Rico Family

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-28T18:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve

Ethan, Bella and Lexy on Christmas Eve. (Austin was asleep for much of the night)

Christmas Eve was spent at Uncle David and Aunt Laura's house. They made a yummy mexican dinner for us and Grandma and Grandpa Gengler. We watched the Gengler Favorite Christmas movie- "Christmas Vacation" and played some games. The night ended with Ethan's Wonderful reading of "The Night Before Christmas" and Ashley's reading of Christ's birth from the Old Testament.

Lexy, Hailey, Bella, Ashley, Courtney and Ethan

Merry Christmas- 2010

Christmas Morning

Austin's first Christmas!

Bella with her doll set! She was in heaven!

Lexy with her coveted Easy Bake! Her first cake was baked the very next day.

Ethan with his new Lego toys. He had them assembled the very next day as well!

A Halloween Blessing

2010-10-31T17:58:00.001-07:00

October 31, 2010

Austin's Blessing Day

Isn't he a handsome boy!

Austin was so good during his blessing. He didn't make a peep. But as you can tell from the picture, he was not very happy when we got home for pictures!!

As you can tell, it's going to take us a while to get everybody looking decent for a family picture!!It's such an event.

Our Baby Brother

2010-09-05T18:45:00.000-07:00

Lexy, Ethan, Bella and Austin

August 2010

Bella loves being a BIG sister!

Ethan loves having a BROTHER!

Lexy loves helping to take care of a LITTLE brother!

The kids could not be more excited to have Austin here. They ALL love him! They are always wanting to hold him. For some reason, I can't get any of them to change his diaper though!! Everybody says he looks like Ethan. I think he has his own look. It looks like he will follow Lexy with the brown eyes though. Now we have a child with green eyes, blue eyes and two with brown eyes. What a mix!

2010-08-10T18:32:00.000-07:00

Austin Christopher Rico

On Thursday, August 5, 2010 we were blessed with our 4th baby! At 5:22 pm, Austin Christopher Rico was born. A couple of weeks before, we had set an induction date with my doctor for Austin to be born on 8-9-10. Like all of my other children, I figured that I would have to be induced with this one as well. But being that we planned this baby to be our last, we thought it would be so fun to go on my own. We tried everything under the sun that people had told us would put me into labor. Nothing seemed to work. A week earlier, I had my doctor strip my membranes. I went home that day and did some weeding, took two walks, and anything else that might get me going... it didn't work. On Thursday, August 5, I got up and started getting myself ready for my last doctor's appointment. I was hoping that the doctor would try again as one last attempt to put me into labor. About 10 am that morning, I was sitting on the couch next to Tony as I felt as though I had peed my pants! I stood up real quick, trying not to make a mess on the couch! As I stood up, A LOT more "stuff" gushed out of me. I looked at Tony and said "Tony, my water just broke!" He yelled back, "Well go to the bathroom!" (Love the support!) After washing up, and taking care of the kids, we were off to the hospital. Tony said on the way to the hospital that this was way more exciting than being induced! We arrived just after 11 am. I love how they confirm that it was your water that actually broke! They asked me, "Are you sure it was your water?" My response was "Ah, yeah. I had no control over the gush that fell out of me!" They set us up and we were ready to go. Everything was great. After being there for about an hour and a half I got my epidural. I went from a 3, to a 6, to an 8, and then a 10. By 5 pm I was ready to go. It took the doctor a couple of minutes to get himself ready, and after only about 10 minutes of pushing, Austin was here. Austin weighed 8 lbs even, and was 20 in long. The day was perfect! We are so excited to have Austin in our home. He is so stinkin' cute! His big brother and sisters absolutely love him! Like all of my other kids, he had to lay under the lights for jaundice. I hate that.

Happy Birthday Tony

2010-06-13T20:10:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TONY!!

I realized that I did not take any pictures during Tony's birthday this year... sorry! So I decided to use recent pics he's taken with the kids. He is such a great dad and a wonderful husband. It was so fun to celebrate him for a day. We all went shopping for some shoes that he wanted and then went out to lunch. That night, he and I got to go to dinner without the kids. We love you Daddy!

Our Fabulous 5 Year Old

2010-06-13T19:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Lexy!

My Big Girl has turned 5! Lexy was so excited to turn 5 because she knew that it meant she would go to Kindergarten soon. It took a long time for her birthday to get here also because she had to endure Bella's birthday and Ethan's birthday all within about 6 weeks before her birthday. She was in agony waiting for her turn! We love Lexy so much. She has so much personality and enthusiasm.

Lexy learned how to ride a 2 wheeler a couple of months before her birthday. She started to look really silly on that little bike! She does a great job now on the big bike that should last her a while.

Lexy decided to go to the Legacy Center for some swimming for her birthday! The kids had a blast. With their birthday money, the kids bought snorkling gear. It was too cute!

I love this picture. It looks like Lexy is giving me an attitude, talking back to me with the tube in her mouth!! That would be Lexy!!! But really, she was just posing for me.

Being that I am 7 months pregnant, I chose to sit out on the swimming. And for some reason, so did Bella. For the first 2 hours, this was her sitting next to me. When we finally got her in the water, she screamed her head off when it was time to go because she didn't want to get out! Typical 2 year old!

Notice Ethan who can hold his breath entering the water and Lexy who is plugging her nose still. I'm just proud of her for going down by herself when she can't even swim!! Don't worry, Tony was there to grab her!

Congratulations Ashley

2010-06-13T19:28:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Ashley!! We are so proud of you.

Ashley is the first cousin to graduate high school. She is such a smarty pants too! She graduated from Alta High School and will be going to BYU in the fall. She should finish there in about 2 years before she plans to go on to Law School. She has set such a great example for the rest of the cousins. Good Job Ash! We love you!

The proud family

After the graduation, we talked to the kids about what it means to graduate and how hard Ashley worked to do so well in school. I asked Lexy if she wanted to be just like her cousins... she said yes, just as pretty and smart! I hope so:))

Who's ready for Kindergarten...

2010-06-13T19:17:00.000-07:00

Lexy was so excited to finish pre-school! She can't wait to join Ethan and I at the new school to start Kindergarten. We're so proud of her!

Lexy's pre-school class with Miss Tawny.

Lexy with her other pre-school teacher, Miss Holly. (Lexy was lucky enough to go to 2 pre-schools- one in the neighborhood and one at my school)

My Boy is SO BIG

2010-06-13T18:54:00.000-07:00

My boy is getting so BIG! He is such a good big brother and a great son. We are so glad to have him in our family. Happy Birthday Ethan!

I can't tell... do they love him, or do they love that we are having cake because it is his birthday?

We took Ethan and his friend Daniel to Jack N Jill's bowling.

Ethan also had fun racing in the arcade. He's actually really good! Look at the concentration on his face!

The girls having their own fun!

Look Who's 2

2010-06-13T17:58:00.000-07:00

Bella turned 2 on April 22! We celebrated with some cake and ice cream at Aunt Laura and Uncle David's house with grandma and grandpa and our cousins.

We opened presents at our house before heading out to Chuck E. Cheese's! Bella's big gift this year was a Tinker Bell Big Wheel! She can almost ride it... her legs are a little too short still.

Chocolate cake at Chuck E Cheese's

Easter 2010

2010-04-07T14:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

The kids were excited to decorate the eggs this year! There were stickers to decorate these eggs with funny faces too! Everybody went to bed feeling excited to wake up and hunt for those eggs. Unfortunately, Lexy woke up during the night throwing up. It was so sad. She woke up feeling horrible but was a trooper. She hunted for the eggs along side Ethan and Bella, but as soon as the eggs were found, she went straight to my bed to rest. She threw up a few more times that day, but after some rest, she finally felt better. We had Easter dinner at my mom and dad's house and everybody felt great! (Unfortunately, within the next couple of days, we have all had whatever it is that she had. Thank goodness it is Spring Break and we can lay around and do nothing for a few days!)

Ready to dye those eggs!

Making the silly faces on the eggs!

Hunting for eggs... the easter Bunny hid them throughout the whole house this year!

Our favorite Easter gifts!

Final Score...

2010-03-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

Really, it has been FOREVER since I have added anything to this blog. I have been super busy and tired these last few months and have had no energy to work on this. After MANY complaints from friends and family, I decided to add our Christmas pictures (it's only the end of March!) I needed to get them in before Easter next week!!

We have great news to share also... In August, our family will be blessed with a new baby BOY! We just had the ultrasound yesterday and found out that Ethan will no longer be the only boy in the family. He is so excited!! 2boys and 2 girls sounds pretty good to me:))

Christmas 2009

2010-03-27T18:57:00.000-07:00

Christmas 2009 in Ohio

The Rico cousins

Christmas 2009 at Nana and Papa's with our cousin Gavin.

Ethan and his cousin Gavin. He was so excited that there was another boy in the family!

Baby Gavin 11/14/2009

We got to see our first nephew/cousin on the Rico side for Christmas this year. He is so cute! The kids absolutely adore him! After a 26 hour drive across the U.S, we got to spend two fun weeks with Tony's family for Christmas. Once Gavin was born in November, Tony decided that we needed to go out there! We're so glad that we did. We had such a great time. Surprisingly, our kids were really good during our travels. It was well worth the 26 hours in the car- there and back!

Another Milestone...

2009-12-13T15:43:00.000-08:00

No, lexy didn't dump him out of any stroller... he really lost his first tooth! Ethan was so excited to have a loose tooth. It felt like forever that it was loose. We couldn't wait for it to fall out. The new tooth could be seen before the baby tooth ever fell out. Ethan was excited that it fell out at school, and he was even more excited to see what the tooth fairy had left him under his pillow.

Halloween 2009

2009-12-13T15:37:00.000-08:00

Trick or Treat!!

Isabella- Ballerina

Ethan- Wizard

Alexys- Snow Princess

Trip to visit Grandma Gengler in California

2009-12-13T15:19:00.000-08:00

Tony and I moved from Northern California to Utah in June of 2002. We have only been back a few times since then. The last time was when Ethan was 4 months old... about 6 years ago. Needless to say, a trip to see Grandma Gengler was long over due. I decided that she needed to meet my daughter's too! My mom and I drove with the kids to see her in October.

My Grandma, and the kid's Great Grandma Gengler.

Oct. 2009

During our stay, we were able to visit Tony's Aunt Michellee and her kids, Frank Lou, Courtnee, and Chelsee. My kids had a great time running around with other kids.

We took the kids to Mickey Grove Park to let them release some energy before we started our drive back to Utah. Ethan and Lexy loved all of the rides... Bella was a little un-sure. She liked it better on solid ground!

8 years later...

2009-11-10T19:10:00.000-08:00

Happy 8th Anniversary!

11-10-01

8 years ago Tony and I were sealed in the Oakland Temple by my grandpa. What an amazing experience! It was a perfect day. 8 years later, and 3 kids later, we are so grateful for the things that we have been blessed with during our marriage. I am so lucky to be married to my best friend. I love you Tony.

Bahama's 2009

2009-11-01T15:00:00.000-08:00

I can not even describe how GREAT our vacation was to the Bahamas this year. We were so lucky to be able to go and have Tony's parents come to our home to watch the kids while we were gone. There is no way we would have been able to go without them. Thank you, thank you, thank you Nana and Papa! (The kids loved having you here!)

Tony and I enjoyed a week in the Bahamas with our good friends Mandi and Josh Milius.
Of course we have tons of pictures to share, but I tried to narrow it down to the fun ones!

A night at Tino Beach for a bonfire...

At the bonfire, we enjoyed Bahamian food and live entertainment including a fire dance. The fire dancer singed Tony's leg hairs! It was so funny. Tony and I also won a dance/partner competition thingy where we won a bottle of Vodka. Needless to say, a sweet newlywed couple got a nice honeymoon gift from some strangers who don't drink!

Taking advantage of the pool area at Tino Beach. Their pool area included a water slide and a swim-up-to bar. Tony and Josh thought it would be funny to "play" at the bar. Hence the picture of them pretending to be trapped under the water. Really, I don't think we needed much more entertainment than Tony and Josh on this trip!

Some of the cool things we would find along the beach; a beautiful flower growing out of a rock, and these crazy white crabs that would run sideways along the beach.

And some of the "not so beautiful" things we would see along the beach!! Just kidding Tony! (check out the "wings" sticking out of Tony's goggles)

Bahama's National Park

There were really neat caves to explore and the beautiful beach to enjoy here.

Mandi and I enjoyed the calm, shallow waters while Tony and Josh swam out to the island for some snorkeling. We could literally sit about 30 yards into the water without being hit by waves. It was beautiful!

A day of snorkeling off a boat in the open waters. On the boat was a water slide and a rock climbing wall. That afternoon was a blast!

We drove out to Deadman's Reef to do some snorkeling. There we saw some sting ray, turtles, and some jelly fish. Believe it or not, we're pretty sure that Tony, Josh, and Mandi were all stung by jelly fish during our trip (not at Deadman's Reef).

Seriously, could we look any more like tourists! Check out the size of our tiny car! We were shocked that Josh could fit!

Our last night.... enjoying ourselves on a sunset dinner cruise. It was beautiful. Good food, great entertainment, and great friends to share it with. Thanks for joining us in the Bahamas Mandi and Josh! We had such a WONDERFUL time!!

Poor Bella

2009-08-31T20:42:00.000-07:00

Look closely at her mouth....

I do believe that some day, some how, Bella will get revenge on her big sister Lexy!

Today while I was at work, I called home to see how Lexy's day was at pre-school. Tony answered and I asked him how everything was going. "Not good" was his reply. I said "What happened?" He told me that Lexy wanted to push Bella home on their way back from pre-school. Lexy started running while pushing the stroller and the stroller tipped over smashing Bella's face right into the ground. Poor thing. Lexy then fell on top of the stroller that Bella was still under. Tony yelled at Lexy to get up fast as he was rushing over to help. Evidentally, Lexy wasn't moving fast enough so Tony pulled her off and tossed her to the side. She said "But dad, I'm hurt too." He said, "But not like your sister!" She was bleeding, scratched up on the face with scratches over most of her hands and knees, and left with half of a front tooth. I felt so bad hearing that this had happened. She just looked so sad for the rest of the day. Cold drinks didn't taste so good to her after that. We'll get to the dentist on Wednesday to see what they can do for her. I guess we should be greatful that it is a baby tooth, but she will have to have that tooth for another 5 years or so! Poor Bella.... but like I said, I'm sure Bella will payback her big sister some day, some how!

First Day of Pre-School

2009-08-28T05:38:00.000-07:00

Our little girl started Pre-School! She said she had such a good time. She was so excited to talk about it for the rest of the day!!

YEAH LEXY!!

A Day of Firsts...

2009-08-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

My 1st Born

Started his 1st Day

of 1st Grade!

Ethan was so excited to start his first day of first grade at a new school. North Point is where Ethan and I both will be spending a lot of our time!

My 1st Daughter

Started her 1st year of Soccer!

Lexy's first practice was a couple of days ago and she was way excited! However, she had her first soccer game today and she wasn't quite sure what she was doing!! We'll see if she gets into it like Ethan in the next few games!

Summer 2009

2009-08-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

5 things I LOVE about this summer...

1. Our family got to visit all of my siblings and their families. (Except for my brother Marcus and his family. He's in Iraq and his family is in Texas)

2. Our family got to visit all of Tony's family in Ohio.

3. We got a new cousin/nephew. Baby Trey was born in July. Congrats Sam!

4. Found out that we will be getting a new cousin/nephew in December. Congrats Nicole!

5. Bella started walking!

5 things I HATE about this summer...

1. Tony's brother Brian had to suffer through 6 weeks of radiation.

2. Tony's Grandmother passed away.

3. I had to drive by myself with 4 kids to California and back.

4. I didn't get any projects at home finished.... or started for that matter!

5. It's over!!!!

Yes... school meetings start on Monday. I am ready for consistency, but not for waking up at 6am!

Great Grandma Rico

2009-08-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

This last Monday, August 3, Tony's Grandmother, Nickie Rico passed away. We will miss grandma very much. She was such as fun lady! We were so lucky to have the chance to visit with her in June. At that time, she had just injured her leg and was in the hospital. Unfortunately, she was never able to recover fully from that and suffered other complications from her injury. It is comforting to know that she is no longer suffering and she can now be at peace with Great Grandpa Rico and other family members who have passed before her. However, she will be greatly missed by all of those she has left behind.

Four generations: Great Grandma Rico, Grandpa Rico, Tony, and Ethan

Great Grandma Rico with the kids
(June 2009)

A Busy Summer with Lots of Family!

2009-07-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

July turned out to be a Very Busy month for our family! We enjoyed a great family vacation in June with Tony's side of the family, and July was spent with my side of the family. After being home only 4 days from Ohio, my nephew Benjamin flew out to our house from California to stay with us. We had him at our house for about 10 days before me, my 3 kids and Benjamin all packed up for a road trip to California. I must say that the kids were great for that trip. I was so grateful for Benjamin's help. We stayed in California for 5 days where I got to see my sister and her family which included my newest nephew, Trey. I also got to spend some time with my other sister when she returned from her vacation. Then, the kids and I packed up for a trip back to Utah with my sister Samantha and 4 of her 5 kids. They stayed at our house for a week. Many of our activities included my brother David' family, as well as grandma and grandpa. These activities included a day at Raging Waters, a hike up Bridal Veil Falls, shopping in Park City, Bowling, a walk through the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House, Fireworks, and a couple of family BBQs along the way. A weeks worth of lots of Family FUN!

WELCOME BABY TREY!

(Born July 2, 2009)

Bella at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House.

(Yes, she is officially walking now!)

Bowling with my sister Samantha and her kids, Trey, Trenton, Tyra and Taylor. Courtney also decided to join us. All of the cousins had a blast!

Maybe you cannot tell, but Ethan is slipping! He fell right on his bum!

Lexy had a little help with her bowling:)

(Unfortunately, I didn't pull my camera out at many of our activities. I am waiting to get some of those pictures from my sister and will post them next time)

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-26T19:26:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate to have our cousin/nephew Benjamin with us for a week this summer. We celebrated the 4th of July with him, along with Uncle David's family and Grandma and Grandpa. Here were some of the days activities...

Uncle David and Benjamin had a blast setting off fireworks in front of our house while Ethan and Lexy played with the sparklers. Bella loved the view from Courtney's lap!

All ready to enjoy the day at Grandma and Grandpa's for a BBQ and water games!

Happy 4th of July!

We started the day riding on the scooters! (Yes, we are nieve... the next time the kids wore helmets I promise!)

FUN in OHIO

2009-07-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

We have just returned from a GREAT vacation with our family in Ohio. It is always so fun to see everybody. We are the only ones who don't live in Ohio (or within a couple hours driving distance) and we don't get to see everybody whenever we want, so it is a treat for us to be out there. We spent about a week and a half with Tony's parents during which time we got to spend a lot of time with Uncle's Tim, Joe and Brian and Aunt Nicole. While we were there we also got to visit with Tony's Grandma, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and other extended family and friends. The kids are really excited about the fact that the next time that we go out there, they will have a new cousin... a little boy! Aunt Nicole had her ultrasound while we were out there and Ethan was way excited that to hear that there will be another boy in the family since he and his sisters are the only grandkids!

Rico Family July 2009

The Rico Brothers

Joe, Brian, Nicole, Ali, Tony, and Tim

Our FUN in Ohio....

FUN at Cedar Point!

FUN in the Pool!

FUN at the Park!

FUN at the Lake!

During our visit, we went to Uncle Brian

and Aunt Nicole's to celebrate Father's Day. While there we swam in their pool, walked the dogs, and played cards. (Playing cards is kind of a tradition that we do every night while we're in Ohio!) We also went to Cedar Point, we went to a couple of different parks, hiked a trail to some waterfalls, celebrated Papa's birthday, went to Lake Erie, played some golf (Tony anyway), and saw a movie. It was a busy week with lots of FUN!

Thanksgiving Point

2009-07-04T10:20:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving Point with Mandi and her family. We got to spend some time with my best friend Mandi and her family for just a short time between her sister's wedding and our trip to Ohio. We took the kids to Thanksgiving Point to see the animals and enjoy some ice cream!

4 Years Ago Today...

2009-06-03T19:46:00.000-07:00

June 3, 2005, 3:32pm.... Our first daughter was born. Alexys Renee Rico was 7lbs. 3oz. 19in. long. We were so excited to have our first baby girl. She has brought so much joy into our home and our hearts. She has got the funniest personality! Her goal each day is to make everybody laugh. She is silly and fun-loving. She is a great playmate for her big brother and a wonderful caretaker for her baby sister. We love you very much Lexy, and wish you a very Happy Birthday!

Our Beautiful 4 year old!

Lexy's fun personality coming out!

At the lake with Nana and Papa

Princess for Halloween

Don't I look like a princess!

Lexy- 1 year

Lexy's 1st Christmas!

A Busy & Exciting Week for the Rico's!

2009-05-31T17:58:00.000-07:00

The last week of school is always busy, but for the Rico family, it was a bit much for me to handle... physically and emotionally! First, my oldest graduated from Kindergarten! Yeah! Before the big day, he had a dance festival performance at the school, field day and many other "fun" days. But the big day came on Thursday. Of course my own class was doing all of the same things so I was as busy as Ethan was. Each day that we practiced for graduation, I would get a little choked up. I just figured it was because my son was graduated. When the big day came, I cried while handing out the diplomas to my class. Evidently, I was also sad about ending the school year and saying good bye to my own class. (What a SAP ha!)

I had to clean out my classroom the next day to get my stuff ready to be moved to the new school. The next day, I had a day long "Activity Girls Day Camp" to attend before getting Lexy ready for her dance show. That was lots of fun. While attempting to make it through this busy week, I have found myself sick as a dog! My body just knows when it can finally relax, then I get sick! I can't wait to feel better and get all of my summer plans started... like cleaning house, organizing, you know, all of those things that have been put on hold for the last 9 months of school! YEAH for SUMMER!

"I Want to be a Dancer!"

(From left to right: Lexy, Cassidy, McKenzie, Sophie, Emily, Emery, & Tayli)

These were just a couple of pictures I got of her not looking at the other girls while she was dancing. I don't think she was very confident in knowing the steps so she spent a lot of time watching the other girls!

Lexy with her Dance teacher and the whole class together. Aren't they the cutest!

Ethan's BIG Day!

We are so proud of you Bud! You have grown so much this year, and have really done so well in school. It was a lot of fun to share this year with you teaching at Fox Hollow. Congratulations Ethan!! We love you so much!

In line to get his "diploma" and sitting with his classmates. He did a great job with his speaking part as well. I can't believe he is growing up so fast!

Ethan graduated with his best friend Landon... We have pictures of them as infants too... wouldn't it be funny to see them looking like this 12 years from now! I know they would love it!

We love Mrs. Peck! We'll miss you. (I say "We" because I got to work with this great teacher, and I will miss her too!)

Family Pictures 2009... & then some

2009-05-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate enough to have a wonderful neighbor take some great family pictures for us that I wanted to share. She did such a great job! The kids could not have been worse, and yet she got some really good ones!

Isabella- 1year

Ethan- 6 years

Alexys- 4 years

It has been a while since I have posted a blog. I really can't give a reason as to why I have been a slacker. The last two weeks really haven't been the greatest in our family (extended family mostly) and I really didn't feel like there was much to be excited about. However, there are a few things worth mentioning. As most of the neighbors have slowly been finding out, the rumors are true... I will be teaching full time kindergarten at the new elementary school starting this fall. It is for sure now and it's an appropriate time to share this fun news. I am grateful that I get to continuing working where my own kids will be going to school. More news that is worth sharing is our recent plans to go to the Bahamas in the fall!!! I am so excited. All of the plans have been made. We are so lucky that Tony's parents offered to fly out here to watch the kids while we enjoy ourselves on this vacation with my best friend Mandi and her husband. Mandi and Josh invited us on a trip to New York a couple years ago, so we thought it would be fun to have them with us on this trip too.

I Can't Believe He's 6!

2009-05-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

This handsome boy blessed us with his presence at 8:27pm on May 1, 2003. He was 7lbs. 9.5oz and was 20 1/2 in. long. It took all day to get him here! Ethan is such a great son and brother. He is such a pleaser for his mom and dad, as well as his teachers. He is a wonderful example to his younger sisters as well. They look up to him and want to do all of the fun things that a big brother can do. We love him so much and are so proud of him.

Ethan's 1st day of Kindergarten.

Don't I look handsome!

Say "Cheese."

Ethan's love for learning started early.

Ethan's 1st birthday!

Ethan was blessed by his dad on July 6th, 2003.

True Confessions at the Rico House

2009-05-02T18:53:00.000-07:00

Our lives have been super busy this last week between Bella and Ethan's birthdays but it has not stopped us from taking these crazy pictures. Honestly, each of these things have all happened in the last week, minus 2 of them. We just thought they would be funny to share.

We always said that Lexy took after her cousin Ashley. Heaven help us!!

Bella sleeping in her most comfy position and Bella trying her Uncle Joe's kind of food... paper products!!

Really, do I need to explain?!! At our house, when you get hurt you ask for one of two things... a band aid or an ice pack!!

When Ethan grows up, he says he wants to be just like his dad... we'll give him a few more years!

I've got a surprise for you...

2009-04-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

So, do you notice anything different? Take a good look. Come on, I know you can find it! Here, try the back... anything??? Yes, you've got it. My daughter with the long locks has gone to a bob! Was it by choice you ask.... not quite. Lexy decided to take the sissors to her own hair last night. She is so lucky that we had company over at our house when I saw it.

Really, how can you get mad when her haircut turned out so cute. Thank you April! Just a side note... Lexy and Ethan just had haircuts by April a week ago before our family pictures. I'm glad her hair was long for those. I'll post some of those family pics to show some before and after shots of her hair. Also, to be honest, I wanted to try this with her hair a year ago and Tony talked me out of it. I guess we didn't have much of a choice this time!

April 22nd... one year later

2009-04-22T20:52:00.000-07:00

1 year

12 months

52 weeks

365 days.....

of pure joy!

We have been so blessed this last year to see our baby Bella grow so much! She has brought so much joy and laughter into our family. Her older brother and sister absolutely adore her! Her beautiful smile, her bright blue eyes and her cheerful personality bring happiness to our home each and every day. We love Bella and want to wish her a very happy 1st birthday with many, many more to follow!

Spring 2009

Just learning to crawl.

Bella's first Christmas!

Bella's first Halloween costume was a pumpkin!

Her first flight on a plane was a trip to Ohio to see the Rico side of the family in July 2008.

This is just a stinkin' cute picture of her in her car seat:)

Isabella was given a blessing by her father in May 2008.

April 22, 2008... Our beautiful baby girl, Isabella Marie, was born at 4:54pm. She weighed 7lbs. 13oz. and was 20in. long.

Easter Sunday... a week late!

2009-04-19T19:54:00.000-07:00

We missed Easter Sunday because we were in Bear Lake with family, so our Easter pictures are a week late.

What are the chances that you can get three kids to look at the same place, at the same time, all with smiles? Well you can see after multiple attempts that it wasn't going to happen here!

Bella's 1st Easter!

Our Spring Break with Uncle Brian and Aunt Nicole

2009-04-19T19:28:00.000-07:00

This was us after a week long, fun-filled vacation with Uncle Brian and Aunt Nicole! The kids had such a good time with them. We will miss them... at least for the next 2 months until we fly out to visit them in June! This weeks adventures consisted of a trip to Bear Lake, movies, miniature golf, swimming, playing the Wii, eating out and playing cards (the last one was after hours with the adults of course!). Here are a few more pictures of our fun with them to add to the others.

What am I supposed to do with this? It doesn't fit into my mouth...

The next Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam!

What good is a day of putt putt if you can't climb on the course!

After multiple days of rain and snow, we finally had a day of nice weather and took advantage by spending the day at Mulligan's. Believe it or not, our kids had never been to a miniature golf course before. I know, we are horrible parents! Uncle Brian and Tony played a round of golf and the rest of us met them there for some putt putt.

Easter 2009

2009-04-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

Our family was so lucky to have special visitors for Easter this year. Uncle Brian and Aunt Nicole came out from Ohio to spend Spring Break with us. After picking them up from the airport, we drove straight to Bear Lake. On our way, we stopped in Logan at the cemetary to visit Grandma and Grandpa Ballif. Brian and Nicole had never been there. After that, we drove through snow and hail to make it to our condo. We thought we were doomed to have bad weather all weekend. Fortunately, we were lucky to have beautiful weather the whole time. We spent time at the pool, at the lake, at the park and on the golf course.

The kids were afraid that the Easter Bunny would not know that we were not home and that he would not find us at Bear Lake.... I think he found his way! Eggs were hidden and gifts were left behind. It was more difficult for the kids to find the eggs this year since they were not hidden in the "usual" spots like they are at home.

Although the water was too cold for swimming, the kids had a great time digging in the sand while the grown ups played games of ladderball. We also spent time blowing and catching bubbles as well as off roading in our car.... and yes, I mean our van! It was quite the adventure! The kids yelled, "Do it again Daddy!"

Aren't they naturals! They will be great parents. I think they got a good look at what they will be getting themselves into come December!

We spent a lot of time at the pool of course!

Our last stop was at the park where the kids and I and Aunt Nicole hung out while Daddy and Uncle Brian went golfing. My battery died so my picture of Lexy didn't come out... but look at my little monkey boy and his brave little sister on the swing. We had a great time.

10 Blessings I'm Grateful For Right Now...

2009-03-27T05:30:00.000-07:00

1- One amazing, generous, helpful, handsome and smart son! Ethan is the best big brother, a hard worker at school and an overall good kid.

2- Two beautiful, fun-loving and energetic daughters! Lexy will do anything to get you to laugh and smile... Bella just smiles and it makes you smile!!

3- Three birthdays to celebrate in the next three months for my three children! April, May, and June are party months at our house!

4- Four siblings who have taught me everything I need to know in life... whether good or bad! Thanks you guys!

5- Five wonderful years living in a great neighborhood with the most wonderful neighbors! You guys are awesome!

6- Six years of teaching under my belt! I am grateful that I have my teaching degree to work with these bright little people who will determine the future of the world in which we all live.

7- Seven years of marriage to the most wonderful man in the world! Tony is my best friend and the love of my life.

8- Eight months until Tony and I hope to go on a vacation without the kids! We are hoping to be able to pull off a vacation to Cancun in October.

9- Nine more weeks until school is out and I get to start on a very busy and eventful summer vacation! One wedding, one trip to Ohio, one trip to California (in the same week even!), a new nephew will be born, etc...

10- Ten pounds I've lost since the beginning of the year, and another 10 pounds that I hope to lose soon!! (I had a hard time thinking of one for 10, but really, I am proud of myself for this accomplishment!!)

While lying in bed last night, I realized that I had so many things to be grateful for in my life and if I am going to utilize this blog as a journal, I needed to write these things down. Hopefully it will inspire some of you to reflect on those things that you have been blessed with in your life as well.

What's New At Our House This Week?

2009-03-26T16:28:00.000-07:00

Every week brings something new to our home, however, this week there were a few that stood out among others.

Isabella- got a NEW TOOTH for a total of 7! 4 on top and 3 now on the bottom.

Alexys- got a NEW CD for her dance class so she can practice her routines for her dance recital in May. We really look foward to listening to that....... lots!

Ethan- got NEW CLEATS for his NEW SEASON of SOCCER. He is growing so fast and has out-grown his last pair that lasted for a good 2 years. They'll be waiting for Lexy to use them in the fall!

I was trying really hard to think of NEW things for Tony and I but I came up short. Technically, I had something to share but since it isn't official yet, I didn't think that it would be appropriate to share. And no, I'm not pregnant! (I know our neighborhood well enough to know that it crossed your minds!)

Beautiful Day at the Park

2009-03-22T15:54:00.000-07:00

How could we not take advantage of the beautiful weather we experienced this week! We spent as much time as possible outside. These pictures are from our day at the park with our friends Landon, Cole and Gavin. We also visited the library for story time.

Catchin' Up!

2009-03-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, yes... I am a HUGE slacker! But in my defense I feel like I have a legitimate excuse. Of course my computer has been down for a while but my genius brother, David, took apart our laptop and fixed it! When I got it back... I couldn't find my camera! I couldn't find it for a few weeks so I am trying to catch up. Sorry that it is a month after Valentine's Day, but I needed to post something!

As for our family, we are all doing well. Nothing new or exciting is really going on. Ethan will start soccer soon, Lexy's dance recital is coming up shortly, and my baby Bella is crawling all over the place! I'm including just a few pictures that I have gotten in the last little bit. Now that I have both my computer and my camera back, my goal is to add a new post every Sunday.

This is what you get when your 3 year old decides that she isn't ready for bed! All dressed up like a princess, laying on the stairs because she knows she'll get in trouble if she comes downstairs. Lexy was sent to bed a good hour before we headed upstairs for bed and found her like this.

Family Fun at Skate Express!

Even Bella was able to have some fun as Ethan pushed her in her stroller!

Lexy got tired so she just jumped on her dad's feet for a ride around the rink!

Scooters are aloud on the rink as well. Ethan was proud of himself because he could skate with roller blades.

TUBS of Fun!!

Valentine's Day 2009

2009-03-15T20:19:00.000-07:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

After a fun filled day of heart shaped pancakes, homemade Valentine's for dad made of candy hearts, a red dinner (spaghetti & meatballs w/ red kool-aid) and of course red roses from dad, we got ourselves dressed up for church. Mom re-used our Christmas dresses by using pink shirts underneath to make Valentine dresses!!

Kids will be Kids!

2009-02-13T05:48:00.000-08:00

Here I am again posting without a picture but I have to share these stories. I love my children very much and don't always record the funny things they do.

First, to start off this crazy week, my car was hit on Monday night. A girl thought that she didn't have to look in her rear view mirror before she backed up in a parking lot. Go figure... Anyway, we have been dealing with insurance issues all week and needless to say, it is Friday, I do not have a rental yet and my car is still not in the shop! I am a little frustrated at this point. But the things that have happened in the last 24 hours have brought me back to reality and really reminded me of what things should be most important in my life. That would be my family. So, here is story number one about Lexy.

My girls go to a neighbor's house while I teach at the school in the afternoons. I went to pick them up and Lexy was upstairs with her friend dancing to some music. My friend told me that they got a hold of her I-pod and she apoligized for some of the music that they might be dancing to. I wasn't worried.... then the girls came out to see me and they were dancing singing this song "MuHum, MuHum, MuHum, MuHum, MuHum". For those of you who don't speak pre-school, this is what they were trying to sing "My Hump, My Hump, My Hump, My Hump, My Hump." We were dying! It was the funniest thing seeing these two 3/4 year olds shaking their little behinds to a song that they didn't understand at all. I wish I had the video camera!

So here's Ethan's story. I had two choices when it happened... get really angry, or just laugh my head off. I chose to laugh!

So, out of nowhere last night around 11pm, Bella woke up screaming. It was so strange because she never wakes up and this was a painful, painful scream. After about 20-30 minutes of this we realized that it was just gas and after some Milicon drops (the greatest stuff in the world for babies) she was back to sleep. But during her screaming, she woke up Ethan. At this time, I was laying in bed and heard Ethan wake up. After a minute or so I heard him go down stairs where dad was trying to help Bella. Then Ethan came back upstairs crying. At this point I was a little confused. I got up to check on him. He was sitting on the toilet in the bathroom. I saw that there was nothing in the toilet, but some wet spots on the bathroom mat. I said "Ethan, did you pee on the floor?" While crying, he just said "I don't know." Of course the tired irritated mom at this point says "What do you mean you don't know?" He responds with "I don't know??" He got off the toilet and starts to put his jammies back on when he says "My jammies are wet mom." At this point I'm a little bugged and say "Ethan let's go in your room and change your clothes, it looks like you missed the toilet." So we go to his room, he's changing his clothes when I look toward his dirty clothes hamper. I see drops of wetness on the floor! Then I say (almost yell- remember, in my defense, I have been up with a screaming baby for a while too) "Ethan, did you pee on the floor?" He responds with the same "I don't know?" Then I see his jeans hanging over the edge of his hamper and they are soaked! I finally put two and two together and realize that when Ethan first got out of bed, he must have had to go to the bathroom, walked straight over to his closet (assuming it was the bathroom) and tried to pee in his hamper!!!! He must have been woken up in such a sound state that he didn't even know where he was. Poor kid!! Of course I ran down stairs to share the story with Tony and together we laughed. How can you get made at that!!!

Computer Melt Down

2009-02-05T06:33:00.000-08:00

I am dying here! Our computer is having "techinical" difficulties and I have not been able to add anything to my blog in forever! I have been keeping up with all of yours and been very jealous! Not that too much has been going on really, but there are a few things to share. I hate that I am adding a blog without a picture, but I can't download any right now. In a nutshell, things have gone a little back to normal since Christmas. Ethan is back to school, (as am I), Lexy gets to play with Tayli everyday:), and Bella... well, she's just sweet little Bella getting bigger and happier each day! Tony, however, has since gotten a promotion at the gym! YEAH! It should be a good thing, but mostly scary for the next little while. The nice thing is, he will be coming home during the middle of the day to watch the girls while I work. That will be great daddy-daughter time! He will quit his job with the chiropractor next week and work only at the gym from now on. He is doing awesome and loves being there. I'm so happy for him. This week, I have SEP conferences at school. I don't know any teacher who loves those! Having to meet with every parent to discuss how "well" their child is doing... it's not very fun when the child is not doing so "well". Wish me luck! With things like this going on, I need something to look forward to in the future. Here are a few things that we have to look forward to in the next few months:

March- My best friend and her family will be up here to visit! Can't wait to see you Mandi.

April- Uncle Brian and Aunt Nicole will be here for Easter Break! Bella's 1st birthday!

May- Ethan's 6th birthday! School ends!

June- Lexy's 4th birthday! My best friend's little sister is getting married! Congratulations Allison!

July- Trip to California!

Even if things seem slow now, they are really going to pick up in the next few months! We're so excited to see all of our family and friends so soon!

Weekend Getaway

2009-01-11T19:48:00.000-08:00

I haven't written much about Tony and I so I thought I would share a great weekend that we just had. Tony's boss takes his employees to this amazing "cabin" for an over night Christmas party. Really it is no cabin at all, it's more like a "resort". One of their patients is the owner of NuSkin.... ever heard of it? Well, he has homes all over the place and let's Tony's boss take his staff to his place out near Park City. It is Amazing! We got to stay in the top room of the tower. That's right, I said tower! There is a main house with 4 huge rooms, kitchen, movie room, etc... and there is another "house" with the fitness area, libraries, game room, a couple more bedrooms and a tower. The tower has two rooms, one above the other with a hot tub on top. Our room was the top room. It had a rock/waterfall shower surrounded by windows that look out into the mountains, there was an elevator that took us up to our room, and the hot tub was right upstairs above us! We felt so spoiled! It was great. We played on snowmobiles as well. We couldn't have gotten away this weekend without our great friends, Libby and Jeff, who stayed with our kids. So, thanks you guys. We owe you big time! When you move back to Hawaii and start your family, call us to watch your kids. We'll be out there in no time!!

A Look-Alike

2009-01-11T19:20:00.000-08:00

This is for all of you who love the Twilight series as much as I do......

I have to admit that I had no desire to read the books when they first came out, mostly because I felt like I haven't had time to read since before my son was born! And to be honest, who would have thought that a vampire love story would be all that great! So, needless to say, back in April when my daughter was born, I had not read the books and knew nothing of the story beyond the whole vampire thing. So, before I go on, I want you to take a look at my daughter. There are two pictures. The first one is to show you how stinkin' cute she really is. It was a nightmare trying to get the second one just right.... but take a look at the second picture.... what do you see??

That's right, my daughter has fangs! Does anybody else think it is ironic that my daughter, Isabella Marie, has fangs?? Yeah, pretty scary hah!

I love the Twilight series. I read all 4 books in just a week or so back in Nov/Dec. I think it is so funny that my daughter has the same name and apparently has the same traits as the main character!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2008-12-29T09:33:00.000-08:00

We need a break. So much sledding... so little time.

How do I look?

Christmas '08

2008-12-29T09:25:00.000-08:00

We wish we could see you all at this time of year. You are all in our thoughts and prayers. We hope you have all had a Merry Christmas! Ours was great.... and very white! We were blessed with TONS of snow this year. Ethan and Lexy have been outside as much as possible playing in the snow. But, they have not been alone. Their dad has been out there with them, building a ramp down the stairs from our front porch. He has created a jump over our sidewalk as well!

First Christmas

2008-12-29T09:23:00.001-08:00

Our 3 Beautiful Children

2008-12-27T21:08:00.001-08:00

Ethan is our 5 1/2 year old. He is a great, big brother and a big helper to mom. He is such a good example to his sisters. He is doing very well in school and is loving every minute of kindergarten.

Alexys (Lexy) is our 3 1/2 year old. She is full of energy! She loves her baby sister as well and helps mom take care of her. She is taking dance right now to release all of that energy!

Isabella (Bella) is our 8 month old. She is the newest addition to our family. Ethan and Lexy adore her! They want to do everything for her. Mom definately appreciates them for that! She is a great baby. We love her great, big smiles and bright blue eyes!

2008-12-27T14:18:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't get to see us much, I'm starting this new blog. I spend so much time on the computer as it is, I might as well keep everybody up to date on all the FUN taking place at the Rico home!