Christmas Presents

Does Lauren look excited or what? For some reason all of the kids had to pull the presents out from the tree and count them, stack them and inspect their presents. I guess they were pretty excited.

Gavin made a computer desk and chair out of a stack of gifts, but the picture didn't turn out.

Christian and Landon had to make a dwelling for Remmy the Rat.

Snow Angels and Guitar Heroes

Lauren having fun making a snow angel in Grandma and Grandpa's back yard. It is nice to finally have some snow to play in and maybe we will even have a white Christmas!


Lauren and Grace making angels.

Having fun in the snow. Good thing Sabrina took lots of pictures when she was here or I wouldn't have any of these fun things to share. Thanks Sabrina.

This one cracks me up. I guess Guitar Hero takes a lot of concentration - I know it did for me. It was pretty funny to see Dad playing the guitar and Gary on the drums with him. You guys kill on 'Eye of the Tiger'!

Sweet Lauren

My pretty girl!


Sabrina took these pictures of Lauren and I just love her sweet little face, so I just had to post them.

Frosty Zoo Fun

Me, Lauren, Gracie, Claire and my cute brother Gary at Hogle Zoo. Sabrina is taking all of these wonderful pictures.

Gary and Sabrina really wanted to visit the zoo when they made a trip to Utah to visit us. I thought they were crazy since it was the middle of December. Lauren was excited about going and I wanted to spend time with our visiting family, so I decided to go too. It was pretty cold, but we had a really good time. We saw some cool things (leopards trying to attack us through glass), and some disgusting things (gorillas eating their own poop, right after pooping it - sorry, you really didn't want to know that).

We even went on the merry-go-round, which was cold but the girls loved it.


Here is Lauren making her 'monkey face'. She said this is what the monkey was doing and indeed he was.

Grace and Lauren having a cute cousin moment holding hands at the zoo.

The girl's (Grace, Lauren and Claire) sitting on the tiger statues.

"We're headed in the right direction." Grace was our tour guide looking at the map and letting us know if we were going the right way.

A Precious Performance

Lauren has been taking dance for a few months now and her little class performed at the Festival of Trees. This was the cutest thing ever in my eyes (why do I bawl like a baby when my kids do things like this?). I wish the video I took was better quality, but at least you get the idea. Lauren is the one on the far left side.

Ready for our dress rehearsal. These costumes are just too cute!

My Cute Girl

A rare occasion where Lauren's hair has not yet been ruined. This was a little before leaving for church one Sunday and Lauren looked soo cute. I can't get too stressed about her hair because I really have had to come to terms with her fine baby hair. To make matters worse, she cut herself a few bangs and a little mohawk right where I part her hair.

A few Sunday's ago I was running late and I had not finished Lauren's hair. I told Chris to go ahead and take the boys and I would come as soon as I finished the hair. I get it done, get to church and sit down with the family. Five minutes pass and I look at Lauren and her hair is totally all over the place - static and a complete mess. Lauren had her blankie with her and had been hiding under it. You can just imagine the hair flying everywhere (it looked worse than first thing in the morning). My friend in the bench behind us was laughing so hard. I had to laugh too so as to avoid the crying. I guess I should invest in some serious styling gel (or maybe cement).

Thanksgiving Day

Is it too much to ask to get a half decent picture of anything we did on Thanksgiving Day? Apparently so. I only had to take nine to get this not so great picture. Anyway, our day was fun.

We went to Chris' sister Donna's house and had a delicious dinner with Scott, Donna and the family (except Ryan, who is on his Mission). Some of Scott's family was there too - Annette and Jamie and also Bill and Joanne. We visited and the kids had fun playing games with their cousin McKala. After dinner we watched a movie in the newly finished basement theatre room. It was really nice to see everyone. Of course I did bring the camera and forgot to take it out. Bummer!

Later we stopped by my Mom and Dad's house and the kids had root beer floats. That is where I tried to take at least one picture and this is the best I was able to get. My parents decided to celebrate Thanksgiving with us on Sunday, which was great because who doesn't want to have Thanksgiving dinner twice?


Jon and Laura surprised us that day and came down from California to visit. All of the kids decorated gingerbread men. It was fun seeing Jon, Laura, Matthew and Lana.

Twilight - Oh Yes, We Did!

Me with my cute friends Kim and Melissa at the Midnight showing of the 'Twilight' movie.

It was an adventure. We ate, we shopped and we waited, and waited and waited for the movie to start. Not to mention trying to get someone to take a decent picture of us and for some reasons this turned out to be very hard. I was the only one who remembered to bring a camera and this was a small miracle in itself. Camera, great - camera with batteries that are not dead, so much better. I was able to find somewhere to buy some batteries luckily.

We were pretty excited to have tickets to see the movie at Jordan Commons, or so we thought. Turns out we had tickets to a different theatre, which we were informed when we got there. Oops! It's okay Melissa, it all worked out in the end (even though you had to sit in gum and Kim had to put up with a scary make-out couple next to her, yikes).

Anyway, after waiting for so long, watching lots of previews (Harry Potter:), the movie finally started in total silence - yes, I do mean no sound. I didn't pay $9 and stay up till the early hours for a silent film. Sound got fixed, but we had still missed the first part of the movie. Melissa to the rescue! She went and told the manager to start it over or there would be lots of ticked off people. She also asked him if he was going to refund every one's $$$ if he didn't start it over. They had to rewind but we got to see it all with sound.

Loved Edward, you just can't take your eyes off him! Some of the acting was not the best (Jasper - what was with those eyes and that weird look on his face?), and there were a few cheesy things. Baseball was awesome and the accident where Edward saves Bella was really great too! The villains were fabulous and I liked Charlie's character better than I thought I would. I think I'm going to have to see it again. Now that I know what to expect I think I will like it better.

The evening was really fun and at least now Kim has decided to read the book;) She had to get the real Bella/Edward saga, how exciting!

Yes, I am a dork - it is now official!


Okay, that's what I'm talking about! We went to the Cheesecake Factory and this is my giant salad. We made and evening of it and had a fun girls night out. We also went shopping and just hung out. Thanks for the fun evening ladies, and thanks to Chris and Christian for babysitting so I could go have a great time.

Happy Halloween!!!

Don't Fear the Reaper!

The Little Mermaid and Iron Man

Spooky Dead Guys. Grandpa came over and did Christians make-up. Doesn't he look great! Landon just went with a good old mask.

Halloween fun in dance class. Lauren is right in the front in her little mermaid costume. She had to pull up the flipper in order to dance.


Franken Scout


Baseball Frankie

Okay, I had to put these on here because it is Halloween. This was Christian at the end of the school year back in May. He was in a play where he was Frankenstein (or as they called him 'Frankie'). The funny part was that he had the play, then he had a baseball game and then Boy Scouts. Mr. Mendenhall (the director/teacher) dared Christian to go to the game and to Scouts in the make-up. Dare or not, we didn't have a choice but to wear the make-up because we were in such a hurry to make it to all of these activities. It was pretty funny when the Baseball coach saw Christian. We got there about in the middle of the game and the coach just made an announcement about Christian having just been in a play, but wanted to come and play some baseball too. Christian even stayed in character out in the field. I could hear him doing the grunt and moan of Frankie. I just love it!

Remmy

4th file, 4th picture, tag 4 - Tag

Now I guess I will have to blog about Remmy - the family pet. I sure am relieved that the picture in the tag shows Lauren with her hair done and a clean shirt on!

So Chris and I talked about getting the kids some lind of little pet. I said a hamster or gerbil, he comes home with a RAT. It was not just one rat, but two - and they were a boy rat and a girl rat. Do you know how quickly rats multiply? Very.

Well, sadly life was not meant to be long for the girl rat called Sparkle. This was very sad especially for Christian, but it was not meant to be.

We have had Remmy for over a year now and I have to say he has grown on me. He really is a sweet pet and never bites (which was why Chris got him in the 1st place as opposed to the gerbil or hamster). Yes, we did have to celebrate his birthday - the kids insisted.

Can you tell how much these kids love their rat???

The boys love to take Remmy outside and they go everywhere with him on their shoulder. They even go on scooter and bike rides with him tucked into their jacket or on a shoulder.

Twice Remmy has escaped and gotten outside. Guess who was the one to find him? Me. I found him in a little hole under the driveway. He had been missing for about three days when I walked past the whole and thought to look there. Remmy must have heard me comming by because his little head was poking out of the hole. We actually had to dig the hole out to get him and it was quite a process. We covered the hole over completely and got him a new cage so he couldn't escape.

Not too long after that someone left Remmy out of the cage and he got away again. We didn't think he was outside, but had looked everywhere for him with no luck. I began to think he was gone for good. After a few days I decided to check where the hole once was. As soon as I walked by I noticed the hole was there again. I called for Remmy and after a while he poked out his head - he had dug out the hole again. This time I got him to come out with water and food pretty easily. It was a great suprise for the boys when they came home from school. I can't believe how lucky we were to find him twice, outside. Hope we don't lose him again.

All of my blogging friends have been tagged on this one except for Sabrina. She is going to kill me. So sorry that I have such a limited number of people to tag. Do it if you want;)

Little Dancer

All ready to go to dance class. It is Lauren's favorite time of the week. Dance is the only thing I have to bribe her with, she is really good too. This is about the only time she will do exactly what the teaches tells her too. She totally pays attention and tries so hard to do all of the steps - I think she is the youngest and littlest in the class. Really, this class is just too cute!! I love going on parent day and being able to watch everything she has learned. The teachers are sooo great with the girls too.

Lauren in action! It was really hard to get a picture of her at the dance studio. Se just kept dancing and turning away every time I took the picture. This was before class started. Nice snag in the tights.

Lauren's doing her "dance pose". You have to point your toe!

6 Quirks

This tag is to share six of my quirks with everyone:

1. Sadly, I am crazy for Lime flavor Diet Coke.
2. I know way too much about names of actors and actresses in shows and movies as well as other trivia. This quirk is passed on to me by my Dad. Thanks Dad!
3. I don't like tomatoes or peaches. I think it is the texture that freaks me out. I do like things made with tomatoes, like salsa and sauces. Peach jam is good, however peach cobbler is yuck.
4. I like to wear shoes or slippers in the house. Whenever I go barefoot or in socks it seem like someone has just spilled liquid or food on the floor for me to step in - very gross in socks and unpleasant in bare feet as well. Maybe this one will change once the kids get older.
5. Often I stay up way too late at night reading, making jewelry, watching T.V, cleaning... whatever. It is the only time for quiet and I can actually do something without cute little interruptions.
6. Yes, I can be a chatterbox. Lot's of unnecessary details, working on it.


I Tag: Kim, Melissa and ...... that's all

Seven Years Old

Gavin is off to school with his Birthday treats - Ghostly treat bags!

Fun at Jumpin Jacks.

Walk the plank ya scurvy dog!

Here are the party goers with yet another creepy treat bag. We did a fun Halloween theme for Gavin. He went with me to pick out these treats. Gavin really wanted to have a 'friend' party. I told him he could invite two friends (that is all of the seat belts I had to drive to Jumpin Jacks). Gavin invited Brandon and Owen. They all had such a fun time!

Chris told Gavin he would make anything Gavin wanted for dinner. Gavin chose Ramen Noodles, silly kid.

Happy Birthday Gavin!

8 Things

8 TV shows I love to watch:

1. Buffy
2. Smallville
3. Gray's Anatomy
4. Heroes
5. Desperate Housewives
6. 24
7. Ghost Whisperer
8. American Idol

Can you tell that I like shows with superheros/superpowers in them?


8 Things that happened yesterday:

1. Kim chastised me (nicely) for not doing this tag yet
2. Ran 3 miles on the treadmill
3. Made a bracelet for a customer and did other business stuff
4. Listened to lots of exuberant screaming while the boy's and their friends played Wii
5. Took Gavin to get a few party favors for his Birthday Party
6. Cleaned my sofa, love seat and living room carpet
7. Snuggled with my baby girl (she's not really a baby anymore though)
8. Read Brisinger


8 Favorite places to eat:

1. Cheesecake Factory
2. Bajio
3. Olive Garden
4. P.F. Changs
5. Chris' Homemade Lasagne
6. Wanna Iguana
7. Anything with Mexican Food
8. Gino's East

8 Things I'm looking forward to:

1. Gary, Sabrina and the girl's coming in December
2. Christmas
3. Lauren's dance recital
4. Twilight and Harry Potter movies
5. Thanksgiving at Donna's
6. Beads in Tucson (if we go)
7. Getting organized (this should really be on my wish list)
8. Being done with Bead Chic shows for the year


8 Things on my wish list:

1. A healthy family
2. Less screaming
3. Less whining
4. A clean house
5. A successful business
6. A really nice digital SLR camera
7. Some new furniture
8. See family more (some of you just need to move here!)



8 People I tag:

1. Sabrina and Gary
Anyone else who reads this and has not been Tagged

Happy Birthday Chris!

Today was Chris' 40th birthday! Wow, time sure does fly. Of course I had to do the whole black balloons and 'over the hill' theme. It actually turned out quite nicely that it is near Halloween - it helped having decorations available. I got a toombstone and made chocolate brownies for the cake with an 'over the hill' toomstone candle. It was fun! Hope Chris had a nice Birthday.

A Quick Visit

Last night we had a chance to see Greg and Kevin here in Utah. They were in Salt Lake to attend the Priesthood session of General Conference. Their Young Men's group drove all of the way from California. We met at the Joseph Smith Building and saw the Joseph Smith movie with them. The movie was really good and it was so fun to see our family.

The boy's were especially excited to see their cousin, Kevin. Landon really wanted to go with Chris and Christian to the broadcast at the Stake Center so he could see if Kevin was there on TV. How cute. He gave Kevin a big hug too. Landon and Christian really think a lot of Kevin and wish they could see him more.

Hope Greg and Kevin had a great time while they were here - too bad they didn't have a little more time to spend with us.

Football Fun

Flag football is almost finished! Landon has really had a lot of fun playing this year. This is the first time we have signed him up for football. I think he has found a new favorite sport. This game was the first game they won - Go Browns! Landon has learned a lot by playing this year.

Soccer Boys

Christian played on a 7th - 9th grade team. His team really worked hard and had lots of practices. I think it has been great for Christian to meet team members that go to the Jr. High with him - he made several new friends. He discovered that his locker is right below one of his team mates. The team (called the Freeze) had a fun party at the Pizza Factory the week after the last game, what a nice coach to buy pizza for the whole team!

Gavin had such a cute little team (the Pumas). There were lots of boys from school on his team. His coach was so great with them too - they even got little trophies and candy bags on the last game.

Yea! Soccer season is finally over. I am sure the boys don't feel that way, they had a great time. My feelings come from all of the running around that goes having three kids in sports along with practices. I am really glad that we made the sacrifice to let them play, but relieved that we are done.