Scrooged...

For our Girlie Christmas play this year, we went to see a Christmas Carol at Hale Center Theatre. We had front row seats and the play was incredible. The man who played Scrooge has been playing the part for over 25 years! It was my first time at Hale Center Theatre, and it was awesome! Can't wait to go back!

Hoops

Jake really wanted to play basketball this year, and Kyle didn't. So, we signed Jake up. He's really enjoyed it and is definitely getting better with each game. He even made his first basket. I got it on video - but it's short at the beginning. It was definitely Jake that made the shot!

Haley turns FIVE!

I still can't believe my baby is five! How time flies! She is such a good kid - most of the time. She throws her fit, and definitely takes her place in the family as the youngest - but she's a good kid most of the time! She takes Ballet, loves going to Kids on the Move at the gym, loves her mommy the most, and loves Kristin. She loves the boys too, but Kristin is definitely her favorite! This year, Cherice asked if I wanted to do her and Makenna's birthday together at Build-a-Bear. So, we did it a few weeks before Haley's birthday. I let her invite a few friends, and she chose Carly, Nora, and Allison (Kristin was already a shoe-in). She really wanted Annie, Lucas, Tate, and Matias to come, but we told her they would be there in spirit. We picked up the girls and headed to the mall. I had a friend of mine make cupcakes, and off we went. It was so great not to have any responsibilities other than making sure the girls were all there. The girls Haley invited were great girls, and just went with the flow. On Haley's real birthday, we invited family over for cake and ice cream. I made my famous bundt cakes and had a great time! Haley of course - loved any and all attention that she got!

Jake and scouts...

Jake loves scouts. Every part of it. Skits, pack meeting, applause. He's a crazy man. Here is doing a skit and playing minute to win it.

The Worst Pain...EVER...

I know this is gross, but I have to document it. I got an ingrown toenail - and it got infected. It hurt so bad. I had to get into the doctor, but for some reason, nobody could fit me in. I kept calling around until I found a doctor who would get me in. I went in, and he did a little 'procedure'. I am telling you now, it was the worst pain of my whole life. WAY worse than giving birth. They had to give me a numbing shot directly into the infected part of my toe. I SCREAMED in the doctors office. Afterwards, I was feeling good, but the doc had sent me home with a perscription. I thought - I'm probably good with motrin. Boy, was I wrong. Within 30 minutes, the numbing shots had worn off, and I was IN PAIN! I have never taken the maximum narcotic prescription AS WELL AS the maximum motrin dose, but I did for about a week. I couldn't work out for a week. It was crazy! I NEVER want an ingrown toenail ever ever ever again.

First Snow

Our first snow this year happened in November. Little did we know, that it would be the last snow until the middle of January! I'm glad we took advantage and took the kids sledding. They had begged to go, and they all did great. Haley even went down the hill by herself, and hauled her sled up all by herself. That's my kind of sledding! As an adult, it's fun to watch my kids be so excited in the snow, even though the novelty has definitely worn off for me. I like to watch snow fall inside of a clean house, but that's my only joy of snow.

Six People | Twelve Times

I almost forgot to post this! Yes, I am still trying to catch up blogging, and should have my six people | twelve times posts caught up. This is our family on the Oregon Coast. I think Oregon means a lot to me, because it feels like the place where our family began. Our family is also huge fans of beaches. Any kind. We could stay here for days and be happy. Hmmm...that may need to happen next year!

Jake turns 9!!!

I can't believe Jake is 9! He's always been a pretty laid back kid. This past year, we have noticed that he is a worrier and stresses out - a lot. Drives me crazy. He gets good grades, is very well behaved in class, but I tell you the kid is Jekyl&Hyde. I actually worry about what to do with him. I am contemplating taking him to a therapist. Any thoughts? This year, Jake has started with a speech therapist at school. He has always had speech issues, and we had him tested in preschool, but he wasn't bad enough to qualify for help. One of the reasons I chose to take him to the charter school this year, was because I wanted to get him help with his speech. His teacher had also started noticing that he was writing his words the way he was sounding them out. Now, he is working with a therapist once a week. Hopefully it will continue going well. I am grateful for the help he is getting. I do love Jake. When he is all alone with me, going to the store, or just hanging out, he is the most loveable greatest kid around. He's a ton of fun to be around. He wanted a skateboard for his birthday along with a skateboard cake! My friend, Natalie, made it. It's awesome, huh? He got a skateboard so we went as a family to classic skating and let him 'try' riding it around. He did okay, but it's hard, and he has a hard time not giving up. I took the skateboard around the loop a few times, and except for falling on my butt once, was the best skateboarder 'out of our family'. I am so grateful Jake is in our family! Hope he had a super special day!

2011 Family Photos

This year we went to Las Vegas' dry lakebeds for our family photos. Erin, one of my besties, took our photos. I took her families photos as well! After all the clothes picking, and details, every single one of my kids fell asleep on the way there. Haley wouldn't crack a smile for the first 40 minutes. Ah - it is what it is. Here are my favorites!

Halloween

The kids had a blast this year. Kristin was a leprechaun - made by Grammy, Kyle a vampire, Haley a witch, and Jake a monster. We went up to Copperton early to see Grandma Great and took advantage of trick or treating around her neighborhood. We then headed home so the kids could trick or treat in our neighborhood. This is the first year they have been able to do so. We trick or treated over to the Glasseys, and once there, they decided they just wanted to stay and scare people. So, they did. We were blessed with an unusually warm Halloween, (no complaints here) and the night was spectacular.

Flag Football

The boys both played flag football this year. They LOVE it. Jake had a super great coach, and Kyle had a coach who started out the year by sending an email that said, "If your kid is going to win the superbowl, then you may want to find another team." Needless to say his coach didn't teach him anything, but Kyle is the type of kid who is just happy to play. He did well, caught a few passes, and scored a few times. Jake's coach loved every second. Taught them a ton of information. Jake is more timid on the playing field. He did great, and enjoyed it! Kyle's sad because after this season, he is too old for flag, but he has no desire to play tackle. I guess we will see what happens next year with him.

Oregon...or bust!

This fall, our family had the chance to go back to Oregon. Well, we made it happen. Troy really wanted to go to the BYU football game vs. OSU and I had a few photoshoots. So, we decided to make a weekend out of it. We left on a Wednesday night and stayed in Boise. We woke up the next day and made our way to Portland. We stopped at Multnomah Falls on the way into town for a photo op. It has been so long since we have been there. Still gorgeous! We then drove into Aloha to stay with friends, the Gonzalez Family. We ran a few errands (tax free) and met up with them at THE Papa's Pizza. Definitely not a food favorite, but the kids LOVED playing there. It was really fun. The next morning we got up early, packed a sack lunch, and drove to the Oregon Coast. It's not a trip to the coast if you don't make it to the Tillamook Cheese factory! We stopped at a beach near Cannon Beach for our lunch. We ate quick, and the kids took off their shoes, and headed for the water. It was a sunny day in October, and I wished I had shorts on! At one point, a child said, "Who knew we could have so much fun at a cold beach?" We stayed about an hour, then headed inland to meet Sarah and kids at the Pumpkin Patch we frequented when we lived there. It was still fun (pretty sure more expensive though)! We told the kids they could pick any pumpkin as long as they could carry it. I think we ended up saying at least 20 feet. It was fun for them to play on the hay bales with old friends! We then went back to Papa's pizza - this time with the Nielsen's. The adults did NOT want to eat the food, so after the kids played for awhile - we put Kyle in charge of all the kids, and we went to PF Changs. Yum! My kind of dinner! It was fun catching up. The next day, Troy left early for the football game, and I headed to do more photoshoots. I LOVE my Oregon clients! Cassandra picked me up when I was finished, and we took all our girls to lunch and then to a makeup store where we put makeup on them! Their choice of everything! That night, Sarah came by and we visited and chatted until Troy got home from the game. We decided to drive through the night and make our way home. It was a super fun weekend! I love little family trips. Oregon was such a great place for us to raise our little kids. It was the place I had babies, was pregnant, and had toddlers to entertain. The friends I had their taught me so much and I will always remember them. As Troy and I drove around, we missed that time our kids were so little, but we also knew that we are where we are supposed to be. It was a great feeling to have. We know we will always remain close to friends, but we made the right decision for our family, at a time when we really didn't know what would be the better choice! We will definitely have to make Oregon a destination for more family get-aways!

The Kids Annual Photos...

This year, I took Troy's side of the family's pictures on one day. I was too busy to spread them out, so everyone showed up, and I clicked away. I decided to put my kids in the clothes I had gotten for our family photos - to 'Try' them out. I LOVE these photos of them!