On Being Grateful....

I've been a little AWOl it seems. We've been out of town the week before Christmas and of course there was all the preparation to get out of town, and the time to unwind once we've returned. I'll talk all about our trip on the next post, but today I just wanted to share the things I am grateful for. Typically I always have a lot more to be grateful for AFTER the holidays are over than BEFORE they start at Thanksgiving time. So here goes what's been on my mind:

I am Grateful for

1. Surprises on doorsteps, you know who you are!
2. Caring neighbors
3. In-laws, I have great ones whom I enjoy spending time with, and the kids love beyond measure.
4. A wonderful family to come home to in Utah as well.
5. The magic of Christmas my parents provided us as children. Although they created high expectations in my head of what Christmas should be like that conflict with Ken's idea of what Christmas should be like. (and that's been fun to negotiate every year) Still, I love what I had in my childhood, and thank them for that, I know it wasn't easy.
6. My Polynesian heritage, I need to reach out to that more and I can't think of a better way than to go to Hawaii or Tahiti, lol!
7. The sacrifices my Pioneer ancestry went through to get us to where we are now.
8. Ken.....I still have a post brewing about all the things I am grateful to him for, stay tuned for that on a later date.
9. The kids, I can't imagine our family without a single one of them.
10. Our amazing opportunities and privilege's we have living in North America. It's amazing when you think about it really. Why us and not them? For unto whom much is given, much is expected.

I'll just leave it at that right now...Oh wait one more Bonus one!

11. Ken's starting a new job in his health field next week. It's not the ideal pay we want to move forward in life, but it's ENOUGH, and we have to be grateful for that, (and that he doesn't have to drive around the County in this snow doing deliveries)

p.s. One last thought....everyone has those "Believe" signs up around Christmas...I always thought they were in reference to the story from Polar Express, but now I realize they mean much more than that, BELIEVE in Christ, BELIEVE in yourself, BELIEVE in Miracles. That's what matters more than this Believing in Santa...

Hope your Christmas was a good one, and may the New Year be full of joy, laughter, and many reasons to be grateful!

Speaking of blog giveaways!

I have another link to share with you! I added this blog in my google reader just recently, and they are doing a giveaway each day until Christmas! Odds are good to win too, how do I know? Because I already won a $25 GC to Downeast Outfitters from them! So excited to get something new to wear!

Click right here to go to the blog!

Let me know if you've seen any other blog giveaways lately too!

Happy Holidays, gotta love them, huh!

My friends giving away an ipod shuffle!

I have an online friend named Angie, and she's giving away an ipod shuffle if you post on her blog your favorite meal or snack. Extra points if you post a link on your blog to her giveaway! So, here I go! My kids all wanted ipod/mp3 players for Christmas! Sigh.... I still remember the day I thought a portable cassette player was cool, and oh yeah, when portable cd players came out! They were so cheap back then it seems!

Here's a link to her blog post with the giveaway! So go enter, and if you win and don't need it, you always know where to send it (wink, wink ;) )

Click right here

Yeah, and that's the first time I've discovered how to share a link, so thanks Angie for the motivation!

I don't think I've shared these ones yet...

Tonight I was telling my neighbor Adhis how the hardest part about raising boys, is the way they seem to have pure joy in destroying things. Zane's favorite thing this week has been to reach his hand into our rice container in the pantry and listen to the sound of them as they fall from his hand to the floor. Kind of sounds like those rain sticks. Only this time I know I get to sweep the floor yet again! Last night I came home to it all over the stairs as well, looks like he took a cup of it upstairs with him while Dad was in charge!

Well, you haven't seen anything yet.....it gets worse! They did this last summer!






Yep, that's the flour, and yep, the damage was already done by the time I arrived with the camera! Oh, and did I mention, Zane's shorts are supposed to be green, not white!!!

50 Things

Saw this on someone else's blog, filled it out a couple of days ago, but since I only like to do one blog post a day, this had to wait!

50 things you didn't know about me until you read this...

1.What color is your tooth brush? White with a green stripe
2. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? Seeing Ken out the door
3. What is your favorite candy bar? Peanut butter Twix
4. Have you ever been to a strip club? Nope
5. What is the last thing you said aloud? Are you awake now?
6. What is the best ice cream flavor? Chocolate with all natural pb mixed in
7. What is the last thing you had to drink? Water
8. What are you wearing right now? purple yoga pants that I don't yoga in
9. What was the last thing you ate? vanilla yogurt with vanilla almond granola
10. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? I wish.
11. When was the last time you ran? Running, what's that?
12. Who was the last person to send you a message/comment on your blog? Rachel, my old neighbor and an inspiration to me
13. Do you take vitamins daily? no
14. Do you go to church every Sunday? yes, and now I just got called to Nursery, fun! HA!
15. Do you have a tan? yeah, a permanent one, lol.
16. Do you like Chinese food over pizza? Definitetly.
17. Do you drink soda with a straw? sometimes, sometimes not.
18. What does your last text message say? My phone doesn't get them, the screen is broken, STILL!
19. Are you someones best friend? Yeah, my husband's :)
20. What are you doing tomorrow? Book club!
21. Where is your dad? At work on the 21st floor of the Church Office Building
22. Look to your left, what do you see? My work computer
23. What color is your favorite pair of shoes? red, I guess
24. Do you use chap stick? not since I was a teenager
25. Whats your favorite thing to do in your free time? Read a book
26. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? Drive thru!
27. Do you have a dog? no thanks
28. Last guy you talked on the phone with? Ken
29. Last girl you talked on the phone with? Sister Sucher
30. Any fun vacation plans soon? I hope so, NYC a cruise, you know!
31. Do you dye your hair? Once I did, it's been a few years
32. Can you say the alphabet backwards? Why would I want to?
33. Do you have a maid service clean your house? I plan to someday, but by then, maybe I won't need it!
34. Are you jealous of anyone? Sure, wish I were a little bit taller....wish I were a baller...(yeah, that's a skee lo rap song)
35. Do you love anyone? Yes, lots of people
36. Do any of your friends have children? most do
37. Do you use the word Hello daily? Just when answering the phone I guess
38. Do you like cats? ALLERGIES!
39. Have you ever been to six flags? Yes, but had to leave early with the baby, don't take babies to Six Flags
40. How did you get your worse scar? Falling off a bicycle when I was little
41. What is your favorite smell? Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin from Bath and Body Works
42. What is the last DVD you watched? Hancock
43. Have you ever been to Disney world? No
44. What is your favorite number? 7
45. Do you toast your pop tarts? I haven't liked those since I was little
46. Have you ever waited tables? No
47. Where did you have your first kiss? I don't know
48. What should you be doing? Laying down, my back hurts
49. Do you enjoy wasting time blogging? Sure thing, and reading everyone else's too!
50. Who do you want to tag? Anyone who wants to do this too!

There are ordinary days...

Like with this picture, I was playing around with my camera while the boys were eating chicken nuggets. This picture prompted me to really learn my camera. The lighting was so much more accurate with the flash off!



Then, we do normal things like go grocery shopping, but abnormal things like let our boys do the shopping! Yeah, the cereal was on sale so we stocked up, and everyone needs an ice cream or two. And frozen pizza, that's the kids favorite meal, I can't deny them!




It's only snowed twice, and before it all melted the second time I took the boys out to play!




Yeah, so it's not always crazy, or maybe it is!

This is how it rolls in our house...

Some of you may have heard of Zane's encounter with the Crystal Light packets in the kitchen. Hey, those things aren't cheap either, too bad we're too good for Kool-aid! We all walked around with red feet that day. That light powder on the kitchen floor turned into red dye upon contact. The boys went straight up for a bath, and most of it came out. My feet weren't so lucky, since I just take showers, they didn't get to soak. Mine were red for a few days....





Here's the kids locked out of the house, HA HA! Sometimes they deserve it!




And, this is why, my friends, I don't like to cook! It seems like every time I do, it just makes a bigger mess in the kitchen, who likes that????!!! This happened all within minutes of each other. The first time I forgot to put a plate on top of the blender. The second one, Zane decided he'd like a taste of my freshly made cilantro lime vinaigrette, ARGH!!!




Yeah, it's pretty much crazy here with 5 kids, and a little monster named Zane! Come to think of it, my girls can be monsters in their own right....wonder where they got it from ;) No wonder I need a vacation!

Kalel turned 5!

Yeah, back on November 22nd! I've been too busy or too tired to post his birthday pics. We had a great birthday. Ken took the kids and their cousins to see Madagascar 2. This was a big splurge for us, since normally we just go to the dollar movies, but Kalel had been saying for over a month that all he wanted to do for his birthday, was go to see Madagascar 2.

Then, the cake, of course, we had to get a Madagascar cake, no I didn't make it, Albertsons did, and they do an o.k. job. Good enough for me at least.



As for his gifts, my sister got him a Power Rangers punch bag and toy. I got him some blocks and alphabet magnets, and my mother got him his favorite, a remote control car! Those car batteries were drained within a few days! We still need to get him some more, LOL!






He already seems so much older now that he's turned the Magic 5!