crazy life & change...

Mike keeps telling me I need to update! So here I am...and I realize that I pretty much skipped Mike's graduation all together. It was such a great few days with family here and lots of friends for his party. I appreciate everyone's support, thank you. We are proud of him, for sure! And then Payton had his last day of school, he will sure miss it...he just loves school. It feels like life quickly changes and I am trying to adapt and stay afloat! Swimming lessons started this week, Sydney cried the entire time! But Payton did well and is in the same class as his friend Kaylee, so he is enjoying it. I, however, have to get in with Sydney and so I feel like crying the entire time! We are looking forward to a fun summer together.

The Road to Hana...

We took a ride on the wild side and went to Hana to day. The boys were skeptical of the long & windy road, but it turned out to be a great day with breathtaking views and memorable outings. I especially loved the red sand beach where we jumped into the most crystal blue water (yes, I jumped...but my heart was thumping fast!) and I should mention clothing was optional at that beach which turned out to be quite interesting :) The waterfalls and vibrant green foliage were so beautiful and Hana town was quaint and quiet. We enjoyed warm banana bread that we bought at a roadside stand. It was a long day, but quite well worth it. These pics show our busy day. I think it was one of the most beautiful places I have been! Love you all!

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Snorkel Addicts...

Seems like we have snorkeled a lot this trip! Today we had such beautiful weather and we spent it out on a boat in the sunshine! We snorkeled at Molokini crater and turle town. It was so nice and I loved swimming with the big turtles. Mike & Dallas went scuba diving and saw a 7 foot shark! yikes! We had a very fun day even if the Suns lost...bummer. We miss you all at home. Love ya and ALOHA!

crazies...

These boys are like 5 year old kids together. They all buzzed their heads this morning and now we seem to be the center of attention around the pool...people stare like they are a bit afraid :) We had a wonderful beach day. Maui is the best!

"UFC Wannabies"

The Girls LOVE the sun!

Aloha

Our trip to Maui

Well, we are here at last. The first 6 hours of the trip were less than perfect. Mike and I always seem to get the crappiest seat on the plane, but the company was good and the people next to us were friendly. The weather here is perfect and warm. We went to church yesterday morning and then hung out at the beach all afternoon. We snorkeled with turtles and we all underestimated the power of the sun here...we are all a little burnt today but we bought heavy duty sunscreen last night! I had yummy macadamia crusted mahi mahi for dinner last night at "Canoes" where the sunset was just beatiful. It was a great start to a great vacation. We are missing our babies, but talked to them last night and they sound happy & well. Payton and Sydney...mom and dad love you and can't wait to see you soon. Have fun and be good! ALOHA! Hope all you moms out there had a wonderful day yesterday...all our love.

It's the Playoffs, Baby!

My favorite Boys...

I LOVE the SUNS!

Mike and I got to go to the SUNS playoff game against the Spurs last night. Man, it was the best thing I've ever done. I got to see a few "celebrities" which is always fun for me. And I should mention that I LOVE Barbosa and Nash. The whole crowd wore bandaids on their noses to be like Steve Nash! Mike kept harrassing Bowen and Duncan...they are the biggest whiners. He would say, "Hey Bowen, where's your bottle?" It was funny though a tad emarrassing :) Mike was convinced he got "in their heads". It was so intense up front where we were sitting (third row!!!), I had anxiety a lot, but it was the best night! Thank goodness we won or I would have been sick that we spent so much money on those tickets! But was it worth it, you ask? EVERY PENNY.

Our biggest little campers!

They're all smiles...

Ward Camp Out!

Well, we went on our first family campout. And these kids had a ball. We went to Camp Lo-Mia (our girl's camp) on Friday night. We had skits, songs, s'mores and smoke! The kids were dirty and loving it. On Saturday the kids did a nature hike while the adults did service for an Eagle Project. We played games and had lunch and headed home. Man, we were dirty and so tired! We have recovered now and Payton is begging to go back.

children serving children

Service Makes A Smile :)

I want to post a bit about our last primary activity. Though, I tend to make myself physically sick with all the planning and carrying out of these things, this one was such a success and I think the kids really loved it, I wanted to share. We did a service project for kids at the Child Crisis Center here in Mesa. We asked families in the ward to donate to our cause for about a month prior to the activity. We gathered items for birthday kits, summer fun kits, hygiene kits, and fleece blankets. At the activity, we had a lot of the "smile" theme going on (smile balloons, smile fruit snacks)...to emphasize that their service would bring smiles to the faces of other children. We had a snack right at the beginning because it was right after school, then we watched a brief video on humanitarian aid and the church, then split into groups and completed 5 stations of service (the 5th was service coupon books to use on their own family members). We tied it up with smiley faced cupcakes and sent them on their way. My biggest joy came on Sunday when a child prayed for the "kids we helped" in opening exercises. And then my joy was topped off when my Payton watched the "American Idol Gives Back" and as he watched all the footage of kids in Africa and Louisiana, he was convinced that the good things that were coming to those children were all because of our primary and the service we rendered. He even thought he saw a teddy bear given to a girl that he picked out himself. Tears filled my eyes as I saw a transformation in Payton. When we started gathering donations and even at the activity, the concept of giving away this FUN stuff was very difficult. He wanted to keep his summer fun kit terribly. But he changed...and he was just happy he could give that teddy bear to that little African girl! The next night he made tickets and invited us all to his "service party" in his room. Some of the Primary Presidency dropped the donations off at the Child Crisis Center and they were very thankful and said they truly were in need of these special kits. I just wanted to share a bit of my excitement in regard to this activity! It's over and that's the best part!

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Nostalgia.

Ok, it's clean the garage day and for me that usually means I get allergic to the dust and end up sitting in a pile of old "stuff". Well, today was not too far off from that but I did go through boxes of old notes and stuff from junior high/high school/college...I read them ALL, laughed out loud and got rid of most of them (I kept a few that I could not part with...mostly from people who are dead or from Mike, Kate or my parents) Needless to say, I'm nostalgic...if you could see me now: pretty much covered in dust with all my young women medallions around my neck, surrounded by notes from old friends...I'm a mess. I also dug up a few pictures that made me squeal. I miss these days, even though they weren't really all that long ago...thought I'd share them with you. Hope you all dig through old stuff once in a while :)

The end is in sight...

Today is a good day. Mike presented his final development project with his group, "D5 Development"(which stands for "disfunctional five" he says!) They gave an hour long presentation at the Valley Ho Hotel in Scottsdale this morning and I was able to go watch (thanks to my life-saver friend Hailey who kept my kids...) It was mostly interesting. I really liked watching Mike "perform" for the crowd. He really does have a talent speaking in front of people. And I truly have to say that I am awe struck at the things that come out of his mouth...its like a different language to me and I just cannot believe he understands it all. The most impressive part of the presentation was the last forty minutes when they had to answer questions from the board members...they handled it very well. Anyways, I'm just a proud wife and thought I'd share the news that he is officially less stressed today because it is over! Now comes the question, "what next?" but I guess we'll cross that bridge soon enough. Congratulations Mike...we love you.

she's saying her name!

Father & Son

Payton went on his first campout with his dad last weekend. He froze at night, but other than that, he had a great time. He was thrilled to pack his backpack and all their snacks (who knew a boy could get so excited about jerky & gatorade)! The came home the next morning, and I can remember feeling the way he felt, like after a sleep over or something, just worn out. I hadn't seen that "state" in my own kids, but I sure saw it in my Payt. It was funny. Needless to say, he had to have a little rest :)

Ok, so I like this blogging world...indulge me!

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here goes nothing...

Take me out to the ballgame...

Since Mike had a mutual activity he could not miss, I got to take my Payton to the Diamondbacks game. Just me and my boy. We had a fun time together. As you can see, Payton loves to watch, though he wonders where Gonzo is. We had peanuts and starbursts, Payt got his face painted and a new hat. We even got a cute pink hat for Sissy. It was a good date night for us.

Two Wheeler Man

Payton is proud to announce he can officially ride a two-wheeler. He didn't show any interest in it even though his other (girl) friends were riding without training wheels...but Monday night he came in and said he knew how to ride a two wheeler, and lo and behold, he did! After shoes and a helmet and a little help from dad in the cul-de-sac, oh...and don't forget a little blood on his toe and knee...he is unstoppable. He is so excited about it! Good Job Payt-Payt!

No kidding...

No kidding, this is what I found when I went to get Sydney out of bed the other morning. She is quite a character. Her big thing lately is sleeping with her babies. She loves them and she wants to sleep with ALL of them! And she knows them all by name. She has to have Hannah, Sarah, Gracie, Abby...and occasionally a bear or dog and now Ariel (Ah)! I think she might need a bigger bed! She is the best sleeper around though, for that I will be forever grateful! She goes to bed no problem every nap/night...she is just a dream. Wish her brother could be a little more like that :)We struggle in that department lately! Anyways, just thought I would share this funny pic of a funny little girl who will be 2 in June. Just ask her...

Easter Celebrations.

We had a wonderful Easter weekend. It's a little strange to not have family around but we have wonderful friends that welcomed us in and took care of us! We had a few egg hunts and the kids thought that was just a ball. And the easter bunny brought some fun toys, including an Ariel (Ah) doll that Sydney is in love with. We were able to take friends to the Easter pageant at the temple. It is always incredible. I had to do sharing time on Sunday and in preparation truly felt the spirit of Easter. I taught about the beautiful blessing it is that our Savior came to the world to the will of His Father. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is truly a blessing in my life. I challenged the primary children to answer the question "What can I do for Jesus?" to show Him your gratitude for His sacrifice. I love having the opportunity to share my testimony with the children in our ward. And how blessed I am to have such a beautiful family. I miss my brothers, sisters, and parents in Utah and Idaho...love you guys. But we are happy and smiling here in the sunshine. Hope you all had a blessed holiday.

Our pretty flower and crazy swimmer...

Fun with Aunt Kate...

We had my sister Kate here for a few days over Conference weekend. We had a good time and it is so nice for me to have her here, she really is the best friend a girl could have and I miss not being able to spend time with her. The kids loved being with her too...and are still talking about Kate going on an airplane back to Utah. We went to the zoo, Oregano's, Val Vista Lakes, shopping, etc. It was a nice break for me.

more pictures...

Did you know you get suckers when you get your hair cut?


Payton and Rylee at school picture day! They said "Stinky Cheese" when they said the picture...
what fun!

Thankful...

Hello to all. Mike is home from his school trip to Boston and we are all recovering from being sick...but all is well around here. We are surely enjoying the cooler weather. I had a bit of a break down last week and had to have my mom come save the day. She was so helpful and it really was so nice to have her here. The kids loved it. I am very thankful for my family...they are always there when I need them. And we are glad to have our dad back from Boston! Payton sure misses his dad when he is gone. Mike is busy with his last month of school (can't believe it...) and we are looking forward to his graduation gift (trip to Hawaii)! The kids are loving school and gymnastics...Payt had school pictures today! It was an event. He was really excited about it. I love watching him interact at school. It seems like he has a lot of friends there...all the girls give him hugs good-bye. Yikes! His teachers say he is a dream student, which is not hard to believe. Oh, we all got haircuts finally...Sydney looks so cute with her short little "bob"...it was her first haircut and she did such a good job. I held her on my lap and she was great during the cut...she didn't like the blow dryer, however. We had to pull out the suckers at that point, but the end result is darling. She has learned to sing "Months of the Year", a song that Payton learned at school and sings endlessly. If you didn't know what she was saying, you would have no idea...but I think it's just about the cutest thing..."june..july..and august"...that's her best line. Anyways, my kids are fantastic...I couldn't be more blessed.

Pics

Super model Sissy...

Sydney, Sarah & Elle feeding
the ducks at the park...


Rylee & Payton riding bikes
at Freestone Park...best buds!

Sunshine

Amid life's schedules and stresses and my endless
list of things to do...I am grateful to have these two
blessed little people to spend my time with. And for
the sunshine and beautiful weather here right now.
I am also very glad to have a supportive and loving
husband. He is wonderful and such a strong individual.

We had a wonderful Valentine's Day! It's nice to

spend time with family. And speaking of family, I'm thinking

of and missing my loving parents and siblings. Love you guys.

Heart shaped meatloaf or pink mashed papas, anyone?

I hosted a little "girls lunch" for valentines day.

We had a great time, pedicures and all...

My little chef making Valentine cookies

with Dama-dama....She is loving the dough!

Playing catch up...

Well, I've been a bit of a blog slacker, you could say. And so I make a quick attempt to catch up. We had a beautiful winter here in Arizona and a fun Christmas at home with the VanSteenkiste clan. Payton was very excited about Santa Claus this year and was so thrilled that Santa brought him his NEW GREEN BIKE. It was a good gift. Sydney loved Christmas too and got her baby Hannah and a kitchen! We had a very nice holiday season with our friends and family. I took the kids to Idaho for the Moulton Christmas party a few weeks before Christmas. It was a lot of fun to see cousins and spend time with my family. I also got to see Grandpa Moulton. He is a sweet heart and is doing well.
And now it is spring. We are loving the weather and taking advantage of it! We spend a lot of time at the zoo, the park, the museum. And the kids are enjoying our new green grass (yes, that is big for us) in our back yard! We do miss our family and friends who are far away and we send our love to you. You are in our prayers.

Until later...Sarah