The after party!

I'm waiting for some photos to be e-mailed to me from my much better prepared Mom and D&Kat....hint, hint (of the kids from Scott Breen's studio)....but I thought I would also wrap up the after-parties! We have been to SL so much this week! And it's been a lot of fun!

Wednesday, Mike called us from work and suggested we take the kids to a movie! We went to see 'Alvin & the Chipmunks' and the kids loved it! Brandon actually sat through the entire thing! We were laughing because we used a gift card to go to this movie that we received LAST Christmas! I guess we don't get out much!

Thursday, my Mom had the Hook party at her house. We had a little dinner and enjoyed visiting with mostly the Openshaws....although we did chat with Don & Noorda. Roger brought over his Guitar Hero and so all the big and little kids hung out in the basement rocking out! I'm not sure if that's where my Mom would have preferred us being, but there was no turning back! I was particularly impressed with Cozette and her guitar skills! YOU ROCK!

We have been excited to have Evan & Jamie and the kids with us. They left to go back home today...which also happens to be Evan's birthday! I remember when I got the call that he was born. I was 11 years old and hoping for a sister. This was long enough ago that we didn't get the sneek peak. I was told he was a boy, and I just said, 'That's ok' but I was thinking, bummer.

But, he is such a fun brother and I really miss him since he's lived away from me for what feels like forever. I know I have blogged before that my brothers crack me up. I was remember when Evan was leaving for his mission from MO and the other brothers and I flew out for his farewell. None of our spouses were able to come that time. We all were out in the motorhome for some reason and got on one of those insane and stupid moments and I about pee'd my pants from laughing so hard! I love you boys!

And Happy Birthday, Evan! Be safe driving with your darling family.

Baby Chase and Jamie!

Cutie Carsyn, she's a kick! And she really loves this dress she got from D & Kat!

Rog & Evan
We got together with the Gibby's for a family photo yesterday. Like I have said before...with 10 kids 3 years and under we were prepared for a cry-fest, but they were awesome! We even got McKenzie with us and it was so fun to see her. I can't believe she's 11 years old! Hopefully, she knows how much we love and miss her. I'm looking forward to seeing how the pictures turned out. Afterward, we went back to my parent's house and had dinner and played more Guitar Hero. Now, Mikey wants one! Thank goodness he still has Christmas money left!

I picked up Scott & Kellie's kids for a sleep-over and that brings us to today! Amanda is taking ski lessons again and today is her first lesson. Zach went with Amanda and Mike to Snowbasin this morning. The other kids are just playing in the basement and having a good time from the sounds of it! Since I didn't send the camera, here are some photos from Amanda's first time skiing a couple of years ago. Next week, Mike will ski with the other parents we know while Amanda does her lesson. She LOVES to ski and I'm so glad she gets to go!

Wrapping Up Christmas!

Here's some more about Christmas! The kids were so excited about Christmas, but actually slept in until 7:30am! We were so happy! The girls were so surprised with their new bikes! Amanda loves her DS and plays it constantly. Luckily, a couple of her friends also received DS's and they have been 'chatting' Did you know the DS's talk to each other when in range? That's kind of fun for the girls....and keeps them pretty quiet! Sydney loves her Baby Alive. What a horrible doll! It's too 'realistic' and poops and pees everywhere. We seriously had a 'blow-out' of clothing like a real baby! Sydney said to me, 'This baby is a lot of work' I hear you, sister! I have told her to quit feeding it for awhile.

Brandon loves, loves, loves his train table! And he's very protective about it. He's not really into sharing it with anyone. He totally got the present thing this year and told me at one of the Grandma's houses, 'I need more presents' Ummm, that's about the last thing you need.

Brandon doing the present dance.
We headed toward Salt Lake around 12:30ish for a quick stop at Grandma-Great's. Brandon had fallen asleep in the car, so I stayed out with him to see if we could get him a little more rest. Grandma & Papa Arvy were also visiting Grandma Great and Mike and the girls were treated to some good lunch food. Thanks, Grandma!
We ended up at my parent's house about the same time as everyone else (except Dan & Stacie) and that was fun so the kids could play again. They love their cousins and it was fun to have all 10 little ones running around playing with the 3 older girls.

Amanda and Brandon playing the DS at Grandma's. I love how Brandon snuggled up to his sister to 'play'....I'm not sure Amanda was feeling the same warm fuzzy.

Here's cute Makayla eating a book. D & Kat, could you feed this baby, please?
We went to the Arvy's around 4pm. Wonderful food....Thanks, Renae! We were starving! I was amazed at how well the kids were listening when Grandpa started telling us of their experiences in New Zealand. We were very touched by the stories and are so happy that Jim & Renae were able to return to his mission field. More wonderful presents and minor chaos and more fun playing with cousins.

What a wonderful time we have had with our families this season. I was glad when the kids were finally out of school. It seems like things slowed down a little after that. We made one trip shopping on Saturday the 23rd with the kids and just happened to end up at Build-a-Bear. We usually take the kids each Christmas season, but didn't make a plan this year. When the girls saw the store...it was all over. The big problem was the other million people doing the same thing! We waiting in line probably an hour! UGH! But, while I waited in line with the kids, Mike ran around the mall and gathered up our last few gifts. That works for me! The girls were so happy with their stuffed animals....Brandon-not so much. He just wasn't feeling the love for this darling dino.
I am so grateful to have such a wonderful family! They are everything to me. My whole life! I know that I am blessed and my Heavenly Father loves me. I am so grateful to my Savior for his ultimate sacrifice and eternal gift to me. Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas wrap-up

Let's go over some of the activites of the past couple of weeks! First, Sydney's Kindergarten did a program for the parents on Friday the 21st. The songs they sang were so cute and Sydney knew all the words! Thanks to Mike's Mom for the photos. This one is for Mike as payback! I was playing the piano for the kids to sing (there's another story) and Mike was on his way home from the Utah bowl game in San Diego (yea for the win and a happy hubby!). I got Amanda out of class to come to the program. Both Grandma's made the trip to Kville and after we went to Taco Time (Syd's choice) for lunch. After a short visit to Mrs. Backers (for my birthday), the kids and I picked up Dad from the airport and headed to Grandma G's to play for a minute while Mom and Dad shopped. Then, the kids got to sleep over at Grandma Arvy's while Mom and Dad went to Dad's work party.

Mike and I enjoyed a sleep in on Saturday morning, got up and shopped some more (I was really behind this year) and went to lunch at Market Street for my birthday celebration. We must have celebrated a little too long because Renae was getting worried thinking we were going to pick the kids up in the morning. Oops!

Christmas Eve was spent with the Gibby's. We had our traditional Chinese food dinner with food from Dragon Diner. Roger and Cozette helped renew an old tradition of the family poem on the back of a Chinese restuarant placemat with their stolen placemat from Chin Wah! The poem was beautiful as always and included the additions from first-timers Kat, Jamie, Amanda and Kate.

We open the kids gifts to each other and the sibling gifts to each other since it's harder for everyone to meet at one time on Christmas.

With 10 kids age 3 and under there was a bit of chaos, but in a good way! The west-side brothers!Our beautiful and happy kids!
Ready for Santa in our Christmas jammies!

More Christmas Fun!

We have a 'Doug-in-training.' You must ask me in person what this means.

For Doug, you know what this means!

Merry Christmas and happy wrapping!

Christmas magic

The other day I was taking Sydney and her friends to ballet. We got stopped by a train on the way to the studio. And no lie, every car in that train was filled with coal. SO, I told the girls how that was the train filled with coal for the bad kids and it was on it's way to Santa. We couldn't believe how many cars there were and they were sure glad they were good this year and wouldn't be receiving some of the passing train's coal. My favorite part was the look in their eyes! I'm so glad I have good kids that will be receiving presents from Santa!

Favorite Things....

Not the song, but actually my favorite things. I was thinking today that I'm finding it hard to feel the Christmas Spirit this year. It's overly busy....like not even a moment to put a load of laundry in the washer, let alone dry and fold. Mike is once again stressed at work. This happens a lot this time of year for him. He came home tonight and told me that he's not enjoying the Christmas season, either. It made me wonder what we are missing?

We've tried all the usual traditions with our kids. We've attended parties, church and seen the lights on Temple Square. We've decorated the house top to bottom (well, except for the last strand of lights on the outside and the one tree without lights). We've listened to Christmas music and sent out cards. We've Sub-for-Santa'd and taught our children the true meaning of Christmas.

So, today, as our whole little family has had some hurt feelings by others in our life, I decided to write down some of the things I enjoy about this time of the year.

1. My wonderfully beautiful perfect-for-me family: And the realization that when all is said and done, it's really all about my wonderful hubby and these beautiful children who were sent to us.

I'm so grateful that I was chosen by them to go through this life together.

2. Our parents and siblings: We really do have the greatest families! Mike and I both feel blessed that we married into such great supportive and loving families.

3. Snow: I love having snow for Christmas! It's hard for me to imagine or enjoy the season without snow. I know....shallow, but I need the atmosphere!

4. Christmas movies: From 'It's a Wonderful Life' to 'A Christmas Carol' to 'Elf' to 'A Christmas Story. I love to snuggle up and watch a good flick.

5. Christmas decorations: I love the lights on when the house lights are off. I love how Mike and I enjoy finding a new addition to our decorations every year.

6. I love to see our childrens excitement about Christmas. It's fun to surprise them with that wanted gift. And I love to spend time at the grandparent's houses on Christmas Day with all the cousins and the chaos. It wouldn't be Christmas without it (like I said....I need atmosphere.)

7. My Savior: What a humble beginning, so simple. Yet He did the most important thing for me....

So, there is the short list. And I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for hearing my prayers.

Each time we struggle, there is a little something that helps keep us strong...Love.

As I was blog-stalking tonight, I had tears as I read this paragraph. I realized that no matter how someone else may hurt our feelings, we can be an influence for good. We can rise above the problems and grow stronger.

......we both laughed. And I went on my way, shaking my head at this chance meeting, which couldn’t have been chance. I thought about how ideas come, out of the blue. How one thing leads to another, how things come together. I pictured myself giving this man a copy of my book when it was finished, and giving Eric a copy. I thought about how these two men’s lives and choices had played an important part in a stranger’s story–mine. How my story was nothing but a series of relationships, big and small, weaving a fabric of meaning. And how my story might play a role in someone else’s. A stranger’s, a friend’s.

Merry Christmas!

WHEW!

Our ward party is over! It was a huge success! We set up 20 tables (with 10 chairs each) and had to set up 3 more tables when everyone arrived! It's so hard to tell how many people are planning on coming. We usually just estimate from the food sign-up list, but that wasn't a good idea this time! We estimated we had 250 people there without counting the committee's families. It was tight as we have a newer, but smaller building. We were very excited at the turn-out and very busy all night! Our kids were fantastic! Amanda is the oldest of anyone's kids (on the committee), so we all have very young families and these kids were troopers! We even had to give their table to others and put them in a room off the kitchen. They had been at the church all day with us while we decorated and

still were happy and under control during the party!

What a blessing! We love you kiddos!

We served the food family-style, by putting the food on each table. This was the best way to efficiently feed this many people. It took 10 minutes, if that, for everyone to have food and start eating! And those parents with younger kids loved that they didn't have to get up and get plates for their kids! That was an inspired thought! We also were inspired to go get 2 more lasagnas and bake 2 more dessert cakes or we would have been short on food!

The video Casey did was fabulous! Truly funny and touching all at once! The decorations were great! Thanks to my Mom for the fresh pine boughs and Nicole's Mom for the cute lanterns and Renae for the battery candles ....I'm going to buy some of the lanterns, so I may post a picture later. Mike went in to get a picture beforehand, but it didn't quite happen. We were just too busy. We had Bro. & Sis. Elliott do a musical number before the video and it really brought the Spirit and tied the evening together. Our Bishop spoke for a minute after the show.

We just couldn't be happier with they way things turned out!

So, today I was feeling more tired than I was yesterday! But, now that the party is over I really started to focus on Christmas gifts!

Panic!

I can't believe we are down to a week! Luckily, my parents watched our kids for an hour on Friday so we could get some things for them, but we still aren't done. Mike drove to St. George to pick up one present for Brandon that I had purchased during Thanksgiving in case we couldn't get it back home. When we couldn't...he made a trip down south with Amanda!

Eight hours in one day...
OH! What a great Daddy!

I just finished one present on-line and just ordered some vinyl from a place up here in hopes I get it before Christmas, too.

Cross your fingers!

I'm hoping some friends take pity on me this week and take my kids so I can get out and finish shopping! A couple of friends "owe" me and I hope that they can do it this week. Mike is being a Utah superfan again by going to San Diego with his Dad and Scott to see the game on Thursday and coming home on Friday! Somehow we will pull this "party" off, too! Although our committee is smaller since it's just Mike and I doing the party for our 3 kids!
Merry Christmas!

To back up a little, Mike was in Denver this week for a couple of days and so the kids and I decided to do something Christmasy and decorate a gingerbread house! We bought one of those great kits from Costco. I'm not good at construction or engineering, so our house had some settling problems once we were done, but we had a great time and it looks cute!

Brandon waiting for food....not ready to decorate the house yet!

It looks so cute, girls!

BIG BOY BED!

Brandon reached a rite of passage this week. The BIG BOY BED! We had everything except a matress, so we picked one up from a friend who has a design business for pretty cheap. Anyway, we put everything together late Monday night (after seeing the lights) and Brandon LOVED it! We put him to bed and he stayed! We did have to go sit with him for about 5 minutes until he fell asleep, but he slept all night! We are going on 3 nights now and I'm hoping things continue to be so great! He loves his Thomas sheets. We leave his little Christmas tree lights on for a nightlight and it seems to do the trick! We still have the crib in there, so his room isn't completely back together. (Maybe we'll have time after Saturday's party).

So congratulations Brandon!

Stop growing up so quickly! We love you!

Tis the Season

Can you see the Temple Square lights? This was my favorite tree!

Kick up the holiday stress again! Just because our ward party is this Saturday. I wasn't feeling stressed until last night. Mike had to leave town for overnight and our Friday is CRAZY! So, I'm pretty much feeling like the party is just around the corner. We have 45 families signed up to come, so it should be a full house. The Primary film that Casey is putting together is soooo good! Now, if the members would just get over the fact that there won't be a Santa there.

Plus, now I am playing the piano to accompany the Kindergarten program next week. FUN! I just came back from my first practice with them and they are going to be so cute!

Kerry, Becks, Makell, Amanda and EvaSo, I'm glad that we took some time Monday to go see the lights at Temple Square! We went with our good friends, the Westenskows and had a GREAT time! The kids went crazy. They love to play together. The lights were beautiful as always!

Halfway through, Sydney lost it because she didn't want to walk anymore (anyone who knows Sydney knows that this can be painful for the parents unless we do something). So, since we didn't bring the double-stroller (thinking it would be too crowded to maneuver), we ended up putting Sydney in the stroller and Brandon on her lap. They had a good time and it kept Sydney extra warm. Good thing because she's our warm weather gal.

Amanda and Eva

The fam - it was pretty chilly, so...on the way home, we stopped at the Chevron for some hot chocolate!

Merry Christmas!

What to do on a snowy Saturday...

This will work: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1240564037

OR: Take my cute parents to dinner for my Mom's birthday! We met up at Paradise Bakery in Bountiful and invited my siblings & families to join us. At one point during the evening, my Mom was talking about how they raised 5 kids and didn't know how they did it, but they did! Having 3 kids of my own, I do wonder how they did it! But, they did it just perfectly! They taught us correct principles and backed it up with their actions. My parents were and still are in constant service to others. They taught us to commit to things you feel are important, such as their singing and membership in their choir. They taught us it's important to have fun family time with our camping, fishing and boating trips. They taught us to have a good sense of humor and to be able to laugh at ourselves. They taught us to be kind to one another and to others. They continue to teach us how GREAT grandparents treat their grandkids! We love you both! And, Mom! Happy Birthday!

Family Christmas Parties

Mike and I usually don't love going to the family Christmas parties. Last night we had one that we go to so we can be good kids. The food is ok (it's at Joe Morely's) and then there is usually a game, but it's kind of the same thing every year and since it's only for the adults, there is the added pressure of finding someone to watch the kids. This year we are trading with D&Kat and watching their kids tonight. We appreciated them watching ours last night, especially since they live closest to the restaurant in SEWJ.

But, last night was a BLAST! Not because anything had changed, but we sat next to Scott & Kellie and the boy's cousins, Tracy, Barry, Bonnie and their aunt June. It seems every year there is some kind of communication problem. Last year we showed up an hour late because Mike's cute Mom told us it started an hour past the real time. This year, it was the line on our invitation that read: Bring a $1 gift for games. So, we did. Kellie and Scott stopped on their way to the party and got $1 gifts. When I walked in and asked Lynn where she wanted the gifts, panic struck her face and she said we didn't need gifts. Well, it seems that all the sisters do different invitations. Mike's family and one other family got the invite that said bring gifts and no one else did. So, here come the jokes! And they went on and on and we were getting in trouble for laughing during the game. (I kind of felt like we were in school and being told to not talk anymore). In the end, we ended up donating the gifts we brought and they did a raffle while the jokes continued. We laughed and laughed and laughed. Good, deep belly laughs. It was the best time we've had at this family party EVER!

Now, the snow started while we were partying. And SL got hit hard! We only went 25 to 30 miles an hour on the freeway until we were 10 minutes from home. So, a usually 30 minute drive took us and hour and 30 minutes. Unfortunately, we didn't get pounded up here by the snow as hard. We only have about 4 to 5 inches. But....it's still snowing!

I Need a Little Help...

Hey, I need a little help from my blog buddies and readers! We are trying to find good, extremely cheap-if not free (borrowed), centerpieces for the ward party. We had originally thought we would have families sign up and bring a nativity for each table (we're looking at around 20 tables), but as we thought about some rowdy kids in our ward, we didn't want someone's nativity to get broken. Pontsettias are out because one person on the committee has a huge problem with it (and they used them last year). Our activity is Christ-centered....no Santa appearance at all this year.

So I need ideas! Please help a gal out if you have any thoughts! Much love!

Let it Snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Oh, we finally got a good ol' Utah winter snowstorm on Saturday! The big white fluffy flakes and it just snowed and snowed and snowed! We woke up to this......and our girls were out in it at 8am with the neighbor kids. Soon, McCleary hooked up a sled to his 4-wheeler and took the kids on long rides throughout the neighborhood! You can just make out Amanda to the right of the tree on the left! She stayed out forever and got the biggest kick out of the sled rides! Sydney, who is more of a warm weather gal came in a warmed up in a hot bath. Luckily, Brandon wasn't wanting to be out and cold....which would have meant Mommy would have been out in the wet and cold!

Around noon, we ventured out to SL to the Utah game! It was a good drive and I was glad that it was Saturday and that Mike didn't have to commute to work in this storm. It was an exciting game that the Utes finally won in the closing minutes. We had a nice chat with Jeri, the lady that sits next to us. She is the Mom of a former Mia Maid advisor I had! Small world. She's cute and just loves our kids.After we got back home, I got things ready to go work at the Festival of Trees. This is my 3rd year on a committee with Mardee & Sharlee. And this is the first year that we aren't doing the gift shop, but the small trees. Working in the trees was BORING! It was a really long shift for me. But I did get a chance to walk around a bit and get a scone. I guess the tradition on closing night is to have a bagpipe ensemble come at 9pm and parade through the trees with the board members marching behind. I couldn't get a great picture, but you can kind of see them over the crowd. It was really a neat thing to witness.

In the meantime, my Mom headed to Kville to stay with our kids overnight, so that Mike and I could bag trees (take the big trees and get them ready to transport). It was a fun job and this Festival is an amazing production! After we finished our 8 trees, we went to Village Inn with Orisons and Lloyds for some hot cocoa at midnight! They are fun couples and our girls play with their girls. Mike and I stayed at Jim & Renae's instead of driving back home.

Sunday morning, Mike had to go to Ward Council, so I went back to the Festival at 7am to help load the trees in the truck and headed out to deliver them. Mike has done this the past 2 years, so I was grateful when my Mom said she would stay overnight so I could go. We thought Mike and I would be going together, but by the time his meeting was done, we had enough people delivering and we decided he should just go home so my Mom could get back to her home.

I was so tired after only getting 4 hours of sleep, so I took a quick nap while Mikey tcob'd (took care of business) with the kids. He was so cute making them lunch, bacon-wrapped chestnuts, hot cocoa and getting the fire going. After Brandon and I woke up, we went back to SL to make his parent's bed (we washed the sheets after staying there) and SOMEHOW we short-sheeted the bed. What a nice thing to do to his parents who have been gone a month, huh! The girls were so excited to play this little prank on Grandma & Papa! After a fun visit with my family (and no popcorn party due to no popcorn in the house), we started to head home and found this fun house. It ended up to be the Christmas Utah house that has all the lights coordinated with music. Really fun and really popular. The kids loved it!

Monday, we had our neighborhood donation party. We started this here last year with Francis' and Jensens and although we thought our numbers were lower this year, we actually had more food donations and money donations. The Family Connection Center was very grateful again this year. We also took money donations to the womens shelter here in town and they couldn't believe the amount we had raised. I'm so glad that people in our neighborhood get behind this idea to give to a charity instead of giving a hundred plates of cookies out to the neighbors. As one friend put it, it's nice that our neighborhood can unite and do something for the greater good.

I'll take the Fifth(s)

Oh, poor Amanda and Mommy! We have Fifths Disease! The crazy thing, if you don't know much about it, is that by the time you show signs on Fifths, you aren't contagious anymore. Amanda had bright red cheeks on Saturday and Sunday and then had a rash all over her body on Monday morning. On Tuesday, I took her to her doc just in case they needed to test for strep, but he confirmed Fifths. I woke up with a rash on my arms and ankles and thighs yesterday and it's itchy! Other than feeling a little under the weather, that's all we have to deal with. Luckily, (or hopefully if someone hasn't announced anything yet) we weren't around any pregger gals. Amanda went back to school this morning with long sleeves! I hope no one makes fun of her because of her rash. I told her not to show anyone because they won't understand. It is a pretty dramatic rash.

On a happier note, we finished decorating the tree last night. Lots of help from our little ones. Brandon is especially excited about the snowmen ornaments and he sings 'Go Utes!' when he sees our Utah ornaments! I love seeing how excited the kids are about Christmas! Maybe the whole house will be decorated by the first of December and we can relax and enjoy the season!

All About Me Trees

Since both grandparents are out of town this Sunday (and we aren't visiting), we promised the girls we would start decorating for Christmas. Well, the girls' anxiousness this day could not be matched by anything but maybe Christmas Eve! Finally, we found their room trees and set them free to decorate. They just invited me in and this is what they said. "These trees are all about me!" And they proceeded to point out certain ornaments or favorite things on their trees!

Amanda

My name is Amanda

My favorite color is red

I love Utah (University of)

I love Santa

I love bears and bells and bows

I like dolphins

I like dogs

I like bears in tubs and cartoons of bears

I like Pinocchio

My favorite celebrity is Hannah Montana

I like My Scene

Sydney

I like playing with my friends

I like bunnies

My favorite celebrity is Gabriella

I like My Little Pony

I love loving one another

I love snowmen

I love Santa

I love the American flag

I love My Scene

I love Christmas trees

I love snow

I love red

I love purple

I love putting stars on the Christmas tree

I love SharPay

I love dogs

I love myself

Well, Mike and I LOVE our girls!

Thanks for a fun memory to start the season! XOXO

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is how we spent Thanksgiving!

We hope all our friends and loved ones had a GREAT Thanksgiving! We missed our parents and siblings. But, we had a GREAT time in St. George with Kris & her boys and had a

GREAT turkey day spent with the Flowers!

Dish Duty! Good job Mikey & Kev! Back to the hot tub after dinner!

A little football with Brock. Brandon would run back and forth as they tossed the ball around! He was a big boy playing football with the boys!
Look at Corvin catching some air! And check out that view!
Brandon was done with the swimming!

We took the kids to see the movie "Enchanted"... Mike spent most of the movie outside with Brandon, so he could pretend to play the video games. Kris' boys were rolling their eyes a lot. I guess it really wasn't a good boy movie. Our girls loved it!

Turkey Day was spent making Grandma Hook's special rolls and when they were done, we headed over to Bud & Kay's house. The kids LOVED swimming, even though it really wasn't that warm outside. Bud did heat up the pool and hottub so the water was toasty. The kids had a great time with their cousins! My kids love Staci's kids so much! And they loved seeing Hayden again. Super yummy dinner and we planned a shopping trip for the morning.

Unfortunately, Tate was really sick, so Staci didn't make it shopping, but Kris and I found some GREAT deals and I checked quite a few presents off my list! YEA!

We packed up and headed home on Friday afternoon and were in temperature shock as we made our way back home! YIKES!

Our little UTES!

We had to be home for our Ward Rivalry Breakfast on Saturday morning. It went GREAT! Good turn-out, especially for a holiday weekend. The Utes sang their fight song the BEST! Too bad it didn't help them win the game....UGH...let's not even go there. We put signs up all over the neighborhood before the breakfast (Nicole's idea) and after the Utes lost, our cougar friend sent us an e-mail with a little smack....continued to today, but nothing we couldn't handle! ha, ha

To get past the depression, we went to dinner with the Francis'....to a new place in Centerville. Good food, terribly slow service! We love the Francis' and had a good time with them! By the way, the terrible cold I had...turned into my first ever Sinus Infection! Ouch! (I'm feeling for you now, Kat! The drive down to St. George was very painful as I felt every elevation climb and descent in my head, face, teeth!)

(I made my first poster for our next activity last night. One down, one to go!

My stress level just went down a little!)

Above all, we felt incredible gratitude for all our blessings. We are particularly thankful for our marriage and our children. We are grateful for our parents and our siblings. We are grateful to be members of our church and all the knowledge that it brings to us. We are blessed to be born in America and to enjoy the things we do. We are blessed with good friends and many opportunities. We are blessed that Mike is employed and are grateful for his employers. We are grateful for this time of year that we get to reflect on our life and remember how wonderful it is!

A thought

I remember hearing this at conference once and I just found it on my cousin's friend's blog: Enjoy!

Women of God can never be like the women of the world.
The world has enough women who are tough;
we need women who are tender.
There are enough women who are coarse;
we need women who are kind.
There are enough women who are rude;
we need women who are refined.
We have enough women of fame and fortune;
we need more women of faith.
We have enough greed;
we need more goodness.
We have enough vanity;
we need more virtue.
We have enough popularity;
we need more purity."
Margaret Nadauld

The Utes and the Flu!

Thank Goodness for those flu shots! The kids and I all got what we thought were killer colds this week. BUT! It was really the flu. We know this because Mikey (who didn't get his flu shot) has the full blown flu and is completely wiped out! Poor Mikey....

We did, however, get him some flu meds so that we could go to the football game today. We had all 4 of Grandma and Papa's tickets since they are in New Zealand. We took the kids....and just imagine how much fun that was....NOT! They were good while they had dippin' dots and licorice, but once that ran out.....it was short of torture for me. At the very end of the 3rd quarter I took the car keys and told Mike I was just going to walk them around. We did walk around, went potty, and then went to the car and waited for the game to end. Mike said he debated leaving early to come find us, but decided to stay (sounds more like the old Mike, right Darin? Die-hard fan), and I was glad he stayed. I wanted him to be able to enjoy the game. It was a great night for football. The weather was amazing for mid-November! And chalk up a 'Dub-ya!"

I love naptime!

My sweet little boy came to me a minute ago and said, 'Mommy, I so tired.'

And so we laid down on my bed, we snuggled and he was out!

I love his sweet face

especially when it's quietly sleeping!

SEP's and more

We had the girl's SEP's this week (for old school people like me...it's parent/teacher conf.) and we are so proud of our girls and the great work they are doing at school! Both teachers said they are a joy in class and they can't do any better! I did laugh at Syd's teacher because she told me that 'Sydney' could read every day without skipping days....and I thought..She's giving ME the assignment! Reading everyday has nothing to do with Sydney~it's the Mom's responsibility! So, I have a goal for next term! Wish me luck.



And now...we have killer colds! Our friends have had this cold and it gets better the second day, but today I feel crappy!

Out of an airplane window

We picked Mike up from the airport today. He'd been in Denver for a couple of days. After he got in the car and said his hellos and passed out the kids their treats, he told me about the experience he just had. I won't tell it as well as he did, but I think it's worth repeating.

He got on the plane in Denver and just happened to notice a military man sitting in the front. He didn't think anything of it, just noticed him. Later, when the plane landed in SL, he looked out the window to see a cart being wheeled up to the plane. He thought to himself that it was a strange looking luggage cart and watched it for a minute. Then, he saw the soldier who had been sitting on the front row, down on the tarmac near the cart. It hit Mike then.

The soldier was escorting a fallen soldier home.

He sat and watched as people gathered on the ground, flight crews stood still and the soldier saluted. He watched as the fallen soldier was brought off the plane onto the cart. When Mike looked around the cabin, he realized that only he and 2 other men had seen what was happening and had stayed on the plane. As he caught the eye of another passenger, the man said, 'I'm waiting for him to get off the plane before I go.' Mike said, 'I am, too.'

I was in tears as he retold the story and was feeling sad that an announcement hadn't been made to the rest of the passengers about what precious cargo had been brought home today. I know that given the chance, all the passengers would have waited to get off the plane out of respect for this soldier who paid the ultimate price.

Just another reminder of how many things we have to be thankful for.

Flu Shot Wednesday

I took my kids to their pediatrician's office to get flu shots tonight. The mention of this caused great anxiety in the girls. Brandon, of course, didn't know what he was in for. We had to wait for a minute at the doctor's office and I have learned that anxiety makes our kids hyper! They were running around the office, Sydney was saying 'Oh no you did'unt' and making the office gals laugh. Finally, our cute nurse, Eldean called us back to give the kids the shots. The girls went first and then Brandon. After he was done, he looked right at Eldean and said, 'That really hurt.' He repeated this about 4 times looking at Eldean! When we went to check-out and get stickers, Eldean followed us out and he told her one more time, 'That really hurt!' That got all the office gals laughing! Very cute moment!

Good news with my Dad. His angiogram went well and they didn't see any blockage or problems. Thank Heaven! At one time thought I would stop and visit him tonight, but after how the kids acted at the dr.'s I knew that wasn't happening!

I have finished painting my nightstands! Yippee! I don't know how it happened, but today I had an hour to go out and paint! Maybe they'll be in place when Mike gets home. I need some cute lamps. Any suggestions?

And, per Kat's request....here is another stress-relieving giggle thought:
"I'm not going to have some reporters pawing through our papers. We are the president." -- Hillary Clinton commenting on the release of subpoenaed documents.

Ok, one more:
Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life." -- Brooke Shields, during an interview to become spokesperson for federal anti-smoking campaign .

Just a stress reliever thought

I'm feeling stressed right now. Lots of different things all going on at the same time. Normal, right? I spent my free hour today passing out the donation party flyer to the neighbors. Added a couple more piano kids (and my friend, Nicole) for lessons today. Mike is leaving town. My Dad is having an angiogram in the morning. I have 3 ward/stake parties I'm preparing for right now. Had to vote. Must help kids with spelling words (Amanda's teacher gave them 50 words this week...is she nuts?) And my list goes on and on and on. Probably not much different than many of your lists.

So, I got a stress relieving giggle today when my good friend, Sharon, sent me an e-mail of people saying 'not so smart' things. I just had to post one today...maybe two. Enjoy!

(On September 17, 1994, Alabama's Heather Whitestone was selected as Miss America 1995.) Question: If you could live forever, would you and why? Answer: "I would not live forever, because we should not live forever, because if we were supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever," -- Miss Alabama in the 1994 Miss USA contest .

"Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can't help but cry. I mean I'd love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff." --Mariah Carey

A few good things!

First off, MATER scratched the door to tell us he needed to go out and potty! This is HUGE! He's almost a year and stays outside most of the time because he CANNOT BE TRUSTED not to pee in my house. We have really been working with him lately and today he was a GOOD BOY! He must have figured out that it's more fun to be IN the house! Let's hope this keeps up.
Second, I got our bed painted. I know you are thinking, 'Isn't she done with that project?'

Well, NO!

But the bed went better than the previous pieces of furniture. The nightstands are still in the garage halfway done. That is this week's goal. I wanted to get the bed done so it could dry while we were in Park City....and that plan actually worked! YEA!

Finally, the guy we hired to fix our water problem came on Friday with his tractor and dug out what he calculated would fix our problem! So, Mike just has to level it and put new sod down and we should be flood-free! Please keep your fingers crossed for us!

Happy Halloween!

Can we get going?

Our neighborhood has a fun tradition of meeting before trick-or-treating in someone's garage and having dinner. Then, the kids hook up, the parent who is manning the door for treats dashes home and 'let the games begin!'

I usually man the door at our house. This year was fun because it was light out when everyone started! And warm! Brandon didn't wear his costume. He loves Thomas, but it wasn't happening! Amanda took off with her friends and we didn't see her for a couple of hours. Sydney went with Daddy and B and Francis'. We had soooo many kids! I went through 10 bags of candy! Since it was warm enough, I sat out on the steps and handed out the candy. Mater helped me, but I had to keep getting his nose out of the candy bowl.


I went to Sydney's classroom earlier on Halloween and helped with the party. Our school didn't allow costumes this year. I was really bummed and don't quite get the reasoning, but wasn't upset enough to stir the pot!


The, sickness hit our house! Amanda came down with a fever on Wednesday night, but luckily it was gone Thursday and she went to school. I volunteered in Amanda's class Thursday morning and Sydney didn't want to go to the gal I trade babysitting with so I took her. Just as we were about to go home, Sydney told me she really didn't feel good and we ran outside just in time for her to barf in the playground garbage can! You know, I can handle a lot of things, but throw-up gets to me.

She stayed home from school (obviously) and only got sick one more time, which was good because it was also my night to host Recipe Group. Our theme was apples and we had a great time! I'll have top post some of the recipes on my sis-in-laws recipe blog that I'm supposed to be contributing to! (Sorry, Hill!). http://recipesyummyrecipes.blogspot.com/


Everyone was better by Friday and we took the kids up to Park City for the night. We had a relaxing time and went to see 'Bee Movie' which is pretty funny!

Pumpkin Carving FHE

We invited a few friends over for pumpkin carving on FHE night. Since we were in the garage, the kids thought it was more fun to go out front and run around. They were crazy! We had to rein them in a couple of times, but they were having a great time playing 'Ghost in the Graveyard'. This picture is of our biggest pumpkin we grew this year. Mike got to carve the Big Daddy and Amanda scooped the guts (she likes it!)

Below is Syd's pumpkin with our scary coffin guy. This thing scares Brandon so bad that we can't turn it on anymore.
This is mine. It started as a ghost, but looks more like a bat. Hopefully it will look better with a candle in it! At one time, I thought I'd get dry ice and it would look great, but it's not gonna happen. So, visualize people!

I did the one on the left for Brandon and the other is Amanda's creation!

The Harwood's were pretty serious pumpkin carving folks.
So were the Francis'
Here are our fun Jensen friends!

I think this is the only way to carve pumpkins! With fun friends and in the garage!