Woo Hoo

She made it!

Pay tried out for the part of the witch in her second grade school play, Hansel and Gretel.

She ran home from school ecstatic with, "Some really good news, mom!"

So, you'll hear a lot of screechy, creepy, heckling practicing around here in the next short while.

"Nibble, nibble mouskin.....whose nibbling on my housekin......ahhhh haaaa haaaa haaa haaaa!!!"

All to herself...

Pay had her dad all to herself Sat. night. She was so excited when we told her she was spending one on one time with her good ole dad. She could hardly wait for Saturday. She had her outfit, where she wanted to go and what she wanted to do....planned for days! They spent the evening having dinner, playing games at Game World, and enjoying ice-cream afterwards. (No, the matching outfits were not intended, but hey, I thought they looked pretty snazzy!)

Pay, I know how important it is that you spend quality time with your dad. I hope you'll always know how much he loves you and how special you are. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see you build your relationship with him, and know that you love and adore him too.

Because....believe me, no one knows more than your mama, how important a special dad is in a girl's life!


I love you......MOM

I HOPE

THEY'LL REMEMBER

HOW MUCH FUN

THEY HAD TOGETHER!

Oh, Lovely Sun

Where might you be?

We've been missing you!

He's a Baller

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All Owen wants to do is play basketball. He throws on a pair of shorts, puts on his shoes, and I know it's time. "Mom, can you come to my game?", he asks. "Mom, can you come watch me practice?"

What? He's only 2, and I have to sit on the stairs and watch him play, cheer him on, and clap for his pretend baskets.

As I sit on the stairs and watch him intensely run around with the basketball, I can't help but to wonder what the future holds. Will he play ball as he gets older? Will he play for his high school team, and we'll get to go to his games and cheer for our little man?

Hmmmm.......only time will tell.

As for now, Owen is tugging at my pant leg at this very moment. "Mom, you can come watch my basketball game NOW!" And so I go....................

A Splendid Idea

"Change your thoughts and you change your world. "
Norman Vincent Peale

Our friends, Ed and Staci sent out a New Year letter and card. At the end they told about a challenge their family accepted to stop complaining, criticizing and gossiping. They gave a website www. acomplaintfreeworld.com where you can find more information to help you and your family accomplish this big task. I loved this because it was something I had been thinking a lot about lately. I notice how much different I feel about my husband, family, friends, co-workers, church members, etc. when I try to look at their positive attributes and focus less on the negative. Just the other day I was upset with a teacher at my school. I complained a good 10 min. to a friend about her. Later I spoke with this teacher on the phone and found out she had really been struggling in her life, recent divorce, issues with her children, etc. All these things were totally unknown to me. I was shocked. I felt horrible. I had judged her in her deepest time of need. That was it. I knew I needed to make a change. So, Ed and Staci, thanks for motivating me to accept this challenge too! I wanted to post it on my blog and share it with anyone else who wants to make a positive change!

www.acomplaintfreeworld.com

Tea Party

....or Pea Tardy, as tongue twisted, Aunt Deena called it!

So, many years ago Grandma McBride and Aunt Kris started a fun tradition by creating a real tea party for all the young girls in the family. They went out of their way making dresses, food, games, prizes and more...... all for the girls to be recognized, feel special, and enjoy a fun day together.

Since Grandma McBride hasn't been in good health, and the tea party hasn't been a go for sometime.....Aunt Mikkel and Aunt Kristen had a great idea to plan and host the tea party this year.

My girls received their invitation in the mail weeks ago and have been excited ever since. Last Friday we drove to Twin Falls for a girl's weekend (plus Owen, since Robert was out of town for work) and an all-day Sat. Pea Tardy!

To our surprise, Grandma McBride and Aunt Kris drove from Blackfoot that morning and arrived just in time. They brought with them Grandma's old dresses, hats and jewelry. We "big" girls had fun dressing up in her old, fun, fashionable attire!

Aunt Mikkel and Aunt Kristen had a fun day planned for us and we were grateful to them for all their hard work and efforts in our behalf!

A few highlights of the day were.....

sipping delicious sparkling punch from a real, fancy tea cup (Kristi)

catching a much desired Webkinz toy in the fish pond (Payton)

painting a fabulous tea cup all by herself (Avery)

wearing a handsome vest and being the king (Owen)

dressing up in Grandma's fancy hat (Kristi)

playing with her cousin, Olivia (Payton)

getting a sweet Jonas Bro. poster for her room (Avery)

bouncing, running, laughing, playing like a maniac in the bouncy houses (Owen)

Have I mentioned how great Robert's family is? I love how they are all close and have so many fun traditions like the tea party to keep them this way. Thanks Aunt Mikkel and Aunt Kristen for putting this together this year. It was such a fun day, one I know my kids and I will remember for a long time. Thanks also, Grandma McBride and Aunt Kris for being wonderful examples of giving, selfless, loving, fun women in our lives.

Here's a little slide show of our fun day in Twin Falls, with the McBride clan, at the tea party!

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Happy Birthday Payton!

Payton turned the big, "It's great to be 8" today. That's right....8 years ago in Grand Junction, CO, at 10:21 a.m., Miss Payton Ally was born. Boy, with the rough start we had, and the colicky baby she was, I never would have guessed she would grow to be such a sweet, kind, big hearted, helpful, smart, fun, obedient, hard working, loving child. She truly is all these things and more. I can't even begin to express the amount of love and adoration I have for her.

Pay, thanks for being a giant help to me on a daily basis. You are such a big part of this family and I love that you......

have a sense of humor

ride your bike next to me when I go for runs

have rhythm and can really bust a move

work hard in school

want to be a hair stylist and are already good at doing your and other's hair

love to read

have a desire to do what's right

are my snuggle bunny

have your own creative sense of style

love and help your brother and sister

enjoy being with your family

love to sing and write your own songs....sorry you were cursed with your mom's voice

have compassion for others

are responsible and can get yourself ready for school all by yourself

ARE MY GIRL!!!

Payton asked for new bedding for her birthday. Since we moved her into her own room just a few months ago, and the bedding and decor in that room were for a boy, I thought this was a good idea. After ordering her bedding I decided it would be exciting to actually transform Owen's old room into a new space just for Pay, so we went with it. All day Monday and today we worked like mad painting and changing her room. I couldn't have done it without help from Bob and friends, so Thank you, Thank you, Thank you......to them!

When Payton arrived home from school today, her room was ready! She ran up the stairs and was so surprised and elated at her new room she found waiting for her! Her little mouth was turned up in a smile the rest of the day. She continued to hug and thank us, and it was fun to see her so happy and appreciative!

I wish I had thought to take BEFORE pics. but, of course, I didn't until after we had started painting. Basically, the walls were just plain tan and the bedding was a light blue. So here's a little slide show of her room transformation and her birthday dinner at the Kyoto Steak House.

We love you, Pay and hope your 8th birthday was extra special!

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LONELY

How is it I can be surrounded by my three kids, friends, and family members all weekend, and I still feel lonely? Oh, that's right......because HE has been gone....not the little man on his Boise State bike, no he's been attached to my hip, sleeping in my bed, keeping me up all night with his fever and few puking incidents......( and really, all that's o.k because I love him too) but the big hunk riding behind him, he's been in AZ for work.......MIA for four nights and five days now! That's just enough time for me to feel an ache in my heart and be reminded once again ...I DON'T like being home without ya, I MISS ya, I LOVE ya, ........PLEASE COME HOME ALREADY!

The City

Uh Oh......I knew I shouldn't have watched last night. Now what? Yup....another guilty pleasure!

Good Bye.....THE HILLS

Hello.....THE CITY

The Laughing Box

When we visited Stan and Nichole on New Year's they pulled out their family laugh box. It was just a small card board box with the writing, Family Laugh Box 2007, written neatly on the side. When someone in their family said or did something silly or noteworthy, they would write it down on whatever piece of paper they could find, date it, fold it, and toss it into the laughing box.

I need to do this. My kids are saying and doing silly things every day that make me stop and just look at them in wonder. Wonder about what is going on in their little heads. Some are hilarious, others, down right shocking, a few are aggravating, but most are sweet and adorable. So, these things are said and done, the day goes on, and I seem to forget. I don't want to forget. I want to write them down so I can go back and read them at times when I am tired, frustrated, feeling worthless as a mom, and need to be reminded that it is the simple things in life that bring us the greatest joy.

So, the next time I am out browsing Cost Plus World Market and see a really cool box, because it happens often, seriously! I am not going talk myself out of buying it because, "What would I do with that, where would I put it, what use would I possibly have for it?" I will sweep it off the shelf, bring it home, fill it with colored note cards and a pen, and set it nicely on my shelf in my office.

Then the next time an incident like this happens.....

We left cookies on Avery's Primary teacher's door step. She called the next day to thank Avery and asked if she had helped me make the cookies. Avery quickly replied, "No, a neighbor gave us those." (not really, but sorta kind of....they were my home made cookies as well as a few others from the cookie party I couldn't go to, but my friend brought me the cookies anyway) So, it sounded really bad, and yes I was mortified, but hey, Avery was honest. She didn't help me make the cookies. And she did see my friend drop most of them off at our house that day.

I will write it down and throw it in "The Laughing Box."

All good things must come to an end

Christmas break is over. My, how quickly two weeks of vacation can speed by. My stomach is turning just thinking of starting back to the old routine tomorrow. Our two weeks have been a whirlwind. We started the break off by going to San Diego with Nate and Emily and Brent and Kim to watch the Broncos in the Poinsettia bowl. San Diego was beautiful and we had a great time with our friends, but the outcome of the game was sorely disappointing.

Christmas was spent in Twin Falls with the McBride family. Grandma McBride always goes out of her way to make things special. She had delicious meals prepared, lots of goodies, gifts and surprises for the kids, like a visit from Santa, and more. We had fun visiting with Robert's siblings and catching up on many movies we hadn't seen during the year such as, Mama Mia and Iron Man.

We came home a few days after Christmas to relax and just be. We did nothing but play with our new toys, watch Christmas movies, and enjoy some time as a family. It was so nice to sleep in, be lazy, and have no schedule or place to be.

New Year's Eve we headed over to Pocatello and partied with friends. New Year's Day we spent with my parents, Stan and Nichole and family. We went to an ISU basketball game and watched the Bengals win in over time by one point at the buzzer! We slept out at Stan's house and always enjoy their beautiful home on the mountain. The kids love playing with their cousins and the opportunity to see and feed the horses. Friday we met my parents for one last meal at grandpa's restaurant and then hit the road for home.

Last night Clint and Amy came over and watched our kids while we went out. It is so nice to have them here and swap kids once in awhile. We know they're in good hands, they love to see their cousins, and the babysitting is free! We picked up our good friends the Seversons and went to Thai food and then to the Ram for dessert. We always enjoy their company and find ourselves in thought provoking conversations that leave me thinking and wanting to work at being a better friend, wife and mother.

So, the New Year is here and I am ready for change. I am ready to start the year off fresh and set some goals. Every year I set both a physical and spiritual goal. The physical might just be to run a marathon, however, I am not sure! The challenge really frightens me. For now, I will sign up for Ogden's half and try to beat my time from last year. I think I might try to get into St. George's marathon. If I get in, I will do it! Spiritually, I plan to focus on the same thing as our Primary theme, eternal families. I have set a few goals that I think will be helpful to us as a family, build our relationships, bring us closer, and help us serve and love one another more.

So, this is it...the last day of Christmas break. I am off to take down the Christmas decor, making it all final! But, as I do, I am looking forward to 2009 and doing my best to make it a great year!

Christmas 2008