Our Christmas Card!!

I just wanted to post a few recent pictures to say Merry Christmas to all those we love so much!!! In order to save my sanity, I have decided to not do Christmas cards this year. It makes me sad, but it might just be the final straw to tie the belt on my straight jacket. But despite being busy, we are loving life! The kids are growing, happy and healthy, and Kam and I are still chugging alone. Hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday season!!
I love this little girl more then I can even say! She has such spunk, and no I have NO idea where she gets that from!

Both my sweet babies!! Seriously, could Porter be any more of a stud, I love him!!

The three goons!

Porter loved Santa!

Anastyn, still isnt a fan. But I told her she had to get a picture so this is as close as she would get and she just kept saying cheeeeese, cheeeese, cheeeese, hoping to get thru it. Her hands in fists, and you can see the worry on her face! HA. Love her!

Even though its been a really tough year, these two faces make every trial worth while!!!

Oh Porter!!!

Porter, Porter, Porter, PORTER! What am I going to do with this kid? I know that my blog used to be all sorts of exciting with stories of Porter's antics. Just because I havent posted...doesnt mean he hasnt been the same crazy kid he has been since the womb.

This kid is the sweetest kid to the core. He is so happy, and has the most fun loving personality. However...(there is always a BUT)....lately, I am flying first class to Crazy Town, and Porter...well he is the Pilot. I hear about children who dont get into things, dont raid the cupboards, open locks, and crawl out second story windows helping their two year old sister out to the ledge..and think so myself...HOW was I so lucky to get a child that does all the above?! Anastyn I dont think is naughty by nature. But she is really smart and a quick learner...and well Porter, he is the teacher and she is absorbing everything.

I am in trouble people. These two may just be the death of me. Its not JUST Porter anymore. He has an accomplice. A partner in crime. Someone he quickly points a finger at when caught in the act...and well, its hard to prove sometimes who is at fault, resulting in two kids in time out giggling at each other from across the room. Have I mentioned how hard it is to discipline when they are both laughing at each other? Hard. VERY hard, I tell you. And it sorta kinda makes me a little looney. To the point when sometimes I have to take a MOMMY time out because all I want to do is scream.

Oh the joys of children. And people wonder and ask where number 3 is, I just dont know what to tell them. I want to respond...number 3 is Porter, and Anastyn...well she is 4,5, and 6! When they said the most spirited kids were saved for the last days, they werent kidding. Spirited they are.

But you know what? I love them JUST the way they are. They are hilarious, fun, and have personalities in spades. Is it a miracle I have any hair left on my head? Absolutely. You want to know how come I got two kids like this? Because I am lucky. Because I can handle them. And because they are teaching me things I never thought I would learn other wise.

And even if when I check on Porter at night before I go to bed I find this...

...After a quick picture, scream into my pillow, and 6mg of melatonin...I always say a prayer thanking My Heavenly Father for this sweet boy in my life!! Because lets be honest...how boring would life be without him?!

Rednexican Style!

A couple weeks ago Kameron had a shift change, and allowed him to have a 4 day weekend. It was fall break, and my brother and his family were up at the cabin, so my parents as well and Kameron and I made a trip so the boys could do some work. They had to reseal the outside logs to protect it through the winter. While us girls did some shopping, and the kids played!

Anastyn LOVED being outside, and Miss Lexie Lou was so helpful and played with her and watched her while they were out playing. They are watching the boys on the roof working!

Lexie, Anastyn, and Jadie Jadie pretty lady! Love these girls!!

We had the camera's on hand, because with the tricks these guys were doing, was a little scary, and well...it was a youtube video waiting to happen. Redneck style....Ghetto rigged, whatever you want to call it. I like to refer to it as Rednexican style!! The above picture the boys hang the ladder from a tree on the other side of the cabin so they could suspend themselves and get to a hard to reach spot....

...and this is the view from the bottom! Seriously, it was a little nerve wrecking. One snap, and they would have fallen all the way to the ground. It looks like the deck would catch them, but it wouldnt have. The picture is decieving...they would have gone straight to the ground. I kept 911 on speed dial just in case.

This was from the front of the house...yeah, Kameron was always the one suspended with his life in danger. Crazy men. Luckily no injuries were sustained during the re-coating process. It took 2 full days, and a lot of sore muscles later before everything was done.

Other fun tid-bits...Porter has been begging me almost every night, including mentioning it in his prayers to go visit his Uncles and Grandma and Grandpa Lee, or for them to come visit us. Since we were working on the cabin we couldnt stay up there, but Aunt Kamarie and Grandma met us half way to take him to play in St Johns for a couple days. He had so much fun with his cousins, and playing outside. I thought it might take care of that fix for a while, but he is already back to asking to go back or for them to come here. =)

I also got to meet up with a good friend of mine Tera for lunch one afternoon in Show Low! She just had a baby so I got to get a little baby fix, and man was Cashy boy adorable!! Makes me want one...kinda. HA. But as usual it was a couple hours full of laughing our butts off. We always have so much fun! So grateful for those kind of friends who you only see a couple times a year, but when you get together its like we never skipped a beat. Thanks Tera for coming over from Taylor, it was great to see you and your beautiful new boy!

And lastly, on Friday night we made the trip over to St Johns to pick up Porter and to watch my little brother in law Konner, be a Rockstar on the football field.

After watching him tear it up with 4 touchdowns and a touchback, we only got to say a quick hi before heading back to Pinetop! I love getting to watch him play, and am so glad we were able to make it to atleast one game since we live so far now.

Porter with his Uncle Nonner! =) Of course he is old enough that he actually calls him Konner now, but I still like to call him Nonner because...lets face it, it was a really sad day when Porter said it the right way. This little boys sure loves his Uncles! And I am so glad he has such good boys to look up to.

After settling back home I realized that I wish we werent 5 hours from the cabin, because there is nothing like hanging out in the mountains with the windows open, cuddling up in a sweatshirt and boots, and relaxing. I cant wait to make another trip once it starts snowing!!!

Slacker with a capital L-A-Z-Y!!!!

Hi there! My name is Gina, and I am the worst blogger in the world as of late. I seriously have no excuse other then..I'm busy, with Primary, kids, work, chores, preschool, soccer, potty training...etc, my blog has taken a back seat! Please forgive me. I can promise I will do better, but I cant promise to keep that promise. My absence is not due to a lack of excitement. We have had a fun and crazy couple months. Here is a little rundown of randoms!

Porter finished his swim lessons, and I am happy to report, that he can now swim. YAY! Anastyn also did swim lessons. It was a Mom and Tot class. And isnt Anastyn with her mom so cute?! HA. Ok, so it was a Dad and Tot day in this picture. I melt in water...no joke. I avoid it at all costs! She did really well and was jumping in all by herself by the end!

Anastyn's favorite move = Monster's Inc. However the beginning of that movie is a little scary, and its one of those moments where.you.just.cant.look.away!!! Love her!

My BABY boy started pre-school! Seriously? Can he really be old enough to be writing letters, numbers, and his name?! Unfortunately the answer to this question is Yes! He is so stinkin smart, and LOVES school!

And then another first...SOCCER! This is getting ready for his first practice. I just realized that I dont have any pictures of him in his uniform. I will change that when he has another game.

He has had a few games and really loves it. Its WAY more active then T-ball. He picked his nose and chased butterflies for the first game, but once he caught the hang of it he scored a couple goals. Apparently all the beating "You DONT take things from other kids" into his little head works because he doesnt ever want to take the ball from the other boys. We are working on him understanding that its OK to steal the ball from the other team. He is catching on, and its hilariously fun to watch!! P.s. And yes, I am one of those soccer moms that is a little too competitive for the under 6 league. Some of the kids on the other teams are just mean to the younger ones...namely our entire team. (they are all like 4) So I am working on the slide tackle with Porter. Jk! But I kinda want to.

Little Miss Sass-a-frassy. What can be said about this little Gem?! She is a hoot. Personality in spades! She has decided she wants to be potty trained. Ok, so she basically did it. I help her and remind her, but she has basically done it on her own. Independent to say the least. Did I mention she is a little parrot? She NEVER stops talking. And no, she did NOT get that from me. ;) Wink wink! But really she is hilarious and makes us laugh all the time with the things she comes up with. She is obsessed with chapstick...her reward for going potty is a little lip smacker, how great is that?! Easy to please, just how I like it.

Kameron's sister and her family came to visit over labor day. It was super fun and we took the kids to Tombstone, because lets be honest...littles dressed as gun slingin' flapper-esk adults from the west wearing flip flops and converse = priceless!!

Back in August my sweet Nana passed away at 93 years old! I have always been really close to her, since she lived with us or by us my whole life. I should dedicate a whole post to Nana stories, because trust me...she was hysterical. I know that she is much happier and in a much better place, but I was still sad at the thought of not being able to laugh when she would slap my hand away when I would touch her hair, and her big juicy kisses that would land straight on the lips if you were quick enough. But the memories of her chasing us with a shoe because we would make her mad...only to make it out the door. And if you made it that far, you better hope a neighborhood friend was home because you werent getting back into the house until mom got home from work, will last forever. When a bad thing happens, good always comes from it. I got to spend a few days with all my Gonzalez side of the family. I have so many FUN cousins, and I loved being able to hang out all together! (did I mention we are all mexican, and a lot are LDS...that pretty much equals breeding machines) Her posterity has equaled hundreds, and growing. What an honorable posterity she has left. And because of her, we all are blessed to have such a great and large family!!!

And lastly...we are house hunting. Can I just say I am NOT loving it?! The market here in Sierra Vista is not like the market everywhere else in the state. Its still high, and if you arent there when decent house for a decent price hits the market you dont get it. We also got approved for a mortgage. What a blessing! All the stress of the last year has really taken its toll, but it got us here where we know we are supposed to be, and we going to hopefully have a home to call our own before too long. We have found a few that we loved...and would lose it before we could get there, or get the house and have to pull out due to a bad inspection. But we are optimistic that the right one will come along. I just need to break my brain somehow to not automatically decorate an entire house before we get it so I wont be so disappointed when it falls through! But I am loving researching things online of how I want to decorate a house whenever we are blessed with one again.

Well thats it people. Thats where we have been, and what we have been up to! I wish there was more exciting news to share...maybe including 10 fingers or 10 toes...but not quite yet. Our kids are just way too dang cute to stop now. =) And since my OBGYN doc moved here this past week from Chandler, I am one happy camper and feeling like its time for Anastyn to cut the apron strings and learn...she aint rullin the roost forever. =)

And...we're back...kinda...

I'm BACK! Seriously, I know what you are thinking...and no, I did not fall off the face of the earth! We have had a couple crazy months to say the least. Between, primary, working part time, fires, floods, being a mom and wife, trips, and all the summer activities, my plate has been....well overflowing. Although we have endured trials this summer, we have had a lot of fun and good come from everything. There is always a silver lining. We are healthy, happy, and still as fun and crazy as ever!

Just for fun here is one of the two picture I have with me in it this summer. And I just love it because look at my sweeties face. MAN I just love this little girl! But wow is she SOO sassy! I cant imagine where she gets it. ;) But she is seriously the funniest kid. The things that come out of her mouth are hilarious, and she keeps us on our toes. She is my little chatter box because she is never quiet. And boy can she find her words. Anastyn speaks so well for her age, that she amazes me everyday with new things she learns. I love her to death and it should be interesting what the future years bring. To be honest... I am a little more then frightened! I love you princess, you truely are one of a kind!

24th of July

We went up again for the week of the 24th in St Johns. The kids have so much fun running around and getting dirty.
This is my favorite picture from the weekend! This little girl has her Daddy wrapped around her tiny little finger! As a side note: Dont you just love her boots! I got them handed down to me...but I dont remember from who, so thank you who ever you are. We love them, especially Anastyn!!
Asher, Paxton, and Anastyn being cute and having a tea party!!

The kids at the campfire circle!! I love them!

We also said goodbye to Elder Lee! We are going to miss this kid SOO dang much, and I cant believe he is on his mission. He was 12 just yesterday! Good luck Kyler Paraguay is a lucky country! (P.s. this is the only picture with me in it, and I had been up all night sick as a dog, so excuse the nasty eyes and exhausted look on my face)
Here are all 5 boys! And No, Kameron is not adopted! ;) HA

My sweetie pies at the Parade. It was a fun weekend! I also played in the volleyball tournament and my good friend Kristen came with me. We didnt get any pictures...SAD! But I am so glad to have such fun traditions every summer, the kids love it, and its always nice to get away for a few days!

When it Rains it Pours

Well in a previous post I posted about the fires! Well after the fires they talked about the possibility of flooding since everything above us was burned there was nothing to catch the water during monsoons! We knew it would flood a little, but we didnt think it would be to this extreme.
This is my parents back yard after the floods came. It was more then just water, it was mud, twigs, debri, and ash! And it came down in a hurry and took out sheds, block walls, and a few homes. We were lucky that it didnt get inside. My parents lost so much. It was so sad to see their beautiful backyard gone.


This happened on a Sunday, and we were rushed home from church to find all this. Boy am I glad we were NOT home when it came down. The descriptions of the noise it made and from the videos I saw, it would have been so scary.

So after the water lines breaking and septic tank flooding, we were again out of the house for a few days. We have gotten really good at evacuating! Despite the craziness of this summer, its been an eye opening experience and helps you realize whats most important, and you see who really cares, and will be there when you need them. We had so many people reach out and help us. We have a great family, and great friends!

Porter the Fish!

Porter took swim lessons during the chaos, and did SO well! I took him back to Karen's Aquadics which is where I learned to swim when I was his age. Miss Karen was even my Kindergarten teacher. So it was so fun that he was learning in the same pool I did. Her son Bristen was Porter's instructor, and he was so good with kids. Porter loved it, and by the end of the 2 week session, he was lumping off one side and swimming to the other. (it was a short swim, but still).
Here Porter is swimming from Bristen to the steps!

Here he is jumping to Bristen, and by the end the teacher wouldnt touch him at all, and he could swim to the other side and climb out.


Porter did so well I am so proud of him. He will be doing a 2nd session in a couple weeks and I cant wait for him to be swimming all on his own!!

Monument Fire

Back in June there was a little something called the Monument Fire! You may have heard of it. This bad boy broke out about a week after I was called into Primary. Talk about a stress overload! We were evacuated on a tuesday, and it just got worse and worse from there. It started 4 canyons away from Miller Canyon which is where we live. And within a few days...it burned through all the canyons, taking 64 homes with it and was then hanging in Miller Canyon right above our house. To sum it up...it was a long couple days. The winds were raging, and we were worried that out neighborhood wouldnt survive. I had very little hope that it would. However, after two weeks of being evacuated...and then evacuated a couple more time due to a different fire outbreak, and the boundaries of the Mandatory Evacuation moving into where we had originally evacuated to, things calmed down. While the fires were raging and we were literally running from fire, the kids went to visit Kameron's parents in St Johns. It eased the stress of running from fires with two kids in tow. A little over two weeks later we were able to go HOME. The wonderful fire fighters were able to keep it out of Miller. It came down one creek, but it wasnt ours, and my parents home and land were spared from fire. Everything above and around us...wasnt saved, but the homes themselves.

Miller Canyon is behind the Smoke.

The little hill that is burning is right across the street from our house. Crazy to see how close it was, because we werent able to get but a few miles from the action.

And that green sign says "Miller Canyon Rd" which is where you turn to get to where we live. Its amazing to see that after days of being surrounded by smoke that we didnt even have smoke damage. We barely escaped the fire by the skin of our teeth. But are so grateful for the blessing of having a place to still rest our head! I pray everyday that I NEVER have to witness this type of devastation in our beautiful mountains ever again. It has made me rethink wanting to build in Miller. However we know this is where we should be. So with Faith, we move forward!!

Primary WHAT?!?!

Have you ever had one of those days, when you find out a piece of information that changes how you see something else, someone else, and yourself? Have you ever been asked to do something that you felt completely incapable, inadequate, and unprepared to do? Something that swallows you whole? And all you want to do it cry?!

This is me...about two weeks ago!

I woke up one Sunday, and got all ready to go to church. I was feeling like I needed to be prepared that day, and that there is no excuse to be late for 1 pm church. So I was ready early, had the kids in the car, and found my seat atleast 10 minutes before it started. I was feeling pretty good, right?! WRONG! Well because of my over-achieving punctualness, (not sure that is even a correct term, but we'll go with it) the Bishopric could actually SEE me. As apposed to me sneaking in 5 minutes late and finding a seat hidden in back. This my friends...is why being late is helpful.

After Sacrament meeting, I am rounding up my offspring to take them to class when there is a tap on my shoulder. Who is it you ask? A member of the Bishopric. This is never good. He asked if I could meet with the Bishop during the 2nd hour. I of course said yes, and left thinking...GREAT! What calling am I getting now? I was nervous. I dropped the kids off and on my way to class...Bishop spots me, and waves me into his office. This is when Hiroshima hits.

Primary President!! What?! Me?! Really?! This is a very mature ward. THE ward that I grew up in. Out of all of the wonderful strong women in the ward...why me?! I didnt get it. Of course I accepted, and maybe I shed a little tear or two...ok, I for SURE shed a tear or 5! But sucked it up, and went about the rest of church. There has GOT to be an age limit for a calling of this magnitude. I say 40..atleast! If this were the case, I would be safe for atleast another 14 years. And I know what you are thinking...and yes, I would be glad I wasnt me if I were you too!

TWO weeks passed before I was sustained. Talk about a secret that is busting you at the seams. I was so stressed about what was to come...but was powerless to talk about it, and all I could do was wait. Pure torture. Last Sunday, it happened. I officially became in charge of one of the largest organizations. Little ol' me.

So many emotions have overcome me. I still feel small and at a loss for the "why me". I feel like others are thinking the same. I know thats the devil talking...but really. Regardless of the well wishes, and the YOU CAN DO IT's, I still wonder how it will all turn out. I want to be a great president. I want to do the kind of job that people will say "Wow, she is on top of it!" I lack the confidence in myself of this actually happening. I know it will get easier. I know I will learn what I am doing and be able to get the job done. I just pray for that little extra, that will make the kids love coming, enjoy the lessons, behave, and leave having felt the spirit. Will every sunday be this way? I'm not an idiot, of course NOT! We will have our rough days, and we will have our great days. There will be tantrums, crying fits, and yelling. And dont worry, I will leave the room before I let the kids see me doing this!!

So as I move forward in attempting to tackle a calling so much larger them myself, I look forward to learning new things. Pushing myself to the limit, accomplish things I didnt think possible, and determine myself to be the best Primary president I can be. And if you are feeling generous, send some prayers my way. Because we ALL know I am going to need them!

I have a 4 and 2 year old???

I won a photo shoot back in December, and had them done in April..JUST in time for their 2 and 4 year birthdays. How adorable are my kids?
They were SO good and would do everything the photographer wanted them to do!! I dont know who they were...but I loved every second of their happy go lucky smiles!

I am in BIG trouble with this boy! He could be a model tomorrow. I just hope he doesnt realize how cute he is until AFTER his mission!

And my beautiful baby girl! Her big browns show the reflection, and you can actually see that I am wearing a green shirt. Crazy! Those were how my eyes were. So happy to finally have a child with atleast one of my traits!





I really cant get enough of these two. They make life so happy and full. Every hard trying moment makes it worth while when I see those smiles and hear those giggles! I love my babies! Dont you think they need a little brother or sister?! HA. Talk to Kameron about that one.