The Season has begun

Well spring training games offically start today. Baseball plays a big role at our house as you probably can guess by the background change. Jared began his 4th year coaching Queen Creek High School's JV baseball team. Tre' and Tucker were signed up for Little League have had tryouts and been selected for teams. Jared received a phone call the day of drafts for Tre's age group after drafts had already been completed and they did not have a coach for his team (Tre). They asked if Jared would be able to do it. We really are not sure how we are going to squeeze in two baseball teams at the same time but wanted to make sure that Tre's team had a coach so after a few phone calls and alot of contemplation Jared accepted. It is going to be crazy at our house for a few months. But if you know us well, when is it not crazy. Hopefully we will all be able to keep our sanity and still like to be around each other when all of this is done. Let's play ball!

He's growin up

I should have posted this sooner. My first born Tre' turned 13 this month. Wow how time just seems to fly. He seems more grown up everyday. He has recently started babysitting for some couples in the ward. He seems to be enjoying it. It has given him a chance to earn some money. Right now I think he is saving up to purchase an Itouch. He had an Ipod but seemed to have lost it at his dad's baseball practice. He has sprouted quite a bit this year. He now towers over me. But I remind him that I put him in this world and I can take him out. He just giggles. Tre' has such a great easy go lucky personality. It is so nice having a son that does not care about needing to look trendy. If it is cheap and it fits it works for him. We have definitely been blessed with this one. He is a great kid and for the most part does not give us a hard time except for the occasional smart elec teenager remarks. But I suppose that comes with the territory. Happy late birthday bud. Thanks for being a great kid.

Well.....

We did it. We got through another December and Christmas. I hope every one's was as eventful and productive as ours. Well sort of, someone decided that they felt like they needed our truck more than we did on Christmas Eve, eve or Christmas morning which ever but luckily they were unsuccessful. Other than that dreary event our Christmas with our ducklings turned out quite well. It was nice to have it on Friday this year and make for a long weekend with the hubby and kids. I can not seem to get myself motivated since. My body feels as if though it should be on vacation. School starts Monday for the kids so I have decided to take a break with them and jump back to work on Monday. It has been quite nice except for the occasional bickering back and forth. The New Year is approaching. Maybe I can convince them to make a new year's resolution to not tease and argue. But probably not so much. What do you thing? Yeah, I know wishful thinking. I hope your new years brings many eventful happenings your way. The Baker clan.

Bah Hum Bug

I am listening to Christmas music and changing my back ground hoping it will help me get in the holiday mood. Every year if seems to get worse. This is my favorite time of year and every year it gets to be less and less. I asked my family if we could just skip over the holidays. I think that a lot of it is, is that only two months out of the year my kids think that it is the only time to be thankful and be kind. They have been ornery this year. Jared has been playing Christmas music because there is only one scrooge in our house and that is him. Kids are older, what to you do for them for Christmas, they do not need anything. This weather does not help either. I am not a cold weather fan, but I feel as if I am going to get in the holiday spirit this year I need it. I thought about putting up my Christmas decorations earlier but can't seem to talk myself into it. It seems as this time of the year comes and goes to fast and people do not savor the moment. It is more and more about what you give as presents not what about this time stands for the birth of our Savior. What a wonderful event. Hopefully something will bite me and quick so I can enjoy the season.

More update

The kids started school in August. They usually start in July but we decided to pull them from their public school and put them in a charter school. It is a little trek for them to school everyday. If they ride the bus which they sometimes do to school but ride everyday home from school, it is about an hour ride for them. But they have been good sports. They were not too excited at first to venture a new school and have a limited ward robe to school. But I think they warmed up to the idea after a while. There were some friends that were going to embark on this new adventure as well so they jumped in with both feet. They all have great teachers and seem to be doing well. It is a struggle every night to get Tatum to do her homework. It takes between 2 to 4 hours every night because of the constant battle. If any one has any ideas on how to get her to just "do it" it would be greatly appreciated. We tried the marble jar (she got marbles if she did it when asked once and when it was full she would get to go shopping) that did not work. She just refuses to do it. They are getting to learn Spanish at this school. Tatum thinks it is funny to ask me things and me not be able to understand what she is saying. I did take a picture the first day of school but unfortunately I am a little like the commercial where the pictures stay on the camera for ever. I will have to get it on my lap top so I can post it. More to come.

Lions and Tigers and Bears OH MY!

Well maybe not lions and tigers. I am sooo behind. It is already October and I have posted since? ? ? ? That is sad I do not know. We have had so much fun that I need to update it all. After we spent a week at the beach and then went to Heber for the Fourth of July, the kids and I drove to Las Vegas to fly to Idaho with Kelly and her kids. Kelly's family owns a cabin not too far outside of West Yellowstone and they were gracious enough to invite us to come and stay with them. The kids and I were there for 2 weeks and Jared, Curt & Coleen, Bo & Nicole and their kids, & Mickey joined us later in the week and were able to stay for just over a week. We enjoyed ourselves so much. We took many rides on the quads, floated down the river, visited Yellowstone where we saw many buffalo, deer, elk and yes a black bear. Kelly and I drove to Bozeman, MT to pick the rest of the crew up from the airport (which ended up not happening because their plane made an emergency landing in Idaho Falls, ID) but I enjoyed the drive. What beautiful country. We visited waterfalls, parts of Montana. We saw a comedy play. Jared fished from the river and we were able to enjoy the fish that he caught. What a way to spend the summer. Thanks to Mickey and Kelly and their family for their hospitality and the opportunity to visit such a beautiful place.

Bitter Sweet

After our great vacation at the beach we had to brave the real world for a few days, then off to Heber. We left on Friday afternoon, traffic was not too bad. We fixed and ate dinner with my folks, Jess and Nic, Kati and Boston. We then enjoyed a game of Texas Hold'em. We used m & m's. I think Boston ate them faster than he lost them in the game. He said he did not want them all to be lost in the game and not get any to eat. Sometimes I wonder who is the kid when he is around. On Saturday we went to the annual Bowers flag raising ceremony and breakfast. The Bowers is my mom's side and we celebrate our freedom, my grandfather's birth because he was born on the 4th of July, and the service he gave to his country. We then headed back to my mom's and later to the Heber parade. I do not think I have seen more people at our boring little parade. We headed back to my mom's and had lunch and just hung out until it was time to head back over to the Bower reunion. Jared and I and the kids along with my dad and a few others headed over to my uncle's where we eat dinner and my mom and Ginger stayed back waiting on some brownies to get done. While we were waiting I received a phone call from my mom. My beloved dog Jasmine who has been with us since 3 months after Jared and I got married and who I has been through a little, she has had a few litters, a mother not only to her puppies but to my babies, lost her hearing, her teeth, and an eye, a great friend and dog had passed. What a bitter sweet time. We knew she was getting close, she was having a hard time getting around. We will miss her dearly. We went back to my moms and prepared her for our kids to see then went back for dinner and fireworks. We then came back and had a sweet buriel for her at the base of the mountain at my mom and dads. What an appropriate place for her to go. She loved the mountains. Good bye my sweet pup.