Santa Claus

We took the kids to the mall over the weekend to see the Big Man. At first Taylor was very reluctant about sitting on Santa's lap. You would ask him if he was going to go see him and he would say, "no, no, no anta" Thanks to Kelsi, he changed his mind and decided that "anta" is pretty cool. Kelsi even convinced him to talk to Santa and tell him that he wanted a dinosaur- course he says dinosaur while growling like one LOL! The only downside for the kids was that they were not running the train- a plus for Ryan and I since it was $3 a kid to ride in a circle. So instead the kids rode the toy bus- with Taylor driving. Onto the pictures...


Taylor waiting in line saying "cheese"


The kids with Santa


Riding/driving the bus

Festival of Trees

I love this time of year. One of my all time favorite things to do is to go to the Festival of Trees. The trees always amaze me and the event in itself is a truly incredible one; every tree is donated, every tree is purchased at an astronomical price, and every penny, including admission, is donated to Primary Children's Hospital. I can't think of a more worthy cause, especially at this time of year. I had the opportunity to create one of these trees a few years ago and it takes a huge amount of time and effort but it was all worth it. So, onto the pictures...

The girls with a Disney tree- one of my favorites of course


The girls with a full size Mr. Grinch


The sign next to the Grinch, a quote from the movie- I just might have to make one of these (after school, of course)





The statues this year were amazing- I especially loved the one of Mr. and Mrs. Claus dancing- This is how I have always imagined them


This is a gingerbread house, It was absolutely amazing! I could not believe the detail and size of it. I had never seen anything like it before. Wouldn't be amazing to have that kind of a talent?



And finally, Twilight trees for all of the fans out there. The one was cool because it was a Cullen Christmas and had presents under the tree for each of the Cullens.

Hope you enjoyed the pics- have a Happy Season!

Tub time for Taylor

I have always been fond of bath time photos of my kids. There is something to be said for a happy kid that is momentarily clean, playing in the water. Taylor has decided that this is his most favorite thing to do. Every chance he gets, he asks for a bath and will even ask right after he gets out. I guess it's good that he likes to be clean. Enjoy the pics... I'm sure I will use them later in his life as bribery! (The butt shot is my favorite)

I am so very Thankful...

I love this time of year. It has cooled off and the leaves are beautiful, it's football season and the holidays force us to take time out of our busy schedules to spend more time with those that we love. (just don't forget the football :O) So, true to the holiday, today I want to share those "little" things in my life that I am thankful for- keep in mind that although they may be small, my world would be unbearable without...
the "Love you"s I get from Taylor
the fact that I cannot remember the last time I had to do laundry
the girls clean room, well at least they're trying harder
the joy on my kids face when I give them a treat
the "mom, wait, I need a hug before you leave"
the thank yous, welcomes, and pleases that my kids say without thinking
the way my kids love to play with each other
the "boo" I get when ever I go to get Taylor from his nap
the text message from Ryan that simply says, "I love you"
the smiles on my girls faces when they bring home good grades
the help that Kelsi gives me with Taylor when I am tired
the words "I'm proud of you" every time I see my Dad
the way that Jessica plays hide and seek with Taylor
the way that dinner suddenly appears on a plate next to me when I am busy studying
the fact that my kids are always clean and well taken care of- even though I'm not sure how they got that way
the Sunday dinner that my Mom lovingly prepares each week for all of us
the fact that my brother is willing to leave weird messages on my face book wall
the home that we live in... it may be small and messy but there is love between the walls
the "mom, can we talk" the I hear from Kelsi
the squeals of delight from Taylor when I pick him up from the babysitters
the "mom guess what I did today" that Jessica always says
the smack on the head from the remote on Sunday morning because Taylor got past Ryan's defenses and snuck into my room to find me
all of the "I love you"s that I get to hear because I am lucky enough to be their Mommy

Only Four More Years...

When I heard this story, I couldn't stop laughing... it's amazing the insightful things our children can come up with.
The girls have been participating in the elections through school and Ryan and I had been talking to them about the political process and why we were voting in certain ways. Fast forward to the day after the election... Jessica was at my mom's house that morning waiting for the bus. She was in mom's den, feeding the fish, when she turned and said, "Grandma, I'm sad" My mom immediately asked her why and this was her response- "I just don't know if I can last through the next four years!" A little confused my mom questioned her further and discovered that she was (in her words), "very concerned about the next four years with Barrack Obama as the president" She left the room stating, as she shook her head, "I guess it's only four more years" My mom said that she couldn't help but laugh and my brother, who was in the room at the time, has decided this will be his new slogan in life, "It's only four more years..."

My Snowy Adventure...

So, this is my newest story to add to the list. It goes something like this...
I signed up a couple of weeks ago to take my LPN boards (did I mention this costs $300?). Yesterday morning I set my alarm for 6:20 am and groaned when it went off. After dragging myself out of bed, I dressed in my comfy clothes and headed to the door. It was at this moment that I realized that it was snowing. Of all days for the first snowfall, why this one?!? I trudged outside, thankful that I had given myself extra time. As I got onto the freeway, it was obvious that nothing had been plowed and that traffic was going to be a nightmare. My appointment was set for 8 am... after an hour on the road and Ryan calling with periodic traffic updates, I finally give in and called the n-clex boards hotline. I only had a 1-800 number that sent be to some operator back East... I explain that I'm stuck in traffic, in a blizzard. He proceeds to tell me that it's too late to reschedule my exam- "no, no, no" I say, "I don't want to reschedule, just let you know I'm going to be late." He states "oh, well I can't help you with that, you'll have to call the local testing center." With my teeth clenched and hands tightly griping the steering wheel I ask for the number since I'm driving in a snowstorm, on the freeway. Give or take five minutes he says to me, "do you have a pen and paper so you can write down this number?" Once again, teeth clenched and hands turning white from gripping the steering wheel, I say, "why no, I don't have a pen and paper due to the fact that I'm driving on the freeway in a snowstorm!" He pauses, "oh just give me the number already!!!" Long story short, I call the local office and they tell me to drive safely, they'll work me in when I get there. After an hour and twenty minutes of driving, I finally arrive and go into to register to take my boards. I'm actually relieved to have arrived in one piece and feel no anxiety towards the actual test. I walk in and an hour walk back out after answering 85 questions. Those of you that have taken boards will understand that this means one of two things: 1. I passed the boards with no problems or 2. I failed the boards in a horrible way and should possibly reconsider my career path. Thankfully, the department of professional licensure likes to give test takers ample time to consider this- 24 hours later, the results are in... according to DOPL I am an active Licensed Practical Nurse able to practice in the State of Utah! Whew! I did it! One step down... I am now officially a Nurse!

HaLlOwEeN- spooooky

I love the fall and the cooler temperatures. This fall has been wonderful for that and last night was no exception. The weather was perfect for trick or treating and the kids had a lot of fun. I was very surprised that both of my girls chose to be scary this year instead of beautiful princesses. Kelsi was a ghoulish ghost, Jessica was the corpse bride and Taylor was a dragon (with growling noises, just ask him and he'll tell you). It was a fun night. Now we just have the weeks ahead of regulating candy intake!