DAY THREE: Idaho Falls

On Monday of the "Iowa Visitors Week", we went up to Idaho Falls to visit my friend/aunt, Dianne and her family. They just bought this house last fall and have a huge yard for the kids to play in. We grilled out on the back deck and basked in the beautiful sunshine. In the afternoon the Moms and the kids chilled out at the house while the grandparents and Israel went shooting. After that we went to the falls on the Snake River to feed the geese. A definite highlight. Then in the evening we went to Dianne's Choralairs (no clue on the spelling) Concert. It's a local community women's choir. They were holding a free patriotic concert. Britt and I only got to hear a couple songs because of our unruly kids. Britt and I found a boardroom upstairs, locked the kids in with us, and played hangman on the whiteboard. Good times!

Here are Mali and Maggie checking out the dog in the neighbor's yard through the fence.

Nora looking cute in the sunhat.


My cute Britt with her piggy tales, the day before the big chop off.

Nathan- such a cool dude!

All grins Nora!

Playing with the geese- note Nathan's cool (and very necessary) monkey pack/restraint, Maggie (Dianne's oldest) on either side in the middle, my mom helping Malia in the bottom left and middle, and in the bottom right, Chris- aka Super Grandpa- holding Nora.

Israel and Dianne after the concert. Isn't she beautiful??

The first video is super short and just shows what an adorable kid Nora is. She is a very happy and fun baby... I miss her already!! The next video shows the kids feeding the geese at the falls. Note Malia is in no way scared of the geese, or the water ("agua") for that matter. My favorite is when she tells the goose off at the end. Stay tuned with more exciting details of the "Iowa Visitors Week"......

DAY TWO: Max's Blessing

Day two of family fun brought us to Max's Blessing. We all attended the Caley's ward and afterwards had a picnic at the park near their house. The weather was beautiful!

The whole fam damily! L to R- Israel, Dianne (my friend/aunt), Emma and Maggie Nichols. Brittney holding Nathan. Chris holding Malia, Mom blocking Chris (which I am sure he didn't mind!), Lori holding Max, Bart with Caleb, I am holding Nora (Britt's girl) and my stud of a husband, David.
The Caley Family

Hanging out in the grass-- Britt and Nora, Bart playing "catch" with Caleb.

Malia being beyond brave at the playground after the blessing.
One of the cute dresses from Grandpa and Grandma.

Malia climbed to the top of the slide and went down entirely by herself. She loved it!

Pretty girls! Nora is good for scrunching up her little face... David called her "Wrinkle Your Nose" all week.

Nora checking out Max.

Grandma getting the kids set up with sidewalk chalk and bubbles. Good times with Grandma!

Malia and Caleb creating their masterpieces.Mother Malia and the not so excited Nora riding in the new wagon with Caleb.Feeding the ducks by the Caley's home. All loaded up! Malia, Nora, Nathan and Caleb loving the new ride.

It was a great day and we loved going to church with everyone. It was good to see Lori's family, too.

DAY ONE: Carne Asada and Family

So the fam got here last Saturday around 2. I was expecting them to arrive around 4. And of course, I being the slacker/procrastinator/busy person that I am left all of my housework until Saturday morning! Not all of it got done, but oh well! The travel weary Britt had one request... Carne Asada. David was more than happy to oblige. He also made Mexican rice and beans. I made some pico de gallo and we feasted! We also celebrated the kids' birthdays that night. Since the grandparents were in town they brought the grandkids' presents so they wouldn't have to ship them. Caleb's birthday is in a couple days and Nathan, Nora, and Malia's birthdays are at the end of the summer. Yummy food and family... who could ask for anything more?

Nathan anxiously awaiting the cutting of the birthday cake (courtesy of Pepperidge Farms, who at the time we were all supporting full heartily... now not so much- see later posts....)

Finger lickin' good!

Papa helping Mali open her presents. She got two super cute dresses!

Nathan checking out his new sandals.

So much for a clean house! It's amazing the damage that can be brought on by so many little ones! In the background you can see a big box... that's the John Deere wagon that Malia got from Grandpa and Grandma. Malia LOVES it! David takes her for walks in it often. You can also see the rocking chair that my Dad and Sharon got Mali a while back, but we had no way to get it out here, until now! She loves it and it's the perfect size for her.

My friend/neighbor Christina stopped by with her girls, Rachel and Amelia. Nora (on the far right) and the twins are just a few days apart.

Mom and Chris, post carne.

Picture of the picture taking! I love Nathan's look.. so stoic!

Lori hugging Caleb and Bart chomping on carne.

The Iowans were tired from their travels so we didn't stay up too late that night. Mom and Chris stayed at the Caleys and Britt and her kids stayed with us. While we were getting dinner ready the kids played in the backyard on the swing and slide. The highlight was when Malia and Nathan ran upstairs and successfully locked themselves INSIDE our bedroom. It was just the beginning of the trouble that those two would find together! It was so good to see them play together again, like they were never apart!

Together Again...soon!

Here is a family picture we took in December of 2006 while celebrating Christmas together in Iowa. My mom, Chris, Britt, Nathan and Nora (in the womb at the time of the pic) will be leaving TODAY to come visit the rest of us in Utah. Dan will stay home and work. Good man, we'll miss you! Hopefully we can get another family picture while they are visiting. Especially since we've been joined by Nora and Max. We'll have to photoshop Dan in. I am so excited to see everyone and am going to do my best to persuade them to move to Utah! By the way, Britt's blog is up and running again, so check it out! I love my family so very much and am grateful that Malia's mohawk has grown out!

A Fun New Tag...

The Big 5 Tag

10 Years Ago: I was finishing up my freshman year at BYU. I was living on campus in E. Richards and had GREAT roommates! Also working in the Courgareat. So much fun...

5 Years Ago: I was living in Iowa, sharing an apartment with Britt. I had just graduated BYU the past fall and was substitute teaching, traveled the Midwest as an ACT/SAT test preparation specialist, and served at the Olive Garden. Good times, huh, Britt?

5 Months Ago: I was "with child". Okay, so it turns out I wasn't really with child (molar pregnancy), but I was puking my guts out! We were also visiting David's family in Phoenix.

5 Things on my To Do list today: Laundry, Dishes, scrubbing floors, making calls for 4th of July Celebration (Lewiston holds a BIG event every year, and I am the Park Booth Chairman), getting things ready for my Iowan visitors!

5 Snacks I enjoy: Chips and Salsa, M&Ms (okay, any and all chocolate), Ice Cream (I can't think of a flavor I don't like), Kettle Korn Popcorn, Cookies

5 Things I would do if I were suddenly a billionaire: Pay off debt, move family members closer to me, buy a house, help out friends and family, vacation(s)

5 of my Bad Habits: Eating the wrong foods in the wrong quantities, worrying about things I can't control, making excuses for not exercising, spending money I don't have, interrupting

5 Places I have lived: Iowa, Texas, Florida, Utah, Hawaii, Arizona (okay, that's 6, but didn't seem right to leave just one off)

5 Things people may not know about me: (1) I am seemingly incapable of reading "Pride and Prejudice". I have tried... I just like the A&E version of the book so much that I can't get into the book! So wrong... (2) I had skin cancer (melanoma) when I was 24. It was all removed successfully. It was on my rear. How many people can say they've had "butt" cancer? Goes to show that no good can come from tanning... (3) I have a 3 octave range. I heard that Mariah Carey's was 5 and wanted to see what mine was... how does she do that?? (4) Sometimes I think about being a newscaster... crazy, huh? (5) I check out the bathrooms whenever I eat out. You can tell a lot about a place by how clean their bathrooms are...

5 People I Tag: Any of you ladies that haven't been tagged yet...

The Wonderful World of Mata

Sorry for the posting lapse. My life has been CRAZY!! Lots of changes, lots of fun. Let's see, where to start? With the "bestest" thing.... we are getting sealed!! My David is by far the cutest, most romantic man and surprised me by scheduling our temple date without me knowing and then hiding a note in a Cracker Jack box! I had gently suggested a date and put it on a note in his lunch box. For days he didn't comment on the note and I thought that he just wasn't ready yet. And then...

The date is set for Wednesday, May 7th at the Logan Temple. It just happens to be the temple that my grandparents were sealed in. To add to the fun, my family from Iowa will be visiting that week, so my sister and mom will be able to be there!! I am beyond excited and have been waiting for this day for SO long. I am so grateful that David is just as excited as I am. Although I had to wait, I am glad that David took the time to fully understand the covenants that he is going to be making. He is incredible and I love him so much. I know that the Lord has blessed me in so many ways and I above all grateful that my family will soon be an eternal one.

Another big change is with our income. Or rather the lack of income has brought some changes. David is starting tonight at Pepperidge Farms. He will be working the graveyard shift. It's a pay increase AND has great benefits. He is also working with a recruiter and is considering the National Guard. I just returned to Olive Garden. Since David will be home, I won't need to find a sitter for Malia. As someone so delicately put it, "But don't you have a degree?" True, true. I could look for a full time teaching job. However, fundage is needed NOW, a job wouldn't be available until the fall, and as fellow teachers know, it is impossible to leave work at work when you teach. I wanted to be able to go somewhere for a few hours, make some cash, and come home and be able to give my full attention to my Malia and hubby. Plus, I like serving. I get to talk to grown ups! David and I are doing our best to dig ourselves out of the hole we've dug ourselves. May not be fun, but we are united in our efforts and know that we will be blessed for doing what we know we need to do.

We have also been having a great time working in our yard. We cleaned up our front flower beds and put in some new flowers and got some other fun plants from the Barrington's. Christina, my neighbor and friend, has become my unofficial gardening mentor. Thanks, Christina! Plus, Patrick and David like to burn stuff together. We also got the seeds for our garden and look forward to planting it soon. Turns out I like gardening. All I remember is growing up that I hated it when my parents made me work in the garden. Now it's pleasurable. It's the first time that David and I have lived in a house and have had the opportunity to do yard work. David, of course, loves to work outside. He prepped the garden, pruned the apple tree, and filled all of the holes in the yard that the previous renter's dogs had dug. Malia goes around throwing dirt OUT of the flower beds and likes to play on the little slide. Her baby even gets to go for a slide!

I've also been busy with my calling. We are in the middle of attending ward conferences. It's fun to go to all of the different wards and see what the primaries are doing. On Thursday, we had our Stake Auxiliary Meeting. I think it went pretty well. I put together a children's choir that sang prelude before the meeting. They were great and really set the tone for the meeting. The kids also sang today for our ward sacrament meeting. They sang "My Heavenly Father Loves Me" and it was really cute. It was funny, a couple of random kids joined our little choir. I guess their parents must have seen the kids getting up and figured they must have missed the memo and thought the whole primary was singing!

So other than the upcoming sealing, new jobs, yard work, and callings... life is pretty normal. We love to go bike riding as often as we can. The other day we went out and flew kites. It was fun. The wind was kind of spastic and the fun didn't last for long. Malia got bored quickly. Oh, well.

So that's the Matas as of late. I am very excited for my family to come visit. I only wish they were staying longer! I also wish David's family would come visit!! I wish everyone could come visit. Who wouldn't want to visit the illustrious town of Lewiston??

My Malia

So I realize that I pretty much only blog about my Malia, but dang! I love my little girl. Not to mention I spend 24/7 with her, so it's pretty much all I've got to write about! In addition, the girl is FANTASTIC and amuzes me so much everyday. She's 20 months right now and is doing very well at practicing for the terrible twos! Nonetheless, I love her tons and am amazed at how fast she is growing!

She has been obsessed with doll playing since she turned one. These last few weeks though, she has kicked it up a notch. My favorite is when she reads to her babies. Notice how she makes the doll pet the bunny! Not sure why she was licking her baby, probably spilled juice on it's head and didn't want it to go to waste! Her vocabulary is astounding me also. It is especially fun to watch her learn Spanish. She understands everything David says to her! I only wish I did. Although, one could argue that she is trilingual. When answering yes she says, "Da" (Russian for yes). Not that I actually taught her that, it's just what it sounds like. We can get her to say "si" (it sounds absolutely adorable), but just can't get her to answer the affirmative with "si". Another one of her new tricks is getting into her pack and play on her own. We haven't been using the pack and play for naps because it became her new time out spot. For awhile there it was working great. She hated time out in the pack and play. However, now she loves it! She pulls over her little chair and well... just watch.

As you can see, she hasn't figured out the getting out part yet. Fun, huh?