Happy Father's Day

Dave you're simply the best, in every way. Thanks for all you do. Love Di, Arden, Alexis, Spencer and the Gavinator.

Chef Arden

Arden is always making the most delicious concoctions of gastronomic combinations. Thanks for sharing it with us. Love Mom

diane lott photography

I started a new photography blog. I wanted a new adress for my business cards, so here it is. I will be posting here from now on. This year is getting busy with family photos already.

Happy Birthday Gavinator

I think Gavin finally understood it was all about him after unwrapping a couple of gifts. I've been being extra nice to him the last few weeks and telling him it is going to be his birthday. We all love him so much, he has been so much easier in everyway the last few months. I love being with him, he makes me laugh all the time. He is all boy 100% through and through and I love it. He is obsessed with bikes, scooters and balls. Thanks for sharing live with us my big two year old.

just call me "scooter"

i took a thousand photos of gavin before he turned two, here are four of them. he is a little maniac on that scooter.

Dave

Yesterday I texted Dave while I was in town to ask him if he had any cash because I forgot my big fat ugly purse with all my cards. He texted me back and said he had a 20 and I could have it and if I needed more he could get it. It was one of those moments when I sat there driving all over Flagstaff thinking how much I love him and how good he is to me. He would have given me the shirt off his back if I had asked for it. Thanks Dave, I love you. And...thanks for an incredible Mothers Day, you spoiled me rotten.

My baby loves babies.

Dream on there trigger! You can hold all the dolls you want. Gavin has taken a resent interest in babies. I think he is my only child to really like babies. The girls use to pretend to nurse there toy dinosaurs. Gavin also likes really babies, it's really sweet to see him get so excited about them. P.S. This little baby lover can ride a skate board like a surfer!

Happy Birthday Arden. 9 Years Old

Arden wanted a violin cake. She helped me make it. It's tradition for the kids to help me decorate their birthday cake. They always want to and they always turn out interesting. I think I am to have them take the cake decorating class with me, that should be a fun date!


Two remote control boats! Wow, and here she is with friend Aiden driving them around in the pond after her party.


Tailgate party at the Aquaplex. I couldn't get a party room, so here we are with pizza and cupcakes! The kids loved it.

Spoiled beyond with a bike and a violin! Happy Birthday Arden. We love her so much, she has the strongest spirit and the greatest amount of unwavering determination. Born Alpha Female and will die Alpha Female. Love her. Shine on you crazy diamond!

Easter

I'm really getting behind with this blogging stuff. Easter was great, we spent it in Overguaard, where my brother has a cabin. It was so much fun. The kids were in heaven, riding motorcycles and riding lawnmowers! We had an easter egg hunt and too much chocolate, if there is such a thing. Alexis told me there was too much chocolate and not enough candy! How funny is that child.

OK, I'm ready for Spring

Ya know I love snow I always have, it's beautiful and I would snowboard every Saturday if I didn't have four kids and a husband. But I am done with the snow. You can go away now. I am ready for everything Spring. Spring isn't offical until March 20th, but we will still have snow. It's going to be a muddy spring with the amount of snow that has to melt. Go away snow!

Snow Day

Another snowday come and gone. I love snow days. I love being with my kids even though they would tell you its a love/hate relationship. I love spending more time with them than I usually get to. I can hardly wait for summer, ah the days of sleeping in. I love letting them sleep. Spencer didn't wake up until 9am.

I read books with Alexis today. We just snuggled up on the sofa and read. I love that. Arden memorized her 3rd Article of Faith and started on the forth. We sat down and set goals and the rewards for finishing those goals. Arden worked on times tables with me and got really excited about it.

Gavin slept for three and a half hours. I ended up waking him up so he would go to sleep at night. Spencer spent almost the entire day with friends, here and there.

We made fresh lemonade with my new Breville juicer and lemons we brought back from Brad and Stephanies. We made a cake and homemade ice cream with Dave.

I cleaned my room really good after I saw how cleam Amy Shorts room was. Thanks Amy I needed some inspiration.

Arden and I researched hot air balloon rides on the internet and found out that it would cost our family $660 to go for one hour. I think we won't be doing that.

I didn't leave the neighborhood and that was ok with me. Sometimes I love just staying home. I really don't like driving, not with kids anyway.

Alexis got to play Fun Brain on the internet and told me it was the best day ever.

Who knows maybe tomorrow there will be a school delay. And then its back to the daily grind running kids to school and after school stuff. Ak. I loved today.

Trip to visit cousins in Mesa

Arden driving a go-cart. I think this was better than Christmas for Arden. First she was given a ride afterward she just stood there with this look on her face and I knew exactly what she was thinking, she wanted to drive of course. So much fun.

Spencer wanted Trey to drive.

Alexis loved it too.

I love Gavin. I love turning him loose. The desert was a perfect place to go.

Oh ya and don't forget Chica. She got to visit Jack at the cousins house. They fell in love. Jack bit Arden when she tried to take Chica away. They were little love birds on Valentines, how cute is that.

Thanks Bru, Marie, B,D,T and Z. My kids adore you and were so upset that we had to come home. It was just as good as going to the beach they said. Love, love you.

Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?

Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?

Chica and Arden

Arden adores Chica. Chica is doing a lot better. I think the eye drops are helping. She flew four feet to her cage today and missed it landing on the side of her cage in a sheet. She isn't chirping yet, but trying to fly. It's quiet, not that she was usually load. She doesn't twitch anymore although she seems cold so we have been snuggling with her a lot. Everything she does seems like a miracle.

Alexis and Chica

Chica likes to snuggle in our hair!

Spencer at Tae Kwon Do

We all laughed when we saw this, even Spencer. Realizing that he can't do push ups was funny to him.

Fight like a Girl!

This was so exciting for them. Hit him good girls, YOU GO!

Tae Kwon Do

I signed all the kids up for Tae Kwon Do. They couldn't wait for their first lesson, they were counting down the days. The loved it and it was really fun to watch them at their first lesson. Alexis's coach told her to go beat up this maniqin and she walked up to it and slapped it across the face. I thought it was hilarious, especially since Alexis has never been slapped before. I think she must get that from Sponge Bob which I must add she has only seen at our neighbors house and any hotel we have ever stayed at, but it is her favorite thing ever to watch! Arden got really into the whole game also and Spencer thought he was a super hero. Gavin was a nightmare the entire 2 hours we were there, he kept running out onto the mat to do Tae Kwon Do, he was really upset that he didn't get to do it also.

Chica update

We brought Chica home from the vet and she is doing really good. At first Arden hand fed her, but now she is eating and drinking on her own. She is a doesn't seem to twitch as much and her neck looks a lot better. She might still be dizzy or is having a hard time with her sight because sometime she misses her food and turns circles looking for it. Her left eye still looks really sketchy, like she might be blind in that eye. I am getting some eye drops from the vet today, but they will only help them to not get infected. We have to keep her warm so when she is not eating of drinking I just put her inbetween my shirt and sweater and she snuggles up. She hasn't flown but has gone up the later in her cage and climbed the walls of her cage, that is a really good thing. At first I didn't care if she ever flew again, but now I do, I think that is a right of passage for a bird. She spends most of her time on top of her cage and can fly to us whenever she wants, I hope things can be like that again for her. Arden has been amazing with her totally taking care of her yesterday handfeeding her and all. It is really sweet to see Arden love her so much and care for her. The other kids want to hold her and coo over her but they don't really want to take care of her like Arden does. Hopefully in a couple weeks her eyes will be back to normal, if not Chica will be our little one eye pirate.

Chica

Chica is all we can think about right now. She got stepped on really bad last night and we didn't think she would make it through the night. She slept in a jewery box drawer of the girls all snuggled up in babie blakets and a hankerchief. When Arden woke up this morning at 5:30am to check on her she was standing on the edge of the drawer.

Arden got some fluids down her and we took her to the vet. I thought she has a broken neck, because her neck was bent to the side and twitching. By the time we got to the vet her neck did look a lot better. The vet said her neck is not broken, and that she just looks a little out of her mind. Maybe a concusion? So the vet said he would keep her for a five hours, give her fluids and put her in an oxygen tank and see how she does.

We are going to get Alexis from school (Arden only made it at school till 10am) and go get Chica from the vet. The vet said she has a 50% chance to live. We are so hopeful. We will bring her home and nurse her and hope for the best. We have really loved having Chica as our family pet. She had dinner with us and was eating our peas and going from shoulder to shoulder. She was even giving Gavin kisses and on his shoulder.

Hoping for the best! We love you Chica.