We miss our Killer Bunnies buddies

So every Sunday for at least the last year or so my sister Courtney and her husband come over to play Killer Bunnies with us. We've now missed three Sunday's with out them and we miss them!! My niece Taylee was diagnosed with cancer about three weeks ago and so they had to leave to get to Children's Hospital in Seattle. We are so blessed that they were able to remove all of the tumor from her kidney (and the kidney) and that it looks like she'll make a full recovery. (you can learn more on Court's Blog) We can't wait to have them back with us and pray for Taylee daily. We love you guys and miss you.

The Gangs All Here

Christmas has come and gone and this one will be one we'll remember forever. We had all Todd's family here, all 23 of us together. I had been looking forward to seeing everyone from the moment they'd decided to come. We had a great time together and the kids loved playing with all their cousins. We thought we'd have to entertain them all so they wouldn't be bored but they played so well together they hardly needed us at all. So here's just a few shots of the clan. Thank you all for coming, we loved having you here!

The kids loved being out in the snow, even though they couldn't stay out for very long, they made the most of the time they had.


Ellie and Alli (one month apart) could hardly walk in it it was so deep and we had a few tears of frustration when they got stuck.


Most of the cousins frosting cookies.


Quinton was a shepherd and this is him being "sore afraid" of the angel (Kimber)


Grandpa got to be the donkey and Ellie just had to ride with Mary (Samantha)



We all fit great down stairs once the furniture was moved. What a group!


The kids got to open their PJ's on Christmas eve and then we do stockings Christmas morning before breakfast.

And then the mayhem begins....

Quinton got a helmet from Santa, which he wears around the house as much as he can.


Weiland got some great dragons from Santa and Grandma's (thank you both)


And Ellie got her first Barbie from Santa.

We had a wonderful Christmas and were so blessed to spend it with family. Thank you each for braving the snow and ice to be here, I am truly grateful for my eternal family.

Ellie's hair cut

I cut Ellie's hair a little over a week ago and it's taken me forever to get this posted so Grandma could see the new doo. Life has been crazy through the holidays hence the plethera of posts. So here's Elle with her cute hair.

Going Private

I've decided to go private due to changing circumstances here at home. If you'd like to be added to the viewers please leave me a comment with your email if I don't already have it. Immediate family will be added automatically. Thanks!

Yeah!!

We won second place. Thank you all so much for voting. Here's what we won.


$500 to Crate & Barrel

a years supply of Viva paper towels
and:

MODERN ENTERTAINING ESSENTIALS Prize Pack





Thanks to Dacia and Lynne for entering with me, can't wait to shop together at Crate &
Barrel!!!
*****

We need your votes!

We had our girls night cocoa party last weekend and it was a blast. Always love to get together and chat with friends. Well the girls I did this with are amazing and we decided we loved our party so much we'd enter it in a "Holiday entertaining contest" at Hostess with the mostess. Well me made the top ten and now need your votes. Go to Hostess With the Mostess to vote. Our entry is the Girls Night Cocoa Party. All you have to do is leave your vote in the "Comments" section on who you vote for. Thank you now for your support, we had a great time doing this party and are so excited to be entered. WooooHoooo!!!Oh and if you'd like to pass this on to all you know we'd love that too! We have until midnight EST on Friday to vote. Thanks again.

woooohoooo!!!!!!

Holland slept 6 hours last night!!!! Mind you she went to bed at 1:30am, but still 6 hours. Let's hope for a repeat performance tonight.

Blessing Day

Today was blessing day and Todd gave her a beautiful blessing. Courtney and Aaron came so that Aaron could stand in with Todd. We also had the bishopric and two friends of ours as well. We are so lucky to have this sweet spirit in our home. It still cracks me up that the kids can't get enough of her, it's like we just brought her home everyday. I hope they always feel this way about her, even though it gets annoying to have them smother her and me all the time, we'll live. I'm anxious to see if she's a mellow child or if all this attention she gets will make her intense. We're so blessed that she is healthy and growing well.
This dress is one my mom got for her granddaughters that both me and my sisters share. It's great because it's a lot like both my sisters wearing my wedding dress, something special we all share together. Once we all are done having kids we'll have to have the dress framed for my mom. I love the dress and she was an angel in it.


Check out those cheeks!

Look Who's 6

Quinton has been counting down the days until his birthday and today if finally arrived. I remember this day very clearly, it being my first child. I was in YW in our ward over the Beehives. We had just finished a presidency meeting and dinner and had gone over to the church for our weekly activity, which was caroling. I recall at dinner thinking it odd that I'd need to change my pants, but didn't think much of it. (HELLO what was I thinking????) So we go to the church and I definitely know something's wrong, so I call the hospital and they say I should probably come in so they can see if my water has broken. So Todd and I head home (he's the YM pres at the time), do some dishes, pack a bag, etc. My doctor was 40 min. away, so we wanted to make sure we had everything before we went. This was also happening two weeks before my due date and, of course, my water had broken and we were now on a wait to deliver. So, 24 hours later Quinton had arrived, healthy and strong.
He has the sweetest heart and always tries to make you happy. We are so blessed to have him in our family and love him very much. Happy Birthday Quinton!

For his sixth birthday we finally had a friends party. We decided to keep it to just boys and a bare minimum. We invited 6 boys over from mostly our neighborhood for a "space" party. The theme came from the cake Quinton picked. He wanted a rocket cake and it all came from there.

First this morning I made cupcakes for him to take to school.


Then I needed to finish his cake.


I got things set up for when his guests arrived (with Todd's help, thank you, honey.)




And then the party began. They decorated their own treat bags with stars, planets, and rockets.


Then we went downstairs for some games. We played pin the eye on the alien.


Toss the comet into the black hole. (I made the comets out of a tennis ball & some black knee-high stockings and tied some curling ribbon on the tail.)


We also played musical space chairs to Star Wars theme music. (Sorry I didn't get a picture of that.) Then we headed upstairs for cake & ice cream.



And then, of course, presents.



So over all, I think it went pretty good. Each guest got to leave with their comet and a treat-filled bag. I tried to find space themed things like Milky Way candies, Starbursts, glow sticks, mini Slinkys, and a whistle of some kind.

After the party Todd took the family to McDonald's for dinner. The kids love to go to the "French Fries" store, as they call it, and play. This also worked out great for mom, who was beat by the end of it all.

deck the tree

So the day after Thanksgiving Todd put up our tree. Can I say how much I love having a fake one, and I love my tree. It looks real which was a must for me to switch. I do miss the smell but not the mess or the price we paid each year. I like that it's here to put up when we want. Anyway I was too beat from getting up so early to get it decorated and that about killed the kids, having to wait. So finally Saturday I got around to it and the kids helped put the Santa's on the bottom of the tree. If you look closely if you come over you can see Ellie's favorite spot to decorate. Over all they did a good job and now the challange is to keep them from moving them around. They love to sit on the couch and look at it when it's lit. I remember doing the same thing when I was little. It's so fun having "believers" in the house. We are looking forward to all the fun things that come with the season and especially to family coming. Happy Holidays!

Twilight

So I finally saw the movie. A bunch of us girls went and it was great to have a girls night out, with out even baby I might add (thank you Court). So my take on it is I really liked it and only have a few complaints. First is Bella, didn't really like the actress, she didn't show much emotion especially when it came to Edward. I didn't feel like she was obsessed with him really at all until the end and she had her mouth hanging open all the time like she couldn't breathe through her nose. ( I know I'm weird) Jasper was another one who didn't really fit. He was creepy looking and had really bad hair and there was something lacking in his presence. As for the rest of the characters they were perfect. Edward totally did it for me. I was also bummed about the meadow scene slash Edward in the sun. That was one of the best parts of the book and it was butchered. And lastly I didn't like the shaky camera shots, it spoke low budget to me.
What I did like was the way it showed the restraint it took Edward to be with Bella, Alice was great and I can see in future movies she'll be great. All in all I will totally go see it again. I think reading the book again before was a mistake and should have waited till after, that would have helped. Go team Edward!

3 things: never again, what?, & one month

First never again will I go to Walmart @ 5am on a black friday. My sisters & I were crazy enough to attempt this & for me it was so not worth it. They got mostly what they went in for & we did have a system between the three of us so it only took an hour to buy like four things. The rest of the shopping day went really well, but man I'm still tired!



Second, I am trying to understand the logic of my four year old. Example: Getting dressed in the morning,
Wei- I don't want to get dressed.
Me- Why not?
Wei- because then I can't be an animal.
Me- of course you can, what do you want to wear?
Wei- I don't know.
Me- how about this shirt?
Wei- ok.
Me- and these pants?
Wei- no.
Me- why not?
Wei- because it has pockets,
Me- so
Wei- I can't be an animal
Me ok, how about these?
Wei- no
Me- why not? these don't have pockets.
Wei- because they have strings (meaning draw strings)
Me- so you can't be an animal when you wear pants with pockets or strings?
Wei- yep.

What??????

And last but not least Holland is one month old!
That really flew by, I don't want to wish her older but I am soooooo looking forward to her sleeping through the night. It's taking a toll on me and affecting the rest of our family because I'm such a grouch from lack of sleep. Other than that she's doing great! We are rapidly growing that double chin and filling out those cheeks.
(Picture still to come)

Waiting

So it seems that almost everyone has seen Twilight, according to their blogs. There are a lot of mixed reviews out their! I just reread the book in preparation to see the movie and I realized how cheesy some of the lines are, mostly on Bella's part, so that I'm expecting. What I'm worried about is Edward. Will he live up to the one in my mind? I don't mind the actor they chose, I can picture him fine, it's how he's going to deliver the lines that's my worry. Well I have about two weeks to wait and see. In the mean time I'm going to finish the series. I do love the books and the idea of not being able to live with out a person so for now I'm quite content. Go team Edward!

evening of an unbalanced woman

Tonight was not one of my best. Here's how it went.
I had rented a couple of movies from Red Box and needed to return them. So at 7pm this evening we all piled in the car to run to the store to drop these off. I forgot my phone on the counter and didn't think much of it since I was only making a quick trip out. I pull up right in front of the store and where I return the movies so I can leave the kids in the car and keep an eye on them while I wait to turn these in. Of course there was a line I had to wait in and once it was my turn I slipped them in and got back to the car. But to my horror the door was locked, all the doors were locked. I panicked! I had 4 kids in the car, running I might add, and one was only two weeks old and could be screaming for all I knew. So this nice man who worked at the store saw me in distress and offered his help. Well I was in tears, being an emotional basket case still, and he kept saying "oh now don't cry" which of course made it worse. Well he pulls out his phone and asks if there is anyone I can call? My mind draws a blank. Todd is on an airplane somewhere between San Fransisco and Salt Lake, I don't know any one's phone number because I never dial them I just push their name in my phone. I got nothin'. So this man says's he'll call the police and see if they'll come and unlock my door for me. Well he's giving them the particulars, where we are, who's in the car, the make and model of the car, etc. I get on the phone and give them my name and then it dawns on me, Quinton. Quinton can open the door. so I go to the back window and tell him to come up and open the door, and two seconds later I'm in.
But wait my evening isn't over yet. We drive home and all pile out of the car and head into the house through the garage and the kids get to the door and say "mom it's locked". So you should know I don't have a house key. I haven't had one the entire time we've been at this house. I always come in by way of the garage and that door is NEVER locked! Luckily we keep a lock box on our front porch so if while we're away and some one needed to get in they would have a way. Well I go try the lock box but my code isn't working. I know my sister and her husband have used it to get in while we've been gone so they would know the code, but no cell phone. So we all pile back in the car and drive to my sisters so I can ask them for the code to get to my key. And of course I start balling trying to explain what's happened. I'm an emotional wreck!!!!
And you'll all be happy to know that the code they gave me worked and we got in.
Now both of these things wouldn't have been such a big deal if I had been rational and thought them through. I would have realized in the beginning Quinton could have opened the door, I would have remembered that our code is the same as my parents back home, (just so I could remember it). So yes I will be thrilled when my hormones get back in balance and I can react with out all the emotion involved.
(Todd will be editing this later so please excuse the grammatical mistakes : ))

Big Day

Today was a big day for Holland. We took her casts off today and she went and saw the doctor. The doctor had us do it because it would take some time to get them off, I'll say! So I started with a large bowl in the sink at about 10am this morning, we were told not to do this in a sink or tub because it would clog the drains. So in the bowl, in the sink I started soaking her legs. After about 5 min. I realized this was going to take some time, so we moved to the tub. I soaked the poor girl for over an hour before the casts began to soften. I then went back to the sink/bowl to see if I could start to pry off the plaster. Ummm, yeah, no can do by myself, need to call in reinforcements. Courtney came to my rescue. I held Holland and Court pried the plaster off bit by bit. Finally it was all off and it was only 1pm. She slept through most of the removal part, typical. Her poor little legs are purple and flaky but soooo cute. We met with the doctor at 2pm and he said they looked great. Happy Day!!!
Now if only she'll sleep better at night we'll be good to go. I'm very thankful that all went well and that it doesn't look like she should have any lasting side effects.

I'm Not Quirky

I might be able to come up with six quirks:

1. I will not eat chocolate cake, ice cream, pie, or pudding. It tastes and smells like dirt to me. But I love to eat brownies or candy chocolate. Plus it has been fun to tell people that I don't like chocolate from the time I was a kid.

2. I hate to repeat myself. It just bothers me. Probably my biggest pet peeve.

3. I have become obsessive about spelling and grammar. It is very difficult to read something and not have the misspellings jump out at me. I will use the dictionary on my laptop, even when writing in a blog or email, if I am not sure on a spelling. I blame Richard Mitchell and his "Less Than Words Can Say" book. I found it quite interesting. The whole thing is free online.

4. Video games equate up there with not wearing a helmet on a motorcycle or not wearing your seatbelt. I have yet to hear a convincing argument for the merits of any of these things.

5. When possible, I will always do things an odd number of times. But I also like things to balance, so I will do things like using the same number of passes with my deodorant on each side and then do one in the middle just to get an odd number, while staying balanced. I just like odd numbers (perhaps because they are included in my name.)

6. I don't really like newborns. The cute-and-cuddly-thing doesn't do anything for me. New babies are just work to me--changing diapers, feeding bottles, trying to stop the crying, etc. I love it when they start to get older and we can interact. I love to chase my kids around the house, yelling, tickling, and wrestling. That being said, Holland is the best little newborn....

After reading these, I think you will agree that I really don't have any quirks, just correct viewpoints that everyone would be better off agreeing with (Except for the newborn thing--If everyone agreed, I might be left to do all the work!).

Another something new

I've discovered something else that is new to our home. Having Holland has added another dimension to laundry. I knew there would be more to do but now having two girls I have a whole new load to add to my routine. Of course we have a couple of loads of whites, more than a couple loads of darks, I never really had a "colors" load, but now I have a PINK load. I was amazed that there was enough pink clothing to make a whole load. I just laughed and decided I needed to document this. It's amazing what two girls bring to our home.