Little Rockers

After I typed that title, I had to laugh. . . and I left it anyway. My boys all got Power Tour Electric Guitars for Christmas, and that is all we have heard since. They are really funny to watch, jamming out (Berek really gets into it). Even Gracie has been playing them, they have a setting to teach you how to play the different rock-n-roll songs. I think I have heard the first line of "Wild Thing" atleast a million times in the last 24 hours.

Matching Jammies

We, as most of you probably, too, have the Christmas Jammies tradition on Christmas Eve. This year Steve got Gracie and I matching Jammies from Cabelas, how fun is that! Check out my new mantle in the background, I love it.

Here Reindeer, Reindeer, Reindeer

Along with milk and cookies for Santa, we put reindeer food (oatmeal and glitter) out on Christmas Eve, so that Santa knows where our house it. The wind was blowing and I kinda like the way the flash caught the glitter in the air.

Hey, what do you know, we have a sledding hill

It finally snowed the kind of snow the kids could really play in. After they had been out a while, I noticed them at the top of our lot, getting ready to sled. It made me laugh because we have gone to other places to find sledding, and we have a great hill right there:). It took the little boys some help from their big brother to smooth out the snow, so they didn't have to do the caterpillar lurch to get going. As soon as Gracie and her friend, Bailey, saw them, they headed out too. Gavin and his friend, Garrett, were having fun "grinding" with the snowboard, while the little boys used their jump for their sleds and tubes. There were several times I was sure they were going to get decapitates by running into the playset, the snow wanted to take them right there. My trees got hit a couple of times, and they even ended up on the patio a few times. There were a few crashes, but no blood (which is good, because I am out of band-aids). They had a ball and stayed out until almost dark. I couldn't believe they weren't frozen solid.

Move over Martha!

Can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!

So, I had a great idea to have a gingerbread house contest, and split us up into two groups and see whose house turned out the best. Gracie thought we should have all gotten one of our own, but since they are $9.00 a piece, and I didn't think royal frosting would turn out for me, I opted for 2 and to have the contest. We drew for teams;Bridger, Berek and Gracie got on my team, while Gavin and Gage got on Steve's. Right off the bat theirs was turning out better. Who would have thought my dear hubby would have a knack with frosting. I am pretty sure our frosting was defective, it would only come out in big globs. How big was that hole supposed to be, anyway? So I tried the Pampered chef cake decorator thing, which by the was is way over-rated, and just ended up in a big mess. As I decorated windows and doors with rows of frosting, well sort of, Berek picked up the original bag and went to town on the roof. He even managed icicles, in a way. Gracie was getting pretty frustrated with him. And when we went to put on the gingerbread people and the tree, Bridger had eaten the tree. Meanwhile Steve is loopty looing and perfecting his masterpiece. I teased him that atleast mine was a team effort. He did let the boys put a couple of candies on:). We voted, our won, of course, there were four of us. I think it was almost as messy as the pumpkins.

Thanksgiving Baby Girl

We don't get a lot of new babies in our family, so it's pretty exciting when we do. This is little Alysa Dawn Durrant (I hope I spelled it right), she belongs to my brother, DeWayne, and his wife, Denise. She was born while we were in Mexico, on November 17. Thanksgiving was the first time we were able to see her. She is so sweet, I had a hard time puting her down. Her big Sister Makaila is equally as sweet, and we all just adore her, but I didn't manage to get a picture of her this time.

Mexico

I had been looking forward to our trip to Mexico for soo long and poof, its over just like that. We stayed in a resort called the Mayan Palace between Cancun and Playa Del Carmen, it was beautiful. We had a two bedroom suite with full kitchen and a mini pool on the balcony. Our friends, Jon and Renee Harvey went with us. The weather was great when we got there, but by Saturday afternoon, it headed South or North, wherever the nice weather goes when it leaves Cancun. Sunday we went to Xel-Ha for snorkeling and then to the Mayan ruins at Tulum, it was still 80 degrees, but cloudy. They were amazing. Monday we were supposed to dive in Cancun, but because of the high winds, the ports were closed and we were forced to find our way into Cancun for shopping. Tuesday, again the ports were closed, but we were given the option to dive in a cinote, which is a sink hole. We took them up on the offer and 2 minutes into the ride there, the dive master had me in tears. The dive was a cavern dive, which is basically into these underground tunnels and caves. I was terrified, and almost bagged out. It was great, after all. There were fossils of shells, sponges, etc. and Stactites and Stalagmites, all underwater, kind of like Minetonka cave, under water. It ended up being a good experience for me because I had to step out of my comfort zone. Wednesday we went to Chichenitza, which was even more amazing than Tulum. Thursday we did our Ocean dives, finally the sun came out. We dove a ship wreck at 85 feet, where we saw, besides tons of fish, a large school of Eagle Rays. Our second dive was a 60 foot reef dive. We saw sting rays, a sea turtle, a nurse shark, which I got to touch, and many, many other things. IT was awesome. We did two shallower dives in the afternoon with Jon and Renee. So, even though the weather wasn't great, we got to do everything we wanted, except go to Cozumel, and did some things we hadn't planned, and had a great time. It was so hard to come home.

Piano Recital

Gage and Gracie had a holiday piano recital last Saturday. Gage has only been taking lessons since September and he did a great job. He played Old MacDonald. Gracie played Jolly Old St. Nicolas and O Christmas Tree. They were both so nervous, and I totally know their fear. When I was young and taking piano, our piano teacher would make us play for the relief society sisters on Sunday. One time I kept messing up so bad, that I finally just ran and sat with my mom, sobbing. She didn't let me out, though (my teacher), I had to play it again the next week. But, atleast she didn't slap my fingers with a yard stick like she did when my Aunts were taking lessons.

Happy 7th Birthday, Gage

I am a little slow getting this on. Gage turned 7 on November 6. We had his party a couple of days early due to scheduling conflicts on Mom's part (Steve said don't even think about getting his nomination for "Mother of the Year". We have a tradition that I take each of my kids to SLC for a day for their birthday. Gage and I went on Friday and saw the new Madagascar movie and he got to spend his birthday money at Toys R Us.

Halloween

As I watched the leaves start to blow yesterday afternoon, I thought to myself, "the weather girl was wrong, and just like every other year, it's going to turn cold tonight". But . . . It held out and was great. We headed over to the church for games and a chili cook off and then had the much anticipated "trunk or treat". Steve and I fight for the trunk position every year that he's home. I won this year and got to sit in the car and hand out candy and see all of the cute costumes. Trunk of treat sometimes gets a bad rap because it's not the traditional door-to-door. For me, the door-to-door is okay, but my kids had their buckets over flowing in a matter of minutes, what could be better than that. We (when I say we, I really mean I) decided that instead of buying new costumes, as we usually do, that the kids had to either pick out a costume that we already had, or build one with stuff they could find around the house. I had to talk Gracie into the Dorothy costume. She happened to have the perfect dress that I think she's only worn a couple of times. I agreed to temporarily die her hair, and that won her over. The die didn't come out as dark, but she loved it. Gage didn't want to be the dragon, but I bought the costume a couple of years ago, on clearance, and talked him into it because it wouldn't fit by next year. The twins couldn't decide between the iron man costumes they got for their birthday or the cowboys, but since they got to wear guns, the cowboys won again. So I guess if you really think about it, the kids were what they were because I am a good negotiator (LOL). Also, I won the decorated trunk contest, mainly for my "blinkie" lights. I didn't know they were judging the trunks, but you all know how I like to decorate, and I wanted to see if I could get the strobe light to work in my car. I really wanted to bring the fog machine, but the little converter we have doesn't have enough volts. Maybe a generator next year??? Happy Halloween.

Thriller

I had to add the picture, because it's pretty cute. Steve put halloween music on for the pumpkin carving event and the song "Thriller" came on. Grandma started teaching the kids the "moves". They were pretty impressed that grandma knew how to dance, especially to a "scarry song".

Carving Pumpkins

Grandma Vicki came out on Wednesday night and after a halloween themed dinner (inspired by Sadie) we carved pumpkins. Grandma had her own version of a veggie pumpkin, while the kids picked templates to carve theirs off of the internet. Bridger and Berek thought that pulling the pumpkin guts out of their pumpkins was pretty gross. There was enough of a breeze on the back patio that we did it at the kitchen table, and I can't believe how many places pumpkin guts can get, and how it cements to the floor. Happy Halloween.

Eva Nave Chandler

This last week, Steve and I traveled to Alabama for his Grandmother's Funeral. "Mema" was born on July 20, 1927 and lost her battle with cancer on October 20, 2008. She was a wonderful lady. She and Pappy would visit Utah at least once a year. They drove their motor home here, until the last couple of years. She was loved here and in Alabama. I was impressed with how their Church of Christ congregation banned together to help, during Mema's illness and after her death.

I was so impressed by how well my Mother-in-law held it all together. She has been in Alabama for the past month and for weeks at a time for the last 7 or 8 months, since her Mother was diagnosed. I know that couldn't have been easy for her, but we are glad she was able to be there. I was amazed by her strength through the viewing and funeral services. Steve must also get his emotional strength from his Mom. He was asked to speak at the funeral, which for me, would be an utterly impossible task, at any funeral. He did a really nice job, that would make his Mema proud.

Happy Birthday Gracie Girl!

My baby girl is growing up way to fast. She turned 9 yesterday. She and I always go to Salt Lake for the day for her birthday. We shopped a little, visited Gardner Village, and made two trips through the aquarium, and then returned home for her party. I decided to try and be creative like Tiffany and Hiedi and make her cake. She chose an artist's pallett our of a kid's cake book that I have, it turned out okay because it was fairly simple, it's a good thing she didn't choose the princess castle.

How Do Twins Sleep?

Have you ever read the book, "Where does God sleep, Momma?" Well this is the "Where do Twins Sleep, Momma?" page of that book. From the day I brought them home, watching them sleeping side by side (or in this case on top of each other) always chokes me up, because I know they were sent here together for a reason (that's my sappy side). Although lately they have been informing me that they would rather have a different twin. The other day, Bridger said he didn't want Berek to be his twin, and would rather have Gavin. Berek informed me that he would prefer Garrett (my nephew) or Gage, on a separate occasion. But, there is a bond between them like no other, whether they like it or not.

Cute PJs, No Picture

As the kids were all heading out the door in the jammies, I thought, "I should take their picture to put on my blog". But, since the bus was on its way, I didn't. They looked so cute. It is Red Ribbon Week, for those who don't know why I would send my children to school in the PJs. I find that I look for reasons to take pictures for my blog, and then I usually dismiss them. Like last week when I was doing plum jelly, or yesterday when I was doing Salsa, those would have been good "look what I am up to" updates. But it all the mess, the camera just stays where it's at.

Big Bleeping Spider

I am using Shannon's spider adjective for this tarantula that was strolling past my garage doors this morning. I was kind of intrigued to see the tarantulas that were crossing Silver Avenue down by the lake, but I don't really think the idea of them hanging out at my house is so great. I have enough trouble with snakes, scorpions, and sand puppies in my basement, I don't think I could handle tarantulas. I did have Steve catch it, though, so I could show my boys. Should you hear a blood curtling scream today, it means it got out.

6 Random Facts??

Okay, this is the second tag from Shannon, and I really had no idea what that meant the first time, so I had to ask, and never got around to it. So.. this time I will and I hope I get it right. Here is 6 random facts about my life.

1. I hate to leave my house a mess, especially when we leave town for a few days. However, with my ever busy life, I don't always get my way. My house is not nearly as clean as it used to be.

2. I grew up in Vernon, not a big secret, though. This is harder than I thought.

3. I was born in Rocksprings, Wyoming. My Dad worked in the oil field and me and my younger sister were both born in Wyoming.

4. Steve and I have been married for 12 years.

5. I hate to do laundry, and of the laundry that I hate to do, I hate to fold the whites the most, or is it worst?

6. I like to make up silly words to known tunes, my kids think its pretty funny.

I tag Hiedi and Janae.

And the green grass grows all around and around

Well, after waiting patiently, we finally have a green haze to our back yard. We were a little worried about it, due to the severe rain storm we had three days after the hydroseed was sprayed on. You can see a little river down through the middle that was caused by that storm, but I think after the grass grows in, it shouldn't make a difference. Soon I will be getting a workout mowing, yipee!!

Late Night Date

So, last night I had a great idea. Steve's Friday's are every other Thursday and I could tell he needed a night out. So I had this thought that we could get all the kids, except Gavin (he is 14), in bed and go to a late movie. We pulled it off pretty good, I thought. They were all sleeping and I told Gavin to sleep on the couch in case the twins woke up. We saw Babylon A.D. (not really my pick, but there wasn't anything else worth seeing) and then went to Wal-mart. Just as we were leaving Wal-Mart, I get a call from home. It is sweet little Gracie wondering where we were and the twins are hysterical in the background. I assured her we were on our way and tried to call Gavin, who didn't answer because he was sacked out in his room upstairs. By the time we got home, Gracie had calmed the boys down. They were all snuggled up in my bed. She had gotten Bridger a heat pack for his leg, because he had another leg ache. She had tried to get them to eat something to calm them down and got them a glass of water. Needless to say, I felt terrible. I guess I will plan better next time. But the movie was good.

School Daze

Being in school has been an adjustment for us all. Gavin has forgotten something 5 days out of the 8 he's been in. And he has missed the bus several times and is already having trouble with the bus driver. On a positive note, he is thinking about trying out for the swim team. Gracie and Gage have been doing okay getting up and in class. Gracie finishes her homework on the bus, to allow for more time to play. Gage had his first day of "all day" school yesterday, and wasn't really impressed. The twins have been having a terrible time getting up. I am hoping this will get better. Our biggest problem is what clothes they will wear. They are both partial to a couple of shirts, and because there are usually two of every shirt, they want to wear them back to back. From a mother's standpoint, although they are clean, it will look like I am sending them in the same shirt day after day. This morning after listening to Berek cry and beg to wear the "Green muscle shirt" (between the two of them, they each have two different green muscle shirts and has worn three of them this week), I finally said he couldn't go if he wasn't willing to wear a different shirt and told him he could put the green one on as soon as he got home. The minute he walked in the door, he headed for his room and changed his shirt. He didn't even say "Hi, Mom.", first.

Kindergarten

School started last week for my older kids. Gracie started 3rd grade and Gage started 1st. We hit two milestones this year. Gavin started high school and Berek and Bridger started Kindergarten. Their (Bridger and Berek’s) first day was today. I have been so ready to have them go to school. A few hours a day to myself, to get to the things that never get gotten too. They went back and forth about whether they were going to ride the bus or not. I really wanted them to “need” me to take them to school. They really wanted to ride the bus, but they could see that I “needed” to take them. In the end they rode the bus, although we almost missed it because we couldn’t find Berek’s shoes. We had Gracie shouting at us the whole time to hurry (she hates to be late). They were so cute all lined up for the bus and they were so excited. I had my camera all ready to take pictures and had left the card in my computer, Crap! So. . . I sent my babies off and just stood there and thought, “Now What”, my babies are gone. I have been crying every time I talk or think about it ever since (like now, for instance). I so didn’t think it would hit me like this. I know I will start to appreciate it in a few days when I am actually getting projects done, like my basement. But for now, I’m going to sit around and cry and blame my dear sweet husband because I don’t still have a baby at home(just kidding, honey). Maybe I should eat bon bons and watch soap operas. What are bon bons, anyway?

Kindergarten

Watermelon and Trees

I am so excited, we are finally getting a back yard. I think I am more excited about the trees, though. They got most of them planted today. I have a small garden off the side of my house, that by the way is right in the way of the landscapers. But I have several pumpkins and this watermelon that I am so proud of. I think we are even going to be able to eat it. The kids keep asking when it's going to be ready. They love to go out and check it out. Berek said to Gavin the other night, "Did you know that Mom's growing melons?" Good thing Dad wasn't around to hear that, I am sure he'd have a comment for that.

Soccer Time

Today was the twins first soccer game. They were so excited they could hardly stand it. They played really good too, and couldn’t stand it when I had to take them out to rotate players. Gage had his first game today, too, but I didn’t get a picture. The twins game was at 9 in Grantsville and Gage’s was at 10 in Overlake. He is on the same team with another little girl that lives out here, and her little brother is on the twins team, so her mom took her and Gage and headed to their game early and I followed with the three little boys after their game was over. So, in the rushing around, I didn’t get a picture of Gage. Oh, well, I will get one later. He did really good too, even with a blister on his foot. His next game is Thursday at 7:00 at Overlake. You all should have the twins schedule already. Love Ya All. This is my new way to keep everyone informed or the goings on in our lives, so hopefully I can keep it up through the school year.