CooksonClan

Baptism Day!

2010-11-07T17:47:00.000-08:00

Saturday, November 6th... Scott was baptised! It was such a sweet event! Cara & Natalie (Scott's cousins) did such a beautiful job singing "I'm Trying to be Like Jesus". We were thankful for family and friends who were able to attend!
A day to remember!

I made this video (of Scott) to play at his baptism. It is so sweet and make sure you have your speakers on! (Songs: "I am a Child of God" and "I'm Trying to be like Jesus" by Michael Dowdle) Length: 6:08 min.

8th Halloween Birthday!

2010-11-07T17:35:00.000-08:00

Scott got just what he asked for his 8th birthday..... $100 bill! Also, I couldn't figure out what he was spending hours doing on the lawn with a box, contractors level and the football....so I had him show me. I was so impressed by how creative he was!!! He had made kicking stand for the football! What a clever mind! Darryl couldn't resist and bought him the real deal! Since Scotty's birthday is on Halloween, he gets the best of both worlds.... cake, presents and trick-or-treating with family and good friends! :)

Kyla's Stripes and Sweeties!

2010-11-07T17:10:00.000-08:00

Kyla dressed like a referee for Halloween (along w/some other referee friends) Kyla brought along Chad (guy friend) to our combined ward Halloween party! It was fun! :) Kyla with her favorite girls.....Carrie and little sweetie Camryn! ;)

2010-11-07T16:55:00.000-08:00

This was Scotty's first year of playing (Jr All-American) Football! His team did a great job winning 5 games & losing 3. They are on their way to the play-offs in a few weeks!
DJay (# 20) is a wide-reciever for the Oak Hills Freshman/Frosh-Soph teams. He did his best considering his small size and feather-light weight! I feel a growth spurt coming on..... I am sure of it! His freshman team is undefeated....dominating the other teams and the Frosh/Soph team only lost 1 game! So they had a fantastic season! I loved watching them play! :)

This was DJay's Halloween costume?

Football goes Hockey?

2010-11-07T15:43:00.000-08:00

Scott & his football team had the opportunity to experience a minor league hockey game! They had a blast meeting players, hanging out in the teams box before the game and during warm ups and each took home their very own hockey puck!

Simply Scotty....

2010-07-14T20:21:00.000-07:00

Scotty is enjoy his summer days swimming, eating ice cream, and more swimming!

DJay....the long & short of it!

2010-07-14T20:05:00.000-07:00

DJay has had his long locks for 5 years & voted "Best Hair" for the last 2 years! He was ready for a change and he looks great! He also got his braces off!

He has also learned the pain of motorcycle burns and bug-bites! Ouch!

Kyla's Korner.....

2010-07-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

Girls camp.... friends, pranks, no sleep, lots of treats!

EFY.... Kyla with Josh! Kyla with girls!

Kyla with boys!

Kyla with her "company".

Kyla visiting Janelle and family!

Kyla going to "Stadium of Fire" for July 4th! Kyla in summer school (P.E. & Criminal Justice).

Kyla is a busy, busy girl! ;)

Baby Blessing!

2010-07-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

We had the privilege of attending the blessing of baby Lucas, Jeff & Kim's latest addition.

April & May in numbers.....

2010-05-31T18:15:00.001-07:00

5 day Easter getaway at Campland by the Bay, San Diego
14 baseball practices
31 baseball games
20 basketball practices
12 basketball games (went undefeated & to semi-finals)
8 Roadshow practices
4 Roadshow performances (took 3rd place out of 9)
3 earned merit badges
1 fabulous Mother's Day
1 wedding
2 bunco girls night out
8 family birthdays
1 very special birthday.... DJay turned 14!!!
3 ortho appts
1 set of braces paid off!
1 very happy daughter with straight teeth (5 yrs & 3 surgeries later)
1 school sock hop
1 "meet your teacher" ice cream social
1 new nephew..... Danger!
20 registration forms filled out
2 kids registered for new Oak Hills High School
countless blessings.......

Observation through a child's eye!

2010-03-11T10:36:00.000-08:00

I was going through Scotty's school papers and this one made me giggle. Do any of you mothers see what is relevant in Scottys observation?
Who's doing all the work? And who's having all the fun?
Ha, Ha

Doggie Tales and Wash-outs!

2010-02-06T18:11:00.000-08:00

This is "Brucie"... a female stray that we saved!

This is "Hoss", an older full bred Bull Mastiff that our neighbor gave us after our German Shepard died. We ended up LOVING him (except all his slobber). It's a crazy tale.... but one night, a yellow lab, dug into our yard and "convinced" all of our dogs to go out for the night. (Brucie was in heat, but our other dogs are fixed....so we weren't concerned about her getting pregnant). They went swimming in the Aqua duct and ran wild! The only problem was that the two girl dogs came back......but no Hoss! Our fears were confirmed when we found him on the side of Main St.....passed away! Even worse, our neighbor saw him there before we got to him! UUgghhh !!! Now we have suffered a double whammy! Our German Shepard, now our Bull Mastiff! After fixing the hole, we found that dang yellow lab in our yard two more times the next day! Finally, Animal Control picked him up. Problem solved and an appt for Brucie to get fixed! But before we knew it.... we had an unexpected surprise! We were outside in the backyard and I heard DJay yell, "Ewwwe.... Why is there milk coming out of Brucie's nipples?" as he played with her. I thought, "that stupid yellow lab!!!! Not only did he get Hoss killed, he raped Brucie!!!! And NO, it wasn't consensual!" I was not happy! January 14th.... Brucie became the single mother of 4 baby puppies! They sure are cute, though! ;)

Puppy #1, (a keeper)

She is brindle and we are going to name her "Brindly". She reminds us of Hoss....too bad he wasn't the daddy! :(

Puppy #2- cute boy. The "fuzziest and biggest one".

Puppy #3- another cute boy.

And puppy #4- a sweet girl.

Looking toward Hesperia Lakes and Silverwood! This river is usually bone dry!

We got hit with another storm that brought tons of rain! This is Rock Springs Rd.....it was shut down for like a year while they "rebuilt and improved the road" to fix the "wash-out problems! Hummmm..... do you think it would have been wise to raise the road to what might be known as a "bridge"? Duhh... So how's it workin' for ya?

It was so cool! Can you say "wash-out" ! :)

Rain, Wind & Snow, Oh My!

2010-01-24T13:25:00.000-08:00

This past week was full of suprises! First it rained and it rained. The winds blew with incredible power! As you can see, our trampoline (400 lbs) did a few flips of it's own and then we were blessed with the beautiful, white powder! Wow, what fun! ;)

Little Bit O' Christmas

2010-01-03T15:07:00.000-08:00

Christmas was full of food, family and fun! I hosted Christmas Eve at our house this year, relieving my mom of her 25+ year tradition. We had dinner, a program, dessert & gift exchange! Since I was all "wrapped up", I don't have any photos of that evening, but I will "steal" some from others & post them soon! :)

All's quiet and clean....before the madness!

Scott with his favorite gift! He made several comments on how much he "Loves Santa" because he gave him the "best train ever!"

D.Jay with his best gift. A RipStick which is pretty cool!
And he already rides it like a pro!

Kyla with one of her favorites. The Police Station Lego City. It was actually a gift for Scotty, but she loves Legos and just had to put it all together!

Our family's BIG gift this year! We all put it together as a family with only a few squabbles! Finally something for them to do outside besides digging holes!

Feasts and Footballs!

2009-12-07T17:24:00.000-08:00

~Thanksgiving Feast 2009~
All the family together (except Janelle's family....they will be here for Christmas)

Good food, family and fun! ;)

Darryl is healing nicely and doing much better!

Darryl went to his first NFL game with my brother, Ryan!

It was against the Chargers and Eagles. Ryan (Charger fan) and

Darryl (Eagles fan) had a blast! Darryl said it was totally awesome

except the Eagles loosing! Look Darryl....they want YOU!

This was DJay's (#22) last year with the Hesperia Trojans! He will be moving up to High School next year! Now if he can just gain the size of #72! :)

We had another successful season (despite some parent-coach drama)and made it to the Semi-Final Playoff game......but we lost! San Bernardino is the only team we have lost to in the last two years!

Our home games were at the new Oak Hills High School Stadium.....so nice!

My motto is, that in football "your either freezin' or fryin'!" In this picture, it's hailing! One game we played was 108 degrees! Crazy!

Next year we will be starting all over with Scott! He is soooo excited to play! Go Trojans...... Scotty too Hottie is comin'!

Baby Doll's 15th Birthday!

2009-11-22T08:31:00.000-08:00

On November 22, 1994 ...... Kyla Nicole was born!

7lbs 11oz and 21 inches long.

She was such a content, mellow baby with the biggest blue eyes!

She definitely developed an independent attitude and gave looks that could kill..... but luckily, we don't see that much anymore! She was also shy, reserved and didn't talk much at all.

All of that has changed!

Kyla has broken out of her thick, hard shell and has really become an awesome young lady!

She keeps us laughing (and sometimes confused) with her unique silliness and who would have known what a non-stop talker she would be?

We are so grateful to have such an intelligent, beautiful daughter!

HAPPY 15TH BIRTHDAY!!!!!

We love you!

My "Clumsy Concrete Kisser".....

2009-11-13T17:14:00.000-08:00

As many of you already know.... on Friday, Oct. 23rd, Darryl had an accident at work. This 15 ft(faulty) ladder decided to fall over... sending Darryl plummeting about 20 ft to the concrete below!

(The smaller ladder in this picture is the average
6 ft ladder)

He tried to grab on for dear life, tearing through the hatch opening.

He landed elbow first, then his face hit the concrete. He said that everything went "white" and that he thought he was dead.....but as soon as he "bounced" on his back, he realized that he was alive and in excruciating pain!

He endured the 50 mile ambulance ride (which included an "almost" car accident with an oblivious geriatric lady, who's car ended up on a curb) to Desert Regional Medical Center, a Trauma Center. It was actually quite lovely there! Thank goodness, 'cause he was there for 3 days... granted, he had his own room on the "Sinatra" floor! ;)

After hours of running tests, it was

determined that Darryl's most

serious and obvious injury was his

left elbow which sustained

compound "open" fractures.

Not lookin' too hot!

He was in surgery for 5 hours! They repaired his 80% torn tricep muscle and the major fractures and crushed bones.

Darryl's new hardware! 18 screws, a few plates and some other parts that Darryl swears they took from his tool box!

30 staple swollen trail (3 days post-op)

Just a few days after surgery, he had to "move" his arm/elbow so that his tricep muscle won't turn into "cement". He wasn't excited to do it...... mucho pain!

Some ummm.... massive bruising! And we are only talking about his arm/elbow!

He did suffer a concussion, bruised ribs, knees, face....and the list goes on~ poor thing!

Started therapy within the first week!

Here he is on his 2nd week of therapy. Doing much better and the swelling has gone down tremendously!

Having staples removed! "Oops, sorry... did that one pinch?"

Considering this being the month of "Thanksgiving".... let me express how grateful we are that it turned out the way it did!

We have imagined a million different "could haves"..... like, could have been:

lying in a casket

lying on life support
lying in a coma
lying as a quadriplegic
lying as a paraplegic

lying with crushed legs

lying with a crushed pelvis.....and so on!

We are so thankful that he was being watched over that day and like we keep reminding

ourselves..... it could have been worse!

Happy Birthday Halloween Baby!

2009-10-31T23:49:00.000-07:00

It was 7 years ago today..... I went to visit my cousin's newborn twins at the hospital when I started having contractions! When all said and done......

Scott Ryan Cookson was born!
7lbs 11oz 21 inches long

Ready to "pop" (3 days before delivery)

Sorry..... my blog wouldn't let me comment on the pictures!

"Scotty Too Hottie"

Beach Break....

2009-10-13T10:53:00.000-07:00

7 days Camping at Silver Strand State Beach in Coronodo, San Diego. We have been going to this beach since I was a kid! Great memories with cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings etc. (I want the same for my kids)

We had two beautiful days and a few chilly ones.....but what do you expect when summer's over?

We went to the Legoland Sealife Aquarium. It was just perfect for the kids....not too big or overwhelming! Very clean too! ;)

The Jellyfish were amazing!

Kyla and her friend Alaina!

Seaweed jump rope? What creative kids! :) Scott, Jayden and Hailey (twins) were all born on the same day which is coming up soon..... Halloween day!

More pictures to come!!!! :)

Where Were You?

2009-09-11T19:21:00.000-07:00

Do you remember where you were and what you were doing on that horrific morning of 9-11-2001? I had just dropped off the kids at school and turned on my car radio....that's when I heard! I ran in the house and flipped on the news! I couldn't believe my eyes and what was happening! I was profoundly impacted that day!
I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN and being PATRIOTIC holds a whole new meaning for me!

This was the scene when I dropped the kids off at school this morning! A tribute to those who lost their lives that fateful day!

I remember thinking that this would be a historic moment in time..... so I grabbed the camera. One day....my kids could share with their kids, grandkids (and so on) their place in time.....when history was made.

August when?

2009-09-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

August came and went..... without much notice....(except the days it got to 110-112 degrees) I guess that is because all the craziness started! I believe August 3rd was the day! First day of school, first day of football practice and I started helping Darryl in his office down in San Bernardino! I am driving on average, 150 miles a day! Great meditation time! And trust me.... I need it! (Along with some great books on CD) Now that we are somehow in September......are you sure we even had an August?

Scotty's First day of First Grade!

Oh...ya~ I also have two other school kids! Ha Ha

I guess they feel too old to have their picture taken on the first day of school! (Not too many moms are on Jr and High School campuses taking snap shots of their 'babies' on their first day)

Ya... it might be embarassing for all! Anywho... D.Jay is now in 8th grade and Kyla 10th! Wow...how did that happen?

Krazy Kyla!

2009-07-27T19:58:00.000-07:00

Kyla has really come into her own! She has broken out of her shell and she has really blossomed into a really talkative, crazy-kind of girl!

Kyla has taken a few trips with my cousin, Carrie and her family! She went camping in Bishop, Ca and went to stay on a Ranch in Colorado. She definitely had her fill of nature's pure beauty!

Kyla's favorite "modeling" poses!

You can tell that she's got raw,

natural, talent huh?

These were the killer cows.....ready

to attack at any moment!

Wild horses with Kyla's favorite miniture donkey! She said it was

exactly like the one in the movie

Shrek.

Kyla is such a good helper with all the little guys!

Here she is with Carson.

Having fun with fishing!

Kyla and cutie pie, Camryn!

Don't fall!!!

The little gang and the two teens!

Birthday Brothers......

2009-07-24T13:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday DMan and Scott!
Darryl's birthday is today, July 24th and his younger brother, Scott's is July 22nd! Just two days and a near two years apart!

See..... football is in our genes! :)

Darryl at three days old with his mom.

Cute baby smile!

Darryl was an awesome wrestler in high school!

Darryl & Scott (baby Kyla, too) at a Giants game when we lived in San Fransisco!

We lost Scott way toooo early! It was devastating & extremely disheartening when he took his own life!

Scott was a fun-loving, care-free and warm hearted person and was a friend to all!

WE MISS YOU AND LOVE YOU ALWAYS!!!!

Jammin' July!

2009-07-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

July is jamm packed with birthdays!

My dad, older brother & sister share birthdays all within one week of each other!

My dad! His birthday is July 18th and he would have turned 60 this year. He has been gone now for 20 yrs. Can you imagine knowing you were going to die and you were barely pushing 40? Now that so many of us are almost to that age ourselves..... it is hard to comprehend!

My older bro, Jeff! Born on July 20th, 1971. He is the oldest of us five kids. Look how cute! ;)

Janelle, my older sister came a little over 11 months after Jeff on July 14th, 1972. My mom said that Janelle was her "prettiest" baby!
This is a representation of who Janelle is! .... A total SPAZ! ha ha

I love this picture!

Me and Janelle during our "big hair" days in high school!

Me and Jeff walking together for my younger

brothers wedding!

The 3 Musketeers! We had great fun together and still do! Love you all!!! And Happy Birthday! :)

Think Again!

2009-07-14T17:06:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought baseball was over..... we received a phone call inviting D.Jay to play in an 13 yr old tournament! After a week of practices, the teams got to play at Maverick Stadium! The boys were so excited to play on such a nice field. So from Wednesday to Sunday.... we were at the field every night and eventually won the championship! Now I think it is safe to say that baseball is over! :)

This is how Scotty passed the time! Being a goof-ball!

Blast off.....

2009-07-05T17:11:00.000-07:00

Last month..... Scotty graduated from Kindergarten! The theme was "Blasting Off Into 1st Grade". It was sweet and my favorite part was when all the kids sang and did sign language to "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". It made me tear up! The weather was great and they even provided a lunch!

Scotty in a 'real' space suit!

Scotty & his wonderful teacher, Mrs. Kolbold. She had a difficult year with her husband having terminal cancer and passing away! She still managed to keep it all together! :) We will miss her next year!

Bye-Bye Baseball.....

2009-06-22T15:13:00.000-07:00

Baseball season has finally come to an end! Our team mom is awesome and made all the boys a scrapbook of their games & practices, plus each boy had their own page! It was a fun year!

The Search.... The Name......

2009-06-16T16:25:00.000-07:00

When I was getting ready for work this morning, Scotty was quietly watching TV while Kyla & her friend were still sleeping..... As I was ready to walk out the door, I called for Scotty to tell him "goodbye" and give him hugs and kisses! The TV was off and all was silent. I was sure he was outside playing with the dogs....but a check of the yard (& even the sheds), no Scotty! I checked under beds, in closets, the garage, even the rafters (cause he's been up there before) and there was no sign of him! So I said a little prayer in my heart to "please let me find him before I need to get too worried and take action." Then for 'some reason', I looked over at our coffee table which is the type that opens up to store blankets and what not and I thought surely he wouldn't be in there? And guess what???????

There he be!!!!!! Fast asleep!

Much to my relief! :)

Then later today..... something to laugh about! Scotty requested that I change his name when he goes into first grade (since his Kinder teacher wouldn't change his name)! His suggestions???? Spencer or Bolt! Preferrably Bolt!

Too cute! hee,hee :)

2 weeks to treasure.....

2009-06-15T16:36:00.000-07:00

Kyla took her first solo plane trip to attend Especially For Youth (EFY) at BYU, Utah. She went with her cousin, Josh. (Janelle's oldest) Thanks to Janelle and her family, I knew that Kyla would be taken care of the moment she stepped off the plane until she boarded the plane on her way home!

Kyla had the time of her life! :)

Here is Kyla with her 'girls' from her 'company'!
Their company name was "After the Trial".
Approx 1301 teenagers attended the week-long stay at BYU.

Kyla and just a few of the many friends she made! ;)
After being gone for 10 days..... Kyla went to school for one day to take finals.....and then off to girls camp! Unfortunately..... the weather was very foggy and cold the whole week!
:( Brrrrrr

Here is Kyla and all the other "4th" year girls! They were "KIT"s this year (Kounselors in training) She had another terrific week!

She received her "camp name"....... it is.... Firecracker!!!

Wow, two weeks to treasure and summer vacation just started!

New Do and New Graduate....

2009-05-26T16:49:00.000-07:00

Kyla got a new stylin' hair cut by Jeremy Christopher. He worked his magic and cut at least 8 inces off! It was long over due and are so glad we did! She can do it sleek & simple or punk-like fun! It's my turn next! :)

Kyla & her BFF, Elise, havin fun with '80's' day at school!

Aren't graduations fun? Not... not unless you are the graduate or it is a 'cute' graduation....like preschool!

Atleast it was indoors...even if we did have nose-bleed seats! ha ha

It was great visiting Ryan & Kelly and being with family!

Sharla graduated from San Diego State!

Yeah Sharla......something to be proud of! :)

Sad Times....

2009-05-24T21:26:00.000-07:00

Our beloved German Shepard, Wilson, sadly passed away Thursday evening! He was only 1 1/2 yrs old.
Out of no where, Wilson started having severe seizures and foaming at the mouth! Darryl laid in the back of the truck to comfort him as I raced us to the Vet, knowing in my heart..... that he wasn't coming back! I had to make the painful decision to have him put to sleep! I couldn't control my emotions as they raced him to the back on a stretcher while he was suffering another major seizure. It was the last time we would see him!
Our hearts were broken and the boys were devistated! After many tears and hugs..... we talked about how blessed we were to have been home that evening and not at baseball! And how thankful we were that it didn't happen in the middle of the night or when we were all gone during the day! We were thankful that he didn't have to suffer too long and that the vet had "warm sleepy juice" to make Wilson comfortable! We love and miss you Wilson! :(

Special People..... Special Days

2009-05-04T20:41:00.000-07:00

My little bro, Ryan "Rizza", celebrated his 30th birthday on May 3rd!
My baby sister, Sharla, turned 25 on April 27th!
Happy Birthday you two! :)

Ryan & Sharla! Awww.... aren't they sweet?

Ryan was the sweetest, happiest little boy!

And he still is......

We love his sense on humor and his warm, loving soul! ;)

Sharla was the "baby" of the family!

I am 9 1/2 yrs older than Sharla & I remember rocking her to sleep and taking care of her! I was like her other mommy!

Awww... look how "darling"! Mom loved buying you those "girlie" dresses! ha,ha

Whatever...... Stunning

beautifuly, talented and

single!

This one's for you.... Merridee!

2009-04-25T18:33:00.000-07:00

Thought this might make you laugh......

I came acoss this old picture and the only thing I remember is doing a tap dance to the song "Animal Crackers" by Shirley Temple.

I don't remember being amazon girl! Was I really that much taller than you? (I am 5' 9 now... I am interested now to know how tall you are?)

We are only 1 1/2 yrs apart! You must have looked up to me, huh? Ha, Ha!

Fun memories!!!!!!

Teenage Invasion......

2009-04-23T19:01:00.001-07:00

D.Jay officially became a "teenager" on Monday, the 20th!
The birthday boy got to choose where he'd like to eat his "birthday dinner"
and he chose......of all places.... Denny's! This kid loves French Toast and
will eat it at any chance he can.... so I guess there weren't many
choices!

This is Kyla pointing to her soon to be...baby brother!

April 1996

Can you tell by the smile on my face that I had an epidural (And of course...a beautiful, healthy boy)? My first & only one (that worked) & thank goodness... 'cause he was my biggest baby at

8lbs 4oz & 22 inches long. That's what

happens when you go overdue!
(Look what pregnancy did to my hair!!! It would get sooo dark & then lighten up afterwards)

Just a few days old! He has such nice, dark skin....unlike his mother!

Just a cutie on his first birthday! This was 4/20/1997

D.Jay wanted the chocoletiest chocolate cake I could find.... and I think I hit the mother load of all chocolate cakes! :)

Just blew out his '13' candles!

Aahhhh.... I can't believe that I

now have 2 teenagers! They grow

so fast!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY D.JAY!!!! We Love You!!!! :)

EASTER GETAWAY!

2009-04-15T18:17:00.000-07:00

This past Easter weekend, we went camping at Campland in San Diego with a group of about 38 families. We didn't know everybody, but we made new friends......even with this duck family! Isn't the "yellow duckie" cute? Does she stick out like a sore thumb or what? Is this one considered like the "black sheep" of the family? Or the "Golden One"? Humm.....

Awww.... look at the brotherly love! Bonding with a fishing pole and the hopes of catching something. And they aren't even rolling around on the ground beating each other with it!

Scotty getting ready to take a good chunk out of that Easter basket pinata!

Every kid in the "group", received an Easter basket! It sure made them feel special!

Even D.Jay got something from the Easter bunny! He was excited about the i-tunes gift card inside and was being a cheeseball about it!

The boys had lots of rough and rowdy

time! Lots of baseball & football! It looked like D.Jay let these boys slip through his hands!

Can you say bangs? Hello Kyla..... this is what I'm talking about!

Kyla "socializing" with friends!

Me & this strange child who didn't want to do the Easter egg hunt! I about fell over when he told me it was because he didn't want to eat all that candy and get sick! Yeah right! I believe it was because he found an new buddy to ride bikes with!

Now these are some serious poodles! I think they might be related to Cliffored, the big red dog?

Darryl and his best friend, Jim enjoying the sun while it was out for about an hour!

My little fish with a big hammy smile! Do you think he is having fun or what?

Now why is there so much spacing between these last few pictures? I wasn't trying to add suspense or anything.....does anyone know how to avoid this?

Kyla and "The Strip"

2009-03-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

Kyla enjoyed a weekend with the Bryant family in Las Vegas at the motor speedway. Their kids are involved with drag racing and Kyla got a behind the scene peek at how it all works! They had a great time!

Play ball......

2009-03-26T19:02:00.001-07:00

It baseball season once again! D.Jay is playing with the big boys in the "junior" division and Scotty is playing his first year in T-Ball. They both play on the Giants and have the same great coaches! I have to admit..... baseball is not my favorite sport to watch! It tends to get long and boring and the weather always seems to be cold and windy! But I still love supporting my boys!

Family Dentist Day!

2009-03-26T18:55:00.001-07:00

The second day of Spring Break, we all went to get our teeth cleaned.... except Darryl, he bailed out to San Diego for business. (At least that was his excuse) We all had good reports except poor Scotty! 2 cavities and 1 baby tooth pulled! What a trooper and thank goodness for our awsome Dentist family.... The Johnsons! They are the best~

Butterfly invasion!

2009-03-26T18:47:00.000-07:00

It's spring time which brings the butterfly invasion! My windshield is proof! Bright orange and yellow butterfly guts everywhere! AAhhhh!!! Scotty is making new friends and enjoying his 2 week spring break!

Things that make you go hummmm........

2009-03-06T10:43:00.000-08:00

Do your kids ever do things that make you wonder where the heck
they come from? Last night, we were making lunches and I had the box
of Goldfish crackers out. Next thing I know.... Scotty is putting Goldfish
in his mouth.....chewing them up.....and spitting them in to a cup! I asked him
what he was doing.....and he said, "making cheese". Welp, maybe in a childs
mind....it makes sense! At least it gave me a good laugh.
Also, D.Jay told us the other day that in PE, they had to do the "cross-country run"
Scotty was amazed that his brother had to run across the country! ha, ha! I just love the
innocent interpretation! :)

The Good Patient....

2009-02-23T14:36:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of Kyla! Today, she had to endure yet another oral surgery! The
Periodontist commented on what a "good patient" she is! (I have heard that same comment from many Drs) Her mouth has been quite a challenge (her teeth and the words that come out of it) ha, ha J/k! Anywho, her first surgery about 4 yrs ago was for the same thing.... removing all the access "enamel pearls" that were embedded amongst her teeth & roots on her bottom jaw. They also removed a front baby tooth that never came up to allow the adult tooth to move up! Well, a year later.... that adult tooth never moved, so we had to do a surgery to expose the tooth and attatch a button & chain. Even with the use of her orthodontics.... that tooth has just been as stubborn as ever & has not cooperated! Now we know why! More "enamal pearls" were attatched to & around that tooth. So after todays surgery, the extend of the problem became known. She had seven "smaller" pearls and one very large one...... the size of a tooth. They actually had to dig in the bone to fully extract it. Unfortunately, that enamal pearl was taking up the entire bone "cavity" where the tooth should have been. So once it heals and the tooth can be moved back into its proper place, the doctor is hoping that the tooth makes the "transfer" without dying. That would totally suck! All those surgeries were mainly about that tooth.....and if we loose it.... what a waste! Plus, she has one more surgery after this one heals! She has to have a skin graph done on that tooth! Yikes! I told Kyla, that between her many years of orthodontist work and oral surgeries...... she's gonna have a million-dollar mouth.... or a mouth made of gold! ;)

Happy Birthday to me! :)

2009-02-23T09:39:00.000-08:00

My family is so sweet! :) My birthday was Sunday, the 22nd, and they made me feel special all day! After church, Darryl made dinner and then the kids were ready to have me open their "special" gift! I love the homemade, thoughful gifts like these......coupons for chores and a foot massage! Just my thing.... I am easy to please! Darryl bought me a cute NoFear sweatshirt..... I love that he thinks I am still wearing "teeny-bopper" sizes! So, he has to exchange for a bigger one. Nice try hunny! Then we ate one of my favorites.... cheesecake! Yummy! I received loving cards and several phone calls & text msgs! It was a sweet day..... thank you! I feel loved!

Do you want cheese with that......?

2009-02-11T10:43:00.001-08:00

Okay, I just want to whine a little! We recently got new health insurance with Kaiser Permenante with Darryl's company. Oh what fun.... transferring all the old to the new! (Don't get me wrong...I am very grateful that we have insurance) I started off by having all of Kyla's bumps and lumps looked at. So off to a "new patient" visit with our new pediatrician! (You have to understand that we had the same pediatrician for the last 9 years or so and we just loved him)
The new Dr gave us a referrel to a surgeon for her back and a podiatrist for her foot. We made a few "foot Dr" appts and then she had that surgery on her foot, with follow up appts as well. We went to the surgeon for her back (lump on lower back) She gave a referral to have a CAT Scan. Had that done...and all is normal, they assume it is just "fatty tissue". Mind you.... all these appointments are "down the hill" which is about 45- 50 minutes away, plus I am still babysitting Carrie's baby.
Then it is time for D.Jay. He has been having allergy shots for the past four years, so we needed to see a new allergist. We went for a "new patient" visit with the same pediatrician and of course they love to "update" his shot record with additional Hep A, Meningococcal, and Tetanus shots....poor D.Jay. We got the referral to the Allergist. Went and had new allergy test performed, which is now done on the inner part of your arm instead of on your back. Poor D.jay with about 35 needle "pricks" on that tender skin which quickly "reacted" and had the itchy, hive-like welts all over his arm....okay got the lowdown of everything he's allergic to blah, blah, blah. This was on a Thursday....then Saturday morning, D.Jay had me look at something that was bothering him on his leg. It looked like a bug bite or small boil. I told him that we could put hot compresses on it to relieve it! Then.... the next day, after church and right before the Superbowl started..... D.Jay showed me his leg and told me how much that "thing" hurt! Oh my goodness!!! That thing more than doubled in size, was hot to the touch and very hard feeling! I knew instantly what it was! It happened to my friend a few months ago! She had picked a little pimple on her face and later went to a regular Dr visit at Kaiser....hummm. Sometime while being there or after, she had touched that little area on her face! To make a long story short, it ended up being Staph Infection.....not cool! So after the Superbowl, I took D.Jay down to the urgent care and sure enough....that's what it was. D.Jay told me that he had picked a little pimple on his leg and he wore shorts the day we went to Kaiser.....so I only imagine that he had touched it after being there. The ER doctor put him on 2 heavy duty antibiotics....taking 6 pills a day for 10 days. D.Jay stayed home from school for two days while the infection "drained". It was sooo nasty, but you know I like that gross stuff.... if it's my family! The Dr checked again on the third day, and indeed it was getting better. Then still had to finish up the next day at the allergist to test and finalize what strength allergy serum to give him. Six injections on his inner arm and we were done! ;) Let me tell you..... D.Jay and I washed our hands like crazy and used hand sanitizer every other minute while we were at Kaiser......lesson learned! Come to find out, one of Darryls employees had the same thing! He picked something on the back of his neck, went to Kaiser, touched it, and ended up with Staph Infection! So let this be a warning....! Wowzy! I think I feel better now! Don't remind me that we haven't even started with Scott! I think I will wait awhile.... I am burnt out with Dr visits!!!!! Thanks for listening! :)

"First one out!"

2009-02-11T10:10:00.000-08:00

Yeah! :) Scotty just lost his first tooth.... thank goodness!!! It was hanging by a string and his brother and sister tortured him by always trying to pull it out. Sunday when we were eating dinner at my mom's house, I heard Scotty screaming and whining. I found him in the bathroom with Kyla and D.Jay trying to force him to let them pull his tooth out. I saved him.... but they kept telling him that when he fell asleep....they were going to rip his tooth out! Don't you love the sibling relationships? Ha, ha! My kids didn't have school on Monday....and without the assistance of Kyla and D.Jay....it was out! He was sooo excited, as were the rest of us, and the excitement only grew with the anticipation that the tooth fairy would pay a visit that night! ;)

"In-n-Out"

2009-01-27T20:00:00.000-08:00

Is Scotty praying...maybe giving thanks? Okay.... once in a great while..... I will treat my kids to a "fast food" dinner! This is good considering I never used to buy fast food. Then my wise mother told me that I may be depriving them the opportunity to create fond childhood memories.....such as...... "One of my greatest childhood memories is when my mom would buy us an In-N-Out dinner once a month! I had the best childhood ever!" Oh, I wish! :)
When we were in the drive thru, we could see all the people inside and there were several teenagers wearing these hats, laughing and taking pictures of each other.....so Scotty wanted in on the fun and asked for a hat! If you ask, you shall receive! Hey, do I feel an idea coming on for a Halloween costume? haa haa!
Too bad D.Jay missed out! He was at his friends house! But he didn't miss out this past Saturday when the youth went to the temple to do BFTD. It is tradition for all of them to hit In-N-Out on their way home. What fun!

Weekend happenings

2009-01-20T17:29:00.000-08:00

This weekend...the boys enjoyed driving around
dad's work lift...... while I worked in the yard!

On football Sunday, Darryl made

his famous salsa which was good! :) Unfortunately, his Eagles lost and

are not going to play in the Super

Bowl....which is bad! :( So sorry honey!

...like how he wears my apron? He

doesn't want to risk staining his

beloved Eagles shirt!

Work, Football & Kyla's Surgery

2009-01-17T18:23:00.000-08:00

Well, the Christmas season is over and the kids just endured their first week back at school!
They had a three week winter break and now we are back to reality!
This is my new job! I am babysitting my cousin Carrie's baby girl! Isn't she cute? My kids are lovin' on her! (So do I) :)

We finally had our football banquet! I like that our coaches request that the boys dress "spiffy". They served tasty Mexican food, handed out awards, trophies, speeches etc. Everyone received a dvd with clips from each game playing to the team's "song" and a section with still-shots played along to the song "Time of Your Life". It was a memorable season! We won League Championship and remained undefeated again! :)

Kyla is our "lump bumpy" girl! Another cyst that had to be removed....so off to surgery! The nurses sure appreciated what a good patient Kyla was!

Poor Kyla, had to wear this

fashionably retarded shoe to

her first week back to school! It's

a good thing she's beautiful!

2009-01-03T23:22:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
Here are several...okay... a lot.....of pictures to show a little bit about our past year! Now that I am blogging.....I will be grateful to share the pictures this year as they happen! :)

2009-01-03T22:08:00.000-08:00

The most beautiful, peaceful site, was the near 2 ft. we were blessed with the week before Christmas! Winter Wonderland!

...

I went out venturing in the

truck all day and had a ball!

Thank goodness for 4 wheel drive! :)

WINTER WONDERLAND

2009-01-03T02:29:00.000-08:00

How sweet, how sparkly, how majestic!

Now these are some serious icicles!
Working on our snow slide!

Scott chillin' in the soft powder!

Me & my snowman in

the back of the truck....

He went with me

every-

where

I drove! :)

Kyla & her tall snowman in our neighbor's vacant yard!

Family Tidbits & Highlights of 2008

2009-01-02T21:42:00.000-08:00

Go Hesperia Trojans!!!!! I love being a football Mom! I don't have many pictures because I am too excited, intense and involved at the games! It is a thrill to watch 28 of"our boys" play. It is quite time consuming and becomes our life! Practices start at the end of July and our season ends in December!

HAVASU LAKE SUMMER FUN:

Gettin ready to ride the race

cars at Hot Laps...

like our pre-helmet look?

Roar! The lake brings out the wild, fun side!

Crazy Darryl & D.Jay climbing & jumping off the cliffs!

Kyla....the crazy bird lady! What a goof! :)
D.Jay flexin' trying to show his "buffness".... Hee Hee

DJay also enjoys wakeboarding and tubing!

The Sherriff's Dept. was practicing rescue drills! It was exciting to watch!

I love all the rocky mountain scenery!

Scott is always keeping us entertained!

Nice goggle face!

Scotty felt the need to collect big rocks on

our adventure hike...and then complained about carrying

them the rest of the way! It was funny!

Nice shot Mr. Oakley!

We spent a day riding at El Mirage. Can you believe that they now charge $15 bucks a day to ride at a dry lake bed in the middle of no where? That stinks!

Scott loves to ride & we have to physically pry him of the bike!

Me and my baby.......no longer....but he will always be!

I think I found our new "pad". See.....the view goes on forever!

D.Jay and his buddy, Garrett, gettin ready to ride!

Kyla is screwing around on the baby bikeKyla is caught teasing her dad.....I think she maybe she trying to choke him!

Here she is at Yosemite catching fish in the weeee early hours of the morning with Uncle Tom! What a good sport! :)

Scotty graduated Pre-School this summer! He was soooo ready for kindergarten! He was doing the alphabet in sign language.

Darryl participating at a golf fundraiser..... first of all, it is funny to see him golfing.....second of all, how is it that he can't hit his ball in the hole, but he can manage to kill an innocent birdie bystander? Bird murderer!

The "viewing"