Hart Party of 5

The Grove Woman's Tea

2011-05-23T14:08:00.000-07:00

My amazing mother hosted a table at The Grove for our woman's tea. All the tables were decorated to the nines, but I have to admit our table was my favorite!
The theme this year was "Shade of Pink" and my mom used all here antique lace china, goldwear, and crystal. We had various shades of pink on the handcrafted butterflies and our vintage tablecloth. The pictures don't do the table justice!
Me and my mama!!!

Mother's Day

2011-05-21T21:14:00.000-07:00

Way back on Mother's Day I took these pics of my little guys. We had an awesome day, filled with church, brunch, and then a BBQ at Auntie Chrissy's house. The kids were all fearless. The diving board was their friend. I love them, they really make me smile. I so enjoy just watching this little people play and have fun!
Payton was a professional swimmer (with floaties of course). He was having a great time belly flopping off the diving board *ouch* Of course he didn't seem to mind.
This little guy is turning into quite the little man. I love it!

Easter Morning

2011-04-30T22:19:00.000-07:00

After celebrating Christ's resurection at church we headed home and had an Easter brunch extravaganza. Amazing food, great company, but sadly only three pictures...here they are. I was sooooo busy cooking that I never got a chance to take pics. Sad, but true. We had ham steaks, eggs, and an awesome pancake bar. Lots of family, tons of eggs, and too much candy. It was the perfect storm :):)

The Bunny Strikes at Night

2011-04-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

This year the Easter Bunny stepped it up a notch. He actually delivered the baskets and goodies to each kids room along with a personal egg hunt. Mr. E.B. told me he did this because he knows that the kids all wake up at different times and he thought it would be a shame if they whole house was awake at 5 am. I thanked him kindly ;) and each kids was thrilled with their goodies and the eggs that littered their rooms.
Aren't they the cutest when they are sleeping away!?! Oh of course I couldn't help but still some kisses while they were snoozing!
Miss Miranda thought it was amazing that she had just said she needed a baby doll and look, what do you know, there is a new one! She has decided that Mr. E.B. is like Santa...
Love, love, love!!!

Time to Color Eggs!

2011-04-30T22:01:00.000-07:00

This year we colored 40 eggs....it was fun (for about five minutes then Andrew and Payton took off to play the Wii). Miss Miranda and mommy were busy little bees, coloring, glittering, and what not. I took very few pictures...super sad. But we had a great time none the less!
I'm pretty sure girl could be a model one day :):)
Here is a shot of 4 eggs. Multiply this by ten and there you go!

Easy-peasy Lemon-squezy

2011-04-09T08:48:00.000-07:00

As you know Daddy is the king of fresh squeezed OJ but now the kiddos are in charge of fresh lemonade. They did such a good job! First, they picked the lemons. Next, they squeezed the lemons. Last, they put sugar in. It was super tart, but they loved the fact that they did this all by themselves, start to finish :):)
Andy and his crazy smile. He really makes me laugh with his silly ways :)
Miss sister sue is always busy helping out, working hard, and playing. I just love this little thing!!!

Butterfly Babies

2011-04-07T19:47:00.000-07:00

This is not the very best picture, and it definitely does not do the butterfly justice, non the less here is one of our 5 baby butterflies. We received 5 tiny caterpillars about 14 days ago and the kids were able to watch them grow and transform into these beauties. Truly one of God's greatest miracles!

Seriously, is this not such a beauty?! Miranda named her butterfly Princess, Andrew named his Daffodil, and Payton named his Motor.

Miranda was very proud of the science project. She helped pick the butterflies fresh oranges and all! :):)

Spring Break Fun!

2011-04-02T18:41:00.001-07:00

Our week was filled with so many different fun activities that I am only going to include a few pictures in one post. We shopped, ate good food, went to Legoland, the San Diego zoo, the spa, and the beach!
Andy and Miranda loved the Storybook ride at Legoland. It was a cruise through fairytales, and naturally everything was made of Legos!!
I think this was a highlight for Payton..Again at Legoland, he got to meet Bob the Builder...one of Pay's favorite people.
This lion was cracking me up. I had each kid put their head through the mouth. Obviously Andy was not sure about that!
This was a shot from the zoo. Mimi bought the kids these tie-dye shirts as we walked in. They were great because I could spy the kids from a mile away (not that I ever let them get that far away) and the animals would go crazy for the shirts. We had a friendly otter that was swimming and following Andy run, little monkeys play with Pay...One guy at the zoo was joking with the kids and he told them that the animals were thinking, "Yum, tie-dye..my favorite flavor!"

Hailey Turns 8

2011-03-23T20:09:00.000-07:00

On saturday we celebrated a special little girl...Miss Hailey Paige. She had an amazing birthday party and we were so lucky to be able to celebrate with her! The special day included a limo ride (my husband and Uncle Scott were the lucky ones which rode home with the 18 kids, all the while bumping Justin Beber), cooking lessons, and cupcake decorating....super fun!
This was Miranda's creation. The dough was made by scratch, then the kids formed it....she has a puppy, topped it, baked it...and then on to eating it!
My Andy was in heaven with this little activity...he is ALWAYS begging me to teach him how to cook things.
This is the birthday girl....I can't believe she is 8....I remember her as a baby like it was yesterday!
This is the name of the place we were at...It is in Irvine, and seriously seriously an amazing birthday party idea!

Fresh Squeezed OJ

2011-03-22T18:29:00.000-07:00

My awesome hubby had only one request when I went to my friend Amy's Pampered Chef party last year: Bring Home a Juicer!!!! Well I was a good wife and a juicer was bought and the hubby has put it to good use. The kids and hubby go pick a few bags of oranges and then the hubbs gets to work squeezing. After a few minutes of hard work the hubby produced a full pitcher of juice (obviously this is not the picture of the finished product :):) I must say he has done a good job of making the family fresh juice everyday. Also, doesn't my vintage Pyrex pitcher look cool!

I Love Bubble Baths!!!

2011-03-21T18:50:00.000-07:00

The kids are entering a new phase....gone are the days of cool baby bath toys and welcome to the days of long luxurious bubble baths (while Kids Bop is being played on the iPod too!)
Sometimes I wonder why as parents we ever even bother buying toys!!!! This little guy looks like he is having fun just playing in the bubbles!

Garden Time!

2011-03-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

That is right folks...it is time, GARDEN TIME!!!!! Last year we all worked very hard planting, preparing the ground, watering daily, and weeding. Well we loved watching the fruits of our labors grow and we really loved eating all the home grown goodies...so here we go again!
Our garden includes greenbeans, squash, melons, pumpkins, a variety of tomatoes, and zucchini...we can not wait!!!!!

Caterpillars....

2011-03-19T20:22:00.000-07:00

This spring is apparently the spring that will be filled with all things science. Our first science lesson is on caterpillars. These little guys (5 to be exact) were delivered to us a few days ago and they have already grown so much. We have learned about how they will build their crysillis and then transform into a butterfly, we have read books, colored pictures, and now we are watching the real life metamorphosis... Honestly I do not know who is more excited: me or the kids!!??

iPhoto Fun

2011-03-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

Me and Payton were just having a little fun playing with the iPhoto on my MAC. This computer can take your picture and then the program can alter your pic in various ways. It can make you look silly, or in our case we opted for the classy sepia tint...This little guy is just so cheesy....I sure do love him!

Meet Spike

2011-03-15T21:05:00.000-07:00

You can call him Spike, Spikey, Spikers, Sir-Spikes-A-Lot....really anything you want...he doesn't mind at all. This is our tortoise. He is our family pet. No really...he is a pet. The kids are learning responsibilities, such as:

feeding Spike
giving Spikers fresh water
picking Spikey his favorite yellow flowers for snack time
playing in a gentle fashion with Mr. Spike

This turtle has been a great project for the kids. I love watching them take care of their little guy! Maybe one day, if the kids beg really hard, and act really sweet they will get a pet upgrade to a dog :)

My Ballerina

2011-03-14T19:51:00.000-07:00

See this little beauty??? She is a five year old ballet prodigy...well at least in my book she is!!! Every Tuesday this lovely little thing has dance class and she comes home singing, prancing, and dancing. I just absolutely love it!!! She actually has a recital in June...I can not wait to watch her dance on the BIG stage. Such grace, great poise....a natural....really.....

Okay....maybe she is a tad but silly too......I just love her!

Guess What....

2011-03-14T18:42:00.000-07:00

My mom got a new camera...so the Hart Family Blog is back on!!!!!!!

A million years ago.....

2010-06-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

Look at those faces....This was for Andrew's 1st Birthday! Miranda was 6 months old...aren't they the sweetest thing eve.r. I miss those days...and then again I am grateful for their current independence. Time is seriously flying by...Andrew is almost 6 and girl is about 6 months away from 5...

The highlight of Spring break

2010-06-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

There were many fun things we did while we were at the beach for 7 days, but I would have to say my favorite thing was eating breakfast out on the hill and watching the kids play on the playground. We would hop over our balcony grab our beach chairs and a table and enjoy coffee, ham and eggs, and the fresh air. It was amazing!
My babies are growing up, last year they did not even attempt the pole or monkey bars...this year the pole was there favorite thing and we tried the monkey bars but they are still too tough!
Payton loved the tire...the big kids would spin him till he was dizzy.....
Cheese mom!
My pretty pretty princess!

Disneyland!!!

2010-05-31T10:07:00.000-07:00

Look at that excited face....it's as if he has been there done that one million times...Anyhow way back on spring break we had a little beach vacation and made our way to the magic kingdom. In fact we even had a real life princess with us:
Yes, ladies and gentleman...I introduce to you the beautiful Belle!!!!
TA-DA!!!!!!!
Here's the crew on the train...that was my favorite ride....:):)
Disney is serious business people....
Ha, here's another excited face from Andrew...I know he had a ton of fun, I truly have no idea why I don't have any pictures of him smiling. In fact we went on a ton of rides, ate at the Rainforest Cafe, and we even stayed till after ten....we closed the night with fireworks and the Small World ride....great fun!!!

Where to start...Easter 2010

2010-05-30T20:25:00.000-07:00

Well well well...it has been months and months since I have blogged...but I"M BACK!!!!! I was a full time student, full time mom and wife, as well as part time substitute teacher...but I'm back to being mommy, wife, and student...so let the BLOGGING begin!
Girl showing off her eggies.....
Andy and his loot.......
Pay pay finding a goody....
Sweet sister....love her!
Look at these babies...they are so darn cute! We had an awesome Easter...church and brunch with Mimi and Poppi, then on to Auntie Chrissy's for more egg hunting and food....I truly love the holidays!!!

Mason Russell's 7th Birthday

2009-09-12T17:05:00.001-07:00

Happy 7th Birthday Mason....Of course I never got a pic of the birthday boy, but none-the-less we all had a great time celebrating his big day....@ the bowling alley (our favorite place!)

Checking to see if it was a strike....

Girl has really good form :):)

Even Pay got in on the action...then we needed a cupcake (or 2)

Yummy!!!!

Happy Birthday Mason!!!!! :):)

Sneak peak to Halloween....

2009-09-12T16:44:00.000-07:00

I know, I know...It is still only September....but the early bird get the worm...or the dragon, love bug, and chicken...:)

Isn't this sweet????

Little Miranda...so cute!!!!!

Andy picked the chicken...he is so cute and fuzzy...but mom needs to work on the beak situation!

What can I say he has the moves down already!!!!

Cheers to Fall!!!!!

New school, new bows...

2009-09-09T13:57:00.000-07:00

Well since Miranda has her (second )first day of school tomorrow, which is also picture day, she needs new bows!!!! HHmmm/...piggie tail korkers????

Autumn traditional bow?????

A huge korker bow?????
We shall see!!!!!!!!!

Meeting Baby Jess

2009-09-09T13:52:00.000-07:00

This is one of baby Jess' big brother, James. He is eating lunch...yummy!

This is the sweet baby Jess....He is exactly one week old today...and super cute!!!!! I really do think this is one of the most perfect babies I have even seen! Happy one week birthday baby Jess. :):)

Pre-school Time

2009-09-09T08:27:00.000-07:00

Miss Miranda is ready for pre-school, in fact she started last week @ The Grove (were we go to church) and it is really nice...except the two hours a day mom spend in the car going back and forth from school to school...so Miss Miranda will be having he second FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL tomorrow @ Riverside Christian, were Andrew went last year...lucky girl!

Sunday Funday...

2009-09-06T16:12:00.000-07:00

Miss Sassy Pants all set for church...matching Hello Kitty necklace, bracelet, and cup....:):)

While the kids were napping I was in a crafty mood (of course) and thought I would make a few Halloween goodies with some frames I had laying around and scrap paper....cute!

My babies

2009-09-04T16:21:00.001-07:00

I know...aren't they cute?!?!

Andrew- 5

Miranda 3.5

Payton 1.5

A few of my little crafts....

2009-09-04T15:21:00.000-07:00

I have been bitten by the craft bug...oh yes...I made this for baby Jess (born only a few days ago!) It says his name in the middle but that is supposed to be taken out and replaced with a cute little mug shot.

What was once a pickle jar is now the home to our pencils....

This was a clear vase from a wedding we went to last month, I added some vintage style craft paper and flowers...BAM...customized cuteness

Halloween blocks anyone????

I had a modern look at our old house and this frame was black (actually it was brown even before that!) Anyhow I think I'm moving towards a shabby-chic-vintage something or other style...

My bathroom is in need to accessories, but naturally I don't want to spend a ton: Solution: Jelly jar turned into toothbrush holder...:)

Art to match? Another black frame transformed- add a old birthday card cover...and we have a new creation! ( Not to mention it cost me 59 cents to make...no lie!)

Splash Park Fun

2009-09-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

Our friends, Dan and Cheyanna live in Menifee and their community is so very NICE!!!!! It was a hot day so we decided to go and hang out their splash park and let the kids run amuck....

Andy was getting water dumped on him from all angles...and he loved it!

Payton wasn't too sure about the water...but he liked watching the other kids (and I'm not sure what was blue on his head...marker perhaps?)

Fun!!!!

What a great day this day was...whenever it was. I lost my camera, as you know and these pics were on it :)

Andrew's 5th Birthday party...Aug 16th

2009-09-03T13:39:00.001-07:00

August 16th was Andrew's 5th birthday party...I have to say it was the best one ever!!!! He wanted to have it at the 'jump-around' as him and girl call it. It was at this place in Corona called "Air kids Zone" and we rented the whole place out for 2 hours and the kids..and mommy had a blast! Judging from this pic above you can't tell (I'm actually not sure what he is thinking...) but really we had a great time!

One of Andy's first times down the huge slide he jumped...which translated into flying...fun!

Payton was not too sure about all these different huge bouncers...him and Nana Pam hung out outside while mom and a few of Andy's friends climbed through the maze...

By a few "friends" I think Andy had 21 kids show up...he's Mr. Popular!

This is Iziaha (I'm sure I spelled that wrong...and don't even ask me how to spell his last name...) He was having a great time celebrating Andy's birthday day with us...(Isn't he too cute!)

This is sweet Noe Hart...Of course the minute I saw her cute face I had to slap a "Piggie Pie Accessorie" (the little flower hair clip) in her hair...she's the perfect advertiser! :)

Judging by this pic Payton got over his fear of the bounders...in fact he spent the majority of the time wrestling Dane for the ball...Two little studs!

If you know Andrew, you KNOW he love, love, LOVE's trains...I took him to the party store and let hiim pick out anything he wanted for the cupcakes...naturally he picked out a train set! :)

Here is my little guy giving the candles a BIG 5 year old blow...

Miss Andres was truly enjoying her cupcake....

The Pertrick Boys...Jacob and Michael...cuteness

HARTS...:):)

Payton enjoying the cupcakes moomy made for the party...yummy

Andy got to sit on a thrown and open gifts...Daddy helped him and mom actually got to watch this year (someone from the party place took notes for thank you's...how cool is that?!)

Corey-Michelle :)

Checking out a cool Thomas book....

Me and my friend Michelle....:)

I found my camera!!!!!

2009-09-03T13:37:00.000-07:00

That's right people...I'm back...I found my long lost little camera and I cannot wait to get back to blogging (silly I know...but admit it...you all missed me too!!!)

Dinner in the Clubhouse

2009-08-12T07:49:00.000-07:00

It was been amazingly beautiful lately outside so me and the kiddies have been eating almost every meal out there. Tonight they wanted to dine in the 'clubhouse' and of course I was fine with that, as long as they eat I don't care where it happens! Even Payton climbed up there and joined in the dining activities....

Sweet, little Miranda

2009-08-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

Miss Miranda is so independent, she bathes herself, dresses herself, brushes her own teeth, gets her own drinks and snack's, she can pretty much do it all already...Well tonight she decided that she was going to make a bed on Andy's floor to watch a movie and she decided she need 3, yes3 pillows.

Unfortunately Andy only has 3 pillows, which is more than enough to share, but since Sister needed them all she set him up with a blanket/fish combo...hhhmmmm...Andy was less than pleased. Little people have the funniest thought processes!

Bowling Night!!!!!

2009-08-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

Since we got the 'kids' the Wii our family has been addicted to bowling...so sice we are all SOOO good at bowling on the Wii we thought we would take it to the alley...(We are NOT as good as we thought :):)

Jess, Kristy and the boys joined us...and the kids had a great time on their own lane with bumpers..they rocked it out!

The little boys hung out in their strollers like good little boys should :) Kristy took about 50 pics of them and this was the best of the lot...kids never seem to look were they are supposed to!

Russ and his 'professional' bowl...Jess still kicked his butt!

Girl and her 'professional' bowl...hehe

Andy thought she did such a great job he had to run out to her and lay a BIG one on her!

She thought she did a good job too!

Buddies :):)

The Grape Bandit

2009-08-09T07:40:00.000-07:00

So all summer I have been waiting for my grapes to be the perfect size...I checked on them last week and they were perfect, juicy, sweet...yumminess. We had guests over so I figured I would harvest all my grapes after they left. We, naturally I was busy all week and didn't get to them till today and this is what I found on our entire vine...all my grapes were eaten off...hmmmmm. My kids know better than to do it...Raccoons? I guess I will never really know!

Another Crucit project

2009-08-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about my Cricut and trying to find a million things to do with it (without going out and buying a bunch of new stuff to make) So I covered our color can (which was a formula can at one time)...cuteness!

Lovin' the Deals this WEEK!

2009-08-07T16:53:00.000-07:00

I tell everyone Walgreen's is the best when it comes to snagging great random deals! I totally scored 6 jars of Ragu, 4 Jello. 2 Best Foods Mayo, 4 boxes of Pop Tarts, hair dye (for all my GREYS!!!!), shampoo, and 2 boxes of Rice Crispies for.....$7.92...I had lots and LOTS of coupons and I got a ton of Register Rewards that I used in 2 transactions....

The Walgreen's deals this week were so good I went back and got more dye (because it was .99 and more shampoo and a conditioner (which I can't find...weird) But anyhow this was $2.28 out of pocket but I got $8 back...so yes, I made $$$$$$

And again at Walgreen's this week (it was HOT, I'm telling ya) I got all this:4 Crest toothpastes, 2 boxes of cereal, 2 boxes of Pop Tars, and 4 (we ate one in the car:)) Rice Krispies all for.....$10.88 but I got $14 back....oh yes I MADE MORE $$$$ just by planning my shopping and stocking up...so now I don't have to buy toothpaste for awhile...:)

Yes, I know this may LOOK crazy but Andy has a birthday party and we will be giving fruit snacks in the goodie bags (and rice Krispin's:)) OK the deal was buy $30 get $15 back, the cereal was free, I had an Albertson's coupon for cereal for .99 the a manufacture coupon for $1 off...so all of these goodies were $15...:)

Cricut baby!!!!!

2009-08-06T14:07:00.000-07:00

Ever since I saw the info-mercial for the Cricut way back when I thought it would be cool to have...well when we had Christmas in July craft night T Amy's house I fell in love and HAD to get one...which I got! Woo-Oho!!!!!! I made some cute cards already (but I sealed the envelope before I took a pic..oops!) and my 1st project was labeling my storage in the garage...CUTE

I can't wait to use this at home and IN THE CLASSROOM...every teacher needs one of these babies!!!!!!

My Birthday Celebration (#5)

2009-08-04T13:43:00.000-07:00

This year is seemed like I have been celebrating my birthday for weeks (not that I am complaining!) We went to dinner @ WoodRanch grill in Yorba Linda with all Russell's family and it was really a great time...The kids were even all good and we didn't finish eating till 10pm...wow.

Of course Andy passed out....

Bonus Family Day #2

2009-08-04T13:12:00.000-07:00

Daddy was off yet again, so we made the most of your 2nd bonus family day and took the kids to the Air Party Zone (a preview for before the b-day party!) It was great fun, as always...but it wiped those kids out.

Payton didn't want to go in any of the bouncers but he had a blast picking up all the 5 million balls and playing with those...

Drew coming down the slide...

Next was lunch, but Andy was too busy watching Cars....

Hello sugar high...:)

Bass Pro Shops

2009-08-03T13:08:00.000-07:00

Dad was off work today and we ventured out to Ontario to one of his favorite places...Bass Pro Shops....naturally I forgot my camera but they kids still had a great time checking out the fish and deers and what-nots Not to mention we rode in the glass elevator that starts under water a (very literal) ten times! We only spent $4 on Green Apple Licorace so it was quite the frugal family outing!

Too much action...

2009-08-02T13:04:00.000-07:00

Poor sister played too hard today...we went to church, played in the backyard for hours with the cousins, and finally when it came time to eat dinner she couldn't even keep her eyes open!

After the flash from the first pic I was caught...she was not pleased with me!

Sunday-Funday

2009-08-02T08:32:00.000-07:00

Today we went to church with my sister-in-law and her family and we had a great time. After church we came home and had pizza and play-time...Miranda loved Brookie's fan!

Sweet Cory having a juice...

Miranda and Brooke resting after running like crazies in the sprinkles...

Not really thinking about hose placement I put it in a dry spot to water the grass while the kids played, well it also watered the slide and the kids would literally fly down the slide...it was great fun to watch!

Craft Time

2009-08-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

I saw this cute idea on a Blog I am now stalking...it was really fun (and age appropriate). We cut pictures out of the ads from this week and made our menus for our own little restaurant. Cute!

Little people hard at work!

Girl happy to be crafty...

Andy getting his menu all laid out....

The finished product!

Andy's final outcome...cute!

Chore #1- Water plants

2009-07-31T10:26:00.000-07:00

We are preparing for the kids to start school at the end of August so I am starting to get them used to new routines, including chores! (woo-hoo!) I took Miranda to Target and we picked out all kinds of plants to beautify our backyard, then I got her a watering can and her 1st chore so far is to water all our plants. This has been a great chore to start with because of course she LOVES doing it...I caught her watering on her own this morning!

Happy Birthday to mommy!

2009-07-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday. I am now old...just kidding I have been feeling old since I started having my own kids 5 long years ago! It was a nice day, not a lot of pics for evidence once again, but it was fun none-the-less. My friend Michelle and her boys brought me balloons and a cute gift. After they left we made our way out to Tececula to spend the day with the Snell Family. Unfortunately Miranda was being a little booger and acting poorly. (ps Mckenzie I am still SOOOOO very sorry about your smashed little fingers :( But I still able to enjoy my day with one of my best friends. Amy is so fabulous and made me a cute notebook and fall blocks (which I should take a picture of so you all can see HOW cute they are...but I'm too tired.) Also I got a treat to Starbucks (my fav!)

After our long day on the road, and Del Taco in the car on the ride home Miss Sassy pants her-self took and very much needed nap! When we got home she slept another hour and a half...this is what she looked like when she woke up...That's what I FEEL like everyday :)

BBQ time

2009-07-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

Well naturally on the best day ever I forget my camera. Today we had an awesome BBQ for my birthday and Ryan who is going back to the Army for a long time. Jess, Kristy, the kids, Crystal & Shawn, my aunts, my grandparents, my parents....we were all there...no proof though...but really it was a great time!

Laundry Day

2009-07-24T19:03:00.000-07:00

So once a week I have laundry day...and yes, it takes me ALL day.
#1 wash/dry then throw on my bed

#2 once all is washed fold and separate by person, towels,and kitchen

#3 put away....isn't my bed pretty!!!!

A visit to T-T land

2009-07-23T18:55:00.000-07:00

T-T land is where my Aunt and Cousins live and Andy made the name up...he's a goof! Anyhow we took a trip to T-T land for some swimming and here are the results:

Sarah was helping Andy swim (and Payton and girl).

Britt and Sis were chillin in the spa...looks yummy. Then the pool guy kicked us out to clean so we moved our party inside....:)

Varella Family Fun Time!!!!

2009-07-22T18:45:00.000-07:00

Jess and Kristy Varella (uh I really hope I spelled it right for once:)) are some of our best friends. Spending time with them is really the best, the kids play (meaning Russell and Jess...jk) and the little kids have a great time together too! Kristy is my main 'girls night out chick'...ps we NEED another get away...I just really love this little...I mean BIG family...(baby #3 comes in 6 weeks!)

Just cruising'....

Big stuff...

HHhmmmm...potty training time?

2009-07-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

It is proven that Payton has mind of his own...this time he was cracking me up. We got a free sample of Pull-ups in the mail and he decided he was ready to wear one. He ran around smacking his 'wee' and saying 'pee-pee...PEE-PEE!!!!' I let him sit on the big potty which he thought was SO cool...but nothing came out, except a few giggles.....What a HAM!

2009-07-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

You all know coupons are my new fetish and these pics were absolutely free (THANKS PICTURE PEOPLE!!!!) It's not my favorite pic in the whole world, but it is pretty darn cute...and free:) Payton is not pictured because he was being a little pill and screaming his head off. I'm not one for torturing a kid just for a good shot (that in fact is why Andy doesn't have a professional pic for about 2 years of his life...he would freak out too). Anyhow I love these little guys and I can not believe that Andy is going to be 5 in less than a month. Kindergarten here we come!!! And as for miss sassy pants herself...pre-school in the fall! Time flies when you're busy having babies!!!!

Make-up bandit

2009-07-19T09:40:00.000-07:00

While I was trying to get myself and 3 kids ready for church this morning Payton decided he wanted some lippes just like the girls. He tore apart my purse to find his favorite color (the darkest one of course) and slightly missed the mouth, but doesn't his nose look great! Silly boy!

Sushi for the Harts

2009-07-18T19:36:00.000-07:00

In Corona there is the most wonderful sushi place...whenever we can we sneak away there for some fresh fish. Andy always says he wants sushi whenever we ask him what he wants for dinner...tonight he won! Before Russell even noticed Andy had taken a piece of his white tuna and shoved it in his mouth...yummy!

The sushi chef always makes Miranda mini California rolls...but 1st she has to eat her Miso soup.

Russell was telling Andy to stop stealing his fish!

Andy and daddy...my boys!

After we were done the hostess gave the kids star suckers..Andy passed (to full of sushi) but my little sweet-tooth's had plenty of room for one!

Inked up

2009-07-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

The church at Cal Baptist is called Sandals. We like to go on Sunday nights...it is a fun, rocked out "cool" church. They sent us tattoos for the kids in the mail last year and Russell just ran across them and inked up the kids...

Andy didn't want one (that's my boy :)) so Pay gladly took 2....

Girl also got 2, the one on her are says "REAL" and she also got "Sandals" on her feet....Silly little monkeys!

Fresh as Fresh Can BE

2009-07-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

Last summer my mountain man went to Alaska and fished to his hearts content. He brought home a ton of fresh Halibut and we are finally eating the last of his fish...It is the best fish I have ever had (thanks babe:)

This was dinner tonight. Organic veggies, rice, and Halibut seasoned with the fruit from our backyard...yummy!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

UUmmmm...thanks for the help?

If anyone knows me well they know I can never slip away to have a peaceful phone call but on this particular day I was talking to my Aunt Christy (ps HAPPY BIRTHDAY TT!!!!) and after a good quiet ten minutes I began to wonder WHY was it so quiet....my fully nude child was scrubbing the toilet....hhhmmmm

In living color!

2009-07-14T08:51:00.000-07:00

We are at the stage right now were my little people have freedoms in picking what they want to wear...well for bed. Both my lovies decided they wanted to flash back to the 60's...it made them feel all lovey too.....funny. These shirts are from my mom, she did a production of Godspell with her choirs....so cute!

Holy Grapes!

2009-07-13T08:56:00.000-07:00

Our backyard is one of the coolest places in the world. Most likely by next month we will have a ton of ripe juicy...organic as they come grapes! Last year they were soooo good, so naturally I am super excited.

Look at those leggers! (I have no idea why he has shoes but no pants...)

Playin' and a playin'

This is me and Andy's "classic" pose....and he never is looking but I still love it!

I'm not sure why he won't let me get his pic today...maybe it was because of the pants...hehehe

Welcome home BRO...

2009-07-12T13:14:00.000-07:00

My little brother is home from 6 (grueling) months in Bootcamp and Officer training school for the Army. Needless to say he came home a man...I missed him so much and I am soooo proud of him so I threw him a little BBQ and made shrimp kabobs, Halibut, Fillet Minon, and Flank Steak....so yummy (my nan brought the steak :))) I caught him and nan in mide bite...silly

Payton is a "man's man" for sure and today he has picked my Bump to be his buddy. Bump kept telling him "I'm gonna get you" and Pay thought that was really cool....love these boys!

Wedding Season....

2009-07-11T13:05:00.000-07:00

Tis the season to get hitched! This was from a couple weeks ago at Mike and Wendy's wedding...It was so pretty (and a ton of fun too).

Russell was a groomsman...funny he's been in about 5 weddings in the past couple years...

This was from last week today. Matt Curry and Sherri got married in Hemet...another pretty wedding....I remember the day over 5 years ago I got married...:)

Backyard Picnic

2009-07-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the best days are the days spend at home! Today we enjoyed our backyard, the sprinklers, and BBQed hot dogs on the grass, followed by Popsicles. It was fun and relaxing!

Payton didn't have a towel like the big kids so he found a plastic saucer and made it his seat...he's so funny!

Then my little man was making a huge mess with his Popsicle so I gave him a bath and he insisted the Popsicle come with us...whatever huh?

Super Money Saving Mama!!!!

2009-07-09T11:20:00.000-07:00

That's right super money saving mama is here!!!!! (Miranda is my representation) After a nice week off from reality I was back to my money saving adventures. In fact on our vacation I had to go to Wal-Mart and I felt like I was being ripped off buying things full price...I only had one sad little coupon for our Pringles....well this week more than made up for all that! I don't think I will need any bathroom supplies for a good year!

I paid $1 for all this at Rite aide!!!

The hair spray was $3.00 each and I had 2 $1 coupons. I also got $4 in rebates for those. The BeCool patches (a neat contraption for when your kid has a fever) was on sale for $1 with a $1 rebate. Not bad for a buck!!!!

I paid $0.00 out of pocket for this.....
Last night after my class I headed to CVS for a little shopping in peace (since Andy is out of school for the summer I have to shop with all three....yikes) Well I totally made out, The Dove shampoo and conditioner was buy one get one free for $4.99 and I had 2 $1 off coupons (making that a total of $3...and as for the make up...well if you know me you know I have had a love affair with MAC makeup...which is less than a frugal product, and sadly each year I have had to cut back on my splurges and now I am just plain old trying to be "frugal" and only buy the necessities at the lowest price possible. Well I scored the Revlon lippies and nail polish for a total of $6.99 (another buy one get one free scenario) and the foundation and powder for a total of $10.00...you can't buy anything for under $20 bucks at the MAC store!!!! Plus I have become really fond of the cheap stuff (it works the same as the expensive stuff..IMAGINE THAT!) So my total was $21 and I had exactly $21 in CVS bucks...so I paid....$0.00.....oh yeah! But I did have to snap back to reality and buy 2 gallons of milk and a loaf of bread...so I paid $5.50 out of pocket...still it was a great deal!!!!

This morning we all ran to my favorite place in the world...Target and I was able to get these yummy breakfast items for $2.50...hhmmm could that be breakfast for 5 for a week for under $3?

This was Target on Tuesday...(out of shopping order, but whatever) Anyhow I got all this for a whopping $3.43...love Target bc you can have a Target coupon for something and I manufactures....:))

Ok I haven't gone to K-Mart in a good 20 years, quite literally but they offer double coupons once a month so I have all my $2 coupons that will double to $4 off! I scored all this for $15.37 which is really a smoking deal because the Aveeno faces washes and Jergens tanning lotion alone would have been $21.97...I love my coupons!!!!

So to sum that up I paid $22.57 for all that loot...I spent more that that this morning on my lovies little suprises...a hula hoop for girl, a Thomas the Train set for An, and a shake and roll car for my sweet boy Pay-zee...

Mail time Monday

2009-07-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

After our long vacation I got home and had a mail box full of free little goodies...a degree deodorant for Russ, some seasoning packets and coupons, Roto eye drops, and Goodnite sample and coupon...It's always fun to get freebies!

Vacation: Day 6

2009-07-04T13:12:00.000-07:00

I LOVE any holiday, really, but the 4th is a super fun one, and this year was no exception. We had a fun day doing the usual, pool, beach, BBQ and back to the beach. Above is my bro, Ryan and his ladies. He is our soldier and we are so proud of him and LOVE him so much! Below is our crew watching the fireworks. Russ took some pics of them but they didn't come out (I think it is time for a camera upgrade!) Andy was awake and he really enjoyed the show. We could see the ones off the San Clemente pier and Dana Point. It was amazing. Miranda was so excited because she was never seen fireworks, she was impressed, but thought they were a tad loud.... love those guys!!!!

Vacation: Day 5

2009-07-03T12:23:00.000-07:00

After nine years...we still love each other ;)

Today was TIDE POOL DAY!!!!! The tide pools were my favorite as a kid so I couldn't wait to take my kids there. We saw so many things, crabs, sea snells, anenmomies, shells, a lobster head (?) It was great (and free :):)

Daddy and Andy...boy they look so much alike!

My girl...making a pile of all our finds. Again, she is not a fan of the ocean so she hung back and took care of the organizing and baby watching.

The lowest tide is at 2:00am, needless to say that is not a practical time to venture out to the ocean with babies (or anyone really) so we didn't get to see as much as you could, but we still found alot...see the shells? Crabs and snells were in both!

This was the final outcome of all Miranda's hard work...beautiful. The big shell had a crab and the little one had a snell. I was brave enough to get those!

Working hard....

Dried up coral....really cool.

Mimi and Pay...checkin' it all out.

Always a smile from my girl....

Another shot of my and my people....one of these days we will all be looking in the same direction...:)

Vacation: Day 4

2009-07-02T12:17:00.000-07:00

Day 4 was a little of everything day. My aunt TT and 2 cousins Brittney and Sarah came out to visit us. We swam in the pool, played at the park, took Andy to the beach while the little ones napped, and had dinner. It was a relaxing day!

Vacation: Day 3

2009-07-01T07:09:00.000-07:00

So here is another 50 million pics of my fam at the beach....I heart the Beach....Today was our first official day playing in the sand. Andy is a natural born beach baby...in fact him and I sunk away to the beach everyday while girl and Payton napped. (Thanks Mimi for staying with the little guys :) It was fun to have special time with my little guy one on one!

Andy getting ready to make a sand castle.

Payton getting down to business too...poor guy ended up eating more sand than anything!

Wardrobe malfunction!!!!!

Girl, not too fond of the sand. She says it gets in her eyes and the waves knock her down...blah.

Mimi and Andy working on their masterpiece.

The finished product...sea "flair" and all.

After a long day at the beach it was time to head back, eat a yummy lunch, and play on the porch with some play-doh.

Payton is my handsome little guy...he was so good the whole vacation!

Vacation: Day 2

2009-06-30T14:55:00.000-07:00

Here we are, not even 8am and on our way to the pool....

Forget the pool...it's spa time!

A little spa action by 8 am....nothing to complain about!

Not too sure about the face?!

This little play yard right out our door was a highlite of the trip...for the kids!

Mommy and her crew, after about 20 shots this really was the best...whatever!

Mommy and girl on the bridge...

Of all the junk I packed up in my truck I still managed to forget something rather important, the booster seat. Never fear though, my little man did just fine eating like a big boy!

Andy was not sure about the huge ferris wheel at all...(why he covered his ears I'm still not sure)

No fear here, not to mention Mimi and Miranda did the wheel yesterday too.

Checking out Irvine...all fear is gone!!!!

Andy was in his element: a train!!!!

Pay-zee wasn't too sure about the ferris wheel or the train...the carisoul was his favorite, but I don't have any pics of that because I was on it with him!

Vacation: Day 1

2009-06-29T21:00:00.000-07:00

As soon as we got to our condo Payton, my outdoors-man had to check out the view....

Not to shabby at all....

Girl had gone down the nite before and she was showing off the new gum and shirt Mimi had bought her...yumm

It was dinner so we headed into town and ate a a pizza joint Russ does work at...it was so good! Then we went to the beach and explored in these little caves. Russ carved Miranda's name in there...don't ask me why I don't have a pic of that :(

Andy got his paws on my camera and took a shot of my mug...not bad for a little guys aim!

Away from the desk....

2009-06-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

Our lucky little family will be away for a well deserved vacation at the beach! I brought my camera and will be taking a ton of pics, but I forgot the cord to put them on my lap top so you all can't enjoy them till next week. We are in San Clemente, conveniently were Russ works and so far in half a day we have cruised the shops down town, had amazing Chicago Style Pizza at a place were Russ does the maintenance, took a hike in awesome caves by the beach and carved girls name in the cave, and walked from the beach and caves to our hotel...I a so excited for this vacation. We have so many little adventures planned....

Pre-School "Graduation"

2009-06-29T14:15:00.000-07:00

It was only one short year ago that my little guy started pre-school (sigh) and now he is officially ready for kindergarten and I am a proud mama!

During his graduation ceremony his class sang 3 song (with actions and all), recited 3 poems, and each kid said what they wanted to be when they grow up....

Andy said he wanted to drive the trains so he could toot the horn...that's right people a conductor...how fun!

Pay was really concerned about the length of the performance..he was a squirmy to say the least.

Andy is now officially ready to go on vacation!

Saturday Chores

2009-06-27T12:56:00.001-07:00

Well all know about the endless housework a mommy has to do, well my babies are finally growing up and able to help...THANK GOD! And actually they are quite the little helpers...I think it is due time for an official chore list...coming soon!

Miranda can clean the whole bathroom by herself...no joke!

Payton like to do a little of everything...he doesn't quite have the fine motor skills to really get something clean...but he's still cute as hec!

Graduation Party

2009-06-26T16:41:00.000-07:00

Super yummy snow cones for a little treat!

Andrew eating with his class...such a big boy!

Payzee and me...he about to lay a big huge kiss on me!

Girl looking like she fits in at the school already...

Miss Lisa playing with Pay...he was such a big boy today hinging with the pre-schoolers.

Up the slide...

And down (repeat 50 million times!)

Everyone was intrigued with Miss Miranda, she made a handful of new friends today!

The year began with a picture on this sign...now it ends here too. Sad.

My little Andy is officially graduationg from Pre-School on Monday but today the party began! There was jumpers, playing, games, pizza, goody bags, and even snow cones! Oh what fun my little people had! Riverside Christian Pre-School provided the best evnironment for my baby...both educationally, spiritually, and emotionally. I love my Andy, he is growing up too fast!

Being frugal.....

2009-06-26T08:16:00.000-07:00

Well times are tough and every penny counts...not just for us but for everyone out there. In my efforts to save money I have been dying my own hair for the past year. I sure do miss getting my hair done professionally but I don't miss dishing out $100+ for a cut, color, and style. Here is my $4 color job...nice and chocolaty!

Free Cholclate Friday

2009-06-26T08:05:00.000-07:00

Mars is giving away free chocolate. All you have to do is click the following link and fill out the info and they will send you a coupon for a free candy. You can do it up to 4 times total but only once a week. We already got our four coupons...they have been great "rewards" for the kids!

https://secure.realchocolate.com/

Mail Time!!!!!!

2009-06-25T16:11:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to me! Today I got my "official" acceptance letter to California Baptist University's Graduate program. In a few short years I will have earned my multiple subject teaching credential as well as my Masters in Education. I love being a stay at home mom, these past 5 years have been a blessing to me and my kids...but one day when I return to the work field I will be ready to continue on with my passion of teaching. I am so excited!!!!!

Last Day of Pre-School

2009-06-25T16:05:00.000-07:00

This past "school" year has flown by. My little guy, Andy has gone from a toddler to a kindergartner in 12 small months. He has learned to write all his letters, his 1st and last name, mom, and more. He had the best teachers at Riverside Christian and they are greatly appreciated...they really loved and took care of my baby.

Free Pinkberry

2009-06-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

We will so be there for this. Free small frozen yogart @ Pinkberry 5-9pm...try any of the new flavors. YUM Yum YUMMY!!

A little Mall Action

2009-06-24T15:47:00.000-07:00

Oh yes me and three kids at the mall....it went suprisingly smooth. I was feeling a little cooped up and needed to get our so I thought we would go on an adventure and get some treats at the Disney Store. (Believe it or not my kids have never been there before) Well after picking out some cool new shade and awesome straw cups we were on our way to See's Candy for another little goody. I was so proud of my good listeners and can't wait till our next Mall Adventure!

Girl looking like a "Hot Mess" as usual...

Mr. Man Rocking out!

2 Years of Parents Mag...FREE

2009-06-24T10:08:00.000-07:00

ValuMags is offering a Free 2 Year Subscription to Parents Magazine. This is a cool magizine with lots of fun ideas to entertain little ones. Plus it's totally free. Here's the link: http://www.valuemags.com/freeoffer/Parents-BBS.asp

Flash Back Wednesday

2009-06-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

Last June we took the kids to the beach for the first time ever...well I braved the beach with 3 kids and Russell met me during his lunch, because that lucky duck gets to work at the beach everyday!

Girl was not too sure about the water but she loved the sand...Payton just hung out on our blanket. He was only 5 months old...it seems like yesterday!

Andy totally dug the beach.....

Andy says, "Well girl, I really like the beach."

Girl says, "Well Andy I really like the sand."

THE END :)

Rice anyone?

2009-06-23T20:48:00.000-07:00

Some people are meat and potato people well us Harts are meat and rice people and Staters had a great deal for us. They had a promo that was buy any 10 participating items get $5 off...no matter how much you spent. I bought 10 Knorr Rice Sides for $1 each, had one $1 off coupon from awhile ago and got the $5 off. I spent $4 plus tax...for ten rices...that will last about a month here...but what a great deal!

Popsicle Fun

2009-06-23T16:32:00.000-07:00

After all that shopping fun I picked Andy up from Pre-School and we headed home for a play date with my friend Ashley and her two boys Tyler and Travis. We had a great time playing in the backyard, watching Cars, and just being together.

Where did Pay-zee go?

Wow...he's a fast little booger...got there in a CLICK of a picture!

Sweet baby Travis...he seriously is so cute I want to squeeze him!

Play dates are tough works...she fell asleep DURING the play date...we were watching Cars.

Hard work pays off...even when shopping

2009-06-23T16:28:00.000-07:00

So after all the store hopping today I spent $15.68 out of pocket but I got $28 in "rewards" to spend...I'll be saving those for next weeks super deals!

Deal-Seaking Tuesday

2009-06-23T16:03:00.000-07:00

Tuesdays have turned into quite the busy day for me. Generally on Monday I spend the day catching up from the weekends, laundry, cleaning, resting, and my favorite going through the Sunday adds and coupons! (Silly I know...but wait till you see what I scored) I have been stocking up for the last month or so and now I am able to only buy something if it is a really great deal. Today I went to target and got my hubby a new razor and manly body wash. The deal was buy those two items get a $5

gift card. I had a $4 coupon for the razor and a $1 for the wash. I spent 6.48 out of pocket but I got a $5 gift card!!! So each item would be about .75...a steal I'd say. I get two copies of the Sunday coupons because my nan is fabulous and mails me her set so you know I will be repeating this little deal this week!

After my quick trip to Target I headed to CVS for some yummy SOYJOY bars. The deal is buy 4 get $4 in Extra Care bucks. A few weeks back the Sunday coupons had two coupons, a buy one get one free and a buy 10 get $2 off. I had two of each coupon and bought 20 bars. I also had $4 in Extra Care bucks from last weeks deals. I spent $8.82 out of pocket and I get $20 back in Extra Care bucks...oh yes...that is a great deal. Not to mention the SOYJOY bars are sooo good, my favorite is the mango coconut.

The next stop was Walgreens...I have a lot of time on my hands to kill while Andy is in pre-school....Well the deal here was buy any 2 Nabisco treats get $1 off milk. I bought two boxes of Cakesters (a good treat in the go for the kiddies) and two milks. Of course I had two $1 off coupons from the Sunday paper and the real kicker was I had a $8 Register reward from last weeks deals (which were good deals too...lets say lots of fresh Sweet Tea will be made this summer!) So anyhow when I went to pay I had to spend over $8 so I threw in some Red Vines for mommy and my grand total was....0.38 out of pocket.....and I got another $3 register rewards....hhhmmmm

More Free Goodies in the Mail!

2009-06-22T17:29:00.000-07:00

Today I received 3 little goodies in the mail. The "laundry revolution" is a new product from Bounce. It is a dryer bar that will replace fabric sheets. It is supposed to last 2 months. I get to try it for free in exchange for writing a review on www.vocalpoint.com. This will be my first product to review, I am so excited! I also got a sample of Aveeno shampoo and conditioner and a coupon. The last goodie was a surprise. It is a book filled with coupons from home made simple. It was over $30 in coupons..even some coupons for free items!

Did you know....

2009-06-22T08:42:00.000-07:00

Did you know that a mother of 3 plus one hubby prepares 15 meals a day...that's 105 meals a week (give or take a few if you eat out...which we rarely do).

Did you know that a mother with a family of 5 washes 35 outfits and 35 PJs a week (assuming the children only wear one outfit a day...which we all know doesn't really happen!) That is a grand total of 70 outfits a week...endless loads!

Luckily we only have one in diapers so I am only changing 50 diapers a week or there abouts...but in the past 5 years I have changed at least 7,200 diapers...oh yes...50 a week multiplied by a good 5 years and 3 kids....wow.

2009-06-21T13:33:00.000-07:00

That's my girl...always ready for a picture!

Well we lost one child from the shot all together...but the other are smiling!

At least one of them is smiling...and looking at the camera.

Be Happy...Or I'll Scream

2009-06-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

Well...not really. This is the title of a book I recently picked up at the book store. I found it interesting though because on just about every occasion me and the kids leave the house they look like they should be photographed...matching clothes, hair perfect...the whole nine yards. Well the book "Be happy...or I'll scream" is about a mother that wants her family to look and act like the Cleavers basically. Matching clothes, daily "adventures" basically things I strive for, but doing it ALL is impossibly hard...Well the book so far is kinda a dud but my life is by no means a dud!

My Baby Boy

2009-06-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

Payton chillin by the fish bar...I just want to squeeze his cute face!

Happy (early) Father's Day!!!!

2009-06-21T07:54:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went to Taps Fish House to celebrate my dad and Russell. Both of these guys are amazing and I am pretty lucky to have them both in my life! We had the most amazing all you can eat seafood buffet and champagne brunch....yummy! All 3 kids ate for an hour straight, crab legs, shrimp, pancakes, fruit, yogurt, cheesecake...it was all these and it was all eaten by my babies....So onto my more Father's Day activities today....

Free Stuff

2009-06-20T20:48:00.000-07:00

Lately on my money saving adventures I have started signing up for things to get in the mail. On Wednesday I received a coupon for 2 free Velveeta cups, a buy one get one free, and free Fling candy bar, and $1.00 off a Fling candy bar. I also got 3 samples for Bodycology and a sample for Hawaiian Tropic after sun body butter. All of these things are free and there is no obligation. Sometimes it is nice to try new things, especially when they are free! Soon I want to learn how to shoe the kink so all of my friends can get these cool new things too!

Pretty little bows

2009-06-19T22:45:00.000-07:00

Everyone needs a hobby...even a stay at home mom on a major budget. I have two new hobbies...couponing and making hair bows for girls (which I stole from my friend Amy...she has made her daughter the cutest bows since Kenz was born! She is amazingly talented..I shouldn't say I stole the idea...I'm imitating her fabulous craftiness!). They are very domestic hobbies, a far cry from my husbands hobbies of fishing and golfing, but they make me happy. Also they save money! Tonight after my little lovies were tucked away in bed I drug out one of my many craft boxes and started cranking out bows while watching a movie. It was so relaxing for me and I now have a little gift for my cousins daughters that are visiting from Arizona. I made six bows that cost under $3 to make. I always buy my ribbon when it is on sale for $1 and I buy the clips in bulk and always use a 40% off coupon. Cute huh?

the even longer lost blog.....

2009-06-19T15:23:00.000-07:00

Well I thought that after the passing of school, a newborn, and all the other hurdles we made it though I could commit to keeping up a blog...I was wrong. Here I am 6 more months later, no enteries...BUT...I have become a committed follwer of other blogs and now I am on a mission. I have become a frugal momma...that's right...ME! I am on a mission to stay in my budget and have fun doing it. I was so excited when I began my moneysaving escapades and I had so many deals and senerios to tell my husband...well he seemed less than interested so here I am...blogging to anyone that will listen and wants to jump in on the money saving fun....

Fun @ the park

2008-12-08T17:42:00.000-08:00

In the morning me and the kids like to play at all the different parks in Riverside. These pictures are from the other morning when we were at our favorite park. It is right down the street from our home, very clean, lots of shady trees, and no one is ever there in the morning so we have the whole park to ourselves! This is the kids being silly. Sister's hair was being crazy, they kept telling me to take pictures of it so she could look at it. It was great fun!

Payton's usual spot, the swing!

Miranda is an expert climber!

Andy is an expert HAM!

This is pretty darn funny....

Sleepy-time @ 5 pm

2008-11-23T19:39:00.000-08:00

In Arizona one of the perks is that there is no time change. As most mothers know adjusting small children to an hour difference is a HUGE deal. Andy has been having a tough time readjusting and for the past few weeks he has been falling asleep @ 4 or 5 pm and waking up @ 4 am sharp. Needless to say mom is about to loose it becuase any other person on the face of the earth knows that 4 am is TOO early to get up. Today he asked me if he could "close his eyes" and 4:30...I naturally said no and I could see that if he continued to lay on the couch watching Wall-e he would be out in a matter of minutes. I had the brite idea of basically bribing the child to stay awake by taking a family trip to the mall to visit the candy store...we made it to the candy store but he never ate the candy! Oh-well....at least he stayed awake till 6:30!

Long lost Blog...

2008-11-21T19:57:00.000-08:00

So I set up our blog and then never found time to keep up on it. Now I am out of school (woo-hoo I finally graduated from Univeristy of Phoenix with a degree in Business Marketing) Andy is in pre-school and Payton is no longer a new born I think I have time to keep up on the blog. Everyday is so fun and interesting I think you all deserve a little peek into our life! So just sit back and enjoy what is about to be served up to you....

Andrew Allen Hart

2008-07-14T10:33:00.000-07:00

Andrew is our first born son, born August 17, 2004. He is such a fun little guy, always smiling and handing out the kisses. He unbelievably full of energy, it makes each day fun, exciting, and not to mention long...well for mom at least! Andy loves to go swimming, ride his big boy bike, eat fruit snacks, ride roller coasters, walk though the garden center @ Lowes with his mom, wrestle with his dad, and play with his little sister, who is his best bud, not mention a ton of other things little boys like! His antics are never ending, and each day is never short of a laugh. When I drop Andy off at his class for church he repeatedly kisses my hand and tells me to have fun in my class. It makes all the other moms jealous, as he showers me with kisses and tells me he loves me. Andy is so excited to go to pre-school in the fall. He loves doing his "homework" in preparation for school. I am pretty convinced he will be the smartest one in the class. I am excited to see Andrew grow up into a little man, time is already going by too fast though....