reynolds6

Liberty Came on a Windy Day!

2012-02-02T15:22:00.000-08:00

Our new puppy, Liberty, came home on February 2nd. She is so sweet and spunky! Ethan & I have always wanted a Golden Retriever. Now the hard work begins.....

McKenna is 11 !!!!!

2011-05-15T17:21:00.001-07:00

Ethan Going to 6th Grade Camp

2011-05-01T17:30:00.000-07:00

He had such a great time! We can't believe he is old enough for all this. Mrs. Rader reminded me when I dropped him off that she did the same thing with Kevin and I when we were sixth graders. Crazy!

Brittany and Justin Get Married!

2011-03-26T23:34:00.000-07:00

Some (out of order) snapshots from the wedding of two of our favorite people!

The Wedding Party

Ethan-Junior Groomsman

Chase-He did this strange pose everytime I took his picture.

Chase was so happy to dance with Malia!

Monique and Seth toasting & talking to Larry H.

My father-in-law giving an amazing toast!

Great Grandpa

Grandpa and his grandsons.

Brittany coming down the aisle with aout 20 people snapping pictures.

McKenna-Junior Bridesmaid..it was so cold out!

During the ceremony.

Beautiful Mother of the Bride.

Chase coming down the aisle.

My boys!

The family.

Seth

Uncle Justin, Ethan, Seth, and Chase.

Thanks for sending us this picture, Megan!

More Birthday Fun!

2010-05-26T21:08:00.000-07:00

Kenna had a great time at her party with her friends. Her theme this year was "Game Nite." We played lots of games, but the favorite was Reverse Hide and Seek. We missed Lauren, Grace, and Devon, who were stuck in traffic for something like 6 hours during the party, but they spent the night so Kenna had a great time with them, too.

Kenna and Kailani

Waiting for a game to begin.

She asked for little cakes for each girl...they look a little like doughnuts.

Cowgirl hat from Christy.

Justice lotion and soap from Jess.

Memory Game

Lizzie Joy!

Jessica!

Aubrey and Rachael!

Christy and Kenna playing the Dot Game.

Tiger

2010-05-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

After the last day of kindergarten, Seth's class met up at the park to celebrate. Jordyn's mom did some impromtu face painting, and this is what Seth chose. I was impressed!

Nate Graduates Pre-School!

2010-05-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

McKenna's 10th Birthday!

2010-05-16T14:40:00.000-07:00

Love the invites Jane made!

We made a really long slide show, you can see it behind her. I know I took pictures of her blowing out her candles....but I can't find them. We gave her a new bike for her birthday..it is great for her!

District Art Show

2010-05-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

Ethan's Eagle

Seth's leprechan

McKenna's bow.

This was a special year because all three of our kids were exhibiting artists! Most likely, this won't happen again, but it was fun.

Jade (also exhibiting artist) & Kenna, both chosen for their bow pictures. They are modeled from a famous picture by a famous artist...I don't remember the names of either!

Almost 10

2010-05-04T13:34:00.000-07:00

Kenna will be 10 on May 16th! We are so excited! Auntie Jane made these beautiful invitations for her family celebration!

Look What Seth Can Do Now!

2010-04-30T13:11:00.000-07:00

Kevin and I took Seth's bike to family camp even though we had come to the conclusion he might never ride it. We took the training wheels off last year at family camp and tortured him every once and a while by making him try it. He seemed so wobbly and unbalanced and uninterested.

We owe much thanks to Kelsey Williams, Seth's good friend, for showing Seth how she learned to ride without her training wheels, because after he saw her he decided to ride his bike. He did it on his own, just decided to and did it. Who would have thought he just needed a little peer pressure!

Also, thanks to Toby for not letting Seth crash into a truck.

Dressed Up For Auntie Britt's Party!

2010-04-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

Since I didn't take enough good pics on Easter, I took a few of the kids dressed for Auntie Britt and Uncle Justin's engagement party. It was such a fun party with lots of friends and family, all so happy for them and the upcoming wedding. Wish I would have remembered to take pictures at the actual party. Thanks, Auntie Jane, for letting us use the great ties!

Ronald Reagan Library

2010-03-22T21:41:00.000-07:00

WARNING: LOTS OF PICTURES

We loved this place. It was beautiful, interesting, and even our littlest had a great time.

Impressed by Reagan's Cowboy look.

The Berlin Wall

The side where the not-so-happy people lived.

Actual burial site...Seth was concentrating on his peanut butter and brown sugar sandwich! It didn't seem weird there, but in the picture....

Birthplace of Reagan, and Ethan's teacher's name.

A Jelly Belly Reagan.

Almost looks like we are there. Maybe someday!

The balcony overlooking the valley. You can see for miles, it was so beautiful, the pictures do not do it justice.

Some famous (to us) last names!

Marine 1-the president's ride. Papa and Ethan look so handsome!

In front of Air Force One-The whole plane is in a beautiful building with a glass wall. You get to walk through. They don't like you to take pictures inside, but I took one before I knew.

Nana and Papa Murdock

Seriously? I almost couldn't resist touching it. The wing is like 6 inches from us...its the grey line in this picture.

The picture I wasn't supposed to take. Ooops.

Model White House. Everything is exactly like Obama's White House, down to the pictures, decorations, colors..it was amazing.

This is inside the Oval Office of the model. There is even a portrait of Obama's family on the desk. Everything is identical to his life sized office.

The boys loved the fighter jet outside. It was much bigger than I expected. Kev and I really want to go back and look more closely at all the Reagan memorabilia. They have everything, the clothes he was shot in, the booth he proposed to Nancy in, love letters, his radio microphone, and more, it was way more interesting than I was expecting. Next time I'd love to eat there, we thought it might be crowded so we ate first, but the restraunts were so cute and everything looked so good.

Seth's Kindergarten Trip to the Fire Station

2010-03-21T22:19:00.000-07:00

Seth's K class went to the firestation this month. Both parents of one of his classmates are firefighters there. He came home wanting to wear his fire fighter costume.

At the assembly before leaving.

Fun!

The fire fighters do a great job explaining that the kids shouldn't be scared if they ever see a firefighter come into their house looking like this during a fire.

Seth and his good buddy Cole

All the Kinders!

Ethan's 11th Birthday

2010-03-18T22:49:00.000-07:00

It's getting harder and harder to come up with birthday ideas that are cool for boys Ethan's age. We had to find a way to match last years Nerf craziness. E really wanted to do a Lazer Tag thing, but then decided to have a sleep over (after we mentioned the idea of TPing-a foreign concept to him). Here's what we did:

1. Invite 12 boys over to spend the nite...I know 12 is nuts-if you add in our boys it was 15!
2. Ask every parent if they are ok with their kid TPing (for all but 1-the first time) and recruit grandpas and uncles to help dad supervise.
3. Take boys on a hike in the hills behind our house.
4. Silly string war (everyone wore protective eye gear-they loved it)
5. Set clocks ahead 2 hours
6. TP orientation-what to wear, how to TP, hiding when cars come by, diagrams, ect.
7. A long movie.
8. Lots of food!!!

Collecting the silly string.

Ready to go-we told them to get what they thought was good atire!

We got the Smarts! Love this one of Grace. Kenna spent the nite there, and they were ready for us!

Movie at 10:30pm (they think its 12:30). They all fell asleep by 1am (actual time) and the first one woke up at 7:00am. Not bad! We actually had a great time...they were so good!

Glitter Glam 2010

2010-03-18T22:09:00.000-07:00

We had a blast at Glitter this year! I think about 180 girls came. Here are some cute pics!

McKenna and Mackenzie

McKenna, Lauren, and Shannon

Papa-Helping Serve....Yay!

Trinity, Kenna, and Jade

Kailani and Kenna

On the runway...

The Grand Finale

New Table

2010-03-05T11:24:00.000-08:00

Thanks Dad and Mom! It looks great and Kev is so HAPPY!

My Grandpa: Robert William Phares 11/17/1919 - 2/14/2010

2010-03-02T22:42:00.000-08:00

Halloween-Trunk or Treat at Flipside!

2009-10-31T22:38:00.000-07:00

Can He Really Be 3???

2009-10-05T20:24:00.000-07:00

On Chase's birthday when he woke up Ethan, Kenna, and Seth were waiting for him downstairs. They were excited to give Chase their gifts before heading off to school...it's kinda a tradition now to open some gifts on the actual morning of a kid birthday at our house. It's too hard to wait til birthday dinner. Anyways, it was a sweet moment.

Seth's Kindergarten Firsts

2009-09-23T14:13:00.000-07:00

There are so many new things in Kindergarten! Seth was chosen as the "Star of the Week" in his class. This is a random drawing, the teacher pulls a name out of a hat. The Star has to bring in pictures, treats, and their family visits-all so the class gets to know each other. Ms. Maury asked Seth all about us, and had each of us share about Seth. The kids got to ask us all kinds of questions, too. Ethan and McKenna got to go to class late to be there.

First time on a school bus!!!!

First play at Victoria Gardens!!!

Sitting by buddies Cole and Jordan V..

Chase's Best Friend!

2009-09-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

Chase loves his cousin Zachary. These guys love playing together, even when if it does sometimes get a little rough! Chase asks everyday if he can go to "Zachy's" house. I can't wait to see how they grow up together!

Cousins

2009-09-20T14:02:00.000-07:00

In September, Kevin's cousin Cristy and her kids, Gabe and Mariella, visited. It was so much fun swimming and playing at Grandpa and Grandma's house!

All the little cousins.

And the big cousins!

Two Bulldogs!!

2009-09-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, Seth's teacher, Ms. Maury, told us Seth was going to be the Bulldog of the Week for his class. Each teacher at school chooses one child with good behavior to participate in an assembly on Friday and receive an award. Seth helped a child who was hurt by taking him to the office to see the nurse, known to Seth as "Grandma." He was so excited to be the Bulldog he told everyone we saw about it. Ethan and Kenna practiced what he had to say on stage (he did great). Unknown to us, Kenna was also chosen this week so they were on stage together! We are so proud of Seth for adjusting so well to Kindergarten, and of McKenna for her great attitude and hard work at school!

The kindergarten class sitting at the front on carpet squares during the assembly.

McKenna's turn.

"My name is Seth and my teacher's name is Ms. Maury."

Grandma and Nana sitting on the bench watching!

Seth and Ms. Maury

Chase at the Park

2009-08-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

Got to stop and check out the green firetruck in the parking lot.

Running to the toys!

Taking a break in the shade.

First Day of School, Already!!!

2009-08-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

Everybody was excited for the first day of school, even Chase! He still has a couple years until Kinder. He insisted on a backpack, with things in it, and being in the picture. We stayed at school for a Kinder meeting, so he didn't really notice Seth being gone. Day 2 was different. He must have asked me 5 times where everyone was, and I know he knew because when I turned the question around on him, he said "at school."

Ethan-starting 5th grade. He looks so big to me! He was lucky to get a great teacher and have his 2 best friends at school in his class.

Just joking around!!! And maybe a little grouchy at having to get moving so early.

McKenna-starting 4th grade. She got a great teacher, too, and has several close friends in her class. She loves school!

Seth-starting Kindergarten!!!He has been my sidekick for so long, it's weird to give him up every day. He seems to love it-even though he told me over the summer he wasn't going to go, didn't want to go, wouldn't like it. He manned up!

He looked so handsome in the above pictures, but this is what he looked like when we picked him up! He had it in his pocket...I think there are rules about these things at schools!

Angels Game with Papa

2009-06-29T09:05:00.000-07:00

We had a great time with Papa and Nana at the Angels Game. We had never been with them before. It was kids' free jersey nite, so all our kids got new gray, huge jerseys!

Zach and Chase...they did not love the game.

Seth and Nate (Seth drew a "mark of power"on his face before we left)

Ethan and Kevin

Family Photos

2009-06-25T18:56:00.000-07:00

We were so blessed to have our friend, Tara (who is an awesome photographer), take our pictures! Check them out at tarasosphotography.com/blog.

Angels Vs. Dodgers with the Reynolds

2009-06-10T14:57:00.000-07:00

For Grandpa Mike's birthday, Grandma got the whole family tickets to see the Angels play the Dodgers. Our family was a little divided-Justin is a big Dodger fan so Brittany backed him up. The Dodgers won the game, but the Angels' fans have way more class-those Dodger fans are crazy!

Our six.

Grandma and Grandpa

Auntie Britt and Kenna

Seth and Mommy

Cousins-McKenna and Monique

Chase and Justin

Ethan and Kevin-sad Angels fans!

Seth Graduates Pre-School!

2009-05-28T21:12:00.000-07:00

Seth has attended CLOUDS Preschool for the last year, and he loved it. We loved it, too, for it's academic focus and super teachers. His teacher, Mrs. Coffield, is actually my sister's neighbor. His class also had 3 aids. He has learned so much this year...and look how cute he is!

Pre-graduation

Seth and Mrs. Coffield

Future CLOUDS Preschoolers!

And after:

Grandma and Grandpa with Seth

Nana and Papa with Seth

Zach, Auntie, Seth, and Nate (will graduate CLOUDS next year and we will be there!)

Our Family

Great Grandma Margaret (90) with Seth!

Cousin Isabel (also graduated that nite) and Seth

4th Grade Bowling Party!

2009-05-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

Ethan had a great time at his class party for the end of the year. The teachers were very strict on who could go to this party. The kids couldn't miss homework or have grades lower than a C. Ethan bowled a great game under the name of EDOG, all of his friends used nicknames, too. Towards the end of the party the song YMCA came on and it was so funny: all the kids stopped bowling and did the dance. I think our school brought around 50 kids.

Ethan and Otto-"Ghostbuster"

Ethan, Laith, and Mina

Ryan (have been friends since kindergarten) and Ethan

Ethan in action!

Kenna's Day at Disney!

2009-05-22T18:01:00.000-07:00

Kev took Kenna to Disney for her birthday! They had a great time. My favorite pictures are below of her driving an Autotopia car.

Kenna's Family B-day 2009!

2009-05-20T17:53:00.000-07:00

I guess we had such a nice time at Kenna's 9th birthday party with our family we didn't take very many pictures (only about 5 total). I always love the ones where the b-day kid is surrounded by their cousins as he/she is opening presents!

McKenna's 9th Birthday-50's Style!

2009-05-16T20:56:00.000-07:00

McKenna wanted a 50's themed party this year. She got this idea about a month before when our church had a father/daughter dance-50's style (organized by my cousin, Deanne). We had music, hula hoops, bubble gum, decorations, and had the girls dress 50's. It was a blast!

Maya, Amy, Lauren C., Aubrey, Devon
Christi, Lauren S., Jade, Kenna, Gracie, Izzy, Not pictured: Lizzy.

Hula hoop contest! Bubble gum blowing contest!

Sundaes!

So fun! Can't wait to see what she thinks of for next year!!!!

3rd and 4th Grade Music Performance and Open House

2009-05-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

Banyan's 3rd and 4th grade sang some great songs at their annual music performance. I can't believe what their music teacher can get the kids to do. Ethan was the 3rd boy to get on the risers because he is one of the tallest, but McKenna was the 3rd to last person to get on because she is one of the smallest. How do they come from the same genes?

Ethan-3rd from left

Ethan, top-center

McKenna (Clair on her left looks alot like her, on her right-friends Rachel, Amy, Christi)

As good of a group shot as I could get.

Mrs. Woodhull and McKenna (Kenna told me last week she would need a hot glue gun on the last day of school, I knew that Mrs. Woodhull would never let them use glue guns and asked her why she needed it. She told me she was going to glue her feet to the floor so she could stay in Mrs. Woodhull's class! Luckily, we still get to see Mrs. Woodhull at church!

McKenna and good friend Kaitlyn Ethan and Mrs. Nicolson (hopefully Kenna gets her next year!)

Simple Science

2009-05-12T12:35:00.000-07:00

Ethan's class was required to participate in the science fair this year. I, I mean Ethan, was overwelmed with school projects plus baseball, so we searched for the simplest project we could find...."What Shape of Ice Melts the Fastest?" We did the experiment in a day and the writing the next afternoon, and put it all on the board in about a half hour. He ended up having a lot of fun with it...even better, he won a 2nd place ribbon!

Kayaking in Bass Lake

2009-04-23T12:34:00.000-07:00

These are one man kayaks, but we took a chance. My kayak held me, Seth, and Chase well, but Kev, Ethan, and Kenna got wet!

Oakhurst Park!

2009-04-22T15:19:00.000-07:00

I have so much more to post from our trip to Bass Lake, but I loved this tree at the park in Oakhurst.

Kenna's Ididtarod Race!

2009-04-12T15:12:00.000-07:00

McKenna's class has been studying the Ididtarod-the Alaskan Sled Dog Race. Each student chose a musher (racer) to follow and they had their own class Ididtarod race using behavior, reading, and achievement to earn points to get their sled across atrail to the finish line. McKenna came home and showed us her certificate and prizes for coming in first! Good job, girl!

Disneyland with Eloise and Umite

2009-03-26T14:36:00.000-07:00

My Dad's cousin Eloise brought her step granddaughter to visit California. They stayed at my parents' house and we were lucky enough to get to go to Disneyland with them. Umite (I am not sure about the spelling) is 7, and she and Kenna had fun together. It was so nice to see them. Eloise has a special way with the girls, she made Kenna feel so loved in such a short amount of time.

All the boys love Lightning, we're missing Zach in this picture, but he was there.

Lakers Tickets!

2009-03-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

Ethan won free Lakers tickets from a reading contest at school. He and Kev had a great time and saw a few other kids from school there!

Back to Baseball!

2009-03-21T23:26:00.000-07:00

Ethan is really loving pitching. His team has about 4 guys who are good so they only have to pitch part of each game.
Go White Sox!

Opening Day - Seth's 1st T-ball Game!

2009-03-21T21:33:00.000-07:00

We didn't realize that the coaches pitch to the kids and then they use the T if they need it. We only practiced off the T, but Seth surprised us and got a hit out of the air!

Fans!

Glitter Glam 09!

2009-03-14T23:16:00.000-07:00

McKenna and Auntie Jane (my sister). Jane organizes and runs Glitter Glam for our church. It is a great event where girls come to our church, get all glammed up and dressed as different things like princesses, pirates, rockstars, movie stars, ect., but they learn that God already loves them as a princess!
McKenna and Nana

McKenna and Kylani

Uncle Joel, Aunt Becky, Papa (Larry) and Kenna

McKenna and Hannah

McKenna, Lauren, and Grace

Our neighbors Lauren, Kendall, friend from school-Shannon, and Kenna

Answering questions during Alisha's talk-its hard to talk to girls from 2 up to 13!

Mrs. Woodhull (McKenna's school teacher) and Kenna

Jade, Sienna (both from school) and Kenna

Wow, I took alot of pictures!

Ethan's Indoor NERF War!

2009-03-13T23:06:00.000-07:00

My sister made these awesome invites for Ethan (I crossed out phone number). The boys were so excited! Three of them asked me if they could bring their airsoft guns. I had no clue what those were, but I said we were strictly using NERF guns. Ethan's friend Joey called before the party and wanted to know if we were going to have individual games or teams, because it would affect his training. Boys are so fun! I wish I would have gotten more pictures, but there was too much going on. We had 3 different shooting tasks for the boys and then we had an all out war: adults versus kids. I think it was our favorite party for Ethan we've had so far.

Ethan 's 10th Birthday (Family Style)!

2009-03-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

My sister created these invitations for E's party. They are awesome, I love his eyes! He couldn't believe them when he saw them.

We are so blessed that our family is so loving and supportive of our kids. Here are some shots of the B-day guests!

We had Chinese food for dinner: Orange and Teriyaki chicken, veggies, rice, salad and homemade spring rolls (Thanks to Pam for teaching all of us at MOPS how to make them, and how easy they are!).

Presents!

I think Ethan is over most birthday themes, but I saw a cake like this and had to make him one. I also asked my mom to make her carrot cake, which he loves!

Kenna made him a sign! I love signs like this and I realized that we make them for many occasions. I think she is starting to carry the torch.

Now onto next Friday night: his friends friends are coming over for all out NERF WARS!

Thanks, Grandma!

2009-03-08T09:05:00.000-07:00

Grandma Allie took Seth out because she wanted to buy him some cool shoes. She picked up some for Chase, too, and when he saw them he was so excited! He had to put them on right away. He was dancing all around the house!

Bowling

2009-02-15T21:37:00.000-08:00

We went impromptu bowling with the Lanes on Valentine's Day. It was fun to watch the kids. I think our little guys just love watching the balls come up into the holder.

These guys both got strikes! Ryan did, too!

Lowe's Build and Grow - Valentine's Craft

2009-02-15T21:20:00.000-08:00

We finally were able to go to Lowe's for their kids' building workshop. It was great! I can't believe they do it for free. We met the Lanes and the Houghtons happened to be there, too. First, our kids got work aprons, goggles, and patches (to keep). Then they all got real, little hammers (not to keep). They were each given a kit to make a Valentine's Day jewelry box. Ethan and McKenna did almost all of it themselves, I helped Seth-he did most of the hammering, and Kev did Chase's while he had fun playing with Zach.

All geared up.

Nick wanted to show Chase his box.

These guys were crazy with their hammers!

All finished!

Valentine's Day Breakfast

2009-02-15T21:13:00.001-08:00

We had such a sweet morning! Seth's picture did not turn out, but I promise he was there and I thought I had one of him. The kids were looking forward to their little presents all week. Breakfast and gifts have been a Valentine's tradition since Ethan and McKenna were 2 and 1.

Tagged

2009-02-11T22:14:00.001-08:00

Jane tagged me:

The directions:Go to your pictures,go in fourth folder, post fourth picture.

This is actually just from last April (my folders are labled by months and year). It was at Glitter Glam, which happens to be the best girl event! Our church puts it on (my sister, who tagged me, organizes it). It is, appropriately for this pic, just around the corner: March 14 at 5:30pm. McKenna is inviting all the girls in her class + friends in other classes! Funny, too, Jade (in picture with Kenna) was just at our house today.

So BIG

2009-02-11T14:37:00.000-08:00

Ethan-9

Chase-2

McKenna-8

Seth-5

Thomas On Stage

2009-02-05T14:27:00.000-08:00

Gina and Morgan invited Chase and me to go see Thomas the Train on Stage at the Citizens Business Arena. It was so fun to hang out with them and the kids loved the show. The huge trains on stage were awesome. Here are some pictures Gina sent me and the one of her with Morgan and Jackson that I swiped off her blog! Thanks Gina! We loved it!

Joel's Pirate Birthday Adventure

2009-01-31T14:12:00.000-08:00

Joel wanted to go to the Pirate Adventure show in Buena Park for his birthday this year. We, along with my mom and dad, the Lanes, Mary and Larry (Becky's parents), and (Becky's cousin) Phil watched a great show and ate tons of food! Ryan, Joel, and Phil were asked to be part of the show (Kev was taking Seth and Nate to the bathroom or he would have loved to do it to), and Ethan and McKenna were part of the group of kids at the end who saved the day! It was a very fun night!

Joel, Becky, and Phil

Seth fell asleep on the way there!

Saving the day...

The Firebolts!

2009-01-18T14:08:00.000-08:00

McKenna's soccer season ended in January this year! What a long season, but it was so fun to watch them in playoffs. The girls and families on our team were great, we hope to see them next year on the field.

Look What's Cookin!

2009-01-18T07:51:00.000-08:00

McKenna has always been interested in cooking so we got her this kid's cookbook for Christmas. Her first dish: cookie pizza. She loves the cookbook and can read the recipes for herself and with minimal help and (lots of encouragement from the our boys) make some great stuff. This one was really good!

Pictures-Using up our free stuff!

2009-01-18T07:48:00.000-08:00

He Got Those PIns OUT!!!

2009-01-15T13:03:00.001-08:00

WOW! What a crazy experience it is to see pins pulled out of your kid's arm. The first picture is the AFTER. Seth got a new glow-in-the-dark cast and we took him to Baskin Robbins. WARNING: If you have a weak stomach you might want to skip this post.

First we had the old cast removed. Seth wanted to keep it (me, too). Then to X-Rays.
X-Rays looked great so the surgeon came and pulled the pins out with a pair of pliers. Just a couple of twists and out they came. They say kids cry and scream, but Seth did not make a sound. The look on his face said it hurt, but he denies it. I did give him some Tylenol with Codiene in it before we left. It took less than 40 seconds and I think I could have done it at home!

Two pins in his elbow. They held the piece that broke off to the rest of his bone.

Even Seth wanted a good look.

After!

The pink line is where they cut his arm open during surgery (it has little stitch marks) and the two holes are where the pins were. One of the pins gushed blood when they pulled it out, the other: nothing. Seth is doing great-back to his usual crazy-boy self! 3 more weeks til we get this cast off.

Lots of Reynolds'

2009-01-15T11:33:00.000-08:00

Kevin's cousin Cristy and her kids, who live in Minnesota, came to visit after Christmas. It was great to see them and let our kids get to know one another. They are hoping to be moving back to California soon.

Mike and Allie with Linda and Mike's Brother Rick

McKenna and Mariella

Ethan, Chase, Seth, Gabe, Mariella, and McKenna.

All Dressed Up!

2008-12-25T13:16:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve 2008

Christmas Eve Services

2008-12-25T13:11:00.000-08:00

Ethan and Kenna helped sing "Away in a Manger" at church on Christmas Eve. The service was great! It was basically the nativity story told though music, words, and drama.

Seth's New Cast

2008-12-25T13:04:00.000-08:00

Seth showing off his new cast which he got on 12/22. Seth thinks this cast is awesome. He won't let us sign it, he doesn't want it ruined. He also thinks this cast means he can do anything except take baths. He is back to living his life like he normally does, full steam ahead! The next step is getting the two pins in his elbow taken out on January 15th.

Ethan with Seth-up and around with the old 1/2 soft, 1/2 hard cast.

New Favorite Place for Snacks

2008-12-21T22:01:00.000-08:00

Chase and Kenna have a new place for eating snacks after school. I thought it was a funny fluke the first time, but they have continued it each day this week.

Seth Update

2008-12-21T21:51:00.000-08:00

Here is Seth doing what he is supposed to be doing, sitting on the couch with his elbow somewhat elevated. He is holding a polar bear and penguin stuffed animal which my grandparents gave him. He LOVES it! I know he named the bear Aiden. Thankyou, Grandma and Grandpa! However, I think this was Thursday, the last day I could keep him still. Since then he is giving me a heart attack every few minutes by jumping, falling, running, or almost getting his cast wet. This is great because he is not in pain and is back to having lots of energy. I can't keep him down any longer!

Seth Got Elfed!

2008-12-18T21:16:00.000-08:00

Watch our little elf shake it! Our friend Summer sent this to Seth to help his booboo feel better.

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/Ai4w1zt5XCu6bGDnRBn0

Party Foul, or a Bad Day

2008-12-13T19:55:00.000-08:00

Seth committed the ultimate party foul yesterday. We were at my sister's house for Nate's birthday(which Seth was looking forward to for weeks) for about 5 minutes when Seth came to me crying about his elbow. I knew with one look it was bad. He had been climbing on my sister's treadmill fallen. I left Chase with my mom, and took my dad with me and Seth to see Uncle Kyle. Kyle gave Seth pain meds (yay) and sent us to the ER. X-rays confirmed that it was broken badly. An end peice of his elbow bone (I can't remember which one) had broken off and was floating around in his terribly swollen arm. After hours of torture with things like more xrays, splints, IVs, and being trapped in a hospital Seth had surgery at 10:30 pm. The surgeon made and incision and put 2 pins in Seth's elbow. He woke up around 11:30pm and was grouchy and complaining about his IV until the nurse took it out at 1am. She gave Seth more pain meds at 3:30am and he finally went to sleep. Considering how frustrating it is to have a child in pain and needing surgery, it all went pretty smoothly. Thankyou to the friends and family praying for us and the doctors, we really needed it. Seth handled it amazingly well, he really only cried about the IV (I would to if the nurse blew out my vein). Seth is home and sleeping in his own bed tonight and we are so thankful to God for him. The next 6 weeks will include a few more trips to the doctor, a few new casts, and removal of his pins (yuck!). Please continue to pray for him and his healing. Here are a few pictures, I did take one of his sad, little elbow, but I can't bear to look at it, let alone post it.

First ride in a wheelchair (first chicken-glove, too)

Seth with Papa, maker of chicken-glove

Post op with Optimus Prime (who got to go into surgery with Seth)

Seth Lost a Tooth!

2008-12-10T20:24:00.000-08:00

Merry and Bright!

2008-12-09T20:36:00.000-08:00

Good Work Ethan!

2008-12-09T20:33:00.000-08:00

I can't believe they start this in 4th grade! That seems young to me.

Victoria Gardens Tree Lighting!

2008-12-02T23:08:00.000-08:00

Seth, Chase, and I were accidentally at the Victoria Gardens tree lighting this year. Kevin had a wedding rehearsal that night, Ethan had a birthday party, and McKenna was meeting her friend, Jade at VG to see a movie. The little guys and I decided to walk around after we dropped off McKenna and just about ran into all the people around the huge tree. The boys loved the tree, seeing the Santa and his house, and most of all, the snow. As a bonus, we ran into Auntie Britt, Justin, and Jillian! (It was a little loud for Seth)

Who is this guy? I don't know! He and his wife were standing next to us and he really wanted to help Seth see over the crowd. They told me all about their 8 long distance great grandchildren, so I figured they were safe. I snapped this picture so I could turn it into the police if they tried anything funny. The wife really wanted to hold Chase, but he wasn't having that!

Are You Ready For A Change?

2008-11-29T11:32:00.001-08:00

Chase was. We loved his long hair, but he frequently was pushing it out of his eyes and face. I'm not even going to tell you how many people thought he was a girl from behind, even though long hair is totally in for boys right now. I thought this haircut would make him look so much older, but he still looks babyish!

BEFORE

AFTER

Happy Thanksgiving, 2008!

2008-11-28T19:51:00.000-08:00

I am so behind on blogging! We had a great thanksgiving, more pictures to come! We had my side of the fam to our house so we wanted to make some special decorations. We headed to the hills behind our house and found "nature stuff" to make a sign and some special center pieces. We had a great time doing it, except Kev who got an itchy rash from the experience.

Disney Before Kev's Trip

2008-11-06T22:31:00.000-08:00

Day 2 and 3

2008-11-03T09:30:00.000-08:00

Kev made it to Africa. Ernie is still in Egypt. Their plane in Germany was overbooked, so Kev had to go ahead. He arrived in Africa at 4 in the morning (their time). A driver from World Vision picked him up and took him to his hotel room. He was a little lonely and slept a little bit before Bryan and Kelly (http://www.bkkenya.blogspot.com/) picked him up. I know being with them was a major help to him. They took him to eat and showed them what their ministry is doing. He really had a lot to think about. Now, hopefully he'll get some sleep. Pray for Ernie, maybe since he was stuck in Egypt he got to see some of it (I don't know, yet), but it has to be frustrating trying to get to Africa on his own. My dad leaves tonight and should arrive in Kenya about an hour after Ernie! Kevin will be so happy when they can do the rest of the trip together.

Kevin's Africa Trip, Day 1

2008-11-01T21:16:00.001-07:00

Kevin and I got up at 2:30 this morning (after 3 hours sleep) to drive down to the Hernandez house. Kev's mom and sis stayed with our kids. We met up with Ernie, Shelley, Katie, and Ernie's mom and dad to drive into LAX for Kev and Ernie's 6:00am flight to Toronto, Canada (the first fourth of their journey to Kenya). I think they arrived at about 1PM our time. They had an 8 hour layover, so they decided to take a quick trip to Niagara Falls! They got back to the airport with time to Skype us and Shelley+kids. Kevin said it was great and I can't wait to see and post the pictures. At 7:30PM our time the boarded another plane headed for Frankfort, Germany, this will put them 1/2 way there. One day down and 14 more to go!

P.S. I didn't have time to take a nap today, but I feel good! Thanks for praying for us!

The Armstrong's Annual Pumpkin Party!

2008-10-28T11:48:00.000-07:00

Every October our friends, Ian and Heather have a great party! They invite all their friends to come carve pumpkins, eat, and play. The party is one my family loves going to and looks forward to every year. Thanks Armstrong family!

They get a bounce house for the kids! If you look closely, Seth is doing a headstand in the corner of the bouncer while the other kids are jumping! CRAZY boy! (I did stop him after I took the picture so he wouldn't break his neck.)

Some of the pumpkin carving madness!

Kenna and Devon!

We only took one pumpkin this year because Kev couldn't come to the whole party. Ethan did most of the carving. We chose a spider!

Sophia and Chase

Josh and Ethan playing Dance, Dance Revolution (I later heard Josh tell Ethan he wants to get one).

All the pumpkins. There were pirates, a music note, the death star, a castle, and many other creative carvings!

Our Spider

Boys Will Be Boys

2008-10-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

Enough said...

Another Plaque!

2008-10-26T20:34:00.000-07:00

A Little Preview!

2008-10-25T21:41:00.000-07:00

Ethan went to his friend Joey's Halloween party on Friday, so we got him dressed up. He does have blood on him, he wanted to be a shot up soldier. When I put the shirt on him he told me his stomach was starting to hurt where the blood was!

I Love the Dentist!

2008-10-16T14:26:00.001-07:00

I know it's weird, but we have a really fun dentist (at least for kids)! They get major treats when they go. This was just Ethan's day for an appointment, but all the boys got balloons and stickers. Chase had just let his balloon go when I snapped the photo. (Kenna was at a friend's house). Ethan had no cavities so they gave him a certificate, 3 brushes, 2 flosses, a timer, pencils, a free meal at John's Incredible Pizza, and a Brush Buddy pin! WOW, and that happens almost anytime we take a kid!

A peek in the goody bag!

What Is That?

2008-10-16T14:17:00.000-07:00

From far away this huge bug looked just like a leaf that was stuck on our house. Chase and Zach loved it-and loved poking it with a stick to make it fly! He had two wings that closed together and very weird eyes. Never saw one of these before.

(He's still alive!)

New Birthday Stuff!

2008-10-16T14:10:00.000-07:00

A ride on horse from Nana and Papa!

A great playhouse from Grandpa and Grandma!

A new scooter from Mom and Dad (we gave this to him on his actual birthday-he has to keep up with the big kids!)

Chase's 2nd Birthday Party

2008-10-15T22:37:00.000-07:00

We had a little family party for Chase. I still cannot believe he is two! We had a simple dinner. My sister made cupcakes (which we all loved). Chase was quieter than I thought he would be during presents and singing "Happy Birthday" (especially since we practiced the singing and candle part a million times). He did have a great time playing with all the kids. He was given some great toys and clothes-he will be well dressed this winter! I always wish I would remember to take more pictures of everyone there, I have to make that Kev's job at the next party.

4 kinds of cupcakes: oreo, peanut butter cup, chocolate, and vanilla.

Singing "Happy Birthday."

A messy birthday boy!

Ethan made these birthday signs-so cute!

Bee-ing Great!

2008-10-12T21:01:00.000-07:00

McKenna has brought home several of these plaques from school and I figured I'd better start blogging them. Her teacher gives these out to students who are behaving, on-task, or earning good grades! She got this one for being on-task. Way to Bee, Kenna!

Fingerpainting with Pudding!

2008-10-09T21:07:00.000-07:00

My sister invited MOPS kids to fingerpaint at her house. Chase had such a good time! He loved the pudding and after a while got into the painting!

New Pictures!

2008-10-09T12:17:00.000-07:00

Ethan and McKenna were lucky to get their pictures taken by our friend Danielle yesterday. She is an amazing photographer. If you want to see them click here http://www.daniellesimone.com/ , click for the blog and scroll down!

Chase is Turning 2!

2008-09-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

Look at these great 2nd birthday invites my sister made. We're just having a little family party, but they are going to be so fun to give out! Chase is all ready to blow out the candles, the kids and I have practiced with him. I think he's ready for presents, too, at my sister's party he was just waiting to open her gifts.

We can't believe he's almost 2 already! Check out the picture below. It's the picture we used for his invitations last year! He has really changed!

Boarding Baby!

2008-09-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

Chase loves to try to skate like Ethan, thankfully he's pretty cautious. Here he is, loving being outside. He'll be 2 years old in 2 weeks.

Praise the Lord! Ethan's Snake is Found!

2008-09-23T15:52:00.001-07:00

Snake in Pillowcase, Boy a Little Teary

I went upstairs to check on Seth and let out a huge scream when I saw Misty, our kitty, playing with the snake in the doorway of Kenna's room. I totally freaked out because since last night I have been "seeing" him everywhere, in every cupboard, closet, shoe, toybox, ect. I am so glad I won't find a dead snake somewhere, but I don't know how I am going to keep that kitty away from the snake. Ethan is happy!

The other snake we found in our garage is going to my brother's friend, who is a snake expert. I will pray everyday that no more snakes come to our house!

Snake Still Loose....

2008-09-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

So, we haven't found Ethan's snake yet. He was awake practically all night worrying about it. He thought he saw it at about 4:30 am, he came to get us and when we got to his room...nothing. I'm not sure if he really saw it or he was dreaming or seeing things.

Ethan found the second snake in the garage and I helped him get it into a box. Kevin does not like touching or trying to catch snakes. Unfortunately, Kevin wants Ethan to keep the second snake if we do not find the first. We don't know what kind of snake it is, my dad's first guess was that it was a baby rattler, my mom thinks milk snake. I don't want any snakes anymore!

Jeepers, Creepers!

2008-09-22T20:32:00.000-07:00

You know what is creepy? When you are looking for your son's 2 foot long snake that the cat let out and instead you find a new one in the garage! Of course we found out that the snake is missing at bedtime. It is so gross looking around in the dark with a flashlight for a snake!

This is the new little guy. Apparently, our kitty found it before Ethan did. I think it is in shock, because it wasn't hard to catch. If I have my way he will be on his way to the hills tomorrow morning!

Bulldog of the Week, Third Grade!

2008-09-12T11:28:00.000-07:00

McKenna was Bulldog of the Week! This is an award the teacher gives to a student with good behavior. We are proud of McKenna! We love her teacher, she was Kevin's and Ethan's third grade teacher, too. Maybe Seth will get to have her in 4 years.

First Day of School!

2008-08-26T14:19:00.001-07:00

Kenna and Ethan started school on Monday, August 25th!

McKenna, all ready for 3rd Grade in Mrs. Woodhull's class. She was Kevin and Ethan's 3rd grade teacher!

Ethan is a 4th grader already! That means upper grade!

Seth started school on Tuesday the 26th.

Seth has one last year of preschool, Kindergarten will be next year!

This is what Seth said about his first day:
-We played at the park.
-We had juice and Cheezits, they were yummy!
-Mrs. Coffield was nice.
-I don't remember any of the kids' names, Mom.

Lauren's 8th Birthday!

2008-08-22T17:14:00.000-07:00

Kenna had a blast at her 2nd cousin, Lauren's, 8th birthday. It was a makeover party, complete with makeup, hair, jewelry, and clothes. Every girl went home with a new outfit!

Look at these glamour girls!

Photos by Darlene Phares

Seth Meets His Teacher

2008-08-22T13:47:00.000-07:00

CLOUDS Preschool invited students to come meet their teachers on Friday. We found out that Seth will be in Mrs. Coffield's class! She is very nice. He found his name on her list, checked out the toys, puzzles, calender, and all the parts of his classroom. We ran into Nate and Hunter (Isabel, too, but she had to leave) and let them all play on the playground!

Raymond Alf Museum of Paleontology!

2008-08-20T13:27:00.000-07:00

We went to this museum to try to make the most of one of the last summer days. The Lanes and Nana went, too. The best thing about the museum was letting the kids see what fossils are like up close, and even being able to touch them. I think we only spent about an hour there (the big kids could have stayed longer, but the little guys are a lot of work in a museum!). On the way home, Nana treated everyone to icecream!

Ethan at the Great Space Camp!

2008-08-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

The Flipside's Great Space Race Summer Camp was awesome! The kids did all the traditional camp activities and then some. I had too many photos to take the time to organize, but take a look at this mix of them! Ethan's counselor was Brad, at camp his name was "Duck Dodgers of the 24 1/2 Century." His pod was named The Nonsensical Zigzags. His pod mates were Josh, Joshua, Jacob, Chase and Dylan.

Kenna at The Great Space Race Summer Camp!

2008-08-16T08:13:00.000-07:00

McKenna had a great time at Flipside's summer camp! Her counselor was "Jupiter J" (Jennifer-Aubrey's Mom) and her pod (cabin) chose the name Galaxy Girls. In addition to Kenna (Plaidy, up at camp), the Galaxy Girls were Aubrey, Mackenzie, and Lizzie! They had such a great time up at camp, and really were learning how to live for God!

Other Camp Pictures

2008-08-16T08:02:00.000-07:00

Red Hill

2008-08-08T21:16:00.000-07:00

Seth, Chase, and I went to the park with Rachel, Peeps, and Emma while our big kids were at a birthday party. We brought lunch and blankets and had lots of fun on the new play area. For some reason, at Red Hill, the highlight for the kids is always walking around the strangely blue-green lake and seeing the ducks and turtles.

Emma!

Seth and Peeps loved this little puppy. This little girl told us the puppy's leg was broken, but her grandma put a little splint on it. Seriously, this was one of the littlest dogs I've ever seen.

Oh Chase.