Family Pictures 2012

We have a friend in town who wants to become a photographer so we had her practice on our family. Larry and I haven't had any pictures of just the 2 of us in a while so we got a couple of us, 1 of which we liked. Kamden, Kinsee, Kaileigh, and Kallen each have a few we like and then of course the family has a few. Mostly they are just fun. We love that she did black and white as well as color photos. I think around Valentine's Day we may do some more and send out cards since I didn't get Christmas cards out this year. I think we'll do a tradition of Valentine's Day Cards :) Our family is doing well. We are happy in AZ and really enjoy Maricopa. We love our ward and the kids love their school. I really feel like we've found our Home. We are also enjoying our new home and are still getting unpacked and settled in but it's coming along. Kamden is going to be 7 in a month and I can hardly believe it. He's growing up to be a good boy and very helpful. He's got a soft heart that loves to serve and help others to be happy. Kinsee Belle is still spunky as ever but also finding her sweet side. She too is a big help, especially when on her terms. She's a great sister. I can't believe she's 5 and in school. Kai is such a girly girl and I love it. She amuses me and makes me laugh. I love her sweet artistic spirit. She's 3 and going on 16. :) Kallen is all boy and so mischievous. I can tell he's going to be a handful. He love to play tricks and see people laugh. He loves to tackle you and just play and tease. He's got the sweetest spirit and so kind. Kaijsa, Kaitlyn and Kira are in UT and seem to be doing well and are happy. They are all involved with work and school and sports. They are growing up and becoming lovely young women. We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! We also hope y'all have a wonderful New Year! Here's to a year done and another beginning! To dreams realized and more made. To endings and beginnings and all things being possible.

Kallen's 2nd Birthday and Halloween 2012

The last few weeks have been pretty crazy plus our camera broke so didn't have a camera to take any pictures. My dad came out for a visit and is letting us use his till we get a new one so was able to get a few photos. I'm hoping to get back into taking pics and blogging as that is the best way to keep everyone up to date on us. Kallen celebrated his 2nd Birthday on the 26th. I can't believe he's 2 already! He's talking a bit more and loves to play jokes on people. He loves to laugh and make others laugh. He is what I imagine Larry Dean being like as a kid. He got a new basketball hoop and several types of balls as those are his favorite toy. He also got some clothes as he is constantly outgrowing them. We got him an ice cream cake from Cold Stone which was super yummy. I think he had a good day with family and toys. My dad came for a visit that turned into helping us move. We moved to a smaller house just about a block away. It's still in the same ward which is what we wanted. We love our ward and the friends we've made here. We thought of moving to UT but decided not too. Maricopa feels like home and we like it here. Plus now that it's fall/winter that's the best time of year! We left our 4000 square foot home for a 3000 square foot home. I think once we get moved in and settled we will really like it. I like the layout of it and it has a little patch of grass in the backyard! The kids love the backyard because of the grass. So now that after 2 weeks of moving things over I can now unpack it all. I have a few days off so hope to get quite a bit of it done. Here's hoping anyways. I'll take photos once it's "done". I love my dad and the friends (Malan's) that helped us move. I'm so grateful. Jen was also a big help. She will be moving to her own place which brings mixed emotions. I've loved having her here but will be happy for her to have her own place too. She will still be close to hang out with or have help if needed. Larry hasn't been feeling well so he has an appt with a neurosurgeon next week. We are hoping they might figure out what's going on. His Leukemia is stable so we're told so that's good. The older 3 girls are living in UT and seem to be doing very well. Kamden and Kinsee are loving school! They had their class Halloween Parties on Halloween Day and I was able to have that day off to volunteer. I love volunteering at their school. One of the joys of working at night. After the school parties we got ready for our Ward party! It didn't have the turn out last year did but it was still fun. Good good and plenty of candy for the kids. Kam was Batman, Kinsee Belle was Belle, Kai was Rapuntzel (wedding day), and Kal was Spiderman. I think they all turned out so cute! I was a last minute Vampire Queen and thought it turned out ok. Hope y'all are enjoying the Fall and had a Happy Halloween! Now on to the rest of the holiday season with being Thankful! So Thankful for my Family (near and far)! We are who we are because of all of you! Trying to be better each day. Love ya Saling and Eoff Parents, Saling and Eoff Siblings, Larry, Kaijsa, Kaitlyn, Kira, Kamden, Kinsee, Kaileigh, Kallen and all the nieces and nephews (cousins)!

Back to School 2012

This has been a long time coming. School started Aug 6th and it's been non-stop since. My dad was here when school started so I got a picture of him with the grandkids. Hard to believe Kamden is in 1st grade, Kinsee Belle is in Kindergarten and Kaileigh is in Preschool! Kam and Kinsee are LOVING school and I'm so grateful. They have wonderful teachers and I love volunteering there. Kai is still adjusting to preschool. A few other moms and I are doing a "joy" school type preschool. We take turns teaching each week and there are 5 kids involved. Kai does well once dropped off and she loves going, it's just the few tears when actually being dropped off. I'm hoping this will prepare her for when she does go to school. Kinsee there was no fear and she just jumped right out of the car and took off. Kamden has grown so much since going to school. Their teachers love them and they are doing well so I can't complain. We are getting into our school routine and things are going well. Larry's been sick so I'm grateful for Jen's help while I'm working. We also have amazing friends who live close by who also help me while I'm working. We have been blessed while living here. I love Maricopa, our ward, home and friends. It has truly come to feel like home here. We have considered moving to UT but now is just not quite the right time. Kaitlyn has gone back to live with her mother and sisters in UT and we wish her the best. They seem to all be doing well and staying busy. We hope to see them while we are up there in Nov. I love our kids and am so blessed even when it gets crazy. :)

Kai turns 3!

Today was Kaileigh's 3rd Birthday! I can't believe 3 years have gone by, 2 of which have been here in AZ! Kaileigh is a wonderful, funny, spunky little girl who really does remind me a lot of me. That can be both good and bad depending on who you talk to. :) She loves to dress up and play pretend. She loves the color pink and make-up. She LOVES desserts and will eat all day if we'd let her. She makes us laugh like nobody else with her funny personality. Kai is a gem and I'm so grateful to have her a part of my life and our family. To celebrate we went to a pool in Chandler and had a wonderful day. We swam all day then came home and had McDonalds for dinner and a doll cake for dessert. She loved her cake. Jen decorated it and it turned out cute. It was a day full of fun, family and friends. Larry felt well enough to join us, Kaijsa and Kira were here too which made it nice. We were all together. Jen and our friends the Malans were also able to spend the day with us. So much fun! Love you Kaileigh!!!! Happy Birthday!

Here are a few of the pictures Jennie took this morning of Kaijsa, Kaitlyn and Kira. I think they turned out cute. Jen has a new camera that will do black/white photos or accent a color. Those pictures of the kids (all the kids) turned out cute. I also like the ones in color or playing with light and shading. I love having the kids around to take photos of. It will be nice to update our photos here at home and to print some out for the Grandparents. Thanks girls for getting up early to look beautiful and let us get some wonderful pictures of you. Thanks Jen for getting up early on your day off to take them! The girls have grown up beautifully and are wonderful daughters. We love you! You are also great sisters to each other and to the little ones. I have an amazing family.

Family Pictures

Here are some of the family pictures I liked from yesterday. It was too hot to take pictures outside but we did get a couple, one of which is good. The others were inside which is fine. I'm hoping to get a few more family photos taken before the girls leave in July. The younger kids have taken their pictures and the older girls will get their individuals will be done this week. Then I hope to get some more family photos in. I'm glad these turned out ok though. With the kids getting older and busier it's hard for us all to get together very often. I love the fun pictures as well as the serious ones. I'm just glad a few turned out. With kids of all ages it's hard to get everyone to look at the camera and smile at the same time! Thank you kids for helping me out to get the pictures I wanted! Thanks Larry for being patient too! Thanks Jen for taking the pictures! I love my family and our time together. Wish it could happen more often but cherish the times it does. Here's to our crazy Saling Crew!

Happy Father's Day!

We had a good Father's Day yesterday. Larry was able to celebrate with all the kids and I around him. We had some of his favorite foods and then played and enjoyed time together. I had to work for a bit but was able to listen to the laughter and laugh along with them. I'm so grateful he got to have all the kids here with him. With Larry being sick it was nice that he felt well enough to enjoy time with the family. Some days are better than others but overall he's doing well. We love you Larry Dean! You're a wonderful father and have blessed the lives of many. Happy Father's Day to you! And Happy Father's day to our Daddy's, Larry Saling Sr and Robert Eoff! Y'all have blessed our lives and many others with your caring thoughtful spirits! Love you!

The Littlest Saling's

I know it's been a long time since I last posted anything but I'm hoping to change that a bit. I have some pics I need to put on here for y'all to see but haven't had much time. Here are a few of the pictures we took this morning of Kamden, Kinsee, Kaileigh and Kallen. They are so cute and there are others that are just as cute. Once I have a bit more time I'll put them up. Next week we're doing the older 3 girls and I can't wait. I'm also hoping Larry will feel well enough for some family photos on Father's day or next week when I have another day off. Enjoy the little ones. I'm off to work!

Easter Festivities 2012

We started our Easter Holiday with the coloring of the eggs. We hard boiled 40 eggs this year. We color eggs the weekend before Easter so that the dye wears off before Easter Sunday. Learned that lesson when Kam and Kinsee were little and spilled it all over themselves. :) We love to color eggs and have fun doing it. We use them all up so that works out nicely. Next year I want to try an idea I heard from Kim (sister in law) when she cut pieces of old ties into squares to cover the raw eggs, once covered you boil them and the ties pattern dyes onto the eggs. They were cute! Maybe I'll let each kid pick out some ties. Anyways...love coloring eggs and beginning the Easter Holiday.


The second part of our Easter traditions has become attending the Mesa Temple Easter Pageant. I didn't take any pictures of the pageant this year like I did last year for a couple of reasons. First we sat a lot closer and second they asked us not to. And since we were so close I decided to obey the request. I think if I had been back further I may have taken a few. :) We did get some of the kids before it began. I wish we could have gotten a family photo but we didn't. We love the Mesa Temple Easter Pageant. The kids enjoyed it more this year than they did last year. It starts after their bedtime so a few fall asleep but we'll continue to go because it's fun, beautiful, peaceful and reminds us of the True reason for Easter. Plus they learned a little more this year than last and I want that to continue. I love taking the family to the temple. We talked about coming and getting Sealed and we talk about Jesus and Easter. Love the Pageant and that it's become a new Saling Family Tradition.


We also decided to put together an Easter Egg Hunt. Our first annual Easter Egg Hunt and Brunch. It turned out pretty well for the first year. I definitely want to do it again. We had some friends come and we all brought eggs for the kids. We also brought a brunch item and had a great time. The weather was perfect and everyone had a good time together. The men got there early to hide the eggs, with Kaitlyn's help and then the moms and kids showed up a bit later to eat, find them, talk, laugh and have fun. The kids found the eggs, some with a little help and then they snacked and played afterwards. We hid the eggs in different areas of the Park so that all the ages had fun finding them. The Park is behind our home and it's a good place to hide eggs. Even the older kids had fun. I want to do it again next year and get more families or even the Ward involved. Thank you to all who came and made the hunt fun and memorable! We love living in Maricopa. We love our Ward and our friends. I'm thankful the kids are happy and doing well here. Another fun Easter Tradition enjoyed by the Saling's.


Easter came to an end on Easter Sunday. We got the kids all dolled up and pretty for Easter. I let them pick out their outfits this year. Kai is into puffy and fluffy and cotton candy skirts. Kinsee likes attitude and doing what she wants, had to have a hat (sounds like me), Kamden wanted to match Kallen so they picked out green. I love my kids and they were all super cute. Kait is growing up and picked out hers too. She wanted something she could continue to wear and not be too fancy. I think she looks grown up and professional. She has become a beautiful young woman and a good example to the little ones. It's still a bit tough getting photos: getting them to smile, hold still, look at the camera, etc. but we continue to take a bunch for memories. I love seeing their expressions and personalities come through. The kids sang well with the Primary, Kait sang beautifully in the Ward Choir and we had a wonderful dinner after church.

I love my Savior and am so grateful to Him and the Atonement. I am grateful for Him and His sacrifice for me. I'm thankful for the Resurrection and knowing that He lives and we will all live again. To be together forever as a family.

The Hunger Games

I picked this background because I love the books and the Movie. I got to see the movie at Midnight with Larry and Kaitlyn and we all LOVED it! That morning after I woke up I got to see it again with my sister Jennie and loved it again! Such a good movie. I'm so glad they did a good job with it. I love the series and will definitely buy the movie when it comes out. I would even see it again.

Spring 2012

I know I haven't posted anything in a while. My life just seems so busy that when I have a day off or a chance to sit down I tend to watch tv and sleep. I hope y'all can forgive me. Plus since I don't ever see any comments I have no idea if anyone even looks at this blog anymore, but on the off chance that someone still checks here are some pictures of the kids. There may be even one or two of Larry and I in them. Me on accident :). After we spent the day at Old Tucson Studios over Spring Break life has gone back to the usual routine of sleep, school, eat, homework, work, eat and sleep. We have been enjoying some absolutely beautiful weather and have been outside quite a bit. Although the last few days have been in the 90's so I've had to turn on the A/C. ugh. Kids have had some allergies and runny noses but otherwise everyone is healthy and doing well. Larry has been feeling a bit better and has been able to spend quite a bit of time with us which is nice. The pictures are of several different events.

The first I think is of Kamden's School/Class Field Trip. They went to Shamrock Farms (the same that make the milk/dairy products). Turns out their Dairy Farm is just outside of town which is why Maricopa enjoys it's lovely perfume. :) I was able to go as a chaperone which was fun for me. I love spending time with Kam and getting to know his friends. There is a play area and lots of cows. It was an interesting tour and a field trip I'd enjoy to do again when Kinsee gets to go.

The second set are of Kam's school carnival. They had a ton of booths to buy things, bounce houses to play in, pony rides, rock wall and reptiles to look at. I volunteered here too for an hour then got to walk around with the family. The kids had fun and would have liked to stay longer but we had other things to do that day. I had the Young Women's Broadcast that night with Kait which was special to me. I'm usually working but was able to get this night off to go with her. I love Mom/daughter or Mom/child time. I need to do one on one time more with each of the kids. It was fun to go with Kait and a friend of hers + mom. Nice to get to know the Eatons a bit more. It was a good time.

The third is fun in the sun time. Larry got Kam a motorcycle for his birthday and now that the weather is perfect they've been out playing on their bikes and on the motorcycle. Kinsee loves it and wants one. Kam enjoys it too but isn't quite as daring as Kinsee Belle. Kai and Kal had fun watching them and wishing they could have a turn too. Maybe when they are a bit bigger. They are getting better at riding bikes but still have training wheels on. I want to take them off but we'll see. We've spent time at the parks that are close by and exercising outside.

I was able to run in a 5K a couple of days ago to support Legacy Charter School. It's not where Kamden goes but a few of the other families in our Ward send their kids there. It's a good school and they were doing a 5K to raise money for kids with Cancer. I ran the entire time and finished which was my goal. Now if I can get a bit more comfortable and pick up the pace a bit. I'll keep trying. I'm looking around for another race. There is one the Saturday before Mother's Day that I'm looking into but not sure. I'm also trying to put together a team for the Relay for Life here in town. If I do then I'll put a link on the blog that y'all can donate to. It goes to helping cancer research and families. Something which is close to our hearts for several reasons.

Life in Maricopa is going well. We've had 2 birthdays so far this year, Kam and Kira, and will now have 2 more in another week, Kaijsa and myself. I'm starting to work on Kait and Kinsee's birthdays next month then Larry and Kai the month after. School ends at the end of May. I'm trying to put together all I need to become a substitute teacher, wow is there a lot to do in order to be one! I will get it done though. I'll put pictures up for Easter once Easter is over. We colored eggs tonight and will attend the Easter Pageant on Wednesday, then Easter pics in our finest on Sunday. Can't believe it's April already. We didn't do anything for April Fool's Day which made Kamden a bit sad. I may have to carry that over for another day or two and think of something.

Come on down and visit while the temps are fantastic! We get to see Kira in June and possibly Kaijsa too. We are looking forward to our time with them. Glad that life has plateaued a bit. Of course there are good days and bad days but that is life. I'm so grateful for General Conference this past weekend. I love that I recorded the sessions so I can listen to them again and again while I work or just to relax. Such wonderful messages from our Prophet and leaders.

So thankful for my sister and her continued support and help. Thankful for our families and all they do for us. We are blessed in many ways. Love y'all.

Girls Night Out...to Wicked!

For Christmas gifts this year Jen, my wonderful sister, got Kaitlyn, herself and myself tickets to go see the Musical Wicked! We were so excited! As part of the Girls Night Out I went and got my hair cut. We got all dressed up and went to dinner before hand to Oregano's. It's a yummy little pizza/ pasta joint by the college (ASU). We had fun eating and enjoying the evening. The Musical was fabulous! The girl who played Guh-lenda (lol) was awesome. She was so funny and did a fantastic job with the song Popular. Both ladies were remarkable with the song Defying Gravity (Elphaba and Glenda). Both of these songs were in the first act and are my favorite. I wish they would have done reprises of them in the second act but they didn't. I loved the whole play and had a great time with my sister and lovely daughter. Thank you Larry for watching the kids and supporting us in having a good time with nothing to worry about. Love you. I love my family! I love musicals!

Kira Turns 12!

Yesterday was Kira's 12th Birthday! Happy Birthday Kira! We love you so much! You are a wonderful daughter and are growing into a beautiful young woman. We don't get to see you too often but we think of you every day and pray for you always. We are so glad to have you a part of our family. The little ones love you and look up to you. The older sisters enjoy spending time with you and love you too. You are a good example to all those you are around. We're excited for you to be in Young Women's and for all you'll be able to learn and experience over the next several years. You're a daughter of God and one he can smile upon and be proud of. Your dad and I are also proud of you. You're a beautiful dancer and we love hearing all about the sports and activities you're involved in. We are a forever family and we are so blessed to have and know that. We love you Kira! Hope you had a wonderful day! Can't wait till summer so we can spend time with you and see you!

Happy Birthday Kamden Noah!

This week we celebrated Kamden's 6th Birthday! He not only had his birthday this week but he was Student of the Week in his class. He had to do something each day to help his class get to know him better. On Sunday in Primary they sang to him. On Monday he got to open his presents after school, we let him open one before school, and he had to make a poster about himself to take to school. We created the poster that morning since I had forgotten over the weekend and then I made some mini cupcakes for his class too. While eating the cupcakes he went over his poster. Tuesday he got to take his favorite book to school and his teacher read one of his favorite stories from it. Harold and the Purple Crayon was the book he took. There are several stories in it and they read the Fairy Tale one. Thursday he had to take a jar of candy for the kids to guess how many were in there. And Friday he took the photo book that he had to put pictures in and write a journal entry of his week with Brody the class stuffed dog. He took Brody everywhere that week and we took some pictures with him. He had so much fun and we are so proud of him. He's doing well in school and is speaking more clearly since having tubes put in his ears. He's becoming a wonderful young man and full of love for his sisters and brother. I can hardly believe he's 6 years old already and almost done with Kindergarten. He received some fun presents and had a good birthday party with a few of his friends too. As a family we made a Fruit Ninja Cake and for his Party we made Cupcake Ice Cream Cones that I frosted and put together to look like Captain America's sheild. He had a Super Hero Party so that went well. We had Spiderman, Batman, Iron Man and Star Wars all present with Captain America. The kids had fun. I found it amusing that more girls than boys showed up to celebrate with him. I love that. I like the kids in his class and he's made some good friends at church and at school. He loves video games and playing with his sisters. He finds his little brother amusing and loves to make him laugh. He's a good student and is discovering that he has homework that some days he likes to do and other days not so much. LOL get used to it Bubba, life is full of homework and cleaning. He's learning more each day and is a sweet spirit. He doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. He has learned to control his temper a bit more this year which I am grateful for. We love you Kamden Noah! You are a special part of this family!

Christmas 2011

We had a good Christmas this year. We didn't have the 3 older girls this year but will get them for next year. We were able to do some fun things before Kait left for UT though. We filled up Christmas Break with lots of fun family time. We finished our Christmas shopping fairly early so that was nice. We were able to watch a bunch of Christmas movies, Made some yummy Christmas treats and shared them with friends, decorated a Gingerbread House and Train, made and decorated Christmas cookies, went to the Mesa Temple and looked at Christmas lights, drove around town and looked at a few lights, had a wonderful Christmas dinner and of course read the Christmas Story and Twas the Night Before Christmas. So many fun Holiday traditions! We even started a few new ones this year. We have decided to focus more on the giving than the receiving so to help us with this we picked a name off the Angel Tree. The kids had fun choosing a name and getting the gift(s) for our child. We also made some new treats this year in addition to my mom's delicious fudge and took it to friends. We had a fun Ward Party that had ham so for our dinner we decided to do Shrimp Fetuccini and it was yummy. I love Christmas time and this year was just as fun. We all got some great gifts but had just as much fun making the treats and fun crafts. We had fun picking out gifts for each other and getting them ready. I'm so grateful and blessed for all that we have. I'm grateful Larry has been doing well and was able to participate in all the fun activities. I love my family and look forward to the new year ahead. I may do an end of year post eventually that would be our Christmas letter but haven't decided.

Thanksgiving 2011

I'm not sure what happened but I don't have very many pictures of Thanksgiving. I'm pretty bummed about it because my family was all together this year for the holiday. A little mini reunion for the Eoff's. We didn't have Kaijsa with us, she decided she was busy and couldn't make it, but the rest of us were all together. My dad came out for the whole week which was fantastic! My brother and his family drove down from UT and brought Kira with them, Thank you Drew! It was wonderful to be together even for a short time. We had 2-3 days together and it was busy and fun. The kids played and got along really well. The grown ups relaxed and everyone ate a ton. We are so blessed to have a home where we could all get together and have space to be comfortable. Larry unfortunately wasn't feeling the greatest and ended up in the hospital the day before Thanksgiving. He spent the holiday there but we were able to see him every day. We played outside, I had a few days off so got to play with them. We watched movies, slept and just spent time as a family. What a wonderful way to spend Thanksgiving! I'm so thankful for my family! While we were together, first time in 3 years, we had a family photo taken. Sadly Larry and Kaijsa were missing but hopefully they will be there for the next one! They are a part of the family even though they couldn't be a part of the picture. We took one of all of us, Me with Larry and I's kids: (Kaijsa was missing), Kaitlyn, Kira, Kamden, Kinsee, Kaileigh, and Kallen. Jen and my dad or Papa (Bob), and Drew with his wife Heather and their kids: McKenna, Miranda and Graeme. I think the pics turned out cute, hard to do with so many of us. What a great posterity my mom and dad have created! And to know we are all sealed to our families and together forever is another great blessing!