Moments of Majic & Mayhem

1-3-11: Thankful Post Day 3...

2011-11-03T20:11:00.000-07:00

I am SO thankful for a man that "gets it"...

I had decided what my Thankful post was going to be about & had kind of "written it in my head" & thought I was all set until... I was chatting with a friend of mine tonight & mentioned it to her & she (oh wise friend that she is) made a comment that made me literally STOP & think.

So, what WAS my post going to be? It was to be (well, it still is, I just have another perspective on it now) how THANKFUL I am for a spouse that is a co-parent, a teammate, a partner. A Dad that loves & adores his kids & is willing to go above & beyond for them. Prince Charming is as involved in the day to day runnings with the kids as I am. Luckily he has a pretty flexible work schedule (for the most part) & he helps taxi the kids to & fro.

Ever since we moved out to the middle of nowhere, it's become VERY clear that 1 person can NOT do all the running into town taking the kids everywhere they need to be. PC realizes this (no, I did NOT have to point it out to him, he's just good that way LOL) & does what he can to take the load off of me.

I was going to post about how I take him/his help for granted, that there is no way I could be a single Mom & keep up with the schedules. My sweet & wise friend said something like 'I don't think you necessarily take it for granted, you work TOGETHER, you do what you need to do because you're a family. You do what you can to help each other, you decided early on that you would both be involved & do whatever needed to be done.' You know, she's right (big surprise there). He's ALWAYS helped out with the kids, ALWAYS! I honestly can't think of 1 negative thing when it comes to him being a Dad. He loves our kiddos & he loves me, personally, I think we're all pretty darn lucky!

Anyway, today, I am thankful for an incredible Hubby that helps lighten my load & is always willing to help keep our crazy, hectic schedule running smoothly!

Here are a couple of pics of him with the boys, doing what they love...
Enjoying time with the dogs...

Coaching one of their sports teams...

1-2-11: Today I am thankful for...day 2

2011-11-02T19:43:00.001-07:00

Today I am thankful for lunch dates with Prince Charming & the Little Princess! Little Miss & I were headed out for a couple hours of shopping before picking up the boys from school. After our first stop, PC called & invited us to lunch. We needed to stop by the bank first & by the time we finished up there, I was just about out of time, so we did a quick drive through, eat in the car deal, BUT, it was still time spent together & I LOVED it!

With the way our schedules are lately (& things haven't even started getting crazy yet), we're finding it hard to spend real time together. I love that I'm able to be a "stay at home Mom" with a pretty flexible schedule (at least during school hours) so that when Prince Charming calls & wants to take me out to lunch, I can go! Thanks Honey, for a fun "date", even if it's not exactly what we had in mind (really hoping for a real, honest to goodness "sit down" meal at a REAL restaurant, but hey, Mc D's will work ;) ) the conversation was fun & I couldn't have asked for better company!

I am Thankful for... 1-1-11

2011-11-01T16:04:00.000-07:00

Just some fun things we do to have fun TOGETHER...

Bend Elks Baseball Game:
The Princess & Mommy at the beach:
Spending long hot summer days in the pool:
Playing with the dogs:

Yes, I realize it's been over 1 year since I've blogged, sorry. I figure this is the PERFECT time to get back into it so... I'm going to do a Thankful post each day for the month of November. Hopefully by the end of the month, this will have become habit & I can be back here for good.

I have so much to be thankful for, but today I am going to concentrate on the fact that my kids get to grow up in a "stable" home. I have always taken that for granted, but spending so much time at the schools lately, I am becoming more aware of how rare this really is. We don't by any means, have the "perfect" home, or the "perfect" family, NONE of us are "perfect", heck, FAR from it but you know something, we're happy & we love each other. We support each other, through the good & the bad. We have fun together, yes, the kids argue, no, wait, I take that back, they don't argue, they downright FIGHT! BUT, we also stand up for each other & will ALWAYS be here for one another. Prince Charming & I have a great relationship that we work hard at & on every single day. We not only love each other, but are IN love with each other. We LOVE & adore each of our kiddos. Every single one of us brings something unique & special to our family relationships. Is it easy? ABSOLUTELY not! Is it worth it? ABSOLUTELY!!! I love that my kids know without a shadow of a doubt they can come to us, that we will listen to them, that we have THEIR best interest at heart. Now, that doesn't mean we don't make mistakes, or that they get everything they want, Heaven knows THAT isn't the case (just ask them ;) ). We push them beyond what THEY think we should, we have very high expectations for them, but we're also here when they "fall". We support each other during the highs & the lows. We're ALL in this journey for the long haul. You know something, I wouldn't want it any other way!!! I LOVE my imperfect little family, flaws & all! I know that no matter what life throws at us, we are a STRONG & STABLE family & that even though "We may not have it all together, that together, we have it all!".

A Give-Away...

2010-09-09T20:07:00.000-07:00

I have a good friend that just happens to be one of the most talented & creative people I've ever known. Lindsay is doing a give away on her blog right now & as much as I would like to keep her all to myself, that really isn't fair to her. Well, & you know, since we are friends & friends are supposed to be supportive of each other, I figured it would be NICE if I gave her a BIG OL SHOUT OUT! So... head on over to her blog & you can see for yourself just how creative & talented she is. You can also check out her Etsy store that has some absolutely darling hand crafted items.

GIveaway on another blog...

2010-05-26T12:25:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine is doing a giveaway that sounds really fun... go check out her blog!

I'll be back later to add lots of pics & fill you all in on everything that has been keeping us busy! Stay tuned!

Bubby's Big Day!

2010-05-03T12:03:00.001-07:00

In our religion (LDS, aka: Mormon) we are baptized at the age of 8. So Bubs turned 8 back in December, & well, since our stake follows the rules (grrr) & does Stake Baptisms, his should have been in January. Well, my sweet little boy asked me (before his b day) if he could wait to be baptized until the weather was nicer & the roads were clear so that Gammy & Papa (& the rest of my fam) could be here for him. Of course, we were all over that, so.... we ended up having to wait until this last weekend.

I'm not going to get into all of the "negatives" with how the baptism went, I'm going to focus on the positive... we had a WONDERFUL weekend with our family & had a great time with friends also. One of Bubs's BFF's got to be baptized at the same time, that was SO much fun for these 2 special little boys.

Anyway, here are a few of the pics from his special day...

Practicing with Daddy...
Walking hand in hand to the chapel...
Just like Jesus...
3 cute cousins...
His new scriptures from Mommy & Daddy...
Our little family...
Friends...

Our "big" family (minus some that couldn't make it)

CONGRATULATIONS Bubby! We are so proud of you & the decision you made, what a big step this was for you. We love you sweetheart!

***Ok, I just have to share this because it's just so "Bubby"... right after he got out of the font, he was in the changing room with Daddy drying off & changing back into his "regular" clothes. Dad looked at Bubs & said "Do you know that right now, you are perfect?" Bubby thought about that for about 2 seconds, then with a little smirk on his face, proceeded to punch dad in the stomach. He looked up & then said "Not anymore". LOL We all laughed so hard when Daddy came out & told us this story, it was just PERFECTLY Bubby! (No fear, that just opened up the discussion on why we take the sacrament every Sunday ;) so it's all good! )

Family Fun Day...

2010-04-28T13:22:00.001-07:00

Ok, so since this was the first wknd in a long time that we had NO plans, I had a bright idea & was bound & determined to see it out (even if the kids did complain). Friday night, we had family movie night & watched Avatar. (Ok, I honestly didn't care about that part, it was Saturday that I got to plan).

My "bright idea" was to go on a hike & have a picnic lunch at Tumalo Falls. Prince Charming & I went & bought "special" picnic food & we were SO excited (ok, *I* was excited). We got up on Sat & started getting ready. I would love to say that the boys were as excited as I was, & that they were ready to walk out the door long before me. Well, that would just be a HUGE lie! Instead... they "convinced" Prince Charming (while I was in the shower) that it would be WAY more fun to go bowling at the fun center. Yeah, whatever! We ended up compromising & this is what we came up with...

We ended up (after finding out that Tumalo Falls was still closed for the winter), having our lunch on the river at Shevlin Park. Let's just say that the boys must have paid Mother Nature to be on their side because it was COLD!!! We had a quick lunch & then the boys decided to have a "Pinecone war". Who would have ever thought that would be SO much fun?! LOL We all went "exploring" after that & got some great pics.

We had SO much fun hanging out, but since it was so cold, (& C-Man fell in the river & was all wet & dirty lol) we decided to head into town. We headed for Sun Mountain Fun Center to go bowling. Once again, (I was in the bathroom with the Princess) the boys convinced Daddy that it would be OH SO MUCH FUN to ride the go carts instead of bowling. LOL Yep, that's what we did & ya know something, they were right, we had a BLAST!!! After the go carts, we got slurpees from 7-11 & came back home. It was an absolutely PERFECT day, in every way! (Ok, Prince Charming & I went shopping & he once again, spoiled me rotten, so of course, it was a perfect ending!).

I can't wait for our next family fun weekend, I love my family, they are so much fun!!!

Child-Free weekend...

2010-04-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

I'm sure at this point, you're wondering if we even survived our weekend away... YES we did!

This was another "first" for us, we had NEVER, in our almost 15 years of marriage, taken off without the kids (other than to dinner etc). HOLY COW, all I can say is WHAT TOOK US SO LONG?! Actually, to be honest with you, I don't think (ok, I KNOW) I would have felt comfortable leaving the kiddos before now. It took some creative planning on our part, making sure all 4 kiddos were going to be taken care of, but man was it worth it! Prince Charming & I had the BEST time together! I have to say, as much as we LOVED it, it was very weird not having them with us. It certainly didn't take us long to get used to the idea, but it was kind of "odd".

The weather was perfect (for the most part), we got to eat at restaurants WE wanted to eat at, in other words...NO FAST FOOD!!! ;) We took long walks on the beach, searched for shells, went shopping, drove around, ate, hung out in our condo, played in the tide pools, & just enjoyed each other's company. It really was an INCREDIBLE weekend away.

Here are some of the MANY pics we snapped...

Will we do this again? ABSOLUTELY, but, as much fun as it was, I'm not in any hurry, I kind of like hanging out with my kids & doing "family" stuff. In fact, next time we head over to the coast, it'll be with all 4 kiddos in tow! Can't wait!!!

***A special thanks to all that helped make this possible...Suzanne, Doug & Sally, Goldfish, & Mom & Dad. We couldn't have done this without your help with the kids, thanks again!***

Birthday Day cont...

2010-04-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pics that I promised from the night of the Princess's actual b day...

We let the kids choose where they want to go for dinner on their b day... The Princess said she wanted to go to Taco Bell & get a cheeseburger lol. We ended up at Del Taco instead, that seemed to be EXACTLY what she wanted! lol

Daddy was asking The Princess if she had had a good b day, she looked at him & said "No, cause I didn't have any cake...". Crazy girl! Of course, we had to break out the ice cream cake for her at that point! It was a GREAT day for all of us! We love you so much Princess Roo!!!

Birthday Madness!

2010-04-14T16:55:00.001-07:00

It's been a whirlwind of b day parties here, but boy have we had fun!

It's so hard to believe my little Princess is 4 years old, where has the time gone? We had a Princess Party with 5 of her favorite little Princesses, we had SO much fun!!!

Here are a few (ok, a bunch) of pics from the family party we had for her & Bonez & then from her friend's party yesterday...

Princess Party...

Here are some from today, her actual birthday. Daddy started her day off right by presenting her with her very own "Birthday Rose" (pink of course)...

She had a GREAT time with her buddies at "Old McDonald's" for lunch...

I'll add more pics tomorrow of the fun we had as a family...

Fun filled weekend...

2010-04-05T14:02:00.000-07:00

We just celebrated Bonez' 14th birthday. I still can't believe he is 14, that's CRaZy!!! We didn't do much on his actual b day, we got him some cool Laker shirts, but that's it. He couldn't come up with anything that he wanted, so we told him to let us know when he decided & we would get it for him. Instead of going out to dinner for his big day, he wanted Domino's pizza. Ummm, okay...

Friday evening he had his friends party, he had 9 boys come over, they had SO much fun! We had 3 ps3's set up so they got some major gaming in. They also all went & played hoops outside. The boys stayed the night & some of them even got some sleep!!! It was such an easy party, we got pizzas, chips & dips, popcorn, etc for them to snack on & then let them make their own ice cream sundaes. Instead of cake, he wanted "personalized" cookies, so that's what we did. Those were a HUGE hit let me tell you!

After the excitement of the party, we switched gears & focused on Easter. I will tell you now, I HATE HATE HATE coloring Easter eggs. I decided to only do 1 dozen this year & if the boys didn't want to "help", I wasn't going to make them. I REFUSED to fight with them this year. We actually ended up having fun, only the younger 2 wanted to color any, then C Man decided he wanted to do a couple. Quick & easy & actually wasn't too painful! ;) Here are a few pics that were snapped during that "fun". lol (Oh, the "unibrow" & "mustache" on Bubby are compliments of some of B's friends... they "got him" while he was sleeping", he wore them with pride let me tell you!)

It was a pretty laid back Easter, one spent with just our "little" family, but I wouldn't change a thing! Prince Charming & I got to sleep in, then watched conference together. We spent the rest of the day just hanging out with the kiddos & eating candy. Dinner was NOT your traditional Easter dinner, but it worked perfectly for us & was super yummy!

Until next time...

Day 11: Sea World

2010-04-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

We ended our vacation by spending the day at Sea World. Honestly, we couldn't have ended it with anything better! We absolutely LOVED it!!! We paid $5 extra & got the preferred parking & ended up with a FRONT ROW spot! Whoo Hoo, SO worth the extra $!

Anyway, the weather was incredible, the kids were great, as was the entertainment. It was seriously one of the best days of the whole vacation for us. We all had so much fun. We went to 2 different Shamu shows, we got wet the first show, but really weren't all that impressed with the "entertainment", it was ok, but we couldn't figure out what all the "fuss" was about. Anyway, we ended up watching the last show of the night, "Shamu Rocks"... OMGosh, what a FANTASTIC show! We had more fun, it was a blast! We chose to sit up top for that one since it was getting late & the temps had gone down. Boy did we make the right choice there! The people that sat down below in the "Soak Zone" ended up getting DRENCHED! The whales were incredible & definitely better than the first one! They close the park by doing a fireworks display, SO cool & I'm so glad we ended up staying to watch!

Here are some pics of our last day in Cali...

Day 10: San Diego Zoo

2010-03-29T14:45:00.001-07:00

For some reason, I have had a hard time wanting to post about our zoo day. I have to say, this was the only "blah" day we had, none of us were thrilled by the "World's Largest & most exciting" zoo. Not sure what we "missed", but we ALL decided without a doubt that the Portland Zoo is 100 times better! This zoo was definitely bigger, but I'm not sure it really had more animals, they were just spread out more. Oh, & we learned the hard way, the maps they hand you do NOT go along with the posted signs. Oh well, we managed to laugh & enjoy ourselves anyway. Besides, the day ended great, we went swimming back at the hotel, went shopping & grabbed In N Out for dinner, watched a movie & hung out in our room.

Here are some pics to show we really were there lol...

Day 9: Carlsbad Beach

2010-03-27T22:06:00.001-07:00

We left Anaheim to head to San Diego for the last leg of our vacation. Our BFF's were staying in Carlsbad for Spring Break so we decided to make a detour there & join them for a day at the beach. The kids had SO much fun hanging out, esp Bubby & The Princess since they got to spend the afternoon with their best friends from back home!

Here are a "few" of the MANY pics I snapped from the beach...

Days 6, 7 & 8: DISNEYLAND & CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE

2010-03-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

It's been a few CrAZy days around here! We just spent 3 fun filled days walking & walking, & walking some more. Oh we also spent hours waiting in line to... RIDE SOME SUPER FUN RIDES!!! We had so much fun at the "Happiest place on earth" & California Adventure, esp when the lines were short! Actually, the longest lines we waited in were to see Tinkerbell & the Princesses. Go figure! lol But, seeing the smile & excitement in My Princesses eyes was SO worth the long wait!!!

Ok, Instead of going on & on I'm just going to share some pics since that's what you want to see anyway! ;)

Day 5: Some R & R...

2010-03-25T21:44:00.000-07:00

Today was our "down" day, we spent the day gearing up for the BIG parks later this week. We literally did nothing except some shopping at the COOLEST outdoor mall here in Anaheim, THEY HAVE A CROCS STORE!!! Uhhh, yeah, I thought I had died & gone to Heaven, esp when I found my bubble gum pink Mary Janes!!! Needless to say, Bubby, The Princess & I are all sportin us some new crocs!

We went down to the pool for a bit, but as soon as the wind startin pickin up, we came back to the room to hang out. Prince Charming & I did manage to take a walk & ended up at the Cheesecake Factory, well, since we were there, we just HAD to get a piece to try! LOL

Anyway, I have no pics to share, sorry, but I promise, there will be more than plenty to see in the coming post from Disneyland & California Adventure!!!

Day 4: Our last day in Glendora & the Laker game!!!

2010-03-22T16:14:00.000-07:00

I'm warning you now, this post will be pic heavy!

There is a "park" where across the street from where I was born, it's called "Big Tree Park", last time I was here, I had my dad take me by so I could get pics of the boys on the tree, well, I love this place so much & wanted to continue the "tradition". Here are a "few" pics of how we spent our last morning in Glendora...

PERSPECTIVE:

BONEZ:
C-MAN:
BUBBY:
THE PRINCESS:

Since I never even took my camera (or phone) out of my purse during the family BBQ we went to, I walked away with NO pics (obviously). As soon as we left my cousin's house, I regretted not getting a pic of at least my Grandma. I told Prince Charming I would love to try to fit in a quick visit to her house so I could snap a few pics of her with the kids. As much as it hurts me to say this, I'm sure this will be the last (& only for the Princess) time we see Grandma. :( Anyway, it was really important to me to get some pics so my hubby, being the awesome guy he is, made it happen. Thanks honey, I will always treasure these pics!
Me with Grandma Rhoda & the Princess...

Me & my kiddos with Grandma...

All in all, it was a pretty low key day... until... the BIG GAME! Daddy had bought Laker tickets for him & the boys. (I chose not to spend the $ on tickets for the Princess & I since I knew she would get bored). The boys were SO BEYOND EXCITED!!! This really was the hi light of their entire vacation! Anyway, they had great seats & Prince Charming got some great pics, UNTIL... my camera battery died! UGH! Oh well, better than getting NO pics! It was so much fun hearing the excitement in their voices when they got home from the game & were reliving it for me. Here are a few of the pics he did manage to snap while the camera was still "alive"...

We are having a blast so far!!! Goodbye for now...

Day 3: Universal Studios

2010-03-20T19:51:00.000-07:00

Today was a BLAST! We got up early & headed out to Universal Studios in Hollywood. There was so much to see, but I think we did just about everything we could. We planned on staying until the "park" closed, but the kids had other plans. Prince Charming & I are definitely learning to be flexible on this vacation, that's for sure! We couldn't have asked for better weather, it was PERFECT!

I'll let the pics "speak" for the fun filled day (besides, I'm way too tired to type...)

Days 2, our "easy" day...

2010-03-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

This is going to be short (I think) because I have NO energy right now & I'm HOPING the kids will fall asleep in a few so *I* can follow...

Ok, so yesterday started with a WONDERFUL pedicure with my beautiful Aunt Shirlee... Not only did she do my toes, she let the Princess pick out some polish & did her fingernails. Can I just say that I could really get used to that kind of pampering! HOLY COW, it was the best. I loved getting to know her better & laughing & chatting with her.

After leaving her salon, we all headed out for some lunch & shopping. Once we hit our "limit" of "being good in a store", we came back to get out the excess energy in the pool. SO much fun & just what we all needed.

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Daddy gave us his "home town tour" before meeting up with my side of the family for a BBQ. It was SO much fun & definitely a high light of this vacation for me. It was so nice to reconnect with some of my relatives & ok, the food was super yummy too! ;)

Our heads hit the pillows as soon as we got back to the hotel. It was a long, fun filled day.

I'm back!!!

2010-03-18T09:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know, I know, it's been FOREVER, sorry! I've been keeping up with everyone on Facebook & have let this go by the way side, sorry. BUT, I'm back.

We are doing something we have never done before, & well, since it's such a big deal for us, decided I would blog about it so you can live vicariously through us. Ok, not really, I'm actually doing this so that I will have a record of everything that we did. So, what are we doing you ask? We are going on our first ever, FAMILY VACATION!!! Now, let me explain... we HAVE gone away as a family before, quite a few times actually, BUT, we don't really count those, because they were always tied into some kind of sporting event. When the boys played hockey, we traveled constantly, & yep, we all went as a family, but the entire weekend revolved around & was spent at the rink. Basketball, softball, same thing. This is really the first time we have ever gone away, all 6 of us, just because.

Where are we headed? Well... right now (yep, even as I type since I'm IN the car on the laptop) we're headed to Southern Cali! We will be gone 12 days & let me tell you... every day is PACKED!!! According to my friend... "this is the most planned vacation ever!" LOL Yeah, she's probably right! We will get to see my dad's family tomorrow, we'll be staying in the city Mike & I are both from & will get to show the kids all the cool places Daddy hung out (& got in trouble). We'll get to spend some time at the beach, I'm getting my very first pedi ever by my aunt. The boys get to go to the Laker game Sun night (watch for them on TV). ;) while the Princess & I will be hanging out at the hotel. We'll be doing Disney for 3 days, Universal Studios 2 days, 1 day at both Sea World & The San Diego Zoo. Yep, told you it was going to be jammed packed! We are SO excited!!!

Ok, I think that's about it for now, esp since I don't have any pics to add yet, but keep coming back, I'll definitely be posting tons in the week to come!

Have a great one everyone & I'll see ya later!

I'm alive!!!

2009-09-08T10:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know it's been a while, sorry. We had a good summer, the Princess & I took a few trips to Ptld to see Nammy & Papa, but other than those, we stayed pretty close to home. We all enjoyed our time in the pool & just hanging out with friends. I don't think there were more than 3 days total when we didn't have "extras" hanging out with us. We had tons of laughs & made some good memories.

Today is the day we (ok, *I*) have been looking forward to... the 1st day of school!!! I love having the kids home, but at the same time, I love the schedule we have to be on during school. I love the early bedtimes, the structure we have back in our days. I love being able to work in the classrooms.

We did our "traditional" Father's Blessings last night with the boys after we had a nice BBQ in the backyard. All 4 kiddos were in bed by 8:30 (we're going for earlier tonight) & this morning was nice & easy. It's so hard for me to believe Bonez is an 8th grader & C-Man is starting 6th. Where has the time gone? How can they all be getting older when I'm not?

I made the boys stand by "the tree" this morning before catching the bus, unfortunately, the sun was in their eyes, so the pics aren't the best, but oh well, at least I got them!

Funny thing about Bubby... since he doesn't attend the neighborhood school, I have to take him every morning. I knew I would want to walk him in today, so after the other 2 left for the bus, I jumped in the shower to get myself ready (Heaven forbid I show up without a shower first lol). I got all done & was doing Roo's hair after her shower & the next thing I knew, it was 8:48. HOLY COW, school starts at 8:50!!! Yep, Bubby was "late" on the first day of school!!! Luckily, I found a semi close parking spot & we ran in. Turns out, he has a sub today, his teacher had an emergency of some kind & couldn't make it. I know Bubs was disappointed about that, but I'm hoping he has a good day anyway!

Ok, here are a few of the pics I snapped before they all took off.

I had to force them to let me take one of them together lol:
Bonez, 8th grade:
C-Man, 6th grade:
Bubby, 2nd grade:

The Princess & I are loving the nice, quiet, clean house, but I'm excited for the boys to get home so I can hear all about their days. It's days like this that I LOVE being a stay at home mom!!! I wouldn't want to miss this for anything in the world! I have the best job ever! (remind me of this in a month or so when I'm sick of getting up so early).

Ok, I have to tell this funny story real quick... so C-Man's teacher from last year is a HUGE Celtics fan, C, of course, is NOT. This was a major "thing" for them last year, anyway, when the Lakers won the Championship, C announced then & there, that on the first day of school, he was going "All Laker" & then was going to walk into Mrs. W's class to "just say hi & rub it in". Well, he kept his word & wore Laker clothes, including his shoes! He's going with me to pick up Bub's today so he can go see her. Funny kid!!!

Kids+sun+water= FUN!

2009-07-27T17:19:00.000-07:00

This is how my kids decided to entertain themselves in the 98 degree weather today (Ok, not sure exactly how hot it got, it was 98 when Prince Charming was on his way home at 5:30 tonight)...

What they don't know is that tomorrow, it's MY turn! LOL

Princess Roo's hair...

2009-07-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I found a super cool idea on a hair blog I follow (Yes, I follow hair blogs, does this surprise you?! LOL) anyway, Jenn had an idea on there that I thought sounded like a TON of fun. She usually has great step by step instructions WITH pictures to go with her super cute hairstyles. This time, she decided to NOT add any pics, just give instructions, then it was up to us to "figure it out". After we "figured it out", she wanted us to post our "interpretation" of HER style on our blog.

After Roo got out of the shower, I got busy & this is what I came up with. It's very simple, but cute (I think so anyway) & I love it. We will definitely do this again.

Here are a few pics.

Front

Side

Back/Top

Front/ her just being silly

Top

Thanks Jenn, this was super fun!

Mom, Mindy, Renae...

2009-07-06T16:14:00.000-07:00

These pics are for you, pics of the "Star" in Princess Roo's hair for the 4th...

This is how it was when I first did it & yes I know it's crooked & no, I didn't fix it, I left it that way all day!

This is how it looked when we went out that night to watch the fireworks...

This is a "bonus" pic, just because I love it & think it's cute...

(Bonez isn't in this because he was with his BFF for the weekend.) Hope you all had a WONDERFUL 4th of July!

**Disclaimer** I can't take credit for coming up with this idea, I found it on a blog & then went from there with it.

Ahhh, livin the good life!

2009-07-02T12:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I got in trouble from my mom (guess you never really outgrow that, no matter how old you are). She "scolded" me for not updating regularly enough for her liking. Guess it doesn't matter that I'm spending my days hanging out with my kids, HER grandkids. LOL

So Mom, this one's for you... a look at what we've been doing to fill our long hot days.

My "little" Drummer boy, since the drums aren't set up here at the house, he uses whatever is available to practice...(he's using the arm of the couch & the side table)

My "Big" Drummer boy at the Ward Talent Show...
Like Father, Like Son, Ward Talent Show...
Bonez again...
The Princess & C-Man, she was playing dress up LOL...
She HAD to be out there even though it was a complete DOWNPOUR!
Daddy finished the new backboard & even though it was pouring, they all had to "try it out", crazy boys!
B showin he can dunk!
Me & my girl! My new haircut!!!
Introducing, B's band (minus 1): Double Standard

So there ya go Mom, what's been keepin me away from the computer. Enjoy!

Little Dribbler's Camp

2009-06-26T11:19:00.000-07:00

This was a BIG week for Bubby, he got to go to his very first camp & boy was he EXCITED!!! Last week, the older 2 went to a basketball camp put on by the high school they will be attending eventually, Bubs was SO bummed that he wasn't old enough to go. The last day of camp, the boys were handed a flyer for a Little Dribbler's camp for younger kids starting this week. Of course, D just "HAD" to go. I won't go into all of the details, but... Bubby now has the nick name of "Kobe". He was the youngest (or one of) at the camp, it was for 2nd -5th graders. They did all sorts of fun games, dribbling relays, scrimmages, Bump, etc.

Last day of camp, he was put "up" to play against/with the oldest kids in camp in their scrimmage, he TOTALLY rocked... here is he going in for a lay up & yep, he scored!

Dribbling relays...

The coaches gave out a "Gatorade Award" for the "winner" of each day's contest. Bubby came home after the first day (none awarded that day) bound & determined he would win the following day. He was so cute, once the weather cooled down a bit, he was outside practicing hard, working on both shooting & dribbling. The first "contest" was for dribbling. I ended up showing up just as they were wrapping up for the day & they were announcing the winners (1 for each age group), well, Bubby was the winner!!! The funny thing is... they all call him KOBE! The kids were told each day, what the following contest would be. When he found out it would be Free Throws, he stayed outside long after bedtime practicing, "Mom, just let me make 10 in a row, then I'll come in... Coach said we have to practice..." (I let him get to 5 in a row, then made him came in cause Coach ALSO told them to get a good night sleep!) So, we go back for the next day of camp & today's contest was "Free Throws". Well, once again, Bubby came out on top. Not only that, he made it to the championship round & was the ONLY one to make 10/10!!! The next best was 8/10 & that was one of the older boys. It was SO cute, when they called his name, they called him Kobe again & the kids started chanting. HILARIOUS! His grin lit up the entire gym! Ok, so fast forward to the last day of camp... the last contest was to be the winner of "BUMP". Once again, he won the entire thing & got to bring home a Gatorade!

Getting his "Gatorade" on the last day...

Coming off the court with his Gatorade, his candy & his big fat lip!

Bubby liked to get to camp early, so he could shoot around before camp actually started. Yesterday, he, & some of the others that were there, decided to "practice" Bump before the big "contest". BOTH games that I watched, not only did Bubby win, but he knocked out the coach!!! He later told me that when they were actually playing (contest), he was the ONLY camper left, so it was him & all the counselors!!! Yeah, he obviously got to bring home the Gatorade for that one!

Camp is now over, but the memories he has (even though it's "just" a daycamp") will stay with him. I am so glad we found out about this & were able to get him in. I think it will be a high light of his entire summer! I hope he continues to LOVE & enjoy the sport, he has some real talent & I would love to see him improve his "moves". Bubby has that total competitive drive that makes him a "force to be reckoned with" both on & off the court. He is so much fun to watch, & I can't wait to see where it takes him. I love you Bubs & am so proud of you, you set a goal & worked hard to achieve that. CONGRATS my little "Kobe"!

Another "new" family member...

2009-06-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know it's been a while, I'm sorry! If it makes you feel any better though, I've been hanging out with my kiddos & having fun with them.

Anyway, last week, once again, during our family bonding show of "WipeOut", Bubby let me convince him to cut his hair. Once he finally agreed, we rushed upstairs before he changed his mind for good.

Here are the "before" shots...

I was in such a hurry to get it cut, I completely forgot about taking "during" shots, sorry! I did get some cute "After" shots right as he got out of the shower (he had to wash off those pesky hairs from his shoulders & neck).

I can't get over how different he looks. I love it though & it's so nice, esp since he is spending so much time in the pool.

Another Give Away is going on...

2009-06-15T13:38:00.000-07:00

Check out this fun giveaway... ***clicky***. We love sleep overs here, so of course, I would love to win, but seriously, go check her out.

Here's another one I found on one of my favorite hair blogs, "The Princess & Her Hair". Now, honestly, I don't really want anyone else to enter, that will lower MY chances to win, yet, here I am trying to "share the wealth" with you. This give away is for some of the CUTEST shoes out there! The coolest part, they now make them in even bigger sizes! IF you don't have someone in your family that these would fit, you can be generous & "share the wealth" (assuming you win & I don't) with ME, I guarantee, MY Princess would wear them! Anyway, here's the link again... ***clicky***

What are you still doing here? Go check these out!

A new family member?

2009-06-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

So, we're in the middle of watching "Wipeout" as a family last night. Bonez is sitting next to me & we start chatting & he informs us that his BFF got his hair "pretty much shaved". I guess M had a deal with his parents that if he got to keep his hair long during the school year, (with only trims throughout), he would get it cut short for the summer. I made a comment to Bonez & asked if he was going to do the same. He just said "sure". I seriously thought he was kidding. I asked a few more times & he just kept saying "yeah, I guess you can cut it, I don't care..." We ended up going up stairs before he changed his mind & I totally cut his hair. LOL

He has had "long" hair since 4th grade, this is DEFINITELY going to take some getting used to, but you know, I think I'm going to really like it!

Here are his "before", "during" & "after" shots.

He doesn't even look the same! It has been so long since I've seen him with short hair, it's like having a "new" family member. He's pretty cute & a great "kid", so we've decided to keep him!

Princess funnies...

2009-06-06T20:48:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know it's been a while, sorry. Ok, I HAVE to share this.

So tonight, the Princess was sitting on my lap & we were talking/playing. She had her little hands on each side of my face & when this conversation took place...

Princess: "Mommy, what is dat"
Me: "A freckle"
Princess: "That's not a freckle, it's a POLKA DOT!"

I laughed SO hard, I then said

"Oh Roo, what am I gonna do with you?"
She looks up at me & says "You're gonna put me ni night!"

Hilarious! I was laughing so hard I was crying!

I called my mom to tell her, knowing she would get a kick out of it. I hung up with "Nammy" & Roo looks at me & says "Who was dat, dat Nammy?" I told her yes, that was Nammy. She then says "Nammy was my mommy, now she your mommy!"

I'm tellin you, this little girl CRACKS ME UP!!!

The best investment!

2009-05-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

We have decided the best investment we've made for the kids is our new pool. Seriously, they have had more fun in this than we ever imagined! I love that my boys want to stay home & love to hang out here. I love that their friends like to come here to hang out. I love that there is entertainment in our back yard & that I don't have to load everything up to go to a neighborhood pool with a friend's key card. I love that we now have a partially finished deck out there that I can put my comfy chair on so I can get some sun & take some pics. I'm now officially, ready for school to be out so summer can start!

Prince Charming came home yesterday & headed out to clean the pool. Of course, Princess & I decided to "help" (Ummm, I set up my chairs on the deck & then watched him). After the pool was all pretty & clean, we headed out front to wash both cars. At this point, it was HOT, but almost time to go pick the boys up. That didn't stop Prince Charming from jumping into the pool to cool off! Since he was going in, the Princess decided SHE needed to get in also. She was a little hesitant at first, but knowing she was safe in daddy's arms helped & it wasn't long before she was off on her own having a BLAST!

Once the boys all got home, the jumped in to join the fun. The 2 older boys had friends over & they all took turns jumping in & learning how to do back flips off the deck. We had 8 people in there at once & never once did it feel crowded at all. I can't wait to spend my days out in the cool clear water! Ahhh, summer is almost here!

School Talent Show

2009-05-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

Last night Bubby was in his school Talent Show. He had come home a few weeks ago, all excited telling us all about his "talent". We tried so hard to convince him to do something else, nope, he would have nothing to do with changing. He knew exactly what he wanted to do & that's what he was doing, end of story! He had his "Plan of Action" all written up & he was ready to go. He had tryouts & was excited that he "made it" (They all did lol). So, last night was the big night. He got all ready & off we went, camera & video camera in hand. We had not seen him practice, but he assured us he was ready!

When his time came, he walked right up on stage, went to the microphone, introduced himself & explained what he would be doing.

He showed off his basketball skills. He did different passes (he had his BFF up there with him for this part to help). He did crossovers, dribbling etc.

Next up, he showed how he could dribble behind his back, & also between his legs. At this point, the audience started cheering & clapping for him. He stopped what he was doing, walked right back up to that microphone & announced (quite loudly) "I'M NOT DONE YET". He then waited patiently for everyone to quiet back down, then he went back & finished what he was trying to show us when he was so "rudely" interrupted. LOL He finished off by spinning the ball on his finger. Needless to say, he got a big ol loud applause after that!

The funniest part was it was SO Bubby to "tell it like it is". When it was all over, everyone kept talking about him & his "I'M NOT DONE YET" comment, he just didn't understand why everyone was making such a big deal about it. THAT was the best part!!!

It ended up being a great night with plenty of entertainment & lots of laughs! I think Bub's "talent" will be long remembered, & not just because of his basketball skills either! Funny little boy!

Post 1 of 6

2009-05-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

I know, I've been slackin on the blog front, sorry! Things have been insanely crazy here. Instead of taking the time to write everything out, I decided to post tons of pics in 6 different posts, that way, you can kind of get a glimpse of what we've been up to (this way, you don't have to read all the boring stuff either). ;)

Last Friday, the Princess got to attend her very first "real" birthday party for a friend. She was SO excited. Her & I headed to Target on Thurs so she could pick out the gift. I think she had just as much fun picking things out as she did at the actual party.

Here she is as we're getting ready to leave...

"Come on Mom, I can't be late!"

"It's too heavy!"

Post 2 of 6

2009-05-18T15:16:00.000-07:00

We FINALLY got some nice weather over the weekend so the boys took full advantage of it by jumping in the pool. They only lasted about 30 min before they decided the water was still too cold, but I can tell you right now, this pool is going to be a life saver this summer. It will DEFINITELY get LOTS of use!

B & his friend...

Bubby...

C-Man...

Bonez (look at his 6 pack)...

All the boys playing...

Post 3 of 6...

2009-05-18T15:14:00.000-07:00

Next up, Family Party for C-Man...

This first pic is probably my favorite. C wanted to go shopping at the Nike outlet, so instead of gifts, he got cold hard cash from family members. Uncle Mikey (always wanting to be the favorite & a total jokester) pulled out his wallet & tried to give C a 1 dollar bill. Aunt Debie was standing behind him & without saying anything, just pointed up as if to say "GIVE HIM MORE $:. This kept going on until she felt it was the "right" amount. It was HILARIOUS! I couldn't even tell you how much he got from them, I was too busy watching Uncle Mikey & Aunt Debie!

Uncle Mikey trying to score more points in the favorite Uncle category by giving some of his older Laker memorabilia.

I LOVE this pic of C! He gets SO embarrassed being the center of attention, esp when everyone is singing to him!

His new Kobe Fathead, already up on the wall of his new room...

He said he had a GREAT birthday!

Post 4 of 6...

2009-05-18T15:12:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we no longer have a band room here at the house. We decided it was time for each of the boys to have their own rooms. Bonez, being the oldest, got the choice of what room he wanted & he now has the "band room". That of course, meant Izzi (his iguana) had to move with him. Personally, I think this was just PC's "excuse" to build her a new cage. LOL Anyway, here is what He's been working on this last week...

A work in progress...

Close up of the waterfall...

A masterpiece!

Izzi's completed cage...

Yep, he did it all by hand. It turned out AWESOME & Izzi seems to have adjusted to her new home very nicely. He has informed us that he isn't "completely" done yet, he still has a few more things he wants to add, not paint wise, but a big silk plant/tree thing, more "carpeting", climbing boards etc. LOL

Post 5 of 6...

2009-05-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics of B's new room...

The bed area...

Because it's "un finished" drywall, we told B he could do whatever he wanted on this back wall. He drew the Laker logo alone with the Nike swish & the Kobe logo. He painted the Kobe part, but needs to finish painting the rest. It'll look sweet when it's all done!

His dresser...

He absolutely LOVES it in there! He doesn't have a TV in there yet, but eventually he will. He also thinks it's pretty cool that he has a full size fridge in his room, I keep reminding him that while that may be very cool, that does NOT mean everything in there is his! LOL

Post 6 of 6...

2009-05-18T14:58:00.000-07:00

Last post of the day! These were all taken today. Since B "moved out", C-Man & Bubby decided to switch rooms also. Ayi yi yi, what was I thinking?! This has been more work that I ever imagined! As I spent the morning (& most of the afternoon) going through piles & boxes of clothes, the Princess decided to keep busy by playing hairdresser... on me! It was hilarious! If I was moving too much, she would wrap her little legs around me & tell me to "STOP MOVING MOMMY, I DOIN YOUR HAIR"! She had SO much fun spraying "hairspray" (water) & then putting in pretties, flowers & bows in my "ponytail". It was such a great bonding time, definitely something we'll be doing more often now that she can "work the bows". LOL

Her just being cute...

Mommy's hair with all the pretties in it...

All Done!

After I "really" did my hair for the day (she was playing with it while it was still wet from the shower), she decided an empty box looked like lots of fun. She kept telling me it was her "house". Too cute!

Another giveaway!

2009-05-15T09:05:00.001-07:00

OMGosh, I SO want to win this dress for the Princess! Go check it out & hey, you can enter & if you REALLY want to (hint hint) you can even try to win it for me! LOL Anyway, here is her blog ***Megan's Closet*** She has some of the cutest dresses & hairbows I've ever seen! Really, what are you waiting for? My Princess NEEDS this dress, go sign up to win!

Give away

2009-05-14T20:56:00.000-07:00

You need to go check this blog out, she has the CUTEST tote she's giving away, it is DARLING, I absolutely love it! Anyway, here's her blog ***clicky***.

Birthday season comes to an end...

2009-05-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was C-Man's 11th birthday & that marks the end of what we lovingly call Birthday Season here at our house. We celebrate 4 out of our 6 b days within 6 weeks, then if you add in my parents & my sister, oh, & Prince Charming's dad, that's 8 b days! I'm about all partied out at this point, (well, will be after Saturday's family party anyway).

C-Man's day didn't start out like it normally does on a b day & of course I felt so bad & kept apologizing (& he kept rolling his eyes at me). I get a mylar b day balloon the night before each child's b day, then sneak & put it by their bed so it's the first thing they see when they wake in the morning. I went & bought him the balloon & because it was early in the day, I kept it in my car (NOT a good idea). I went to get it out that night after he was asleep. Well... let's just say, there wasn't much "air" left in it at that point! I felt so bad, but C was cool, his response to me was "Mom, it's a balloon, it doesn't matter, the important this is I got the candy tied to the bottom, that's all that matters". Well alrighty then! LOL

So, after school, the partying began. The boys started out playing basketball outside, then we packed them all up & headed to a friend's house to use their indoor court. The boys had a BLAST! Thanks J & K!

Next up, was cake & ice cream time (we had a couple of boys that had to leave early, so we cut the hoops short)

followed by presents.

After their fill of the "good stuff", they headed back outside for more basketball.

Once all the boys had left, we had a super yummy dinner that was requested by the b day boy (steaks, rice, corn, & jello). We finally decided to let him "out of his misery" & told him he could open his gifts from us.

No, I don't normally give my kids a package of cookies as a b day gift, but he literally BEGGED for a pkg that he wouldn't have to share. If asked what he wanted for his b day, he ALWAYS said "my own pack of Oreos". How could I not get them LOL
His "BIG" gift from us this year was a Fathead, he picked it out, but had NO idea it was had been delivered. I was sneaky & told him it wouldn't be here until AFTER his b day. Daddy, when asked about it, told him he knew nothing about it & didn't order it because he didn't know that's what he wanted. I think C was a little nervous hee hee!

All in all, it was a great day & he was happy, that's all that matters!
Here's a pic of my & my birthday boy.

C, I want you to know how much I love you. I am so proud of you, of the friends you choose, the good choices you make & of the wonderful person you are. You will forever be "MY" boy & I love you!

Young Author's Night

2009-05-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

Each year the elementary school my boys go to holds a "special" night for the students to "show off" some of their writing. This is one of the few "extra" activities I actually enjoy attending. (Yes, I am one that HATES the plays, musicals, etc, but that's not the point of this post, so I'll move on). Each teacher does things just a little different. C-Man's had each student write some kind of story that had to have something to do with Oregon. Bubby's (I have to say, these were my FAVORITE to listen to) made their own book of poetry. They actually used "real" (blank) board books & glued the child's poems on each page, I LOVE this & plan on getting clear contact paper so it'll last. LOVE it! Anyway, the student is "set up" at a desk & you just go around to random kids & they read their story, book etc to you. Such a wide variety & so much fun. It's a great way to get to spend a little bit of time with different students. Their personalities really shine through in these stories/poems. VERY FUN night! Each child has a comment sheet that you can sign & leave a fun comment for them on.

Anyway, here are a few pics of MY "Young Authors" on their special night.

C-Man getting ready to read...

His award...
C reading to a "fan"...
We couldn't leave out C-Man's BFF reading a book to the Princess...
Bubby reading to a "fan"...
Bub's award...

I know first hand how much work & time is put into this night, I hope the teachers know how much it's appreciated!

What happens when kids are left alone...

2009-05-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

So, the night of the pageant, the boys were here alone for the evening. They were all in bed (2 even sound asleep) when we got home. I got the Princess to bed & walked downstairs, into the family room. I stopped & asked Prince Charming if he knew anything about what I was staring at. "Nope, must have been "created" after I left for the school...". I have got to give my boys credit here. You see, they aren't allowed outside when we aren't home. They know this. I guess they were bored & decided to come up with something that would entertain them all, something they could do, indoors. So, what exactly did they come up with you're wondering... well, their very own PUTTING GREEN of course!

Here are a few pics of them practicing the next day. This provided hours of fun for them. UNTIL I got sick of picking up little green "pieces" that kept falling off.

B's turn...

C-Man's turn...

Next up... Bubby

I can't wait to see what they come up with next time they're left alone!

I won an award!!!

2009-05-05T17:45:00.000-07:00

I was awarded this fun award by my blogger friend Tanielle over at The Polka Dot Daisy.

She is very down to earth, has darling kids & lots of fun ideas on her blog. Oh, & she makes me laugh & did I mention, she has cute kids too! LOL

Here are the rules...

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to up to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

My choices...

1. Xazmin at "This is the Year..."

2. Lorie at "Be Different... Act Normal"

3. Shanna at "FairyWonderful"

I'm baaaccckkk!

2009-05-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

I have lots to post about today, but first, wanted to get this giveaway out there.

Go ***here*** & check her fun bows out.

I'll be back later to fill you in on everything that's been going on. I also was "awarded" a "Blog Award", I'll post that too.

MVHS 2009 Cougar Pageant

2009-04-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

So what exactly is a "Cougar Pageant" you want to know? Well, it's a fundraiser one of the High schools does for Doernbecher Children's Hospital. There are 6 senior boys & 6 sr girls that are "nominated" by teachers/staff. It's all leadership stuff (I believe). It was run kind of like the Ms. America pageant, where they had 3 changes of clothes, casual, sport, & formal. Each contestant is "escorted" by a child (oldest being 11). The Princess was asked by the student body pres of the school to be his escort, we had to make sure we had "matching" outfits, a sport they could both do etc. All of the girls (contestants) performed a dance together, as did the guys, talk about hilarious! The contestants also had to come up with & perform a talent. OMGosh, too funny! These were NOT your regular, run of the mill talents, these people were definitely creative, & funny too! They all did a great job. They ended up crowning 1 "King" & 2 "Queens", scores were based on $ raised, along with some other "stuff". LOL In total, they ended up raising $10,000 for Doernbechers!

Anyway, now that you kind of understand what it was, here's a run down of how our evening went, along with some "back stage" scenes...

Having fun riding back & forth before the pageant started...

Byron getting ready to go on & do the "guys dance"...

Yeah, I'm a star!
It was such a looooong night, but it was fine. We got their early, like we were told, well, we didn't get a chance to "practice" again, which was a total bummer, but oh well. The Princess went up on stage the first time, you could tell she was nervous, but she went, no problem. It was SO cute, Byron handed her a little bundle of daisies as she was on stage, she was lovin that!

Byron giving her the "flowers" when they were on stage for the "casual" part...

Anyway, we only had a few minutes between then & the next time up. I QUICKLY changed her & redid her hair (I've NEVER done hair that fast before) . So, she's supposed to ride her scooter out, she was super hesitant, but finally went off with Byron, so I snuck in to the auditorium so I could snap pics. Byron was the last "boy" to go, they finally call his (& her) name &... NOTHING, they try again, still... NOTHING, finally B rides his scooter out alone. Chay would NOT go out on that stage with her scooter! He said she was fine, & then right before it was their turn, she got off hers, looked at him & said nope, she wasn't doing it. UGH! Luckily he was great about it.

Her on her scooter that she had a blast with in the back hallway, but REFUSED to go on stage with...

Next up was the "formal wear". I didn't realize how much time we would have between this one, so I once again hurried & got her ready. Turns out I had about 30-40 min to wait.

Being silly backstage...

Oh well. When it was time to go, she was fine, went with B to wait off stage as I once again, ran inside to try to snap a few pics. Their names were called & he walked out... carrying her! She was so scared, so he just picked her up & walked out. The MC's at this point, were hilarious, made some kind of comment about Byron being living proof that one's date could be swept off their feet . Luckily everyone got a kick out of that! Anyway, so Byron set her down on the "X" & did his little runway walk, pose thing, then went back, did a little twirl with her & they walked off together. She was all smiles by the time they were done.

The only pic that even 1/2 way turned out from on stage...

Not exactly the scenario I was hoping for, but at least she did it & she said she had fun. She told me as we were leaving the school that it was scary up on the big stage. Poor thing! She was 1 of the youngest, (the youngest girl), but at least she did it. We had been "practicing" at home what she was going to do as she was on the "X", she was going to wave, twirl, & blow kisses (yeah, she did NONE of them). We even went out during intermission so she could see Daddy & we talked to her about just waving to him. NOPE, didn't happen. BUT, on our way home, in the car, she says, "Oh, I forgot to wave, here, I wave now"! I laughed so hard! I tucked her in bed & said "Roo, you didn't twirl..." She very adamantly says "Yes I did", "Uh, no, you didn't" "YES I DID, I twirl with Byon"! (That's what she calls him) You want to know something, she was right, she DID twirl with him!

Look how cute/handsome!
Anyway, that was our night, like I said, it was a loooooong night, we're all still exhausted, but she said she had fun, so that's all that matters. I get to go get her a new barbie today, that was what we promised her if she did it. OH, Byron walked out with a "Thank You" present for her, it was a cute mermaid "barbie" for our new pool... she even slept with it, & has played with it nonstop, she was SO excited!!!

Byron's Thank You gift for being his escort for the night...

... we didn't get home until 10:30. Needless to say, I put jammies on the Princess & she climbed in bed & was out before her door was even shut! She didn't even ask for her sippy, that NEVER happens!!!

So, there you go, a run down, (complete with some pics) of the 2009 MVHS Cougar Pageant!

All Dressed Up...

2009-04-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

These were taken on Easter, right after we got home from church...

Birthday Cake...

2009-04-22T11:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, I promised my sister I would post a pic, so Goldfish, this is for you!

A very good friend took me out to lunch Monday for my b day, Red Robin, my fav! After spending a couple of hours enjoying the sunshine & good company, I was dropped off back here at home. Prince Charming tells me that another good friend had dropped something off for me & it was in the fridge. Hmmm, okay... I see a small white box on the top shelf, so of course, I had to open it to see what the heck it could be. OMGosh, it was the smallest, cutest (size wise), most beautiful cake I had ever seen. I promptly called her up to thank her & to tell her I couldn't eat it, it was too pretty!

She told me she had ordered my very favorite cake & it was just for ME! Ok, at this point, I'm jumping up & down, I was SO excited!!! I still wasn't totally convinced I could eat it, but told her I appreciated it anyway.

After dinner, I made rice krispy treats for the rest of the family & I decided I was going to dig into my cake. OMGosh, I think I had died & gone to Heaven, this cake was the BEST! It was so incredibly yummy, I had to call my friend back & thank her again!

You see, not only was it the best cake I had ever tasted, but I believe it's the 1st b day cake that I've had FOR ME since I got married. (I know Prince Charming has bought me ice cream cakes before, but I don't remember them being for my bday...). Anyway, it really meant a lot to me that she went to the trouble of getting it & even remembering my favorite kind! Thanks Sandi, you're the best!

Oh, yes, I still have a little left , I think I may go have another little slice.

It's birthday time...

2009-04-20T13:19:00.001-07:00

And not just mine either...

Check this blog out ***clicky*** . They're having a blog party all week long. There are some great giveaways. Personally, I think *I* should win since it's MY b day too, but, guess we really should spread the wealth around. What are you waiting for? Go check them out!

Sprinkler time!

2009-04-18T18:04:00.001-07:00

Today ended up being a beautiful day, of course, we had to take advantage of it & head outside. While the kids were out riding bikes, the sprinklers came on. They all ran into the house so excited, changed into their swim suits & back out the door they went. I grabbed the camera & followed. I'm not convinced it was nearly hot enough to be running around in ice cold water, but hey, what do I know?! They all had a blast & couldn't get enough. Here are some of my favorite pics from today.

The Princess playing in the sprinkler...
Taking a little break to come talk to Mommy...
Pure joy!
C-Man gettin a drink...
I love this one of C-Man "sneaking" up on his brothers...
All 4 of the kiddos...
I LOVE this one of Bonez...
Bubby on his bike...
I hope your day was just as bright & sunny as ours was!

Ballerina Princess Party...

2009-04-17T09:35:00.001-07:00

Just a warning, this post will be picture heavy. Here are just a "few" of the pics taken during the Princess' big day.

We invited 4 little girls over to help us celebrate. What fun!!! We started out by giving everyone their tutu, Princess wand & crown. Roo & I had so much fun picking out colors to make the tutus, she knew exactly what she wanted, it was so funny. We made sure everything matched & had lots of fun decorating their goodies. After the girlies got "ready", we had a picnic lunch complete with heart sandwiches & mini cupcakes. After lunch, they all decided to play in the toyroom & just had fun being together. We finally opened presents just as the girls were getting ready to go home. Roo got some great gifts & they all had so much fun.

The tutus, wands & crowns we made...

Just playing...

Opening presents...

Princess Friends...

After the boys got home from school, we let her open the gifts from us.

Sleeping Beauty barbie...

New jammies...

Every Princess has to have a Princess scooter...

She LOVES her new "Hannah Hannah" shirt!

Painting one of her new presents...

The Princess had a special visitor tonight, her "date" for the Pageant (she's escorting him) brought her candy & balloons, she was SO excited...

After dinner, we all headed out for some yummy ice cream. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day!

Cuddling & playing with Daddy...

I still can't believe my baby is 3! She's such a little doll & oh so loved!

Happy 3rd Birthday Princess!

2009-04-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

I have a hard time accepting the fact that my "baby" is already 3. It's definitely bittersweet. I am so excited to see her become independent & to learn new things. On the other hand, I want to wrap her up & keep her my sweet little girl forever. She brings so much sunshine to our house. She is definitely a bright spot in our day. I love the fact that even with 3 older brothers, she is as girly as they come. She is all pink, all the time!

Anyway, I wanted to share a few "then & now" pics of my sweet baby girl.

In the hospital the day she was born...

Her 1st Easter, 2 days old...
5 days old...

Today, on her 3rd birthday with her Princess balloon!

I'm 3!!!
Happy Birthday little Miss, we love you sweetheart!

Last "owie" as a 2yo...

2009-04-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's right, my baby just got her last owie as a 2 year old! She'll be looking lovely in all her b day pics tomorrow I'm sure! LOL Poor thing was running trying to get into bed before she got into trouble, well, she tripped over the sleeping bag Bubby was in (on her floor) & hit her head HARD, right on the side of her bed. I fully expected to see blood running down her little face, instead, we just got the big ol goose egg . Bubby ran down to get the ice pack while I cuddled her & made sure she was okay. I then took her down to cuddle with Daddy & sent Bubs back to HIS room. She got some extra cuddles while we kept the ice pack on her, then I got her all snug in her bed. Of course, I had to snap a few pics, but she was a trooper through the whole thing.

Here's my baby girl right after her last "owie".

A little smile...

Got her cheek too...

Still beautiful, even with an ice pack on her head!

Ice pack, sippy & reindeer... All Set!

Here's hoping we all get a good nights sleep before her big day tomorrow!

Surprise package!

2009-04-13T16:01:00.000-07:00

So the Princess & I are walking out the door to go run errands when I notice a package leaning against the house. Hmmm, that's weird, I'm not expecting anything yet. We just placed an order last night for new ties for all 3 boys & I did get a confirmation email saying they had been shipped, but seriously, they can't possibly be here yet... Anyway, I bring the package in & notice it's from my cousin. Hmmm, again, that's weird, what would she be sending me. I rip it open & just sat there with my jaw on the floor. You see, my sweet cousin was cleaning out her youngest daughter's closet & came across some dresses that didn't fit. Instead of "donating" them to the Good Will etc, she thought of my Princess & decided to give them to her. As if those weren't enough, her & her girls made some of the CUTEST flower clips for Roo's hair! Of course, Princess was beyond excited & kept saying "Awww, I get to wear that to my big girl class", she LOVED each & every one of them! Can I just tell you it completely made my day! I get all teary eyed every time I think about it. It was so sweet of her to not only think of us, but then to go to the effort (& expense) to send them. Shirlene, I want you to know, you totally made our day! Thank you so much. We'll think of you & your beautiful girls every time she wears these!

Of course, we just HAD to have a little fashion show, so here are her "run way" pics...

The pretty flower clips...
Can't forget the shades!
Silly girl!

She says this one is her "Cinderella" dress (she's dancing here...)
I put this next one on her & she took off running, when I went into her room, this is what I found (& she was giggling like crazy)!
Peek a boo Mom!

Are we done yet?
Too Cute!
I'm D.O.N.E (lol)..
Thanks again Shirlene, Lauren & Micaela!

"Pre" Easter Festivities...

2009-04-13T08:15:00.000-07:00

We got up bright & early Sat morning & headed out to a fun Easter egg hunt at a friend's house. The older 2 didn't want to go, so we picked up Bubby's best buddy & were on our way. The kids got to "hunt" for 10 eggs each, which was fun, BUT I honestly think they had more fun just hanging out & playing in Tasha's backyard (which is a kids dream BTW). Here are just a few of the many pics I snapped...

Roo playing in the "house" with all the other little girls...

Bubs & his eggs...

Bubby on the Zipline...

Bubby & Kyler...

Later that night, we got busy dying eggs (Have I told you how much I HATE this activity?!)

Funny, the boys all got tired of dying after just a few, the Princess on the other hand, could have done a few more dozen & still not been done! Here she is with C-Man...

I'll post more pics of our actual Easter Day later...

Birthday updates...

2009-04-10T09:06:00.001-07:00

Ok Dad, this one's for you! I KNOW I haven't been updating like I normally do, you see, we're in the middle of what we call "Birthday Season" around here. To say it's been crazy is a major understatement. Add to that the fact that Prince Charming has been doing a ton of work using this computer & well, that means I "COULD" blog, but they would have to be without pics since all our pics are here.

Anyway, here is what we've been up to lately, starting with B's "friends" party, followed by a "family party" for him & the Princess.

I'm 13 & officially a TEEN!!!

B decided he wanted to go to Dairy Queen for his b day dinner...

All his friends getting ready for an airsoft war...

Cool new drumsticks...

New Laker jersey & shorts...

Princess Roo...

More "people"...

"Happy Birthday to you..."

Bonez all tuckered out after a weekend of partying...

I'll post more pics after the Princess party next week!

Big Girl Birthday Bike!

2009-04-07T09:08:00.000-07:00

This is going to be short, I promise I'll be back to post pics of our Birthday Celebrations that went on all weekend. For now, this will have to do.

The Princess got a new bike for her b day so of course, we just HAD to take it for a spin around the block.

She LOVES this bike & has already mastered the whole pedaling "thing". We're now working on steering. LOL It won't be long before she's chasing after her brothers.

I'll be back later with lots more pics from the weekend.

Just a day late...

2009-04-03T09:58:00.001-07:00

We've never really "celebrated" or done much for April Fool's day. You see, it's my mom's b day, it's lots more fun to celebrate with cake & ice cream than it is to have a joke played on you. Anyway, I've never said much about the day to my kids, or played any jokes etc, they just know it's Gammy's b day. Imagine my surprise when I went to pour the Princess a bowl of cereal yesterday morning... I opened the Cheerios box, imagine my surprise when out came Kix instead! Hmmm, that's weird... it should have been a new box, wonder if the "factory" messed up. I didn't give it much more thought after that, just kind of said a quick prayer that she wouldn't get sick, that it really was an "honest" mistake & nothing was "wrong" with the cereal.

Ok, fast forward to snack time after school for Bonez. He ALWAYS, without fail, has a bowl of cereal when he get home. He grabbed the box of Kix, & then got the canister of sugar from the cupboard. That's about when I looked over & saw what he was doing. I informed him that he did NOT need sugar on Kix, sorry, but NOPE! He rolled his eyes at me & said, "I'm NOT putting sugar on Kix". Ummmm, then what exactly are you doing, you are pouring a bowl of Kix & you have the sugar, & I KNOW you aren't planning on eating a spoonful of sugar..." Again with the eyeroll as he informed ME that the Kix box has Cheerios in it, NOT Kix! Ok, so they completely screwed up my cereal at the "factory". This is beyond bizarre, what are the chances...

This is about when he started telling me that Bubby thought it would be fun/funny to play an April Fool's joke on us & switch the bags of cereal around! OMGosh, I totally missed this the day before! Anyway, I guess I got "pranked" by my 7yo, I was just too slow & it ended up being a day late!

Next year, I'll be the one to play the joke on him!!!

Happy 13th Birthday Bonez!!!

2009-03-31T14:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I am the mom to a teenager. That is really freaking me out. Seriously, I can't be old enough for this! LOL

I remember so clearly the day B was born, & actually the last few days leading up to it. I won't bore you with the details, but it was quite the surprise having him when we did. We had a c-section scheduled for April 3, nope, guess he didn't like that date. He had something else in mind. LOL

I am so beyond blessed to have him not only as my child, but as my first born. B has brought so much love, laughter, personality & well, even attitude at times, to our home. I can't imagine him not being a part of our family. I have never met a more responsible child, I've even had teachers tell me that. I have a good friend that for years would make the comment "you have such good kids". Well, yeah, okay, whatever. It has taken me years to finally "get" that. You know, I really do have good kids. Bonez is certainly no exception, that's for sure! He's always the first to jump in to help, even when it may be something he doesn't want to do, I know we can count on him.

Anyway, I just want him to know how much I love & cherish him. I am so proud of you B, you have an amazing spirit & I hope all your dreams come true!

Blog Challenge #7

2009-03-30T17:28:00.000-07:00

This is my last challenge post for the month. I've thought about today's post for a while & tried to come up with someone I could blog about that I haven't mentioned yet. I finally found the "girl friend" I want to share with you.

I'm not going to mention names, but when/if she reads this, she'll know who I'm talking about. I met my friend years ago, we weren't super close, but were definitely friends. We had some great times when we were younger & made lots of memories. We kind of "kept in touch" through a family member, but that was about it... until recently.

Once again, thanks to Face Book, we "re found" each other. We started chatting & just leaving comments on each other's walls & photos. One thing led to another & the next thing I knew, we were sharing parts of each others daily lives & the struggles we're facing. I got a "vent" email from her today saying she needed a shoulder to cry on. I emailed her back & left my #. Literally, within 30 minutes or so, my phone rang & it was her. I ended up calling her back & we talked for over 2 hours. It was such a refreshing conversation. We both got things out that really needed to be said. We both got to vent, & "spill it all" to each other. What a wonderful thing to have found a "long lost friend" like this & have a great, close adult friendship. I love that we already know long ago history, so we don't have to go through all of that, we just picked it up & went with it.

She has turned into an amazing woman, wife & mom. Her kids are so lucky to have her. She has a lot on her plate, but she is strong & has a wonderful, positive attitude. When things go wrong, she laughs. We actually talked a lot about this, how really, what choice do you have, cry & be bitter & negative, or laugh. Either way, the situation itself isn't going to change, might as well look at the positive & muddle through with a smile on your face & a laugh in your heart.

Anyway, thanks my friend, for "finding" me & feeling like you could come to me, that means a lot to me. I want you to know, our conversation really made my day!

Keep laughing!

Blog Challenge #6

2009-03-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

Today's question is... "Who encourages you?" I've been thinking about this one & was having a hard time coming up with just 1 person, UNTIL tonight when I read Traci's blog. She posted about her daughter & that's when the light bulb went on for me. I can honestly say that one person that really encourages me is the Princess. Yes, I do know she's not quite 3. Yes, I understand she doesn't necessarily "know" she's encouraging me. No, I'm not saying she comes up & says "Mommy, you CAN do that, you're strong, you can do anything etc" (Although that would be nice to hear LOL). So how exactly does a not quite 3yo "encourage" me you ask? That's easy...

You see, in her eyes, I CAN do everything, I am strong, & hey, I'm even tall in her eyes (anyone that knows me can laugh with me at that one ;)). You see, I am her mom, right now, I'm pretty much her everything. I'm the one that is home with her all day, I'm the one that gives her a bath, does her hair, picks out her clothes, cleans up her messes, gets her something to eat, helps her get on the potty etc. I'm the one that gets to play with her, takes her to the library, shopping, out to get a strawberry limeade at Sonic. LOL You see, right now, her & I are pretty inseparable. That's fine with me, we have so much fun together. She really is my sidekick. We're a lot alike, she's super girlie girl (yep, just like mom), she loves having her hair brushed & done, she loves wearing dresses & looking like a princess. She loves playing with her doll house, & her babies, she's super social & loves hanging out with her friends, she loves the phone & is loving the computer too.

All of this is bringing me to the point I was trying to get at before I got sidetracked... she encourages me to be my best. I know she is watching every thing I do & sometimes imitating that. I want to be a good example to & for her. I want her to love life & see the positive in things. I want her to know she can always turn to me & talk to me, no matter what. I want her to know that I will be always be her #1 fan & support her. I want her to be a strong member of the church, I want her to have her own strong testimony. I want her to want to be a mom, I want her to be a good wife & mommy. I want her to want to serve others, I want her to give 110% in everything she does. I want her to stand up for what she believes in, no matter who may be hurt in the process. I want her to be strong, & confident. I also want her to be herself, & true to herself.

Yes, I want a lot for her, now do you see why I have such a big job ahead of me? She needs to learn these things from me. She needs to see me do these so she knows it can be done.

Anyway, now you know why my little almost 3yo Princess is such a big encouragement to me. I love you Roozi! May all your dreams come true sweetheart!

Blog Challenge #5

2009-03-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to start off with a question this time, I'm just going to get right to the point.

I'm going to blog about my mom tonight. My parents made the trek down here to spend the weekend with us. This is something I always look forward to. My mom & I have so much fun together. We both love to shop, so that could have a lot to do with it. LOL But even if we aren't out doing our part in stimulating the economy, we can (& do) have fun hanging out here. We both love crafty stuff, chick flicks, & just talking. Ok, we both also love & adore my kids, so that is HUGE! LOL

We have had so much fun this weekend. We took off with the Princess last night & did a little shopping, a lot of laughing & even more talking. We finally fell into bed late last night, but it was worth it. We got up this morning & watched Twilight together, then hung out until Prince Charming got back home. The 4 of us adults took off for a yummy lunch, then decided to pick up something for the kiddos. We came home, dropped off the guys, & headed back out with the Princess for more shopping. We were on a mission, let me tell you! Luckily, mission accomplished (hours upon hours later). LOL We're both exhausted, but I decided today that I wanted my hair frosted, well... that isn't something I can do on my own, so guess who got roped into helping. Yep, you got it, Mom! Can I just say I now remember why I've only done this once before, YIKES, those are tiny little holes she had to pull my hair through. I think she had fun torturing me. ;) (I'll tell ya later if it was all worth it).

Anyway, my whole point to all of this is my mom is one of my greatest friends. We have so much fun together & have always been really close. I love that she has such a great relationship with my kids, esp The Princess. I hope & pray that they remain close always. I love that my mom still teaches me things, even though I've been out of the house for years. Infact, I can now "blanch" something & I know how to cook asparagus!

Anyway, thanks Mom for a great weekend. I love you!

Help Wanted...

2009-03-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

I would love your help. I entered Bubby in a "bad haircut" contest. I would love for you to go & vote for him. All you have to do is go & leave a comment. The only catch is that you can't post as anon. Here's the link to his pic. ***clicky***

Here's the link to her blog with the details.

Thanks everyone!

Blog Challenge #4

2009-03-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

Who taught you a skill that you use often?

I'm not sure if it's necessarily a "skill", but something that has really stuck with me is something my sister taught me. It was a hard lesson she leaned, but one she passed on to me. You see, she had a great friend who ended up "burning" her, big time. My sister was heart broken, mad, hurt, you name it, I'm sure she felt the emotion. So what exactly did she learn & pass on from that nasty situation? She leaned that yes, it's great to have friends, it's even better to have your spouse be your best friend. The one you turn to for any & everything. Your spouse only wants the best for you & won't (hopefully) betray you like a "friend" would.

I've blogged a little about this long ago, but here's a quick recap in case you don't remember. I was great friends with someone for years. I really thought she was my lifeline. We told each other everything, we did everything together. Really, I don't think there was anything we kept from each other. One day, it all came to a screeching halt & our friendship ended. I too was mad, hurt, felt betrayed etc. It has taken me a loooong time to get over the emotional parts of it. I felt completely lost & alone after the fact, I felt like I had no one I could turn to, to talk to, no one I could share the little things with. That's when I remembered what my little (lol) sis had taught me. I had my Prince Charming. He wasn't going anywhere, he was here for me, no matter what. I started sharing the "little" things with him, along with the big. Oh, I'm sure he gets sick of me talking his ear off sometimes (most of the time LOL), but I no longer feel alone. We are much closer & it's been fun sharing the little every day nonsense things with him.

Now, don't get me wrong, I still have my girl friends that I talk to & that I'm close to, & I totally value their friendship. I just no longer put everything into those & "ignore" my BFF that's right here with me.

Thanks Goldfish, for helping put things in perspective for me.

Ok, I just have to say, it's SO much fun having my sis,( who I did NOT get along with when we were growing up), as one of my great friends now. I love that we can chat during the day & keep up with the going ons of each other's daily lives. We talk daily, if not on the phone, definitely through IMing. I love it! Thanks Goldfish!

Blog Challenge #3

2009-03-25T20:21:00.000-07:00

"Who can you always talk to"...

That's today's question. This one is easy for me to answer. I could actually a few different people, BUT, I'm gonna blog about my good friend Manda. Manda & I haven't known each other very long & our "story" is kind of funny.

We "met" through a message board we both frequent (that's an understatement, but that's okay LOL). I don't remember exactly how it started (hopefully she'll forgive me for that part), but I know it had to do with hair blogs! From there, we started talking & I started "walking her through" some fun hairstyles. The next thing I know, I'm talked into going to her retreat & she's going to be my ride to & from the airport. Next thing I know, she has me convinced I need to go a day early & stay a day later.

I had seen pics of her, but that's it until... I got off the airplane & was standing at the baggage claim thingy. I was on the phone with Prince Charming telling him I had no idea what I was doing or who I was waiting for. I turned around & well, there she was. It was so cool, it was like we were long lost friends, there was none of the awkwardness I thought there would be. We hung out & did the rest of the last minute shopping & "stuff" for the retreat & just had a blast. We talked, we laughed, we ate (she even took me to In & Out!!!). It was such a great weekend & I am so beyond grateful that I got "talked into it". What an incredible friendship that was born.

I don't think more than 1 day has gone by that Manda & I haven't talked, at least once. We talk all the time, sometimes about nothing, other times we'll have big ol heart to hearts. Even though we don't have the same beliefs, or even feel the same about some things, we can tell each other how we feel & respect each other. We have become great friends & I have been so blessed to have her in my life. I love that we can talk about absolutely anything, anytime.

Thanks for being such a great friend Manda!

Blog Challenge #2

2009-03-24T19:47:00.001-07:00

Who has been your friend as long as you can remember?

That's today's question.

Hmmm, I'm going to say my "oldest" friend has got to be Jodi. She is one of the first "friends" I met when I started a new school. It was a public school, but it was TINY. I started out in 1st grade, but after a week or two, I got moved to 2nd grade. Great, not only was I the new kid in school, I now had to move up a grade, AFTER school started. YIKES! Anyway, Jodi had long dark hair & was tall & so dang cute. We hit it off & became great friends. I will never forget, in 3rd grade, Mrs. Spooner's class, sitting in a circle on the floor & the teacher asking what our dad's did for a living & hearing Jodi's answer. (I'm not going to say what she said then, but well, it's obviously left a lasting impression on me!)LOL I ended up moving & went to a different school (MUCH bigger lol) for 4th grade. After changing from Foster to Arleta, Jodi & I lost touch. I thought of her often, & even knew where she lived, but for whatever reason, we didn't really see each other after that. Fast forward to Middle school. I remember going to some event, (no clue what it was), but running into her. We lost touch again. Now fast forward to high school. Lo & Behold, who was there... my old friend Jodi! Once again, we picked up where we dropped off. It was like nothing had changed. Jodi & I were inseparable during HS. Man we had some fun times. We spent tons of time just hanging out, trying different outfits on & then "posing" for each other to take a pic. We listened to music, we were just your typical teen I guess. We stayed close all through high school & graduation. Not sure what happened after that, I guess we both just got on with our lives. It was years later before we hooked up again, we were both married & had little ones by then. Through out the years, we lost touch & then recently have "found" each other through face book. How much fun it's been seeing her kids all "grown up" & hearing about what she's doing. We're hoping to get together this summer, with some other friends from HS & have a crafty weekend. I can't wait

Blog challenge #1

2009-03-23T14:06:00.001-07:00

"Who do you wish was still here with you?" That's the question I'm going to blog about today for this months challenge.

I have a number of people I could write about, but today, I'm going to focus on my Grandma Phelps. I've been thinking about her a lot lately & am beginning to see a completely different side of her than I ever saw when she was alive. You see, she was my mom's mom. She was an incredibly talented seamstress, she was a hard worker, & pretty much raised all of her 7 children as a single mother. I've heard stories about my mom's childhood all my life. I know grandma was a BIG part of my life when I was younger. Unfortunately, I have very few memories of living in Cali. I do remember (vividly) going over to visit & "having" to watch the Lawrence Welk show, watching the bubbles at the end of the show. Anyway, Grandma moved in with us when I was in High School, so most of my memories are from that time, (& let's just say, they aren't all good).

So why are you asking, am I writing about her & wishing she was still here? Well, earlier this week, I was playing around on Face Book & came across a "group" I'm a part of, it's just for relatives & my cousin has posted a number of pictures on there. There were quite a few pics of my mom growing up & pics of my grandma in her "younger" Mommy days. WOW, I have seen her in a totally different light. First off, she was beautiful! Another, she was laughing & happy in most of the pics, like laugh out loud, happiness radiating off of her, happy, that's something else I didn't see often (if at all). I know Grandma had a hard life, I know & have heard stories from my mom & my aunt's, about what life was like for them. It's amazing Grandma did all she did, she really was a strong woman. I wish I would have had the opportunity to get to know a different side of her. I wish I could sit down with her & hear some of her stories, both the good & the bad, so I could really understand her. I know that I could learn so much from her, things that would help me with my own family. I wish I had even a 1/4 of my Grandma's strength. She went through so much in her life, & came out a better, & stronger person because of her trials.

Anyway, I know she loved me (my mom has told me how much she adored me when I was little), but I would love to get a big ol hug from her & hear her tell me, just 1 more time. I would love to sit down with her & tell her how proud I am to be her grand daughter, how much I love & admire her & all she did for her children.

So, now you know who I wish was still here, my Grandma Phelps.

A ballerina is born...

2009-03-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

So 2 days ago, I decided I just HAD to have a tutu for the Princess. My friend in NH convinced me I could make one, I then talked to another friend, Lindsay who sent me links that she had used & again, convinced me I could do this. Well, I took off with this wild hair & bought what I needed. I came home, looked in the bag & got scared; Needless to say, I didn't work on it. Yesterday, I decided to face my fear & just DO IT. OMGosh, I am SO glad I did! I completely changed my mind color wise (luckily I bought 4 colors, so this wasn't a big deal). Here is what we came up with...

I LOVE this & even more important, so does she! She calls it her "Tinkerbell Tutu" (because of the colors... it's green & purple). Anyway, she now says "I not a Princess, I a Ballerina"! She loves her new tutu & I had so much fun making it with her. I have enough to make another, I can't wait!

Blog award!

2009-03-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

I have 2 good friends that live in my computer. Both of these wonderful ladies awarded me with the coolest Blog Award... "When Life Gives You Lemons" Award. I feel so honored to have been chosen for this.

Here is what Brandi had to say about me & my blog... "I nominate my friend Brynn, who inspires me through her loving posts that always show the affection she has for her faith, her family and her friends." Thanks Brandi!

Here is what Lindsay had to say " Unfortunately I have not met Brynn IRL, but I plan to change that someday. She is extremely kind and generous. Her blog is real and honest...and she is another woman with a very positive outlook on life!. Wow, thanks girls!

The essence of the Lemonade Award:

Post the logo on your blog. check (Thanks Lindsay!)

Nominate blogs that show great attitude or gratitude. check

Link to the nominees within your blog post. check

Notify the recipients of the award by commenting on their blog. will do ASAP

Share the love and link back to the person from whom you received your award. check

I'm going to pass this award on to these two blogger friends: check

Shirlene is my cousin & let me tell you, it has been so much fun getting to know her & her family better. She has such an amazing zest for life, she loves her family & it just shines through. I love that she is so positive, but real. Ok, she also has super cute kids! LOL Anyway, check out her blog ***clicky*** & you too can get to know her.

The next person I'm going to nominate is my friend Mimi. Now, I have known Miriam for years & when we both lived here, we were super close friends. Unfortunately, we both moved away (although I did come back). I miss her so much. She is such a great person. She always finds the good in things. She is very soft spoken, but is also a blast to hang out with. She absolutely amazes me. She has 6 kids & honestly, I think they are the most well behaved, down to earth, humble children I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Mimi is one of the best Mom's I know. She is also very resourceful, they may not have a ton of $, but you would never know they have ever gone without. Their home really is a little "heaven on earth". I so miss having her in my daily life, but we have "reconnected" & I am so grateful for that. I would love to link to her, but she has a private blog (as does Lindsay), so you'll just have to take my word for it that she so deserves this award!

I hope you check out these ladies' great blogs and remember to choose to be thankful for those lemons. (Quote taken from Shirley!)

If you click on Brandi's name, it will take you to her blog. I can't link Mimi or Lindsay, they are both private blogs, sorry.

March Blog Challenge...

2009-03-19T16:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, I do realize the month is more than 1/2 over. The way I figure it, I only have to do 7 posts for this one, so hey, why not just start now. LOL The challenge this month, (like the last 2) come from my friend Traci, you can find her blog here. She has a jump start on me, & has some good posts up if you have a few minutes, go check hers out. Anyway, here is the challenge & I'll actually post my first post for this later tonight.

This month's challenge is of a different sort. March is Women's History Month. Since we are all women, it seems fitting to have a monthly challenge that honors the special women in our life.

Is there a woman...
Who you wish you spent more time with or talked to more often?
Who inspires you?
Who you can always talk to?
Whose story you're always in awe of?
Who touched your life in a major way?
Who taught you a skill that you use often?
Who you could trust to point out the lettuce stuck in you teeth from lunch?
Who you could invite over to your messiest house?
Who you want to be like when you grow up?
Who made you want to be a mom?
Who you've never met, but always admired?
Who you wish was still here with you?
Who you laugh so hard you cry with?
Who can finish your sentences for you?
Who has been your friend as long as you can remember?
Who you've been greatly encouraged by?
Who you'd love to have a one hour conversation with?

-Pick 7 (get it "lucky number 7?) of the above writing prompts and roll with them. Write 7 meaningful posts about 7 special ladies. If you don't like my prompts feel free to substitute some of your own.

MOM...

2009-03-18T08:11:00.001-07:00

Ok, I just came across this & I swear, it is the cutest thing I've ever seen. Seeing as how I don't sew (sometimes buttons, but not often), I'm giving a shout out to my Mom!

The Princess needs this... & Heaven knows I have TONS of shirts the boys would be willing to "sacrifice" for her. So... what do you think? Are you up for the challenge?

Here is the link with the instructions ***clicky***.

See, isn't it ADORABLE?! I can SO see one of the boy's plaid shirts (think red white & blue) for the sundress for the pageant. OR for the 4th, or for... Oh, the possibilities! Maybe I should just learn to sew... nah, who am I kidding, that isn't going to happen, I'll just let you do this for her! LOL

Another day with the Princess...

2009-03-17T10:24:00.000-07:00

So all the kids are in bed asleep & all is right with the world. THEN... we hear... something, something that sounds a lot like little footsteps. PC looks at me & says "One of YOUR kids is up". I asked how he knew it was one of "mine", (cause I'm thinkin at this point, they're HIS) He laughs & says "Cause MINE have been in bed asleep for hours". Fine, I'LL go check to see who is up. As I'm walking up the stairs, I see a little body run past me, she runs from Bonez's room all the way to hers (like I can't see her LOL). I walk in just as she's jumping into her bed. I take her by the hand & walk her to my office (I don't say a word). I grab my camera, go out to the hall & THIS is what I snapped...

OMGosh, I'm trying so hard not to laugh. I ask her what happened to her jammies, she runs over & gives me a big hug & says in her sweetest little voice "My nammies were buggin me". I'm seriously holding it in, I'm about to start laughing, it's hilarious! I promptly took her back to her room & got her all tucked in (again).

As I'm walking out of her room, I decide I better look to see how much damage she did in her closet. Well... her "nammies" that I had put on her were back in the jammie drawer, I open her pants drawer & well, let's just say that it's pretty obvious she had been having a fashion show! She had been keeping busy by trying on a bunch of her clothes!!!

She has been so darn independent lately, it cracks me up. I am not "allowed" to do anything for her, SHE has to get herself dressed, SHE has to brush her teeth (although I do get to "rebrush" them after), I remember this stage with the boys & I love it. I'm a little sad that my baby is growing up, but she is SO much fun!

Anyone that knows me knows how hard it is for me to see her dressed like she is right now, but I want you all to know... that YES, I let her keep her outfit on & that is now what she is sleeping in!

Stay tuned for more adventures of the Princess!

Shout out...

2009-03-16T22:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, I HAVE to put this out there... you see, I am needing a tutu for the Princess. Yes, I think they are darling, BUT that's not why I NEED one. Roo is going to be in a pageant for the high school & the last I heard, she was going to be a ballerina for part of it & will need a cute tutu. This one right here would be PERFECT! (Ok, any color would be perfect, she just needs one). Anyway, I SO want to win this for her.

Go check out Devri's blog, she makes me laugh.

Another Princess funny...

2009-03-16T16:46:00.000-07:00

To keep with the last posts topic...

So, we're getting ready to leave today, Roo farts & then says (with a shocked expression on her face) "Oops, that was my butt"... OMGosh, I laughed so hard!

She seems to have a hard time telling the difference between the "2", I'm thinking we may have just figured out why so many accidents lately! Hmmm, now if I could just figure out how to teach her the difference...

Anyway, just thought I would give you a laugh.

Mystery solved!

2009-03-15T22:48:00.000-07:00

Ok, I didn't find this very funny, BUT, a good friend of mine told me I needed to write this down to remember it. She (& her hubby) are probably STILL laughing at this., they both found it hilarious. Yeah, whatever!

So... here's my story...

Lately we've been having problems with the Princess having "yucky" accidents. (Personally, I don't think they're accidents as much as "I don't want to stop playing just to go potty"). Anyway, today was more of the same, I found her in her room playing with her "people" & yep, sure enough, I was going to have the pleasure of dealing with a MESS. GRRRRR (it's a DANG good thing she's cute!). So, into the bathroom we go to start the "process". I don't want to deal with the panties right then, so I leave them hanging in the toilet bowl & I'll finish cleaning them out later.

Fast forward to "later". I can't find the panties! Seriously, they aren't hanging where I left them. Now, I KNOW I didn't clean them up. I KNOW I left them hanging. I specifically remember leaving them there when I walked out of the bathroom. Hmmm, Prince Charming is the only other one to use the master bath, & he hasn't even been upstairs, so nope, he didn't do anything with them (yeah, I know, like he would anyway). Ok, whatever, I'll deal with that later, I'm sure I'll end up finding them somewhere.

I start cleaning up my latest project & decided it was time to dump the trash from my bathroom. What do I find on the top on the garbage? A BUNCH of wipes. Hmmm, now this is getting interesting! I KNOW *I* didn't do anything with them. I can pretty much guarantee the boys didn't do anything with them (that would be way too close to cleaning for them). Again, PC hasn't been upstairs, that leaves only 1 other person! THE PRINCESS!!! So, at this point, I think I have a pretty darn good idea where her panties ended up! I go into her room (cause even though she's in bed & has been put there no less than 4 times already) I know she's still up. I ask her if she had the wipes out, yep. I then decide (even though I REALLY don't want to know the answer to this next one) to ask "Roo, did you flush your panties down the toilet?" "Uh huh" (with smile on her face). You see, she has seen me wash them out & so she thought she would "help" & do it herself this time.

GRRRR Guess next time she watches me do that part, I should make her watch me TAKE THEM OUT OF THE TOILET & PUT THEM IN THE WASHING MACHINE!!! Holy Freakin Cow, a lightbulb just went off then. You see, we've been missing a few pair of panties, I have accused Prince Charming I don't know how many times of flushing them down the toilet, he kept assuring me he knows better & wouldn't do that. Well, I just figured I was completely losing it & decided that I had somehow "blocked out" what I did & somehow put them in the washer without remembering. Yet, at the same time, I knew her panty pile had been diminishing, so I kept buying more. UGH, the Princess has been flushing her panties down the toilet!!! AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH! I love this little girl, I love this little girl, I love this little girl... (I have to keep reminding myself of that) I know she'll out grow this stage, but holy cow, I'm not sure we're going to survive it in the mean time!

Anyway, I was pretty frustrated & was "venting" to Jenn, SHE thought it was hilarious & then had to fill in Chad when he got home, they BOTH we're laughing so hard. Ummm, *I* didn't find it that funny, but I'm glad I provided them with their nightly entertainment!

I guess the good news is, I'm not really losing my mind & blocking things out! I also feel good (kind of) about solving the missing panties mystery all by myself without having to even mention any of this to PC. Shhh, it's our little secret, don't tell him what his little angel has been up to!

I'm going out tomorrow to pick up a few things, guess I need to add Princess Panties to the list.

Dress giveaway...

2009-03-11T09:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'll try to "ease up" on the giveaway posts, BUT, I HAD to blog about this one. You see, my little Princess is going to be in a little "Pageant" in April & the giveaway dress would be PERFECT. (I promise to fill you in on the whole "pageant" thing shortly", but seriously, I've been on the lookout for the perfect dress & this would be it!

Head on over to ***this*** blog to get the details & to see the dress. Heck, spend some time looking around her site, not only does she have some gorgeous dresses, she has great bows to match! Look, 1 stop shopping, & you don't even have to leave your couch to do it! How great is that?!

2009-03-10T16:29:00.000-07:00

This is just too funny not to share. So I'm sitting here at the computer reading a friend's blog. The Princess wants to show me that "someone" was playing with the vacuum, I ask who did it & this is the convo that followed...

Her: "Mommy, look at dis..."

Me: "Who did that?"

Her: "Ummm, Bubby did"

Me: "Bubby!"

Her: (hands cupped over her little mouth) "BUBBY!"

Her: hand out, palm to me (like STOP) "Wait right here, I get him"

Her: (walking back in family room) "Ugh, he can't hear me!"

At this point, I was laughing SO hard!

A few seconds later, she tells me she wants to watch a moobie, I told her to go get Mermaid up from Bonez' room, as she's walking away she says "It's Bubby's room, NOT B's room!". (Ummm, okay, but really, it's both since they share a room, but we won't tell her that part!)

I'm tellin ya, this little girl, cracks us up daily! SOO funny!

Yet another Giveaway...

2009-03-10T13:54:00.000-07:00

Can you tell I love these things?! Yes, I frequent a number of "hair" blogs. This one is one I visit on a daily basis. She has some super fun ideas, unfortunately, her Princess has LOTS more hair than mine does. But ya know something, I've become the master at making do's I find "mine". I love to see a hairdo & then tweak it so it will work on the Princess. We have so much fun playing with her hair every morning. Anyway, here is the blog I found the giveaway on ***clicky***. Here is the site she's doing the giveaway from ***clicky***. Go check them out. I'm going to order some fun things for Roo even if I don't win (although, I would LOVE to), she has some great things on there.

Anyway, I'm not sure what you're waiting for, there isn't anything else to see here! LOL

I'll be back with a "real" post later today, I just wanted to share this because I was so excited about it.

I'm so beyond ready!

2009-03-09T20:13:00.001-07:00

To have my hubby back home where he belongs! He has been gone since Thursday & boy am I ready to have another adult in this house. According to Bonez, "It isn't any fun when Dad isn't here, all us kids do is argue." Uh yeah, but I don't see how that changes when he IS here!!! Dad did get a kick out of that statement though.

Things could have been much worse, honestly, things went pretty smooth, but I still want him home with us.

So where did he go you want to know? Well, he's been in Vegas playing in a paintball tourney. So, how did they do you ask? They took 3 teams & ... ALL 3 TEAMS TOOK 1ST!!! In other words, they did GREAT!!! I've talked to him a few times & he's been exhausted, but said they had a blast. We're not sure when or where the next tourney is going to be, there is rumor about both Michigan & Utah... we'll have to wait & see (although, I have friends in both depending on where they play). I'm glad he got to go & even more so that they were so successful. He was supposed to go last year to Georgia, but it was around the same time as the retreat I went on, so he stayed home & let me go. This was his chance & we're both glad he made it.

Oh, & to finish off his great looong weekend, he got invited to go to the Laker/Blazer game tonight in Portland. Now we just have to hope he can make it home safely. Luckily there are a bunch of them driving over the pass "together", so I'm feeling much better about that.

If I don't post for a few days, it's because we're trying to get back into "normal" mode. Wish us luck!

Another giveaway

2009-03-08T14:45:00.000-07:00

I found this on accident, but it's too good not to share.

Ok, I was "given" some $ & was told it HAD to be spent just on me. I don't know how many of you have the same problem as I do, but I really struggle spending $ on myself. I have been trying to figure out what it is I want to get, I THINK I finally figured it out. I want a "mom's necklace". It's something I would wear all the time, something "different", but something cool too. I have been spending lots of time on Etsy lately looking for just the perfect thing. I think I finally found it today. Here is the one I'm seriously thinking about, what do you think... ***clicky***.

As I was looking, I came across a pretty cool blog, who just so happened to be having a giveaway for a $20 gift certificate to this Etsy seller. How cool is that?! Here is the giveaway blog.

Let me know what you think about the necklace, I'm lovin it, but am always up for suggestions too.

Bragging rights!

2009-03-06T19:34:00.001-08:00

Ok, I thought about posting this yesterday, but decided against it. Tonight, I read a friends blog & she was talking about her son's parent teacher conference & well, I decided I too would "brag" about my kids. Heck, it's my blog, I should be able to talk about anything I want on here right?! LOL

Anyway, before Prince Charming left town yesterday, we headed to conferences for the younger 2 boys. C-Man's was first & well, let's just say, that kid is SMART, not just smart, but like super smart! Seriously! He didn't just meet benchmarks, he totally EXCEEDED them... in EVERY subject! He tested so high in 1 subject the first time around (state testing) he doesn't have to take the test again, the teacher said there is no reason to have him take it, he can't get any higher than he already did!!! How cool is that?! Yeah, he was beyond excited about that too. LOL His teacher was saying that in 1 "thread" of science testing, he had super high scores & the funny thing is, they haven't even covered that material yet!!! Holy cow, see, I told you he was smart! The funny thing with C-Man is that he does NOT want to be known as the "smart" kid, he tries very hard to "protect" that so people don't see it. He wants to be known as the "funny" guy, he succeeds in that too. His student teacher was telling us how much fun it is having him in class, he constantly has them giggling & laughing with his quick wit & sarcasm. Both teachers were quick to reassure us that he is NEVER disrespectful, he knows when it's appropriate to be funny. (Good thing too)!

Ok, next up was Bubby. Now, his teacher, we know very well, she was Bonez' teacher for 1st & 2nd grade, she would have had C-Man had we not moved & well, if things go as I would like, she'll have the Princess too. Yep, we LOVE Mrs. W! Anyway, to say that Bubs is impatient & competitive is a MAJOR understatement, so yeah, I tend to get a little nervous talking to the teachers! Well, he too is doing WONDERFUL! He's also above benchmarks in everything & doing great. He is challenging himself to not "shout out", which is a HUGE step for him & something she said he is doing great with. Bubby loves to learn & is challenging himself to always do better, he uses his competitiveness to push himself harder, which is good for him.

Even though we didn't have conferences with Bonez, we did find out his grades. He too is doing great. All A's & 1 B. Not bad considering he just missed a full week of school because he was sick & he had VERY little (like 1 page was all) of "make up" work. The class he is getting a B in is his hardest class & everything they do is in class, so it's hard to make up what is missed.

Anyway, I'm extremely proud of all 3 boys, it's nice to know that they are all doing so well, esp with their busy schedules. (Although, they all know if grades slip, the first thing taken away is the "fun, extras" they so enjoy).

Ok, that's all my bragging for tonight. Thanks for reading!

My questions from Michelle...

2009-03-05T01:09:00.000-08:00

My friend ArlaMo had something like this on her blog, she had to answer 5 questions & then I told her I would be willing to answer 5 that she "hand picked" for me. It took me a while, but since I couldn't sleep tonight, figured I would finish these up. If you would like 5 questions of your own, let me know & I'll come up with some for you.

1. If you could have lunch with three people, living or dead, whom would you choose and why?

I've had the hardest time with this question, trying to narrow it down to 3 is almost impossible. I'm ready to give it a try though. Let's see, the 1st would be Missy Tate, Missy was my BF in college & boy did we have some fun! Unfortunately, we lost touch over the years & I have NO idea where she is. Yes, I tried finding her, but haven't had any luck. Anyway, I would love to sit down & catch up with her. I think of her often & wonder where her life took her. I would love to hear her southern accent again, boy do I miss that!

Next up would probably be my biological grandpa, my dad's bio dad. I never had the chance of meeting him; we did exchange letters a few times when I was a teen, but that's about it. I have so many questions I would love to have answered, like why he always treated my dad the way he did, did he try to hurt him on purpose, or did he just not "get it". I would love to know that he really did love my dad & his siblings & also his grandchildren. I would ask if he was happy with the way his life turned out, I really, honestly hope he was & would be able to answer me that way.

Hmmm, the 3rd, well, I'm going to cheat & choose 2 more, 1 would be my grandpa Mickey. I would love to see his silly smile again, to hear his laugh just 1 more time, to tell him I love him. Oh, I have plenty of questions for him too, I'm sure he would be squirmin in his seat (okay, probably not, he would smile that smile of his & I would forget all about my "mean" questions). I would ask about his on again, off again (on again, off again) relationship with my grandma, I would ask about his life & why he made some of the decisions he made. Man I miss him, he could always make us laugh "Hey Bocki", remember that Goldfish, & his silly little wave with his hand at his chin as we drove away?

Ok, last one, I would want to sit down with Prince Charming's brother Bryan. I would love the chance to say goodbye to him, to tell him how much he has made a difference in my life & in the lives of so many others. For my lunch with Bry, I wouldn't want to be alone, I would want PC there with us, they were best friends & I know how much PC misses his "little" brother. I would also insist on my kids being there. I so wish they had more memories of their great uncle. I know Bonez & C-Man remember him, but Bubby was so little when he died & the Princess never did get to meet him. Anyway, he was an amazing guy & is loved & missed so very very much!

2. I'm always interested to talk to other moms with lots of boys. I was a very girly girl, so having five boys was a bit overwhelming. I always wonder if I'm doing all the right things for them. I know your daughter is still pretty young, but do you find parenting boys or your daughter easier?

My boys are easier, hands down! I "expect" them to be roudy, loud, outgoing "crazy". I did NOT expect that with my Princess. I too was super girly, so the 3 boys threw me for a loop. BUT, at the same time, I have always loved sports, they were such a major part of my childhood, I can't imagine not having a house full of sporty boys. Now, don't get me wrong, girls can & do play sports, but to me, it's just not the same.

When the Princess was around 1 year, we totally noticed the drama with her. OMGosh, we can't turn it off! We didn't ever get that with the boys. None of my boys were ever temper tantrum throwers, but man, she more than makes up for that, let me tell you.

She is extremely girly, so I've been loving that, she loves to dress up & of course, have her hair done, but she also isn't afraid to play with the boys outside, or wrestle around with them. She's also my LOUD one. (Ok, guess she doesn't have much choice in that one if she wants to be heard). LOL My Hubby & I laugh that Heavenly Father definitely knows what we can handle, that's why I only have 1 girl! Don't get me wrong, I waited a long time for the Princess & wouldn't change her for the world, NOTHING compares to a little girl, I also just know that 1 is enough for me thankyouverymuch! ;)

3. You have five minutes to pack up and leave your house, forever. What goes and what stays? (We will assume that your DH and children are a given.)

Hmmm, well, my computer goes (at least my ex hard drive), as does my albums, that is stuff that can't be replaced. I would also grab a set of scriptures (although, right now, I have 2 sets in my car, so we would be covered). Other than my car keys & purse, I think the only other thing I would "have" to have would be clothes & of course, bows for the Princess! (I'm kidding of course). I'm sure Bonez would be grabbing Izzi, I can't imagine he would be willing to leave behind his iguana.

Wow, funny how we think we "have" to have everything, here I am thinking about it & ya know, I could live without all the "extras" if I had too. As long as I had my family with me, it would be okay.

4. Who has been the most inspirational non-relative in your life? What two or three life-changing things did you learn from that person?

This one is easy, hands down, Leeann. She has been a 2nd mom to me ever since the day I had Bonez. She is the one I can call for any kind of advice, anything from cooking questions, to child rearing, to scripture references. She's the one I can & do call when something is going wrong, or when I'm super excited about something & need to share. She is always there for me, no matter what. Let's see, 2 or 3 life changing things, hmmm, well, the most recent was when I was put in a "weird" situation with a friend. I was really struggling, I knew what I wanted to say to my friend, but didn't feel comfortable saying it. We have different beliefs & I knew that was playing into how I felt. I also knew my friend didn't feel the same way, or believe the same things. I struggled giving advice & being supportive. I called Leeann & talked it all out with her. Her "advice" to me was something about how right is right & wrong is wrong, no matter what the religious background is. Somethings really are black or white. She reminded me that *I* wouldn't feel good with myself if years (or months) down the line, the friend realized what a mistake she had made & I didn't say something then, when I was asked & had the chance. Leeann is always the one to tell me to be honest, not only with others, but with myself. That isn't always easy for me to do, I HATE confrontation of any kind. Leeann likes me to come to my own conclusion when I approach her with something, rarely does she tell me what to do, she gives guidance, but knows that I will learn better when it's MY idea. She told me last month that if she could be "proud" of something/someone, it would be me. She has seen me grown more in the last year than in the 13 years we've known each other. I was in tears by the time we hung up, I felt so loved & special. I know I've really grown up in the last year because of some things that I've been forced to go through, it was nice to know that someone else noticed it as well.

As a disclaimer, I don't want it to sound like Leeann has taken the place of my mom, she hasn't, at all, I'm extremely close to my mom & talk to her almost daily. I feel so blessed to be able to have 2 wonderful women to look up to & learn from. I love them both more than they will ever know.

5. What is the most meaningful gift you have received and why?

This question has me stumped, I've thought about it ever since Michelle sent me my questions. Ya know, I still don't have an answer. I think I want to say, my membership in the Church. It's because of the Gospel, that I am who I am. I can't imagine where I would be without my testimony. I love the fact that because of that, I am able to be sealed for time & eternity to my family. I have the values I have today because of what I know to be true, because of the things I have been taught my entire life. I love that I am able to give the same "gift" to my own children. I love that PC & I are in this together, that we do have the same "guidelines", the same values & morals, that we both have strong testimonies. So yeah, my most meaningful gift would be the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Yes, I know I kind of "cheated" on the last question, I rolled so much into 1, but it really does all have to do with my membership in the Church!

I love my hubby!

2009-02-27T12:02:00.000-08:00

Ok, no pics this time, sorry. I just have to say I LOVE my Prince Charming! Seriously! I'm not going to get into everything, or give every reason, (cause, really, do you care?!) I just want to say that he completely & totally surprised (ok, SHOCKED is more like it) me today. He was at work, supposedly at a meeting. He called to ask if I wanted him to bring me lunch, he was on his way home. Nope, I'm good, but thanks for thinking of me & asking. He walked in a few minutes later, came on upstairs (where I was just finishing the Princess's hair) & then presented me with... an iPod Touch!!! Oh, & a pink case for it!!!

I couldn't (& still can't if you want me to be completely honest) believe it!! See, isn't he the best?!

Ok, off to make sure it's being charged, this is going to be SO much fun!!! I can't wait to play!

**If you don't hear from me for a few days, at least you'll know I'm havin fun with my new toy!**

Love post #14

2009-02-25T12:28:00.000-08:00

Tickets to see the Globetrotters: $78
Souvenirs for the boys: $70
Dinner & snacks: $50.25
Night out with the family: Priceless

Prince Charming & I surprised the boys with tickets to see the Harlem Globetrotters game last night. The 2 older boys found out what we were doing, but we all kept it a surprise from Bubby. I won't get into the problems we had before we got in the doors, but once we got in, we had a BLAST!

Waiting for the game to start...

C-Man (ever so popular) spotted a group of friends down on the floor, so he & Bubs headed down to hang out. They ended up staying there the entire game, they had FANTASTIC seats! I went back & forth between our good seats & down on the floor checking on them (ok, & getting better pics lol). It was definitely a long night for the Princess, but it was SO worth it. I'm not sure if the boys had more fun watching the game, or getting the autographs after of all the players. Not that it matters, the important thing is we went as a family & made some wonderful memories.

Here are just a few of the pics I snapped last night. Unfortunately, I didn't get many of Bonez, he took off with Dad to get autographs & well, let's just say, NOW Prince Charming knows how to take pics on HIS phone. Grrrr

C-Man getting his new shoe signed...

Bubby getting Big Easy to sign his new shoe...

Bonez & Big Easy...

The players were GREAT, very talkative & super fun with the kids. Here's my favorite pic of the entire night, this guy was a riot!

I love that we were able to take advantage of them being here in town & enjoy a great family night together.

Another giveaway

2009-02-23T09:10:00.000-08:00

This time, there are lots of things you (or *I*) could win. Go on over & check it out (or don't, cause then there's more chances for ME). Here's the link.... ***clicky*** . What are you waiting for? There are some super cool things, go on, see what's up for grabs & good luck!

Hey, check this out...

2009-02-21T22:14:00.000-08:00

This is a cool give away, go check out her blog... ***clicky***. It's simple, just click my "clicky" & you'll be right where you need to be. Really, it's that easy. Besides, what do you have to lose?

Love post #13

2009-02-21T21:48:00.000-08:00

I love my wedding ring. Ok, you're probably wondering why the heck I'm posting about something as silly as a ring right? Well let me tell you why I'm choosing that "love" today.

I had to take my ring off when I was pregnant with the Princess (nothing unusual) BUT right after I had her, I decided I wanted to wear it again. Now, in my mind, I KNEW my hands were still swollen. Did that stop me from forcing it on? NOPE! Long story short, it was cutting off circulation & I tried everything I could possibly think of (& google) to get it off. It would NOT budge. I didn't have any other choice, I called Prince Charming at work in tears & told him it was stuck. We then (ok, after he got done laughing at me) decided I needed to go have it cut off. I went to a jeweler right by my house & had them cut it off. I cried & was so embarrassed, they were great about it & told me it happens all the time (think they were just trying to make me feel better?!). Anyway, we had every intention of getting my ring fixed, but never had the $ to spend on it. It has sat in my curio cabinet in it's safe spot for almost 3 years now.

When Prince Charming told me what he planned on getting me for V day, he said since there had been a change of plans, I could decide what it was I got. I told him I wanted my ring fixed. We went down that day to the same place he bought it & dropped it off. It was going to cost more than we originally thought, but it would so be worth it.

Well, after having to go another week without my beautiful (but VERY dirty) ring, we got to go pick it up today. Can I tell you how excited I am? I have always loved my ring, (there is a story behind it, but I'll save that for another day) but today, I think I fell in love with it all over again! I can't stop looking at it, it's so pretty & so sparkley. Even the Princess said when I walked in, "Cool ring Mommy", & Bubby came to take a look & said "Wow, it's shiny". Too cute!

Anyway, I'm lovin my ring & all that it stands for. I told Prince Charming today that we're finally "married again". He laughed, pointed at his hand & said "well, 1/2 way anyway". We promptly "found" his ring when we got home & his is now right where it should be, on his hand! We really are married now! LOL (Ok, we were before, but now we LOOK married)!

Love post #12

2009-02-20T13:39:00.000-08:00

I "bit the bullet" today. I talked to Stacy, the lady that cuts my hair a few days ago & told her that I was ready to do something drastic. She asked what I had in mind & I told her "fun & funky, but low maintenance". Other than that, it was up to her to come up with something. Yes, I completely trust her!

So, without further ado...

Before shots...

And the new do...

I LOVE it! Super fun & easy, but nothing too crazy.

***I know these aren't the best pics, I had Bonez, in his mono, sleep-state, take these***

Love post #11

2009-02-18T00:01:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, Prince Charming & I headed out & found ourselves at a furniture store. We went out for lunch on Valentine's day & decided to go look around at a furniture store that was going out of business. We fell in love with a set we wanted for our living room. The "sale" was ending yesterday, so we decided we needed to make a decision. He picked me up & off we went. Even though we both loved the set we had seen, we felt like we should look around, just to make sure that was THE set for us. As we were walking around, we both kept going back to "THE" set at the other place. We walked to the back of the showroom & as I was looking at a set, he looks over & says "There it is, that's our set". HOLY COW, he was right, it was right next to us. We looked at the price & ya know something, it was cheaper here than at the original place we saw it where it was supposedly on sale! Let's just say that we ended up getting the couch, loveseat, chair, table, floor lamp & table lamp for less (LOTS less) than what we would have paid for just the couch, loveseat & chair! Not only that, but we got to load it up & take it home right then & there! We spent the remainder of the day cleaning & moving stuff around to give our new treasures a home.

Because the "toy room" is part of the living room, we got creative so it would all fit.
Ya know something, we LOVE it! I love looking downstairs & seeing my room look so nice & inviting. In fact, it's so inviting, I spent almost all day today curled up on the couch with my laptop, phone, & book!
Anyway, I love my new furniture & I love my hubby! OH, what makes this even cooler & the reason I'm super excited... we've been married going on 14 years & this is only the 2nd time we've ever bought furniture. The first was when we moved into this house almost 2 years ago, we bought a couch & loveseat for the family room. Everything else in our house has been given to us. Now, don't get me wrong, we have been extremely blessed & I'm NOT complaining, It was just so nice to go out & find something we both loved & buy it. We are slowly making our house a home that really fits "us".

I know some of you will probably look at this & wonder why in the world we would go with something not very formal in a formal living room. Well, we are NOT formal people, we are about as casual as they come. We wanted something nice, but something that was "us", something that would hold up to the kids, but also look nice in the room.

Anyway, I'm super excited & I LOVE it. Oh, mom, this last pic is for you, I wanted you to see the pillows I got, what do you think?

Love post #10

2009-02-15T21:22:00.000-08:00

Can I tell you how much I love this kid?! We had so much fun on our "date" Friday night. He has been begging to go to one (or all) of the Varsity HS games this season. This was the first time we were actually able to go. OMGosh, we had a BLAST! He wanted to go hang out & shoot hoops in the other gym before the game started, so off he went. Part way through the game, he asked if he could go sit with his buddies, so I let him. He is so growing up. I'm not sure I'm ready for this. I am so going to miss my "little" boy. C-Man & I have always been really close & I hope & pray that that stays the same as he gets older.

I am so proud of him & his COBO team, they came in 1st for their division. They only lost 1 game the entire season, so the final record was 17-1, can you believe it? Talk about an incredible team! He played his heart out in today's games, he had some great shots, rebounds, & even steals.

Anyway, my baby is growin up, but I love him & want him to know it!

Love post #9

2009-02-14T14:27:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this man (my hubby, not the "artist" in the pic). He is my rock. No matter what is going on around us, he is the steady one, always calm. He is, always has been & will always be, my Prince Charming.

Happy Valentine's Day honey, I love you!

Love post #8

2009-02-13T16:02:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this little guy! I got the coolest email from an old friend of mine today, infact, I'll just copy & paste it so you can see what she had to say about him...

Hey, I saw your little guy shooting hoops at big bros bball practice. I hope the big boys are showing him some respect.....because he is GOOD!!!

How nice was that?! Yes, WE know he's an incredible athlete, but sometimes (ok, most of the time) I feel like people just think I'm just "talkin like his mom". It's nice to hear when someone else, esp when it's out of the blue, notices & then goes out of their way to let me know.

Anyway, her note really made my day. I think because Bubby is the youngest boy, he gets looked over a lot, either that, or he is compared to his big brothers. I love him & love when others notice how great he is.

Blog Award...

2009-02-12T19:57:00.000-08:00

My friend Lindsay has honored me with the Blog Friendship Award.

Here is the description of the award:
“These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers.
Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”

So, now I tag the following eight blogging friends:

Goldfish
Brandi
Mimi
Tiffany
Cathy
LeaAnne
Carrie
Cali

Love post #7

2009-02-12T15:42:00.000-08:00

I LOVE my little Princess! She brings so much sunshine & laughter to our lives, & our home. I honestly can't imagine life without her. A few days ago, I was on the couch helping Bubby with homework & she was trying to talk to me. Obviously I wasn't paying much attention because the next thing I knew she was saying "YOU AREN'T LISTENING TO ME!" Talk about hilarious! Yeah, I think maybe she's heard that a time or two before, what do you think?!

She cracks us up on a daily basis.

I love you Princess Roo!

Love post #6

2009-02-11T14:31:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this boy, I can't believe he's almost a teenager. We had the funniest conversation a few days ago. I was not feeling super great & didn't want to have to get up off the couch to go pick up the other boys from school. I looked at Bonez & made the comment "Man, sometimes I really wish you could just drive". Of course, he jumped all over that one!
No, I don't REALLY wish he was old enough, but it would be nice sometimes to share the running with someone else, that's for sure. But for now, I'll keep him my "little boy", at least for a little longer!

I love you Bonez!

I've been tagged.

2009-02-10T21:32:00.001-08:00

This was a super fun tag. My friend Cali tagged me. The rules are pretty simple, find the sixth picture in the sixth album on my computer, post the pic & tell about it.

Ok, sounds easy enough. Well... this is the laptop & the pics on here are not in any kind of order at the "beginning", (long story). Anyway, there are 2 that I'm going to post & tell about.

The first is actually one of my all time favorite pics of C-Man. This was his first year playing flag football, this was right before the game as he was walking towards the field. I called his name to tell him good luck & snapped the pic at the same time. I LOVE this pic! Oh, I think he was about 8 in this pic.

Ok, next pic. This is actually the 6th pic in the 6th "album" (that had more than 1 pic in it... don't ask). It's B's last day of 4th grade. His teacher was retiring & headed on some big cruise or tropical vacation, so we decided the end of the year party for the kids should be a water party. We bought beach balls for all of the kids to sign (they didn't do yearbooks until 5th grade). This is Bonez with some of his BFF's signing away.
Oh, B is the one in the purple Laker jersey incase you couldn't figure that out. LOL

Ok, I'm now supposed to tag 5 people so here goes...

Lindsay

Goldfish

Mimi

Shirlene

Tiffany H

I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Love post #5

2009-02-10T17:14:00.000-08:00

Today was easy to find "love". It is FREEZING outside, cold & snowy. Perfect day to have a fire going & stay warm & cuddly inside. I was talking to a friend yesterday that kept telling me she was cold. Ok, I know I'm always cold, but seriously, I think she's cold if the temps dip below 90! LOL Anyway, I told her if she was that cold, go turn the fireplace on. She laughed & said it wasn't that easy, there wasn't a switch to flip, she would actually have to go build a fire etc.

Today, as I was freezing, it was so nice to go "flip a switch" & have a nice warm, cozy fire going. Man I love my switch!

I know some people don't think it's really a fire unless it's a "real" fire, but let me tell you, after our first house & our wood burning stove, I swore I would NEVER EVER have that headache again. I HATED that thing! I won't get into my nightmare story, (about how I could have burned our house down, or how I cracked the stupid glass door, not once, but twice) but let me tell you, that is 1 thing, I will NOT compromise on when it comes to a house! It's a "switch" fireplace for me, or NOTHING!

Anyway, I love my fireplace, esp on days like this!

Love post #4

2009-02-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

After sitting through 5 basketball games yesterday, the last thing I wanted to do was sit at my computer to type, sorry. Had I not had a sore butt, this is what you would have gotten...

I LOVE that my kids can entertain themselves, no matter where we go & what we are doing. Like I said, we had to "endure" (actually, I LOVE watching the boys play their sports) 5 games yesterday. Other than forgetting my "butt cushion" (oops, that will NOT be happening again BTW) it was a fun day, loooong, but fun. Prince Charming had to teach Priesthood yesterday, so I was on my own getting the kids to where they needed to be & entertaining them. The first 2 games were about 30 min away, & we had to leave the house by 9, I made sure I had snacks & toys on hand for Roo & Bub's DS.

The bleachers in this OLD gym were super scary. Think wooden planks, barely big enough for my big ol booty to fit on, then the part where your feet go, well, those planks were even smaller. I wasn't too excited about letting Roo sit up there, but didn't see much choice at first. After a little bit, I discovered that if I sat on the end of the bleachers, the kids could take their "loot" & hang out underneath.

See... perfect!

They were safe (can't really fall far if you're sittin on the floor LOL) & I could actually concentrate on this...

(That's B down & ready to steal the ball from the other team)

After watching both of B's games, it was time to drive back home &pick up Daddy so we could head to C-Man's games. At this point, the Lakers were playing & the 3 kids all wanted to just stay here, I'm no dummy, so off PC & I went to watch with no little ones telling me "I have to go potty", "Can I have some $..." This is what we got to watch...

Anyway, I love that I was able to actually watch the games without having to worry about the kids falling through the bleachers. I was able to check on them without them even knowing, that was perfect, Bubby felt so "grown up". LOL

Ok, I'm outta here, gotta find more love for tomorrow.

Love post #3

2009-02-06T14:37:00.000-08:00

I had a big ol post typed out in my head. I started running it by my hubby & we decided it was probably better if I didn't post it. There is someone that reads my blog (not sure how often, but enough that I need to be careful) that would take what I wanted to say & turn it around & make it so not what I was intending. Instead of taking the chance, I've decided to post about something else I love & something that really touched me today.

I'm not sure how many of you know that C-Man's BFF spends every morning with us. Lately he has been getting dropped off around 7am (I am NOT a morning person LOL) & I take him to school with my boys. Shea spends tons of time at our house, so much time that he also has "chores" when he's here. The big joke is that I'm going to start charging his mom rent. Ok, now, that is all 100% a joke, seriously! We all absolutely love & adore Shea, & his entire family. With that being said...

Shea didn't show up this morning, ok, not a huge deal, I figured his mom had the day off so she would take him to school. I called their house to chat with her & he answered. I found out that there was a conflict, so he had to stay home for a bit & his dad was just getting ready to take him to school late. I asked why they didn't call me, I would have totally helped out, no problem, I would have loved to do it, honestly! His response to me was... "My mom feels like I'm at your house too much & we ask too much of you..." I promptly let him know that "If I had a problem with it, I would let her know, until then, it's NO BIGGIE"!!! Ok, I asked him to give his mom a message for me & have her call me when she got home from work.

I was upstairs getting things done & saw a truck go by. My first thought was "That looks like Doug's (Shea's dad) truck, that's weird". The next time it went by a few minutes later, I thought the same thing, but again, didn't do anything about it. Next thing I know, my doorbell rings. I run down & Shea's dad is standing there, I open the door & he walks away, doesn't say a thing. Hmmm, this is weird. I thought maybe he was dropping off their little girl, oh, okay. Nope, next thing I know, he's getting something out of his truck & walking towards me with a big ol grin on his face. I smiled & asked "Ummm, why are you bringing me pizza?" He just said "We just want to thank you for all you do for us, for helping us out so much, esp in the mornings." OMGosh, is that not the nicest thing?! I'm still grinning just thinking about it.

Can you guess what we're having for dinner tonight? The boys will be SO excited!!!

I love yummy pizza & I love good people! When I offered to help them out, I NEVER expected to be "rewarded" for it, I was doing it because I saw a need & a way I could help out another busy family.

Love post #2

2009-02-05T12:30:00.000-08:00

This is going to be really short, I'm still not feeling good & need to go lay back down.

I want to just say that I love that my boys are old enough to help out around here (without being asked even). I was SO beyond sick yesterday, but still needed to get the boys up & take them to school. The Princess ended up waking up & where I would usually be the one that gets her her chachy milk & takes care of her, both C-Man & Bubby did everything for her. C-Man even made sure Bubby had everything ready for school so that I wouldn't have to deal with that too. It was so nice that I could be miserable & lay on the couch without having to be "Mom". I didn't ask the boys to do any of this, they knew something was up, so they stepped up to the plate & did what needed to be done. Man I love these boys!

Prince Charming had a "light" day, so was here in time to get the boys from school, he did EVERYTHING for the rest of the day (including dealing with Roo's "messy" accident) & let me stay in bed & sleep.

I don't have the energy to find a pic right now, but I'll try to post one later.

Ok, I decided to add a few pics now, they don't necessarily go with this post, but they are pics of the kids. LOL These were taken at the super bowl party we went to, they were the only kids there & they did great at entertaining themselves & staying out of trouble!

Man I love these kids!