Santa Claus is coming to town

Tom's dad and mom put on a big pre-Christmas dinner and Santa comes to visit all the kids so they have a chance to tell him what they want. All the kids get so excited to see him walk through the door. Chesney was the first one to sit on his lap this year. Jaycie kept asking him where the reindeer where and trying to introduce everyone to him. After the kids sat on Santa's lap he had a surprise goodie for everyone in his bag. What a treat! Not only did they get to see Santa but got to go home with a present as well.

Sleigh Ride

Every year we take the kids to Thanksgiving Point were they have a horse drawn wagon ride through their Christmas light display. We dress the kids up in their winter clothes and out we go to freeze for a half hour but have a great time doing it. This year I got a little smarter and grabbed blankets for everyone. The sad part was that half the lights weren't working this year. So some of the displays had half a figure lit up. One wooden solider only had a hand waving and the big Santa at the end was half a Santa. But it was still fun all the same. Laine got the whole wagon to sing two of his favorite carols. Afterwords we went up and thanked the driver and the kids got to pet the horses that took us around. Then up by the water tower they had two live reindeer on display. They were holding one up to the gate so the kids could pet him. Chesney very carefully picked out some straw on the ground and tried to call the other reindeer over to eat. It didn't work but it was cute! Jaycie kept asking where Rodolph was. We kept telling her he was with Santa. It was a good time had by all.

Gingerbread Houses

This year we added a new activity to our list of holiday fun. Decorating Gingerbread Houses! Kaylee got her own house to make. Chesney and Jaycie got to share one. They had so much fun. Chesney wanted hers to turn out just like Kaylee's so she paid close attention to what older sister was doing so she could do the same.

Here is me trying to keep the house from falling down!

And here are the finished works of art!

Decorating the Tree

The weekend of the Thanksgiving holiday is the weekend we put up the Christmas Tree. The kids were so excited! Although, all of them got pretty board doing it pretty quickly.

Random Cuteness

I have to jot down this story before I forget it.
So as parents when your children are learning to tell jokes you do a courtesy laugh to make them feel like they have done a good job. Apparently we have done it to much at our house. The other night at dinner Chesney was asking us if we wanted to hear a job and telling us different versions of the chicken who crossed the road. Jaycie, of course, couldn't be left out and asked everyone if they wanted to hear a joke. We all said yes and waited for her to continue. Nothing but silence. After about 15 seconds Chesney bursts out laughing. "Ha ha ha. That was a very funny joke!" We all lost it. It was the funniest thing that had happened in a long time.

The Holidays have begun

The kick off to my favorite time of the year has begun. I just love the Holiday season. I guess in my book it should begin with Halloween because I love that Holiday too. But something in the air happens right around Thanksgiving and lasts until the first of the year that makes my heart feel so good and grateful for every moment I get to spend with family and friends.
We celebrated Thanksgiving over at Tom's dads this year. What a great day. The food was excellent and the company was wonderful as always. The spirit of the Holiday shown through as we all gathered around the tables to feast. The only sad part was missing the rest of our family and their company. But for this particular occasion we have to limit ourselves to one family a year. Just know that the rest of you were in our hearts.
I must say that I love having a birthday in November. The best dessert of all time. Pie, especially pumpkin, can take the place of a birthday cake in a heartbeat! This year for my birthday all I asked for was not to cook. So Laine and Kaylee made me breakfast in bed. Scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. Delicious. Chesney and Jaycie helped me eat it. Then for dinner Tom bbqed some steaks and make mashed potatoes and corn. We were even lucky enough to get some of mom's home made rolls left over from the feast before. What a wonderful dinner. Kaylee snuck past me at the store earlier and bought me a lovely silver necklace that says mom. Absolutely beautiful. Laine and the girls got me some bath salts to help me relax in my tub. And all of them gave me an outfit (that I bought earlier). Such a wonderful family I have. Then we spend the next night at my mother's to celebrate. My grandmother made me a wonderful apron. And my mother made me some crochet teddy bear ornaments and two little animal purses that I asked for in miniature! I love getting my mother's work. I don't think I could ever get enough.
I am so grateful to everyone in making me feel loved. You are all hero's in my book.
We started putting up the Christmas tree and decorating the house for the holidays. I am looking forward to the fun family activities we have in store this year. Making sugar cookies for Santa. Decorating gingerbread houses, and going for a sleigh ride to see the Christmas lights. Then of course, the big day itself with all the fun and excitement brimming. What a wonderful time of year!

Halloween 09

Halloween this year was different to say the least. This was the first year that we stayed home for Halloween. In years past we have always gone to my mothers house for a big Halloween party. This was the first year that she had decided not to do it anymore. Even if she had decided to we would have had to decline our invitation. Laine and Kaylee are old enough now that they want to Trick or Treat with their friends so for the few years they have left to do it we needed to stay put.

With that in mind, it was a good thing that we were home. Halloween was on a Saturday this year. The Monday before Tom came down with the flu. For three days he was home sick. Then on Thursday, Chesney, Jaycie and I came down with a really bad chest cold. Jaycie, I would dare say had the same flu that Daddy had. So Halloween came and no one was up for the festivities.

It did turn out nice though, since we were on the down side of our sickness we still got everyone dressed up and took the little ones out Trick or Treating. Laine was a Werewolf. Kaylee was a Cowgirl. Chesney and Jaycie were both Princesses. I made Kaylee's shirt and both princess outfits. Very proud at my first attempt at something so complicated. Then we just stayed in the rest of the night. Chesney and Jaycie had the most fun answering the door and handing out candy. So all in all a good Halloween.

Chesney is 4!

Every time a birthday comes for one of my kids I just can't believe where the time has gone. My precious Chesney is now 4 years old. WOW! I must say that she is a cute 4 year old. For months all I would hear at every toy commercial on TV would be "can I have that for my Birthday?" So shopping for her was really easy to do. Just go down the toy isles and pick a toy you like and she would love it. I love this age for things like that.

We had a small family party on the 19th. The actual day of her birth. We picked up a cake. All she said all morning was that she wanted a cake with purple and pink on it. So we found a princess cake with purple and pink icing on it and brought it home. We got her a couple of outfits, the mom standard gift, and a new "big girl" bike with helmet and pads. I think she was more excited about the cake then the bike.

Then the following Sunday we had her big birthday party. Again she wanted rainbow cake. Mom, not being a baker in the very least, made cupcakes and formed them in a rainbow and frosted them to look like a rainbow. She wasn't as excited about that but it worked. Everyone came and she made a hall, as usual. She got coloring books and crayons, Littlest pet shop, a toy phone, a Yo Gabba Gabba costume, a dance camera that you plug into the TV and see yourself dance, the Elefun game, and some very cute clothes! Everything was a big hit! It has been so cute to see and hear her use her imagination as she plays with everything.

I must say, I don't think there was a happier 4 year old on the planet! She had so much fun!

Thank you everyone for helping make her birthday a great one!

Deer Hunt 09

I must say that this year is one for the record books. In the past Tom will go hunting for a week or so and I stay home with the children and life is pretty normal. This year there must be something in the air, because it seemed that whatever could go wrong did.
Tom left on a Tuesday afternoon. I swear that his last words to the kids were "make moms life unbearable while I am gone." At least I like to tease him about that. Because, even though I stay home with them all day long, they decided that the first couple of days would be the perfect time to cause havoc.
Wednesday cute, sweet, innocent, Jaycie decided it would be great fun to color on her closet doors with dark blue and purple markers. Yeah for me! Something new to clean up!
Thursday morning Chesney decided it would be great fun to lock and shut all the doors upstairs that lock. This included the room that kept the keys to unlock said doors, mine. Of course she had to do this first thing in the morning before I had the opportunity to get dressed. Frantically I was running around the house hoping to all who is mighty that there was a key somewhere so I wouldn't be running to the store, in my bath robe, to buy something to unlock the doors. Luckily, I found one downstairs.
Things quited down until Friday night. At 4:30 in the morning the smoke detectors decided it would be great fun to beep. Just once mind you. But enough to scare the tar out of me! Frantically I am running all over the house checking for anything that would have set them off. My mind was racing, how was I going to evacuate 2 children and 9 dogs. 8 of which can't walk and 1 that would run away if given the opportunity. I didn't find anything so I chalked it up to a fluke. It still took me the next two hours to calm down enough to get back to sleep.
Saturday I needed to pick up some more fabric for the girls Halloween costumes. I ran into the craft store thinking that it should be a quick in and out trip. WRONG. The moment we step through the door my lovely Jaycie started screaming over everything. Over the usual stuff. She wants to be where Chesney is. Must sit where Chesney is, must have what Chesney has. So on and so forth. Well, my quick in and out turned into over an hour. We had to wait in line at the cut table for 45 minutes. It sucked. I was really wishing I could discipline my child in public without worrying about the consequences. She of course stopped once we got going down the road and mom yelled at her for over 10 minutes. Can I just say I HATE the terrible 2s!
Sunday, thank goodness, was quiet. WHEW.
Then Monday reared it's ugly head with a vengeance! I was working on a Halloween costume when my sewing machine started to act up on me. NO NO NO! I looked up to see that our 50 inch tv is now tilted at a 45 degree angle on its stand. AAAAHHHH! All that kept going through my mind was, save the tv, save the tv. So I called my brother in law to come help me lift the tv and set it down on the stand. Once he got there we proceeded to take the tv down. Neither one of us thinking that it would probably be a good idea to see if we need to disconnect any wiring in the back. We ended up saving the tv, but two of the nice expensive wires that run the tv now need to be replaced. So now in order to watch tv and keep the kids entertained, I rob one cable from the upstairs unit and plug it in downstairs. Then, when I need it back upstairs I unplug it from the downstairs and take it back up. Yeah for musical cables! Oh yeah, the sewing machine malfuntion was my own fault. I just kept forgetting to put the pressure foot down. So at least that isn't broken on top of everything.
This afternoon Tom is coming home. I quite honestly don't know what is up with this week. I have been on my own before and nothing like this has ever happened.
Oh, and as of this morning, no deer. I guess we can call that the icing on the cake.

Puppies, Puppies, Puppies

Well, we did it! We successfully mated our dog, Asia. The first time we tried it, it was a flop. But this time worked wonders. We have 8 happy, healthy puppies running around now. The sad thing is that she delivered 12 pups total but 4 didn't make it. I have to say it will be fun and sad to watch them grow up and leave us so soon. But we will enjoy them while we have them.

Family Fun at the Water Park

Usually every year we try to take the kids swimming. For the last few years we have been going with my sisters and their families to the Roy swimming pool around the 4th of July. This year was different. That family trip to the pool happened spontaneously when Tom and I asked Angie to babysit while we went to Lagoon for the day. So we missed out but the kids had a blast with Aunts and Uncles and Grandma.

With that in mind, we decided to take the kids to a big water park instead. We picked Raging Waters to host this years family get together. It was a great day! The weather was a little iffy in the morning and when we got there at 11:30am the pools were really cold. But in about an hour or so they started warming up. This was the first time ever I have gone to a park this size and it was not wall to wall people. We could go down the river without bumping into people right and left. No fighting for space in the wave pool. We walked on every slide, no waiting at all. It was fabulous!

The kids enjoyed every minute of it and so did the rest of us. It was a great day!

Sweet Little Angel

My cousin Staci and husband Danny lost their little boy, Bridger, this week. Attached is his obituary. Our heart and prayers go out to their family.



BRIDGER SMITH
Bridger James Smith 09/04/2008~08/08/2009 Bridger was gratefully received by Staci and Danny Smith on September 4, 2008 in Salt Lake City. From the moment Bridger entered this world, he had a way of winning the hearts of all those around him. From birth to the end of his time here on earth, Bridger fought many battles and until the morning of August 8, 2009, he was able to persevere with a smile. It was while in Texas being evaluated for a heart-lung transplant that Bridger faced his final battle in this world. Bridger is a miracle to his parents, to the medical world and to all those who had the privilege of knowing him. We will forever miss our beautiful, blue eyed boy and look forward to the moment we see his smiling face again. We would like to give our love and gratitude to all of our family at Primary Children's, because of your love for our son and dedication in your work, we had an amazing 11 months and four days with Bridger. Bridger we are all better for knowing you. Your mom and dad love you more than you will ever know! Thank you for choosing us! Services will be held at Jenkins-Soffe Mortuary at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 15, 2009, 4760 South State Street, Murray, Utah, with viewings on Friday at the mortuary from 6-8 p.m. and Saturday 10-10:45 a.m. prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, a foundation has been arranged in Bridger's name at Primary Children's Medical Center. All funds raised will go toward sleep chairs in the Pediatric ICU. Online condolences at http://www.jenkins-soffe.com/

Laine's 12th Birthday

Our oldest child turned 12! That is just amazing to me. The time has gone so fast. Only yesterday I was bringing him home from the hospital after his birth and now I have a budding teenager on my hands. Ok, enough nostalgia. Time to get to the event at hand.

We had just a small family party for Laine. He was so excited. At the same time a little confused. Because he lives at Rick's house now we only get him every other weekend. His actual birthday wasn't for another week. Usually I will throw their birthday parties after their actual birthday has passed. This year however, we held it a week early. He was scheduled to have another surgery on the 13th and not knowing his recovery with how he would be feeling and what he could and couldn't eat we decided to host his event early. Makes sense right??? He made a killing, as usual. We got him a ramp for skateboarding or biking and of course, the mom standard, clothes. Grandma Wendy made him a book of card games and gave him some cards to he had something to do while recovering from surgery. Grandma and Grandpa Simmons and family gave him a new skateboard and helmet and pads. He also got some other stuff from other family members and of course money. It was a simple party of cake and ice cream and great company. I think he had a ball and was very pleased with everything. Thank you to everyone for coming and helping celebrate.

First yearly visit to the zoo!

This 4th of July weekend Tom and I decided we should do something. We didn't have many plans for the weekend since Laine and Kaylee were with Rick this weekend, so we decided to throw caution to the wind and go to the zoo. (I know, so adventurous of us.) Can I just say that I love the zoo. I really should look into getting a family pass there each year. I could go at least 3 or 4 times a year. It is always such fun. I think Chesney and Jaycie's favorite part was the park. They told everyone they went to the zoo and played on the playground. Cute little stinks. I can honestly say a good time was had by all. I can't wait to do it again.

3 years and counting.

It is official. Tom and I have been happily married now for 3 years. WOW! I must say that time does fly. It really doesn't seem like that long. But, I could not be happier with my choice of life mate. He constantly still makes me smile and laugh. I know if I am having a hard time with anything he will be there to let me blubber on, beat up on, or just chew out depending on what the situation may hold. And incredibly, he takes it all in stride. I know I can count on him for anything and he will do his best to make sure I am happy at all times. I truly love him with every fiber of my being. Thank you Tom for choosing me. I love you!

Saratoga Splash was really a SPLASH!

My sister-in-law, Karley, and I decided to try out our craft skills and do a booth selling our good at this years Saratoga Splash carnival/festival. We had been preparing for this event for the last two months. We had a little bit of everything to sell. We did burp clothes, flower clips with head bands, tutu's, beaded spiders, glass etched candle holders, stroller blankets, and several other items.
The weather report for the day was thunderstorms. Well, usually out here we get dumped on for about 10 minutes or so then it goes away so we took precautions against the anticipated rain. Everything was going really well for the first few hours. We were doing pretty well with our sales. Considering it was very overcast and not that many people were wandering around. The carnival officially opened at 11:00am. By 1:00pm the sky started getting really dark. We prepared ourselves to sit out a rain storm. Within like 10 minutes the storm hit. We sat through about 10 minutes of down pouring rain just like everyone else around us. Then out of nowhere the wind picked up. I would say it got up to at least 40 mph. Disaster hit. The wind was so strong that it was trying to uproot our staked down canopy. Karley was on one side trying to hold it down and I was on the other side. Both of us decided it was time to try to pack it in. A hard feat to accomplish since both of us were busy trying to hold the canopy from flying away.
I tried to call Tom for help. But of course the electrical storm was interfering with my phones power and it would not stay on long enough for me to get a phone call out. I asked our neighboring tent dweller if I could use his cell phone. His worked, but unfortunately Tom could not hear a word I was saying. In desperation I was yelling HELP into the phone hoping he would at least hear a portion of what I was saying and get the point. Luckily he took my phone call as what it was intended for and was on his way to help. Now the bad part to our rescue. Due to the road construction and people trying to get out of the weather, it took him 20 minutes to get through the intersection so a whole 30 minutes before he made it to our aid. Our event was only a maximum of 10 minutes from our house.
In the mean time we were stuck. Everyone was scrambling to get their stuff cleaned up so basically everyone was on their own for the moment. While we were busy holding on to our booth, the next big catastrophe hit. The top frame of the canopy decided it was not going to hold under the stress anymore and bent, collapsing on our table and ruining several items we had set out on it. So now we have a collapsed canopy, rain and wind pouring in from all sides and little tutu's and stuff flying across the field. AAAHHHH! We had to try something so I was able to get the front two posts of the canopy down to their lowest level. Now that it was at an angle the wind wasn't as willing to carry it away. I ran to Karley to help her out.
Next problem, due to the fact that it was the back end that bent we couldn't get the pole straight enough to dislodge the peg and lower the back ends. Finally a man came up and offered to help us get unstuck. We were fighting with all our might to get the poles straight enough to get them down. Needless to say it eventually took 6 or 7 firefighters, 3 police officers, our good Samaritan and us two to get the thing down. At this point Tom was still stuck in traffic.
We started throwing things into boxes and the back of the car as quickly as possible. It was a real mad dash to get it done. With the help of all those involved we got everything but two items into the car by the time Tom showed up. Both Karley and I looked like drown rats. Just soaked from head to toe! All that was left to do now was drop off stuff and survey the damage. Karley told me she had burp clothes and tutu's all over the house trying to dry them out.
So our first entrepreneur adventure was just that. A real adventure!

Wax Museum

As most of you know, I am a VERY armature seamstress. Let me stress the word VERY again. I can't read a pattern to save my life. But I am trying. With lots of help from my mother. Sorry mom.

The 5th grade had a wax museum project this year. The goal for the kids was to write a report on a person in US history. Then dress up as that person and pretend they are wax figures in a museum. Cute right??? Kaylee decided to be Pocahontas. So she asked me to make her an Indian costume. Scared to death of my abilities I said I would be happy to. Besides what else does a mom say? So I got a pattern and followed it to the best of my ability and here is the result. I don't think it turned out that bad. At least not for my first time. Kaylee loved it and was a hit with her display. I am glad she was proud of it.

My Kaylee is 11!

Another year, another year older. It seems like just yesterday my Kaylee was small enough to hold in my arms. Now I have to tackle her down just to get a hug. She is blossoming into a lovely young lady. This year she decided to have a friends birthday party and to take them all swimming. I don't know who had more fun. All the girls swimming together or Chesney and Jaycie. Lehi has a nice indoor swimming pool that has a baby area with bouncer swings and two small slides. Then a children's area that has a playground type thing with a huge bucket on the top that fills with water then empties onto the kids below. Also a small lazy river and a pool that is about 5 feet deep. On the other side is the lap pool that is up to 8 feet deep. The girls all had a blast. They even took turns playing with the little ones. Then we took them for ice cream and took them all home. Tom even enjoyed the evening and wants to do it again. I think Kaylee had a wonderful birthday. She got all that she wanted and then some.

Hope of America

This year Kaylee had the opportunity of participating in the Hope of America program. 5th graders from all over Utah are welcome to join in. It is a volunteer basis that they decide to join in. They learn songs that have been written for the program at home. The school will take some time out to teach them all the actions they need for some of the songs. Then on the night of the performance they all meet, this year at the Marriott Center, and sit in their assigned seats to form a flag. Kaylee was in the bottom portion of the blue. The performance is then broadcast live to the troops out of the country. This year there were 72 schools involved. So they split it up into two nights. Kaylee's was the second night. There were 48 schools with her. It was really a neat experience for her and us. I put a video of her favorite song on here for you to see. The song is called "We can be a light".

Easter

I must say that I love the holidays. They are so fun and everyone does such a wonderful job to make them fun and memorable. This year for Easter Laine and Kaylee were at Rick's house for the morning so the Easter Bunny came and filled all 4 Easter baskets and left them all the clothes mom instructed him to leave by their baskets. Then he hid the eggs for Chesney and Jaycie. Since Laine and Kaylee missed out on the hunt at home the Easter Bunny added special eggs to their basket to make up for it. The little ones had a blast! All morning long it was "here's an egg" squeals all over the house.

Then we got ready and went to Grandma Wendy's house. We met Laine and Kaylee there. There was an easy egg hunt set up in the back yard for the little kids. The older two, on the other hand, got to go on a Easter Detective Hunt. They got hats and badges, note pads, flash lights, and pens to help them decipher the clues they got to find their treasure. They ran all over the house. from the yard and shed to the basement and attic hunting for their prize. At the end they found a treasure box filled with chocolate coins and little keep sakes and best of all money!

When we were done it was off to Grandma and Grandpa Simmons' for another celebration. The younger kids once again had a hunt in the front yard just for them. All the excitement off all the eggs was wonderful! The older kids got to follow clues and do tricks to earn their baskets. They would have to sing to certain people and Justin even had to give Grandma Rayna a hug! (I wasn't sure he would survive.) At the end all of the kids got a bucket full of all kinds of candy and toys. The older Jazz fans even got posters and stat books.

Easter turned out wonderful as always. With lots of good food, great games, and wonderful family members to share it with. Thank you to all who made it so great!

May I Introduce Mr. and Mrs. Brandol!

I know I am late on posting this but I was waiting till I got some pictures of the wedding. On March 21st Lindsey and Schuyler officially were wed. I am so happy for the two of them. And it

is nice to have an official "Uncle Schuyler" now. They could not have asked for a better day. The sun was out and it was warm. Much to the relief of some of the bridesmaids. Only a little wind to deal with. They were married in the barn at Wheeler Farm. It was fascinating to see the empty barn transformed into an beautiful place to hold a wedding. My sister Angie was able to come out and take pictures of this wonderful day. Everybody had a great time! The little flower girls were so tired by the time it was over that trying to get them to smile was a struggle. I am so happy for the two of them. I hope they have a wonderful life together!

April Fool's Day Cont.

So, I must have made my post to early because Kaylee continued into the evening hours as well. She tried the spray nozzle in the kitchen again. This time it worked like a charm and soaked me. Then she took toothpaste and wrote on the bathroom mirrors. "Look Who? ME!!!" in the kids bathroom upstairs and "Goodnight Mom and Tom" on the master bedroom bathroom mirror. Plus covered the sinks with shaving cream. She had to clean up all the messes she made but she was as happy as could be over her victories on her parents.

April Fool's Day

So my sweet adorable Kaylee decided this year was the year to pull pranks for April Fool's Day. We woke up to a Toilet Papered living room. Saran Wrap on the Toilet on the main floor. And a rubber band tied around the spray nozzle on the kitchen sink. This one almost soaked mom. She thought it was great fun. All I could do was laugh at how hard she was trying. Funny girl!

I love my girls!

Thanks to my dear sister, Angela, we were able to update our individual pictures of the girls. She did a fabulous job! Now the hard part. Which ones do I put on my wall???