Good, Bad, or Ugly? It is, what it is!

Last week I decided to take the kids to the "Disanor Pace" at Thanksgiving point. For those of you who don't speak "Talan" this means, The Dinosaur Place.

We all piled in the car and took off for our journey. Before we had even gotten a mile from the house Bradon and Carsten started to pick, pull, poke, touch, annoy, scream, bug... almost more than my nerve endings could handle! So I began to warn, like any good mother does. "Boys! Stop it! Don't touch each other! Leave each other ALONE! ...BOYS!" And like my boys always do... they ignored me!
I needed to fill up with gas and so I pulled into the Smith's Market Place parking lot and without getting angry I pulled over, put the car in park, and told the boys to get out! They were like, "WHAT?" "You heard me, GET OUT! Get out and go stand by that light poll and think about your behavior for awhile. I'll be back for you." Bradon who has been kicked out of our car a time or two before quickly got out and stood by the poll. Carsten on the other hand began to throw a fit and cry. "NO! If I get out you wont come back for hours!"
Oh and did I mention that as we left the house I told all the kids to grab a jacket or sweatshirt yet Carsten had chosen to grab neither! Oh well, some kids just have to learn life lessons the hard way!
"Carsten get out of my car! I will not have you behaving this way in my car! Get out and think about your behavior and I'll come back for you. And Carsten, I promise I won't leave you for 2 hours. And then reluctantly, Carsten finally got out! They both stood by the light poll and we drove off.
We drove across the parking lot to the gas station and filled up with gas. Jeannine just kept looking over at me giving a silent little chuckle. All the other kids talked about what life would be like without Bradon and Carsten. "Mom, what if when we go back for them they aren't there? What if they are gone? What if a stranger picks them up?" All very good questions... WHAT IF? Jeannine just kept looking at me, shaking her head and laughing.
Once we were filled up with gas we drove back across the parking lot to pick them up and what did we see? Tweedledee and Tweedledum playing in the snow! Kicking snow back and forth at each other. Looking as unaffected by this little learning experience as possible! Are you kidding me! We drove right up to them and it took them a few seconds to even notice we were there! I SWEAR! What am I going to do with these two kids?
They climbed back into the car as if they had just come off an amusement ride. WOW! Not the reaction I was expecting or hoping for! And then Bradon says, "Mom a lady from our ward pulled over and asked if we needed a ride home." "Really, who was it?" "I don't know her name!" "So what did you say?" " I told her that you would be coming back for us. That you had dropped us off here and told us to think about our behavior." "Really, and so what did she say?" "She just started laughing! She thought it was funny! I told her that I thought you had just gone to the gas station but I wasn't so sure. She laughed and said okay. Mom she thought it was funny!" Jeannine looked at me and said, "I bet whoever it was will say something to you about it at church on Sunday!"
And sure enough she did. It was my friend Barbara Trane. She just laughed and laughed. She thought that that was so funny! She said that she must have pulled up right after I had driven away because Carsten and Bradon were both standing by the light poll looking very worried and upset by the whole thing. Well good! At least it affected them for a minute! She told me that she got a real good kick out of it! She had always threatened her kids that she was going to kick them out of the car, she just never actually did it!
We continued on to Thanksgiving point. The kids all behaved beautifully. We even went to the movies after the museum.

Good, Bad, or Ugly?
I don't know what it was! But it was what it was, and it seemed to work for me! Just one more experience to add to the "mother of the year" book I'm writing!

Santa and Singing!

The 1st grade got to go
on the Polar Express!
They got hot cocoa and cookies, Mr. Principal/conductor read them the story and then Santa came! I was so lucky to have been asked to take pictures of each of the 1st grade students with Santa! Santa was so cute with each of the kids! And all the kids were bursting with excitement!

Well everyone except for Talan!
He was a little overwhelmed with the whole Santa Clause thing!
He was intrigued but didn't want to get too close!

2 of the 1st grade classes performed a special Christmas sing for their parents. They not only sang the 2 songs they were going to sing for the school Christmas sing, but they also several others.

As you can see, somebody didn't get the memo that the kids needed to be dressed in Red, White, or Green! I told Reagan that I was sorry but I just didn't know she was suppose to wear Christmas colors. She responded, "I am wearing Christmas colors! MY HAT!" Oh! Well I'm glad that she was unaffected by my goof!

My sweet friend Shari played the piano for a few of the songs. She is so talented! And so good at doing music with the kids! I think it's because of Shari that this special program happened!

A few days later was the school wide Christmas sing. This year they did a morning performance and an afternoon performance which in my opinion was brilliant! I've said this before but this school does not lack in the parental support department AT ALL! Having the 2 performances sure helped with crowd control!

The last three grades to perform where 1st, 5th, and 3rd. It was perfect! Talan and I cruised around the school for awhile and then when 1st grade was called to go sing we went in to find a seat. This time we got with the program and dressed in Christmas colors!

Reagan did great! Their songs were adorable too!

They sang, No "L" and "Santa's nothing without us!"

Bradon sure is growing up! The fifth grade sang, "Santa got stuck in the chimney again", and "Hot cup of Cocoa" The hot cup of cocoa song is a family favorite! We sing and mock the actions to the song all year long!

Cute Bradon is next to the girl who must not of gotten the memo! But it's okay because she's wearing a Santa hat!

Last but not least was the 3rd grade! Carsten came strutting in with his favorite bright yellow sweatshirt on zipped all the way up. I took one look at him and said, " Why did you go out of your way to find a RED shirt this morning if you were just going to cover it up?" Mrs. Beckstrom quickly unzipped it and had him take it off! Better... Much Better!

He was a little embarrassed but I was not going to have my child look as if his mother didn't get the memo AGAIN!

They sang "Where are you Christmas" and apparently Carsten doesn't like this song! He held his head down the entire song! He looked as if he was either ashamed or completely embarrassed that they had to sing such a stupid song.

Then they sang "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas" and Carsten came alive! He liked that song!

It was fun to see the kids in yet another Christmas Sing!
Merry Christmas and a Happy Christmas Break from school!

Homemade ornament

Here are a few pictures of the ornament I made for my family ornament exchange party.
I think it turned out so cute! It's like a mini hat!

Haws Girls Ornament Exchange

I hosted the 5th Annual Haws girls ornament exchange party this past Tuesday night. It was fun getting together with everyone! I made a homemade ornament this year that was just about as cute as cute could possibly be! It was so cute I really didn't want to part with it! I guess I could just make myself another one... But seriously cute! Heidi ended up with it and after she left for home I realized I forgot to take a picture of it. Don't you worry though, I'm going to get a picture of it. It's just too cute not to! I think that next year we are going to change the party up a bit and have everyone bring a homemade ornament.
As I got the invitations ready to go out for this party I realized that this is going to be our 5 Christmas in Utah! It's just crazy to think that we have been living in Utah for 5 Christmas' now! Time sure has flown by! Kind of like this school year! Seriously it feels like the school year just started last week and now here it is December with Christmas just 9 days away! All I can say is... Crazy, Busy, Fun! That just about sums it up!

Christmas Band Concert

Last week Ethan preformed in the Christmas band concert. It really is amazing how much they have improved since the beginning of the year! I think his teacher, Mr. Bateman does a fabulous job! Ethan seems to really like it. In fact he plans to take band next year too!

After the concert as we were walking out Ethan told me that on one of the songs, ALL of the baritones came in at the wrong time. Lucky for him... I didn't even notice! I then started telling him how much fun it is to watch Mr. Bateman conduct. I asked Ethan if he watches him while he plays. He kind of gave me a WELL OF COURSE NOT kind of look. Like why would he do that? He said, "If I look at him it just confuses me! I don't even know what he's doing!" Well Ethan, maybe you should look up at Mr. Bateman every now and then. In fact maybe all the baritone players should. Than maybe the WHOLE baritone section wouldn't have COME IN AT THE WRONG TIME! Spoken like Mike Wazouski with only 1 eye from the movie Monsters Inc.

Candy Announcment!

Real Candies is now offering more!
Not only can you still order that same great Real Fudge and Real Almond Toffee but now you have more size options and gift box options to choose from.

Email me today if your interested at
realcandies @gmail.com.
Christmas is just around the corner and I would love to help you out with the yummiest candy on earth!

Thanksgiving trip to Washington

For Thanksgiving this year we decided to make a trip to Washington where I have 5 sets of Aunts and Uncles. My mom and dad decided to meet us there too! I have to start by saying that I failed miserably at taking pictures on this trip. I don't know if it was the freezing cold temperatures that froze my brain, or the lazy feeling that came over me while being out in the country, but for some reason or another the camera just didn't make it out of the case much!

We made the trip in 2 days. On Wednesday we drove to Boise, Idaho and got a hotel for the night. We learned that driving about 5 child waking hours is just about all that Talan can tolerate! The roads were icy and in some places traffic was brutally slow and so I think stopping in Boise was a wise choice. Both for our safety and sanity! Thursday morning we woke up early and hit the road again. As we pulled into the Tri-cities we called my dad and he was just picking my mom up at the airport. It couldn't have been more perfect timing! We met them at the Pasco airport and then followed them to Uncle Scot and Aunt Lana's new home for Thanksgiving dinner. It was so much fun! There were so many people there and best of all, I didn't have to cook a dang thing! No pictures were taken and yes... I feel a terrible amount of guilt!

We drove out to Uncle Wade and Aunt Nancy's place to sleep. Our kids had SO MUCH FUN with their kids! They played and played and played. Even my clingy Talan was at ease! He fell in love with Casey! But what's not to love? She played and payed attention to him full time. This is EVERY 5th child in the family, 2 year old's dream come true!

Reagan and Lauren were in little girl heaven together! They sat down and wrote out lists of things they were going to do together. They then woke up the next day with lists in hand completing and checking off their things to do one by one! They played games on the computer, they played games on the Wii, they watched movies, they played in the snow, and we can't forget their matching hair do's! That was almost top on the list! SO CUTE AND SO FUN!

Bradon, Carsten and Justin were M.I.A. most of the time together. Or at least that's how it felt to the rest of us! We hardly saw them! No complaining, no fighting, just pure boy fun! Justin taught our boys a new game that they LOVE! It's called sock wrestling. Justin kicked their butts every time they played and they still loved it!

I enjoyed Nancy's commercial kitchen. Nancy is one amazing lady. Every morning at the crack of dawn she was out in the kitchen making up more candy. I learned some new tricks while watching her. She is my inspiration!

We had the opportunity to visit with Uncle Kim and Aunt Susan at their place. And then we went to Uncle Mark and Aunt Cindy's. Sweet Hannah is home from Seattle now while her Leukemia is in remission. The Make A Wish foundation came over and gave her her wish.
She wished for a movie room. They turned their garage into a room and then Make A Wish brought in a big flat screen T.V. with surround sound. They gave Hannah a huge stack of videos and a love sac. Not to mention a party! Hannah chose to have pizza and Kentucky Fried Chicken. It was fun to experience Hannah's Make A Wish with her.

David and I took the kids to Uncle Ron and Aunt Sally's house. In all the times I've been to Pasco, somehow I've never been to Sally's. So now I can envision where she lives. This is important for me. I know... Weird! But I love knowing where people live and SEEING where they live too. I feel more connected that way!

Our last night in Washington we stayed at Uncle Scot and Aunt Lana's house with my mom and dad.

And before my parents had to head to the airport and we had to hit the road we took a few pictures to document the occasion!

I have some wonderful parents! They don't get much better than these two! I wish we lived closer to them, or rather they lived closer to us!

We did a repeat of our trip up but in reverse order. We drove as far as Boise again, staying at the same hotel. However this time we stopped in and hung out with the Bradbeer's for a little while. Stephanie Bradbeer is my 2nd cousin and use to live by us when we live in Phoenix. It's been something like 9 years since we last saw them. Our kids enjoyed teaching their kids the new found game of sock wrestling and fun was had by all!

The next morning we got up and drove to the Boise State football stadium. Our boys wanted to see the SMURF TURF first hand! Unfortunately it was covered in snow!

They were in the process of plowing the snow off the field while we were there.

By the time we left you could see a little bit of BLUE!

Anyways, that was about it! I think we hit every rest stop from there to here on the way home and finally around 7:00 in the evening we arrived home safe and sound!
It was all in all a fun trip! Now we can just rest here at home and have a relaxing Christmas season since all of our holiday travels are out of the way.

One Last Football Weekend...

On November 18th we went to Mesquite, Nevada for one last weekend of football. Bradon's team played in a tournament there. We stayed at the Virgin River Hotel and Casino. The price was awesome but we definitely got what we paid for. No frills and No extras... I'm just glad we got NO BEDBUGS!

The kids had a blast playing together one last weekend. The whole team didn't choose to go and so they didn't have to deal with a lot players. Everyone got to play a lot! Bradon hardly ever came of the field. He played starting offense and defense which is just the way he likes it!

Because they were the first team to register for this tournament they all got these cool football bags for free. They are HUGE! So HUGE that small children can get lost in them!

But Talan loved it!
He thought this was a pretty cool form of transportation!

Such a cute kid!

They really played great!
If you ask me, they played a lot better than in their regular season. It was just all about having fun!

This is Coach Spencer Reid. He was their Defensive coach. He played for BYU and then went on to the NFL and played with the Colts and then the Panthers. Aside from really knowing the game of football, he's a really great guy and super good with the kids! At this tournament he came up to David and I to pay Bradon a compliment. He said that Bradon was really fun to coach. He said that he is very teachable and hard working. He said that no matter what he would say to Bradon, Bradon was always willing to give it a try with no questions asked and then he would go on the field and truly give it his all!
What a great compliment! In sports I think that's seriously one of the greatest compliments you could ever receive! Bradon isn't puffed up. He's down to earth and all about getting it done. We couldn't be more proud of him!

And just a side note... We went bowling with the Reids and I almost beat Spencer. He had to trash talk me on the 10th frame to get in my head and take me down!
And just another side note... Trash talking me ALWAYS works! I'm a head case!

At half time of one of the games this kid did the haka to pump everyone up. And let me tell you, it worked! This kid had NO FEAR! I don't know if you have ever seen the haka but this kid knew how to throw the haka down!

Here's Bradon doing his thing for the last time of the season!
We love you Bradon, great job!

Party hats and clipboards.

Some of you might remember this little party hat I created for my dear friend Michelle's 40th birthday party. It was so fun! When I got finished making it I was so pleased with my creation! It was perfect! It matched the party theme perfectly and you all know how I feel about party themes!!!! They are a MUST and every detail is important!

And then a few weeks ago I went at it again for Shari's birthday. For this one I just used stuff I already had at home. It was real quick and easy but turned out super cute and most importantly, Shari loved it!

And then yesterday morning I got a call from my friend Amy. She had seen Shari's hat and was wondering if she could pay me to make one for her sisters birthday. And of course I said yes! So I ran to the paper store and put this cute thing together.

So fun and so cute!

This is Amy and her sister
So this has gotten me thinking, maybe I should start to sell these cute little hats. I could make them for all occasions. Birthdays, baby showers, bridal showers... you name it!

So if you find yourself in need of a really cute party had, or if you know someone who might want one, then let me know because I'm your gal!


Countdown to Christmas Clipboards!

I saw this cute idea and just had to make it. Each day you just unclip the number, move it to the back of the stack and then reclip it! I made these and gave them to the girls I visit teach as Christmas gifts. I think they turned out really cute! Not to toot my own horn but I'm quite impressed with my paper crafting abilities! And the silly thing is... these little craft projects have brought so much joy to my heart! I don't know why that is, or why I'm the way I am, but I am what I am! Spoken like Popeye the sailor man!

TOY STORY 3!

This was Talan's reaction after opening a package from Grandma Adair and finding that she had sent us TOY STORY 3!

WOW!
What an awesome day!
Thanks Grandma Adair, YOU ROCK!