LIFE IS GREAT

Big Girl Chair

2012-01-24T11:15:00.003-07:00

Since Maizee is getting SO BIG, it was time for her to start being part of the family at mealtime, but we don't have a very spacious kitchen so a high chair was out of the question and we don't have chairs (just stools) so a booster seat thingy was also not going to work. The ideal solution was a chair that attaches to the counter, but I checked all the stores and no one had one!! I knew exactly where to check next, Amazon.com, and they did not disappoint!! Found this beauty, exactly what I wanted and for only $18!!! I (heart) Amazon!!!
Now she can sit right up at the counter with us all and she LOVES IT!! On Sunday, Alex was telling us all about his trip to Six Flags and Maizee was sitting right next to him, she had her head turned and was listening very intently to his story. We were all laughing at her and she would look at us to see what was so funny and as soon as Alex started talking again she turned her head and just stared at him!! Cutest thing ever!!!

Half Birthday!!

2012-01-22T12:37:00.006-07:00

Today my little Maizee is 6 months old!!! She is such a good baby I hate to see her growing so fast!!
Don't you just wanna kiss that face?!?! She is just so stinking sweet!!

She has her 6 month check up in a few days so I will post her stats but I wanted to wish my sweet girl a very happy half birthday!!! Momma loves you!!

Frigid 5k

2012-01-21T12:38:00.003-07:00

Rich and I headed to Utah Lake State park this morning for our first 5k of 2012. A good friend in our ward has 2 nieces that need bone marrow transplants and so some of the proceeds of this race will go to the family. We thought that was a pretty good cause so we signed right up. When we left our house it wasn't doing anything but as we got into Provo the rain was coming down. We stood in line to get our packets and the hail started falling.
We waited for the race to start in Rich's car.
It was raining but people were getting lined up so we jumped out, took a quick photo and headed to the start line.
Rich ran with me the whole time and we just chatted and got SOAKED TO THE BONE!!

Here are the post race shots, it was a good run and we finished in 34 minutes. We got some donuts and hot chocolate and went inside where it was warm and dry!! Being wet and soggy is pretty uncomfortable!! We met Alexa and the kids at Alex's basketball game still a little soggy!

New Bouncy Chair

2012-01-20T11:42:00.003-07:00

A few weeks ago I decided Maizee was getting too big for her swing, every time we put her in she would try to sit up in it to see what was going on around her so I figured it was time to upgrade!!
I saw this cute bouncy seat at Walmart so I bought it and Rich and Max put it together for her, SHE LOVES IT!!! It gives her lots to do and see and it has music but the best part is, she is upright...her favorite position!!

Maizee

2012-01-19T11:52:00.005-07:00

Just a few random shots of Maizee this month, she is five months old and sitting up by herself!!!

She is just the sweetest baby ever and so tiny, it's funny to see her sitting up.

We all love her SO MUCH!! Alexa took these two pictures and she caught her at just the right time to make it look like she was actually posing!! S.O. C.U.T.E!!!

Jazz Game

2012-01-17T12:02:00.004-07:00

Rich's mom gave me her tickets to the Jazz game tonight so I asked Max if he would go on a date with me. Rich really wanted to go too but there were only 2 tickets.
We dropped Maizee off at Rich's work and headed to Salt Lake. We stopped at The Gateway for dinner (Hot Dog on a Stick) and then walked over to the game!!

Max was cheering and we were having a great time, until he decided to cheer for the "red" team, we played the LA Clippers. He just thought it was so funny he was cheering for the other team! But we killed them and towards the end of the game the "red" team didn't do anything worth cheering for so he decided to cheer for the "white" again. He ate some cotton candy and we got stuck in the parking garage for a while but it was a great date!

Six Flags...Alex

2012-01-16T14:12:00.004-07:00

Jeff, Harrison, Parker and Alex left Sunday afternoon for CALIFORNIA!! Monday morning they headed to Six Flags for a day of roller coasters and FUN, I am pretty jealous, it has been a really long time since I have been there and they have tons of new rides!

Jeff texted me these photos of the boys and I am SO GLAD he did!! They spent all day at the park and got to go on all the rides several times, after they went to Olive Garden for dinner. They woke up at 5am Tuesday morning and drove home. A very quick trip but they had a blast!! They all have season passes too so you might see a few more posts like this one!!!

Sunday Best

2012-01-15T14:38:00.002-07:00

I think I will have to do this every Sunday...she looked so adorable that I thought we needed to have a quick photo shoot after church. Alexa propped her up on the couch and stood close while I snapped a few pics.

She is just getting so big so fast!!! She is almost 6 months old!!!

Cheer Competition

2012-01-07T13:32:00.009-07:00

All the cheerleaders went to the high school Friday night for a little "party" to get ready for their first competition. They all put curlers in each others hair and watched a movie.
Alexa, Maddi, Paige and Josie wanted to "show off" their awesome look so they stopped at the store on their way home!!
Aren't they so cute?!?

The competition was at Timpview High School in Provo. They all rode the bus there together.
Here they are posing before they performed. It was a long wait since they didn't go on til 2pm.
They are next!!!
Here is their final formation!! They did an excellent job and hit all their stunts, the routine was really good, I have never seen them perform it and I was impressed. Alexa is a base since she is SO STRONG!!

Isn't she a beauty??
The Harris's, Mom, Amb, Monica, Melanie, Kenzie, Brooklyn, Brinlie, Melissa and Harper all came to the competition!! What a supportive family I have!! Alexa was excited to have such a big cheering section. I love my family!!
It was pretty loud in there and mom was worried about Maizee's ears so she stuffed toilet paper in them!! ha ha, not sure that did any good mom but thanks for trying!!!
The little ones were having a blast running around on the gym floor!! Harper and Nixon ran out on the mats between performances too, it was really cute!!
The Spanish Fork High School Cheerleaders got 2nd place!! YAY, they also qualified for Nationals in California!! They did a great job and I am so proud of Alexa.

After the competition we all went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner, it was packed and crazy but yummy as always!! After we went to the mall for a bit and then said our good byes, it was a great day!!

Three Wise Men

2012-01-06T13:47:00.002-07:00

I was at book club so Rich and the kids set out our shoes last night for the wisemen.

We must have all been good because we all got a surprise when we woke up in the morning.

Official Driver

2012-01-03T11:06:00.003-07:00

Now it's REALLY official!!!
Look what came in the mail today!! Yay for Alexa, now she just needs a car!

2012

2012-01-01T11:09:00.006-07:00

And a new year has begun!!!

Here is the aftermath of the big countdown...A HUGE MESS, that the kids were LOVING!!!

Maizee wasn't sure what to think, it was REALLY LOUD, I love her squinty eyes in that picture!!!

Here is Alex toasting to a new year, in a really creepy way!!

What could be better than confetti snow angles?? They will have to do since there is still NO SNOW this winter!! Melissa and Steve are such good sports!! We had such a great party and the kids didn't ever want to clean up the mess! We stayed til about 1:30am and then headed back to mom and dad's house!

I am thinking something FANTASTIC is gonna happen in 2012!!!

Santa Pictures

2011-12-12T13:43:00.009-07:00

On Facebook there was a photo company advertising "Unique Santa Pictures" and they had some shots of what they had done and I instantly fell in love and knew that this was going to be my Christmas card photo. I made the appointment and we all headed to Thanksgiving Point for the photo shoot.

It was quick and easy and I AM IN LOVE with the pictures!!! FotoFly is the place to go if you want something a little different and unique!!

Also as a bonus there were Reindeer there, Santa's reindeer. But Max was a little disappointed that Rudolph couldn't make it!!
It was a pretty cold night and none of the other kids wanted to see Santa's reindeer.

Cope Family Pictures

2011-12-10T13:42:00.002-07:00

To Texas roadhouse after

Maizee Rolls Over

2011-12-08T00:08:00.001-07:00

I don' have any pictures of this but wanted to document it anyway. This morning Maizee was talking and making noises in her bed but she wasn't crying so I stayed in bed a bit longer then went in to her room to get her. When I went in she was flat on her back (yes she sleeps on her tummy), and she was just laying there happy as can be!! I am sad that I didn't actually get to see her roll over but I know she did!!

Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast

2011-11-22T14:36:00.003-07:00

I went to help with the Kindergarten's Thaksgiving Feast this afternoon. They ate chicken nuggets with ranch, potato chips, carrots, finger jello, pickles, olives and pudding for dessert.
It was fun to see Max with all his friends and also to see all the fun things they made. They made place mats, a necklace and feather head dress.
And here is Max's art work that was hanging in the hall outside his class.

Maizee

2011-11-13T14:49:00.000-07:00

2 A.M. Infiniti Scarves

2011-11-10T10:34:00.013-07:00

I decided to try and start up my own little business. I crocheted a few scarves for myself and got lots of compliments on them and a few people asked if I could make them one so I decided to crank out a few and put them up for sale.

I love to make them but the hard part is I want to keep them all because they all turn out so cute!

I can do custom orders and make them them whatever color, length and width you desire. I started a Facebook page here
so go and "like" it NOW!!

I have decided that since I am new at this I am going to do a giveaway, I am just getting it all figured out and then I will let you know when it starts!

If you would like to buy a scarf that is already made, here are the 3 that I have on hand. If you would like a custom one, leave me the info. These make wonderful Christmas gifts that are fashionable and also will keep you warm!

Here is a mustard color (very popular, this is the 4th one I have made in this color). It is a double loop and is very soft yarn.

Here is a cream triple loop scarf. It is a little longer so you can wear it a few different ways. This yarn is SO SOFT!

Sorry these pictures aren't the greatest. This is a black double loop wide scarf. It is also very soft and versatile.

I just set up with PayPal so if you don't live by me you can pay with PayPal and I will send it to you!!

Bangs

2011-11-04T13:09:00.001-06:00

I have been growing out my hair for a long time now. I have been having this feeling lately like a need a change...so I took matters into my own hands last night and

CUT ME SOME BANGS!!! I did not do that great of a job and need a trim anyway so I made an appointment to get them "shaped" a little better but I am liking the change!

2 Month Check-Up

2011-09-23T20:14:00.006-06:00

Rich and I took Maizee to the doctor today for her 2 month check-up and immunizations. I told Rich he had to come because it is so sad when tiny babies have to have shots!
She got 3 shots, 2 in one leg and 1 in the other. She also had a liquid one. She was a really good sport and only screamed when the nurse was giving her the shots. She calmed right down as soon as I picked her up.
Weight: 10 lbs 9 oz (50th percentile)
Length: 23 inches (75th percentile)
Head Circumference: 15.5 (60th percentile)Alex wanted to make sure you didn't miss the bright yellow band-aids.
She is perfectly proportioned and is "long and lean" according to the Doc. I didn't need the numbers to know that my sweet baby was just perfect, I already knew that!!!

CHEER CAMP - USU

2011-06-22T11:58:00.004-06:00

This year Cheer camp was at USU so that was fun for Alexa. The first night of camp they performed and some of my family went to watch, I heard it was great!
The camp was Monday to Thursday and it was a LONG week but Alexa had lots of fun! Me and the boys went up to Logan to pick her up and we stayed for the weekend.

Alex is Quite an Artisit

2011-06-21T10:34:00.001-06:00

Melissa "commissioned" Alex for a few pieces of artwork for Harper's room. They went to Hobby Lobby and bought all the supplies and he went to work.
Melissa told him what colors she had in mind and the rest is his creation. I think they turned out so cute. I told him he should start doing paintings to sell...he is very talented and creative!

Swim Meet

2011-06-11T10:27:00.004-06:00

First swim meet of the season and they have only had practice for 1 week. Alex was a little bit nervous because he felt like he was "out of practice" not to mention the little incident yesterday!!

Rich, Max and I went to watch. Rich went running while Alex was waiting for his event and Me and Max went on a donut run!!

He signed up for the 50 yard Freestyle (which he missed becasue we were late, it started @ 7am)!!
He also signed up for the 50 yard Breast Stroke, he was nervous about coming in last. Last year all he would do was Freestyle so I was proud of him for trying something new. AND he did not come in last so that was a bonus!!

His last event was the Free Relay and his team was last in this event but no big deal!!
Alex swam his lap really well and I am so proud of him!

Alex Broke his Tooth!!!

2011-06-10T11:45:00.004-06:00

This morning at Swim Team practice they were practicing "starts" on the blocks for the first swim meet of the season tomorrow. That is where you dive into the pool off the platform. Alex did this all last year so he was just polishing up his skills. Somehow (and I still don't really understand how this happened) when he dove in, instead of a shallow long dive, he went short and deep and hit his face on the bottom of the pool breaking off the bottom half of his front tooth. His upper lip was a little banged up and swollen too. It really makes no sense in my mind how this happened but it did!!
Enough of the tooth came off that some of the nerve was exposed making it pretty painful for him. Our Dentist does not work Fridays so I called the emergency number and he arranged to meet us at his office at 7:30pm. I gave him some IB Profin and told him to take it easy and try not to talk too much (the air on the nerve made it really sensitive). He wasn't really able to eat much all day either.

He was pretty anxious for 7:30 to roll around. Our Dentist did a fantastic job fixing his tooth. He just built it up with composite and it is very difficult to even tell where the break was! It is still a little bit sensitive but that will go away and he will be good as new!!!

Swim Lessons

2011-06-10T09:48:00.004-06:00

Alex and Max had swim lessons all week so this is how my schedule was...
Alexa Cheer Practice @ 6:00 am (she is in a carpool and I am on "pick up" so I did not have to wake up THAT early).
Alex Swim Team @ 7:30 to 8:30am
Alex Swim Lesson 9:00 to 9:30am
Drag Max along with me...we either watched Alex or stayed in the car for a nap, depending on the day!
Take all the kids home and go to work.
12:30 to 1:00pm Max Swim Lesson
Back to work after.
It was a pretty exhausting week...plus we went to Seven Peaks TWICE (Monday and Thursday).

Here are some pictures I took of the boys during their lessons.
Alex advanced to the next level, Intermediate 4 (the highest level she teaches). I only got one shot of Alex because he couldn't swim on Friday, his last day of class because of his accident at Swim Team).

Max is going to take this same level again. He did really great but he does not get the concept of kicking with straight legs!!
He learned so much this week and I am so proud of him. There have been alot of kids drowning lately and it makes me really nervous because Max is a little careless. I just want him to be comfortable in the water and know what to do if he ever gets in trouble.
He jumped off the diving board all by himself, climbed the "water ladder" to the surface on his own and then turned to his back to swim to the edge, that is where he still needs some work. He doesn't put his head back far enough so he can't quite get into the right position on his back and he kicks with "bicycle legs."
I am so proud of both my boys for their hard work this week!!!

Max's 5th Birthday

2011-06-04T09:48:00.006-06:00

Rich, Alex and Max went to the Father's and Son's camp out in Spanish Fork Canyon last night so when Max woke up in the tent he told Rich that being "5" felt different. Alot of the guys up there knew it was Max's birthday and they all teased him and told him that he grew overnight. He said in all seriousness to Rich on the way home, "dad, I think they are right, I am alot bigger today."

We all got showered and went to Adelie and Adriana's baptism's at 1:00pm. Max was not very happy that he had to go to baptism's on HIS birthday, but he was so tired from his late night camping adventure he ended up falling asleep on Rich and sleeping through the whole thing. He woke up much happier so I was grateful he got a nap!! We all went to the Duvall's house for lunch afterward.

Max was getting anxious to start celebrating his birthday so we got in the car and he wanted to open his presents while we were driving. I told Rich to stop at the park so he could open up his gifts.

He got a new Transformer, two Bionicles, a water gun, some bullets for his Nerf gun and some shrinky dinks. He was pretty happy with his gifts.

Then we hopped back in the car and went to Trafalga in Lehi.
We all did the indoor miniature golf, Max had his first ride on a go-kart (and loved it, even though he looked a little scared at times), and Alex climbed the rock wall. Max usually wants to mini golf 2 or 3 times in a row but I think he was anxious to get home and play with his new toys so we weren't there for too long.
He picked McDonald's for dinner and so we stopped and ate and he played on the play land. When we got home it was still pretty early so we all went on a walk.

Then Max jumped in the shower to clean up and then it was time to make his birthday wish!!

He was really thinking hard about his wish and got all the candles out so hopefully his wish will come true!! He played with his toys and even built the Bionicles all by himself by looking at the instructions!! Smart kid!! I love Max so much and hope he has a fabulous year being 5!!

"A" PERFECT Year

2011-05-31T12:29:00.004-06:00

And there you have it...4.0 all year long!!! W.O.W.
I am so impressed by this I can't even put it into words. For me in High School, grades were never very important, and that is an understatement. I got by with B's and C's (and even an occasional D-, that was one time and I am NOT PROUD to admit that)!! I was more concerned with friends and boys and fun and boys, did I mention BOYS??? So to have my oldest child start out her "official transcript" with a 4.0 blows my mind!! Especially because she is very involved socially and still manages to get the perfect grades...I guess it's not true what they say because Alexa CAN have it all, and she does!!!

30 Weeks

2011-05-12T14:23:00.003-06:00

It is good to be in the single digits (9 weeks to go) AND if everything goes the way I HOPE it will, maybe only EIGHT!!
The photos are not the greatest but when you are taking them yourself you just kind of get what you get!!! I tried to get Alex to help me out but he was "too busy" doing something else, the little turd!!

We have had a very cold and wet spring and that has made ME happy, but I think I am the only one. I have been pretty comfortable so far and feel pretty good!!!

Hershey Track Meet

2011-05-12T14:23:00.002-06:00

The annual Hershey Tack Meet. We lucked out with the weather this year. It was originally planned for a different day put it poured and so they changed it to today and it was a beautiful day!!! I even got a little sun burned!!
Alex did the 100 meter run and the long jump. We took off early and went to Subway for lunch. Later on I picked up all the kids plus some friends and we headed to Hawaiian Shaved Ice for the first snow cone of the season!!! It was really a fabulous day!!!

Driver's Permit...YIKES

2011-04-13T12:36:00.004-06:00

Well it is official, she can legally drive!!!
It only took her 2 trys to pass the written test!!! I am very fortunate though because she is a very cautious driver and I am sure she will do great!!!

SFHS Select Cheerleaders for 2011-2012 School Year

2011-04-08T12:28:00.002-06:00

Congratulations to the new 2011-2012 SFHS cheer squad. Top row left to right: Halley Baum, Tilee Brenneman, Kaylie Gren, Josie Clayson, Randi Beckstrom, Shelby Brumfield, Kendra Powers, Cheyenne Shepherd, Tobee Gunter, Angelia Benson. Middle row left to right: Paizlee Dansie, Alexa Gowon, Jenae Holt, Paige McKinnon, Ashlyn Rudd, Haley Larsen, Irelyn Peterson, Hattie Nielsen, Ariel Morgan. Bottom row left to right: Emily Meschke, Chelsea Ralston, Mele Naulu, Madison Smith, McKensey Taylor, Lexi Seitz, Jennifer Clark.

5th Grade Field Trip

2011-04-08T10:18:00.003-06:00

I volunteered to go on Alex's field trip to Rock Canyon in Provo and then bowling. When I was driving to the school it was raining and I was pretty sure that we would probably skip the canyon and just go bowling. NOPE!! The teachers said we were going to go ahead as planned.
Here is Alex on the bus with his friends. He didn't even sit by me because he wanted to sit by a cute girl named Lacy!!

As we got into Provo it was SNOWING and then I was SURE they would not make us get out and walk up a canyon looking for buried geographical formations!
WRONG AGAIN...we went ahead and trudged through the canyon in the snow, every one's feet were soaked and cold. I tried to be positive and I just kept telling myself how pretty it looked, because it was beautiful!!
We got back on the buses and headed to the bowling alley.
The kids all bowled in their wet socks and we ate our lunch there. It was pretty chaotic at the bowling alley but the kids had a fun time (even though Alex bowled a 50...with the bumpers)!!!

CHEER Tryouts

2011-04-07T11:59:00.008-06:00

The past few days have been very busy for Miss Alexa. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday after school she has had Cheer Workshop, learning a dance and cheers for try-outs!! She has practiced a TON and is very anxious for the actual try-out today!!
Stephanie brought over a Good Luck balloon with Kit Kat's and Reese's (Alexa's favorites), Josie also brought over a balloon with some Peeps and I made the notes with the Extra gum for her to give to her friends for Good Luck!! Some of the other girls had the same thing in mind and she got quite a few "good luck" treats!!

Me and Max picked up Alexa, Josie and Paige from school and drove them down to the High School for the try-out!! Max bought her some cotton candy from the dollar store (another one of her favorites) and drew her a picture, he was really excited to give it to her!!
Max took this picture of them just before they went inside...now I have to go home and WAIT IT OUT!! I am very nervous/excited for her!!!

Here is a picture of all the Freshman that tried out, I borrowed this from Alexa's friend!

Alexa got home about 5:30 and was telling me all about the try-out. They put them in groups of 3 or 4 girls and had them "rally on" one at a time and then they all did the dance and band cheer. After everyone was done they called all the Freshman back to do it again together and after that they called Alexa's group in again. She was pretty confident and did the dance great all 3 times!!
NOW WE HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THEY POST THE RESULTS ON THE CHEER BLOG!! They didn't give them an exact time when the results will be up so we just keep checking every now and then, some girls said it was like 8pm last year so who knows!!
SHE MADE IT!!!!
She was doing her homework and decided to check and there it was!! She started screaming that she made it so I ran to the screen to take a look and I saw ALL those names and it looked to me like a list of everyone that tried out so I asked her if she read the top part and she didn't...we hurried and read through it and SHE MADE IT!!! They took all but 3 girls.
She spent the next hour or so on the phone and Face Book letting everyone know that she was a SFHS Cheerleader!!! Rich and I helped her out by texting our families, it was a very exciting night and I am SO PROUD OF HER...
even though that means I am old enough to actually have a child that is going to be in High School!!!

Weekend in Logan

2011-03-26T13:51:00.002-06:00

We headed up to Logan this weekend and brought Harrison with us. We got to Mom's Friday evening and sat around for a few hours deciding what to have for dinner. We finally decided on El Sol and it was delicious!! We even talked Dave into coming (he claims to hate El Sol) and he said it was really the LAST TIME he would ever eat there!! After that we went back and watched a movie until 3am. Rich went to bed and Alexa went to Melissa's. Saturday morning Rich went on a run and me and Dad went on a "donut run" ours was way funner, I promise!! I CRAVE Shaffer House donuts all the time and I guess it is a good thing that there is NOTHING even comparable to them in the "UC" (Utah County) or else I would literally weigh 400 pounds!! Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls and Maple Bars (I am drooling a little right now)!!! Who's this guy I am posing with??? That would be RICH after I flat ironed his hair!!! His hair is SO LONG now I had to try it!! I like it!! Some of my family didn't even recognize him, they had to do a double take!! We ALL headed downtown to Kenzie, Jake and Brooklyn's piano recital. Monica and I were out in the hall with Max, Owen and Nixon...they are kind of naughty and were too loud, plus there weren't any more seats inside!! We entertained ourselves with Starbursts and taking pictures!! All the Clark kids played wonderfully, they are a talented bunch, I wish I had a piano so my kids could learn!! After the recital we all went to Fredrico's for lunch...also very delicious!!! I love the huge room in back that they have now, the kids played on the stage and were wild hooligans!!! We had a great weekend in Logan and I can't wait til the next trip!!

4.0

2011-03-25T14:03:00.001-06:00

What more can I say???

Just one more term to go and she will have "a perfect year!!!" I am SO PROUD!!

Back Handspring!!!

2011-03-24T14:02:00.004-06:00

Alex started a gymnastics class last August and he has learned a lot so far. Last month he learned a back flip on the trampoline.

Now he can do a back handspring with no spot. The floor at the gym where he takes lessons is a little bouncy so it is easier for him to do them there but he wanted to show me when we got home.
He did it a few times in the grass for me and then he hurt his wrist a little so I didn't get all the pictures I wanted! I am so proud of Alex for all his hard work and everything that he is accomplishing!!!

D.A.R.E. Graduation

2011-03-22T10:59:00.004-06:00

Max and I went to see Alex's D.A.R.E. Graduation at the school this morning. D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program. I love that they offer this program to the 5th graders, it is so important for them to know what's out there and to make a choice early on not to get involved with drugs and other bad stuff.
Here's Alex getting his certificate from Principal Harlan with Officer Slaymaker and Mr. Bates. Bad picture but it's as good as it gets.

I didn't know Alex was getting a special recognition until I read the program. Each teacher picked two students to receive Outstanding DARE Essay and Outstanding DARE Student. Mr. Bates and Officer Slaymaker picked Alex for Outstanding DARE Student. They said this recognition was for the 2 students in each class that were always willing to participate and showed alot of excitement for the program. I am so proud of Alex, he is such a good kid!!

Here is Alex with his certificate and award.
I feel really lucky to have such great schools for my kids to attend and for all the important things that they learn. I hope Alex never forgets what he learned in D.A.R.E. so he will stay away from things that are harmful and bad for him!!

As I was leaving the school a lady grabbed my arm and said "I just have to tell you that I love your son, Alex. I have been a room mom for several years and he is just such a great kid. Once he told me that I look like his mom except I have blonde hair and I am older." I have no idea who this mom is but it's always great to hear that other people think your kid is awesome!!

Sunshine

2011-03-20T11:48:00.003-06:00

Alexa left for St. George bright and early Friday morning with Josie and her family and Paige. They are going to the "Sunshine Tournament" which is a huge baseball tournament.
Reason for going...baseball = lots of BOYS!!!
They came back Sunday night and she had tons of fun!! The weather wasn't the best but it was a nice little getaway for them. They ate, shopped, ate, watched baseball games, ate, hung out, ate etc. She said they ate alot!!!

Happy St. Patty's Day!!

2011-03-17T13:56:00.002-06:00

I had no plans for St. Patrick's Day this year. I woke up today and thought "I am not even going to bother." I was trying to remember what we did last year and realized that we were at Josee Lou's 1st Birthday party and so we did not have a green meal. I decided that I better kick it in gear and bring a little "green" into the day!!

Seems weird that one minute I wasn't going to do anything and this is what I ended up with (the biggest celebration yet). I made cards for Rich and the kids. Yes, I made them. I colored them and cut and glued and glittered. They were definitely cheesy but they were made with love!
Yes, I know, very cheesy but it's the truth!!! I love Rich and I love that he is my best friend!!
I went for the green pancakes and eggs again because I knew Alexa wasn't going to eat dinner with us and the boys don't like mac n' cheese.
We were pretty rushed because Alex and I had tickets to see "Hairspray" at Hale Center Theater. Actually Rich and I were supposed to go but since I took Alexa to the Jazz game last night Alex was feeling a little left out so Rich sacrificed his ticket. It was a great production and we had a great time. Rich and Max just hung out at home and Alexa slept at her friend Josie's house.
NO SCHOOL TOMORROW!!!

A Small Miracle

2011-03-10T11:22:00.002-07:00

Today Rich got home pretty late from work and we were already eating. He came and sat down with a folder that said "Tahitian Noni Benefits." I read it and was confused!!

This is a long and complicated story so I will just sum it up the best I can. A few months ago we thought Rich was going to be hired on as a permanent employee, he has just been a "contract employee" since September, meaning no benefits and not great pay. Well Noni decided they didn't have any more money to put into this "side company" and told them they would be shutdown within a month. WOW, that was a bad day!! Now not only was he not getting hired on permanent but may not have a job at all!!! Well over the next few days investors were found and it looked like things would work out, but still no insurance because it would be a new company and only a few employees.
Then we played the waiting game while things were in the process with the investors and the board at Noni. I was getting anxious because I just wanted to know he would have a job and a steady paycheck. I looked into other options as far as coverage for the baby but it was looking like we did not qualify.

Rich was called into the Director's office today and was told that he was being hired on as a permanent Tahitian Noni Employee and that benefits would start April 1st. WHAT A BLESSING!! The investors are still buying the company but Rich will work for Noni and take care of things for this new company. I still don't understand all the details or the way things happened but I am SO THANKFUL!! I can't tell you how relieved I am to have this burden off my shoulders and know that I can actually have the baby in the hospital and not at home in our bathtub!! Just kidding, that was never really going to happen but I joked about it alot because I was so nervous about how much money it would cost to have a baby with no insurance!

We have been on a rollercoaster ride for 2+ years with Rich's employment and now (knock on wood) we can breathe a little easier knowing things will always work out, it is just never the way you want it to but the way it is supposed to! I know we have learned a lot during this time and hopefully we have learned all there is to know so that it doesn't happen again any time soon, but if it does we will make it, we know we are in good, loving hands.
Ironic though that it was Noni that laid him off in the first place and now he's back there. Not going to lie, it makes me a little uneasy but I know now that we can handle hard things.

20 Weeks

2011-03-03T12:32:00.008-07:00

Well here we are at 20 weeks...20 down 20 to go, that sounds like a LONG TIME!! Hopefully I will get lucky again and I can be induced early!

I am feeling much better and just get headaches but I guess I can live with that. I have started to feel the baby moving, Rich keeps putting his hand on my belly trying to feel it but it is too early for that!

Happiest Couples Contest

2011-02-28T11:34:00.013-07:00

Back in November as I was reading the latest issue of the Utah Valley Magazine, I came across a contest and thought I should enter it. The prize was gift certificates to local eating establishments and that sounded like a great prize to me. All you had to do was submit an email including a picture of why you are a "happy couple." Easy enough.
Here is what I submitted:

November 8, 2010
Dear Utah Valley Magazine,

My husband Rich and I have been married for 6 years. We both enjoy running and find that it is a great way to spend time together. We run about 15 races a year together and even though we don't run together (he is much faster than me) he is always there waiting for me at the finish line!! I know that having this common interest and spending alot of time together makes our marriage better and our friendship stronger. We have 3 kids (15, 10 and 4) and when we do races out of town (Logan Marathon, Pocatello Marathon, races in St. George etc.) we take them with us and make it a little vacation. The kids aren't interested in running the races but always have a great time in the hotels!!

We ran in the Dirty Dash and that was the funnest race we have participated in. It would make for a great article in your magazine. I attached our finish line photo to this email so you can see for yourself how much fun you can have playing in the mud!

I just wanted to let you know that my husband and I are very much in love and try everyday to make our marriage better. I think it is awesome that you focus on the positive and not the negative!!!

Angela Cope

I got a call around the end of January from Kate at Utah Valley Magazine. She said that we won the contest and that she wanted us to come in for a short interview and a photo shoot. I had no idea that we would actually appear in the magazine (let alone a full page photo). I was pretty nervous about the photo shoot but I think it went pretty well. After we took pictures we sat down for the interview, she asked us questions about how we met, what we like about each other, advice on how we stay happy etc.
It was fun talking with her and hearing the things Rich said about me and our relationship just made me fall in love with him all over again. We received gift certificates to Bajio and we both LOVE it so that was great! Now we just have to wait for the issue to come out!!

Well today was the day. I got a text from my friend Stacy (who works for the magazine) saying she left me some magazines on the front porch. I was kind of nervous to look at it! Here is the magazine:

Here is what the article said:

Rich and Angela Cope
Hometown Spanish Fork
Married 7 years

Boy Meets Girl
Angela was divorced, raising two children and working when she noticed Rich on LDSSingles.com. She sent him a message, and he decided to take her out after some encouragement from his sisters. Rich was a single 29-year-old homeowner, and his family joked he would never get married. But after falling in love with Angela, Rich became a husband and a dad within a matter of months. The Copes now have three children and one on the way.

Sage Advice
It's all about the date night for Rich and Angela. With similar adventurous interests, the couple has something fun to do each week from Jazz games to travel. "You have to continue to date after you're married," Rich says. "I think people forget that it's possible to fall out of love, and you really have to make an effort to stay connected to your spouse."

Blue and Gold Banquet

2011-02-25T11:36:00.002-07:00

We all went to the Stake Center for the annual Blue and Gold banquet. We had taco salad for dinner and everyone brought a cake. It was supposed to be a "theme" cake but I had no ideas and neither did Alex so I just made a white funfetti cake.

Each boy got an award for their cake and Alex won "flattest cake." very creative judging!!! Alex couldn't decide which cake to try so he got a piece of ALL of them (not really but seriously Alex)!!
He got loaded up on awards tonight, we have missed the last few pack nights due to the Holiday's and being out of town. He still has alot of work to do before his birthday!! He and Rich need to get moving so he will be able to advance out of Cub Scouts in May!!

It's a...

2011-02-24T11:35:00.002-07:00

GIRL

Rich is ECSTATIC!!! I will get used to the idea and I am sure she will be a wonderful bundle of joy!! Let's just hope she is like Alexa and not like me!!
Me, Rich and Max went back to Dr. Andrew to see if he could tell us what we are having. Max told me he really wanted to see the baby inside my belly so I thought he would be really excited. He was playing my iPod touch while we were waiting and he was glued. I kept telling him to come an look at the baby but he wasn't that interested, I guess I can't blame him he probably had NO IDEA what he was actually looking at!!

The pictures aren't the best but he did get a good view "down there" and there was nothing to be seen so we are pretty sure it is a girl, plus we all KNEW it was going to be anyway!!!

When we got home Max said, "So mom, are there two babies in your belly then?" I was confused with the question so I asked him why he thought that. He said "I heard the Dr say there was a girl in there but I want a brother." I guess it was just wishful thinking!! Later that day he told me it is good it's a girl since there is just me and Alexa. I know he will be a great big brother to her, hopefully he won't be too rough.

I Shouldn't be Allowed to be Pregnant!!!

2011-02-22T11:23:00.002-07:00

A few Saturdays ago I got up to take Alexa to work. I literally got out of bed put in my contacts, put on my slipper boots and left the house. After I dropped her off I thought I would be nice and grab the boys a donut for breakfast. I ran into Fresh Market grabbed what I needed and headed back out to the car. It was locked and I had NO KEYS!! They were hanging in the ignition!! A.W.E.S.O.M.E!!!
Luckily I had my phone in the pocket of my gray sweatsuit (no bra) so I called Rich hoping he was back from his run...no luck. I called the home phone and his cell phone. I sat on the bench inside the store and played on my phone waiting for him to answer. I was there for probably about 25 or 30 minutes before he finally picked up. He got in his car and came to my rescue!!

Well today, similar story, only this time Rich was at work in Orem and my phone was locked in the car with my keys!! I ran to the gas station before work for a drink and did it again!! I decided to walk up to Stephanie's house because I knew she would most likely be there (she just had surgery on her foot) and thought Jeff would probably be home too. It was a windy morning and I had on heels so that was great!! It is about 6 blocks to her house and with the wind it was pretty chilly. I finally got there and she was home (in the bath) but Jeff was in Salt Lake. I called Rich to see if he could call Carrie to come take me home. I don't know any one's phone numbers they are just all in my phone!
When I got to Steph's house there was a man on his roof across the street talking to someone but I didn't really pay attention. When Carrie got there she said the man was stuck on his roof, I guess he was probably trying to talk to me and I totally ignored him!! OOPS! The wind had blown his ladder over and he couldn't get off the roof so Carrie had to come to his rescue too, he had been up there for an hour!!! She took me home to get my spare set of work keys and then she dropped me off at work.

I am going to make some spare keys and maybe wear one on a necklace or sew a secret pouch in my bra for it!! This is getting ridiculous!!
Thanks Carrie for saving the day!!! I owe you one!!

Basketball at the Church

2011-02-21T12:28:00.003-07:00

Jake was begging everyone to come to the church to play basketball. He loves it and wants to stay there forever. He finally convinced enough people to play!! They played 4 on 4.
Monica, Alexa, Amb and Jake against...
Grandpa, Kenzie, Alex and Brooklyn.
Me and Amy went over to watch for a while, Alexa spent most of the time on the floor. Alex was enjoying himself and got off a few really good shots. They had fun and played for about an hour or more but it still wasn't enough for Jake and he didn't want to leave!!

Harper's "SWEET" Birthday Party

2011-02-19T12:28:00.005-07:00

Today Miss Harper turned "1" and we were all ready to party!! The party was big, both sides of the family came and we ate pizza, it was yummy!! Melissa had the basement decorated so cute, she went all out!!
So much CANDY!!!
She made these cute jars for everyone to fill up with their favorites!!
Not only was there candy but cupcakes, rolo cookies, homemade carmels and divinity!! Melissa went a little crazy with all the sweets but that was kind of the idea and it was darling!!! Harper was loving eating her cookie all by herself without mom breaking it into pieces!!
The Aggie game was on so we lost most of the men. We all sat around and chatted and ate treats.

Then it was time for Harper to eat her huge cupcake!!!
She wasn't sure what to think at first so she just kept touching it with her finger and then smiling.
She got a little braver and went in with her whole hand but she didn't really put it in her mouth, she was just playing.
Steve helped her taste it and then she got a little more aggressive but not quite aggressive enough for Melissa. She kept telling Steve to shove her face in it. What a mean mom!! Just kidding I was all for it too but Steve was not about to do that to his sweet little girl, what a nice daddy!!
After about 10 minutes she was done and just wanted to be held...but she was a mess. Natalie (Steve's sister) couldn't just let her cry so she grabbed her and ended up with frosting in her hair and all over her clothes.
After she got cleaned up it was time to open presents but she wasn't really in the mood so all the kids helped her out. She hasn't been feeling too good for the last couple days and I think she was sick of all the attention!!
We all had a really fun time and stayed really late!!

Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T15:15:00.006-07:00

What a FUN day!! I went to work but left early so I could go and help with Alex's Valentine's party in the afternoon. They frosted sugar cookies, played pictionary, played "minute-to-win-it" and made a cute valentine heart "ipod."
I forgot to take my camera in with me but I was in charge of helping the kids make these cute ipod's. Another mom put everything together so my job was easy. They turned out really cute. I like to go into Alex's class, it is great to be a part of the fun activities they have!
We got MAIL!! My mom sent us a package and the kids were so excited to open it up! There was a bag of treats for everyone and a card with $20 to go buy some dinner (which we did). Then there were 3 wrapped presents. One had Max's name and the other two didn't have names.
Alexa opened this shower massager (which I think was for me and Rich). She looks a bit confused, right??
Alex opened Glee for the Wii (nice rhyme) and that I am sure is for him and Alexa, they were both totally thrilled and couldn't wait to start playing!!
Max got a transformer and was totally excited!! He is pretty easy to please! Getting gifts in the mail is THE BEST!! Thanks Mom and Dad!!

Then we gave the kids and each other gifts.
I got Rich 2 shirts and some treats and a subscription to a new running magazine.
Rich got me my favorite flower...tulips, and a beautiful necklace.
My very favorite part of the gift was the card!! What a sweetheart!!!
Alexa got 2 shirts and some red sandals and treats. She was happy!
Alex got Epic Mickey for the Wii, he has been wanting it for a while and was really excited!!
Max got a Power Rangers Robot that "transforms" you can have 5 little animal guys to play with or put them all together to make one big guy!! He LOVED it and played with it all night long.

We went to dinner at The Pizza Factory (thanks again mom and dad), we were planning on going there anyway but it was nice to have most of it paid for!! The bread twists are "to die for" but the pasta was pretty yucky. We didn't have to wait very long so that was good. It's fun to go out with the whole family!

When we got back I made everyone pose for some photos!
Man, good thing I am pregnant and not just FAT, I look HUGE in this picture!!

Then the kids had a little photoshoot with the balloons, turned out pretty cute!!

I had a fabulous day and feel very loved!! I am thankful for all the people in my life who love me! We also got a visit from Jennifer and Creed (she gave me the coolest nail polish, don't worry I will blog about it once I use it) and the Pyne's came by to drop off some Valentine's. I never got around to delivering the rest of Max's Valentine's to his cousins...sorry guys, just know we love you all!!
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!

Max Picked...

2011-02-09T10:52:00.005-07:00

His Daddy!!!

Rich was the first one to give Lenny and the last one to receive. Max got him some bananas and his favorite magazine Runners World.

It has been fun having Lenny in our house, I think we get caught up in buying things as a way of showing love (and I am not saying I don't like gifts because of course I do), but I think we have gotten away from just doing something nice for someone or giving compliments etc. I was hoping that Lenny would inspire us to just show love the old fashioned way. I guess that is just the way of the world these days, buying a gift for someone = love. I need to work on this myself as it is usually easier to just buy someone something, because doing something for someone takes more effort.

OK I am done rambling...just some thoughts I was having and needed to get them out. I am going to try harder to show love through simple acts of kindness!!!

Alex picked...

2011-02-08T11:33:00.002-07:00

Max.

I think Max was getting worried that he was never going to get a turn to have Lenny! Alex drew him a picture of a Nintendo DS, because lately Max has been a tad obsessed with Mario on the DS.
(I helped with the rest).
Alex gave Max this cool Spongebob tool box with his favorite candy bars (Snickers and Twix), some sour spray and a cool Hot Wheels car. Max was really excited! When I tucked him in he said, "mom, I really love my brother Alex and I love life!" It was pretty funny!
Now Max gets to give Lenny to someone...I wonder who it will be (since Rich is the only one who hasn't had him yet)!!

Utah Flash

2011-02-07T10:47:00.003-07:00

Tonight we went to the Utah Flash Basketball game. Parker called me and asked me if we would take them because his parents are too lazy (his words, not mine). So me, Rich, Max, Alex, Alex's friend Ethan, Parker Harrison and their 2 friends all piled in the van and we headed to Orem.
As soon as we sat down the boys disappeared (to play basketball behind the bleachers) and we didn't see much of them during the game. So, Rich, Max and I watched the game. I enjoy these games, they are very fast paced and the quarters are a little shorter so it's perfect! Max had fun with his balloon clapper things. I love getting out of the house and doing something different!!

Weekend Visitors

2011-02-05T11:32:00.001-07:00

This weekend we got some visitors!! YAY!! No one has come to visit since Halloween and I love having house guests. Friday night the Harris's came and an hour or so later the Summer's and Amberly showed up too! It was late by the time they all got here so we just sat around and chatted and caught up on what's been going on. Rich put himself to bed early, but we stayed up til about 2am.

Saturday Alexa had to work from 10-2pm so Jason and Steve dropped her off and the went to a "guy store" in Payson. I made German pancakes for breakfast. We got an early start because Harper and Nixon both woke up pretty early! Me, Amy, Melissa, Steve and Alex went to visit Alexa at work for a bit and then got Taco Bell for lunch and ate it at our house! We were trying to think of something to do, we played Nertz and ate treats and then just sat around talking about what we could do. With two little ones the choices are more limited and we could not really come up with anything that everyone could do. Finally The Summer's just couldn't take it anymore and they decided to leave. Later, we all went to the food court at the mall for dinner and rented The Skulls. We didn't start it til 12:30am (and we had to rip Rich out of bed so he would watch it with us). The plan was to just fall asleep during it and finish it after church but NO ONE fell asleep (not even Amy, which is a shock)!!!

We had Stake Conference at 10am and we were a little late but not too bad. After church we all just snacked on pigs in a blanket and lil' smokies in BBQ sauce. We played Scattegories and Apples to Apples (while Rich took a nap). Then we cooked up the pizza's and watched the Super Bowl. The Harris's left after half time.

We didn't really do anything fun, but it is always great to have family around and I miss them already!! Thanks for coming...and come again SOON!!

My pick...

2011-02-04T11:30:00.007-07:00

I picked Alex. He has been complaining about school lunch lately but says he never has time to make lunch so...
I did it for him!! I made his favorite, peanut butter, butter. Yes, I know that sounds so gross but it's my dad's favorite and he got Alex hooked too! I think he should eat 2 everyday just to get some fat on his bones!!

I also snuck a note inside his lunch saying that I was going to check him out of school a little early for a surprise!!
I told him we could go to Yogurt Bliss or Artic Circle for a quick treat. He picked Artic Circle for a shake (which surprised me because he always begs me to take him to Yogurt Bliss). I guess he saw the surprise in my eyes and changed his mind. I told him that it didn't matter to me where he chose!
He got french vanilla with oreos and I got lemon custard (YUMMY)!! We had to rush a little since we had to pick Alexa up from school!

Now Alex gets to spread the love to someone!!!

Alexa Chose...

2011-02-03T11:17:00.003-07:00

ME!! YAY, I woke up and Lenny was on the floor by my bed!! I can't wait to get spoiled today!!!

I got a text from Alexa saying "come pick me up so I can take you to lunch." Well, a girl after my own heart (I love when you can do something special for someone and also benefit from it too!! Oh my, that sounded really selfish but I am not taking it back because it is true)!!

I picked her up and then we went to Subway, her treat!! It was yummy (minus her pizza supreme Doritos...she was way excited to eat them but they were NOT GOOD)! I took her back to school and went back to work.

She also made me this lovely picture...she claims that she can only draw pickles!! What a funny girl.

Now it is my turn to put Lenny in someones room!!! Who to Choose, who to choose???

Yummy Cookies!!

2011-02-03T11:11:00.004-07:00

My friend Chelsey posted a recipe for sugar cookies the other day on Facebook and I really wanted to try it out. I made the dough after work and then after dinner started cooking them (man, I am glad I took her advice and only made 1/2 batch or I would still be baking them now)!!
They turned out really delicious...Alex helped me frost for a little bit but then gave up because he said mine looked "professional" and he just couldn't compete so he was in charge of the sprinkles.
When you have that many cookies the best thing to do is SHARE THEM. So I plated some up and will make some deliveries tomorrow (the plan was to doorbell ditch them around the neighborhood last night but of course it was too late by the time they were all frosted)!

Rich's Pick...

2011-02-02T12:00:00.004-07:00

ALEXA was the lucky one!!!

Rich bought her favorite candy bar and gum and wrote her a note!!

Now Alexa gets to decide who gets Lenny next!!!

P.S. It was 1 degree when I took Alexa to school this morning @ 7:30am. It warmed up to 10 degrees by the time I went to work!!!

Lenny the LOVEBUG

2011-02-01T11:59:00.005-07:00

Just as we were all getting ready for family prayer I heard something at the door. No one else heard it but Alex went to see who it was and there was a box sitting on our porch.

We opened it up and this is what we found...
There was a note enclosed and here is what it said...

Hello Family,

I am Lenny the LOVEBUG and I have chosen your home for my new experiment. There is something special about me that will make you want to be extra nice to everyone, especially your family members!!

Here is how it works:
I want the oldest person in the family (mom’s and dad’s included) to start the fun. They will pick a member of the family, and make their day “extra” special. The sky is the limit but I will give you some ideas about what you can do! Leave me in their room so they will know that it is “their” special day!!

*Make them breakfast
*Write them a note or draw them a picture
*Help them with their chores
*Play a game with them
*Help them clean their room
*Write them a poem
*Buy them a special gift

Like I said, the sky is the limit. I know you will think of the perfect ideas!! I will spend all day with whoever is chosen and then it is that persons turn to pass me along to the next person of their choosing.

There are some days when I might bring you all a special surprise and make you all feel very special. And watch out because Valentine’s Day is my Birthday and I like to spoil everyone on my special day!!!

I hope that you will give me a nice home for the next 2 weeks, one that is filled up with love and kindness!!!

Love,
Lenny

P.S. If you are all really nice to me and each other, I might come back and visit every year for my Birthday!!!

Since Rich is the oldest...he gets to go first!! He gets to choose whoever he wants, I kept asking him who he was going to choose and he wouldn't tell me!!
I made him pose with "Lenny" and of course he made it harder than it needed to be and I warned him that the picture was going up (even if it was terrible, which it's not)!!

I can't wait to see if Lenny really does have "magical" powers and if our home will be more loving for the next few weeks!! I will keep you posted!!!

"Summer in Winter" Photo Shoot

2011-01-30T21:35:00.008-07:00

Yesterday Alexa's friend Caitlyn took some pictures of her, Josie and Paige.

It's funny beacuase at first glance I would think they were at a beach somewhere...but oh no, they are in beach attire standing in the snow!!!

This girl is very talented at photography and photoshop. Maybe she will have to do some family pictures for us!!

Aren't teenagers CRAZY??? Really, who does this???

Midway Ice Castles

2011-01-29T10:51:00.013-07:00

We have been in kind of a "rut" when it comes to our weekly dates. Dinner and a movie, dinner and a movie and Target, dinner and a movie etc. You get the picture. I saw this on facebook a few weeks ago and it looked like the perfect way to get us out of our rut!!!

We went to Subway for dinner and then headed up to Midway. There is a man that "grows" these ice castles at the park and they were amazing. The pictures don't quite do it justice and if you get a chance I would recommend taking the quick drive up there and checking it out for yourself. In fact, I think the kids would have really enjoyed it too so that would be a great family night activity! If you want more info go here.

I ended up taking like 70 pictures because I was so amazed at the creations and the different ways ice could form, am I a nerd??
It was FREEZING cold, Rich borrowed a pair of earmuffs (yes they had gloves, earmuffs, ski poles and even sold hot chocolate and homemade cinnamon rolls). We walked around until our toes were frozen.

It took a long time in the warm car before we were finally able to warm back up. We looked for somewhere in Heber to get some hot chocolate and maybe some dessert but couldn't find anything.

We ended up back in Orem at The Chocolate.
If you haven't tried it GO!!! It was yummy and a fun atmosphere. We were lucky to get a table, it was packed. We shared a cazookie and mint hot chocolate. We stayed and talked for a while and really had a great time!
I felt kind of guilty because Alexa has mentioned that she wanted to go there. I bought some sugar cookies to take home to the kids (they were honestly THE BEST sugar cookies I have EVER tasted)!!! We will be back for sure!!!

My Funny Max

2011-01-28T12:10:00.003-07:00

It has been a wile since I posted Max's funnies.
The other day we were driving somewhere in the car and the song "Jar of Hearts" came on. You know the one, "who do you think are, running 'round leaving scars, collecting you jar of hearts, tearing love apart..." anyway the conversation went like this:

Max: "mom, will you change the song?"
Me: "why, you don't like it?"
Max: "well I do, but it makes me sad."
Me: "what?"
Max: "well, Mom, it IS a pretty sad song!"

I don't know why but I thought it was so funny. Last night Rich and I were driving home and I was telling him the story and he was like: "who told him it was sad?" I am pretty sure no one had said anything to him about it but as I listened to the song, it is a pretty sad song. What a perceptive 4 year old!!

Max got into the habit of sleeping on our floor during Christmas break. He would start downstairs on the couch with Alex but he always ended up in our room. It has been hard to get him sleeping in his bed again.
I have to be honest...I haven't tried too hard because he never wets himself during the night when he sleeps on our floor and I am pretty sick and tired of washing his sheets. I threatened to buy him pull-ups again and he got really mad and said he wouldn't wear them. Hopefully this is something he will grow out of soon.

A few weeks ago Max had a stuffy nose. He said to me, "mom, my nose is wrong." And I didn't really understand what he was talking about. I asked him what he was talking about and he said, "this nose (pointing to the left nostril) won't breath." For the next few days when he would wake up he would tell me again that his nose was wrong. Finally one morning he came running in my room and said, "mom, my nose isn't wrong anymore!"

15 Weeks

2011-01-27T13:15:00.003-07:00

I have had 3 babies and have never journaled about any of the pregnancies or taken pictures to document the experience. Since this is my last baby (I hope), I thought it would be a good idea to make some memories. Now as you know, Rich is not the best cameraman and Alexa just gets impatient with me so these are self portraits. I did the best I could!!

I am feeling more like myself the past week or so, that is good news! I can't really remember feeling to bad with any of my other pregnancies but the first part of this one kicked my butt!! I can't complain too much because the record still stands (the last time I threw up was 6th grade). I just really hate being pregnant, I hate to sound like a brat and a complainer but there is really nothing about the experience that I even remotely enjoy. It is cool to feel the first movements of the baby but after that it is just plain annoying! I am being honest here so don't judge me. My oldest sister LOVES being pregnant and I have not been able to figure out why. I am going to try my hardest this time around to find the "joy" in this experience.
I have been trying to figure out why it's been so different this time around, maybe it's because I am so much older now (34) or I am not as tough as I used to be...who knows?? I have always felt really tired the first trimester but this is ridiculous! I was dizzy and had headaches and just felt like I was living in someone else's body. Sometimes I had 2 naps in one day!!
Hopefully it's all uphill from here. I go back to the Dr the first part of February. I am sure there won't be much to report, he will listen to the heartbeat, I will pee on a stick and get weighed (and NO I will not be journaling about that)!!
Why can't it be JULY YET???

Pinewood Derby

2011-01-26T12:03:00.004-07:00

This is Alex's last Pinewood Derby. He worked really hard on his car this year and was really hoping to win a trophy. He got 3rd place last year and was really wanting 1st or 2nd.

His scout leader brought his saw to scouts to help the boys cut out their cars, which was really nice because we don't have a saw. Rich and Alex sanded it down and got it all painted.
Here he is with his car "heavy metal." Each car gets to race 4 times and then they average your time to pick the top 3.
Alex's fastest time was 191.8. There were a few cars that went 194 to 197 so I knew he wasn't going to win. He ended up in 6th place but considering there were 31 cars that is pretty dang awesome!!! He was disappointed but that is just part of life, you win some you loose some!! I am proud of him for being a good sport because that is what matters the most!

Art Work

2011-01-22T12:04:00.002-07:00

When I was taking pictures of Alexa's art on the fridge, I figured I might as well show you Alex's too!!
Alex loves drawing and creating. He is very good at art and very creative! He drew me these pictures the other night while Rich and I were on our date. He is a very thoughtful child and I know he will do great things in the future!

Who's Kid Is She??

2011-01-21T13:56:00.002-07:00

I hate to admit this but I did not get the best grades in school. I probably could have if I would have cared enough to try harder. I wonder sometimes if Alexa is really my child, she is nothing like me (in all the good ways).
I am so proud of her ability to do well in school. She is really the best daughter one could wish for.
When I checked her grades the last day of the term there was a B+ and I texted her to see if that was really her grade. She said it was and I was sort of disappointed that she was going to get her FIRST B. She has never had a B on a report card. She got kind of mad at me and told me that a B was still good. I said if that was really her best then it was, but I know that it isn't. Well, obviously the teacher didn't upgrade the results until the last minute because I got a great surprise when she showed me her grades and they were all A's!!
On a side note, here is what the art work of a straight A student looks like!!! Yes, she is in 9th grade and she is OBSESSED with pickles. We ran out a few days ago and I have not bought any more and I think she is going through withdrawals (at least that is my explanation for the weird picture)!!!

5th Grade Science Fair

2011-01-20T13:17:00.002-07:00

This morning Max and I went to the school to Alex's Science Fair.
His project was the reaction baking soda has in vinegar...it bubbles and foams. It wasn't much of a project, he did the experiment last weekend and I took pictures of him doing it. Then I had to go to Macey's to get them printed and then I had to type up his stuff (our printer is not working) so I feel like I did most the work!! I did make him glue all the stuff on the poster!!

5th grade is hard work for a mom!!!

Just Me and Max

2011-01-17T21:29:00.004-07:00

Human Rights Day, aka Martin Luther King Jr. Day so there is NO SCHOOL!!! I took Alex to play with Whytli and Alexa wanted to hang out with Josie, Rich was at work, so that left me and Max. I had to run to Target then we had lunch at Max's favorite, McDonald's.

We tried to go see the movie Legend of the Guardians but it was sold out. We decided to go Bowling!!

I paid for 2 games, 2 people, $19.50!! OUCH, no wonder we never go bowling anymore, what the heck??? I remember back in the good ole days...blah blah blah, sorry I am not going to go there but honestly I was a bit surprised!
But look at that face, it was worth every cent!! Max is really good at bowling on the Wii and was really anxious to get started!
That was his first roll and he didn't get a strike, he was like "what the heck?"
Here he is pretty excited because he had only 1 pin left, he didn't get the spare though.
Look at that form, he had the bumpers up and was having fun until I started to warm up and got a few strikes. He was pretty jealous.
This is what his face started to look like in the second game. He did end up getting 2 strikes and that made him a little happier but when he asked me who won he wasn't happy with my answer. I told him that I used to be on a bowling league (yes, I did and I miss it). I told him that when he gets bigger and has more practice he would beat me. He was satisfied with that. Those 2 games flew by (I think we were there for less than an hour). We went to Dollar Tree to pick out a treat and then went home and watched "Iron Giant." It is an old movie but he loved it, come on it has a giant robot in it, why wouldn't he??

We had a great day together and I love it when I get some one on one time with my kiddo's!!

Dashboard Confessional

2011-01-11T11:19:00.006-07:00

For Christmas Monica, Amb and I got tickets to the Dashboard Confessional concert in Salt Lake. Now you may ask, "how many times does one person really need to see the same band?" Well, the answer is, as many as you possibly can!!!
Monica and I were trying to figure out how many times we have been to his shows. I came up with 8. The thing I love about Chris Carrabba (he IS Dashboard Confessional) is that he is SO GOOD live!! He has this thing he does with his voice that just makes you melt and want to jump up on stage and...OK I better take it down a notch but really there is a special place in my heart for him. We have also had a few chances to actually meet and talk to him and he is a really nice guy!! He is one of the shortest men out there but what he lacks in height he makes up for with his smile and his voice.

I met Monica and Amb in Salt Lake and we ate dinner at Subway and then went to Target for a while. There are always a couple of opening acts that last about 2 hours and I hate standing through all that. We made our way up through the crowd as close as we could and waited for him to come out!! He sang for an hour and a half straight, he told us that he wasn't going to do the fake show is over thing and then come back out and sing a few more songs, he just sang straight through and it was awesome!! Usually we try and wait for him after the show but it got over at 11:30pm and it was 18 degrees outside so we decided against it. Melanie told Monica before she left that I couldn't be outside in the cold for that long or I would "freeze the fetus." Yes, those were her words, thanks Mel for having my back!!

Isaiah's Party @ Jungle Gym's

2011-01-08T12:17:00.007-07:00

Rich and I dropped off the kids at Jungle Gym's in Salt Lake for Isaiah's 7th birthday party. Alex and Max had a blast when they went for Tayana's bday party a few months ago so they were pretty excited.
Alexa, Drayke and Alex

Alex took these photos and he forgot to get a shot of the birthday boy!!

Rich and I went to Olive Garden for dinner and then to his aunt's surprise birthday party in Lindon. We had a good night and it was fun talking with people in Rich's family that we don't always see.

Sule brought the kids home about 10:30pm and they all hopped in the shower so they would be all clean for 9am church!!

3 Wise Men Day

2011-01-06T14:00:00.004-07:00

We put out our shoes last night so the 3 Wise Men could come and give us a gift (that is, if we were good). I guess we were all really good this year because we all had a gift on our shoes. I didn't take a picture this year (Alexa might have been embarrassed).
Rich got some new jeans, I got a new perfume and the baby got a cute stuffed turtle, Alexa got a new bra (well you know those Wise Men, they are very practical and that is what she wanted), Alex got a new Hot Wheels ramp (to connect to the ones they got for Christmas, Max and Alex are having a blast with them), and Max got a new transformer.

Last year I said I was going to learn more about this tradition but I didn't learn too much more. It is a South American and European tradition called the 12 days of Christmas that starts on Christmas (not before like we sometimes do it). On the last night of the celebration, Jan 5th (I am not sure what goes on the rest of the time) the 3 Wise Men come to bring 3 gifts (oops) one from each of them to all the good girls and boys. It is baby Jesus who gives the gift on Christmas day and Rich's mom said that they were always more excited about 3 Wise Men day than Christmas. The twelfth day after Christmas (Jan 6th) was when the 3 Wise Men visited Jesus and that is what the celebration is all about.

I just googled it and it says that traditionally you are supposed to write a letter to the 3 Magi and tell them about your behavior over the last year (even though they already know) and then you leave the letter on your slippers or shoes and then they come into the house and read the letters and decide whether or not to leave gifts. That's how they do it in Spain.

Happy 2011!!!

2011-01-01T13:33:00.003-07:00

Rich and I took down all the Christmas stuff and got the house cleaned up. I did some laundry and took a nap with my snuggie and Max's pillow pet (best nap ever)!!! The kids had a "Parks and Rec" marathon downstairs ALL day long!!
I needed to get out of the house so me, Rich and the boys went to see the movie "Little Fockers." I made some chex mix to take to the party along with 7 layer dip and chips and toffee.
We spent New Years Eve at the DuVall's home eating yummy finger foods and playing games. We always have a great time at their house. We watched the countdown and Jeff did some fireworks out back...it was freezing!! Alexa and McKenzie went to a friends house to party and ring in the New Year!!

We all slept in on New Years Day and were pretty lazy all day. I made pancakes on my new griddle (loved it) and we had a late breakfast. The kids did some chores and we all got showered and ready for the day. Me and the kids headed to Salt Lake and Rich stayed home to work on his lesson for tomorrow (he is the Elders Quorum Secretary).
We met Mel, Jake, Brooklyn, the Harris's and the Summer's at Ryan's house since we didn't get a chance to see them during the holidays. Annette, Brandon and Mandi were there too and we ate pizza and watched the Jazz game. It is always great to hang out at Ryan's house!!! Brandon has been in New York trying to get his "comedy" career going so it was fun to hear all about his adventures!! Max loves playing with Lily and especially the dogs, Lucy and Gus. We had a great night, thanks Ry and Trisha for letting us invite ourselves over!!!

A New Sister For The Week!!!

2010-12-28T13:11:00.006-07:00

We took McKenzie home with us for the week. We tried to go to the Jazz game Monday night but couldn't get tickets. Rich met us in Salt Lake and we went to Gateway for a bit. We were all disappointed we couldn't go to the game.

Someone told Max that Kenzie was going to be his new sister and he took that very literally. He woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and he came into our room and the first thing he said to me was "mom, I can't believe I have another sister!"

Alexa and Kenzie went sledding with Alexa's friends all day Tuesday. Me and Max were home by ourselves and decided to watch a movie. He asked me "mom, when are you going to grow your baby?" I told him that it was growing right now. He thought about it for a minute then said, "so then there will be 4 girls and 3 boys." I did the math in my head and it didn't add up so I asked what he meant. He said, "You, Alexa, Kenzie and the baby." I had to tell him that we really couldn't keep Kenzie forever and that her family would miss her too much if she didn't go back home. Then he said, "that's OK, I want a boy baby anyway." Very funny conversation!
Alex got home from his trip about 7pm, he had a blast!!

I found these pictures on Alex's camera and thought they were great, plus these are the only ones that got taken while she was at our house.
My kids love it when we have visitors!! We went to a movie and the mall one day but we didn't really do anything too exciting, sorry Kenzie!! They did have a "Parks and Rec" watching marathon. Alexa got season 2 for Christmas and we already had season 1. They were on their butts ALL DAY watching TV while Rich and I were WORKING our butts off taking down Christmas and cleaning the house! It made him kinda mad and he made sure they had chores to do on Saturday!!!

Alex goes to SIX FLAGS!!!

2010-12-27T12:36:00.010-07:00

Rich and Alex left after Sacrament meeting to head back to Spanish Fork. They went to the Duvall's for dinner and then Jeff, Harrison, Parker and Alex hit the road for California!! They were supposed to go the week before Christmas but the weather was terrible and they didn't even end up opening Six Flags on the day they were going to be there so it was a really good thing they waited!!
Here are the only pictures Alex got of Jeff and Harrison (while they were eating dinner)!!

They drove to Victorville, CA and checked into the motel. It took them 8 or 9 hours to get there.
Parker and Alex are CRAZY!!! Alex was so excited he could hardly sleep!!!

They got up and ate breakfast and hit the road again for an hour drive to SIX FLAGS!! The park opened at 10am and they got there right after it opened. It was a very busy day though and the park filled up fast!!! Alex's favorite ride was X2 and they were able to go on it twice. They only made it on a few rides because the lines were long and it closed at 6pm.

Alex didn't want to loose his camera so he didn't take it inside but snapped these in the parking lot before they left.

They had dinner at Olive Garden and headed back to the hotel to get some sleep. Alex fell asleep on the way back and Jeff said he was curled up in a little ball in the car. I am sure he was exhausted since he didn't sleep that well the night before!

Her some photos of the drive home. Alex and Parker bought a souvenir T-Shirt of their favorite ride. They had a great time even though it was a quick trip and alot of driving!!! Thanks Jeff for making Alex's dreams come true.

Christmas Day in Logan

2010-12-25T13:49:00.021-07:00

I was driving so it is a good thing Alex kind of takes after his mom, he took pictures of everyone in the car (but the driver) on the drive up to Logan.
***Notice how sunny and brown it was...not very Christmas like but what do you do???
We stopped for gas, hot chocolate, diet coke and krispy kreme donuts. We made it there just after 12pm.

Here are some "jems" from Alex's camera...some "pre-present opening" shots that are fantastic!! With Alex taking pictures now my blog posts are going to be twice as long!!!

On with the gift opening!! We had to wait a bit for the Clark's to make their appearance but as soon as they did the kids were ready to go!! We draw names so we wanted to do the gift exchange first. We did youngest to oldest.
Harper was first and I can't really remember what everyone got, I think she got some jeans.
Nixon was up next and he got some jeans too!!
We had Korver and got him a ramp with some cars, he loved it!!
Owen got some jeans.
Max got a new Transformer!! He was really excited!!!
We had Brinlie and got her a Belle doll with 4 different outfits!
Brooklyn got some cute boots and some clothes, I think.
Alex got some sweet new Etnies
We gave Jake a rat hat and some gum (his favorite).
Kenzie got some cute skinny jeans and some boots.
Alexa got a leather jacket...she loved it!!
Melissa got a really cute coat from Mel.
I had Amy and got her some tights, jewelry and a scarf.
Jason got basketball shorts and a book from Monica.

I missed Steve and Monica opening their gifts...sorry guys!!!

Jason had Amb and did all the shopping by himself and really made her happy. Her favorite thing was a locket necklace with a picture of him inside it!!!
Melissa got me some new perfume, Viva La Juicy, it smells delicious and I love it!!
Rich got a Chili's gift card and some treats from Dave.
Amb went all out this year and got Mel some "Bear Paw" boots!!
And last but not least Rich got Dave two pairs of shoes and a gift card to Burger King.

Next mom and dad opened all of the gifts from us.
We got dad a Utah Jazz warm up suit and some treats.
Mom got the Thomas S. Monson book and some charms for her new charm bracelet.

Then it was time to open gifts from Aunt Debbie and Aunt Janet. They always get us the same thing so we all open them at the same time!
Aunt Janet mailed each family this huge tube of gumballs...it was a great surprise!! Aunt Debbie gave each family a DVD and a "turbo twistie" for all the sisters (it is a towel for your hair). It is always fun to see what they get us each year, they are very thoughtful to send us gifts even though we NEVER see them!!!

By this time in the day, some of us were getting sleepy.
And Korver was roasting in his sleeper!!
Isn't she the cutest???

Mom and dad pulled out the gifts for the kids first. Sometimes we have 2 or 3 different "opening" sessions but we told them this year to just give them all the gifts and be done with it (the kids are always asking, are there more presents??).
It was pretty chaotic as you can see. They did the littler kids first and it was just a tornado of wrapping paper and boxes. Max got a dragon ramp for his matchbox cars and the cool Bumbleebee costume, a pillow pet and some other stuff. He just wanted to open everything and play with it right that second!!

After we got the room back in shape it was Alexa and Kenzie's turn.
They both got the same stuff. A snuggie, some teenie bopper magazines, and a FLIP video camera!! Alexa was really wanting one of these and she was really excited!!!

Alexa was standing there and I motioned for Kenzie to "get her." She took her down with ease...it was pretty funny!!

Alex, Jake and Brooklyn were last to get their gifts. They all got a snuggie too but the best thing was THIS...
a motorized scooter!! Alex has really been wanting one of these, too bad they have to charge first!! He will have SO much fun on this!! Alex also got iDraw for the Wii and that was another thing he really wanted!! They went downstairs to play it right away!
The adults were next and I got a "yoshi blade" and a snuggie and a griddle (that will be awesome for pancakes) and a KINDLE (an electronic book). I have really wanted one of these for a couple years and I can't wait to put some books on it and get reading!!! Rich got a gift card to Texas Roadhouse, Inception (DVD), the George Bush book and money for his bike fund. He has been saving up to buy a road bike so he was thrilled!! I am not really sure what everyone else got but everyone was happy and excited and exhausted!!
Jason is under the pillow...he was really tired and couldn't take it anymore!!
Mel and Amy put the pillow pets and snuggies to very good use!!! Some people went down to watch Inception while some slept and some watched Despicable Me upstairs.
The little boys were having a blast and loving this movie!! It is a very darling show!
Korver and Nixon were not sharing the cheeseballs very well...maybe I should say that Korver was hogging the cheeseballs and didn't want Nixon to have any!!
What a face...nice Korv!!!

While the little boys were fighting over cheeseballs, Max was having a blast with this giant sized stocking!!!

Of course Alex had to get in on it too!!

A few last random pictures from the day and THE LONGEST POST OF MY LIFE is now complete!!!!

We had a wonderful Christmas Day and are so blessed to be able to share it with family!! Can't wait til next year!!!

A Christmas Miracle

2010-12-25T13:48:00.002-07:00

OK so technically it's not really a Christmas miracle but a miracle for me none-the-less. If you read my blog you may remember a post back in March where I spilled all my feelings and emotions and yearnings about having another baby.
The road has been long and hard and I had finally accepted that 3 kids was enough and that I was completely satisfied with that. Max will be starting kindergarten in the fall and miss Alexa will be driving shortly after...starting over would be hard...but starting over is exactly what we are doing...
because I AM PREGNANT!!! After the kids opened up all the presents Rich brought out a Build-a Bear box and set it on the ground. Alex asked who it was for and I told him to go ahead and open it. It took him a minute and Alexa caught on before he did. Alex was very excited and Alexa wasn't as mad as I thought she would be (she has been telling me no more babies for a long time). Rich had to explain it to Max (who by the way maybe already knew because he has been talking alot about a baby brother out of the blue).

Here is the story, I have been on and off birth control (you ask "why would you be on birth control if you have been wanting to get pregnant??" I have PCOS and don't ovulate regularly on my own so the idea is that the birth control helps you cycle normally then you go off it the next month...I won't go into that, too confusing and not really relevant to this story) but ran out and never got anymore. My periods are always late so I never really think anything of it (actually I used to always get my hopes up that I was really pregnant but I never was...very hard roller coaster to be on). So it's the first part of December and I realize that it has been almost a month and a half with no period yet. I was feeling different and had a few other things going on that made me a little suspicious. I bought a pregnancy test and did it one morning and there were definitely 2 lines but one was so faint that I didn't trust it. As we were laying in bed going to sleep I said to Rich "I think I am having a baby." He was confused as to why I said "think" so I told him about the test and he told me to go get another one. The next day I did another one with pretty much the same result but it was enough to convince Rich. I knew deep down that it was true but it was hard to admit since I had already decided 3 was great!!
I had to be absolutely sure so I called up Dr. Andrew and asked if he would take a quick peek and confirm it for me (he did an ultrasound and sure enough there it was). Seeing is believing!!! As of today (I am typing this post on 1-5-11) I will be 12 weeks tomorrow and the due date it July 21st 2011!!!

Christmas Morning

2010-12-25T13:47:00.005-07:00

Rich put the sheet up last night so when the kids wake up they can't peek in. We all got up about 8am and that is when the fun began.
Santa was extra nice to the kids this year. They all got a "singamajig" I think I am the only one that thinks they are cute.
They took turns opening the presents from Santa.

Max got some Transformers and Bakugons and a hot wheels ramp with new cars...he was really excited about all his gifts!!

Alex got some Wii games, a rat hat, a hot wheels ramp and Sims 3 for the DS. I think he was happy with everything he got!

Alexa got CD's and DVD's, new boots, a Jazz sweatshirt, and Dance Dance Revolution for the Wii.

Max and Alex both got a new scooter.

Rich and I thought it would be a good idea to get each child 1 big present instead of a lot of little stuff that they don't want or need.
Max got a new bike!!!
Alex got a new red camera!!!
Alexa got a new stereo!!!

Rich and I also put a limit on the gifts we get each other. I wanted to do a homemade gift but Rich wasn't having it. We decided to go with a $30 limit (not sure where that number came from, but it is as good as any).
I got Rich this awesome shirt and a new football. Rich picked out some really cute red boots (all by himself) and a new ring for me. I guess I should have given someone the camera but I forgot!!

Here is the aftermath of all the gift opening...looks like a tornado came in but that's the way we love it on Christmas morning!!

We had a wonderful Christmas morning and there was one more surprise...

Christmas Eve in Nephi

2010-12-24T13:48:00.001-07:00

This morning me, dad, Alex and Max went on a donut run!! Usually it is just me and dad but the kids really wanted to come so we let them. We ate our donuts and had hot chocolate and then we had to get going.

We got home around 2pm and I made a jell-o for tonight then I took a little nap. Rich was visiting his Grandma. We all showered and got ready and then headed out to Nephi to the Pauole's to eat and party it up!!

We had a delicious meal of ham and roast beef, baked potatoes, yummy rolls, jello, salad and corn. Everyone was there and we all had a really good time. The kids were anxious to open presents.

Cynthia had the kids think about ways they could serve people and they each put an ornament on the tree after they gave their answers. Grandma Cope told the story of Jesus's birth and the kids were pretty patient and listened pretty well for the most part. Then it was time for the exchange. It starts youngest to oldest and there are 27 grand kids so it takes a while. Max got a remote control spider that climbs up the walls from one of the Rogers girls. Alex got a bunch of Halloween stuff to use in his haunted house from one of the Swenson kids. Alexa got a very cute sweater and tank top from one of the Duvall kids. McKell and Joseph had Rich and I, he got a gift card to Chili's and I got one to Target (my favorite store)!! Rich's parents gave everyone a big roaster, See's candy, sparkling cider and a box of Franken Berry cereal (a funny tradition they have). We had a great night and everyone was excited to get home so Santa could come!!

We got home about 10pm and we all got into our new jammies (except Rich because he never wears them so I didn't waste money on them this year) and the kids went downstairs to watch "A Christmas Story." I made 7 layer dip for tomorrow and then Rich and I went to my work to get all the gifts. That is where I did all my wrapping this year, it was nice to not have to try and find hiding places at home.

We got everything all set up but Max couldn't fall asleep so I went down with him to watch the movie and I fell asleep too, Rich came and got me around 1am to go to bed.

Little Yule Often

2010-12-23T13:47:00.005-07:00

The kids and I headed up to Logan this afternoon for Little Yule Often. We got there around 3pm and mom wasn't home so we headed to the mall for some last minute shopping. We walked around for a while and then decided we were done.
We ordered Wok on Wheels for dinner and it was delicious!!

We started right in on frosting the sugar cookies. I am not sure why Alex wasn't participating. It seems like we didn't have very many cookie frosters this year!!! Monica made us some wierd colors of frosting but they still taste great!!

Then it was time to get the fry cakes going. My mom makes the dough then my dad rolls them out and cuts them and then I (sometimes I get some help) flip them and then mom frys them up.

Jake joined in the fun with me (it was his first time helping) and Amy and Melissa helped too. Amy got her Elvis Christmas CD going and it was all good from there!!
Monica always put on a stocking hat and runs downstairs because she dosen't like to smell like fry cakes!! She is crazy. We had a great time making christmas goodies and being together!!

SNOW DAY!!! School is Cancelled!!

2010-12-21T13:46:00.003-07:00

Today was the last day of school before Christmas break but we woke up to SO MUCH snow that they cancelled school!! I have lived in Spanish Fork for 7 winters and I have NEVER seen this much snow!! It was lightly snowing when we went to bed but it wasn't supposed to be much of a storm, I told Rich that it would be my dream come true if I opened the front door in the morning and all I could see was snow...we didn't quite get that much but way more than I ever expected!
I LOVE SNOW!!
Alex and Max couldn't wait to get out there and play so they got all bundled up and I got ready for work.
I am not sure exactly how much we got but I heard anywhere from 14 to 18 inches!! My back is a little sore from shoveling but you won't hear me complain!!! What a fun surprise!!

More Swimming and Stuff at "The Grand"

2010-12-18T12:35:00.010-07:00

Just as promised as soon as the kids were awake they hit the pool with my dad and had some fun!!!
Alex doing flips!!
Alexa and Kenzie didn't really want to swim but who knows if they will ever get the chance to use the pool at the Grand America again!!!
Brooklyn trying out some tricks!
Brin, Alex, Max and Jake warming up, I guess the pool was pretty cold! They had a good time!!
Alex and Jake showered in the men's locker room with my dad and got an eyeful of some naked old man!! Why do men think it's OK to be naked??

Amy had some late night adventures with Nixon, he couldn't sleep and was screaming his head off just shortly after we all went to bed. The only thing that would calm him down was riding the elevator. When they got down to the lobby she heard a lady singing and decided to go see what was going on. It was some lady and David Archuleta and his 2 brothers. She was in her pj's with a grumpy baby at 3am in the lobby and happens to run into David Archuleta!! She said it was awkward not to say something to him so she just started telling him that some of her family went to the concert and loved it. He asked her what the heck she was doing and they talked for a minute and then she went back up to her room!

I got the tub ready for Max...I think I went a little overboard on the bubbles but he had a blast!!!
It was hard trying to wash him in all those bubbles so I made him jump in the shower after to get all the bubbles off so he could actually wash!!

This is the view from our room, we overlooked the courtyard and it was pretty!
Jake was pretty nervous about being out on the balcony.
He thought Alex was crazy for sitting here in this pose, he kept telling him he was going to die!!

After everyone got all showered and ready for the day we all went down to the lobby to decide what to do next. Check out was at noon so that made it nice.

They had a Holiday ABC's window stroll where you go around the hotel and find the letters of the alphabet in the windows and then you turn in your paper for a treat. We had fun finding what all the letters stood for, but we got side tracked alot and it ended up taking a long time to finish!!

Kenzie played us some Christmas Carols on the grand piano, it was beautiful!
We had fun looking at all the houses in the Enchanted Gingerbread Forest. They were amazing!!!
There were so many cute trees we couldn't pass up on all the photo op's.
Mom and Dad
The Summer's family
This desk was a hit...not really sure what these crazy kids are doing but they were having some fun that is for sure!!!
Here is one of the greatest things about the hotel...all over they had these huge jars filled with gumballs and jawbreakers and sixlets. We all had tired jaws from all the gumballs but how do you resist???
After we got our treat and were heading out of the lobby we ran right into Mr. and Mrs. Claus, they were in a hurry but stopped to take a quick photo with some of the kids!! No one really wanted to leave the wonderful hotel but it was lunchtime and the men were getting hungry and grumpy!!!

We hopped on TRAX and headed to Crown Burger (the only thing the majority could agree on). It is hard having a group of 23 people trying to make decisions. Lunch was good and then we went to The Gateway to walk around and do a little shopping. It seems I spent most my time sitting on the exercise bike at Dick's waiting for people to build bears and such!!! We had a great time and it was a perfect way to spend the weekend before Christmas!!

We all said good-bye and went our separate ways, we stopped at Fazzoli's for dinner on our and made it home around 10pm.

The Grand America

2010-12-17T11:49:00.005-07:00

While we were at the concert everyone else had McDonald's for dinner and then hit the pool!
We thought we would be able to get in after we got back but it closed at 10pm and that is when we got back!! Alex was disappointed but my dad promised to take him in the morning!

We all had rooms on the same floor in the same area so it was fun to just pop into every one's room to see what was going on.
The bathrooms were amazing...but they did not have locks on the doors which proved to be a little problem for Monica while she was in the shower!!
The Clark's didn't eat before the concert so Dave went and got Wendy's.
Korver is looking relaxed on his soft fluffy bed made from the bedspreads.
We all had our pj's on but we hadn't really explored the lobby so we headed down to see what was going on down there. No, we probably do not really "belong" at the Grand America but we sure enjoyed ourselves!

We saw a limo pull up from our room and someone said "I bet David Archuleta is staying here, let's run down and see." So some people hurried down to the lobby and sure enough, it was him but they didn't get a very good look cause he was surrounded by security!

Max was trying to snuggle in with gramps and get some sleep but
Owen wanted to play!!!

We all decided it was time to get some sleep, I think it was about 2ish when we finally hit the sack.

MoTab Christmas Concert with David Archuleta

2010-12-17T11:37:00.005-07:00

Last month I got a text from Melanie saying that I should register for tickets to the Christmas Concert with David Archuleta at the Conference Center. They are free tickets but they have so many people wanting to go that they do a random drawing. Well, I was the only lucky one from my family and got 4 tickets!!! Mel got tickets for her family to watch from the Tabernacle on Temple Square.

Since Max and Brinlie and Korver are too little to go (and there were not enough tickets) we decided to do what we did last year and all get rooms at the Little America Hotel. Melanie booked the rooms for the whole family!

On the way to Salt Lake I got a text from Monica that said "Please join us at the Grand America tonight, Merry Christmas." She was driving down with mom, dad and Amb and I thought she was just messing with me so I called and she confirmed that my mom and dad switched the reservations to the GRAND AMERICA!!! A dream come true!! We met there and hurried and ate Subway for dinner and then us and the Clark's hopped on TRAX to get to the concert.

It was a great performance and the atmoshere was incredible.
I didn't take any pictures inside the Confrence Center because they asked you not to so I just borrowed these from the internet.
We had pretty great seats for the show (minus the roving camera that was right over our heads). The music was beautiful and I was really glad we were able to see it. After it was over we headed back on the train to the hotel.

Christmas Concert

2010-12-15T11:14:00.003-07:00

Alex's school choir had a little Christmas concert at the Orem mall tonight. I thought the note said the Provo mall so we were late and Alex had to run in and missed the first song. Rich met us there. They sang 5 or 6 songs and then it was over! I love hearing Alex sing, he has a fantastic voice!
We got shakes from iceberg after and then Rich took the boys home so I could do a little shopping. I had NO LUCK with anything and came home empty handed!!!

A Christmas Carol

2010-12-13T17:13:00.002-07:00

Tonight for family home evening we went to Hale Center Theater to see "A Christmas Carol." Rich and I have been to this production and we have wanted to take the kids. Max is finally big enough to sit through a play and so we decided to go for it!
Rich gets so embarrassed that I am always taking pictures and he wouldn't cooperate so this was as good as I could get!
I was a little worried that Max would get restless and bored but I think he liked it the best! He got scared when Jacob Marley's ghost came out and had to sit on my lap but he really enjoyed it! We got treats at intermission and really had a great night!

Alexa's Christmas Party

2010-12-10T10:53:00.002-07:00

Tonight was the night for the annual "girls" gift exchange party. This year instead of drawing names, they decided to just buy a $10 gift and play the present game!
Everyone brought a treat to share and there were 14 girls. They hung out downstairs and played "Just Dance 2" on the Wii, they watched Christmas movies and played the present game. They ended up going to another party after a few hours so Rich, Max and I went downstairs to watch a movie.
Alexa has really great friends.

Christmas Book Club

2010-12-08T14:15:00.004-07:00

Tonight we all headed to Lehi to enjoy our annual Christmas dinner/book club/book exchange. Our friend Tandy moved far away from us last year and it was my first time at her home...it was beautiful!!!
She had the place looking like a million bucks, her tree was gorgeous and so was the table. Man, she really knows how to throw a party! We ate appetizers and chatted.
Here Mel and I are in a deep discussion (I bet you wish you knew what we were talking about)!!!
Tandy made chicken cordon bleu with a yummy mustard sauce and potatoes. We had rolls and carrots and salad and jello salad. I was stuffed but I didn't want anything to go to waste!
We then discussed the book, "Hard times and Holy Places" and everyone who read it thoroughly enjoyed it. Then it was on to the book exchange. It started out kind of slow and no one was "stealing" but then Liz got the ball rolling and I think everyone ended up with something they will enjoy.
Then there was dessert and more chatting and soon it was 11pm. We all packed up back into the cars and headed for home. It was a wonderful night.

Cope Family FHE

2010-12-06T10:34:00.008-07:00

We all met at the Duvall's house for the annual Cope family grand kids Christmas party. Thanks for having us!!
Rich started the night off by cutting his finger on the front door and having to get bandaged up by Jennifer. He was pretty miserable the rest of the night, his finger was throbbing pretty bad.
The kids made graham cracker gingerbread houses. Max had a lot of fun decorating the house I put together for him.
Alex was going for a more unique look and he got his creative juices flowing.
He made a hotel called the "Ginger Inn" and it turned out really cute!
Alexa and Harrison were "too cool" to make gingerbread houses so they both just played on their phones.

We got the mess cleaned up and patiently waited for our special visitor to arrive.
Santa Claus made it and wanted to read the kids a book. It was a cute book and they all sat very quietly listening, that is everyone except Josee who was jabbering through the whole story, it was hilarious!!!

It was finally time for the kids to sit on his lap and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. We always start with the youngest and work our way up.
Max was first in our family, before we left for the party Rich had told Max that Santa was going to be there. Max got really excited and ran into his room, he came out with his "magazines" from Thanksgiving. I had completely forgotten about them and we all had a good laugh. When he got up on Santa's lap and pulled them out everyone was laughing and thought it was so funny. He wanted to show Santa everything he had circled but there was not time for that. Santa was worried because he had such a big list!!
Oh how I love my Maxwell, he is always making me laugh!!
Alex asked for an iPod touch and some other things, he loves sitting on Santa's lap.
Alexa is always last to sit on Santa's lap. I have no idea what she asked for, probably a car or something!!!
Rich's parents also got a chance to sit on Santa's lap. They were good sports and we all took pictures. I don't think they told him what they wanted for Christmas though!
Oh the magic of Christmas!!
We ended the night eating a lot of cookies. It was a great night and I love that we have these fun traditions to look forward to!!!

Project Time

2010-12-04T14:38:00.003-07:00

This was one of those projects where I had to ask myself "what was I thinking?"
These little babies were not easy to do. I got out the mess Saturday morning thinking it would take about an hour to get them all glittered and beautiful. I had already spray painted my candlesticks white so all that was left was the glittering and then gluing them onto the candlesticks. Rich was cleaning the house and was waiting to mop the kitchen floor so I needed to hurry and get it done. I had Christmas movies on and started at it.
I bought spray adhesive and then dumped the glitter all over the tree. The hard part was having to put all the leftover glitter back in the shaker because I had no where to set the tree while I was doing this. Long story short, I wanted to pull my hair out and I think I needed to give the adhesive alot more time to dry in between coats because I keep getting clumps of glitter around the bases of my trees...we will see if there is any glitter left by Christmas.

P.S. How in the world am I going to store these fragile objects?? Things I should have thought about before buying all the supplies!!!

The picture was super simple and I LOVE it so maybe it will be on its own next year. I had Sam's make a 16x20 and then spray painted a frame white...super easy!!
The pictures don't do the glitter trees justice...they really are beautiful and sparkly in the dim lights of the Christmas tree. All in all I am definitely going to think hard about the next project I take on!!!

Date Night

2010-12-03T14:38:00.004-07:00

I met Rich at the park-n-ride so we could head up to Salt Lake for our date!!!
We have made going to the Festival of Trees a tradition and so that is where we headed first. We walked around admiring all the beautiful trees.

It amazes me every year how creative people are...not to mention generous!! Some of those trees costs thousands of dollars but almost every tree had a SOLD tag on it!

We went to eat at Chili's after and enjoyed a so so meal there. I wasn't too hungry and Chili's wasn't my first choice but that is what marriage is all about right, compromise!! The chips and salsa and molten lava cake are really my favorite reasons to eat at Chili's!

We had tickets to the Utah Jazz game that started at 8:30pm and Rich decided he was pretty tired of driving and he wanted to take TRAX. Well here is another compromise, it was cheaper to drive and pay for parking and would have been a heck of a lot faster but Rich really enjoyed his "relaxing" ride on the train.
We were late for the game but made it there eventually!!

The half time show was pretty cool and we ran into some friends there. The game was not the best, and they ended up getting beat by quite a bit so we thought we better leave a little early to beat the rush on TRAX. Everyone else had the same idea and we ended up having to stand almost the whole ride back. PLUS, there was something that went wrong on the train ahead of us that delayed up for like 15 minutes. Next time Rich suggests TRAX and we are not already downtown I think I will have to remind him of this "not so relaxing" trip back to our car!!!

It was a great way to spend the night, even if it wasn't perfect!

Christmas Tree Advent

2010-12-01T14:37:00.003-07:00

We have never had an advent calendar for Christmas so when I saw this on a friends blog I thought it was the perfect idea. She even shared her cute paper with me, thanks Chels.

I am not a very crafty person but when I see all these cute ideas and projects I think "I can do that." It usually ends up with me asking myself "why did I think I could do this?"
This project wasn't actually too bad, the trees were not perfect and the double sided tape did not hold very well but all in all I think they are pretty cute!
So since it is December 1st, today was the first day to "pick a tree." All the trees have little papers under them with either an activity or a treat or what not. I am not going to post about this everyday because most of them are treats and that would be boring, but hopefully the kids will have fun with it!
They decided to go youngest to oldest so Max was first.
The treat for tonight was Christmas colored silly putty. I didn't want to do too much candy so I tried to find little toys or whatever to throw in. Let's just say Alexa and Alex were not as excited for their silly putty as Max was!

1 down 24 to go!!!

Novemberfest

2010-11-27T12:58:00.004-07:00

Brinlie had her very first dance performance today at Novemberfest. She was so ecxited and wanted to make sure everyone was there to watch her dance.
It was so crowded but we found seats and watched her perform. She was so cute and had such a great time dancing. We walked around the booths for a little while and then decided to go get dinner at McDonalds.
We were there for a very long time, as usual. I am not really sure why these pictures were taken but aren't they fun??

Door Busting

2010-11-26T11:21:00.002-07:00

Since it was SO COLD outside we didn't want to go anywhere that we would have to stand outside and Wal Mart had some deals starting at midnight so that was where we headed first. We got there about 12:15am and it was a ZOO. There have never been that many cars in the parking lot. We always like to get the cheap DVD's and by the time we made our way back there all the good ones were gone. We had to watch people that had their carts full of them and followed them around so that when they went through them we could get their reject pile. This worked like a charm and we all got what we were looking for (except I never did get 27 Dresses).
It was so crazy in there and we were in line forever but that is what "black friday" is all about!

Old Navy was our next stop and we were able to score $5 pajama pants and some other items. The lines there were crazy too!

Kohl's was next on the list and I hit the jackpot...but I can't say with what!! I am not a fan of Kohl's usually but my sisters love it! The lines of course were crazy there too so Monica and I walked over to Kmart to get Mel some stuff before it was gone. We got everything we needed there and waited in the huge line again!

Then it was time for breakfast. We headed to McDonald's and ate and relaxed a little and decided what we should do next. It was about 8 or 9am by this time, I think. Amberly had a tummy ache so Amy's car took her back to mom's and me, Mel and Monica decided to go to Sam's Club. We pulled out of the parking lot and saw our Dad walking down main street. We pulled over to pick him up, he was getting new tires and was going to wander around. We took him to Sam's with us. We looked at a few things and then we sat down on the comfortable couches to wait for Amy and Melissa to meet up with us. Mel fell asleep a few times and it was really funny! We were trying to decide where to go next but the couches were just so comfortable that no one wanted to get up!

We went to the bakery for a donut and dropped dad back off to get his truck, then we headed to the mall. I hit the jackpot again at the toy store. We debated on going into Bath and Body Works because it was So BUSY but we finally did, Monica stayed out on the bench and was falling asleep. I got a text from her that said "if you guys don't hurry, heads will roll." I thought that was funny. We wrapped up our shopping and headed back to mom's. It was 12:30 when we finally headed back...12 hours of "black friday" shopping and worth every minute!!

The rest of the day is kind of a blur...I fell asleep for a bit, Amy and Jason took the teenagers (we started calling Alexa and McKenzie that) to a few stores, we watched movies and ate leftovers!

Thanksgiving Feast

2010-11-25T14:57:00.009-07:00

After the race we stopped at the gas station for some breakfast and hot chocolate and headed up to Logan.
The kids woke up pretty early and so they all took a little nap except Alex. He was too excited to see his grandma Oliver!!!

I jumped into the shower real quick so I could help with the food. I am always in charge of the yams.
As you can see, the teenagers were not very helpful in preparing the meal.

Here is the beautiful table...candles and all. I guess Rich wasn't that big of a help either...no don't worry Rich, you just sit back and read the paper while we do all the work!! Of course I am totally teasing and he did do like 3 loads of dishes after!!
I had to get a shot of Dave with his Dr. Pepper. I just thought that was really funny, I think that's a first!
Miss Brinlie was the cutest little pioneer ever!!
Melissa was full so she had to stretch back and let her food digest!
I didn't get any shots of the whole table sitting down before we started eating. We enjoyed a wonderful meal and went around the table to say what we are grateful for. I love Thanksgiving.
We took a few family shots after dinner.
Isn't she the cutest??
Here is the Clark family. I didn't get the Harris's or the Summers on my camera...I will have to steal them if anyone ever posts them!

After the dishes were all done we pulled out the ads to see what our "black friday" shopping adventures would entail. I don't think I wrote anything down, the ads were not that great, and I told my kids that I was only buying them 1 present this year. They will get gifts from santa of course so it's not like they will only have 1 present to open but I feel like I go overboard and need to cut back!

While we were looking at the ads Max and Owen wanted to look at all the ones with toys. They kind of ruined the system and made a mess of the paper but Max really wanted to circle the things he wanted so after we were done looking he took some of the ads and circled the toys he wanted. He folded them up and told me to hold on to them so he could show them to Santa Claus. All weekend he kept asking where his "mazagines" were, it was really cute!

Oh and I almost forgot the best part of the night...Me, Amberly, Melissa, Amy and Alexa went on a drink run to Mooch's. As me and Amb were getting our drinks this big huge tongan dude with tatoo sleeves on his legs (yes it was 5 degrees outside and he had on shorts) came in and shoved past Amberly and said "excuse me" (as in get out of my way, very rudely). Well he made it over to me and said it again, "excuse me" and I said "can I finish getting my drink first?" He says "hey lady, what's your problem? I said excuse me." Then he continued on saying "I'm in a hurry." So I said "maybe I am in a hurry too." He asked "what's with the attitude lady, I said excuse me, do you own this gas station?" Then Amy pipes in "do you?" Alexa is looking at me like mom, why don't you just be quiet...she thought things were going to get out of hand, but I could not just let it go, it was completely ridiculous! He goes on to tell Amy that he doesn't own the gas station but he knows the owner and "I went skiing with him this morning, WHAT NOW LADY?" yes, that is exactly what he said. Melissa dosen't do well with confrontation so her and I were up with the cashier paying for the drinks and as she hands her money to the girl she knocks her drink over and it spills all over the counter and the floor onto the cashier. The guy just walked out without getting anything and we were all like "did that just really happen?" It was so crazy, I still can't believe people act that way!

Turkey 10k

2010-11-25T12:57:00.005-07:00

The reason for our overnighter in Salt Lake was because Rich really wanted to run a race on Thanksgiving morning and he found one in Bountiful. We wanted to be closer so we didn't have to wake up so early.

The race started at 9am and it started and ended at the rec center so the kids just hung out in there while we ran.
Pre race photo. It was like 16 degrees outside when we started running. It was a pretty challenging course. I was about halfway through mile 5 when I saw Rich running toward me, he decided to come and finish running with me. That was a nice surprise! I did get pretty warm during the run and had to take off my gloves.
They were doing the awards outside and we didn't want to wait around so we headed inside to see what the kids were up to.
The boys had a blast climbing on this rock wall and exploring the rec center.
Alexa watched some of the parade on TV but she was getting pretty anxious to leave.
We headed back outside to see the turkey and get a quick photo and then we were off!

***I looked up the race results, Rich finished in 42 minutes and was 2nd in his age group and 11th overall. I finished in 1 hour 6 minutes.

Hotel

2010-11-24T12:56:00.008-07:00

We picked up Rich from work at 3:30pm to head up to Salt Lake for the night. We stopped in for a late lunch at Sconecutter in Sandy and then checked in to the Hilton.

It was pretty early and the boys were anxious to get to the pool so Rich took them and Alexa and I jumped on TRAX to The Gateway. It was a really cold night and for some dumb reason I forgot a coat and I had a skirt on. I borrowed Rich's jacket and we were off. It was fun walking around but our time was cut short by her dad calling and telling me he was on his way to pick the kids up for dinner. His cousin is in town for Thanksgiving from London and he really wanted to meet the kids. We rushed back and made it just as they pulled in. He took them to Chili's for dinner.

Well by this time we were hungry again so Rich, Max and I decided to hop back on TRAX and go eat at the food court at Gateway. I made Rich wear my hoodie so I could wear his jacket and he was so put off. He was embarrassed and said he looked "homeless" which was kinda true but who cares, right??
Max loves riding the train and kept asking questions about where the driver was, it was cute.
After we ate, we walked down to the huge tree with lights and hung out by the fire to warm up.
Max and Rich stayed there while I ran to Old Navy. It was hard leaving the warmth of the fire but we pulled ourselves away and headed back. We got back just as the kids did so it was perfect timing.

We all decided to head back down to the pool and sit in the hot tub.
Rich and the kids were feeling crazy and decided to go outside and do "polar bears," Alex is the only one who actually laid in the snow but it was freezing. We had a good long soak and then headed up to the room to get showered and ready for bed.

We had a great day together!

FHE Thanksgiving Style

2010-11-22T11:19:00.004-07:00

For FHE tonight I wanted to focus on Thanksgiving and have some FUN!!! We started out by making lists of what we are thankful for. Then we each went around and shared some of the items off our lists.

Rich said he was thankful for:
*Family
*The Church
*Our Country
*House
*Job
*Good Examples
*Food
*Men and Women in the Military
*The Scriptures

Here are some from my list:
*Rich
*Alexa
*Alex
*Max
*Family
*Freedom
*Diet Coke
*The Prophet
*The Beautiful World
*A Healthy Body
*Our Home

I took pictures of the kids lists because they were so unique and individual and I LOVED them all!!!

Alexa is thankful for:I guess she liked Alex's idea and started drawing pictures but she ran out of time...at least she got the most important ones...cats and boys!!!

Alex was very creative and is such a great artist, he makes me proud!
What an artist.

Max's only option was to draw since he can't write...
he drew the house all by himself, and the people at the bottom are him and me.

After that we played Thanksgiving BINGO for prizes. Alexa kept winning, Rich forgot how to play (I looked over at his card and he had 2 Bingo's but forgot to call them). Max and Alex were very patient as we continued to play until they won!! It was a great time and we ended the evening with chocolate silk pie!!! DELICIOUS!!

Christmas Crafting

2010-11-20T12:34:00.001-07:00

This morning we had an Activity Day's "Super Saturday" activity with the girls and their moms. We had breakfast at the church and then had 3 craft projects for them to work on. I was in charge of the Christmas cards. I made a few examples to give some ideas. I can't believe how creative all the girls were making their cards. We had a great turnout and everyone had a great time crafting!

There was a lot of paper left over so I took some home and since I already had the mess out I decided to just get them all done this afternoon.
I made cards for hours while watching "A Christmas Carol", "Fred Claus" and "The Grinch." I don't think I have ever watched Christmas movies this early in the year but I WAS making Christmas cards so I thought it was appropriate.

I took a little break to go to Nephi for Rich's dad's birthday party. When we got home Max wanted to watch "The Grinch" again so we threw it on and I finished up with all the cards and another Christmas project that I will blog about later.
This is how the night ended...WITH SNOW!!! How perfect!!!

P.S. While I was inside enjoying Christmas movies, Rich was outside freezing his tail off putting up the Christmas lights!!!

"State" Project

2010-11-19T12:24:00.004-07:00

Alex picked South Dakota for his "state." He had to write a report and do some research on the state. Then he had to do a "project" to display for the school and parents. He of course waited til the last minute and since I wasn't home last night, he didn't have much help.
Max and I went to the school to check out all the projects and to say "hi" to Alex. He added the box with Max's army guys taped down and wrote "DIE DIE" this morning before school. I asked him what that had to do with South Dakota and he replied: "nothing but it is getting alot of attention." Oh my Alex is a crazy one but you gotta love him!!

Afternoon Concert and It's my Birthday AGAIN???

2010-11-18T12:06:00.005-07:00

This year for our birthday's my mom gave Rich and I some money because we wanted to buy season tickets to The Capital Theater. They were a bit more expensive than I thought so we decided to buy tickets to see the Tran-Siberian Orchestra and also tickets to a Jazz game. That left us with some money left over for...who knows, maybe more concerts or Jazz games!!

The concert is so popular that the 8pm show sold out so they added a 4pm show and that is what we had tickets for. I met Rich at the park and ride in Orem and we headed to Salt Lake. As the show started I could tell it was going to be a very visual performance.
They had tons of strobe lights and pyro-technics.
It was really hard to get any good pictures because of all the lights and smoke. The first part of the show was a Christmas story (I didn't follow it that well), it was narrated and then there were songs. There was a LOT of long hair and head banging with electric guitars and violins. Not a typical Christmas concert but very entertaining. That was about an hour and a half. I thought it was over but they came out and said there was more...and there was, an hour more!! By that time it was a little too much for me and I thought 2 and 1/2 hours was a bit long.

I am really glad we finally went because for several years we have been wanting to go see this show. Honestly I would not see it again, but I am glad I went!

Rich and I have also really wanted to try Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. It is a very expensive place to eat and I don't love spending a ton of money on food. I had $100 left over from the treadmill money and they were having a special...a salad, entree, a side and dessert for $59 per person. For those of you who have been to this place can appreciate that this is really a good deal.
Rich made reservations for 7pm and they took us to the table and there was a Happy Birthday sign and little happy birthday confetti's all over the table. The hostess asked who's birthday it was and Rich said it was mine. I guess when he made the reservation they asked if it was a special occasion and he told them it was for my birthday. So I felt embarrassed since my birthday was like 2 months ago.
Rich ordered the New York steak. They cook the meat in a really high temperature oven and it comes out at about 500 degrees. It was sizzling and smoking and the plate was super hot!!
I ordered the Fillet Mignon. When I order this at other restaurants they usually have to butterfly it because I order it medium well but they cook it at such high heat that they don't have to...it was DELICIOUS!! I have to admit it was worth the money!!! We got garlic mashed potatoes and green beans for our sides and they were really good too!!
When the waitress came to take our plates away she pulled out this "crumb comb" and cleaned off our nice linen table cloth. It was pretty awesome!!
Since it was my "birthday" I got free dessert. I chose the double chocolate, which is the chocolate cake with warm gooey fudge in the center and huge berries on top with a custard on the plate...it was so rich!! I loved it, and so did Rich. There was also a little cup of chocolate mousse with whipped cream on top.
I blew out my candle but I didn't make a wish because it wasn't really my birthday!!

I was totally impressed with everything about this restaurant. I would love to go back and try it again. I have never had a steak with such great flavor!!

We were SO FULL that we decided we needed to walk around a bit before heading home. We made a quick stop at Target and I didn't even buy anything, now that is rare!! Alexa watched the boys for us, we got home around 11pm and they were all asleep!!! It was a great day, I love spending time with Rich!!

Puppet Show

2010-11-17T11:38:00.002-07:00

For scouts last week Alex made a puppet. Tonight at scouts he made another one and had to put on a puppet show for his den. He made up a story about a "good citizen" because that fulfilled another requirement.
When he got home from scouts, he was really excited for us to see his puppet show. Of course Max had to get in on it too!! Alex is so creative and LOVES doing stuff like this, scouts is alot of work and I am so thankful that Alex has 2 really great leaders!!

P.S. Don't you just love the "fro" on the girl puppet??? Hilarious!!

Church VolleyBall

2010-11-11T11:02:00.002-07:00

Tonight was a regional volley ball tournament for the church. I had signed up to play volleyball several months ago and then didn't hear anything for a long time. I missed all the co-ed games but when I heard about the tournament I wanted to play!!
I haven't played in a really long time but I really enjoy it and thought it would be super fun!! I was right, I had a blast and we ended up playing 3 different teams.
We had 7 players so we did a rotation and each got a little break.
We are all waiting for the serve...in the exact same position!!! Funny!
Rich and the boys came to watch and Rich snapped a few shots for me. They aren't the best but I can't complain, at least he was willing to do it!! I wish I knew how to play better but it was way fun and great exercise!!!

It was double elimination and we lost the first team and ended up in the "loser's" bracket. We won the second team and thought we would play tomorrow but we ended up playing a third team right then and lost to them so we are out!! We played from 7:45 to about 10:30pm. My arms are sore and red and I am sure I will have bruises tomorrow!!!