The Facks of Life

Locks of Love

2010-11-12T11:20:00.001-08:00

She's been wanting to cut her hair for awhile.

And she's been very patient with letting it grow out for a cause.

10 inches off and she's as adorable as ever.

I feel like this sassy little hair cut fits her spunky personality.

it's an asian thing

2010-10-18T08:43:00.000-07:00

thank you derek for capturing these moments
(even if it was for a school assignment)

(she's in love)

(and so am i)

Catching the reading bug!

2010-09-28T19:38:00.001-07:00

Camping and s'mores with a good book in a tent. There's nothing better!

twins

2010-09-04T10:19:00.000-07:00

this photo was taken back in april. after seeing it i couldn't believe how much they look alike! only lukie has blue eyes. i'm pretty sure i know what he's going to look like when he's older. cute!!!

2 is the new you!

2010-09-03T09:46:00.001-07:00

Luke's family birthday party
July 30th

his new camera face

practicing with dad

he did it! (i love how excited matt is)

and he was so proud! isn't that the cutest face you've ever seen?

yay!

yum!

his new bike!

I'm not gunna lie...I'm scared of this 2 year old! He's a handful! Wish me luck this year.

2010-09-02T19:23:00.000-07:00

These two sweet souls joined the Taylor family this summer. They are both so precious! I couldn't resist sharing. This makes 12 grandchildren in my family and evens the count to 6 boys and 6 girls.

Avangeline "Ava" Taylor

I finally got to see and hold her two weeks ago. She's now 2 months old.

Olivia Taylor

Born a week ago today. I haven't seen Olivia yet...I can hardly wait! She was the biggest baby anyone in my family has had. 8 lb. 9 oz.

Maybe I love them so much because I don't have a baby, and because I know I won't be having any more! :) No, I would love them anyways!

sittin' in a tree...k i s s i n g.

2010-09-01T15:21:00.001-07:00

girls trip part 2. not sure the exact reason...maybe because we think we're so funny. maybe because we feel like the photos are boring if we do the same boring smile in all of them. or maybe because we love each other so much. whatever the reason may be, we have a lot of "lovey" photos from this trip. haha! this may be boring to some. but i laugh when i see them. so, susie and ciana, this is for you!

susie and i posing "engagement style" haha! so hard to act serious, but we try!

these have an engagement feel to them as well.

coming soon....cambria, camping, monterey, whale watching, and santa cruz.

CLIFFHANGER

2010-08-27T07:36:00.000-07:00

Opening statement:

You, the reader, are not allowed to lecture me on my unbloggliness! (not a word) Moving on.

My camera was stolen along with my purse a few days after this trip. (way back in April) Luckily, Susie thought to download all of my photos onto her computer before I came home. Thanks Susie for being so smart.

This trip was too epic for a single post. For now, the cliffhanger. Literally! This is how my coastal trip with my girls (Susie and Ciana) began.

It's hard for me to look through these pictures without getting homesick for these amazing girls that I miss so much. So before I start crying...day one of our trip.

Some lady drove off the road and over this cliff just before we passed by. She was too scared to get out of the car. Are you kidding me?!!! I would have been out of that car so fast. She stayed IN the car, that was HANGING off the side of a cliff with a 100 ft drop to the ocean for 45 mins. She ended up being a little insane, well, maybe a lot insane. Either high, drunk, or maybe just missing a few screws....whatever the reason, we were glad we were there to save the day.

This annoying Forest Ranger "came to the rescue" first. Sadly, he was not much of a hero. He kept walking down the hillside, unsecured. He kept slipping and I was sure he was going to hit the car, sending it tumbling down the cliff with too-scared-to-get-out-of-the-car-crazy-lady. When we offered our climbing gear for safety he declined several times before finally asking for it. Susie was the hero! Not only for bringing her gear but for hooking up and attaching it all to this cocky worthless Forest Ranger. Seriously! He was the worst.

Susie's finest moment and the Rangers worst nightmare! haha!

There were a lot of things on our "to do" list for this coastal trip. Saving crazy lady was not one of them. But it sure made for an epic story.

More to come!

Want to make at least a $1000!!!!

2010-08-17T19:02:00.000-07:00

Summer has been pretty busy! And we know that it's been a long time since we've written on this blog, but we will post some great stuff soon!

In the meantime I wanted to see if any of you could help out with something I'm trying to do. Currently I'm trying to find funding ($25,000) for three commercials that I want to shoot at the end of September. They are for Nintendo Wii, Stride Gum and Pampers Diapers. All three are written by copywriters who work with some of the biggest ad agencies in the world. $25,000 of course sounds like a lot, but the ad agencies have said they will reimburse the production costs of the commercials when they are finished. So I really just need to borrow the money. So, whoever invests I plan on giving a $5,000 investment incentive. The idea is give $25,000 and get $30,000 back.

Most of you don't have that kind of money laying around in a cookie jar, or under your mattress, haha, but perhaps you know of someone who does, who loves film or who just likes to invest. What's great about you finding someone is that I will give you at least a $1,000 finders fee for leading me to someone who will invest. That $1,000 may go up to as much as $5,000 if these commercials make money (more than covering the production costs), which they could totally do! If you happen to know of anyone, I've prepared a investment proposal and I can email it to you, so just contact me:

skaeddy.m@gmail.com

This investment proposal has everything anyone would need to know about what I'm trying to do with these commercials. My main goal with finishing these commercials is that I plan on taking the next step in my career and get into commercial directing. There are a couple companies really interested in me and who are waiting to see how these commercials turn out. I love editing, writing and directing Yo Gabba Gabba! but it definitely would be great to take the next step! Thanks for your time! Contact me if you have any leads! Thanks so much!!!

Matt

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirates life for me!

2010-03-23T08:28:00.000-07:00

Welcome to baseball season 2010. Introducing the new hero in our family...Speedy feet! Our neighbor John announces the baseball games, and yesterday while announcing (as Max was bookin' it to first base) he yelled out..."Wow, look at speedy feet go!"

After striking 6 kids out,
making an amazing play to first base and getting that blue jay out,
then catching a fly ball and getting that other blue jay out....

who else would be deserving of the game ball then Mr. Max "speedy feet" Fackrell?
I contained my excitement but inside I wanted to stand up and announce "that's my kid!"
Wow! What a game!

If only I would've brought my video camera. It will for sure be there next game and I will post video of him pitching. It's too cute!!!! (only don't tell him i think it's cute. he would be mortified!)

Another photo shoot gone good!

2010-03-03T07:32:00.001-08:00

Since I have the world's worst camera, and a new one is number 20 on the list, I love having friends with great cameras, great editing skills, and creativity! Plus after a hard day with this little girl it puts me at ease to see these photos. I might try and keep her alive for yet another day! Thanks Derek. Here's to a good grade on this project!

Mr. Luke

2010-02-02T17:12:00.000-08:00

at 18 months this mom is wondering how her last baby is no longer a baby! i'm tired from lack of sleep due to this child. my ears ring from the yelling. my worry is never ending. he can always put a smile on my face. he's also good at wiping that smile off my face in an instant. my heart aches with love. have half birthday handsome boy!

Sometimes we miss the red dirt

2010-01-23T13:24:00.001-08:00

maybe i miss it because it's been raining the entire week in cali. or maybe it was the fun of family and friends that has been absent from my motherhood life this week. or maybe i just have a hard time admitting that i miss the red dirt sometimes.

it was a fun memorable trip, photos included, thanks to kyle and derek. it was the wong boys first trip to utah, it turned out to be very last minute, and very WHITE! sorry guys for all the whiteness. i was hoping we would see at least one other asian. haha! good food, games, nature and family. it doesn't get much better then that.

hello from miss mia

hiking in snow canyon national park, amazingly beautiful.

max and nate are more like brothers then uncle and nephew.

enlightening derek with his new found love for cafe rio.

kyle showing off his mad skills...with child on board

joelle and i squeezing ourselves though the narrows. i don't know why i laugh so hard every time i do this....maybe it's because i'm nervous i'll get stuck. yes, i laugh when i'm nervous.

max and mia playing in the sand dunes. this reminds me of my childhood. and i miss it!

family photo. me, 2/3 of my children and my two husbands.

until next time....stay beautiful st. george.

Twenty Ten

2010-01-21T12:23:00.000-08:00

Today is the day! I finally feel like I can post a blog. I've been so blah about posting because I'm cameraless. We did shoot video of Christmas morning and took a fun trip to Utah this past weekend, but not a single photo was taken of either. Kindof a bummer. I'm sure we'll survive.

2010 (pronounced twenty ten!) is going to be a big year for us! I can feel it in my bones! Pretty deep if you ask me. The things I hope will come about this year. (in no particular order)

- A new camera. But not just any camera....a nice one! I'm not even sure what that means. But if the photos look good, I'll be happy

- A steady job for the Mr. (which may be in the works as we speak) With benefits would be a plus.

- Dance class for little Miss Mia. She's been begging me for over a year. It's time!

- A housekeeper. Let's just go ahead and say this is #1 on the list. This would make my life a trillion times better. And I'm not over exaggerating either. A trillion times is accurate.

- Better eating habits. This family usually eats super healthy. Not that we're eating unhealthy...I'm ready for the healthy diet change again. Meaning, no more sugar, no more consuming mass amounts of fat, and no more junk food.

- Two more marathons under my belt. That is if I could hide them there. I'm shooting for the Ogden Marathon in May and the St. George in October. Who wants to run with me? Any takers are welcome.

- More one on one time with my kids. They need it, I need it, we all feel it. It would help if dad was home more...that could be solved...refer back to the first wish on the list.

- Personal spiritual growth. I feel ok in this area, I just don't want to let it die. That means I need more me time. More yoga. More reading time. More quiet time. I'm a better person when I get my time.

Bring it on 2010. Only, one favor. Could ease up on the rain! Ugh!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T14:52:00.000-08:00

Toothless wonder

2009-12-05T07:56:00.000-08:00

Ladies and gentlemen!

We proudly present....

Our adorable 16 month old baby boy....

with a tooth!!!!
(no tooth photos yet...he freaks out when i try and take a picture of it.)

Yes, it's a big deal!

Max is loosing them, Luke is getting them.

Right in time for Christmas. :)

Taylor made

2009-11-11T19:21:00.001-08:00

The Taylor family (my family) had photos taken this summer....and now that I'm back in the blogging world I thought I'd share. It's a lot, I know. They're all so great! We haven't had photos taken in 4 years so we were over due. I stare in amazement at how BIG my family has gotten. The one word that comes to mind is birth control! So much spawn! And we just found out my sister in law Hannah is pregnant. Mom and dad, what have you done?! Good thing we love each other.

Left to Right, Top: Bryce, Hannah, Michelle, Me, Luke, Matt, Dad, Mom, Matt, Ella, Joelle, Nadia, Aaron, Taylor, Jared
Bottom: Izabela, Isaia, Max, Mia, Trey, Cole, Kyle, Sammi

The girls

The grown up girls

The men. I love that all my brothers but Aaron have the same look on their faces. Aaron missed the memo. From the words of Zoolander..."These Taylor boys are so hot right now."

Our little family

Lukie's one year old photo. I crumble when I see it.

This one might be my favorite photo of all.

Wait, maybe this is my fav.

Mia and Mom

Boy cousins. Before taking this photo they already had sticks in their hands. I love that we let them keep them for the photo.

The girls

All the little ones

It was a fun...very hot...summer with family. But we're sure glad to be home in California. We missed it.
No offense.

Party of five

2009-11-11T09:32:00.000-08:00

Check out THIS VIDEO from Mia's birthday dinner.

Courtesy of Kyle Wong. It was a root roaring time!!!!

Little Miss Mia

2009-11-10T19:58:00.000-08:00

Today....
I feel my heart overflowing with love for you.
I miss my tiny baby girl as she turns 5.
I want to freeze time and stare at you so I don't miss anything.
I feel blessed that I've had you in my life for the past 5 years.
Happy birthday little Miss Mia.

You light up my life!

Yo Gabba Gabba wrap party

2009-11-08T10:19:00.000-08:00

The entire Simpsons clan

Bart

Lisa on the Dance floor with her dad Homer and DJ Lance

This was heaven for her. (DJ Lance is just like he is in the show....so full of excitement and expression, and he loves kids!)

Maggie the dancing fool

Marge at her best

He's seriously the nicest guy ever.

We love DJ Lance

She couldn't keep her hands off the Yo Gabba characters. But can you blame her?

The Simpsons family with the cast of Yo Gabba.

Kelly the 70's news reporter and I.

I love this photo of Jason and Kelly. Doesn't even look like them. Their expressions are priceless. Makes me laugh every time I see it.

We couldn't keep Mia out of the petting zoo.

Or Tara, the animal whisperer.

Colton and I didn't even try and get them out, we just laughed and took a lot of photos.

Best costume of the night...Prince.

Gotta love Estee with her Wild Things Costume.

An amazing night of fun...that we will never forget.

Sally

2009-11-04T20:19:00.000-08:00

She's 5 months old....

Born June 6th
She used to look like this....
(8 weeks old)

3 months

4 months

She's growing fast and so is our love for her.

Wasatch back relay, June 2009

2009-11-04T11:22:00.001-08:00

188 miles
12 runners
2 vans
1 hour of sleep
barely any food
32 straight hours of running
and a lot of never nude cut offs

Matt started us off

Matt's long run...8.1 miles...it was a tough one.

The team. (+ luke, who was still attached to me)

The never nude mobile

My first leg of the race...and my running tunnel. Thanks guys :)

My brother Matt and I...water break.

Matt and I at our exchange point.

Me on my 6.7 mile first leg of 3

Chillin' in the car...the whole time!!!!

Muscle milk time!

Derrick hated us...didn't think he would be friends with us anymore after talking him into running this race with us.

Our only sleep time in 32 hours. Poor lukie.

I laugh every time I see this picture.

The finish line...and it was raining cats and dogs when we finished.

We did it! Cold, wet and tired.

So, why do I want to do it again?! It's a sickness.

15 months and still in love!

2009-11-03T12:08:00.000-08:00

I am still in love with this 15 months of chunk.

He stopped walking and now has a strict running only policy.

He's a mini tornado, makes a mess everywhere he goes, and he goes everywhere.
He loves playing in the toilet which drives me insane...mostly because the other two kids are having flushing issues...ew!
His eyes are still blue as can be. Grandmas little Mr. Blue eyes.
Still NO TEETH!
He's obsessed with his binki and loves his bottle.
Finally sleeping through the night.
He's my cuddle bug...and he's growing up way too fast.

Where do I start?!

2009-10-29T13:51:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know, it's been awhile. How do you start blogging after it's been so long? It's like when you stop exercising and need to get back into the routine, it's hard getting back in the habit. Give me a break.

I was homeless all summer,
Dealing with, what seems to be a constant thing these days, sick kids,
Had mine and Matt's birthdays,
Our 10 year anniversary (Wew hoo!),
Weened my third and finally child from the boob. HOORAY!!!,
Moved into a new house, (big project...and I'm still not totally settled)
Threw a birthday party for Max, (he got a trampoline....it's been amazing!)
Got my old sewing machine, my sister-in-law Kylee gave me, working...so...I've been sewing,
Had Mia on Yo Gabba Gabba...so cute!
Just finished our halloween costumes, we're The Simpsons.
Mia's birthday is next week and I haven't even started on that one...not sure when I'll find the time.
We've had company almost every weekend since we've been in our house. (which we love, it's the only way i can keep up on the bathrooms)
Oh, and since I felt like I didn't already have enough to do, I have a new puppy to care for. What was I thinking?

We're busy, and we're loving our new found lives in our amazing neighborhood with our amazing neighbors in beautiful Altadena.

When I get a chance I'll post pictures...(can't wait to share our family photos from this summer) but for now, love on this...

4 reasons why I will never forget this week!

2009-06-17T07:21:00.000-07:00

1. Max's class had a Poem Party. It was really fun to watch all these brave kids get up in front of all those adults and recite poems. They all did such a good job and were very funny. After they entertained us, we all went into the class room and had a brunch.

Max and his friend Nathan

2. Mia graduated from Preschool! Her teachers had a graduation party. She was so excited to get her diploma and bag of books, crayons, scissors, glue, chalk..etc. What a fun and memorable day for her.

3. My kidney stone! Yes, you heard me right. I don't have a ton of time to explain but let me just say, YES...I WOULD RATHER HAVE A BABY! I woke up Sunday night with such an intense pain I couldn't breathe. I thought I pulled a muscle in my back. After two days of pain I finally thought, hey, maybe it has something to do with my kidney. I know where the kidney is located and from being a massage therapist, I should have known sooner that a sharp stabbing pain in my side is not what a pulled muscle feels like. I began my online research and sure enough I had all the symptoms. As you may know, we have been training very hard for months in preps for a relay race we are running this weekend with my family. Great timing stupid kidney stone. If you know me well at all, you know I will try everything I can before going to the Dr. Not that the Dr. is bad, I just knew that I would be given painkillers and sent home to die, so before that could happen I was online researching home remedies. I tried everything! Asparagus and coke, apple cider vinegar, heat, oobles of water, magnesium citrate (tip from my chiropractor brother). I even ran 6.5 miles yesterday morning hoping it would jostle the little bugger out.

Last night I was beginning to get a little frustrated. It was like being in labor for 4 days. Matt found a website that finally cured me! So here it is...

MY KIDNEY STONE CURE....2 ounces of lemon juice mixed with 2 ounces of olive oil, followed by a giant glass of water. I did that last night before going to bed. It was nasty but I would've done anything! After that the pain got much worse so I took some advil and went to sleep. When I got up this morning....my pain was GONE! Finally! I can't believe it worked...and I'm so glad it did.

This is me the morning before birthing my kidney stone. I was hurting!

4. We're moving out! We spent our last night in our apartment last night and we are off to St. George today for the summer. (minus Matt, who will be staying here to work) We are so glad school gets out today and we are ready for a fun summer with family.

On a side note...Luke loves lemons. No kidding, I tried to take this from him and he screamed bloody murder.

I'm not sure if I will get a chance to blog while gone all summer but I will try. Have a great summer and stay cool! :)

Handsome Max

2009-06-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

Is he really that big already? Max looks so OLD to me in this picture. Gives me a little glimpse of what he might look like when he's 16. What a handsome kid! I might have to lock him in his room to keep the female vultures away.

If only Matt was smiling normal :)

Father's and sons camp out 2009.

zzzzzzzzz....

2009-06-02T09:15:00.000-07:00

Luke is sick.

So my house looks like this....

and my husband looks like this....

we're beat!

I just thought I would mention that I really look like I'm dead. Like a gas leak finished us off or something, ha ha.

Ciana

2009-06-01T07:50:00.000-07:00

I need therapy. I'm pretty sure I have abandonment issues at this point. We have so many friends that come and go here in lovely Pasadena. I feel like no one ever plants there feet and stays. When our favorite neighbors, The Westovers, moved, I thought it couldn't get any worse. Yes it can! Ciana and Paul have moved to San Fran. and we will miss them dearly.

Ciana is like a second mom to my kids. After I had Luke she would come over and make breakfast, lunch and dinner. But more then that it's been nice to have her come over and chill with me at night when the kids are in bed. Watching movies, eating dove bars and drinking Kumbucha. Who am I going to drink Kumbucha with?! She is so helpful and an amazing friend to me.

Hurry up and start having kids so I can come visit and help you with those little stinkers.

Matt and my birthdays 3 years ago.

Good luck with your new lives kids, you better be visiting soon.

Being a mom on Mother's day!

2009-05-10T15:01:00.000-07:00

Nothing could have prepared me for the love, joy, bliss, peace, tears, fear, and anger that I would experience as a mother. It is the best and worst job in the world...like a love/hate relationship. With that said, I feel like the luckiest woman on earth to be able to share my life with the best three kids ever! I wouldn't have it any other way. I love being their mom!

They woke me this morning with breakfast in bed, which I always love! Such a great way to wake up. Yes, this is what I look like first thing in the morning. :)

My breakfast of cheese eggs and toast with raspberry jelly. It's already half gone in this picture. I had a lot of help eating it.

One of my favorite parts of mothers day is homemade gifts. I LOVE THEM! Mia made me this cute bracelet at school and has been so excited for me to have it. She was very good at keeping it a secret until mother's day. It was big enough for cut in half and make one mia as well. Even better!

Max pressed these flowers, then put tape over them and made me these amazing book markers. I'm sure I'll have them forever.

This colorful tea cup was what Max made me at school. He on the other hand had to have Matt hide it from him so he wouldn't be temped to give it to be early. He could barely stand to wait! It is so cute, even had a real tea bag in it and a magnet on the back. It has a permanent home on the fridge now.

Matt got me a cute card and in it wrote exactly what I need to hear. (he's good at that) He took me to dinner last night, cleaned the whole house, got me a book called The Ten Year Nap (which I'm very excited about because I don't know anything about it) and has informed me that I have a gift certificate coming for H&M. Yipee!

It's been one of the best Mother's day yet. (A lot better then the one Matt forgot. :)

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms!

My mom on Mother's Day

2009-05-09T20:50:00.001-07:00

Thank you mom for:

Carrying me in your womb for 9 months and 2 weeks. (sorry about that :)
Taking care of me for all of those years along with 5 other siblings.
Showing me you can still have fun when you're a mom.
Listening to ABBA while you cleaned the house.
Coming to all my soccer games and track meets.
Supporting me in everything I chose to do.
Doing your best to keep me healthy.
Teaching me to be independent.
Loving my children.
Loving me.

My beautiful mother! (18 years old)

Thank you for being my mom. I love you girl!

Disneyland (minus the kids)

2009-05-09T16:09:00.000-07:00

We have only been to Disneyland without kids one other time. Not that I don't like going there with my kids, but then again...well, it was nice! :) There are things we don't notice when we go with kids. Little details that we never see because we are too busy snacking, breaking up fights, taking potty breaks, and riding the tea cups. Thanks to Jen, Nicole and Kylee, (who took our kids for us) we were able to spend 5 hours at the happiest place on earth. The Fackrells at Disneyland + the Wells - the kids = A BLAST!

Here are a few things I like about going to disneyland - the kids.

1. Being able to carry on an uninterrupted conversation with Matt.
2. Only taking one bathroom break.
3. Eating and drinking my food without sharing.
4. Snacking on the go.
5. No stroller.
6. No diapers.
7. Playing I spy with my little eye "A mormon"
8. Riding all the "Big rides"
9. Not riding the tea cups.
10. No fighting or crying. (other then the trouble Brandon caused a few times. :)

It was a nice break, really more like a vacation. Can't wait to do it again.

Another one bites the dust

2009-05-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

Max is home sick today. He's the last one in the family to get the Oregon imported cold we've had. Sick Max is way more fun then sick Mia or Luke. Here's our day so far:

-Max woke up and had some tea for his sore throat.
-Then he ran the bath water and took a bath...all by himself of course.
-After that he wanted to make mom and dad breakfast. Eggs and toast. Yummy!
-He's been playing with and entertaining the baby.
-Read some of his book.
-Had a fingernail clipping lesson with mom.
-Watched a couple of TV shows.
-Wrote a couple funny comics. (he's so clever.)
-Helped me pick out the latest books he wants from his book order.
-And he's been keeping me company while I get the house picked up. (telling me the latest facts about sharks, the temperature inside of an igloo, and reading me jokes from his joke book.)

It's been a pretty good day so far for me. I don't mind sick Max...it's been fun hanging out with him today.

Making breakfast.

In 8 years this little guy will be making me breakfast too. I'm looking forward to it. :)

9 Month old Lucas

2009-04-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

Yep, I'm still madly in love with the blue eyed wonder. He's getting to be such a big boy. He's walking around furniture, eating all kinds of foods and loving it. He's a drooling fool and says "mama" all the time. Still no teeth, but weighs a whopping 17 lbs. He's added so much to this little family of ours. We can't get enough of his deliciousness. Let's hope he starts sleeping through the night soon.

Happy 9 months buddy!

Decision time....

2009-04-29T21:11:00.001-07:00

It's time to make a decision. Here are our options...

A. Leave the mullet as is.

B. Turn it into a rat tail.

C. Have Erika Gunn do a trim job.

D. None of the above.

What would you do? (And remember, there is no wrong answer. :)

The Burbs' and the Wells

2009-04-21T21:50:00.001-07:00

Yes, today was the day! I started feeling overwhelmed with being so behind with my blog posts that I decided if I just took a couple of hours tonight, organized my photos, and put on my serious face I could get the job done. I counted and I posted 13 posts...have a hay day. (I'll try and post more often so we don't make this a habit.)

If any of you were raised in a family like mine, you have those classic movies that you can quote word for word. For my family it's The Princess Bride, Dumb and Dumber, The Fog, and The 'Burbs.

A few months into dating Matt I quoting The 'Burbs. I remember the look on his face when he realized what I had just said! Did she just quote The 'Burbs? Although I didn't actually hear him say that, it was what he was thinking. And I can't say for sure but the fact that this movie is one of my all time classic favorites might be one of the final deciding factors into why he married me. If you haven't seen this movie, you need to. But you have to watch it with people who appreciate it, or you'll hate it! Call us any time and you can come over and watch it.

A few weeks back, after a "'Burbs quote" slipped out of my mouth, it was to our great surprise to find out our newest friends Lyndsey and Brandon Wells also know and love this great classic. So, we planned for them to come over and watch it with us. There is a scene in the movie when Tom Hanks character eats a pretzel with a sardine on it. It's one of the most disgusting things ever!!! Matt has this thing about eating something that is in the movie we watch. So, if a movie has a cherry pie in it, we eat cherry pie. Lucky us, this one has sardines and pretzels.

This is how it went down

These smelled so bad. I thought Lyndsey was going to barf!

Before

After

Poor Brandon. I can't believe it stayed down.

And of course Matt was so pleased with himself.

On second thought, maybe you'll want to call someone else to watch this movie with...unless you have a love for sardines on a pretzel.

Pink eye

2009-04-21T21:41:00.001-07:00

If you haven't seen us around...

this is why...

pink eye!

Luke's first ER name bracelet. I'm sure it won't be the last. (p.s. I wouldn't have normally gone to the ER for pink eye but it was Sunday.)

Pool time with friends

2009-04-21T21:33:00.000-07:00

Max has made friends with a kid in his class, Nathan. Nathan's cute family invited us to come to Huntington Beach over spring break where they brought their motor home, camped by the beach and had access to this pool. It was Lucas' first time in a pool and he LOVED it. He cried when I would try and take him out.

Mia with her new little friend Taylor. (Nathan's little sister) Aren't these girls stinking cute?!

My boys

2009-04-21T21:29:00.000-07:00

These pictures completely melts my heart.

I love these boys.

Little mommy

2009-04-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

Mia: (while crying) Mom, I just want to have a baby.

Me: Mia, you can't have a baby right now, you have to wait until you're a mommy.

Mia: (still crying) But mom, I can't wait, I just want to be a mommy now.

Me: Mia, I promise, when you grow up you can have as many babies as you want.

Mia: (stops crying and stares at me for a few seconds. I can tell she's really thinking about this.) I can!

Me: You sure can!

I'm pretty sure she pictured a ton of babies lined up, all for her joy and pleasure.

I hate to break it to her, but I'm pretty sure when she becomes a mommy she won't want as many babies as she thought she wanted. It's a rude awakening to the best of us.

For now, she's being a great little mommy to baby Lukie.

The pose

2009-04-21T20:59:00.001-07:00

Such a simple thing that puts a huge smile on my face daily.

The pose

Luke will be in mid-crawl, stop and assume this position...without fail, EVERY TIME!

I wish everyone could see it in person, it's super cute!

Skaters

2009-04-21T20:51:00.000-07:00

Max couldn't wait for this free skate day hosted by the city of Sierra Madre. It was a little intimidating for him since he was by far the youngest kid there. Kudos to him for being brave enough to battle the big kids. I think the snacks, ice cream and tattoos were great incentive to stick it out.

I love this little skater!

We all scream for ice cream!

2009-04-21T20:45:00.001-07:00

This is my 4 year old.

She hates to eat!

She doesn't get dessert when she doesn't eat.

She acts like this when she doesn't get dessert.

This is not the first time it has happened.

She really was "screaming for ice cream."

Fackrell foodie

2009-04-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

It's so hard for me to believe....

I finally got a baby who will voluntarily eat.

Thank you Lukie for opening your mouth for every bite. (Yes, it's a big deal to me.)

The game ball

2009-04-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

It was 100 degrees outside,

And after pounding oodles of gatorade and water...

Max got the game ball.

It was well deserved.

Future fashion designer?

2009-04-21T20:29:00.000-07:00

She changes her clothes at least 5 times a day....

but this creative style/color combo deserved a photo for memory sake.

I know who I am!

2009-04-21T20:19:00.001-07:00

I've been sitting Luke in front of the mirror ever since he could lock his eyes on me and smile. He loves it and is always so smiley and happy but looks at me the entire time. It was so fun to see his face light up when he recognized himself for the first time. He stared for a few minutes, then smiled, and kept smiling. He seemed so pleased with his cute little grin.

It turned into 10 minutes of this.....Even he can't resist himself. :)

Easter 09

2009-04-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

We had an early Easter egg hunt at the Bethany Lutheran Church in Sierra Madre. It turned out to be more fun then we could have hoped.

Easter attire, curly hair and tattoo included

Games

Face painting

A petting zoo. What a cutie Sydney is. (Sydney's face painting job had issues. :)

She wanted to take it home with her. My little animal lover.

The long awaited egg hunt!

Even the baby enjoyed nibbling on the plastic eggs.

His first Easter was a hit!

Kylee Photos

2009-03-08T09:34:00.000-07:00

Kylee already posted these pictures on her blog, but for those of you who don't check her blog I wanted to post these cute pictures she took at Christmas time of the cute Fackrell grandkids. I'm impressed, I wouldn't have been able to get a decent shot of these sugared up, wiggly rug rats.

Trying to hold still in grandma's bed.

It didn't work for long

Several m&m's later

The only cooprative one of the bunch...love those blue eyes.

...but what's new?

2009-02-27T15:58:00.000-08:00

new eating arrangements

new lizard

new holiday party

new 4 year old attitude

new puppy

new bath time

new strength

new sleeping arrangements

new sitting-up-by-himself

new 4 year old attitude. (ok, i already said that once...)

new baseball team

new skateboard moves

....but what's new?

Half Birthday for baby

2009-02-06T09:54:00.000-08:00

I'm a week late on posting this.

We had a half birthday party for Lucas last week.

Cute little face!

We celebrated with yummy Dots cupcakes....my fav.

Us with our cupcakes.

No, we didn't let the baby have any...what kind of parents do you think we are? He ate rice cereal and had a yummy bottle...his fav.

Not even a taste....Although he was curious. Use the force Luke! :)

Who knew that eating cupcakes for babies half birthday could be so much fun?!

Even crazy uncle Nate joined in on the fun.

Only 6 more months and we'll have another party.
Happy half birthday little Lukey!

"Ears" and his eyes

2009-01-21T14:44:00.000-08:00

Max has a new nickname....

Ears!

He listens intently to every conversation Matt and I have. A few weeks ago, while trying to have a "one on one" conversation with Matt, I looked over and Max was up in my face. And then it just came out. "Ears, go do something else, you're not part of this conversation. Hey, Ears, I like that..." and it stuck. I've been calling him Ears ever since.

On another note...

there's something new about ears...

his "eyes"

He is now a glass wearing, four eyed 8 year old. His left eye is 20/25 and his right eye is 20/40. We hope wearing glasses helps correct some minor vision problems. We had a hard time finding a pair that fit his narrow head, so for now, these will do. We ordered another pair that will be here in about 4 weeks. They fit a little better and will be lighter on his face.

I think he looks stinking cute!

Olive for Allison

2009-01-17T10:46:00.000-08:00

Meet Olive.

I made her for my friend Allison's baby shower

Hard, but fun.

School pictures

2009-01-16T13:25:00.000-08:00

Classic school pictures....

that i love.

Neglecting the blog

2009-01-10T09:30:00.000-08:00

Here's our happenings from the past month. Enjoy!

Meet Cathrine. Max has good taste, she's a cutie.

She wants a barbie...good thing she got 8!

Max doesn't believe in Santa anymore but posted for a photo anyways. Doesn't he look like he's not buying it? Ha ha!

Mia's first real time in the snow. She wouldn't stop eating it and loved it.

A lot of TV watching

Making cookies...yum, yum!

Luke biting everyone's chin that he can get a hold of.

Max went shooting with dad, uncle Jason, Grandpa, Nate, and Andy. It got so cold he had to wait in the car. You'd think he's used to 70 degree weather.

Jason DeVilliers brithday party. Our first real outing without kids. We really enjoyed it!

A trip to disneyland with cousin Auri

Our baby is finally getting over being sick for most of his life...2009 should be a good year for us. We can't wait to see what's in store for us. Happy new year too you all!

4 months

2008-12-02T15:07:00.000-08:00

Lucas is 4 months. Like the other two, he's in the 5th percentile already. Another cute little Fackrell kid! I can't keep him on his stomach for very long, before I know it, flip, he's on his back. He's playing with toys and everything goes right into his mouth. If he's upset, a nice warm bath or a foot massage will always settle him down. What a sweet old soul...my heart melts every day because of this kid. I love you Luke!

Another post for Grandma Fackrell

2008-11-24T10:25:00.000-08:00

The boots were dirty the second she put them on. Of course they are, they're white. Mia loves this outfit Grandma Fackrell gave her for her birthday. (She made the skirt and jacket) So appropriate, after all, this girl is very black and white. :)

First diaper change

2008-11-14T13:11:00.001-08:00

Max was complaining that I needed to change the babies diaper. So, I told him he could change it for me. He wanted to know why I thought he would EVER want to change a diaper. Anyways, after a while he decided it wouldn't hurt to try, after all, it wasn't like it was poopy! The baby was even amused by the whole thing. He was very patient with how long it took and Max kept saying, "Just don't pee on me!" Max did such a good job, it won't be has last. :)

Crazy uncle Nate

2008-11-13T09:16:00.000-08:00

I was looking through the pictures on my camera yesterday and found these. I had no idea they were there so it made me laugh and I had to share.

She loves Nate, he's like a second dad!

Mia's pink Birthday Extravaganza

2008-11-12T12:21:00.001-08:00

Mia has such a fun time this year with her friends at her birthday party. (Even though it was a little chilly)

The birthday girl in her "Birthday Girl" crown and jewelry.

Mia and her friend Sydney. She loves playing with Sydney, they get along so well and she never wants her play dates with her to end.

Mia's newest friend Elle. She's so much fun!

The girls making bracelets and necklaces. (While wearing their crowns)

Ruby picking out the perfect beads. What a cutie! We love this little girls personality.

Grace playing "put the glass slipper on Cinderella" Mia loves playing with Grace, theirs always dancing involved :)

She kept this (way too big) ring on her finger the whole time.

The Birthday cake Max and Mia helped me decorate. (chocolate inside)
Mia has been talking about a pink birthday cake with sprinkles for months now.
As you with!

Make a wish

She loved all her presents. Grace was so excited to give her this really cute tea set (that she wanted to keep) only to find out she got an identical mini set in her goody bag when she left. She was thrilled. So cute!

Ruby gave her some cute books, one she is holding here...Ladybug Girl. She loved the baby doll and necklace Elle gave her and wore the necklace to school today.

Sydney gave Mia this Tinker Bell movie. Can you tell she loves it? She wanted this bad! (notice the ring still on her finger.) She kept her hand like that the whole time because she didn't want it to come off. Cari made sure we got a picture of it...such a girl.

It was a fun day...although...I'm tired and glad it's over. :)

4 years old

2008-11-09T18:45:00.000-08:00

Mia was so excited for her birthday today. She's been talking about it for weeks. (since Max had his) She requested waffles with strawberries and whipped cream for breakfast, dressed herself and wanted a bun so she could look like tinkerbell. Then we painted her nails pink and put hot pink lipstick on her. She feasted on a giant cupcake and has been screaming with excitement most of the day. Her birthday party is tomorrow so more fun to come...for now, happy birthday to the most cute, fun, energetic, curious 4 year old I know.

Loving the hot pink lipstick.

Her tinkerbell hair

What a funny kid! We just love this little girl so much!

GIRL TROUBLE

2008-11-07T10:01:00.000-08:00

A word of warning! If Max knew I posted this on our blog, he might never speak to me again. Ok, on with the story.

The past several weeks when I pick Max up from school the whole way home he talks about "Cathrine." It's a girl in his class that he likes. We discuss ways for him to play with her at recess without her knowing he likes her. He's very shy about it and won't just ask if he can play jump rope or play a game with her. He has been practicing jump roping for a while now and is getting pretty good. I joked with him one day and said, "Max are you having girl trouble?" He laughed and said, "Totally mom." TOO FUNNY!

To make a long story short, because I don't have time, Max got in the car yesterday and told me that Alex (his competition) likes Cathrine too. I asked him what he thought of that and he said he didn't care. Then went on to tell me he thinks she likes him too. Then, breaking my heart, he said, "Mom, he's better then me. He's taller and bigger and he just looks better. I look dumb." What?! Of course I told him that wasn't true, he was just as good if not better that this Alex kid.

Then he came up with an idea. And I quote word for word..."I know mom, tomorrow I want you to spike my hair and I want to wear my black jacket." I forgot about this leather jacket my dad got him at a thrift store. I could feel an uncontrollable laugh building in me and had to try really hard to hold it in. It was a deal! In the morning we planned to make him look as cool as possible to win back the girl of his dreams. Ha ha!

Part of me wants to tell him he's too young for this and not to worry about her, just focus on hand ball and the boys. But, I want him to tell me "everything", and I think it's HILARIOUS! So, I went with it.

I told Matt about it last time to prep him and this morning Max asked if he could go in his room and get a different jacket to wear to school. Matt played dumb like he knew nothing, then spiked his hair for him. He took these pictures on their way out the door this morning.

Kathrine, if you don't think this kid is the best looking dude EVER...you're crazy!

So proud to look cool!

Yes, Matt made his look tough...that's what he gets for having a dad that's a director.
How cute is he?

Halloween with the Taylor's

2008-11-06T20:09:00.000-08:00

This ones for you Grandma Fackrell

It was so great having my whole family here for Halloween. These are a little late, but better late then never.

Cutest penguin ever

She loved being wonder woman

Aaron the grim reeper, Izabela the cat, Kyle the Jedi and Max the Ghostbuster.

All 10 grandkids + Joelle and Matt for baby purposes :)

Trunk or treating fun (thanks for the photo Dana)

Too much candy...ha ha! Really, he got hurt wrestling Kyle.

My hard core tatooed biker husband. I'm so sad he forgot the handlebar mustache I got him.

So out of character for Matt...made it that much funnier! Nadia was a cute little red riding hood and Aaron had too much fun with that mask. I love it!

We voted!

2008-11-04T18:54:00.000-08:00

Our vote is in and our choice has been heard...it's finally over. Now we just play the waiting game.

And I Am.....

2008-10-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

So I took the quiz...and yes I have read "Twilight." It looks like I'm Jasper! Ha ha!

Matt

Alice

2008-10-27T21:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know everyone is doing this, which was reason enough NOT to do it...but the kids are all in bed, Matt's still at work and I was curiously bored. Plus, I think I'm the first one that I know of to be an "Alice." I have to say, it's very fitting. Good and bad!

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

Pumpkin festival

2008-10-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

We forgot our camera but our friend Dana took this picture of us just as we were leaving the kidspace pumkin festival. Now that I think about it I should've had her take the picture with the festival in the background and not this sweet park bathroom. Although, maybe it's fitting with this crazy sugared up bunch. The kids had a blast decorating cookies and pumpkins, playing in a bouncer, exploring the pumpkin patch and winning prizes from the game booths. Max thanked me 100 times on our way home. It was a fun family event...even Matt had fun! :)

3 kids in 1 room

2008-10-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

We pulled the crib out of storage yesterday, dusted it off and set it up. The baby spent his first night in the bedroom with the other kids. We officially have 3 kids in 1 room. We live in tight quarters but it went pretty well. I think we're going to get a little more sleep now. Yay!

This crib.

The cheap bunk bed we bought at ikea last week. It does the job.

The human highlight reel

2008-10-11T12:45:00.001-07:00

THE BOY!

Last week after Max scored his second goal his coach handed me his phone and said, "Max's agent is on the phone and he wants to talk to you."

At todays game he hadn't scored a goal yet and was getting really frustrated. We could all tell he was working his butt of trying to score. Someone tried to talk to the coach and he said, "Hold on a sec. Max is on a mission." So true. He eventually scored two goals and almost scored a third during the last minute of the game. His coach can't get enough of him and commented just before the game was over that "Max is like a human highlight reel." He's always sliding, diving and crashing into people. He's sure fun to watch. Good job today Max. You may be small but you're one heck of an athlete.

Baby blessing, baptism, the boys

2008-10-05T17:48:00.000-07:00

I just got these pictures from my sister in law. Thanks again Kylee for the amazing photos. We absolutely love them. Last weekend was a big one for us. Max was baptized and then baby Lucas was blessed. It was so fun seeing all the boys in white. What a fun day for all.

Kids don't get cuter then that. Kudos to Laura Daines for the beautiful knitted blanket.

What a sweetie! I love this baby.

Proud little Max. I love this kid too!

The classic pre baptism pose with dad.

All the boys. I love the little half smile Luke gave. So sweet! What fun memories we have from the weekend. It was so much fun to have family and friends here. Mark Aug (a member Matt taught on his mission) spoke at the baptism. He did a great job. We had so much fun with the Grahams and were sad to see them go. Thanks to all that came for sharing in our special day.

THE BOY IS 8!

2008-10-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

He's 8? How did that happen? It was a very fun weekend for him. I will tell more in another post (when I get photos) but for now here are a few things I love about this cute kid:

1. The best older brother in the world- Mia and Lucas are lucky to have him in their lives.

2. Helpful- Max has a list of chores he does every day. He has taken out the trash every day for over a year. When he's out of town, I don't know what to do without him.

3. Intelligent- Smart, smart kid. Not only is he an excellent student, Max is very intuitive. I've
had several people ask me how he's so intelligent. They want to know what I am teaching
him and how. The truth is, he just came that way. He blows me away sometimes.

4. Athletic- Probably one of the most coordinated kids alive. Every year his soccer coaches are
blown away, and the kid has mad skateboarding skills.

5. Spicy- A better word then personality. Max is full of spice.

6. Artistic- He is following in his fathers footsteps. He's a great artist and very inventive.

7. Hilarious- Just his facial expressions crack me up. Funny kid!

8. Warm- He is so easy to get along with and has a very warm side to him.

9. Competitive- He can be overly competitive sometimes but I think it's a great quality.

10. Curious- Max always wants me to explain things in detail. He has a huge capacity for knowledge and can't get enough. Try explaining to this kid where babies come from when he's not satisfied with a generic answer. He gives me a fun for my money. :)

11. Happy- He really has such a great time with everything he does in life. It's been a great life
so far.

I love everything about you Max. Happy 8th birthday buddy!

YO GABBA GABBA PREMIERE!

2008-09-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

The Yo Gabba Gabba episode titled "GAMES," that I directed/edited and co-wrote will be airing Tuesday, September 23rd on Nickelodeon. It will air at 11:30 Pacific time, but be sure to check your local listings for when its on Tuesday. It's awesome that I was able to do this, because it's not every day you get the chance to write and direct a television show that will air nationally. I do really have to thank Scott Schultz, Christian Jacobs, Justin Lyon and Jason deVilliers for making this happen. Mates of State (www.myspace.com/matesofstate) performs a song written by one of the musicians from the show (the cousin of our own Pasadena Ward good friend Dana Willard) and it was a lot of fun directing the music video with Mates of State for the episode. It's an epic process putting together one of these shows, and I'm amazed that Christian and Scott can each do nine of these episodes. Also I've edited episodes that will be showing through out the year. I'm editing the Jack Black episode right now (he's in the entire episode). There is also an animated segment I wrote and directed that will show in one of the future episodes. This one has a princess in it that was illustrated to look like Mia. Anyway, it's pretty exciting so check the episode out on Tuesday, September 23rd, 11:30 Pacific Time.

The show was in TIME Magazines "Top 10 New Shows of the Year," here's a link to that article:

www.time.com/time/specials/2007/top10/article/0,30583,1686204_1686244_1691363,00.html

This season you'll see bands and celebrities that some of you may or may not be familiar with like:

Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo, Wes Anderson's film composer)
Jack Black
Melora Hardin (Jan from "The Office")
The Ting Tings
Hot Hot Heat
The Roots
Jem
Andy Samberg (Saturday Night Live)
Jack McBrayer (30 Rock)
Amy Sedaris (Strangers with Candy)
MGMT
Rachel Dratch (Saturday Night Live)
Paul Scheer (30 Rock)
Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns)
Jimmy Eat World
Chromeo
Paul Williams (“Rainbow Connection”)
Mates of State
Mix Master Mike (from the Beastie Boys)
The Ting Tings
Money Mark
Biz Markie
Ladytron
Datarock

post nasal drip

2008-09-17T07:34:00.001-07:00

There's nothing quite like the burning sensation from the nose clear down the throat. Post nasal drip may be the worst thing in the entire world. The only way to get the burning to go away is to shove toilet paper up the nose so air can't creep in to cause the pain that we all enjoy so much. We've had a mad case of it at our house (accompanied by a lovely lingering cough) for the last several weeks and are just now starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hallafreakinluiah!

This doesn't help me feel any better.

Good thing I have this entertainer

/helper.

Heaven knows this ones not helpful!

I'm pretty sure when I took this picture I had toilet paper shoved up my nose. Lovely!

No post nasal drip for this happy baby. Good thing. The Fackrell's are coming back to life...watch out!

9 YEARS TODAY!

2008-09-11T19:18:00.001-07:00

Today is a special day for Niki and I. It's also one that everyone will always remember, but for us we celebrate 9 years together as husband and wife. We've known each other for ten years and I can tell you that she's as special to me as she was when we first started falling in love. I was at work today, and I couldn't help myself from telling everyone that it was our anniversary. I was so excited to tell everyone and I couldn't stop smiling. Niki is the greatest person I know and I'm proud to say that's she's my best friend and I love her with all my heart. I remember when I first knew she was the girl I was going to marry. I had only been on two dates with her and I really liked her a lot, this was when I was working at the movie theaters as a projectionist (of all things!) that I knew she was the one. She came in with her family to see the film Patch Adams and I was looking down from the projection booth and saw her with her family. A moment later as I was looking at her I felt the most powerful and clear feeling I had ever felt in my life, and in what I could say was the Spirit telling me "your going to marry her," and I said to myself "no I'm not, I can't get married now" You need to put into account that I had 5 years of "free life" (post-mission) planned and this feeling came as a surprise. But it didn't take long for the two of us to go from good friends, to best friends, to two people in love. I had the greatest time with Niki and I'm so excited that we not only love each other but we are best friends. We have three beautiful kids who get all their good looks and competitiveness from her, and maybe they get something here and there from me. They have the greatest mom they could ask for who would do anything for them. I love you Niki and I always will, you own my heart and I will always be there for you. Happy Anniversary!

Joelle and Krista looks very concerned in the background like one of us may loose it and start swinging. This was a dream of mine when I would get married, to finally have cake smeared all over my face. I really didn't take in account what it would be like with half of it up my nose.

Boy oh boy, and Niki's brothers thought this car would be an an easy clean with all that
shoe polish on it. It came off when we washed it, but so did the cars paint! Anyway, it
was worth it...look how excited I am, and can't wait to drive out of there.

This is proof that I was fit, with no real body fat. Look at me now and see what three kids will do. Niki looks fantastic!

6 weeks and the little rascals are off to school

2008-09-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

Wow! I know everyone always says they can't believe time goes by so fast, but...I felt like with my other babies the first six weeks took for-e-ver. Like it would never end and I was never going to sleep, eat or get ready for the rest of my life. This time it's been different. It's flown by! I can't believe my baby is 6 weeks. What a great kid he has been. That cute little face is looking up at me while I am writing this and he looks just like his dad to me. (Makes me love him that much more.) We went to our 6 weeks check up yesterday and the little chuncker is just over 12 lbs. already. I love his cute squishy little body. His smile is adorable and he love, love, loves the bath. His favorite places to hang out are Max's arms and the swing. He HATES his car seat. I can't wait until he gets used to it. He screams his head off everywhere we go. Good thing I have two little helpers in the back who love to put his binki in his mouth every 5 seconds :) Gotta love that.

FINALLY! School started. It seems like everyone elses kids have been in school forever and mine are just starting. Monday was Mia's first day of preschool and Max started 2nd grade. Mia was a little unsure at first but is having a blast. Max was so excited to be back in school again to play hand ball and be with all his friends. And mom is loving it too. I have one kid in the mornings, two in the afternoons and three in the late afternoon/evenings. It makes my life so much easier and each kid gets a little more one on one time. It's nice to be back in a routine.

I had to get a picture of him on his 6 week birthday and this is the only one I could get before my camera died. Not the best picture and blurry but it works. He's still cute!

Matt and his mini me. Look at those profiles. I love it!

Thumbs up to school! Cute little snots!

Caught on camera

2008-09-07T14:31:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist posting these pictures and I knew Grandmas and Grandpas would love seeing them. I finally caught that cute smile on camera. We can't get enough of this baby. Matt pinches and bites him all the time. (It's a weird Fackrell thing, they all do it.) He used to bruise Mia all the time. Another baby with (what we refer to as) "love bruises."

Love, love, love that double chin!

A GOOD WEEK

2008-09-06T16:29:00.000-07:00

It's been a good week in the Fackrell home. I wish i could go into more detail but I really don't have time. Here are a few fun new things we've been up to.

Max started soccer today. He scored a goal! Go Max! (It was hot...90 degrees)

I was ready to shave my head so instead, I got a hair cut.

Luke at 5 weeks old. He's been smiling at me this week and today he made an "Ew" sound. It about melted my heart.

Mia took this picture, I thought it turned out really cute.

Can't live with em, can't live without em.

I love these kids. Most of the time :)

School starts Monday so maybe I'll have a little more free time then. Stay tuned.

Three weeks!

2008-08-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, we do other things besides take pictures of this baby right now, but honestly nothing is as fun. Max is in Utah and has been gone for a week and wants to see what the baby looks like. Also, we still have a ton of family that haven't seen him and they all want updates. He is still so so good. The best baby ever. He weighs almost 9 lbs. already. What a little chunk. What a cutie! He changes every day and gets cuter and cuter.

One week old....already?

2008-08-06T20:02:00.000-07:00

Baby Lucas is one week old today. I can't believe it! He has been so much fun and the best baby ever. He has already changed so much and looks exactly like Matt to me. We love this little guy so much and we're so glad he's part of our family.

We're in love!

2008-08-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

We're in love with baby Luke!

Matt's at work, I sent the kids to kidspace with my mom, got an hour of sleep last night, just changed 4 diapers, (every time I changed him he had another blow out) and i'm typing with my left hand because i'm feeding on the right side...it's taken about 5 minutes to type this. And...I'm loving every minute of it. I never thought I would say that but this baby is amazing and I love everything about him.

Welcome Lucas Matthew Fackrell

2008-07-30T22:37:00.000-07:00

Lucas Matthew Fackrell
Height - 20 Inches
Weight - 7 pounds 3 ounces
Date of birth - July 30th, 2008
Time of birth - 6:20 pm

Last minute projects

2008-07-29T17:02:00.000-07:00

Things I had to get done before baby comes.

1. Hang curtains in my room.

2. Get carpets cleaned.

3. Organize

4. Get all baby stuff ready.

5.Pull Max's tooth. Finally!

6. Paint this little rocking chair for Mia. (So she has somewhere to rock her baby. If you ask her she'll tell you she's having a baby.) It turned out really cute

Nothing left to do, no baby yet, ready as ever for him to come! Anyone wanna come over and break my water? I'll pay you!

MVP MAX!

2008-07-21T23:02:00.000-07:00

Here is a little montage of Max's soccer season. He scored 20 goals in 8 weeks of playing and became the lead scorer of his team and one of the best little players in the soccer league.

Mia's Dance Recital (AT LAST!)

2008-07-21T21:56:00.000-07:00

Countless family members have been sleeping next to the computer for weeks waiting for this post to hit the web, and the wait is over. Here it is...Mia's dance Recital!!!

Two shocked parents and an extatic brother!

2008-07-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning to the phone ringing...it was Max. This is how the conversation went...

Max: "Hi Mom. Is there still a chance that the baby could be a boy and I could have a brother?"

Me: "We are going in an hour to get another picture of the baby and find out for sure, but don't be planning on it so you're not disappointed ok?"

Max: "Ok, I won't. But I still really want a brother."

Me: "I know Max but we don't get to decide what this baby is going to be. A sister will be just as fun as a brother. I'll call you as soon as we get the ultrasound and let you know."

Max: "Alright, I'll be waiting for you to call."

We had an ultrasound done when I was 18 weeks pregnant. Like everyone else we wanted to know if we were having a boy or a girl. We felt like we were having a boy so we were so surprised when we found out it was a girl. It took us about 10 minutes to adjust to the fact and then we were excited. Well, we went and got another ultrasound today. I'm over 36 weeks now and we just got the shock of our lives!!! As soon as they pulled up the picture I looked at the reaction on the ultrasound techs face and knew. I said..."That's a penis!" "Yep." I looked over at Matt and I swear I could've picked his jaw up off the ground. He was shocked! This cute black lady was sitting next to him and said, "Ohhhh, I wish you would've got that reaction on tape. He's shocked.! I'm not gunna forget that one for a long time." She was cracking up. Anyway, after seeing these pictures I'm not sure if our Dr. needs glasses or what. It seems very obvious to me that this is a boy. Again, it took about 10 minutes to get used to the fact and we are both excited. I called my mom and told her to get the video camera ready, I wanted Max's reaction to this news on tape. They called me about 30 minutes later. Matt and I put Max on speaker phone so we could both hear his reaction. It was so cute to hear him over the phone. After I said, "Max, we just found out the baby is a boy, and you're going to have a brother." There was a long pause and I heard a roar of laughter in the background. Matt's mom, my mom, my grandma and who knows who else, were cracking up over Max's reaction. He didn't know what to say at first and then he couldn't stop laughing and just kept saying, "Yay, I'm so excited." I am so happy for him...he really wanted this little brother so bad. Congratulations Max!

With all that said, let me just say, I'm so sorry to all the people who have made or bought girl gifts for us. Thanks so much anyways! And now for the proof!!!

The baby is posterior right now so we had a hard time getting a shot of all the goods together. This was the best one of all three parts in the same shot.

Penis!!!!

Testicles!!!!

I don't know how you could mistake that for a girl! Sorry Ronald Wu...either you need to retire or invest in some killer glasses! :)

Just the two of us...well...2 1/2

2008-07-08T21:31:00.000-07:00

This 4th of July Matt and I vacationed on our own while our kids vacationed at grandma and grandpas in St. George. We had a blast and it was very relaxing. I loved it!

Solvang, Ca. Cute little Dutch town we went to on the 4th. They had a huge fair going on and everyone in the town was out. Here are a few buildings from our stop there.

Then we went to Cambria. (a cute little beach town) This is Matt eating the famous ollalieberry pie. It was yummy!

We joined the town in a firework celebration on the beach.

Pictures of our bed and breakfast we stayed in. (we took better photos on our 35 mm camera but haven't developed them yet...these will do)

It was so nice to wake up to this breakfast outside our door. We just sat and ate it in our pajamas in the quiet. So relaxing!

Rock and seashell hunting on the beach. It was foggy and chilly but really beautiful.

We saw a lot of starfish but they were all alive so we spared them and left them behind. The kids would've loved seeing them.

Hearst Castle. Again, better photos with our other camera but here are a few. This house was amazing. A lot of walking for me and HOT but it was well worth it.

The dining room

The indoor swimming pool that was lined with gold.

We were going to head home but made a last minute decision to visit our friends Andrew and Susie in San Jose. It was fun being spontaneous. We toured The Golden Gate Park in San Fransisco and enjoyed being with our friends for the day.

Andrews best friend Shannon and her roommate were there visiting too. This is us with buffalo behind us...hard to see but they're there.

The rose gardens that smelled amazing. We rested there for an hour or so and took a nap. Soooo relaxing.

I don't remember the last time I relaxed so much. It was so nice to be with Matt for the weekend and just enjoy each other and doing things the kids would hate. They are both having a blast with all their grandparents. I sent them with disposable cameras. Can't wait to see what fun moments they captured. Thanks grandmas and grandpas for letting us have this one last get away before baby comes. We can't thank you enough.

Da Vinci belly art...34 weeks

2008-06-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

Last night our good friend Marty Havran came over to do some "belly art" on me. He has been working for Dreamworks Animation for the past 9 years as a lead animator. He is obviously an amazing artist and when I found out he had mad Leonardo De Vinci skills I had to have him do this. He and his family are moving to Oregon, so before he was off he came by and spent some time with us and created this masterpiece. It was a lot of fun! When I showed the kids my belly this morning they both freaked out a little. Max thought it was some freaky transparent thing that was showing him what the baby really looked like. And Mia...she just stood there with her mouth open and didn't say a word. I had to explain so she wouldn't get worried and then she just said, "mom, that looks like a baby." So funny. I wish I had a better camera, it looks so much cooler in real life.

The master at work. FYI...when someone is drawing on your belly, try not to laugh. It messes them up. :)

The finished product

This picture makes by belly look freakishly huge. Like it was taken with a wide angle lense. It's not normally that big! How do I not have stretch marks?! It's a mystery.

How cool is that?! Thanks Hav. These pictures are priceless and will be remembered forever.

Baby tummy?!

2008-06-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

Mia just looked at Matt and said, "Dad, do you have a baby in your tummy?" Matt said, "What, oh, no...but it looks like it." Then Max just started cracking up and said, "I think you need to run more dad." We all got a good laugh out of it...at Matt's expense that is. Thanks honey for gaining weight and having cravings with me every time I'm pregnant so I'm not along in this. So so nice of you :)

Fatherless Father's Day

2008-06-15T21:27:00.000-07:00

Matt was shooting a music video today so we had a fatherless father's day. We've really been missing him with his busy schedule lately. Our kids have thee best dad ever. He is amazing in every way. He is such a hard worker and is totally devoted to his role as a husband and father. Everything he does is for us and we love him more than anyone. Thanks for being such a great dad Matt. You're the best!

I managed to snap this shot of the kids with Matt today. We went by the set and got 5 minutes to say happy father's day. The kids were clung to him and didn't want to leave.

The baby bump...30 weeks

2008-06-05T08:07:00.000-07:00

I am a little late on posting these pictures. I will be 31 weeks tomorrow but instead of my usual pose I thought I would post something new. My sister-in-law, Kylee, just started doing photography and she is seriously amazing! She has a great eye for it and we love her style. Anyway, I stole these from her blog for all to see. Hope you like them as much as we do. Thanks Kylee...we love you!

A year ago today

2008-06-03T21:27:00.001-07:00

A year ago today I ran my first (and so far only) marathon. I can't believe it's been a year. Oh how things have changed in my life. I had been wanting to run a marathon my whole life. I always knew I would do it but when I would talk about, it was like no one ever thought I would really do it. Which, since I'm so stubborn, made me want to do it even more. I found a great running partner (Annie Koop) who had ran 14 marathons and was willing to let me tag along for this life time experience. Little did I know how amazingly difficult and totally rewarding it would be. I have never pushed myself so hard, and still had 6 miles to go. Not only was the race challenging, the training was very intense. It was the hardest thing I have ever put myself through (and I have my babies natural) but also completely empowering. For about a month after, I remember feeling like there was nothing I couldn't do. I felt in total control of my life and very accomplished. It was so fun to see Matt and Max cheering me on at the half way mark. I was fighting back tears the whole time. The last 2 miles my body was DONE! I couldn't believe I had talked myself into this. Why do people do this? It was INSANE! Then after I crossed the finish line, I collapsed in my sisters arms and sobbed. I did it! I said I was going to, and I did. Amazing! I will never forget it and I can't wait to do it again. It's a sickness and I love it.

This was all the runners, and Matt and Max, carb. loading at the Macaroni Grill the night before the race. I somehow talked all of them into running this with me. Fools!

Myself, sister Michelle, and sister-in-law Joelle the morning of the race (I think it was 4 am) in our cute matching outfits. I loved running in that skirt!

My marathon running family...Matt, Joelle, Me, Michelle and Aaron. (who kicked all our butts)

Still dark outside. This was us stretching just before the race started.

Walking to the starting line. I was sooo nervous. My bladder was out of control at this point :)

This was me at mile 8. I was still feeling really good and as you can tell, very focused. (I wonder what song I was listening to)

Just before my meltdown. We did it! I couldn't believe it was finally over but at the same time, I couldn't believe it was already over. Very emotional.

We survived! I couldn't walk for 3 or 4 days (ask Christy Westover, she saw me waddling around) but after the pain went away I was plotting my next race. Little did I know I would be 7 1/2 months pregnant a year later. I'll have to wait but I will do it again as soon as I can. Watch out Kylee and Andrea, I'm planning on talking you both into running the next one with me.

New age lamaze

2008-05-18T13:26:00.000-07:00

My good friend Sachia is pregnant with her first baby. In preps. for her new arrival (coming in 4 weeks) she signed up for a lamaze type, relaxation class. She had planned this class months in advance and at the last minute her husband had to go out of town for work. So, she called me. The thought of her doing the class alone, or not at all, was not an option. She asked me if I would be willing to go to the class with her. I thought, why not, I could always use a good review, she needs to go and I don't want her to have to go alone. So off to the class we went with our water, snacks, and pillows. What we didn't realize was that this was a class specifically designed for coaching. Everyone had someone with them....a "coach." Everyone elses "coaches" were husbands. This is the part where my giggles started and annoyingly continued for the next three hours.

We walked into the room and this was the position our demo baby was in. What kind of class?

This was our competition. I think all eyes were on us for the first half hour. Two pregnant girls? Are they together? Friends? Lovers? The giggles wouldn't stop!

The "moms" practiced different relaxation positions to help ease their pain through labor, while the "coaches" (me) massaged and practiced helping them through their contractions. So, basically I ended up massaging her the whole night. Good thing I'm a massage therapist or it could've been real embarrassing for both of us. Plus, she really needed it. I have to say my favorite position of the night was when we were supposed to hug with her leaning into me and relaxing. Both of our bellies were touching, we both just busted up laughing. Yeah right! I still can't talk about it without cracking up. We stole the show!

Sachia, I know you hate pictures of yourself right now but nothing looks worse then me in this picture! I look trashed. (I was) You're welcome for making you look so good :)

Coach and Mom

I had to get video during our break of Sachia explaining the class. Only for a friend I love!

FATHERS and SONS

2008-05-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

A week ago it was fathers and sons, which is held church wide on Mothers Day weekend. This is so Niki and other mothers across the land get a break from the boys. We had a lot of fun. The camping isn't quite the same as it is in Utah where there's real mountains. This was a place called Wilderness Park that was just down the road from a subdivision. It was a small grassy field with the whole Stake camping near each other. Still, there were pine trees, so it's not too bad. When we got there, kids were kicking a soccer ball, so Max naturally joined in for over an hour, and after one too many dads got hit in the face with the soccer ball the game was over. A campfire was made and everyone gathered around for the ward "skits." Each year our Ward has the WORST skits, ha ha, it's almost embarrassing.

This was probably the latest Max has stayed up in a long long time. It was almost 11pm when Max finally went to bed. In the photo below it was around 10:30 and he was staring off and pretty much out of it without blinking. After a few "Max," Max," "MAX!" 's, he would say "uh what," as if he was woken from a waking sleep. We stayed up a little later and had dutch oven cobbler, which was after the smores and other treats.

I look really really ugly. This is the first official Fackrell family tent.

There was a spot up a trail near the camping area that the kids were going up to because it was "haunted." Some of the older kids were telling the younger kids that many years ago Americans and Native Americans were taken to the top of this hill, burned alive and their bodies thrown down the hill...yeah, I know, not your typical bed time ghost story. Anyway, I walked up here with Max and snapped the photo below. Later on at home, I added in an Indian with photoshop and told Max that I took a picture of a ghost. He was in shock when I showed him the final photo.

BEFORE

AFTER

Here’s a little video of me scarring Max. We were walking up to the “haunted,” area; Max and Ethan Tervet were talking about the ghosts and such, so I took advantage of the situtation. With the second video a few kids were at "the spot," and I made it seem like I heard something and they all flipped out. When they're running down the hill that is true terror driving them down. It was hilarious!

Am I crafty? Not a chance!

2008-05-15T08:49:00.001-07:00

If you were wondering, why would you, this is a scuba mask Mia made. How does she do it? So talented! Now I'm sure you're wondering where she gets her mad skills from. Truthfully, she made this at story time at the library. It had nothing to do with me, which might be why it turned out so cute. Matt hasn't been home for a few days (busy directing his episode of Yo Gabba Gabba this week) so this morning when Mia put this on he had to take a picture. I mostly posted it for him.

I forgot to post these last week so here they are for all to see. We had girls-craft-and-eat-a-bunch-of-cheesecake-and-cookies-night at Natalie's house last week. I don't consider myself a crafty person but these turned out ok. Although, I have to admit Ciana is the master behind this very well threaded shark...which by the way, Max loves!

This, I also sadly have to admit, was the work of none other then me. See Rebecca, the eyes aren't that crooked! Ha ha! You're stomach muscles had to be sore from all the laughing about my kitties eyes. They look a lot better then when I started. I thought for a few minutes, while mastering this up, there was no hope. It was bound to look less like a kitty and more like roadkill. Not bad for my first try. And, it only took me THREE HOURS! Thanks girls for stuffing me full of sugar, keeping me awake way past my bedtime and for the "way past our bedtime" conversations that followed. :) Too fun!

My Mother's Day

2008-05-12T10:32:00.000-07:00

What a fun day yesterday was for me. Actually, Saturday was pretty good too. Matt got me a massage at the Amadeus Spa. I went Saturday and enjoyed it more then you know! It was great. And, I had been needing it. On Saturday Max kept saying, "Mom, don't get out of bed tomorrow morning until I tell you to. I wanna do something for you." Being one of the brighter bulbs, I knew that meant breakfast in bed. So, Sunday morning I woke up before anyone else...of course. I rolled over and woke Matt up and said, "We have to get up and get ready so go wake up the kids and let's get the show on the road." Max would've been so upset if I got up before he had a chance to bring me breakfast. So, I ordered up oatmeal and toast with a side of strawberries and orange juice. It took Matt another few minutes to get it together, and by then we could hear the kids in their room. Most of the time Mia comes in our room crying about something. "I'm hungry!" Or, "My eye hurts." That's a popular one for some reason. It was a great Mother's Day gift to hear them in their room singing to each other. Very rare I must say. They were on the top bunk scratching each others backs and Max was teaching Mia some songs he had learned in school. After presently listing for a few minutes I jabbed Matt with my bony elbow and he was finally up and at 'em. A few patient minutes later, (on my part) with one eye cracked, while I still pretended to be sleeping, in came my breakfast. "Happy Mother's Day!" Mia was carrying the strawberries, Max the orange juice (good call matt) and Matt the tray. Mia was so excited she was laughing and in her excitement dropped the strawberries on the bed. She started picking them up, an occasional one going into her mouth and of course licking her fingers with each pick up. We were all just cracking up. What a perfect morning for me. And to top it off, I didn't lift a finger the entire day. Matt did all the cooking and cleaning while I vegged out like a beached whale. It was great! I'm one lucky Mama and I have the best kids in the world! I love you Max and Mia!

Max made me this cute flower pot with a beautiful flower he planted in it at school. The pot is painted and says happy mother's day, and I love you all over it. There's also a See's vanilla sucker in it with a picture of him on it. So cute.

This is great! It's the card Max made me. He said he messed up on one part, it's supposed to say, "thank you for feeding me" and he wrote seeding me. (just to clarify) Anyway, I got a good laugh out of it.

Sleeping beauty

2008-05-03T18:47:00.000-07:00

I got the biggest kick out of this. Mia fell asleep in the car the other day and when we got home I drug her in the house and plopped her on the couch. I was sure she would wake up but she was out cold for 2 hours! I could've had a party in the same room and she wouldn't have budged. What would it be like to be able to sleep like that? I was envious. So, I had to take a picture of this cute little girl getting her beauty rest. Then today I was looking at this photo and remembered a similar one of me as a kid. To think I used to be able to sleep like that. It had to be shared. And now we know where she gets it from. :)

3 1/2 years old after a long day and no nap.

8 years old on a relaxing Sunday afternoon.

A blast from the past

2008-05-01T14:55:00.001-07:00

Sunday night while we were eating dinner we got a phone call from Max's school that said school was canceled Monday because of the fire in Sierra Madre. (He goes to Sierra Madre Elementry School.) So, the first thing we did Monday morning was take a trip to good ole Michaels craft store. I let the kids pick out one thing. Mia picked out finger paints, of course it had to be messy, and Max picked out a necklace making kit. It just so happened to be a hemp necklace kit. So funny! I instantly had flash backs to the 90's when I considered myself a professional hemp necklace maker. I think it was a St. George soccer girl thing, sadly, but I had mean hemp skills regardless. I would go to the bead store with my friends once every few weeks to pick out the latest rockin' bead items. It always reeked of insense that was covering up the smell of pot. Ha ha! Anyways, I would go home and master up my latest creation and then give it to the "boy of the month." Just whoever I was interested in at the time. They were always very excited and loved their necklaces. (Again, not sure if that was just a St. George thing. I'm sure it very well could be.)

When we got home I pulled out all the stuff for necklace making and wondered if I could even make anything. I was a little shocked, more impressed but slightly embarrassed when after 10 years my hands knew exactly what to do. I whipped together a bracelet for Mia and a necklace for Max. They weren't the best work I've done but I enjoyed my blast from the past. Hope you enjoy it too.

This only lasted a few hours.

He was so excited to wear this to school. Cute little hippie boy!

The baby bump...25 weeks...and I popped!

2008-04-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

Yep. I popped! I woke up one morning and there it was in all it's glory. A giant belly. I realize it's been a process but sometimes I look at myself and think, where did that come from?! The giant alien parasite is slowly taking over my body and transforming it into a life support for itself. I'm feeling very pregnant now! And still, 15 weeks to go. The second trimester just flew by...good thing because the first trimester took for-e-ver! I'm going to try and keep myself busy this summer to make time go by faster. Good thing we live by the beach. I'm sure we'll be going a few times a week. I'll need to be in a minimal amount of clothing if possible. I'm starting to get pregnant swollen kankles at the end of the day and pregnant face...my favorite. Oh wait, no, I take that back. My sciatica is my fav. It's really bad right now. This baby is literally a pain in the ass. Matt thinks we should name her sciatica as a punishment. I'm thinking about it. Overall, I am doing really well and starting to get excited for another cute little girl to join the fatgirl family compound. Here's wishing me luck in the third triemester. Ready or not, here it comes!

Bellylicous!

It's hard for me to be serious for very long. I had to get one of me looking as unattractive as possible.

The growth, up close!

Gotta love this one!

I remembered that face!

2008-04-26T17:11:00.000-07:00

Max had a soccer game today and guess who we saw there?! The mystery celebrate that I couldn't figure out. His sons team was playing our team. Matt confirmed that I wasn't crazy and he is famous. His name is William Fitchner and he's in a ton of stuff. Armageddon, Crash, Prison Break, Nine lives, Pearl Harbor...just to name a few. It was nice to finally figure it out so I can get it off my mind. I'll never forget that name again. He's a great actor too.

(Just a side note for Tara. His sons name is Van. I thought of you every time he cheered for him:)

Going all brown, violin, soccer and dance

2008-04-26T12:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, let's start this blog with a bang! Matt was going to work this week and I wouldn't let him leave the house until I took a picture of him. He came out of the bedroom and said bye to me and was wearing all brown. What? What are you wearing?! He announced that he was "going all brown" today. Whatever that means. Anyway, it was dorky enough that I had to capture the moment. I love that he let me. At least he fits in in the film industry with all the other I-could-care-less-what-my-clothes-look-like crowd. (The middle of his shirt is wet, I know, that's how he irons it.)

Max had his first violin performance today. He did very well and has been playing the violin now for two months. He played twinkle twinkle. I'll post the video footage as soon as I get a chance so grandmas and grandpas can see it. But for now, here he is looking terribly bored!

Max is playing indoor soccer. I know every parent thinks their kids are amazing but I have to say I might beat you all on this one. He rocks! He really is so good and I would like to credit myself but I think it's something he was born with. He's always been extremely coordinated. He has had two games so far and has scored 4 goals EACH game. I captured a free kick he made. (someone fouled him in the box) Sorry the images aren't that great, I had to zoom in and I don't have the best camera for catching things in action.

Before the goal. Coach telling him what to do.

Here goes!

Right in the corner! Goal keeper didn't have a chance!

And lastly, Mia just started a dance class two weeks ago. She loves it! She's in the class with her friend Grace and they can hardly contain themselves. They break out into their own routine and dance together once in awhile. They can't help it, it's too fun! We just think she's so cute in her ballet outfit.
The curse of the Fackrell posture!

What a nice big brother. She makes him dance with her all the time and he HATES IT...but still does it.

Kids don't get any cutter then this!

RED MUSIC VIDEO

2008-04-17T20:11:00.000-07:00

So the music video for the band "RED," is finally finished. It was for Epic Records, so Nathan and I had a pretty decent budget to work with. We went all out with special effects on this and it was a pain in the butt, but totally well worth it. I have some behind the scene photos below of the production. We shot it in two days and it took a little over two weeks to do the special effects, which we're done by a team of twin brothers. It was really crazy that Nathan and I are twins, the bassist and guitarist of the band are twins, the drummer is a twin and the guys who did the visual effects are twins. Stupid twins :) Click on the photos below to see them as a larger image. It was a lot of fun to do this video. It was the first time Niki had ever been on one of my film sets and it was a lot of fun having her there and to see how it all happens.

Below is the lead singer, Michael. This is where something starts to grow on his arms. In the back you see part of the set.

Here are the producers, and the band with Nathan and I.

Me with one of the visual effects twins going over what special effects will happen during this shot.

Nathan and I talking with Micheal about the band performance. The walls are green in the background so we can add whatever we want with special effects.

This is a wide photo of the set we had built for the video. The set designers put this up in one day. It started out as 5 blank walls until they made it to what it looks like here.

This is Maria the female lead. Again, behind here is the greenscreen background which was later replaced with a white heavenly background.

Wide photo of the some of the crew filming the band.

Some of the film crew

Below is a link of a Youtube video someone put together of the filming days:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fiaSQFeL6Q

Here are some stills taken from the actual video:

And finally here is the link to the actual video:

www.thevaultla.com

When you get to the link, click "Directors," at the top left of the page. "The Fackrell Brothers," will appear at the far right. Click on this link and it will take you to our page where you can view our recent work. Be sure to click "RED, Already Over," and you will be able to see the video. You can also go to:

http://www.thefackrellbrothers.com/videos/RED/RED_CC_CLEANLg_Prog.mov
to get a better quality version of the video.

Nathan and I are directing two more videos within the next month. We wrote two more treatments that we're waiting to hear back on. (NOTE) A music label like Epic Records or Warner Brothers will send a company (like the one were signed to, The Vault LA) a song from a band they want a music video made for. We will listen to the song, and write what's called a "treatment," or our idea of what we want to do with the video. Usually for Nathan and I the treatments we write are around four pages long. This tells the music label what our video will be like, what it will look like, feel like and make the band look like. Usually were in the running for the video with around a dozen other directors writing ideas and such. So it's great when they "award," us the video because they liked our idea the best. So anyway, we were awarded two more videos and we're waiting to hear back on two more, both with a lot of money to work with. Currently I have written a script and will be directing that episode for the television show "Yo Gabba Gabba," for Nickelodeon. The band "Mates of State," will be on the show and I have the great pleasure of directing them in a music video for the show. More info will follow within the coming weeks.

www.yogabbagabba.com