The Leishman's Latest

Wow!

2011-02-04T17:11:00.000-08:00

It's been a little longer than I remember since I last posted...
So, just a few pictures to add...
We had a great year. Emma is 18 months old and WAY busier than my other kids were. She is into EVERYTHING, climbs on everything and wants a part in everything....I don't know if that is normal for the fourth child, but honestly I feel tired just thinking about it...
Sam is 13 and getting ready for High School. She gets to go on her first trek this summer and Steve and were asked to go also, so we are way excited about that.
Trey is almost 12 and getting ready for Middle School. He is my little actor and loves to make people laugh.
Lizzie is doing spanish imersion in school and learning so fast. She loves ballet and is 100% her own little self.
Steve is super busy with scouts and helping with Sam's soccer team.
I am enjoying being in the Relief Society presidency and staying super busy with that and the kids.

A few updates

2009-12-16T13:57:00.000-08:00

When we first got married we made our own stockings, and we have made each child one as they came along....well, part of the socks. I love sewing so much (NOT!!), so, Sam's sock was the only one that was actually finished. Trey's didn't have his name on it and Lizzie's didn't have any decorations on it. Steve had to have a hernia operated on two weeks ago, and so he was home without anything to do. He got the sewing machine out and we went to Joanne's and we bought the stuff for Lizzie and Emma's socks and he made Emma's sock and finished Trey and Lizzie's BY HIMSELF!! Yah, my husband is more domestic than me when it comes to sewing. He then proceeded to sew on Trey's Webelo's badge. Steve, you rock!!! I was really proud of him.
Emma has started eating cereal. Not a lot of love for it. We discovered that the bib is too much of a distraction, so we started feeding her without the bib on (MESSY), but she will actually eat, so we might have to strip her down every day to eat!!
We spent Thanksgiving at the Olsen's. Scott and Chrissy came again this year, we love having them come visit.
Our little Emma is doing so well, she is such a happy, sweet baby and she absolutely adores her older brother and sisters.

2009-12-11T21:14:00.000-08:00

So, the last two weeks have been more emotional than any two weeks I have ever had in my life! I was released from the primary presidency. I loved working with those sweet kids, and I really LOVED the amazing women I got to serve with in the presidency. It was such a great experience for me and I was not ready to see it end. But....I got called to be the ward camp director. I am so excited about being able to go to girl's camp. I have so many wonderful memories of camp and I am excited to be there for Sam's first camp!!
Last Thursday my neighbor died at the age of 39 after a very painful battle with cancer. She was a very sweet lady and left behind two sweet little boys. Her funeral was today and it was a very nice tribute to her, but also very hard to see her husband, parents, siblings, and boys have to say goodbye to her. How grateful I am to know that she is not suffering anymore and that she is with her loving Heavenly Father. The memorial service was filled with people from her life and I was really touched to see how many people from the school came to show their support for her family. We really live in such a fantastic neighborhood and I'm so lucky to know so many amazing people.
This Tuesday another neighbor died of cancer. Scott was only 46 and was diagnosed less than three weeks ago. He left behind three children, the youngest 9, and the oldest 14. He didn't have to suffer very long, but it all happened so fast we didn't get to say goodbye to him. Some of the guys on our block get together and play games, they have tournaments of every kind, and Steve will miss having Scott there. He was a such a nice man and I know his boys will miss having their dad, he was very involved in their sports and scouting.
We had our Relief Society dinner tonight. It was so wonderful. We had a missionary couple come and do a presentation on the artwork of the birth of the Savior. The Sister was a Docent at (I can't remember which art museum in D.C.)...but she was amazing! They had several musical numbers and it was decorated beautifully!! I was wanting to stay there forever and not have to leave that wonderful spirit. Thank you to the wonderful Relief Society sisters that made that a much needed relief for me!
I am teaching the lesson on the Martyrdom of Joseph Smith this Sunday......enough said!
I am really missing my sisters and parents right now....not being able to see Julie and Michelle's babies is really hard!! I am ready for Mom and Dad to be home....Doug and Geri are coming home from Cambodia and it makes me even more anxious for July to be here!!!
How do people survive without amazing friends and family? I know I would not be the person I am today without the people I have met and who have influenced me through my life.
Thank you to so many of you who have played a major part in my life. I am so lucky to have four beautiful, healthy children and a husband who looks past all of my faults and loves me anyway. I am so blessed to have the peace of the gospel and to have wonderful siblings and parents.
I loved the talk from Elder Bednar "Tender Mercies". Whenever I have times that overwhelm me, I think of that talk and realize that through all the hard times, my Heavenly Father is always giving me Tender Mercies....He never lets us down.
So, that about wraps it up, I am really hoping to have a better week next week....I'm getting my haircut, so already I feel better!!

Sam's 12!!

2009-11-29T13:59:00.001-08:00

The highlight of Sam's birthday was getting her cell phone. She has been so anxious to get her own phone. At 9 am she was practically dragging me out of the house so we could go pick out her phone. I can't believe how much a 12 can text!!

My little girl turned 12 on Monday. She is seriously so grown up and such a good girl I can't believe it. I am so proud of the things she is doing. She was so excited to go to YW she could hardly wait. Her sweet beehive class came on Monday and decorated her room with little bumble bees, made her a fleece blanket and brownie cupcakes. She got to go to an activity with them last week and she came home so excited and happy. She is the best big sister and daughter, I'm so glad we have her!!

Halloween

2009-11-18T20:54:00.000-08:00

Yah, I know it was almost a month ago....
Sam was "Lola" from Hanna Montana and Lizzie was Elphaba from Wicked. Trey was Shaggy but he wasn't very excited about his costume, just a green shirt and brown pants, his hair was already 'shaggy' so it worked perfectly, but he wouldn't let me take a picture of him. Emma didn't dress up...fourth child, no energy mommy, it's all good!!

Trey's update

2009-11-15T13:05:00.001-08:00

Trey got his Webelos badge last month. He has worked really hard and he was very excited about getting that. I can't believe he only has one more year before he'll be getting the preisthood....YIKES!!
He loved playing football. It's his favorite thing to do. He plays it at recess everyday and he had a blast playing this fall. I'm not sure we will continue playing...he may love it, but it doesn't necessarily love him!!
One Sunday afternoon the kids were downstairs looking through boxes and Trey found all of his 'whitie-tighties' and decided to make himself "underwear boy". It was hilarious, he had a microphone and he was signing "Fabulous" from High School Musical at the top of his lungs. He was dancing and totally hamming it up. It was so funny. The girls couldn't get enough of it, Sam was laughing so hard she was crying. He is such a goof-ball!!
Trey refuses to wear coats, sweatshirts, hoodies, you name it. Why? I have no idea! So, at their fall field day, it was FREEZING!! But of course Trey (and Austin, sorry Tricia for being a bad example!)we running around in short sleeve shirts. He is absolutely nuts!
We are so excited that Trey is finally done with his vision therapy. He worked really hard this last year and he is doing really well. He is finally reading at very close to grade level and he is really feeling good about himself. We still have a lot to work on, but that is such a relief to have those two things checked off the list!

Happy Birthday Lizzie

2009-11-11T20:21:00.001-08:00

Lizzie turned six on October 15th. Her birthday party was so fun. She had been planning this since June. She invited three of her friends, we went to a nail salon and got their feet and hands painted. We then went to Chick-fil-A for lunch. She was so excited about this party. The girls were so fun and had a great time.
Her best friend, Claire gave her this card. It made me cry it was so sweet. They are such good friends and we don't know what we would do without her in our life.
My little Lizzie Lou is such a sweetie and we are so glad to have her in our family.

Love the smiles

2009-09-30T14:36:00.000-07:00

Emma is smiling all the time now. We LOVE it!!! Her tongue is always going a hundred miles and hour. She is doing great and the kids couldn't love her more. Trey told me a few weeks ago that he thinks that Emma should have to stay a baby forever....I couldn't agree more. She has been such a little angel and we love her to death. I am so happy the weather is nice this week...last week's intro. to winter I could have done without!

Emma Jun

2009-09-10T12:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, so she is almost two months old...better late than never!!
I will try to post updated pictures soon!!

MARCH

2009-04-04T19:58:00.000-07:00

Since my computer feels like downloading pictures slower than the US immigration line at Dallas/Ft. Worth airport, I'm going to just do some updating without pictures. March was a great month for me. I got to go visit my cute sister-in-law and her family in San Fransisco. We spent one day in the city (without either of our kids) it was so fun to walk around the piers. It's been 13 years since I have been there, it was great to be back again. That night we went to "Wicked". What can I say...it was everything I hoped it would be. FABULOUS!! Becky and I wanted to go again the next night. What a great musicial and so refreshing to see a play that was clean and had a great story! The casting was wonderful and I can't wait to see it again!!
The rest of the weekend was spent in Mountain View with Becky and her darling family. Jayden and Landon are so cute and full of energy. Never a dull moment!! I dragged Becky to the beach one day....man do I miss the ocean....the kids had a great time playing in the sand and chasing the seagulls. It was a great break for me and I'm so glad Becky and Brad put up with me keeping them awake until 2am talking their heads off. Thanks Bundy's love you guys!!!
The next weekend my cute baby brother Ryan and his cute girlfriend came to visit us. They got to come to Sam's soccer game in Denver, where we met my uncle and aunt who live in Ft. Collins. Sam loved having all the family at her game. We got to spend the rest of the day with family....it's so great to get to be close to the Fishers. The best part was that Ryan and Natalie have set a date!! June 27th. What's up with that....he's still my baby brother!! I'm so excited for them..she's a great girl and is taking care of Ryan while Mom and Dad are gone.
The next week we headed out to Argentina.
The best news I have had in years.....Julie is PREGNANT...with twins!!!! I haven't been so excited to hear about a baby in forever. So happy for her and Josh. We love you guys and are so happy for you.
All three of the girls are pregnant together. What luck!!!
Mom and dad will have five grandkids while they were mission presidents...wild!!
Taxes returns...gotta love it!

Argentina

2009-04-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky to be able to go visit mom and dad in Argentina. We spent a week visiting Cordoba and the areas around it. The kids were great travelers. We had to fly overnight from Dallas to Santiago and then into Cordoba. The first day was a little rough and we were exhausted but seeing mom and dad was so worth sitting on a plane all night long. Dad is an amazing Mission President and Mom blew me away. She has picked up on the language so well and she is so happy playing mom to 160 missionaries.
(My computer is having issues, I'll have to continue later!)

It's a.....

2009-02-26T10:03:00.001-08:00

GIRL!! The ultrasound was great. All three of the kids went with us and she was moving around a ton and the kids thought it was fun to see the baby moving....Trey was a little disappointed (to put it lightly). But he will get to be my favorite boy for the rest of his life. (That didn't seem to make him feel better!)
The due date is still around the 25th of July so it should be perfect!!!

Picture updates

2009-02-21T14:08:00.000-08:00

I'm alive!!

2009-02-21T08:09:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a hundred years!! I am finally starting to feel human again. Eighteen weeks is much better! We have our ultrasound next week and we will find out if it's a boy or girl. Yeah!
Really not a ton of things have happened. The kids are doing great and we are all looking forward to visiting my parents in Argentina in March. I am really not looking forward to the 24 hour travel time, but hey, at least we get to go!!
I am FINALLY going to see Wicked. I am going to visit my sister-in-law in San Fransisco in March and we got tickets. I am SO EXCITED!! I have been wanting to see this forever...Sam is very jealous, and Lizzie really wants to see it, too.
Sam is starting soccer again and we are getting a little frustrated with the whole Sunday game thing....
Why do coaches purposely schedule games on Sundays? Our coach knows that we wont play games on Sundays, we only have three subs, so why can't he schedule them on Saturdays instead of telling the team "We only have two subs for this game." Hello, its your fault!! I don't know if we will have her try out again next year. It's kind of sad because she loves soccer so much, but it's a ton of money to miss five games a season!! She still will be able to play other sports with her Junior High next year, it just wont be as much of a learning experience. But frankly I'm a little sick of the whole ordeal!!
Trey's vision therapy is going well. Hopefully it will help him. His teacher told me that since he got his bifocals (he has the prescription of a 60 year old!) and started therapy she has noticed a big difference in him at school. YEAH! I hope that continues. Poor kid!!
Lizzie is all registered for kindergarten and she is very excited about going to school with Trey next year. She stars swim lessons on Tuesday. I can't believe how well she can swim. She blows me away. I'm going to see if we can get her on our neighborhood swim team this summer. She really loves it and she does really well.
Life is just rolling along.
Thanks for still being my friends and being patient with my sporadic posting!!

Pregnancy Questions

2008-12-19T08:47:00.000-08:00

So, two nights ago I was sitting watching TV and I noticed that I was getting hives on my leg. A few minutes later my arms started breaking out. Within fifteen minutes my legs and arms were swollen, red and hot with huge welts all over. I took some Benedryl and it seemed to calm down a little but they didn't go away totally. The next morning I had a few on my arms and legs and during the day they would randomly pop out again. Last night the same thing happened. During the night my feet and ankles got huge and I had them on the bottom of my feet. I was DYING!! I was talking to my friend Diana and she said that she had them this week and someone told her that it was 'winter itch'. When she looked at mine she said that hers didn't get welts like that. Is it just the pregnancy that is making it worse, or is my body freaking out at something else? I am putting this out since almost all of you have been pregnant and wanted to know if any of you have had this and what you did. I'm sick of itching all the time!! Benedryl isn't really helping too much, my body really doesn't like being pregnant!!
HELP!!

Good News

2008-12-15T06:58:00.000-08:00

We are adding a new addition to the Leishman family. We are very excited to be having another baby. The kids are very anxious and happy to have another sibbling. It's going to be very interesting to see how our life goes with a baby again. Our kids are so easy right now, they can all do so much for themselves, I think I will have to be re-trained on taking care of a baby again. I'm thinking around the beginning of August, so the kids will start school right after the baby gets here. It will be nice to be able to have time alone with the baby while all the kids are at school. All of the kids are going to be such a big help, this baby will probably be spoiled like crazy, but that's the way it goes! I'm excited to start buying baby stuff again. We have given almost everything away so too bad, I guess I will have to go buy new stuff!! The kids and Steve have been really great so far. I don't have the best pregnancies, and they have been such a big help.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-12-15T06:44:00.001-08:00

Scott and Chrissy came to be with us over Thanksgiving. It was so great to have them. My kids really enjoyed getting to spend time with them. Steve put Scott to work sheetrocking the garage. The kids loved their new dog Tinkerbell and we are so glad they have a dog so my kids can get their fill without us having to have one!! We spent some time hiking around Garden of the Gods. We love that place and we never get tired of going there. Lizzie was in one of her moods that day, but the rest of us enjoyed it. I'm glad we had a break from the snow on Friday afternoon so we could go.

Sam's 11!!!

2008-11-24T14:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Sam's birthday. We went to Cold Stone on Saturday night with Flemmings and Sunday we had spaghetti and brownies for her birthday. (She loves spaghetti!!)
She decided for one of her presents from us she wanted to go get a manicure with me, so today we did that, it's fun to have a girl who loves to do 'girlie' things, but is a tomboy at heart!!
She is such a fun girl and we are so glad that she is part of our family!!

Go Utes!!

2008-11-24T14:52:00.000-08:00

This is Steve's Utah tie (in case you can't see it well enough) We had so much fun watching the game with two families that are BYU fans and two families that are Utah fans. It was a GREAT GAME!! It's such a fun rivalry and it's kind of fun that we have such good friends that are BYU fans, and they are good sports when they loose! GO UTES!!!

All dressed up and nowhere to go

2008-11-20T14:51:00.000-08:00

Lizzie and Claire love playing dress-up. They love to put make-up on. Well, on Monday they couldn't find Lizzie's make-up so they improvised...marker. It works just as well and boy does it really last!! The funny thing was that when they put it on for lipstick it got on their teeth and lips and it was pretty funny! Ok, so I had to scrub her face. Jen said the Claire's wouldn't come off. The next day you could still see the marker. OOPS!! Claire was embarrassed and wouldn't let me take a picture, but Sam bribed Lizzie with candy. She will do anything for candy.

Playing ketchup

2008-11-17T20:44:00.001-08:00

So, I am trying to update...bear with me!

Happenings

2008-11-17T20:36:00.000-08:00

Steve went to Moab, again! He had a great time and he is feeling very comfortable on his bike! I'm not sure that's a good thing though.
At Trey's final football game there was a parent's powder puff game during half-time. Steve and Lee had a great time playing with some of the other parents.
Our family went to Castlewood Canyon Park, it was so great. We hiked along the river and enjoyed being able to do this in November, what an awesome fall we have had.
I am still running outside in shorts and a short sleeved shirt...it's great!
We had the primary program yesterday and it went so well. The kids did a great job and the sang like little angels. I learned a lot doing this and I'm hoping next year will be a little easier after knowing now what to expect.

Sam

2008-11-17T18:27:00.001-08:00

Sam had a great season with Pride White '98! She made a lot of great friends and is improving a lot.
Trick-or-treating with friends is always fun, even when you are banged up skiier!!
She is loving middle school and turning 11 on Sunday, YIKES!!!

Trey

2008-11-17T18:21:00.001-08:00

Trey played flag football with his buddy Payton.
Trey finally let me cut his hair! Yeah, his hair isn't in his eyes, or hanging down the back of his collar.
He got new glasses--bifocals!! Hopefully he will be able to see now!

Lizzie

2008-11-17T15:25:00.000-08:00

Lizzie turned five.
We went to Castlewood Canyon, it was so fun!!
Claire and Lizzie are still BBF!!
And, yes, she is still sucking her thumb and twisting her hair. Will it ever stop?
She wants to be a rock star when she grows up, but for now Queen Elizabeth will do just fine!

Little Mommy

2008-09-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

So, Steve was in Phoenix, Lizzie wouldn't go to bed so she was in the family room playing. I look over at her and she is holding Trey's RC car and talking to it like a baby. She then tucks it in and reads it a story. It was so funny.

Ryan's Home

2008-09-22T15:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, so he's been home for a month now...I'm just now getting the pictures put on. It was so great to see him. The kids were so excited to see Ryan again. We got to mom and dad's around 12:30 am, they were trying to jump out of the car before we even put it in park. They ran to the house and were so excited. Of course getting them to bed was a joke, but they finally setteled down around 1:30. 7 am they were awake wanting to wake Ryan up. We convinced them to wait until 9 to get Ryan. They did not want to be away from him the whole weekend. It was just like he had never left. They hung out in his room and wanted to ride everywhere with him. He took Sam and Trey to a movie. We went hiking with Michelle and Luke and we were there to celebrate Lukey's 1st birthday. What a little sweetie he is. I'm so glad we were able to be with them for a day. Ryan did a great job with his talk, too. He was the only speaker for sacrament meeting!! He did a fabulous job, it was fun to hear him speak Guarni and Spanish. He is so cute and I'm so proud of him. I'm so glad we live close enough that we were able to come see him.

I'm a slacker!

2008-09-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

Seriously, you wouldn't think it would be that hard to keep up with this, but oh my word!! the sad thing is that my journal looks even worse than this. The kids have all gone back to school. Sam is totally loving Jr. High. She is playing the trumpet and taking a really cool class where she is learning about building houses, construction and stuff like that. It's really been fun for her. It's nice to have her home an hour before Trey so I can hear about her day and enjoy her for a while.
Her soccer team is really great. She has a great coach who was a track runner in college so he really believes in making the girls run. I love that! the only problem is having the games so far away. Driving three and a half hours to watch a game is a little annoying...
Trey is doing well in school. He started out in a third/fourth combined class. After the third week they decided they had too many students and they brought in a new teacher for the third grade class. Trey was really bummed because his best friend Peyton was in his class and after they split he wasn't anymore. He was pretty sad on the last day of their combined class. I think the new teacher will be great for Trey. She has been a reading specialist for years. That will be a blessing for Trey!! He starts football on Saturday and he is very excited. Peyton is on his team, so he feels a little bit better!!
Lizzie is so fun. I am starting to feel a little bit sad that this is her last year home. Today she was at school and I didn't run this morning, so I had two and a half hours to myself. Yea, you would have thought that would be good, but I was bored after an hour. When my kids were younger I really was excited about having time to myself, now...it's funny how your life changes so much!!
Lizzie is learning so much in school and she loves it. She is also doing a music class on Tuesday mornings that she absolutely loves!! They talk about a different composer every week and they listen to music from that composer. They learn about rhythm, Rondos, beats, feelings of music. It's really great.
I have had a really great month. I have finally rejoined the life of running. I am able to run my thirty mile weeks again, and hopefully I will be able to continue to gradually add more miles. My first ten mile run in over a year was so fabulous!! I am doing a 14 miler tomorrow and I must say I am a little nervous. I haven't run that far before..ever! I'm sure I will be able to do it, it just wont be pretty!!
Steve is still having fun with his dirt bike, he is going to Moab next month.
So, I have only been interrupted four times since I started this...hence the reason my posts are few and far between!

2008-08-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

I forgot to add a major highlight to the day. Cindy and Christina driving an hour to come cheer us on. They made the cute necklaces that we all have on, they even made on for Sam and Abbie, too. It was so fun to have their support. We really have such amazing friends!!

Triathalon

2008-08-14T14:47:00.000-07:00

I did my first triathalon on Saturday. It was so much fun! I was able to train with my friends and it was so fun to have them at the race and enjoy our families there, too!!
Sam and Abbie did the kids fun triathalon after the adult one and it was so great! They did a great job and I was so proud of her. When I was ten there would have been no way I would have done that. It was so fun to watch all of the kids go through the race. There were five year olds doing the race. It was very well organized, too. They had their own time chips and they had their numbers on their arms just like the adults did.
It was a fun day and I'm so glad I was able to share it with my family and friends.
I loved coming around from the bike and seeing my kids and Steve there yelling for me. The kids race over the finish line with me at the end. It was so great!!

This week

2008-07-23T07:01:00.000-07:00

Who gets strep in the middle of July? Oh, that would of course be me or my children. Sam and Trey both had strep. I took them into the doctor and the nurse says, "it took about 30 seconds for the test to come back positive." Lovely. So, last week we hung around the house with two sick kids. Not fun in the winter, but really not fun in the summer!!
By Friday they were feeling much better, we went 'camping' Friday night. Actually, Johnson, Jensens and Flemmings went camping over night and we just came up for the evening. It was POURING rain when we got there. Of course my son was running around in shorts and a t-shirt without a rain jacket..what are you going to do? It is an absolutely beautiful area. Driving forever on a dirt road was a lot of fun in the minivan, but the scenery was worth it. After it stopped raining we cooked foil dinners and made s'mores. We had a lot of fun and I'm so glad we can drive an hour and be in the mountains again!
Last week in church Lizzie was having a rough time in sacrament meeting. I had to take her out and as I was standing up she says "Where are you taking me woman?" It took all of my strength not to laugh at her. Where does she come up with these things? She is so funny. She waits to go to the bathroom until the very last second. When she makes it to the bathroom after much jumping around trying to get her pants down, she begins to sing "Hallelujah! Hallelujah!" It cracks me up.
Sam has started soccer again this week. It's so fun to watch her progress and learn so much and enjoy the sport. She is so cute and I'm just amazed at how big she is!!
Trey is still deciding what he wants to do. He is still doing cello, but we are debating between basketball and swimming and baseball. Oh, decisions, decisions!
Steve and I went mountain biking last week and I made it to the end of the trail this time. I guess I am doing much better, although I still scream when I am going downhill through very 'scary' rocks. But, that's what mom does every time she water skiis and she is a great skiier, so I guess the legacy will live forever!!
Mom and Dad had their one year mark this month. Sometimes it seems like they have been gone forever and other times it feels like they haven't been gone very long. I know they are loving their mission and the next two years will just fly by for them and they will be so sad to leave their missionaries. Doug and Geri are having a very different experience. I have to admit it's hard for me to even imagine how these people can survive in such horrible conditions. We are so spoiled in America and we have no idea! It's good for us to be reminded by the experiences of others. I just know that the missionaries are being watched over and that they are doing what Heavenly Father wants them to do. I am so grateful for the life that I have and the amazing family members that are such great examples for me. I love them so much and I am so proud of the six members of my family serving Heavenly Father!!

Updating

2008-07-09T14:47:00.000-07:00

This is exactly why I don't do well with scrapbooking. I take a month off and I'm totally out of it!! We had a very busy June and I'm finally getting back into the routine. How much do I love summer?! The kids and I go to the pool, go on hikes, stay up late and not have to worry about homework....
I have been training for the Triathalon and it is going well. I think it's probably the best weight loss program I have ever tried. It's so nice to have three different things to keep my interest up. I am not a very good swimmer, but it is coming slowly. I enjoy the bike rides with Jen and Steve and the running is always fun for me. I really feel like I am doing something different all of the time. I am still doing my yoga four or five times a week and so my hip is surviving pretty well. I just hope I don't die on race day!!
It is so nice to live somewhere that I have friends that are active and enjoy doing the same things I do and to live in an area where I can enjoy so many outdoor activities. Did I every mention how much I love living back in the West again....sigh...it's really great!

Julie and Colby

2008-07-09T14:42:00.000-07:00

So...Julie and Colby came to see us for six days!! It was so great to have them here. I forgot my camera every time we went anywhere....I was still recovering from coming back from Utah and my brain was left somewhere on I-80.
We had a lot of fun with them. We went to Helen Hunt falls, we took the Cog up to the top of Pikes Peak, we went to the pool, went to a Sky Sox game where the kids got baseball mits and got to play catch out on the field before the game and we tailgated in the parking lot, went to Garden of the Gods, and Julie and I went on a bike ride. She had a six hour layover in Denver on their way back to Boston from Salt Lake so the kids and I picked them up at the airport and grabbed some lunch and went to Cherry Creek lake and played at the lake for a couple of hours. I wish they could come every summer. It was so great to have time with them. We miss being close to them and so it was fun to have them here with us for a while.

Fourth of July

2008-07-09T14:34:00.000-07:00

We had a great fourth weekend. Steve and I went mountain biking. I have to say I did much better...still not great, but better!! We then had a block party. The kids did a bike parade and played games and played. Of course it was the hottest day all summer and we didn't go to the pool...nice how it works that way! We then had a B-B-Q at Carlson's and then went to the fireworks at Memorial Park with friends. It was a very fun, full day and the kids did great!! On Saturday we went to the Sky Sox (AAA baseball team) game. We had a box with Steve's work. I tell you what that is the way to go with kids!! Food, couches, room for the kids to roam around and GREAT fireworks after the game. If I had enough money I would do that on a regular basis. Very fun!! I also gave my first sharing time as the new 1st counselor in the primary presidency. It went well, but I'm glad I don't have to do that every week!!
Steve has scout camp this week so the kids and I are finding all sorts of ways to stay busy and keep me sane!! We went to a parade for the rodeo last night. It was fun and the kids are very excited about going to the rodeo tomorrow night...Steve took the camera so I wont have pictures but I'm sure it will be great fun!!!

Painting with Pudding

2008-07-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

The cousins painting with pudding at grandma's house. Trey had so much pudding on his glasses he couldn't see out of them. Lizzie and Jayden had more on their clothes than the table and all the kids had a blast!!!

Utah

2008-07-09T14:18:00.000-07:00

We had the chance to go to Utah for a couple of weeks this June. We had a great time visiting family. Lizzie had to take a bath in Grandma's sink because she thinks it is great fun....I will be sad when pretty soon she can't fit in that sink anymore... Sam got to help Grandpa with his Bonsai trees one morning. We went to Farmington Pond with all the Leishman family and the kids went 'fishing' in the pond. It was a fun hike and a beautiful day.
We got to visit with Michelle, Ty and Luke also. Of course I forgot my camera when we went boating with them. Sam got up on the wakeboard first time trying! She was very brave, the water temp. was 50 degrees and the air temp. was only 62. yes, she is brave and her mom....not so much!! it was painful enough to watch Sam, and everyone else who was 'brave' (or crazy) enough to get in and turn blue!!! Luke is such a good boy, he didn't make a peep the whole time and just smiled and laughed. What a little angel he is...I miss him!!
We also got to visit with Geri before she left for Cambodia. We are so grateful for e-mails and blogs right now. With family members in four different countries...very nice!! We spent time with my grandparents and my kids enjoy that very much. I'm so glad that I have healthy grandparents that my kids get to enjoy and love!!

Continuation Celebration

2008-07-09T14:15:00.000-07:00

Sam is officially not an elementary student anymore!!!
She is so grown up and I am so proud of the young lady she is growing up to be. she has such a great personality and she really loves her friends and her family. I know she is going to do great things in Junior High, I just can't believe that she is there already!! WOW!!
Isn't she adorable though??

Scott and Chrissy

2008-07-09T14:10:00.000-07:00

Scott and Chrissy came to Colorado to visit on my birthday!! The kids didn't know they were coming so it was very fun to have them open the door and have a suprise! We took them to Garden of the Gods and then we took them to Olsen's to say hi.
On Sunday night the kids made rockets out of soda bottles for school so it was nice to have Scott and Chrissy help the kids with that while I made dinner.
The next morning Steve got into his truck to go to work and he had a flat tire. It was so nice that Scott was able to change Steve's tire and Steve didn't have to change his clothes for work!!
What would we have done without them that weekend?!?
Thanks for coming to visit Scott and Chrissy!!

Blast from the Past

2008-06-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

For my birthday this year I decided to have a 'blast from the past' party. It was so fun!! The decade was '85-'95 and we all dressed up and brought pictures of us from that decade. What fun!
Some of the highlights of the night were, banana clips, bangs, bangs and more bangs, guys with huge diamond stud earrings, pegged pant legs, colored socks worn together, New Kids on the Block, white keds, flannel shirts, concert t-shirts, hot pink and skinny ties.
It was so fun each time someone came in to see what they were wearing. Looking at pictures of us was great and Kim brought some of her Teen magazines from '89 and that was almost scary!!
Tamzen and Lee had a cake made for me with a picture of Steve and I when we were dating scanned on the top of the cake. Yes, Steve has a perm! and I really love my white tights with black pumps!! Oh, those were the days.
It ended up being a great party, the music was great, the food was yummy and the friends were AWESOME!!
Thanks to everyone who came and made my birthday so much fun!!!

This weeks goings on

2008-05-27T14:03:00.001-07:00

We have had a great week.
Sorry for the long post....we had a lot of stuff this week that I want to remember!!
Last weekend was our stake conference that Elder Holland presided over. It was fantastic.
Saturday night he talked about getting through the tough times in life. He reminded us that we all knew what we were getting into when we came to this earth and we agreed to all of the things that come with it. We are going to have a lot of tough times, but the 'sun will always come up'. Sometimes it may seem like we are living in a perpetual night, but there is always a dawn. We need to remember that we are in a three act play. The first act we don't remember, the third act is coming and we have been told what the outcome will be based on our performance in the second act. We are in the second act right now.
He really was a great speaker. When he spoke he spoke very matter-of-factly and just said it like it was. He reminded us not to be stupid and jump out of the boat when we are in rough waters. When the seas are rough and we are getting tossed all over the place we need to turn to our Father in Heaven and we need the church more than ever. We should never say "I'm having this trial because Heavenly Father doesn't love me." He said the church is true and that we should always turn to the doctrine there to keep us safe inside the boat.
I'm so glad that we had the opportunity to be taught and uplifted by a special witness of Jesus Christ. His spirit was very powerful and it's very evident that he knows without a doubt that what this church teaches is 100% true. What a blessing it is in my life!!

This last week we had a lot of fun activities. Sam went on a field trip to the Denver museum (I can't remember which one!!) she had a great time and she came home on cloud nine!!
Wednesday was Lizzie's field trip to the zoo. It was a perfect day, it wasn't hot and the sun stayed behind the clouds until right before we left. The kids were all worn out at the end (Jen and I were too!!)
Friday we went to the new Indiana Jones movie. It was a lot of fun to see. I really love those movies and I think this movie was enjoyed by those of us tha grew up with the movies, rather than teenagers who probably haven't seen a lot of the other movies. It was a fun date night and I'm glad I have a cute husband that I love to be with.
Saturday we had a bar-b-q. It turned out to be not windy (Very unusual for colorado springs!!) and no rain or hail! Yeah! It was a fun day with friends.
After that we went mountain biking. Ok, so I'm the whiniest biker ever. I am a little bit scared of falling off the mountain and killing myself!! Dave and Debbie were very patient and poor Steve..after riding with me a couple of weeks ago I thought he would never want to ride again, but he's just so patient and he just laughs at me! I just hope that I get more confidence and less screaming while i'm riding!
Monday we went on a hike with the kids. They did great. We took them to Palmer park and we scoped out a couple of bike trails. One of which they nicknamed "black and blue trail" after walking it I can understand why....oh my word!! I wont be riding the trail...ever!! After we went to Mark and Christy's for a bar-b-q. It was a lot of fun. They have redone their backyard and it looks amazing! I am so glad we have a good relationship with them and that they include us with all of their friends. There were a ton of people there and we had a blast!!
One more week of school. Sam only has one more week of elementary..YIKES!! The kids are of course checked out and I really don't think there is any point in being there...except that they are not here driving each other crazy.
Sam has try-outs this week for soccer. She is very excited and I'm very nervous. This is a big committment, but she really enjoys it and she is good at it. I'll let you know what team she gets!!
She took first place in the hundred yard dash at field day! Hello, where did she get that speed. She was so proud of herself and I was too. My dad and Steve definately have more to do with that than me....I'm NOT fast at all!!

2008-05-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

These are pictures of our friends the Wilds and the Banners from Rhode Island. They were such great friends. Tyler and Trey were (and still are) great buds. Andrew and Amber are such great examples to me. And Mel and Kevin are like family. We love you guys and miss you. So glad Banners live in Utah now and we can see them often. Andrew's mom was Trey's primary teacher for three years in a row. She loved him and he was her favorite. The people in our ward in Rhode Island really helped us to grow and learn so much. We loved our time spent there and we are so grateful for the associations we have there.
Mel, the picture of you is intended as bribery to get you to have a blog already!! love you guys a ton.

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-16T18:26:00.000-07:00

So, Sunday morning I was told "You will get your present on Monday. You'll understand when you see it." I'm thinking, yeah, it's because you didn't get me anything and you have to pick something up after work!
"NO, No, you'll understand on Monday!"
On Sunday night we went to our neighbors house. there were three families and the dad's fixed us dinner. Sam waited on the mom's while we sat on the couch visiting. It was so wonderful! The dinner was excellent and the service was the cutest I've ever seen!
So...I was told that my friend Robin and her boys were going to be joining us for FHE on Monday night around 6pm. But, after talking to her, her husband told her "You need to look really cute around 6pm and you will be going with the boys to the Leishmans"
I'm thinking why does she need to look cute and why wasn't I told to look cute?
Well....Monday evening rolls around and the Smith's come over and we then drive to Tamzen's house, where low and behold there are nine of my friends with all of their kids and husbands there. All of us have been told to be ready at 6pm.
It was all very exciting. The husbands all walked around with very satisfied looks on their faces, the kids were so excited and the women were starting to get irritated!!
Well, Steve says "Ladies, your taxi is here"
The limo ride was a blast! The kids all had to climb in and feel very envious of all of their moms.
We were driven to The Melting Pot where we were treated to a four course fondue dinner. And then we had an hour long drive in the limo while we were able to visit and have fun being together.
So..what was supposed to be a fhe, turned out to be us getting home at midnight after an awesome ladies night out!!
Thanks to our awesome husbands for putting together a really great night!!

What a day!

2008-05-14T18:28:00.000-07:00

For those of you reading this, you probably don't want to. It's my vent session for today and it really is boring and wont be worth reading, so you may want to wait to for the next post. It has been one of those days. It started out great and then has slowly gone downhill...very fast!! For Stake Conference Elder Holland is coming and our bishop has really encouraged us to prepare ourselves for this weekend. I don't know if I can even begin to feel like I'm spiritually prepared. We have missed family scriptures now for two days in a row and I feel like the spirit has been completely chased out of my home! Sam and Trey both came home from school with all kinds of issues and Lizzie has been in one of her moods and....well, anyway since I use this blog as my journal I just needed to get all of this off my chest Steve has scouts tonight and it's probably a good thing so he's not here feeding off the bad vibes, too! I have a really fun story to post, but to be honest I just don't feel like posting it now, so stayed tuned.
I think I need to go for a run....a really, really, really long run that takes me..hhhmm, anywhere but here. So in other words Lizzie isn't getting a bath tonight, oh well. Thank goodness for bedtime, I can't wait for it today. That's the only nice thing about winter, my kids think it's later than it really is. now, it's way too light to try to convince them that 7pm is a good time for bed.
I talked to Julie today and it really made me miss my family. I didn't get to talk to Mom, we played phone tag on Sunday and trying to get a hold of them during the week is a joke! Although Mother's Day was fabulous for me, it's kind of sad not to be able to talk to my mom, she really isn't much of a phone talker so it's not that unusual to not talk to her a lot, but it would have been nice on Mother's Day.
Michelle had an absolutely adorable picture of Luke and Ty and it made me cry. I can't believe how sweet he is and I can't be by her to enjoy him or her. I talked to my cousin Becky yesterday and she is pregnant and will have the baby after Doug and Geri are gone. It is hard for her to have them gone and it will be hard for us since they have taken over as our Grandma Gerr. It's crazy how my life is going, everyone is all over the place and there is so many great things happening, with Jeff and Erin getting Owen sealed to them and having Mom and Dad have such great experiences and Ryan so happy, it's still hard to not have them around and to have all of the "Fisher" clan so spread out.
I haven't done much Yoga for the last two weeks, maybe I need a long session. I want to go to Lake Powell...NOW!!
Ok, I'm going to go run and hope that I can release some frustration.

Mother's/Father's Performance

2008-05-12T13:22:00.000-07:00

Lizzie's preschool had a performance for all of the mom's and dad's on thursday. It was so cute. They sang songs and did "The Hokey Pokey". All of the girls were in cute dresses and so happy! They gave us presents afterwards. A cute picture frame for the dad's and a Memory Book for the Mom's.
Miss Amy asked the kids questions and they answered them.
Lizzie's book is as follows:

What is her favorite TV show?
basketball and Peanut shows (what???)
It makes me happy when my Mom....
helps me
When she goes shopping, what does she like to buy?
beans (this is funny because Steve HATES beans!!)
How old is your mom?
5
How tall is she?
540 feet
How much does she weigh?
40 pounds (YES!!)
What is her favorite thing to cook?
beans (again, very interesting!?)
If your Mom could go on a trip or vacation where would she like to go?
Hawaii
I really love it when my Mom...
cleans up my room
What is her favorite thing to do at home?
watch TV
What color are her eyes?
my color- kinda bluish (we both have VERY brown eyes)
What color is her hair?
brown
What is her favorite song?
Twinkle, Twinkle and Peanut Songs (What is that?)

So.....I thought they were pretty cute answers. It was really fun to read what the other kids said about their parents, too. Four year olds are way too funny.

So yesterday as I am getting ready for church Lizzie walks into my bathroom and says
"Mom, does this match"
and I said, what match?
and she said "Does my purse match ok with my dress?"
Oh...I have never been prouder and more worried at the same time in my whole life!!
I told Steve we are in serious trouble!! She even brought down a black and white purse for Sam because Sam had on a black and white dress. Of course Sam didn't bring her purse with her and Lizzie was very confused as to why Sam wouldn't want to take her matching purse to church. It just doesn't make any sense!!
Can my girls get any more different from each other?
They both are so fun and I'm so glad they are each who they are.

Skiing in May

2008-05-06T10:42:00.001-07:00

Colorado ski resorts had record snowfall this year, and so Steve, Warren, Kent and Lee decided to take all their older kids and go skiing this last Saturday. Yes, May 2nd! Sam has been skiing with Steve four other times and she is doing very well. Trey has been three times and is a little more timid, but still doing great. I think Sam will be better than me next year!!

Catch up time

2008-04-30T16:18:00.000-07:00

So, I realized I have a lot of pictures to post, so I did four posts today, sorry! Hopefully that will get me caught up for a while!!
Sam starts registering for middle school this week. I know she will be fine at school, but I am freaking out! when I was in sixth grade it was ok for me to be in middle school, but Sam is not!lol Actually, she really is ready. She is very mature and she has a good head on her shoulders and she has great friends. It still freaks me out that she will be at school with eighth graders, YIKES!! She has decided she wants to play the trumpet. This is good news for us because Steve played the trumpet, too, so that saves us from having to rent an instrument!

Trey's Birthday

2008-04-30T16:10:00.001-07:00

Trey turned nine yesterday and I can't believe it. He went to breakfast with Steve in the morning before school. Mark, Carly and Chase came over for dinner and presents. As you can tell Trey really likes Pandas. Lizzie was so excited for him to open it she could hardly wait! All of his other presents were Transformers. We have discovered that they are very complicated, and Mark, who can restore old Mustangs had a hard time getting Trey's transformers to transform! When he went to bed, he said, "I'm kind of sad because it's not my birthday anymore." Ahh, remember those days! When birthdays were so fun and you were so sad when they were over. I think that's one of the fun things about having kids, you get to relive your childhood excitments with them!!

Fire Station Field Trip

2008-04-30T16:01:00.001-07:00

Lizzie's pre-school went to the Fire Station yesterday. Lizzie had been so excited for this field trip. She had been talking about it all week and woke up at 6:30 that morning. We got there and she got very nervous. Being in the fire engine freaked her out and when the firefighter put on his mask she came and stood by me and held my hand. It's amazing how afraid the little kids all were of him. I guess that's why they do these tours, to let the kids know not to be afriad of them, but all the kids in Lizzie's class were still pretty nervous!! Lizzie's favorite part was seeing the fridges and the lazy boys in the tv room!!

PUMPED UP

2008-04-30T15:55:00.001-07:00

"I'm Steve, I'm Trey, and we're here to PUMP.. you up!"
Steve ordered a faucet for our garage and it came with plastic bags that we blown up. Steve and Trey had to play. It was pretty funny to see Trey who disappears when he turns sideways..big! They had a lot of fun!
I especially love the fact that Steve has his BCS busters shirt on. Go UTES!!

Manitou Cliff Dwellings

2008-04-30T15:48:00.000-07:00

Day at the Zoo

2008-04-28T11:31:00.001-07:00

The kids had no school last Friday so we decided to make a trip to the zoo. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is a beautiful zoo. The kids got to feed the giraffes and the weather was beautiful. We had a great day, we were there until it closed and the kids did great. I'm so glad we have so many friends that we can do fun things with! Thanks Carlsons, Flemmings, Drapers and Ike for coming with us, it was great!!

One Year!!

2008-04-24T21:09:00.000-07:00

So, we are officially Coloradoers (I have no idea what they are called!!) We have really loved being here. When we were in Rhode Island thinking of the places we wanted to live, Colorado was always top on the list. After our prayers last night Steve said, it's weird that we are actually here, isn't it? Sometimes it feels like we have always been here and sometimes it seems like we just got here.
We have made so many amazing friends and we absolutely love being back in the mountains.
Trey had his final cello concert tonight. After his group was done the other groups of the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony performed. They really have a ton of talent. It was so great, the top group had three cello soloists tonight. It almost made me cry because I thought 'I will get to listen to this for the rest of my life' I am so excited for Trey to continue with this instrument. It's so beautiful and it's so great to see him have something that he really is good at.
Last week we bought a new mattress. Yeah!! We were so excited about it. It's a memory foam and it has a twenty year warranty on it. Steve was in bed and he said 'Oh, my gosh! When this warranty runs out I will be 56!!' WoW! That really made me think about what my life will be like in 20 years. Twenty years ago I was just starting young women's. Hello, that wasn't very long ago!! It was kind of one of those moments that kind of slaps you in the face!
I wanted to tell Melanie thanks for the Cafe Rio recipe.. MMMMM!!!! LOVE CAFE RIO!!!

Marigolds in a Red Cup

2008-04-21T08:05:00.001-07:00

Sam's first science fair!! She decided she wanted to plant marigold seeds and water them with different liquids to see which ones grew best. Well, it was very interesting. the seeds with just water grew great, the sugar water, 7-up, and milk did nothing. We think it's because the sugar formed a hard crust on the soil and the seeds couldn't come through. The dirt was like a brick on them, so it was kind of cool!! She did a great job with the poster and we are all glad that it's over with!! The air force came to be the judges, so that was fun, but Sam was so nervous for her oral presentation. She did great and I am very proud of all the hard work she (and Steve and I!!) did. We are (not) looking forward to Trey's projects over the next three years and Lizzie's after that! YIKES! I am so not good at coming up with ideas and then doing the poster, oh, well, C'est la vie!!

Moab

2008-04-16T14:44:00.000-07:00

I have a ton of pictures of Moab and for some reason I can only post five pictures at a time so keep looking. Lizzie hiked to Delicate Arch and she did great-it was hot and cold and hard and she liked to be very dramatic about the whole situation. We had a good time visiting arches. Steve, Lee, Sam, Trey, Brody and Payton hiked all the way to the arch. It was SOSOSO windy and Sam was pretty freaked out by the time she came back to the ridge. I was really proud of her though, she does not like heights at all!!!

Moab anyone??

2008-04-16T14:39:00.001-07:00

More Moab

2008-04-16T14:36:00.000-07:00

Keep going!!!

MOAB

2008-04-16T14:34:00.001-07:00

Just a few more....

MOAB

2008-04-16T14:22:00.000-07:00

We got to go to Moab over spring break this year. We went with three other families in our ward, Steve's brother and his family, Steve's parents and the Bensons, and our friends two sisters and their families. We had so much fun being there. My kids have never been so it was a blast to take them to Canyonlands and Arches. We camped and the first night was pretty miserable. Our air mattress appearantly had a hole in it! And it was FREEZING all night. Needless to say we didn't sleep that night. Fortunately we were able to buy another air mattress and the next two nights were much warmer and so much better.
It was quit an adventure though. Two of our friends were staying in cabins at the same campground that we were at. When the Johnsons got there they were unloading their bags (they had only been there ten minutes) and their three year old daughter fell off the top bunk and broke her arm. They had to go to Grand Junction the next day and have surgery, putting screws in her elbow!! The next day one of our other friends little one year old boy grabbed the exhaust pipe of the motorcycle his dad had just ridden and severly burned both of his hands. they had to rush him to the ER.
It all has worked out for both of our friends, and Jake's hands are looking great, he wont need skin grafts or anything. Jen says it is definately because of priesthood blessings!! We were a little on edge the rest of the weekend waiting for some other disaster to strike! Thank goodness nothing terrible happened. Although our other friends little boy got a fever the day we left and it ended up he had an ear infection and pink eye. Yeah, it was quit the trip.
We did have a great time though and we can't wait to go again, hopefully injury free!!
I have to explain this picture. When we got to mesa arch in canyonlands Lizzie had to poop. I had to take her in the cactus and pick it up like a doggie bag! So, we are walking to the arch and Claire decides she has to poop! Then, Graham (the other four year old) says he has to poop. Well, Lee was carrying his take-out box from Hogie Yogi and that became the poop box. He had to carry this around the rest of the hike. It was great fun!!

Easter

2008-04-09T15:44:00.001-07:00

We had Easter with my cousins who live here in Colorado Springs and my grandma from Utah came to visit also. It was a lot of fun. We had the egg hunt on Saturday and made Sunday more focused on Jesus' resurrection and the atonement. It worked out really well. At Mark and Christy's we read the story of Jesus' last day and had the 'resurrection eggs' to go with the story. I am so glad to have such wonderful family here to add so much to our lives. I am grateful that I have such healthy grandparents and that my children adore them as much as I do.

Sam's been tagged

2008-04-09T15:13:00.000-07:00

1. I love soccer. I love to run and kick things.

2. I don't like PINK! Green and purple are the bomb!

3. I have a playful personality. Annoying people (especially my dad and brother) is my specialty!!

4. My favorite holiday is Easter because we learn about Jesus' resurrection.

5. I love to travel. Traveling with my family makes me happy.

6. Spaghetti, mom's enchiladas, sushi and Chinese food are some of my favorite foods.

7. I like to be around little kids because they are so cute!!

8. I like to buy stuff. Stuff that I don't really need, it's really fun!

Freedom: Sam's Choir Concert

2008-04-05T21:20:00.001-07:00

Sam's school has a choir for the third, fourth and fifth grade classes. It was a really fun thing for Sam to do this year. They practiced before school every Wednesday and the program was so fun. It was entitled "Freedom" and the songs focused on our country. Every child had either sung a solo, had a speaking part or marched the flags. I was very impressed with the talent that was shown. One of the really fun things at this performance was the band that accompanied the choir. It consisted of staff and parents from the school. Their principal played the piano and there were a couple of guitars, a violin, clarinets and a percussion section. It was so fun to see some of our friends playing in that band.

We've been tagged

2008-04-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

So, Colby tagged us quit some time ago and we have been slackers. this is just me and Lizzie. Sam and Trey are still 'thinking'
Paula:
1. I love shoes. Running, hiking, dress, casual it really doesn't matter.

2. Food is almost an obsession. I love to eat. Trying new foods is one of my favorite things and it makes me happy. I love to cook. (told you I was obsessed) I don't even mind doing the dishes afterwards. Learning new ways to cook and finding new recipes is a hobby for me. Sometimes I bake/cook just for the fun of it and then make my friends eat it all so I wont gain 50 lbs. in a month.

3. I love watching sports. Baseball is probably my favorite. Football is great and I can even enjoy watching golf and soccer. I would love to go to Wimbeldon, The Masters, The Super Bowl and the World Series. (NASCAR is NOT a sport and I don't like it at all!!)

4. Working out is an addiction for me. I have discovered that if I go more than three days without running, yoga or some form of exercise I become a monster. My Dad says he's the same way so maybe it's genetic?!

5. I really love music. My ipod is my friend!! Give me some good 80's rock music some fabulous piano music, or just some good ol' country and I am a happy camper!!

6. Watching my kids grow up brings more emotions than I can explain. I am so proud of them and the accomplishments they are making, but Lizzie is 4 1/2 and that means she's not a baby anymore and that makes me sad. I am living vicariously through friends and family who have babies and it's really fun!

7. I have the most patient husband in the world. Hello, trying to live with me is like living with a volcano. Most of the time it's peaceful, but when it blows, you better watch out!!

8. I hate dirty floors. When I was little I hated walking on the floor of my grandma's boat at lake powell because there was always sand,food,water on the floor and it literally made me sick. I still am that way, my floors have to be vacuumed and moped or I go nuts. (Hotels kind of gross me out only because of the floors!)

Lizzie:
1. I love being around my friends. I have to have someone to play with at all times or my life is over!

2. Singing is great. I do it ALL the time. Making up my own songs or just singing songs from the radio, primary or our favorite CD's it really doesn't matter.

3. I am a mamma's girl.

4. Princesses Rule. What do I want to be when I grow up? sleeping beauty.

5. My thumb is my friend. It's always there when I need it and it always knows how to make me feel better.

6. I don't really like being a big kid. I try to do as little for myself as possible so that I can stay a baby.

7. "Ballet Music" is really great. I could listen to the ballet "Sleeping Beauty" twenty times a day.

8.I love to play dress-up. Everyday it's necessary to see how I look in a particular outfit. I have about a hundred dress-ups and they are all used on a regular basis.

Pinewood Derby

2008-04-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

This was actually a month ago, but I am behind in my posts, so I am going to just keep going!! Trey had a lot of fun making the car. He went to one of our friends house and cut out the car and he could hardly wait until the race day. He did really well on the first heat, he took first place by a big time difference and then everything went downhill after that. His wheel came off on his next heat, and on the third heat two wheels came off!! Yeah, we wont be using that particular brand of car again. He was a little disappointed, but he still had a great time. This year they gave the last place car a huge prize, and I told Trey that we should have tried to get last place instead, but he wasn't so sure. Trey has really enjoyed scouts this year, it's nice to have so many boys his age in our ward.

Sam's class play

2008-03-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

The fourth and fifth grade classes did a play this year that talked about ancient civilizations. Sam was in the Egypt section. She played the skeleton 'Lucy'. She woke up and took the modern day children on a tour of ancient Egypt. There were also parts from china. Sam's two best friends, Brody played a Roman soldier and Issac was king Tut. It was such a cute play with great music and the kids all did a great job. It's sad that this will be her last year with little plays like this. She is growing up so fast!!

Ice fishing at Farrish Winter Park

2008-03-05T13:32:00.000-08:00

We had a great time with our ward at Farrish. Trey had a goal to catch a fish before we left, unfortunately he didn't catch one. But some of the other boys in the ward did. Lizzie had been with Sam and didn't know that we had two fish by us. She came walking over and we told her that Payton had caught a fish and pointed to it. It was buried under some snow and it hadn't moved at all, until Lizzie got there. It started moving and the tail and body came out of the snow,...well, Lizzie about crawled out of her skin. she screamed and started dancing around and wouldn't let us put her down for the rest of the time we were fishing. It was so funny! Fishing was her favorite part of the day she said later, but just not actually catching the fish!!

Farrish Winter Park

2008-03-05T13:19:00.000-08:00

Our ward goes up in the mountains every year and rents an outdoor area. there is sledding hills and a frozen pond. The kids had a great time going down the hills. They are huge hills and you go forever. The worst part was having to hike back up the hill after you sled all the way down.

Letter to Argentina and Paraguay

2008-02-28T07:42:00.000-08:00

This is the letter Lizzie sent to mom and dad and Ryan. It's just so...Lizzie!!
Hi Grandma and Grandpa and Rynan,
I am doing 'gynastics'. I do backbends, cartwheels, do balance 'beans' and trampoline and I do swining and jumps. I am already in school. I go to a church that's right by our house, my teacher in my primary class is mom and my preschool teacher's name is Miss Amy and my 'gynastics' teacher's name is Mr. Zach. My teachers are funny. It's winter. And I love the weather it's really pretty. My sister and brother are at school right now. Hos are you?
On Monday we went swimming. My brother and sister are in swimming lessons, just letting you know. I can swim so good by myself but that's only when mom and dad catch me. Sometimes with my sisters and brother, too. We can see Pike's Peak from our house. We have a new house. It's a chocolate house (fyi, it's brown so she calls it chocolate). We moved all of the stuff in the house, of course I got a new bike, it's got a horn on it, beep-beep!
We have a fridge that we never had before. I love my fridgerator because it has water in it that you can put in your cups and it only has cold water and you can drink it, so anywhoo. (I'm typing exactly what she says!)
I watch High School Musical a lot. I love Princess and the Pauper (a Barb ie movie) did you know that Carly and Cassidy gave it to me? How's Argentina?
We go to Mr. Bigg's a lot (it's like a 49th Street Galleria, but better) We go to Focus on the Family too and some of my friends have their birthday parties there and it's really fun. And what else I do is go to a fun school that's really fun. My 'gynastics' class is really fun. Colorado is a big state. And anywhoo... I go...my mom is going to let me go to ballet when I grow up. I have to be in kindergarten thought, it's going to be a long time before I go to ballet. and anywhoo...
I have a princess room and a princess bed and my whole room is filled with princess and I love princesses. and anywhooo...thank you for Mr. Gingles and my care bare blankie. I know that's kind of funny because my dad's name is "Mr." and my Mr. Gingles is a girl but that's what I named her. I miss you in Argentina and Paraguay. I'll be fourteen when you come back (not quite!!) Maybe seven when you come back I mean. Well, anywhoo....
I have a lot of new friends and my sister and brother are having a lot of fun ion primary and it sounds like they are having a lot of fun and I think that's a good thing.
Adios!! bye bye spaghetti oh's
Lizzie

Swim lessons

2008-02-27T13:12:00.000-08:00

Sam and Trey have been taking swimming lessons on Saturdays and they love it.

2008-02-22T11:49:00.001-08:00

This is Lizzie's best friend Claire. They have a serious love/hate relationship. But they can't be apart for more than a day without having serious withdrawls!!
So, as many of you know Lizzie has a serious twisting hair and then pulling it out problem. We had tried to bribe her with a quarter every day that she doesn't twist her hair, and that didn't work for even one day. Then we tried tapping into her being a big girl. Steve says to her "You know four year olds don't suck their thumb." Her reply was "This one does." Ok, that didn't work. I had to cut her hair really short this week and I thought that would help. Oh, no it didn't. By tuesday she had a huge bald spot on the top of her head. I was beginning to think we would have to shave her head. Then I decided to go buy some of that stuff you put on their thumbs that makes them not want to suck their thumbs. Well, we are on day three and she hasn't sucked her thumb or twisted her hair. She is VERY proud of herself and after one week we are going to let her buy something fun. I hope this works!!!
Trey was trying to practice his cello on Monday and Lizzie was dancing all over the family room singing and Trey says "Lizzie, go away you're bothering me while I'm celloing." Yes, he invented his own verb.

Air Force Cheer Clinic

2008-02-22T11:24:00.000-08:00

Sam did her second clinic with the Air Force on Saturday. They cheered during the Wyoming v. Air Force game. She had a great time and she did great. She even took a bow after they were done, I think I was the only one who noticed, but I got a good laugh out of

Valentine's suprise!!

2008-02-14T19:08:00.000-08:00

Steve went to Phoenix and wasn't supposed to be home until 6pm. He got an earlier flight and was able to be home at 3pm. We went out for Sushi and when we came home the doorbell rang, it was a singing telegram for me from my sweetie!! It was so great. One of the men is in our stake, he actually was the first stake president in Colorado Springs. Steve and he are in Rotary together. Steve arranged this weeks ago and it was a wonderful suprise. They were fantastic and the kids thought they were great too. I have a such great sweetheart!!

Sara's Homecoming

2008-02-12T12:45:00.001-08:00

We represented the Fisher family on Sunday at Sara's homecoming. She did a great job and I can't believe how mature and grown up she is. It was fun to see the Fishers. Their kitchen looks awesome, and I know Terri's going to love having that much space!! Our kids love Michael and Chrissy so it was a trial getting them out of the house. We were sad Grandma and Grandpa couldn't make it. Being there made me very anxious for Ryan to come home. Our kids ask about once a week how much longer he has. It's so fun to hear all of the RM's stories!! We are loving being so close to families and being able to experience so many things that we missed out on being back east.

Mom's night "off"

2008-02-07T11:37:00.000-08:00

Sam is making her first dinner by herself (with a little bit of help)

Lizzie was making caramel rolls at the same time....can you say mess!!!

It's so fun to see Sam growing up. She bought herself a cookbook at the school book fair yesterday and decided she was going to fix dinner last night for us. It was a lot of fun and she did a great job. She made a white sauce and it turned out great, no lumps at all!! She also made a salad to go with it. She was very proud of herself. Lizzie was making the caramel rolls and kept asking Sam "How's it going over there Sam?"

Trey's cello concert

2008-02-07T11:31:00.000-08:00

Trey has been taking cello lessons since September. He is doing very well. He is taking lessons through the Mozart Strings which is associated with the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony. It is a great program and he is learning a ton. It's fun to be able to hear him play and to watch his progress. This concert was the second one this year and it's great to see the improvement from the last time. The cello he is playing is only 1/8 size, and the go up three more sizes before they play the regular size. The kids at the high school think they are so cute because his cello is almost the size of a regular viola!!

Steve's new toy

2008-02-07T11:28:00.000-08:00

Steve finally got his own bike. He was very excited and he got a great deal on it. The kids of course wanted a turn and it was FREEZING outside. When Lizzie and Steve came back her eyes were watering, her nose was running and she had the biggest grin on her face. "That was so fun!!!"

Week's events

2008-01-22T16:47:00.000-08:00

I don't have any new pictures to post. Last week was kind of a whirlwind and I feel like I have no idea where the week went. Trey and Sam went skiing for the first time on Monday. They took lessons while Steve and one of his friends skiied. It was a beautiful day and the kids were so excited to be skiing. On Wednesday we had horrible weather and really bad wind, so they canceled school. We stayed inside all day playing games. I think I have played Uno and Jenga more in the last year than I have played in my whole life combined. Lizzie loves those games and thankfully Sam and Trey picked some other games as well!!! Sam and Trey are doing really well on their instruments (piano and cello). It's fun for me to go to Trey's lessons on Thursdays I am really proud of him. Saturday Steve and I went to a hockey game, it's so nice to have Sam babysitting now!!! Sundays are always an adventure when you teach four year olds. They are so cute and full of stories, but it's so awesome when the come to class the next week and know exactly what we talked about the week before--it makes my whole day!!! Monday we went to Mr. Biggs and played lazer tag, bumper cars and inflatable slides. It was fun to be together!! We love Colorado Springs and we are so glad to be close to family again!!

Trey's room

2008-01-22T16:42:00.000-08:00

We had a murual painted on Trey's wall for his Christmas present. He wanted a hammer head and a great white shark. He didn't leave his room while Amy was painting. He was so excited about it. He asked her to paint a cliff jumper and to have the corral and the cliffs above. It's a great wall and he loves it.

making cars

2008-01-07T21:22:00.000-08:00

We bought a mold for car cupcakes. It is so cute and the kids had a great time decorating their cars. Trey made a truck to look like "Mader" and Lizzie's goal was to add as much candy and frosting as possible!! We all voted and decided that Steve's was the best. It was a lot of fun and was a great way to ring in the New Year.

2008-01-07T21:17:00.000-08:00

Sam and Piper, Mary and the sheep.

The little angels, Lizzie and Katie.

The Nativity cast.

Christmas Morning

2008-01-04T15:02:00.000-08:00

It was so fun to have christmas morning with Becky and Brad and Grandma and Grandpa. We really enjoyed the time we got to spend with them and we were so lucky that Santa found us at grandma's house!!!

2008-01-04T14:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve

2008-01-04T14:55:00.000-08:00

We had a lot of fun hanging out with family over christmas. It was so nice to be able to drive and have a much less stressful journey than dealing with the airport!!!

Family Photo

2008-01-04T14:52:00.000-08:00

We wanted to take a family picture, and we took about twenty and this was the best one we could come up with. Sam was very excited about taking pictures, and Lizzie thinks that pictures are for her!!!

"Christmas" morning

2008-01-04T14:48:00.000-08:00

We went to Utah for christmas so we opened presents a few days before christmas. The kids were excited to have two 'christmas's' this year!!!

Sam's B-day Party

2008-01-04T14:45:00.000-08:00

Sam had her tenth birthday party at our house. she only had 15 kids come!! they had a ton of fun, playing games, being LOUD and just being together. It was a lot of fun but I don't think Trey and Liz will be allowed to do that for their birthdays!!

Trey's Christmas Play

2008-01-04T14:40:00.000-08:00

Trey was a reindeer in his school play.

Decorating the tree

2008-01-04T11:52:00.000-08:00

So, we decided to buy a pre-lit fake christmas tree this year, and can I say it was AWESOME!!!! I almost cried when we put it up and it was so easy!! Lizzie of course was wearing a very interesting outfit and Sam decided that the tree skirt was fun to wear!!

Air Force v. Army

2008-01-04T11:49:00.001-08:00

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We had awesome tickets to the Air Force v. Army game. We decided since this was a good game we wouldn't want to take Lizzie, so Sam and Liz stayed home and we got to take Mark and Christy and Trey brought his friend Tyler. It was a great game (Air Force won) and the weather was amazing. It has been so fun to be close to the Olsen's and be able to enjoy them!!

Happy New Year

2008-01-04T11:44:00.000-08:00

I recently had one of those days that I was so glad to be home with Lizzie. she was in such a great mood, and just so fun. That night she decided to dress-up and her outfit was so great we had to take pictures.

I am technologically stupid

2007-11-15T10:40:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the pictures from halloween, I am learning to use our iphoto, and apparently I am not very good at it yet.

2007-11-15T10:33:00.000-08:00

I just realized that I hadn't posted pictures of Halloween with the family. We had a great time trunk-r-treating at the church. Lizzie got tired quickly (which was fine with us!) I can't believe that Sam only has a couple of years left and she wont be going trick-r-treating anymore. It's amazing how time flies!!

Preschool Party

2007-11-14T16:22:00.000-08:00

We were supposed to be using the candy corn to make a craft.....

Rhode Island flashback

2007-11-07T19:01:00.000-08:00

I was looking through some old folders and found these pictures that Steve took right before we moved from Rhode Island. It brought back great memories of our time on the east coast. We had a lot of fun in our yard(except for mowing all of it!) The kids had a blast on our tire swing, and there's nothing like having fall and spring in the woods! We really enjoyed our time in North Smithfield and we are looking forward to many wonderful memories in our new home in Colorado.

Birthday Party

2007-11-04T16:23:00.000-08:00

Lizzie had a great birthday party. We had a Tinker Bell party. We decorated cupcakes, pumpkins and had a pinata (that was actually a princess one, but I had to let her have it cause it was so cute!!) She had a lot of fun and I am glad it's over!!

Fun times!!

2007-11-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

The kids love climbing on Steve's bike when he gets home. it's been really fun for Steve to ride this with his friends. He has yet to take the kids out, but Trey is getting a little antsy!!

Red Sox Rock!!

2007-10-29T18:01:00.000-07:00

It's been a great season for New England fans!! The Patriots are doing so great, BC is kicking butt and of course our Red Sox Rule. What a great fall. We had fun with the fact that our old town is playing our new town, but we are true Red Sox fans, and it was fun to have banter with our neighbors, and it was great that we had the last laugh. Steve went to the Broncos Monday night game tonight proudly displaying his Red Sox hat, blanket and his BC sweatshirt. We love Boston and we miss it a lot, but Colorado is definately where our heart is and we are so happy to be here.
Although, sorry to say Richard boys we will never put Broncos above the Pats, Go Pats!!!!

Picking Pumpkins

2007-10-29T17:47:00.000-07:00

Lizzie went on a field trip with her preschool to a pumpkin farm. It was a beautiful day and she had a great time picking out the perfect pumpkin.

Luke and Paula

2007-10-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

Apple Picking

2007-10-25T17:06:00.000-07:00

We went to a Farm and picked apples. We took a tractor ride that Colby loved, and there were goats and lots of lady bugs!!!

In New York

2007-10-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

Yeah, it works!!!
I'm in New York with Julie and Michelle and we are having a blast.