On a Roll

I think I must be on a roll. I mean, posting 3 blogs in just 3 days??? But Nicky just emailed me these pictures from Thanksgiving, and I'm going to share...

These are all taken over Thanksgiving.

Myah had a great time hanging out with her cousins. And the weather was AWESOME! So did Tannon.

And Desmond too. (Kamden and Desmond. I think Des might be catching up, a little)
The infamous after dinner football game. The good new is, nobody got injured this year!

I bet Derrick will like this picture. I think Skyler has a poster that kinda looks like this in him room...only the guy is in football gear, weighs about 100 pounds more than Derrick, and probably gets paid to play football!

So that's all. Thanks for the pics Nicky!

Playing Catch Up

Other than Skyler's birthday post this morning, I haven't posted for a while. I've been a very busy girl! So here's what's happened since my last post...

*We put up the Christmas tree, and yes, I re-decorated it when the kids went to school. I just can't help myself.

*We went to my mom's house for Thanksgiving. We probably overstayed our welcome, but it was just so nice to get away for a couple of days.

*I went and saw Twilight with Mandi and Nicky. It's always nice to get out for a while!

*I think I consumed at least 2 pounds of turkey, and a whole pie when you count all the leftovers. It was yummy. Really yummy.

*I was given a little extra church calling. I was just working in the library. Now I get to do the ward bulletin and the ward web site too. I guess if they're going to kick me out of Young Women's, they better make it something good.

*I conquered the declined sit ups. Still not loving them, but they don't bring tears to my eyes anymore! Just as a side note...people who prefer c-sections are NUTS! But that's just my humble opinion.

*I conceded the battle, and let Derrick off the hook with Christmas lights this year. He hates putting them on the house, so this year I gave in and he just put a few on the trees outside. That's ok. Easier clean-up.

*I've felt the need to document and photograph every single second of Desmond's life. Isn't there a movie about that? I think it's called the Truman Story with Jim Carey. It's not such a bad idea, really. Des is just growing up so fast. I think he's doubled in size now and it's going by much too fast. I don't want to forget any of it!

*I've done at least 30 batches of laundry. Seriously.

*I've done almost all of my Christmas shopping...mostly on line. It's like getting Christmas twice. It's so exciting to find packages at my door. I get to open them up and now I'll get to wrap them for the kids.

*I've visited Costco at least a half dozen times. It's my other favorite place to Christmas shop. Entertainment is somewhat limited in Pocatello.

*I took the kids (nieces and nephews included) on a hike up 'Little Mountain'. Derrick was gone 4-wheeling up to Oxford peak, and I felt the need to get out and move a little, after the whole 2 pounds of Turkey and everything! Anyways, there's a pretty cool cave, and we found a skull on the mountain. We weren't sure what it belonged to, but since I came home and looked up pictures on google, I've decided it was a very BIG rat. Nice, hu?
*I kept Zac home from school to help me get things done. I think I deserve a 'mother of the year' award. Ok, maybe not...but I could at least write a book on great parenting, right?

*We painted 2 bedrooms. And we almost did it without any major problems. That is, until I was just finishing cleaning up, and Myah tripped over a full bucket of paint...spilling it ALL on the carpet. I couldn't get too mad, since the last time I painted I did the same thing.

*I've watched Kung-Fu Panda a dozen times with Myah. It makes me laugh every time. Last night though...'Shrek the Halls' moved up to the top of her list. I prefer the panda.

*I thought about cleaning the storage room. I even took a picture so that when I was done, I could post a 'before and after' picture. I never got around to the 'after' picture, since it still looks exactly the same. It's the thought that counts, right?

So that's about it! I'm all caught up! And it's only 8:30!

Thirteen Years!

Skyler turned 13 years old on Sunday. Time sure flies! For his birthday, we had his favorite dinner (chicken alfredo and bread sticks) and then he opted for a giant skookie rather than a birthday cake. It was yummy. Thanks to Derrick's parents for coming up to celebrate with us.

For Skyler's birthday gift, we helped him upgrade his room to a 'teenage room' rather than a 'kid room'. We painted, bought him a new dresser, got a new bedspread and curtains, and framed some sports 'motivational' posters. The most exciting part was putting in a giant magnet board in the section of his wall that is recessed in. It's about 8 feet across and 4 feet tall. It's pretty cool.

As long as I'm on the Skyler topic, I gotta brag on him a little. He's such a good kid, and is very quickly growing into a great 'guy'! He is extremely talented with his piano playing and his academics, and is able to do really well in basketball (he's a real hustler), art, and many other things. Skyler is currently reading the Book of Mormon for the 3rd time. I'm pretty proud of that. He has an understanding of the scripture stories that is amazing, and is so good at recalling them. I think he gets that from Derrick. He'll be a great missionary, I'm sure. When people see Skyler, they remember him for his curly hair, but my favorite thing about him is his laugh. It seems like the older he gets, we get to hear him laugh less and less, but it's absolutely contagious and I love it! That's probably why I love the picture that I'm going to post so well.

Happy Birthday Skyler! We love you!