10 hours and counting!!

Countdown to Christmas links

Countdown 1
Countdown 2
Countdown 3

Santa has been here!!!
Time for wined down time and bed!!
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!!

13 hours and counting!!

If you do not understand this post refer to the following links.
Christmas countdown!
Christmas countdown 2!

BED TIME

Sporting the new PJ's they get to open Christmas Eve every year.
But I did not make them this year :-( I will do better next year!

15 hours and counting!!

Well a lot can happen in just a short span of time.

W made ginger bread houses from the kit you buy at the store. Was not a good experience for me.

Leo was already picking out what he wanted to eat off of it first.

I was making mine by this time.

When we were out building snowmen Leo kept initiating snowball fight with everyone.

We made this a family event (except for Simon being too little for the cold) so Sage was out there with us having fun chasing snowballs and eating at the snowmen.

Preparing for the picture with the Snowman.

Almost a good shot.

Ok now we got it.

Countdown to Christmas!!

So I am going to try to post a picture every few hours or so while we wait for Christmas to come. The newest pictures will be first.

12:15pm Christmas Eve

Well at this very moment Simon is sleeping so this was taken earlier.

Hugh was working on my Dads computer. SO for the sake of there privacy (it was is in their room) I have removed that picture.

Katie was just walking around singing and carrying her CUTE picture. And Sage WAS being good.


Leo was playing tennis with one of those joystick games that plugs right into the TV.

Mom was doing dishes and Dad was on his computer. And a nice fire in the living room that Hugh made.

The tree BEFORE Santa comes.

Up up and away.....

So we are out of here for a couple of weeks. Hugh gets block leave for 2 weeks before deployment, so we are going to my parents for the holidays. So with cleaning last min. house work and packing I will not be on very much in the next couple of days and then I am going to try not to be on much while visiting my parents. I will make time to visit all of my friends blogs but there might not be a post from me in the next 2-3 weeks. I will try to post at least one picture on Christmas.

So in the mean time... MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL MY FRIENDS.

Ok ok Deb

So every once and a while I need a reminder to update. Sometimes that reminder comes from Hugh saying "you haven't done anything on you blog for a really long time." Or he will put something on himself. And sometimes it comes from a friend in a message. Or from a sister while talking on the phone with her. What I really want to say is I don't mind the reminder at all.

So hears whats happening. I went to Az. for about 2 weeks for my brothers wedding. I spent a lot of that time sewing dresses for Katie and 4 of her cousins. They turned out really good but I never got a chance to get a picture of all of them together. The wedding was beautiful. I am so glad to welcome a new sister in law!! And her 2 girls!! More nieces for me!!

It was great to see the Mountains again. There is nothing like a Tucson sunset.

Sage once again has a rash. Not sure what to do now. We have a couple of options open for us. Now I just have to make a decision. I'll let you know later what happens.

I suppose that's about all that's going on.

It was great seeing my family. Saw some a bit more than others but it was good.

Yes or No

You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages or comments you and asks. -- and believe me, the temptation to explain some of these will be overwhelming. Nothing is exactly as it seems. Yes or No Only!

Now, here's what you're supposed to do. . . Copy and paste this into your notes, delete my answers, type in your answers.

------- ------- ------- ------- ------- -------
Been arrested? --- No
Kissed someone you didn't like? --- Yes
Slept in until 5 PM? --- No
Run a red light? --- No
Been suspended from school? --- No
Experienced love at first sight? --- No
Totaled your car in an accident?--- No
Been fired from a job? --- No
Fired somebody? --- No
Sang karaoke? --- No
Pointed a gun at someone? --- No
Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? --- Yes
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? --- Yes
Kissed in the rain? --- Yes
Had a close brush with death (your own)? --- No
Seen someone die? --- No
Played spin-the-bottle? --- No
Smoked a cigar? --- No
Sat on a rooftop? --- Yes
Smuggled something into another country? --- No
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes? --- Yes
Broken a bone? --- No
Skipped school? --- No
Eaten a bug? --- No
Sleepwalked? --- Yes
Walked a moonlit beach? --- Yes
Rode a motorcycle? --- No
Dumped someone? --- No
Lied to avoid a ticket? --- No
Ridden in a helicopter? --- No
Shaved your head? --- No
Made your boyfriend/girlfriend cry? --- No
Eaten snake? --- No
Marched/Protested? --- No
Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? --- Yes
Puked on amusement ride? --- No
Seriously & intentionally boycotted something? --- No
Been in a band? --- No
Been on TV? --- No
Shot a gun? --- Yes
Skinny-dipped? --- Yes
Gave someone stitches? --- No
Ridden a surfboard? --- No
Had surgery? --- No
Streaked? --- No
Taken by ambulance to hospital? --- No
Passed out when not drinking? --- Yes
Peed on a bush? --- Yes
Donated Blood? --- No
Grabbed electric fence? --- Yes
Eaten alligator meat? --- No
Killed an animal when not hunting? --- No
Peed your pants in public? --- Yes
Snuck into a movie without paying? --- No
Written graffiti? --- No
Went to a gay bar? --- No
Still love someone you shouldn't? --- No
Been in handcuffs? --- No
Believe in love? --- Yes
Sleep on a certain side of the bed? --- Yes
Played the stop-light game? --- Yes
Drove while under the influence? --- No
Stolen something? --- No
Eaten emu? --- No
Survived living with psychotic roommates? --- No
Fell asleep at the movie theater? --- No
Egged someones house/car? --- No
Slept outside? --- Yes
Mooned/flashed someone? --- No
Ever cheated on your boy/girl friend? --- Yes
Been cheated on? --- Yes
Got a tattoo? --- No
Did something stupid while under the influence? --- No
Regret anything you've ever done? --- Yes

What do you think?

So this is an idea for a wall that will be devoted to my kids and how much I love them. Aside from the one frame that doesn't match I'm not sure how it looks. Comments are on, voice an opinion if you would like. Some of the pictures will be changed too. But this is what I had for now.

Life, what a roller coaster

So as you may or may no know we have moved!! It wasn't far. just down the street. But it has been a long road. But it is done and over with....sort of. The moving out of the old house has happened and is finally over with. But now i have unpacking to do. And there was really no REAL organization to my packing in the first place.

Along with moving, I have enrolled Sage in obedience training through petsmart. I am glad but at the same time it will be A LOT of work on my part. She has the sit thing down really good and has for a while but I don't want to move forward until I am told by the trainer to move onto something else. She knows some basic commands already from what i have trained her, like sit, lay, off. Ok she doesn't know off so much. But we are now working on loose leash walking which is taking A LOT of patience! The only hard part about it is I use all my patience with my kids. So when it comes to Sage time I have to really concentrate on what the goal is. But I do have to say she has gotten better.... I think.

Soon I will be leaving town to go to my brothers wedding!!!!! I am really excited to see all of my family. And I really like my future sister-in-law!! She is awesome and her two girls are so sweet and will all fit right in with my family!

Hugh is home!!!! Well until 3am tomorrow when he will go train for a a few days. But he has been home for 2 1/2 weeks. We are glad to have him back! We will miss him again and be glad when he returns home again.

I think that is all for us lately. Sorry about the long delay for a post, but life happens.

Oh and Deb, welcome to my club :-) Don't you just love the Wii. You should see if you can borrow the Wii fit from someone. Katie loves doing the activity's on it and I am losing weight. And I don't know if I said it on Facebook but congrats on the new ride!!

Plethora of Pictures!

So lately Katie has been having bad dreams and such. One night she said she wanted a friend to sleep with her (she had also been asking for a cat so I had to clarify she was NOT asking for a cat to sleep in her bed.) No she wanted a friend like our neighbor to spend the night. I told her no and she needed to go to bed and when I checked on her she had all of her stuffed animals lined up along her bed.
(Oh and she lost her tooth, picture later.)

I don't know what it was about this day but the lizards were out and loving my flowers. There was another one earlier that day but I could not get the camera fast enough and Leo scared it. But they were on top of the flowers during different times of the day.

This one was hiding pretty good.

And my pretty patio with my pretty flowers!

I found Leo some PJ's to match Simon!! They were so cute. (We had spaghetti that night and Leo was saving some for later.)

This is what I wake up to in the mornings! Leo on one side....

Katie on the other!


Who are you and what did you do with my dog!?! Not that I would trade back! Sage has been excellent the last 2 days! I do hope this will last! Simon has been able to roll on the floor without being attacked by Sages tong! I have been able to tell her to go out of the kitchen and she goes and lays by the front door! I can even sit on the couch without her jumping on me! It has been wonderful!

See that!! Can you believe it!! 3 days ago this was UNHEARD OF!
No really!! I would stand to watch TV. THE WHOLE SHOW!

And Simon is sitting up... sort of. He is working on it. I could not pick just one or two pictures because he is just so cute in all of them!



Watching TV.

SEE!! Isn't it AMAZING!

Leo came down the stairs looking like this.

So I guess that is life right now. General Conference was GREAT! Twice a year I am reminded as to why Thomas S. Monson has always been my favorite speaker!

Maybe next post I might turn the comments back on. Not quite ready yet.

And never fear I will have the homemade gifts in the mail soon. If only life would stop happening.

Becoming a big girl!

The tooth that is loose was the first one she got when she was 8 months old. She even tried to pull it out herself! But I guess it is just not ready. But I am sure it will be VERY soon!
Oh and she wanted me to take a picture of her saying *cheese* with her tooth sticking forward.

Sewing!

IN YOUR SENIOR YEAR DID YOU...
1. Did you date someone from your school? Yes

2. Did you marry someone from your high school? No

3. Did you car pool to school? Sometimes

4. What kind of car did you have? Chrysler lebaron

5. What kind of car do you have now? Dodge Durango

6. It is a Saturday night...where are you now? Home with the kids sleeping!

7. It is Saturday night...where were you then? Out hanging with friends

8. What kind of job did you have in high school? Waitress at Golden Corral or Old Country Buffet

9. What kind of job do you do now? FT Mommy

10. Were you a part of a clique? No way!

11. Were you considered a flirt? Umm.. yeah

12. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Choir all the way!

13. Were you a nerd? No

14. Did you get suspended or expelled? No

15. Can you sing the fight song? Not then ..not now!

16. Who was/were your favorite teacher(s)? All! They let me graduate!

17. Where did you sit during lunch? Sometimes in the Cafeteria at a table sometimes standing in the commons area.

18. What was your school's full name? Northrop High School

19. When did you graduate? 2001

20. What was your school mascot? Bruins

21. If you could go back and do it again, would you? HECK NO!!

22. Did you have fun at Prom? Not really.

23. Are you still in touch with a HS boyfriend/girlfriend? No.

24. Are you planning on going to your next reunion? I only went there one year and everyone thought I was a Freshman soooo.... No.

25. Do you still talk to people from school? Honestly I can't think of anyone off hand so I don't think so, but maybe??

26. School Colors? Orange and Brown, EWE!!

27. Did you do Senior Skip Day? I don't think I did.

28. Were you in any high school sports? No

29. What was your favorite high school memory? GRADUATION!!

Video Blog

Ready for Halloween!




Look at the tong action!!




This is his favorite thing to do!




Leo being Leo!

Labor Day Weekend Re-cap

So not much was going to happen here for us. It was just going to be a long weekend at home. We were not even going to church because Leo got a snotty nose... again. I was just about to make bread Sunday morning, but then around 9am I got a phone call from my Dad. Oh yeah he was going to VA this weekend to check on my grandparents land that they still have. I decided I would meet him half way or something. I looked up how long the drive was going to be... only 4 hours!! Heck yeah I will go see him. I decided I would drive all the way instead of meeting half way. So about an hour later the kids and I were on our way to go see my Dad. The trip consisted of many cute phrases that all sounded like this :

Leo-"when we get to Grandmas house can we play with her toys?"
Me-"We aren't going to Grandmas house."
Leo-"when we get to Grandpas can we play?"
Me-"We aren't going to Grandpas we are just going to go see Grandpa."

And so on and so forth. It was really cute. I finally explained that we were going to go meet at a hotel. It was really a quick drive and the kids did a great job. So we got to visit, stayed the night, had breakfast, got to visit a little more and then came home. But not without pictures.

I know you can't see them very well but there are 3 baby birds in there. It was a nest built between the window and screen of my Grandparents back door. There were 4 but Dad scared one away when he stuck his had down there before we knew the nest was there. It just looked like a pile of pine needles had collected there. The window was broken. The other 3 birds were gone before we left that day.

This is a tree that was planted back when Steven was a baby. So roughly 30 or so years ago. My siblings had a picture taken standing in front of it. At the time that tree was probably about 2 feet taller than Katie, I think. And now here are my kids in front of it. I don't think my other siblings will ever see that tree again, so I wanted to get one last picture of it.
Mom says "The tree was nothing special, just a background."

I do not know if this was taken by Katie or Leo. This was at the hotel waiting to leave to get dinner.

Another taken while we waited. Photographer is Katie this time. I also found pictures of the microwaves and another that I could not make out because of the finger in the way.

Here is Me and Dad. Look at his nice straight teeth!! I took a lot of pictures of us but I didn' t think he wanted the world to see him trying to pick my nose. Plus I kept chopping off his head.

So after I returned home from VA I decided to make that bread I was about to start the day before. So I prepared the dough and got it rising. I then had time to throw dinner together to get it ready for the oven. After that I divided the dough into the pans and let them return to rising again. It was then that I realized the bread and dinner were both going to need to be in the oven at 4. WHAT WAS I GOING OT DO? After 3 phone calls (one to each of my sisters and one to my Mom(not in that order)) I decided to cook them together. I was a little worried about the chicken flavor being cooked into the bread. Thankfully that did not happen. Before I go on about the bread let me tell you about dinner! It was the FIRST meal I made up myself!! No recipe or ideas from someone else! And it was delicious! Everyone ate it and liked it and there were no leftovers. Ok on to the bread. So my bread turned out beautiful looking and I decided to capture it on camera and blog about it. Took a picture and brought it up on the computer and this is what it looked like.


Whats wrong with this you ask? Well nothing except for it being purple and horizontal lines going across it!! (Enlarge it and you will see). Man!! That will be the 3rd camera I have broken in the last 18 months!!! UGH!! How frustrating. So I thought maybe it was just the lighting. Nope, took a picture of myself and the same thing. So I banged the side of the camera with my hand a little and thought "yeah, let's hit the camera. That's really going to fix it..." (Very un-hopeful, if that is even a word) Took another picture of myself and vwala! It worked!! Holy cow! Hitting my camera out of frustration and disappointment actually fixed my camera. So hear is the lovely bread I made. And it tastes SOOO GOOD!!