Girls Night Out...

(We decided Ryan was the only "stud" allowed!)

Bettijo, Maylene, Sandy, and the top of Ryan!
Cynthia and Me!
Sandy turned the big 3-0 while she was away "partying" in St. George...so us girls back home decided it would give us a great excuse to have another "girls night out" when she got back! We decided to try out a new restaurant...Maria Maria in Tempe. I guess you could say it was a Mexican restaurant, but with a twist? It was really different...and the cooks seemed to LOVE jalepenos! The food was a bit spicy, but mine was really good! We took pictures of everyone's meal so you could see the presentation! Yum, Yum! Some looked better than they tasted (Bettijo's)...others looked crazy, but tasted really good (mine)!

Cynthia had the Vegetarian Enchiladas!

Bettijo had the Coconut Ceviche!

Sandy had Fajitas!

Maylene had the fish tacos!

and I had the nachos! (Those purple things are onions...pickled onions! They really could leave those off next time...but the rest was amazing!)

We had a blast! Great conversation, fun atmosphere, and interesting food! What more could you ask for! Thanks Sandy for getting old first! It was a great excuse to get out!

Happy Birthday Brooklyn!

Brooklyn turned 9 today! I can't believe we have a 9 year old! Since she's a girl...she has a list of favorite things...of course! We started out the day with Eggo Waffles (since mom is always short on time...when it comes to school mornings) but I did top them with whipped cream and a candle! We even let her open her first present! She was pretty excited.

(Madison wanted a picture holding a Webkinz too, so she borrowed Boston's!)

Then we sent her to school, and mom dropped off 3 dozen "store bought" Tinkerbell cupcakes to school for her to celebrate with her friends! (I miss the good 'ol days when you could just make them! It would have cost $2.00 instead of $20!) It was worth it, she was sooooo happy!

Things she's into this year. 1)High School Musical (yeah...she's pretty much obsessed)
2)Webkinz (stuffed animals that come with an Internet code to play with them online)
3)Pretty much anything "girly". (A pretty broad spectrum that includes pretty much everything!)
So as you can see, it was pretty easy to get her things she'd be excited about. Her week started out "fabulous" by getting a High School Musical 3 DVD board game and a High School Musical digital picture locket to wear from her Grandma Debbie and Papa! Then she got a really pretty dress from her Aunt Joanie that she put on immediately and modeled wearing gloves! She even blogged about these on her blog...I haven't read it, but heard her talking to Boston and Paris about it:)

She was so sweet, we had to change her birthday "bash" last minute due to someone in our stake needing last minute day care, and Brooklyn took the news really good. She understood that someone needed help and was okay postponing her real dinner until Saturday. I was impressed with her! (I would have been balling!) So to make it a bit more fun, we invited some friends over last minute, you can't have fun without the Becks!!! We had pizza, cake, and plenty of presents!

As could be expected...she scored plenty of Webkinz...which she literally screamed about! (You forget how excited 9 year old girls get...when they get what they want!) Sandy and I had to laugh. We probably did the same thing!

I heard somewhere...that Aunt Shavonne and Nana have some more sweet things on their way from Utah...that should be here any day now. So her birthday is really lasting all week long! Those are always the best ones! She's been smiling ear to ear, and everyone that has come over this week has gotten to hear about every single gift she's gotten! So I think that means she had a good birthday!

Happy 2009!!

We decided to ring in the new year...while chillin' (literally) in Flagstaff! We had a couple of days with NOTHING planned, (which never happens around the holidays!) So we decided to ditch the warmth of Phoenix for the snow in Flagstaff. We've never been there before, so we didn't really no what to expect, but were pleasantly surprised at how quick the trip was! The kids were sooo excited to see the snow. The snow started around 5500 feet, which was only about an hour and a half drive! We were surprised that it could change so much from 70 degrees in Phoenix to 50 and snow so fast! It was a bit cool, but we started the party off right by going to some restaurant in the hotel. (The thought of driving in the ice...made me hyperventilate! I HATE ICE! One of the few great memories of UTAH...I get to keep with me forever!) Thanks.

We then went back to the hotel room and played games, watched movies, ordered room service for dessert, watched the ball drop, and called it a night! It was really fun! Maybe we'll have to make a new tradition???!!

We had 2 big beds for the kids...and of course they all wanted to pile into one!
The next morning the first thing the kids did was run out on the balcony to make sure the snow didn't all melt away! It was cute. We made sure to make a pit stop at the local Walmart for some "snow supplies". The kids had a blast running, playing, and throwing it! We'll have to go back soon. Maybe next time to check out the ski slopes??
We couldn't find any mittens her size!! She made do...ice anyone?
Brooklyn holding a pretty large snow ball...


Paris holding some ice block that probably weighs as much as she does...watch out Madison!

Anyone seeing a common theme here? Now Phil has some incredibly huge chunk of snow! There must have been a contest I wasn't aware of. Mom usually steers them away from activities that can kill someone!




Boston was launching snow balls at Phil from on top of the hill...luckily his aim wasn't the best...or Phil would have been clocked a few times!!Off to explore the white territory!

Some fort type thing that they found...and decided to play with of course!





Boston looking studly...as usual!

Christmas Morning!

We actually weren't "jumped" by the kids until 7am this morning! We couldn't believe it! I woke up around 6:30, and heard the t.v. on in the loft...but was afraid to move for fear they would hear me! I scored an extra 30 minutes of sleep before Boston threw open our bedroom door saying "Santa already came and he got me a cool telescope!"

Phil and I were totally surprised! We even put up a gate so they wouldn't go downstairs! Boston said he "forgot" about why that was there. Sure. We were born yesterday. At our house Santa gives one gift and it's always left unwrapped in front of your gift pile. After talking to the girls...we found that he was the only one brave enough to sneak down and take a peek! Ha!

Phil and I snuck down first and made sure to take pictures of their piles...before the madness began. The kids naturally started creeping down after us and then Boston yelled, wow Seattle got a cool toy too! Phil and I were both confused. Apparently, he only had eyes for his own gifts and didn't pay attention to anything Santa brought for anyone else when he came down earlier! (When I was young, Tyler, Sarah, and I would take turns waking up the earliest every year and jam downstairs before my mom and dad woke up so we could see what Santa brought for everyone and then report back. It was a TEAM effort.) Boston was all about the ME! Phil and I were cracking up! If you knew Boston...this would be what you'd expect!!

My grandma started a tradition of making us stockings that looked like us, so we would always know which gifts were ours! My mom has kept up the tradition...except Madison and Seattle are still waiting for theirs. (No rush mom:) We let Madison use mine this year. I decided to try themes this year...it made shopping for each one easier! Madison's theme was Fancy Nancy.

Boston's theme was everything "space" related...hence the telescope!

Brooklyn is really into history and traveling, so her theme was all travel related.

Paris was basically anything "barbie" related.

She loved the phone that her uncle "B" got her!
Anything she could layer on...she did!


This was Seattle's gift from Nana...her and Madison both love it! The best is when they turn it to Spanish mode! They both don't even seem to notice!
Christmas was a success! Phil and I enjoyed our gifts from family too! Thanks a bunch!