MADDISON DAWN CAIN

Maddison started out in this world as a "perfect" child (if that's possible). From her sweet smile to her butterfly eyelashes she was perfect. As a toddler she disciplined herself without my help or guidance. Her Grandma Cain says she has an old soul. She loves being a girl in every sense and does a fabulous job at it. As she grows older I enjoy her company more and more. She is a great student and strives to be the best she can be. I am proud of her everyday. She is and will always be my beautiful baby girl inside and out.

JAXSON BRENT CAIN

Jaxson Brent is the sweetest little man! He is kind, caring, thoughtful and loving. When he laughs, I can't help but get a huge smile on my face. He is infectious. He lights up my world! Today, he promised to get his homework done quickly so he could help me get the Christmas decorations out. I can't tell you how many times he sang "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town". He wore a Santa hat and danced about the house all night. I am so thankful for him. I am blessed to be his mommy.

Thanksgiving Entertainment

Know this... this wonderful entertainer, whom I am proud to call my sister was the most fabulous turkey date there ever was! Imagine... that all of you in this world enjoying my blog missed out on this piece of work. And know this...this was a mere snapshot of the pure entertainment! I know you are all incredibly sad that you didn't see this form of art in person, which is why I am kind enough to share the wealth this holiday season. Such a giving girl I am. I love you too much not to share KD! ENJOY ALL!

Spikers

Maddi just completed her first season of Volleyball and she did great. She went from knowing very little about the game to understanding and succeeding in all positions. She has a mean serve and returns the ball perfectly. She improved significantly as the season progressed. We are so proud of her and she is ready to play in the spring. Somehow, I went from just volunteering to help with First Aid to Assistant to the Assistant to Coach. It was a challenge for Maddi and I in the beginning but we both ended up really enjoying it. GO SPIKERS!

Better late than never...right...

We had a very uneventful Halloween, unlike the Preece Family. The annual Halloween party at Moms was cancelled this year due to some difficult times. My kiddies raked in the candy as usual like none other and because my sweet, loving husband decided to ration the candy to trick-or-treaters, I now have a huge cauldron left over as well. I think I may gain 15 before the end of the week.

Maddi was a very grown up Cleopatra with beautiful eyes and my little man was...what shall we call him? Dr. Frank n' Monster. The weather was perfect... a cool 70 something and didn't rain until all were fast asleep.

All in all it was a healthy, happy halloween.

Madagascar

Once again, Aunt Nanni hooked us up good! On October 21st we went to the screening of Madagascar. The movie was great and the company was even better. We love those dang Carvalho's.

I LOVE YOU

FRIENDS

My cute friends, Marci (Davis) Spruill and Amie (Amezcua) Martin. And that little blue shirt hiding is sweet little Lawson.

Donald Rulon Rasmussen

I didn’t have the opportunity to spend a lot of time with Grandpa Ras living in California for many years however, the time I did have with him was incomparable. I don’t know how many grandkids there are ( a slew of us I think) but I bet if you ask any of us we would all tell you that Grandpa made each and every one of us feel special. There may only be one M.K. in this world but Grandpa has a whole lot of “punk-a-dunks”. I will cherish forever the many memories of Girls trips, lady finger sandwiches, lumpy dick, squeaky cheese and five gallon containers of endless ice cream. Grandpa was a man that lead by example. He was strong physically, mentally and spiritually. I will miss his sweet smile, quirky hat, and kind heart. I am beyond proud to have his name and will miss him deeply.

What's new?

Jax has been in Taekwondo for almost a month now and every time we go I want to cry. I know it's not a cool thing to do. Yet, I still have to hold back the tears. He is so so so dang cute in class. He concentrates so hard on doing the forms perfect and the confidence this class is giving him is awesome! It has inspired me so much that I have now enrolled Maddi (not so sure she is that stoked about it) and myself. Keith is next. Maddi and I start next week. I thought it would be good for us too. A little more exercise, self defense yada yada. I'm sure Keith will be documenting the momentus occasion just as he did when I decided to join a womens b-ball team. Those tapes will be destroyed.

Keifer is doing so great! We don't see him enough or ever. He is busy, busy, busy. A few weeks ago he sold one of his awesome songs to the HBO show "Entourage". He is an incredibly talented guy and we are SO proud of him.

Maddi would like to follow in his footsteps with music but, for now she's sticking with the books! Whew! She is running for student leadership again this year. As a 5th grader she can run for President so that is what she is doing. If you have any ideas on a theme or slogan give us a hoot and a holla. Last year her slogan was "Dream Big, Achieve Big".

Jaxson is doing great in school. Although, if you ask him his favorite part you know it will be recess or lunch. He makes up these crazy games with lava and monsters and I don't even know what else. Last year him and a few other boys and girls made an animal hospital at lunch. They saved ants, roly polies and worms. I'm glad he's over that!

My babe is doing the same ol same ol thing. Working hard or is it hardly working? Don't tell him I said that. He keeps asking me if I'm retired. I guess I need to pick up some shifts. I don't know whats wrong with him. I think this schedule of 1 day a week is great!!! He's got a new group of dudes to play in friday night poker nights. Yahoo for poker. He is itching to get a Harley again and I am itching to keep it away. I'm a scaredy cat now and want to keep him safe and sound. We need him and love him toooo much!

I am so ready for fall. Where is it already? I love that crisp, clean air. I need to go home to get the full effect since we don't really have any seasons here in sunny CA. The kids are asking about going to Utah for Christmas. They want to see some snow. Poor Maddison has NEVER been in it! We better make an effort this year to find some snow.

A Peek at GrandPa Camp 2008

GrandPa Camp was in beautiful San Diego at the fun packed Sea World where grandkids and grandparents alike had a great weekend. Mom and Doyle braved Sea World and the beach with Boston 11, Maddison 10, Jaxson 7, and Talon 6. We are waiting for more pictures of this fun filled weekend. Until then we got our hot little hands on this gem. The funniest thing about this picture is that Talon (front right) claims he was NOT scared at all and is very serious about it! He is hilarious. Check out his face. He doesn't look scared to me at all.

Taekwondo

Today was Jaxson's 1st day of Taekwondo. It was so cute. We took him to the Tae Ryong Taekwondo School a few minutes from our house. It happens to be the same school that Keifer went to when he was about 8 years old and even crazier is that Keith went there too. Master Shin is one of the few Masters of the world and has been running the same school since 1983. Keith went on a search and found these pictures of Keifer. I can't believe how much they look alike. Now we know that Jax will turn out to be a handsome dude. The cute little lady with Keifer is Great-Grandma Polly. She is so sweet!

School Days

Today was the 1st day of school!!! Where did summer go? I refuse to admit that I have a 10 year old in 5th grade. Maddi was beyond embarassed when I attempted a last minute picture at her desk preparing for the day. Then it went a little beyond that and led to mortification when I asked for a kiss goodbye. Guess I shouldn't do that again. Um.... I now have serious leverage. Next time she needs a little humbling I think I might need to walk her to class.

All in all she had a great day. Maddi said Ms. Pearson was very serious explaining the school and classroon rules when suddenly she threw a joke in. In Maddi's words, " I was like where did that come from?" Ms. Pearson may not be quite as funny as Mrs. Hudacko but, she is working on it. Being able to make a large group of 10 year olds laugh is a hefty task. I for one am not able to do it. I guess I have turned in to one of those dorky parent like people. Good for you Ms. Pearson.

After Keith and I dropped Maddi off in her class we headed over to Jaxson's 2nd grade class. WOW! My baby is a 2nd grader- not okay! We may have taken too long with sissy because his class was already busy at work when we arrived. Mrs. Huntting was very sweet and immediately introduced herself to Jax with a handshake and a smile. She showed him a hook to hang his messenger bag (a.k.a backpack) and showed him where his seat was. He sat next to a cute little blonde named Melody. She shared her crayons with him! AAAHHHHH! So cute. After school I asked Jax if he thought it was going to be a "good" school year or a "great" school year. He replied, "it's going to be a gwate school yeaw mommy!" He's too cute.

I know it's going to be a tough year with Maddi doing math that Keith and I don't understand and Jax also doing math we probably won't understand but we will make it through, just like we always do. We are so proud of our kiddies!

Vegas Baby

What Happens In Vegas Stays In Vegas. I didn't really understand that statement until this weekend. Cameron and Mindy met Keith and I for a wonderful time in Vegas. You may be thinking to yourself- for a long weekend there should be a lot more pictures. I know, I know however, I have vowed to my husband that I shall leave some of the choice few pictures out of my blog. Although if your name happens to be Marci Preece and you need a good laugh- personal e-mail may be a good way of communicating some GREAT pics.

The weekend began at Stoney's. It was a honkey tonk time working out the electric slide. Mindy- girl you got the country in you. Cam and Keith played it cool chillin on the side watching their babes boogie. That night ended with a dinner/breakfast somewhere around 1am. The following day led to shopping, shopping and more shopping. It was quite convenient being next to the Mile Mall. Joel McHale attempted to bust our guts with laughter. He did his best. Roller coaster anyone? Yes, I did it. I'm still alive. Ask Mindy about the cow-eyed, beaver, muskrat type animal we ran across on the roller coaster. Very interesting story. ESPN Zone offered some great fun as well. Mindy and I can row down any whitewater although we need to work on our bowling skills. KA at MGM Grand was very entertaining. Would've posted a picture from the show but once again ran into that freaky little animal. Wasn't pretty.

We had a lot of laughs, late nights, great food, and always fab shopping. Can't wait for the next trip. Next time the Preece's must join us! Love and miss you all.

Running Springs

Our mini, mini family reunion with Dad and Cile was a success. We were entertained every day and then some. I think I need a week to recover. Is it possible to need a vacation from a mini vacation? The trip started out a little rough with a friendly reminder from a friendly officer to slow down. Guess we were in a hurry to get there. It marked the first ticket my babe has gotten in about 7 or 8 years. (He wasn't thrilled.) When we arrived at the cabin we were pleasantly surprised. The view was incredible! With three decks lined with glass we could see forever. The stars were amazing. Our off-road excursion offered more insane views and lots of humps and bumps. It was a 3 hour tour and then some. We learned about the indians in the area, the major gold rush of Southern California, and so much more. We hit the alpine slides after that. Boston felt the need for speed. He was the only brave one to attempt the "fast" slide down. Sunday marked somewhat of a lazy day. Last person up was Maddi around 10am. After a slow morning we headed over to Lake Arrowhead for some mini shopping and go-kart riding. We ended with a great bbq meal that hit the spot! All in all it was a great time. We will miss you Dad and Cile. Hope to see you soon.

Kandiss Kung Fu Carvalho

Watch out people! This girl is one TOUGH cookie. Kandiss, my ass whoopin' sis is an accomplished Muy Thai fighter! That's right - as if we weren't already scared of her, now we ALL have good reason. Good for you and me she's on our side. Just don't make her mad. She is so cute. These are some cool pics capturing a take down of some very scary, hairy dude. Yahoo KD!

BUCK TOOTH

Family Reunion

This year the Lil' Ras was at the Trotter Cabin in Idaho. We were very sad to hear about all the freakish fun that we missed out on. I know it wasn't the same with out the lovely Preece Family and Cain Family. We keep ourselves content by looking back at the fond pictures of last years Big Ras Reunion. Let us now bow our heads in rememberance. Did I spell that right?

GrandPA Camp 2008

This year marks the 4th Annual Grandma Camp. The kids have decided that Grandpa has been left out. Therefore, this year has been marked GrandPA Camp. They are thrilled to join the sea lions, orcas and penguins in sunny San Diego at Sea World. The Cain and Carvalho children are counting down the days. Good luck Gpa & Grandmama Gentzler! You will need it. This picture is of Grandma Camp 2007. Can't wait to post this years pics!!

4th of July at the Janss is a great time! VIP treatment is always nice. Thanks babe. Free food, cool music (Grandpa G didn't like "NO Doubt" so much), fun fun fun for the kids and always a great fireowrks show. One of these years we will get the Carvalho clan out.