Saturday, December 20, 2008

Our First Cut-Your-Own Christmas Tree




We decided we'd like to try cutting down our own tree this year. So we set out to Sloughhouse Tree Farm to give it a try. The children had a fun time running through the trees. Mike and I had fun trying to chop the tree down. We wanted a picture to document our momentous occasion, so we asked a kind tree to take one for us. I think he did a great job.

Pictures under the tree

I was trying to get a picture of the children under the tree for Grandma, and this is the squirmy baby trying to escape. We ended with a pretty good one, I think.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Quest for Creative Outlet

When Ian went to Golden Valley Charter School, some of the moms would meet and have a knitting group. I wanted to learn to knit but I never made it to the group. I thought about it and decided that I could teach my self. So I learned with the help of YouTube. I made some scraves for the kids for Christmas.

From there I wanted to knit more things than scraves. So I looked into making a little toy for Ellie. I couldn't find any patterns for knitting cute toys, but there were crocheting patterns everywhere! So I used YouTube yet again, and learned how to do amigurami the Japanese art of crocheting small toys.
Ian's bear "Luke".


Ellie's Piggie.

In the midst of all this I found "needle felting" and made a cute bunny. You start with raw wool and poke it with barbed needles 'til it turnes into what you want.
I sure found a lot of crafty hobbies all at once! It has been fun! Now I'm trying to get my sisters to try the Amigurami too...

Halloween Again! Again!

I wanted to post more Halloween pictures. The kids are very IMAGINATIVE when it comes to costumes. We don't usually buy them. The kids create them. Isobel is a mummy here (toilet paper should do the trick!) and Ian is a Chinese man (Kacy brought an outfit for Ian from her stay in China. He wears it regularly, not as a costume. I think he was lazy about dressing up).
We also made a gingerbread haunted house. The whole family got in on this one! Notice Ellie with the scissors in hand!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Halloween Again!

We love Halloween! How can you not? Any holiday revolving around CANDY is A-OK in my book! I send the children out to work the streets for goodies that I take away and eat over the next couple of months! They shouldn't have it -it's not good for them. Decays the teeth, makes 'em crazy-hyper, and stunts their growth! (Hee Hee Hee more for me!) No really, last year we sent it all in to work with Mike. The story goes: we put the candy on the porch for the "Candy Witch". She takes the candy and leaves a toy for the kids in it's place. 

Here we have a ghost, witchie-poo, and another witch. Not pictured is momma witch. We had a full coven this year!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Back to School

We are back in school again. Isobel and Ian are both excited about school still! Isobel has the same teacher as last year, we love her! Ian has a very nice teacher. She's very patient. She thinks Ian is a little bored. So she sent Ian some sight words home to memorize. He can read a few simple books now. He is JAZZED about it! Now on to teaching him the alphabet.

Vampire baby

Do the books you read during pregnancy and breast feeding influence your offspring? Check out this pictures of Ellie:


She has cut the two top teeth second from the middle on both sides. Can you see the fangs?!

I have Stephanie Meyer to thank for this! I borrowed the first book when I was about 6 months pregnant with Ellie, and I finished the last book now while Ellie is 6 months old- I was enthralled with the series! - along with a majority of the female population out there.
So cute when she smiles!

Saturday, August 23, 2008

10 Years!

Happy Anniversary to us! We met 13 years ago.



Tied the knot after 3 long years!



And have been blessed with 3 beautiful babies!


I am so blessed to have snagged Michael! What other husband cooks, cleans, brings home the bacon, makes the kids lunches... I had better stop here or else you'll question what's left for me to do. Well someone has to eat all the Bon-Bons and watch the TV!!! Happy anniversary Mikie-poo. I love you! Here's to 100 more lovely years (with modern medicine you never know!)

One Last Summer Fling

We had a whirlwind last-week-of-summer-vacation trip. We went to Monterey, to the aquarium. We drove to Mike's Grandma's house in San Diego (well, actually Lemon Grove. Check out the cool, huge lemon!).
We took her and Mike's little brother to Coronado beach
The kids got a little sandy from burying each other.
And the zoo.
Can you figure out the theme here? Butt... maybe it's too obvious: And we couldn't just drive on home by way of Disneyland, without stopping there! Ellie's first D.L. trip (outside of my tummy).

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Workin' on our summer-skills

Ellie is learning to sit up all by herself.
Remember Weeble-Wobbles?!
Isobel and Ian made great leaps in their swimming skills this summer. They are well on their way towards the olympics!

Monday, August 4, 2008

Domesticated Momma

I live a very domesticated life. The truth be told, it is exciting to get new appliances!

Here is our old microwave:

Notice the cracks. The one on the door was probably dangerous! It will explain the extra toes we grow later in life:


Here is the new one:

SHINY inside!


Here is the old dishwasher we should have chucked out when we first bough the place!

Check out the crap-catcher! Ewe, I didn't notice the yellow ring -I should have called in the Cat in the Hat to remove my yellow-dishwasher-ring:

Yuck!
Here is the new and improved dishwasher(no gunk catcher -it goes straight to the disposal!):


And yes, I did bribe the kids to model with the appliances(like The Price is Right ladies).

And just to prove the domesticated momma point, look at these cookies: Martha would be proud!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Isobel Gets Baptized

Last Monday Isobel got to share a very special experience with her cousin Haley. They got baptized together. We are so proud of the choice Bel made. And happy to have had so many family members there.



Especially glad that Mike's Grandma Betty got to be there!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Klinglers Galore!


We had a great big group of family members(35 of us) gathered here in Sacramento for the first Rodney S. Klingler and Mary Ann Klingler family reunion. Siblings came from all over the States(Arizona, Colorado, and Florida) and endured many hurdles(gas prices, car troubles, handling 3 small children alone, etc.) to get here. I think we'd all agree it was worth it! "Good Times!"

The Originals:

All 18 grandchildren at the Jelly Belly Factory:

The whole ruckus crew (If there was any doubt that we are a mormon family, notice the accordion divider used as the back drop):

We missed you Bob, Jason & Harley!