Ah Christmas!

We all had a wonderful Christmas this year. It was full of all of the things we love. We were able to spend time with loved ones. We laughed and enjoyed each others company.

I DID IT!

Well, after much deliberation, I did it! It took me a few days to get used to but I am starting to love it. My only regret now is that I didn't go shorter. I may get it cut again. Taya cut her hair too. I am having more trouble getting used to her hair short than my own, but she loves it and that is all that matters.

Should I? Yes No Yes Yes No Yes

I have recently become aware of how attached I have become to my hair. I used to laugh at the people on the talk shows who had awful looking hair that had grown past their butt that they have not cut for 20+ years. Then when they cut it they had an emotional break down. I am on my way to becoming one of them. I have not had a real haircut for about 7 years. I really think I want to cut my hair but, I keep making dumb excuses for not doing it. ie: I don't have time, I don't know who I should have cut it, I don't want to grow it out again, I don't want it to make me look older or fatter.
I hate my hair and love it at the same time. I don't think it is healthy to have a relationship with your hair. I think I am going to have to break up with it whether I want to or not. Wish me luck. This may get ugly.

Say CHEESE! or NOT!

Okay I feel like I missed a lot this week.

Ward Christmas Party: The kids were all part of the cute little primary program. Santa was there. They all got to sit on his lap (Quade asked for an i-pod-keep dreaming, Taya asked for a doll that looks just like her, Dace asked for lots of toys, and Reese asked for a chew toy.)


I FORGOT MY CAMERA!



Snow Day: School was canceled and the kids had their 1st ever Snow Day. they spent the day playing in the snow. They were so cute all bundled up.

I FORGOT TO TAKE PICTURES!


School Play: Quade had a part in the 5th grade school play. One of his best lines was "Santa for the love of Pete, I'm standing here in bunny feet!" And yes, he wore pink bunny slippers. I was so concerned about making sure all the 5th graders were ready for the play.



I DID NOT THINK TO TAKE PICTURES!!!!!

If anyone has pictures displaying any of the scenes I have described, send them to me so I can photo-shop my kids in and pretend I am a good mom.

You've Got All The Traits of a Seasick Crocodile

I just love Chafin. He is such a goof. He has made me laugh several times this week. He keeps leaving messages on my voice mail. I wish you all could hear them. He recites lines from the movie "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." He is really very good (Jim Carey watch out.) He is going to be a great dad come January.

TAG Everyone Who Looks Is "IT!"

1.Pick up the nearest book of at least 123 pages. Don't pick the coolest or most impressive one, just the NEAREST one.
2.Open the book to page 123.
3.Find the fifth sentence and post it!
4.Spread this tag to as many people as you can.

Maniac Magee
Let the birds have them.

I love this book! It is a pretty easy read, and has a great message.

No Longer A Cub

My baby is growing up. Quade is now officially a Boy (not Cub) Scout. Last night he was awarded with his Arrow of Light award. He worked so hard and I am very proud of him. He also crossed the bridge saluting his former cub scout troupe and was welcomed into his new BOY scout troupe.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was so much fun. We began our with a trip up to my aunt and uncle's place in Herriman. they have a big barn. The top has been converted to a dance floor and bandstand for their family band. We celebrated my Grandma Ruby's 90th birthday. We enjoyed skits from the kids, dancing, and food. My foster cousin's son (Justin Largo) performed a tribal dance in full regalia. I thought I had some great pictures but I neglected to put a card in our camera. I was so bummed. We were also treated to an encore performance of Chafin's rendition on Soldier of Love. I have great blackmail material (u-tube viewers are in for a treat).

The next day we loaded up and made the trek to Ely, Nevada. I was so fun visiting with Royd's family. Thank you Annie and Jed for putting up with tonz of relatives. It was a highlight of our weekend.

I Love To Laugh

I love to laugh! I mean it I really do. Some people have mentioned to me that I have a unique laugh that can be heard from great distances. When they tell me this I don't know if I should take it as a compliment (which I try to do), or if they are politely are trying to tell me I am annoying.
My wish is that I might be a source of laughter for others (laughing with me not at me but, that works too.) I don't think I have that magic touch. I envy (and apperciate) those that have the gift of the funny bone. Their whit amazes me. (LaDawna I am still laughing at Sugar and Old Spice. You have made my week, possiblly my whole year!)
Thanx goes out to all of you who have been my source of laughter.
An extra special thanx goes out to Erica whos blog "Shout Out To My Aunties" (you've really got to see it) inspired this message to be written at 1:00 AM.

Thanksgiving

I have been getting so excited for Thanksgiving. I have been looking forward to friends, family, and of course the food. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It gives us a chance to visit, play, and of course eat. Every year I always try to think of my blessing and express gratitude.

I decided to try to prepare for the up coming holiday by reading past issues of the Ensign and Friend. I was not surprised to find articles on the topic of Thanksgiving in various issues, in nearly every month of the year (not just November.) I ran across a General Conference address by Marion G. Romney in 1982. I want to share a portion of it with you whom I consider friends and family.

"To the Lord Jesus, who bought us with a great price, we owe an undying debt of gratitude. It is impossible for us, weak mortals as we are, to fully comprehend and appreciate the suffering He endured on the cross so that He might gain for us victory over death. And even less can we understand the suffering He endured in Gethsemane so that we might obtain forgiveness of our sins. “Which suffering,” He said, “caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink” (D&C 19:18).

The Lord has revealed that we must give Him credit for our gifts and our accomplishments and be grateful for all things that He confers upon us. I am grateful to Him for the privilege of being in His service. I appreciate the opportunities that I have and hope that I can serve Him in some way and show my gratitude the rest of my life."
-Marion G. Romney


I am grateful for the Savior, and the price he paid for me. I am thankful to him for all of my gifts and accomplishments. I am thankful to him for all things. I am thankful for the opportunities I have. I feel privileged to be in his service. I will work to take notice of ways to serve him and show my gratitude.

HELP ME PLEASE!

We finally took family pictures. Help me decied which one I should use for our Christmas card.

Reese's Day

Quade and Royd were at The Ranch hunting today so, I dropped Taya and Dace off with my mom, and spent the whole day with Reese. We didn't do anything real exciting. We got the car washed. He helped me pick out a new pair of sunglasses. We ate lunch, and shared a fried ice-cream. We ended out date with a movie (Madagascar 2). For most of the movie I just sat and stared at Reese. His laugh was whole-hearted. His smile so beautiful. It was a lot of fun. It reminded me of what a good boy Reese can be. He is so sweet and funny. Reese is always thinking and very inventive. I love him so very much. The best part of the day was when he said, "Mom, this was the best day of my life!"

I am so very blessed to have him in my life. I know sometimes I am hard on Reese. I am always reminding him of the mistakes he makes, and how he needs to work on some of his behavior. I need to be reminding him of what a blessing he is in my life. I need to remind him that he is a child of God, and that our Heavenly Father loves and cares for him so very much. He is a vital part of our family. I don't think I can express to him how much he means to me. He will aways be my Reese-a-Roni Buttercup Baby weather he likes it or not.

Why Am I SO Stressed?

So, every November I get the kids all dressed up cute to attempt a family picture. Every year it is a huge event. The kids are always fighting,I never get the timer to work just right, and I feel like I am the only one in the family (including Royd) who cares at all about the pictures. Last year we were freezing, and only managed to get a decent picture, because Royd found a stray cat and was entertaining the kids by puting it on my head while I was taking the picture. This year I had a great plan. I asked LaDawna if she would come with us so I wouldn't have to set the timer and run into place. I had clean clothes ready for the kids. I also had the only afternoon free in my husbands busy schedule. Then everything started to fall apart. Taya had a scratch from her ear down to her chin. Dace somehow got a bruise on his cheek. Quade walked in the room with a huge cold sore. And to top it all off Reese had a fight in a dark room with a broom and split his eyelid open (wich was mended with a tube of super glue). I complained to Royd but, got no sympathy. He said it would just be a realistic picture of our kids. We started to get ready and it started to rain, and rain, and rain. It rained all day and left a muddy, muddy mess. Needless to say, we never took pictures. Why am I so stressed about it? It's just pictures, right? I don't exactly know why but, it is so important to me that we do this evey year. I also feel that I am the only one in our family that feels that way. Why does this have to be so difficult? Maybe the picture for this years Christmas card will be stick figures.


Scroll down to the bottom of the blog to check out this years family picture.

"Wew!" That Was A Close One

"Mom?"
"Yes, Taya?"
"I know what I want for Christmas."
"What's that?"
"You know my friend Shaylee. She has a little sister that looks just like her. She is 3 years old, they always dress alike, do their hair the same, and they have so much fun together."

I really don't like where this is going. I'm thinking if you want a three year old sister for Christmas, you should have told me about 4 years ago!

"Mom, I would really like a doll that looks just like me, and a new pair of boots!"

Wew! That was a close one.

A Little Late. Photos from our San Diego vacation in September.

HALLOWEEN

This year the state volley ball tournament was held on Halloween. So, we loaded up the kids and headed for Provo. Lucky for us we have a couple of great nieces that live in Provo. Erica and Latara took the kids tick-or-treating. The kids had a blast! Reese was a little confused about what exactly Latara was for Halloween.

Argg, me Matey! Dace was really getting into character.

My kids are so lucky to have such awesome cousins.

Thank you Erica and Latara!

Quade and Reese are in there somewhere.

The Mighty Deer Slayer

Well I ended my deer hunt at 7:00 Am opening morning. I had nine bucks run over me, literally, I found the biggest one a nice little 4 point and watched him walk along a ridge about 2oo yards away. I was ready to pull the trigger and something scared the herd. They turned and started running straight toward me. I let them keep coming thinking they would stop at some point, they didn't. Two fawns in the group jumped over me and the small bush I was tucked into. I then made a 12 yard shot at the 4 point he took 2 more hops and face-planted into the ground. I might add that when I shot he was the farthest buck in the group away. It was pretty fun and even a poor shot like myself had better than average chances of making this shot. One hor later I guided my friend Warren Church onto this nice buck. I was one of the largest bodied deer I have ever seen on the ground. He unfortunatley took a few more shots than I did. 16 to be exact. I think the buck finally died of exhaustion because we chased him for miles before he finally blew a back leg off and then finished the deal at about 30 yards. We seen hundreds of deer opening morning and we all had a great time.

Just the Begining

Well I thought since everyone else has a blog, That I should start one too. Ya know just to be cool. I will have to wait till later to fix it up all nice and pretty like everyone else.