The Nightingale Family

2011-10-29T23:00:00.000-07:00

letter A studio: Big Scrapping Stash Giveaway!

2011-08-24T22:55:00.000-07:00

letter A studio: Big Scrapping Stash Giveaway!

My 16 year old!

2011-07-05T12:09:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my little girl is "all grown up and savin' China"! This is her and Aaron going on the first "official" date all alone without a sibling to chaperone.

2011-07-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

Aladdin Jr. 2011

2011-05-26T22:30:00.000-07:00

Morgan decided she wanted to follow in her sisters' footsteps and be in the school musical. They had been practicing very hard and it payed off! They did an amazing job! Princess Jasmine is one of the Young Women in our ward, she did awesome! And Aladdin is one of Connors' friends. And the genie is also in our ward! It was fun watching them! We have talent here in AZ!

Brace time!

2011-05-26T22:24:00.000-07:00

Finally we were able to get braces for Kennedy. I gave her plenty of time to back out of it, but she went through with it. She didn't have to have any teeth extracted, and if she is a good girl and does everything she is supposed to she will have them off in less than 2 years. Beauty is pain!!

Stephs Bday and Trysten's Blessing

2011-05-26T22:19:00.000-07:00

I am so lucky to be able to come and visit this weekend...I loved being there! I love my family so much and miss them terribly! It was so cold, and I came home and got sick from the temp change...it was so much fun!

Junior Prom 2011

2011-05-26T22:09:00.000-07:00

And here she is Miss Junior..Oh I mean..Sophomore queen...she and her 2 friends were given free tickets so they all went together without dates since they were sophomores!

Prom Fusion 2011

2011-05-26T22:02:00.000-07:00

Kennedy and 2 of her friends Devany and Torie put together a fasion show to help raise money for Junior Prom. This project of theirs took many, many, many hours to complete. It counted for there year end school project. I am amazed every day what my children have accomplished and are able to accomplish. These 3 girls, who are sophomores by the way, amazed everyone with this wonderful event. Good Job Kennedy!

School Basketball

2011-05-26T21:55:00.000-07:00

Connor stepped way out of his comfort zone this year and decided to play basketball. He definetly has the height for it. He did so good. We had an awards night for sports and Connor received the "Most Improved" award. His coach relayed a story about how Connor tried so hard all year to make a basket, he never gave up. On the very last game of the season, it was the very last minutes of the game and Connor made the last basket, which was his very first basket. Coach said they were done coaching for the season!

Easter 2011

2011-05-26T21:36:00.001-07:00

Yes I am a little late, but I am going to catch up here pretty quick! This is the start of a few events that have happened to us since my last post which was January 1st.

2011-01-01T16:55:00.000-08:00

2011-01-01T16:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T20:24:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful feast! Everything tasted so great! I had a lot of help. Connor & Kennedy peeled the potatoes, then Connor mashed them. Morgan set the table and made name cards for everyone. Mason helped clean, and Jim took the turkey out of the oven and carved it. We had a nice relaxing day. Jim & I even snuck out and went to see Harry Potter. The kids needless to say were a little upset, but what would our life be like if the kids didn't get mad at us once in a while. It felt more like Thanksgiving today cause it was cold outside, it helped me feel more in the spirit of things. We still miss everyone! I hope everyone had a great day.

2010-11-06T17:19:00.000-07:00

Kennedy babysits for a lady who takes professional pictures, her name is Addie White. Addie asked if Kennedy could help her at a photo shoot, afterwards she took these of Kennedy. Pretty sweet!! Thanks Addie they turned out beautiful!!

School Year 2010-2011

2010-09-23T08:22:00.000-07:00

This is the first day of the new school year, boy has it been a rocky one, for Mason at least. Since these pictures Mason has started at a new school, one that he doesn't have to wear uniforms. He is doing so well at Desert Willow, its the public school right in our neighbor hood. Legacy just wasn't ready for such a spitfire like Mason. So we found a better fit. He loves his new teacher, Ms. Neeman. Kennedy is a sophomore, and is the lead in the school play...its kind of a dinner theatre type play, she is very excited! Connor started Jr. High at Legacy. He has also started playing flag football, which he is pretty good at it, if he could just keep his grades up so he can continue playing, we are working on that! Morgan is in 4th grade and doing very well, her teacher has already called me and told me that she is amazing, that she is a great example to her class and loves being her teacher.

2010-09-23T07:21:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful summer! We went to Utah right as school got out and stayed for two weeks, Daniel (Jim's nephew) got married, so we had fun with the Nightingale clan. Connor had his first scout camp, and his first airplane ride, since we had to fly him to Utah. Lots of stuff going on. But we survived. More pictures to come!

Alice in Wonderland

2010-06-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

Kennedy was in Alice in Wonderland this year. She had so much fun. She also did all the make-up for everyone. For her academy she is in they had to do a project that took so many hours to do and her and one other girl decided to learn about face painting. They did a great job. They also were asked to help with the middle schools play "Annie". If you click on the picture it will get bigger.

New house

2010-05-15T15:33:00.000-07:00

Yes I am finally posting. It has been crazy down here in the desert! First of all we have moved. We are in a community called Mission Valley aka. Mormon Valley. This is where the majority of our ward lives and most of the kids friends. It is very nice, I love it. We live in a 1900 sq ft one level home with a 3 car garage. We did a makeshift 5th bedroom so each of the kids have there own room. I also have room for all my scrapbook stuff which is the other half of the 5th bedroom. Since we have a new dining room table, we used our old one for my scrap table and Jim's awesome bench he made with the chairs, I love it, and so do my friends who scrapbook with me!! Here are some pics. Jasper made his ritual of hiding the first night, the kids were eating breakfast, after looking for Jasper for a while, looked up and he was on top of the cupboards. I think he has finally recovered!

2010-02-18T13:14:00.000-08:00

Yes it has been a while since I have posted, I know, I suck at it!! But it is one of my goals to work on for this year! But I am so excited about what we were able to purchase with our tax return. We bought a new dining room table, it is a tall one with stools, I love it! Also we were finally able to buy new front room furniture. This is my very first couch I have ever bought. When we moved to AZ, my dad gave us his old living room couch and two chairs that were Grandpa Barts. They were definetly put to great use!! Connor was sad that we were getting rid of them, he wanted one of the chairs put in his room. I put the Mazda picture in this collage, cause the day our furniture was delivered, we sold "Mr President" aka..the "humble mobile" as Jim called it! It was insane how many people called about it. It was only in the paper for one day! Jim was kind of sad since this was his Dads car, it had served us well over the years! As far as everyone else we are doing very well! Kennedy is very busy with school, she is also in the upcoming school play "Alice in Wonderland" She has been working hard. Connor became a Deacon this past December and is passing the sacrament. It is crazy to see how big he has become. He is also were a suit coat that I think was Daniels, in which he looks very handsome in! Morgan is also growing up quickly, she loves school and here teacher. Mason...well lets just say he is still our spitfire!!! He is doing better in school this year, YAY!!! He hates the long bus ride, but all in all, he is doing well. Jim is very busy with the Bishopric, work and everything else! And I am enjoying being at home. I am very blessed!

2009-10-31T19:23:00.000-07:00

We had a fun trunk or treat on Friday, I have to explain the Jim 1 & Jim 2...This is because Jim 2 is the second counselor in the Bishopric with Jim and our Bishop had a B on his shirt. We have wanted to do this for a while since that is how they are known. It was turned out awesome! Thanks Jim 2 for being such a good sport. And yes my daughter is only 14!!

2009-09-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures from our summer vacation. We had a lot of fun when we went to Utah for Chris & Olivia's wedding. Also this past May Jim got a new project, he is so excited to get it working so he can drive it to work. He is also preparing for a race on Labor Day weekend. If you click on the picture it will make them all bigger, since they are all pretty small right now.

2009-08-30T12:13:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been a while since I have posted anything. I decided that it was time. It has been a rough summer for us Nightingale's. We have had a very long summer. We took our family vacation right after school ended. My brother Christopher got married the end of May. It was a very fun trip for us. We stayed for almost 3 weeks. Since we got that out of the way, we didn't go anywhere else. I work two days a week, so this made for long days for the kids. Thanks to my wonderful daughter Kennedy for making this happen and not killing the kids. I am so lucky to have such wonderful kids, and a wonderful husband who works so hard for us. Speaking of which, Jim has made Associate in his company...Hooray!! He has worked very hard for this accomplishment. Kennedy has started high school this year, can you believe it. Her high school(Vista Grande) is brand new this year, which is very exciting. She is taking a very full load, AP History, Pre-Ap English, Pre-Ap Geometry, Pre-Ap Biology. So far so good, she has also started early morning Seminary. Connor is in the 6th grade, I have seen a change in Connor this year already, (since they just barely started school, this past Tuesday), I have seen a sense of maturity in him, he is trying real hard to do the tasks which lay before him. Him and Morgan(who started 3rd grade) have started in a new school as well. It is called Legacy Traditional school. It is a charter school, which is brand new to this area, it is throwing the Casa Grande Elementary School District for a loop. They opened up with nearly 4o0 students. It has been great so far. Connor has 15 kids in his class, & Morgan has 18. It will be an awesome year for them. And finally to our trouble child, dear sweet Mason. As I have written previously of all the trouble he put us through last year, I think we are on track for a good year!! Mason is going to a specialized school, it also has smaller class sizes. It is called Mary C O'Brian. It started out with programs for the handicapped, it still has those specialized programs but it has opened to the public. I put his name on a waiting list, and they had room for him. I was so excited that he was able to get in. My friend Aimee had her kids in it in the past years, and has absoulutely loved it. He is in Kindergarten, which his teacher has already told him he is as smart as a 1st grader. I think this is the boost he needed, to feel like he can do it!! Even thought he has to get on the bus at 6:20 AM and gets home at 4:20 PM, he is doing very well. The poor little guy has fallen asleep on the way home this past week! It keeps him out of trouble. So all in all, this year has started out very well. I am so glad that school has started. Sorrry about the novel, but it is to be expected since I haven't written for a while. Pictures will come later.

2009-04-08T10:11:00.000-07:00

These are hillarious!! I love them!

Parent-Teacher Conferences

2009-03-12T22:32:00.000-07:00

Ok so I have been worried all day about our meeting with Mrs. Scubiez(Mason's teacher). It actually went better than I had imagined. As you all know, my son has been on shaky ground pretty much all year! This week hasn't been any better. Lets see, there was the last 3 weeks he has been on probation, we had a meeting with the principle. We set some goals. During that period, he was suspended. So I thought for sure he would be done! Thank goodness my son is really cute!!! He has survived the chopping block! Thank goodness his teacher really likes him or he would be done. I don't know maybe it was the incident when he "smuggled" a toy sword in his backpack...or telling her that she was counting wrong. I guess she can see his sweet spirit, cause thats all that is going to get us through this year!!

Family pics

2009-01-12T14:45:00.000-08:00

Here is a sample of some of the pictures we got taken. I am so excited that they turned out so well! We had a lady from our ward do them. She did a great job! I just realized that the top family one, Jim's head got cut off...sorry Sweetie!

Christmas jammies

2009-01-08T22:31:00.000-08:00

We always look forward to jammies. This year grandma out did herself!! She made the jammies and pillowcases to boot! Thanks, Grandma! We love you! I know its a little late, but I haven't had much time to post! But we did have a wonderful Christmas. Jim is doing good, it seems like all the tests have come back negative, which is good! He still has some dizziness and numbness, but it could be alot worse, so we are very grateful for what we have to deal with! Thank you too everyone, we couldn't have made it through without everyones prayers!

2008-12-13T14:06:00.000-08:00

I Did It!!!

2008-12-04T20:07:00.000-08:00

I have been studying for this test for the past 3 years, and I did it...I passed today. I cannot tell you how relieved I am to have this done!!! I will never have to study again!!! Now if I wanted too I could sell any one of you an auto insurance policy!!

UPDATE

2008-11-21T08:25:00.000-08:00

My hubby is finally home!! HOORAY!!! It has been an awful, crazy 2 weeks. We still haven't got back all the results from all the tests they have run. The doctor told us yesterday that it is more than likely an infection of some sort. One of the MRI's showed a previous mark that was on the top of his brain, but it had healed on its own. He said that it could come back or it could not, but at least this time we are prepared. This past week has proved to me how lucky I am. My faith has improved immensely over that past week. I am truly amazed at the power of the priesthood. We couldn't have gotten through this whole ordeal without it. We have an amazing Bishop who has kept me from losing it! We have an awesome ward family. I couldn't have done it without all of them. I am so grateful for my family and all the phone calls. Thank you to everyone for all the prayers, they have worked.

My Hubby's sick!!!

2008-11-16T19:03:00.000-08:00

Okay, here's the scoop. Jim is still in the hospital, he has been there since Thursday November 13th. Ironically, that is the day his dad died...in a hospital. Needless to say, we didn't tell his mom for a couple days. So I took him in because he was throwing up and very dehydrated, plus he was very dizzy. Our Dr. diagnosed him with Positional Vertigo on Monday the 9th, gave him some dramamine and an antibiotic and said see ya! By Thurs. he was doing worse. We got to the ER, they gave him fluids and anti-nausea stuff, and decided to admit him. They took an MRI scan that evening, and found a lesion on his cerebellum. We are not sure at this time what it is. But good news today, they took a CT of all the major organs and found nothing so cancer has been crossed off the list. We are still not sure what it is. They will be doing a spinal tap in the morning and do more tests. He can't come home until they find out what it is. So for now we are in limbo. He is in good spirits, just keep us in your prayers!

Trunk or Treat

2008-11-07T08:46:00.001-08:00

We had a fun trunk or treat on Halloween night. A girl in our ward did these pictures for us. Mason kept going in to get his picture done! Unfortunatley, Kennedy and Connor were no where to be found.

2008-11-07T08:45:00.001-08:00

Jim's Birthday

2008-09-10T14:44:00.001-07:00

Well it has hit our household!! The dreaded 40's! Well I guess it's not dreaded, but its here! I think Jim had a good day. We went out to dinner on Saturday with some friends(its nice to have friends!) Then on Monday his actual b-day, we had more friends over for cake and ice cream...I made 2 sheet cakes...they are all gone. 11 adults and 20 kids. It was crazy. But all-in-all it was a fun night.

SWEET LITTLE STINK!!

2008-08-30T22:12:00.000-07:00

We have had quite the start. Mason has started Kindersteps, which is Pre-Kindergarten. Since his birthday is a month after the deadline for Kindergarten. Well they mean business! He is there Monday thru Friday, all day. I just have to keep reminding my self, it is not Kindergarten, but don't tell his teacher that. Well, this past week, we have been really trying hard to get "Super Star Days". If they are great throughout the whole day, they get a star stamped in there folders. Green stamp means they did good, yellow means they need to do a little better at some things, red means they had problems. Mason did very well the first week, the next week he kind of struggled but we found a solution to help...a treasure box for when he gets "Super Star Days". It helped for about 3 days, then I get the dreaded call. " Mrs Nightingale, your son has been suspended for a day, you will need to keep him home...he can come back on Tuesday." Needless to say I am floored!!! My sweet little angel!! Well I guess he was swinging a bag around and it hit a kid in the eye, I guess it was a gusher. But it wasn't the act that got him in trouble it is statement as to why this happened that got him sent home. He said..."That's what he gets for touching my stuff" I think I get the award for the youngest kid to be suspended. Lets just say he hasn't had the funnest weekend! I am open for any suggestions!!

2008-08-09T20:57:00.000-07:00

Me and the kids went to stay with Grandma & Grandpa for 9 glorious days!!! Tam & Sally and I spent Saturday visiting and some scrappin was involved, but not very much got done! That was the day that Jim was called to be 1st counselor in the Bishopric. It was exciting and overwhelming!! And that was just me! I'm sure Mom is proud as can be. We went to the Ogden ice sheet, my kids love ice skating. We went to Cherry Hill one day. We went to the Bountiful Parade, we had a fun 24th BBQ at Sally's, and the last day was Camerons blessing day! We were very busy, and of course shopping with grandma!!! We also went on an overnight ward campout with grandma and grandpa, the kids had a good time. It was fun to get away, but it was very good to get home!! Kennedy & I deemed the song from Chris Daughtry & Michael Buble "Home" as our theme song. Every time we heard it...which seemed to be alot, we would get smiles on our faces.

Continued Adventure

2008-08-09T20:49:00.000-07:00

After the Grand Canyon, we went to Sedona. It was very beatiful, it reminds me of Jackson Hole, with lots of shops and scenery. We were very fortunate to stay in a beautiful million dollar house. This house was amazing, it was never ending. We had about 22 people in this house. Everywhere you turned there was a place to sit. Huge tables to eat at, and the one thing that kept my children entertained was the pool. That was a vacation in its self. Kennedy kept us all entertained by singing to us every night. I was so proud of her. It was so nice to see all of Jim's family, we truly had a great time. We stayed at the house from Sunday July 13 to July 19. What a week!

My new adventure...

2008-08-09T08:28:00.000-07:00

This week, I have started a new phase in my life....all my kids are in school..YA!!!!!! School started Wednesday. Kennedy is in 8th grade, Connor is in 5th grade, Morgan is in 2nd grade and Mason is in Kindersteps which is an all day program. Can you believe how old my kids are. Wednesday was a weird day, I had some errands to run, then I went to playgroup(without kids, is that weird) but it was great. I think playgroup is more for the moms anyway. We are starting a Biggest Loser contest, so we will see how that goes. I was worried about Mason, but he did awesome. He loves his teacher, Ms Scubiez. He is pretty wiped out when he gets home, which is great!!! I am still working 2 days a week, but I go in at 11, so I have a great schedule. I just feel like a school bus driver every day, I just don't get paid. I am preparing to take my insurance licensing test. So that will keep me busy over the next month, so wish me luck!

More Fun!!

2008-08-08T22:35:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time, I know I have said that over and over, but we truly did. My kids had fun with the cousins we don't get to see that much. As we were there it was Jim's mom's 78th birthday. It was fun to be able to celebrate with her. Hopefully we will get to do this again sometime. After we spent 7 days in Northern Arizona, I took the kids and we went to Utah. Boy was that a fun drive, 15 minutes into the drive the first kid threw up...Morgan. 15 minutes later the 2nd one threw up...Kennedy. Later on in the trip in Kanab...Mason threw up. I was so done with this part. Fun times!!!

Our Summer Adventure

2008-08-05T21:31:00.001-07:00

We st arted out on the Gr and Canyon Railway. It was alot of fun. We were in one of the older parts of the trai n. There were cowboys that roamed the train, I think Mason wasn't too sure what they were doing. We spent the night at the Grand Canyon. It rained that night, but it was wonde rf ul, it was actually nice and cool. The n ext day, Jim, Connor & Morgan went on a hike. Both of them did an awes ome jo b! T h i s was just t h e beginning.

TAG YOUR IT!

2008-07-06T21:32:00.000-07:00

I am supposed to tell 3 of my joys, fears, goals, obsessions, and surprising facts. Now its every one else's turn to paste and copy to there blogs!

JOYS:
1. My family.
2. Food.
3. Any time I can scrapbook!

FEARS:
1. One of my kids dying.
2. Losing our house
3. Not ever being financially stable!

GOALS:
1. Getting and staying on a budget.
2. Finding a job that I will enjoy.
3. Travel the world.

OBSESSIONS:
1. Collecting scrapbook supplies and scrapbooking!
2. Working out at the gym...although you can't tell!
3. Checking blogs!

SURPRISING FACTS:
1. I will have an empty house when school starts!!!!!!
2. I love the Twilight series.
3. I love to work out on the eliptical!

Fathers Day!

2008-06-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

This wasn't the best Fathers Day Jim has had. He was really sick the week before. Turns out he has pneumonia. I have never seen him so sick. By Sunday the antibiotics had kicked in, he was feeling better, but not the best. We had hamburgers on the grill, watermelon & cantelope, corn on the cob & brownie cake. Kennedy sang to him, which was the best present of all. She also sang in Sacrament Meeting as well, she did an excellent job. Jim was wondering if he would ever make the "blog" so here it is. I love you sweetie!! Hope you had a good day!

Summer Fun

2008-06-18T19:34:00.000-07:00

Well it has hit us...the fun Arizona heat!! Tell me why I live in Arizona?? But what do you do. Well, we stay inside most the time. The other times we are at the pool. It has been a hard adjustment, but I think we are use to it. We put extended cable back on, so at least the kids have Disney channel to watch. They were pretty excited about that. Although, I did like not having cable, my kids are zombies again. It will be turned off when school starts. So thats what we do.

Thank You

2008-06-06T16:32:00.000-07:00

YEA!!! Thank you for helping me convince him he needed it cut! He looks very handsome!! I think he likes it also, but he would never admit it!

HELP!!!!!

2008-05-30T21:56:00.003-07:00

I want to take a poll! Connor has been growing his hair out for awhile. He looks like a rag-a-muffin. Who thinks we should cut his hair? I want everyones opinion. He won't let me cut it. What do you think?

2008-05-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

Kennedy has been taking voice lessons this past year. She started on her own, but just recently they added about 4 more girls. They had an end of the year recital. She did awesome!! She was very confident, you couldn't even tell she was nervous. The video didn't do her justice. I am so proud of her! She has so much talent.

Mason is a Grad!!

2008-05-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

Mason loved preschool this year. His teacher was Miss Jeanne. They had a cute little ceremony. He keeps asking me when he's going back to school. I think once the kids are home for summer he will be okay. Right know he gets very bored. Next year he will be in Kindersteps, which will be full day, like kindergarten. He is excited to be going to big kids school.

Golf Mania

2008-05-21T16:01:00.001-07:00

Jim has the kids loving golf. We have signed Connor up for a golf clinic in June. He is way excited. The other kids had fun trying.

Mr Player!

2008-05-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

Apparently, my 4yr old is a player. There is this cute girl who is in Mason's preschool class and his primary class. Her name is Camryn. On sunday, they were sitting in sharing time on the front row. I guess they had to be stopped from kissing. Yes, they kissed each other about 5 times. Camryn's mom was conducting sharing time, so she had to seperate them. Kind of funny! Oh well at least he's a lover, not a fighter!! What a character he is!

Mr Power Ranger

2008-04-23T13:08:00.001-07:00

A funny tidbit I learned today about my 4 year old. He was in primary class, and the teacher was talking about missionaries. She asked the class "Who wants to go on a mission when they are older?" Two of the boys raised there hands. The girls all said no that girls didn't go on missions. Mason just sat there saying nothing. His teacher asked him if he wanted to go on a mission...Mason said "No...I want to be a power-ranger when I grow up!!!" So I guess we'd better find someone to sew us a blue power ranger suit!!

2008-04-23T13:07:00.001-07:00

Easter pics

2008-04-11T20:17:00.001-07:00

This is Easter Sunday. I can't figure out how to move the pic...does anyone know how!

Grandma's visit

2008-04-11T20:12:00.000-07:00

Grandma came to visit us. We had so much fun! She said she had fun, even though she did alot of cleaning! But we enjoyed her visit. Hopefully next time we can get grandpa out here too! But I'm sure he won't be doing any cleaning!(Ha! Ha!)

2008-04-03T17:31:00.001-07:00

Let me introduce myself . . .

2007-11-22T10:49:00.000-08:00

Let me introduce myself.

I'm Ricci. I have 4 adorable children. Kennedy(12), she's the cutest, Connor (9), Morgan (6), Mason (4). I like to scrapbook and read. I have an extremely handsome husband named Jimmy. We have been married happily for 16 years.

I'll post on this often so you know what I'm up to.