Catch Up

Oh my I have neglected the blog! Not sure I can remember everything that has happened. We did take a family trip to NYC, well partly a family trip, Mark was there for work and we met up with him. Since Mark and I had been there before we cut out some of the activities the boys would not enjoy. The boys enjoyed our ferry ride to Staten Island which took us by the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Coney Island and the 9/11 Memorial/Museum. We took one last trip to grandma's house in San Diego right before they sold it. I was very difficult but I am so glad the neighbors who are pretty much family, were able to purchase it. Definitely will not be our last trip to San Diego! Trey started 7th grade and his first year at a junior high. Most of our schools go K-8 with the exception of our elementary school. I like that he is experiencing more of a high school setting and allowed more opportunities. I am just not ready for him to grow up! He is getting so tall and becoming a wonderful young man. He still plays football and basketball year round. Coby is in 2nd grade and doing wonderful! He has been able to have his best friend in his class since kindergarten. He also plays football and basketball. I have been keeping busy with everyday life and working. I quit doing daycare and starting working at a school for children with special needs. Some days it is challenging and other days I would not trade it for the world. I love my students and most of my co-workers. Mark is busy with work, coaching, playing basketball, handyman and mechanic. He just got a promotion at work! He has worked really hard in his department and enjoys the work he does. Grateful for this time of year to spend time with family and celebrate the birth of our Savior.

Grandpa

Heaven got a whole lot funnier because my grandpa Frassa became an angel on the 20th of June. He definitely is one of the funniest, kindest, most loving man I know. I am so happy that he is no longer suffering in his mortal body. I definitely hit the grandparent lottery! Who ends up with the 4 greatest grandparents? I am one lucky gal to be the oldest grandchild. What a wonderful blessing to know that he will live again because of the sacrifice of our Savior. Till we meet again!

San Fran Feb 2013

Mark had to go to San Francisco for work, so we all tagged along!! This was Mark's third visit, my second and the boys first. Mark had some conferences to attend a couple of the days, so the boys and I ventured out on our own. We went to the aquarium, Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf and the California Academy of Sciences. Things we did as a family...ate lots of seafood (except Coby, he ate lots of chicken nuggets), Golden Gate Park, Alamo Park, Coit Tower, Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Lombard street, Golden Gate, cruise around the bay, Ghirardelli square and North Beach (aka "Little Italy"). We ate lots, rode a lot of public transportation, walked a lot and had a TON of fun!!

Christmas 2012

Playing catch up with the blog...Christmas was great as always, I LOVE that time of the year!! It was really fun to decorate a new place. We bought a nice big tree for the front room and the boys enjoyed decorating it. I am still enjoying decorating the house...Pinterest is giving me WAY to many ideas!! We enjoyed lots of company. Dan and family stayed with us for about 2 weeks. I rarely saw my boys during their Winter break, they were busy enjoying their cousins. Alyssa and Brayden stayed a couple of days and my parents and Emily and Caleb came up for a day. We all went to SkyZone today (indoor trampoline park)and played one afternoon. All 3 of my boys were sweating like crazy! We also made a trip up to Flagstaff to play in the snow.

Grandma B

We lost my wonderful Grandma Black on September 16. I cannot even begin to describe the hole in my heart. I have so many fond memories of her and grandpa and I get to keep those forever. She was a wonderful example to me of family and service. I am glad she is no longer suffering and reunited with some of her family members. I am grateful for the knowledge that I will see her again. We love you so much!

School Days

The first day of school has arrived!! I am so excited for them! We met all their teachers on Friday and they were AMAZING!! It was very difficult to leave Trey's first school and friends, but I know this is where we are meant to be now. I adore these two!!

House

FINALLY for all you family members asking for pics of the new house...here it is! I still say if you want to see it, come visit...ahem Dan! Long story short, we decided staying in our old home was not in our best interest financially so we started the search for a new home. The first house we looked at and put an offer on is the one we bought. Everything fell into place with both houses and so I guess this is where we are meant to be. I am a little bummed we were not able to stay in our ward/stake and school district but hopefully this will be better for our boys. Even though we moved in March, we kept the boys at their schools until the end...I sure kept the gas industry in business! We have heard good things about the new school and they get to ride a bus...I am not sure how I feel about that! :) The house is still a work in progress as far as decorating. We were lucky to find a house in this market that was move in ready. The boys room, playroom and den are not pictured...to scary right now!

San Diego/Bdays

All the boys enjoyed their bdays this year as always! Since we were going to San Diego and Mark is transitioning into a new job he was not able to take their bdays off from work for the first time. He did stay for gift opening in the morning and came home early to spend more time with them and go out to dinner. As part of tradition, they get to choose all their meals for the day and what they want to do. Both boys picked to go to Sky Zone, an indoor trampoline/play center. For the most part they both wanted to stay around the house to play with their new toys. Both boys just finished a season of basketball with Mark coaching both teams. He sure does a good job with the kids. We left for San Diego the night of Mark's bday and Treys last game. The weather was perfect the whole time...sunny and in the 70's. We spend time at the beach, park, Del Mar races, swap meet, movies and trying lots of yummy food places. Grandma always treats us to a seafood dinner which we all love except Coby. It was a great trip and visit with grandma, even though she wasn't feeling well a couple of the days.

Long time no post!!

Yes, we are alive and kicking.
The boys are enjoying school..okay who are we kidding, MOM is enjoying the boys being in school!! Coby is doing wonderful in Preschool and is definitely ready for Kindergarten. He played his first season of sports and chose soccer.
Trey still enjoys being active and playing with friends, oh the energy that kid has!
He played a season of football and is now in basketball, dad being the coach of both.
We were busy the end of last year...2 weddings, a trip to San Diego, Turkey day at our house, Dan and family staying with us, Christmas, a trip to Tucson to play in the snow and a reception and the list goes on!!
I am sure I forgot some stuff, but wanted to at least get started.
We are currently in the process of looking for a house and that has taken over.
I am grateful for all the blessings in our lives in 2011 and look forward to 2012!

Off to School!!

So we sent these 2 cute boys off to school on August 15.
Once again, Trey has an amazing teacher. We are so lucky to live by a school with outstanding staff and students.
Coby is enjoying his first year of preschool. His teacher is a lady from our ward. He shed a few tears the first day, but is so excited to go MWF. He talks all the way home about his day!
Sure are proud of these boys :)

August 31, 2011

So proud!!

So proud of this man for receiving his MBA today! What a great example for our boys. We love you!

July 23, 2011

Chicago

So I like to document our trips...here goes with our trip to Chicago!
We got in late July 3rd and didn't hit the road until the 4th(fiasco with the rental car).
A little clarification about the people we saw...any Friedman is actually Mark's bro-in-law's family, so no relation, but Mark has known them all for a long time and we know the families here in AZ very well.
We were able to stay with the Friedman parents (Norb and Judy) and had the whole basement to ourselves. They were very gracious hosts. We were also able to borrow Kenny Friedman's convertible Mustang...the boys had a blast!! My hair, not so much :)
Monday-We drove around and saw Mark's old house and other childhood places. Did a little shopping at Gurnee Mills outlet. Stopped at Viking Park and let the boys run free! Oh the beauty of the grass and majestic trees. Made a stop at Kenny's house, he has a basement made for boys! Old pinball, video games, pool table, etc. We ate dinner at a hamburger and shake place and then went to a local ballpark for some awesome fireworks.
Tues-Headed to downtown Chicago and saw a few points of interest, giant silver bean, Willis Tower, etc. Ate lunch at Gino's East pizzeria known for their deep dish pizza. They let you write all over the walls, furniture, etc. Trey got on Mark's shoulders and wrote on one of the wood beams. Let Trey pick out a few early Bday gifts and then headed back north. We stopped at Viking Park again for a softball game featuring Kenny and Jeff (another Friedman).
Wed-A day set aside for Mark's family. We ate lunch with his Aunt Alice and Uncle Chuck. It was just a little restaurant, but I got the largest blintzes known to mankind! We stopped by their place for a little visit. Rode a paddle boat around a little lake and walked around a mall to kill time before dinner. Dinner was at Mark's cousin Kari's house. We were able to see her, her husband Gregg and their 2 kids Ava and Cameron, Mark's Aunt Elaine, Uncle Charley, Uncle Gary and Aunt Marie. We had a great visit with them. Sure wish they lived closer as they are some of the only ties left to Mark's father.
Thurs-6 Flags Great America...crazy rides and crazy lines! Enough said...
Fri-We drove down to Triton University where Mark went for a few years and Mark's dad taught. Ate lunch at Gene and Jude's (hot dogs) and then took the train downtown for a White Sox game. Game was ok, hey what can I say about baseball?? Only fun when they hit a home run. They did have the best fireworks show I have ever seen after the game.
Sat-Took a tour of Jelly Belly and got candy. Went to a movie and had dinner at Quonset pizza with Norb, Judy and Kenny.
Sun-Relaxed, walked around the "beach" aka lake, drove around some more and had Giordano's pizza (best deep dish in my opinion).
Mon-Huge storm hit the surrounding areas and knocked down trees and power lines. It was very hard to get around as tons of traffic lights were out and streets were closed. The amount of tree debris was unbelievable. The boys were finally able to fish in the little pond behind the house...Trey caught 22 and Coby caught 1.
Tues-Trey's Bday! The big 10! We had to drive around to find a Dunkin Donuts that was open for his breakfast of choice. We only found one attached to a gas station, so we had a picnic in the grass of the gas station. We took a walk out on a pier at the "beach". He really wanted Joe's Crab shack but it had no power so he had to settle for Red Lobster. He was able to do some more fishing at a different pond. Norb and Judy grilled dinner for us and we made a cake for him.
Wed-Made our way back home. Stopped at a cheese place in Wisconsin for some cheese curds before the airport.
All in all the trip was great! We had planned on going back downtown on Tues., but according to the news the traffic delay was 3 hours because of the power outage. Guess we will just have to plan for another trip back soon!

Bummer

We are surely going to miss 3 of these cute little faces! Of course Dan and Crystal too! It has been an absolute privilege to live close to them for the past 5 years. We are all very sad they have moved to Texas. I have the BEST family!

Jun 23, 2011

Still Alive

My grandma wanted to know if we were okay since I had not posted for a while. Grandma this is for you!
Trey finished up 3rd grade and did so well! We are very proud of him. He just finished a season of football and is now playing basketball. He earned his Bear in scouts. He was baptized on May 7th. It was really nice, my family was all there and all had a part in his special day. Well, except Jason who got very sick the night before.
Coby just finished his swim class. He did much better than last year. He still is not ready to part with his arm floats. He will start preschool in August. He LOVES having Trey home for the summer.
Mark has been busy at work and fixing cars. I love that his "cheap" side refuses to pay for labor. If he can figure it out, he will fix it. I cannot tell you how many things around the house and our trucks he has fixed himself. No need for a handyman or mechanic here!! He also coached both football and basketball for Trey. He wasn't going to do basketball, but the parents from football asked him to. He will also finish his MBA next Tuesday!! He wasn't going to attend graduation in July, but the boss (aka me) made him.
We are all looking forward to our trip to Chicago in July. It will be Coby's first plane ride! Probably a few other trips to Tucson and San Diego after.

Jun 9, 2011

Spring Break 2011

Mark and Dan kicked us out of the house for the basketball tournament this year. So where do you go?? San Diego and Disneyland of course!! We will see when Mark gets the bill if we get kicked out next year!!
We went over with Emily and Alyssa, it was nice to have the extra help with the boys.
The boys didn't know about Disneyland, they thought we were going to LA to shop for the day.
The other days we just hung out at the beach and grandma's house.
Nice relaxing trip!! Now back to life...

Little Update

Nothing to exciting going on with us these days.
Trey is in basketball and loving it. They keep score now, so of course the boys get more excited about winning. He is on a really good team, they have only lost 1 game. He will go on to football next which Mark will coach. He loves riding his bike around and playing outside.
Coby is still hanging out with me during the day. We keep it pretty low key. Although that will have to change during the summer with both boys home. He will start preschool in the fall. Oh, what am I going to do with myself those 3 mornings!! He adores Trey and they play really well together.
This past Saturday we went to a baseball fan fest and got lots of free food! Perfect for me since I do not like making lunch. We headed to Dan's house for Alex's b-day party and hung out for a while.
I feel very lucky that my parents and siblings all live close! The boy cousins have been playing really well lately. I am glad they have good examples around.

Mar 1, 2011

Flagstaff

Monday morning we went up to Flagstaff with Dan and his family.
The boys had so much fun sledding down the hills. It was not that cold, so I was happy. I am glad Coby went down a few times because he is not as crazy, I mean adventurous as Trey :)
Trey of course was on the big hills and having snowball fights with Mark. The first time we went up there Trey was 3 or 4 and would go down the hills by himself. I need to find the videos we have of him and post them. I remember people stopping and laughing at him because he was so little and he would be laughing the whole way down.
That evening we went out to dinner and had a little party in the hotel lobby for my nephew.
Everyone went swimming after. Coby was so proud of himself because he did the "monkey walk" all the way around the pool. I am glad he is getting more comfortable around water, he even asked about swim lessons! Trey started swimming when we were in Rocky Point and he had just turned 3.
The next morning Mark went out and got us all donuts but unfortunately it took him about 2 minutes to get all the ice off his truck. I don't know how people live in cold weather! I guess it just becomes a way of life.
We left Flagstaff around 9:30 because Dan and family were on their way to San Diego. We stopped at Mark's parent's house for a short visit.

Christmas 2010

We had a great Christmas and a lot of fun leading up to it!
We are lucky that each year Mark is able to take the last 2 weeks of the year off, so we are all together during the holidays.
On Thursday we took the boys to Jumpstreet, and indoor play center. The boys had a blast! We then headed over to my grandparent's house in Mesa for a short visit at their place and then ate dinner at Organ Stop Pizza. The boys loved the music and the dancing puppets. We stopped by the Mesa Temple to see the lights, so pretty! When we got home we had a package waiting from Uncle Charlie full of crab legs and fish! Our freezer is full :)
On Christmas Eve we went out to dinner and then took the boys around to see our usual Christmas houses.
They woke up close to 8 on Christmas day and had so much fun checking out their gifts. We were able to Skype with my family so they could watch them open the gifts they had sent. We are going down to Tucson on Jan. 8 so this is the first year in a while that we didn't actually see them around Christmas time.
We always end up with hardly any pictures Christmas morning because we are video taping instead so sorry for the lack of pictures.

Railroad Park

I love this time of the year! It is so fun having small children around and teaching them the true meaning of Christmas.
We did our annual shopping for the canned food and toy drive. I love watching my boys select the toys and deliver them. This year we got girl toys also, funny asking them which Barbie we should pick. We delivered them to one of our fire stations, actually the one my cousin works at, but she was off. They got to watch a new guy do one of the drills.
We went to the Railroad park in Scottsdale on Saturday. The boys loved the train ride that took them around the park to see all the lights and displays. We made the mistake of going on opening weekend and had a while to wait in line. Good thing they could peek through the windows at the model trains and some hot chocolate to kill the time.
We spent that morning finally getting all our decorations up. I had wanted a new tree, so it took a while to find one. Mark got all the outside lights up. I love the boys reactions to the decorations and lights...priceless!

Las Vegas and Turkey Day

Mark and I celebrated our 10th anniversary in Vegas this year. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I kept asking what we were doing because I was going to plan something. He finally gave in and gave me 1 letter a day and then gave me all the letters on our anniversary...it spelled out Planet Hollywood. It was fun and relaxing. We just ate a lot, shopped and relaxed.
Mark was off that whole week so on Wednesday we all went to Trey's Turkey Trot race and then went and picked up lunch and went back to the school to eat and play with the kids during recess. Mark was the quarterback. Trey won the race for the third year in a row. So proud of him! He and I would love to have him join track but momma is not getting up at 6:30..hee hee
For Thanksgiving we all gathered at Dan's house for the feast. My whole family was there plus my grandparents, aunt and uncle. The food was yummy as always. I make pumpkin cheesecake for dessert. My mom and Crystal did all the other cooking...lucky me!
After eating we took some family pictures. Have to get one around this time for the Christmas card.
The next day, all my boys, Dan and his boys, my dad, Alyssa and her boyfriend all headed to Lake Roosevelt for camping. Ohhh, what to do with myself! I stayed home all Friday and completely cleaning the toy loft.
Saturday I went to eat with some of the girls and Jason before they headed back to Tucson and then did a little shopping.
The boys came home late Saturday, boy did they smell!
Mark finished his sabbatical at United Way right before Vegas. He also interviewed and got a new position at Amex while he was at United Way. Way to go Mark!
We really do have so much to be thankful for!