Happy Thanksgiving!

Alex came home from preschool last week singing the cutest song! We finally got it recorded for all to see! Sammy couldn't stand letting Alex have all the attention, so she made up a song herself. I don't know where she gets it from...it makes me laugh. Alex really loves to sing this song! Happy Thanksgiving!



There is nothing like a turkey trot and a turkey bowl to make Thanksgiving complete. The whole family before the festivities started.

Christmas Card time

It is the time of year to start thinking about Christmas cards. George had to work one Saturday, so I dressed the kids up and took some pictures in our yard. This one is one of my favorites. You'll have to wait for the Christmas card to see the other ones.

Endeavor Space Shuttle Launch

What an exciting time we had at the space shuttle launch! We drove three hours north to Titusvill, parked on the side of the road, and found a great spot next to the Indian River to view the launch. We waited three hours (mostly in the dark) for the launch to take place, but it was worth it! As you can tell from the video I thought it was really cool...who knew my vocabulary was so small.

All I want for Christmas is....

MY TWO FRONT TEETH! Or maybe three front teeth and one on the bottom. :) Sammy has been loosing teeth like crazy. With any luck she may get her wish this year.

Adorable Girl!

I know I am biased, but Clara is such an adorable girl! I swear she gets whatever she wants with that smile and those eyes. And she is at such a fun age; getting into everything, laughing at everything, & wanting to be part of it all. Here are a few shots over the last few weeks.

Pictures don't lie.

Clara loves to pull her self up to everything and stand. It opens a whole new world to her.

Playing with her dad (her favorite thing to do). Her first words were "hi dada" if that tells you anything!

She has become quite the fast crawler...she doesn't stay in the same place very long.

I don't know how she got in here, but she couldn't get out!

Halloween Fun

I have to admit I love Halloween! I love to see all the kids dressed, their HUGE smiles as they get candy by simply saying "trick-or-treat", and of course eating the candy myself. This year I have eaten more than normal...I know I'll pay for it later, but it tastes so good.

This year we had a very stylish Hannah Montana, a fast Spiderman, & a cute bunny.

Eating some candy after a very fun church "Trunk-or-treating". They just couldn't wait to get home to partake.

Nobody home at this house...but Alex and Sam had to be sure.

Trick-or treating in the neighborhood.

It was raining a little bit that night, so Clara was protected.

They got TONS of candy! I am so glad the Sugar Fairy comes the next day and takes the candy leaving a fun surprise instead. Alex wasn't quite sure he wanted to part with any of his candy, but with some coaxing he did. The Sugar Fairy may have to retire this year. The candy is just too much for them to resist.

Florida Family Fun

Here are a few things that have kept our family busy here in Florida

Checking out the natural wild life. Alex has never been so still...even he knew that those gators could get him.

Lots of bike rides around our neighborhood! Alex has a two wheeled bike, but Sam like to ride his and Alex still likes his old one...what ya gonna do.

To get in the spirit of the Olympics we had our own family Olympics. It was so much fun!

Beach! We love the beach here! Parking is close, beach is narrow, & water feels great!

The Best Gift Ever

The days Jason email me to ask if my best friend, Janet, could come visit is one of the happiest days ever! It was so great to have her come see life in Florida! The weekend was perfect; boat ride through Fort Lauderdale's inter-coastal waterways, watching a guy wrestle an alligator, airboat ride through the Everglades where we saw more alligators, holding a baby alligator, eating out, shopping, Mama Mia, the beach, great talks, & showing her Coral Springs! I realized that Janet must have taken all of the pictures of us together doing things, so this is all I have! Thanks Janet and I love ya!

Growin' Like Crazy!

Little Clara is not so little anymore! We just had her 9 month check-up and she weighed in at 21 lbs, which is what Sammy weighed at about 15 months. Clara is so much fun to have around! Everyone just loves her. Alex and Sammy try to see who can make her laugh the most (Alex always wins). :) Here are a few snapshots of the last few months.

Clara is having a great time feeding herself these days. She loves to eat whatever we are eating and gets mad if you deny her. Her favorite is ice cream with dad.

Clara was so excited when she realized she can make a lot of noise by jumping in this thing. Alex and Sammy would get so mad because they couldn't hear the TV. Clara doesn't spend much time in there anymore...too restricting.

I love pictures of sleeping babies, especially when the sleep with their bums in the air.

Clara thought she had died and gone to heaven when she took her first bath with her siblings. They all were laughing like crazy.

Clara can really get going in this Johnny jump up. Some times I think she'll take it off the wall.

Ohhh, those blues eyes...how they melt my heart!

Clara learned to crawl a few weeks ago. She was a little nervous to venture off the rug, but once she did a whole new world opened up to her. Discovering high chairs can be fun in other ways.

What a sweet smile! We love Clara!

First Day of School for Both Alex and Sammy!

In Florida fashion the first two days of school were canceled for Tropical Storm Fay. We are all a little bummed about it, but made the most of it. We even tried to venture outside during the dry spells. Unfortunately, we got caught once and ended up pretty wet. Luckily Florida rain is warm!

Sammy was very excited for the first day of school. She picked out that headband. They were uniforms to school, so hair accessories are pretty much the only accessory she can choose.

Alex loves school! He also has to wear a uniform, but at least he got his lighting McQueen backpack.

A cute shot of Alex in front of his school. I would have taken a picture of Sammy in front of her school, but traffic was so bad that day we were almost late. Actually traffic getting to her school is bad everyday and yes everyday we are almost late.

Final Utah Vacation-Summer 08

I know it is already September and our vacation was so long ago. But I wanted to create one more slide show to show the rest of the fun things we did. There were hikes with grandma Gourley, Kangaroo jump with grandma Hobbs, playing in grandma Gourley's pool, good old story time with grandma Gourley, boating, sprinklers at Gateway, & visiting great grandma & grandpa Hobbs. So many great memories! And we loved it all!

Update on Comments

So I feel like such a schmuck...I never respond to everyone's comments, but I love reading them and I noticed that a lot of them were about what we are doing living in Florida, so I thought I'd share. George has been thinking of leaving EY for as long as I can remember. Work was long & pay was not enough for Palo Alto. They knew this as well, so back in February they asked him if he would be interested in transferring to Fort Lauderdale. There was a software client threatening to leave EY and EY did not want to loose their business. We came to visit, prayed a ton, talked to lots of people, prayed some more, made a decision then changed our minds, then changed our minds again. It went back and forth like this for a few months. But then we decided to go. So here we are. George is working for EY still and really enjoying it. EY also transfered a partner for Cali and a Senior manager from Atlanta. The 3 guys manage a team of women. I keep telling George that I don't know how he can manage all women and he says he just leaves them alone and lets them do their job how they like. Pretty smart guy! So if any of you are heading down to Florida come stay! We would love visitors!

More Utah Vacation-Hobbs Reunion

How lucky we were to have my whole side of the family get together for two fun-filled days! First we tried to get a picture of all of the grandchildren together...it was quite the ordeal as you can see from the pictures. Then we were off to the discovery museum for some lunch and fun imaginative play. The a wonderful dinner at grandpa Hobbs' house. We left tired and needed naps the next day. But only short ones because the adults went and did a temple session, had brunch, and then returned to the kids. Then we all met up for swimming and another great dinner at Grandpa Hobbs'. It was wonderful to be with my family! I cried as we drove away thinking that it will be a long time until we are all together again. On Sunday we finished off with one last dinner at Ryan and Steph's house. We missed Jodi and her clan. It was so fun to see how much those cousins really love each other! They are instant best friends as soon as they see each other again. Isn't family great!

Beginning of Utah Vacation 2008

So, the Utah vacation will have to come in sections because we did so much and had so much fun! We started off with the Pleasant Grove Strawberry Day's parade, carnival, & rodeo. My favorite part...strawberries smothered in cream! So yummy! The it was off to 7 Peaks for some water fun with some Hobbs side and some Gourley side. I do love 7 Peaks.

Make new friends, but KEEP the old ones.

So we are pretty much settled in our new home in Florida and is sure feels different. I LOVE having a home to call my own. It is a little overwhelming trying to come up with ways to decorate, but I am just taking it slowly. Everyone is very friendly here. Our neighbors are great! Most people stay inside as much as possible...it is really hot here, but when they do come out it is great to talk with them. Joey, one of the neighborhood children, has really taken a liking to Alex and Sammy and vice versa. They would play all day together if they could. And I don't know what I would do with out Lisa Smith. She is a friend from church and has filled up our social calendar making us feel very welcomed. Thank you Lisa!

BUT I really miss my friends in Palo Alto! I knew this would be tough, but it is really tough. I am forever grateful for them! I was so lucky to visit with lots of Palo Alto friends while vacationing in Utah. There have been lots of us who have moved away, but there was just something special out our time there and I know we all will always keep in touch and be friends. I love you guys!

Way to long...

It sure has been way to long since I have posted anything. What can I say...May, June, & July were crazy months. Between Mother's day, saying good-bye to friends, dance recitals, school graduations, Father's day, moving, vacations, a funeral, 2 birthdays, & a new home we have been really busy. Just wanted you all to know that we are alive and I am going to post more really soon.

Florida Here We Come!

Some of you may know, but I thought I should make it official. We are moving to South Florida in June! It should be a great adventure for our family. I am going to miss California so much! I think I am pretty much in denial. I am excited to have new experiences, have a home of my own, & explore the East Coast. But will I ever find such wonderful friends? I love you guys!

Happy Mother's Day To Me

I know I am little early, but Happy Mother's Day to me. I feel so lucky to have such great children to call mine!

Our Supper Star!

Sammy has been quite busy lately with school performances and she loves them. She loves to be in the spot light and have special places to go. I think having mom be so busy with 3 kids has been hard on her and she needs that extra attention these events bring.

Her she is as a little mexican dancer performing for her school at the Heritage Potluck. Sammy's teacher speaks spanish and Sammy has picked up many words. And the words she doesn't know she just makes up.

Sammy's class is mostly girls...those poor boys are really out numbered.

Sammy's group put on "The Little Red Hen" for us. She was the lazy, fat cat. When she first came up to sing I was so impressed with how on key she was. It was perfect and I was a proud mom!

Our lazy, fat cat striking a pose! MEOW.

Sammy is showing off how brave she is the sprinklers. It wasn't a really warm day, but she loved getting soaked!