Gardner Family

Pink's Hot Dogs

2010-10-18T13:07:00.000-07:00

On our 1st day of our fall break vacation
we decided to stop first at Pink's to see what all
the hype was about. We were excited and waited
in line for 30 mins. Out of the 9 of us only 1 enjoyed
their hot dog. It seems Pink's is all hype. We are
Ted's Hot Dog fans all the way!!!

This says it all!

More Colorado Fun

2010-07-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

Ryan and Erik got pocketknives while we were in Colorado. Oh my did they think they were grown up! Right away they started whittling branches and no one lost a finger. We also helped Nana and Pop pop clean up a grove of scrub oak into a thing of beauty and they boys got to use the wood chipper. Scary but effective!
It is so beautiful and peaceful up there. It rained off and on and we had such a great relaxing time. Now I want to go back!!

Merit Badge Time

2010-07-27T17:27:00.000-07:00

Nick and Trevor worked on Scout merit badges even while we were on vacation. Nana and Pop pops' neighbors raise horses and board them for a living. Marcie was kind enough to teach the boys how to saddle and properly ride a horse among other things. She has let the boys ride before but this was more hands on. They even tried to talk me into buying a pony she had. I fall for puppies but ponies are another thing!

July 4th in Colorado

2010-07-27T17:25:00.000-07:00

We did our annual 4th of July trip to the cabin this year. We had 2 newbies this year with us. Dash and Dodge did great on the ride up and kept the boys entertained.

We spent time shooting cans with arrows, guns, and even a sling shot.

Nana drove the kiddos around in her new wagon and Cole taught Erik to shoot the gun.

Nick's Baby

2010-07-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

Well it's official. We are crazy. I know many of you who
have known that for a long time but now it's in print. We now have 3 dogs. All boys of course. The newest member is Dodge a Shiz-shu. We got him the first of May.The story is Cole and Nick went home teaching where there were puppies and within a day Nick had a deposit down on one. I was not excited because my puppy Dash was only 6 months old at the time but Dash and I love that little guy.

Here he is with Ryan. Dodge is super mellow. They hold him like a baby all the time.

And here he is now. Love that mushy face!

Quinns Cabin

2010-06-15T01:46:00.000-07:00

After going to the temple with Leslie and the gang we travel ALL the way up Mt. Graham to see the ledgendary Quinn Cabin. Donelle drove Jason's car and told me all there was to know on the way up. Randy was with Cole and the kids in the Yukon.
We got to stay up there for an hour or so and see all the other cabins.

Leslie's Big Day

2010-06-12T14:26:00.000-07:00

Our dearest friend Leslie and her sister Karrie went thru the temple for the first time. We all traveled down to Safford for the big day. We had been down with the whole family two weeks earlier for the temple tour but now we got to go in after it was dedicated. What a difference in the Spirit!

Leslie and her posse! Donelle was getting pulled in front of Alene hence the weird pose and face. Sorry Donelle but this was my only shot of us girls. Leslie then got to pose with Randy and Cole, some of her favorite men besides her dad! The night be fore Leslie, Alene, Jenn, Cole, and I went out to eat at steak house. Cole ordered the 24oz. porterhouse as the 23oz. was the "princess cut" he said. I'm glad to say he could not finish it. We had a great time in Safford with everyone and we love you Les and are so proud of you!

Nick's 8th Grade Graduation

2010-06-09T01:34:00.000-07:00

We are old! We will have 2 in high school next year. *Sigh* Nick graduated and I made all the kids attend this year. Jason put up a fight but I told him, " They had to sit thru yours so you have to sit thru all of theirs". Erik wanted to look his best so wore a suit and when he sat on Jason's lap it he looked like a ventriloquist doll. We all had a good laugh as they tried out a routine. I know, we are real mature. So back to Nick, he got top honors in Band and got an award for that. He also got dragged to Lenny's so we could celebrate but we had to end it early as he had a friend party to get to. At midnight, Nick and I boarded a bus with all the other 8th graders and chaperone's to head off for Disneyland. What a blast that was! (pictures to follow when I get then from Kelly.)

50's Murder Mystery

2010-06-09T01:19:00.000-07:00

I love some of the parties that come out of this group. We should write a book! Chrissy had Donelle's party this year and did a 50's themed murder mystery dinner. We all had parts to play. I was Chubby Cheddar so please take note that even though I have packed on some pounds lately, I did stuff myself with pillows for the part! Donelle was the Beauty Queen, Alene a Russian rocket scientist, Jenn a Detective and so forth. Everyone put great effort into the costumes and I think we looked great. Donelle's BF from Texas, Cindy, even flew in for a suprise.
Chrissy made a delicious jello that reminded me of headcheese but man was it good. We also had pulled pork, potato salad, beans, and bottled soda from our favorite soda pop store for dinner.

Happy Birthday Donelle!

Fancy Night

2010-06-07T22:54:00.000-07:00

Ryan and Erik found my tea set in my bedroom where it has sat since on a shelf bemoaning the fact no little girl has played with it for.....years. So Melody, Erik and Ryan decided to have a tea party one night. The day arrived and Donelle needed me to watch her kids so the tea set stayed up on the shelf and we called it "fancy night". My boys took it all to heart and did their darnest to look fancy. ( please ignore Erik's hair! ) We had strawberries with cream, little shortbread cookies, and I can't even remember what else. Got to blog it right away or I lose it. The kids took it in stride but I think they rather have had hot dogs!

Gila Valley Temple

2010-06-07T22:40:00.000-07:00

We have a group of friends that are from the Safford area and for the last few years we have reaped the benefits of this small town and all the storiesand wonders it holds. So we felt that we had to go down/over there to go thru the new temple. It was a spirtual experience and it is so beautiful inside. Alene , Melody, Leslie, and her nephew went with us.
We then ventured to the best Mexican food this town offers, or so we were told. It was late and crowded with all the out of towners but we did think it was great food. Thanks Leslie for the hook up.

Then we went on to Alene's parents house where the kids went wild in the backyard. Just deleted that picture on accident and too tired to figure out how to retrieve it. It was a wonderful experience and I hope that my kids felt that too.

Star Student

2010-06-07T22:24:00.000-07:00

Nick is a wonderful child. At school he is kind and thoughtful and all the teachers love him. Then he comes home to me and turns into "Dammit Nick!" (The poor kid thought that was his name till he was 8! )
So where is this going...he got the star student out of all the 8th graders in Queen Creek for the month of April !! All 8th graders in all the QC schools. I was so proud of him and made him go to the ceremony. He got this picture of the Mayor of QC, which by the way is Alene's Uncle Art! What a kid!

By the way, we live in Gilbert but his school is in QC. Just a FYI.

Trevor's 12th Birthday

2010-06-07T22:13:00.000-07:00

Okay so this blogging thing hasn't happened for awhile around here. So I'll just be grabbing pictures and starting from there. Things might be out of order.

So Trevor turned 12 this last April Fools Day, no kidding. He had friends over for a campout in the backyard and Cole's famous waffles in the morning. I made super cute cupcakes and he got a leatherman like tool for camping. My 3rd baby is a Deacon and now I have three kiddos with the priesthood. Wow.

Crosscountry

2010-03-25T15:59:00.000-07:00

Nick decided to try out for cross country this last fall. He worked really hard. He, Alisha, and Natalie went running after school for practice. Ya right! We found out they were sneaking to Circle K! But those Slurpee's must have help him in the last Gilbert wide meet. He won 2nd out of 45 boys!!

Nick comments: we only went once and slurpees would have done nothing to help us in the last run. But all of the carbs I ate the day before definately did help. Also i came in third not second. Also Alicia is spelt with a "ci" instead of a "sh" and your missing the r in slurpees.

Mom back again- Well I leave the computer for 5 mins and my smart ass kid leave his mark! Gotta love that boy. Well as I was saying, we were extemely proud of him! PS Nick- I had not used spell check yet ,which is my very best friend, and you spelled definitely wrong! See where the smart assness comes from.

Our New "Baby"!

2010-01-14T13:00:00.000-08:00

( So This post is 3 months old. The Puppy is 5 months old now.)
I finally got my Yorkie baby. 10 Years ago I asked for one and Cole didn't think it was a good idea since we were still having babies and that they would manhandle the small dog to death. That's why we got Winston. A larger version of a Yorkie. Well after Winston died I had a 3 week mourning period then started on Cole for a puppy.
I really thought he would get me one for Christmas and when that didn't happen the tears came and the quilt did him in. (Dang those female hormones!) So on Dec 26th and 9p.m. we got our brand new puppy and drove all the way to Wickenburg to pick him up. We have named him Dash and is great. The kids and I love him so much. Thanks to my poor husband for letting me get my way again.

Gardner Christmas Pool Jump

2010-01-14T12:56:00.000-08:00

So we had the our Christmas pool jump and this time 4 wanted to take the challenge but only 3 actually did it.
Trevor was first and he got a free wii game of his choice. Ryan was 2nd and got a $25 Game Stop gift card. Erik chickened out so Nick was the last. It took him forever to finally jump. He only got $15.
Such a drama queen. Wonder where he gets it?

The 3 Brave soul! Gotta love them.

Christmas with Nana and Pop Pop

2010-01-14T12:51:00.000-08:00

We brought back a ukulele for Trevor from Hawaii. To our surprise, Nana learned how to play one in college and Pop Pop can play a little as well. The two of the helped Trevor and he played some Christmas songs for us to sing to.

The boys waiting to dig into presents.

Pop pop put a lot of hard work into the boys presents this Christmas . Trevor received a " Harry Potter" wand and a wooden carved knife with leather sheath. ALL handmade with loving care by Pop pop. Erik and Ryan got wooden knifes in leather sheaths as well, and already have their own wands that he made earlier.

Now Nick and Jason got real knifes with hand made handles and leather sheathes. Jason's is made of Koa wood from Hawaii. Nicks however is made of Oosik which is fossilized walrus penile bone. Not joking. Nick loves the humor of it and showed it off to all.

BFCS Christmas Program

2010-01-14T12:49:00.000-08:00

You know it's Christmas time when the school singing program pops it's ugly head again. This year was not as long or as bad as years pass. You know you must really love your kids to sit thru 2 1/2 hours of that!

Eriks 7th Birthday

2010-01-14T11:57:00.000-08:00

So I have been extremely remiss on this blogging thing, as well as other aspects in my life. So let me catch up. Our baby turned 7 on Dec. 10th. We had a small family party plus Melody and Alene. (The boys think Mel is their sister anyway. ) We made him his favorite dinner, orange chicken and sticky rice. He got a special webkin from Melody and a DS game from us. We do have plans to take him and some of the younger kids to Bounce U at the end of the month. He wanted to wait until Melody got her cast off so she could go!!

Kauai - Day 5

2009-10-29T23:50:00.000-07:00

Today we kayaked down the Wailua River and hiked to Secret Falls. The adventure was fun but very tiring. We had to kayaked 2 miles, then hike 1.5 miles to the "secret falls" with 100 other tourist! Then hike back to the kayaks and paddle back the 2 miles. Jason and Nick kicked our butts going back in the kayaks. We then went to lunch for Pizza and Dogs at Costco. You just can't beat the prices (same as the mainland and a bargain on this island) and the views are the best anywhere. Tomorrow is a sight seeing tour to the Koke e State Park. The Hawaiian "Grand Canyon". Pictures to come.

Kauai Trip - Day 3 & 4

2009-10-28T23:46:00.000-07:00

Today was adrenaline junkie day. Zip lining high in the tree tops and jumping off 25 ft. water falls! What a day to remember!! It is Jason's 16th Birthday today and we wanted to make it a great one. I think we succeeded. We started off zip lining on 7 zips. Nick and Jason were pros. We then headed over to Kipu Falls. We had to trek through 1 mile of brush but it was well worth it. It is gorgeous! Just what you think of when you picture Hawaii to look like. We all jumped off the falls and did the swing rope, even Nana. Cole and I realized today that we are not as young as we were. He hurt his knee and I almost tumbled down the water fall trying to keep up with the teenagers.

Kauai Trip - Day 1 & 2

2009-10-28T23:24:00.000-07:00

Well here we are on the beautiful island of Kauai with Nana and Pop Pop. We settled into our condo and got a great view! We drove around and saw the sites. We also got to have a puka hot dog. We had seen it on the food channel and had to go. It was soooo good.

Jason Baby Pics

2009-09-29T08:46:00.000-07:00

My mom was going thru some pictures I had sent to
my Grandma and found these little gems. Brought
back some good memories. This is our first family Christmas
picture. Man we look young!
This is Jason at the hospital
with a IV in his head. He was exposed
to Step B during my labor. We called
it his unicorn stage. He is so cute.
Just thought I would share them.

Cupcakes!

2009-08-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

I love cupcakes! (Who doesn't?) My good friend Leslie, whom we bond in all things unhealthy, found a little gem of a bakery. It is "Let Them Eat Cake". Awesome bakery and well named. We ventured out into scary Phoenixville to buy all the cupcakes we could get our hands on. Among them was a Celeb of the Month cupcake. Yes, MJ was honored. It was a white vanilla cake with chocolate filling, white frosting, black jimmies around the side, and a sparkly glove on top! I am not making this up. Besides being supper yummy, it made for a great photo op as well.
.

Potter Madness

2009-08-07T14:14:00.000-07:00

Since the first Harry potter came out, our family has been
hardcore Potter fans. As the 6th movie made it's appearance
so has the need for more Hogwarts crap in my house. We got
creativity cheap this time and made the kids their own "wands".
(Minus unicorn hair and phoenix feather!)

Nicks is made of Elm and
he dremeled the heck out
of it.

It took 3 days to complete them but they love them!

Can you guess our next vacation?

2009-06-09T15:35:00.001-07:00

So we got invited to Kauai for a week from Nana and PopPop!

It is going to be over Jason's 16th birthday, so we decided to

take him and Nick with us. It's no car for his b-day but this is

pretty dang cool instead. He doesn't know yet, as he is at camp,

but we wrote it into our "from you parents" letter he will get at camp. I'm so excited to see him when he gets home. We only have 4 summers left before his mission so we are going to make this

one to remember. Snorkeling, swimming, zip line, and then over to Oahu for more fun. Thank you Nana and PopPop for the invite and we can't wait!

Ryan's 9th Birthday

2009-05-11T23:09:00.000-07:00

We never do big parties for our kids on all their birthday's. Just on the big ones,
you know, one, five , eight, ten, twelve, sixteen, ect... Ryan thought he had to
have a big friend party, even told all these kids at school about it. Liz warned me
after she had picked him up at school telling her kids all about it. I quickly
threw together a "friends" party. Now of course they are mostly my friends
but they do have kids around his age who are also his friends, just not the ones
at school. It turned out we were both happy and he got his party.

Ryan with his minky
blanket I had Kelly
make him. He loved it!

He saw this cake and had to have it.

Ryan with my mom,
Grandma Hatch.

Ryan's Party - Take Two

2009-05-11T23:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know it looks like we have a bunch of boozers in the jacuzzi, but it's kids
with ice cream in cool margarita cups. All above board, I swear!

I decided to get 120 snowball for his party for a great snowball fight. As I predicted, there was some tears.

MJ decided to make a appearance. All of us girls loved the attention from him.

Father and Sons

2009-05-07T12:46:00.000-07:00

Cole decided that this year he would actually go to father and sons.
He has ditched it for 2 years citing "too much trouble for only 1/2
a day of camping". He took Friday off and went with the Mabb, Linford,
and Dennison males. They went fishing first and I think Chad, Nick, and
Tyler were the only ones who caught a fish. They then camped with the
rest of the ward at the Tom's Creek area. I heard they had a blast and no
major injuries, so that's always a plus.
On the girls end, I went out with my
friends in the ward for Liz's birthday. We visited her baby Jake's grave, went
to Red Robin's, and went to see "17 Again". I was never a Zac Efron fan, but
man, he looks good in that movie! All in all a great 2 days for the whole family!

Happy Birthday Alene!

2009-04-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

Alene was born on April 15th and no one has yet done a tax theme b-day....until now! Chrissy, Jenn, and I surprised her at her work and arrested her for "tax fraud". We then took her out for a pedicure at Jimmy's. Sorry guys, but still not mine or Chrissy's favorite.
Here we are with the Birthday Girl! We didn't totally surprise her since she saw my car and vanity plates. Big give away. Oh well.

Jenn decided to do a manicure instead. Baby Chris got to hang out with us and was so good, till we got to dinner at least.

We had a huge group meet us at Cheesecake Factory to round up Alene's birthday. We were able to get her a nice Cannon camera which she needed since hers died 2 weeks ago. We had Liz, Shelley, Debbie, Jen T, Susan, Christina, Maya, Michelle, besides ourselves from earlier. Donelle, Leslie, and Kelly sent their love as well.

Happy Birthday Alene! We all love you!

When you give a boy a camera

2009-04-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

We went to the riparian so Jason and Trevor could work on their photography merit badge. We also took along Chris and T.J.
When we got home to look at their photos, they had gotten some real good ones and ones that were all boy. I wish I had T.J.'s. Pics of urinals. more dead fish. pencils in peoples cracks. It was lovely. Sorry Kelly that I didn't edit them before he left.

Dead fish was a recurring theme among the boys.

This one got fixed up with a red berry in it's eye for that evil look. Nice touch.
This one is all out the white stuff next to the duck. They were amazed at output and quantity of this poor duck.

Backyard Campout

2009-04-14T12:25:00.000-07:00

Almost as soon as I saw my first born son I realized I would have to be
a part of the scouting program. As my fifth boy was in my arms, I knew
I was now doomed to at least 15 years to scouting. Trevor needed to go
camping and cook outside to get his outdoors man. Since Cole goes camping
once a month with the Deacons, you can bet he doesn't want to go with his family for fun. He and Nick
were gone this weekend as so it fell to me. I enlisted Jason and his friends Chris and T.J. ( They were not much help.)
So here is my attempt at cooking with the kids, putting up a tent, and getting out of actually sleeping outside.
The kids loved it and he now can get his Arrow of Light as well, which is the highest award a
cub scout can get.

Cooking with the kids.

MJ is looking out for us!

My three little kiddos.

My three big kiddos. They did help out by sleeping outside so I didn't have to.

The Roaring 20's

2009-04-02T09:35:00.000-07:00

The Howard's gave a 20's themed murder mystery dinner in honor of Gary's 30th birthday.
They put so much thought and effort into it. Each of the rooms were decorated with a theme, a menu printed with drinks were you could order, they even had pictures of their girls dressed as mobsters all over the house. And as you can see, even all the guests
put a lot of effort into the dress. I'm so sad I didn't get a picture of all the guys. Liz, please post a picture of Tyler. It's a must see.
Thanks to the Howard's for a great evening.

All the gals.

They all bought the same wig at Party City.

Cole and I . I was suppose to come with a black eye
as part of my character. My dress was beautiful but
this picture is not!

Liz and Alene. They played their parts splendidly!

Alene was the MURDRER!

All Nick

2009-03-27T21:32:00.000-07:00

This beauty is Nick's science project. This year with so many students they opted to do something simpler. They had to make a model of a mammals body structure. He chose a red kangaroos foot, dissected in the middle to see the bone and muscle. Lovely!

More creepy MJ photos

2009-03-27T18:07:00.000-07:00

Life in the Gardner home is never dull. Michael has been making the rounds and the photo ops are always on my mind. Some with cooperation, others, not so much. In the coming months you will probably see a bit more of Michael. Sorry?

Melody and Erik scared by MJ. Who isn't?

Alene getting it on with MJ.

Cole getting a massage by our favorite masseuse, Amy. Cole isn't thrilled with this pic.

More Photos

2009-03-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

Look for the hidden Gila Monster and Angry Snake.

More Superstition Photos

2009-03-23T07:37:00.000-07:00

Photos from the hike.

Superstition Adventure

2009-03-23T06:39:00.000-07:00

As Spring Break came to an end, Nicholas and I spent 3 days (sort of) backpacking in the Supersition Mountains. We left late Thursday afternoon and drove 13 miles of rough rounds winding our way up to the Rogers Trough Trailhead. It was dark by the time we arrived. Our first camp site was only 1 - 1 1/2 miles up the trail. Headlamps on, hiked along a narrow path cris-crossing Roger's Creek until we settled down for freeze dried meals and an evening sleep.
Friday morning we picked up camp and hiked another mile or so up the canyon to see some very undisturbed 600 year old cliff dwellings. The Superstitions always seem like a rough dry desert, which most of it is. But there are lots of spring and streams running through the canyons, especially at this time of year. This was fortunate as we were able to refill our water as needed most of the time.
The cliff dwellings are amazing and well worth a day hike if you are willing to walk the 4 mile there and back. Some look as though they'd been built only a few years before.

After lunch at the ruins, we began our next leg. This portion of the trail was mostly uphill (2+ miles) and not recently maintained. Shorts and short sleeves was not a good decision. It was plenty hot, but the result was scrathes up my arms and legs from the brush. Jason Dalton was leading the group and stumbled upon a Gila Monster in the trail. This elusive lizard usually stays hidden and have never seen one in all my years of hiking as a Scout or Scout Leader. That was a treat.
The view from the top was great and the breeze was wonderful. We thought of setting camp here at a small clearing. The boys were exhasted from the climb and the 5 hours we'd been hiking. I was as well. However, we were a bit low on water and I figure there'd be a stream and place to camp at the bottom. Also, it was only 4:30 or 5:00 in the after noon. Scouts usually don't fall asleep until 10 or so, even when they are tired. Spending another 4 to 5 hours with bored scouts did not appeal to me. I suggested we hike down the mountain where I was sure we could find another campsite near a season stream. This would also mean less hiking the next day to our final destination. The boys voted 5 - 3 to move on. I led the boys down the trail (until I got to slow from some anke issues). We stumbled on two rattle snakes along the trail. At the bottom, we found a great stream, but no place to camp. We stopped for a rest, some of us ate dinner. Others were eager to find a campsite futher up the trail, up another mountain. Off we went with headlamps again. It was only another mile and we found a place next to a watering trough and a windmill by 8 pm. That day we hiked, according to the GPS, 8 1/2 miles.
We'd hiked the bulk of our hike on Friday and it turned out we were only 1/2 mile from the Trailhead and our pick-up point. I believe the boys were happy about that.
This was one of the best hike we've been on thus far and would highly recommend the first portion to the ruins for anyone interested in a good day hike, providing it is spring or fall. I never have anyone try any Superstion hike in the summer.
--Coleman

Our Student of the Month

2009-03-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

Erik was honored as the student of the month for February. The theme was "loyalty". He was thrilled as he had to sit through many others over the years as his brother's were honored. Now it was his turn and we are so proud of him!

Fun with Michael Jackson

2009-03-16T15:06:00.000-07:00

Cole's family has had this cardboard cut out of Michael for at least 17 years. The other day the grandparents called and wanted to know if we wanted it. Heck yeah! I just thought of all the fun we can have with him, like our own "Flat Stanley". Where could we take him and what could we do with him?. One of the kids made a comment about how creepy it would be to wake up and see Michael looking at him. Well, I took that idea and ran with it and here are some of the pictures. All the kids were asleep and did not know that we took these pictures till morning and I want everyone to know that they thought they were funny. But just in case, yes I'm already saving for the therapy my children will need for our latest stunt.

Michael peeking around the corner.

We actually got MJ in the bed and Trevor didn't even wake up. I admit this one is a little more cringe worthy than the others.

Jason woke up when we came in and promptly fell back asleep. He didn't believe us till we showed him the pics in the morning.

Nick making the most with Michael.

Not Expecting That!

2009-03-05T15:10:00.000-08:00

Kids make life much more interesting and entertaining. Yesterday Trevor lost his tooth at school and he brought it home in a little yellow "treasure box". I had a full house yesterday with all 4 of my nieces and my 5 running amok. Trevor left his tooth down on the table and went to play. Later Amy came to pick up my nieces and we finally got all of them out to the car and I went back to making dinner. A knock came at the door and Jason went to get it. He came in to the kitchen and handed me a tooth, Trevor's tooth, with no treasure box. He told me Amy had strapped Hailey (23 months old) in her car seat and saw her chewing on something. Yes, it was Trevor's tooth! GAG! Well that a new one in my books.

Snow fun in Colorado

2009-03-02T16:26:00.001-08:00

So we FINALLY got to go to the cabin during winter again. It has been two years since we got to play in the heavenly Colorado snow. These pictures say it all.

Cole, PopPop, and Nana with the cabin in the back.

My cute "babies". They had so much fun up there.

I LOVE this pic of Nick and yes I took it.

Our outfitted boys.

Jason had just gone down a huge hill and paved the way for his brothers to follow.

Me entertaining the kids sliding down the hill. I still got it! (maybe not in the hat department.)

Ryan getting a icicle for his pop with the help of PopPop.

Trevor and his ugly yellow hat. We always could find him. What is up with the Gardner's and ugly hats?

Jakey's Blankies!

2009-03-02T08:51:00.000-08:00

We are getting ready to start making "Jakey's Blankies!" (The soft white one under Jake's head). Jake had 2 of these. One for his blessing and one that was brown with a giraffe print that we held him with while he died. He was buried with the white one so he would be extra comfy! These blankies mean a lot to the Dennison family. They are made out of a special material called Minky and it is SOOOOOO soft!! You can't help but want to snuggle with it!! We think that every child should have one of these to snuggle with so we want to make a BUNCH of these for the heart unit up at St. Joseph's hospital in memory of Jake. We are needing donations to make these, so if you were wanting to donate, but haven't, please send your donation BY MARCH 8TH at 8:43pm!!!! We really want to make a lot of these, and possibly make a bunch every year, but we need more funds, even $5 would be GREAT!! Thank you all for your generosity and THANK YOU to those that have already donated!!

To donate you can go to Tyler and Liz's Blog (link under my friends and family) and
donate via PayPal
or
You can send the donations to:

Bishop Anderson
Summerfield Ward (Jakey's Blankies)
2791 E Los Alamos Ct
Gilbert, AZ 85295

Make checks payable to: Summerfield Ward

Amazing Baby Jake

2009-02-10T18:33:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to write about this amazing little baby that our family was so blessed to get to know. Baby Jake Alan Dennison was born almost 3 weeks ago with a heart condition known as HLHS-Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. His parents, Liz and Tyler, fought hard for this little guy to get here and for his treatment after he was born. They spent hours looking up the condition, dealing with LOTS of doctors and different opinions. After he was born they found out he had other problems they hadn't known about but they never lost the hope for his survival. Jake amazed us all over the coming weeks but finally lost the fight yesterday afternoon.
As hard is it to see him go, I want to tell you of the love and testimony this little guy brought to us. When in the room with him, you could feel his strong spirit. My children even felt it and commented on it. It opened up conversations of the Plan of Salvation and strengthened our testimonies of the gospel. We want to thank the Dennison family for allowing Jake into our lives and feel truly blessed to have them as friends. If you go to their blog you can read about their experience and know for yourselves what a amazing family they are! We will always remember Baby Jake!

As a tribute to Baby Jake, we are getting funds together to make baby minky blankets for the heart unit at St. Joe's. Jake had a few and seemed to love the softness of it and we felt that all of the patients should have one of these special blankets as well. If you're interest in donating, call me at 480-988-4499 or e-mail me at nisha323@yahoo.com. You can send the donations to
Summerfield Ward-Blanket Fund
2791 E. Los Alamos Ct.
Gilbert, Az. 85295
All the money will go straight into buying the fabric and tags and we will be doing a special sewing night in a few weeks.Thanks.

Family Vacation Dilemma

2009-02-02T09:31:00.000-08:00

As most of you are aware the Gardner's LOVE going on vacation! Who doesn't? Cole and I have realized we only have 4 more summers till Jason leaves on his mission. Only 4! We quickly decided we need to come up with a "Quality over Quantity" vacation strategy. I'm posting this for you, my faithful blog voyeurs, to help us come up with some fun and meaningful vacation ideas for our family. As you can tell from some of these pics we have done some of the necessary family trips, Disneyland (several times), San Diego (Also several times), Walt Disney World (still my favorite!), and even Dallas Texas.
My question to you is where would you suggest? Please keep in mind we have 5 kids and the economic times. Continental US preferred, though cruises are a option.

At the beach and yes that's a naked baby Erik.

Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Loved, loved that vacation!(2005-hence the skinny me)

Disneyland with the Hendrickson's in 2006

The "Grassy Knoll" in Dallas Texas when we visited the Quinns in 2008.

The Riparian

2009-01-22T07:24:00.000-08:00

So yet another hike, but this one closer to home. These are some of Jason's pictures he took for his photo merit badge. We had Melody that day and she and the kids had fun. Though they liked seeing the different birds and animals, their favorite thing was to pose like "wild cannibal children" for the camera. Yes, it was Nick's idea!

Soccer Mom?

2009-01-21T07:19:00.000-08:00

We have very brave families in our ward. The Mabb and Virgin families decided to put together a soccer league with 6 and 7 year olds. I swear we have at least 40 kids playing! They have enough for 4 teams. Erik is now a soccer fiend and loves it. A big thanks to Jon, Chrissy, Theron, and Anna!

The kids did great.

Alene and I are soccer moms now!

Perelta Trail

2009-01-21T07:10:00.000-08:00

Nick was working on his photography merit badge and needed to take 20 pictures with a theme. Cole decided that a hike would work out great. Exercise for us and an opportunity for Nick. It was a gorgeous day even though we started out late. Nick was their but took all the pictures alas why no pics of him. Jason and Trevor thought our idea was flawed and stayed home to play video games. Their loss!

Christmas Morning

2009-01-04T09:30:00.000-08:00

This year Cole and I tried to cut back on presents and make it a simpler Christmas. Yeah whatever! I made half of their presents. Cute BBQ aprons, blankets, & pillows. We did break down and get them all a big present, hence the big smiles in the coming pictures.
Christmas morning.

Erik with his new silver DS.

Christmas Morning-part 2

2009-01-02T09:45:00.000-08:00

The boys with their big gifts
Jason with a PSP.

Like the box? Cole came up with that though I wish I could claim the idea. Inside was Nick's new green I-Pod.

Ryan with his DS. Red is his favorite color as well.

In every picture Trevor put his gift in front of his face! That is Trevor though with a black Pokemon DS.

Annual Christmas Morning Pool Jump

2009-01-01T09:29:00.000-08:00

The Gardner's have a tradition that they offer $$$ for any (Gardner) child who is willing to jump into freezing water Christmas morning before opening gifts. It started when Cole was in college and came home for Christmas vacation flat broke. His dad has perfected it over the years. Extra cash if you wear a speedo or jock. Diving to the bottom for bags with different amounts. And even envelopes with undisclosed amounts of money so that you weren't even sure of getting $5 or $100. I have even done it twice. Cole and I started up the tradition again when we got our own pool. This was our third year. I have decided our children are spoiled since no one but Ryan would jump this year. Ryan got 50 big ones for being the only brave one. Maybe next year we will get some more volunteers. Good job Ryan!

It was a toasty 57 degrees!

Mom waiting with a warm towel.

Ryan with his hard earned cash.

Sugar Cookies and Santa

2008-12-31T08:50:00.000-08:00

Every Christmas Cole's Mom makes AWESOME sugar cookies for the kids to decorate. They love the tradition and look forward to it. Santa drives around the Grandparents neighborhood and so after cookies we wait outside for Santa. He never disappoints.

The boys with Ashley and Natalie.

The Christmas of aprons

2008-12-31T08:39:00.000-08:00

My friend Kelly made these cute vintage aprons for boutiques this year then also taught a class on how to make them. Needless to say my OCD caught the apron bug and I felt the need to make 40 for friends and family. I had to call on best buddy Alene to help me sew them in time for Christmas. I got them done in time and hope all who got one will enjoy them. Now I need to still make one, Mine!

Aprons in different stages scattered in my living room.

Alene and I sewing

Two recipients. My s-i-l Afton and m-i-l MaryKaye.

Happy 6th Birthday Erik!

2008-12-10T07:56:00.000-08:00

Our baby is six today. We are so blessed to have him in our family and love him dearly.

Dad and Erik 2 years ago.

Love his smile.

He got into pudding. I could laugh at it later.

Last year on his birthday. He's wearing all his presents.

Gardner Family Update

2008-11-21T19:36:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting on Cole's laptop because our computer is down for the 4th time in 2 months. I mean down and out till Cole pulls it apart and does his magic. The kids keep loading some stupid game that crashes it. No pictures till it's up and running. I really dislike blogging without pics.
Cole is out hiking with Nick and the Deacons. Heaven help him! I'm at home with our 4 boys and 3 extra 15 years olds playing Madden '09. Heaven help me! (man the noise level they can put out.)
To catch up, Nick did win the Spam Contest for the Jr. cooking contest. So proud of him and his recipe. He made Spam cup pies. Think of mini spam tarts. He won $60 and his recipe goes to nationals. If it wins there, he'll get $2,000. (All would go to his mission fund!) There where about 10 other kids competing and about 35 adults. As the wonderful mother that I am, I forgot my camera. Luckily Kelly and her parents where at the fair so I do have some picture and will post when I can.
Halloween was okay this year. Jason and Nick didn't want to dress up this year to hand out candy. I was going for a "Pushing Daisies" theme but they thought it was too much of a hassle. Trevor dressed up as Link from Zelda. Everyone thought he was Peter Pan or Robbin Hood, poor kid. Ryan was a bat and Erik was Davey Crockett. Nana made him this cool costume and he looked so cute. Again, pictures to follow.
I've been sewing like a mad woman or more accurately, like a woman with a OCD problem. Not to worry, most of you will benefit from my disease come Christmas.

Mormon Synchronized Swim Team

2008-10-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

Donelle sent this you-tube link. I LOVE it!!

The Gardners Take on the State Fair!

2008-10-20T13:11:00.000-07:00

This year we decided to enter items into the State Fair. Since we had potential ribbons we also decide to go to the State Fair. We have only gone twice since Cole and I have been married these last 16 years. Jason and Nick barley remember the last time. The Hendricksons got us some free passes and therefor Cole was more aped to go. Nana and PopPop decided to come meet us to see what we won and to hang out with the grand kids. We had such a good time and I think the kids are hooked.

Trevor, Ryan and Erik trying their hands out on milking a fake cow.

Erik and Ryan on the freaking expensive bumper boat ride.

Erik on a mom-canical bull ride.

Erik on the way home. He finally won this ugly orange shark. It only cost $10 to win. Not bad considering the $10 corn dogs.

More State Fair Wins.

2008-10-20T13:02:00.000-07:00

My friend Kelly has had her children put items into the state fair for years. She has tried to get our family to do it as well. This year she and her mother finally convinced us. Kelly's mother, Mary Ellen, was in charge of the craft section this year. We had so much fun making and putting together our items to take. We won some ribbons and had a great experience. We are definitely hooked now and have come up with a game plan for next year.

I won 1st on my "101 things I love about you". Thanks to Donelle for the idea and push to make this. I even got a special ribbon for it. I also won 1st for my salsa!

I had Alene put her decoupage craft in and she won 2nd place!

This is Kelly's daughter Nicole. She made this fabulous quilt and won 1st.

We worked on a quilt to demo how to do it. The boys were not happy but they tried. I don't think we were really qualified to demo this.

State Fair Winners!

2008-10-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

The boys were especially proud of their winning projects and were Cole and I.

Jason won 1st place in print making and 3rd in collections. He put in our Disney pins.

Trevor won 3rd for his snickerdoodles. He got HM for his tote bag and for a decoupage craft.

Ryan won 1st for his molasses cookies and HM for his ceramic pig.

Nick won 2nd for his Australian magnetics and he suppose to be in the Spam contest Oct. 25th.

This "media fast" was not my idea!

2008-10-03T08:35:00.000-07:00

Our loving primary has asked all the kids to do a media fast this week as conference is this weekend. Nixing T.V., videos games, music, you get the idea.I was not too excited for this and decided to just half my kids T.V. watching and no video games. Cole is even listening to the Book of Mormon on CD in the car as he takes the kids to school.
(I know, I was surprised too!) I thought this was a nice compromise. Well it seems this fast was meant for me.
So this week my "real" computer is dead and is in Cole's capable hands to fix it, eventually. So now all ipod music, all my pictures, ect is on that. So I haven't been blog hopping or anything else but only able to check my e-mail. (I'm on Cole's work laptop) Also my phone died this week and so no cell phone when I'm out or texts and the likes. I had no idea how much I am tied to these two things. So, I'm doing this media fast however unwillingly.
Hope I'll be able to blog some pictures soon.

Look Alikes !?!

2008-09-21T18:26:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago my mother in law saw this picture in the Ensign of Elder Quentin L. Cook. We all think that Erik looks a lot like him. Maybe our 5th son is destined for something greater than I had hoped. I'll try to lay off the "Holy Craps" to give him a chance!

Watermelon Babies

2008-08-30T15:40:00.000-07:00

I love the fact that my bizarre sense of humor has pass on to my children. We now have a garden and we planted ONE watermelon plant. That plant took over like no other and we got 7 watermelons off of it, some larger and more edible than others. I had no clue what to do with all of them. Jason picked one up and started to cradle it and talk baby talk to it. We both formulated our plan. To dress them up as "babies" with faces, hats, diapers, blankets, and even belly buttons. We put them into "baskets" and delivered them to unsuspecting families. The boys had so much fun coming up with little notes pinned to their diapers and naming them.

Watch out for pumpkin Buddha babies or triplet zucchini's!

Jason with the first baby. They got better as we went along.

Nick being surprised with the baby. They named ours Charlie but shorten it to Chuck.

Nick cutting up Chuck. He scares me a little

Nice. Nick even drew a tear on it. How ghetto.

Shelley's 26th Birthday

2008-08-27T20:51:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday we finally celebrated Shelley's birthday. We had the theme 'Tool Belt Diva'. We played a name that tool game and had a bird house building contest. Jen and Alene won that one and scored some sweet tools. Shelley got a tool belt, girl style, and a pink tool kit. We had manly food - nachos, hot wings, and IBC root beer out of the bottle. Happy birthday Shelley. This is suppose to be one of our last big parties but who knows....

The gang of divas.

The gals building the birdhouses.

Jen and Alene with their winning birdhouse.

The cake. I was mighty proud of this one.

First Day of School

2008-08-20T08:35:00.000-07:00

Well actually this is a picture of the 3rd day of school if I must be completely honest. We had just gotten home at 1 in the morning on the first day of school from Colorado and I forgot to take pictures. I was lucky to do their hair and get them there on time!
Alas, I don't even have a picture of Nick going off to Jr. High for the first time. And even worse, Jason as a Freshman. We left him here with friends and missed his first 2 days at High school. What a pathetic excuse for a mom!

Camp ILA

2008-08-18T09:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend Cole and I found ourselves at Camp ILA which is a camp for families that have kids with arthritis. ILA means , Imagine Life without Arthritis. Cole's friend at work, Matt, is in the Tempe Kiwanis Club and had asked us to volunteer. It was a great weekend and I wish we had spent more time getting to know the families. We were on kitchen duty and still had a blast. A big thank you to Matt for giving us this opportunity and for letting us stay the second night at his cabin so Cole wouldn't keep people up all night with his snoring!

Some of the campers teaching us songs around the campfire.

Camp Wamatochick near Prescott

Cole and I in the kitchen.

Matt, Cole and I with our award certificates!

Guy's Weekend

2008-08-12T14:19:00.000-07:00

Well our husbands have been a little put out with us girls for all of our parties and girls nights and weekends out. So we told them to shut it and plan their own stuff then. Jon Mabb took the hint and planned a guy weekend. They went to Long Beach for 3 days and went deep sea fishing. Coleman enjoyed the time away and a pretty good buffet at a casino.
They left on Friday afternoon and went to the buffet that night. On Saturday morning, they woke up at 4am to be on the boat by 5. Fishing went pretty good earlier in the day but dwindled by the afternoon. Plagued by seals and more experienced fisherman I guess. Cole got 2 sea bass, a barracuda, and a rock fish. Jon lost a barracuda to a seal and was not too pleased. Tyler did fairly good and poor Chad kept catching "bait" fish. Chad finally got an edible fish at 4 in the afternoon. Good job! At the end of the boat ride, some fishing pro on the boat had caught 20 barracuda and was giving some away. The boys snagged them so everyone got fish to take home for supper!

Chad and Tyler

Jon-The team captain of trips :)

Cole and Chad

Our boys, finally on a guys trip! Maybe this will buy us some more girls nights out!!

Blog-o-rama

2008-08-08T19:28:00.000-07:00

I have just blogged at least 6 entries and still have a few more to go. I think I will wait a week so people have time to read it and not spend half a day on our little humble family blog. Sorry for the backlog and try to enjoy!

P.S. to my readers of our food critic blog. I'm going to update it as well with pictures and all that good stuff!

Colorado Bloopers

2008-08-08T19:22:00.000-07:00

I love all the goofy picture that we take . We are a weird family and unfortunately I parade it around to the chagrin of Cole.(and his dignity)

Nick and Ryan hiking up to Treasure Falls. They were trying to scare the little kids.

Our nephew Aidan asleep. (Afton's 2nd boy) He is a funny little kiddo and definitely has second boy syndrome!

Baby Oliver spit up all over Cole's shirt so he took it ALL off. I'm sorry for disturbing some of you with this image. Afton's in the back and I love her shocked expression.
Hey girls, back off! He's mine!

Me being a dork. What's new?

Old Hundred Mine.

2008-08-08T19:08:00.000-07:00

On our last day in Colorado we decided to do something completely new. It is amazing that we have been going to the "cabin" (which now that it double in size, we should almost say lodge!) for 16 years and we didn't even think about getting a travel brochure to see what there is to do around town. We saw that in Silverton there is a old mine that does a tour then you can pan for gold. It was really fun and glad we decided to fork the money out for it. $69 for the family. Thank you Quinn's for kicking our tushes to try something new again!

Suited up for the tour. Our group didn't scare anyone away like we hoped. A full tour group.

Inside the mine. I forgot Donelle is claustrophobic. She did O.K. and held her panic attack pretty well. She won't be going back!

Panning for gold. We got squat expect for little silver beads. That part was pretty lame but the little kids did not notice the lameness in the least.

Another older mine in Silverton.

Vallecito Lake

2008-08-08T18:51:00.000-07:00

We met up with the Quinn's at Vallecito Lake. We have never even thought of swimming in this lake as it is always freezing. The Quinn's are always up for anything and so the kids took the plunge. It was freezing but the kids had fun.

Treasure Falls continued

2008-08-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

The boys at the top pool.

The Quinn family. Brooklyn was not happy.

Donelle and I

The valley

Treasure Falls

2008-08-08T08:08:00.000-07:00

We took the Quinn family to see Treasure Falls just outside of Pagosa Colorado. It is one of our favorite places. The Valley that it is located in is truly breathtaking.

The gang at the bottom of the falls.

Colorado...again

2008-08-08T07:58:00.000-07:00

We love Colorado so much, we decided to go again 3 weeks after we got home the last time. Aaron joined us and got to see the new "cabin" for the first time. Afton had her 30Th birthday up there and we also met the Quinn's who were there for a family reunion.

Greg and Aaron playing chess and Cole looking on.

Afton with her cake I made. She is a domestic goddess now so I made her a sewing cake.

Nick playing charades. He was being Wall E.

The first day up, Ryan jumped off the top bunk and broke the bunk beds. Luckily PopPop is a master at almost everything and cut and replaced the broken plank. Ryan is trying to look upset but he's not that good of a actor.

Cole's 39th Birthday

2008-07-29T19:53:00.000-07:00

My man has turned 39! For some reason I felt this birthday I should do very domestic projects. The first was to make him a "101 things I love about you" collage. Donelle forced me, I mean helped me start it. It did come out great and Cole really appreciated it. I have no pictures but will blog it soon. The second was his cake. We watch "Ace of Cakes" on the food channel and love the cakes. I decided he had to have a great cake. Fondant is not my friend, but I tried anyway. I think it looked good for a first try and it tasted great.

Cole a opening presents at his parents house.

The Gardner gang.

Drum roll please... the cake!

Please ignore the mess.

Texas again

2008-07-29T19:37:00.000-07:00

Donelle and her kiddos came to Arizona for a few weeks. When it was time to head home, I volunteered to help drive them back. I didn't think she should drive with 4 kids by herself and it gave me a prefect opportunity to see Texas again. We had a great trip and Kira kept me on my toes with her throwing up a few times. The kids where great and Donelle got pulled over only once. We got off with a warning.

Donelle early on the trip.

Donelle and I at my new favorite deli in Dallas.

Randy and I in front of the JFK museum. We loved looking through all that history. We were also glad that Donelle came with us even thought she thought she would be bored to tears.

Randy and Brooklyn outside a friends home. They have 2 acres and Randy, the kids and I loved exploring them. Then 2 days later came the fact that chiggers had eaten us alive. Randy has over 40. I only got 22. I still have then, big as dimes. Chiggers Suck!!

Last of the Colorado Pics

2008-07-15T14:13:00.000-07:00

Nick

Cole and his scruff

Ryan and I in the field making whistles with reeds

The gang in front of the Durango - Silverton Railroad.

My Little Urban Cowboys

2008-07-15T14:08:00.000-07:00

Erik
Trevor roping
Jason

Trevor and Ryan

Cabin in Colorado

2008-07-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

The new cabin. Love it.
Not a flattering pic.
Jason being a real man.
Our bed room we got to decorate. We not quite done.

Tagged

2008-06-30T10:27:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by my friend Alene. I am going to do it but I will stop the madness and not tag others. This is my gift to you.

3 Joys-
1. My family
2. Sleeping in
3. Shopping

3 Fears-
1. Losing Cole or the kids.
2. Losing Cole's job and the house.
3. Losing my mind.

3 Goals-
1. Losing 20 pounds.
2. Be a better mom.
3. Be better at budgeting.

3 Current Obsessions
1. Helping friends decorate their homes.
2. Decorating our room at the cabin.
3. Doing Weight Watchers.

3 Surprising Facts
1. Never have had a traffic ticket.
2. Can do the splits still(with a little warm-up).
3. Zip lined in Jamaica although I'm afraid of heights.

I'm not the woman I use to be.

2008-06-23T17:49:00.000-07:00

Well I'm uterus free and loving it! I underwent a hysterectomy almost four weeks ago. It wasn't absolutely necessary but I had enough reasons that I felt it was a good option for me. My kids were a bit bummed because "we couldn't have any more babies", but that was decided by Cole and I after Erik was born!

This is our nephew Oliver. See, we still get to hold babies. And we just get to give them back when they cry and poop.

Erik with baby Oliver.

Trevor trying out his hand holding his cousin. Nana and PopPop now have 8 grandson's and still no granddaughter's. Sorry, I tried!

5 - 3 = 2

2008-06-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

This week has been very quite around the Gardner house. Jason is at EFY and Nick and Trevor are with Nana and PopPop at the cabin in Colorado. It's just Cole, Me, Ryan and Erik. All they want to do is play video games and are thrilled they don't have to take turns on the Wii. My house is also very clean and I've only done 2 loads of laundry so far! Though it has it's perks, I still miss the 3 boys. They really do help out a lot and I miss joking around with them. Also it's no fun cleaning the sugar glider's cage!

Happy Father's Day.

2008-06-15T22:15:00.000-07:00

I didn't want to out do Cole from Mother's Day and do a slide show but I thought I needed to celebrate the men who are most important to me.

My Father Douglas Hatch.( Reading with Erik) I love my Dad so much! Thanks you for all the family trips you took us on. Pine to visit Hatch Grandparents, San Diego, and Florida. Letting us go grocery shopping with you and buying tons of "the good food". Telling us "little boy stories" about you growing up in a very different time than us. And for your example and sharing your testimony of our true church. You do so much for our family and we know we can always call on you, from broken fridges, buying cars, to helping Cole give me a prayer. Thanks Dad.

My Husband Coleman. Doesn't he clean up well! I love you so much and thank Heavenly Father almost daily I married you. You are my best friend and I love that we have kids old enough that we can go on dates whenever we want. You are a great master griller and meat smoker. You do dishes, help me in my church calling, and even have patience with me when I get into my "OCD projects". You are kind and compassionate and a great priesthood influence on our sons.

My father in law Terry Gardner. Right now he and Nana have Trevor and Nick at the cabin with them. Terry is a great F-I-L
and PopPop. He is always taking the kids swimming, teaching them to ski, and even taught them "pee pee in the woods". He is a great father to Cole and role model as well. He is also a compassionate man and while he was a dentist, had many patients who loved him and were very devoted. We love you PopPop!

Four generations of the Gardner's. Great Grandpa is no longer with us but we loved him dearly and I'm glad he got to meet each of our children. I hope they will remember him. ( Erik is the baby.)

The Pioneer Trek

2008-06-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

Our stake decided to do the trek this year. They even included the Beehives and Deacons which is almost unheard of. Jason and Nick were actually excited to go. The first day they hiked 8 miles and got to their camp site around 10 p.m. The next day they hike 3 miles and they had the women's pull that day. All the boys and men watched and sang hymns as the women push all the carts up the hill called Testimony Hill. Jason said it was hard to watch and not go help. Then the men and some of the women tackled Rocky Ridge. Friday was "Pioneer Sunday". They had church services then solo time where they read letters from family, prayed, and just had time to themselves. They also did a taffy pull, shot black powder rifles, made butter, hung out. The last day they hiked out and they got home around 6:30p.m. In all they hiked around 17 miles.
Jason thought is was exhausting but was glad to be apart of it. Nick loved it as well and even had Alisha Muir as a "sister". Both said their testimonies are stronger and have a whole new respect of out ancestors who had to come across the plains that way.

Jason and Nick by our garden. They look more like farmers than pioneers.

Some of the YM of Summerfield.

Shelley Linford as a real pioneer woman!

The boys after they came home. First thing they did was to take a shower than a bath.

Splash Mountain

2008-06-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

We actually tried to plan these pictures. You can only do so much.

I LOVE Jordan's face on this pic. One of the main reason's we bought it. He's the one in the white shirt.

Chaperones

2008-06-15T17:06:00.000-07:00

So it was only gonna be me. Then Kelly weaned her baby and it was the two of us. Then we talked Susan into it as well. It was a blast. I was the hyper crazy mom and probably had more fun than I should. Jason was embarrassed because of me but who cares! The bus ride going over was the worst. Get 30 something 8th grade boys together on a bus and watch out. I swear almost none of them slept and then at 4a.m. when we stopped for a pit stop, about 15 boys bought red bull drinks! Yikes!!

The Chaperone's. Susan, Kelly, and I waiting for the boys to ride Tower of Terror.

Us on my favorite ride,Big Thunder Railroad.

Kelly and I on the bus on the way home. At last they slept!

8th grade graduation trip

2008-06-12T14:14:00.000-07:00

Ben Franklin Graduating 8th graders are treated to a trip to Disneyland on last day of school. Kelly, Susan, and I got to go with our boys as Chaperons. We had a great bunch of boys! It was nice to see who my kid hangs out at school with.

The boys from L to R. Jordan Swapp, Trevor Hendrickson, Tyler Bigler, Austin Carroll, Jason, Chris Muir, and James Munsey.

Disney's California Adventure.

Jordan, James, Trevor, and Chris with Belle. The other boys were chicken. Jordan is 6'2 and 14 years old!

On Big Thunder. I think we rode it twice and the boys rode four times.

Jason's 8th grade Graduation

2008-06-12T14:01:00.000-07:00

Our eldest receiving his diploma.

Jason, Trevor, Chris, and their admirers.

The uglyiness contiunes

2008-06-12T01:53:00.000-07:00

Before Cole calls a retaliation on me, I'm posting some butes of myself. You must take into consideration it's 1:45 AM and my Ambien is finally kicking in strong. These were taken on the 8th grade graduation trip to Disneyland. Jason just would not smile so I was trying to embarrass him even more by making butt ugly faces. Of course he doesn't care and I came out looking even stupider!

Boy that kids doesn't look like he even belongs to me. I have also decided to whiten my nasty yellow teeth after taking a gander at these pics. I look like a coffee drinker!

Gardner Blooper Pics

2008-06-10T10:02:00.000-07:00

I was going thru pictures to blog today and Came across these little gems! I laugh every time I see them and thought I would share.

What happens in my den, stays in my den! At least I have a somewhat "modest" husband.

From the landmines of our dogs to Erik's foot. I guess the boys better do their job of poop scooping better!

My life at all stores. This was taken 2 years ago and they haven't been out since! :) I really love Trevor in the back smiling.

Nick and Ryan at WDW in Florida 2 years ago. The sign says "Tigers" so they were play reacting to that. I love this picture!

Erik's Preschool Graduation

2008-06-05T20:43:00.000-07:00

My baby is going to kindergarten in August. Jason will be a freshman in high school, Nick in 7th, Trevor in 5th, Ryan in 2nd, and then Erik off half the day. Crap, I'm old!!

Erik with his diploma.
Erik and his class singing for us parents. It was very cute. And because most have speech issues like Erik, it was also highly amusing.
Miss Natalie, Erik's teacher.

Science Projects

2008-06-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

This was a month ago but I figured if I publish this blog in a bound book for our family, I need to put this kind of stuff in. Nick did what soil do seeds grow best in. Manure is not good for seeds and having in the house!!
Jason did static electricity and it's effects on the path of water. They both did good jobs but didn't place. I glad school is over!

Jon's Birthday Murder Mystery Dinner

2008-06-05T20:25:00.000-07:00

Chrissy used Jon's Birthday to put on a fabulous party. She went all out and I wished I had more pictures of the details and of Cole and I. She served us as maid Yvette and a spicy little pregnant maid she was! We had salad, rolls, the best mashed potatoes ever, chicken corton blu, veggies, and pie. Liz and I guessed who was the murderer. It was Shelley in her bad blond wig! It was a great night and everyone played along great. Thank you Mabb's. I think we should do this a least 2 times a year.

Leslie as Von Hussy (?)
The Dennison's
The Linford's. Chad helped Shelley out a lot in her part.

The hostess, Chrissy.

The Butt Cake Story

2008-06-02T18:32:00.000-07:00

Every so often the Gardner's have really good stories to share and I think this is one of them. On the night of Jason's 8th grade graduation ( pictures later ) Coleman made one. They had just herded out all the 8th graders and parents into a very dark ball field to take pictures and have refreshments. Now when I say dark, I mean almost no lighting out there. Coleman brought his very expensive camera to take some very professional pics of Jason and his friends. Well the stupid camera, or maybe camera man, could not get the flash to work correctly. As it was dark and he was getting frustrated, he sat down on the bleachers to get a better angle. He was flashing away and Erik starts SCREAMING and crying very loudly. As the ever great parent as I am, I ignore him and start taking pics with our little and "reliant" camera.
All of a sudden I realized what Erik is crying about. Coleman is sitting on his cake and Erik is MAD! Cole didn't even feel it and is still sitting on it. After Cole removed his tush, Erik told us he wanted a new piece and didn't want to eat the "butt cake". Not the end of the story. We got him a new piece of cake and he ate it all on the way home and was very happy. That night I went with the 8th graders to Disneyland. Cole called in the morning to tell me Erik threw up all night, most likely because of all the cake he had eaten. Serves Coleman right!

Ryan's 8th Birthday Party.

2008-06-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

We been having a lot of Chinese themed parties lately so I talked Ryan into another one. I had all the decorations and games planned so it was easy and he seemed to really like the idea. He had a panda cake, they swam, they did a chopstick relay race with marshmellows, and had their fortunes read. He got a lot of great gifts and the all important homemade quilt from the Hendricksons.

What's been going on....

2008-05-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

As my good friend Cassie pointed out, I've been neglectful of our blog lately. It is not because I loved the last entry so much, which I do, but because we have been so busy the last two weeks. Here's what I will be blogging about in a few days.

- Ryan turned 8!
- His birthday party.
- His baptism and the lunch afterwards
with 55 people!
- Nick and Trevor students of the month.
- The end of year band concert and all that stuff.
- Making and planting our garden.
- Jason's 8th grade graduation.
- 8th grade graduation party at Disneyland.
- Kelly, Susan, and I chaperoned!
- My upcoming operation tomorrow!!

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T02:35:00.000-07:00

I had to take the time to hijack the blog and leave a note expressing my heart felt love for you. Everyday, I am amazed by the loyalty and kindness you show. You've dedicated your life to making our family as strong as it is. You care for our kids and home. From science projects to garden projects, you always seek to make each day better than the last. I admire the kindness and charity in serving others. Our sixteen years of marriage have been then happiest in a lifetime and I eagerly await the many more years ahead. I love you with all my heart.

Coleman

p.s.

To all you Mother's out there, Happy Mother's day from us. Keep being one of the strengths that bond your families together.

Butterfly Exhibit

2008-05-06T15:23:00.000-07:00

My parents invited us to go with them to the butterfly gardens at the Desert Botanical Gardens. Thinking my boys would decline, I had a shock when ALL of them were very excited to go. I'm glad that they still delight in things like this. We met the Grandparents early Saturday morning and had a great time.

Jason's New Obsession

2008-04-30T20:10:00.000-07:00

I know I was stupid to think as a mother of 5 boys that sports might not be a huge part of our life, but call me stupid!! Jason has OCD for ESPN and any sports right now, and I'm sick and tired of having to watch all of it!!! It started 2 weeks ago when he was home sick on Friday and he watched it all day long. Now anytime he's around he turns it to any sports channel. Crap, what happen to good old cartoons. I even miss Sponge Bob or at least something that I will watch. And now he wants me to order sports magazines and spend all of his money on sports hats and jerseys.
The only cool thing that has come out of this was a sports accident show he watched which showed a digustinly awesome hockey accident. The goalie almost got his head sliced off by a skate. Yes, he lived. AHHHHH, it's already poluting me. I gotta go watch some Office or Jane Austen.

Nick a High Five Kid!

2008-04-23T14:12:00.000-07:00

Eat your heart out Suns fan's, Nick got to be a high five kid. PopPop and Nana Gardner have season tickets a therefore get to put in a name for the high fives. Jason was one years ago and Nick was heart broken then. Trevor got to be one the first of this season and then Nana got a call about one opening up the last game of the regular season. They signed Nick up but he was not as excited as I thought he would be. I guess the cut off age is 12 and he's 12 1/2 and so a "teengaer" soon. It didn't help that they messed up and called him Trevor and in 4th grade. In the later pics he's telling the gorilla and all the kids, "My name is Nick and I'm in 6th grade!!!". He really loved the expreience and got to watch the game with his Dad in the "cheap seats" while Nana and PopPop sat in the good ones. Thanks to the elder Gardner's for the experience of a lifetime!

Honorable Liz and Alene's 30th

2008-04-23T08:36:00.000-07:00

As for the rest of the party, we had many surprises in store for our guest and birthday girls. After having a meal of take out Chinese food, we had a game with 3 partners on a team that had to race around my pool holding a marshmallow with chopsticks, handing them off to their team mates. Sadly, I have no pictures but please use your imagination. We then had the taste testing. I think Chrissy, or at least I did, had the most fun with this one. We went to Lee Lee's market (a experience in it's own) and found some weird foods to have the contestants try. Actually it was a setup to surprise the birthday girls with some "special" cakes Leslie so lovingly and disturbingly made.(and no they aren't pictured) Then we brought out the real cakes. I gotta say how impressed I was with Jenn and Leslie's talents with these Sumo cakes. I think they should go into business. It was a great night and Happy 30th Birthday to Alene and Liz. Also a big thanks to all who helped with this great night.
- For more pictures, Liz and Alene have them on their blogs.-