The Spencer Lamoreaux Family

Mug Shots!

2010-03-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

No, not really! We are planning a HUGE family vacation this summer and it required that we get all the kids a passport. We are very excited about this trip! I am going to try really hard to keep my blog up to date all the way until we leave so I can post all our fun when we return! Ithought these pics were funny.....these will be on their passport cards for the next 5 years!

Dayson, age 5 aka Bubba: Mysterious, fun, popular

Caleb, age 7 aka Caleb Joe: Thoughtful, observant, sensitive

Emma, age 3 aka Eclaire: Sweet, playful, bossy

Braiden, age 8 aka BraeBrae: Funny, distracted, smart

Abby, age 10 aka long legs: loveable, pretty, definatley a tween!

Christmas 2009

2010-03-21T20:40:00.000-07:00

I have been sooooo bad about pictures ever since I got my iphone. I just use that instead of the real camera. I promise to do better! But, here are a few I actually took from the camera! They got toys, gifts and everyone was happy! Most importantly we were all together!

2010-03-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

Movie outside, fire pit...and SANTA

I have the BEST neighbors anyone could ask for and I dare you to challenge me on that! Jill who lives next to me provided a sweet projector and fire pit and we all watched The Polar Express in our garage. It was a BLAST! Then, Cher, my other next door nieghbor has connections to the REAL SANTA and he made a suprise visit!

It was soooo cool, he just came out of nowhere just waking down our street with a bag of goodies for the kiddos!

2010-03-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving 2009

Dayson and Emma in their project they made at school. Just look at the way she looks at her big brother. She sure loves him and the way he lets her boss him around!

2010-03-21T20:27:00.000-07:00

Abby is 10!!!

We just had lots and lots of girls over for a party and a movie. Abby is loved by all and she sure is lucky to have such a fab group of girls to call her friends! My cousin Erin made her a Volleyball cookie cake. It was sooooo yum! It was the same recipie Nordstroms makes for their cookies. She is the BEST!

2010-03-21T20:21:00.000-07:00

Braiden is 8!

What a special boy I happen to have. He is fun, funny, creative, smart, and athletic. I am so proud that he made this decision to be baptized.

Our family on this special day......

Braiden had his party at Bounce U and had lots of his friends there and had lots of fun!

Ok, seriously, if his friends are acting like this at the age of 8 how bad is it gonna get when they are a bunch of rowdy teenagers!?!?!?! What a funny guy you are Porter Cook!

See what I mean!?

2010-03-21T20:16:00.000-07:00

Halloween 2009
We were lucky enough this year to have my niece Kambire and Derek's boys trick or treating with us this year. The weather was great and we walked all around the neighborhhod. We are so very blessed to live in such an awesome place!

Dayson and Emma's preschool had a Halloween Parade and little program. It was soooo cute. I am not real sure where Dayson's class picture went, but oh well, you get the point.

Skiing Season Passes!!

2010-03-21T19:29:00.000-07:00

Every year we head up to Pinetop and take advantage of those free season passes for kids 12 and under. For us, that means all of our 5 kids can ski for free all season! What a deal! This year we went up with the Foster Family to a cabin they rented and had a blast!!

Left to right: Abby, Sandee, Lilee, Joshua, Alliee, Dayson, Braiden, Emma, Caleb, Nathaniel

We went on a hike with our 5 kids, their 5 kids and us 4 parents. It was so fun.....

Doing what boys do in the woods.....good ol dayson!

Spencer, Dayson, Emma and Me!

Spencer found a lake and the kids had so much fun skipping rocks and throwing boulders to see who could make the biggest splash!

Getting on the ski lift. We only have to bring 2 cans of food and pay for the lift ticket (about $7) and all the kids get free season passes!

Cute Girls!!!!

Cool Boys!!!!!

Catching up!

2009-10-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

Hold your horses!!! Yep, I finally updated my blog! There are many posts so settle in for a nice long blog read. All of our summer fun is posted below!

Happy Birthday Emma! YOU ARE THREE!

2009-10-04T12:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Emma! My cousin Erin made this cake for her! So cute....

Wow! A suitcase! I wonder who would give Emma a suitcase for her birthday?
Nana of course!!!

"See, I am three!"

Thanks for my doll house! I LOVE YOU!!

Wet N Wild

2009-10-04T12:39:00.000-07:00

This was SOOOO TOOOO much fun. We were there from 10 am, opening time to 8pm, closing time! Becky came with us cause Spencer had to work....I just love her!!!

This park had SO MANY rides and slides we just could not get enough!

Summer Sleepovers!

2009-10-04T12:26:00.000-07:00

Every summer I hold the End of the Summer Sleepover. It is 2 chaotic filled nights. One for the boys and one for the girls.

All the boys in the pool......I think I had a total of 17.

Eating dinner....and in the words of Forrest Gump: "Thats all I have to say about that."

All the Girls in the pool....I think I had 18?

Concert held by the girls...they were body surfing!

We also had a farewell party that night for one of Abby;s good friends Ivy, who was moving to Utah.

Dinner.....

They girls learned the Hoe Down Throw Down that night too.

Krakowiak Lake trip!!

2009-10-04T12:10:00.000-07:00

We planned a Krakowiak Lake trip very early in the summer when we had our new boat...but then Spencer sold it, sigh. So, Edwin was so nice to let us use his to still have our fun day at the lake. This first picture is nice...check out the second one!

Can you see the look of FEAR in my sister's face?

Oh Emma you are so trusting.....

Kambrie and Spencer.... do what we all do Kambrie: hang on for dear life!

Dad wakeboarding, what a good sport!

Mom and her favorite things to do.....

My sister wakeboarding.....

Dayson hanging out on the boat!

My kids wakeboarding...yes, they all got up and are doing awesome!

Why must they be like their father????? Clliff jumping is dangerous!!!!

D-Backs!

2009-10-04T12:04:00.000-07:00

My dad got some discount tickets to the D-Backs game so we thought it would be fun to take all the kids! We had lots of fun!

All of us at the game....

My favorite treat at sporting events....Cotton Candy!

We also thought it would be fun to ride the new light rail to the game. We will NEVER do that again! The kids thought it was cool, but it was not cost effective or time effective! We had the experience, done.

4th of July 2009

2009-10-04T11:52:00.000-07:00

We went to Tempe Town Lake for thier fireworks show this year. Normally we try to get away from the heat and go up north but I think I enjoyed this even better!! We joined my family (my sisters, brother, mom and dad). My sisters were nice enough to save us a place, they had to leave several hours early. Something Spencer would NEVER do. Thanks Kama and Kristin!!

Ooooooooh

Ahhhhhhhhhh

Awwwwwww

Dayson and his favorite snack...homemade Rice Krispie Treats!

Water guns and kids....always a great way to cool off!!!

Card games and a picnic!!!

I have truly realized how important it is to spend time with family. I love spending time with them and I am so thankful that I have a great family.

Isn't Arizona Grand?????

2009-10-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

This has become a MUST DO thing in our family summer plans. We spent a few nights at the Arizona Grand Hotel. We had some friends come with us as well. Our kids just love it!

Emma and Coleson.....

Dayson totally loved this basketball hoop!

Caleb going for the DUNK!!!

Funny faces!

Girls on the tube....look at that lady to the left of us....I have no idea who she is, but she seems to be enjoying watching us.....?!?!?

Emma and Dayson at the splash pad

Spencer could not join us the WHOLE time. I guess someone has to work to pay for us to do great fun things like this....I love to catch up on some reading while I am on vacation

My baby! This is her first entire summer that she has been a safe independant swimmer. I cannot belive how fast she has grown up! While we were there she managed to put shock and fear in the hearts of the lifegaurds and other concerned mothers. She swims fine...but would rather her head be under the water than above...so she LOOKS like she is drowing. I actually had another stanger mother come running in after her thinking she was drowining. FUNNY!!!

Wave pool!

This was our hotel room. The last night we were there the adults went to the resturant for dinner. I am so greatful that I have a mature responsible daughter that is willing to babysit the kids while we go out. She is great!!! Look at those great kids....

Lake Powell 2009!!!

2009-10-04T11:01:00.000-07:00

We ALWAYS enjoy this part of our summer! It was especially nice this year because we finally have ALL our kids safe and independant swimmers!! Lake Powell was beautiful this year. We are so thankful to Mom and Dad Lamoreaux for providing such an amazing unique trip to the lake!!!

Emma swimming and with her Papa.....she must be in heaven!!

Off for a jet ski ride......GIRLS ONLY!!!!

This was a little hill (the kids called it a mountain) across the way from where the houseboat was. We decided to take a swim and climb it. So much easier now that ALL the kids can walk on their own!!

Can we make it????

YES!!!!!

Caleb and Abby buried in sand....

5 cute kiddos!!! Cousin David doing Abby's hair???

Tubing!!!! My kids are getting more and more like their dad every day. This summer they wanted to go faster, higher, and scarier!!!

Emma sure LOVED having David around!!!

Yes, that is Abby jumping off with Emma....Braiden and Abby

Dayson.......Braiden and Caleb!

First Day of School 2009!

2009-08-23T17:10:00.000-07:00

They are BUDDIES!!

Emma- 3 year old class Mrs. Allison

Dayson- 4 year old class Mrs. Allison

Yep! I even have these 2 guys in school. I was very blessed to have followed my "gut" as a mother and find this AMAZING pre-school close to my home. Dayson attends Tues, Wed and Thurs 9-11:30 and Emma attends Tues and Thurs 12-2:15. I am NOT an empty nester during the day because they go at different times. I LOVE THAT!! I love that I can have the one on one time with each of them because as my older children have taught me they grow up TOO fast.

Abby- Mrs. Landers-Mann & Mr. Mcartz 4th Grade

Braiden- Ms. Cole 2nd Grade

Caleb- Mrs. Berkshire 1st Grade

I must say, as I have grown as a mother I have become one of "those" moms that is truly confilicted when the arrival of a new school year comes upon us. I LOVE the fun we have in the summer...but I am naturally a bit...ok a lot drained when the summer is over. For me, first grade is the most difficult. My kids ALL do 1/2 day K and so it is no big deal for me to send them....until they hit grade 1. I HATE that my kids dont come home before lunch and spend the rest of the day playing with their friends and hanging out with me. BUT, alas, they must grow up and get and education. Caleb hit 1st grade this year and I was SOOOOO sad! He loves it....and for that I am greatful. My kids have gotten so big this year all riding their bikes together to school and I guess I have grown as well because I actually allow them to go by themselves. They are such good buddies and they truly look out for each other. Here are their pictures that I took that first morning.

Get a LIFE!!!

2009-08-17T09:59:00.000-07:00

So it was been one heck of a BUSY summer. Yes, we had too much fun and the kids have completed their first week of school. Last night my MIL was sweet to have Emma and Dayson stay the night with her. SOOOO, I got the kids off this morning to school and turned around and the house was QUIET! Wow! I was so thrilled that I started cleaning the entire house.......ALONE! (any mom with kids at home know how very helpful they can be). Spencer called soon after and asked me what I was doing with myself all alone. I replied, I am cleaning. I have gotten SO much done! And he said, "whats the matter with you, why are you cleaning?" I said what else do you want me to do? He promptly responded, I dont know, go shopping...get a life?" SIGH......awwww he loves me!

On a side note I am trying desperately to catch up on our eventful summer. I am not the most consistent blogger, but I am determined to get some posts up soon.....stay tuned!

Suprise!!

2009-06-14T20:25:00.000-07:00

Well, after realizing that we love our Christmas puppy princess SOO much, Spencer suprised me with a new puppy. As busy as we can be sometimes, I was feeling bad that Princess was left at home alone, so, this second puppy could keep her company when our life gets CRAZY. His name is Chewbacca. Chewy for short. He is offically Princess' boyfriend and according to our kids they cannot have puppies until they are married.....so keep checking for ceremony pictures to come!! We will be breeding these as they are purebread shihtzu pups. We should have puppies around Christmas time!!!

Kindergarten Promotion

2009-06-14T20:19:00.000-07:00

This is Caleb at his Kindergarten Promotion this year. I cannot say how SOOOO sad I am with the thought of him going to school all day next year. I told Caleb how much I am sad he will be leaving me next year all day and he sweetly stated "I know mom, but that is just the way life is." I replied, "I do not like it". He then told me that he knows if I was to talk to the principal that I would ask her to change it so ALL kids could just do 1/2 day school. Boy....he is right on the money! I just hate it that my kids are growing up so fast.......

Lets Play Music End of the Year Program

2009-06-14T20:14:00.000-07:00

I sure love this program. It teaches the kiddos how to get started on the piano SO young! Here is Caleb preforming some songs with his class of 6 other kids.

Here is Caleb and his class performing the singing part of the program. This is his 2nd year. He has only one more left and then he will graduate to PRIVATE lessons!!This is Braiden performing his singing part of the program. He is SOOOO COOOOL (and he knows it!). He is a 3rd year student and this was his last year in the program. He composed his own song and played it for everyone. He is now in PRIVATE piano lessons.

2009-06-14T20:06:00.000-07:00

Father and Son's Weekend!!

Gotta love camping with the DADDY!!
Dayson looking SOOO cozy warm!

Caleb, Tyson(a friend whos dad was not able to make it, so Spencer took him along too), and Braiden all nice and warm in their sleeping bags!!

All smiles!! Thanks for the RHINO RIDE PAPA! They love it!!!

Owie MOMMY

2009-06-14T19:57:00.000-07:00

Look at our lastest injury. Poor girl......

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T12:03:00.000-07:00

Normally I dont like to post anything without a picture...but my computer has not been really cooperative lately so I cannot get anything off my camera. HOWEVER, I wanted to make a little entry about this day. I really believe that I am the mother that I am because of the GREAT children and GREATER husband that I have. Spencer is so very patient with me and is always so very helpful. I am not the easiest person to live with....and he never seems to mind it! Sometimes I dont think I could even live with me! My children are so wonderful as I continue to learn from them as they learn from me. For Mother's Day this year I asked only for rest, and I got it, along with a wakeboard, and a new boy puppy! Pictures will be coming as soon as I can get my computer to cooperate! I am so thankful for a wonderful family that my Heavenly Father has blessed my with.

Our latest "investment"???

2009-04-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

This is actually more of an investment in making fun memories for our kids while doing something we ALL love! Our first trip out this season, water was too cold to get in but look at all those smiling faces!!

That is one happy man!

Oh, brown eyes.....

Abby CANNOT wait to try out her new wakeboard!

Nothing but smiles!

Did not think I would.....but I do!

2009-04-05T15:41:00.000-07:00

I was a lot nervous about having a puppy around this crazy house, but I have to say...she is the BEST. We all just love her. This is her after her very first haircut. I love her so much we are in the search for a male and are hoping to breed her. She has the greatest personality and is very loving to ANYONE. So instead of being a baby breeder...I may now become a puppy breeder!!

Love this weather and the PARK!!!

2009-04-01T14:22:00.000-07:00

Emma and Coleson!!!

Ok, so I stole these pictures off of Lindsey's blog...(she was the good mom that brought the camera and actually took pictures). These were too cute to pass up! I am so lucky to have a great group of friends that are even better moms that love to party with the kids! Look at all these GREAT kids!

Happy Birthday Caleb Joe!

2009-03-28T09:21:00.001-07:00

I love this picture of Emma looking at her silly brother!

I set out a little treasure hunt for Caleb around the neighborhood. He got clues to the next spot where there was another clue and a present. The last clue sent him back home to get his HUGE present along with a list of the things each member of his family likes about him. He got a gecko as his big gift. He is our animal/insect/reptile boy! He loves to catch these things and take care of them. We just love this 6 year old boy!!

2009-03-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

So this is why we live in good ol AZ. It was a little warm these last few days so we had some pretty tough boys come swim. We have NOT heated our pool yet, so it was pretty chilly water. Tena told the boys whoever stayed in the longest would get $1. Oh the things they will do for a buck. They would not give up and after a while she started feeling bad for them and told them all she would take them to the $1 store to get something....(the store has just opened across the street from our neighborhood and has been a HUGE hit).

After the dollar store offer they all quickly RAN to the tramp to get some sun and warm up!!

Spring Break 2009

2009-03-28T08:58:00.000-07:00

I took the kids to Tucson for a few days to visit my parents. While we were there we went to "Old Tucson". I remembered LOVING it as a kid, but I was not sure how great it would be since some of it was burned down a few years ago. Well, as an adult now I thought it was dusty, dirty and totally lame.....BUT my kids LOVED it!!! So, there ya go! That all that matters!

Braiden with his shotgun driving the car!

Emma and Abby...cute girls!!

Mom and Dayson!!! (I am doing the pedals, but Dayson is driving)

"Billy the Kid" and my kids minus Braiden. You know when you have to pick your battles...Braiden did not want a picture with "Billy".

Cute train ride around the park.

Goin' to school.....

I am pretty sure they did NOT have these in the old west, but Emma sure loved it!

Hey! I will give you $1 if you can catch this!!!!

2009-03-14T23:08:00.000-07:00

Oh Spencer just loves to get the kids all hyped up right before bed...whats up with that???

Anal Fizzures

2009-02-23T07:52:00.001-08:00

I began writing this post with a nice comment about how great these ladies are...but then I remembered what I learned on girls night out....anal fizzures! Thanks Susie for the picture and the VERY informative night!

My first black eye

2009-02-22T17:07:00.000-08:00

After all these years of volleyball, skiing, wakeboarding, and ALL the other crazy things I love to do I haven ever had a black eye until now. It was not any of the above activities that put it there. It was given by playing with my kids! I was playing with Emma and its kinda funny when kids have so much trust in you that they assume you will catch them even when you are not looking. So, Emma's head ended up in my eye socket. This picture is not great....but man it HURT!!

Valentines Day

2009-02-22T16:49:00.000-08:00

I normally do not really care for this day...I think it is just more of a "Hallmark Holiday" (an excuse for stores to advertise "sales" and to get you to buy stuff you dont need....) but this year one of my FAVORITE aunts dropped this by my house. This was SOOOO yummy!! My cousin Erin (who is a pastry chef) and my aunt Connie spend all day baking and this is what they came up with. It looks like a box of chocolates,but it indeed a box of mini cupcakes with mini rolos inside and topped with candy like hearts and chocolate covered marshmallows.....It was SO GOOD. It was just the "pick me up" I needed as I was in the middle of packing to go up north for some skiing that weekend. THANKS ERIN AND CONNIE!!

Another park day...

2009-02-22T16:45:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about living here in AZ is all the fun I am able to give my kids by taking them to the park. This is just another one of those GREAT days.....

Swimming with the turtles??

2009-02-22T15:20:00.000-08:00

So, Caleb heard that Papa had gotten more turtles in his pond and he was DETERMINED to go swimming with them and catch some. After SEVERAL days of persistence I just had to take him over there. Remember it is still February and the water is still a bit chilly. I was curious to see what he would do. He put on his swim trunks, his goggles and grabbed the net. He got in about waist high. I was pretty proud of him for going that far in!!! He was disapointed, however, that he was not able to catch one. Better luck next time buddy!!!

Aruba, Jamacia oooooh I wanna take ya.....

2009-02-10T20:05:00.000-08:00

Ok, well we did not go to Jamacia too, but I really think this song fits our trip well. Spencer and I had a BLAST on our trip. We missed our kids terribly but we also had lots of fun to keep us busy. We were on the Princess Caribbean (I would not go on this cruise line again fyi) and it took us to 5 stops in 7 days. The stops included Aruba, Bonaire, Greneda, Dominica, and St. Thomas. We had only one sea day and it was the first day of our trip. SO, I was able to catch up on A LOT of sleep that day. After about my 3rd nap that day, Spencer walked in our cabin and said (imitating Forrest Gump), "that Caroline...she sleeps alot....". Yeah, needless to say, my kids make me really tired. We were able to go on plenty of adventures: Scuba diving (spencer), Kiteboarding (spencer), Snorkeling (both of us), Massages on the beach (caroline), Hiking to a BEAUTIFUL waterfall in the rainforest (both), shopping (more for me), Moped riding (both), eating eating eating (more me than spencer), and of course much much more. Here are just a few pictures....Waiting at the airport.....

The "Mothership"

Octopus in Aruba (no I did NOT eat it)

Hot Springs in Dominica

Waterfall in the rainforest in Greneda

Snorkeling EVERYWHERE!!!! This was Boniare.

Riding the Moped in St. Thomas

One of my favorite beaches in St. Thomas. GREAT snorkeling!

Kiteboarding in Aruba. Yes, that is Spencer. The instructors told him it would take at least 3 lessons to catch wind and get up...it only took Spencer 1.5 hours. He's a natural! He caught the wind and literally TOOK OFF down the ocean dodging windsurfers in his way. I was beginning to wonder if I was going to see him again.....

Sweet Abby

2009-02-09T15:25:00.001-08:00

We had a special opportunity to be a part of a baptism. Here is a quick version of the story. We have been taking 2 girls who are daughters of good friends of ours, who are not members of our church, to our ward with us. One of the girls turned 8 last month and begun reading the Book of Mormon every day and expressed to her parents that she wanted to be baptized. Spencer and I then got the missonaries over to her home and have been teaching the family. Last Sunday Spencer was able to baptize her. Her whole family was there...tearful and feeling the spirit. We pray that the family will follow in this little girl's example. The REASON I titled this entry "Sweet Abby" is about 20- minutes before leaving for the baptism I found Abby in the office writing on paper. I asked her what she was doing and she said she was writing a letter to Madison (the girl who was being baptized). This is the letter she wrote (all on her own):

Dear Madison, I hope you had fun getting baptized. You are now the cleanest person on earth. I am so happy to hear that you are reading your scriptures everyday. Now if you make a sin you can ask Heavenly Father for forgiveness and that sin will be washed away. If you continue to stay clean and repent of your sins you will go and live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in the Celestial Kingdom. I'll see you in the Celestial Kingdom! Love, Abby.

I was touched by Abby's letter to this girl that I told her she needed to write it in the new Quad Scripture set that we bought for her. I just love this sweet Abby girl and feel very blessed and honored to be her mother.

Happy Birthday Dayson!!

2009-02-05T19:41:00.000-08:00

Dayson's Birthday was last month on the 11th. I have been SOOO busy I have not had time to post the pics but here they are thanks to my SIL Kelly. My camera was not working real well and lucky for me they were here from Colorado to capture this birthday party for me!! Thanks Kelly!!

4 things I LOVE about Dayson:

1. He puts all his clothes on backwards, not because he doesnt know how, but because he doesnt want to spend the extra time to do it right...he wants to go PLAY!!!

2. He is infatuated with "Movie, The Cars" and needs to have one everywhere he goes. He gets sad when he buries them in the sand while we are playing at the park and cannot find them when it is time to go.

3. He loves anything with honey.....he must have his mother's sweet tooth.

4. He is a GREAT big brother and little brother. We were at swim practice last summer and the boys were playing with some other boys. One of them pushed Caleb down and without missing a beat Dayson (smaller of the two) jumped right in and gave that boy a good push back. While we dont condone retaliation, I thought it was sweet he would stick up for his OLDER brother even though those boys were bigger than him.

BLOG UPDATED!!!

2009-01-15T22:15:00.000-08:00

I feel like I have just not had the time to update our blog lately....So, as I am waiting for Abby to come home from going to the Lion King at gammage with Aunt Shelly (thanks SO much Shelly, she LOVED it), and because Spencer is out of town working SO hard for our family...I have found the time to write down our life as it has unfolded the last couple of months. Keep scrolling, there are quire a few new posts!! As the new year begins we are SO greatful for our family, friends and a beautiful place to live. We feel blessed to have the gospel in our lives to guide and direct us as we weave through this crazy, sometimes difficult wonderful life.

Our Family Pictures

2009-01-15T22:12:00.000-08:00

We only do this every few years so I thought I would share....

Our Anniversary! The Big 10!

2009-01-15T21:56:00.000-08:00

ALERT!! LONG POST AHEAD...it is well worth the read!

On January 8th Spencer and I celebrated our 10th anniversary! As far as I knew we were going to go to dinner...so, I was looking a little worn out after a LONG day with my great kids. We went to Brio at the new mall here (its one of my favorites). As we are eating dinner Spencer tells me he need to use the little boys room, (not unusual for him). A few minutes after he returns, the manager comes back and gives me a dozen beautiful roses and a folder. I was quite shocked by the roses alone, but I was FLOORED as I opened the folder and found that Spencer had planned a southern carribean cruise for us leaving in TWO WEEKS!! I was a bit panicked beacuse as a mother of 5 I know full well you cant just up and leave without extensive planning. Then Spencer goes on to tell me he has all the kids worked out! (my friends can keep one heck of a secret!!). As I am busy flipping through the brochure..I catch him getting out of the booth and walking over to me. He then proceeds to get on ONE KNEE!!! I was a little embarrased I have to admit! He then tells me how much he loves me and hopes the next 10 years will be just as good. He THEN hands me a black box! It had the most beautiful ring in it. The ring consists of 5 diamonds (to represent 5 kids) with each of their birthstones in between and his birthstone on the end to even it out! I must say I was very suprised and feel very lucky to have such a great man in my life. I love him so much for the amazing husband and father that he is.

Christmas 2008

2009-01-15T21:20:00.000-08:00

Here they are coming down the stairs...I have to explain a little. We are ALL in our PJ's except of course our little Dayson. He is VERY paticular about getting dressed RIGHT as soon as he gets out of bed. So, that is why he looks a little off dressed in regular clothes....

Below are great pics of them opening a few gifts!

Now this was the BIG suprise... we got #6!! No, not #6 kid, we just added a puppy to our little but big family. Beware....lots of pics with cute kids and "princess" the new addition!

Riding in the Desert

2009-01-15T21:12:00.001-08:00

Well, when there is not enough snow up north this is what we like to do....have some fun in the desert. Spencer and his friend Chris are so nice to give the moms a day off by taking the kids to the desert. The kids have a blast and I am always happy to see them in one piece when they return.

Caleb Joe mastering the 50cc motorcycle

Cute kids on the go cart.

Braiden also mastering the 50cc motorcycle

Ahhhh, brothers spending time in the dirt.....

AHHHH! What is that daddy doing with my girl? I dont think he understands what pain I had to go through to get her here......

Family Pictures

2008-12-11T08:27:00.000-08:00

SO, this is just our second time in almost 10 years of marriage that we have gone through the agony of getting family pictures taken. My good friend Vanessa took them at Edwin and Linda's house. Here is just a few I have gotten back so far. I would highly reccomend Vanessa! She is SO VERY patient and a great artist! Here is the link: http://vanesaruizphotography.com/blog/?p=189

I will post again when all the pictures come back.

Thanksgiving!!!

2008-11-30T19:17:00.001-08:00

My parents were in town for Thanksgiving at our house this year. My mom came with a great little activity for the kids to do . They made turkeys out of pine cones and wrote what they were thankful for on the feathers. They were SO cute and a great idea.

Emma making her turkey...

Caleb making his turkey.....

Abby making her turkey.....

Braiden made one too but he finished too fast I did not have time to get a picture. He is not really our detailed oriented child. Wondering where Dayson was during all this? Scroll down........

Dayson LOVES the Cars Movie. I could not pull him away from to make a turkey. He came down long enough to make a mess with the glue then he shot right back upstairs to watch his movie!

The finished product!!!

Grandma also brought prizes for the kids to pick from after they were done with the turkeys. They were $5 gift certificates to places like DQ and Sonic!!! Thanks grandma!!!

Abby also was able to have MY cousins come spend the night. This is Cameron and Coleen. Yes, they are MY cousins, but they are Abby's age. I guess thats what happens when your mom comes from a family of 10 kids. I have LOTS of great aunts and uncles who have great kids my age and my kids' age. Every time I say these are MY cousins Abby goes "Mom, they are MY cousins TOO!" How blessed we feel to have a great big Conway family!!

Shelley Shelley Conway

2008-11-27T08:10:00.000-08:00

Last night at 6:15 pm my sweet, amazing Aunt Shelley passed away. Although we are devastated as family and miss her so much, we are greatful that her suffering is over. We know she is in a good place surrounded by those who have passed before her. I have gotten a personal testament that she is taken care of by our Heavenly Father. My Uncle Mike has written the sweetest blog update. You can check it out at: http://shelleyshelleyconway.blogspot.com/ This has taught me to be so thankful for the family that I have. I have an amazing family and I cherish everyday that I am given to be with them.

"Mom, you're kinda acting like a teenager" -Abby

2008-11-23T15:41:00.001-08:00

Ok, so my cousins and my aunts were going to the midnight premeire of Twilight. So, I decided I would tag along. I DONT KNOW WHAT I WAS THINKING. I am the "in-the-bed-by-8:30-or-its-been-a-bad-night-kind if a girl. SO, when 8pm rolled around I did not know if I was going to make it. But, with the help of some crazy cousins and aunts, I had a blast! I also have to thank my sweetest husband for staying home that morning and getting the kiddos to school so I could sleep in after my late night. Before I left that night Abby said, "Mom, you are kinda acting like a teenager!".

OH EMMA.....

2008-11-23T15:36:00.000-08:00

I walked into the kitchen today and I found Emma sitting at the table with this. I asked her what she was doing and she said, "Its a Happy Birthday Mom". Notice the pizza on the plate with the straw in it.....I guess you can use your imagination when you are 2 and a straw is just as good as a candle and pizza is just as good as a frosted cake. She is SO funny!

You know we have had a lot of birthdays when you find your 2 year old creating her own birhtday cake and singing "Happy Birthday to you....".

Soccer FUN

2008-11-23T15:33:00.000-08:00

The soccer season is now over! This is Caleb at his last game. I forgot the camera for Braiden's game, but since everyone thinks they look like twins, just imagine the same boy but with a grey uniform on. Great job this season boys!!!!

Abby's Birthday Date

2008-11-23T15:25:00.000-08:00

It was now Abby's turn to go out with us on our date for her birthday. She wanted to go get a pedicure (I took picutes but they did not turn out). Then we went to see the new movie Bolt. It was a great movie! To end the great night we went to Cold Stone for some great ice cream. We sure love that girl and we are SO glad she was sent to us.

Birthday date for Braiden

2008-11-20T09:13:00.001-08:00

This is a tradition in our family that we started years ago. We take the child that hs had a birthday on our next date out with us. It is a great way for our kids to get one on one time with Mom and Dad. OUr kids just love it. They never ask to do anything spectacular, I think they just like the time they get and it doesnt matter what it is. THis time we went to Wal-Mart where Braiden wanted to spend his Birthday money. Then we went to Pizza Hut. The story behind that is that Braiden got a free personal pizza for Book It reading at school. He really wanted to go there, we would have prefered that we go somewhere nicer, but he insisted!!! After that we went to Cold Stone Cremery (his favorite ice cream shop). This is where I remembered I had brought the camera to take pictures....so, here is the one!!

LOVE THIS WEATHER!!!!

2008-11-20T09:05:00.000-08:00

It is SOOOO nice to be outside these days. I also just LOVE having Caleb come home early because he is in 1/2 day Kindergarten. I took the kiddos to the park and I was also lucky enough to have Kyler Bowen come too. That kid is SOOO cute.

Caleb and Emma going down the slide...notice the snot on Emma? Poor child, where is her mother?

Caleb is the nicest boy. Here he is making friends with some other kids at the park. It has been great to see him come into his own without his older brother leading the way.

Emma.........

Here are the 2 buddies. Sharing Oreos and playing on the slides! Life cannot get much better......

Happy Birthday ABBY

2008-11-20T08:54:00.001-08:00

This year was just a family party year for Abby. We had a special Ice Cream Cake and she opened some presents. My cousin Colleen is Abby's age and in her class at school. SO, on the day of Abby's birthday Abby came home from school and told me we HAD to invite Colleen because she was part of the family. I agreed, of course!

I surpised Abby on the day of her Birthday and brought her balloons, which I did not know but Higley District policy disallows balloons in the classroom :(. I also brought cupcakes for her class and then I took her out to lunch. We went to Paradise Bakery at the new mall. After lunch we went to Glitter Box where she got the cutest flip flops. Then, I took her to Dairy Queen to get her favorite Oreo Blizzard. We had a blast and thanks to Cydnie for keeping Dayson and Emma for me!!

Good 'ol Kansas!!

2008-11-09T17:14:00.001-08:00

Well, my SIL had her second baby boy 15 months after her first! So, I figure I have done that a few times and decided to go to Kansas where her and her hubby are so he can go to law school (GO KU!). Anyway we went up for the blessing and I was able to stay a few extra days to help out where I could. My SIL Laura is awesome and would have been fine without me but I enjoyed my time there getting to know these cute boys!! I have to give a shout out of thanks to my GREAT friends that helped me out SO much with my wild ones while I was away: Cydnie, Lindsey, Tena, Kristen, Rachel, Susan, Velvet, Martha, Shannah, Maryanne and my awesome Aunt Connie.

The WHOLE family. Jarom and Kelly made a LONG drive from Colorado to be there. They are troopers to bring their 2 cute boys along too!!

Spencer and I were able to get some alone time before he went back to work that Monday.

The newest addition to the Hill family, Aaron.

This is Laura's 1st boy, David. We went to Wal-Mart where I thought he needed what every boy has...his first lightsaber!! Don't worry David next time you are in AZ my boys can show you EXACTLY what to do with it!!

I was giving David a bath and he has the BEST hair I have ever seen for this style!

HALLOWEEN 2008

2008-11-09T17:00:00.001-08:00

Here are our great little boys....Indiana Jones (Braiden), Ninjia (Caleb), and our very own Superman (Dayson).

And of course our wonderful girls.....Dorothy (Emma), and Sweet Witch (Abby)

The whole bunch-a-cute kids!!!

I think this was one of Spencer's favorite costumes this year. This is actually my cousin Briggs Conway. I don't think my Unlce Mike will mind we used his son but this is a pretty funny looking costume!!

Who are YOU voting for....

2008-10-30T20:47:00.000-07:00

This was too good to pass up! Hopefully it gives everyone another way to look at how to vote this election. Thanks to Carey's blog who got it from someone who got it from someone.

Happy Birthday Braiden

2008-10-30T20:27:00.001-07:00

I cannot believe my little boy is 7! This was his year for a friend party and OH what a party it was!! I borrowed tons of stuff from my aunt Carol and set up a haunted house upstairs. It was great. NONE of the boys made it all the way though the haunted house. I guess it was scarier than I thought it was. OR, maybe it was Spencer dressed in all black running around the house with a chain saw running (blade off of course SAFETY FIRST). Regardless it was a great party and everyone had a blast!

Cake- Thanks Wal Mart (No, I did not make it myself I HAVE 5 KIDS!!)

Our Haunted Diner. Look what is for dinner....yummy!!

All the boys (and cousin Kambrie) Yes, there were about 20 boys there....

PRESENTS!!!

A great big hug fior Kambrie! What a trooper to come be around ALL those boys!

Gotta love a cupcake cake!!!

OH BRAIDEN!!!

2008-10-28T15:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, I hope you can all see what I saw this afternoon at the nurse's office at the school!

I was out running errands with the 3 youngest and I got a call on my cell from the school nurse. Braiden had fallen and hit his head at recess. So, beacuse there was only 45 minutes of school left I thought I would go ahead and pick him up. I did NOT expect to see this! He looked at me and said "It doesnt even hurt mom". What a tough kid!!

Here are some shots from the side......

Gotta love "ECLAIRE"

2008-10-28T15:17:00.000-07:00

I just love this girl!!!!

Pray for the Conway Family

2008-10-12T18:40:00.000-07:00

As some of you may heard, my Aunt Shelley, (who is also in my ward) has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. She is hoping to start chemo sometime this week. She is an amazing mother of 8 children ranging from 23-8. There has been a blog created to keep updated on her status at http://shelleyshelleyconway.blogspot.com/. We love her and her family and we ask that you join us in praying for her and the doctors caring for her at this time.

CABIN!!!

2008-10-12T18:30:00.000-07:00

The same day we got home from Disneyland we took off for the cabin to be sure we got our kids the annual ski pass. While we were excited to get into some cooler weather, I dont think we expected it to be FREEZING!!

Emma in what daddy said "What is she wearing?"
She LOVES the swing!! Thanks Papa!
Caleb going on the zip line
Thanks to the tough Foster girls for pulling him back up!!
Lance getting a workout!

Dayson getting ready for take off!!

HOLD ON TIGHT DAYSON!!

I should have more pics but while the kids were zipping Marci and I were too busy chatting!!

DISNEYLAND

2008-10-12T18:09:00.000-07:00

I kept telling myself that we were going to take it easy during fall break this year. BUT, then I got talked into going to Disneyland by a friend of mine. Thanks for the peer pressure TENA!!! Spencer was not able to take the time off work (I guess he has a limit on vacation or something like that :).) So, I left Emma with my cousin to babysit while Spencer was at work and took off with the oldest 4 A-D. We missed daddy but sure had fun!!

Caleb not really wanting his picture taken and oooh that Dayson is SO cute!!

Autotopia!! This was one of Dayson's favorite rides. Some say I was NUTS to take my kids to Disneyland without Spencer, BUT I did have amazing friends with me to help! Thanks Tena and Jen and their husbands!!

Our picture from Splash Mountain. I was determined to keep my eyes open. Both parks were decorated for the season. California Adventure's As were candy corns! "L" for Lamoreaux of course and "C" for Caleb!!

What 3 year old does not like carousels? This is all these cute kids right before we went into "A Bugs Life" show!

Everyday is special!

2008-09-28T19:58:00.001-07:00

Yes, it is still hot out here, but it is nothing that a little water and fun brothers can't cure!

Braiden is so silly.......look at his face! Where does he come up with this?

Emma does like girly dress up, but has no problem going along with the boys when needed.....COME SAVE HER ABBY!!!!! We love having Kyler and Coleson here to play with us!

Getting these boys to bed is always fun! They truly love sharing a room together. I dont think I will ever seperate them. Hearing them talk to each other for a good 30 minutes as they fall asleep is PRECIOUS!

Fun at AMAZING JAKES!!!

2008-09-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

I just love this picture! It melts my heart to see these little ones sharing fun memories with each other!

This roller coaster moves a lot faster than it looks like it does! Look at Caleb in the far right pic....HOLD ON TIGHT!!!

We were lucky to have Ashley come with us so we did not lose any kids! However, Abby snached her up and we did not see enough of them to get a picture!

We just can't get enough of the lake!!!

2008-09-28T19:32:00.000-07:00

The kiddos just loved feeding these ducks and especially the "BIG mommy one" as Dayson was saying! We were so lucky to have the cute Minnie Wilcox come with us this trip!

I cannot seem to get enough of these pictures of my little kids WAKEBOARDING!! It is so awesome and they have made a VERY proud daddy in Spencer.

This picture was the highlight of this trip. The AMAZING Minnie was able to get up on her FIRST TRY! WOW! We were all so proud. She definately has the Wilcox in her!!

Emma loves being in charge of the flag...of course!!

Our baby is already 2!

2008-09-28T19:24:00.001-07:00

I cannot believe that my baby is already 2! It was too much to handle when she potty trained herself at 22 months old, but now she is actually a toddler. It makes me sad to think we are out of the baby stage once and for all, however, I SO look forward to the great times ahead! We all sure do love her TONS!!

It was SO nice to have a small, no stress party that was all about the little "Eclaire". She LOVED all the attention!

Dayson the Wakesurfer

2008-09-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

We went to the lake recently and I was proud of all my kids for getting back up on the wakeboard! But, I must say it was a blast wakesurfing with my little buddy Dayson. Here's a picture of him on the wakesurf board with his Dad. He was yelling "woo-hoo" almost the whole time! And, when we finally crashed he held on to the handle a bit longer than I expected and made me nervous. But, he came up and had a smile on his face after a good "wipeout". It's times like these I don't want them to grow up.

Our Trip to Costa Rica

2008-08-31T19:11:00.000-07:00

This picture is kinda funny. The last friday we were there it happened to be Mother's Day for the "Tico's" (thats what you call the Costa Rican people). Boy, they sure do love their Mothers!! Every place was decorated red and white and I got this balloon after dinner that night. My hair drenched because we got caught in a HUGE rainstorm that would put the storms here to shame. However that kind of storm is common here in the country. We were shopping in an outdoor mall without an umbrella. The power kept going out,so we just had to make a run for it!!
Spencer and I were able to go to Costa Rica together without any of our kiddos. Spencer was actually going for work, and he bought me a ticket out there to meet him. Even though at first I resisted leaving the kids, I am SO glad I went. Costa Rica is a beautiful place with super nice people. We had a blast!!

This is the first hotel we stayed at. It is close to San Jose and close to the site where Spencer was training. It is the Marriott San Jose. It is an awesome resort...very Americanized.

CROCS!!! These are the meanest, nastiest looking things. After we left San Jose to head to a beach town called Herredia. These Nasty things were just off the main Highway underneath a bridge. They were all at least 6ft long.

This is us about to join a canopy tour. That is just fancy talk for HUGE zip lines through the jungle. The middle picture is a bridge in the middle of the jungle that gets you from one zip line to another. The last picture is me on top of a platform on top of a HUGE tree!

Gotta have some action pics!! We are looking a little sweaty but it was well worth it!!

Spencer as he is heading out to catch some waves......me, catching up on some good reading and yes, I am in my whale pants!! Spencer likes to make fun, but hey I wear whats comfy these days!!

This is the next hotel that we stayed in. It is the resort Los Suenos. It is just beautiful and the resturaunts were unbelieveable.

This is me getting a massage on the beach...$50/90min, you can't beat that anywhere!! Then of course I had to try the boogie boarding now that the waves were a little tamer. We are in a new city now called Manuel Antonio. It is truly the jungle. We stayed at a little bungalo about 200 yards from the ocean, it was not much to speak of as far as lodging goes, thus no pictures! BUT, the surroundings were GREAT! There were monkeys, and huge lizards everywhere. The last pic is me in a resturaunt that is literally in the jungle, all outdoors nestled in a tree.

While we were in Manuel Antonio we were able to go river rafting. They say the best time to go is when the sun is shining and the water is brown. That means that it is has just rained and there is great fast water to ride. These were 3+ rapids so they were pretty good for first timers. This was a BLAST. I could consider taking it up as a hobby...oh yeah I live in AZ, not a good place for lots of rain! Anyway, it was really a lot of fun!

First Day of School

2008-08-10T22:03:00.000-07:00

This summer we had a blast, and now school must begin. I was ready for the summer to end, however it is bittersweet knowing that my kids will be spending more time away from home, which is were I like them to be. It is SO hard to send them away...mostly because I know every time I do, they are growing up and getting older.

Abby, 3rd grade, Ms. Garcia's class. Abby is SO lucky to have so many people from our ward in her class. BUT on the flip side she desperatly misses Madison, who she had classes with the last 3 years!! They have managed to meet everyday at lunch and hang out!

Braiden, 1st grade, Mrs. Berkshire's class. Braiden is also SO lucky to have many kids from our ward in his class. It was SO hard for me to see my little guy growing up and going to ALL DAY school now. Packing a lunch for him still feels so weird.

Caleb, Kindergarten, Ms. Nicholas' class. I am so excieted for Caleb to be in K!! He is such a sweet boy, and even though I will miss him at home...he is only in 1/2 day so I don't miss him too long. I look forward to all the great friends he will meet. We just love his teacher also. She is SO wonderful. I look forward to 11:00 am when I get to go pick him up and bring him home!

All three of our Coronado Coyote Clan!!

Oh, yes! You guessed it! Our little Dayson is in school too. He is in his first year of preschool and boy was he excieted to get started. He had all his great friends in his class and the structure is great for him (and for me too)! He has been looking forward to this day since last year. We would drop off Caleb he would bring his backpack too hoping that someday it would be his turn too!!

End of the Summer Sleepover: Boy Night

2008-08-10T21:55:00.000-07:00

The next night was the boys' turn to have their sleepover. We had about 12 boys hangin' out with us. They swam, had pizza, made pillowcases (our theme for these guys was a "pillow fight"), played video games and watched lots of "Tom and Jerry". We also just love being around such a great group of boys!!

There are Caleb's friends busy making pillowcases. I have found that this did not take half as long as it took the girls. I think boys just have more of a "get it done" additude. Boys will be boys!

Here are Braiden's friends making their pillowcases. These guys took a little more time, but were still a bit more interested in other things.

Time to shut off "Tom and Jerry" and hit the sack!!

End of the Summer Sleepover: Girls Night!!!

2008-08-10T21:43:00.000-07:00

This was our 2nd annual End of the Summer Sleepover. We had about 11 girls oever and we just had SO much fun. Our theme this year included a little Mylie Cyrus' "Old Blue Jeans"!! We feel so lucky to be surrounded by such great girls!!

All the girls busy being SO VERY CREATIVE!!!

The finished product! It was so great to see the girls spending so much time creating their own style. Girls are definately more fashion concious than boys..........

It's not a party without a lot of karaoke!!

Good Night.....don't let thoughts of "The Haunting Hour" movie scare you! Thanks to the Wilcox family for the great movies!!

Lake Powell 2008

2008-07-27T22:40:00.000-07:00

This was by far our best trip to Lake Powell out of the 9 years we have been going. Our kids are older and not so much work! (It does happen!). Check out just a glipse of our great fun!

Caleb caught the very first fish. It was a blue gill! According to Papa, it is the best tasting.

Way to go Caleb!!

Abby bet Becky $1 that she could catch a fish in 2 minutes. Guess what? Becky owes Abby some money!! Good job Abby!!!

Our sweet Emma going fishing with Papa first thing in the morning!

Oh the Water Weenie! No weenies here!

Mother and Son making a sand castle!

Hanging out with DAD

Look at these brave kiddos going tubing!!

"Bye mom!!" All mom could think is "please come back in one piece"!

This was by far the highlight of the trip. Abby, Braiden, and Caleb all learned how to wakeboard behind the boat. We are SO proud. See the below pics for more.........

Look at Abby go!

Go Braiden!!!!

Here goes Cowboy Caleb!

Of course the best wakeboarder we know! Note: the helmet is not a fashion statement. We are trying to protect the brain of our sweet daddy. He gets a little crazy out there at times!!

I was so happy to NOT be pregnant so I could let loose a little. I caught some air on this jump, but we won't metion how I landed it.....

WAKESURFING

This is a new thing that is popular to do behind the boat. As you get going you let go of the rope and just surf the boat's wake.

Caleb surfing with dad

Braiden surfing with dad

The Arizona Grand Resort!!

2008-07-27T22:23:00.001-07:00

We were able to make a quick getaway to the Arizona Grand Resort this summer. It was so nice to get away and play! They had these CRAZY water slides, a lazy river, wave pool, not to mention a hotel and a maid everyday! That is my kind of living!! Spencer, Caroline, Abby, Braiden, and Caleb all went on the slides. The lazy river was a hit for little kiddos, as well as the wave pool. Check out Emma's "huh" look and Caleb's supermodel look. You can bet you will see that in the next GQ magazine. Our sweet Dayson holding the Hotel key!

We were able to spend this getaway with some of our great friends. One night we went to dinner at a place that had a bull right as you walk in the front door... YUM!!!

A beautiful day in Pinetop

2008-07-27T22:11:00.000-07:00

The 7 Lamoreauxs

Look at the refreshing creek!!!
Dad giving Braiden some tips...look close Papa is giving Abby and Caleb a few tips as well!
No, still no fish!!
"Eclaire"
Brrrrrr! It's cold!

Havin' a grand 'ol time!!!

No, this is not the newest addition to our family, but a cute calf we saw while on our drive!

We had an awesome picnic at a beautiful creek near the ski slopes at Sunrise. We tried to fish, but did not catch anything!

FIREWORKS in Show Low!!!

2008-07-27T22:07:00.000-07:00

We went to the stake center parking lot and waited for the fireworks to start. We were entertained by card games and candy. We were missing Emma....fireworks start way past her bedtime, so Nana offered to watch her. From what we heard Emma put on quite a show fo singing and dancing instead of sleeping. Thanks to Nana for taking care of her so we could enjoy a great light display!

The garden Snake!!

2008-07-27T22:05:00.000-07:00

Abby ran inside the cabin with her heart thumping! She told me that she was out back playing and heard a rustling in the leaves and saw a snake. I was sure it was a squirrel and told her to go catch the snake. So, her and her aunt ashley went out and came back with this......

4th of July at the Cabin!!

2008-07-27T21:47:00.000-07:00

Summertime at the cabin is simply beauttiful. We feel so thankful that we are able to come up here and enjoy one another. We feel even more greatful to PAPA and the zip line he built from the back patio to the forest out back! SO MUCH FUN!!

Emma getting a little push from Papa
Dayson just LOVED it!
Crazy Cowboy Caleb
We finally pulled Braiden away from the xbox for a little outdoor fun!
Weeeeeeeee!

Our kids have just loved having their cousin David here for the summer! We miss him already!

Dayson a little jealous of the attention

2008-07-27T21:44:00.000-07:00

Spencer was a little freaked out by the actions of his very BOY son, but we all get a little jealous at times. This was quickly rectified by making sure Dayson understood that "undies" are cooler than "panties"!

We are outta diapers!!!

2008-07-27T21:38:00.000-07:00

For the first time in 8 years we are finally DONE with diapers! Our sweet little Emma decided that it was time to be potty trained even though she is not even 2 yet. Here are some pics of that great day! I must admit however it was a little bittersweet knowing I will no longer have any more babies.

The Real Deal

2008-06-29T15:57:00.000-07:00

You may notice one common theme in all these pictures...that's my sweetheart and the 'MOM' that binds us all together. She doesn't know I'm writing this and would probably not want me to comment on how great she is. But, she runs full throttle all day long to the point of exhaustion just to keep this family going. I appreciate her more than words can say. Her only 'relief' is a bowl of ice cream (usually cookie dough or rocky road), a soft bed, and a Tivo from 9-10 pm each night after the kids are asleep. Here's a rare picture of her in her element! Somehow she gets up the next day and does it all over again. I love you honey! (And yes, I'll go downstairs and get you another snack.)

Swimmers take your mark......BEEP!

2008-06-28T16:56:00.000-07:00

Here are our great swimmers on swim team this year. We are so very proud of them all!!

Oh the summer............

2008-06-25T18:11:00.000-07:00

We are so happy to have all of our kids home ALL DAY for the summer. We are keeping busy! Abby, Braiden, and Caleb are on swim team. Even though it is a big commitment to get up and practice each morning, they are loving it and they are doing very well. Abby just finished up Volleyball camp over at Gilbert HS. She loved it so much! If everything goes as planned she will be a much better vball player than her mother. Braiden and Caleb will be attending basketball camp at Coronado soon. Braiden, however, doesnt think he needs to go because, "Mom, I already know how to play basketball!". Dayson and Emma are busy tring to figure out which of them is the boss of mom, the baby boy of the house or the baby girl of the house. So far Emma is winning. Spencer is keeping extremely busy with work, both at Intel and with our side business Agis Consulting. His calling in Young Mens is also keeping him busy. I am also trying to slide in some fun of my own this summer. I just got back from Girls Camp! It was 3 days of goodness and ZERO sleep. Yes, I did miss my snack and bed at 8:30pm. BUT I feel so lucky to have been around such an amazing group of Young Women. Keep checking back with this post, I will have more pics coming soon....................

Fun in the sun at ROCKY POINT MEXICO!!

2008-06-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

"We Are Family!!! I got my all my 5 kids, wife and me...."

We had a blast staying at Las Palomas this summer. The pool was great, not to mention the beach and warm ocean water. Our crazy Braiden again proved to be just like his daddy and went flailing about in the ocean regardless of the stingray warnings that we repeatedly gave him. We had one great day of strong winds and big waves so Spencer and the kids took the boogie boards out into the ocean. Abby and Caleb were awesome boogie boarders. On our last day there we stopped by the aquarium and met Arthur the Sea Lion. The kids loved that however some of the kids loved him better from a distance!! Our ride home was a little less fun however! We were about 2-3 minutes behind a horrible car accident on the I-8. It unfortuantely took a life. We were stuck on the highway for about 5 hours. The kids were SO good and patient. We were so PROUD. To top it all off, Abby got stung by a nasty bee on her hand and in the coming days we found out that she is horribly allergic as our friend and great doctor Derek DeTemple explained to us....when the hand doubles in size that is not a good thing!

Women's Conference 2008

2008-05-11T20:35:00.000-07:00

I was able to get together with the girls again this year and attend another wonderful women's conference at BYU. We had the priviledge of hearing from our beloved prophet, President Monson. It was sooo much fun even though there was NO sleep to be had! This posting is the G rated version of our trip. There are plenty more incriminating pictures so if anyone needs a good blackmail....contact me! (we've got you trapped Velvet...you better not ever move anywhere else!!!) We suprised Velvet with a little dinner in honor of the Bride to Be at a mexican resturaunt that Jen DeTemple was able to get for us. They were able to accomidate all 36 of us in one great room! Thanks Jen! Yes, we were also very miserable as it snowed on us while we were in SLC. Yet, I refused to remove my beloved flip flops for some more appropriate Utah wear. What can I say....I am a true Arizona girl.

Braiden's last Project in Kindergarten

2008-05-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

We are so proud of our smart boy! He has had a great year of kindergarten and has made LOTS of new friends. Here he is presenting his shark report to his class. GOOD JOB BUDDY!!

Abby's 8th Birthday

2008-05-10T11:05:00.000-07:00

We celebrated her birthday with all her great friends!!

Halloween 2007

2008-05-10T10:55:00.000-07:00

Emma, as the ladybug. Dayson, as Peter Pan. Caleb, as the Black Spiderman. Braiden, as a transformer. And Abby as Hannah Montana of course!

Christmas 2007

2008-05-10T10:49:00.000-07:00

Here we are at Christmas minus one of course. (Spencer was taking the picture)

Fall at the cabin

2008-05-10T10:45:00.000-07:00

We love to go to the cabin. Here are some of our friends joining us this time. By the way, October is a great time to ride the ski lift and get free season passes for the kids! (right Foster family?!?)

We love to go skiing!!

2008-05-10T10:32:00.000-07:00

This is the kiddos at the cabin this past winter! Abby, Braiden and Caleb are now independant skiiers! We are so proud!

Abby's special day!

2008-05-10T09:42:00.000-07:00

Abby was baptized in November of 2007. It was so great to have our family and friends with us. Abby was baptized by her father. Abby's papa also gave a fabulous talk on the keys of the priesthood and the holy ghost. He was able to give her a special family heirloom as a tradition in the Lamoreaux Family.