Happy Birthday Noah!

Today is Noah's 12th birthday! Noah is the baby of our family & often his birthday is forgotten (mainly because it is just days after Christmas)... but not this year! Turning 12 is a huge deal as on Sunday he will be ordained a Deacon. So exciting! I can't believe all of my boys will have the Priesthood, they make me so proud. Besides Noah getting to go snowboarding with the James' yesterday - today Zak took just Noah to the skate park & spent the day with just him. Noah commented on how fun it was to spend the day with just Zak - savor it!!
Tonight we met up with some friends & had dinner at Ruby's Diner - it was fun & a little crazy. The waitresses even sang Noah happy birthday (but of course I didn't get the camera out in time!!). We had a good time, as you can see by the pictures! Happy Birthday Noah!!!

Christmas with the Prescotts

Yesterday we had our family Christmas party. We had lots of gifts and lots of food. It was fun getting together, but we did miss Max & Joy. I put together all of the pictures that Kevin took so that they could feel like they didn't miss anything.

Merry Christmas to all!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Snow Day

Troy and Jason have finals this week, and today they got out at 11:15. They've been planning with some friends a trip to the snow. As usual, I'm the designated driver. David taught Jason how to put the chains on, they got snowboards and boogie boards to slide down the hills on, and off we went. And wouldn't you know it, I forgot my camera. My cell phone didn't do too bad, though.

How many teenagers does it take to put on snow chains? 5 - Jason to do it and 4 more to watch!!! At least I didn't have to do it.

The boys remembered that for Troy's 8th birthday party we went to the Lagunas to play in the snow. We went to a campground up there, and they wanted to go there again and play on the same hills. They didn't believe me it was a long drive, and after awhile, they decided to go back and turn around to where all the other people were playing. On the way, they saw this big hill on the side of the highway. Then they realized they could catch a jump off of this huge boulder. This is Troy landing after he went off the boulder. The end of the hill is the highway. Luckily there weren't very many people up as far as we were.Here is one of the boys taking a tumble.

There's the hill and the highway. It was snowing a lot!

I'm so glad there weren't any cars coming!

Clark Griswald Was Here

Birthday celebrations!!

David, Jason & Simon waiting for the celebration to get started!

We had a very last minute (impromptu) birthday celebration for Simon's 14th birthday this last week. For some reason Simon's birthday tends to get over-looked every year. It's right after Jamey's birthday & Thanksgiving... just as I change gears from Thanksgiving to Christmas I some how forget to plan a celebration for him. I am so sorry Simon!!! Anyway, if you didn't get invited to the quick, last minute party I apologize....

These pictures are backwards in order - not sure why that happened... oh well! Enjoy...

Jamey dishing up brownies & ice cream with Zak & Troy patiently waiting for theirs....

Angie & Atticus enjoying the birthday dessert....

I tried all night to get Wyatt's picture & this was the best I got! He really was happy to be there, you just can't tell in this picture. Kathryn's happy though!

This was supposed to be the first picture in this post - oh well. He tried really hard to blow out all the candles at once so we couldn't say he had any girlfriends :o)

Sorry Dee Dee, I keep trying to insert your picture to this post & it won't go in the right spot so I am not adding it... I'm sure you will be sorely disappointed!!

Water Polo Banquet

This week was Troy & Jason's water polo banquet. They both already had letters for polo, and they lettered again. That means they get a little bar that goes under the water polo emblem on their jacket. They are really looking forward to having lots of bars on their jackets by the time they graduate. So far Jason has lettered in h20 polo twice, and swim once. Troy has lettered in h20 polo twice, and swim, and dive (each once). Jason is now in a water polo club so he can hopefully get better skills for next year. Wednesday he did a swim-a-thon to earn money, and swam 100 laps in about an hour. Dang! Troy & Jason

Some of the team that lettered.

Good times!

So this year our Thanksgiving was going to be spent with just our family. With Joy & Max gone on a mission the rest of the family seemed to have other plans & my family were all going to my sister's house - with Jamey just getting back from a long road trip, he just wasn't up to ride an hour and a half there & back for dinner this year. So we opted to have dinner at home alone, just our family. It would have been a first & I was happy to make a new tradition with my family but sad at the thought that we wouldn't be spending a holiday with any extended family.... Until Dee Dee told me that her mom was not feeling well & they weren't going to have Thanksgiving dinner with her as planned. So we called up Dee Dee, David & their boys and invited them for Thanksgiving dinner with us. It was going to be a holiday with family after all!! It was such a nice time visiting with them, even though we live fairly close & see each other often... Although we don't really have time to chat, other than via email. I'm sorry Helen got sick, but I am happy that her family was able to spend Thanksgiving with us. Thanks guys for coming, it really meant a lot to me!!

This picture is not very good, but it is the only one we took. In fact it was taken on Jamey's phone since none of us had a camera handy. Sorry!!

Hope you all had a very nice Thanksgiving with family or friends!

The cycling merit badge continues-Long story, but a good laugh

Since Eric's cast is off, he needs to retrain for the cycling merit badge. We're hoping to get it done and out of the way soon, but he's not ridden for awhile so he needs to get back into shape. Saturday was the perfect opportunity to go on a ride-just the two of us. (The other guys were at a service project) I knew I could handle it. It's just a dumb bike ride. I even put my hair up nice and cute so it wouldn't get funky looking on the ride. David suggested that we go to Coronado and ride down the strand, then eat breakfast in IB, then ride back. It's nice and flat. Perfect! The weather, as you can see from the picture, wasn't exactly sunny. It was FOGGY and WET! But we're just going on a bike ride...

We started by the lifeguard tower, then rode by the Hotel Del and down the strand. It was an easy ride, but my knees started hurting. No burn in the legs or anything else, just a little pain in the knees. Then I realize that I left all my money in the car, so we couldn't buy any food in IB. OOPS. Eric's annoyed.

As we're riding, a police office pulls over in front of us with his lights on. He gets out and asks me what we're doing. I explained that Eric was training for his merit badge. The officer talked to me like I was dumb. (Huh! Go figure!) He explained to me that the bike lane was on the bay side of the highway, not where we were riding (on the ocean side). I said, "But there's a white line here, this is a bike lane." He said, "no, this is a shoulder. If this was a bike lane, it would say - bike lane". Me: "oh". He told us to cross over when we get to the Coronado Cays and ride on the other side. Then he asked me, "Do you know where that is?" I told him yes. I felt pretty dumb, but still really proud of ourselves for not getting a ticket or in anymore trouble. He gets in his car and drives off. Eric turns to look at me (he was in the front) and says, "Oh my gosh, Mom. You look like a tweaker! What happened to your hair?" My cute hairdo got all wet and smushy from the moisture in the air. Needless to say, when we got to the Cays, we turned around and went back. As we're riding back, the chain fell off my bike. It took a few tries to get it back on right. Then my hands were all greasy. YUCK! And my knees were killing me!

We made it back to the car, and I couldn't remember how to get my bike back on the rack. I knew it wasn't like the other bikes, but couldn't remember how David put it on. Eric couldn't either. I called for help. David was under someone's house and Jason tried to talk me through it. No luck. I put it on wrong, but the safest way I could figure. I was about in tears at this point. We clocked our trip - 10.5 miles. The bike didn't fall off, so that was a good point, I guess!

I could barely get out of the car by the time we got home. My knees wouldn't bend for 2 days!! I felt like an old lady. (well, I did just have a birthday) It seriously took me at least a whole minute to get up out of a chair after sitting. Everyone made fun of me. David enjoyed telling this story - thanks, babe. It's hard going through life being a goober!!

Needless to say, I'm not doing this alone again. You're on your own, Eric!!

Are you done laughing yet?

Happy Birthday!

November is full of family birthdays... In fact last week was Dee Dee's birthday but I forgot to post a birthday message to her here. Sorry! But I did remember to wish her a happy day in person. Whew! I hope you had a great day Dee Dee!

Today is David's birthday. Happy Birthday David! I hope you are having a great day... hopefully all of your brothers remembered? I know you got a special phone call from a family of wonderful singers :o) I think we are similar to the Osmonds or something.... ha ha - hopefully that didn't ruin your day.

Next week is Jamey's birthday. Can you believe that Joy had them one year & a week apart? What was she thinking? I could hardly handle them two years apart... Regardless I am looking forward to spending his special day with him. Happy birthday baby!

Here's to another year of good times, health & happy memories!!

(Sorry there aren't any pictures, my computer is acting up & I have already had to re-write this post 3 times. If I get it fixed anytime soon I will add pictures later).

Troy's Eagle Court of Honor

I am happy to say he finally did it! Troy is an official Eagle Scout. His project was completed over 2 years ago, but those last three merit badges took their toll. He passed his board of review in July and the big day has finally arrived. David worked so hard on the ceremony, and of course, it turned out perfectly. There were so many people there that have meant a lot to Troy & influenced him in his life. Here are a couple examples: Aaron Leavitt was a huge influence on him, and such a great example. Also, Troy's 2nd grade teacher came. She was the first person that truly saw potential in Troy outside of his family. I will always remember what she did for him. It was really great that so many friends and family were able to come.

Here is Troy with Brother Magoffin, the Stake YM President.

Here is Jason with Nate. It's time to buy Jason another scout shirt. This one barely buttons, but he's grown so much it won't tuck in!

Here is Kevin & Wyatt. That little boy cracks me up. He never stops talking, and is very inquisitive.

Unfortunatley, I only got a few pictures, but my brother-in-laws took pictures. Brien & Jody even took a video of the ceremony and sent that to Joy and Max since they're on a mission in Washington DC. I hope they don't mind me putting the link on here. They did an awesome job! Thanks, guys!!

http://albums.phanfare.com/5237968/2965470#imageID=52374745

Ugh!

Okay bare with me while I vent for a minute... Is anyone else frustrated with our voting system? I mean how democratic is it that someone I don't know in some "electoral college" is voting for me? Why can't they just count my actual vote? I don't understand the mentality of it... was it just some lazy people who didn't want to count all of the votes who came up with this system? Am I just ignorant to this?? I also don't get the theory that they count all of us Californians as Democrats.... I know this is not true because I happen to know MANY Republicans here in California. Will this ever change or do they do a poll once every several years? (I know this is probably not the case but it just seems so strange that they do it this way!) . And how can they tell who is going to win in a state at 10AM in the morning? It is just NOT possible! Unless someone is rigging the polls! Is it that the NEWS stations tell us what they are hoping the outcome will be? I just don't understand it!!!! It doesn't make sense... Do you think any of us will ever get smart enough to make some sort of change in this flawed system that doesn't seem to work? I mean does my vote REALLY count? I don't feel like it does.

For those of you wondering, I did vote today but that doesn't mean that I think it really matters.
What do you think?

Scary!

Thought I would post a picture of my boys on Halloween, they make me so proud! I didn't get a picture of Noah as he went trick or treating with Eric & I didn't get out the camera until he had left. Sorry Noah! The boys went out by themselves & had a good time getting candy from grandma & grandpa's neighborhood - even though they weren't there. We missed you!!

Jamey & I had a night out alone.... first time I didn't take the boys out on Halloween. I guess they are growing up!!

Halloween

Here is a picture of the boys dressed up for Halloween. They went to Grandma's house to say hello. (Before it got dark so Grandma wouldn't get scared of the big cholos)

Eric, Jason, Troy, their friends James & Kevin

I guess they're not too old to go out begging for candy. The older boys all dressed that way for school, too. I am surprised nobody beat them up since their school isn't exactly all white...

Eric's pumpkin
David's pumpkin. So unusual for him-not scary at all!!

Eric & Noah went trick-or-treating together. They came home and munched out on candy for several hours. The older boys all went trick-or-treating, then to a friends' house and watched a movie. I got to pick them up shortly after midnight. I am sooooo tired today! I can't keep up with the life of teenagers, that's for sure!

Water Polo

It's water polo season again and it has been a busy month. The boys had games Tues & Wed, with a tournament Thurs, Fri & Sat. Friday night they played this other team that doesn't do so well. They actually make our team look really good. The goalie has got to be as small as Eric or even smaller, which is kind of funny. We know what it's like getting crushed and humiliated, so Coach came up with a genius idea - the two top players weren't allowed to shoot, and everybody else had to play wrong handed. We didn't know what was going on at first, but once we realized, it became a lot of fun to watch. (We thought they were just playing really badly!) They would try to shoot with their left hand and the ball would just roll off of their fingertips, they'd pass like girls, etc. We still won 9-4. That was my favorite game of the week. (It was also the only one they won.) Anyway, here are some of their pix from other games. Troy is #7, and Jason is #4. Of course, I couldn't get them in the same pictures!!!

Coach is lecturing during a time out.

It's a very physical game. I couldn't tread water for 5 minutes, let alone 45!!

Jason is usually the sprinter, who races for the ball. He does pretty good getting it. He's the fastest swimmer on our team.

Happy Anniversary!

I after looking through my pictures I realized that I don't have many of just the two of us! There are always these 4 boys trying to get in on the pictures!! :o) Good thing they are so good looking.
Never can we take a serious picture - even when I try it just doesn't happen!

So, today is Jamey & my 21st wedding anniversary! Can you believe it has been 21 years? I can't! It sure has gone by quickly, seems like yesterday we were just teenagers newly in love & dating.... who would have thought that 4 sons, lots of exciting events & 21 years later - we are still together. I must say though, it has been the best 21 (26 if you count our years together before we were married) of my life! Jamey truly is my best friend & I love him more & more every day. I know there were some people (won't name any names) who said that our marriage wouldn't last 6 months (or was it 6 weeks?)... I should have gotten in on that bet! Actually, that little wager made us only work harder at being happily married. Not to say we haven't had hard times, but I think that sometimes the hard times make the good times SO much better. The day I married Jamey I never thought that it could get any better, but it has. More than I could ever imagine!
So Jamey, here's to another 21 wonderful years (actually more since we are so young :o). You are the one I look forward to seeing everyday (the kids are a close second) & miss you terribly when you are out of town. I am happy that we found each other & become such good friends (besides everything else)... You make me the happiest girl around! Thank you for all that you do for me - your actions speak louder than words! Happy Anniversary baby, I love you!!

Bates Nut Farm

Eric & I went to Bates Nut Farm yesterday. It's my favorite pumpkin patch around. It's HUGE! It's also quite a drive, but I remember going there with my family growing up and the kids have always enjoyed it when we've gone. There must have been over 300 people there, but it is so big that it didn't matter. Our favorite thing to do is the straw maze. You can get a stamp card and there are 9 mailboxes that you have to find with a stamp inside to stamp your card and complete the "hunt". After we did that, we went on the tractor ride, then we went in the store and got a drink and Eric's favorite thing there - lemon drops. We walked around and saw the animals, I pushed him in the wheelbarrow, and we walked around and looked at all the scarecrows they have. Then we went back to the straw maze and played hide and seek for awhile. It was 94 degrees, so we were hot & tired, but we had a great time!

Winner!

Noah's spending money at weekend event $10.00
Price of Raffle Ticket $2.00
Look on Noah's face when he won a brand new surfboard with just one raffle ticket:
PRICELESS!!!

This weekend we met up with Jamey in Orange County at the Etnies Skatepark for the Goofy Vs. Regular contest. It's a big event - in fact the city closes down a whole street for vendors, food & fun. Noah happened to buy 1 raffle ticket at one of the booths that was giving away a brand new surfboard. I thought there was no way he was going to win with just one raffle ticket! To my surprise when I saw Noah walking towards me with it in his arms! He won!! The kid is my good luck charm from now on!! I wish I had my camera at the time because the look on his face truly was priceless!

Animal Grossology

Today I took Eric & Noah to the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center at Balboa Park. (First Tuesday of the month, this museum is free...every Tuesday there are free museums.)

I heard about this new exhibit called "animal grossology". It's true. It's gross! Funny stuff, though. You learn way more about poop and scents and blood than you may have ever wanted. Here is a sign talking about different scents. Noah's sniffing, too. I have to admit, I've never seen an exhibit anywhere before with the words "butt hole". Hopefully you can click on the picture and enlarge it a bit, although I did cut out part of the sign. Here are Noah and Eric in front of a giant fly.

It was a lot of fun, and you can't beat free!

Cutest baby around

I must say that this is one of the cutest babies I have seen in about 11 years (ha ha ha). Seriously, I'm not just saying that because he is my nephew... I must say he is just darling. Plus he talks up a storm (which my kids did NOT due at 2 years old) & is super smart. It's even cuter because he has each & every one of his cousins wrapped around his little finger. They just love this little guy! (see a previous picture of them all in the jacuzzi for proof).
How can you resist those huge baby blue eyes & that smile! I just love this little guy....

Salt Lake City

David has a tradition that he got from his Dad. After the boys turn 12, the next General Priesthood session, he takes that child to Salt Lake City for the Priesthood Session. The visit Temple Square, do baptisms at the Salt Lake Temple, and visit other sites in Salt Lake. They stay at our friends' house in Tooele. It's about a 45 minute drive each way, but they really enjoy their visit with our friends Tim & Kathy. David was really impresssed being around their family. He loved this quote by Spencer W. Kimball and had Eric take a picture of it. Sadly, this is the last of our boys! Maybe someday I'll get a turn!!!!

He's sooo cute!

Here is a picture from the top of the church office building. Well, I think that's what they said...I wouldn't know since I've never been there!! (Yep, David reads this, so that's for him :) Sandra mentioned that when she was in Salt Lake a few weeks ago, her kids suggested that they go see President Hinckley's grave. I thought that was a great idea, so mentioned it to David & Eric. It was pouring down rain all day Saturday, so they didn't go around the rest of the cemetary.

Here is Eric in front of the waterfall at the Conference Center.

I'm really thankful that my husband is such a wonderful guy, and a terrific dad. I hope the boys feel so inspired to keep up the tradition when they're dads.