The Carattini Chronicles

Happy Birthday, Nick!

2011-02-11T06:51:00.001-08:00

Today is Nick's 4th birthday. He's such a sweet boy. I just love his little face...................

Happy Birthday, Nick!

Lego Nativity

2010-12-23T14:15:00.000-08:00

This is Bryn's Lego Nativity. I love it - so cute and kind of funny. That tall blue thing with the clear and yellow blocks is the new star.

Here's a close-up of Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, and the three wise men.

Not-So-Nice Santa

2010-12-23T12:28:00.001-08:00

We took the kids to the mall today to visit Santa. We tried going to a different mall the other day and it was CRAZY busy, so we decided to go to the mall we usually go to. It's not the nicest mall, but it's close, the line to see Santa is always short, and the girls behind the camera always let us take our own pictures.

When we got there, we noticed that the poster with the photo prices had a note on the bottom saying (paraphrasing), "We kindly ask that you don't use your cameras in Santa's court so that we can continue to bring Santa to the mall every year." Okay, no problem, we'll just take pictures from the gate - zoom in a little and it will be perfect.

Well, when it was our turn, I started taking pictures of Nick & Santa. Nick was looking my way, so no problem...........

Bryn went up and started talking to Santa. As you can see, she wasn't facing me, so I yelled out to Dave to position her in a way where we could get a good shot. That's when Santa noticed me outside of the gate. He told Dave that we were not suppose to use our camera. Dave explained that I was outside of the gate, like the sign said, and that we just wanted one shot of Bryn with him. He said he would not pose and would not look my way.

That's fine; we understand that they're trying to make a living. We only wanted the one picture of Nick anyway :-) Here we are stealing some more shots outside of the gate......

Merry Christmas from the Carattinis!

Yummiest bread!

2010-11-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

A woman I used to work with would make this bread from time to time and bring it in to share. SO STINKIN' GOOD! The last time I tried to make it, I really messed it up. I needed something to take to bookclub and this seemed perfect. We were discussing "Mockingjay" the third book in the Hunger Games Series. So, since Peeta was a baker and Katniss was known for her long braided hair...............

Look at those layers of butter!!!!!!!!!!

Yum.

Halloween

2010-11-05T11:34:00.000-07:00

"Mom, if you take one more picture of me I'll beat you with a banana!"

Mission Accomplished!

2010-11-05T11:29:00.001-07:00

My desk has been a dumping ground for years. I couldn't take it anymore! I hated how it looked and I hated using my computer with all those piles of junk in my way. So......................

Before

In between

After!

I'm loving it! I just wish Dave would come in and organize those wires under the desk. I'll add that to his "honey do" list.

Halloween Fun

2010-10-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

I LOVE Halloween! The house has been decorated with all my Halloween goodies since Sept. 1st. I'll be sad to take them down, but happy for Thanksgiving decor :-) I'll post pictures of the kiddos in their costumes later, but for now I thought I'd post what we made at my last Stamper's Night Out. I love these halloween stamps & paper........so cute!

Nancy is the fun mom

2010-09-13T21:10:00.000-07:00

Bryn has asked me SEVERAL times if she can have a facebook page. I always say no. I think she's too young. Plus, we don't need another person wasting time in this house :-) Nancy, however, is the fun mom and let Andrew have a page on facebook. I was actually glad because I could say to Bryn, "See honey, Andrew is older than you. You need to wait a few years." And it worked. She hasn't asked since.

Nancy has found some really cute photos for his page. I stole them..........

I love the look on her face and the phone number on the helmet.

Look what I found

2010-09-08T09:52:00.001-07:00

I was going through some files on my computer when I found this picture that my nephew took with the camera on my laptop. I didn't even know he and Nick had been playing with it. It's such a cute picture. Alex is such a sweet cousin!

Fun times this summer!

2010-09-07T16:15:00.001-07:00

This past July, my sisters came down to visit us and brought some of their kids. Nancy wanted to have pictures of her boys taken so we decided to have pictures of all the kids that were here. They really turned out cute and it was so fun watching them together. At one point, the camera man asked Taylor to sit on Andrew's lap. Taylor wasn't sure if she wanted to do that and Andrew just said, "What do you want for Christmas, little girl!".

More Funny Bryn

2010-05-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

Last night Bryn and I were being silly and joking around. At one point she said, "Mom, you don't have a brain. Instead you have a rat running on a rusty wheel..........Oh! and the wheel is squeaky." She cracks me up!

Teacher Appreciation

2010-05-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

Teacher Appreciation week was last week and Bryn has a wonderful teacher. Bryn will have a hard time saying goodbye to Mrs. Silva next week. I made her a "Flower Pot" box full of treats and cupcakes for the school's staff (along with other parents). I was so scared to put her in public school down here, but I'm really grateful for her school. It's a great place!

Visitors

2010-05-12T12:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, while Bryn was eating breakfast, she stared saying "duck, duck, duck". I asked what the heck she was talking about and she pointed out the window...........

You should have heard all the cute little quacking noises they made. It was adorable!

Getting bigger!

2010-04-02T08:17:00.000-07:00

The other day, Nick climbed up onto the piano, put on the head phones, turned it on and started playing. He knows what buttons to push for music, different sounds, or to just play piano. I made me realize how big he's getting. Plus I thought it was really cute!

The poor kid did a face-plant on the cement a few weeks ago while we were taking a walk. That's why he looks like Hitler.

Phoenix Children's Museum

2010-03-30T19:10:00.000-07:00

Dave took a day off work a couple weeks ago and we took the kids to the Phoenix Children's Museum. It was really fun. As you can see from the pictures below, they had a great time. We will definitely be getting a pass for the hot summer months.

Stamp Club

2010-03-18T18:46:00.000-07:00

I LOVE being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator. It is so much fun getting together with friends and making cute things. Dave doesn't get it, but he knows it makes me happy and is very supportive.

Here's what we made at Charilla's party on Tuesday:

LOVE IT!

Funny Bryn

2010-02-22T17:41:00.001-08:00

The other day, Bryn and I were talking about something she couldn't remember and she said "Mom, I have short turn memory lost!"

Today she was looking at the DVDs, trying to decide what to watch after school. She asked if she could watch Pepper Spray. I'm thinking "what the heck is she talking about" and then it hits me. "Oh! Do you mean Hairspray?" I say. "Ya, that's the one." That really struck me as funny! Dave hates that movie and I'm sure he'd say he'd rather be sprayed with pepper spray than watch that movie. :-)

Rain in AZ

2010-02-20T12:29:00.000-08:00

We woke up to rain this morning. We LOVE this cool, wet weather and hope it will stick around for a few days. We know it's going to be VERY HOT soon and want more time to "soak" it up before the heat comes.

I took this picture last month during one our Winter storms (I use that term loosely) Bryn loves it when she can use her umbrella. Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain!

Blame it on facebook

2010-02-18T08:46:00.000-08:00

I love this blog and had a really great time with it when I first started blogging, but I think facebook is the reason it has been neglected. I like how I can get on facebook and see what's going on with everyone at the click of a button. I also love how easy it is to upload movies and pictures. So, I guess once I've uploaded something to facebook I feel like everyone's seen it. Well, everyone except Shilo :-) That being said, I wish facebook was more like a journal. I wish I could gather all that info and put it in a book like I could with this blog. Has anyone figured out how to do that yet?

Well, in the meantime I'm going to try (again) to do better. I really like going back and looking through what I've blogged in the past and I know if i don't keep blogging there won't be anything to look back on.

Happy Birthday, Vic!

2010-01-03T15:42:00.000-08:00

Vicky's birthday was yesterday. Hippo Birdies Two Eves! So, just for fun I found a few funny pictures to share :-)

Dave and Vicky in the 1960s (I'm sure Nancy will know what year it was).

And speaking of Nancy, here she is with Vicky in the 1970s. Nancy is the one that looks like a deer in headlights.

Way behind!

2010-01-03T15:25:00.000-08:00

Yes, the holidays are now over. I think today is one of the first days in about a month that I haven't had something going on. Well, I did have church this morning, but we now meet at 8:00 am, so I was home by 11:15. So, I've decided to catch up on the blog.

The last "real" post was about Allison's wedding, so I'll take it from there. Bryn had school pictures in October. For the first time ever I bought the CD package. I was just expecting one picture on a disk. I did get just one picture of her, but it came in so many different ways! It is so cool. We are definitely doing that again. Here are some examples:

She thought this would be a great shirt to wear since it's a "cute girl color". I love that smile!

I know, I know,

2009-12-04T09:40:00.000-08:00

I've overdone it with the holiday boxes. But I had a great excuse for making them this time. Bryn's teacher loved the mummy and turkey boxes I gave her so she asked me to come into class this month and teach the kids how to make a Rudolph box. She does this whole thing with reindeers and thought it would be fun for the kids to bring these home as Christmas gifts for their parents. Of course, I said yes! Here's what I came up with.

I promise this is it.........for a while.

Stamper's Night Out 2

2009-11-17T07:35:00.000-08:00

Time to post something new, so here's a plug for my upcoming Stamper's Night Out 2. This Friday night @6:30 in the conference room at Dave's office.

Here are the cute things we'll be making:

There's still room. Send me a message if you'd like to join us......julie@carattini.net

A dip and a kiss

2009-10-28T09:48:00.000-07:00

Allison got married!

2009-10-28T09:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, my niece Allison got married over fall break to Zach Zavoral. It was a wonderful wedding and reception. Here they are coming out of the Idaho Falls Temple..........

I LOVE how Zach twirled her around so everyone could see her dress. He actually dipped her and gave her a big kiss when they first came out of the temple. I have a little video clip of that....I'll try to post that later.

This is a picture of the Bride & Groom with all of her cousins. I hate that Nick has a binky in this picture, but it was either that or a screamin' fit. I'd rather have the binky!

Dave and I at the reception..........after a LONG two days of travel for Dave. He was in New Hampshire for business, then delayed in D.C. where he had to spend the night without his suitcase, then off to Denver where the plane had trouble with the landing gear and had to turn around and go back to Denver, and then FINALLY to Idaho Falls where he was very late & missed the wedding. But that's okay, because he was safe! And he did get to attend the reception.

Nick had it! He was so sleepy and we let him sleep on the floor during the reception. It was a great day!

Frank & Mummy

2009-10-26T10:44:00.000-07:00

I've had lots going on in my life recently. I need to post pictures from my niece's wedding & pictures of my kid's costumes for Halloween. One thing that I've been having TONS of fun with are these Frank & Mummy boxes filled with treats. I made 26 of them with my sister and nieces in Utah, I had some friends & customers over last week where we made about 30 of them, made 10 on Friday night with Debra, and spent a few hours yesterday using up the last of my green and ivory cardstock to make 12 more. I love these things! I'm just sad that Halloween will be here next week and I won't need to make anymore. I guess it's time to come up with a Santa box?

What a cluts!

2009-09-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

I was working on a card for a "Mini Catalog" swap with my fellow demonstrators, when I accidently dropped my pumpkin pie ink pad on my chest! I was a little freaked out.....not sure if the ink would come out. I IMMEDIATELY put it on the wash and it came out stain-free! Yeah! Stampin' Up ink is wonderful!!

And here's how the card turned out. I made 40 of these guys.......glad that's over with!

Ladies Night @ Cactus Chiropractic

2009-09-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

Gather up the girls and head on out to Ladies Night!

When: Thursday, September 24th 2009 (This Thursday!!)

Where: Cactus Chiropractic Clinic Time: 5pm - 8:30pm
Place: 8426 W. Peoria Ave. Peoria, AZ 85345

The Ladies Night Vendors will include:

Creative Memories
Gold Canyon Candles
Mary Kay Cosmetics

Pampered Chef

Premier Jewelry
Stampin' Up <--That's ME!!

To Jameson With Love (Amy Dozier)

AND a licensed aesthetician doing eyebrow & lip waxing
for a SUPER AFFORDABLE price!!

So ditch the dudes! Come try it, buy it, and eat some snacks!

Ladies Night - you can't go wrong :)

I'm melting and it's not from the heat

2009-09-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

As always, Nick and I dropped Bryn off at school today. Before she could get out of the car, Nick said, "Bye bye Binny, I yuv ooo!" It just made my heart melt! I'm so glad my kids love each other :-)

My Birthday!

2009-09-14T13:07:00.001-07:00

September 3rd was my birthday. This year, my sisters and Dave bought me a plane ticket to Utah so I could be there for my niece's bridal shower on the 5th. (side note: Allison is getting married on Oct. 10th!) My nieces didn't know I was coming. Vicky picked me up at the airport, took me to dinner, and then dropped me off at her house. She went in through the garage and I went to the front door and rang the bell. Hayley answered the door and just looked at me a second and then yelled, "Juuuuuuuuulllllllllllllllllllllliiiieeeeeeeeeeee!" Holly came running in and gave me a big hug. We all went down stairs to find Allison and Janelle where I was met with more hugs. It was so fun! Nancy and Vicky bought me a cake from Mrs. Backer's bakery in SLC - yummy! It was definitely one of the best birthday gifts ever....3 1/2 days in Utah with my sisters & nieces and NO dirty diapers!

Top row: Janelle, Allison, Vicky, Holly. Bottom row: Hayley, Julie, Nancy. Behind the camera: Todd.

Have a seat!

2009-08-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

We recently went into Build-a-Bear to look around. Nick walked right over to the Hello Kitty chairs (made for the stuffed animals) and plopped himself down. I thought it was funny and luckily had my camera on me.

Girls Night Out in July

2009-08-21T14:05:00.001-07:00

Here's another flashback to when Hayley and Holly were visiting. After bowling we went to Red Robin for some yummy food and girl talk. It got a little weird, so I pulled out the camera :-)

We miss you guys!!!!!!!

Recipe Blog

2009-08-19T21:25:00.000-07:00

I've been talking a lot with friends lately about how boring meal time has become. I've tried a few new recipes and shared a few as well...and it's help bring some excitement to my dinner table. When an old roommate asked me for a recipe on facebook I thought it would be fun to have a place where we could share all these recipes we've been talking about. So, here it is! I hope we all enjoy this and I hope I find some great recipes. If you want to add one, just email it to me at julie@carattini.net.

Don't be shy...........send those emails!

Bowling

2009-08-12T17:40:00.001-07:00

Here's another flashback to when my nieces where visiting. We had a "Girls Night" at the bowling alley where Bryn kicked our butts! She was very good!

Bryn and Holly

Hayley

Go Brynie, GO!

HOLLYWOOD!!!

Bryn got the highest score!

Jealous?

It's hard to see, but Bryn is at the top (Brynie PPH) with a score of 123, next was Hayley (Lee Lee) with 122, third was me (Jewray) with 110, and last was Holly (Hollywood) with 80.

Hey!

2009-08-11T07:38:00.001-07:00

Hey Vicky, Janelle, and Hayley! You guys promised you'd leave comments if I updated my blog.......I'm waiting! :-)

My trip home from Utah

2009-08-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

So after visiting my sister in Utah and my sister in Nevada, I headed home for Arizona with two of Vicky's girls (Hayley & Holly) and Nancy's oldest son (Alex). On the way home we stopped in St. George to buy Bryn a dress at the outlet mall. Alex and Hayley found a pink tutu at Gymboree and put it on Nick. Unfortunately, he really liked it. And even though I hated the fact he liked it, it was really funny and I did take a few pictures.

That night we stopped in Vegas to spend the night. We went to M&M world and Coca Cola world like we always do. I would love to meet my sisters and their kids in Vegas sometime and spend more than one evening there. They are great kids!

Monkeys on my bed

2009-08-05T19:49:00.000-07:00

I have a 2nd grader!

2009-08-05T13:20:00.001-07:00

Bryn started her first day of 2nd grade on Monday. We switched schools this year and I was very nervous for her, but she did great and is really enjoying it. After I uploaded this picture, I realized that I always take her picture of the first day of school by the front door....except for last year. I really wished now that I had done it by the front door because it's so fun to see how she's changed and grown. I'll be sure to do it like that from now on.

First day of 2nd grade!

First day of 1st grade.

First day of Kindergarten.

First day of her 2nd year in pre-school.

First day of her 1st year in pre-school.

Trip to Elko

2009-08-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

During our trip to Utah, we drove over to Elko, Nevada to visit my sister, Nancy. She and her family moved to Elko last summer and Bryn was dying to see where Andrew lives. I took Vicky, Hayley, and Holly with me and the kids. We spent two days there and Bryn LOVED it! We played games, ate some yummy Mexican food, saw "The Proposal" (which was hilarious!), went swimming in the Elko pool, and as you can see from the picture below, Bryn and Andrew played with Legos every other minute of our visit. I thought I had a few pictures of them playing with the Legos, but this was the only photo on my camera with Legos in it. They must be on Bryn's disposable camera.

The weather there was SO NICE! The night we came out of the movie it was about 70 degrees with a cool breeze. Pure heaven!

Don't you just love how she tucked in her shirt that day?!?!

They have an extra bedroom where they've put a tv and the video games. Nick loved the "love sack".

You can see a mini fridge in the background. Nancy's a cool mom!

This is a picture of Andrew that Nancy had on the wall. If you know me well, you know I love pumpkins. I almost stuck this in my suitcase, but then decided to just take a picture of it. SO CUTE!

An afternoon at Cheryl's house

2009-08-03T09:53:00.000-07:00

While in Utah, we had the opportunity to visit with friends that live in our ward and some friends that use to live in our ward. It was lots of fun! We saw the Andersons, Gibsons, Williams, and Baggiores. Cheryl has a creek behind her house and the kids LOVED it. My niece, Hayley, and Nephew, Alex, offered to watch Nick for me if I bought them a cheesecake. Um, let me think.....Sure! I'm not stupid :-) So, it was a quiet afternoon for me and I was able to relax and chat with friends.

Mason, Nick, Tyler, Austin, Bryn, Riley, Sadie, and Braden.

Thanks for a great BBQ, Cheryl!

4th of July!

2009-07-31T22:05:00.001-07:00

I know, I know....this post is almost a month late, but Dave did remind me that it is still July. So, it could be worse :-) Anyway, we went to Utah for the 4th. My brother-in-law's niece (that just reminded me of a scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off) lives behind the stadium at BYU and she invited us all over to watch the fireworks. The Jonas brothers were performing and although we couldn't see them, we did hear them. It was lots of fun. We ate licorice, laughed, sang along, Dave crashed a Luau and brought back some yummy eats. Vicky pulled out the glow sticks after it got dark and just before it rained. Luckily, the rain only lasted a few minutes. It was great. The Lowders know how to party!

HapPY bIRthDay, aMerIcA!!

Dave and Bryn.....Todd is lounging in the background.

Ya, glow sticks!!

Holly, Janelle, and Janelle's roommate, Malissa.

Hayley and Janelle's nasty foot.

Hayley, forcing Nick to love her. Nick, wanting to get away.

Hollywood!

Todd B. Lowder, Party Animal.

Zach and Allison.....getting married Oct. 10th!!

Nick and Hayley playing football. Nick looks like an Aussie in that cute little hat. I love it!

Malissa, Hayley, and Janelle.

All the girls (and Nick).

Curse You, Holly Lowder!

2009-07-28T18:54:00.000-07:00

I'm a man, I'm strong, I'm cute!

2009-07-21T21:23:00.000-07:00

We all went to Island's for dinner tonight. While waiting for our food, Hayley, Holly, and Bryn got Nick to repeat, "I'm a man, I'm strong, I'm cute!" They were also doing the silly little hand motions. It was so funny! Dave caught it all on his new iPhone.

Nick in the Tub

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

While visiting in Utah, Hayley gave Nick a bath! He amused himself with the frogs that are along the bottom of the tub. He would count to three, throw the frog against the wall, then say, "That is awesome!" So cute!! Hayley got out her phone to document the cuteness of it!! Thanks Hayley, you are the best!

P.S: Corndog!!

Grandma's Fake Fruit

2009-07-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

For as long as I can remember, my Grandmother has had the same basket of fake fruit on her kitchen table. I was in Utah for the 4th of July and stopped by to see her. Nick spotted the fruit on her table and immediately dived in.

He LOVED the grapes. He kept rubbing them on his face. It was hilarious!

This is my Grandma Beryl. She's my mother's mom. Still cracking us up at 92 years old.

Back to Bloggin'

2009-07-19T21:24:00.000-07:00

I recently took a trip to Utah and then onto Elko, and on the way home my computer crashed. That was a week ago and Dave just yesterday got everything running again so I'm ready to blog about my trip. While in Utah, my nieces and sister expressed (very often) how frustrated they are that I don't update my blog very much anymore. I'm glad they've enjoyed it and I have promised to update it more often. I'll try to get it done before logging onto facebook :-)

(Janelle & Vicky: If I'm going to update it, you better leave comments!!)

Cha-Cha-Cha Chia!

2009-07-08T23:58:00.001-07:00

New Background

2009-07-08T23:32:00.001-07:00

So, my nieces have been giving me a hard time about not updating my blog. I've been a little obsessed with facebook and have neglected Carattini Chronicles. I promise I will post lots of fun pictures when I get home and can download pictures from my trip to Utah/Elko. In the meantime, Hayley picked out this new background. I didn't like it at first, but it's growing on me. Unfortunately, she picked up on my password in the process. If there are any weird posts in the near future, you'll all know why. KEEP OUT, HAYLEY!!

I just realized that I have a picture of Hayley and her sisters (Allison, Janelle, and Holly). This was taken a few weeks ago at Bear World in Rigby, Idaho. Too funny!

Largest bear to smallest bear - Allison, Janelle, Hayley, Holly.

Updated!

2009-07-05T20:00:00.001-07:00

There you go, Janelle. I've updated my blog :-)

Dead Fly

2009-05-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

There was a dead fly in my bathtub this morning. Like always, Nick was roaming around while I got myself ready. He noticed the fly and wanted to climb in the tub, but I stopped him.....I hate it when kids play with dead bugs! So instead of playing with it, he leaned over the tub and started talking to it. Can you guess what he said? He said "meow".

Meow!

2009-05-05T14:48:00.001-07:00

Nick has known for a while now that dogs say "ruff" and cats say "meow", but I think it's time I really start to focus on how a cow says "moo" and a duck says "quack" and so on. I think he's starting to believe that all animals (other than dogs) say "meow". He was holding a stuffed penguin in the car on Saturday and he kept saying.......you guessed it, "meow". This morning he brought me one of Bryn's monkeys and once again started meowing. He cracks me up!

Here are some cute pictures I've taken of him in the past few weeks..........

Bryn dressed him up this way; he's her little Ken doll.

Watching the Three Stooges with Daddy.....we have a tv, I don't know why they were watching it on a computer.

Dave put the shirt on his head like this and Nick loved it!

Chillin' in the stroller.

Mom's Birthday

2009-05-01T07:28:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, May 2nd, is my mother's birthday. She would have been 68 years old. Here are some great pictures of her......

This is her graduation picture. I think it was taken sometime around 1958 or 1959.

I'm going to guess 1969 on this one. Hey Nancy, are you there? Am I right?

I am a little biased, but she was the best mom!

Easter Sunday

2009-04-15T16:27:00.001-07:00

Not much happened here on Easter Sunday. The Easter bunny came and left us all some yummy treats. The kids put on their new Easter outfits. And Dave almost broke his neck getting out of the shower. Nick was playing in the bathroom while Dave was showering. He left a few toys on the floor and Dave didn't see them when getting out to dry off. Don't worry, he's fine now....just a little sore. Here are a few shots of the kiddos in their new outfits.

Thanks Easter Bunny!

Great weekend with my sisters

2009-04-15T16:00:00.001-07:00

I was just wondering if there's anyone out there who hasn't already seen these pictures on facebook? I guess maybe Shilo. Yes, Shilo, it's time to enter the world of facebook :-)

Anyway, the first weekend in April I met my sisters in Vegas for a few days of kid-free fun. It was WONDERFUL! I drove up on Thursday afternoon. It was so nice driving alone, listening to movies on my laptop and drinking a nice big coke! We stayed at The Orleans. It's not on the strip, but it's a great place. I will definitely stay there again. It has a movie theater, bowling alley, 10 restaurants, pool, gym, and of course, a casino :-) The room was big and the bathroom was very nice. I know it's weird to mention that, but there's nothing worse than a gross bathroom to ruin your stay.

Yes, we spent a little time in the casino. I didn't win anything, but I think Vicky went home

with a nice chunk of change. I didn't really enjoy this game....just needed a picture for my Trekie. Nancy and Vicky had never been to the Cheesecake Factory before so I, of course, had to take them there. Yummy! They loved it and we went back for some more before the weekend was over.
We went to the temple, watched movies, stayed up late, slept in late, visited M&M World and Coke World, ate junk, and laughed our butts off! It was great. Can't wait for next year!

Finally!

2009-03-31T20:55:00.000-07:00

I have tried from time to time to upload these clips from our snow day in Flagstaff in January. Today, I finally figured out what I was doing wrong and now they're here for you to see. Yippee!

Tae Kwon Do

2009-03-29T21:22:00.001-07:00

Since our favorite gymnastics teacher moved to Utah, Bryn decided she wanted to try something new. So, last week we signed her up for Tae Kwon Do. She has absolutely LOVED it. I think she feels like a Jedi in training :-) She's always exhausted when we pick her up and still wants to go back for more. We're hoping that's a good sign and she'll stick with it for a long time. And I even sewed those patches on myself (which Dave just said is "frickin' amazing").

Confused History?

2009-03-28T21:47:00.000-07:00

Bryn and her classmates were asked to draw a picture of Martin Luther King, Jr. to hang on the walls of the classroom. I don't know about you, but I think Bryn's picture looks more like Hitler!

I hope none of the late Dr. King's family follow this blog!

Flashback Friday: Multnomah Falls

2009-03-20T22:53:00.001-07:00

This is a little silly, but I saw a commercial today announcing the release of the Twilight movie on DVD. It got me thinking of Multnomah Falls in Oregon. If you've seen the movie, you probably saw the falls and the Columbia River Gorge. It's such a beautiful place! I looked through my pictures and found one of me and Jodi there in June of 2000. We don't look too great because we were traveling, but the falls look wonderful......like it always does.

Poor Guy!

2009-03-13T11:54:00.000-07:00

Bryn, Nick, and I recently went in for our yearly check-ups. I guess here in Arizona all 2 year olds are suppose to have blood drawn and tested for lead levels. I'd never heard of this before, but that's okay it sounds like a good idea. So today, Dave and I took Nick in to have the blood drawn. Dave held him on his lap and wrapped one arm around his shoulder to secure him. I held his free arm down and a tech (not really sure what they're called, so that's what I'm going to call them) held the arm down that was about to get poked. Then a second tech started the whole process of drawing the blood. Nick, of course, was not happy to begin with because we were all holding him down and then became more upset once he was poked with the needle. None of us thought to restrain his feet, but I'm sure those techs will think of it the next time a 2 year old comes in to have blood drawn, because Nick kicked tech #2 in his tender spot after he poked Nick with the needle. At that point, I held his feet down so he wouldn't do it again. The poor tech had a really hard time concentrating after that. But he stuck in there and got the job done. I half expected him to collapse after he was done.....maybe he did when we left the room. I told him he needed the rest of the day off. Poor guy! We're thinking of sending him a box of See's Candies Nuts & Chews.

Flashback Friday: 1974

2009-03-13T10:03:00.001-07:00

I haven't done one of these in a few weeks.....I blame Facebook :-) I love this picture because of the beautiful flowers in my grandmother's backyard. Honestly, I don't know if she was responsible for that or if it was my grandfather or even my Aunt Julie that lived with them, but they always had beautiful flowers in the yard. Doesn't Steve look like Nick?

Left to right: Steve, Nancy, Vicky, and Me!

Drew and Kellie

2009-02-28T08:14:00.001-08:00

The whole reason for going to Utah was to attend my cousin, Kellie's, wedding. She married Drew last Friday at the Maddox (yummiest wedding I've ever been too!). It was beautiful and she was beautiful. I'm so glad we went. It was so nice to be there for her, but also to see the rest of the family as well.

Drew and Kellie

Uncle Bruce walking her down the isle.

That's me and Dave, of course :-)

Me and my blisters.....I mean sisters. Left to right: me, Nancy, and Vicky.

Kellie's wedding part 2

2009-02-27T13:40:00.000-08:00

Kellie wanted a picture of her and her nieces and nephews. It was hilarious! They were not in the mood to cooperate.

Me and Mrs. Sandoval.

Cards with the Lowders

2009-02-27T12:54:00.000-08:00

While in Utah, we learned a new game called Nines. We loved it. I think that's the only game we played the whole time we where there. I could sit at their table and play games for a week straight. I love to talk and laugh with everyone....it's so much fun! THEY are so much fun! I know it's strange, but I love the picture of Nancy showing off her Olivia Newton John shirt.....and don't mess with Hayley and the laser beams coming out of her eyes (she'll take you down!)

Fun in the Utah Snow

2009-02-26T13:52:00.001-08:00

A Visit with the Gibsons

2009-02-26T13:26:00.001-08:00

On President's day, we went up to Farmington to see the Gibsons. They were off of school so Bryn got to play with them for a little bit while Cheryl and I talked. We miss them!

Bryn LOVED all the snow they had in their yard. This is Ben throwing a snowball at her.

She threw one right back!

Nick's 2nd Birthday

2009-02-26T13:07:00.000-08:00

The cake says "Happy Birthday, Bubby!" That's a little nick name he's picked up.

It has now been 2 weeks since Nick turned 2 and my sister reminded me that a good mother would have posted pictures or a video about it by now. Well, I have no excuse. I just didn't do it. So here it is. He was pretty much oblivious to what was going on around him, but the rest of us had a good time :-)

Pay It Forward

2009-02-24T10:58:00.000-08:00

My friend Amy posted this game on her blog and I'm going to play along. Here's how it goes.....

The first three people to comment on this post get a prize from me. It might be stamps, something crafty, or a fun treat, but you will receive a package in the mail from me very soon. HERE'S THE CATCH: You must be willing to "pay it forward" yourself. You will also need to send a treat to three people who comment on your blog.

Hungry Hippos!

2009-02-09T20:32:00.000-08:00

Our Trip to the Aquarium

2009-01-30T21:54:00.000-08:00

Dave is a member of a local Rotary club and they were offering discount tickets to the local aquarium.....I can't remember it's name. It's near Northern and the 303. Anyway, we don't usually turn down discount tickets :-), so we went out there last week and had a really good time. It was sad, however; that each time we'd see a different type of fish or sea life we say, "Hey, that's like Mrs. Puff from Spongebob!" or "Hey, that's like Dori from Finding Nemo!" I'm glad Bryn and Nick finally had the opportunity to see these creatures in real life and not on a television.

Random Pictures

2009-01-30T21:45:00.000-08:00

Just some random pictures from our week. Bryn at the Aquarium and getting ready to go on a hike in the White Tanks Mountains. Nick running around outside of Dave's new office and wandering around the house with his Einstein's Submarine. The fun never ends.

Flashback Friday: Bryn @ 8 months

2009-01-30T21:41:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine was over today with her 8 month old daughter, and I started thinking that I couldn't remember what Bryn was like at that age. So, I found two pictures of her that were taken at Super Target when she was 8 months old. She was a good baby!

Bryn cracks me up!

2009-01-24T20:49:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went to dinner at the Outback. We love this restaurant! Bryn ordered her favorite, Mac & Cheese with a Dr. Pepper (actually it's Mr. Pibb....she doesn't know that). When she was done eating she said, "Wow! There's a party in my stomach."

Later, Dave took Nick out to walk around while I waited for the bill. Bryn wanted to join him and I told her I wanted her to stay and keep my company. She said, "You have the Holy Ghost with you, so you won't be TOTALLY alone." We laughed so hard! She's a great kid.

Flashback Friday: My Dad, Galen Grossarth

2009-01-23T08:05:00.000-08:00

Today is my dad's birthday. He was born in 1937, so he would have been 72 today. Wow, that seems so old! He was only 67 when he died, which seemed so young to me. It's funny how numbers change your perspective.

This is my dad with his pet goat. Which is funny to me for two reasons. One, if you knew my dad, you know how he didn't like stinky animals and I'm sure this goat was a stinkin' mess! Two, my sister Nancy is loving known as "Nanny Goat." I wonder if my dad started calling her that. I'll have to ask my siblings.

This is my dad with his parents and siblings. My dad is the oldest and standing between his mom and dad. If you live in my ward and know Vern, that's him at the bottom with his tongue out. Uncle Ron is on the left and Aunt Gloria is on the right. This must have been before Uncle Nathan was born.

This is my dad in high school. He loved basketball. Especially when my sister Nancy was the star player on the Beaverton High Girls Varsity basketball team. You should have heard him scream and cheer at those games.

This is another picture of dad with his mom & dad and siblings. I think it was taken in 1985, but not sure. The top row from left to right is Ron, Vern, Gloria, and Nathan. The bottom row from left to right is my dad, Grandma Grossarth, and Grandpa Grossarth.

I like this last picture because this is how I remember my dad. He worked for CF (Consolidated Freightways) and always had one of these hats in back of his car and would occasionally wear them on his blad head to protect it from the sun, which is ironic because he had skin cancer later in life. This was taken at Disneyland in the late 80s. I remember it was a special trip for Jodi because it was here first time at the happiest place on earth. Good times!

My dad and I didn't always see eye to eye. In fact, there were days I wanted to strangle him. But he was a good grandpa to Bryn. I've learned that I have a lot of his personality, so I'm understanding him more now that I'm older and have kids that drive me crazy :-)

Funny Website

2009-01-21T14:53:00.001-08:00

My friend, Shilo, put the funniest thing on her blog today. It's a website about professional cakes gone bad. It's so funny! Here is a sampling of what you'll find:

Check it out....http://www.cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

HILARIOUS!

Fun time in Flagstaff

2009-01-15T07:47:00.001-08:00

Over the Christmas break, we took the kids up to Flagstaff to play in the snow. We had a great time in the cool air, surrounded by large beautiful trees.

Nick didn't want his gloves on so he could touch the snow, but his hands became so cold that he started to cry. We warmed him up and put his gloves back on. After that, he didn't mind wearing the gloves :-)

Christmas 2008

2009-01-06T16:18:00.000-08:00

I know, Christmas was 13 days ago. I'm just catching up after being a lazy bum during the Christmas break. What's sad, is that I didn't even take that many pictures on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. I have some little movie clips of us opening presents, but I'm in most of those and they WILL NEVER be posted. It was early, I hadn't showered, and my pajamas were questionable. So, this is what I've got........

We spend Christmas Eve with my brother, Dave, and his family. This is Dave's daughter, Taylor, with Bryn playing on the computer.

This is Dave's other daughter, Lindsey, and her husband, Shane.

After we got home that night, we peeled some carrots for the reindeer and put out cookies and water for Santa. Yummy!

This is Bryn on Christmas morning with her (and her brother's) new glitter bouncy ball. She loved them! (thanks Lowder cousins!)

Last is Dave in his new jammies. I'll do better and take more pictures next year.

Flashback Friday: Me and Vicky

2009-01-02T20:38:00.000-08:00

Today is my sister's birthday. Happy Birthday, Vicky! So, here's a picture of her holding me in Aloha, Oregon WAY back in 1974. I think it was Easter Sunday, but not sure. (Hey, Rainman! Can you help me out here?) All I know is that I look like Nicholas in a dress. I still have those booties, which my great grandmother made. Love the hair, Vic!

Queen of Scum!

2008-12-31T21:59:00.000-08:00

I love to play Scum. I think it's one of the best card games around. We recently taught Mike and Larri how to play. I love having friends to play this game with!

We went over to their house this evening for pizza, games, and a little New Year cheer. We took Apples to Apples and Parcheesi, but Mike wanted to play Scum. All I could say way, "Yes! Bring it on!" Well, those probably were not my exact words, but I was saying it on the inside. It was great! We played for approx. 3 hours. Once again, it was great! I never made it to scum and I was only slime once. We laughed a lot and Mike only swore a couple of times :-)

Okay Millers, keep practicing and we'll be back for more later!

hApPY neW YeAR!!

Blast from the Past

2008-12-29T18:02:00.000-08:00

This post is mostly for my brother and sisters. I was helping my friend, Cheryl, clean her house a few weeks ago. She is moving to Utah, she actually left today (I'm going to miss you, Cheryl!).

Anyway, while we were cleaning she brought out this vacuum. I couldn't believe it. It was like I was back on Roan Ct. in Beaverton. This is the EXACT same vacuum my parent's owned. The funniest thing about these pictures.....when I was uploading them to my computer, Dave came over and said, "Hey! That's the same vacuum we had when I was a kid!" I guess Kirby's were popular back in the 70s. Good times!

Flashback Friday (a day late): August 1988

2008-12-27T11:47:00.000-08:00

My friend, Jennifer (Carlson) Randolf, just added this to her blog. It's a picture of us in 1988. She had moved to Ohio after living in Beaverton for five years. She was able to come back to visit me and some other friends. We were 15 years old. This was taken out front of my house in Beaverton. Look at how GREEN that grass is! My dad was OCD about the yard, so I wasn't surprised to see that.

I had won tickets to see Dana Carvy (that SNL comedian-the Church Chat Lady) from a local radio station. So, luckily Jennifer was able to come with me. That's why we were all dressed up. I even had earrings on! I remember seeing him in concert, but I don't remember why we felt like we had to get all dressed up?

Thanks for the great memory, Jen!

2008-12-24T21:15:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and a

Happy New Year!

from the

Carattini Family

Dave, Julie, Bryn, and Nick

Steve's Birthday

2008-12-21T13:01:00.000-08:00

Today is my older brother's birthday. He would have been 38 today. I found a couple of cute pictures of him. The first picture was taken at our house in Aloha, Oregon, but I'm not sure what year it was. I'm sure my sister Nancy (aka Rainman) would know. Speaking of Nancy, that's her in the second picture. That was taken at our house in Beaverton, Oregon. Hey Rainman, what year was that? The last picture I know was taken at my brother Dave's wedding in 1995. I thought he was a handsome guy!

Dave turns 40!!

2008-12-20T21:49:00.000-08:00

Wow! I can't believe I'm married to a 40 year old man.

We had a babysitter over tonight to watch the kids while we went out to dinner. She's about 13 and when I told her that Dave turned 40 today she said, "My dad is only 38." All of the sudden I couldn't believe that this girls dad was younger than my husband!

The first picture was taken back in 1995. We weren't even dating at that point. He was 26. The second was taken earlier this year. Not too bad for an old man, huh?

Happy Birthday, Dave!

Flashback Friday: The kids approx. 1 year old

2008-12-19T06:55:00.000-08:00

Since Christmas is just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to show pictures of Bryn and Nick when they were approx. 1 year old at Christmas time.

December 2002. We were living in Layton, Utah. I love those curls on the back of her head!

December 2007. Here in Avondale just last year.....Nick loved pulling the ornaments off the tree. He still does. We'll see if that changes next year. Love the rosy red cheeks!

Happy Holidays!

Visit with Santa

2008-12-14T20:09:00.001-08:00

We went up to the Arrowhead mall to visit Santa this year. We waited in line for over and hour! Well, I waited while Dave and the kids walked around the mall. They found a wii Experience center where you can play all kinds of wii games. We could have spent the whole day there. It was lots of fun. And, of course, we had a Wetzel's Pretzel before leaving.

This is the first picture I took and the only one where Nick would look at the camera. He wasn't too afraid, I think he just wanted to get down and run around.

Here he is trying to escape. Notice the smile on his face....what's up with that?

Bryn told Santa she wanted a bouncy ball and a Star Wars board game. Dave told her she should have asked Santa for the really expensive stuff so we wouldn't have to buy it :-)

Santa tried to pound knuckles with Nick. It took him a few moments, but he finally gave in and gave the jolly old man some love. Of course, I couldn't take the picture fast enough, but this

was close enough.

Christmas Party

2008-12-14T20:03:00.000-08:00

Our ward always has a Christmas breakfast to celebrate the season. This year, along with all the wonderful food, they had this cute painted board where we could have our pictures taken.

What's wrong with this picture? That's not my Frosty The Snow Man. That's Benjamin Taylor....didn't even know he was there.

That's better. Thanks to Larri for chasing Nick down and shoving his face in the hole!

Flashback Friday: December 2003

2008-12-12T08:05:00.001-08:00

In December of 2003, Dave, Bryn, and I were living in Syracuse, Utah. We had a LOT of snow that Christmas. Bryn loved it. We had a snow blower, but it wasn't working well. Dave would go out almost every day and shovel snow. One evening, our neighbor brought over his 4-wheeler that had a plow hooked up to the front. He had our drive way clear in just a few minutes....it was really nice.

Bryn loved to wear this hat and the gloves even if we were in the house.

This is Dave shoveling our huge driveway. That's my sister, Nancy pulling in behind him.

This is our house with the lights up. I loved that house!

Holiday Humor

2008-12-10T15:26:00.000-08:00

Christmas Trick

2008-12-09T09:14:00.000-08:00

Charilla emailed this to me today. Pretty good trick!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday, Holly!

2008-12-08T14:32:00.000-08:00

Today is my niece's birthday. She is 10 years old! Bryn loves her, as we all do, and wanted to put some pictures of her on our blog. She picked her favorite pictures from our time with her this past summer.

Holly is always so nice to Bryn. She always includes her, even though she's 3 years younger than her. And she always helps her and shows her new things. She is also a HUGE help with Nick. She babysat him a lot this summer and never complained about it. (not to me anyway :-) Notice anything different between the large & small pictures? She got her hair cut while we were visiting. She's so cute!

I really love this picture of them in the car on our trip home to Arizona. She always makes Bryn laugh. She's a great kid and we miss her so much. When are you guys moving to Arizona?

Service Swap

2008-12-08T13:21:00.000-08:00

My ward's Relief Society (my church) recently had a service swap. It was such a great idea. I wasn't able to attend, but my friend Brenda swapped for me so I could still give service to someone. How it worked is that you think of some kind of service you could give; whether it be babysitting, dinner, decorated birthday cake, what ever you are willing to do for someone else. At the meeting, everyone wrote what their service was on an index card. They then played that game, you know, the white elephant game.....you can pick a service out of the basket or steal what someone else picked. Brenda said it was really fun.

My service was 20 handmade Christmas cards. I had actually sent Brenda with a card that looked like the ones in the pictures. Maylene ended up with mine, but only after stealing it from someone else. I wish I could have been there, it sounds like they had a fun time. Anyway, I finally finished them. I hope she likes them. It was fun making them.

By the way, I "won" free babysitting. Can't wait to take advantage of that one!

Late Flashback Friday: Todd & Vicky

2008-12-06T20:37:00.001-08:00

Honestly, I don't remember what year this was. Probably around 1992. I know this picture was taken in Tracy, CA at my grandparent's house. All I can say is.....love the mustache, Todd!!

left to right - Allison, Vicky, Todd, Janelle

Mesa Temple Christmas Lights

2008-12-06T20:13:00.000-08:00

Each year the Mesa LDS Temple covers their beautifully landscaped grounds with Christmas lights. This is the second year we've taken the drive to the east side to see the lights. Of course, we stopped at Taco Time for dinner ahead of time.

Pictures don't do these lights justice, so I'll just show you pictures of us while we were enjoying the sights.

Merry Christmas!

Cinnamon Rolls

2008-12-04T08:21:00.000-08:00

My Friend, Jennifer, asked how I made those cinnamon rolls I mentioned in my Thanksgiving post. They were very yummy, so here's how I did it......

First, you need the dough. Click on this recipe link and you'll find the Pesty Rolls recipe. After that dough rises, you'll need half of it. Roll that half into a large rectangle. Don't make it too thick, roll it to about a 1/4 of an inch thick. Then spread butter all over it. I used about 3/4 of a stick of butter. Then sprinkle cinnamon, sugar, and brown sugar all over it. Don't be stingy, get lots of brown sugar on there! You then roll it up the long way so you have a long skinny roll and not a short fat roll. Cut it into 3/4 to 1 inch slices. I put mine on parchment paper and covered with plastic wrap. Let rise until double in size. Bake at 375 for about 12 mins. One time we put frosting on them while they were warm and they were soooooo good. Another time I let them cool completely before I frosted them and they were just as good that way. Here's my frosting recipe:

Cinnamon Roll Frosting

1 stick of butter (real butter)

2 C powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp milk

Mix until smooth. If you like a frosting that isn't this thick, just add milk until it's the consistency you like.

Movie Review: Twilight

2008-12-01T08:27:00.000-08:00

This weekend, I saw Twilight. I went with some friends who wanted to see it. I didn't really have any desire to see it since I haven't read the books, although my nieces told me I should. They love the books. Before seeing it, I went online to view the trailer. I was very excited to see the Columbia River Gorge and other beautiful scenes from the Pacific Northwest. I knew that the book was about teenagers and vampires, so after seeing the preview I had a better idea of what the movie was about and it looked interesting to me. So off I went to see this movie that people were going CRAZY over and I have to admit I loved it! It was a little slow at the beginning, but the second half was great. I even think Dave might like it.

The friends I saw it with said it wasn't as good as the book. So I've decided to never read a book again until I see the movie first, that way I'll never be disappointed again :-) I've also decided that I want to read these books, so I've added them to my Christmas list.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T08:07:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving this year. My brother and his family came out from Buckeye and our friends Jeff & Deborah joined us too. Jeff fried a turkey. It was wonderful! We're now thinking about buying a turkey fryer. My brother said he'd go in on it with us and then we could share custody of it.

I had some dough in the freezer from my friend's roll recipe, so I pulled it out the night before and made cinnamon rolls with it. They were awesome! The only problem is that now Dave thinks we should have cinnamon rolls for breakfast every year for Thanksgiving.....like I'm not busy enough on that day already? If I had known ahead of time how crazy that morning was going to be, I would have left the dough in the freezer.

After dinner, we played with the wii and then later enjoyed pumpkin, apple, and cherry pie. Well, I didn't really enjoy the apple pie....I made that one myself and I didn't add enough sugar, so it wasn't very good. Lesson of the day; add more sugar to apple pie next year.

Bryn turns 7!

2008-11-26T15:44:00.000-08:00

Bryn's 7th birthday was on Monday. She helped me pick out one picture from each year of her life, but we didn't have one of her when she was 7 (she didn't want the cute one I took last week because she was still 6). So I have finally uploaded one of her taken on Monday when she was officially 7.

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Monday, November 24, 2008!

She got a wii and picked out a new friend at Build-a-Bear. It was a great day!

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T12:14:00.000-08:00

Good Friends

2008-11-21T21:05:00.000-08:00

Last night some friends of mine got together to say goodbye to our friend, Jen. She and her family are moving to Utah this weekend. We will miss her! We've had other friends leave us in the past and some others who are leaving soon. It's always sad to see them go, but I'm so grateful to have always been blessed with such great friends. Even in my youth I had good friends who never led me astray and I'm so thankful for that. I only pray that my children are also blessed with wonderful friends who stand for truth and righteousness.

Forgiving makes us happy?

2008-11-20T15:09:00.001-08:00

Bryn colored this picture at church on Sunday. She brought it home laid it on the counter and I didn't even notice until later that evening that the girl in the middle doesn't look too happy. I guess forgiving makes MOST of us happy.