The Stewart Family

USA soccer rocks!

2012-01-22T08:01:00.001-08:00

Last night the USA men's team played against Venezuela in Phoenix. This was our first time watching these elite players live and what an experience! I LOVE soccer! It's fast paced, exciting, and there's never a dull moment. The game was tied 0-0 until the last minute USA scored on a header! What a nail biter! Our boys were in awe of the skills these men posses and what a great opportunity for them to see up close what the best of the best look like.

All it takes is a little cotton candy to keep this one entertained!

We even saw Drew Carey! He's the blurry guy in the black jacket and purple scarf. Apparently he's a huge soccer fan...I'm with you Drew!

Ringin' in 2012!

2012-01-15T09:57:00.000-08:00

Our friends Dan and Melissa hosted a New Year's party this year! They invited several families over for food, games, fireworks, and fun! What a great way to bring in the New Year!

Delicious treats!

Fireworks!

Friends!

Freeze Dance!

Movies!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Sledding Fun!

2012-01-15T09:22:00.000-08:00

During the last week of Christmas Break my friend Nancee and I took our kids up to Mt. Lemmon to go sledding. This was my first trip up there. Logan had visited for Scout Camp before and he was excited to go back! How lucky are we that we can drive an hour and enjoy a fun day in the snow? Plus, when we arrived home the temps were hovering around 70! I LOVE Tucson winters! It was an icy snow which made for fast sledding runs and London was perfectly happy sliding on his tummy! It was a great day!

Christmas morning

2012-01-05T15:25:00.001-08:00

Christmas morning was lovely. The boys let us "sleep in" till 6:30 (hey it could be much worse) and then the present frenzy began. Soon our living room was a pile of wrapping paper,ribbons, and bows and I wouldn't have it any other way. We then enjoyed a yummy breakfast of waffles, bacon, fruit, and hot chocolate. After our tummies were full we left for church where we were treated to beautiful Christmas hymns and inspiring talks. It was nice to take some time out of our day to truly reflect on the real reason we celebrate! The rest of the day was spent playing, napping, and eating...just perfect!

Christmas Eve traditions...

2011-12-29T08:14:00.000-08:00

Here's a few of our traditions we've started through the years...

*Making sugar cookies for santa

*After dinner we watch a video about the birth of Christ

*The boys put on their new Christmas jammies and hunt for the "pickle" ornament on the tree. The 1st one to spot it gets a prize. The prize is always a gift that all 3 boys can enjoy together to avoid any fights. Carson was the winner this year and the prize was the movie "An Elf's Story"

*A reading of "The Night Before Christmas"

*Putting out milk and cookies for santa and carrots for the reindeer. This year the reindeer got apples since we were out of carrots..oops!

*One final viewing of Santa's route on the NORAD santa website before it's off to bed

SANTA came!!

Introducing Zinkle...

2011-12-27T18:22:00.001-08:00

This year we received an "Elf on the Shelf" by mail. We are assuming Santa must have sent him. ;) For those of you who may not be familiar, when your elf arrives you must name him and then begins the magic. Our boys chose the name Zinkle. Once Zinkle had been named they could not touch him or risk Zinkle losing his magic. Every night Zinkle flies to the North Pole to report to Santa on the boys' behavior that day. The fun part was finding what crazy spot we'd find Zinkle in each morning. Here are a few of our favorite discoveries...

Reading his own story in our copy of "Elf on the Shelf"

Playing a little air hockey.

A game of cards.

Syrup is like water for Zinkle.

Riding bareback on our reindeer.

Hiding in our tree.

No snow...no problem! Zinkle improvised with some rice!

He loves his candy!

Polar Express!

2011-12-27T17:24:00.001-08:00

This was our 2nd year visiting the North Pole on the Polar Express! We always have such a great time and this year was extra special since London is obsessed with trains and finally understands what Santa is all about. Two of Weston's brothers went with us with their families which made it all the more fun! We can't wait till next time!

We always have to get a family pic in the warm, cozy lobby of our hotel.

It's time to board the train!

This is London's "grouchy" face.

Enjoying our cookies.

I love how their hot chocolate is slightly warm...the perfect temp for little ones.

Tickets please!

Reading along with the story.

We've arrived!

The North Pole!

They love all of the lights.

Singing carols while we await Santa's arrival.

SANTA!!

London got his bell!

As you can see he's pretty excited about it!

Vistiting the elf in the North Pole room.

Mailing their letters to santa.

They love this little town.

Checking out a few of the fun light displays.

We had to check out the train the next morning in the daylight.

On our way home we stopped at a park in Flagstaff so the boys could have some fun in the snow...

So glad we have all that snow gear leftover from Minnesota! ;)

Winterhaven

2011-12-20T08:58:00.001-08:00

Believe it or not that is the name of a neighborhood in Tucson. This is THE place to go to look at Christmas lights. For 2 weeks before Christmas they shut down all traffic in the neighborhood so families can walk through and see all of the amazing displays! What a fun night for our family! Between the cooler than normal weather and all of the beautiful lights...it really is a "winterhaven" right in the middle of the desert!

Logan turns 9!

2011-12-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

Logan is now officially 9! Hard to believe he is that old...I thought I was still 25? We had a jam packed fun filled day. We started off the morning with family presents and chocolate chip pancakes for dessert...I mean breakfast. That afternoon Logan had a party at Peter Piper Pizza with some of his friends and finally that evening we went to see the lights at Winterhaven (those pics will be in another post.) Needless to say we all slept great last night!

Perfect start to the day!

Logan was thrilled to be gifted with a few of his obsessions..books and hexbugs. Oh and now he finally has a scooter of his own!

Fun games and rides at Peter Piper Pizza...

Pizza time!

Putting the finishing touches on his own personal pizza.

Cake!

Presents!

No pizza party would be complete without a commemorative autographed t-shirt!

Chistmas fun at school!

2011-12-20T07:49:00.000-08:00

Our PTA put on a fantastic "Holiday Family Fun Night" at our school. The boys' were able to participate in several fun Christmas activities. There were games, crafts, gifts, and of course santa! We LOVE our school!

The zoo...at night...with Christmas lights...YES please!

2011-12-06T09:19:00.000-08:00

This was our 1st year going to see the "Zoo Lights" and we were not disappointed! The boys' really thought it was magical seeing their very familiar zoo at night all decked out in lights! It was a beautiful night in the 60's...just cool enought that the hot chocolate warmed up our tummies. We will be making this an annual tradition in our family! Thanks to the Marx family for hanging out with us!

Trying to catch the falling "snow"...

Ending our night with a fun train ride! Poor Carson's head is hiding behind the frame.

So much to be Thankful for...

2011-12-01T10:52:00.001-08:00

I'm incredibly lucky. I have a wonderful husband, 3 beautiful, healthy boys, amazing friends, a healthy body, a beautiful home...too many things to list. To top it off we were able to host Weston's family at our home for Thanksgiving. What a fun day! It is such a wonderful feeling having your home busting at the seams with people you love! We talked, laughed (a lot), ate a TON of food (courtesy of my MIL who is a fantastic cook), and played games. It is always so fun to see the boys catch up with their cousins...and like always they just pick right up where they left off. I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving!

BOO!

2011-12-01T10:31:00.001-08:00

Halloween weekend was filled with fun parties, pumpkin carving, and of course Trick or Treating!

Heading out to our church Halloween carnival and Trunk or Treat.

I even got into the spirit this year...if only my real hair was that long!

London decorated his pumpkin like Frankenstein...spooky!

Pumpkins are carved and we're heading out for the night for some tricks and more importantly TREATS!

Pumpkin Pickin' Fun!

2011-10-21T22:00:00.001-07:00

We headed to Agua Linda Farm for their Fall Festival. What a perfect evening it was! We love this farm and all of the activities they have. The boys' love running through the hay bale mazes after dark with their flashlights and I love watching "The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" on an outdoor movie screen! Just another reason why I LOVE fall!

Ready to get started!

They made it to the top of the hay pyramid.

London thought the pyramid made a good slide...

Daddy leading the way through the maze.

Petting zoo!

Everyone loves the jumping castle!

If only we had a cool tree in our backyard to hang a tire swing...a palm tree just isn't going to cut it!

Hayride!

London was so pleased to pick out his own pumpkin this year!

Logan's pick!

Our family stash!

Movie time!

What better way to enjoy our movie than with a delicious burger and homemade pumpkin pie!

Pool hopping in Scottsdale!

2011-10-15T16:23:00.000-07:00

Weston had to be in Scottsdale all week for a KFC convention so the boys and I met him up there for a few days! Also, lucky for me my bestie Kelly Smith decided to tag along with her hubby so we got to hang out! What a fun mini vacaction!

Our first day was spent at the pool at the Westin...lazy river, waterslide and lunch by the pool...can you say heavenly?

Day 2 we hopped over to Ryan and Kelly's pool at the Hyatt Regency. The boys loved the sandy bottom pool and I loved lounging with Kelly! I wish they didn't live so far away.

These Koi fish were seriously like piranhas...we started a feeding frenzy!

Laundry just might be my new favorite chore...

2011-09-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

While Weston was away on his annual 2 week hunting trip I decided to finally tackle my laundry room. I chose this project in particular because A. It was a fairly easy one that I knew I could tackle on my own...sans hubby. B. It's pretty much the only room in the house that Weston said I could do anything I wanted...well besides the guest room. Did I mention my husband is VERY opinionated about "house stuff?" C. Doing laundry for a family of 5 means I spend a LOT of time in there...may as well make it pretty right?

I used my red washer and dryer as inspiration...by the way it was Weston's idea to go red. Smart man! I can't take credit for the flower arrangement...that one goes to my mother in law!

This little nook was a mess before. Picture a dirty sink with various paint supplies stacked under it and paint cans lined up along the wall. I couldn't even get to the sink before. I bought the sign at Hobby Lobby a while back and have been dying for a cute spot to highlight it! A cute basket for cleaning rags looks way better than the mess I had before.

Every room needs a clock right? I found this one at HomeGoods and fell in love! Previously this wall had huge holes that had been patched up (previous owners had dogs that apparently got locked in there a lot.) With a fresh coat of cream paint it was good as new!

A fun spot to hang shirts to dry. Another Hobby Lobby find...LOVE that place!

A cute area rug so I have a soft place to stand while folding. I wanted something to bring out the red in the washer and dryer and the brown of the counter top. This one fit the bill!

A few fun accessories to fill in the space on top of the cupboard.

My RED wall...I love it! I found these fun pictures and wall hanging at HomeGoods!

The pearls on the purse and a few from the bracelet are imitation pearls. I thought that was a fun detail!

Needless to say it makes me smile whenever I go in there. That's saying a lot that I can look past the mountain of laundry on any given day! ;)

Trees of Mystery

2011-09-20T15:43:00.000-07:00

On our way home from the coast we decide to make a quick detour into northern California and visit good ole' Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox at the Trees of Mystery. I was in grade school the last time I was there, but I was still in awe of the beauty and majesty of the Redwoods!

After all that hiking and climbing London needed a sweet treat! Grammy and I may have had one too! ;)

Oregon Coast

2011-08-29T16:39:00.000-07:00

London and I were lucky enough to spend a few days on the beautiful Oregon Coast with my mom! It had been about 9 years since I'd been there. We had so much fun with London playing in the waves, searching for treasures on the beach, shopping, and eating delicious sea food! I can't wait to go back with ALL of my boys!

Oregon Favorites!

2011-08-27T16:23:00.000-07:00

London and I were able to make a quick visit to Oregon to see my family. We had so much fun in the 4 days we were there! On our first day we had a picnic lunch at Veteran's park with my mom, niece Sammi and her boyfriend Joey. We had intended on feeding the ducks by the lake, but they were swimming too far from shore. So we fed the geese instead...London was happy since it's all the same to him anyway! Later that afternoon I was able to see my Aunt Sandy, cousin Danne' and her girls. I'm so bummed I forgot to take pictures. Danne' lives in Northern Oregon and I hadn't seen her for several years. I was so glad she happened to be visiting her mom the same week!

Coming soon.....our pics of the gorgeous Oregon Coast!

Arizona Sea Life!

2011-08-24T13:25:00.000-07:00

Last week Weston and the boys' had to drive London and I to the Mesa airport so we could start our Oregon adventure...(more on that later). So I was looking around trying to come up with something fun to do that day since our flight wasn't until that evening. When I received the Groupon offer for the aquarium I knew it was exactly what I was looking for! Gotta love those Groupons! The boys had so much fun and I loved the price! ;)

They loved that they actually got to pick up and hold the starfish!

Bubble heads!

Shark Tank!

The 360 degree "Ocean Tunnel" was their favorite...sharks and rays swimming over, under, and right beside you!

Monster crab!

Jellyfish!

We had front row seats for the shark feeding time...luckily we weren't on the menu! ;)

Stewart Reunion (Part 3)

2011-08-11T12:43:00.000-07:00

Every year that Weston and I have gone to the cabin we have taken a picture at Cedar Breaks. Our first picture was taken when we were 17! ;) It's so fun to look back at the years and see how much our family has grown and changed while the beauty behind us stays the same!

On our way home the boys' needed to get some wiggles out so we stopped at the Navajo Bridge over looking the Colorado River. What a fantastic view! Lucky for us on our drive home we pass a lot of amazing places (Grand Canyon and Zion's National Park) just to name a few. It will be fun to see a new place every summer!

Stewart Reunion (Part 2)

2011-08-10T13:50:00.001-07:00

After everybody left the reunion on Sunday, we were able to enjoy a few blissful quiet days at the cabin with Weston's parents and his brothers' Matt and Jon and their families. I truly cherish the memories and traditions we make every year with our boys!

A few of our favorite things to do at the cabin....

S'mores around the campfire!

Fun at the creek!

Family walks! Fortunately for us it had been a very wet Spring and we were able to enjoy all of the beautiful wildflowers that had popped up everywhere!

The luxury of reading a book in the middle of the afternoon!

4-Wheeler rides...always the boy's favorite!

Stewart Reunion (Part 1)

2011-08-02T13:25:00.001-07:00

We recently returned from spending a wonderful 5 days at our beloved family cabin in Brianhead, UT. This year was the BIG Stewart Reunion which included all of Larry's siblings and their families. We look forward to this event every 2 years and our family always has so much fun! My favorite part is seeing how much all of the kids change over those 2 years and how the friendships they've made previously just start up again where they left off! How lucky I am to have married into such an amazing family!

This is "most" of the families that were able to make it!

Saturday moring after breakfast we have the BIG hike. Weston took the older boys and they were able to catch some great views of Cedar Breaks!

While the big boys were on their hike I took London on the toddler hike.

Heather(Weston's cousin's wife) did such a wonderful job making up a story for the kids to follow the clues to find the treasure! All of the clues incorporated details of Dell and his horse "Lightning"...what a fun way to teach the little ones about their great grandad!

Vella helping out London...so cute!

All of the kids got a sun hat as their first clue!

They found the treasure!

London was very excited to find western trinkets and gummy candy in his treat bag!

This year our reunion had a western theme so we had 4 stations we could visit to learn a new skill that Larry and his siblings needed to master while they were growing up on the ranch.

Here the boys are learning how to churn butter.

Boy was it delicious...and surprisingly easy...who knew?

Next up is learning how to rope!

Carson almost got it!

Future outlaws?? ;)

Weston's brother Justin is showing us how to haul hay.

Logan could do it with a little help from his cousin Will.

Here grandad is teaching Logan how to brand and we learned all about Dell's "Rocking X" brand.

The boys love seeing their cousins who live far away!

Carson and his twin (in age anyway) Ty! ;)

Every year they also hold a horseshoe tournament...I'm proud to say Weston was the champion!

Future champion?

Logan had so much fun playing games with everyone...this was literally a dream come true for my board game obsessed child! ;)

More pics to come....

Back to school!

2011-07-19T16:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the start of a brand new school year! Logan is now in 3rd grade and Carson is in 1st! Wow...both of them gone all day long...what will I do? I have visions of playdates for London, morning trips to the zoo, story time at the library, fun at the gym, lunch dates with a very handsome man and gasp...having time to make it to Target and the grocery store!! What a luxury those extra 3 hours are! I'm really looking forward to some 1 on 1 with my little guy. Day one was a huge success and both boys are thrilled with their teachers! It definitely makes their time away much sweeter when you know they are in such great hands! ;)

Enjoying our last summer break weekend at Colossal Cave!

2011-07-18T11:44:00.000-07:00

The boys' have been asking to go back to Colossal Cave ever since we took them there for a spooky candlelight tour a few Halloweens back. Since I had 2 free passes (curtesy of the 5K I did a while back) and it's literally 5 minutes from our house I had no excuse not to go! Plus, exploring a really cool cave that has a constant temperature of 70 degrees on a 100+ day always sounds like a good idea! ;)

Before we did the cave tour the boys' wanted to go on a little hike...I still can't get over just how beautiful the saguaros are! Plus since it's monsoon season everything was greener and blooming. I feel so fortunate that we can enjoy the desert beauty right in our own backyard!

This really is such a cool cave with a pretty wild history!

Our zoo rocks!

2011-07-12T16:41:00.000-07:00

With our summer break winding down we decided to make one last visit to the zoo. It's a great way to spend a few hours in the morning and every time we visit we see the animals do something new! Finding activities that entertain all 3 boys is not always that easy...but the zoo always fits the bill!

Feeding the giraffes is always a hit!

Peacocks roam the zoo grounds!

We usually wear our suits so whenever we get too hot we head over to Kenya "Get Wet"

We even have a very artistic elephant!

A few more of our favorite animals at the zoo...

Museum fun!

2011-07-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

Last week Logan was able to participate in a week long camp at the Wildlife Museum. It became his home away from home and he was thrilled when I took all 3 boys back so he could be our personal tour guide! ;)He learned so much about the museum and all of the animals there! It was fun to see him teach us about something he enjoyed so much. Needless to say I'm going to have to sign Logan and Carson up next summer!

We love our castle in the desert!

That is a BIG elephant skull!

Everyone loves the wooly mammoth!

Sometimes we see javelinas in the desert behind our fence!

Big Horn Sheep mountain!

My nemesis...unfortunately this scorpion is alive!

A little gator surfing!

I'm so glad we bought a membership so we can go back as often as we want!

Our Wet N' Wild 4th of July!

2011-07-05T11:05:00.001-07:00

We had planned on having a few friends over for a pool party for our 4th of July celebration, but the weather had other plans. The monsoons have arrived and brought with it much needed rain. It was a pretty exciting storm...it blew our grill over and the ping pong table ended up in the middle of the yard. Luckily nothing was damaged beyond repair. All of the kids were pretty excited...we don't get a lot of crazy weather here...sunny days day after day do get boring after all! ;) We managed to get about 30 minutes of swimming in before the storm really hit, so the kids watched a movie and we decided to eat inside since everything was soaked on the porch! This was definitely one 4th of July our boys' won't soon forget!

Fun in the pool before the storm...

Here comes the rain...time to get out!

The strong winds ripped a strap off our seat cushion so Weston had to rescue it before it blew to the next neighborhood! ;)

Downpour...

Troy is VERY excited we finally got rain!

We always wanted an infinity pool...not quite how we imagined it though...

Time for some good food!

Cutie pies Trey and London

Cupcakes for dessert!

Things eventually dried out and our family went to the "A" Mountain fireworks show with Uncle Matt, Uncle Jon, Kayla, and Ethan.

We've got our popcorn and we're all set for the show!

Uncle Matt and London.

Crazy Stewart Family!

Kayla and London

Great fireworks!

Happy 4th of July everyone!

The Greatest Show On Earth

2011-07-03T20:16:00.000-07:00

The circus came to town and the boys begged to go see it so we thought why not? We weren't really expecting to be amazed, but boy were we wrong! I've never been to a Ringling Bros. performance before and it is nothing like any circus I've been to! It was 2 1/2 hours of jammed packed entertainment. I would compare it to a Las Vegas Cirque Du Soleil show combined with animals, clowns, and even a human torpedo! The boys' and Weston and I were very entertained the whole way through! I wish I could have gotten better pictures, but I left my camera at home and my iPhone is not great at long distance shots. It might be hard to turn down the boys' the next time the circus is in town! Weston and I are already looking forward to next time!

One great thing about this circus is the animal open house before the show starts. We got to get up close and personal with the elephants, zebras, horses, and tigers! It was so cool!

We had to make a pit stop for treats of course!

Silly hat that came with Logan's cotton candy.

The biggest snow cone Carson had ever seen...he wasn't quite sure how to even eat it! :)

Again....sorry for the low quality pics. Here's a peek at a few of the acts we saw.

This is the Human Torpedo right before they set him on fire!

Off he goes...amazing! You couldn't pay me enought to do that job!

Swim Team

2011-07-02T15:31:00.001-07:00

A few months ago I decided on a whim to sign the boys' up for Swim Team. A few of their friends were doing it and I thought it would be something fun for them to do over summer break, plus we could carpool! I'm so glad we did. Logan and Carson can both swim well under water, but they were still doing the doggie-paddle on the surface. After 1 month on swim team those coaches have whipped them into shape. At our 1st meet this morning Carson got 1st in his heat in the freestyle and Logan got
2nd in the backstroke and also in the freestyle relay. Logan was racing against 9-10 year old boys for the relay so he really had to step it up! I'm so proud of how far they've come and amazed at how quickly they've picked up the strokes. Swimming is HUGE in Arizona and they love it so far, so I'm sure this will be an annual summer sport for us! It's pretty much the only sport you can do outside in the summer here!

14 years...REALLY??

2011-06-28T17:57:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrate 14 years of marriage...wow! When did we get so old? ;) We escaped for the night to Scottsdale and stayed at the swanky W Hotel. What a luxury! Plus since we stayed on a Monday night there was hardly anyone there. We had the entire roof top pool to ourselves...nice! It was so great to get away for a bit and do a little shopping, see a movie, go to a nice dinner, and relax in our own little oasis for a while. It was a perfect night! Thanks go to Uncle Matt who according to the boys' was the BEST babysitter. He did let them stay up till midnight playing Wii and snack on junk food after all! YIKES!! ;) I think they're looking forward to our next night away almost as much as we are! ;)

We've made it passed the 7 year itch...twice!!

When we told the hotel staff it was our anniversay they sent up some complimentary chocolate covered strawberries and champagne. We felt kind of bad just leaving the bottle there...maybe the maids enjoyed it for us! ;)

Bathtub in the living room...kind of different...but very relaxing while watching t.v.!

The pool deck even had white sand!

Quite the oasis on the roof in the middle of the city!

Such a treat to have the place totally to ourselves!

The floor of the pool had windows that looked through to the parking garage below.

The pool was gorgeous at night!

It pays to have friends that live in neighborhoods with nice ammenities....

2011-06-10T17:01:00.000-07:00

With temps hovering right around 100 today, I decided to take my friend Breein up on her offer to go play at their water park! We had a BLAST!! Unfortunately, Tucson does not have a nice, big water park. Crazy I know! The one park we do have is very expensive and very old and dirty...ghetto is the word most of my friends have used to describe it. All 3 boys were entertained all day...London even skipped his nap and was still having so much fun! It was the best 20 bucks I've spent in a while. We are already planning our next visit back! Even with the HOT weather an 80+ pool sure feels nice!

1st Grade...Here we come!

2011-06-04T19:52:00.001-07:00

Carson has survived Kindergarten and he had a blast doing it! Last week the school put on a little graduation ceremony for all of the Kindergarten kids. The program was very cute! Carson was so excited to show me the songs they learned and to showcase his dance moves! This year has given him such a great start and he can't wait to start 1st grade!

Waiting patiently for his turn to get his diploma.

His turn on the stage!

It's official!

Carson with his teacher Ms. Valenzuela

His favorite part of the morning...the yummy cake!

Way to go buddy! We are so proud of you!

We have a little "bookworm" and we couldn't be more proud!

2011-05-18T17:12:00.000-07:00

All of that reading paid off big time! Logan had the most AR (Accelerated Reader) points out of the entire 2nd grade! He's flown through a dozen or more series this year including Harry Potter, Fablehaven, Eragon, Percy Jackson, How To Train Your Dragon, Spiderwick Chronicles, Diary of A Wimpy Kid and many more....any suggestions for other great "fantasy" books along this genre???

Splish Splash...Take a peek at London's Pool Bash!

2011-05-15T15:32:00.000-07:00

We had a few of London's buddies from his church nursery class over to help celebrate his 2nd birthday! We included parents so we could have maximum adult supervision for the pool party! Luckily most have London's friends have older siblings that are Logan and Carson's ages so they had some friends to hang out with as well. The party was a great success...except for our grill malfunctioning! Luckily Weston was able to whip out the burgers on the stove and everyone was still fed! Phew!! This was my first time having a big group of friends over, and I had so much fun that I'm already thinking of our next shindig!! Let's all pray the grill holds up a little better for the next party! ;)

My "pool themed" cupcakes...teddy floating in a pool!

The decorations were so simple for this party since we all just mostly hung out in the backyard.

London loves his Uncle Jonny!

Have you ever noticed that the men always gather around the grill?

Of course when the grill breaks down that's serious business! ;)

My friend Nancee and I with her daughter Sadie.

Kayla and Breein having a little too much fun with their food! ;)

So cute...they're all sharing their food!

London is pretty obsessed with my friend Breein's baby Elle.

The Tegeder family.

These are just a few of the fantastic friends I've made here! We have been so blessed to live close to so many wonderful families!

Carson and Paige snacking on cheetos...of course you probably guessed that already by the cheese dust on Carson's face!

Ping pong fun!

I set out a "kiddie pool" for all of the toddlers, but Carson thought it looked pretty fun as well!

All of the little ones together were so cute!

Now we're getting down to some serious swimming in the big pool! The water was still a little chilly, but the kids didn't seem to mind! Most of the adults "sucked it up" and went in with their kids...of course the alternative was letting them drown so they didn't have much of a choice! ;)

What do you think little toddler's talk about? The economy?? Or more likely the latest episode of Sesame Street? ;)

London has the pool all to himself at last!

Uncle Jon and family.

Food is good....

Cupcakes are better...

Presents are BEST!!!

Thanks to all of the families that made London's party so fun! We all had a fabulous time and we hope you did too!

It was only a matter of time....

2011-05-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately my inferior vision finally caught up with the boys'. They are both exceptionally "blind" for their ages. Sorry guys...at least you got my great enamel...0 cavities to date...yeah! On the plus side they are both so stinkin' cute in their new glasses and they were so pleased at everything they could finally see! Maybe next time we go to the Desert Museum they will be able to spot the elusive mountain lion finally! ;)

Carson's Big Day!

2011-04-29T13:38:00.000-07:00

We are so PROUD of Carson! At the boys' elementary school every month they award one student from each grade level the "Mountain Lion Pride Award." Carson was chosen to represent the kindergarten for the month of April! This award is given to students with excelling academics and good citizenship! Our principal Mr. Chesebrough takes the winning group of students out to lunch to Quizzno's and for ice cream at DQ for their reward! Carson was so excited he couldn't wait to get to school that day! Way to go Carson!

His picture will be displayed in the office for the month of April!

Carson with Mr. Chesebrough

We are so lucky that our kids go to an excellent school where their principal, teachers, and staff care for the kids and take the extra time with them to encourage their success!

Easter Fun!!

2011-04-28T13:32:00.000-07:00

Dying eggs...

Easter basket goodies...

Easter egg hunt...

Family pics in our Easter Sunday best...

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Easter with your families as well!

Easter Pageant

2011-04-26T16:40:00.001-07:00

Since the boys were out of school on Friday my mom and I headed up early to Mesa so we could enjoy the afternoon before the pageant started. A friend told me about an incredible indoor playground called Makutu's! It was AMAZING!! Did places like this even exist when we were kids? Needless to say we'll be heading back again soon! You'll probably notice most of my pictures are of London since Logan and Carson ran non stop and I could not get them to slow down for a picture! I had to stay with London at all times...he's a bit of a daredevil! ;)

They even had a toddler section...unfortunately London didn't spend much time there...daredevil remember?

He did find a little comfy spot to rest for all of 15 seconds! ;)

After all that running we needed an ice cream break!

I cannot rave enough about the Mesa Arizona Easter Pageant. What a wonderful experience that was! My mom is not a member of my church so it was so nice to share this wonderful message with her on the grounds of the Mesa temple. It was awesome to see people of all different Christian faiths come together to celebrate the life of Christ and the miracle of his resurrection!

It was about 88 degrees before the sun went down...my poor mom doesn't do well in the heat, but she stuck it out!

The boys got to meet some of the cast before the show started! All of the costumes were so beautiful!

I hope to make this a yearly tradition for our family. What a perfect way to kick off Easter weekend!

A Look Into The Past....

2011-04-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity this past weekend to attend a Webb Family Reunion. How lucky for us that it was held right here in Tucson! Larry's (my father-in-law) family has quite the history here! Larry's grandparents (Frank and Edith Webb) settled in Tucson in the early 1900's after being chased out of Mexico by Poncho Villa. I think Larry's mother (Lorraine) was only about 1 at the time. Lorraine was eventually 1 of 11 children! Sadly 2 of her siblings perished in a house fire when they were only 5 and 2 years old. Frank had an uncle that was a dairy farmer in Tucson, so he knew he could find work here. However, he didn't like farming all that much so he spent many years working for the railroad. Larry's father (Dell) served part of his LDS mission in the Tucson area, and that is where he first met Lorraine. The rest they say of course is "history." Sadly, Edith was killed in a terrible car accident a few years after Lorraine and Dell were married. Lorraine's brothers' were still quite young when it happened. The brother's grew up and formed the "Webb Brother's Band" with their oldest brother Wayne. They were quite popular and even performed in a few movies with Jimmy Stewart! The entire Webb family was very musically talented!

Frank and Edith Webb

Larry's mother Lorraine "Webb" Stewart

Our family enjoying our catered lunch of pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw, fresh fruit, and brownies!

One of Larry's cousin's is a magician and he put on a great show for all of the kids!

He even had a few live bunnies! So cute!

They had a few activities set up for the kids...here they're making harmonicas.

Unfortunately for mom and dad they work really well! ;)

Decorating cookies!

Carson's masterpiece!

Snuggling up with dad while we listened to old Webb Family stories.

They even had a cotton candy machine!

London had to try some too!

Weston's cousin Kevin lives outside of Phoenix so he made the trip down. Logan hit it off with Kevin's son Levi!

Our niece Ashlie (who is a freshman at U of A) holding London.

All the ladies...Weston's mom Sandy, Aunt Sandy, Aunt June, Aunt Marie, and Aunt Lorna

All of the brothers....Merwin, Jan, Gary, and Larry

The siblings...Merwin, Jan, Lorna, Larry, and Gary (Their sister Sylvia passed away a few years ago.)

We had such a nice weekend and it was so fun to see all of Weston's Aunts and Uncles! We love Tucson even more after learning all about our "roots" here!

Carson's LEGO-riffic Party!

2011-04-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

The LEGO party was a hit! Carson had 12 friends over for some games, food, and fun! It was a great way to celebrate turning 6!!

The invitations...

Birthday Boy!

The table...I decided to just go with the LEGO primary colors for the theme. Much easier and cheaper too!

Our family spent the last few weeks working on putting together several of the boys' LEGO sets. It was a fun project and made great decorations for the party!

Our "building" table.

The whole crew.

For our 1st activity the kids had to build the tallest tower they could in 3 minutes without it falling down.

It was a pretty close race, but Hollis beat out all of the boys...atta girl!

Next we divided the kids into 2 teams and we had a LEGO relay race. They had to carry a LEGO on a spoon down the hallway and around the orange cone and back as fast as they could without dropping the LEGO. It's harder than it looks!

This was our LEGO guessing game.

Time to open presents!

I love how all of the kids crowd around and are so excited for Carson to open their gift. Carson got some great presents!

My attempt at making a LEGO cake. Frosting this was VERY time consuming!

Make a wish!

Cake, ice cream, and orange soda...what else could you want?

We even had LEGO candy! Everyone took some home in their goody bags as well as a minifigure hand picked by Carson and a miniature building set!

After all of the excitement, we wound the kids down with a LEGO movie shown on the projector. We don't have a screen yet, but the kids didn't seem to mind watching it on the wall! ;)

We had such a good time! Now we have to get ready to celebrate London's birthday next month! It's going to be a busy Spring!

Carson is 6!!

2011-04-01T20:55:00.001-07:00

6 years ago today my vibrant, energetic, enthusiastic, and charasmatic little guy came into the world! Yes that's right...he's my April Fool's baby! When he's a little older I'm sure we'll have some fun with that one. Right now I don't think he would find it very funny if we "forgot" his birthday! ;) We always let the boys choose where they want to go out to eat for their birthday and Carson chose Peter Piper Pizza! It was a fun evening and a great way to top off his day! Tomorrow we our hosting a LEGO themed party for his friends...more on that later!

We had donuts for breakfast as a special treat!

They LOVE Peter Piper Pizza...yes that's London's blurry arm in the corner...he wanted in the picture too!

Bring on the pizza!

As you can see London REALLY likes pizza!

Don't let that sauce on your chin go to waste!

Time to open some presents!

Megamind!

Logan gets just as excited as Carson!

We saved the biggest for last...

Another LEGO...imagine that!

A few new minifigs to add to his collection!

Now time for some rides...

The Himalaya was so fun! Weston and I took turns riding with the older boys!

It was nice that they had rides just for toddlers...London loved the twirling tea cups!

Everyone's a fan of the carousel...the best part is it's FREE!!

And finally some games...

Of course they love to win their tickets so they can go pick out some (crappy) I mean really cool toy! ;)

Spring Break Survival

2011-03-29T12:46:00.000-07:00

Keeping 3 boys busy for 2 weeks straight wasn't so bad after all! We planned a ton of fun activities each week and they were lucky enough to be invited by a few friends to do some really cool stuff as well. Logan got to go on a hike at Colassal Cave Mountain Park with his friend Braydon's family and Carson got to spend the day exploring and hiking at a friend's ranch! This gave me a bit of a break...I may have snuck in an afternoon at the mall...shhh...don't tell Weston!;) What can I say? H&M was calling my name!

Several of our friends from church all got together one morning at Pump It Up. If you have one of these in your area we highly recommend it! It's basically 2 huge rooms filled with every kind of inflatable jump house/obstacle course you can imagine! They always have so much fun here!

We also spent one morning at the zoo. I love our zoo in Tucson! It's not too big, but plenty big enough to have all kinds of cool animals!

London loves the monkeys!

Petting the snake is always a fave! I pass on this one! ;)

Checking out some cool lizards!

Cute boys!

Flamingos!

Hangin' with the monkeys!

Cool albino peacock!

The boys with their cousin Ethan...Ethan is trying to make a break for it!

Carson calls it the "stinky rhino" because last time we visited the rhino decided to "pass gas"....you can imaginge the stench! ;)

Kayla and Ethan.

The zebras giving us their best side!

Logan's best friend Isaac was sick for Logan's B-day party at Golf n' Stuffso Weston took just Logan and Isaac there one afternoon so he could get a "re-do." While the older boys were have a blast there I took London, Carson and his friend Nicholas to the Desert Museum. We love it here so much that we renewed our membership for another year! Whenever we have friends and family visit this is usually our top pick of sites to see!

Hangin' in the cave.

Do you think London's goggles are a little big?

Digging for dinosaur fossils.

These boys are such hams! They kept asking me to take their picture!

London passed out after a few hours...that's exactly how I felt when our 2 week break was over! Now it's back to a normal schedule and routine A.K.A. my happy place.

Take a journey into the mind of Carson....

2011-03-28T22:48:00.001-07:00

I went to upload some pics from my phone onto the computer and found a few surprises! Apparantly Carson got a hold of my phone and decided to do try his hand at photography. I'm guessing this was in the morning since they're in their jammies...I confess over Spring Break Logan and Carson would get London out of his crib when he woke up and played with him so mom and dad could sleep in. Now we know just exactly what they were up to while we were snoozing away...

He actually got some pretty cute pics of London...of course London is quite the poser!

Gotta get all the Star Wars and knight figures lined up for battle!

Extreme close up of a horse...I think?

Venom crotch shot...nice.

Self portrait with his face smooshed on the screen...creative.

Great job Carson! I wonder what I'll find next time? ;)

Happy St. Patrick's day...a little late!

2011-03-28T22:21:00.000-07:00

I attempted to make an "authentic" Irish dish for St. Patty's day this year. Who knew Corned Beef and Cabbage was actually good? ;) Well Weston did...his mom made this a lot when he was growing up and being the good wife that I am (insert sarcastic smirk here...) I made it for him. They called it "bubble and squeak" when they were kids. Have you ever heard of such a thing? :) Dare I say that I may end up making this on more than just St. Patty's day...the whole family really liked it! Score one for mom!

It's always nice when you try something new and your family actually likes it! ;)

Some sneaky leprechaun's dyed our chocolate chip cookies green...the nerve! At least they sprinkled them with some chocolate gold coins!

Green cookies are still delicious!

Happy St. Patty's day!

Blue and Gold

2011-03-27T16:03:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back Logan went to his first "Blue and Gold" banquet for Cub Scouts. He had earned a few rewards so he was very excited for his big night! They served us taco salad for dinner and each of the boys were told to make a cake WITH their dad. Logan loved spending this extra time with Weston and their cake turned out great. Logan chose triple chocolate with crushed Andes mints sprinkled on top...YUMMY!

Their delicious cake!

Logan and his friend Braydon.

Each of the boys had to sit on a balloon and make it pop so they could read the paper inside to find out what their cheer would be. I thought it was cute that they made each of the boys feel special as they went up to receive their awards.

Brand new Bobcat! He is almost done with is Wolf already...he's a man on a mission!

Final San Diego Post...SeaWorld!!

2011-03-23T15:33:00.000-07:00

This is it! My last post about our San Diego trip (I warned you that I had a TON of pics!) So I saved the best for last...at least it was MY favorite part of the trip and I think my boys had fun too! We were lucky enough to spend 2 fun packed days at SeaWorld! This came as a surprise...we were only planning on having 1 day there with Weston's parents and his brother and family, but when we received our vouchers they informed us they were good all week! Wahoo!! So we spent all day their on our final leg of the trip...which meant getting home at 2:00 a.m....but at least the boys slept the whole way home...almost! ;)

OP Otter greeted us at the entrance!

We loved Wild Arctic! We got to ride on a motion simulated helicopter ride that takes you all the way to the Arctic! It was a crazy, bumpy ride that had the boys laughing the whole way through! When we finally arrived we got to encounter beluga whales, enormous walruses, and polar bears! The boys also had fun playing in a polar bear den and touching a wall of solid ice (to prove we were really in the arctic.) ;)

Shark Encounter was a hit!

Journey to Atlantis was our favorite ride! We rode this one over and over!

I LOVE dolphins! It has always been a wish of mine to swim with them...it WILL happen someday! We did get to touch them! They are such sweet, gentle animals.

Carson loves turtles and now he REALLY wants one for a pet!

Flamingos!

The Manta Rays were so cool! One of them came clear up out of the water to say hello!

Sea Lions Live was so funny! Clyde, Seamore, and OP Otter were a hit! Of course we had to enjoy some cotton candy while we watched the show!

In the aquarium we got to see everything from a creepy octopus to a tiny seahorse!

They loved the tide pools!

As you can see they got soaked on Shipwreck Rapids...thank goodness for the "human dryer!"

Sesame Street Bay of Play was a HUGE play area!

And finally, you can't go to SeaWorld and not see SHAMU!! As always he put on a great show for us! Carson picked up a stuffed Shamu that is now his new favorite "sleeping buddy" and London wanted a walrus...hmmm go figure!

Spending our last day wearing them out worked out in our favor! Such a peaceful ride home!;)

San Diego (part 4) Lady A!!!!!

2011-03-17T19:47:00.001-07:00

For the KFC Convention "Final Night Dinner" they booked Lady Antebellum for the entertainment! I'm quite certain this was arranged long before they won a "kajillion" grammys this year...just a hunch. :) The nice thing about a private concert is it's not really a problem to make your way up to center stage...Kelly and I only had to take out a couple of 60 year old franchisee's, but it was worth it! ;)I have to say that the band was way down to earth and very chatty with the audience...we are totally BFF's now. O.K. maybe that's taking it a tad too far! But, for a girl who had not been to a concert since college (sad I know) I was totally thrilled! "It's a quarter after one and I'm a little drunk (not really since i don't drink, but you get the picture) and I neeeeed you now!" Good luck getting that song out of your head now! HaHaHa!!

The obligatory "couple pic."

My fabulous sis-in-law Jodie and her daughter (my neice) Ashlie and I.

Now for the money shots....

Me, Ashlie, Karey (my neice), and Kelly

Such an amazing night I won't soon forget!

San Diego (part 3) Parks and Museums and such...

2011-03-15T20:27:00.001-07:00

San Diego has so much to offer in the area of museums and beautiful parks!

Seaport Village is exactly what it's name implies. Sandy and I had a fun afternoon browsing cute little shops (seaside shops always have the BEST CANDY) and enjoying fish n' chips while watching all of the boats sail by...as you can imaging the boys loved that part!

I couldn't resist throwing in these pics of London "enjoying" a lemon...silly boy!

The Museum of Natural History was a hit! The boys got to examine real life fossils, visit some serious reptiles, and watch a 3D movie about a T-REX!

Balboa Park is where most of the museums are located so after spending the morning at the Science Museum (no pics of this...too busy chasing boys) we explored the area a bit. I fell in love with this place! You just want to pack a lunch and bring a good book and relax by the fountain. We even caught a magic show on a street corner! So fun!

I hope Logan is "wishing" for us to come back soon! ;)

The Gaslamp District downtown is another really fun area to walk around. Logan was thrilled when we came upon this HUGE chess set!

On a side note...they thought it was so cool to have bunk beds in the hotel...just like their room back home. Mom and Dad thought it was so cool that the boys had their own seperate room! ;)

San Diego (part 2) LEGOLAND!

2011-03-10T12:39:00.000-08:00

As soon as we realized LEGOLAND was only a short 30 minute drive from San Diego we knew we had to take the boys! They are all obsessed with LEGOS...I'm sure they get that from their father! ;) Even London enjoys building with the toddler size bricks. We have enough LEGOS at our house to open our own store...no joke! Did I mention Weston's addiction?? ;) So we got to fulfill 3 little boys' (and 1 big boy's) dream by spending the day at not just any amusement park, but one where everywhere you look there are more...you guessed it...LEGOS!! ;)

We've arrived...HOORAY!!

Fun sculptures at the entrance!

Going on a LEGO safari ride!

London and Ethan dug for dinosaur fossils while the big boys went on the Coastersaurus!

London enjoyed his boat ride on Fairy Tale Brook seeing all the favorite fairy tales come to life in LEGO form of course! ;)

DUPLO Village was a huge play area and all 3 boys had a ball!

Having fun on Sky Patrol!

Carson is making sure all is safe and well in LEGOLAND!

They had so much fun in the Volvo Driving School!

Carson was driving on the wrong side of the road most of the time! ;)

Checking out the new LEGO computer games!

Making friends with the "beach bum!"

Sky Cruiser

Weston and the boys loved Captain Cranky's Challenge!

Splash battle was my favorite! They had big soaker guns all along the perimeter of the ride where "not so friendly" patrons can battle it out with those on the ride! Unfortunately for us Weston's brother Jon did not take mercy on us! ;)

We were already wet so we took our chances on Treasure Falls!

Making a wish at the Witching Well.

Seriously every little boys dream playhouse...so fun!

The Dragon coaster rocked!I may have went on it more than once! ;)

Uncle Jon, Weston, and the boys.

Land of Adventure was so fun! Everything had an Indiana Jones theme!

Dune Raiders

Cargo Ace was London's favorite ride! He laughed and squealed the whole time!

We had to stretch London pretty tall to get him on the Pharaoh's Challenge and he loved it!

We had to get a picture with the Pharaoh

A little Indiana Jones dress up!

Having fun on Bionicle Blaster!

Had to get wet one last time on the Aquazone Wave Racers!

Miniland USA was amazing! They had replicas of several cities completely made from LEGOS!

The boys are already asking when we can go back! ;)

San Diego (Part 1) Beach Fun!

2011-03-09T11:54:00.000-08:00

Last week was the National KFC Convention in San Diego...cooking chicken has a few perks....;) and since it's only a 6 1/2 hour drive from our home we decided to bring the kids and make it a family vacation! We were there for 8 days and we packed a TON of fun into that time! I have so many pics that I'll have to break it up into 5 seperate posts...I know a little excessive right? ;)

Up first...THE BEACH!!! It had been a few years since any of us had been to the ocean, so we were long over due! Plus, this was London's first time! It was so fun to see his reaction! At first he didn't really like the sand and did not want to take off his sandals, but after a bit he warmed up to it. Then it was a matter of "trying" to keep him dry! ;) As soon as we dropped of our bags at the hotel we headed straight for Ocean Beach since it was just a few minutes away. It was a little cool and windy, but that didn't stop the kids from having a blast! For dinner that evening we walked up the boardwalk and ate at a cute little pizza place. The waiter was from Italy (evident by his VERY thick accent!) I had to keep asking Weston to translate for me...embarassing! We were glad to have Weston's brother Jon, Kayla, and our cute little nephew Ethan along as well!

Towards the end of our visit we decided to drive over to Coronado Island. I'm so glad we did! This beach was amazing! So beautiful (the sand even had gold flecks in it!) The hotel on the island is just gorgeous...maybe someday I'll be able to afford to stay there! ;) The weather was perfect so I didn't even mind that the kids got soaked! ;)Be sure to check out London's face plant pic! I love that we got to spend the afternoon with our great friends Ryan and Kelly Smith! Ryan is one of Weston's partners and they stayed behind in Minnesota when we made the move to Arizona. That is the best part of these KFC trips...seeing family and friends!

Cub Scouts is fun!

2011-02-21T13:21:00.000-08:00

O.K. this post is way overdue...sorry I'm a slacker! Last month Logan got to enjoy his 1st Pinewood Derby! It's been great seeing him enjoy all of the different activities the boys get to do in Cub Scouts. He and Weston built his car together and decided on spray painting it a shiny blue complete w/ a red racing stripe. They even added a plastic top off of one of Carson's toy cars. It turned out pretty snazzy! Unfortunately Logan dropped his car on his way into church and bent the axle a bit. This of course slowed his car way down so he lost all of his races. He didn't seem to mind though and he won the award for "shiniest car"! He and Weston are already thinking of how they want to "step it up" for next year! The competion is fierce! ;)

Logan's Baptism

2011-01-30T16:49:00.001-08:00

I can hardly believe it...Logan is 8 years old and a new member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! Our Stake baptism was held last weekend and there were 5 children from our ward (including Logan) that were baptized! It was such a beautiful day and we were so fortunate to have quite a few family members and friends that were able to make it! Having all of them present made the day really special for Logan! Weston performed the baptism while Larry (Weston's dad) and Matt (Weston's brother) stood as witnesses. We had Larry confirm Logan while Weston, Matt, and Jeff (Weston's partner/friend) stood in the circle. It was such a blessing to have all of them participate! Afterward we had everyone over for a big BBQ and cupcakes. I made chocolate and vanilla cupcakes (I'm sure you can figure out what they represent...) Turns out the sinfully delicious chocolate were more popular! ;) Logan really is such a special boy and we are so proud of his decision and the example he is to our family. I'm one lucky momma!

I'm pretty proud of my sweet family!

Weston, Logan, and Grandad

Logan and his friend Julianna were both baptized that day!

Our crew...Ashlie(our neice), Sandy and Larry (grandparents), Weston and family, Matt and family, Jon (Weston's brother) and family, Jeff North and family.

Wicked!!

2011-01-23T19:52:00.001-08:00

When Weston and I saw Wicked for the first time a few years back in Minneapolis we vowed if we ever had the opportunity to see it again we'd take it! Well imagine my delight when it came to "little old" Tucson! We assumed Phoenix would be as close as we could get! Weston's brother Matt and his wife Alisha had never seen it so we invited them to go as well! I have to say I think I enjoyed it even more the 2nd time around because I was able to appreciate all of the little details instead of just being in awe with the music! Of course the songs still blew me away! That Elphaba can SING! If you don't own the soundtrack ....you should. I always love an excuse to get all dressed up...those occasions are far and few between! ;)

Ringin' in the New Year Stewart Style!

2011-01-03T06:24:00.000-08:00

We like to welcome the New Year with lots of....

Food...an array of scrumptious appetizers!

Cheers!

Games...

Wii...

Hugs...

And my personal favorite...KISSES!!

Happy 2011 to all of you!