Earthquake #2!

So our 1st earthquake experience here in Yuma was December 30, 2009.
Now we have experienced earthquake #2 and this was much bigger. It started at 3:40 PM today Easter Sunday. Steven & I were taking a nap on the living room couch after watching conference and the couch stated shaking and the front window rattling. We woke up and both said, "that's an earthquake." All 3 children were upstairs playing and reading and came down those stairs so fast. We all went outside as we heard things falling upstairs. It felt like my 2-story house was going to crumble. It slowly got harder and louder than tapered off after about 45 seconds(which felt like hours I must admit). We went back in the house to assess any damage and to see what had fallen. We couldn't find any structural damage to the house but things were lying on the floors upstairs, lamps swinging back and forth, and a steel helmet of Steven's that fell off of our camper trailer in the garage. When we went back in the house, about 3 minutes had gone by since we ran outside, and the water in our pool was still rockin' back and forth as if we had numerous people doing cannonballs in it. There was water around the pool about 12' out all around where the water had splashed out. It has now been 90 minutes since we felt the 1st shake and we are still experiencing after shocks every few minutes that are really unnerving- like you got off a roller coaster, cruise ship or other water boat. My legs are still jittery. I definitely do not like the feeling. It was reported as a 6.9 and 20 miles deep at the epicenter in Mexicali which is about 60 miles from us. It has been reported that we felt a 4.9 here which was plenty for me.

Happy Birthday Steven

I want to wish my husband a very happy birthday today. Your family loves you very much!

***NERD ALERT***

This too could happen to your children if Nerd day is declared at your children's school.

Does the tooth fairy like to play hide and seek?

We took the kids to go see the movie Tooth Fairy. (Cute family movie by the way.)
On the way home, Damian pulled out a tooth. In our home we have a tooth fairy pillow that has a pocket to place your tooth. We leave the pillow on the kitchen island so the tooth fairy doesn't have to go upstairs. Well, we came home and the pillow was retrieved and placed on the counter as it is suppose to be. I got busy making dinner and cookies for Aubrey's Valentine's party not realizing that the pillow had been removed. The next morning as I was making lunches, I remembered that the tooth fairy was suppose to have come that night and now I could't find the pillow. I frantically searched because I knew Damian would be up soon and would be looking for the pillow. After no success of locating it, I decided to ask Damian if the tooth fairy had come. He replied he didn't know because he couldn't find the pillow. Aubrey overheard our conversation and quietly and innocently walked away to peek around the corner. I asked her if she took the pillow. She replied, "Yes, I wanted to see if the tooth fairy could still find it." I said you go get it right now. She went over to the living room loveseat, pulled back the couch pillow and said, "Just what I thought, the tooth is still there." It wasn't even her tooth and she had to hide the pillow.
I guess the tooth fairy doesn't like to play hide and seek.

Who says white girls can't dance?

Steven was listening to his music and Aubrey started dancing. She didn't know I was video taping her until the end when I talked to her. Sorry for the jumpy video at times, I was laughing so hard. And after she was done she promptly had an asthma attack.

I'm exhausted!!!!

This completes my 2nd week at working outside of the home again and I am exhausted. I started working in the medical office where my husband works. So this is a new thing for me too. I've never taken vitals signs on anyone before this last Tuesday. Also, we put our house on the market here in Yuma this week and had 2 showings in 1 day. So bewteen the house selling, learning a new job, and juggling my role as a mother.....I can't wait to sleep in past 5 AM tomorrow. I pray no children get sick in the night. :)

When it rains, it pours.....IN MY HOUSE!

We have had a really bad storm here for Yuma. Homes here are built to block sun, not rain I guess. So at 3 AM Thursday morning I heard water dripping. I got up to investigate and was horrified at what I found. My entry way was falling to the ground. This is a vaulted ceiling about 18+feet high. Water was also running down the beam in the middle of the room pulling the paint off that too.







As the day progressed with no relief from the rain, I saw that my kitchen table was wet. The edge of the ceiling where our nook is in the kitchen was leaking all the way across. It took 8 buckets/trash cans to collect the water.




I decided I better search the whole house and while in the Master bathroom I found this one too.


I was hanging my laundry and looking out the window. I saw pool toys, plastic chairs and flip flops floating on the side yard because there was so much water. I only could watch the water flow under my back garage door and flood the garage as well as filling my air conditioner units on the ground.
I know we are still very fortunate as our trials are minimal compared to those in Haiti, but this is 1 of the many problems our family has had to face these last 2 weeks. We will overcome this. I never thought I would be so grateful to see sunshine in Yuma as I am this morning, but the rains are expected to continue through the weekend.

A teenager has entered our house---YIKES!

Today is Emmalee's 13th birthday. Where has the time gone?
So we officially have a teenager in the house although it has felt we already had one. She is a special daughter of God and we are glad that she is in our family. Happy Birthday Emmalee!

Mom surprised her by decorating her room while she was at school


Playing Air Hockey at Peter Piper Pizza


Emmalee's Oreo Pie Dessert

Rumble, Rumble

We hope that you all had a very nice Christmas and your family was able to reflect on our Savior Jesus Christ. Our family had a very nice and relaxing one this year. We were able to spend some time with family members for a couple of days and as they left they missed the excitement here in Yuma. We were sitting in the Dentist office while our kids' teeth were being cleaned and my chair, and the dentist tray started shaking. If felt like my children were playing and running upstairs in our home, but we weren't at home. The earthquake lasted for about 20 seconds and then followed by little waves or "ripples". It was a new experience.
(By the way..... NO cavities. Yippee!!!!)
We wish you all a Happy New Year and hope that 2010 brings you much happiness.

Halloween Nightmare

No one told us that we were moving into the Halloween Subdivision.
There were so many cars and trick or treaters down our street that it was almost frightening. Like 30-35 at your door at one time. We turned all the lights off once we ran out and gave away 300+ pieces of candy(it was all done in about 15-20 minutes). The kids had never been able to pass out candy before because we were never home to do it, so they enjoyed it too.

But the next morning this is what we found on our block wall. I guess it is to be expected living in a corner house. Why do punks have to ruin other's property?

Halloween 2009

Here are a couple of pictures of the kids this year for Halloween. Emmalee was Sandra Dee from "Grease", Damian was a Mummy (it is fabric not toliet paper like some thought), and Aubrey was Sleeping Beauty.

Crazy Hair Day for School

Damian's crazy hair


Aubrey's crazy hair

Aubrey is 7!

Aubrey turned 7 on October 24th. She had been bugging me to polish her nails. So, her wish came true.

Aubrey's special birthday cake. (It is a butterfly in case you can't tell)


Aubrey loves Texas Roadhouse so she didn't have to twist mom and dad's arms too hard to go there.

Some big guy broke the saddle at Texas Roadhouse so she got to sit in a chair



Opening gifts

Way to go Aubrey

Aubrey earned Student of the Month only 1 month into this school year. She is in 1st grade. Way to go Aubrey!

My new Scrapbooking Blog site

If you go to http://scrapnocrap.blogspot.com/
you can see my new scrapbooking blog. I have posted my cards, vinyl for the walls, and decorative boards used in my house and those made for gifts. I have so much fun doing this hobby and wanted a record of what I have created. I hope if you are crafty you will enjoy this.

Can you name that tune?

Damian started band at school. He is following in his dad's footsteps and learning to play the trumpet. Here is what he sounds like. Sorry for the jumpy video but I couldn't stop laughing. Earplugs anyone? Seriously, I am really excited that my kids want to learn how to play musical instruments, but now I know why my mother-in-law had to take Steven to the park to practice.

No more Floaties!!!

I am happy to report that all 3 of my kids learned to swim this summer just by swimming nearly everyday in our pool. Emmalee and Damian only needed about a week to do it and now they swim like fish and dive in too. However, Aubrey has had a lot more hesitation about putting her face in the water. But, this weekend she swam from one side of the pool to the other with NO FLOATIES!!!! Yippee. I just gave her some new "Cool" goggles and away she went. Then she said, "Now I can swim across the deep end to the other end of the pool". She did that too!

Here is a video to show you how cool she is in the pool.


Here is a cool picture of her too.

Back to School!

I have had a chance to catch my breath and can now post some pictures of the kid's 1st day of school. Poor Aubrey picked up germs at school and got sick after the 3rd day. She ended up with Bronchitis, a fever for 5 days, a horrible cough, and asthma breathing problems. She finally got to return today after missing more days than she has been at school this year.
Aubrey is in 1st grade, Damian is in 5th grade, and Emmalee is in 7th grade in Middle School here. They are all doing great and we are so proud of them.

Breakfast anyone?

It is officially the Hottest day today in Yuma since we moved here. It is currently 120 degrees at 4PM. It is only slightly cooler at 112 degrees on my backporch in the shade. So we decided to try to fry an egg outside. What else are you going to do in Yuma in the summer-We had already been swimming to keep our brains from sizzling....maybe they did already sizzle and that is why we are trying to fry eggs outside now. Well, here is our proof it is possible!

Before....


After....

"I am stuck on Camping"

We were able to join my siblings and their families and my dad and step mom in the white Mountains for a week of camping at Big Lake. We had a nice relaxing week and here are a few pictures.