Mark and Jessica

New blog

2010-10-08T07:21:00.001-07:00

I have changed blogs and I am using www.markandjess.com

Come check it out!

Kids birthday extravaganza

2010-07-31T20:25:00.000-07:00

VBS

2010-07-31T17:13:00.000-07:00

Motions? What kind of motion is this?

Micah doing motions! An improvement from last year for sure. He knew them all!

Annie and Ali got to be in the same group and even stand together for the performance.

Truth be told... Caleb did the air-guitar instead of the real motions most of the songs. It was so super cute. He was standing by His friend Tommy and they were actually both jammin' out on their air guitars.

For the performance Micah had the brilliant idea of wearing a kris kreme hat sideways to go with the theme. This years VBS was called High Seas Expedition.

We all had so much fun. It is neat to see what they learn about God as they get older. God's word is wonderful. God's word is surprising. God's word is life changing. God's word is for everyone. I'm not sure if i got those right and I left one out :) There was also a song in the play that was very meaningful to us called Ancient Words. It is about God's word being the truth and being preserved for us so we can have hope today!

The kids in the pool!

2010-07-15T21:39:00.000-07:00

So Mark's mom just got a new camera that is waterproof, and takes video. So we played with it in the pool, and this is what we came up with. I hope this works!

Sola coffee bar. Go there!

2010-07-07T12:13:00.000-07:00

Abi Leah and Micah

2010-05-11T20:12:00.001-07:00

Berta took some pictures of Abi, Leah and Micah. Very cute. I'm not sure what Micah was thinking here. Abi is one of his favorite girls though!

Photo shoot for Caleb

2010-05-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

Roberta took a mini photo shoot with Caleb for fun because he was being cute and here are some of the pics. They turned out soooo cute.

Slip N Slide with Smiths

2010-05-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

We went over to the Smith's house for some slip n slide action and we sure had a fun time. Berta used her mad-fantabulous photography skills to capture some great pictures and these are only a small sampling of the cool pics she took. I should have taken a picture of Berta sitting at the end of the slip n slide risking herself and her camera for some of these shots. Well worth it I'd say. They all took turns running and sliding and Mark even tossed them down a few times and they loved that. Caleb is much more conservative so her usually walked the slip n slide the wrong direction. When we were right about to clean it up Caleb decided to give it a try. Berta spent quite a bit of time trying to capture Caleb's face as he tossed water up in the air, again, a risky job. I have some great pictures that tell a story about our day and I can't wait to print a few off and hang them on our wall :) Thanks for all your hard work!

Castles and Coasters

2010-03-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

We got to go to Castles and Coasters thanks to Papaw's work! They throw a company party there each year. Here are some highlight pictures.

Caleb finds a dime!

2010-03-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

I feel so happy about these pictures. I am part of an unofficial photo club and we work on assignments. Part of our objectives is telling a story with pictures and this week we are working on manually setting our cameras. This is a challenge but here are a few pictures I took. I feel like I accomplished both our objectives and did our homework too! Tell me what you think photog ladies.

Hiking This Morning with the Arliskas girls!

2010-03-24T11:55:00.000-07:00

Above: Micah leads the way
Below: Caleb eats a snack on Hannah. What a life!

Snack time

Mark balancing on a stump. Zoe thought it was funny every time Mark hopped down.

Caleb Stopped to smell the roses, I mean, pick at the bottom of his shoe.

Smile girlies!

Hiking the trail.

Friends

Great day!

Hitching a ride.

A green desert!

Accidental Green Bean Casserole

2010-03-02T18:22:00.000-08:00

I had a couple handfuls of fresh green beans and a half a purple onion along with some mushrooms that equaled about a half a box to a full box and I decided to chop the mushrooms up small cut the green beans and dice the onion. I warmed my skillet and used olive oil to saute about three cloves of garlic. Then I added the green beans and last the onion and mushrooms. Oh wait! I had a fresh tomato that I diced and tossed in once everything was almost done cooking. When they were finished I dumped it is a casserole dish. At this point I didn't realize I was going to make green bean casserole. But then it hit me I had all the ingredients except the white sauce. So I cooked up a small white sauce. Using two tblsp of butter and flour and some milk til I thought I have enough. It thickened and I dumped it over the veggie mess. I shredded some kinda yummy Italian cheese over the top (Mark knows the name.) I stick it in the fridge and covered it. I heated it up on 350 for maybe 30 minutes. Oh my goodness! This was the best green bean casserole ever. I had to type this right away after eating it because I want to remember how it came about so I can try to duplicate. I don't measure very many things so it is hard for me to write out my recipes. I make some awesome dishes and think that I will remember but I never do so I am using my blog to archive them for myself. I'm not sure if I can put these in a separate folder. Let me know if anyone knows how to do that so people don't have to see these. I have tried many recipes for green bean casserole and I'm so so so glad that I had some mushrooms, green beans and a half an onion that needed to be cooked all at the same time. Fun fun for my family!

Honey bread recipe

2010-02-22T12:06:00.001-08:00

New bread recipe. I was trying out a new bread recipe today and of course I couldn't just follow it! So now that it is baked I am trying to figure out just how I changed it. Here is what I think I did for my own archives but if you are interested in yummy homemade bread here's a good one.

Honey Bread

4 1/2 tsp of active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105-115F)
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup butter
3 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups very warm water (120-130)
4 1/2 -5 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup flax meal
1/2 cup rice flour
1 cup all purpose flour

1. Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water.
2. In large bowl mix honey, butter, salt and very warm water and then let cool for a few minutes
3. Beat 3 cups of whole wheat flour into honey mixture and then beat for a few min til it is nice and mixed.
4. Beat in all other flours and dissolved yeast mixture.
5. Then add the rest of flour a bit at a time and knead by hand ten minutes or if using electric mixer with hook like two or three maybe, until smooth and elastic.
6. Grease bowl and toss the dough in there then grease top of dough and cover with cloth. Let rise til doubled in size. I didn't check clock, my bad.
7. Punch down and split in half roll out on floured surface into a rectangle, roll up to fit into your regular sized bread pan. Grease pan and put dough in pans. Cover with towel and let rise again.
8. When doubled in size bake in preheated 375 oven for 30 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 and bake 10 ish minutes longer (until when tapped on it sounds hollow) Take bread out of pans to cooling racks. It is much easier to cut bread when it is cooled but hey if you are hungry who cares!

2 Loaves

I think next time I will try this with less all purpose flour and honey and salt. We'll see how it goes. The family really likes it so it's a winner.

Our last trip to the zoo

2010-02-09T10:50:00.000-08:00

Take note of the hand holding the coffee cup in the picture below people!

14 miles an hour! Guess who?

Mommy and Ali are kissing the frog :)

Ali would like you all to know that the rinos have big bootys :)

We took our last trip to the Phx zoo with our zoo pass. We let our kids ride the carousel and had a super fun blast. We won't renew our pass this year. Sad times. We had downloaded our pictures and then my computer crashed. A friend found most our pictures but unfortunately it looks like we only got a few zoo pictures back. Here's some fun pics! We're glad to have gotten some of them back for sure!

One egg wonder cake

2010-02-09T07:39:00.000-08:00

My Granny used to make a pound cake called a One Egg Wonder Cake. It was so delicious that my mom would make it too. We would put strawberries and whipped cream on top and also pour milk over it. Aside from the milk part it became what my brother and I called Strawberry Shortcake. We loved this cake sooo much. Years ago I asked my dad for the recipe. He emailed it to me and I've been making to the delight of my friends and family. I use it for strawberry shortcake and for chocolate fondue. It is also tasty all by itself.

I'm not sure where this recipe came from but on my copy it says it was in my Grandma Ethel Estes' recipe box from my Great Aunt Dot.

Preheat oven 350 F. Grease 8 inch loaf pan or 8x8 cake pan.

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

combine flour, baking powder and salt. (original recipe has you sift flour and then sift these ingredients three times. I never do.)

Cream butter, add sugar, cream until light, add egg and beat well.

Add flour mixture and milk alternating in small amounts - beating after each addition.

Add vanilla

Dump in greased loaf pan or 8x8 pan (I've never used 8x8 but it is said to be preferred.)

Bake 350 for 50 minutes - toothpick test to make sure it is done. (The 50 minutes is a guide. Adjust accordingly depending on what size and type of pan.)

Nutrition info:(8 servings) per serving: 293 Calories; 9g fat; 4g Protein; 49g carbohydrate; 1g Dietary fiber; 26mg cholesterol; 296mg sodium.

Well, for those who love my strawberry shortcake here it is! This is not a healthy recipes by any stretch of the imagination but... It sure beat frozen in a box and it tastes so so good! Thanks Dad for emailing me this so many years ago.

My bountiful harvest!

2010-01-27T20:52:00.001-08:00

Can you say yum!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love my garden. Believe me when I tell you I am no pro gardener. It is all hit and miss. This year I planted spinach like ummmm 6 times! Well, needless to say after trying and trying and trying again here it is! When I want it I have it to pick. It is quite funny really. I planted seeds several time and watered them etc. Well the darn seeds wouldn't sprout. So the kids saw the seed packets and ask to plant the seed. (kids were mine and the schmids) So they planted seeds themselves on several different days also. Well, like a month or so after the last time we planted them they started sprouting up everywhere! It was laughable. I don't even know what to say. Well, we have it growing around everything else I have planted out there. Too fun! Wanna salad? Come on over and bring the dressing :)

Micah's icecream cake

2010-01-27T20:40:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of Micah's bday cake. Beating egg whites is a normal process that most of us do regularly but beating egg yolks til they foam is not. Here is part of the process. This may bore you but I was so incredibly fascinated I had to take pictures to share. If you ever want to make an excellent ice cream cake a good option for the cake part is sponge cake. Trust me people it is delicious! Can I get some positive comments from those who have tasted a Jessica ice cream cake! Can I hear a wha wha! It is a delicate and slightly intimidating process but if you can make waffles from scratch you can make a sponge cake!

Pics of us!

2010-01-27T20:34:00.001-08:00

Here we are! I know most of you might know what we look like but I'm sure some of you only see pictures of our kids on here so here we are. Special thanks to Roberta for taking these pictures of us.

Caleb, Nathan, Grandma, and Grandfather at Rawhide!

2009-12-22T12:35:00.000-08:00

Rawhide was fun with the boys and Grandma and Grandfather. Here are some of the pics from there special trip. I even think Grandfather went to jail!

Micah went to the Polar Express with Grandma and Grandfather Moore!

2009-12-22T12:21:00.000-08:00

Well, last year Ali went and this year was Micah's turn. They left yesterday afternoon and somehow found snow and threw snowballs! Then they had hot chocolate and cookies on the Polar Express. Micah got some new jammies, slippers, long underwear, mittens, a hat and a coat out of the deal. Oh and let's not forget the bell he recieved from Santa on the train. Thanks Grandma and Grandfather! We love you.

My adventures

2009-12-18T09:00:00.001-08:00

Ok so life has been a little stressful lately. Let me start with a story about Micah. He is a little bit of a worrier. I'm sure he got this from me unfortunately. I do not want to teach my kids to worry but instead rely on God and trust in him. So, I am working on that in myself. God is using Micah to teach me not to worry. He worries about things like dinner and lunch and basic needs. Well, We have never forgotten to feed him or take care of him. As I told him that I realized God has NEVER forgotten to provide my basic needs either. Sometimes I feel worried as if God has forgotten me but the truth is he hasn't!

That being said, raising support to go overseas is a hard thing to do and it also requires much faith in God. Sometimes we go without things and other times I think we are going to run out of food and then God provides just when we need it.

Last week our fridge was getting bare and we were starting to make up meals with random food. I was worrying about our situation but God wasn't worried! He sent a storm! It was the most beautiful lightning storm I've seen in about ten years. Mark and I sat on the back porch stress free for a moment, watching the lightning and talking. What we didn't know about this storm is that it would knock out the power of a grocery store. I guess when the electricity is gone from a store they can only leave their cold food for 10 minutes before they can't sell it. Through some strange circumstances God sent us food from this store! It was really expensive yummy food that we don't buy but want to. Oh my goodness. It was so cool. I still laugh about it because God is so much more amazing that he would send me fun food! Praise God for not just His provision but how he provides :)

So, because of our situation we are learning how to make strange things from scratch. It has been fun really and it is very good for me to learn the basics of some of these things before I go to Africa and can't buy simple things. We have made some yummy crackers! I've been making bread every other day and we sat down as a family and made pasta. It was so fun and so yummy! When it came time to cook the pasta I didn't have anything to put on it so I faked it! I used a few small tomatoes I had in the fridge, olive oil, garlic salt, and some basil and spinach from my garden. I simmered it all and then tossed our pasta in it. Oh and we also tossed in some feta cheese (thanks to the storm :) It was so tasty the kids ate so much. I am thankful for these times because it really is rewarding to make these things from scratch. I don't know if I would have made pasta from scratch. Well, that is my story for now. I will update this post with a picture I took of our pasta.

Butternut squash soup

2009-11-12T19:21:00.000-08:00

Begin by cutting a butternut squash in half lengthwise and taking seeds and strings out. Place the halves face down in a baking dish and roast on 350 for about 30-40 minutes or until you can easily scrape the insides out.

While the squash is baking turn crock pot on low and add half of the chicken broth and chopped swiss chard.

Chop and saute' onion, carrots and sweet potato in a dash of olive oil and season with a dash of garlic salt for a few minutes and then add about half of the broth and cover and simmer until everything is soft. Once everything is soft blend it together ina food processor or blender and stir it into the contents of the crock pot.

Once you've scraped the insides of the squash out mash them and stir them into the crock pot.

Add already cooked chicken and/or chicken apple sausage. Season with additional garlic salt to taste. Simmer in crockpot on high for a shorter time 2hours or low 3 hours - all day.

Ingredient list

Olive oil
onion
two carrots
large sweet potato
32 oz chicken broth
already cooked chicken
butternut squash
swiss chard

cooking tips
This is a great fake it recipe!
If you don't have these exact ingredients you can substitute. Play around with it but use your food sense to make a good sub choice. Don't be afraid to add other kinds of veggies to the saute' step. They will be blended and unrecognized. Corn might be another fun thing to add with the broth and swiss chard step. Have fun!

Zoe crying :)

2009-10-31T23:17:00.000-07:00

I know it seems so mean that we took these pictures of Zoe crying but truth be told Zoe is so cute when she cries and I wanted to remember what she looked like. No, we didn't pinch her. She was mad that I put her in her car seat and I asked Mark to take some pics for me. They turned out great and will warm my heart in years to come at just how sweet she was. (No children were harmed in the shooting of these pictures and all babies were comforted moments later).

This one screams MOM in annoyance :)

All better :)

bedtime story part 3

2009-10-31T23:10:00.000-07:00

bed time story part 2

2009-10-31T23:09:00.000-07:00

bed time story part1

2009-10-31T23:07:00.000-07:00

Zoe my love

2009-10-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

These pics were from a photo shoot earlier today. There were so many cute ones that make me smile! I hope you enjoy.

Boys in Sandbox

2009-10-30T21:16:00.000-07:00

Hannah Driving! Watch out world!

2009-10-20T23:49:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Papa's (well the Arlliskas kids')

2009-10-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

Playing Bob the Builder!

Mommy playing with Zoe

Caleb licking his face clean. (He's got a super long tongue.)

Caleb "hiding" behind a plant

"Cooking"

Cat after being pet.

Making "food" outside.

Little CalebFour bumps on a log.

Picture taken from the loft. Grown ups were eating breakfast.Walkin' to the pond

My little stud muffin!

Ali and Caleb shared a bed. Soooooo cute!

We had such a fun time out at Hannah and Sarah's Grandma and Papa's house. Caleb was calling Papa "Papa" when we left. He also wanted Papa to do everything with him and for him. We all thought it was so cute. The kids all had a blast playing "Bob the Builder" too! Fun times. Thanks for inviting us Arliskas girls!

Ali and Zoe

2009-10-20T15:53:00.001-07:00

Here are some cute pics of ZOE and JORDAN

2009-09-28T12:19:00.001-07:00

Westgate with the Ariskas'

2009-09-28T11:57:00.000-07:00

We decided to have random fun and go to Westgate to take some pictures of each other. It was fun. Here are a few pictures that we took.

Mark and Ali

2009-09-09T23:22:00.001-07:00

A dress from a shirt

2009-09-09T23:18:00.000-07:00

I saw on another blog how to make a dress from a shirt and tried it. With a little bit of imagination it worked out! I used a polo shirt and saved two of the buttons for the dress and used the collar for the straps of the dress. It is cute so far but I think I need to add a ruffle to lengthen it!

Here is Ali and Mark wearing the same shirt!

Eat More Chicken

2009-09-09T16:04:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of cute shots of the kids playing at Chic Fil a. We took them there for dessert and playground but fortunately for us only Ali ate all her dinner so she was the only dessert partaker :)

Some cute pictures

2009-08-24T20:11:00.001-07:00

We are so blessed everyday with the news that Zoe doesn't have OI. We have such a great family and we rejoice in the Lord always! Thank you God for what you have given us.

Table Manners

2009-08-24T20:00:00.001-07:00

Take notice of the spoon in the bowl. Most mornings Caleb uses his spoon to eat his cereal but not this morning and it was making me laugh so hard because he was so into eating this was he didn't even notice me taking pictures for a few bites. tee hee. I think there was actually less mess on the table and chair when he was done. Caleb looses half the milk off of his spoon, down his front or on the table. It is always a huge milky mess when he's done. I wouldn't trade his mess for anything :)

Pretty pink toes

2009-08-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

Zoe and I did our toe nails the same color :)

More beach pictures

2009-08-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

We didn't have time to play at the beach so we let our kid go walk in the sand and feel the water in between their toes.

Marty's Bench

2009-08-17T11:04:00.001-07:00

Our dear friend Marty Stayer died the year after Mark and I got married and has a bench down the street from where his parents used to live in San Diego. The bench overlooks Pacific Beach. We've been to Marty's memorial bench before but we thought we'd like to see it again with our kids. Ali sat down right away and started reading the placard.

More Seaworld!

2009-08-17T10:48:00.001-07:00

Here are some random pics of us at Sea World

Huge play area

2009-08-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

There was a huge kids section. We chose to go on the rides and go on the McDonald's like play area on steroids. Mark went on the huge playground and I got to go on the rides. We had so much fun! We met some really cool people standing in line too.

Our Sea World Trip

2009-08-17T10:13:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Anheuser Busch we get complimentary tickets to Sea World each year. Here is some pictures from our trip. We had so much fun and the kids had a blast. Thanks to the beer company for the free tickets each year :)!

We were waiting patiently for the Shamu show. The boys were convinced they wanted to get wet so we changed their shoes and off Mark went with the boys to go sit in the "splash zone." Can you find them in the crowd? The hint is they are all three wearing orange. In the splash picture it looks like they got wet but they didn't. The boys were disappointed for a few minutes but soon got over it. I'm sure Mark was glad they didn't get soaked. They were up close and got a great show regardless.

Zoe Our Miracle

2009-08-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

So, long story short we got Zoe's test results back last week and she does NOT have OI. This is just an amazing miracle in our little girl. She is so wonderful and I thank God everyday for the work he did for us and in my daughter. I have to admit I am thrilled that she has a short leg because right now it is a testimony to us of what could have been and what God has done to change that! Here is a picture of our little girl hanging out. -Jess

"He's so cute I can hardly stand it!"

2009-08-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

I know everyone hears me say this about my kiddos quite frequently. Here is another demonstration of Caleb's cuteness. I walked into the living room and there he was lying in the middle of a piled up blanket playing with his stuffed animal as if he were a real being! So cute. He was in his own little world. I think I'd better go kiss his little cheeks right now :)

The Tale Of Caleb continues...

2009-08-17T09:38:00.000-07:00

One morning Ali came into my room before my alarm went off and said, "Mom, Caleb is eating chocolate on the couch!" I was not sure what she was talking about and how it could be possible until I reached the couch. Sure enough he was eating some precious chocolates. Half a box! Wow! I was so shocked by the sight I had to take a picture. He was very proud of himself as you can see. I am glad he didn't loose the chocolates soon after eating them, if you know what I mean.

Kiddos

2009-05-31T21:25:00.000-07:00

Aww! Can't wait to see this one in black and white!

This picture was taken in attempt to get a good picture of our four beautiful children. I'm not sure yet if we actually got a good one or not. But we can all laugh at this one. At the very least this picture is a good representation of their personalities at this point. :)

I love this picture and can't wait to see it in black and white as well.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree

2009-05-31T19:56:00.000-07:00

Ali and Jess

A couple cute ones of Zoe and Jordan

2009-05-31T19:47:00.001-07:00

yawning together

chillin

Caleb's Two!

2009-05-29T21:56:00.000-07:00

We didn't celebrate Caleb's birthday on his birthday but we happened to have a lot of people over to hang with Becca Morgan while she was in town visiting. Pam brought brownie bites so Mark thought it would be fun to stick a candle in one and let him blow it out. Caleb had so much fun he asked to do it over and over again! We laughed every time because everytime he made the same face. Here it is posted twice from two different blow-outs. Mark probably relit the candle 6 or so times. I can't wait til tomorrow when we are celebrating his b day with family. I'll post pics later I suppose.

More pics of Zoe

2009-05-29T21:43:00.001-07:00

Zoe and Jordan (a week apart)

Jordan and Zoe

Happy bath time Zoe!

Caleb, Ali with Zoe, Micah, Alivia with Koleson

Koleson at three weeks old next to Zoe (on the right) at two weeks old. For the record Koleson was born six weeks early so he is a bit small :) And we all know our Zoe is a good healthy size!

Zoe

Zoe scowling at Micah

Water pics

2009-05-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

Micah at the Hiatt girls party and havin fun!

Ali up close and personal

Caleb playing at Berta's parent's house

Cool picture

Our big girl looking all grown up

Baby ZOE

2009-05-15T22:49:00.000-07:00

Here is Zoe. She just got the Arythromycin on her eyes. Still, she is very cute.
This is our new family. The older kids were so excited to come see their new little baby sister.
Here is Zoe, wanting to eat, and sticking her tingue out. So cute.
Here is our little cutie getting her first meal.
Zoe in all her glory.

It is official swimming pool weather!

2009-05-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (Sunday) we went to Mamaw and Papaw's house and swam. It was a blast. I'm not sure if it is still snowing some places. If that is the case then I am not really sorry but I invite you out to beautiful Phoenix weather! Now is the time to come because in a few short weeks it will be sweating hot! Here are some pics.

A day at the pool is not a day at the pool if daddy does not do a cannon ball!

Mark was demonstrating how to go down the slide. :) Hahaha

They talked Papaw into cannon balling too!

Caleb's ball game

2009-04-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

Mamaw was watching the kids for us one afternoon so we could go to a few doctors appointments. We came home to find them playing a game in the backyard that delighted Caleb over and over again. Turns out that Caleb told Mamaw exactly how to do it too! He told her to throw the ball up on the roof and she said he was so clear in his directions and he said it with so much confidence she was sure we'd played this game before! We hadn't. Everytime the ball came down Caleb would squeel and chase it. It was so hilarious. So we continued the game even after we got home just cause it was so much fun. Here are some fun pictures of our time.

My big backyard

2009-04-22T13:59:00.000-07:00

Ok my yard may not be big but I love it! I wanted to share some pictures of some of my favorite things in my backyard. I'm sure there will be more to come!

Blossoms from my lemon tree

Daisies!

Cute little Caleb

Cute little Ali on our swingset!

Cute little Micah about to throw a ball on the roof!

Cherry Tomatoes YUM! I ate this tomato seconds after taking a picture of it.

Caleb on Easter too!

2009-04-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

Decorating Eggs

2009-04-14T12:49:00.000-07:00

Here are the kiddos in my family decorating eggs for Easter. We painted them with acrylics and it was so neat and fun. They all turned out so different and fun. I think I will try this again next year.

My Micah

2009-04-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

Smith and Spangler Night Out

2009-04-13T14:02:00.000-07:00

The Smith's and Spangler's were going to Scottsdale for a birthing refresher class so we decided to pop by the civic center and take advantage of their cool venue for pictures. We had much fun taking pictures! We are picture buddies. Always practicing.

Here is a picture to demonstrate my new hair dooo

2009-03-30T22:35:00.000-07:00

Mark loved it so much he kissed me!

Just so you all know I'm trying to update our blog every Monday for sure! Let's see if I can keep this up.

Cool picture of Micah

2009-03-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

I just really liked this picture. It turned out fun!

Ali sleeping

2009-03-30T08:27:00.001-07:00

Ali had a long weekend with the Arliskas'. She passed out for hours after we came home. I couldn't resist the photo opportunity.

Micah's airplane

2009-03-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

It flies super high and fast so we've lost it a few times. Much fun! Notice his little tongue stinking out. He does that in every sport. Plane shooting, skateboarding, football :)

Micah playing football with Dad

2009-03-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

Micah has quite the arm! He is our little stud muffin. I should send these pics to the NFL minus the fumbles :)

Caleb and balls

2009-03-29T22:27:00.000-07:00

Here are some awesome pictures of Caleb. I hope you enjoy them.

Camping

2009-03-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

Mark and I went camping ALONE! It was such a great weekend. Here are some of our pics. We are pretty silly so bear with it.

Playing Wii.

Drinking Frap!

Flamage!

Cooking Steak!

Ali has her own blog!

2009-03-27T11:12:00.000-07:00

We are so proud to announce that Ali has her own blog. She takes pictures on her own camera all the time so we thought we would let her start posting them. Congratulations ALI! Check it out.

aliphotosblog.blogspot.com

Caleb gets his own snack

2009-03-23T23:03:00.000-07:00

Being the third he often doesn't ask for things he just figures it's better just to take care of business himself. This was so cute and hilarious that he really never got into trouble. I took Berta's advice and took a picture :) We were all just cracking up. At least he decided to share. If you are wondering, yes, this is an entire loaf of bread.

Peanut Butter and Jelly anyone?!

My little photographer

2009-03-23T22:59:00.000-07:00

Ok so here is Ali. She is quite in love and has been for years, with taking pictures. If I can get organized enough I would love to start her own blog. The world through Ali's eyes. Complete with videos she has taken. She loves to take pictures and practice taking pictures of all sorts of things. She really is quite good! Here is her and her love, her camera.

Mark and Caleb

2009-03-23T22:57:00.000-07:00

Oh how sweet. Two of my boys snuggling in bed together. I can hardly stand it and I just want to kiss their faces!

Some outside fun!

2009-03-23T22:47:00.000-07:00

I know we live in Arizona and there is still snow here somewhere, however it has been quite warm here lately. Even on the cool days (70's) the kids love to play outside in the water. We always call our neighbor Josh to see if he wants to come play with us. Most of the pictures I can not post because Caleb was running around in the nude this day. We'll show the ones where he is hidden :) It's hard to believe that other places are still playing in the snow!

Hanging out with friends

2009-03-23T22:43:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure who took these pictures and why but I thought they were fun! We were hanging out with the Arliskas girls and I think maybe even the Stayer kids. We love having them over for any reason at all really. I think we make up reasons just to hang out with these cool kids because they are all so neat and such a blessing to us!

As for the pictures of Caleb and the helmet. Well, I guess you can never be too careful when Sarah is up to bat :)

Enbarassing picture

2009-03-23T22:37:00.000-07:00

This is an embarrassing picture of Mark and I. I have no idea who took it! He was singing to me with lots of emotion. You'll never guess what artist he was singing and why so I will just have to tell you. Boys II Men were coming in town and so he was kinda doing a trailer or announcement for them. I think deep down inside he wanted to take me to see them so we could feel like teenagers again. Hahaha. Boys II Men is total makin' out music :) The love is still alive!
How many kids do we have again? Maybe we should have gone to the concert.

Our neighbors

2009-03-23T22:35:00.000-07:00

Here is a cute picture of Chris and Josh otherwise known as Me (Chris) and Mini Me (Josh).

I just realized I have only 9 weeks left!

2009-03-10T10:24:00.000-07:00

Random kid pics

2009-02-26T19:15:00.000-08:00

This is Ali giving Caleb a piggy back ride. Now you have to understand that Ali doesn't weight much more than Caleb. Notice the death wrap he has her in. We were all cracking up over this one. She hasn't offered since.

These are great hairdos done by none other than well, me :) What can I say. When you are a little girl you do your dolly's hair when you grow up you do your kids hair. Just practicing!

Laundry day

2009-02-26T19:12:00.000-08:00

Ok every mom can relate to this and if they cannot then they are in denial and in need of counseling. The laundry basket is never empty! Just when you think it is something else hops in there! I still don't know what the bottom looks like

Twins?

2009-02-26T19:01:00.000-08:00

We happened to be matching so this day and thought it would be fun to take some pics by our gate. Ali was dying to get some pics with her baby sister so here are some with the two of them.

Wild hair day

2009-02-26T18:52:00.000-08:00

This all started with yogurt in Caleb's hair and ended with hair gel. Fun day at our house for all who were present. We won't show you pics of the grown ups. You can only imagine.

Girls movie night

2009-02-26T18:48:00.000-08:00

Becca A and Berta S come over on occasion when Mark is off flying and we eat yummy food and watch a chic flick. This night we made personal fruit pizzas and thought we'd take some pics. Hope you enjoy drooling :) You could try to guess who's was who's.

Our newest little addition

2009-02-26T18:29:00.000-08:00

Well, there is so much that has happened and so much to say since we last posted about our daughter. We've decided to name her Zoe. This name was a gift from God as Mark and I rarely agree on names. We decided to claim the meaning for her life. Her name means life, God given life, high quality of life and eternal life. We felt this was the perfect name for our baby girl who before she's even had a breath of air has had odds playing against her. A few months ago she was diagnosed with OI (see older blog for more details and link). This has been a roller coaster of a time for us. We have been greatly encouraged and strengthened by so many many peoples prayers. God has really been faithful to us. The day we got the diagnosis the doctor said there was a one percent chance of her not having OI. We've had a few more ultrasounds to watch her growth and bones and such and each time gets better. She is just perfect. This doesn't rule out OI but it has certainly given us and maybe even the doctor a reason to believe that she may indeed be a healthy little girl. Her odds keep getting better so to speak. We will not know until a few months after she is born whether she has OI or not but we are so thankful for all those that are praying for her! I can see before my eyes your prayers being answered. Please everyone keep praying for Zoe. We are hoping for a miracle thanks to many of you who have encouraged us! Jess

Picking up leaves with Papaw!

2009-01-23T15:22:00.001-08:00

Ali couldn't help because she was chatting on the phone with MAMAW I suppose.

The other day Caleb and I weren't feeling too well and we were out of food. Papaw had off and came to our rescue. He hung out with us, went to the store for us and even cleaned up leaves in our backyard. I think he deserves that Papaw of the year award. Here are the picks.

Micah the skateboarding fool. Sponsored by his mom :)

2009-01-23T15:13:00.000-08:00

Cole has been teaching Micah tricks on his board and Micah practices and practices. He has quite the balance! Go Micah! That's my boy! That's right ladies and gentlemen he just turned three.

Caleb Hospital Pictures

2009-01-23T14:57:00.001-08:00

The poor kid had to sit in a hospital bed for three days. We ended up escaping and running the halls and going to the hospital library instead. We would wander around the whole place! Nice purple robe huh? All they had really. We had lots of visitors and stayed as busy as we possibly could. Caleb loved jumping or falling from the chair to the bed and back!

Micah's 3rd Birthday!

2009-01-15T19:14:00.001-08:00

Well, this is Micah's 3rd birthday party. He had a super blast. The pictures are all out of order so if you want to see them in somewhat of a sequence then look at the bottom ones first. We had a skateboard cake, thanks to Aunt Pam and also a baseball pinata, thanks to Jess Schmid. Micah's prize present was a skateboard from Cole. Super cool and super generous. He is now an active skateboarder here in our backyard patio. Don't worry he wears a helmet and pads. He's getting better though. The pinata was a lot of fun all the kids anjoyed it. Ali as always cried at Micah's party. It just wouldn't be a birthday party without Ali crying. I skipped the picture of her tears though :) Enjoy the pics.

Our newest addition

2009-01-15T16:51:00.000-08:00

As you all know we are having a beautiful baby girl. This is the readers digest version of what is going on in the Spangler family. We had our ultrasound to see if she was a boy or girl and they sent us to a specialist because something wasn't quite right. Well, it could have been nothing but it turns out it was something. Her femur is broken and our little girl has been diagnosed with Osteogenesis Imperfecta otherwise known as OI or brittle bones disease. Here is a link to the OIFoundation that has lots of good info on what the condition is www.oif.org. Everyday it feels like our world is changing but we do know that God is in control of her little body. The pictures of her ultrasound are on a disc in some weird format and so far I can't figure out how to get them onto blogger. I'll keep working on it.

When it rains... we play in it. What else is rain good for in the desert? Growing things?

2009-01-15T16:19:00.000-08:00

Okay so this day way so joyous. It was the essence of our family and of our life. We really really love to celebrate life. Mark was on his way home from drill and pulled up to see us literally soaking in the rain. The neighbors across the street were peeking out the window at us in shock. These pictures are from a few months ago so don't think we are playing in the rain in January. (The kids did play in the hose water a few days ago though.) Caleb thought we were a little nutty and watched from the front porch til the rain stopped. Then he enjoyed the nasty gutter. I know Micah looks miserable in this picture but no one had to convince him to come play with us. He was having a party even though he started to freeze.

Chris our neighbor came outside and took these pictures while he was standing under his umbrella. His wife decided to take a few pictures as well and this picture is the funniest of all cause she didn't want to get wet.

IT'S A GIRL

2008-12-20T16:13:00.000-08:00

Well, the ultra sound says the baby is a girl and so does my morning sickness :) We are posting this blog in order to collect name suggestions for a girl. Comment your name suggestions please! I'll update this with an ultrasound picture later.
Jess

Veteran's Day Parade

2008-11-17T22:36:00.000-08:00

Our family and the Stayer kids went to the Veteran's Day Parade in Phoenix. Ali thought the entire "party" was for her dad. It was very cute. She still refers to it as daddy's party even when we explain there are many many more Veterans than just daddy. We had a lot of fun and it was a teary time for me (Jess).

Here are some pictures and there are more to come of some of the groups that support Veterans or some groups of Veteran's themselves.

This was a life sized ball that a woman was running on the inside of.
The kids really enjoyed this one.

This is Uncle Sam and I'm sure he wasn't shooting himself it just looks that way in the picture. Oops good timing I know.

Ali says, "Oh that airplane is so so cool." This was the first but not the last floating float we saw ever. I was truly amazed that these huge floats just floated. It was way fun and the kids were also equally impressed. The folks holding down this float ended up doing a well choreographed turn (the entire plane spun around in one place) and so that was impressive too.

This was an especially fun float there were lots of clowns and they were handing out flags to all the kiddos. They had lots of old firetrucks at this parade. I've never seen so many different kinds of firetrucks before.

This was the side of one of the firetrucks. I believe this one belonged to the radio station that was helping DJ the Veteran's Parade. It was really touching to see a firetruck with this painted on the side.

The kids went between the curb and this wall behind where we were sitting. They were very cute how they would clap and shout hurray for different floats especially those where there were service men and women in military uniforms because that they recognized.

This float represented the woman nurses who served in war times. It was pretty amazing all they had to say about these woman and the crowds were very excited and appreciative for what these women have done.

This eagle was very impressive. You could see it coming from a ways off and the people handling it were very active so to speak. The eagle moved quite a bit. Dipping and flying.

This brings us to the end of our pictures. We have a ton more of many different groups that were there. The Vietnam Vets were some of the coolest to see because people just cheered and cheered for them. I think everyone knows how they were treated when they came home and I know there is no way to make up for that but people are sure willing to recognize them as heroes now. We are so thankful for the support of all those people and it was so fun to go out there are show our support and thanks to those that don't get thanked enough.

Ali and Nathan wrestling!

2008-11-17T22:32:00.000-08:00

Tackled and Pinned!

Pam's girl's night before the wedding

2008-11-17T12:31:00.000-08:00

Pam and I at dinnerMy coffee

Jalane, Pam, and Lauren with Pam's cake

All of us

Pam's flowers

Cole's Birthday Party

2008-11-17T09:01:00.000-08:00

Cole had a surprise birthday party at our house a few weeks ago! It was so much fun. Mark, Lukas and Jeff all worked hard to make Cole two awes ome skateboarding ramps. Here is a picture of some of the kiddos sitting on the hood of Jeff's car with Cole's balloons.Caleb is going to float away!

Cole checking out his new ramps

Cole skating on his new ramps. We are so proud of Cole he is an awesome skateboarder. He is in as many competitions as he can find and he is even sponsored by Pac Sun! Very cool.

The Phoenix Zoo

2008-11-14T21:28:00.000-08:00

The Phoenix Zoo

Daddy jumps hopscotch with Caleb on his back.

Ali and Micah pose by the fish pond.

Caleb in a big boy bed

2008-11-14T14:21:00.000-08:00

Sloppy food is just cute

2008-11-14T14:03:00.000-08:00

Berta

2008-11-14T13:47:00.000-08:00

This blog goes out to Berta. If anyone happens to know who I am talking about and cares about her and has her contact information then please contact her and encourage her to join facebook. Yes this is a conspiracy. Thank you. Feel free to comment to this post when you have emailed, called, texted, or sent her a heartfelt letter telling her how much you wish she had facebook. If you happen to know Berta but do not have a facebook then maybe you too should join facebook and then invite her to be your friend.

Sea World pics

2008-10-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

Randomness

2008-10-19T22:17:00.000-07:00

Well, lots has happened in the past month and a half and I've been awful at updating since Mark started our facebook. So I'm going to put a fun smattering of pictures on here. We've done many things and been from Florida to AL to TX and home again and now Mark is in PA. Craziness really. We thrive on this sort of stuff :) FUN TIMES!