New Year’s Eve

This year for New Year’s Eve we invited ourselves over to the Peterson’s Fun Party. Well, we did get invited but we sorta asked when they were doing, so felt like I invited myself. Either way, thanks for inviting us so we weren’t so lame. We had a blast. This picture makes me laugh because we were laughing so hard when they took it. We felt like movie stars or something - we had people taking our picture from every angle. We had so much fun. We really know how to party!!

Jeffrey popped open his grape juice from years past. Like 2005 and 2007. Both good years. Apparently the juice was still really good and not even a hint of fermentation ;)

Not to self: really start wearing a little bit more makeup ;)

Cool Crepe Maker

Berneen and her family came over for dinner tonight. For dessert she brought over her crepe maker. It was fascinating to me. This little cooking machine is so cool. You turn it upside down and swirl it in the batter then flip it right side up and let it cook. You peel up the edges and wah~lah crepes!

Yes, I had two they were delicious!! Thanks Berneen - that was so fun!

Ice Skating

Today we went ice skating. Well, some of us did and some of us didn’t. Funny how something that’s supposed to be so fun can end up being a lot of work. ;) The kids gave it a good try but overall I think they had fun. I even tried it and forgot how hard it really is. I love to watch other people though. It was a beautiful day to do it too.  This has become a new tradition. We've done it twice in a row now. See how long this one lasts. For now, I love it - makes me smile. :D

Gingerbread Houses

We made our gingerbread houses today. I love this family tradition. It's so fun to see what designs the kids come up with. Note to self:  Next year make two extra houses. One for me and Berneen. We had just as much fun helping with the designs as the kids did.

Another funny little thing about this year that you can't see in the picture and I want to remember is that each one of them pried the roof back and threw candy inside for later. That just cracked me right up. I think it started with Annie (Annie!! you make me smile :) so smart - really so smart!!)

Girls Lunch

Kristi invited me to be part of her girls lunch today and it made me feel happy. We had a lot of fun talking and laughing and eating and laughing some more. Love these girls - they make working worth it!

Thanks Kristi!!

Christmas Purse Party Exchange

So tonight was the purse party for the girls in the office.  It was a fun new idea that they had to instead of exchanging presents with each other we'd have a purse exchange. We were supposed to find a purse for $20 or under. Found out that was quite a challenge. Apparently I am a cheap skate and had no idea how much purses really are. But none the less, I found one and got this one in exchange. It turned out to be a really fun idea that made for a really fun party.  Thanks girls

Whipped Cream in a Can

Josh had a science experiment that he had to get done and so we did it today - of course at the last minute. Josh makes everything fun!! This time the science experiment was SUPER EASY and SILLY.

He decided to see which whipped cream held it's shape the longest. Never imagined it would be the cheapest one - Western Family received that prestigious honor.  Go figure.

Try, Try Again!

This picture is sorta cheating - although it's a new picture, it wasn't taken today. I didn't even take one today. It's pretty obvious that it's from Sunday. But, this is my 365 and I make the rules. Right?!!

I love this picture of Josh because it shows a bit about his personality. In this picture I told him to make a serious face. How cute it was to me that he had a really hard time doing that. You can see the smile all over his face. I can also see how much he's growing up. Ahhhh!! He's almost a teenager!!!  I love Josh so much!! He makes me laugh. He teaches me how to make things fun. He loves, loves, loves to smile and be silly and sometimes I need to do that more often instead of trying hard to make it serious.

This 12 thing is a tough year. Being a deacon is a little scary and Middle School is a bit overwhelming. Something I'm noticing about Josh is that he initially gets overwhelmed but as soon as he talks it through, freaks it out and stomps his feet a little, he does it. He still does it!!  That's not always easy to do. Often when I get that way, I just give up and don't always want to try, try again. But Josh doesn't give up, he just gets it done. That's impressive to me. He teaches me that even if it's tough, try, try again.

Time for the Lights

We went to see the lights tonight with Jeff’s family. It was cold, but it was fun. So pretty there. So peaceful even with the hustle and bustle all around. It’s beautiful. It's official winter is here.

Sorry for the grainy picture - I forgot my camera this was taken on my cell phone.

Big Ring

Have I told you that I HEART BIG RINGS?  Well, I do. I think they are fun. They make me smile.

This is my newest. Whadu think?

Eleven, 11, Eleven

Tonight Emalee planned a party to celebrate 11-11-11.  Fun! So we started with Hawaiian Haystacks and had 11 toppings. We planned to play 11 games. That didn’t pan out as well, but we did play some games. The kids played a lot too - hmm maybe we did play 11 games (combined). Then we thought it would be fun to play bingo - which IS a game of numbers. That was fun!! We also realized that Grandma has 11 grandchildren and the 11th one was born in 2011!!  That's cool - eh?!

In this picture we had drinks to make a toast at 11:11 pm.  It was such a Fun Night ~ thanks for thinkin' of it Emalee!!

iPhone Fun

Hayden loves my iPhone. He asks me if he can play with it. All the time. Because he asks me I found myself finding fun little Apps for him to play with. This picture is from a little App that is obviously an App that lets him make a face on a pumpkin. AND, it was the ONLY picture I had for Nov 6. So, here ya go. Woot ~ Woot for the iPhone Apps!!

No Syrup Necessary

This morning we felt like doing something fun. Something a little different. So we made pancakes, but not your all around normal pancakes. We made Cinnamon Roll Pancakes!  Oh ya baby!! They were DE LeeSee Oso!! Yum-O!! Hayden took some into Jeff and asked him if he needed syrup. Jeffrey took one bite and said, "No, bud. No syrup necessary."

Fun!!

Fall Fun

Today was my day off and Hayden and I did a lot of fun things. First we went to the Peterson’s Pumpkin Patch and picked out 4 pumpkins.  We shopped for a haunted mask for Zac. Zac is in the Letham’s Herriman Haunts spook ally again this year. We found a really gross one that he just loved!

We also headed over to the Up House too. It’s way cute inside. I can’t imagine living there, but I’d love to visit whoever does. It just has a fun atmosphere about it.

Later we carved those pumpkins with family and friends. What a great fall day!

Mandy’s Visit

Mandy came for a visit and to celebrate with Emalee for her B-day. It’s exciting to think she can travel for free, almost, whenever she wants to or can. What a cool thing to be able to come for a fast visit like that. I’m so glad she can and so glad we got to see her. It was so fun to laugh out loud with her and to be silly. It was a good night.  Isaac was so good and slept through the whole event that I almost forgot about him. . . . . .

. . . . almost.

Fall Soccer in Swing

I had to snag this picture of Hayden sorta taking a nap here at soccer practice. He just wasn't into it today. We had been there about 5 minutes and he told me he had to pee. Oh great! This park doesn't have a restroom. He then proceeded to tell me that he was hungry. Then, with all the pleading this boy could muster, he said, "Mom, I just wanna go home."  So, this mom, with all she could muster, explained to him that he was the one that told me (over and over again, I might add) that yes, he did want to play soccer again this year. That even though he complained he really likes soccer and he assured me that he wanted to do it again. So, even though he didn't feel like it today, I knew deep down he really likes it and knew that he could make it for another half an hour at this practice.

That's all it took. I didn't hear one more plea from him. Somehow, even though he had to go to the bathroom and was starving, he persevered and made it through the rest of his practice. He even got to play soccer with another team there, which he seemed THRILLED about.

Hayden teaches me how to be happy all the time. LO♥E this little guy so much! I'm his biggest fan!!

Power Outage . . . Fun?

Everyone hates it when the power goes out, right? Not so, my kids thought it was kind of fun. The power went out today around 6:20 pm and everything was quiet and getting a little boring. I went out grocery shopping thinking it would surely be back on when I was done. Texted my boys to see, not on still. So I picked up Chic-Fil-A before heading home.

The kids had been hanging out with friends and when I got home they were all a chatter about how the power was still out and it was getting dark inside. We had to get out candles just to sit down and eat. We got out the flashlights and Jeffrey got out his lantern. The kids were having a great time eating by candlelight and walking around the house with their flashlights. It was super fun having the power out, that is until I told them it was time to get ready for bed.

Then the questions began. How will we wake up in the morning without their alarms? What if the power didn't come back on in the morning? Do you think the power is out at school? We answered all their questions and made them feel secure and safe. I put this low burning candle in Hayden's room on his dresser as a "night light" so he could go to bed without any fears. Josh said he'd just take his flashlight. Zac was fine (of course he was he's so big and tough). So, once again, all was good.

Then, just when they'd all been in bed for about 5 minutes, the power came back on!! Oh the kids were so relieved and very happy. Each of them had to come and tell me that the power came back on. We all cheered a bit and then got them back in bed. Luckily, it was on long enough for them to fall asleep and long enough for us to check our Facebook accounts and our email and slam, about 10:00 pm it was out again. I decided that was it, I was giving in and going to bed too. Just as I finished getting ready, boom, on again. I still left my cell phone alarm on just in case it decided to go back out again and went to bed.

Hanging With Friends

Zac loves to hang out with friends. He’s a good friend. I’ve been impressed with the friends he’s chosen too. His friends are good friends too. The only thing, is he seems to be constantly at someone else’s house. Sometimes I wish he hung out here more. How do I make our house more friend worthy. They can hang out in the back yard, downstairs, he has his own room, we always have snacks in the house. He has video games and Netflix, movies upon movies and we usually only check on him to see if he wants snacks. I asked Zac this question and he said we need Xbox, Playstation or a bigger computer.

Well, apparently we don’t have the right media equipment. Blah, I think I’ll put in a exercise equipment, a hot tub or a swimming pool instead, maybe that will do the trick!!

Zac Likes Shopping

Recently discovered that Zac actually likes shopping. He told me that’s the best thing about going back to school or starting a new school year. Well, he told me it’s the new clothes he’s getting.

I realized though that he’d rather shop by himself. I wondered if I’d ever let that happen. I tried to accommodate that desire by shopping in another part of the store or waiting patiently outside the dressing room.

This picture was one of those embarrassing moments for him. There was actually another mom standing in the isle waiting for her son.

LOL, sorry for the fuzzy picture - it’s on my phone.

Fun Friend

This week Josh and Spencer have been inseparable. They have been together nearly all day long. Today he didn’t come home until 9:00p. That was a little too long, but I’m glad that he’s making his summer happy with a fun friend. That’s one of the things I remember most about summers as a kid. The time spent with fun friends and the fun summer vacations with family.

I only wish this picture was of the two of them outside - but for now it will have to do :D