Happy Anniversary...

Happy Anniversary to the man I love and who helps me to make my dreams come true!

1. Thank you for working so hard that I can stay home with our babies.
2. Thanks you for always being so willing to try my experimental cooking.
3. Thank you for understanding that there are days when the house is just not going to be clean.
4. Thank you for loving me despite my many imperfections.
5. Thank you for encouraging me to step outside of the box and to try new things.

Thanks for loving and marrying me on that uncharacteristically sunny day in December! I love you!

Knotts Berry Farms

After the ward breakfast we decided to go to Knotts Berry Farms for part of the day. We had looked online and saw that an annual pass was only $10 more than a day pass for adults and so we figured why not. So we surprised Katrena and went to Knotts were we rode a few rides and were only there about 5 hours. The great thing is being so close and having an annual pass we can just go for 5 hours at a time. We had a great time and we are looking forward to many more trips there.

Moments that make my heart melt

I love everyone's face in this one

Ward Breakfast and Santa...

Last Saturday the 19th was our ward breakfast (it started at 8, what were they thinking). We went and had lots of yummy food and were able to meet some more ward members.

The kids made bookmarks and canycane reindeer, they had a many talent show of ward members singing or playing Christmas songs and
then The Night Before Christmas was read by one of the ward members. We all sang Christmas carols and then the Bishop read from Luke chapter 2.




We ended with Santa's arrival (after the closing prayer) and the kids got to visit with Santa (love no mall lines). Ava was not willing to sit on his lap by herself, but didn't cry at all when sitting on her big Sisters lap.

A little ray of Christmas sunshine from Phoenix...

On Friday Katrena received an awesome package in the mail. When we moved her old class in Phoenix was going to be making cookbooks and she was really sad that she was going to miss out on participating in that. I asked her teacher if we could email her our recipe and if they could mail a cookbook to us, sure enough they did. It came on Friday along with a letter from her old teacher and each of the kids in her class. This meant so much to her, she had so much fun reading them and couldn't wait to call her Grandma and tell her all about it and to show her dad when he came home.

Katrena's Gingerbread house...

Katrena and I made a gingerbread house on Friday night, we had a fun time together and had to keep smacking Dad and Ava's hands away from the candy. However we are very thankful to dad for watching Ava so we could do this together.

Deep concentration



Mom and Trena working together


The front of the house

One side

The back of the houe

And the other side



With her finished product



As many of you know we have been experiencing our own version of "no room at the inn" this Christmas season, only its "no room at the school." When we arrived in Apple Valley, I waited a couple of days and then went in to register Trena for school, knowing there last day of school before the break was the 17th, that she would get 6 days of school in. I went to the public school that we are assigned to, and was told that it is the best in the area. When I arrived they informed me they had know room for her. They are only allowed to have 20 students in each of the classes, Kindergarten through 3rd. I obviously thought they were joking, I thought they had to make room for every student living in their boundaries. Nope, if your local school doesn't have room they have to find you another school in the district for you child to attend. and that they will have to provide transportation.

So I leave totally shoked with the secretaries information, and instructions to call them in a WEEK, if I haven't heard anything. Well a week rolls around, it is now the 16th of December. I pick up my phone to call the secretary and my phone actually rings, its the district calling they want to know if we want transportation for "Katarena", I say yes, but we don't even know what school she will be attending. The lady then says oh it looks like..., and I said oh ok, I knew where that was and it was pretty close and a newer school. She then says but if you want transportation she cannot attend that school she will have to attend... And that school would be an hour and fifteen minute bus drive each way!!! What the heck!

So she is registered for the closer school now, with no bus. And school starts about the time Brent is leaving for work and some mornings Ava is just getting up at that time, and her pick up time, you guessed it, right about the time Ava goes down for a nap. They told us that as soon as there is an opening at her correct school they will notify us. But in the meantime, this is going to be a pain. She will go there, just start to make new friends and then wham have to change schools again.

To make a long story short because of the situation she will not return to school until January 11th when Christmas break is over and will have missed FIVE weeks from school! Now like any other 8 year old she has not minded this at all, but she has really missed out on the friends and all the fun Christmas activities. This is the first year that she hasn't made something fun at school for me for Christmas. I didn't realize how much I would miss that. So we are trying to do a few fun activities in the midst of the chaos of unpacking.

Decoraing the Christmas tree, well 2/3rds of it anyways...

Somehow the little monkey could still reach the ornaments so they are slowly making there way higher and higher up on the tree. Our tree is the only decorations we will have up this year, but that's okay, we are definitely enjoying it to the fullest.

Welcome to California...

We left beautiful sunny Arizona where the flowers are still in bloom on the morning of December 7th to head to our new home in California.

We drove in rain the whole way to California and the roads got so bad at one point that I was ready to have a panic attack and I was trying to follow Brent the speed demon. I was not getting on the phone to call and tell him to slow down, and Katrena offered to call him, but I didn't want him on the phone either. Finally I said to Katrena that I didn't care if we lost him I knew how to get to our new home, so we took our time. We drove through rain and some snow, but this is what greeted us as we excited I15:


This rainbow was so beautiful, it was a full rainbow and completely draped over I 15.

The girls as we are exiting the freeway, so happy to be in California:




Next stop was our new home:
Where a Brother Womeldorf as well as two missionaries came to help us unlaod the pods in a blizzard and downpour:

It was P-day and this missionary sure means/ meant a lot to me:
This is my cousin Justin and he is serving his mission here in Apple Valley, we are seriously hoping to have them over for Christmas dinner.

My inlaws also we were here to help us move in and they were such a big help. My father in law with home repairs, and my mother in law with the kids and helping to put away. Brent's 88 year old Grandma came too.

Ava with Great Grandma Hansen:


Ava with Grandpa Art:

Saying Goodbye to Arizona...

We had a hard week saying goodbye to all those that we love in Arizona as we prepared for our move. I spent the week making one last round to visit teach the ladies I have grown to love so much and will truly miss. We also said goodbye to Trena's school Mountain Shadows. We said goodbye to her first class, Mrs Robbins' class. And then she had only been in her new class (they had to add a 4th class) Mrs Maroney's class for a week so we had to say goodbye to them as well, along wit all her friends. Brent thinks I am crazy but I went in to take pictures and give a treat to each of her classes. We said goodbye to Brent's brother Gary and his family by spending Saturday and Sunday together, and then we went around and saw a few close friends for last minute goodbye's. Unfortunately there were a lot of people that I would have like to have said a special goodbye too, that I wasn't able too. So a special goodbye to all the SBS girls I missed saying goodbye too, especially Maria. And to all the girls from the ward that have come to mean so much to me and there are truly to many of you to name and I am scared that if I do start naming names I will forget someone. So goodbye to all of our friends, you will truly be missed.

Mrs. Maroney's 3rd grade class:




Mrs Robbins' 3rd grade class:

Trena with Mrs. Robbins'

Trena with her closest friend this year Meloney

Katrena and Renee, Renee was the first friend Katrena made when we moved to Arizona in December 2007.


Katrena and Mrs Maroney, Katrena adored her and did not want to leave her class.


Saying goodbye to our cousin Caleb


Saying goodbye to Ava's little friend Emmitt, he is only two days older than her:


Ruth one of the lovely ladies I visit teach. Judy was sick and we didn't get to visit with her. Trena and Ruth just love one another and Trena hates that she won't see her again.


And lastly our old apartment and Ava's first home:

Good friends, Good food, Good laughs, Good movie and Goodbye...

On Thursday night Brent watched the girls so I could go to the midnight premiere as well as a preshow party for New Moon with this great bunch of gals!

Amanda went all out with decorations:
Setting the mood for any Edward

Or Jacob fan:

And food:

The drinks have different blood types on them, mine was Trena's blood type, she thought that was kind of cool.





She even made up questions for a New Moon Cranium game. Here she is:



And Kianna and her graphic designer hubby, created these fabulous shirts for us all to wear!



Thursday was also Katie's Birthday, lucky girl!



Amanda also made us yummy "Doggie Bags" for the movie: which consisted of kit kats, popcorn and mini bloodsucker straws.




After all of this what more could you ask for, the MOVIE! And what can I say it was Awesome, loved it more than Twilight and I got to watch it sitting next to this great gal, Maria.



What a way to say Goodbye to friends, to Arizona. I am sad to be leaving Arizona in 2 weeks, but I am glad that I got to go out with this last awesome Hurrah!!!

THANKS GALS FOR THE BEST NIGHT OUT I'VE HAD IN YEARS, WISH I WAS GOING TO BE HERE FOR ECLIPSE. AMANDA, THANKS A MILLION FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK AND FOR THE FUN NIGHT YOU HAD FOR US. KIANNA THANKS FOR THE AWESOME SHIRTS. EVERYONE ELSE, THANKS FOR THE FOOD, FRIENDSHIP, PHOTOS, YOUR SMILING FACES AND THE MEMORIES!!!