Indoor Hockey... I mean Soccer
" If soccer was easy they would call it football "

Other fun stuff we did on New Year's Eve

They are the CHAMPIONS!!
Way to go Extreme Blue

Happy New Year 2010!!

December 31, 2009

Here is a snap shot of what our New Year's Eve was like:

Very Cold Weather
Snow
Snowmen
Good Friends
Lots of Kids
Lots of Noise
Lots of Fun

James worked most of the day, bringing home the bacon. Jeremy went to a Stake Youth Dance. Kyle spent the night at a Deacons Quorum Party. Alex was stuck home babysitting ( he did choose not to go to the dance, he was in one of his funky teenage moods and felt antisocial last night. Regretting the decision, he moved from moody to grumpy and cynical by nights end ). Baylie and Brandon both had friends over for the night, which proved to be fun and chaotic. We only had one broken glass object-- not too bad. James and I enjoyed the company of a group of good friends and came home to very hyper children at 12:30 a.m. We settled them down and were all in bed by 2:30 a.m., not too bad for a great new start to a great new year.

Everyday In January 2010

January 1, 2010

To chronicle the first year of our new decade, I decided to take a picture that represents each day and post it to my blog. Hopefully the excitement won't wear off too soon. With many projects, trips and other goals in mind for 2010, it should be a pretty colorful year. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words.... so here we go:

Baylie thought this was a beautiful bird, sitting out in the cold snow. She always looks for the brighter side of everything. Even a plain old bird, sitting in a barren tree on a cold winter day made Baylie take a moment and enjoy.


Brandon found out the after party clean up isn't too fun. He and his friend Ben pitched a tent in our family room to sleep in last night. Taking it down proved to be quite a challenge, especially with the sleeping bags and pillows still inside of the tent.


Good thing he has a trusty Eagle Scout for a big brother

Last but not least, our ambitious project for the weekend. Replacing all of the molding along our entry way. Our $20 project is proving to be more than we had originally anticipated, isn't that how it always goes? The bright white already has us excited and itching to spread light through out the home... wait to see the finished project soon!!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Christmas Shopping with the Cuties and the Crazies

Yesterday was my first official Christmas shopping day. Mainly due to a major lack of ideas, my kids already have so much stuff, it is difficult to purchase a bunch more. With list in hand, I set out to accumulate more worldly goods.

Along the way, I ran into various fellow shoppers that had me say hmmm...

First off was the throw back to the 80's lady. If the holiday season were Halloween instead of Christmas, I would have guessed she was on her way to a costume party. She had the big bleached blond hair, blouse with a matchy-matchy vest, the ever so popular levi skirt ( straight of course ) brown socks to match the brown stitching in her blouse and clogs. What more could you ask for? A tad too much make-up? No worries, that was the frosting on the cake. It was such a flash from the past, she reminded me of my 9th grade Spanish teacher. I hope I didn't stare to much, but you really mush enjoy a leap back in time.

Then I moved onto the Sam's Club sampler seniors. Where else do you run into a sweet old man, wearing his dress pants and jacket, with a baseball cap to complete the outfit, all while he is handing out half of a cracker with immitation crab salad on it. Scoot down the aisle a bit and you can get a tiny little cup of an energy drink from what may be his wife. She has the hair net, the white smock and a bit of an attitude. She is the one that insists a parent be with every child before doling out her goods.

The other seniors at Sam's Club made me smile as well. One little group of three ladies in particular. They were amazed at the huge amount of goods offered in a single package. It is a wholesale store, but they seemed amazed at every turn. To think, you can buy 24 cans of peaches as well as 46 rolls of toilet paper. I wondered if they were amazed that anyone could go through so much... which my family can do quite easily... or amazed at the abundance. These are WW II, depression era survivors, it begs the question of what their perspective is, thankful I don't have some of their memories, but grateful for the lessons learned from them.

I still smile thinking about the jacket and baseball cap. Our seniors have so much more class than we do. When they go out, they are usually dressed to impress. How many times have you passed a sweet grandma in the grocery store with dress pants, nylons and pumps? Her hair and make-up are done, and she has matching gloves and purse. They are so appreciative and kind. They know where America has been and yet found joy in their everyday lives, even when it wasn't so joyuful. We have a lot to learn from their examples, in more ways than one.

Onto the bus full of children. Not the bratty ones pulling faces and jumping over seats while a poor bus driver is mentally in another place while trying to endure the eternal bus route. This was a tiny school bus, full of wheelchairs, holding special children. I looked over at a sweet little brown haired girl looking out her window. She had sparkly elastics holding her hair out of her face. She was trying to look out at the world, all the while smiling with a crooked smile. It made me think of the crooked smiles I look at everyday and I was immediatly grateful for the blessings of tiny trials compared to some. Grateful my children are healthy, happy and home with me everyday.

So, as I wade through the holiday season, trying to make everyones wish list a reality-- although I won't be buying Brandon a " lab-top", we will all have a Merry Christmas as we realize what our true blessings are.

BE GRATEFUL!

Fall '09 in Review

Time sure does pass by quickly. It may be midnight, and I may be a bit nostalgic, but here is a review of our wonderful fall. It would have been better, if the kiosk at a certain warehouse club hadn't deleted all of my fall photos from my memory stick, you know Alex and Brandon's birthday parties, soccer games, etc. But I will try to fill you in the best I can. And yes, I have lamented the loss to no avail, so I might as well move on.

How can I describe fall if I didn't include sports, sports, sports. Kyle and Brandon both played competitive soccer this fall, Kyle a little more on the competitive end, Brandon a little more on the fun side of things. This required many a practice, and lots of Saturdays devoted to our beloved sport.


Sadly, these are the few pictures I have left of either of the boys games, teams, or season. Brandon's team is on top. Probably the most entertaining of the two teams, especially when half way through the season, one of his teammates still didn't know where the goal was. It was always fun to watch them play with all of the intensity a 7 year old can muster.


This is Kyle's team. They were totally awesome this year. They were number one in the league and undefeated until the very last game. It was great to watch these boys play, they were a well oiled machine and had a great season. Kyle had some excellent plays and is a very fast defender. His team told him he had "wheels", I guess that is a compliment for a 13 year old.


We do have another sport to mention, namely football. This consumed Jeremy's fall schedule, with grueling practices everyday after school. It was great-- every second of it. Jeremy loved it and so did we. They had a winning season, and Jeremy had an awesome interception, from the defensive line. His coach played the film to all of his classes the following day. It was a great moment, one not easily forgotten. One of the few photos I have of him coming off of the field.


Where would we be without the never ending Eagle Scout project?? Yes, it is finally finished and we are all awaiting the wonderful day we get to celebrate Alex's great accomplishments. Long story short, these flower boxes took an enormous amount of dirt, but they will bless the lives of many senior citizens for years to come.

Alex also spent a great deal of time with marching band. Beginning in the summer, and including 7:30 a.m. practices for a few months, he had a great time. No photos, but we do have video. His band placed well in all of their competitions. He is still involved in debate and scholar bowl. Mr. Smarty Pants indeed.

This strange picture of Mikenzie can easily be explained-- Halloween Orchestra Concert. She was a mad scientest, can't you tell? This was her coming off the stage of her first concert. She had a wonderful time and I was so proud of her. We also followed her teachers orders and went out for ice cream following the concert. Isn't she growing fast??



Speaking of Halloween, this is about it as far as pictures go... more pictures lost... very sad indeed. Baylie and Brandon had a great Halloween, this was taken just before their Book Character Day at school. We wouldn't want to use the word Halloween, now would we??

Well, that is our fall in a nutshell, more posts to follow, after I get some much needed sleep.

BE GRATEFUL!!

HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY BRANDON!!

Our little caboose has grown so quickly-- where did the time go? You are such a strong spirit and we feel so blessed to have you in our home. You have brought so many laughs and smiles, it has been a pleasure to be your parents.

Brandon's One Liners:

I know why the clouds are parting, it just Heavenly Father checking up on me.

Should I get out and push? ( Asked when the suburban was slipping on an icy driveway, when Brandon was 4 )

I love Grandpa's muscle car, the Lexus Mustang, it is so cool.


Current favorite questions:
Can't I have any freedom?
When am I going to have a real life?