A photo shoot for Chelsaroo!!

Finally took Chelsei out for her birthday pictures!! they turned out great and the weather wasn't too bad either!!

Our brood keeps growing!!!

mike and I have been talking about getting a puppy for a long time-we went back and forth on what breed would be best for the girls,our family's lifestyle,etc. We finally decided on the Golden Retriever and started looking in the paper and online for the perfect pup!!

We found her last week-a lady had listed her English Cream Golden litter in the paper and was down to two puppies left-1 girl, 1 boy. We originally went to look at the boy b/c the breeder told us on the phone that another couple had already said they were coming to see the girl before us. we arrived at the breeder's house about 30 mins after the other couple was to be there for the girl. the lady told us that since the other couple had not called then if we wanted the girl, we could have her. She was so super sweet!! very calm,quiet and a bit timid (which I knew would go away over time). The boy was cute too but a furry ball of energy :)

We decided that we wanted to keep her and the rest is history!! We brought her home, and a day later the family decided to name her Sugar. For a puppy, she's been great!! only 3 accidents (mostly due to stress and diet change-the breeder had her on Purina which I can't stand so we switched her to Innova which is the best dog food out there outside of a raw diet-no corn,byproducts,fillers,etc.), doesn't bark, and is very obedient. She only cried for about 3 nights in her kennel and then got used to it just fine. She is almost completely potty trained-barks at the back door or hits the bell we tied to it w/her paw.

I think we are going to cherish this little girl for a long time!!!

A CHAMPION AMONG US!!!

We finally made it home after spending 4 days in Memphis,TN!! we had a great time despite the overly hot,humid weather. the hot I could handle but that humidity was killer!!!

Katie's squad kicked major booty and placed SECOND in their division and also placed the highest out of ALL the AZ teams that competed BOTH days. I believe there were about 10-12 squads (give or take a few) from AZ that competed both days and went all the way up to level 6 (our performing team was level 6). This was a huge accomplishment for the team since it was their first time going to nationals (katie has been twice before but on a different team). I was so proud of my little girl and her teammates-they worked so hard for this!!

we spent our free time in Memphis visiting Graceland which the girls absolutely loved. Walking through Elvis's home was a once in a lifetime experience and I'm so glad the girls got to see it-Sadie was in awe. On our last day there, we went over to Mud Island where the girls got to wade in replica of the Mississipi River. We then drove over the famous Hernando De Soto bridge and into Arkansas. We played around in Horseshoe Lake for a bit then headed back into Tennessee and cruised down Beale St before finding the beach area off the mighty Mississippi for the girls to play in the sand and splash around a little. It was alot of fun and a wonderful experience.

here are a few shots of our trip highlights and Katie's winning moments!!!



There were about 40 people on our tour with us and when we got to Elvis's gravesite (along with his dad,mom,and grandmother)-the dead silence that followed was amazing and kind of creepy. All at once everyone just stopped talking for about 10 minutes...












Elivs's mom's favorite car!! It was sadie's favorite too :)

































All ready to perform!!

























Houston Pro All Stars-second in the nation!!





















Our proud family-way to go Katie-bug!!

Tuesday morning photo shoot!!

I took Sadie out to get some shots for her birthday (and I took WAAAY too many lol). I do this for each one of my girls shortly after their birthdays although, I've yet to do Chelsei's whose bday was last month. I'm hoping to find some good spots in Tennessee when we travel there in two weeks.

I could not believe how hot it got and how fast!! we started our shoot at 7am and by 10-it was miserable out!! Sadie did wonderfully though and her hard work paid off as I took her to the Sugar Bowl ice cream shoppe in old towne Scottsdale (and they have the BEST ice cream ever!!!).

here are a few of the hundreds of shots that I took:

A birthday for Sadie!!

my baby girl turned 8 yesterday!!

so hard to believe-seems like just yesterday she was that tiny preemie I was scared to death to bring home (at a whopping 4lbs)...

her big birthday bash with schoolmates,friends,and family is scheduled for next weekend so be expecting those photos along with her pics from the photo shoot I am planning on doing this coming Monday.

here are a few shots from her special day (we took her out for ice cream and dinner)..






special chocolate chip pancakes!!!















Free ice cream sundae at Red Robin!!

A WEEK FULL OF FUN!!!

We are finally home after spending a week with my aunts,uncles,cousin,mom,sister and brother in law in beautiful Lander, WY!!

the drive there wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and let me tell you-I never realized just how pretty Utah was!! I am making plans to visit Heber,UT in the future.

the last time I was in Lander I think I was 12 and I had forgotten what a beautiful and peaceful place it is. the town is so small (about 6 thousand people total) and it was nice not to have to worry about my car being broken into, kids getting bullied,etc. it's such a wonderful place

the girls were in shock when we stopped by the fireworks store on the way into town!! we bought about 30 dollars worth of stuff but my sister and her husband bought about 500 worth!! combined there was over a thousand dollars worth of fireworks fun with our entire family.

we spent our days hiking to the waterfalls, playing alongside the river (which was pretty but scary due to it being super full as a result of too high temps during the spring-Lander flooded about a month ago and many people lost their homes and beloved belongings!!).

I even braved doing white river rafting on level 4 rapids!! I ended up getting out right before the ride was over b/c I was just too cold to hold onto the ropes inside the raft any longer. water temp that day was about 50 degrees and it was windy and raining on us too!! I would attempt it again in the future though

here are some pics from our Wyoming adventures!!

one drive down, one more to go!!

We FINALLY made it to Provo,UT tonite around 6:30p after 12 hours (yes, I said 12) of driving!!
the girls were awesome little troopers and had plenty to keep them occupied. It does feel a little sad w/out Sadie's happy chatter in the back seat though :(

it was a pretty drive-Utah has some great mountain views,streams,and Lake Powell was fun to drive around.

had fun with the girls at the hotel pool-wasn't planning on getting in but Chelsei snuck up behind me, caught me off guard and pushed me right in!! surprising strength my 9 year old has-my butt is not as small as it used to be lol

tomorrow will include the final 5 hour drive to my aunt's house and week full of fun!!