Random Pics Post...

All Pictures Taken By: Kiana
Post Created By: Andrea
This is what happens when Kiana gets hold of the camera and mom is not around to supervise the picture taking. Mom and I were on the computer Friday night--her blogging and me looking at blogs(my recent obsession instead of doing my homework),when she came across these pictures from her camera. They were just so funny and totally random that we just couldn't help but share. ENJOY:)

*Kiana's baby doll in time out?

*Mom looking oh so impressed

*Mom most likely glaring at one of the kids(probably me)

*Uncle Aaron visiting from Texas

*Another of Kiana's Baby Dolls

*Some pictures of family pictures that are pictures... hugh?



*Another nice family picture picture



Um...Well...O.K...

A Collage of Kiana's Barbies and herself(Notice her interesting makeup job):)


*Grandpa relaxing on the couch

*Chicken for dinner?

*Her Barbie Pillow

*Mom not really wanting her picture taken, but putting on a fake smile anyways

*A picture of a picture of Remi on the T.V.

*My Happy B-Day sign?


Well these are all the pictures that we have right now from Kiana. It's interesting to see her perspective of things. Feel free to coment on what you think about these hilarious pictures.
-Andrea

The Happenings of May

This has been a very busy month for our family--especially for the kids. Here is a quick recap--through pictures--of the many things that have happened.


Andrea's Awards Night


Kiana's 2nd Grade Play--"We Come From Everywhere!" (She played the part of a girl from China)


Andrea got her braces off! YEAH!!!


Homemade snowcones with friends!


Hot tubing with a favorite cousin!


Butterfly Mask!


Kiana won 1st place at the Silver Dollar Fair!


We put our pool up--summertime is here!


Having fun catching lizards!

Shasta Caverns

Kiana's 2nd grade class went on a field trip to Shasta Caverns which is located 15 miles north of Redding.



The beginning of the adventure started with a patio boat ride across a small portion of Shasta Lake. Then we all got into a small bus and were driven up the hillside to where the caverns were located. It was cool and very damp inside the caves. Each of the kids were able to have helmets with lights on them and they were also fitted with elbow and knee pads.



After the tour the kids were able to go mining for precious gems. The weather was perfect and the kids had a great time. It was a lot of fun to be able to go with Kiana on this field trip.

Girls Weekend

This year for Mother's day weekend "the girls" and I were able to spend three days in Oregon. We spent lots of time shopping, talking, eating, listening to music, and just hanging out together. We also filled the weekend with hot tubing, seeing a play in Ashland, having picnic lunches, wearing hats, going on nature hikes, browsing the Artisan Fair, and visiting the Mystery House/Oregon Vortex. This was our third year of going away for the weekend. It's a great time to connect with each other and enjoy being girls! We are already thinking of where we'll go next year.


"The Girls": Gina, Melanie, Bryn, & Melissa

A BIG thank you to our husbands for taking care of the kids!

FIESTA!

Aaron and I were in charge of our dinner group for the month of May. We decided to have a fiesta!


The party of course wouldn't be complete without sombreros.


After dinner we went over to the church to enjoy a pinata. Everyone was able to get a few swings in before the candy fell out. Aaron made sure to cover the entire pinata with clear packing tape to ensure that everyone was able to have some hits. After the pinata we decided to hang out and play some dodge ball. It felt like we were in 4th grade again. I never realized how intense the guys play.


After our games at the church we came back to our house for some dessert and singing. Aaron and I rented a Disney Channel sing-a-long game. Not everyone got into the singing, but it was fun for everyone to watch those that sang their heart out!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREA!

May 4th 2009--Wow! 14 years old--A beauty at birth a beauty now!




We were able to have family over Sunday night to celebrate Andrea's 14th birthday. She requested banana splits with brownies for dessert.


Andrea received a lot of fun gifts: nail polish, dangling earrings, candy bars, peanut butter chocolate cookies, gift cards to Kohl's, iTunes and of course some spending money.


Andrea's main present was a planter box for our backyard. She loves gardening and wanted to plant a variety of vegetables this year. Her dad did a great job of building the boxes for her. Now we will all be able to benefit from the delicious foods she will grow.

This may sound like a very grownup present request, but that's Andrea for you--mature beyond her years although her dad complains about the teenager attitude at times.

SAN FRANCISCO

After tax season we decided to take a family trip to San Francisco. We only stayed 2 days so we packed in as much fun as we could.

Our first night we took the kids to a restaurant called the Rainforest Cafe. It has a fun store at the front of the restaurant and then a fully decorated rainforest in the restaurant. It included hanging vines, sounds of animals and then about every 15-20 minutes there was lightening and thunder to give the appearance of a rainstorm. It was a lot of fun, however Kiana hid under her jacket every time the thunder started.



After dinner we found a booth where we had the kids names painted. The kids had a lot of fun picking out the colors for their names and it was amazing watching the way the man painted their names.



The next morning we took the kids to the San Francisco Zoo. We had gone several years ago, but Kiana was too young to remember. She was really excited to see the monkeys. My favorite was the giraffes. :)



After the zoo we stopped by the beach. It was sunny, but very cold and very WINDY. Seth was the only one to actually get in the water--crazy kid--I think he is immune to feeling the cold.



Our hotel had a heated pool so the kids had a blast swimming. It was too cold for Andrea, so she went back to the hotel to take a shower while Seth & Kiana swam and Aaron took a nap--that guy can sleep anywhere!





That night we took a walk down to Pier 39 to see the sights and have dinner. We would love to come back and do the Alcatraz tour.



The next morning on our way home we stopped by the Oakland Temple--BEAUTIFUL!!!



When the trip was over I asked everyone what their favorite part of the trip was; here are their answers:

Aaron: Finding sand dollars on the beach
Gina: Eating at the Rainforest Cafe
Andrea: Looking in the shops at Pier 39
Seth: Being with the family
Kiana: Swimming in the pool

Tax Season

All of us were very happy to see April 15th come and go--especially Aaron. What better way to celebrate the end of tax season than to go out to dinner at our family's favorite restaurant (La Comida) and then to enjoy a delicious homemade cheescake with fresh strawberries (Grandma Ruth's special recipe) There's nothing better than food, family, and the comforts of home.

Easter

It's that time again to pull out the easter baskets and color eggs for the Easter bunny to hide. The kids had a great time coloring eggs. This year Andrea actually painted the eggs with my craft paint. She enjoyed that much more than just dipping them in colors. (click on collages to view a bigger image)



We had two Easter egg hunts this year. One on Saturday at Grandma Leila's with the cousins and then another one Sunday morning in our backyard.



Of course we had to get the annual Easter pictures of everyone in their new Sunday best.




The joys of being a kid!

Table Top Mountain

We took our annual trip to Table Top Mountain with the family. The weather was beautiful and the wind was just right for flying kites. The wildflowers were everywhere! We were able to enjoy our picnic, go on a hike, and of course "The Dad" had to take a nap on the blanket.



Here are some cute pictures of Andrea and her cousin Remi enjoying a sunny hillside.

Spring

Andrea got a hold of my camera and look what she found--SPRING!!!



Our yard was blooming with color and Andrea tried to capture every little piece. I never knew I had so many different varieties of flowers.

Thank you Andrea for the beautiful flower collage!

Ice Fishing

Seth went ice fishing!!!








Grandpa Rick took Seth ice fishing a few weekends ago. Even though it was cold, Seth enjoyed sitting out on the lake waiting for the fish to bite. They then ventured closer to the shore--that is where they found the fish. Seth was able to catch SIX! He had a great time fishing despite the cold & frezzing temperature.

Lovely Lilacs

Around the middle of March I have three lilac bushes that bloom. It is my favorite time of year! Not only are they beautiful but everytime you walk outside the scent of lilac fills the air. Here are several pictures I took so I could share my love of these amazing flowers with you.