The Skiba Family Times

First Day of School 2010!

2010-08-15T20:10:00.001-07:00

The kids are back in school. Powell is a big 5th grader now, Hannah is in 3rd grade, the twins are staying at school the entire day now that they are in first grade, and Gracie is in her last year of preschool before making the jump to kindergarten!
Hannah, 3rd grade.

Sammy, 1st grade.

Sophia, 1st grade.

Grace and Haley Jacob, preschool.

Back in the Day...

2010-07-10T17:04:00.000-07:00

When we were up in Utah a few weeks ago we had the chance to go through the pictures that the BYU photographer Mark Philbrick had taken when we were at BYU. It seems like it was not that long ago, but it has been twelve years!

Happy Birthday Grace!

2010-07-04T08:56:00.001-07:00

Gracie turned 4 at the end of June. She asked for a cowgirl hat and cowgirl boots. We thought the new shades just brought the whole outfit together! Happy Birthday Grace!

R.I.P.

2010-07-03T14:10:00.000-07:00

Our backyard was the site of a crime this week. Gobble, our 6 week old turkey, was savagely murdered by our little dog Scout. I guess we will have to have tofu for Thanksgiving...or maybe buy a turkey at the store (probably the latter).

Utah Trip

2010-06-27T18:31:00.000-07:00

We took a trip up to Utah to visit family and to allow Powell to attend a football camp at BYU. While we were there we celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary. We went up to the Tree Room at Sundance to celebrate. We are standing on the bridge there were John proposed 12 years ago.

We all made the trek up to Timpanogas Cave...and we didn't have any fatalities! Then we took a ride over the Alpine Loop.

We took all the kids up to Salt Lake to go tour through Brigham Young's Beehive house and to tour temple square.

We drove through the SLC cemetary and the kids got to take some pictures by the graves of some of the prophets. All of the modern prophets with the exception of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and Ezra Taft Benson are buried there.

Kids by President David O. McKay's gravesite.

Hannah at Pres. Hinckely's gravesite.

When we went into the Tabernacle and it looked so small after being in the Conference Center. The church really needed the new conference center, but the Tabernacle has a lot of history.

On our first Sunday in Utah we took the two older kids (and their cousins) and went up and watched Music & The Spoken Word. It was pretty neat to see how they put the show on. The choir sounds amazing in real life.

Annual Fireman's breakfast in Springville with Grandpa Norm!

First day of BYU football camp!

Powell and Chance and coach Brandon Doman, quarterback coach at BYU.

Powell and Chance and coach Robert Anae, offensive coordinator at BYU (and John's old offensive line coach at Ricks College).

On the last day of camp they took the kids over to the stadium to play. They had a ball.

Even Cosmo showed up.

Coach Bronco Mendenhal giving the boys a pep talk.

Cockadoodle Doo!

2010-06-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

Last week we upped the ante on this "farm" thing and bought 15 chickens and 1 turkey. They are about 3 weeks old now and will be moving out of the garage and into their coop (once it is built). The kids have a good time chasing them around the yard for now. We should start getting eggs around Halloween time so if any of your are interested we should have plenty (i.e. 6 dozen a week).

The apricots are finally ripe. The tree is still fairly small, but we got a bucket full.

We figured that we have enough girls so we thought we would try raising Grace as a boy for a while...actually, Grace cut her own hair, AGAIN. She doesn't seem to mind so I guess none of us should either.

Lake Skiba

2010-05-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

One thing the kids have come to love about this new place is the irrigation. Every other week we get 4 hours of irrigation water for the yard and the pastures. One thing we didn't anticipate is that each time we water we get inundated with frogs on our porch.

New Lawn Mowers

2010-05-08T11:52:00.001-07:00

Our version of a riding lawn mower.

San Francisco

2010-05-08T11:25:00.000-07:00

Chinatown

Alcatraz!

View of San Francisco from Alcatraz.

View from our hotel room.

Down on the Farm!

2010-04-18T19:34:00.001-07:00

Most of you know that we recently moved (again). We have finally moved into the house that we believe we will stay in for a good long time. It is still in Queen Creek but has a lot more room - 3.3 acres of more room. The kids are loving having all the room to roam and a member of our ward has even loaned us a horse and mule to put in the pastures. The kids are loving going out every morning to feed them carrots. We will still have the unbearable heat in the summer but at least our backyard now consists of something more than sharp rocks!

Family Pix

2010-01-31T14:48:00.000-08:00

Over the Christmas break our sister in law Tara, took our family pictures. She does a great job. She has a great website showing her work at www.tarajanephotography.com .

BYU 26 Utah 23

2009-12-05T09:47:00.000-08:00

While we were up in Utah for Thanksgiving we were able to get some tickets to the BYU/Utah game. It was a great game. Prior to the game they let the old players come down on the field. The kids were loving it. We loved the final score!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-05T09:28:00.000-08:00

We went up to Utah for Thanksgiving at the Skiba house. The day after Thanksgiving, Spanish Fork has an electric light Christmas Parade that Skiba Auto always has a float in. We always have fund putting together the float. This year Uncle Todd had the kids pull his latest creation, the ATV trailer, with shocks!

BYU 14 Oklahoma 13

2009-09-11T20:05:00.000-07:00

We went to Dallas over the Labor Day weekend to visit with the Flake family and to go see the BYU v. Oklahoma game. It was awesome. The game was held in the new Dallas Cowboys stadium that was recently built with a price tag of $1.3 billion.
This trip was a serious haul. We took all six kids for the 16.5 hour car ride each way. It was worth it to see the Cougs knock off OU!

We also got to take in some of the sites in Dallas. We went downtown Dallas to see where JFK was killed. In this picture we are standing in front of the street JFK was driving on when he was shot. Behind us is the infamous "grassy knoll."

SCORE BOARD!

We went to lunch at Babe's Chicken. They served fried chicken, country fried chicken, and chicken fingers. That is it. It was great as well.

This is Powell in front of the 'grassy knoll."

The "X" on the street marks the spot where the presidential limousine was when JFK was shot.

The upper right hand window (partially cracked open) was where Kennedy was shot from.

And what would a trip be to Dallas without stopping by the American Girl store.

Knockin' Skulls!

2009-08-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

Powell has started playing his first year of tackle football. He has been working hard --training camp is the entire month of August, 5 day a week practice schedule. He is playing corner back and free safety. John has been helping coach, which has been fun as well. Powell is #22. These pictures are from his first scrimmage this past Saturday.

First Day of School

2009-08-16T14:57:00.001-07:00

The kids went back to school this past week. Now four of the six are in school (at least for part of the day). The twins started kindergarten. It seems like just yesterday they were coming home from the hospital.

Summer Vacation!

2009-06-28T16:48:00.000-07:00

We just finished up our big summer vacation for the year. We ended up driving more than 2300 miles round trip and went through five states. Luckily most of the driving was done in Grandpa Norm's motorhome which he let us borrow for the trip. We started out in Springville, Utah visiting Grandpa & Grandma Skiba and going to the Art City Days parade. We then made the trip up to see Grandpa Eddy & Granny Lanny who are serving a mission at the Willie Center in Wyoming. We got to visit a lot of neat church history sites and even pull a handcart with the kids up to Martin's Cove. The last leg of the trip was up to Yellowstone where we got to spend a few days.

Like a Fish in Water!

2009-05-30T16:17:00.000-07:00

Now that the kids are out of school Powell and Hannah have joined a swim team. The have practice every day and today had their first meet. Hannah took 4th and Powell was beat out by a hair to take 2nd place!

Father & Son Outing!

2009-05-11T21:10:00.001-07:00

Powell and I went to the annual Father & Sons Outing. We look forward to this every year. This year we went up to a campground just outside of Payson, AZ.

Spring Sing

2009-05-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

Every spring the kids' school puts on a program out on the lawn in back of their school. Hannah was very excited this year to finally sing in the Spring Sing.

London

2009-05-03T09:12:00.001-07:00

Our friend took some pictures of London. She is starting to get big (kind of!). She is 3 1/2 months old

Sammy & Sophie Turn 5!

2009-04-12T12:35:00.000-07:00

Samantha and Sophia turned five and to celebrate we unleashed the Skiba family on Peter Piper Pizza. They have come a long way over the last five years. We can't believe they will be starting kindergarten in the fall!

Why the Iraq War Is Taking So Long

2009-03-07T08:59:00.000-08:00

I have watched this a dozen times and it only gets better!

John

And So It Begins...

2009-02-07T20:21:00.000-08:00

Powell started playing flag football today. He clearly has inherited is father's football skillz (that's right, skillzzz). He plays running back on offense (I don't think he is guard material...few people are) and linebacker on defense. We may have to start emailing these pictures up to Bronco. It is never too early to get your name out there!

London

2009-01-31T15:31:00.000-08:00

Our new baby girl was born on January 18, 2009. We have been pretty busy since we came home from the hosptial and haven't had a chance to update the blog. She was 6 lbs. 2 oz. and 19 inches long. We have named her London Jessica Skiba. London is kind of a "wild and crazy" name for us, but we like it. Mom has a lot of helpers with this little one.

Head Bangers' Ball

2009-01-12T20:07:00.000-08:00

For Christmas we received Guitar Hero for the Wii, and while Sammy has not yet mastered the guitar, we have found she does have incredible head banging skills. What is most amazing, or concerning, is this seems to come straight from her soul, because no one has ever shown her the art of head banding before!

Christmas 2008

2009-01-11T11:13:00.001-08:00

The day after Christmas we went up to Pinetop to visit the family and get in some good sledding.

Temple Square

2008-12-03T20:01:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday we went up to Temple Square in Salt Lake City to see the lights. Apparently most of the State of Utah had the same idea -it was crowded, but still worth it.

Hiking the Y!

2008-12-03T19:48:00.000-08:00

While we were up in Utah for Thanksgiving we decided to take the kids and hike the "Y." It was much steeper than we remembered and John nearly had a heart attack, but we all made it, including the kids.

Electric Light Parade - Spanish Fork Style

2008-12-03T19:39:00.000-08:00

Every year the day after Thanksgiving there is a light parade in Spanish Fork. Skiba Auto Repair always has an entry. It is fun and the kids love it. We put some hay on a trailer and then decorate it with lights. This year Powell and Chance got to ride Chance's go-kart. It was all rigged up with lights and stole the show!

iPod Baby

2008-11-16T15:58:00.001-08:00

Our two-year old had discovered the wonder of the ipod. She likes to walk around the house, ipod clipped onto her diaper, listening to the "Alvin and the Chipmunks" soundtrack. It amazes me how our kids are so comfortable with technology at such a young age. Our four year olds can navigate barbie.com like pros. When I started at BYU I didn't even have an email address!

Halloween!!!

2008-11-02T07:34:00.000-08:00

After all the build up Halloween finally got here! We had a few costume changes and the kids had a great time.

Pumpkin Time!

2008-11-02T07:28:00.001-08:00

We were a little late in getting the pumpkins carved this year, but we finally got it done.

Trunk-or-Treat!

2008-11-02T07:08:00.000-08:00

Our Ward held the annual Trunk-or-Treat the week before Halloween so the kids got a test run on their costumes and a chance to warm up there trick-or-treating skills.

Karate!

2008-10-19T16:33:00.000-07:00

Powell and Hannah have been doing karate for over a year now and yesterday they had another belt exam. Hannah now has her Yellow Belt and Powell earned is Green Belt. Way to go!

Fall Fishing

2008-10-18T13:41:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we went up to Bear Canyon Lake to try our hand at fishing. We caught our typical haul -- zero. But it was nice to be out of the heat for a while.

Olympic Gold!

2008-09-16T20:59:00.000-07:00

Our cousin, Jeff Skiba took home the gold medal in the high jump and the silver medal in the pentathlon at the paralympics in Bejing, China over the weekend and at the same time set a new world record with a jump of nearly 7 feet. Above are some of the pictures we received from the family over the weekend.

Birthday Fun!

2008-08-27T09:45:00.000-07:00

Powell went rock climbing with a couple of his friends from our ward for his 8th birthday. With so many girls in our house, it was fun to just be with the boys. Their little conversations, laughing and joking was hilarious. Powell's friend Kohl was afraid of heights but he eventually got up to the top of the rock and was so excited. Powell could have stayed there all day. He loved it. McCallister is Powell's other friend who is like his brother. Since we have moved, Powell has had a lot of adjusting to do where he can't just hop the fence and be in a "boy world" at the Loving's house.

Powell Turns 8!

2008-08-26T20:55:00.000-07:00

Powell turned 8 last month. He was baptized on August 16th and had his grandpas, grandmas and cousins there to share it with him. He has also started cub scouts and tonight earned his Bobcat!

World Champ!

2008-06-18T21:23:00.000-07:00

This is my cousin Jeff Skiba. Jeff is not only a high jumper, but the paralympic world record holder. He broke his own world record on May 1st of this year and became the first paralympian to clear the 7 foot mark with a jump of 7 foot 1/2 inch. Once he clears 7 foot 1 1/2 inches he will qualify for the able-bodied olympics. In high school he won the state high school high jump championship. Below are some links to some pretty cool articles on him. I just thought I would brag about my family...

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/frontpage/seattle_pima1x220020525.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZgoQasONk0

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/collegesports/2004389777_regr03.html

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_pwwi/is_200805/ai_n25389835

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1026759/index.htm

New Sand Box!

2008-05-18T11:28:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Grandpa Eddy and Uncle Jeff the kids got a new sand box. With the help of Jeff's crew it got done pretty quickly and we took back another part of our yard from the desert. The kids love it and the dog has a new place to lay when it gets hot outside.

203 Dollar Miracle

2008-04-25T09:01:00.000-07:00

Last night our Stake had a great Enrichment. It was simple, but very powerful. We got there about 5 minutes late. The only open seats in the chapel were at the very front. It was a blessing in disguise because it put us so close to the speakers, it was though they were only talking to us. It allowed us to concentrate, listen and focus.

One story by Sister Winters touched me very much. Well, she had several stories, one about a Iranian girl named Mae that was heart wrenching. But anyhow, she told of one experience where the Lord answered her prayers with exactness (which she said happens all the time). She and her husband had decided that she needed to quit working and to stay at home to attend to the needs of their many children. That meant their household income would be cut by 1/3. During that week her parents, who were caring for her grandmother were out of town. She had recieved the final notice of some taxes that were due. The payment needed to be paid on Monday of the following week. So she had just quit her job, she was taking care of her ailing grandmother and tending to 9 children. They had no money to pay for the taxes that she had already put off as long as possible. She prayed everyday about her current situation. Finally on Sunday, the day before she needed the money, they decided to fast. I can't recall if it was on Sunday or Monday that she had a relative come by and thank her for taking care of their grandmother. The individual handed her an envelope with two 100 dollar bills in it. She said usually she would not accept that, but she knew it was the Lord answering her prayers. She went to go and thank the Lord and was interuppted by the door bell ringing again. She got up and answered the door. It was an individual representing Motorola and he asked if she could answer three questions for him. She said that was fine. Afterwards he handed her three 1 dollar bills. One dollar for each question she answered. The amount of money she needed to pay in taxes on Monday was $203.00.

There is a point in life where you have to turn your life, your problems, your questions and most importantly, your heart over to the Lord. These points often come when you are in a situation or a trial that is tearing at your soul. But what a blessing it is to have that tearing, because the result is the humbling of your heart and soul. To need our Savior so much because you know that is the only way you can endure the trial. To become dependent on Him and His mercy, grace and love. I know that we all can have a $203 dollar miracle in our lives. I pray that I will have the faith, humility, energy and work required to "yeild to the enitcings of the Spirit" so in turn I can have that glorious blessing of the spirit of the Lord in my life.

"I Want My Pluggie"

2008-04-20T12:16:00.001-07:00

I have a dilemma. My cutie, patootie, little Miss Gracie Mae LOVES her "pluggie". She is so attached to it. She is only allowed to have it at nap time, bed time and in the car on long trips. She loves it so much that even if she just woke up, she will go back to bed to have it again. I will tell her to go put it back (in her bed) and now she hides it in her clothes. I unzip her sleepers or see a little bump on her chest and there it is. I see her playing, she falls down and starts to cry. She digs into her shirt, pulls out her plug, puts it in her mouth and is happy again. Gracie's two most treasured items are truly her plug and her blanket (which her Granny made for her twin sisters, but she has now confiscated them for herself).

The dilemma I face is that she goes to bed instantly without a peep with her two favorite items. No hollering, no rocking for ages, no twenty trips to pat her back and lay her back down. She just snuggles in her blankie with her little bum in the air and goes right to sleep, even if it is not nap time. Maybe I will wait just a little longer (obviously this is my fifth child and not my first). There is pure enjoyment and delight in her face when she hears those words, "Do you want to go nigh-night?" Yes, maybe just a little longer.

Happy Birthday Robynne!

2008-04-14T22:28:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Robynne!

2008-04-14T22:24:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture tribute to my wonderful sister! She is such a strength and an example to me. I love her dearly and don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t call her fifty times a day in those moments of need. She is my wealth of knowledge regarding parenting, infant sleeping habits, feeding issues, etc…and my comfort in times of trials. She is my understanding ear and most of all, my best friend. I love you Robynne. I am so glad you came first in our family. Happy Birthday!

A Mix of Uncles

2008-04-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

Hannah - "Max looks like a mix of Uncle Bubbie and Uncle Scott. He looks like Uncle Bubbie in the face and Uncle Scott in the body."

Powell - "How do you know what Uncle Scott's body looks like?"

Hannah - "Because once I saw Uncle Scott with his shirt off."

Powell - "Is Max in blue bubbles?"

A Tale of Two Girls

2008-04-11T06:28:00.000-07:00

This is a tale of two little girls that in the end proves not only the determination of the human body, but the conquering nature of the eternal spirit.

It was a beautiful fall day in November when these two little girls became known to the world. There were only a couple pairs of tear-filled, anxious eyes that day that looked in on them. But in the months to come, there would be many more eyes that would glimpse into their fluid world. Every week it seemed someone was peeking and peering into their warm cozy existence. It didn't bother them too much, sometimes it even made them excited and they would twist and twirl, kicking with joy.

As months went on, noises, sounds and movement from the outside increased. Finally in early February, the girls stopped hearing one particular, special voice that they had grown so accustomed to. It was one they loved to hear as they grew and became bigger and bigger. It seemed only on Wednesdays and Saturdays would they hear that comforting sound. Now the "peeking" became a daily habit and sometimes the outside would look in on the girls up to four times a day.

Closeness, warmth and security are something the girls have always known. Even before they were introduced to the world, they knew not only that every cell and fiber of their beings were the same, but that their hearts were knit together as well. Previously, today and forever will they feel, cry, hug, play and laugh together. Hearts that are connected can never be broken. The girls knew that, even before they came on this journey. Sometimes people on the outside doubted that both girls would come, but the girls always knew they would...together.

Growing, breathing and moving were sometimes challenging. One girl may never know why the other seemed to squeeze and twist around her. She was always content just holding still, but the other was not. Maybe the other was jealous of her because she was always slightly bigger or maybe the other just couldn't contain her enthusiasm and zeal for life as well as she could. Regardless, the outcome was the same: the pressure would restrict her, and she would be held still by the movement of the other. The more still one became, the more intent the outside world became on listening, looking and waiting.

The outside could not touch the girls and could not tell them to be still. It seemed as though they would put the girls in time-out by having another, whose heartbeat was almost as close to them as their own, hold still for many hours at a time. Ears always seemed to be listening at the door, but the girls did not understand why the outside could never quite come in. Finally the girls could stand it no longer and they would start playing again, knowing that with every movement they were growing and learning, figuring out how they were going to enter this foreign world one day. But for now, snuggling, sleeping and eating was as natural as a snail emerging from its shell on a cool, crisp morning.

One of the girls' favorite pasttimes was to listen. Listen closely for the small voices, the ones with lots of energy and enthusiasm. Those voices only seemed to be around on the weekends. There was always lots of movement and excitement when the small voices were near.

As time passed, the girls noticed that their spirits seemed to be getting restless. Occasionally, there would be little blips, little signs of encouragement from the spirits. The girls little bodies did not agree with those encouragements. The outside world seemed to notice because all would become still and the "peeking" became intensified. The bodies kept telling the spirits to wait, to let them get stronger, to let them get bigger. But finally, the girls' spirits could not contain themselves any longer. The spirits needed to know who those voices belonged to. The deeper, warm voice; the anxious peaceful voice (very strange that one voice can contain both emotions at the same time, but it did); the two smaller happy voices. The girls needed to know. They decided it was time to begin their adventure now. There was one last panicked "peek" by those on the outside and six minutes later, the spirits won out. The premature girls were here.

One little girl's body did not want to come. She did not breath and her heart fell silent...but her spirit would not allow it. Her spirit rallied and cheered her on, reminding her of the other one, her sister whose heart was intertwined with hers. Long ago, they knew their destiny was together. A small but strong cry filled her ears and she knew who it was. Her sister was telling her that she needed her here to share this grand adventure.

With some intensified assistance from the others, the little girl who was faltering was now fighting, buoyed up by her sister and her own divine spirit. The spirit and the body became united in goal and destiny to continue on with her sister here on earth. There was also that deep warm voice that followed her, never leaving her side. She and her sister would not hear the anxious peaceful voice for another couple of hours, but that was OK- they had each other. Each little girl craved to be close to the other. Their spirits were connected but so were their bodies as evidenced by the quieting of machines and monitors to which they were hooked up. Things became steady, calm and quiet when they were together.

Pretty soon, many voices filled the room. But the little girls' ears picked out two small voices that were excited and happy, voices that they dearly loved and with whom they would become forever friends in the years to come.

About one week later, the two little girls were separated. One girl needed the others to help her little body even more. While she was gone, her sister heard many beeps and alarms. There seemed to be more commotion and those sounds did not quiet until her sister was beside her again. When one girl would fail, the other would rally around her, each taking turns to buoy the other up. This same pattern has continued on to this day. Their fighting and conquering spirits would be crucial in the years ahead, as they went along on their adventure.

The two little girls eventually came home to all those familiar voices. Special people came into their lives in various capacities, with loving hearts and special abilities that have helped their spirits and bodies defy what others told them was not likely. As the girls' spirits and bodies work together, they inspire, they challenge, they love, they teach those who enter their adventurous world. These little girls may still have bodies that are small, but their spirits are giants. They will continue on connected forever in a deeper way then is comprehensible.

I, as their mother, will be eternally grateful for that beautiful Easter morning in April of 2004 for the loan my Heavenly Father sent to me. He gave me His Son who atoned for my sins and He also gave me my spirited, beautiful little girls, my twins...Samantha and Sophia.

Happy Birthday girls. I love you so much and know that you were sent to help refine me, uplift me and teach me. May I be guided by a loving Father in Heaven to help me raise you up to become the divine, courageous spirits that you were foreordained to be.

Quince, Little Buddy....Maxwell!

2008-04-04T13:55:00.000-07:00

Jaremy and Tara had their cute baby boy arrive right on his due date. My secret wish was granted and he waited until12:30 am on March 31st to be born, which is my birthday. My mom sent out an email in the middle of the night stating "Quince" had been born. So the next morning there was a discussion amongst all the siblings on how to pronounce his name. Robynne told her kids it was like Dr. Quinn with an "s" sound at the end. John told me it was Quinc "ee" for John Quincy Adams. Russell said is was Spanish for fifteen. So I called Jaremy the next day and told him of all the pronunciations we had come up with. I finally asked him, "So how do you pronounce your son's name?" All along, I could he Jaremy chuckling and laughing. He finally said, "That is not my son's name!" I didn't believe him at first because mom wrote it on the email. He finally explained that dad had previously called him Quince because he was going to be the fifteenth grandchild. Since J & T had not picked a name yet, Mom just wrote that on the email to announce that he had been born. Later on, J & T sent out another email calling him "little Buddy" because they still had not picked a name. So Scott and Suzanne were calling him Little Buddy. But the cute baby boy finally came home today and he now has a name of Maxwell Jaremy Flake. We are so happy for them, especially since now the Flake line will continue. Maxwell is the first Flake boy. Congratulations!

P.S. J & T have some really cute photos of Maxwell sleeping with Jaremy and a close-up that is adorable, but for some reason every time I upload onto my blog, their faces are blue. They are really blue, like in the Blue Man Group. If anyone knows how to fix this, just let me know.

Jessica's B-Day

2008-04-02T21:56:00.000-07:00

Jessica just had a birthday and we had Heidi and Jeff, Eddy and Lanny over for dinner and cheesecake. Not only is it Jess' birthday, but we were engaged 10 years ago on her birthday as well. This year we found out that we have a new nephew who was also born on the day!

Desert Camping!

2008-04-02T21:47:00.001-07:00

In early March we took the kids and went on a one night camping trip at Queen Valley. It got kind of cold and Jess and the girls slept in the suburban. It was a short trip but the kids loved it.

Thanksgiving

2007-12-05T19:54:00.000-08:00

We haven't posted in a while. Since the last post Jessica decided to get a little "haircut." She didn't tell any of us at home where she was going but came home with about 8 inches less of hair. We think she looks great!

We went up to Utah for Thanksgiving with the whole gang. It was great to see everyone and we even got to see our new niece Kenley get blessed. Congrats Jill and Chase.

While in Utah we got pretty much all of our Christmas shopping done and we got to go out 4 wheelin' with the guys. We went to a place just outside of Lehi.

We also did the annual nightime Christmas parade the day after Thanksgiving. Skiba Auto always has a "float" that the kids have a great time riding on.

Hot Dogs and Halloween

2007-11-07T13:07:00.001-08:00

I need to catch up on a couple of events. Halloween happened already and I haven't put up that post yet, so I am doing two posts in one day!! I was just talking to my friends while we were at the park and I was telling them how inconsistent I am. I really did want to do this blog as a little journal for our family and cute sayings, but I just can't make it up those 14 stairs in our house to the computer often enough. I keep forgetting to record days like I had a little while ago where everytime I turned around, some crazy random mess was there. I was out detailing the car and was in the back picking up old chicken nuggets, socks, barbie dolls, tools, etc... and was just about done when I saw Sammy run by with red markings all over her. I recognized those markings immediatley as Sharpie markings which are strictly forbidden in our house (but of course I have them because I need to write the kids' names on their water bottles). I guess I am not good at hiding them. Sammy had taken that marker and had written all over the driver's seat along with the console and steering wheel. After cleaning up that mess as best as I could, I walked inside and the house was turned upside down. The freezer door was wide open, Ollie was running around the house with mud up to his ankles and a box of cereal was tipped upside down from the top shelf with a pile of crunched up Cheerios underneath it and, of course, our girls were all half naked running around in their underwear. Later on that day I found a box of popsicles under the computer desk that had obviously been there for a while because the carpet was juicy and red. That is why it takes me about 8 hours to clean the car. My intentions to not waste money on something I can do myself usually go by the wayside because the consequence of not having my undivided attention on the kids requires too much energy, clean up and time. I'd rather pay the $16 dollars... until I forget and do the whole thing over again.

Halloween was great! Our Bishop asked each family to make a "Family Mission Plan". Our ward missionary was telling me that she may not be a good proselyter, but that she throws a Halloween party for her street to help strengthen relationships. I decided that was a great idea. Powell and I handed out 110 fliers to the houses in our neighborhood the Saturday before Halloween and bought 700 hot dogs, 700 buns, 10 giant cans of chili, 15 lbs of cheese and 10 lbs of onions. I must have an intense fear of running out of food, because we now have a year supply of hot dogs. We used almost 300, but will now have chili dogs for every other party we throw. John is the same way because we have about 10 bags of candy left over as well. (He bought all the candy). Thank goodness for John becasue he is always the one who buys the pumpkins, carves them and helps the family do fun holiday stuff. Sometimes I get too bogged down with the big stuff that I forget about the smaller, family stuff.

Jeff, Heidi and Wrigley came over and looked sooo cute. I wish I would have planned better so that I could have dressed up and gotten John to as well. Powell was a ninja, Hannah was a princess ninja, the twins ("Hammy" and "Hopi" - that is what they call each other, it is hilarious) were BYU cheerleaders and Gracie was a witch (Grandma Karen bought that for Savannah and Haeley, but it was a little small so she gave it to us).

California Cousins!

2007-11-07T12:50:00.000-08:00

Recently, Robynne's (my sister) kids came to stay with their Grandma Karen from California for a little visit. She was nice enough to share them with us for a night. Powell idolizes Jackson. They had so much fun together. I even let them walk across the street to the park where our ward was having a little festival all by themselves because Jack is such a "big kid" now. I told them to be back by 5:30 pm and they were right on time, a little wet from the sprinklers, but right on time. What great parenting by R & R! So responsible!

The twins were also loving Haeley and Savannah and especially Jackson. They would attack him and tackle him (that is the way they show their love), yell and scream with huge smiles on their faces. He even sat in the squishy back seat of the Suburban by them.

All the girls had fun dressing up and playing princesses. Haeley and Savannah were so inclusive! Sometimes Hannah needs some space from the twins, but their cousins just let them pretend and be part of the make believe adventure they were having. We sure do love our cousins!!

Utah/Paxton's Blessing

2007-10-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

We went up to Utah about a week ago for Paxton's blessing. It was great to get up to Utah and see the family as well as the fall colors. We took a drive up Hobble Creek Canyon and that is where these pictures were taken.
On Saturday we went over to the Fall Festival in the park in downtown Spanish Fork. That was fun and the kids got to ride a horse!

On Sunday we went up to Summer and Steve's ward for the blessing of Paxton. After we went back to their house for a brunch and to pick some of the apples off of there tree. It all went well and it was good to get back up to Utah.

Fall is Here!

2007-10-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we all went up to Flagstaff to see the fall colors. We were a little early, but it was still nice to get up into the mountains. We stopped by and saw Max & Demeree and then drove up to Snobowl and took the Skyride up to the top of the mountain (11,500 feet elv.) It seemed like a good idea at the time, but taking 5 little kids on a ski lift is a little scarier than we thought. Gracie did her best to try and throw herself off of the ride and the twins did the same. It was pretty cold up on top-- about 28 degrees! We then drove down through Oak Creek Canyon and then Sedona on our way home. These rides through the forest and trees make John feel normal (i.e., like he is back in Utah).

BYU Days

2007-09-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

I was just talking with my friend, Ashley, last night as we were working out. (I love going to the gym - it is 1 1/2 hours of working your guts out and releasing the days stresses and then coming home ready for anything. Too bad it is at night though, because I just go to bed and a lot of times, that energy does not last until morning.) She started asking me about my college days. I loved college and all the fun times with John came flooding back. I loved riding in John's yellow 75 Ford pickup right next to him, listening to George Strait or Dave Matthews, going for rides up the beautiful canyons or sitting on the back of his banshee tearing up Sand Mountain. We had so much fun, but one of my most cherished memories are those of him playing football and me watching, cheering and anxiously fretting that he would do a great job. He started every single game at BYU. He was a great player. He was always level headed and so humble. I loved him for that. As he got closer to graduating he started to receive some letters from different professional teams. I don't know what was in those letters because he chose never to open them. My friend could not believe that we did not open them and asked if I wanted to open them now. I told her that time in our life happened for a purpose and out of respect for our direction in life, we will not ever open them. John now has old teammates that make millions of dollars playing for various NFL teams and she asked me if we ever regret not trying. My answer is: There is no other place I want to be then right here in Queen Creek, Arizona with him and my five kids. This is what I have dreamed of when I was young and now I am truly living my dream. I love my husband dearly. He keeps getting better and better. It was fun to remember those times at the beginning and the reasons why I fell in love with him. Every year we are together, there becomes more and more reasons why I love him. His patience keeps becoming longer and longer and his drive to be successful and good at what he does constantly is moving him forward. He loves his children dearly and always wants them to be with him. AND he loves me. He loves taking me to concerts where I sing and dance while he listens and occasionally taps his leg with the rhythm. We have had a lot of fun this year. As we strive to follow the Lord's commandments, life seems to be more satisfying and fulfilling. This year we are trying to be more consistent with scripture study and may possibly finish the Book of Mormon as a family for the first time. Our oldest child is seven, so obviously it has taken a little while. I am so glad for all those cherished memories and am excited for the new ones to be made. Which I have realized, happen everyday.

Karate Kids!

2007-09-16T08:44:00.000-07:00

Powell and Hannah have been involved in karate for a couple of months now and Saturday they had their first belt exam. This is where all the students who are ready to advance in a belt meet and have to perform in front of their instructor to determine if they have met the requirements to advance.

Powell advanced to a Yellow Belt while Hannah advanced to a White/Yellow Belt. They both did great!

Student of the Month!

2007-09-09T08:20:00.001-07:00

Hannah was selected as Student of the Month for her kindergarten class for the month of September! Her teacher said she always tries to do her best and is a good example in class. We are very proud of her! The pictures are from the ceremony the school has each month for the students of the month.

Labor Day

2007-09-07T20:58:00.001-07:00

For Labor Day this year we went up to Pinetop where the Flake's were holding a Macdonald family reunion. It was great to see everyone and we loved getting out of the heat. We broke a record in the Phoenix area this summer with over 30 days of 110+ heat! On Monday we went down to the Flake family ranch and the 4-wheelers.

New Baby Boy!

2007-08-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

We hope Steve and Summer won't mind but we took the liberty of posting the pictures of their new baby boy! His name is Paxton Parley and he was born on August 23, 2007 and weighed 7 lbs. 13 oz. and was 20 inches long. He also has as much hair as a 2 year old. We are pretty excited because this only the third grandson on the Skiba side.

Spirit=Uncle Bubbie?

2007-08-18T16:45:00.000-07:00

Every Friday night, we have family movie night. (An idea that Robynne's family gave to us.) Our kids love it. We watched the movie "Spirit" recently. Our girls watch it at least once a day now. One day Hannah came running upstairs and told me she had to show me something cool. She told me to rewind it to a certain spot, where the general was trying to ride Spirit. After Spirit threw the general off his back, he had this one squinchy, gruff look on his face. Hannah said, "Look mom, that looks exactly like Uncle Jaremy!" And it totally did. So everytime we come to that spot in the movie all the girls talk about Uncle Bubbie. We hope that Jaremy doesn't mind that our girls think he looks like a horse!

Dirt Boards Rule!

2007-08-18T16:23:00.000-07:00

Powell turned 7 this past July and for his birthday he asked for a dirt board. We had to send away for it but it finally came about a week ago and Powell has been down to the park trying to master dirt boarding. He is doing great and will be an extreme dirt board rider in no time!

School Days

2007-08-10T20:55:00.001-07:00

The kids all started school on August 8th. The twins are going to preschool where they are taking Headstart classes to help them with their speech. They ride this bus all by themselves (their dad thinks they are WAY too little to be doing this, but their mom is much more brave)! Riding the bus was a big accomplishment, considering last year, they would kick, hit and scream because they did not want to get harnessed in and were so scared. They sure are growing up. Hannah started kindergarten and is really enjoying it. She came home and was so excited that "she didn't even get sent to the Principal's office"! Powell is the big kid in the family and is starting second grade. There are actually times in the day now when it is just mom and Grace at home! The picture of all the kids below is Powell and the neighborhood kids waiting for their carpool to school in the morning.

Happy Birthday Powell!

2007-08-10T20:45:00.001-07:00

Powell had his birthday on July 28th turning 7 years old! He, John, Zakk van der Werf and Austin Porter went to the Sunsplah water park for the day and had a great time. Later that night we had cake and ice cream with the family.

The Piano Man

2007-08-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

Powell has learned to play the piano. Sometimes it is trying to get him to practice. I think the routine of school will help him be more consistent. We learned "Listen, Listen" in Primary today. He sat down and sounded it out all by himself (with just a touch of help). He played the song for our scripture study tonight. He was pretty proud.

Our First Blog Ever!

2007-07-31T07:15:00.000-07:00

Recently John showed me our friends family blog. They were our friends from law school and John has kept in contact with Andrew through instant messaging and occassional trips. The blog was so cute. I thought what a great way to record some of the events and funny things of life. So here we are and will give it a try.

We have our nephew Zakk here and the kids are building LEGOS. We have had great fun with him. We recently went to our favorite place, Lake Powell. The twins came up with John mid-week and things became a little more stressful. They have no fear of the water and love to mimick their older cousins and siblings. Jumping off cliffs, diving, riding Sea-Doos. They love it all. Tara (Jaremy's wife - my sister in law) who is a master on photoshop, took our family picture at the lake and we are excited to see it. With five small kids, picture taking is always challenging. We love spending that unique time with our family where there are no phones, e-mails, etc... and we are all together on the house boat. It can be close quarters at times, but it always creates lots of good, funny memories.