Life is Good!!!

I mean... Really Really GOOD!!  The kids are all doing great in school.  I am able to volunteer at Knoles regularly.  I even volunteered a bit at Sinagua.  I have been running a lot and have already really improved my speed!!!  I am running at about a 9.4 minute mile pace!!!  My inspections have been really flowing well and I never feel overwhelmed with them!!!  I have been able to keep up on the house and chores so that when the kids get home I have had time to visit with them, do homework with them and just ENJOY them!!  They are also older now and able to entertain themselves without needing my constant attention!!  They do still go at it with each other from time to time, but hey... that's life!!

The other day Samone and Kendall spent the entire afternoon in the office teaching themselves how to "knit"  It's not perfect knitting, but they are able to make pretty cool scarves!!  Adrien is just soaring academically!! He is so smart.  I really want to spend some time working with him and Kendall more to get them really ahead in math!! They are all three so so so smart!!  They just amaze me.

And my wonderful husband!! Oh how I adore him.  Yes, he can drive me nuts occasionally.  But I also drive him nuts, too!!!  But he takes such good care of all of us and we are just blessed to have him! I could not imagine my life without him!!!

So, that's it for now.... Just that LIFE IS GOOD!!!

FOOTBALL!!!!

So, Adrien is playing football!!!  I know, some people think we are totally crazy for letting our 6 year old play tackle football....  But they don't know Adrien!!!

Practice started the frist week of August.  Then they had their draft pick.  Adrien was picked for the RAMS!!!!  WooHoo!!  He was super excited.  Then we started practicing with the RAMS!!!!  For the first two weeks practices were 4 days a week for 2 hours.  WHEW!!!  This is not for the weak at heart!! This is some intense stuff.  The first 10 hours are all conditioning.... then they get into the good stuff!!!!  And Adrien has just LOVED it.  He is only one of two 6 year olds on his team.  He only plays defense, on the line.  He doesnt get tackled, his job is to tackle.  Over the past several weeks, he has really been picking it up!!  He has been doing great!!!  Now we practice 3 nights a week (T, TH, F) and have games every Saturday.  We have had some home games and some traveling games.  This weekend we travel to Prescott Valley. It'll just be me Adrien and Kendall.  David and Samone are going to her tournament in Phx!!!  We are now having to split up with everyone's schedules!!!  It does get a little crazy, but we love it!!!

GO RAMS!!!

Fall is Here!!!

Adrien didn't have practice this Friday.... very unusual!!!  So we decided to do something as a family.  The kids all voted for swimming, since it's been so hot this past week!!!  Well, about noonish, clouds started rolling in, thunder lightening and then the rain!!  It poured!!!  It was cold and wet and gray outside.  So it was perfect movie weather.  We all cozied up in the living room and watched RIO.  I got our fall decorations out and we decorated the house.  After dinner we hopped in the car and headed to Yogurt U, and new self-serve yogurt shoppe in town!!!  Yum Yum!!!  We got home and played some Wii bowling before sending everyone off to bed!!!

Then we all actually got to sleep in on Saturday!!!  Samone made everyone pancakes for breakfast!!!  We got ready and headed off to Samone's soccer game!!  The game was stressful, as always!!! But Samone ROCKED IT, as always!!!  We ended up tieing the game 1-1.  After the game, our little family headed downtown the Oktobefest!!!  It was fun, we stayed for about an hour.  We got the kids a pizza and brought them home.  We left them at home and headed down the street to Jotini's to meet Mike and Tami!!!

After awhile, we decided to drop Lauren off at our house with the kids and we all headed to the Muesum Club.  We actually ended up at the bowling alley and bowled two games!!!  It was so much fun!!!  Sunday was cold and rainy all day long.  Kendall's soccer game got cancelled, so we just hung out at home all day Sunday getting stuff done around the house and watched football!!!!  Fall is here!!! I love it!!!!

Camp Colton

Well, the big week finally came.  I have heard about it around town for years.  All the 6th graders in Flagstaff go to Camp Colton for 4 days and 3 nights!! AND... they have NO contact with their families during that time!!!!  Samone's turn finally came this past week!!!  We spent Sunday afternoon getting her all packed up.  She was excited and nervous all wrapped up into one!!!  Monday morning she got ready, we double checked her stuff, and off we went to drop her off at school!!

Now, I really thought it was going to be a lot harder for me than it really was.  I was actually super excited for her, to get out on her own and be a little independent!!!!  And I knew she would be fine!!  She has never done ANYTHING like this before... especially the "no contact" thing!!!

She did text me before they left, once they were on the buses on their way up and (suprisingly) once after they had gotten their and eaten lunch!!!  But that was my last contact with her until about 10:30am on Thursday.  She texted me that they were on the buses and heading out.  Then she called me once they got to the school.  I couldn't wait to see her.  I will say that I did pick up on dirty, smelly tired little girl!!!!    She was a little upset with me for being a little late..... (like 10 minutes late, but I think she was just over tired).

We got home and chatted a bit about her experience!!!! She had so much fun!!! I knew she would. She took a shower and I started her laundry.  Then we went to Freddie's for a burger and fries. We shared a custard and headed back home.  She was exhausted, so I let her just lay around and be lazy the rest of the day!!!!

But it was a great experience for her, one she will remember forever!!!!  I am so proud of her!!!  Though, I do have to report - for the record - that our house was a totally different place without her here!! We love her to bits and pieces and missed her like crazy, but it was just so calm here!!!  There was no fighting, no arguing!! It was nice!!!

But what is even nicer is having all of my kiddos home with me, safe and sound!!  I am so blessed!!!!

LITTLE LEAGUE!!!

Well... we did it!!  I must admit, I was a little nervous... But somehow we did it!!!  All three kids played Little League, and somehow it all worked out.  David and I both got to watch everyone play several games, and somehow ALL WORKED OUT!!!  And what a BLAST it was!!!


First of all, Samone!!  We tried talking her into playing, but she refused!!! So we let it go.  After a few days  of going to the park and practicing, Samone deciding she wanted to give it a try!! So, tryouts were already over and teams were formed and had even started practicing. But I decided to get in touch with the registration and see if they could get her on a team!! Well, THEY COULD!!  She joined the Angels... and it turned out to be the most amazing experience we could have asked for!!!  Her coach, Eddie Agular, was amazing.  The team was a group of amazing and sweet girls and Samone really had an amazing experience with them.  And she was so good!!  After her first practice Eddie told me he wasn't worried about her at all and that he saw a lot of potential in her.  Throughout the course of the season, she went from playing half the game and playing out field to playing 2nd base the entire game!!!!  She was making plays, getting outs, making base hits, stealing bases and sliding into bases!!!  WOW!!  It was so much fun to watch.  And she was the youngest one on the team!!!  All the parents of the really good players came up to me at some point throughout the season to comment to me about Samone.  None of them could believe it was her first time playing.  Her coach even recommended her for All-Stars.  She would have done it, but it conflicted with soccer!!! It was just an absolutely amazing experience!!  I am so proud of her!!!


Adrien!!!  I can not wait to see what becomes of his baseball "career".  He is just so good!!! I mean, so good!!!  On the Rockhounds again, with Caden and Hunter and with Coach Chris, Coach Logan and Coach David!!  David amazes me out there!! He really is so good with those boys!!! And Adrien, I just love to watch him play.  He just knows the game, his instincts are unbelievable!!  This was the last year of Tball!!  I can't wait for next year in AAA!!!


And my little Kendall Shae!!  This could be her thing!!  She really had an AMAZING season!!  And she really loves it.  And she totally has the look!!!  She looks so dang cute out there!!!  And she also really gets the game, making playing, making outs, and really hitting that ball!!!  I really think she could do great with this sport!!  I really hope she sticks with it cuz I know she can be really really good!!!  


So, it was a great Little League season!!!  I really enjoyed every minute of it!!  The Sunflower seeds, iced tea and watching my amazing kiddos have amazing seasons!!!!

Juanima and David's first run together!!!

That was a tough one. Uphill the first half of the run! Holy moly! But we did it! Our first run together. David at 56 minutes and me at 61 minutes! Woo hoo! 

Next American Idol???

Today we went to Lyna and Dustin's "Celebration of Life" shower!!  It was a PT's in Winslow.  They had a DJ and let me tell you... Kendall STOLE THE SHOW!!!

It was a fun night with family celebrating our newest family soon to make his/her entrance into the world.

Samone's 11th Birthday Party!!

What a production this was!!!  

13 girls at my house for 4 hours!!!!!  

As the girls arrived, we started by 

doing some crafts.... 

decorating our bags, 

making hula skirts, 

decorating flip flops... 

Everyone got leis and 

flowers for their hair!!!

Then to the games.....

WATERMELON SEED SPITTING CONTEST

WATER BALLOON TOSS

BUBBLE GUM BLOWING CONTEST

THE LIMBO!!!

It was a fun time together!!!!

We made necklaces, we made a kiss rose for our mother's for Mother's Day.  We made Ice Cream Sundaes and sang Happy Birthday to Samone <3 Then we opened presents before the girls all headed out to the trampoline!!!  David and I were frantically fixing flip flops and necklaces to have everything ready before parents started arriving....  

It sure was a fun party, but it was crazy and hectic!!!  Everything went great, but I was glad when it was over!!!!  I think we will make next year a little simpler :)

Sunset Crater Field Trip with Adrien

WOW!!!  What a windy field trip this was!!  But I was so glad to be there with my boy.  We took the bus from Knoles out to Sunset Crater.  It was a long bus ride and some of the kiddos were getting restless.  But I got to sit with Adrien and Alex!!!  So, on the bus ride, Alex broke the news to Adrien.  He told him they were moving to Phx.  They were so cute with their little conversation. Neither of them truly understand exactly what this means :(  We sure are gonna miss them!!

But anyhow, we got to Sunset Crater and the windy was UNREAL!!!!  We listened to the education gal give her little lesson, then we walked along the path to see the sights.  Then we got back on the bus to head to our next location, the Wapiti Ruins.

At Wapiki Ruins, we stopped first to have lunch.  Then we got another little lesson before heading off to explore the ruins!!  AGAIN, the wind was just UNREAL!!!  I mean, I was afraid one of the kindergarteners was going to blow away!!!  ARGH!!  I HATE the wind!!

So, FINALLY it was time to get back on the bus and head home!!!  The wind just wiped me out!!!  But I am so glad I was able to go on this field trip with my sweet little man and his best bud!!!

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

I LOVE MY KIDS AND MY FAMILY SO MUCH!!! WE DECORATED EGGS, THEN THE KIDS AND I READ THE BOOK ABOUT THE FIRST EASTER!!!  THEY HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND IT REALLY MADE THEM THINK ABOUT THE TRUE MEANING OF EASTER.  EASTER MORNING WAS FUN!!  WE HURRIED OFF TO CHURCH AND DAD HELPED ME IN MY SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS.  THEN WE DROVE TO WINSLOW TO BE WITH THE FAMILY.  WE ATE AND THEN PLAYED BASEBALL IN THE PARK!!  EVERYONE WAS SO IMPRESSED WITH HOW GOOD ADRIEN WAS.  DAD STAYED IN WINSLOW SO HE COULD GO TO WORK WHILE ME AND THE KIDDOS DROVE BACK HOME!!! ANOTHER WONDERFUL EASTER!!!

T-Ball Opening Ceremonies

Well, here we are again!!! THE ROCKHOUNDS!
Adrien got back on the same team as last year, with the same coach and the other assistant coach, Logan.  David is also assistant coach, and he loves it!!!  He wasn't her for opening ceremonies because of work!!!  It was a gorgeous day, beautiful weather!!  And Adrien is such a good little player.  David and him work together all the time!!  He can throw harder and hit the ball further than me or the girls!!!!!  I love watching his games!!  He is just so good!!  But still a little sticker sometimes!!!  This is going to be a fun but busy year with all three of the kids playing Little League!!!  But I am so excited!! I can't wait!!  I LOVE IT!!

Adrien and his baseball buddies, Hunter and Caden and Caden's little sister!!!

My Sunday School Class

For the past two summers, I have taught the preschool Sunday School at my church.  But in the fall someone else would take it over.  This fall the lady who took it over also works a full-time and a part-time job!!!  I stayed on board to help her out, coming in when I could to assist with the lesson. I knew it was a lot for her, but I was also very bus with soccer and we were out of town 2-4 times a month.....

Well, once soccer slowed down in March, I stepped up to take the class over for Kim. Since then I have jumped right in to it!!  And I have been loving it.  I have been having the kids learn their memory verses!!! And on this day we had a little "ceremony" for all the parents to come watch their kids recite their memory verse!!  WOW!!  What an honor and blessing to be a part of God's Plan!!!

Kendall's Artwork At Coconino Center of the Arts

 SHE DID IT AGAIN!!!  Kendall's artwork was chosen to 
be displayed at the Coconino Center of the Arts!!!
Only one from each grade from each school is chosen!
SO EXCITING!!!!  This is the second time her artwork
was chosen.  It was chosen once before in 
Kindergarten!!  Kendall love to draw and color and 
make books!!!!  She is SO CREATIVE!!!  I am so proud
of her!!! She is such an amazing little girl!!  And
we love her so much

Adrien Loses His First Tooth!!!

Well...it happened, My Baby Boy LOST his FIRST TOOTH!! He discovered it was loose about a week ago, and has been obsessed about it ever since.  And today it finally came out, at school-during computers!!! He was so excited!! I was excited, but also a little sad.... This is the last first-tooth to ever be lost in our family :(  Adrien is growing up!! They are all growing up!!!  I wish I could remember every day, but I can't!! So that is why I hope to at least capture some moments in this blog....moments I would otherwise forget!!

New Car and VEGAS!!!

Only home from Spring Break for less than a week and already having to pack up again for VEGAS!!!  Our last traveling tournament of the season!!!

So, we have been car searching for awhile now... we went to some dealerships on Tuesday to look inside some cars for the first time.  We narrowed it down to either an Accord, Maxima or Camry.  David came home and was looking at Auto Trader online and found a Camry that looked great and met almost all of our requirements, and it was right here in town!!!  He called them and didn't get a call back until Thursday!!! So, we went and looked at it... and really liked it!! We decided to buy it!!! WOW!! So all of this happened hours before we were leaving for Vegas. We literally drove it into the garage and then headed off to VEGAS!!

VEGAS was a blast!!!  Samone played great..but it wasn't enough. They lost all three games!! It is getting rough!!!  We got home Sunday night....relieved!! I think we are all ready to be home for awhile with no traveling!!!!

Spring Break!!

Another amazing Spring Break with our little family!!!  We left on Saturday, March 12th and drove to Pagosa Springs, CO!! For the most part, the kids were great and the trip went smooth!! Thank goodness for portable DVDs and DS's!! We drove to Mark and Dee's condo!! They had a yummy dinner of enchiladas waiting for us. It was tough to get the kids to bed cuz they were so excited to be in a new place. But we had to get up bright and early to head to Wolf Creek!!!  It was ALSO Texas's Spring Break... so we were surrounded by Texans!!!! And, unfortunately, they were all beginner skiers...so it added a bit of a tension to the whole trip!! But we still had a blast!! The kids are all amazing skiers!!!  I struggle to keep up with them all, but they are so sweet and patient with me!! Samone especially!! I even feel like she pretends to struggle a little just to make me feel better!!!  The worst part of the day was when I got totally plowed and knocked over in line by an inexperienced skier!! That SuCKED!!!

But anyhow, after our first day, we were exhausted!! We headed back to the condo and Dee had dinner waiting for us again!! What a treat!!  We showered, ate and relaxed!!!

Up early again, and off for our second day of skiing!!!! Much better day today!! We knew the slopes better and where to ski!! It was a lot of fun! This time we had dinner at a restaurant and then headed to the condo to get packed up. We decided to head to Durango in the morning to ski at Purgatory. It was tough, but we did it!!!  We were up early and on the road by 7:30am!! We arrived at Purgatory at 9am! It took us awhile to get dressed and ready, cuz the kids left pages in their PJ's!!! But this day was absolutely THE BEST!! What an AMAZING day of skiing!!!  The runs were great, the weather was great!!! I was skiing the best I have ever skied!!!

We headed back into town and had  super doper yummy dinner at STEAMWORKS!!!  Then we headed to our hotel!!!  It was late, almost 8pm!!!  So we got in our jammies and cuddled up in bed and watched Ramona and Beezus!! It was great to finally sleep in the next morning!!!

Leaving vacation is always hard!!  We had breakfast at the hotel then got ready to leave. We had to stop in downtown Durango and just walk around a bit.  Our next stop was Gallup for dinner.  Then on to home!!!!  Home Sweet Home!! Well, for a few days.... we are off to Vegas next weekend for another soccer tournament!!!

Just a day!!!

Well, we finally had one of those great days with nothing to do, so all the kids had a playmate!! Adrien went over to his "best buddies" house, Alex!! Kendall went to her friend Eliza's house!!   Samone's friend Sierra came over to our house!! They had a fun time! They played outside, had some pizza, made cookies then went on a bike ride!! Short bike ride...they came back with tires covered in mud!  Then Emily dropped Spencer off for about an hour while she took Eliza and Kendall to the park to practice some softball!!! After Emily dropped of Kendall and Beckie dropped off Adrien, the four kids decided to have a lemonade stand!! It was already 4:30pm. I let them do it, but thought they were crazy!! No one was going to buy lemonade this late in the day and on a chilly day!! Well, guess what!!??  They had 7 customers!!! And they made $8.50!!! It was a fun day!!!  After Sierra left, we had Sloppy Joe's and watch a movie!!! I love these days!!!

SNOW DAY!!!!

 Well, Not a "School Snow Day" cuz it started snowing on Friday afternoon and quit snowing on Saturday, giving the crew enough time to have everything plowed and ready for school on Monday. But we sure had fun being "snowed in" for the weekend!!!!

My Boy!!

I LOVE MY LITTLE BOY!!
I mean.... I love him like CRAZY!!!
But sometimes he DRIVE ME CRAZY!!  Sometimes I really feel like he is regressing in age instead of progressing in age!!!  When he whines and cries and throws temper tantrums!!! And all he ever wants to do is snack snack snack!! But when you put a meal in front of him.... getting him to eat can be such a challenge!!!  HE can be such a challenge!  I don't know if it's cuz he's a boy or cuz he's the baby or if it's cuz he's the only boy, or if it's just his personality, or if it's just a stage!!!  But golly gee george if I don't love that little guy!! He is such a lover boy and he loves to hug and cuddle on his mom!! I love him so much!! He is such a handsome little devil too... and oh so smart!!  i could not imagine my life without him.  He is a blessing and a gift and I cherish him!!!  But sometimes......

David's 40th Birthday Weekend!!!

FINALLY!!! It is already February, but we finally got our whole family out on the slopes together. And what and amazing day it turned out to be!!!  When we got to the Snowbowl and were putting on our gear, we realized that David grabbed the wrong ski boots for Kendall.  He grabbed the ones that were too small!! Now he could have really gotten angry and put a damper on the whole situation. But I was actually really impressed with how well he handled it. We ended up just renting Kendall some boots!!! And the day was AMAZING!!!!! I skied so well!!!  I am getting better and better every year!! I was keeping up with everyone!!  I even hit a few jumps!!! It was a great day!!! After skiing we headed down to Fratelli's for pizza and salad!!!  Then we got home to pack for Phx! We were leaving in the morning for Phx, soccer game and an evening at the Pointe!!

So...SATURDAY MORNING!!! DAVID TURNS 40!!!

The soccer game was..... well, I am speechless about that!! But Samone played AMAZING!!!  We left to the hotel, got changed and had nachos and drinks by the pool!!!!  Then we get ready for dinner!! We went to a cute, quaint little Thai restaurant and had an amazing dinner with our little family!!  Kendall and Adrien were SO CUTE, sitting reading the menu and picking out what they wanted!! It was a great night!!

The next morning we got ready and headed back up the hill, stopped at home and then headed to Winslow to Grandpa Mark's for the Super Bowl!! Green Bay vs Steelers!!  Green Bay won!! Late night for the kids,,,, but a fun and wonderful weekend with our little family!!!

Quick recap of the past week...and My Amazing Husband!!

OKAY... so I am actually not doing too well with keeping up with my blog every day!!  Last week was a full week, so I thought I would recap!!!

I knew the week I was doing the Upward Pictures was going to be a busy week!! David was able to take some vacation days to be home to help me out!! So, on Wednesday, he took Kendall and Adrien skiing!! They had a blast!!! Then on Thursday David went with Samone's class on a skiing field trip!! Samone loved having her dad with her on the field trip. He said she was stuck to him like glue the whole day!!! He had a great week with the kids!!!  Then, on Saturday, he took Samone to her soccer game in Phx, came home and took Kendall to the Daddy Daughter Winter Wonderland Ball!! I was the photographer, so I got to be there the whole time!! I love it!!!!  Kendall would not let her daddy out of her sight!!!!  They danced the night away!! Kendall loved it and had so much fun!!! David had so much fun with her, too!!!

So, then he was off to work again!! But we loved having him home with us for 5 days straight!! We love our daddy and I love my hubby!! He is an amazing dad and an amazing husband and we are so lucky to have him!!!

Spelling Bee!!!

Well...this has been a highly anticipated day her in the Marquez Household... The Spelling Bee!!  Samone tied for 1st place in her class for Spelling Bee qualifications!! Then the studying began!! Those were some tough words. Then the day of the Spelling Day arrives!! Samone is soooo excited!! She even dressed nice for school, which she never does!!!  She wanted to win so bad!! I told her that a lot of it is luck..... the luck of the word you get!!  So, David and I both were able to make it to the Spelling Bee!! Were we both excited and nervous for Samone!! First they did a practice round....

Samone got her practice word correct!! Then they started the first round!! Holy Moly...kids were dropping like flies!! Samone was up. Her word was CAVITY.. and she got it right!!  I would say about 3/4 of the kids were out after the first round. Then the second and third rounds, Samone was still in!!! We were so excited for her!! There were only about 5 kids left!! Then, after the fourth round it was only Samone and one other girl, Kylie!!! So, to be the winner, they had to get two words right in a row!! So, they went back and forth for about 10-15 minutes. The words were so hard that neither of them could get two words right in a row!! They finally started giving them easier words and, unfortunately, Kyleigh was able to get two right first!! But Samone was still the second place winner!! I know she wanted 1st place!! But she was pretty happy with second!! And David and I could not have been more proud of her!!!!

When we got home, we got a letter in the mail that Kendall;s art work was chosen to be on display at the Youth Art Festival at the Coconino Center of the Arts!! This is the second time her artwork was chosen!!  Wow!!!  Talk about proud parents!!  We went down to Phx that day for a soccer tournament!!  To celebrate all of our good news, we decide to go out for dinner at Pappadeux's !! YUM YUM!!

So proud of my family!!!!!