Thursday, February 26, 2009

February was a busy month for our family with 3 birthdays.
Noah turned 4 on February 8th. Funny how four year olds like to go to McDonalds on thier birthday so we celebrated there the night before. Since his birthday was on a Sunday, we made homemade ice cream and cake. Fours are easy to please.
It is so difficult for me to see my baby getting so big. With the other boys I guess I always knew I would have another baby and get to live the experience again. Now that he is the final child, even though I know I have made a point to enjoy every second of him, it is still so hard for me to see him grow up.

Cade's birthday was the 22nd. WOW! He turned 7. He was our Olympic Baby. I actually had him several hours after the pairs skating competition during the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. We went to the SLC hospital to be induced around 6 pm, driving through the city all bustling with Olympic activity and these buildings with top to bottom images of ice skaters, there was just magic energy everywhere. A really fun time to have a baby, plus his birthday is so cool...02-22-02.

Even 7's like to go to McDonalds! Lucky us, twice in two weeks! Again, homemade ice cream and this time, cupcakes.
I share my birthday with quite a few others I know, and my friend Jill called to say happy birthday and tell me her daughter just gave birth on that day. How fun! Hopefully they had a great day as well.
And....I must say, I have GREAT friends! Thank you so much for everything, lots of fun gifts and dinner out, and this boquet of balloons from Penny. They are so pink and with happy little bees that they just made me smile all day.
FYI...no puppy.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

To Shawn...I LOVE YOU! HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!


Lyrics:
give me more lovin then i've ever had.
make it all better when i'm feelin sad.
tell me that i'm special even when i know i'm not.
make me feel good when i hurt so bad.
barely gettin mad,
im so glad i found you.
i love bein around you.
you make it easy,
as easy as 1 2,(1 2 3 4.)
theres only one thing two do three words four you.
i love you.
(i love you)
theres only one way two say those three words
and that's what i'll do.
i love you.
(i love you)
give me more lovin from the very start.
piece me back together when i fall apart.
tell me things you never even tell your closest friends.
make me feel good when i hurt so bad.
best that i've had.
im so glad that i found you.
i love bein around you.
you make it easy as easy as 1 2,(1 2 3 4.)
theres only one thing two do three words four you.
i love you.
(i love you)
theres only one way two say those three words
and that's what i'll do.
i love you.i love you
(i love you)
you make it easy, its easy as 1234
theres only one thing two do three words four you i love you
(i love you)
theres only one way two say those three words
thats what ill do i love you
(i love you)
i love you i love you.
one two three four i love you.
(iloveyou)
i love you
(i love you)

Friday, February 13, 2009

25 things list

I was tagged on FB to do a 25 things about me list.
I decided to post it here on the blog also for those who aren't FB addicts. (And it counts as a blog post as well...I've been so lazy about the blog for awhile now)
1. I want to go back to school sometime when the kids are all in school, I’d like to build off my associates degree and get that Bachelors….problem is I still don’t know what I want to be (that’s why I stopped in the first place)
2. I prefer sweet to salty.
3. For me, going to bed early is 11:30 p.m., late is 1:30 or 2:00 a.m.
4. Needless to say, I am not a morning person.
5. I love black and white, houndstooth, PINK and polka dots.
6. My husband is a better parent then I am.
7. One of my greatest talents and hobbies is bargain shopping. I have ALWAYS loved to shop. Fortunately for me, my husband also likes to shop, there are a few exceptions though, he’s likely to die in a fabric store.
8. I feel like I’m a genuine person, if you don’t think so, then I’d say you don’t know me very well.
9. I am not a teacher type person, speaking in front of people makes me physically ill, and I cannot even think straight and will sweat bullets if forced to do so. I literally have nightmares the entire night. I now say no and REFUSE to do it.
10. I am the youngest of 3 girls, by 9 ½ years. I will forever love being the baby of the family, I’m always so much younger than the others.
11. Having 5 boys overwhelms me constantly. I am not a structured organized person (didn’t come from an organized and structured home) and managing a family of 7 is quite difficult for me.
12. I finally conquered the purse of my dreams.
13. I love and have always loved crafts of all sorts. I love glue, glitter, rhinestones, ribbon and Mod Podge is my best friend. I love to make something beautiful from a bunch of products.
14. I always have gifts on hand so I can put together a little bag or basket at a moments notice.
15. I don’t sew much, but sometimes I feel like I NEED some sewing therapy. It doesn’t relax me however, I’m actually pretty tense while working on a project (I love to make rag quilts) but it’s the creating part that fills me. When I finish a blanket after painstakingly creating the colors and patterns, it is just so gratifying, it makes me HaPpY!!!!
16. I LOVE babies. I would have a hundred just for the first 6 weeks of life. (Then they grow up….soo…NO!) But I loved being pregnant and then the having the baby part was so surreal, I will say that those 5 moments when each baby was handed to me will go down as the Best 5 moments of my life.
17. I know I will ALWAYS be a little sad that I didn’t ever get a girl. I know that particular longing will always be there because I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY wanted a girl.
18. My husband and I have never been away together…. ALONE!!! Sad I know!
19. I always do things in the 11th hour. It’s not that I’m a huge procrastinator, it’s just that there are so many other things going on that need to be done that once that particular project’s number comes up, it’s usually because it has to because it’s the night before it’s due. I keep very busy with volunteering at school (my 5 kids are at 4 different schools, preschool included) church calling projects that sometimes make me INSANE, home improvement projects (that NEVER quit) and then just LIFE that keeps happening (and that’s a full time job).
20. I’ve come to realize I’m a little of a control freak. People always tell me to let them help me with these projects but I can’t ever let it go. I’ve seen how crafty and creative and artistic other people aren’t and I can’t bear to let them ruin the project I’ve created. If it’s going to have my name on it, I have to have it how I wanted it. BAD I KNOW!!!
21. I know that I can do anything. If I see something I like, I take a picture or make a drawing and make it myself. I hate to pay for labor, I will try, learn or figure out how to do it myself….I mean how hard can it really be? I do my own nails, color my own hair…. And I’m not really afraid to tackle any project…tiling, painting, you name it, I’m game. I love power tools also, fun to use and can make so many things with them, I’d love to learn to make furniture (tables and stuff) Weird I know.
22. My hair always drives me crazy, I’m never happy with it. My husband puts his hands over his ears when I ask him “what should I do with my hair:” I guess it just proves I’m never happy with my looks.
23 I don’t really have TV shows I watch a lot regularly, but I am loving The Bachelor this season. I always get depressed when it’s over because it’s a whole week before it’s on again. I think it’s Melissa BTW. Love The Biggest Loser also. I do a lot of channel flipping in the late evening hours when the kids are in bed (hence #3 and the late bed time) I love pretty much anything on HGTV, Jon & Kate plus 8, and excited new episodes of the Kardashians are in March. Does anyone know what happened to Dr. 90210? I liked that too. Sorry, but I HATE the Office. I know, I know, I have Office lovers in this house too, but it’s dumb.
24 I love summer, sun, warmth, tans, flower gardens, green grass, flip flops, bare feet, pools, maui babe, lounge charis, BBQing, ice and diet coke….everything to do with SUMMER! Winter…..not my season.
25. I am the Mamma Bear, and I live in a cave. One day………..I WILL rise above that!

Sunday, February 1, 2009

ZOO ALERT,,,MISSING 2 animals from Hogle Zoo

LOST...

1 GORILLA



and 1 GOPHER?!?!?!


Hey wait.....I think I've been feeding these wild animals for years now!

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Pinewood Derby

Hunter is our cub scout, we had our pinewood derby last Friday night! The Stephen's have a little tradition of going a little overboard on our cars. We just like to be creative that's all!! Rarely have our cars been actual "cars". I should document that with photos someday I guess. Lots of Packer themed vehicles.
This year was no different. Hunter's car was a Wii remote, we had fun making it and it turned out better than we expected. We had to get creative. The buttons were scrapbook brads, painted white and the + button was actually a tile spacer. In the past, some of our cars have looked good but raced terribly, however the Wii remote actually raced pretty well.


He came in second, just tenths or hundredths of seconds behind first. (It was an "olympic" moment). Of course all that mattered was participating and having fun. I will say, Hunter is a pretty good sport. I say that to praise him because we have had a little trouble in the past with a "sore" loser. Any of you who know us well know who "it" is. (Gosh, I hope he doesn't read this blog.....but whatever, like he doesn't KNOW!!!) We ARE working on that! We love our kids, really! But, this time around, Way to go Hunter!!!!! (and as a parent, aren't we glad THAT'S over) ;-)

New Year's Eve Road Trip

New Year's Eve day I went on road trip to Hayley, ID. My sister works for Murdock Chevrolet and occasionally I help pick up a new vehicle. I got to drive home a new Suburban, now I totally want/need one!!! (I have 5 kids, I NEED one).
So on the way, I took a picture of this as my way of saying "HI NICKI". I had heard she was going to IN after Christmas, (right Nicki?) and wasn't around. Otherwise I would have called on the way back to hook up for lunch or something. Beware, I'm begging for anytime they need a vehicle from there to let ME go.

I'm not a huge fan of Idaho (sorry, ladies.....but wait and let me finish) because I gained a new appreciation for it. We left at 5:45 a.m. (which is the real miracle in this whole story), so it took us 4 hours to get to Haley (17 miles out of Sun Valley...have NEVER been there). That was what.....like 9:45. The point to all this is that we watched the sun rise as we were driving and it was ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!!!



While talking to one of the salesman at the dealership, he said it snowed mountains on Christmas Eve and it took several days to dig out. By the time we were there several days later, the roads were clear and dry, even though they were still "moving" snow by tractor and dump trucks and we just got to enjoy the view of the blanket of beautiful snow. It was just breathtaking. So, gals, I'm seein' the love. ....EXCEPT....BABY, IT'S ***COLD*** OUTSIDE. If you know me, you know I do not like it cold!!!! I was grateful for seat warmers that day!!!!!
Needless to say, New Year's Eve was a dud for me, I did take a little nap when we got home, but I barely made it until midnight!

Christmas 2008

A long overdue update of the Holidays. I was tempted to skip it and move on, but then decided to post it...and then move on.
Of course the month of December was very busy...too busy, as usual. I really don't enjoy the holidays, maybe it's because the days fly by and even though I'm continually busy I still end up "cramming" so to speak right up until Christmas day and am still in the stores right up until they close on Christmas Eve. I vow at this very moment, that 2009 will be more organized. For our Relief Society Christmas dinner my friends decorated a table (twas the night before Christmas) and at the last minute I made these cute little mice as a table favor. The body is a maraschino cherry with a stem dipped in chocolate. A hershey kiss for the head attached while the chocolate is still warm, and a peanut split in half and positioned at the neck for the ears (of course while still warm). Silver perils for the eyes and a red candy nose and you have an adorable little favor. So cute! They were a hit.

We did the gingerbread house decorating, it's something that makes me feel like a good mom. All good moms do that right? Yep! That's Diet Pepsi in the photo, a girls gotta have something to get her through! :) Apparently SOMEBODY had fun! Hunter!

OK!!! this one was good!
So our GNO ladies had a little holiday get together, not a large bunch, but fun nonetheless. We did a white elephant gift exchange and I was dying for an opportunity to take these!!!

You got it!!! That's right, maxi pad slippers! Attached was this note!
Soft & Hygienic
Non-slip grip strips on the soles
Built-in deodorant feature keeps feet smelling fresh
No more bending over to mop up spills
Disposable & Biodegradable
Environmentally safe
Three convenient sizes: Regular, Light and "Get out the sand bags!"

A real hit with the ladies with a real sense of humor! Fun times!

Of course I have to post Santa pictures. He came to our local grocery store...Noah was adorable, running right up to him with a huge hug.

Cade was not closing in on what he specifically wanted for Christmas, so we listened hard to what he was telling Santa and we got the information we needed. Hunter is still willing to sit on Santa's lap, I'm sad to think soon he won't want to. Cole wouldn't do it, and Taylor would hurt Santa if he sat on his lap. (He's a giant)


The kids got pajamas on Christmas eve, this year I didn't want to do it so much, nobody really needed new pj's but they insisted. It's good for the photo album right?

I always feel guilty saying I'm glad when Christmas is over. I try not to have expectations, but in my mind I guess I still do, otherwise I wouldn't always feel dissapointed. But, that's all packed away for another year, vowing to make next year so much better. I am however, very grateful for the "spirit" of Christmas, and feeling VERY full of gratitude for what we have been blessed with. Now, that I will carry with me all year long!