Our Lives

Christmas

2011-12-12T04:59:00.000-08:00

I absolutely LOVE this time of the year, who doesn't right? It's been so fun this past month. We celebrated Kyle's 10th birthday. He got breakfast in bed which was eggo waffles and bacon. He got cupcakes at school and for dinner we went to Chick-fil-a with Grandma and Grandpa G. He got a movie, clothes, new shoes, etc... We love you Kyle!! That next week Grandma Luck passed away so we were off to Utah. She passed away in her sleep one morning as peaceful as can be. Her funeral was very nice, Chris spoke and I led the music. That afternoon Chris was priviledged to give Keith the Priesthood! He was found worthy by his bishop to receive it and it was a very special moment for all of us to witness. I can't wait when we can all go to the temple together! The next day we were supposed to go to Vernal for the burial but it was snowing and bad weather, so I stayed home with my kids (except Sydney) and some of Jessie's and they just played all day. It was so nice I just watched Hallmark Christmas movies and Christmas shopped online in my pj's all day. You can't get any better than that! For Thanksgiving we went to the Moore's house and the kids played and played while we ate and talked. That night Hayley and I braved it out and went black friday shopping at Walmart. Let's just say that it was the craziest black friday I've been involved in. It was so crowded and I had to fight for my items and the lines were insane. But we were home and in bed by 11:30, I like it so much better that they open at 10pm on thanksgiving night. I decorated for Christmas the following day and I love making the house twinkle and sparkle and seeing the tree go up. My favorite part is putting the ornaments on with the family and each kid talks about the memory of where and who gave it to them. I treasure these moments dearly. It's been a busy december. Keith came to stay with us and help us with things around the house, we have been painting like crazy and we are going to put up more fans. He is always willing to help and I appreciate it. Zach played in a soccer tournament this weekend and on saturday night scored both of the teams goals, I was so proud. Kyle played his first basketball game and scored 8 points, I love to see them all excel. Chloe had he dance recital at Fulton and she danced to the Macarena and Michael Jackson she was so cute and I loved seeing her try her best. Sydney has been all about work and school, she is so busy and I hate having her gone for long periods of time but she enjoys making money! We are busy with our callings Chris is ward mission leader and I'm always busy with the YW. Life is good!! This week we celebrate Zach!!

I always feel like I'm calling these- Catch up!

2011-11-30T04:40:00.000-08:00

Yes, Yes it's been a long time since I've posted anything and I feel bad. I'm such a slacker! Ok well things are always busy in our house and for our family. Let's see I'm going to sum up the last 10 months quickly. In February we traveled to Utah for Bailey's baptism and it was so fun going to the BYU bookstore and buying BYU sweatshirts for the whole family. We were also able to see a missionary that used to serve here and we had a great time with the Brereton's. My cousin Mallory Sackley came to visit Sydney for a week and they had a great time going out with Sydney's friends and riding the neighbors horse and just being together. They love to laugh and be silly! Mom helped me put up new curtains in my home, yeah! In April my grandma Black passed away so I flew up to Utah with Mom and dad and we then drove to Idaho and stayed at my Uncle Dan's house. We went to the funeral which was nice. Dad spoke and did the best job! We toured around Rupert and saw where day grew up, it was nice to be with them. On our way home we went to temple square and to lunch and then flew home. It was nice to go and honor grandma. For Easter we had dinner with my family here at our house and an easter egg hunt, it was so fun. Sydney played soccer and as always, did well. The boys finished up baseball with CNLL. Our beloved dog Daisy passed away (she got cancer) and so we got another dog. Her name is Lilly she is an Australian Shepherd. She is amazingly smart but very much a puppy and she drives us a little insane at times. Sydney finished 10th grade, ZAch graduated from elementary and finished 6th grade, Kyle finished 3rd and Chloe graduated from Kindergarten. When I went to watch her sing her songs at the school, there was one she did not sing and afterwards I asked her why she didn't and she said that she had already sung that one in pre-school....very stubborn girl at times. Summer arrived and Kyle went to cub scout day camp for 3 days and loved it! Then we went to a resort up in Phoenix for 3 days. We called it our staycation, Chris's work paid for it all and we just relaxed by the pool, swam and ate yummy food. Next year we are headed to Washington DC, I'm so excited about that one. The following week, Zach went to Camp Raymond with the boy scouts and was sick for the first 2 days (Yucky). Sydney and I headed up to girl's camp for the week. Wow what a wonderful and spiritual week it was for me. I thoroughly enjoyed being there with Sydney and all of the girls. I truly feel lucky to be a part of their lives. In July, Jessie and her kids drove down to visit us for a week and we had a great time! We swam, watched movies, went walking, the kids played and played. We watched fireworks for the 4th of July from our Balcony with Hayley and Bill and kids as well. One night I was gone to one of Zach's baseball games when a HUGE haboob (massive dust storm) hit the valley and it literally blew like a huge snow storm would have. It went on for a good hour or so. Let me tell you.....the dust that was in my house from the reservation across the street was unbelievable and the bad part was that Jessie had just finished cleaning my entire house!!! I felt so bad, so yep the next morning we cleaned it again. (Just what she wanted to do on her vacation...) She took Sydney home to Utah with her and she stayed for a week and then flew home, it was weird having her fly all by herself. Well then once again school started and Chloe is in 1st grade with Mrs. Ferber, Kyle is in 4th grade with Mr. Shimizu (Zach had him last year for 6th) and Zach started Jr. High at Santan and Sydney is a Junior at Hamilton HS. Its very surreal for me to think that Sydney will be going off to college soon enough and my kids are just growing so fast and I don't like it at all. I want time to stand still. Sydney had her birthday and she got her first flowers sent to her from Taylor Heyman. We took her to dinner at the Olive Garden, Grandma and Grandpa G came with us too. We also made her breakfast of course that morning. We secretly planned a surprise party for Sydney (we couldn't resist, it's her 16th!!) The friday following her birthday her friend Taylor Williams took her to Skateland and blindfolded her everywhere they went. In the meantime all her friends showed up to our home and when she got here we all yelled surprise and and she was shocked!! I loved her face, she had no idea. The next surprise was we decided to buy her a car, we got her a Volkswagon New Beatle. It is silver and black and is convertible. We parked it out front with a note and hoped she would find it and when some of her friends did they went and got her. She was STUNNED! It was so awesome, she did not expect it and was so happy. Who wouldn't be? So it was just a great moment for Chris and I. We were so happy to give it to her. She got her license the following monday and then life changed. She started driving herself to school ( I had a hard time with that at first), she got a job at Origami Owl at the mall. She works selling jewelry at a Kiosk for a girl in our ward, Bella Weems. She really likes it and they think she does a great job. I'm very proud of her. It was just so weird for me to see her become so independent and grown up so quickly. Then it was Chloe's birthday and we celebrated with her friends and got here a large bouncy water slide for the backyard. For 2 hours they played and then we ate corn dogs and chips and had donuts for dessert! She had Thea, Maya, Abbie, Tricia, Mariah, Peyton Shore, Jillian and Bradley, Katie and Callie. She had such a great time turning 6! Zach decided the beginning of the summer to try out for the Santan Legacy soccer team. Keep in mind he had only play one soccer game in his life. But lo and behold he made the best boys soccer team in the league! He is very agile and quicky and did quite well. So now he has been playing soccer since August. We went to Flagstaff for a tournament, Chloe came with us and it was so pretty up there the weather was great. They won all their games except the last one. It's really fun to watch him play. Kyle is also playing soccer and Chris is coaching him, he loves it as well and scores almost every game! September rolled around and it was time for Homecoming for Sydney, her first school dance. Taylor Heyman flew back home from BYU and took her. They went with Jordan and her date Nate. They went to dinner and then to the dance. She was thrilled that he came down. Well for fall break we took the kids to Cancun Mexico. It was a blast! We left our house at 2:15am and flew to Houston at 5am, from there we flew to Mexico. It was awesome. We stayed at the Barcelo Tucancun all inclusive resort. We had a condo on the beach that had 2 bedrooms and a main living area and 2 bathrooms. We looked right out on the ocean. It was beautiful. The first 2 days we played on the beach and read and swam and drank salt water (boy does that sting the eyes)We rented boogie boards and just played! On wednesday we went on a guided tour to Chichen Itza with Helaman and 2 other couples. It was really cool to see the ancient Mayan ruins and then we swam in a cinote! It's a lush underground natural water spring. The water was refreshing and cool to our sunburned skin. The boys jumped off the cliff into the water and had a blast. Chloe was such a trooper and got in the water as well she didn't care that there were fish swimming in the water around her. We had a great buffet lunch and then headed back to the resort! The last day we woke up and it was raining and thundering and lightening, I was so bummed so the first part of the morning we stayed inside then we ventured out and and played in the pool and read. The cool part about that day was that little sea turtle hatched out of their eggs underground and we were able to hold them for the first time. They were so cute! Friday we headed home and this was an adventure. We left the resort at 4am and left Cancun at 7am, flew to Houston, then flew to LA, had a long layover ( the Yocums were there too coming back from Hawaii) then we flew home. It was a long day! We love Mexico and could go back every year. Halloween--Chris and I went to a 70's skating party at Skateland with friends from the Ward, it was so much fun especially since I actually remembered how to skate. This year the kids dressed up and Kyle went as a ketchup bottle and Chloe went as a tinkerbell fairy. Zach and Sydney are too old of course....We went to our old neighborhood and had dinner in the cul-de-sac with the neighbors and the kids trick or treated, it was a great night to see everyone again. Thanksgiving was at the Moore's this year and it was a nice quiet dinner and we enjoyed their company. That night Hayley and I met at Walmart for our annual black friday shopping, it was super crazy (worse than before). I bought a Shark mop, 2 tupperware sets, a scentsy warmer, clothes. Now it's Christmas time and the tree is up and all the decorations are up and life just moves so fast. I am vowing to do better and write more often. Life is so good and we are happy and so thankful for all wonderful things we have. Here are some random pics throughout the year.

Birthday Party and Driving

2011-02-18T05:50:00.000-08:00

So this past weekend we had a surprise birthday party for my mom who turned 60. She definitely doesn't look or act 60, I hope I can be that way when I'm her age. It was so fun to have everyone over to our home and surprise her! We had a family picture taken a few weeks ago and so for her birthday we framed the family picture and then gave her a book of memories (basically told her how great she is :))

In other news we now have 3 drivers in our home....Yes, Sydney is driving! At first it was super scary and gave me a heart attack a few times. But we try and let her drive when we are with her in the car and she does a good job. She is getting the hang of it, and she is so excited to be behind the wheel!

We had valentines day this week. It was fun to give my kids valentines and love notes. I tried red food coloring on the kids eggs, it tasted the same but just looked interesting....Anyway I gave my sweetheart a new tool chest as he needed one badly to clean up his tools that are scattered all over the garage. He gave me a beautiful necklace that I've been asking for and he then had 2 of the young women in our ward come and sing to me ( I can't help falling in love with you) and gave me a rose and a valentine card. It was super sweet and romantic! We then topped the day off with a seafood buffet for the whole family. Life is busy, busy but so good:)

It's about time!!

2011-02-03T10:40:00.001-08:00

Well here it is Feb 2011 and I am way behind on my blog. Life just seems to get away from me and time goes by at warp speed and I find myself slacking on my journaling. So I'm going to try and sum up the last 5 months. Sorry if I babble and jump around. Well let's see Zach finished football and we headed right into fall ball for the boys. Zach was in the school spelling bee, he didn't win but it was fun to watch. Kyle was in his 3rd grade Christmas musical as an elf, he loved it and did a great job. Zach turned 12!! He is now a deacon and goes to mutual on wednesdays and is a boy scout. Kyle turned 9 and is in cub scouts and is playing basketball. Chloe is loving Kindergarten and is a little chatty but she is getting better. Sydney is a sophomore and doing well. She has a busy social calendar and loves to just hang with her friends. She received her patriarchial blessing in November which was a very special and sweet night. Sydney is also on the Hamilton Soccer Team and she is one of their captains. Her last game was awesome she got a hat trick and ended the season with a bang!

We had Chris's family down for Thanksgiving this year and it was so fun to hang out with everyone, we are so glad they came. We had Christmas with my family and had a wonderful Christmas eve at mom's and then we had Christmas Day dinner at our house. The kids got lots of good stuff, some of the highlights are Sydney- clothes, new phone, Zach- new phone, xbox stuff, Kyle- xbox games, new bike, Chloe- lots of Rapunzel stuff and a pillow pet. It was so cute, she would run down the hall screaming after she opened up each gift that she loved, it was so funny! Chris's parents stayed with us from the end of November to the end of January. They stay in their really cool RV right in our yard. It was so fun having them here and the kids loved being able to see them whenever they wanted. In January we met up with Chris's sister and her family and my in-laws in Disneyland! It was so fun to go and play for 3 days.

Life has been extremely busy. Being the YW president takes ALOT of time. I didn't realize how much but it's like a part time job. I love it!! But I'm always thinking, planning, and doing something for YW daily. Chris is the faithful 11 year old scout leader and always does a great job. He keeps busy working around our new yard and being with the family. I guess our biggest news is that we moved in October. It was a home that i had seen on the internet and then Chris saw it one day as he was driving around. We decided that we wanted to see it, so we called our trusty realtor (my mom) and she helped us wheel and deal until we got it! We actually lost it twice before it was ours so we had to work hard for this house. It is a home that needs some extra help due to lack of effort on the previous owners part. He let alot of things go so we have been picking up the slack. It has 5 bedrooms , 6 bathrooms, a large loft (which included a pool table), toy room, music room, upstairs laundry, downstairs office and master bedroom. This home could be ours forever if we wanted. I really don't want to move again, I love it here! I will put pics on here soon of the house. Here are some random pics of the last 5 months.

Stuff

2010-10-01T06:35:00.000-07:00

Well it's been busy around the Brereton household as usual. We are always running in different directions with the boys sports and YW for Sydney and I. YW is awesome, I absolutely love it. Last night we went to a Zumba class at the rec center, it was so fun. The kids are done with school for the next few weeks as it is already time for the fall break (wow) where did the time go? I am looking forward to not having to get up early in the morning, I'm sure my body will wake up at that exact same time everyday and i'll have to force myself to go back to sleep which doesn't always happen if you know what I mean. We are looking forward to General Conference this weekend and afterwards we are going to mom's for dinner with Sylvia. She also came last weekend to the women's broadcast and really enjoyed it. She has some new friends from Africa that just happen to be in our ward and it's been so great for her to connect with them. Our ward has really reached out to her and made her feel loved and welcome. Life is good, but busy, Chloe is so funny she decided on her own this week that she was personally going to decorate for Halloween. While I was gone one day and Zach was in charge she got into the halloween box in the garage (didn't know she knew where it was) and put it all around the house. She plugged the pumpkin in right in the middle of the hallway and put the orange twinkly lights in front of our TV and just random things on the floor. I should have taken a picture because it was quite a sight, she is just so excited about it. Sydney is busy with school, friends etc... the life of a teenager is always filled with a busy social calendar I get tired just thinking about it. She has been so great to babysit during the boys games when she doesn't want to go so we keep Chloe at home with her. I will post more next week.

Not Too Much

2010-09-14T06:35:00.000-07:00

Well I feel I need to just post what we are doing for journaling sake. We are one busy family that is for sure. I'm so happy to be able to do these things even though I may grumble some days. The kids are good just busy with sports. Zach played a game last night and hit a home run. Kyle went to scouts and got a great FHE lesson to teach us. Chloe brought a new friend from school home named Isabelle, she was so excited to have her here. Sydney went to a party last weekend and they were on a super big slip and slide and she somehow stepped on a stake and it almost went into the foot (thank goodness that didn't happen) but she does have a nice bruise and it's hurts and is hard to walk on. I sent a note to school so she wouldn't have to play soccer this morning (she was excited). We had a really busy sunday I had Ward council at 7am, then it was church 9-12, it was my turn to teach and I have such a great group of girls! Then it was time for choir practice all the YW and their mom's are singing in church in 2 weeks and it's a beautiful song so we are practicing to sound good. After Choir which ran a bit late we were on our way home and Chris texted Sydney and told her to hurry and we weren't sure what was going on, (doesn't he know we were already hurrying home for my sunday afternoon nap??) Well that didn't happen, as soon as I walked in the door he said we had a missionary discussion in 5 minutes!! So I quickly tidied up the house and we had Sylvia's boss Irma and her husband over with Sylvia and Missionaries for a great discussion. Soon after we realized that the missionaries needed dinner and we offered to have them stay, which they did and then it was quickly time for the youth fireside at 7pm. Bro. Harris spoke and did a great job talking about loving people through problems. Then we were home around 9...it was a long day but it's all good and productive things that we were doing. This week we are having an Etiquette dinner for the youth they do it every year and love it. Wow I didn't expect to write this much. Off to start breakfast for the kids.

The last 3 months!!

2010-09-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been busy for me as I was released from the Primary presidency and they put me in as the new Young Women's president. It has been humbling and overwhelming to say the least. I absolutely love the girls and am so excited to work with them. My life just got SUPER busy :) It's a good busy though and it will be so much fun!

Chloe turned 5! We decided to have a swim party at the Basha pool and we invited her friends and cousins to come and swim. They had pizza, cupcakes and drinks. For her birthday she got hello kitty stationary, a strawberry shortcake doll, a new shirt and candy, hair bows and jewelry, a princess Tiana doll, a new bike, a webkinz, princess Tiana dress up dress, a cute stuffed puppy, clothes, and a moxie doll from grandma G and g&g Brereton sent her a frog cookie bouquet. Her daddy brought her home some pretty pink roses and she had breakfast in bed which consisted of an omelet and a poptart with water. Happy birthday Chloe!

Random pictures

This is how Chris and Zach spent their time while we were in Utah! Shocking!

For the past 4 months we have had wonderful missionary experiences in our home. We came in contact with a beautiful lady named Salviah(Sylvia) through the missionaries. We had the discussions in our home and took her to the Easter Pageant, ward activities and to church. She gained a testimony and has taught our family so much. She decided to be baptized on August 21st. She was baptized by Elder Carpenter and Chris confirmed her. I gave a talk on baptism and Sydney talked on the Holy Ghost(voluntarily) she did an incredible job and I was so proud of my daughter and her beautiful testimony and understanding of the gospel. Sylvia is a great lady and we are all better from knowing her. She is ready to jump in and serve and do what is asked of her. Our other picture here is of Zach receiving some awards at the court of honor.

Sydney turned 15!!!! My baby is getting so big. She chose not to have a party this year, so we took the family and her friend Dallon to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. I wish I had a picture of her sitting on the saddle as everyone sang happy birthday to her, it was cute. She got a new flat iron, gift card to Charming Charlies, and new bedding stuff. She then went to the D-backs game with her best friend Taylor and got to be on the Jumbotron and had a great time. We love you Sydney.

The first day of School came quickly. Chloe started Kindergarten with 2 teachers Mrs. Salontai and Mrs. Forney (she has the most pics of course, what do you expect?) Kyle started 3rd grade with Mrs. Shore and Zach is at the top of the school in 6th grade with Mr. Shimizu. Sydney is my big sophomore at Hamilton. Here are random pics from the first 2 days.

We celebrated Chris's birthday while Sydney was at camp and I made him a cactus cake which is so fitting for him as he loves cactus. We then went to Utah, right in the middle of Zach's All star baseball season. I got to see 2 games and then we had to leave to get Sydney up to Provo for EFY. We made the trip into 2 days and we were glad to get there and be out of the heat. The kids played with their cousins, swam outside, played games, had sleepovers and ate lots of great food. Sydney had a fantastic time at EFY with Taylor (who broke her toe the week before and had surgery 3 days before EFY) She was a trooper. We were supposed to stay longer but after Zach's team won the district championship I was so sad that I missed it that I decided to pack up early and head home. I didn't want to miss anymore games. They ended the season like 4th in the state! It was a fun summer.

Sydney headed up to girls camp the middle of June as a 4th year. This was the year of the big hike, she made it just fine and had so much fun. She was a trooper as she had to carry a big heavy pack on her back but she got to swim in a lake and go on hikes. I was able to drive her up and see where she camps, it was fun to see her there.

Chloe finished up pre-school with Ms. Shirley and made a good friend named Hewitt Peterson. These are pics of the kids last day of school and Zach with his science experiment. Kyle went to Cub Scout day camp and had so much fun swimming, shooting, eating, passing off requirements and being with his buddies. He missed the first 2 days because he was sick. One of the days he had a baseball game and he ran off the field after one inning because he was throwing up. He did come and give it his all, we were proud of him.

The boys finished up baseball season the end of May. Kyle played on the Hooks with all of his friends and Chris was the coach. They finished 2nd place in the league! Zach finished his season with the Giants and did great.

Mother's Day

2010-05-12T05:33:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love breakfast in bed right? I love to have breakfast in bed twice a year ( I'd like more but you know how that goes..) Mother's Day is one of those days each year that I go to the grocery store on saturday and buy myself everything that I'd like for the next day, that way I get exactly what I want. I was served Eggs Benedict in bed and I got wonderful gifts from my family. Sydney gave me a beautiful letter, Zach made me a notebook that he decorated with my initial on the front, Kyle made me a cute flower pot with a flower in it that has a clothes pin to hold pictures. Chloe made me a pasta necklace and bracelet and a card that had a sponge on it as a flower. Chris got me at my kind request and insistence a new Chi so it was a great day. At church, the kids sang to us and we got Sees candy bars. Then we went to dinner at my mom's house and played games, it was so nice! I'm so privileged to be a mother to these 4 beautiful children. They teach me so much and I'm so grateful for the blessings they are in my life.

Finally!!!

2010-04-26T14:23:00.001-07:00

Wow, we finally decided to get new appliances. It was our 16th wedding anniversary the beginning of April and we felt that it was time to change it up a bit and get 4 brand new sparkling stainless steel appliances. We absolutely love them, I might love them more but its not a competition right? They make our kitchen look so much better, what do you think?

Here is Chris the night before unhooking the gas line, nice legs babe!
Ta Dah!
Ah, a new kitchen!

Hard Work and Persistance Pays off!

2010-04-26T14:11:00.000-07:00

I wanted to congratulate Sydney on a job well done! She worked really hard on her personal progress and earned her YW medallion which is a beautiful silver necklace with a pendant with the SLC temple on it with a ruby. She read, studied, and worked on (8) 10 hour projects and then read the entire Book of Mormon! We are so proud of her. Some of her projects that she finished were gardening with her dad, teaching her cousins to swim, making a quilt with Grandma Gardiner and budgeting and cooking with me. She is such an example to me and I hope she found great satisfaction in being obedient and accomplishing her goal. I love that girl!

Wow! 16 Years

2010-04-01T08:17:00.001-07:00

Today, yes today April fools day is my favorite day! Why? Because I've been married for 16 years today, no it's not a joke:). I'm so happy and love my life, I feel so blessed in every way. I love you!!! We celebrated last night because tonight we have baseball (nothing new there) we went to Costco, isn't that romantic? Then we went out for Thai food and then to Home Depot. Don't get jealous folks I know you wish you spent your anniversary there too. But we left home depot with 4 beautiful new appliances! They will be delivered to our house next tuesday and they can't come soon enough. If you could only see the sad state of our dishwasher as the top rack droops down and everything is rusting. So needless to say it's time for an upgrade and we decided to do the whole kitchen rather than just the dishwasher. I'll post pics next week. Happy Anniversary Chris, thank you for everything!

Spring Break Vacation!

2010-03-25T16:06:00.000-07:00

We went to San Diego this past week and had so much fun! We arrived sunday night and left wednesday. We were able to go to Sea World ( we loved the Atlantis and Shamu of course) We also went to the San Diego temple, toured the USS Midway and the Beach!! My kids had so much fun there until it got cold. I love being on vacation with the family. Here are some of the pictures we took.

Random

2010-03-19T20:22:00.001-07:00

Here are some random pictures of things that we've been doing in the last few months. I love my life!

We had a few stray dogs for a few days before our friends adopted them

Sydney finished another season of soccer, she's awesome!
Zach memorized the 13 articles of faith
Kyle memorized the 13 articles of faith

Kyle had a great basketball season with his buddies
Chloe playing
Chloe and her funny ballet poses
She absolutely loves to dance
Sydney received an award for finishing her soccer season at Hamilton, she loved to make her team mates laugh :)
Chloe went to a class called Melody Makers she is performing in the picture.

The Firehouse

2010-03-19T20:12:00.000-07:00

Chloe went on her first preschool field trip to the firestation. She was so excited and loved to sit in their big recliners and watch a video and learn about stop, drop and roll. She loved the big fire truck and ambulance and thought it was cool to get a band aid put on by the firefighter (she scratched her chin). She didn't think it was so cool when we were taking pictures though she didn't want us to see her band aid (vanity starts at such a young age, doesn't it?)

The Derby!!

2010-03-19T20:06:00.000-07:00

As the pinewood derby rolls around each year it's so fun for the boys to plan and make and paint the car. This year it was Kyle's turn and they made (Chris mostly, shhh) a great red car! Kyle had a great time racing it and being with his buddies.

Arrow of Light

2010-03-08T04:40:00.000-08:00

Zach received his webelos badge and his Arrow of Light the same night, they had a really cool ceremony for the boys. He worked really hard to get it done and we are very proud. (some pics arn't focused, sorry) It was fun to see both my boys received awards on the same night, Kyle got his soccer belt loop.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-14T14:03:00.000-08:00

Well it's about time I caught up on the last few months. Christmas time for us is always our favorite. We had a great Pajama party at my mom's house with good food, a program and presents. We then went to Utah for Christmas and on the way up we stopped in Las Vegas for the Las Vegas Bowl, BYU vs. Oregon. We had great 3rd row seats, so we got some good pictures. It was extremely cold and windy at the game and we were definitely not equipped for the cold weather. The thin mittens from the dollar store did not cut it. But it was fun and a nice man in front of us loaned us his blanket to keep warm so we survived. We actually ended up being on TV as the ball was kicked into the stands because of the wind and Chris almost caught it but the guy behind us caught it instead and the cameras just happened to be on us and we received lots of calls and texts. Utah was VERY cold and there was snow for the kids to play in which was nice. We had a wonderful Christmas with Chris's family, ate lots of good food, played a super fun game, went sledding and saw the temple lights, and had a great Christmas. Chloe was sick that morning so she didn't really enjoy her gifts until later that day. The kids got lots of great gifts and gadgets, games etc... Now on to 2010, yeah!

The Nutcracker

2010-01-14T13:58:00.001-08:00

Yes we thought our kids could use come culture this year so we bought tickets to the Nutcracker Ballet and Chris and I were the only one's that were excited....the kids not so much. We got them dinner and then went to the show. Before it started Kyle said out loud "let's just get this over with so we can go home" clearly he was excited about our evening.....by the end of the evening he was passed out cold asleep, we're talking mouth open and drooling. We then we and had dessert at Nielsen's Frozen Custard, it was yummy! It was a great night.

Happy Birthday Zach

2010-01-14T13:36:00.000-08:00

Zach turned 11 in December and we had a family celebration at his restaurant of choice at Red Lobster and then he had a birthday party with his friends at Bounce Jungle. The bounced and played for 2 hours and then it was done. He received lots of gift cards, to Game Stop, Target and Visa Cards, money, clothes etc...lucky kid! He got new shoes and a game from us. We love you Zach!!

Kyle's Baptism

2009-11-28T08:41:00.001-08:00

Kyle was Baptized by Chris on Nov 21, 2009 along with his cousin Porter by his Dad Tony. It was such a good time to be together as a family and make a great memory. We had family come from Utah and had all our family with us that lives in Arizona as well. I was so proud of Kyle and could see how happy he was. It was a beautiful day and we of course celebrated afterwards with a big BBQ at our house and the kids ran and played and the adults talked and ate. I thoroughly enjoyed that day and was so grateful for family and friends that came from all over to be with us. Congratulations Kyle we love you and are so proud of you!

Kyle's Big 8th Birthday

2009-11-28T07:30:00.001-08:00

Kyle turned the big 8 on November 8th and he was so excited! It started with Breakfast in bed that consisted of Eggs, Bacon, toast and apple juice. Then the kids had their primary sacrament meeting and then we had Kyle's favorite dinner which he chose Crepes, yummy! I made him a baseball cake but neglected to see if I had candles which of course I didn't so I had a six and tiffany had a 2 so if you add them up it equals 8 right??? Kyle didn't mind. He then had his friend party at Brunswick Bowling center the next saturday with his buddies, Tyler M, Tyler G, Hunter, Scott and Jason Palmer, Jordan G, and Austin H and Jacob H. They bowled and ate pizza and then had cake (A bowling cake of course). He got lots of gift cards to Target and Game Stop and nerf guns a star wars light saber, scriptures, night vision goggles and the monsters vs. aliens movie and money. It was a great birthday for Kyle. He is such a good boy and has a very sweet soft voice (when he wants to) that I just love. We are so blessed and grateful to have him in our family.

Kyle started scouts for the first time this month and he was soooo excited to go, so of course I sewed on all the patches and got him ready. Doesn't he look cute in his uniform?

Happy Halloween from the Breretons!

2009-10-31T22:35:00.000-07:00

Halloween is always for us. Our neighborhood has a party every year and it's so fun, this year Chloe went as a Hula girl to that party and then went as a mermaid to go trick or treating. Zach went as a football player and Kyle as a baseball player and Sydney well she's a teenager so she didn't dress up.... I reminded her that I went trick or treating until I was a senior in high school, but she didn't budge..... We carved pumpkins the day before halloween and then roasted the seeds, they are yummy! Halloween night the kids went with their friends and got tons of candy and had a great time.

Good looking pumpkin there Zach!
Don't cut yourself Kyle!
Trick or Treat!
The end result, don't they look happy?
My four beautiful Children
Sydney and her friends at the carnival
Chloe at the halloween carnival
She makes a cute hula girl if I do say so myself

Awesome Deals!

2009-10-07T11:00:00.001-07:00

Okay here is what I got at Albies and Bashas today:

4 Snuggle Liquid Fabric Softener (64oz) normally 4.79 each on sale for 2.99 had a 3.00 coupon off each one=Free

1 lemon juice

1 bunch green onions

Spent 2.71

Saved 7.20

Albies

8 Betty Crocker Warm Delights

4 progresso broths (in big box,not canned)

8 Green Giant Vegetable Steamers

4 boxes Totino's Pizza Rolls

8 Boxes Tony's Pizza

Spent 4.38

Saved 68.84

I love coupons!!

Football Season

2009-10-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

Zach has been playing football this season for the CYF Vipers. It's been a learning experience and time consuming but he seems to be enjoying it now, especially since he's scored 2 touchdowns and had some great tackles. Here are some pics of the season so far.

Beautiful!

2009-10-05T11:35:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld0_7fKGdRM

We had the privilidge to watch The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints General Conference yesterday and one talk stands out in particular by Jeffrey R. Holland. Please watch if you haven't already seen it, it is a beautiful witness of the Book of Mormon.

2009-09-29T07:06:00.001-07:00

Chloe turned 4 on Aug 28th but I've been a litttle slow on my posts so I'm finally getting to it. She was so excited for her birthday it was all she talked about. She decided (with the help of her brothers) to go to Bounce Jungle, we invited the neighborhood kids, and cousins. They were able to jump for a few hours then I gave them all treat bags and a cupcake and that was it. It was very fun. She got some cute gifts like a necklace, a dress, shoes, and hair bows, books, window markers and crayons, 2 princess barbies, a barbie cash register, Lelli Kelly shoes, cd player and 4 cd's, dress up dresses and accessories and a princess sleeping bag and tent. I decided to try and make another themed birthday cake so I made a mermaid cake and it was cute but I'm definitely still learning. Happy Birthday Chloe We love you!

Chloe's 4th Birthday

2009-09-29T05:40:00.000-07:00

Awesome Cousins Jillian and Jocee
Chloe's best friends Maya and Thea
Yeah she looks a little scary
Birthday Cake
Dancing to the music on her CD player from G&G Gardiner
In her new tent from Grandma B
Barbie mermaid bath set
Breakfast in bed (toaster Strudel and yogurt)

My Stomach has a headache.....

2009-09-15T14:37:00.000-07:00

My dear sweet Chloe always says funny things and I didn't want to forget them. As I was doing the dishes this morning she came downstairs and told me that her stomach has a headache. Then when we were on our ways to mom's class she told me that her teeth and her eyes are very special. I love the 4 year old stage they are so cute and say such fun things. Not too much is new, we are very busy with kids activities and life, I will blog about Chloe's birthday soon.

Our little Mia

2009-08-25T09:01:00.000-07:00

Well we had to say goodbye to our little Mia. She was bit a few months ago on the eye by our black lab Daisy (she wasn't happy that Mia was trying to eat her food). Mia's eye swelled up and then a bluish grey film covered it and we could tell that she was blind in that eye. So from then on we fed the dogs separately until the other night when Mia slipped out the sliding door while Daisy was being fed and it happened again on the other eye! This time it was worse and the eye popped out of the socket (not all the way out) but enough that even if she had the surgery(over $1000) to fix it there was no guarantee that she would ever see in that eye. So we decided to take her to humane society and they could decide whether to treat her or put her down. The doctor there said there was hope of fixing it and adopting her to someone who could take care of a blind dog. We are so sad! We miss her and I think Daisy misses her too. We just knew that with 4 kids and all the friends running around and with Daisy acting the way she does we knew we couldn't keep her anymore. She was such a funny dog and loved to sit her little bum on daisy and then her front paws would sit on the ground, it was so cute. The pics are of the kids on the morning we took her away. Her eyes were bandaged so she couldn't see anything. It was heartbreaking to see my kids cry and suffer that she was leaving. That was the hardest part for me, hands down. ( I didn't put the extra sad pictures on). Goodbye Mia Sophia we love you!

My 14 Year Old Sydney

2009-08-25T08:43:00.001-07:00

My attempt at a flip flop cake
Her new chair for her room

Yummy breakfast!

Oh how I love this girl! Sydney is such a wonderful, beautiful, caring daughter. She turned 14 on August 2nd which was a sunday (fast sunday) so we did her birthday breakfast in bed on saturday the 1st and she had requested Cheesy potatoes and a smoothie and that's exactly what she got. Then her and I went shopping and she get a new purse and wallet, a papasan chair for her room, a new lamp. Then on her real birthday she got a big picture frame to put her friends pictures in. She also received great cards and lots and lots of goodies!! Holy cow we had so much sugar in our house. Grandma G brought over homemade custom cupcakes in a very cute box ( she also took her shopping and to dinner for her b-day). She also received some $$ from Grandma and Grandpa Brereton. She got a cake from Brooke M, yummy brownies from the Chapples and then I attempted to make a flip flop cake. I did a few things wrong but it turned out okay I will know better for the next one though. All in all it was a great weekend for her. The next weekend she wanted to do something with her friends so we took them to the Arizona Grand resort and we had dinner, stayed the night in a suite, ate lots of junk food and then Hayley and I got up early and went running almost 5 miles (had to work off the junk food). They we stayed and played at the resort water park. It was so fun! Happy Birthday Sydney!

First Day of School

2009-08-25T08:28:00.000-07:00

Chloe First Day Isn't she cute in Blue?
Yes this is all my teenager would give me.....nice
Brothers
Zach first day
Kyle First Day

Okay, okay So I'm a tad behind on my blogging but better late than never. So here is the first day of school on July 27th, 2009. Sydney is a freshman at Hamilton High School she starts her day very early so that means that I do too. She is up at 5am and ready to go out the door by 6am. We are carpooling everyday as the buses don't run that early. I drive every 3rd week and it works out very well. Zach is at Fulton Elementary in 5th Grade in Mrs. Wong's class. He was so excited to get her as she is a fantastic teacher. Kyle is in Ms. Shaheen's 2nd grade class and she is also very nice and very pretty too. My sweet little Chloe started preschool at Shirley's Sure Start Preschool. She goes monday and wednesday 9-11:30 and is loving it. She loves taking her backpack and feels like such a big girl. It was such a weird, free feeling to run my errands that day and have no kids with me. It was nice but it was a reality check for me that I'm getting older and so are my kids. Boohoo. School is so far so good, Zach is playing the trumpet and has started football with CYF and it's very intense 4 nights a week 2.5hrs each time! He wasn't sure at first but now he really likes it. Kyle is in baseball on the Cubs team with CNLL and Sydney will be starting soccer soon. Our life can feel a little crazy at times but I love it, I love this time and I'm trying to enjoy each moment.

CNLL All Star!

2009-07-13T14:28:00.001-07:00

Congratulations Zach on a great Season, his very last game was awesome as he hit a home run over the fence and brought 2 guys in and then was named the MVP!! We love you and are so proud of you!

Our Trip to Utah

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

This year it turned out that our family vacation was just a partial family vacation. Zach needed to stay here in Arizona to practice and play with the Chandler All Star team so he and Chris stayed here. What a great time he had! Especially at his last game, he hit a home run (his first one over the fence) and helped bring in 2 other boys, then he was named the MVP. We couldn't be more proud of him! So Sydney, Me, Chloe and Kyle ventured up to Utah on our own as I needed to take Sydney to EFY in Provo. We left on June 25th and Stayed in Cedar City and arrived in Pleasant Grove on the 26th. We did many fun things like go to cousin Shelbie's baptism, swim at the Lindon pool a few times, hiked the G, got rained out at Raging Waters, saw lots of movies like Ice Age, Up and The Proposal not to mention all the one's we got from Redbox. I was able to see my friend Laura and her 2 girls for an afternoon, we also went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house which was very beautiful. Sydney was able to see her cousins from Oregon, they stayed in a cabin up Provo Canyon and had a great time. Sydney said EFY was amazing and had a wonderful time and made lots of new friends. We will definitely do that again. Chris and Zach surprised us and drove up to spend the 4th of July with the family and we were also able to go to the Stadium of Fire in Provo. That was soooo fun!! My brother in law got an email that said all police, fire and military could get in for free so we secured out tickets but didn't get to the gate in time and we thought that we wouldn't be able to get in, but after some searching and talking we got our tickets and we had such a great time. Glenn Beck was the host and Shedaisy performed and then the Jonas Brothers came out and it was so much fun to see the kids dancing and laughing and having a great time. The fireworks were so amazing and I've not quite seen a show like that before. Unfortunately Chris's grandfather passed away while we were up there so we ended up staying until the funeral and Chris flew up the night before and drove back with the kids and I. It was a great vacation but we were definitely glad to come home and get back to normal. Here are pictures of our trip.

Our trip to Utah

2009-07-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

Happy 40th Birthday Chris!

2009-06-17T14:32:00.000-07:00

Well I just wanted to take a few minutes and wish Chris a happy birthday. He is the big 40 and I just can't believe we're getting old. We hope you have a wonderful day celebrating 4o years of your life. I'm grateful to have been a part of that for the last 16 years and can't wait for more. Happy Birthday Chris, we love you.

Zach the All Star!

2009-06-16T09:13:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to congratulate Zach for making the 10U Chandler National All Star Baseball Team. Just when I thought baseball was over for a while, it starts up again with a vengeance. We are so excited for him and he truly excels at baseball and LOVES the game. He will be doing alot of traveling through August 1st and practicing. Sydney left this morning for girls camp I hope she has a wonderful time, we will miss her.

Last Day of School and Graduation

2009-06-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

Today was the kids last day of school and they had a great time. They ate McDonalds for lunch and had a water party ( lots of learning...) Sydney graduated from Santan K-8 and she will be attending Hamilton High School next year, well actually it's July when she starts. We are so proud of all of them for finishing the school year with a bang. Zach got the Merit award for all A's and B's, Kyle is on grade level in all subjects except for Math he is above grade level. Sydney ended a great year we haven't gotten her grades yet but we know she did very well and we're proud that she was in the National Junior Honor Society. Great job my sweet Kiddos, I can't wait to see what next year holds for you. Here are some pics of Sydney and friends at the graduation and before and after pics of the kids to see how they've grown.

Beginning of School Year
End of School Year
Beginning of School Year
End of School Year
Beginning of School Year
End of School Year

How I love the Rain

2009-05-22T08:40:00.000-07:00

We finally got some rain last night and this morning and I love how it just turns everything so green and beautiful. I wanted to show some pictures of our grapes that Chris is growing, we are so excited to try them. This cool cactus flower wasn't open yesterday, it's so pretty!

My little girl is all grown up!

2009-05-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

Santan had its semi-formal dance last saturday and Sydney went with a bunch friends and then to a movie afterwards. She had a great time and looked beautiful. We are so proud of her and her accomplishments this year, she has excelled and made us very proud.

My Wonderful Mother's Day!

2009-05-12T19:03:00.000-07:00

I always look forward to the cute gifts I get each mother's day from the kids. This year was especially great. Sydney wrote me a beautiful letter, Zach made me a calendar with poems that he wrote for each month, Kyle made me a great magnet/clip holder for the fridge so I can clip papers and such to it, it was also adorned with his adorable picture. Chloe got me anything and everything she could find, such as purses, jewelry, sleeping beauty dress and shoes (she tried to get me to wear them to church) and colored pictures. Chris gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers. We sat in our big bed all morning eating Crispy Cream donuts and milk and playing games until it was time to get ready for church. After church we went to my mom's and enjoyed a yummy dinner and mom gave each of the girls a cute beach bag and a cute platter. I'm so grateful to be a mom, this is all I've wanted to be. I truly find no greater joy than to be their mother and know that I can be with them forever. They teach me so much and are great examples to me. They make me laugh and cry and yes want to scream sometimes. I love you Sydney, Zach, Kyle and Chloe and Chris thanks for a wonderful mothers day.

Father/Son Campout

2009-05-07T16:15:00.000-07:00

The guys went up camping this past weekend and had a great time. They ate a yummy stew, played tug of war, told scary stories, ate treats, and enjoyed a great time with friends. Here are a few pictures.

Sydney The Superstar

2009-05-07T15:55:00.000-07:00

Sydney decided to give track a shot this year and has done very well. She has done events like the long jump, 2oo, and 4x100. She has also been playing soccer and has really enjoyed it, she has become a lean, athletic machine! We are very proud of her. You're a superstar Sydney!

Time to Catch Up

2009-05-07T15:54:00.001-07:00

Easter was very fun for us this year, here are a few pictures of what the kids got and a picture of them before church.

Easter

2009-05-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

Never Judge a Book By It's Cover

2009-04-17T15:44:00.001-07:00

Chris sent me a link yesterday to watch this video on Youtube and I was absolutely in tears by the end. As a people we are always so quick to judge others and put them down. What an incredible job this woman did and I truthfully have watched this about 15 times and I'm sure that's not the last. I have no doubt this woman's life will change forever because of this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Wyatt Earp

2009-04-09T15:47:00.000-07:00

Each year the 4th graders get to do a Wax Museum at school and Zach decided to be Wyatt Earp. We got the outfit together and he learned his lines. They had each made a paper button for their desk and we had to press the button for them to talk. Zach did a great job and was very much in character.

Easter Egg Hunt and Movie

2009-04-09T15:37:00.000-07:00

We are so lucky to live where we do, we have great neighbors, and a great location. Every year our neighborhood does a easter egg hunt for the kids, but this year they did it in the evening which was fun for the kids (Chloe seriously hit the jack pot and filled her bucket up) Zach and Kyle did well themselves. After they got their yummy candy filled eggs we pulled out all of our sleeping bags and pillows and they showed an easter show and then the movie Bolt afterwards. Sydney watched with her friends as well but didn't hang with the little kids (it's a teenager thing) While they watched the movie Chris and I and the Moore's sat on the front lawn and had a nice candlelight dinner and enjoyed good company. I love raising my kids here, we are truly lucky.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2009-04-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let Chris know how much I love him! We've been married for 15 years now and it's been a great life and I look forward to more. Chris is a great husband, dad and provider for our family and I'm so grateful for him. It was so fun this morning, my mom came over for piano with some gifts from her and my sister, thank you so much for doing that! You are so thoughtful and it made our day. I truly do have the best mom and sister in the world! Happy Anniversary Chris, I love you!

Play date for Chloe

2009-03-31T13:30:00.001-07:00

The aftermath
Watching TV and eating snacks
Jumping on the trampoline

Chloe had her friend Delly over today to play. They had so much fun running from room to room, playing mommy and baby and then going to Home Depot and Lowe's with me. Delly called the Trampoline a submarine, it was so darn cute. They almost look like they could be sisters. This is such a fun cute age and I'm enjoying every minute of it. Chloe just told me she had "so much fun playing with Delly". I love making my daughter happy.

Baseball and Soccer Season

2009-03-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

Well the spring season of baseball and Soccer has started and we're in for a fun filled, action packed season. Sydney is playing soccer and Chris is the coach, she is excited for the season. Zach is playing on 2 teams he was drafted onto the AAA Yankees team with Chandler National Little League and then he plays on an East Valley League called the Peleteros. He plays 1st Base and pitcher. Kyle is on the Blue Claws with his friend Hunter Barth and he likes playing all positions. He caught a great fly ball last game. Julene Barth and I both volunteered to be the team moms so that should be fun. It will be crazy busy the next 2 months but we are excited to see the kids excel in their individual activities and we hope they enjoy playing as much as we enjoy watching.

Surprise Visitor for Sydney

2009-03-31T13:13:00.000-07:00

During Spring break a few weeks ago I'm sure my kids were thinking that it was boring to just be at home especially Sydney until..... Mallory made a surprise visit! Mallory is actually my cousin but she is closer in age to Sydney so they get along really well. Sydney was so surprised!!!! She actually didn't know what to say. We were just at home watching American Idol and Mallory came running in the door and ran to Sydney and it was so cute to see them together. They did lots of fun things like watch movies, visited cousin Alyssa and family, late night Denny's run then we got the Twilight movie, shopping, build a bear, treats, sleepover with friends etc... it seemed like they had a great time. We were so happy to have Mallory here!

Clean Garage!

2009-03-17T10:42:00.000-07:00

If any of you have ever been to our house you know that our garage can be well you could say a little unorganized. I tried many times over the years to organize and clean only to have it become a disaster zone 3 days later. Then my very nice neighbor Fred came over and said he could make shelves for us ( like in his garage) and we jumped all over it. It took 3 days to be finished but he did an excellent job! Here is a picture of the shelves and one of my clean uncluttered garage. As I was going through things I found bags from Home Depot with Receipts and stuff inside so I returned them today and got a nice store credit. Yeah! Cleaning and organizing is awesome! It makes me happy and my life less stressful. Yes, we can actually put 2 cars in our 3 car garage now :)

Zach's last Pinewood Derby!

2009-03-10T10:41:00.000-07:00

Making sure it's just right
Happy Zach with his Racing Roadster
Red Racing Roadster
Come on Car #4!!
Chloe happy as usual
Kyle's is all smiles-his turn next year!

Well every year the Pinewood Derby rolls around and Chris makes a new car oh I mean Chris and Zach make a new car :) This year it was the Racing Roadster and it was lightening fast! We all had fun as a family and the best part was that we did 53 races in 1 hour! It was so fun. Zach took 3rd place and was able to go to the Stake level that evening and I'm not sure what he placed there. Here are a few pics of the day. Congratulations Zach!

Warm Saturday

2009-02-28T13:45:00.000-08:00

What incredible weather we're having here in Chandler! It's been warm today it will get up to 87 degrees and the same for tomorrow and monday. The boys had a great idea to get the trampoline all wet and jump on it. It's a great way for them to cool down. They were loving it!

Congratulations Chris and Sydney

2009-02-22T18:17:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Chris and Sydney! There team the Green Lightening took 1st place in the age group! Yahoo! Chris loved coaching so much that he's doing it again in the spring. Life will get busy but fun.

Sweet Little Voice

2009-02-17T12:14:00.001-08:00

Kyle just called me on the phone from school to tell me there was no running club today because the fields were wet from the rain last night. His sweet soft little voice was so cute and loving and I don't want to forget it. They grow up so quickly and I love this time with them. I hope I can be a better mom each day to my 4 beautiful children.

Baseball

2009-02-16T15:27:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to say how proud we are! We just found out that Zach was drafted onto a AAA baseball team with Chandler National Little League. He will be playing for the Yankees. I can't wait to see how both Zach and Kyle's baseball seasons turn out. We love you both and are so proud of you!

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-14T06:03:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to tell my family how much I love them! Also it's my mom's birthday today so Happy Birthday Mom, we love you!! Thanks for all you do.

Sydney

2009-02-09T11:15:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to take a few minutes to write about Sydney. She is such a good girl and we are so proud of her accomplishments thus far. She excels at school and makes the superior honor roll and she is a great soccer player and enjoys playing with her friends and having Chris as her coach. She has been learning the piano but has really blossomed this year and she is very diligent in playing and practicing especially if it's a song she likes! We just want her to know how much we love her and think she is awesome and we are so lucky to have her in our family. Love you Sydney!

Bike Ride

2009-01-29T13:43:00.000-08:00

I love the fact that I can bike ride with my 3 year old! It was so nice out today a little breezy but nice anyway, that I decided to pump up the tires on my bike and Chloe and I went for a bike ride. As we were riding she was commenting on all the bushes and I asked her where they all came from and she said "my grandfather". I thought it was cute, she's a good little rider she kept up with me and didn't complain and she always told me to be careful. I love little moments like this that I get to spend with my kids. This week has been nice we went with Chris's parents to Joe's Farm Grill in Gilbert (it was shown on the food network) so we tried it out it was nice, very casual. The boys had running club this week and love to always be active. Sydney has soccer and is enjoying her team with all of her friends on it and her dad as her coach. Sydney, Zach and Kyle are taking piano from Grandma Gardiner and are doing well. Kyle is VERY excited to get started and likes to practice. Sydney has been playing new and challenging songs and Zach likes the baseball songs. I'm glad to see each of them trying and learning new things, I'm grateful for persistence. Thanks mom for the lessons!

Pure Joy!

2009-01-14T12:22:00.001-08:00

I am sitting here today with my sweet 3 year old and we're just talking about dolls, chicken nuggets, and her blankie and I remember how truly blessed I am because of my children. They each are so unique in their own way and I love each of them dearly! They most definitely bring me pure joy. Life is too short to not take the time to realize the good things in life and the love of good people and family. I am one lucky mom!

Thinking Back and Looking Forward

2008-12-31T14:38:00.001-08:00

Christmas 2008 was wonderful for us we enjoyed Christmas lights, yummy treats, singing LOTS of Christmas carols (especially Chloe) shopping, wrapping, Christmas cards, spiritual moments, family time and lots of love. We spent Christmas Eve at mom's and we had our traditional soups and bread with dessert. Then we had a program and gift exchange. Christmas morning was filled with lots of wrapping paper and squeals of excitement. Some of the things the kids got were: Sydney got a camera, bejeweler, a case and rhinestones for the bejeweler, clothes, accessories for the camera, a soccer necklace, underarmor pants, bath and body works set, and more. Zach got clothes, rubix cube, slinky, bakugan, r/c car, tetherball set, wireless guitar for the xbox 360, pump rocket and a 360 game. Kyle got clothes, rubix cube, slinky, r/c car, bike, guess who game, pump rocket, wireless guitar, xbox 360 game, pirana panic game and last but not least Chloe got lots of sleeping beauty stuff like a dress, wand, shoes, crown, earrings, the SB dvd, 2 games, a doll, dora and the pegasus horse, barbie rapunzel dvd and more. We all received more than we needed but we are sure grateful for what we have and for eachother. It's been a good year and we look forward to a very exciting and prosperous 2009. Happy New Year Everyone!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-31T14:26:00.000-08:00

A New Camera for Sydney
Sleeping Beauty Dress for Chloe
Bike for Kyle
Clothes and a Tetherball set for Zach

Christmas Eve at Mom's
Our 4 Beautiful children! Merry Christmas

Chritsmas Cookies!!

2008-12-19T18:56:00.000-08:00

Were ready for Christmas!

2008-11-29T18:17:00.000-08:00

I think that our family is SO ready for Christmas. Our house is all decorated. Mom was pretty bumbed that she was not the first one with the christmas tree or christmas lights up. I told her there is always next year! Tonight we decorated the tree with ornaments and put up the lights. Mom put up the decorations up on Tuesday night. :)

Our beautiful tree

Kyle hanging up ornaments

This picture makes me laugh!

Zach's turn to put up the star

4 Beautiful kids

Mom and Dad

Our finished product outside

And some lights

Inside decor

Our stockings

Our little town

THE FINAL PRODUCT INSIDE!

Our fun Thanksgiving Weekend!!!

2008-11-29T09:56:00.001-08:00

This Thanksgiving was so much fun! Jessie and Glenn came down from Utah for Thanksgiving which was so much fun! Also Grandma and Grandpa Brereton are down here for 1-2 months and they are staying in a trailer park. We were so happy that the Giles came down! We had lots of fun and we love them lots and lots. We did so many fun things like the boys played football, the thanksgiving meal, and temple christmas lights. Here are a few pictures of all the fun.

Dad playing the Turkey Bowl with our ward on Thursday morning.

Grandma and Grandpa cooking in the kitchen

Jessie making her yummy dip!

Dad and Grandpa

Mom and Jessie

Uncle Glenn cutting the Turkey

Grandma making the gravy

Sydney and Jessie taking a nap :)

The kids table!!

The adult table. Chris's partner Grahame came over with his girlfriend Eve.

Chloe and her olive fingers

Waiting for the lights to turn on

Cute cousins!

The Nativity Scene

Our cute family!

Trip to the Temple...

2008-11-29T09:33:00.000-08:00

Our Stake President asked us to visit the temple for a day of thanks last saturday. To think about and talk about all the things we are grateful for. Dad took lots of pictures of plants, flowers, and trees:) Afterwards we went and visited Grandma Sackley which was very nice. We were very glad that we were able to attend the temple!

Twilight!!

2008-11-22T14:37:00.001-08:00

FINALLY IT'S ARRIVED! Sydney and I went on thursday night with her friend Brittany, my sister Hayley, SIL Randee and her sis Trini, Hayley's SIL Julie and her 2 girls and our cousin Susan. We had so much fun talking, playing games, and eating. I LOVED the movie and feel the need to see it at least a few more times. We stood in line @8:30 and got into a theater pretty fast and then didn't get home until 3am. I recommend it to all my Twilight friends.

I love Couponsense!!!

2008-11-10T12:18:00.000-08:00

Okay I went shopping today and got some great

deals at Basha's and Fry's. This is what I got :

4 Boxes Trix Cereal

2 Gallons of Milk

3 Rolled Oats

4 Boxes Betty Crocker Potatoes

2 Pillsbury Brownie Mixes

2 Swiss Miss hot chocolate

2 Tylenol PM

4 Dial Soap multipacks

4 Boxes of Ronzoni Pasta

1 Frozen Corn

Donuts(didn't need)

Rolls

Cheetos

Applesauce

For $23.05

My Basha's bill was just .50! I love it!

2008-11-10T12:16:00.000-08:00

Kyle's 7th Birthday!

2008-11-10T12:10:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Kyle! He had a fun day, starting out with Breakfast in bed (family tradition) he requested Lucky Charms, Bacon and Grape Juice. Then we had Zach's baseball game and then the big party at Chuck E. Cheese. He invited Tyler M, Tyler G, Hunter, Austin, and Cousin Jordan. They had fun playing games, eating pizza, and cupcakes and turning in their tickets for prizes. Then for dinner that night he wanted Burger King (such a nutritional day). He got some very nice gifts he got 3 lego sets, gift card, 3 games, Guitar Hero 3 for the xbox and a movie. We love you Kyle!!

2008-11-10T12:01:00.000-08:00

Halloween Pictures

2008-11-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

WATCH THIS

2008-11-02T20:23:00.000-08:00

Twilight and Napoleon!!!

Happy Halloween!!

2008-10-31T12:01:00.001-07:00

It's halloween and I LOVE this time of year. We've got the spooky cob webs up, the skeleton hanging on the door, orange lights, and the black cauldron is full of candy and ready to be handed out to cute little trick or treaters. We've been to 3 halloween parties so far since last week. Our neighborhood has a party every year with free food, games, bouncers and contests, then we went to our annual family party and we had more food, sang some Karaoke (go grandma) and had lots of laughs, then it was off to the ward party with more food, candy and a little kick ball. Tonight we are having a bbq in our cul-de-sac with the neighbors before we go trick or treating. I love the events and seeing my kids get excited about things. There is nothing better than getting together with friends and family and making memories. Happy Halloween to everyone and we'll post pictures after tonight.

Running!

2008-10-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, after many years of saying no to running, I have finally decided to try it out. I started with my sisters running program 6 weeks ago or so and have loved it!! The program starts you out gradually so like the first week I ran 2 minutes and walked 4 minutes for a total of 30 minutes, now I'm running 13 minutes and walking 2 minutes 2x. My sweet daughter Sydney saved her money and bought me an ipod for my birthday and my boys got me an itunes gift card to fill it up with great music. That has really helped me as I run, so I can focus on something other than my side aches and shin splints. I've been dealing with shin splints for a few weeks now so I'm going in to get some new shoes. Yeah! Zach and I and my mom, my uncle Peter, my cousin Kalyn and her husband Nathan all ran the Chandler Challenge on saturday the 18th it was fun. Zach came in like 12th over all and my mom got 3rd place in her age group (Go mom!) I came in 21st in my age group so I've got some work to do. I really have enjoyed it, I quit the gym and just run 4 times a week at 6:15 am. The weather has been nice so far and I'm still able to wear shorts and a tank top but I'm hoping it cools down soon as 95 degrees in October gets to be annoying sometimes -80 degrees would be nice.

DISNEYLAND!

2008-10-09T20:47:00.000-07:00

Kyle fighting Darth Maul?

Sydney, Tiffany, Chloe and Thea on the Teacups
Chloe and Snow White

Our hotel had bunk beds they all wanted the top
Chloe and Thea
Chloe and Minnie
Zach learning to be a Jedi Fighter
Each time one of our children reads 100 books (when they first start reading) we take the family to Disneyland. Kyle was our reader this time and we left on sunday and got back last night. We had a great time, we went with our good friends the Moore's so that made it extra fun. We LOVE Disneyland but we didn't like the fact that California had an extra week of vacation and they all decided to come at the same time, and it was record temperatures of 100 degrees! Yes, we're used to that but we were hoping for some nicer weather. We got to go on most of the rides we wanted except the Nemo ride, the line was sooo long and I wasn't standing in that with a feisty 3 year old. Next time we decided that November or December will be a perfect time to go.

Zach and Kyle in their Baseball Uniforms

2008-09-27T12:36:00.000-07:00

How cute is our little ballerina???

2008-09-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

Husband Tag

2008-09-22T07:33:00.000-07:00

1. Where did you meet? We met at the Glenwood Apartments in Provo, Utah. Chris would say that we met at my boyfriends apartment but he was just my friend. We use to tease each other about our names and we just became friends.

2. How long did you date before you got married? 7 months

3. How long have you been married? 14 Years

4. What does he do that surprises you? He brings me flowers when I least expect it.

5. What is your favorite feature of his? I love Chris's cheeks and big smile and yes his feet that never smell!

6. What is your favorite quality of his? He is a good father and husband. He always wants the best for our family, and is a great provider.

7. Does he have a nickname for you? No I don't think so, just mom or Christy.

8. What is his favorite color? No idea, I don't think he has one.

9. What is his favorite food? Chris loves all kinds of foods he especially likes Sushi, Thai and Indian food, He loves mexican food and anything with caramel in it.

10. What is his favorite Sport? Chris isn't a huge sports fan (thank goodness), I know he for sure likes baseball especially when the boys are playing and soccer when Sydney is playing he also likes to watch the BYU Cougars play in the fall.

11. When and where was your first kiss? We kissed at the Palace dance club in Provo on a little bench, I couldn't tell you when it was though probably Sept 93

12. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? We like to go to dinner together and then go shopping if we don't shop we might see a movie. We also love our reality shows that we watch together.

13. Do you have any children? Yes- Sydney, Zach, Kyle and Chloe

14. Does he have a hidden talent? Chris is very handy and good at fixing things he can also play the piano beautifully! Oh I can't forget his awesome wakeboarding skills!

15. How old is he? 39 (sorry honey)

16. Who said I love you first? I don't remember

17. What's his favorite music? He likes everything.

18. What do you admire most about him? There are many things I admire, he is a great person and loves to be successful. Chris is creative and is very smart. I've always loved that about him and it especially comes in handy when my 8th grader brings home math that I've forgotten how to do and he can help her with it.

19. Do you think he will read this? Yes eventually

I tag Hayley, Randee, Natalie

Busy Month!

2008-09-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

Life has been very busy in our household. I love the fall (even though it's still 103 degrees), the humidity goes away, the mornings are perfect and there's excitement for the upcoming months. We have been busy with baseball, homework and projects. The boys are doing great on their teams, both teams are undefeated so far, they truly are becoming good little ball players and we are proud of them. Sydney is busy with lots of homework and projects. She had a fun opportunity last week, for a grade in school she had to perform at halftime in the marching band at the Hamilton High School and Brophy Prep football game, it was a huge game and even some of the AZ. Cardinal players were there (Matt Leinhert)! She is busy making new friends, being a good missionary and tumbling on monday nights with Zach, we're proud of you. Chloe is well lets just say Chloe! She is always into things and loves to talk about her friend Thea and her cousins. She loves Disney princesses and we just celebrated her 3rd birthday the end of August (of course it was a princess party) She got a new bike, dress up clothes, barbie laptop, 2 new dolls, a ball and some new pj's.

I was released from the Young Women's a few weeks ago (cry, cry) and put into primary and I'm now teaching Zach's class (yeah)! Kyle read his 100 books so we are off to Disneyland in October with our good friends the Moore's and we're all very excited especially Chloe, she always talks about the princesses she will see. Chris is always busy with work and he is enjoying his new hobby as Cactus Chris, he loves going out to the farm and watching those cactus grow.

I don't mean to ramble but I'm trying to catch up on what we've been doing. We also enjoyed a nice afternoon at the temple yesterday with my family and then we went to dinner at Rosa's Mexican food. I'll post some new pictures soon.

The Crazy Things She Does....

2008-08-30T16:13:00.000-07:00

As you know Chloe has finally turned 3, she thinks she is 4 though. :) I still cant believe it has been 3 years since I was waiting in the hospital for my sister to be born. I was so excited that FINALLY I wouldn't be the only girl. Chloe makes me laugh and smile everyday. In fact she is sitting right by me and is singing me a song right now. Chloe is a special part of our family if we didn't have her I don't think our family we be the same with out her! I love her so much I am so glad Heavenly Father sent her to my family! Chloe your the BEST sister anyone could have I love you!

Sydney

here are some of the crazy things she does......

she wears hilarious costumes!!!

she sword fights dad and does kung fu!

She loves to vacuum our house :)

Whoo go Chloe!!!

She is our little princess!!!!

Journal 8/11/08

2008-08-11T12:04:00.000-07:00

Well we've been busy with adjusting to the school schedule and getting back into the swing of things. This past week was a little busy as baseball is starting for both boys. Chris is coaching Zach's team and Kyle will be starting coach pitch. Sydney is in tumbling and enjoys the exercise. Chris and I went to the Atlanta Braves and Arizona D-backs game on friday, it was very fun! They lost but we got to see part of the opening ceremonies of the Olympics on the jumbotron and then enjoyed a live fireworks show. When Chase field opens it's roof it is very cool, it was a fun date. On saturday we celebrated Clint's graduation from ASU, yeah Clint!

We have also been watching the Olympics and have loved the swimming and the gymnastics so far the most! GO TEAM USA!! Here are some pics from the graduation party.

Breaking Dawn, Painting, Birthdays EVERYTHING!

2008-08-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

For my (sydney) 13th birthday my friend Brittany and I and mom went to get Breaking Dawn the 4th book in the Twilight saga at midnight at barnes and noble! We all had a blast!

Then the next day we painted my room I LOVE it! Its very cute! Also while we were waiting for midnight to come we bumped into my other friend Rachel and her mom and we went out for ice cream fun, fun. My mom got us t-shirts that said twilight team edward and necklaces that say cullen! we loved them!!!!!!!!!! We will add picture of my new room soon! Here are the pics... enjoy!

Sydney

Rain, Rain!

2008-07-29T08:56:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we had a serious downpour and as we all know this rarely happens in Phoenix so we couldn't help but go outside, the funny thing was that all of our neighbors came out as well. We enjoyed the cool temperatures and the kids and Chris loved it!

School Has Started! 7/28/08

2008-07-29T08:25:00.000-07:00

Well yesterday the kids went to school and Sydney is in 8th Grade and Zach is in 4th and Kyle is in 1st. They were sad to see the summer end but it was definitely time to get back into the swing of things and have a routine again. As for Chloe and I we went to the gym (she played I worked up a sweat) then we ran errands and did laundry-yeah. I always take pictures of the kids on their first day of school so here are a few of them.

Journal 7/14-7/20

2008-07-21T14:41:00.001-07:00

This past week we didn't do too much. The kids played with friends and swam alot. We had dentist and ortho appointments for the kids and Chris, which is always fun at least they are at the same office. Friday night Chris took the boys to the Diamondbacks/Dodgers game and they had awesome seats they were right on the dug out for the Dodgers! They danced up there and caught a baseball and saw fireworks. Zach loved it as he loves baseball. While they were at the game I went to my sisters for a game night with my family and we had so much fun, I haven't laughed like that in a long time. Game nights are always fun! Sydney and I sang in church on sunday -No not a duet that would be a disaster but all the youth sang and it was a very pretty song. This is the last week of summer for my kids so I hope they have fun and enjoy it. I'll write again next week.

Journal 7/7-7/13

2008-07-14T14:05:00.000-07:00

Okay so I've come to the conclusion that I'm not a very good journal writer but I'm always on the computer. I decided that I'm going to write on the blog once a week and write about what we did as a family, it's more for my purposes than for everyone else. So last week I took my kids school shopping, I thought it would be fun to take each one separately and then get them a treat after-kind of like a mommy daughter/son date. We had fun and now they are all outfitted for school, I just need the school supplies but CUSD won't give us the lists until we meet the teacher a few days before school starts.....that drives me crazy ( I have no patience)! Chloe is still in swim lessons and she is doing very good, she still cries but she does everything she's asked to do. She did swallow ALOT of water one day (you could see her stomach bulging) and as soon as she got out of the pool she threw it all up but she felt much better. The kids also spent the night at grandma Gardiner's house, the boys went on wednesday with Jordan and Sydney went on thursday night. Friday night Chris and I went out to dinner with our great friends the Moore's we ate at Cantina Laredo (it was okay). Saturday we went boating with my parents and Chad and Randee and their kids, it was so fun we always love going to the lake.

Chloe's First Swim Lesson

2008-07-07T10:19:00.000-07:00

My Friend Mindy started teaching swim lessons this summer, so we signed Chloe up and today was her first lesson and she did NOT like it! She did okay at first on the step but when they went into the deep water she freaked out. Mindy was so good she was very calm with her and sang cute swimming songs to her. She put Chloe in frontwards facing the pool and had her turn around and get to the wall and then pull herself out, (yeah it's a little scary for mom) but towards the end was doing it on her own and I was so proud of her. Chloe's voice was horse towards the end from screaming "mommy, mommy" but they looked for cute pool toys on the big step and Chloe seemed to like that. I'm so glad we're doing this so that she can feel more comfortable in the water and not cry so much. I'll update at the end of the 2 weeks and let you know how she does.

6 Kids!!!

2008-07-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

No I'm not pregnant with twins! Thanks goodness. But i've been watching a girlfriends kids for her while they are on vacation-Lucky her! Anyway they are good kids but it's just the number of them and the noise. Okay picture this yesterday at dinner- Chris is cooking (yeah) and I'm helping and Sydney has 2 friends over, then Zach has Seth over and then we have Kyle, Tyler and Hunter and Chloe and Thea...........yes that's 10 kids and the girls were playing the Rock Band so it was noisy. I was ready to lose it, but we made with through dinner, bath, hair, teeth and bed. The boys watched National Treasure 2 and then went to bed. Today I need to get them out of the house and go and do something-maybe McDonalds play place for lunch. It's been fun for Chloe to have Thea here they like to wake up together and they play pretty good most of the time. This was easier than I thought but the noise can be alot at times. I'll need a vacation when I'm done babysitting hhmmm maybe i'll call on Tiffany to watch my kids............:)