Like what you'd wear to the grammy's....

So my sexy husband is on the CERT team. It is basically a volunteer firefighter. (Just when you think the man you are married to can't possibly get any sexier, he ups and joins the volunteer fire department!!! HOT-HOT-HOT!!!)

He LOVES LOVES LOVES it and I LOVE that he finally has a hobby that he can really get in to. Some men play golf, or computer games, or basketball... whatever. Bill never really had a hobby. It was hard because he really needed an outlet for his own time. Something that he could really enjoy. So when he found out about this opportunity to be on CERT he was so excited. He went to a few weeks of training, and now he is called on to do different assignments occasionally. (Help with traffic control, other emergency stuff...) He got an award at the town hall by the mayor last month and it was a really neat experience. Great for our kids to see their daddy volunteering in our community. Another cool thing is that he gets to have the special license plates that are for the fire fighters and that show that you are with the fire department, so I am thinking it will definitely help with not getting tickets!!! LOVE THAT PART OF IT!!!

Since CERT is part of the fire department, we get invited to all the firemen's stuff. (Yes Tami Morrison... it is FABULOUS!) So Saturday night, we are going to the fireman's ball. I asked my husband tonight how we were supposed to dress and he said, "You know, like what you would wear to the Grammy's."

"ummmm. what?" I replied. "The Grammy's????" I became nervous when I realized that he was TOTALLY SERIOUS!!!!

"Yeah, the Grammy's." He says like it's no big deal.

"Bill, NOTHING in either of our closets could possibly be worn to the Grammy's!!!! We DO NOT OWN anything like that!"

He disagrees and thinks that we have lots of things we could wear to the Grammy's. He is serious. I am totally laughing. Funny man.

ps. I will not be dressing appropriate for the Grammy's. I am just hoping that I will look good enough for the fireman's ball. (Sisters, yes, I will wear make-up.)

Road Trip!!!

My darling husband LOVES a good road trip. LOVES IT!
Here are some highlights from our last one.

We stopped by a stream below Zion National Park and played for a while. So much fun!

The water was FREEZING!!!



Of course another highlight... fun treaties!

nukkie no more!

This was Savvy's last day of having a nukkie whenever she wanted it. Now nukkie stays in bed and she gets so excited for naptime and bedtime. It is brilliant! She will often beg to go to bed because she wants that nukkie so bad. We did this transition when she was 18 months and could understand and communicate, "Where does nukkie go?"

I love her so much!!!
oh yeah, daddy does too... i adore that man!

daddy and me

Savannah, your daddy loves you so much!!! You are definitely his little princess. He told me after this day that he loved matching you. He loves everyone knowing that you are his little sweetheart!

We all love you so much angel!

St. Patrick's Day Daddy/Daughter

I am so lucky to have this amazing man in my life!

Billy, thank you for your priorities in life. I am so crazy in love with you!!!

Be Mine, Valentine!

What a perfect Valentine's Day I had!
My husband LOVES family time. He really does not like date nights with just he and I. He definitely prefers bringing the entire family whenever we do anything. When I asked him a few days before Valentine's day what he wanted to do this year, he said he would plan it all out. I was thrilled. He is not usually the planner.

He told me to dress the kids warm and pack a light picnic snack. Yahoooo! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it when he plans fun adventures!

We started out taking the ferry boat across the island to Balboa Peninsula. We parked at the Fun Zone and went to the new free nautical museum. The boys LOVED it! It has lots of model ships and it was fun to walk around. You can see the whole thing in less than a half hour. The lady at the front desk gave us a 10 minute tour of the highlights. It was neat to see highlights of our area.
An Olympic Gold Medalist is from Balboa and he learned to sail right in this harbor, so they have a room dedicated to him. We signed the sail and took our places on the awards block.
Next we were off to play Ski Ball at the Arcade.
The boys were very excited about the penny toys they won.Then came our big adventure...

Daddy had a groupon coupon for a half price boat rental! We rented a little speed boat and went out touring the Balboa Islands for an hour and a half! (Note to girlfriends who live in the area... It was AWESOME and CHEAP and they are doing more groupons in March!!!!)

Does anyone in my family recognize the background?
Yep, it's the wedge! Our favorite family hangout and play spot!!

We all had such a great time.
Savvy LOVED the ducks.
She was also a big fan of the picnic we ate on the boat. Crackers, cheese, grapes and apples. Yummy!
How fun that we found a boat named the Valentine! It seemed so perfect for our day!

After our boating adventures, we were off to our next location. Bill told me I could choose where we ate. I immediately said, "The Crab Pot!" Bill has been dreaming about going here ever since we saw it on Bill's favorite tv show, Man verses Food.

I can't remember all that you get, but it includes mussels, clams, shrimp, dungenous crab, snow crab, Alaskan king crab, another kind of crab, andouille sausage, corn cobettes, baby red potatoes, and something else.

They bring it out, Dump it on the table....


and hand you a mallet. Bill was in his glory!!!
It was a fantastic Valentine's day with my 4 Valentines!

Fishing in the Dark

Bill is a great dad. He and the boys did a little moonlight fishing at the lake while we were at the Dittbrenners this past week. The weather was crisp and cool. What a fun trip!



"You and me going fishing in the dark
Lying on our backs and counting the stars
Where the cool grass grows
Down by the river in the full moon light
Staying the whole night through
Feels so good to be with you"

They didn't catch anything, but they made some great memories.

The best job....

Cole is smart... I mean REALLY smart. He "gets" stuff quick. It's not just me being his mom and thinking he is perfect... because #1... I have lots of things to say about that that are not so perfect :) and #2... I am not saying "All my kids are so smart.... my kids are the best"

But back to my thought.... Cole is smart... really smart. So I was talking to him this morning about how he has a really good brain that is very smart and helps him to think so clearly. That got us to talking about what he wanted to be when he grows up... What the best jobs are. We talked about being a doctor, which I think would be great because he would so totally understand what his pateints are going through. We talked about teaching, and military and other things... but each time he said "Nope". Finally I said "Cole, what job do you think would be the best?" He said, "I am going to be a DADDY"! Just like... duhhhhh, mom that is the coolest thing ever.

What a sweetheart he is. And what a sweet tribute to his daddy whom he adores! We are so lucky to have Billy as the daddy in our home. He is a great dad, and we are so blessed and thankful that Heavenly Father sent him to our house to live.

Happy Birthday Billy! Now you are 39 too! No more sleeping with an older women!

Luckiest girl alive!

I am so lucky! Look at what I found down the hall last night before I went to bed!

For me, this is the treasure at the end of the rainbow! Better than all the gold in the world!

I love that Bill is reading them "The Berenstein Bears Count Their Blessings." Is just seems so appropriate for the joy it brought to me hearing them all laughing together.

Bill is a great dad. Bedtime has always been his. He gets the boys ready, reads them each a story, and then snuggles them until they fall asleep. He also does Cole's night meds, which is a huge help to me.

I love you Billy!
I love you Brighton!
I love you Cole!

Christmas Wish List

A friend of mine blogged her Christmas Wish List, and I thought it was a great idea. When I blog I often think, " Would I want to read my grandma's journal on this topic from when she was my age?" And yes, I would love to know what my grandma Bodell wished for at Christmas time when she had two little children of her own. It was soon after a war, and the world was in such a huge time of transition.... anyway... that is another topic for a different post. So here is my Christmas Wish List post.

Bill's family is really big on writing a list of what you would like for Christmas. Then they go directly from the list. It definitely has it's cool perks. No dumb gifts, just stuff you really want. So last week I got out the magnetic notepads for the fridge and wrote at the top. Charise's Christmas Wish List and Bill's Christmas Wish List.

A few days later I noticed Bill had jotted down a few things. Here is his list. Yes... Seriously.

1. Time to Enjoy Life
2. A garage I can work in
3. More Money

Seriously, why not just put World Peace! So does anyone know where I can find more time and money???

And yes, I already know that my sister Mitzi will say, "Yes, move to the East Coast with us!"

As for my list.
1. I'd like a gravy boat for when we have nice dinners.
2. I'd like an electric blanket. Bill loves it to be cold when he sleeps. I like to be snuggly warm. I often sleep with a heating pad, but it is too little. I really want a blanket.
3. I love making mini muffins for breakfast, and mini cupcakes for fun treats. My mini muffin tins are metal, and they rust so badly. I'd love to find a silicon version. I hate trying to clean the rust.
4. My favorite gift Bill has ever given me is the TV headset. It is a really comfortable headset that let's me hear what is on my tv. This way I can clean my house and walk around and do laundry, all while enjoying an episode of friends. Dishes are fun to do when you are listening to "the one where nobody is ready". Well, he gave me this headset about 7 years ago, and it is wearing out. I'd like a new one.

And that is my Christmas wish list... and of course, "world peace!"

What is on your wish list?

When you're the best of friends... Having so much fun together!

Daddy and Cole,
I have so many great pictures of these two guys together this past year. They are really the best of friends. The greatest gift my boys have is the love of their father! Bill adores both of his sons, and I am so thankful for a fantastic husband who loves his children so much. We are a very blessed little family and I am so thankful for all of our happiness.

I am so crazy in love with Billy Johnson!


Dressed up as Joseph Smith pioneers July 19, 2008















At the Marriott Hotel on the boat ride. August 10, 2008


















Dana Point Yacht Club March 31, 2008















CHOC Boat Water Day July 18, 2008














Angel's Game July 5, 2008













Irvine 1st Ward Corn Roast... Cole is actually eating Watermelon!!! September 8, 2008













Legoland Trick or Treat Cowboy and Pirate October 25, 2008














SeaWorld October 25, 2008













July 4, 2008