DANCIN' THE NIGHT AWAY

Perhaps this isn't the best family night activity for a Sunday night, but this is one of my favorite things to do with my kids. We have so much fun cranking up the music and just get crazy dancing!


Moo had fun rocking out to "We Will Rock You."


Aces even got involved this time (usually he is just the DJ) and Chunkabear snapped a quick photo to capture the moment forever.


Pal bit his tongue early on in the fun so pulled out of the festivities before the camera came out. We'll catch him next time!



This is one of the many beautiful dresses Moo has for the season thanks to Grandma S. We love you Grandma! Thanks for the beautiful dresses and the excuse to hit the boutiques for some great hair accessories!

MEI'S FIRST ADVENTURE IN THE SNOW

We've had a lot of snowy days here, but I have yet to let Mei venture out into the cold...mainly because I know the daunting task of dressing a 1 year old in snow clothes. We were having great success until her second boot....10 minutes later, she was ready to go out! There were many squeals of delight and many squeals of "Help, I can't get up!" but overall, it was a success! Her final squeal came when I made her come inside. Here are some more pics of her first adventure in the snow.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

This year was a hard Christmas for me. I worked so many long nights that I hardly felt like it was Christmas at all. I came home from work Christmas morning (my 3rd night on in a row) hoping beyond all hope that I could grab an hour of sleep before getting up with the kids. Unfortunately, Pal was already up on the couch beaming at the presents with great anticipation! So much for some shut eye! Since he was up, I woke everyone else up and the festivities began. It was a magical morning for the kids. And I'm sure it was a magical day for them too, but I had to duck out at 8:00 and get some sleep. I am a bit broken hearted still to think of all the little moments I know I missed and all the memories I could have made with them and Aces, but am so grateful for what I was able to be apart of. I am even more grateful to my dear husband for stepping up and taking care of my family for those 3 days and nights of work so I could sleep. He was and ever is my knight in shining armor! Thanks Grandma's and Grandpa's and others for the wonderful and most thoughtful gifts sent. We appreciate every thought and kindness. Maybe one year we'll break tradition and venture closer to home for a Christmas with family. But since we couldn't be there this year, here are a very few pictures of our morning. We love you all! Merry Christmas! Now on to those New Year's resolutions......

SANTA BABY

"Santa, baby, slip a sable under the tree for me! Been an awful good girl, Santa, baby. So hurry down the chimney tonight!"
Mei had a great time playing in our tree skirt the other day. It was adorable! You could tell she felt so pretty...even though her hair wasn't done and she was wearing the same sweats for the 2nd day in a row.(Maybe 3rd) What do you want? I was busy!


We had a ward party last Saturday. It was a breakfast, which I thought was wonderful. It kept the evening open for play...or for me, work. They had the breakfast laid out on large platters and were delivered to each table family style. It was so nice not to have to juggle 2 or 3 plates in my hands while trying to keep eye contact on the kiddos. GREAT IDEA! I was in charge of the choir to sing a couple of songs and then lead everyone in a sing along. It went better than I thought. And of course, the big man himself made an appearance. Pal jumped on his lap like it was no big deal, Mei sat for about 2 1/2 seconds flat (she doesn't like men), and Chunkabear didn't get very far as usual!




And on a side note, this is the desk Aces hefted in all by himself. It is an 'L' shaped desk that cannot be taken apart. I put Pal on there so you could get an idea of how big it is. Ask him how his back is feeling. (By the way, don't look at my mess...again, I've been busy!!!)

THE BOY WHO COULDN'T MAKE IT

'Nough said.

PAL'S CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

Pal had his Christmas program last night. It was a lot of fun to see what these kids have worked so hard to accomplish. The theme was Christmas Around the World. The first graders (Pal's class) represented the Jewish holiday. The sang "Hanukah" and "Driedel." We also saw performances representing Africa, Asia, and of course America. Unfortunately they didn't do a single song that anyone knew. It made it hard for my little ones to sit still and pay any sort of attention.





I ended up giving Chunkabear my camera with which he had fun taking about 50 pictures. I included some of my favorite ones that he took...I finally saved one of the dudes bald head because Chunkabear took at least 15 of him. I guess he found something he was interested in!

MOO

Just a couple pics of Moo doing nothing but looking cute and making her mommy smile. I love this little girl. She is such a delight. May I just say how delighted I am that she kept a headband on her head?! That hasn't happened since she was roughly 4 months old! The other picture shows her dancing by the keyboard...another favorite passtime. Perhaps one day it will sit on something different so I can sit on my bench.

GEORGE

Although it may not be the original George, here is a picture of a surrogate for you to enjoy!

THANKSGIVING/CHRISTMAS

We had a great time visiting my family for Thanksgiving this year. I felt so blessed that all of my brothers and sisters and their families were able to be there. It was a lot of fun to see all of them together again. Unfortunately, it was so much fun that I forgot to pull out my camera and capture some memorable moments! Beyond the feast, the kids had a ball playing thanksgiving day pictionary, coloring indian and pilgrim pictures, making indian headbands, running an obstacle course, and hunting "the wild turkey" out in Grandma's yard. And to make the day a bit more special, it was also Grandma Linda's birthday! Happy birthday! We love you!

Since we were all together, mom decided it would be fun to have a Christmas party as well. Bubba hosted it at her house. Again, we had tons of fun! To start off, the kids made really cute reindeer ornaments...thank you Kimi for the fun craft!






Then the kids made "ornaments" out of metallic pipe cleaners and we all joined in decorating Grandpa like a Christmas tree!!! He was such a good sport...he had ornaments poked in his ear and eye instead of on the "boughs"! Ouch!




Aunt Hedda read us a holiday themed story, which wonder of wonders, the kids actually sat and listened to!!! Way to go!



We wrapped the night up with a pass the parcel game where Uncle Feff finally got George back after a 2 year vacation! Unfortunatly, that took me by surprise as well, and I failed to capture the teary eyed moment! Welcome home George!!!

We had a great weekend. Thanks to everyone who came, who prepared food and activities, and made the holiday season special. We love you all!

HALLOWEEN

Achy bellys and sore feet, that's what I got from my trick or treat!

Halloween was a lot of fun. We hit a couple of relatively small trunk or treats and had a fun Halloween carnival at the church. The boys had a blast playing all of the games they had set up. Pal was a bit disappointed that there was no door to door trick or treating. Maybe next year!

ABC's of ME

Thanks, Jody (I think) for tagging me. I'm sure you will regret it shortly when you see how oh so boring I truly am! Here goes...
A) Attached or Single: Attached
B) Best Friends: My hubby...who could ask for anything more?
C) Cake or Pie: Probably pie. Ok, let's be honest. The pie filling and all the whipped cream on top. Not a big fan of the crust. Ok, so also the frosting on cake. I loved mom's cinnamon swirl cake she just made and I adore carrot cake! I LOVE 'EM BOTH!
D) Day of Choice: Sunday. I usually don't work and it is full of family time and music time.
E) Essential Item: I'm a bit embarrassed, but you asked for it...my self adhesive bra inserts. (Can you see me blushing?!)
F) Favorite Color: To wear, Black. In general, Teal.
G) Gummi Bears of Worms: Definetly the worms. I love to suck them in.
H) Hometown: A sweet little city with NO traffic lights!
I) Indulgences: bubble baths, take out, and a good book/magazine
J) January or July: July, July, July! Have you ever been here in January???
K) Kids: 3; 2 boys and 1 girl.....and hopefully more if I can get Aces on board down the road a bit!
L) Life is Incomplete Without: My husband, my kids, music, extended family, and the gospel.
M) Marriage Date: A gorgeous day in April 2000.
N) Number of Siblings: 2 brothers, and 3 sisters
O) Oranges or Apples: Apples sliced and served with caramel sauce. mmmmm....
P) Phobias or Fears: I am afraid of everything when Aces is out of town. I always think there is someone in the house or lurking outside. Needless to say, the kids are in bed with me for a sleepover when he's gone. It helps me feel more secure.
Q) Quotes: Anything Nacho Libre!
R) Reason to Smile: I'm not going to work tonight!!!
S) Season: Spring. I get a bit down and out in the dreary winter months, so when the sun starts to peak out again and the smell in the air changes to rain and flowering plants, I can't help but smile and feel alive again.
T) Tag Three: I tag Aces, The Reading Armadillo Momma (don't know your nickname you go by on your blog!), and Jen Meyerson
U) Unknown Fact About Me: My life is an open book. After reading letter 'E' you now know it all.
V) Vegetarian or Meat Eater: Meat eater.
W) Worst Habit: cracking my knuckles
X) Xray or Ultrasound: From a work stand point, Xrays. They get done so much faster. At night time we always have to call in an ultrasound tech. It usually takes an hour for them to get there. Then we get crabby patients who think they can't wait. You just can't win.
Y) Your Favorite Food: The traditional Thanksgiving meal.
Z) Zodiac: Aries

OUR GREAT ESCAPE

Love my kids tons, but do you not agree that you just need a break every once and awhile? Aces and I took off to Utah this weekend for a little R&R. Grandma/Grandpa W. and Aunt Bubba took over the kids on Friday and Saturday so we could enjoy our great escape.
We had a lot of fun. We went to Rodizio Grill for dinner on Friday night. Any of you who know Aces well will know that that place was designed just for him! All you can eat meat??!! And they bring it to you whenever you want??!! Who could ask for anything more! I think he sang a particular song..."I'm in heaven!" We then spent the evening lounging in a hotel room reading books! To some, that may not sound exciting, but it was just what the doctor ordered! And the best part...we had a craving for some ice cream at about 10:00 and we were BOTH able to go! Wow!
Saturday was a fun filled day riding rides and laughing at crazy people at Lagoon. I think my body isn't meant for too many roller coasters any more. I had the worst headache afterwards and even got near blacking out while riding on the Colossus. Who knew? We took a break for a couple of hours to have lunch and go see the Harry Potter movie. Can I just say, HOW DISAPPOINTING!!! I guess my expectations were too high.
By the end of the night, we were ready to get back to reality. It was nice to run away to help regain that sense of appreciation for the kids and the simple way things run in our life.
Thanks to the fam for all their help and for letting us slip away!!!

More Deck Pics

Well the deck is coming along all that is left is the stairs. I will get some help on making the stringers since I have never done any before and I dont want to have to by any more 16 foot 2x12's the price of wood is ridiculous. Anyway its almost there so I thought I'd put up a couple more pics for my adoring fans. The first one shows the view from the deck around sunrise...Not that I'll be spending much time on the deck at or near sunrise...but Uget the idea.

THE PUMPKIN MAN

I have been in and out of my house 3 or 4 times today and could tell something was different. It finally hit me that my pumpkin man who sits by my door was gone. I found arms, legs, body and head torn apart on my neighbors front lawn! (sorry for the mess Marlene!) Rest in peace pumpkin dude! Born October 18th, 2007. Died October 23rd, 2007.

ANOTHER WEEK IS OVER...

I am so glad this week is over! I can't say that it was a horrible week, but it surely ended with a bang. About an hour before I went to work on Friday, I started to feel nauseated, but decided it was from eating too many cookies so went to work anyway. (Yes, I love the cookies!) When I got to work, we were slammed! We had everything ranging from a 4yr old with seizures, some broken bones, a guy with crappy blood pressure and blurry vision, a lady who had come by ambulance in full arrest who didn't make it and was just waiting for the mortuary, and to top it off, a code blue on the med floor. Sadly, she didn't make it either. It's not every day that the mortician picks up 2 in one visit. Aces called me shortly after all of this was going on to inform me that Mei was projectile vomiting and had awful diarrhea. That is when I realized that my nausea and hot flashes were probably beyond a tummy ache from eating too many cookies...and pretty soon I was joining in the vomiting fun in the bathroom at work. YUCK!

I had the worst time finding someone to come fill in for me, but finally 3 hours into my shift, sweet, sweet relief came. It was a horrible night for me and Mei, and in the morning I found out for Pal as well. Well, Aces got sick Saturday day as well as his mom, who is visiting us for a time. Chunkabear is the only one who has eluded the nasty bug so far. We'll see how that goes. I took work off on Saturday night so I could tend to all of my sick family, but sadly have to go back tonight! I just hope I don't walk into chaos like I did on Friday!

On a more upbeat note, today was the boy's primary program at church. It is always one of my favorite Sundays. I have always loved to see the children sing, and especially love to see my own children sing and participate. They did a great job! I have learned that Chunkabear is my "shy" one of the bunch. He worked so hard to learn his sweet little part and then backed out of the whole program! Well, that's not fair. He did make it through the first 2 songs before he joined me on my bench in tears. Pal is a born showman. He sang so well and stood up with pride and confidence to say his line. I am always so amazed at his ability to do any task that is set before him.

I also had ward choir practice today. That is honestly one of my Sunday highlights each week. I love to direct our ward choir! I was so afraid when the call came to me a year ago, and now I thrive on it. I almost seem to go through a spiritual withdrawal when we miss a practice. We are working on a beautiful arrangement for Thanksgiving right now as well as 2 of 4 songs I have for Christmas. I am so blessed to have such an awesome calling and to be wrapped up in the middle of such a talented ward.

The temple celebration choir is going wonderfully. We made a practice recording a couple of weeks ago, and may I say, WE ARE GOOD! The songs are so beautiful and powerful and moving and the orchestra is incredible! I hope some of you out there will be able to come up and enjoy the night when it rolls around in a couple of months. It will be great.

Well, until next time.........

A SPLATTERING OF FALL

So I hear there are those out there who are getting to be a bit antsy to see more pics of the deck. Well, here you go! Hopefully all of the balisters will be up by Friday and the stairs can get started on Saturday.

JUST A PERSONAL SIDE NOTE....

To Aces....
I want to shout out to the world so everyone knows--I love you! I love you! I love you! Thank you for being you and for choosing me. You are my everything!

SLOWLY BUT SURELY