The Adventures of DCSJA

Our Little Dancer + Family Fun

2011-05-23T00:07:00.000-07:00

Posted By Cari

We enrolled Lexi in a dance class this year, and she has had so much fun "tap-tapping" around the house after every class. It was finally her "recital day" this past Saturday and she was so excited. She's one of the youngest ones in the class, and has only been going since January (most of the girls started in September). But she still did a great job and had lots of fun. Here are some videos (filmed by Sam) and some pics.

Funny story: as Lexi was watching this video later, during the part where Sam says, "Do your tap-taps, Lexi" - she said (talking back to Sam's voice on the video), "I am doing my heel-togethers!"

Having a girl is a whole new experience!

***

Later that evening we came back to the same place that hosted the recital (the Rockin R Ranch) for more fun.
The boys got to shoot a real antique "colt .45" (with wax ammo) and were very proud of themselves.

Lexi wished she had gotten "to shoot a gun too, because she had a hat."

The boys also tried their hand with a lasso, and we met up with some friends. Check out the difference of the poses of the boys vs. the girls in this picture!

But the best part - if you asked the boys - were the frogs! Too bad that we had to leave this one there with his mom and dad (I didn't want him to be a sad little froggy :-). The kids were really hoping for a pet.

Blue Ribbon Boy

2011-05-22T23:45:00.000-07:00

Sam has had an amazing year in school (except for the asthma, broken ankle, and other various illnesses & injuries which caused him to miss a lot of days! - we say that this gave the other kids in his class a chance to keep up.) He's had both a wonderful classroom teacher and a fabulous gifted teacher who have given him many opportunities to shine.

This year he represented his school's 4th grade class along with his good friend Jake at a math competition among the district. Each school was allowed to bring a 2-person team from each grade (4th - 8th) from the gifted program. Every member of the team team got at least one medal, and Sam earned two (one in the Team Competition with Jake, and one for a competition called 24 (a card game where you have 4 numbers on a card and have to make a formula using all four numbers to equal 24 using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and/or division - the first person to make up a formula wins the card, the person with the most cards when time is called wins the heat). His school won overall out of the whole district among all the gifted progams!

Sam was also chosen as part of a 4-person team to represent the gifted program at his school in a district Creative Problem-Solving event. Each team had a scenario and had to write a skit showing how they'd solve it (done at school), then perform for the other teams and be judged. Sam's team won best solution (I think that's what they won...).

Great Job SAM!

The Sparring Tournament

2011-03-30T21:24:00.000-07:00

Josh participated in his first sparring tournament tonight and did great. Here's his last competition. He won two before this one, and was in the final four. He didn't win this last one - lost by just one point, and tied in several rounds with this opponent - who is a belt level above him and a few inches taller. Josh is awesome and we're so proud of him.

And did I mention that he reads at almost the 9th grade level. Not too bad for a seven year old in Second Grade! In fact, if you take Sam out of the running (who in 4th grade reads at a graduating HS senior grade level - the highest score on the test), Josh would be higher than any other student in Sam's 4th grade class! Very proud of these kids!

You can see how awesome Josh is in this video - he's the shorter one who is closest to the camera in case you can't tell.

Hooligans 1 - Killer Bees 0

2011-03-05T11:33:00.000-08:00

Very exciting soccer game last night. Sam missed the second half of last season with a broken ankle and just before this season he reinjured his ankle and was out the first two games. His first game back last night he scored the one and only goal! It was a great night for him.

The Yellow Belt

2011-03-01T21:41:00.001-08:00

This past week, Josh was tested for his yellow belt in his Kenpo Karate class. Josh loves karate and was very excited to be tested for the next belt. He just started in November, so this was his first belt test. The kids who were tested (13 out of the whole group of about 40 kids) had to "show their stuff" -- demonstrating several techniques they had been practicing, after a grueling workout. (The instructor is a retired Army Captain and he works them out!)

We are very proud of Josh for all his hard work in Karate and in school (hoping for a little more hard work at home and on the piano though :-)

Here's the video of his actual promotion - Josh is now a YELLOW BELT!

Dance Class

2011-01-06T12:31:00.000-08:00

We are skipping ahead bit here from our last post... just since October! I will try to go back and add some of that soon, but today was Lexi's first day of Dance Class. She has been waiting for this day and was so excited this morning when she woke up. No dance clothes yet, but she picked her dress, tights, and shoes for the occasion. Here are a few clips of her first ever dance class. (She's doing ballet too, but this is just the tap part.)

TAP, TAP, TAP

BOOGIE WOOGIE

Soccer Mom

2010-10-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

It's soccer season again... And, yes, I really am a soccer mom. As much as I hate having practice two nights a week, Sam loves to play soccer and he's gotten so good at it.

It was Sam's first game last Friday and he scored a goal, as well as making several great plays throughout the game. Here's the shot that made it in!

Sam has played with this team for 3 of the last 4 years and the coach is just awesome.

He has several night games this year, and it's really fun to watch because they play so well (and it's not so hot as the daytime games).

Josh would rather hang out in the trees. Notice the monkey on the shirt matches the monkey in the tree.

And Lexi just likes to eat the dirt.

But it's a fun family event, and totally worth all the hassle of practicing to see Sam doing so great (even if Josh and Lexi don't fully enjoy watching the whole game...)

Hop On Pop

2010-09-24T12:16:00.001-07:00

Family fun on Sunday afternoon... We were trying for a family photo shoot, but this is my favorite shot.

I Love Elephants

2010-08-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

Eensy Weensy Spider

2010-08-22T15:28:00.000-07:00

new camera, new photos

2010-08-21T20:10:00.000-07:00

I finally got a new camera to "take product shots for our company" (that's my story and I'm sticking to it!), and of course, I had to "practice" a little on the kids. Here are some of my favorites.

Around the house...

See my ponies? (Lexi finally has enough hair for a style!)

Putting on "my make-ups"

Do you like Lexi's eyeshadow?
(NO it's not a black eye. It's make up. We're in so much trouble!)
In the pool...

Lexi takes a dive...

And Two Shows...

2010-07-25T18:58:00.002-07:00

(sorry, this is all my little camera had room for... wish I had them all!)

When Star Wars Meets Dora...
starring Jedi Sam, Jedi Josh, and Princess Lexi-Leia

We are the Dinosaurs!
starring the cutest little dinosaur Shay

Family Reuion Fun

2010-07-25T18:40:00.000-07:00

Rather than trying to catch up for our delinquency in posting, we'll just start now and try to do better. We had so much fun at the family reunion. Here are a bunch of pics. And, remember, a picture is worth a thousand words!

Summer of Birthdays

2010-06-15T13:23:00.000-07:00

June is our month of Birthdays. Here are a few pics of all the fun. The boys each got to pick an adventure with a friend and then we just had a family party for them.

Sam wanted doughnuts instead of a cake.

Josh picked a hot fudge brownie sundae instead of cake.

Lexi had her favorite cousins, Shayla, Ally, and "Baby Ash", and her "boys" (Sam & Josh) at her Princess birthday party. And of course there was a PINK Cake.

Happy Halloween

2009-11-01T17:54:00.001-08:00

Halloween was so much fun this year. The kids spend a lot of time figuring out what they will be and putting together just the right costume.

Josh decided he would be a ninja. He has all the moves too!

I decided Lexi would be a Dragonfly Fairy (I saw it on a website and knew I could do that!). Here's our little garden fairy - she loved her tutu and wings.

And Sam decided that he wanted to be a Paratrooper - complete with extended parachute! Now, that was an engineering feat, but it was a lot of fun.

An umbrella, two curtain rods, and lots of duct tape later, we had an open chute.

The whole set up was pretty heavy, but he was a real "trooper" and wore that costume most of the day with a big smile on his face.

We met a mean green witch, a scary zombie, an adorable little monkey, and a very sweet Hershey Kiss for lots of fun at "Boo at the Zoo."

The monkey and the fairy had lots of fun in their pretty tutus.

They were even cute from the back.

After the zoo, we went home to go trick-or-treating and found a scary biker couple had taken up residence on our front porch. Crissi and Aaron have really gone "bad" since being in Arizona!

Of course the boys came back with pillowcases of candy! Yipes. What will we do with all that sugar...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Tribal Dance

2009-10-04T19:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks to National Geographic, you have the opportunity for a rare glimpse of the natives welcoming Fall in this never-before-caught-on-film ancient ritual dance, from deep in the suburban jungle. In case you are wondering, the musicians are using real Chilean flutes, thanks to a friend of ours. I bet you wish you had these nice musical instruments at your house... Let the show begin!

Circus Fun

2009-10-04T19:45:00.001-07:00

We took the kids to the circus a couple of weeks ago and we all had a great time. All the acts were fun, and the kids especially loved that they got to ride on an elephant - the hit of the day!

Cooking up a Mess

2009-10-04T19:37:00.000-07:00

Lexi loves to cook. She walks around stirring her pot with her spoon and says "mmmm... mmmm...". Today we put some cereal in the bowl so she could really eat it. And she did a nice job on the floor too!

All dressed up...

2009-08-24T21:55:00.001-07:00

At just over a year old, our little girl already like to play dress up.
(She likes to pose for the camera, too!)

What to wear? The sparkley flips?

Mommy's tall shoes? (she puts all these by on herself!)

Brother's sandals?

Or, do you like my flipper?

Now, that I have my shoes, how about a hat?

I am so very stylish.

Ok, Mommy, I've got my shoes, my hat and my purse. Now I'm ready to go!

Back to School

2009-08-24T18:34:00.001-07:00

School has been in session for a couple of weeks now, but Mommy is still getting used to being back on a schedule. Two boys were not very happy about the first "PHOTO OP" of school, although they actually love school. They both have great teachers and were lucky that their best friends are in their same classes again this year. Mommy will just have to get used to those early mornings once again.

Missing my brothers...

2009-08-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

Now that the boys are off at school, it's just Mommy and Lexi. We are having fun together, but we sure miss our brothers!

A Very Boring Volcano

2009-08-09T19:52:00.000-07:00

So, we thought this would be a fun project to do over the summer.... you know, like that nice explosion on the Brady Bunch. Well, watch and be amazed, sort of. And check out those safety glasses.

Summer is almost over

2009-08-01T19:26:00.000-07:00

Before it all fades away, here are a few more pics of summer...

A Little More Cake, but not on the Lake

2009-07-24T19:06:00.000-07:00

For David's birthday this year, we went camping at Blue Ridge Reservoir.
(It was also for Aaron's birthday, so Crissi and Aaron came along,
and we met Nat, Roland and crew there too.)

The boys loved hiking down to the beautiful lake.

Josh found a new stick.

The whole family

Another shot of the boys

Sam & his new pocketknife. (Josh got one too.)

Lexi enjoyed her first camping trip.

Do you like her pinecone hat?

When we got back home, we had a birthday cake.
Not something I can cook over the open fire.

Happy Birthday David!

A Teeny Tiny Curl

2009-07-15T00:16:00.000-07:00

If you look really closely, you can see a tiny little curl on this cute little girl. We're hoping for Daddy's genetics when it comes to hair, and not Mommy's.

Tupperware Party

2009-07-10T00:08:00.000-07:00

Lexi has figured out that she can open every cupboard in her mommy's kitchen. The tupperware cupboard is by far her favorite. She dumps out enough plastic containers that she can climb in there and then she plays for quite a while. Sam and Josh also loved to play with these containers when they were this size, but I think Lexi loves them the most. Unfortunately, she's a lot faster than Mommy, and can dump those cupboards in record time. When Lexi is missing, we know where to look for her.

4th of July Fun

2009-07-04T23:26:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun this Independence Day. We had a swimming and BBQ party at our house and then went to RAWHIDE, a "western town" near our home, that evening to watch fireworks.

We've gone here many times before, but this was Lexi's first trip.

Sam loves to pose for pictures.

Josh does not.

Sam visited the jail house.

Was it Sheriff Josh who made the arrest?

Then, Sam learned roping skills from a real live cowboy.

Josh tried his hand at being a cowboy as well.

He's very serious about his work.

The highlight of the evening was the buffalo show. We even saw the buffalo (and the rider) jump through a ring of fire. Sorry we didn't get a picture of that.

Then we enjoyed the fireworks show as a grand finale to a fabulous day. We had so much fun with Lori, Matt & Shayla hanging out all day. We are grateful for all those who've gone before us to ensure a land where we are free and those who continue to fight for our freedom today. Happy Independence Day!

Sam's Baptism

2009-06-20T23:23:00.000-07:00

Sammy turned 8 years old this year. We are very proud of him and his decision to be baptized. He was so happy that all of our family in town as well as both of his grandmas and grandpas could be in attendance. This was a very special day for him that he will always remember.

The Week of Cake

2009-06-10T16:55:00.000-07:00

During the first week in June, we have to eat lots of cake. Lots and lots of cake.

Sam had a POOL-PIZZA-PINATA party so the cake was an ocean theme - from the artic to the beach. Yes, I made the cake with a little help from Sam. (Don't worry about the watermelon all over Sam's face.)

We had lots of friends, and we were so glad to have lots of help! Lori, Matt, and Allysha did lifeguard duty and then waited tables.

Later that week, we celebrated my birthday next (my birthday is first, but Sam's party was early). My cake (just a slice) and dinner was supplied by Joe's Barbeque. I know you are all jealous!

Josh had a POKEMON birthday the next weekend, and again, Matt and Lori along with Crissi and Aaron kept our little swimmers safe, while Lexi and Shay worked in the kitchen.
Lexi is still working on her "sharing" skills.

Of course there was a POKEMON cake. Yes, I made that one too.

Decorating tip: Put actual toys on the cake and your kids will think you are cool.

And Lexi celebrated Birthday #1 with her very own chocolate cake. She wasn't quite sure what to do with it. We tried to help her dig in by putting her little fingers in it, but she just thought we were crazy.

"What is this sticky stuff on my fingers?"

Thank goodness we have a couple of weeks off before David needs a cake.

Utah Trip - May

2009-05-25T16:23:00.000-07:00

In May, we went to Utah to see Trevor off on his mission to New Zealand. We had lots of fun, but forgot to get out the camera during that leg of the trip. On the way home, we stopped at our other Grandma & Grandpa's house in Beaver for a grand adventure. Lindsey, Lauren & Emma drove down from Salt Lake City to join us (but we missed Jeff who had to work).

We all piled in Grandpa's suburban and headed into the "wilds" of Beaver.

The first stop was looking for deer. (As I remember, we stopped in the driveway of a vacant house and got out in the back yard to look around...)

Grandpa pointed out some interesting things to us...

and we pointed out some things to Grandpa.

We found a fun caterpillar.

We all made friends with the caterpillar.

Even Emma liked her new friend.

Then we made another friend (by stopping at his house to look at deer).

He helped us look at deer and had a package of crackers handy to feed the deer. He even had names for all the deer. But I'm not sure we caught his name.

Then it was off to see the peacocks. These lived on someone's farm. Not quite sure whether it was "open" to the public or not?

We had lots of fun crawling up on the fence to look at all the peacocks.

The peacocks put on quite a show for us.

Thanks for such a fun trip!!!

First Steps

2009-05-10T21:31:00.000-07:00

This is from the phone camera so it's not great, but she sure is cute!

Swimming Fun

2009-05-10T20:12:00.000-07:00

Ready for the first swim of the summer (well, we tried before, but it was just too cold!)

The Double-Cannon Ball is our favorite!

Two little fishies...

Even Lexi and her spoon enjoyed the water.

Spring Piano Recital

2009-05-10T19:29:00.000-07:00

We didn't practice quite as much as we should have, but the boys still did a great job. Hopefully you can hear the music on these videos.

Joshua plays "Switch Engine"

Sam plays "Brahm's Lullaby"

The kids get their certificates.

These feet were made for walkin'

2009-04-26T18:09:00.000-07:00

Lexi loves walking around with her little car. She actually took her first few steps today, without the car, but of course those were not on film.

Happy Easter

2009-04-26T17:47:00.000-07:00

Easter was so fun. No captions... these pictures say a thousand words!

Black Eyes & Baseball

2009-04-26T17:22:00.000-07:00

We've been a little busy lately, so we'll try to catch you up on everything going on at our house. A few weeks ago, Lexi as her usual curious self, opened up all the doors and drawers of our coffee table (a big wooden chest), then slipped down on on one and gave herself a big black eye. Even with a black eye, she's awfully cute!

Sam and Josh are in baseball this spring and are loving it. Mommy and Daddy are feeling a little crazy, since there are games 2-3 times a week. Sam is in Coach Pitch (the coach pitches to his team), and Josh is playing T-ball. So much fun!

Sam playing outfield

Batter-Up!

An Awesome Player

Josh is ready for a fly ball.

Watch out for Josh the Power-hitter!

So you think you can dance...

2009-04-19T16:57:00.000-07:00

Peek-A-Boo

2009-03-01T17:21:00.001-08:00

Is it possible to make up for many weeks of neglecting your blog all in one day? We hope so...
Turn your head sideways and enjoy!

Baby-That-Away

2009-03-01T16:56:00.000-08:00

As you can see, Lexi has graduated from the "slither" to the "crawling on all fours, I mean THREES." If you notice, that one little leg sticks out like she's tip-toeing. Hopefully that doesn't mean she's getting ready to walk soon. We're so not ready!

Outside Fun

2009-03-01T16:24:00.000-08:00

For those of you living in the snow and cold, we're sorry. Look at the beautiful weather you are missing in lovely Arizona. We are really enjoying the spring weather now, and later, we'll be enjoying the pool (it's way too cold to swim unless it's over 100 degrees :-).

Lexi really likes the back yard. She is especially fond of eating leaves. Good fiber, right?

She also likes to play basketball with her brothers. Tackle Basketball? As you see, it's her turn to get the ball. Watch out Sammy!

Dogpile!

He shoots. He scores!

Can any of you spot the monkey in the tree? (As you may or may not know, Josh really is part monkey.)

Hope you all will come see us soon!

Rocket Science

2009-03-01T16:16:00.000-08:00

This week, Sam's gifted class had an Aviation Adventure day. As part of the festivities, each participant made their own bottle rocket. Sam's had lots of fun designing his (so did his mommy) but unfortunately, although we followed the directions to a "T", the mouth of the bottle was too wide to fit well on the launcher. Sam tells us that although his rocket didn't fly all that well, all the kids thought his was the coolest! So, we have another rocket scientist in our midst (Alyssa, Sam wanted to make sure you knew that he, too, is a rocket scientist now.)

Wish us better flying next year!

Ready or not..

2009-01-04T14:32:00.000-08:00

Lexi has been threatening to crawl for a few weeks now. She has ben rolling around and getting up on all fours. Today a little light bulb went off and she figured out she can go wherever she wants. Help!

Merry Christmas 2008!

2008-12-28T13:31:00.000-08:00

Here are the kids on Christmas Eve. We did the traditional reading of Luke and 3rd Nephi. We had a limited number of actors so we used a nativity set to do the re-enactment instead of the bathrobe and towel thing.

This is the first Christmas for "Lexi Claws". She had a great time opening presents and playing with new toys.

We let the kids open one present on Christmas Eve on the condition that we got to choose it. Did you know pajamas are boring to open?

Here is the torture before being able to go down the stairs. "Mom and Dad, we cannot wait any longer!"

Finally, the presents. We had a great time!

Josh's favorite present was the Bionicle his sister gave him.

Sam loved his Pokemon game for the Gamecube. He pretty much played this the rest of the day and ignored his other presents.

We had a very leisurely day the rest of the day and it was great. We hope you had a great Christmas and wish you a Happy New Year!

My little musicians

2008-11-13T19:28:00.000-08:00

The boys had their first piano recital tonight. They only started a couple months ago, so I was thinking this was a bit soon, but they were so cute. Josh played "Long ago" and "Hello class, how are you?". Sam played "Mary had a little lamb" and "Ring those bells". Sam played "Mary had a little lamb" a couple octives low and played it with style. Cari helped him find middle C for the next song. Josh got stuck in the middle of one of his songs and scratched his head in confusion. Very cute! The video is from the phone so the picture and sound are not the best. Next time we will remember our camera.

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-02T12:55:00.000-08:00

This year, we had THREE days of Halloween.

DAY 1 - The Fall Festival:

Last weekend, on Friday, the kids had Fall Festival at their school -- an evening fundraiser where they were encouraged to dress up and come to a "carnival" of booths put on by the teachers. (They did not get to dress up on the actual day of Halloween, so this was it for costumes at school.)

Sam the Magnificent.... Just watch him pull a rabbit out of that hat!

Josh the Mummy found it a little tiring to be one of the walking dead.

Lexi, as a "Halloween" cabbage patch doll, was the hit of the evening. Everyone stopped to check her out, and she liked all the attention.

Of course, she didn't stay in her costume box all evening as she wanted to get out and see what was going on. So, we had to explain about the empty doll box when she wasn't in it. Don't worry about all that drool... no teeth yet!

Sam & Josh had lots of fun and looked adorable too.

DAY 2: The Church Trunk-or-Treat

As if you don't get enough candy on Halloween... The next night (Saturday) we again got into full costume and headed to the church for the Chili/Soup dinner and Trunk-or-Treat.

Is that Sam, Josh and Lexi in the car? Great costume Lexi!

After the event, Sam the Magnificent performed his best trick...

Abra-cadabra!

Watch me as I raise this mummy from the dead.

Waking up is hard to do!

DAY 3: The REAL Halloween

Finally the actual day of Halloween was here. And it was the FINAL day of putting on that blasted mummy costume -- you have no idea how long it takes to install a boy in a mummy costume until you've done it three times! (See all the wrapping above.)

David and Lexi were all ready with the treats for all the little trick-or-treat-ers.
Even Crissi (Cari's sister) and Aaron came dressed as doctors -- or did they just come straight from school without changing?

The two cutest trick-or-treat-ers got into the spirit of the evening and had a great time collecting treats. Hope you all had a fun and spooky weekend!

Goin' to the zoo...

2008-11-02T11:50:00.000-08:00

Here is a recent trip to the zoo. Just me and the boys. Mommy and baby stayed home. We first started going to the zoo when Cari first started working from home. It was a way to give Cari some time to have peace and quite. We went often in the early days for this reason. It was fun to get outdoors and it was such a great learning experience for the boys. Our business has grown since and I am much more involved in the business now, so unfortunately we don't go as often. We sure had a great time this trip.

The elephants have always been a favorite. This time of year the kids can throw a carrot to the elephants. The boys always look forward to this.

The zoo has recently put in a new water cave. We were not prepared for this and I was really thinking the kids could play for a minute without getting wet. They played for a very long time and were soaked.

America's next top model?

Then there was this thing of mimicking the animals

And last but not least we went to touch the stingrays. Sam and Josh count how many they can touch. It is easy for me to count how many I touch. They have recently added sharks to this tank. None of us touched a shark.

GOAL!

2008-10-12T18:00:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was a very proud day for us. Sam made his first goal! This was a long time coming. This is Sam's third season. When he first started he did not know much about soccer or organized sports in general, but after his first game he knew he really wanted to score a goal. So he was a little disappointed after every game since his first and I was a little sad for him each time. If you have ever watched little kid soccer it is a pack of kids surrounding the ball and this swarm just kind of moves around the field. His first season he definitely got into the pack, but did not really break free of the pack to take any shots.

The next season he got better and more aggressive. He worked hard at practice and was very good at listening to his coach. He got a lot closer to the goal the second season and took a couple of shots, but still was disappointed after every game. His coach was a little sad for him too, because he knew how hard Sam was trying.

The third season we put him on the same team with his second season coach. We liked this coach and also knew Sam would not need to prove himself. For the first three games Sam played well, but still no goal. Yesterday, Josh distracted us by climbing on Cari and I and the next thing we knew Sam had broken free of the pack and it was just him and the goalie. It was so awesome to watch him very deliberately take a shot and make it! Then it was very cool to watch him strut around the field. He wasn't sure exactly what to do. I think this will actually give him some confidence to score many more. After the game he left his uniform on and would not take it off until it was time for bed. It was so great to see this accomplishment that he has worked so hard for.