Monkey Girl

So my brother was walking Aubrey around my parents yard, when I came out side saw this...
I said "Did you learn something from the monkeys at the zoo? She said "Yes!" Then I replied "You silly little monkey girl!" Aubrey excitedly said "Monkey, Monkey, Monkey!"

Aubrey's Birthday Party!

With all my family in toe we set out to have some birthday fun at Chuck E. Cheeses. Only one problem, the birthday girl was fast asleep. But it did not take long for her to wake up once she heard the laughter from all the other children. There were 8 adults including Noah and I, along with our 3 girls. It made the experience much more enjoyable for us. Together we had over 100 tokens to play with. The girls had a great time running with their aunts, uncle, or grandparents from game to game. The adults had a great time too. After an hour or so of playing the girls counted their tickets with the ticket muncher. They had about 1,000 tickets and were able to buy themselves each a cool prize.We then headed to one of our favorite pizza places Oggi's. They make some of the best pizza in the area. It is located in the mall so the girls were able to visit the pet store across the way and play on the indoor playground. The birthday girl Aubrey had a blast too. We ended Aubrey's birthday with the birthday song, cupcakes, and presents. She received a princess blanket that her grandma made for her, clothes, little people scooter, and color wonder books, markers, and paints.

Aubrey's 2nd Birthday!

Today my little Aubrey turned 2 years old. Oh, how time flies! She is such a big girl. She talks well for her age, is very independent, wants to do everything her sisters are doing, and is fully potty trained(yeah!). She is always making us laugh by the things she does or says. She is very creative and loving. She is truly a blessing in our family.

Happy Thanksgiving

At this time of year we give Thanks for all the blessings that we have in our life. Our family has so much to be Grateful for but, most of all we are blessed to have such a loving family. Our family brings us so much happiness. We are glad that we could be surrounded with family this day. Happy Thanksgiving!

Fun With Grandma and Grandpa

The girls are having a blast with their Grandma and Grandpa Martinez. They love being with them and playing with them. Grandma and Grandpa have taken them out to eat lunch and dinner, taken them to see Madagascar 2 and Bolt, have watched movies at home with them, read stories with them and worked on putting Disney poster size puzzles together. The girls truly enjoyed themselves the last couple of days(plus Noah and I get a break and some alone time). Thanks Mom and Dad!

The San Diego Zoo

Noah and I took the girls and my brother Aaron to the San Diego Zoo. When we got there we ate some lunch. There was a peacock that wanted to eat some lunch too. The girls had a great time chasing it around the picnic area. When we were done eating we took the bus tour of the zoo. The kids had a fun time riding the upper deck of the bus. At the end of the 40min. tour the girls were playing musical seats all sitting with Noah or Uncle Aaron. The rest of the time was spent seeing the animals that we missed on the tour or ones that we wanted to see up close. Here are some of our favorite animals we saw.The last place we went to was the kids area. The girls had a blast running around and playing. They petted the goats and enjoyed the other animals at their level. We had a great time at the Zoo.

Visiting Great Grandma Kyle

On our way down to San Diego we stopped in Bakersfield to visit Great Grandma Kyle. We really made her day and the girls were so excited to see and visit with her. The girls gave her pictures and letters that they had wrote and drew for her. After our visit we stopped by Aunt Nancy and Uncle Craig's home for a short visit. Noah and I talked with Nancy while Craig kept our girls busy and gave them ice cream. We said our goodbyes and we were on the rode again. We arrived at Grandma and Grandpa Martinez's home later that evening ready for our fun filled Thanksgiving week with family.

Celebrating Aubrey's 2nd Birthday a Week Early

We had a very busy day today. We packed for our trip that we are taking to San Diego in the morning, shopped for Aubrey's birthday and for our trip, and watched the BYU vs. Utah game with family and friends(which BYU lost). In the evening Aubrey opened up her presents from her Grandma Smith. She received a Weebles Weegoaway Camper with flushing toilet and a Little People Nativity Set. We sang Happy Birthday and ate our homemade version of Cherry Garcia Ice Cream. From the picture it's hard to tell who's birthday it really is.

Autumn's Thanksgiving Program

At 10:45 today Noah, Aubrey, and I went to Autumn's preschool to watch her perform in her Thanksgiving Program. They walked out into the room all dressed up in their Thanksgiving Indian costumes adorned with a feathered hat and pasta necklace. Then they formed two lines. One by one each child said one or two things that they were thankful for. When it was Autumn's turn Miss Becky said "Ok Autumn, say it all!" Then she said "I am Thankful for my mom to take me to the park, my cousins so that I can play, that we can have a lot of fun, for my mom that she can spend a lot of time with me and take care of my puppy, and that my puppy can have a lot of fun with me." Then Miss Becky asked "Is that all?" She thought for a minute and shook her head, Yes. Everyone laughed. She is not shy that's for sure.After that they sang 5 short songs/poems about Thanksgiving. Her favorite song is "I'm glad I'm not a Turkey!" Then we ate "Stone Soup" that the kids made yesterday and other yummy foods. We had a great time. Here are the songs/poems she sang. Enjoy!

Gobble, Gobble
A turkey is a funny bird,
His head goes wobble, wobble.
And he knows One word,
Gobble, gobble, gobble.

Here Turkey, Turkey
(sung to I had a little turtle)
I saw a little turkey standing by a tree
it wobbled and it gobbled
then ran away from me!
Oh turkey, turkey, turkey
Please come out and play!
I promise I won't eat you
On Thanksgiving Day!

Oh, I’m glad I’m not a turkey
(sung to Did you ever see a Lassie?)
Oh,I'm glad I'm not a turkey
A turkey, a turkey
Oh, I’m glad I’m not a turkey
On Thanksgiving Day
They’ll stuff you and baste you
And then they will taste you.
Oh, I’m glad I’m not a turkey
On Thanksgiving Day

Gobble Gobble Gobble
Who said that?
Big old turkey round and fat
Gobble Gobble Gobble
What did he say?
Eat me on Thanksgiving Day!

Albuquerque Turkey
(Sung to Clementine)
Albuquerque he’s my turkey
Oh he’s feathered and he’s fine
He wobbles and he gobbles
And I’m awfully glad he’s mine.
He’s the best pet
You could ever get.
Better than a dog or cat.
Albuquerque he’s my turkey
And I’m awfully glad of that.
Albuquerque he’s my turkey
He’s so cozy in his bed
Because for Thanksgiving dinner
We had scrambled eggs instead.

Meeting Kelsie

Early Tuesday morning we received a much anticipated phone call from my brother-in-law Kurt informing us that Noah's little sister Rachel had delivered their daughter Kelsie Jade Keyser. We were all really excited especially my girls. We thought we could go to the hospital that evening to visit them, but soon learned that the girls would be unable to go in. We decided we would go today when they got home from the hospital. So after Ashlyn got home from school we made them some dinner and carmel brownies. Then we meet Noah at his office and drove down to his little sisters home to meet Kelsie. The girls were really excited to see her and hold her. They also enjoyed playing with Logan. They love their new cousin and so do we. Kelsie is perfect, precious and beautiful.

Aubrey the Explorer

Aubrey sat and put her yellow taxi, Binky, stuffed pink doggie, and a snack in her purple Dora backpack. Then she placed a pair of binoculars around her neck and the backpack on her back. As she walked out to the backyard she said "Bye Mom! See Ya!" I responded by asking "Where are you going?" she replied "Outside I want jump!" She walked over to the trampoline and climbed on it. She started to jump with all her gear on. It was so cutie I had to capture the moment. Then I played with her. What an imaginative little girl.The last few days she has been playing dress up. I had to take her picture she looked to cute to pass up.

Wild Turkey!

While dropping Autumn off at pre-school we spied a wild turkey. It was wondering through the yards all around the neighborhood. The girls got a big kick out of seeing it. I only had my cell phone camera so you will have to look closely too to see if you can spy the wild turkey too. (I will try to take a better picture of the wild turkey if I can)

Potty Training!

Aubrey has shown interest in going potty in the toilet for the last month or so. When she lets us know, we work on going potty. Some days she would resist, so we would back off. For about two weeks now we have not had to change one stinky diaper. She has taken the initiative to tell us she needs to go, even while in her diaper. The last few days she has been telling us when she needs to go pee in the potty. She has been wearing underwear too. We have been excited for her and will keep our fingers crossed that she continues to progress forward.

Our Veteran's Day

Yesterday, we drove over to my sister-in -law Rachel's and nephew Logan's home for a visit and to help her get ready for the arrival of my niece Kelsie. We spent most of the day at the Great Mall doing a little shopping and buying a few Christmas gifts. I bought some comfy gray fleece pants at the Gap Outlet and a long sleeve shirt for Aubrey's birthday that has"Chatter Box" printed on the front. I was able to find some cute matching dresses for my sister's upcoming wedding.(It's hard to find sizes that all match my girls). Rachel was able to buy a few things that she needed before she has her baby girl.

Noah had a job to do in Santa Cruz and was able to join us in the shopping fun towards the end of the day.(I was grateful for his help). We then all came back and hung out at Rachel's house for a couple hours. The girls played with Logan and enjoyed all the little "boy" toys. Noah & I helped Rachel with anything she felt that needed to be done before the baby comes. I am not sure we were that helpful with our three girls messing up every time we cleaned up.

After some yummy Papa Johns pizza, Ashlyn taught the Family Home Evening lesson on being Thankful. We had some Jello and "custard" pumpkin pie. (It was a Mrs. Smiths frozen pie that needed to cool for 2 hours before eating. It still tasted yummy)

Gymnastics Fall Olympics

Ashlyn participated in her gymnastics fall Olympics Saturday. She did a great job. They started in one area and rotated to the different areas. In each area they showed off each of their gymnastic skills that they have learned. She is really good on trampoline and has improved on bars.

At the end the were awarded a ribbon for doing their best .

She told us that she wants to be able to do the splits and a cartwheel by the end of the year. We told she can if she keeps on practicing.

Memorizing the Articles of Faith

At the beginning of the year the Primary Presidency in our ward challenged all the children to learn and memorize the Articles of Faith. The children were told that if they pass off all 13 they would receive an Article of Faith pin. My girls were really excited and both learned the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd ones. Ashlyn kept working each month to pass off at least one Article of Faith. Autumn tried too, but it has gotten hard for her.

At the beginning of the month Ashlyn only had three more left. I explained how if she worked hard she could still get a pin. Ashlyn learned the 11th and 12th one Sunday and the 13th another Sunday. One night, Noah and I found her asleep in her bed with our scriptures on the Articles of Faith page.

Ashlyn was given a pin today in Primary for all her hard work.She quoted the 9th Article of Faith as her favorite at church but, has many favorites.

Autumn Reads

At pre-school Autumn learned the words A, I, and See. Then they colored a book that had these words in the story When she came home from school we was really excited to read me her book. Hope you enjoy!

Proposition 8 Has Won!

This election has been about more than just picking a new president, to our family it is about the moral issues of Proposition 8, that we faced. We are extremely overwhelmed with gratitude for those individuals who had the strength, faith, and conviction, to stand up for what they believe in. Many of you devoted time, money, and energy to pass Proposition 8. We Thank You All!
It was wonderful to see many others outside our religion feel just as passionate as we did about supporting Proposition 8. In an e-mail that I received from a strong, Bible reading and believing Christian, she stated "I would like to thank the powers-that-be in your church for pouring in money and man hours. So, will you please thank them from even those of us who are non-members. I would appreciate it!"
May we get on our knees and Thank our Father in Heaven for hearing All of our prayers, without him this would not have been possible. May we all remember to pray for our new president that the Lord will inspire him to make the right decisions.

Election Day!

At school on Monday Ashlyn's teacher talked about the elections. They held an election at school for 4th and 5th grade class presidents. They apparently voted on who they thought would be the next President of the United States too. When I asked who she voted for in the class elections she said "I don't know, but I voted for Barack Obama." All I could say was "Ashlyn!!?" Well I guess she was right. It is official Barack Obama is our new President.
Oh well, at least we know that Ashlyn and her sisters are more passionate about Prop 8. On the way to the polling location they were chanting Yes on 8! And we walked there, because it was at the club house in our sub-division. Outside the doors of the polling room I could hear the girls once again chanting Yes on 8! They even asked a few people getting ready to cast their votes if they were going to vote Yes on 8. They didn't get any responses, but great Big smiles. Thank heaven for my little girls.

Proposition 8

Our family would like to let you all know what effect Proposition 8 will have on all of us if this is fails to pass in California.
Failure to pass Proposition 8 will hurt children. If gay marriage remains legal, public schools will put it on equal footing with traditional marriage. Children will likely receive “age appropriate” information about sexual relations within heterosexual and homosexual marriages.
Failure to pass Proposition 8 will hurt churches. The court’s decision will inevitably lead to conflicts with religious liberty and free speech rights. Society will become more and more hostile to traditional beliefs about marriage and family. Over time, greater acceptance of nontraditional marriage will be demanded of all people. This could impact the ability of any religion to teach and practice its beliefs. Including adoption agencies.
A YES vote will not hurt gays. In California, the law provides for marriage-related benefits to be given to civil unions and domestic partnerships. Proposition 8 does not diminish these benefits.
For your information:
On Friday, October 10th, 2008 a first-grade class took a field trip to witness a lesbian wedding in California. Click Here for the article from the San Francisco Chronicle.
A father in Massachusetts was frustrated when his twin kindergartners were taught about homosexuality at school by the teachers. He insisted he be notified in the future before such things were discussed so he could pull his boys out of school.He was taken to jail. Click Here for the story.
A Catholic adoption agency In the UK closed their doors because of the Government's new homosexual equality laws. The Equality Act forbids discrimination in the provision of goods and services on the basis of sexual orientation. The law was forced through Parliament last year despite past Prime Minister Tony Blair's recommendation that Catholic adoption agencies be exempted from the rules. Click Here for more info.
Earlier this month judges in Conneticut overturned the state law (just as the judges in California did) to legalized gay marriage. This is not just an issue in California. We voted years ago to keep traditional marriage as the only marriage recognized in the state of California, 4 judges overturned our vote…and we need to fight back. That is what this Proposition is about. This is happening everywhere and the leaders of the church and others have warned that the outcome of California’s vote will affect the way the other states vote. So PLEASE…even if you don’t live in California, put this on your blog or email this on. The internet knows no state line. You know contacts in California that I don’t…and so do your friends. Please pass this on as it could eventually have an effect on everyone!
"Occasionally discouragement may darken our pathway; frustration may be a constant companion. In our ears there may sound the sophistry of Satan as he whispers, "You cannot save the world; your small efforts are meaningless. You haven't time to be concerned for others." Trusting in the Lord, let us turn our heads from such falsehoods and make certain our feet are firmly planted in the path of service and our hearts and souls dedicated to follow the example of the Lord." --Thomas S. Monson
Click Here for excerpts from the Broadcast given by Elders M. Russell Ballard, Quentin L. Cook and L. Whitney Clayton.
A good resource mentioned in the broadcast: http://www.preservingmarriage.org/
November 4th: Election day. Polls close at 8:00pm. Vote by mail must be received by this time and can be hand delivered if necessary. So Please Vote YES on Proposition 8

YOU'VE BEEN TAGGED...Here's what you do: In the broadcast we were asked to "go viral on our blogs, etc" by Elder Ballard. This is my way of going viral. If you feel this is an important issue I ask that you copy and paste this post...and post it on your blog. PLEASE keep it at the top of your blog through November 4th. which you can adjust each time you post under the "edit post" option. The internet knows NO STATE LINE. You know contacts in California that I do not...as do your friends and their friends...and so on. Please do this. If not for your own children and the effect it could have on them some day...for mine! THANK YOU! PS: Anyone can copy and paste this information.

Helping out with Proposition 8

Our family has been helping to get the word out in our community the importance of Proposition 8. We have sent out e-mails, made phone calls to registered voters, put up signs around town, placed a yes on 8 bumper sticker on our cars, two yes on 8 signs in our yard, and on Saturday morning, in the rain, we set out to put up door flyer's. These door flyer's were to let the people know to vote on Tuesday and it also gave them information on why they should vote yes on Proposition 8. We were assigned to an area that is about 15 min. or so away from us(out in the sticks). We only had one precinct to do, but we had no idea it would be such an adventure to accomplish. It was so spread out it took us over an hour to finish. The homes are spread out and hard to find. We found ourselves driving on a one lane levee road trying to find addresses. Some were on docks with the address displayed on the boat or a deserted lot with a trashed and empty trailer. We drove through a few trailer parks with one address that had a big rig parked in its place. Another address had a trailer that they made into a permanent house. They literally built a home using the trailer as the center of the home. A few driveways were gated or extremely long making it hard to place the flyer on the door. We just did the best we could do. It was an interesting experience. We only had a couple of people come out while we put up the flyer's. They were very nice and took the flyer without any remarks. We hope our efforts and those of you that have helped in anyway make a difference.