December 2012/ January 2013

In December we went to see my sister Valayne, her husband Pierce and baby Gema. They watched the boys for us while we went to a Christmas concert. After the show we went back to their house and stayed up all night talking. It was so fun to stay the night and catch up. We only live two hours away from each other but don't get together that often.

Jon's birthday was in December. My friend Cathy and her kids came up to help  us celebrate. Here Jon is cutting his cake. 

After cake we headed outside for sparklers. Good thing it wasn't too cold, they kids really enjoyed running with their sparklers.

Cathy stayed the weekend so for new year's day we went to play in the snow. We couldn't find a good spot at first , so after driving and driving we finally just pulled over and let them play on the side of the road. Best idea ever. They played and played for hours. 

Coy, Logan, and Austin

Coy just before he jump on his shed.

Austin's 8th birthday was in January. I always make them the dinner of their choice. Austin picked, pancakes, bacon, orange juice and wanted Jon to make the cake. He is so easy to make happy. When he talked to my mom he told her it was the best birthday ever.

Austin's only birthday present. he was so surprised.

Austin taking Jon for a ride.

Instead of a birthday party, we take the boys any where they want to go to spent their special day. Austin wanted Jon's sister Kari to join us at the Grand Canyon.

It was windy and a little cold that day but we had a great time. Every time we stopped there was something new to look at. The boys had a map with different animals on it that live at the Grand Canyon. All they saw where birds but they had fun looking.

We had a picnic for lunch then after a long day of walking and looking around we headed home. I love the adventures we have on their birthdays and happy Kari can join us almost every time.

November 2012

 Got the boys yearly pictures taken this month. I don't like them as much as last years, because I didn't find anyone to take them outside. But they turned out cute and the boys had fun. They were acting like models. It was so funny.

 We spent a lot of time as a family this month. Jon has had weekends off so its nice to go places or just relax at home. I wish I took pictures but forgot my camera most times we were out.

 Jon's sister Kari and husband Mike came to visit for Thanksgiving. We love when they come to visit. The boys forget all about me and Jon and just love on Mike and Kari. Coy loves to show them all the new things he can do and Austin just loves talking their ears off. We are always sad to say good buy but we had four wonderful days to visit.

September/ October 2012

In September, we went to Las Vegas to see my sister Bethany. Jon and I went to a Luke Bryan concert. It was also my niece, Jaycee's 8th birthday. We went to the adventure dome and had cake and presents at Bethany's house. We had so much fun, I tried talking Jon into staying. But it didn't work.

In October, We went to Wisconsin for vacation. We spent a week there and had a blast. We went to two different indoor water parks, miniature golf, rode go carts, and of course played in the leaves. The boys loved the leaves. The fall weather was a beautiful change from Arizona.

 We also went to a deer farm. The deer were so friendly. They loved eating out of our hands and some followed us everywhere we walked. Austin loved the baby deer the most.

 On our last day in Wisconsin we fed am alligator. The boys were happy they were behind the glass. I wanted them to hold one but the boys were too scared.

 We met up with my sister Bethany in Mesa and went to a pumpkin patch. The kids had fun on the hay ride, running through a maze and picking their perfect pumpkin. 

 After the pumpkin patch we went to my sister Valayne's house for a family get together. It was so fun seeing a few of my sisters and their kids. My Mom and Rusty also came. Lots of family and food that day. 

 The boys got to carve their pumpkins all by themselves this year. They did a fantastic job. 

Last was Halloween. We went trick or treating with my friend Katie and her son Aiden. We went to my friend Ric and Leslie's house and walked around his neighborhood. Austin was a pirate and Coy a mummy. We stayed out way too late and ate way too much candy.

June, July, August 2012

 We had a busy summer. Jon took three weeks off from work in June. He spent most of his time off camping with the boys. I joined him when I could for the weekend. Jon took the boys fishing and played lots of baseball during camping. 

 The summer wouldn't be complete without a visit to Tuscon to see Jon's sister Kari. The boys love every minute we spend there. They played in small pools with water guns and lots of other fun toys. Kari and I also took them to the children's museum, while Jon and Mike fixed my car. 

The boys and I spend a lot of time at the park learning to skateboard. Austin rides on his back. but he can sure get that board moving. Coy stands and is already trying to pick up his speed and do tricks. They have so much fun its hard to get them to leave the park.

 For the 4th of July we stayed home and had a big bbq. Jon let the boys help cook this year. Coy is becoming quit the grill master like his dad. After we had our feast we headed to the fireworks. This was the first year Austin enjoyed them. Every other year he has been scared.

 After all our fun it was time to head back to school. The boys started a new school this year. (Mainly because private school wasn't affordable this year.) They are at a charter school in Cornville right down the street from my work. So far they have been loving it and Coy has managed to stay out of trouble and out of the Principal's office. They both really like their teachers and what they are learning. I love that they are so close to me during the day.

May 2012

 The boys and I had a chance to see the eclipse this month. I didn't even know there was going to be one. I took the boys to pick up some food and this is what we saw. It was so beautiful, I had to pull over so we could look at it.

 We celebrated our 6th adoption anniversary on the 6th. We always do something special for our day. This year we went to the fair. Got to see animals, ride some fun rides and eat kettle corn. I feel so blessed to have the boys, and every year on the 6th of May I'm reminded of how far we have come as a family.

 Austin is usually very scared of rides, but this year he had so much fun. He went on all the big kid rides, even Coy was a little scared. They had so much fun and didn't want the day to end.

 The boys finished another year of bowling. They placed first in the league. They were so excited to get the biggest trophies. They had so much fun this year and are already talking about next season.

I'm sad to say, Jon's Grandpa Quinn past away. Jon was able to go to New York for his memorial. But due to the boys finishing up school, I stayed behind with them. Before Jon left we talked about all the things we loved about grandpa. We have so many good memories, I'm happy we could share them with the boys. He was an amazing man and I'm proud I got to be his granddaughter for ten years.

April 2012

Easter was a busy day for us. I think I may have planned too many activities for one day. But the boys had so much fun. Here they are waking up Easter Morning. The boys were ready for the day to begin.

Austin found his basket right away but Coy had to look for awhile. Maybe the Eater Bunny needs to hide Austin's basket a little better next year. 

We went to Church, the boys were looking their best. I sang a solo and I was so nervous. As I was singing I could see Coy smiling from ear to ear. He was so proud.

After lunch and a little resting it was time for the Easter Egg Hunt. Coy is quite the little hunter, Austin needed a little help. Every year there is a Gold and Silver egg. This year Coy found both eggs but was a good brother and gave Austin one. There was $1 inside plus all the candy it could hold. They were both super excited about the dollar.

We made dinner together, made cookies and dyed eggs. We ate dinner and got right back into making the eggs more colorful. When they went to bed they both said it was the best day ever and can't wait until next year.

February 2012

We celebrated Coy's 8th birthday this month. He had it all planned and presents picked out. But he started having a hard time at school and was getting into trouble daily. He got sent to the principals office many times. One meeting with the principal we explained that Coy would start loosing presents and his big planned birthday with each additional time he was in trouble. By the end of January, he had lost his entire birthday. Two weeks before, he started to figure out that not getting in trouble = getting his birthday back. He worked hard and by the end he got to celebrate with the day of his choice and he even earned one present back. Our plan must have worked because he made a good turn around in February. Here he is with the cake Jon made for him.

Coy picked Star Wars Episode 1 in 3D. He saw a commercial on TV back in early January and couldn't wait to see it. Its all he could talk about for weeks.

Another part of Coy's birthday was castles and coasters for mini golf. We had so much fun. Of course Jon beat all three of us. But the boys weren't far behind. We thought about riding the rides but the boys were too short for all the coasters they were looking at. I told them we could go back when they are a little taller.

The present he got was a remote control jeep. He didn't earn back the gun he wanted. I told him there is always next year for that. I'm happy he made improvement, so we could make his birthday special.