Sunday Night

I love Fridays and Mondays, but my least favorite day and time of the week is Sunday Night. There isn't usually alot going on, no one is terribly excited about starting the new week, and Dave is usually doing homework - lots and lots of homework! So here we sit, the kids watching Scooby Doo, Dave doing homework, and me, I just finished reading the newspaper. Pretty boring - kind of like this blog entry. Sorry!

Saturday Fun

My plans for today got changed a bit, but it turned out to be super fun. Dave went snowmobiling this morning, big surprise, so I decided I'd take the kids to go do something fun. Kassy was headed to Momentum to do some climbing with friends, while she was there I was going to take Jessy and Cody to go see the Tooth Fairy. Kassy went and saw it last night and said it was super cute. We had about 30 minutes to waste before the movie started so we decided to go watch Kassy climb for a bit. 30 minutes passed but Jessy and Cody didn't want to leave, I told them we were going to miss the movie and they said they didn't care. After about 45 minutes I decided we might as well stay and climb. We went and rented harnesses and then went climbing. Kassy's friend was having a lesson so Kassy was able to climb with us for a bit. She was a great help!! Sometimes I forget how to tie my knots and hook things up, plus it was nice to have 2 of us so Jessy and Cody could climb at the same time. I was able to hold the rope for Kassy a couple of time as well, it was fun to see how much she has learned, she is getting better every week. After lunch Kassy went climbing with her friend so I was on my own with the other 2, they were pretty good at taking turns. 3+ hours later we finally headed home. Like I said, not what I had planned for the day, but still alot of fun! Rock Climbing is a great family Saturday activity. I'm glad Kassy reminded me how much fun it is to climb and that she has found a hobby that she likes.

Verdict is in on Twi-Lite

Twi-Lite was entertaining, hysterical, truthful ("I don't just love the book, I love every sentence, every word, on every page" direct quote by Jessica), well worth your time. If you have not seen Desert Stars Twi-lite, call and get your tickets ordered NOW - seriously stop reading my blog and go call.

Waiting for you to get back..........

Now that you are back from ordering your tickets, after Twi-Lite Scarlett, Kristen and one of the "STARS" from Twi-Lite, Corrine, and I went for pie at Village Inn. I had lemon cream cheese, so yummy!!! Side note, Strawberry Pie is not in season - Scarlett, sorry your pie was sooooo gross and brown. We had a great time laughing, giggling, and being girls. Thanks for the GREAT evening.

When I got home I watched Vampire Diaries with Dave. Dave says, "you wanna watch your show?" Really he should be saying, "you wanna watch our how?" He likes it just as much as I do, however, if you ask him about it I'm sure he'll deny it. I am not a huge TV watcher, but I have my favorite shows that I have to watch, Vampire Diaries being 1 of them. Thanks to my DVR, I never have to miss any of my favorites. (Shandy, if you didn't get it recorded, feel free to come over and watch it!) If you are a fan of The Twilight Series , you will love the Vampire Diaries. It gives you your vampire fill. The stories get a bit cheesey, but come it's fiction, anything can happen. I've debated on reading the books, but I'm not sure I want to compare them to the show. If I decide to read them I will be sure to give a review on them. Last nights eposide was great. I was thrown by a few things, but others I totally saw coming. Each week I love Damen a bit more. He cracks me up!!

Better get a few things done before it is time to go get the next set of kids to the dentist. Kassy went this morning, Jessy and Cody go this afternoon. Luckily it's for check ups. Hope Jessy and Cody's go as well as Kassy's did. No cavities - Hurray!

Random Thought

This isn't very profound, but then when have any of my blog entries - lol! Today I was noticing that Cody always sits on the left side of the car, Jessy on the right side, and Kassy bounces to where ever. The seating arrangement doesn't change even if they are sitting in the 3rd row. Hmmmmm - I said it was a random thought!

I am going to see Twi-lite at Desert Star. Can't wait to see my friend Corrine in action as well as have a girls night out! I'll give my review of the play tomorrow.

Reading Books

I love to read, but often feel guilty doing it because I tend to neglect everything else until I finish the book, or in some cases the series. I try not to read at night so I don't take away from time with my kids or from Dave. Imagine my surprise and joy, when I came upstairs Monday night, and found Dave reading. He's reading Hunger Games - GREAT Book! I took advantage of the moment and quickly grabbed a book and joined him. I read Legacy of Lies by Elizabeth Chandler. It was only 191 pages so I was able to finish it in 2 days. Last night when I shut the book and said, "I'm done" Dave turned to me and said, "did you read during the day?" I said "nope", he then replied, "you're a freak." He was on page 171 and had been reading for about an hour before I got home. What can I say, I read fast!

Quick book review. Megan is adopted, her rich grandmother hasn't had anything to do with her or her 2 brothers, until now. Her grandmother "tells" her she is coming for a visit. She doesn't want to go, but her dad tells her she needs to go hoping this will help bring her mother and grandmother back together. Her grandmother didn't approve of Megan's mom marrying her dad, who happens to be black. While visiting, Megan's grandmother goes a bit goofy. The reason behind her goofiness is due to Megan, she just doesn't know why. Just fyi, if you read this book you have to keep an open mind and remember it's a book. I don't believe life/death happens how it is applied in the book, but still it was fun to read. This is the 2nd book of Elizabeth Chandlers that I have read. They are a bit different, but I have liked them.

Busy Day

First things first, Cody had his tooth pulled out. He was so brave. The tooth fairy left $2.00. I'm not sure it was because she thought he had lost 2 teeth, or she gives extra for a tooth having something so crazy happen to it.

Run down on my day: Kids off to school, dishes, laundry, vacuumed, dog to the groomer for nail trimming, grocery store, lunch with Tiffaney and Angela (so yummy), picked up kids, activity day girls, walked girls home (actually got pulled home by Kalea - she is terrible at walks), visit with Scarlett (so fun to hang out), dinner (Cody's choice - cheesy potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, and what he thinks was chicken, but it was actually the other white meat), dishes, reading books with Cody, Relief Society Meeting, finishing the last of my book (Legacy of Lies by: Elizabeth Chandler - fun, quick, easy read), and now Blogging! Whew - I'm ready for bed now! Night!

Dentist Day - AGAIN

Cody broke his front top tooth right down the middle. How does one even do something like that? He said he fell last week at school and that's what broke it. What I find odd about that is it wasn't until yesterday that it broke in half, plus there was no other proof of a fall. Luckily it is a baby tooth. We are going to the dentist in an hour, pretty sure they will pull it out. I am afraid that Cody has inherited my bad teeth, poor guy!

Never a dull moment when you have kids!

Quiet Sunday

It's been a very quiet Sunday, no one came for dinner, no birthday celebrations, very few fights, Dave has been doing homework, and we don't have anywhere we have to go. Kind of nice for a change. The paste few Sundays have been jam packed with an array of things. I am grateful for the peacefulness of the day.

Kassy and I spent the afternoon taking pictures of Jessy for her baptism invitation. They turned out awesome. Jessy is so dang cute when she smiles - which she doesn't do often. She has the biggest dimples. I was able to convince her to let me curl her hair and leave it down. For those of you who know Jessy, you realize what an amazing thing that it. She wears her hair up in a ponytail EVERY DAY! I'll have to put some pictures on my blog when I get them downloaded from my computer.

Speaking of cute. Kassy looked very pretty today, she did her makeup, hair, and wore a cute outfit. She so didn't look 12! We colored her hair on Thursday, it's kind of a maroonish color. Dave said she couldn't cut it, he said nothing about coloring it. I love the color, it's similar to what I colored the bottom of mine last time I had it done. Dave wasn't sure about it at first, but I think it's growing on him. Oh the joy of girls and their hair.

Yesterday I bought Cody a red jacket, he LOVES it! He hasn't taken it off since I bought it for him. His favorite color use to be blue, but since he figured out blue is for BYU and Red is for the U, he has changed his favorite color to red. He has gone as far as not eating off the blue plate, or drinking out of the blue cup, there's even a couple of shirts that he won't wear. I have tried to explain to him that blue is for other teams as well, but it's not working! Red is his color of choice. Good thing we didn't repaint his room all blue. Pretty sure he's going to want red walls when we paint it! He is such a funny guy.

Invitations - check, Dress - check

This morning my sister helped Michele and I make Jessy and Riley's baptism invitations. They are so dang cute! Thanks Jen! After that we made a quick run to a couple of stores and finally found Jessy a dress. We bought it at Old Navy - who would have thought to go there? It's not a frilly dress, but it fits Jessy's personality perfectly. Now if we could only find shoes! We found some super cute pink ones today, but of course they didn't have her size. Oh well, we'll keep on looking!

Visiting Teacher - Self Reliant

I am not the best Visiting Teacher in the world, okay let's be honest, I'm terrible at it! Recently I got a new companion, Becca Thompkinson, she is so dang cute and very motivated. We have know visited all of our ladies 2 months in a row. For me that is huge! This month we visited 2 of our ladies 1 night and the other 2 a different night. 1 night was pre earth quake in Hatti the second was post earthquake. The lesson took on a whole new meaning for me post earthquake, it was about being self reliant. As I was reading over it for the second visit, I pondered those people in Hatti and thought about the chances of something like that happening right here in my home town. Would I be prepared? And really, how do you prepare yourself for something like that? The lesson mentioned something along the lines that we need to spiritual, mentally, and physically prepare ourselves. Are you ready for "the big one" to hit? I know I'm not. There are alot of things that I need to do to prepare myself. I better not delay, I should get started.

My first steps in getting "prepared" are going to be:

1) Add to my food storage - usable items
2) Obtain more water in my storage
3) Update and make sure everyone has 72 hour kits, including my dog
4) Read my scriptures
5) Pray more often
6) Trust in my Heavenly Father
7) Stock up on medical supplies, ie band aids, gauze, alcohol, Tylenol etc...
8) Stock up on toiletries, ie tooth brush, soaps, toilet paper

I'm sure there are many more things I need to do, but I think this might be a good start!

My heart goes out to the people of Hatti! May God bless them as they cope with this catastrophe. And may we all become more self reliant so that we can cope with our own catastrophes that may come our way, what ever they might be!

"In good hands"

Just a quick shout out to my insurance company - ALLSTATE. (If you are not a 24 fan you won't understand what I am about to write, so here' a little explanation. The man who does the Allstate commercials use to play President Palmer on the series 24. Just fyi, he got killed off.) President Palmer has always said, "you're in good hands with Allstate". I use to think he was just feeding me a line, but not anymore. I got the estimate on my car repair, OUCH doesn't even begin to cover the dollar amount. Allstate is taking great care of us, so far, and my hope is that will continue. I feel really lucky in so many ways. WOW, what a week!

I watched the Bachelor today as I was ironing. If you haven't watched Mondays episode, stop reading now! I have to say I am so glad that Michelle and Elizabeth are gone! Michelle was psycho, and Elizabeth was a HUGE tease! As for the other girl that didn't get a rose, who was she? I don't ever remember seeing anything about her, no clips or anything. I remember her being in the background, but that's it. Now if he would only get rid of Vienna, I think she is weird and has creepy eyes. I use to like Ali, but I'm not so sure about her anymore, she is not as sweet as I thought she was at first. A couple of the others are showing "weird" tendencies as well. There are a few girls I like, but I'm not sure I have a favorite right now, truth be it doesn't matter who I like. I've heard reports about who Jake ends up with, I hope they aren't true! To funny!

I spent the morning ironing - yuck, and now I am going to go clean the shower - double yuck! Can't wait for this week to be OVER!!

Reality Setting In

Yesterday kind of feels like a blur. I'm still in shock over what happened, it doesn't seem real. My eyes are showing their dislike over the whole thing as well. They feel a bit puffy due to all my crying. Truth is, when we first got the Tahoe, I hated it, I called it the big terd. But, it has grown on me the past few months, and now that it's all banged up and not here with us, I miss it! I am really grateful that we didn't sell the Honda. We kept meaning to, but just didn't. Obviously there was a reason for that. We went from a 4 car family to a 2 car family in two days. Tahoe smashed, waiting for the appraiser to let us know what the damages are, and the Truck headed into Freeway Transmission for the millionth time! (Stupid Transmission!) Still I am grateful for the fact that no one got hurt. No one was complaining this morning about aches and I haven't seen any bruises. Jessy struggled sleeping last night, but that's anything new. Other then that, the Tahoe took the brunt of the pain! Thanks Tahoe and thank Heavens for our guardian angels who were with us yesterday!

Thank you to all of you who commented on my post. I am thankful for your concern and friendship. Yes Corrine, I think a girls night is in order. I am leaving it to you to pick the night because your life seems to be the craziest these days. Let me know when!

Once I get my pictures downloaded from my camera, I'll have to post them. CRAZY.

Car Accident

My 1st real car accident. Oh boy! First things first, everyone is ok. We were driving down Redwood Road, going North bound, in the right lane. A car merged over to my lane and then slammed on it's brakes. I remember saying, "Holy crap, we're going to hit him" I swerved to miss him and hit a mail box, flow over a curb and landed with my two front wheels hanging off the curb on the other side or a driveway. You have to see the area to understand what I am talking about. Next time you are driving down Redwood, check out the houses and the curbs in front of their lawns. The officer said we were lucky that we didn't roll the Tahoe. Someone Heavenly as watching out for us today! Luckily I didn't hit any one else, but unluckily, no one stopped to confirm my story as to what happened. The reason for all the brakes was due to a UPS truck that pulled partially off the road to make a delivery. All the cars behind had to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting him, unfortunately for me, my space was eliminated due to the car pulling in my lane. Maybe I would have been better off hitting him. I guess you can try to second guess everything, but for now I am just glad that no one got hurt. I can't say the same for the TAHOE, it took a beating. There's a huge scratch from the stupid mail box, that runs all the way down the drivers side, two flat tires (that are only a month old), damage to the rims, and who knows what kind of damage underneath. One of those days you are grateful to have car insurance. I was hoping we could go after the stupid UPS guys, but the office said that it was probably pointless. We'll see what the insurance company thinks. All in all what a day!! Hope to never do anything like this again.

PS... Thanks to my cute kids for all their loves, and to my husband who didn't yell at me.

Pasengers: Me, Cody, Jessy, Kassy, and Brianna

Martin Luther King Day

Today Kassy had to do an assignment for school that required her to take pictures. She needed some girls to pose in these pictures. A bunch of girls in our ward said they would help her out. What sweet girls to give up an hour of their day off of school to come have their pictures taken. It meant alot to Kassy as well as to me. The girls in our ward are pretty amazing. Thanks for all you do for my family. Love to you all!

I took Kalea to the Vet today for her shots, she was such a good girl. I was a bit nervous about taking her by myself, because she has a strong personality, as well as a strong pull, but my worrying was in vain. The thing she hated the most was the scale. Without going in to details, she had some evasive "stuff" done, and she didn't growl or get uptight even once. The vet commented on her behavior and said that her temperament is great! Not that I didn't already know it, but I think we have got a good dog on our hands.

Jessy got to go to lunch and out shopping with her Aunt Jenny today. She usually takes my kids out to eat for their birthday. She is such a great sister, and aunt. I know it bugs her when we call her grandma, but she has definitely filled that role for my kids. I'm so glad that they have her. Jessy brought home a stuffed animal as her prize. Oh boy, just what we need at our house, another stuffed animal. Oh well, she loves it and that's all that matters.

Jack Bauer is doing it again!

Just got home from watching the season premier of 24 at my sisters house (which by the way is one of my favorite shows). I loved it, except for 1 thing. What the heck was Stefan from Vampire Diaries doing on the show? (Vampire Diaries being 1 of my other favorite shows). He played Jack's daughter Kim's husband. It was very bizarre, and I didn't like it much. I wonder if Kim knows that he is a vampire and madly in love with someone else? Anyway, back to 24. Jack did not disappoint. Once again he is out to save the day. There was a few moments I thought he might actually go and live with his daughter in LA, and her vampire husband, and try to live a normal life, but we all know that that is not how Jack Baure lives his life. It is his job to single handedly save the world. I for 1 am glad to know that he's out there. Oops, for a moment I forgot that Jack Bauer is a fictional character. Sometimes I get so carried away! lol

Super Fun Saturday

What a super fun Saturday I've had. It started with sleeping in, love that, and then I went to my sisters house to make cards, next we took the whole family up to Strawberry to go snowmobiling, and finally watched a movie with the kids. It was a GREAT day!

DETAILS:

Slept past 8:00, not going to tell you how much past 8!

Once a month my sister does a card making class, she makes the cutest cards. We usually make 5 or 6 cards, most of them are pretty easy. The ones that are a little harder, she is right there to help, she is a great instructor. If anyone is interested in going with me, let me know and I'll get you more information. She usually charges $10 - $15. It's super fun and she has some darling ideas. Today we made a super cute valentines card that holds a package of tick-tacks. Pretty sure my kids teachers will be getting those for Valentine's Day.

First thing Dave said when he got up this morning was, "I wanna go snowmobiling today". As many of you might already know, that is no surprise. Dave would spend every free minute snowmobiling. So after my class, and about 20 text messages from my family later, we headed to Strawberry. We started out with sledding on 1 of the hills, but that didn't last for very long, everyone wanted to go for a ride, so we packed up the sleds and headed out for a ride which took as to Daniel's Summit for Dinner. We got back to the trailer just as it was getting dark. Perfect timing. Everyone had a great time and to make it even better, we were able to get away from the smog. We didn't find any sun, it was overcast, but it was nice to have clean air for a change. Hope this gunk moves out SOON! We took Kalea with us, she is not a very good listener, and likes to run - ON HER OWN! Gonna have to work on that!

Finally, to end the night we watched "Another Cinderella Story". It was a cute, cheesy kind of show. Cody wants to know, "why do they always have to kiss in movies?" Yuck! He said that kissing is not aloud until 18, and then you can only kiss on the check. You can't kiss on the lips until you are 24. I like that rule. I will have to remind him of that when he gets older.

Everyone is now in bed, and I think I am going to make my way that direction,after I finish putting together tomorrows breakfast - Sticky Buns - Yummy - they have to raise over night. I think tomorrow is going to be another Great day!

It's the Weekend

I know most people think I am strange, but I love Mondays. However, my other favorite day of the week is Friday. The kids are at school just long enough for me to get a few things done, the weekend is at hand, I don't have to get up early the next day, and most Friday nights we go out to eat, which is my favorite part cause I hate to cook. Welcome Friday!

Today Kalea meet her cousin Emmett (Jared's pit bull). There was not alot of Love going on between the two of them. The problem wasn't Emmett, it was Kalea. I'm going to cut her some slack for now, due to the fact she got out of heat last week. She might still be a bit hormonal. Hopefully they can work out their differences in the future, maybe in April when we get Kalea fixed.

Great News

Today my good friend Curt came and looked at our furnace. He was able to clean the pilot light area and said that as of right now we don't have to replace our furnace. Yea!! Probably in the not so far away future we will have to, but for now it's running and hopefully the pilot light will stay lit. It was great having the house a toasty warm 67 degrees today. I even turned it up to 70 for a little while, just cause I could! Thanks Curt, you are a life savor!

Baby it's Cold Inside

First, here is my frustration. I just finished typing my post and went to publish it and all of a sudden it vanished in to cyber world! So, now you are going to get the shortened version because I have to get other things done before my kids and husband get home.

It's a balmy 57 degrees in my house right now. Our heater has been giving us problems for over a month now. The pilot light keeps going out and then doesn't want to relight. Dave is pretty good at fixing most things, but I think this goes beyond his capabilities. I know I shouldn't complain to much because it is the original heater and we haven't had any problems with it before. Truth be, replacing it will probably save us money in the long run! Right about now I think my space heater is the best invention EVER!

Just FYI, The Children's Place is having a great sale. Items starting at $2.99. I know this because I went shopping for my new niece today. Did I mention my brother and his wife are having a baby girl? She is due June 7, 2010. I am so excited!

Off to go call on a new furnace and bake something to see if I can warm up the kitchen before the kids get home.

Lunch with the girls / Gender of the Baby!

Today I went to lunch with two of my favorite gal pals from my working days at American Express Financial Advisors, Heather and Heidi. I don't miss much about working at AMEX, but I do miss seeing these amazing ladies every day. They both helped me get through alot of crazy times. Thanks ladies, I think that both of you are fabulous.

I worked as a Planning Assistant for about 6 years. I didn't mind the work of a planning Assistant. It was actually rather interesting and, luckily I was able to pick up a few things along the way that have helped me over the years.

I feel very blessed that Dave has made it so that my job now is that of being a mom. Even though some days it's the toughest job EVER, I am very grateful to call it my career choice.

By the way just in case I haven't mentioned it before - lol, my brother and his wife are having a baby and they found out today that it is going to be a GIRL! So exciting!!!! I am sure my mom is up in Heaven right now saying, "I knew", that was one of her favorite lines! Can't wait to go shopping for my new niece. Gotta love the Children's Place. By the way did I mention that I work there. Gotta love the discount!!!!

Dentist, Birthday, and Dog

Thought I would hurry and get this done before Dave gets home and has to start homework. Plus, I have to watch the Bachelor tonight so I won't be able to blog later. lol

Another reason I am not a big fan of the "New" Year is it seems that every year I start out with a root canal. However, this year, knock on wood, I am in the clear. Apparently Dave felt as if we should keep with the New Year, Root Canal tradition so he is having one on Thursday. Lucky guy - NOT! Teeth are so stupid!!!! Cody has been having teeth problem as well. He went to the dentist today. His baby teeth are so small and his permanent teeth coming in are big, those 2 sizes don't work well together with teeth. The dentist told me I should start saving now cause Cody is headed for braces in the next 6 years or so. Again, Lucky guy - NOT!!

Here are the pictures from Jessy's birthday. The morning was a bit rough, I wasn't sure she was going to have a birthday because she got mad at Kassy and then pitched a big old fit. Luckily she was able to get it together and ended up having a great day.

Cody, Jessy and Kassy - Birthday morning, opening presents.
Bailee, Jessy and Lexi after their manicures and pedicures.

Later that night we had Mikayla and Alyssia over for a late over!

I think Jessy had a great Birthday. Fun, food, and friends what more could a girl want? I still can't believe she is 8 and will be baptized next month.

Finally here is a picture of Dave, me, Jessy and Kalea. I wanted a picture of Dave and I with Jessy on her birthday, apparently Kalea wanted to be in it as well. She came running over and hopped up. She loves to stand, such a nut.

Not Going to Happen Tonight!

I had every intention of giving details and sharing pictures of Jessy's birthday, but Dave has been doing homework all day! Poor guy! I'll share details and pictures tomorrow while everyone is gone. Yea, Love Mondays it's the beginning of a new week!

Still Going Strong

I have 1 minute to post and then I've got to get back upstairs to frost cupcakes with the girls. What a fun day we have had. I'll have pictures and more infomation tomorow. I can't believe Jessy is 8!

Almost 8 / Standing Dog

Tomorrow is Jessy's 8th birthday, she is so excited. We are going with cousins to get pedicures and then having some friends over for a late over. Should be a fun day! I'll fill in with details tomorrow.

1 quick thing about Kalea - she loves to stand up. I know that sounds goofy for a dog, but it's the truth. She puts her paws on your shoulders (yes, she is that big), and then wants you to pet her. We are trying to teach her that she can only jump up on you when you tap your chest, otherwise she would probably jump up on everyone. She is getting better at minding and I think she really likes it here, but then, what's not to like? We are happy to have her as part of our family.

Love to my mom

Even though today marks 4 years since my mom died, I am having a better day. Part of that is due to you followers of my blog. Thanks so much for your kind words. It's nice to know their are people who care about me and know exactly what I am going through. Losing someone you love isn't easy, but we all have to deal with death , it's part of life. THANKS AGAIN for your kindness!

In honor of my mom, I thought I'd share a few things about her.

1. Waking up to her jogging circles on the tramp

2. A quote she use to always say: Sew Buttons on Ice Cream

3. Had the prettiest flower beds and best garden around

4. Loved to read, do puzzles, play games and be with her family

5. Knew where every penny was spent

6. Made our Halloween costumes

7. Made my Wedding dress

8. Always there for me

9. Served a mission to Palmyra, New York

10. Loved the gospel and her Savior

11. Sang in a group called "The Joyful Sounds"

12. Her bottom lip pulled in when she sang

13. Was the meanest mom EVER

(Now I know that meant she was doing things right!)

14. Put spinich in Lasagna - Yuck

15. Didn't always make the best food, but dinner, lunch and breakfast was always waiting for us

16. Wore elastic waste band jeans - hehehe

17. Hated her neck to show

18. Cut hair - wicked at back combing

19. Hated driving - loved it when we turned 16

20. Loved to do crafts, she and I had our own business for awihle, "Candle Light Crafts"

When I was younger I remember thinking, "I don't ever want to be like my mom." Now I think, "if I could only be half of what she was, my kids, my husband, and I might all have a shot at making it!" She was an amazing women and I miss her very much. Love you mom!

Smith home in Palymyra, New York - Cody, Nana, Jessy and Kassy

Mom and Grandma Griffin (Both hangin in Heaven these days)

The Matkin Family - Kassy's Baptism Oct, 2005

Missed a Day

I can't believe I missed a day. I've been so good, I even blogged on Christmas. The sad part is I don't even have a good reason as to why I missed, I just did. I thought about blogging yesterday afternoon, but then got side tracked with other things. Later I went visiting teaching,when I got home I watched TV with Dave and then went to bed. Usually I lay in my bed and toss and turn, pondering my day, my life, what I need to do and what I didn't do (which has been blogging several times, hence the 11:59 pm postings), but not last night I snuggeled down and went right to sleep. I didn't even think about blogging until this morning when I was at the gym on my last set up bicep curls, all of a sudden it hit me.... I forgot to blog yesterday! Oh well, I am not going to let it bug me. I am sure it will not be the last day I forget to blog. I will just do my best and try not to forget again - no promises that it won't happen again.

It is Jessy's 8th birthday on Saturday and I am drawing a HUGE blank as what to get her. What makes it even harder is that she is drawing a blank as well. She said that she wished her birthday wasn't until February so the stores would have new things out. What a bummer to have a birthday so close to the holidays. To those of you who share this problem, I am sorry. I wish you good luck. The other problem is that Jessy struggles with holidays, I think it has something to do with her OCD. She has a hard time with all the hussle and bussle that comes with holidays, including birthdays. I can't really explain it, but I know it is hard on her. If you have any ideas or suggestions, I would love to hear them. Wish me luck, I am going to need it.

I have kind of been in a downer mood the past few days, I really shouldn't be, I have lots to be happy about, but I am. I think it has to do with this time of year. I've said it before, I'm not a huge fan of New Years. Part of the reason for that is this is the time of year that Dave and I both lost our mom's. It will be 13 years next month since Dave's mom died and 4 years tomorow since my mom died, both of them from cancer. I miss my mom more than words can say. I think that might have something to do with my struggle with Jessy's 8th birthday or at least her baptism. My mom had just been diagnoised with Cancer when we had Kassy's baptism. She knew she didn't have very long to live. I remember her crying after Kassy's baptism, I hugged her and she said, "this is the last one of my grandkids baptisms that I will go to." Even though I didn't want to admit it, I knew she was right. So now we are on the heels of Jessy's baptism, my mom isn't here and the baptism will take place on my mom's birthday. Kind of ironic. I know in my heart she will be there in spirit, but it's just not the same. I wish she could be there in person.

Life is crazy, sometimes I cope better with the insanity than others, apparently today is not one of those days. Ok, pitty party is over, gotta go pick up kids.

Returns Are DONE....Bachelor Begins!

Returned the last of the "wrong" size & "not needed" Christmas items today. So glad that is all done. Was able to get alot more for my $ due to the great after Christmas sales, however, I couldn't find my ROXY shoes, dang it!! Oh well, what do you do.

The Bachelor starts tonight. Not sure how I feel about Jake....but can't wait for the drama and cat fights to begin. What is it that is so entertaining about it all? Hmmmm?

Yea, Boo

When I was little my dad used to sing a song that went a little something like this: "Yea, Boo, Yea, Boo, it's lots of fun to do if you like it holler Yea, if you don't then holler Boo! School is out until next year, YEA, December 31st is here, BOO!" Do you see where I am going with this? The tree is down, the house cleaned up, YEA, I can't believe that we are back to the grind starting tomorrow morning, BOO! On and on I could go. I think the song is very fitting for a lot of things in my life right now. Lots of YEAs and a lot of BOOs. "I guess that's just the way it is, somethings will never change..." Haha, another song that describes life. I must be in a sing song kind of mood.

Moved to 11:00 church today - YEA, but I had to go to Relief Society instead of YW - BOO! Kristen' s cute baby Kate was blessed today and her Aunt Scarlett came to visit - YEA, but it was only for a visit, she's not back in the ward - BOO! (Not yet, don't forget Scarlett, you are on a 5 year plan. 4 1/2 years until you have to move back.)

Seriously, I better end this post, it's getting a bit cheesy.

Just a shout out to all my Young Women - I really missed you today. It was weird being in Relief Society, good, but weird! Love you all. Please keep in touch and keep blogging!

Dawn, as for the diaper on Kalea, so not what I had planned. The lady we got her from neglected to tell us a few things about her. However, we love her tons already and will deal with the diaper - Boo, until we can get her fixed - YEA. Which I am hoping is SOON - double YEA! Thanks for reading!

No Time

Busy day, no time for posting, this is it for today!

Happy New Year!

We started the New Year at Midnight. Jessy just barely making it and Cody having to be woken up to celebrate. Kassy was hanging with friends, and Kalea was barking at Grandpa Mike - she doesn't like him much, not sure why. As soon as the ball dropped, so did Cody, he went down to his room and was out before I even covered him up. Kassy got home shortly after 12. Her and Jessy watched a bit of Dick Clark before there eyelids got the best of them and off they went into dreamworld. Not very exciting, but that is how we welcomed in 2010.

For years my family has met for breakfast on New Years Day, this year was no different. Pancakes at IHOP - Yummy, and the best part was I didn't have to cook or pay - Thanks for breakfast Dad! Love being with my family, only wish Jared and Shanon could have made it. After breakfast we putered around for awihle and disposed of the Christmas Tree. Next we headed to Sugarhouse Park for some sledding fun. It was alot of fun, with only a few minor incidents. Way to take a hit Jessy! She got hit by Cody as he came down the hill, it knocked the wind right out of her, it only slowed her down for a few minutes and then she was up and going again. we took Kalea with us - Hurray - she didn't bark at Grandpa.

The Train: Kassy, Brayden, Jessy, and Taylor

The Adults and Dog: Clay, Stacey, Dave, Grandpa Mike, and Kalea

The Determined Snowboarder: Cody

The Dog: Ready to go home!

Welcome 2010!

Just as a quick side note. It busts me up the way Kalea lays. The kids got a picture of her. we call it her superman pose. What a funny girl. Don't you just love the diaper? Did I mention she is in "heat"? So fun - NOT!!!!! Can't wait until she's done. What a pain! We call her DB, that's short for Diaper But!