Seeing Spotts

Oh what do you do in the summer time? part one

2011-08-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

We've been busy this summer. This is just a preview of some of the fun things we did. More to follow.

Crazy Hair Day at School

2011-04-08T09:48:00.000-07:00

She wanted a mohawk....

This was the best I could do :)

Planes, Trains and Mexican Food

2011-04-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

Last week was spring break for the kids. My husband had to work, so we did some things around here and tried to have a fun time. He was able to get Friday off though, so on thursday night we headed up to Denver and stayed in a hotel with a pool. The kids love to go swimming. Then on Friday we explored as much of Denver as possible in one day. We started off the day by going to Hammonds candy factory. The kids had a good time watcing how candy is made, and eating a bit of it too.

Next we headed to the Capitol building and did the tour there. I was worried that they might think it was boring, but they all had a good time. Though, my son was a little nervous about going all the way to the top. He enjoyed himself when he got there. We then picked up a couple $5 pizzas and found a park for lunch. After that we headed to the Air and Space Museum, but surprise, they were closed so that they could refinish the floor...but it turned out okay. They had pulled most of the airplanes out of the hangar and allowed people to walk around them for free.

Because we didn't spend as much time at the Air and Space as we had been planning we went to a park for a bit to let the kids run around and so that we could decide what to do. We chose to go to a museam that said it was about alternate forms of energy, it was a bit of a let down because many of the exhibits were not woking and it was very small (but it was free so we didn't complain too much). We still had time on our hands so we went to the Colorado Railroad Museum. The kids had so much fun there. The kids really liked one of the train engines and just let their imagination run wild.

They were very sad to have to leave. To end our day we headed to Casa Bonita, which is a fun restaraunt that has a cliff diver show and other fun things for the kids to do. We thought the kids would fall asleep on the drive home, but they were too wired from the day...it was too bad they can't drive. I know my husband and I were very tired. It was a great day!

What 15 years can do!

2011-02-14T10:25:00.000-08:00

I was married 15 years ago. The last 15 years have been fun and hard, happy and sad, and mostly great! I feel so lucky to have a wonderful husband. He works hard and is patient with me and my many flaws. He is a good father and husband. I love him!

Gratitude

2010-11-25T07:18:00.001-08:00

Today is Thanksgiving. This is my favorite holiday of the year. I love spending time with family, and eating yummy food. I think the reason I love this holiday so much is because it is one of gratitude. As I take time to realize all of my blessings I realize how grateful I should be. One thing I have been trying to work on this year is being grateful for my "trials". I realize that I really don't have many trials, and am blessed beyond many of this world, but I do have some and they do have a way of giving me a workout. As I try to focus on the things that my trials teach me I am slowly learning to be thankful for them as well as thankful for the many blessings that I've been given. I wish you all a very happy thanksgiving!

Pumpkins

2010-11-16T07:20:00.000-08:00

This year we planted pumpkins in our garden. If you've ever planted pumpkins, you know that the vines really spread. We had pumpkin vines growing up our corn stalks, and into our other garden boxes! Our largest pumpkin this year was 37 pounds. One funny thing was that as we started carving them, they smelled like cucumbers, and they didn't have the stringy inside. I guess they may have cross pollinated with the zucchini a bit.

The world is shrinking!

2010-11-11T17:53:00.000-08:00

I have made an observation that I am not sure how the scientists have missed. The world is definitely shrinking. I am now able to get to know the most amazing people from all over the world just through blogging. It must be the shrinking of the world.

Today I had the wonderful experience of meeting one of the bloggers that I follow. My friend Crash came out to Colorado, and I had the wonderful opportunity to meet her. I've been following her blog for a couple of years. She is an excellent writer, and very entertaining. I love to read her blog because she just has a way of brightening your day. It is really fun to meet someone in "real" life that you've only known through their writing. Let me tell you, if you ever get a chance to meet her, take it! We probably could have talked all afternoon. She is a real joy. I don't have any photographic evidence, but she does, so maybe I'll get the pics from her. Hopefully she'll have reasons to come back to Colorado more often. (or maybe I'll get out to Utah).

And on another note, I just want to say how much I appreciate all the veterans of the USA. It is hard to put into words the deep feelings that I have for those who take on the responsibility of protecting my freedom and that of my family. Thank you doesn't seem like enough, but it is all there is to say. So, THANK YOU!

Cute or questionable?

2010-11-10T08:01:00.000-08:00

I have a million things to catch up on here, but first, a little story. While eating dinner the other night my son started licking the pear juice off his plate. Daughter #2 exclaims " EWWww, it looks like you are making out with your plate! Then following this great exclamation, daughter #3 (who is 5) starts singing a little ditty about making out with the plate, then she adds to the entertainment by adding other things to the song. Making out with doors, or pumpkins. Then she starts to dance around the house singing this little song adding whatever she sees to the mix, floors, couches, pillows, more pumpkins....and of course then people. Well, being the responsible parent I am, I of course can hardly breathe, because I am rolling with laughter. Then, someone says, "she doesn't even know what making out means", to which she replies, it means kissing a lot. Sobered me right up. What are they teaching at schools these days?

Hawaii

2010-07-25T19:01:00.000-07:00

My family and I have spent the last few weeks vacationing. So, because I don't want to write a huge long post, I will start with the most recent trip and go back. My husband and I went to Hawaii! It was a lot of fun. We left the kids with the grandparents (thanks!) and had a wonderful week of fun and relaxation.
This is the view from the airplane as we entered the Portland airport. Hawaii wasn't the only beautiful thing we saw.

I'm not sure why "Birds" is in quotations, maybe in case we get confused and try to not feed the flowers :)

This is one of the views from our hotel room. I never quite got used to looking out the window and seeing the ocean.
And this has to be the largest No U turn sign I have ever seen in my life. (And you thought the only amazing things to see in Hawaii were beaches, sunsets, trees and mountains.. oh, I have pictures of those too)

We went to the Dole plantation and had pineapple ice cream, to the Polynesian Culture center (which is amazing), snorkeling at Hunauma Bay and a million other things that were all a lot of fun. I hope to someday go back with the kids!

Summer fun!

2010-06-03T17:40:00.000-07:00

The kids have been out of school for 2 weeks now, but we've been keeping them pretty busy. They've had swimming lessons all week long, and we went to a Rockies game last weekend. We had a wonderful bbq on Memorial Day and have enjoyed some rather nice weather. It's been a pretty good start to the summer.

This picture is the best reason to go to the game, beautiful sunsets! (The game was good too, Rockies won!)

2010-05-27T06:43:00.000-07:00

Tuesday marked a major event for me and my extended family. My "little" brother graduated from High School. I am the oldest of 7 children, and all 7 of us graduated from Doherty High School in Colorado Springs. The graduation was held at 7 pm, probably in honor of the 7 "Buggs" to make it through. (That's the only reason I can think of for holding graduation so late, we didn't get out of the ceremony until 9:30pm) Congratulations Bro!!

And here, just for you, a picture that you can put your own face in, so that you too can feel like part of the excitement!

YES, I do have a blog :)

2010-05-19T13:46:00.000-07:00

Because I am not the worlds greatest blogger, here are a few pictures from the last 2 months.

We took this picture down at the neighbors house because #2 daughter needed a family picture for school. It was windy and cold, so even though it looks like my oldest has some attitude, she really just wasn't ready for the picture.

Here we have #2 holding our new dog. We named her Carmel, she is a daschund (no I don't know how to spell that word) mix (pretty sure she's mixed with Red Heeler.) She's a cutie, about 5 months old now.

This is oldest daughter modeling for the camera. I think she was dressing up for "putting on the Ritz" for spirit day at her middle school. SO GLAM

Here is the boy with his teddy bear he brought home from school. He was enjoying some ice cream with his uncle and cousins. This is our favorite place to take people for Ice cream, it's local and you get a TON of ice cream for $1.oo. So come visit, we'd love to take you too!

And I have to add this picture here of my husband doing his favorite thing.....eating. (hehehe, I told him I would post it on my blog, he first said, YOU have a blog? and then he said NOOO!)

It's been a crazy couple of months and these are just a few highlights. School will be out in a couple of days and hopefully we'll have fun! I hope to blog more often, just to stay in the habit of writing. My brain needs the exercise.

Spring Break

2010-03-26T09:26:00.000-07:00

Yay for spring break! I really needed a break from the routine of early mornings and homework and laundry and dishes etc, etc, etc. Our family stayed in Fruita, CO, and took day trips from there. We went to Arches, Colorado National monument and the Dinosaur Museum. We had a lot of fun, and I got very sore from hiking. And, to add icing to the cake we missed a nasty spring blizzard here in Colorado Springs. There is nothing quite like the great outdoors to help bring some balance to your life.

this, that, the other

2010-03-01T08:58:00.000-08:00

We recently found a New York style pizza place near our house. My youngest begged to eat there the other day.( I think she just likes to eat pizza that is bigger than her head!)

I am the cub scout leader in my ward. So for our activity before valentines day I saw this cute idea of making love bugs. They were a lot of fun to make. Then my other children said, "hey, we want to make some of these too, to give to our school friends." I made a bunch. They are easy to make. All you need is some plaster of paris, some plastic spoons, some paint and some acrylic spray. The original idea was to make them pins, but I found it easier to make them into magnets. (And really, how many elementary age children do you know who wear pins?) The kids painted them and came up with a lot of cute little bugs. (In the second picture I haven't sprayed them with the acrylic spray yet, so they aren't as shiny.)

My oldest got to go to the Cave of the Winds on a special field trip a couple weeks ago. She had a lot of fun. They went to the caves that aren't on the tour. They had to squeeze through some pretty tight spaces and got to get all muddy. Their guide told my daughter that she is a natural caver because she didn't have any problems going to some of the more squeezy areas. Here's a picture of her after the experience. (She already changed into some clean clothes, but hadn't washed yet)

and not to be overlooked....

2009-12-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

My second daughter turns 9 today! I can't believe how fast she is growing up! She is so energetic! I love to se her smile. It lights up any room. She is a leader and helper. She gives me great joy and I love her so much.

And for those of you keeping track, yup, all 4 of my children were born in December. (my husband too, but I didn't post about his birthday....maybe next year.)

A boy

2009-12-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

My son is turning 8 today. This is a big day for him. He is a wonderful kid. Full of energy and excitement. He is soooo smart. He remembers almost everything. He wrestles with and bugs his sisters every chance he gets. And I love him lots. Happy birthday.

My first!

2009-12-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

12 years ago my life changed forever. I had my first baby. I can't believe she is turning 12. She has become such a great young lady. She is such a helper and sweetheart. She is friendly with everyone and makes great efforts to be a good sister and daughter. I love her tons and think she's the best.

You are my sunshine

2009-12-16T17:45:00.000-08:00

My little one is turning 5 today! I can't believe it. She is such a sweetie. I want to write a couple things about her here. I love that her favorite place to eat out is Panda Express. How many 4 and 5 year olds do you know that always ask for orange chicken? I also love how she calls alligators or crocodiles, crocogators.... She always asks to snuggle with me, and she gives the best hugs. On occasion she tells Dad that he is grounded (I have to try real hard not to laugh when she does). She is a bright sunshine in my life and I am so grateful for her!

My garden

2009-11-07T11:28:00.000-08:00

here it is as a baby..

getting bigger hail damage, ready to start harvesting

Last summer (2008) I built boxes in my back yard with the good intention of having a garden, however it wasn't until this summer that I actually grew anything. It was a lot of fun, work and zucchini. We had a couple of huge hail storms that flattened a lot of the garden. Everything looked ruined, but it still came back. There are a lot of lessons to be learned from having a garden and I look forward to planting again next year!

Halloween

2009-11-06T09:09:00.000-08:00

Halloween was a lot of fun this year! My youngest kept changing her mind on what she wanted to be for the day. She was a cat, then a bee, then a princess, then an M&M. We thought we had it down with the M, so I took the picture, then sprayed her hair green (because she needed green hair for the costume). Shortly after spraying her hair she went and changed back into the cat costume, so she was a cat with green hair.
And yes, that is snow in the background, it snowed for 2 days before Halloween, but we were lucky and had warm temperatures for the actual day. Most of the snow was melted by the end of the day.

missing in action

2009-08-10T09:42:00.000-07:00

When summer break started I didn't think I would be gone from blogging for 2 months. We've had a fun full summer. I will start with the not so fun part. 3 of my children all had expensive happenings with their mouth. My son had an abscess and had to have his tooth pulled and then a space maintainer put in, my oldest daughter had a tooth that was chipped last year finally decide it was done and need a root canal and my second daughter had to have a giant cell granuloma removed from her mouth. (she has to have IV sedation for this process). This is the second time having it removed, hopefully this time it won't come back. Anyway I've been to the dentist/oral surgeon pretty much on a weekly basis all summer. My son did t-ball and had a blast and the kids all did swimming lessons. My oldest played flute in the summer band and has had fun participating in several concerts throughout the summer. My cousin T came for a visit and my cousin Kim. My sister was sealed to her husband and had her baby, who I threw a shower for. We went to a water park up in Denver and we went to the mining museum. Last week we went to a BYU-Idaho alumni ambassador conference, stopping on the way in Utah. We stayed with my cousin Kim and enjoyed a great visit. We had a lot of fun visiting with family and friends. We stayed with my good friend Robyn in Rexburg and went to the drive-in movie and the lake and managed to go to a few meetings in between. We finished our trip at Yellowstone. It has been a lot of fun!

Summer break !?!

2009-05-18T10:04:00.000-07:00

School is almost out! My children will be out on Friday. I have mixed feelings about this. Getting up at 6:30 to get the kids ready to be on the bus at 7:25 is getting old, and so is making sure that homework is done, papers are finished, projects are done. Vacation and time with family is fun, but I'm dreading the I'M BORED! that starts about a week into summer break. We've planted a garden and I think the kids are excited about it and we've signed up the son to play t-ball. We're not planning any major "trips" this summer. I'll probably put the kids into swimming lessons, but I need more ideas! What do you do with your kids over summer to keep the I'm BORED's to a minimum?

Just a little question

2009-04-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

I was at the grocery store on Saturday and while I was checking out the checker commented on my organizational skills regarding the way I put my groceries on the conveyor belt. Now, I've done this for quite some time and this is the first time anyone ever said anything to me about it. You see, I have to put my groceries on the belt a certain way, the freezer stuff needs to be together, the boxes, the produce, the dairy, the cans, and the bread and eggs must go last. Now I am not generally "nuts" about the way things need to be, but really it just makes sense to me. So what I really want to know is if YOU do anything that is just a little shall we say "on the edge of OCD". I'm pretty sure that the way my groceries go on the conveyor is the only one I have.....except maybe my obsession with putting the lid back on the milk (if you aren't pouring it, it needs to have a lid on it).

Oh and guess what! It snowed today, a lot. A white Easter is kinda different, not totally unheard of here but a little bit strange. I took a picture, but it's late and I'm not sure I really want to go to the work of showing you.....maybe I"ll add it later. I hope everyone enjoyed their Easter!

SMILE

2009-03-20T22:03:00.000-07:00

SMILE!!!

Today while driving home from picking up my van that has been in the shop ALL week, I saw a man on his motercycle smiling at his friend. Maybe about a joke or maybe just because the day was so beautiful, I don't know. But, it got me thinking, I really don't remember what he looked like, just that he had a wonderful smile, and it made me smile too. When I was at Ricks college, everyone went around saying hello to everyone they passed. It was kinda strange at first, but was so friendly and comforting. Anyway, one day I smiled at a complete stranger and watched as she walked by smiling at someone else, who in turn started smiling too....it was strange because from where I was standing, I watched as a smile spread and spread and spread. Sometimes life is hard, sometimes I feel overwhelmed and exhausted, but you know what? I bet I can smile at someone, it really improves my looks and spreads to others too.

I hope these smiles will spread to you too!

I'm getting a reputation, or When did I become such a ditz?

2009-03-12T13:14:00.000-07:00

I went to the library today because I had forgotten to unlock the DVD I checked out yesterday. Oops! I had received an email saying that one of the books I had on hold was in, so I decided to grab it while I was there. I looked and looked and couldn't find it, so I asked the librarian for assistance. She went to look in the back and couldn't find it. So, we decide to look in the L section ( because my name starts with L) and it's not there either. The librarian was very nice, she explained that the woman in the back had said that she had seen my name (she even knew my middle name) yesterday. I explained that there had been some books in yesterday because I had been in yesterday. I think I'm starting to get a reputation at the library. It seems the last couple of weeks I've had to ask for help with my holds in one way or the other. Hopefully I won't become the woman whom everyone runs from when they see me coming into the library. (Oh, when I got home I realized that I'd accidentally marked that I would pick up the book at the downtown library. *embarrassed blush* )

This and that

2009-03-04T15:31:00.001-08:00

I haven't posted much lately. Here are some bits and pieces of my last couple weeks. Oldest daughter had her science fair project! The first one for our family. I stressed only a little (okay maybe a lot) but it turned out well. I was worried because the first couple of times we tried it, it didn't work. AAAck. We finally got it working and it turned out well.

My son had his cast removed today! They put him into a brace for the next couple of weeks, and he should be back to "normal" before we know it.

My camera is broken. I pulled it out a few days ago to take a picture of the beautiful blue sky here in Colorado and it just wouldn't turn on.( I thought maybe it was the batteries, but nope, that would be too easy). I'm sorry I can't share the beautiful blue sky of Colorado with you! I just purchased it in January and now I have to send it back to the company to have them fix it. I don't know what is wrong with it.

I just finished a book that I liked. It is called Heir Apparent , by Vivian Vande Velde. (I guess I should also let you know that lately I have been reading a lot of books from the children's and teens section of the library, and this book falls into that category). This book is about a teenage girl who gets a gift certificate for her birthday to a virtual gaming place. During the game, protesters attack the place and damage the machine she is on, and she can't get out of the game unless she wins. It was a quick and enjoyable read. There is a little bit of violence in the book, (the game she plays is a game about knights and dragons etc.) so you would probably want to read it before giving it to your younger readers. I just picked it up at the library when I was there with my children. I also just finished City of Ember, by Jeanne Deprau which is a story about a city of people who live underground. The city is starting to run out of electricity and is starting to have blackouts. The hero and heroine find the key to saving the people. I rented the movie and watched it, then thought I would like the book. I'd recommend it.

If you make your family dinner

2009-02-12T20:26:00.000-08:00

If you make your family dinner you will go to your fridge and realize you have 5 lbs of hamburger that needs to be split up and put into the freezer.
If you have 5 lbs of hamburger in your fridge that needs to be split up and put in the freezer you will take it out and realize that the juices from the meat have spread all over your shelf in your fridge.
If you realize that the juices are all over you will take the shelf out of the fridge and realize that the box of cookie dough will need to be peeled off the shelf because the cardboard and juices have become a sticky mess. You will also realize you have no space in your sink because no one has done the dishes.
If you start doing the dishes so you can clean the shelf, your children will decide that they need help RIGHT NOW making a valentines box for school.
If you tell them they will have to wait, they will whine at you the whole time you are filling the dishwasher and cleaning the shelf and putting the meat into the freezer.
If you do all this you will then realize that you need to make your family dinner.

Maybe giving cookies is a better idea!

teeth, casts, scorpions, oh my

2009-01-31T09:24:00.000-08:00

This is my son, and his arm. Yesterday he fell off of the monkey bars at school. He was crying and in a lot of pain. I took him to the doctor and as the doctor was looking at his arm, moving his hand up, down and then side to side he says "that doesn't hurt." I start thinking " oh great, I've brought him in and nothing is wrong" As we sat outside the x-ray I am thinking how I really must be a horrible mother, because I am "hoping that his arm is really broken and that I didn't spend all this money for nothing" I know there must be something wrong with me. Okay, I really didn't want his arm to be broken, because I certainly don't want him to be hurting. (but if he's making such a fuss over this and it's not....). Well, as you can see, it was really broken, not too bad and should heal well.

It's been a big week for him. He also lost one of his front teeth. He also was entered into a local art contest by his art teacher. They only picked a couple kids from each school. They were giving away scholarships. He didn't win, but I thought it was an honor just to be chosen. This is a scorpion. (He is in 1st grade)

the picture really isn't very good.

Chicken or Pancakes?

2009-01-26T21:19:00.001-08:00

Tonight I was making dinner. Pan Fried Chicken actually, and I came across this recipe--

That's right "Saucy Chicken Livers". I started thinking of other foods, and tried to give them personality also.....hmmm like, Energetic Eggplant, or Procrastinating pizza, then it hit me, the Chicken livers aren't saucy, they are in sauce......( I think "saucy" probably sounds better, it takes away the shock of chicken liver, ewww)
*Do you ever write a word a few times and then wonder if you are spelling it correctly, like the word Saucy. It starts to look strange after a while.

My husband went on the "Freezeree" with the Scouts this past weekend. It was a warm and toasty 12 degrees here in town, I'm betting the mountains were colder. Anyhow, after he came home on Saturday afternoon, he told me that they had forgotten the bin that held the tents back at the church, oh, and the bin that held most of the food and the cooking utensils. Luckily a couple people brought their own tents so 7 scouts shared one, while some of the leaders shared the other. The young men's leader however got to sleep under a lean-to made from the sleds my husband brought for the following day. My husband slept in the back of the van. They were going to eat spaghetti,( someone did bring the meatballs, and the sauce) but they didn't have pots or pans. I guess they used someones mess kit to cook the meatballs. My favorite part was what they did for breakfast. They mixed the pancake mix in the milk jug, and poured it onto a shovel, which they held over the campfire, and cooked lovely shovel shaped pancakes. And we all know why they bring shovels to campouts right? MMMmmm yummy! (hubby skipped the pancakes).

reverence

2009-01-18T11:29:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry this video is sideways, I'm just learning about the camera. This is my youngest. I guess they are teaching her about reverence in primary. She just came up to me and said "Look mom, I'm being reverent." I guess we'll have to keep working on that one. At least she is paying attention.

Trampoline Fairy?

2009-01-17T21:26:00.000-08:00

This is the present Santa brought us for Christmas! Isn't it wonderful! Isn't it grand! Hehehe, Well about 2 minutes after I snapped this picture my littlest started crying. She said she hurt her leg. (I checked it out and everything is okay.) Then a minute after that my other dear daughter started crying, I couldn't exactly get out of her what happened, but she said her finger hurt. ( She too is okay). Anyway, if there is some type of trampoline fairy who would please protect my children from any mishaps I would greatly appreciate it! ( And yes, they know they aren't all supposed to be on it at the same time, sigh) * Oh and if you'd like to comment please don't tell me any more horror stories about getting hurt on trampolines, I'm already a nervous nelly about the thing, thanks!

My own little public service announcement, or stop the insanity

2009-01-13T19:19:00.000-08:00

I have a bit of a problem! I would like to ask all the hoverers ( you know who you are, the woman who for whatever reason refuses to sit on the toilet) of the world to PLEASE stop. I know, I know ICK, well guess what, it is double ICK for me because I have to come in behind you with my child and clean it up! I know you are worried about the sanitary aspects of public bathroom use, so I have come up with a wonderful solution for you. Buy yourself some of those travel disinfectant wipes, and give your temporary throne a nice little swipe, either before you use it or after, or both if you must ( the germs will not jump up and get you). Then when I bring my 4 yr old into the same public domain, I will not have to cover the whole toilet with paper to save her little behind. Thank You! * oh and would you please stop using your feet to flush the toilet cause the dirt and mud from your shoes on the handle is also very ICK.....oh and please do flush, don't just skip that step because you are afraid of the germs and also I know you're afraid to touch the door handle after you washed your hands, but don't throw your trash on the floor next to the door.* Okay....I'm done.

4 year olds

2009-01-08T12:16:00.000-08:00

I don't really have anything wonderful or witty to post today, I wish I did, but I'm suffering from the wonderful after holiday blues. My 4 year old has gone crazy. Or maybe it is just all 4 year olds. She had decided that she can do everything by herself. She just tried to make herself a cup of hot cocoa, and filled her cup half full of the mix, then when I tried to fix it she got angry with me because I was helping. She asked if she could have more soup after lunch, and I said yes, well I went in to help her out and she had filled her bowl, and the table and the floor with soup. The other day she was looking for her pj's ( she took it upon herself to go look for them, I didn't tell her to) and she emptied her whole dresser full of clothes onto the floor, she didn't come ask for help until everything was everywhere. I really want her to go outside and enjoy this unseasonably warm weather (59 degrees, maybe I'll go outside and read in the sun, try to soak up some vitamin D) Her 4 yr old friend came over to play today, but it was kinda nuts. They couldn't agree on what to do, and they had the attention span of, well I guess a 4 year old. She is reminding me of the Tasmanian devil with all her whirling and leaving of messes behind.

Out with the old

2008-12-31T15:59:00.000-08:00

Today is the last day of 2008! It has been a wonderful year full of so much fun and a lot of great memories. I'm sure that there were all kinds of fun things going on earlier in the year, but my mind can only remember back to about May. The Spotts family went to the sand dunes in Alamosa and enjoyed a fun, but very windy camp out. Then we met back at Colorado Springs for the Flying W Ranch. There was fun music and enjoyable eats!

The end of June brought the big trip!

Hubby flew to Florida for work and I drove the kids to Saint George for a wonderful Family (Bugg) reunion. After the reunion we drove to Las Vegas to pick up hubby ( who flew in from Florida) and then off we went to meet up with the Spotts for more fun at Disneyland. (My camera is not cooperating with me and the pictures I have from that trip are all stuck on the camera. ) Then we worked our way north to visit Great Grandma. The kids love the ocean and youngest daughter declared that it is her ocean. California is beautiful. After our visit with GG, we got a short visit with Aunt and Uncle B. We headed to Sacramento to visit more Spotts. Because hubby's grandfather passed away, we had a bit of an impromptu reunion, and were able to see all the family. Aunt T let us stay in their camper, Thanks! We had an awesome July 4th with Aunt L and enjoyed the fresh oranges off the tree, we also got to go to the Jelly Belly factory! The big trip was over and we headed home. ( a very long 2 day drive with some not so happy kids).

The end of July brought a new cousin G-

And the beginning of August brought new cousin L.

School started in the middle of August. The kiddos have enjoyed it and are all doing well. They all participated in after school cross country and gymnastics and daughter #1 also did ralley ball and basketball. Daughter #2 started piano lessons and loves it!
September brought us a trip to New Mexico to see a cousin baptized. It was a quick trip but definitely worth it.
Halloween was fun, and warm this year! No Halloween snowstorm, YEA!!! Thanksgiving was a wonderful time with family.
December is almost gone, along with all the insanity!*(well, I suppose that is up for discussion) We put in a new bathroom in the unfinished space in our basement. It wasn't finished, but was usable for our guests. (*contractor promised it would be done before Christmas, sigh). Christmas was wonderful. So much of our family was able to come. I love spending time with my family and feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to see everyone. All 6 of my brothers and sisters and I got together for the first time in years! Daughter #2 got baptized and the birthdays were all a lot of fun! We have had so much fun this year and I hope we all feel closer for it! Well, I know this is getting to be a long post, so I'd better stop. I hope all of you, my family and friends have a Happy New Year!

Gingerbread houses

2008-12-11T12:57:00.000-08:00

Normally I am not a very crafty person. When I got married, my husband informed me that our family traditions would include a gingerbread house at Christmas time (graham cracker houses weren't in the picture). He procured the recipe from his mom along with patterns for the house and dog house. The first of many houses was made the year I was expecting my oldest. Now, as you know per my previous post, December is somewhat of a hectic month for me, so this tradition of making gingerbread houses doesn't happen every year. However, this year there was a contest at the church Christmas party, so I decided I'd better enter. The kids love it and I guess it really was worth the hours spent rolling out dough and constructing the homes. Here it is:

The top picture is the back of the houses and the bottom picture is the front of the houses. (Can you see our pet rabbit?) Oh, and we did win an award " the welcome to the neighborhood award".

Band

2008-12-09T20:59:00.000-08:00

Okay, proud mommy moment here. I went to my daughters first band concert on Monday night and it was so exciting! She is my oldest and I was very excited to get to see the work she had done. She has made so much progress from the beginning of the year. I think she is sounding pretty good. Anyway, I also need to acknowledge her band teacher...all elementary band teachers for that matter. He was so enthusiastic and proud of that little band. I don't know about you, but I'm not sure how they do it. I mean, really, the sound is well.....ummm....I don't know how to explain it really, but I think if I were the teacher I would need to invest in Ibuprofen. The thing is, I understand that they all have to start somewhere and that with practice, most of those kids will get pretty good. By high school they will probably be a joy to listen to. So kudos to the elementary band teachers of the world. Thank you for helping these kids have something to be proud of and feel good about!

To shovel or not to shovel?

2008-12-04T12:49:00.000-08:00

We have been getting quite a bit of snow lately. It snowed all day Sunday and now all day today. On Sunday we shoveled our drive and sidewalk 3 times. Once in the morning before church, once again after church because we host choir at our house and don't want people slipping and then again in the evening. (I suppose that was just for good measure.) I just got back in from shoveling, and of course the driveway is filling back up. I did it this time because the kids will be getting home in 45 min and the snow had started to slow. It has now picked back up. It seems pointless I know, but I hate when the car drives over the snow and packs it down into hard, impossible to remove, tread marks. I guess I am just too picky. Of course it reminds me of the saying, Cleaning the house while the kids are growing is like shoveling snow while it's still snowing. I guess both should be done, even if it is a hopeless endeavor.

Vacations and Insanity

2008-11-29T21:31:00.000-08:00

I've been missing in action for a bit. My wonderful computer decided to take a little break from working. I guess it felt it needed a vacation. ARGh. The last week has been full of a lot of fun and some not so much fun. My husbands grandfather passed away 2 weeks ago. They live here in town, and that made for a bit of work on his behalf getting ready for the funeral. It was a nice funeral, and my thoughts and prayers are with his grandma as she adjusts.

Thanksgiving was wonderful. I have the most amazing grandmother in the world! She hosted about 37 people for a wonderful feast, at her house. Yep, that's right -37-, did I mention I have an amazing grandmother! It was wonderful to see family and eat and eat! ( oh and I guess we played some games also.)

With Thanksgiving over we now enter December, or as I refer to it, The Month of Insanity.
Insanity? isn't that a bit harsh?...no! There are Church Christmas dinners, school Christmas concerts and the normal Christmas experiences, decorations to put up, etc..., not too bad you say well, there is more. I have 4 kids, and they were all born in December (last year they all fell on the same week, so they are very close together). My husband was also born in December. So, 5 birthdays and Christmas and New Years...sound a bit hectic...guess what, there is more. My husbands company does the annual awards and stuff for 4 1/2 days in December. So he leaves the week before Christmas and I get to do that week alone. I am invited to attend of course, but with school about to let out for the holiday and the birthdays I just don't feel right leaving. We also have 3 sets of grandparents, and 2 great grandmothers in town. This year we also have the wonderful experience of having daughter #2 get baptized because she is turning 8. Now, I know I sound like I'm complaining. I'M NOT. I just get a little loony during the month, and often don't know if I'm coming of going. It's really just a case of excessive blessings all in one month, which, all things considered, isn't really a major problem.

yelling

2008-11-14T09:24:00.000-08:00

My sweet son has been yelling in peoples ears at school. Needless to say, this is frowned upon by teachers...If they could please tell me how to get him to stop yelling at home that would be great. I did make him write a note of apology, and he's made it a whole day without incident. (lets hope he's cured).

My youngest is upstairs playing. She is yelling HELP! HELP! When I asked her if she is okay she said... yeah, I'm just playing a game. * I hope she is being a super hero and saving her dolls :). At least it is better than when she plays the game where she is always asking for MOM, but not me, the pretend mom. She gets annoyed when I keep trying to answer her during that game. Now, if only I could get that pretend mom to do some cleaning.

introduction

2008-11-12T17:04:00.000-08:00

Okay, so it seems that everyone is blogging these days. I thought I'd give it a try. It might not work, but it may be a good way to vent and share some of the good and not so good things in my life. I have a rather bland life, so I'm not looking for anything major out of this. Anyway, I'm a stay at home mom of 4. My sweet husband works like crazy selling insurance. I have an addiction to reading and may share some of my feelings about a particularly good book I come across. UMMM, I guess that's all for now. *thinks to herself, could I be any more boring?*