Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving this year, we didn't have a huge crowd. We had my parents, my 91 year old grandmother, and my 94 year old grandfather, some friends from church, their son, and our family. That's 13 total, 8 adults, and 5 kids, but you would have thought we were having 35 people with he amount of food my mom and I prepared! Then again, I can't seem to recall a Thanksgiving in my lifetime where we have run out of food, and well, that is something to be thankful for! All week long Callie asked if we were going to have a "feast" for Thanksgiving. I told her yes, and she wanted to know how big, and for how many days! She said our blessing before we ate, and thanked Heavenly Father for our yummy feast, and bless our big feast, it was very sweet! And feast we did, and it lasted all weekend long (if you count the eating of leftovers!).

To be honest, I was so tired from all of the prep and cooking, and cleaning, that I pretty much failed to get good pictures that day, but the food was delish if I do say so myself! Even Chuck commented at how great everything was, and that when we were first married how I used to worry that I would never be that good of a cook, and look at me now! That was a very sweet compliment!

I did get a few good pictures of my Mom with the girls, and this one of her and Ava, made me stop and really be grateful for her not only as my mom, but for her as the grandmother of my children.

My mom's mom died when I was 3 1/2. I have two memories of her. One was the Christmas before she died, and one was her funeral. She died of lung cancer. Smoking not only robbed her of her life, but it robbed me of a chance to know and love my grandma Ruth. I do love her, and know that someday I will get the chance to be with her again. I am so deeply grateful for all of the amazing people in my life. Not only do I have an amazing husband, and four healthy beautiful children, but we have an awesome extended family that gives us so much love and support! I do feel sad that we can't live near everyone, we especially miss Chucks parents in Utah and Oregon. They are such a source of strength and love to us and our family. Our kids miss them so much, and so do we.

I have a quote that hangs over my kitchen sink, it says," The love of a family is life's greatest blessing". I am so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and for the love of my family, both near and far, and even those who have gone before us. I am so blessed! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving with family and friends, and that you took a few moments to count your blessing!

This is Why....

I LOVE my job! I have four beautiful, amazing, fun, and vibrant children! I have been so blessed. As long as I can remember, I wanted to be a mom. Somedays are easier than others, but I know that I am learning things as a mother that I could not have learned any other way. I am grateful that I have a husband who works so hard, and supports me staying home with our children.

Yesterday, I picked up my camera and snapped some pictures of a few moments that brought me joy. It made me stop, slow down, and be grateful for my life.

Callie was holding Ava on her lap in the kitchen, and playing with her. She is such a little mama.

Kisses, so sweet.

Ava saying "aside", looking out the back window!

Ava saying, "pleeeeease", pointing outside!

Letting Mom steal a kiss.

Tickles when they can't escape are the best!

My big girl! Man, has she grown.

Nose tickles with my girl.

Real kisses with my girl!

Grant scooping up Ava and giving her an after school tickle!

Dallin, refusing to smile for a picture, because his is too busy stuffing his face with lunch meat!

He was "starving" I might add.

I tell you, this boy is growing before my very eyes. No wonder my grocery bill is so dang high!!

Stop. Stop growing up so fast my babies I tell you, stop!

Everyday there is joy. It's the little things. I don't need to look very far to find it. Being their mom is one of my greatest joys!

I love you Dallin,

Grant,

Callie,

& Ava.

Mom

Two Minutes, that's all I ask!

WARNING:

The following may be a bit too honest and blunt for some of my readers. Continue reading at your own risk!

I feel like I can count on my two hands the number of times I have been able to go to the bathroom alone in the past 10 years!!! Am I the only mother who seems to have a fan club follow her everywhere? Today for instance, I needed to use the bathroom, as we all do everyday, unless there is something seriously medically WRONG with you! Today I chose to leave the door open, so that my #1 fan (Ava) could follow me in. If I choose to close the door, and heaven forbid have my two minutes in peace, I get to either hear her scream and cry, or knock continuously saying "mom", knock-knock, "mom", knock-knock, "mooooooooom"! So like I said I chose to leave the door open today!

The whole time I'm in there (the whole two minutes, cause I don't need to read a novel or anything), she is picking little small pieces of toilet paper off the roll, or pulling half of the roll out the door with her, and then she is trying to shove the toilet paper into the toilet, because that is where toilet paper goes! Well, that is kinda hard when my big old bum is blocking her target, so I got a push and shove from her, as she tried to dethrone me, and then a forceful handful of T.P. scraps thrown on my lap in her defeat when she realized she wasn't going to be able to push me off the toilet! I'm thinking to myself, so you're the reason we seem to be going through toilet paper in record amounts, and sure you are cute and adorable and you applaud all my "accomplishments", but seriously, when can I have two minutes alone, and WHEN CAN I POO IN PEACE!!!

I have to say I think this is one of those little things of motherhood I am NOT going to miss when they are all grown! So there you go. Hopefully you are not too scarred. This blog is therapy for me at times.

Let's Party Extra Fancy!

Callie loves a book series called Fancy Nancy about a little girl who does everything extra fancy from the way she dresses to the way she talks! She had her heart set on having a Fancy Nancy tea party with all of her girl friends for her birthday (No boys this year, she said they wouldn't have liked it!). We talked and planned for many weeks! I did my best to make the house look extra fancy (on a budget that is) with pink balloons, streamers, and lavender tulle bows tied on chairs. She even wanted to decorate the cupboards! Boy, is this girl fancy or what!!

The little party guests arrived decked from head to toe in their nicest party apparel (that's a fancy word for clothes). I even let Callie wear lip gloss and blue eyeshadow! The guests decorated their own crowns with gems and jewels (okay, stick on rhinestones), and then make a candy necklace and bracelet, and choose a beautiful ring to wear. These were some fancy party activities!

Since this was a tea party, we had to teach them how to drink like little ladies with their pinkies high in the air, and sip and savor their pink punch! They were very excited to use my real glass punch bowl cups, and where so adorable trying their very best to drink like the the ladies!

Pinkies up!

You can't have a fancy tea party without little cakes and treats, can you! I made the girls their own cakes to decorate as fancy as they wanted with all different colors of frosting and sprinkles. These fancy little ladies were in heaven!

Callie and her masterpiece!

Little Zoe used half her body weight in frosting!!!

Time for cake and ice cream, and all of the fun little surprises her friends brought! Ava was right by Callies side saying "Oooooo, pitty" at every gift she opened! Ava wanted to be a part of the party so badly that she kept running off with the girls dress up shoes!

There is the shoe thief Ava!

Chloe, Zoe, Maya, Regan, Callie, and Elyse.

Callie had a great time, and is still talking about her party 3 week later! I'm glad you loved your fancy party Callie, we loved giving it to you!!!

Costume Party

Chuck and I were invited to our friends Jeff and Annette's annual Halloween Party. Costumes required! We had been so sick the week before the party, that I thought we would have to bow out this year. Well, Wednesday night, we decided we were definitely better, and had better get our act together and come up with a costume! Thursday morning, I stated doing some thinking, and remember my friend Jackie had a great Cleopatra costume, so I gave her a call. I didn't think the dress would fit me because she is tiny, and I'm NOT, so she described how she had made the dress in case I couldn't squeeze into hers, and then I could just use her accessories. Long story short, she couldn't find her costume anywhere, but was able to find her husbands Mark Anthony costume that Chuck could use, so I thought it would be fun to pull a costume together myself! I had several yards of white taffeta that I had gotten free from work, that worked out perfectly for the dress! I ran to Joann's and grabbed a 60% off wig and beaded head piece, 1/4 yard of gold pleather, and some gold rope. I spent less that $20! I threw in some plastic jewels I had at home, some seriously blue eye shadow, gave the wig a much needed hair cut, and voila, I became Cleopatra!

I had a blast making this, and Chuck said to me several times during the night that I didn't even look like myself, and that he felt like he was cheating on me!

Meredith and Chris (that is his real beard!)

We had a blast at the party, and loved every ones costumes, especially Flo and Billy's! At the party, we decided that Chuck's costume would have been better with a metal garbage can lid as a shield, and a plastic sword, and I'm sad that I didn't get a picture of the front of my costume, cause it was cute!

Now, what to be next year......

Someone is excited to be five!

Callie turned five on Oct 15th, and due to lots of sickness, I'm just now getting this post up! After weeks, and I mean weeks of counting down, the big day finally arrived! She was so excited to be five, and woke me up first thing in the morning and begged to open just one present! Well, I'm a sucker, and since you only have a birthday once a year, let her open one. I picked the playdoh ice cream shop set knowing it would keep her entertained on a day I knew we would be house bound for the most part, with sick ones.

She helped me make her cake while Ava napped, and was very involved in the decorating process as well.

Oooo, yummy. Hair in the cake!

The cake after I decorated it, thinking it was cute enough for a five year olds birthday.....

But apparently it wasn't quite "fancy" enough for her taste, so she added her own artistic flair to the cake!

And about a half pound of sprinkles too!

Her Masterpiece!!! After she was finished she said, "Now that's what I call fancy!"

Later that night, after dinner, and dolled up in her Sunday best (on Thursday) she opened up the rest of her gifts, and we all enjoyed her beautifully decorated cake!

Happy Birthday Callie! We love you, and we're so thankful you are in our family!

Now THAT Will Clear Your Sinuses!

Monday morning. Long story short. Busy morning. Boys off to school, all of us girls ready to head out the door in 30 min for yet another Young Women's meeting, and lookin' good I might add, and me quickly loading breakfast dishes thinking to myself how quickly this kitchen clean up is going with out my littlest "helper" who is up in her room entertaining herself, what a blessing.....or so I thought.

Not 30 seconds after this thought left my head, Ava is standing at the top of the stairs, opening and closing her hands like she has something sticky on them. Thinking I should have knocked on wood 45 seconds ago, I headed over to her to see what on earth she got into, when the smell hit me like a ton of menthol bricks! My sleep deprived self left the Vick's vapor rub (the tub) next to her rocking chair at 3am the night before, and she thought it would make great finger paint, and proceeded to paint herself, her whole self, and the rocking chair!!!! My immediate thought was HOLY CRAP, you've got to be kidding me, how am I going to get this grease off of everything! So in the tub she went with no drain stop so the smell would just flow down the drain, and I went into her room to attempt clean up!

I'll be the first to admit that this was not nearly as bad as the ink debacle a few weeks ago, but it was still a mess! I was in too big of a hurry to take any pictures, and I'm not sure how well they would have turned out any way, but if this was smell - a - blog, and I walked my computer up to her room, (Two whole days after the fact) you too would have the pleasure of having your sinuses instantly cleared! Maybe that's why she has slept so well the past two nights.