The Lucky 7

Christmas 2011

2012-01-10T20:02:00.012-07:00

Christmas was awesome (as usual). Amber always comes up with great ideas for presents for the kids. Here was one of them:

The kids went psycho when they saw it. I had the video but for some reason it got screwed up. Myself and my parents put a lot of work into this thing. Somewhere in the vicinity of 77 man hours sanding, staining and sealing it. Here is what it looked like before:

Pretty big comparison huh? Anyway, it was all worth it on Christmas day. Thanks to everyone who helped take it apart, transport and unload it! We bought it from a guy in Goodyear for $500.00. We had to take it apart and transport it though. No biggie, a new one costs like $1500.00, and I wasn't about to spend that much. Speaking of $1500.00, Amber wanted a picnic table as our dining room table for Christmas. So we found one online that we liked and had the prisoners build it. Here is what it looks like..unfinished:

Amber was very excited and the craftsmanship is remarkable! This bad boy seats 12 people. I will post new pics when we finish it.

The boys got some really cool toys, like full auto nerf guns. See for yourself:

Way better than the nerf guns we had growing up. Anyway, there are more pics and stuff but I will post them later. There's soooo much stuff to post since I haven't done it in what seems like forever.

Luckily, I have kept all of my New Year's Resolutions so far; I've worked out every day, I have eaten my 5 to 6 small meals a day, I have read my scriptures everyday, I have updated the blog, I have said my prayers in the evening, I think there's one more, but I can't remember. Guess I need to write them down so I can refresh. I feel very satisfied in my progression so far, and that's what matters the most. It's amazing how much more satisfied life is when you accomplish your goals.

"How I admire men, women, and children who know how to work! How the Lord loves the laborer! He said, 'In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread' (Genesis 3:19), and 'The laborer is worthy of his hire' (D&C 84:79). He also gave a promise: 'Thrust in your sickle with all your soul, and your sins are forgiven you' (D&C 31:5). Those who are unafraid to roll up their sleeves and lose themselves in the pursuit of worthwhile goals are a blessing to their families, communities, nations, and to the Church."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf,, Two Principles for Any Economy, Ensign, Nov. 2009, 56

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T10:25:00.002-07:00

It sure is hard to stay up late as you get older. I'm 32 now and Amber will be 30 tomorrow. So many good things happened in 2011, but one thing that did not happen was I did not do the blog. So, that will be one of my New Year's resolutions. Once you get out of the habit, it's hard to get back into it. The same with just about every good habit out there both spiritually and physically.

Christmas Tree

2011-12-29T05:33:00.002-07:00

Amber does a great job decorating the "adult" tree. The tree that we had near the time we first got married now goes to the kids to decorate how they want. The only problem is the cat keeps attacking the trees and breaking some ornaments. That cat has no respect for Christmas!

Spider Prank Christmas 2010

2011-12-18T19:05:00.000-07:00

Testimony of the Book of Mormon

2010-05-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

Praise the Lord!

2010-03-11T08:59:00.000-07:00

I was working out the other day and this came on the TV. I just had to post it

"With all the strength of my soul I testify that our Heavenly Father loves each one of us. He hears the prayers of humble hearts; He hears our cries for help. . . . His Son, our Savior and Redeemer, speaks to each of us today: 'Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him' (Revelation3:20).

"Will we listen for that knock? Will we hear that voice? Will we open that door to the Lord, that we may receive the help He is so ready to provide? I pray that we will."

(Thomas S. Monson, "Mrs. Patton--the Story Continues," Ensign, Nov. 2007, 24)

Has It Been That Long?!!

2010-02-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

Wow!! Since the girls b-day? That's a long time to not post anything. A lot of things have happened and are happening. Here's a little something:

Only Charity is walking now. But Hope is Standing on her own for just a little bit and Faith...well Faith will get there. LOL! She's a crackup.

The boys have been doing very well in school. They are both on the Honor roll and are reading faster and faster each day. Now we just need to stop Ammon from running in front of the bus all the time! Argh!

Speaking of Ammon, he had the chicken pox about a month ago and got to stay home from school, bored out of his mind for 10 days. Amber lubed him up with the good stuff, but he looked like a zombie.Ammon also is starting to ride his bike without training wheels. I'll try and get video of that.

Thomas is doing better at not rubbing his lips all the time. There was a time where he looked like the joker his lips were so bad. One of his favorite things to do is clean the bathroom every morning. He gets mad when Ammon helps him. Pretty funny. He had is 100th day of school and he made this out of 100 macaroni:
Amber needs to finish the birthday videos for the boys and girls. Unfortunately we have been having hard drive problems and all the video clips and pictures have been non accessible.

Amber's grandfather Larry Williams passed away 3 weeks ago and we had a beautiful funeral for him. Amber was asked to make a video of his life and we looked through old pictures of his life. It was a little difficult for Amber to do but it was crazy to see how times have changed. Great man, an inspiration to so many people. To bad I don't have pics, but we had the National Guard at the grave site to provide a military funeral service. Charlene received a United States flag and salute. After the dedication an F-16 (I believe) flew over. I watched it dissapear into the clouds and thought how great the symbolizm is in that. He will surely be missed....

The boys thought it would be funny one day to get into the girls' walkers and roll around

I don't know where the boys get it from....

Hopefully it won't be that long before I post again, I promise it won't be as long as I waited this time ;)

"Since the beginning of time, love has been the source of both the highest bliss and the heaviest burdens. At the heart of misery from the days of Adam until today, you will find the love of wrong things. And at the heart of joy, you will find the love of good things."And the greatest of all good things is God."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Love of God," Ensign, Nov. 2009, 22

Girls 1st B-Day!

2009-09-26T16:58:00.000-07:00

So the girls turned 1 yr old on the 25th. We had their little celebration at my folks house on the 24th, (Thank You!) and didn't plan for it to be anything too big. We always try and make our kids birthdays a big deal and larger than life so look out for next year.

Faith didn't even want her cake, I gave her a taste and she made a gross face and dry heaved. She later tried to dump her cake onto the ground.

Hope loved every bit of her cake and ended up wearing it all over her face.

Charity would eat her cake but only if you fed it to her, other than that she just sat there.

They all needed a bath though at the end of the night. (We won't be showing the bathtub pics for fear that the all watching Walmart eye might be viewing). I've been very impressed with the girls' growth and development this year. Amber has been taking good care of them. I know all you guys out there think you got a good wife, but oh no, it takes a REAL woman to handle our little circus. I don't think anyone else could handle the burden that she has. She is a very special woman. I don't know how I got so lucky.

Heavenly Father has truly blessed our family. No major health issues this year with the girls.......In fact, I don't think we had ANY health problems with them other than a couple of breathing treatments for Hope.

The boys and I the other day flew kites out in the front yard. They liked it, until their arms got tired. I ended up flying both kites for awhile while they watched. They were talking to the kites as they were up in the air. Thomas was saying, "Hi Optimus Prime what are you doing" with a deeper voice response "I'm doing good, I'm really high in the air." It was comical. Ammon was the one who started it with his Bumblebee kite. So there they were flying and talking to their kites.

Charity is now climbing all the way up the stairs and sometimes disappears up there when we're not looking. She's pretty smart. Hope is still doing the military crawl but is lifting herself up onto her feet. Faith is usually playing by herself and is just ok with that.

We ate at Sushi Creek and had sushi, (yes Amber had sushi) for the first time. It was very tasty. We went with a fellow co-worker and his wife and had a great time. Amber wasn't to excited about the California Roll, but later we had the Big Foot Roll which is deep fried and had eel sauce on it. Yum Yum!

“Fourteen years ago the Lord took my wife beyond the veil. I love her with all my heart, but I have never complained because I know it was His will. I have never asked why but rather what is it that He wants me to learn from this experience. I believe that is a good way to face the unpleasant things in our lives, not complaining but thanking the Lord for the trust He places in us when He gives us the opportunity to overcome difficulties.”

Richard G. Scott, “Temple Worship: The Source of Strength and Power in Times of Need,” Ensign, May 2009, 45

Boys Turn 6

2009-09-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

Ammonous Prime and Thomblebee b-day invitation (pic only)

The boys opening presents

We had the boys birthday party on the 5th of Sept. (actual b-day the 1st). Thanks to all that showed up to make it a special day. And I'm sure the boys appreciate all the gifts they received. Thank you Thank you. Unfortunately, while the boys were opening their presents, the tore up the names of the people that gave them. So here is a public "THANK YOU" to all!

Amber had this fun idea to have the party across the street at the retention basin (mainly because she didn't want a ton of kids running around destroying our house). We came up with game kids could play and had a little carnival.

Balloon pop

There was a cake walk, ring toss, fishy game, cupcake decorating, face painting, balloon pop and soccer goal. At each station the kids would receive candy or toys to put in their gift bag. We had about 30 kids show up. Good times!

cupcake anyone?

During all of this fun I was in the backyard with 3 grills cooking a TON of food for our "party after the party," which was for family and close friends. There were around 50 that showed up for that, so you can imagine how much food there was. And the food was very good.

We had ribs, kabobs, corn, hamburgers, hot dogs, watermelon, chips and drinks.

Funny...the boys, now that they are 6, have found out some new things, like:

1. They can run faster
2. When they were 5 they were short but now they're taller
3. They're stronger

They crack me up.

The reason I haven't updated the blog is because I've been working mad overtime. Which is taking a toll on me now and had to cut back.

So, more pics and stuff to come, Amber's computer is having a little problem now but the new birthday video will be posted soon. This summer's been fun, I went camping with the boys to Sedona, went to D-backs game, went to Bounce-U, Amber cooked a bunch of banana goodies and other stuff that I will post very soon. Probably be a new post each day this week.

"Every life has peaks and shadows and times when it seems that the birds don't sing and bells don't ring. Yet in spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser, and happier as a result."

Joseph B. Wirthlin, ("Come What May, and Love It," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 26)

Yeah, Yeah, I Know......

2009-08-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

It's been a little bit since I posted anything. The good news...There's a new post and pics coming up soon!

Boys 1st Camping Trip...with me

2009-05-29T16:16:00.000-07:00

So we went camping to Mt. Lemon for Father's & Sons. It was the boys' first time, and the first time I've been camping since any of the kids were born. The boys had a blast! We made a camp fire in the evening and they helped gather firewood and pine needles.

We made Smores, (of course, what's a camping trip without that) and the boys learned how to roast marshmallows. After burning the marshmallows, I had to take over.

They were pretty funny when I rolled out the sleeping bags. At first, they didn't grasp the concept that you have to get INSIDE the sleeping bag. They were trying to use it as a blanket, then they laid on top waiting for me to put a blanket on them. Quite comical.

Ammon woke up in the middle of the night and said "I want a pillow" which, I was mad at myself, cause I forgot them and I wanted one too!

We went hiking to a little lake and the boys wanted to catch fish with their bare hands. There wasn't a good spot to do it cause there were people everywhere. So the boys decided to climb a mountain.

Here are the pics of our adventure. Unfortunately the pics are horrible quality cause they came from my phone, but here they are:

A spider web attached to a tree limb

Do I even need to explain this? (at the top)

Looking down from where we came

Coming down

Since we got home, they've been harassing me about when we're going to go again. Luckily, we are on the first weekend of July. Headin' to Sedona to get away before I have to watch ALL the kids for a week while Amber goes to girls camp.

Speaking of Amber, we were on our way to her sister's graduation in Mesa the other day and as we came out of Sprouts, Amber said, "Hmmm, my eye is puffing up a little bit." Well from about Higley to Lindsay her eye got really big, not only her eye lids, but there was a yellow puss ball looking thing on her eyeball.

The picture really doesn't do it justice, but we went to the Urgent Care on Gilbert road and they couldn't help us.

So we went to Banner Desert, (Amber's favorite place) and they said she had a cut on her eye. The cool part was when they put some eye drops in her eye and placed a black light over her face,

Sweet!! That was definitely worth the 4 hour wait! Anyway she had like a little hole on the side of her cornea. She didn't remember feeling anything going into her eye, it just started swelling up. Wierd.

Dude, a bunch of stuff has happened since last posting. We found a scorpion in the street in front of our house.

We ended up killing it with our secret formula Raid. It looked pregnant, either that, or it just got done eating. After we sprayed it, it started to sting itself.

Well friends, that is about it. I'll post new pics of the girls soon, since I know that's all anyone cares about anyway.

Thanks to all, as always, for your help and love. We don't know how we'd do it without all the support.

"In today's world of pop psychology, junk TV, and feel-good self-help manuals, this advice may seem counterintuitive. We are sometimes told that the answer to our ills is to look inward, to indulge ourselves, to spend first and pay later, and to satisfy our own desires even at the expense of those around us. While there are times when it is prudent to look first to our own needs, in the long run it doesn't lead to lasting happiness."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Happiness, Your Heritage," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 119–20

Amber On The News!

2009-05-11T18:23:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to my awesome wife!! A little late but I put a submission in and the National Maternal Society awarded Amber with the "2009 Mother of the Year" Award. Not only that but she got recognized on CNNBC. (I think she's trying to steal my spotlight). Be sure to check it out.

(On the top right hand side above our family picture)

It brings a tear to my eye. I Love You Honey!

Happy Mother's Day!

"Being a mother has never been an easy role. Some of the oldest writings in the world admonish us not to forsake the law of our mother, instruct us that a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother, and warn us not to ignore our mother when she is old (see Proverbs 1:8; 10:1; 23:22).

"The scriptures also remind us that what we learn from our mothers comprises our very core values."

(President Thomas S. Monson, "If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear," Ensign, November 2004, 116)

April Pics

2009-05-02T18:19:00.000-07:00

Since we haven't posted anything for like....a month, here's a little something. first, a pic we took after church on Easter, Amber's idea. It's hard to get the girls lookin' in the same direction when YOU"RE the one takin' the picture.
Fun ones of the boys chillin' on the little lake at Anthem park

....And Faith in rare form...NOT CRYING!! Good news though, I found if i put rice cereal (I know, I know, I'm not supposed to) in her bottle, she doesn't throw up and she actually has started smiling. I think she's more satisfied with the thicker formula. Amber will thank me later.
Other than that, there's not a whole lot goin' on right now. We're still working on the house, and we're not too far from being done with the downstairs.

Amber and I got new callings. Amber is an Assistant Ward Girls Camp Director. For all you that know Amber hates to camp....this will be a fun calling. I got called to be a Ward Missionary.

Until next time..thanks to all for your love and support!

"Now, some of you may be shy by nature, perhaps feeling yourselves inadequate to respond affirmatively to a calling. Remember that this work is not yours and mine alone. It is the Lord's work, and when we are on the Lord's errand, brethren, we are entitled to the Lord's help.
Remember that the Lord will shape the back to bear the burden placed upon it."

(President Thomas S. Monson, "The Sacred Call of Service," Ensign, May 2005, 56)

Triplets Blessing Video

2009-04-03T15:37:00.000-07:00

This is the video I had playing during the party. There are actual scenes from their birth. Don't freak out though its clean ;)

Adventures with Poop!!!!

2009-03-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

This is Amber here. Justin thought that it would be a good idea to write this myself since it was me that had to deal with it. The kids have had a stomach virus that has given them diarrhea (I think that's how its spelled). Saturday the 28th and Sunday the 29th of March 2009 will forever be known in the Ricks household as poop weekend!!
Saturday morning: I went to wake up the girls for their breakfast and found Faith in a crib covered in poop. I mean her face,body, blankets, sheets EVERYTHING WAS COVERED WITH POOP!!!! I just wanted to curl up in a ball and pretend it didn't happen. After I gave her a bath and cleaned up the mess I finally fed the girls their breakfast. Later I decided to give Charity and Hope a bath, they were so cute splashing around in the water until Hope pooped in the water! I couldn't believe it!!!!! This isn't the solid poop I was used to cleaning off their precious backside, this was a runny, yellow, gooey, digustingly stinky pile of the must vile defecation I have ever had the unpleasant privilge of cleaning. I pulled them out of the water and cleaned it all up then gave them another bath.
Sunday Morning: I woke up to Ammon knocking gently at the door. When I answered it I noticed he was naked. He told me that he had an accident. I asked if he pee'ed in his underwear and he said, "no". I could tell by his face that it was much worse than that. So I told him to show me where he had the accident. He took my hand and led me to his room, as soon as I walked in a mighty smell kicked me in the face. Ammon took me to the bed and showed me his PJ's which of course where covered with poop. I said why didn't you go in the bathroom? He said,"I did". He then led me to the bathroom where he had pooped all over the floor and seat of the toilet. Again this was no ordinary poop. This poop morphed into something unimaginable to the human mind. At this point I am seriously considering running away to some remote Island to live my life in peace, but I cleaned it up and washed Ammon and his clothes. We were also blessing the triplets that same day and I had a mountain of things to get done in order for us to get to Mesa in time for the blessing( we decided to bless the girls in Elmwood Ward since that is where I spent the whole preganacy) Wendy (Justin's mother) made these beautiful dresses. She spent months working on them. The girls looked like angels and the blessings were very special, Justin blessed Faith, Allan (Justin's dad) blessed Hope and Ariel (Justin's grandfather) blessed Charity. Everything was going so wonderful..............until Faith pooped all over her dress!!!!!!
I hate poop :(

PLEASE HELP Margaret Manning!!

2009-03-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

We just found out that a very very good friend of ours, Margaret Manning, has an extremely rare form of cancer (Mantle Cell Lymphoma). The family needs to raise $17,000.00 by Monday for treatment in Texas. Insurance isn't covering it because she needs the out of state treatment. If anyone can help out, please visit the site set up for Margaret. They aren't just looking for cash donations, but other things as well.

http://margaretmanning.blogspot.com/

Our prayers are with you Margaret!!

Sleeping Beauties

2009-03-19T19:38:00.000-07:00

Amber took this shot today, and just look at the little angles.

I went with the boys to the park today and got some pics of them goofin' around..

Ammon talking in the secret pipe communicator..

Thomas climbing a tire ladder..

Ammon rock climbing..

Thomas digging up dinosaur bones..

Boys riding a jeep..don't know where they get their personality.

The park itself is pretty cool

The girls each got 3 shots today, it was their 4 month shots and the doc says they are all growing just fine.

The girls baby blessing is coming up on the 29th of March so check your emails and RSVP by Wednesday the 25th. It's gonna be a good time with lots of food and play.

Flower Power

2009-03-15T15:54:00.001-07:00

Look what I just found growing on a bush in our backyard

Hopefully it enjoys its stay, cause I'm gonna rip it out soon. I didn't get to see the family at all on Saturday, I was awake at 4:30am to get ready for off duty at the Renaissance Festival. Then, at 2:00pm I had to go to Gold Canyon to the substation to change into by bike patrol uniform. After that, drove to Superior to do the bike patrol from 5:00pm til 1:00am Sun. We were supposed to be off at 10 that night but Superior PD found a dead body....and their whole squad had to help for whatever reason. So we got stuck taking their calls for service 'til 1. I don't know why, but Amber said I was snoring really loud after I went to bed.

Dude....c'mon, give a guy a break. Amber took all the kids to church today while I slept.

So new updates are in on the girls.
Faith - 12lbs, 3oz
Hope - 13lbs
Charity - 12lbs, 9oz
These stats were from Thursday the 12th when they went to get their RSV shots again. Amber has video of it but it won't be in this posting.

The boys are on Spring Break for 2 weeks and everyone's goin' partying while I work :(

Amber and I got new phones, thanks to Alltel, and while I was playing with mine, spike felt he needed to invade my space

Amber thought it was soooo cute. Speaking of cute, here's a pic of Hope

Amber sure does make cute babies!

"Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. We like to be around those who are grateful. They tend to brighten all around them. They make others feel better about themselves. They tend to be more humble, more joyful, more likable."

(Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Live in Thanksgiving Daily," Ensign, Sept. 2001, 8)

Amber must not be feeling well, you'll see why

2009-02-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

So I woke up from a nap and I found Amber making this.

Amber hasn't really been into "makin' stuff" so I took her temp. She was running a creative temperature of about 300 degrees! She made this stuff to put on the girls and this is what they look like

FaithHope

Charity

Hafta admit, they're lookin' pretty cute. And I don't use that word very often....you know...."cute." Guys don't really talk like that. Speakin' of guys, I found a black widow in our garage and I had to show the boys. I had to show them that touching a black widow will kill them. Then I killed the spider, I think they got the picture. Unfortunaltely I didn't get a pic of it. I made sure to give it a bath in poison and it would've turned out good. Maybe next time. I looked where the spider came from and I noticed a web with about 50 little spiders crawling on it. Needless to say they did not have a very long life span. That's what we get for livin' out in, what some like to call, BFE! Even though it's not....kinda....whatever.

"..Childlike faith in the perfect love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will 'divide asunder' (Helaman 3:29) Satan's snares of inadequacy, imperfection, and guilt."
(Anthony D. Perkins, "The Great and Wonderful Love," Ensign, Nov. 2006, 77)

Valentine's Day....a little late

2009-02-14T09:27:00.001-07:00

Since my wife is Superwoman, I decided to give her a Super Valentine's Day. First, on the 10th, I gave her a laptop so she can edit videos on site. Second, on the 12th, 2 dozen roses(the pic came out real nice). Third, on the 13th, we went to Hard Rock cafe in Phoenix for Valentine's and afterward we went to the Jim Brickman concert at the Orphium Theatre. I know, now all the wives out there don't be talkin' bad about your men cause they only gave you 1 box of chocolates, or just a diamond ring or something small like that. This was kind of a make up for the other Valentine's that we didn't do anything. And she looked very pretty in pink the night of the concert. I wanted to take pics but Amber didn't want me to. I was crazy downtown cause the NBA Block Party was goin' on and parking near it was 30 to 45 bucks. There was no way we were payin' that!

We has a nurse come over to the house and check up on the girls. They are doing great! The nirse said the girls are sucking there thumbs because they are teething.....Amber found a slight tooth protrusion of the gum line in one of the girls mouths. Hope was eating slow so I cut a bigger hole in her nipple. Now she can almost finish before Charity. Hope and Charity smile and laugh a lot now, and Faith.....Faith likes to sit in her rocker and smile at the red Cinnabon looking thing that dangles down. Amber says she flirts with it. And it must be flirting back cause she smiles. Pretty funny.

Awesome Game!

2009-02-02T16:19:00.000-07:00

Hate to say it but, I told ya so! What a great game. And what a glorious victory. Jason & Dani came over to watch with us and surprised us with these outfits for the girls.

Pretty funny, with their birth date on the back of the shirt. I cropped and edited the pics so when you expand them they look grainy :( The boys, during the game kept saying "Go number 7" mind you I did not teach them that. Who is number 7 you ask? If you were a Steelers fan you would know. Here he is, the man of the hour, Ben Roethlisberger.

Ammon and Thomas definitely have the right idea. Well, that's it just a little cardinals rippin' and payin' tribute to a REAL team!

Bummer

2009-01-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

Well we took Hope to the Doctor yesterday and found out she has Bronchiolitis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronchiolitis). So she's getting the breathing treatments. That means the blessing and party has been canceled for now. We will probably bless them in April when RSV season is over, that way there's little risk. New pics of the girls are posted on the right side now. Charity looks funny smilin' like that, she smiles often. It's amazing how smart the boys get everyday. They come home and say the craziest stuff. I was playing Xbox for a little bit last night and Thomas said "Daddy's checkin' it out" pretty funny. I posted new pics of the girls on the right side.

Here's the boys and I on the trampoline, good times

Alright for all you Halo fans, you're gonna wanna hear this. The boys have been playing the first Halo before the bus picks them up. Anyway, they've been talking all week about how they need to save Captain Keys. So the Flood gets introduced and they're so excited to save him. Well, we all know what happens, Captain Keys is not able to be saved because he's transformed into the flood. And in order to get the CNI Transponder you have to punch the blob that is Keys, in the face and it makes a 'SQUISH' sound. The boys, who long anticipated the rescue of Keys, are heartbroken and start to cry! I was at work and Amber, the fragile soul that she is, felt bad that she would subject our sons to the shocking (and gross) reality of Keys' fate. Amber had to explain to the boys that "In order for Keys to be nice, they had to punch him in the face." As the boys were running to the bus stop, they shouted "Captain Keys Died!" all the way, letting the world know of the horror and the world coming to an end.

.................And they say video games don't teach anything!

Super Bowl Bound!

2009-01-26T06:42:00.000-07:00

First just let me say "Go Steelers," we're not jumpin on the Cards bandwagon, gotta stay loyal.

We're blessing the babies on Superbowl Sunday and having a party afterward. There should be plenty of pictures of that. It seems like I'm always apologizing for not posting all the time. I've been working a ton lately and I just switched shifts to M-F 0600-1400. Right now it's killing me cause I like having the 3 days off. I got radar certified a couple of weeks ago. I will be going to an HGN (Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus) class in Feb. HGN is the test that you see where the cop holds up a pen and looks into your eyes and sees all your guilty sins and deepest darkest secrets. then in March, I will be attending a Spanish in Law Enforcement class, should be fun.

Amber has been doing great and looking hotter than ever! She's becoming quite the Betty Crocker (thanks to me not her mother). Now that she knows how to cook, I don't have to ;) Yes, honey, I'm just kidding. Amber has been doing weddings, she did one in Dec. she has one in Feb. and April I think. She has also learned how to feed all three babies at the same time!!! It's crazy but I took a picture for those non-believers.

She has to be a super hero in disguise!

Ammon and Thomas have been sick for the past couple of days. They have found some new friends a couple of houses down from us and I have become friends with their dad. We were watching a movie the other day and Thomas was saying the letters of the title. They are doing flips on the trampoline now and love it when Amber and I jump on there with them.

Faith, Hope and Charity are doing great. Hope has had a little cough with a little wheezing so we're taking her to the doctor. First time one of the girls will go to the Pediatrician for being sick. Hope's head is also looking a little big so we'll get that checked out. Hopefully she doesn't have Hydrocephalus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrocephalus). We've been teaching the girls how to sit up. They've been kinda crawling, they just kinda scoot on their tummys. They also have been rolling over occasionally.

The house renovations will begin soon and we will post our extreme makeover pics.

As always...thank you to everyone for your support, thoughts and prayers. We are lucky to have good friends and family

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

We have new weights for the babies, they were weighed on the 30th.
Faith - 9lbs 3oz
Hope - 10lbs 3oz
Charity - 9lbs 13oz

Here is another Christmas elf video we made..it's pretty funny, as was the last one.

Our Xbox 360 needed some repairs yesterday, and the guy that did it (he also does mods) was awesome and reasonably priced. If anyone wants his number just email me and I'll send it to you.

Amber's been busy with some weddings and has a couple coming up at the beginning of this year. She's really doing a good job and getting a lot of positive feedback. Every time I watch her newest video, I'm amazed. I have the best wife! The boys start school again on the 2nd, but then have the weekend off (kinda weird). I'm sure they're tired of hangin' around the house by now. They were jumping on the trampoline that Santa got for them and were yelling at the golfers teeing off. I also heard them yelling at some kids and inviting them over to jump on the tramp. They definitely keep life interesting.

For Family Home Evening last week we all played Halo 3 for our game. We all had fun!

"Our families need the peace of God in their lives, and if we can't or won't invite the Lord into our lives, then our families become a reflection of our own turmoil. Women are asked to be nurturers to their families, but we must also be firm; we must be the hard rock footings on which our homes can stand. Our families need us to speak peace to them, just as the Lord speaks peace to us. Our homes need to be places where our families and friends want to be, where all who enter our homes can draw strength and courage to face the challenges of living in an increasingly wicked world. Our children need to hear us 'talk of Christ, . . .rejoice in Christ, [and] preach of Christ' (2 Nephi 25:26) so that they may know to what source they can look for the peace that 'passeth all understanding' (Philippians 4:7)."

(Kathleen H. Hughes, "Remembering the Lord's Love," Ensign, Nov. 2006, 112)

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-24T09:28:00.000-07:00

Yeah I know it's been a month since I've posted something and I just want to say......Get over it!! This is a funny little clip of the kids. We made another one doing a Christmas Disco dance, we have them both on a dvd now so we can make copies. The quality isn't that good on the upload unfortunately.

Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and we appreciate everyone's support. We have new weights for the girls (but it's from the 5th hehe)

Faith 7lbs 15oz
Hope 8lbs 13oz
Charity 8lbs 11oz

The girls will get weighed again on the 30th so I will post 'em then.

The boys will go back to school on the 2nd of Jan. You know that Christmas song that says, sing it with me, "And mom and dad can hardly wait for school to start again.." Yes, well I didn't learn to appreciate that line until the boys started school this year. As a kid I hated that line, as a parent....well you know how it is. The boys are awesome though, we couldn't ask for better boys. During the break they've been sharpening their skills at Halo 3 and counting their presents (since they know how to spell their names now).

The girls are staring to lift themselves up on their hands, roll over, and sleep through the night. HARK THE HEROLD ANGELS SING!!

Next entry will be on my birthday Dec. 26th

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace' (Isa. 9:6)."

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2008-11-27T07:49:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful rainy day, it smells great! Hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving, even though the Christmas celebration started the day after Halloween this year!! Here's a little something to commemorate this holiday.

Here's a couple of pics to calm the mob for a little bit:

Starting from top - Charity, Hope, Faith
The girls were weighed the other day and the weights are......drum roll please....
Faith - 7lbs 9oz
Hope - 8lbs 7oz
Charity - 8lbs 5oz
Yeah, I know, they're huge now!!

Here's our goofy boys.....I don't know where they get it from.

"As we study and ponder, we are entitled to the promptings of the Spirit, and as we grow more attentive to these promptings, we come to recognize each day the workings of the Lord in our lives. We will find Him, as Elder Neal A. Maxwell stated, 'in the details of our lives'
("Becoming a Disciple," Ensign, June 1996, 19). And when that recognition comes, we feel His peace and recognize that we are truly encircled in the arms of His love."

(Kathleen H. Hughes, "Remembering the Lord's Love," Ensign, Nov. 2006, 112)

Happy Halloween/New House

2008-11-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

Here were the costumes for the family this year. Unfortunately my costume was packed up and Amber didn't dress up since she had just returned home from the hospital for the final time.

There are plenty of pics to post and we keep taking new pics and vids. It's never ending. We have tons of pics to sort through so it's takin' awhile to post 'em.

We moved into our new home on the 1st of November. It's on the border of Queen Creek and Florence. We love it out here. I will post pics of the house and the remodeling. So far We've met another Pinal County Deputy, Florence PD officer, the Sheriff's secretaty, 3 CCA officers and a Detention officer all who live either next door to us or a few houses down.

Everyone is doing great, the girls are feeding about every 5 hours in the night, every 4 during the day. Hopefully in 3 weeks or so, they will be sleeping through the night. Amber still refuses to take the girls out (with RSV season especially) until about February. Amber is now down to 140lbs, only 5 lbs away from her pre-twin birth weight. She is very excited now that she's fitting into regular clothes. I go back to work around the 30th. of Nov. (thank goodness!!)

The boys attend year-round school in Anthem and go to all day Kindergarden. They are loving it and are learning a ton. They are a little behind the other students, since they started in July, but they are learining well.

Live Well, Love Much, Laugh Often!

Just A Taste

2008-11-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

This is a 1:00am feeding of the girls. We messed with Charity a little bit. Hope had to put her 2 cents in as well. Anyway, we have lots of pics and I'm just trying to find the best way to post them. Everyone is doing fantastic and weights are as follows:
Charity - 7lbs. 9oz.
Hope - 7lbs. 9oz.
Faith - 6lbs 11oz.

More to come....

Coming Soon

2008-11-12T18:54:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen...

There are many experiences soon to come. Please be patient as we update the blog. Thanks

Amber - World Record Hospital Stay

2008-10-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

Well, Amber should be coming home tomorrow if there's no hick-ups. The operation went well and they drained 2 liters of blood from her hematoma. The docs installed drains in each side to help release any excess. Now Amber's got 2 little "grenades" on her side. Thanks to all the thoughts, prayers and fasting for the operation. If Amber still had a fever after the operation, then they would've opened her up from "nose to toes." She found out that she has a blood clot in each arm, I think it's due to the millions of pokes she's had in the past 2 weeks. The girls are doing very well and hopefully should be coming home within a week. Hope and Charity are over 4lbs and Faith is just shy. They all are maintaining their own body temperatures and Charity and Hope are eating about half their feedings from bottles. We gave Faith a blessing the other night, (my father and I each put 2 lingers on her head..pretty funny) cause she was having a little trouble keeping food in. They decided not to feed her and give her tummy a break. She's doing a lot better. I know, everyone wants to see more pics, and there will be more pics as soon as I remember to get the SD card from the camera in Amber's hospital room. Thanks again to everyone for helping and caring!

"And see that ye have Faith, Hope, ad Charity, and then ye will always abound in good works."
- Alma 7:24

Amber is back in ICU

2008-10-04T21:57:00.000-07:00

Amber will have surgery on Sunday for her........actually we don't know exactly and the doctors don't know why. All we know is that she has had a fever since Fri. night and it's not a good combination with the excess blood (about 3 liters) that is still inside her body. It's a good combination for infection, which is kinda what they think she has. If you say prayers....please include Amber. Thank you everyone for your support and thoughts!!

Amber Has Returned.....Home

2008-10-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

Yes that's right, Amber came home yesterday and is doing great. She will have about a 2 month recovery and a lot of bruising. The girls are still in the hospital and will be for another week or so. They are doing great!! It's pretty amazing that babies can survive at that size. To add to the craziness, we will be moving within the month. Thanks again to everyone's thoughts and prayers....it's comforting to know that that we have great friends and family!!

"The Savior's invitation is clear and direct, and importantly for us, it is constant: 'Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden. . . . Take my yoke upon you, . . . for . . . my burden is light'
(Matthew 11:28-30). This is the Lord's promise to me and to you.

"My prayer for each of us is that we will remember when the Lord has spoken His peace to us and has encircled us in the arms of His love. And just as important, will you, if you haven't felt that love for a while, seek to see it and feel it as you go about the ordinary tasks of your life. As you do this, over the days and months and years of your life, the memories of those interactions with the Lord will become sweet gifts to open a second time--or many times--to bolster
you when life is difficult.

" 'Peace I give unto you,' the Lord promises, 'not as the world giveth, give I unto you' (John 14:27). Peace. Strength. It is what we long for and what is possible. We only need to turn toward His reaching arms."

(Kathleen H. Hughes, "Remembering the Lord's Love," Ensign, Nov. 2006, 112)

Seinfeld Bus Tour

2008-09-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

While Amber was in the Hospital sleeping and recovering I took the Boys to Chase field to see the Seinfeld tour bus. It was pretty cool..although some people would rather play nerdy card games instead of going to support your favorite show of ALL TIME!!! (inside joke and when he reads it he's gonna laugh and call me a punk) Essentially, they want to reach a whole new generation of Seinfeld viewers. The gave away character magnets Seinfeld jump drives, shirts, candy from the show. You could try and put a titleist into a whale's blowhole for a prize. There was a replica of the dinner where they served frozen yogurt. (the pic didn't turn out very good)

They had a lot of memorable items from the show

And I ate a black and white cookie! surprisingly it did not give me indigestion.

We had a good time. And after, we went to see Amber and the babies. Amber is out of ICU now and back in her old room B135 for those that want to visit. Her room phone number is 480-512-4495. The doctors said that she is probably looking at a 2 month recovery and a lot of bruising. She's a lot more responsive and will be allowed to go see the babies today, and I think they are going to try and have her walk a little bit. She will accept any and all visitors that want to stop by. She also wanted me to put in here that she has the best husband ever!! She also wishes to thank everyone for prayers and support.

"How wonderful that we have earned the trust of God! He trusts you! He trusts me! When we receive the priesthood, we do so by covenant. A covenant is a mutual promise. He promises to bless us on certain conditions. We promise to fulfill those conditions. As we do so, the Lord always keeps His word and gives us the blessing. Usually He gives us more than agreed. He is
very generous."

(Stanley G. Ellis, "He Trusts Us!" Ensign, Nov. 2006, 51)

Hospital Pics

2008-09-27T20:59:00.001-07:00

Here's Amber showing off her belly before the c-section, she did very well carrying the triples.

That think looks like it's gonna fall off!

Me showing off my cool wanna be doctor attire, this will be my Halloween costume this year, maybe with a skeleton mask or something.

Here is Faith, Hope and Charity for your viewing pleasure. They are doing just fine...just not very exciting right now (I say, others would be disagreeing with me you know who you are). The docs say that the babies are developed more than 32 week babies. I think the 4,000 calories a day really helped that along.

"Be there for your children. Sit on the bed and enjoy the late-night talks--try to stay awake! Pray for the Lord to inspire you. Forgive often. Choose your battles. Testify frequently of
Jesus Christ and His goodness and of the Restoration. And most of all, let them know of your trust in the Lord."

(Bonnie D. Parkin, "Sweet Moments," Ensign, Nov. 2005, 109)

Amber in ICU

2008-09-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

Amber went to see the babes after her recovery period. She ended up passing out up in NIC-U. Found out she was bleeding internally and gave her 4 pints of blood. Later last night they gave her 2 more. At about 0130 they sent her in for minor surgery to try and cauterize the artery that was bleeding. The operation was a success but there is still coagulated blood internally. Once Amber has been stabilized for awhile they will go and remove the internal blood. She is doing a lot better now but altogether needed about 12 pints of blood. I got home and went to bed at about 0600. Talked to her this morning and she says she feels a ton better. Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. I know it's a big reason why she's doing better.

Babies are all breathing room air right now and doc said that they could possibly go home in a week!!!

Pretty crazy night.

The girls want to come out and play!

2008-09-25T15:55:00.001-07:00

Faith, Hope & Charity just couldn't wait!! Unfortunately Amber's body wasn't handling the pregnancy well and the doctors decided to deliver.
Faith was 3lbs, 8.6oz
Hope was 3lbs, 8.1 oz
Charity was 3lbs, 11.8 oz
They were born at approximately 10:29am. Everyone is doing just fine, Hope is breathing on her own right now. Kudos to Amber....she did a great job. Pics to follow.

Amber Admitted

2008-09-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

As of last night, they're not letting Amber come home until the babies are born. Doctors said she has too much protein in her urine. In fact they said that there is a good chance that the babies will be delivered this week. Luckily she isn't dilated, it's just the preeclampsia that's getting worse.......don't ask me what that is, Amber can explain it to you. Or check out the link http://www.preeclampsia.org/about.asp, that can help those that are curious.

The boys went to see Amber the other night. They've been spending the night at grandparents (thank you soooo much!!) so I can go to work. Ammon & Thomas built "Amber's hospital" this morning. It was pretty funny. Thomas fed Spike this morning and said "sorry mommy is in the hostible." Lots of pictures soon to come.

We are in the process of buying a house out on the border of Florence and Queen Creek (it's a Florence address) so it just adds to the stess level. The closing date is the 27th of October or sooner. The home inspection is this week...the funny thing is that Amber hasn't even been in the house because she's been on bedrest. Some think we're crazy, but, that's us!! :)

.....The Atonement also gives us the strength to endure 'pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind,' because our Savior also took upon Him 'the pains and the sicknesses of his people'
(Dallin H. Oaks, "He Heals the Heavy Laden," Ensign, Nov. 2006, 9)

Belly Dance

2008-09-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

We were at one of many doctors appointments a couple of weeks ago and Amber starting doing this dance. It was so funny I had to take a little video. She was 26 weeks then and 28 weeks now. only 5 and 1/2 weeks to go til 34 weeks and...............BABY TIME!!

Birthday Boys!

2008-09-02T15:05:00.000-07:00

We had a great B-day!! Amber wanted to have a small party because of her condition. This year was a Superman theme. We had family and a few friends over (sorry I promise we will have a big one next year). We've always wanted to make our kids b-days a big deal, but I gotta do what the boss wants...especially when she's pregnant and her hormone level is 3 times what it normally is. LOOK OUT!! She can talk a good game, but she's not very agile. By the way, if you haven't seen the boys 4th year video, make sure to do so. Amber has been very creative with her talents and had started making these birthday videos for the boys that we show at the party. Speaking of Amber, she's doing very well. The doctors are very impressed with how well she has taken care of herself.

I got the boys these cool Nerf guns and we had a small gun fight during the party. Afterwords, when I was working on the remodel of the bathroom, I heard Amber say "Justin come here quick!" When I got to the couch where she was sitting, Amber pointed out her glasses.

Thomas had hit her from about 27 feet. That's my boy!! Not to mention that the guns are really cool. By brother-in-law and I had a good time with them. Well, I had to test them out to make sure they were safe to use. It's all about gun safety! ;)

I start my new schedule on the 8th of Sept. It's the schedule I've always wanted. 1400-2400 Thurs.-Sun. It's a lot more conducive to family life for the moment. Actually, I will be taking a 6 week "vacation" when the triples are born and hopefully..........just maybe........Amber will not wake me up in the middle of the night to feed the babies. Thank you all for the gifts, the boys loved them all. And as always....Thanks for everyone who has continued to show love and support to us during this time. We love you all!!

"There are times when you are fearful, when the stress and busyness of life seem to overwhelm you, when you feel adrift from the Spirit. Perhaps you even feel as though you have been abandoned. When I encounter those feelings, the best antidote is my memory of the moments when Christ's peace has come to strengthen me. . . . I invite you to remember with me what it is to feel the Lord's love in your life and to feel encircled in His arms."

(Kathleen H. Hughes, "Remembering the Lord's Love," Ensign, Nov. 2006, 111)

Brotherly Love!

2008-08-18T12:32:00.000-07:00

Amber finished the boys' 4th year birthday video, check it out, it's pretty good. Amber just keeps getting better. She's got several weddings coming up at the end of this year and the beginning of next-including a Greek wedding. OPA! That will be interesting. Well the construction continues at the Ricks/Williams home. Oh, just an update, we will not be posting video of us plowing through the flooded areas like I said. They didn't turn out very well. This Thursday Amber will have 7 weeks left until she's 34 weeks. HURRY UP!! I want my wife back :( Amber will update the care pages with the latest on that. I'm taking 6 weeks off when the babies are born and we are having a Halloween party at our house. I was at bicycle patrol academy almost all last week and now a certified bike cop. I'm getting pictures sent to me that I will post on the Police Corner. Don't worry, the pictures are coming of the renovations of this house. Today we are redoing some things in the guest bathroom.

The Olympics have been very inspiring this year despite the judges on some of the events. It's amazing to watch and motivational to see the determination of all athletes-GO MICHAEL PHELPS!

Big Truck

2008-07-13T15:44:00.001-07:00

I found these in Amber's phone and thought I would post 'em even though they are old. This was taken the day after Thanksgiving '07 when I surprised Amber with "her" new car. Nissan Armada. I know all the ladies are jealous cause Amber is drivin' a big car. It's a good thing we got it too cause our family is git'n huge!! Anyway, this truck was inside and the boys wanted to play in it so I took a couple of shots with the camera phone. I hate the quality of camera phones and life is so fun that sometimes I think I should always carry a camera to capture the moments. The remodel of the house is going very slow now that Amber has been prego. The cabinets got redone and they look awesome! A big "thank you" to all those that have helped and continue to help with the long, tedious process. I'll post some pics of the stuff we've done at a later time. It's never ending! I get off probation with Pinal County on the 30th of July!! Hooray! I won't be the FNG anymore. Yes FNG even though there are several of us. What? you don't know what FNG is? Well I'll tell ya. It stnads for Freakin' New Guy (in the modest way). Whenever someone made a mistake they would say "those FNG's" It was funny. Now a new batch has come to take over the prestigious title of FNG's. It's been raining cats and dogs today and because of the high clearance on the Armada..we went driving through the flooded areas! I know what you're saying....."Of course, you guys are crazy" and you are right. (Video coming soon) Hope everyone had a great 4th of July, the boys did, they went to Heber to see fireworks with Amber's family. She was resting and I was working. I can't take any vacation time 'til my probation is up..such is life. Thank you all for your love and support!!

"'Charity is the pure love of Christ' (Moroni 7:47).
The Savior exemplified that love and taught it even as He was tormented by
those who despised and hated Him."

Excited for School

2008-06-03T09:51:00.000-07:00

I think Ammon and Thomas are excited for school. They are running around the house with there backpacks on. They don't start school 'til August, which will be a little relief for Amber. We're in the process of cleaning up our credit so we can buy a house. Oh, we will not be buying a home in Queen Creek!!! The whole world has already moved there, and it's a pain getting in and out of there. Amber's baby shower is coming up on the 7th of June and she's made up this "3 Peas In My Pod" thing. it's pretty funny. We've been really blessed. I'm trying to get hired with Mesa PD, but the process is a.........you know what!! I've had my application in, as a lateral mind you, since the middle of December. Holy crap!!! Can they go any slower! And, every time I get a call from them wanting more information, i feel like I'm being interrogated. Maybe it's not worth the hassle, we'll see. Anyway, we're all doing well and healthy over here. We have a lot of support from family and friends. We couldn't ask for anything more than what we have.....other than a house of our own. I received a calling to be a 16 yr. old teacher in Sunday School. I'm excited about that, it will be nice to get a break from Primary (which Amber & I LOVED!!). It's always nice to have a little change.

The X Files Movie 2

2008-05-22T12:45:00.000-07:00

It's about time for all those X Files fans out there, the second movie is coming out on July 25th 2008. One of the best kept secrets in Hollywood!!!

We got a 3D ultrasound done on the girls last week and I have to say....the technology is amazing! Amber will post them on the Care Pages since this blog isn't made for the "baby talk" just updates on the family and THE X FILES MOVIE!!

I've posted "The Police Corner" for those that want to know what happens to me while on duty! It's still in the works as well. We are doing well, just hangin' in there as Amber is anticipating bed rest very soon. But we're done having kids now, as long as all goes well. At least when we retire in 20 years, all the kids will be at least 20 yrs old.

Amber's Care Pages

2008-05-12T10:59:00.000-07:00

Just so everyone knows, to find updates on the triplets click on the link "Care Pages"
You have to register, but it's private so your info won't get sold and you won't get junk mail. When Amber updates the page, you'll get an email. The blog is coming together. If anyone has any suggestions on what to put or how to customize better, let me know.

WHAT?!

2008-05-11T13:53:00.001-07:00

What the crap do I do. Thanks to Bryan & Michelle I thought I'd try this "blog @#$%" Anyway, it's gonna take us a while to figure this out, but when we do...............it's gonna ROCK!!