Mark or I want a live skunk in our cars. HMMM. Any suggestions?

Liberty Days Performance

2008-11-15T19:45:00.003-07:00

Josh had his first big band performance last week. The concert was centered around "being proud to be an American". Josh and another fellow trumpeter got to perform Taps in honor of all the veterans in the audience. It was such a great night!! Josh really loves his music. It was so fun to watch him perform. We are so proud of you Josh!!

The last few days of Ryan's of adventures.....

2008-11-15T16:47:00.008-07:00

Oh Ryan. We love you soooo.

We just can't keep up with you!!!!

I thought Ryan was out in the backyard playing with the other kids. He wasn't. I found him in the playroom with a black sharpie (his favorite drawing tool).

BUSTED!

The blue walls are now decorated with Ryan's art - So are his cheeks, and his shirt and his belly etc. I quickly removed the marker and escorted him outside to play with the other kids. :)

Ryan was in the tub. I checked on him every 2 minutes while I cleaned the kitchen. Well, I checked on him again, the curtain was closed around the tub and when I pulled it back, this is what I found..... Ryan covered his eyes-figuring I wouldn't see the mess if I couldn't see him.

BUSTED!

These items were in the basket along with 2 full rolls of toilet paper that had disentegrated in the tub water. Yuck!

See no evil.

Here we see Ryan in Josh's room with the fish tank....yes, he has dumped the tank upside down all over Josh's desk. He had a great time playing with the little orange rocks. I did not have a great time cleaning it up. It took forever!

BUSTED! Ryan has also been spinning around on the kitchen table, getting into the peanut butter jar when I wasn't looking, hiding in my closet rearranging all the shoes. I took him with me to church to set up for a Relief Society Dinner. He unset the tables as I set them. AAAHHHH!!!Where does he get the energy? I need some of it!!!!

I think Ryan should have his own reality show, and a series of Ryan adventure books. He is awesome.

Don't can butter!!!!!!

2008-11-14T21:20:00.002-07:00

Okay, so after research and informative emails from my awesome mom, I have found out that you can't and shouldn't can butter. Sorry! I am very sad about that!!

You Can Can

2008-11-09T14:58:00.001-07:00

I am so excited! I just found a blog about random things that can be canned in jars, and guess what.....You Can Can Butter!!! WOOOOO HOOOOOO! I can't wait to try it!!!!!! youcancan.blogspot.com

The Hawk

2008-11-04T18:41:00.001-07:00

I was getting Ryan dressed yesterday morning, and I told him next we would do his hair. He was excited to get his hair done, which is not normal at all. Usually he fights me, so I don't do his hair very often. When I got him up on the counter and sprayed his hair with water he said, "I want a Hawk." I thought about it for a minute before I realized he was asking me to style him with A MOHAWK. This kid gets funnier everyday.
Later in the day, he was talking about his eagle. What? Then I made the connection between his Hawk and his Eagle, How he made it at 2 is amazing! Ryan is a very smart little boy. Our conclusion is that his favorite show Diego is teaching him good stuff!!

Breakfast Ryan Style

2008-11-01T16:37:00.000-07:00

Ryan is very crafty, and sneaky, and sweet, and adorable. So when I found Ryan the morning after halloween sitting by a pile of candy and 2 suckers hanging out of his mouth, how could I be mad? Too cute! (and sticky!)

Trick or Treating Fun

2008-10-31T20:22:00.001-07:00

Well, another successful year trick or treating. We went over to the Church for an hour or so to Trunk-or-Treat. Then Josh, Matt, Cait and Dad hit a few streets in the neighborhood. Ryan and I came home to hand out the rest of the candy. He had such a great time answering the door and giving each kid a huge handful of candy. He didn't get the concept of 1 candy to each kid. We have so much candy! We'll have enough to last us until next Halloween!

Action shot on our way out the door

Josh was very excited about his blowup Sumo costume

Matt found this plumber costume irrestible

The crack in the back is hilarious

Caitlin was a magical Tinkerbell,

She danced around singing all night

Arg. The cutest pirate on the block!

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T11:43:00.001-07:00

So here is the scary story for today. I was putting my makeup on and doing my hair. This is what Caitlin was doing...........

Cutting her own hair. I found her hair in the kitchen, in the bathroom, in her room, and in Ryan's room. She was all over the place cutting and styling. But that is not all...

She also decided that Bella needed a haircut. She managed to give her a bare strip down the middle of her head! I seriously can't believe it. I can't even wipe Bella's eyes with out her freaking out. How could Cait manage to do this?

And Ryan wasn't watching Cait. He was doing his own thing... getting some snacks out of the pantry. Apparantly he couldn't find what he wanted so he decided to rearrange things for me. This is why I have a lock on the door. How did I forget to lock it?

Fall time...

2008-10-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

Falling leaves, red, gold, brown. Cool breezes gently blowing. The smell of yummy spices floating through the air, carving pumpkins, drinking hot cocoa, baking fall goodies, the smell of a woodburning fire, trick or treating, the smell of cold air, picking out pumpkins at the pumkin patch, snuggling into cold sheets at night. I love fall. This is my favorite time of year. It is so fun to decorate the house and spend time doing fun things with the kids. Today we made caramel apples for afterschool snack. The kids picked out an apple, dunked it in gooey caramel, drizzled it with chocolate and decorated with halloween sprinkles! YUM!

Ryan picking out his apple.

Shining her apple. (It's under the paper towel.)

Matt's apple

Making sure it tastes okay

The finished product

Skunks!

2008-10-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

Tuesday after school Josh was looking out the back window and he casually said, "Hey mom, I think there is a skunk in the backyard." Well, upon further inspection, there was not A skunk in the backyard, but there were 4 baby skunks in our backyard. Which means, there is probably a mom and a dad as well. WE think they are nesting in the back corner. So what do you think the boys did? They immediately wanted to throw things at the skunks. I quickly informed them that if they were sprayed by a skunk they would be sleeping outside for the next week or two until the stink wore off. This in NO Way discouraged them from wanting to get at the skunks. So what do you do? I locked all the kids in the house and threatened them with their lives if they went out back to bother the skunks. Of course they snuck out when I was not looking. Apparently they do not fear me at all. Fortunately, no one has gotten sprayed. Hopefully the skunks will move on to someone elses backyard. I will keep you posted!

Carving Pumpkins

2008-10-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

For Family night we carved our Pumpkins for the front porch. This is usually Marks thing with the kids. I like to take pictures, but I am not an ooey gooey person at all. I did glove up and help out a few times. It was really fun. The kids picked out their own patterns and did their best. Dad helped Ryan and Cait out, but the Josh & Matt did their own. Ryan was very excited about the pumpkins. But when Mark cut into them to remove the tops, he covered his nose and ran from the kitchen. From then on, he remained in his room watching Diego. Every 10 minutes he would check on us and our Pumpkins....but everytime he did so it was with his nose covered so he couldn't smell the Pumpkin 'guts'.

With all the mess cleaned up,

We put our PUMPKINS on the porch.

Aren't they the cutest pumpkins?

Ryan's Pumpkin

Matt's Pumpkin

Josh's Pumpkin

Caitlin's Pumpkin

Funny things that kids say

2008-10-20T19:21:00.000-07:00

The other day Caitlin was trying so hard to say the word accident. But it just wouldn't come out right. Finally she said "I can't say ass-ka-dent!"
Matt was talking to Jessica being quite sassy and trying to be funny when he said "you have more fat on you than a cow!" Jessica and I both thought it was funny and laughed hysterically. Crazy kids!

Hanging with the Masons

2008-10-17T19:22:00.000-07:00

Jess and Lloyd brought the kids down for a visit for a few short days. We had a great time hanging out. Jess and I went to Bunco for a girls night out. So much fun. Then we had a little Halloween Party for the kids. We decorated cookies and dressed up in Costumes. So much fun. Saturday night, the adults went to Sundogs Hockey game. Go Dogs! Again, sooooo much fun. Did I mention, we just had so much fun while they were here!!!! Love you guys.

A bat named Stevie

2008-10-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

I think 3 and 4 year olds are hilarious, They say the most random things sometimes. Well, Cait came home from preschool with a clothes pin turned bat. She quickly informed me his name was Stevie. Stevie. Stevie? HuH? Okay. Whatever Cait.

Little Whistler

2008-10-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

Ryan has discovered how to whistle. At first, I thought I was hearing things. Then I realized that he was whistling very quietly. He is quite good at it, I must admit. He will whistle at random times...mostly when he is happy. It is just so darn cute!

Trip to Greer over Fall Break

2008-10-12T18:22:00.000-07:00

Josh and Matt have a week off school every October. This year we decided to get away to see some fall colors. We found a little tiny resort town called Greer up in the white mountains of Arizona. The colors were breathtaking as we drove up into the mountains. It was wonderful. Once we got settle into our cabin, we immediately set out to the various ponds on the property to fly fish, chase ducks, and view the beautiful fall colors. We took nature walks along the mountain streambeds, went bird watching with binoculars and bird books, fly fished, relaxed and had a wonderful time together as a family!

What?

2008-10-04T18:02:00.000-07:00

I was in the kitchen this morning when I overheard this conversation between Cait and Matt.

Cait: "Hey Matt, come play with me."
Matt: "No, I don't want too"
Cait: "Please, it will be fun."
Matt: "Why? Do I get to run you over?"

Should I be disturbed that he only wants to play with her if he can run her over? Hmmmmm?

Yummy Ice Cream

2008-10-03T00:16:00.000-07:00

I found this picture while I was reviewing photos of the last few months. ??????? Who knows what was going on... Ryan dishing up his own ice cream. ??????????? I must have been picking my battles that day! :)

Bella

2008-10-02T23:52:00.000-07:00

Well, we got a new puppy. She is a little yorkie. We are all very excited to have Bella join our family. She is sweet and spunky, she loves to play with the kids, and she has tons of energy! I hope she will be exactly what the kids need! Cait carries her around everywhere, and constantly says "I love my new puppy, she is soooo cute". Josh loves to rough house with her, and she is more than eager to play. She especially likes to chew on his stinky socks! ugh. She'll give a little bark at Ryan and he runs away from her, so she chases him through the house trying to bite at his blanket that is always draggin behind him. Matt, eyes the dog, holds it for 10 seconds and then hands it back. Mark and I think she is too darn cute and we realize that she is the new 'baby' around the house.

Ryan's Shiner

2008-10-01T06:18:00.000-07:00

Poor Ryan, a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Didn't have a chance. Josh and Matt were playing in the hall way with my workout band. They were trying to see how far they could stretch it. Well, Josh decided to let go and Whap! The handle flew down the hall and hit Ryan right in the eye! Everyone felt terrible! I am just glad he didn't go blind!

Matt's Baptism

2008-09-01T06:01:00.000-07:00

Matt had a wonderful Saturday afternoon baptism. Both sets of grandparents were able to attend. Days like this remind me of what life is all about! Raising those little Redfords to do what is right! Caitlin was very concerned for a couple of weeks leading up to his baptism. Every time we talked about Matt getting baptized she would get very upset and tell us she didn't want Matt to die. She thought that when he went under the water, he would die and go back to live with Heavenly Father. So we spent a little extra time working with her! She was happy when Matt came out of the water smiling. I love the glow of a freshly baptized person. :) Afterwards we went out to eat at Red Robins - of course! Our favorite kid place to eat. We had so much fun! What a great day to always remember.

Grandma and Grandpa Thompson

Grandma and Granpa Redford

1st Day of School

2008-08-06T06:22:00.000-07:00

Josh and Matt were not excited to start school this year. They really had a great summer, but felt it was way too short. They did not want to wear school uniforms, or do homework, or sit still and listen during class. But guess what? They had a great day. It was so good to see old friends they hadn't seen all summer. No, they still didn't want to do homework, but who does? I complain about my 'homework' all the time.

Caitlin, however, was very excited to start preschool this year. She has 2 teachers this year, Miss Gina, and Miss Mindy. She loves it! She comes home singing all her cute songs and counting. She loves to sit and draw and practice her letters all day long. Maybe she will rub off on the boys a little bit! :)

Matt's 8th Birthday

2008-08-01T05:54:00.000-07:00

Matt turned 8 this last July. He had a great day starting with breakfast in his bean bag in front of the TV. He got lots of fun gifts including a Wall-e game for the wii and a new DS. I think his favorite present came from grandma Redford...a 6 lb bag of pretzels. Oh he does love his pretzels! We love you Matt. Happy Birthday!

Where are Josh & Matt?

2008-07-18T04:54:00.001-07:00

So as I look through the blog there are not many photos or entries of the boys of late. Why is this? I have so many photos of things that Cait and Ryan are doing, or getting into, but where are Josh and Matt.....oh that's right... It is summer. Josh sleeps in as long as he possibly can. Then when he gets up him and Matt try to play video games all day long, or hide from me when it is chore time!!!! So there aren't any photos of that, oh, BUTT there might be one. Ryan escaped from the tub yesterday morning to watch the boys play WII...... How cute are baby bums?

Lavendar days in Utah

2008-07-18T04:42:00.001-07:00

Josh & Matt

We had a great time visiting family in Utah this summer. One of the things we did was to head over to the Lavendar festival in Mona. This kids had a great time roaming through the lavendar. It was similar to a small renasaince fair. They had old fashioned rides, animals, pony rides, and of course great fried food. We did try some things like lavendar ice cream. Wasn't our fave, a little too strong. And lavendar lemonade. That was good. Any who the kids had a great time. We even saw a zedonk for the first time, a mix between a donkey and a zebra!

Cait, Mckenna & Lil Mo (matt mason)

How Beautiful are those Utah Mountains in the back ground!!!!

Cait got to meet the Fairies. How cool is that!!!!

Mudslide Cookies

2008-07-18T04:33:00.001-07:00

I am in the kitchen alot these days creating new cookie recipes, and Ryan really likes to help, especially with clean up!!! If he would just stay in the kitchen. He is so fast, he'll get off the chair and make a break for it. Then we have cookie dough fingerprints everywhere. I am not complaining. I wouldn't trade this cute little cookie monster for anything.

Curlers

2008-07-18T04:31:00.001-07:00

I wish I was this cute in curlers!

Dressing Myself

2008-07-18T04:26:00.000-07:00

Caitlin is all girl. She has discovered that she really likes to pick out her own clothes. Since we never really go anywhere, this is not a problem. Every morning she usually comes in wearing a church dress. I can usually talk her out of those, but that just means she gets a little bit more creative with what she will choose to wear that day. This week, she really fancies her tutu and any shirt and boots seem to match!!! My favorite...her cape that she wears and flies around the house in. She is usually wearing a bright pink and orange hat too...can't locate a pic of that.

Dirt, Frogs & Otter Pops

2008-07-18T04:11:00.000-07:00

Caitlin LOVES to catch frogs, lizards, bugs, whatever she can find. She desparately wants a pet of her own. So everyday she is out back on a quest to find another pet to love. The problem is she tends to over 'love' the animals she finds. They are often dead the next day from her tender loving care. I am convinced only a huge dog could hold up to her lovin! Here she is with her frog, which only lasted a day. The next morning she informed me that he was 'cold' (dead stiff) so she had put him back in the bushes to warm up. Ryan loves to go out back with Cait and catch stuff, or chase the wild bunny that lives in our bushes. He is a boy. He loves to throw rocks, and of course play in the dirt. We have tons of dirt and gravel for him to play in. But his favorite dirt comes from my flower pots. Why stop at the dirt? He has pulled all the leaves off the flowers, and then uprooted the whole plant. My poor flowers!!!!!

Computer time with Cait

2008-07-18T04:05:00.000-07:00

Caitlin loves to play nickjr on the computer. On this day she was really into wearing headphones so that she could hear better. I got a cute picture of Ryan from 'behind' watching Cait play a Dora game.

Slippery little sucker!

2008-07-18T04:01:00.001-07:00

My nephew Tytan (jess's little guy) is so stinkin cute. Jess and I were busy elsewhere in the house, when someone discovered Tytan in the bathroom, with a bottle of Lotion. Now how can you get mad?

Visitors in May

2008-07-18T03:34:00.000-07:00

Jessica and Becky came to visit us in May. We had a really good time. With 9 kids running around it was crazy! Jess and I still had time to design a few cookies while the kids played. They really enjoyed swimming in the jacuzzi and eating otter pops!

Countdown to Edward, um, I mean 'Breaking Dawn'

2008-05-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

So in anticipation of the 4th book in the 'twilight' series to come out, I have added a countdown clock. I am very excited to read the book. Hopefully we will finally find out if she will turn into a vampire...I hope so. She has to choose Edward over Jacob!! We will be getting off the lake at shasta after houseboating with Marks family for a week.....first stop will be to get the new book so I can read it all the way back to Arizona!!!! :)

Mohawk

2008-05-02T21:03:00.000-07:00

Mark cut the boys' hair the other night. I was busy with the little kids, so I didn't see Josh and Matt, until they were all cut short and nice. Well, when I was downloading pics onto the computer I came across a few shots that I had to share. Pretty good mohawk Josh!!!!

Swinging

2008-05-02T20:44:00.000-07:00

So we got a swingset a few weeks ago. I was very excited, as excited as Cait. I better start at the beginning... One morning I told Caitlin to quit jumping on the couches. We have a trampoline, so I told her to go play outside. She looked up at me and said (with her puppy brown eyes) "but mom, we don't have a swing for me to swing on." So, for family home evening that night, we went to walmart and bought one. So again, we were all excited, especially Mark. He started reading the instructions and the estimated time to build the swingset was 12-15 hours. So Excited! (He is such a good guy, he put it all together on one of his Fridays off.) Any who, to make a long story short, it is a huge day when a parent no longer has to spend hours outside pushing the little ones on the swing.....2 days ago, Caitlin learned how to pump her legs from a dead stop and get going full force. She loves it. It is a new found freedom for her! I think it is much like flying. She loves to go as high as she can. In fact, when I tried to take pictures, she was very upset that she was not going at full swing when I was taking pictures. She kept scowling that she could go higher and I needed to wait. Very cute!!! Here is one of the non scowl pictures I was able to get, even though she wasn't 'super' high'.

Holes

2008-04-30T02:19:00.000-07:00

So, I don't think that I have really told you all about my Matthew. He is such a sweet kid. Cute smile, little dimple in his cheeks, twinkle in his eyes....sounds harmless right? Well the kid is holey! I can't keep him from cutting, chewing or ripping holes in his clothes!!! I am sure that his teachers think I am horrible to send him to school with his clothes full of holes, but I can't keep up. And, I refuse to buy him new clothes. As soon as I do, he comes home with a hole in it!

Terrible at this!

2008-04-27T13:04:00.000-07:00

I really do have the best intentions....including this blog. Note to self, blog more than once every 5 months. It is sad when I have family telling me to update the blog so they can see what the kids look like, and what is happening with us. So sorry!!!! I will do better!!!

The Polar Express

2007-11-26T22:21:00.001-07:00

Tonight we had the best time! We bundled up in our pajamas, coats and scarves and headed out into the cold to ride on the Polar Express! Our train departed out of the Grand Canyon Railroad station in Williams AZ. Before we left, we were able to get a few photos with Mrs. Claus in the waiting area. We boarded our train and were served Hot cocoa and chocolate chip cookies by the chef on board. Then we listened to the book Polar Express. When we got to the 'North Pole', Santa boarded the train and gave all the kids a jingle bell. On the way home we sang Christmas carols. It was the perfect way to start the Christmas season. I think it will be a yearly tradition for us. Matt and Cait were enamored by everything that happened on the way up and back. Josh, at almost 10, thought he was too old and cool to be there. But I could tell he had a really good time too. Ryan, well, he was a maniac as always. He was up and down the aisles, on and off the seats. The cocoa and cookies didn't even keep his attention for long! Oh my! It was a bit too much for Cait. She threw up twice on the way home. Yuck! I sincerely hope that doesn't become a yearly tradition!

October

2007-11-11T18:08:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it through October. It was such a busy month! The monday night before halloween, we carved pumpkins for Family Home Evening. The kids each got their own pumpkin and we spent the evening picking out fun designs, getting the goo out of the middle, and carving up a storm! It was fun to be in Arizona and have the weather cool so that the pumpkins could be on the porch a few days before halloween without getting moldy. On Halloween night, we went Trunk or treating at the church. Josh ended up being Mario this year (again, it's his 3rd time). Matt was a green ghost from packman, but do to a shabby paint job... looked more like a giant pickle, or the cucumber from VegieTales. Cait was an adorable black cat, and Ryan was our brave little Indian Chief. Ryan, at 18 months, wasn't sure what was goin on with the trick or treating thing. But he loved the candy especially the suckers! The kids always have so much fun picking out their costumes and anticipating the candy! Mark and I don't mind it either. It makes us feel like kids again to watch them have so much fun! We like to pick and choose a few treats out of the kids bags at the end of the evening, and the next day, and the day after that! Halloween is the beginning of eating horrible for the rest of the year. But hey, it's the holidays!!!!!