Christmas Performances

Anika is involved in a production company where she learns to sing and dance. We are on year number 3 and she absolutely loves it! After the 6th perfomance of the year (doing the same songs), and 1 gymnastics performance I still couldn't get enough. I guess you could say I'm a very proud mom. Anika is a talented girl and we love to watch her and see her cute smile. Jason got teared up watching his only little girl on stage. Oh, the strings they pull in our hearts!

I am grateful for . . .

If you read this post you are tagged and must post the 10 things you are most grateful for this year!


10 things I am grateful for . . .

1. A husband I am in love with

2. Four healthy and wonderful children

3. A healthy body

4. Loving parents and great siblings & in-laws! :)

5. Jason's work

6. A safe home

7. My testimony

8. Amazing friends

9. To be a woman

10. Lipgloss

Viva la Vida!!!

What an amazing concert! Jason and I went for the 2nd time to see Coldplay. The last time was in Vegas almost 2 years ago - and then last Saturday! I really can say this is my favorite band! And what great performers, they are at full speed the whole concert. We went with some friends who had seats by the walk out stage. Our seats are what Jason called by the "walkout roof" - but really, they were great! We were able to sit the entire concert if we wanted and then the band came into the audience to play a song and were directly underneath us. I'm not really one to get excited over "stars", but it was fun to be so close to the greatest band!

This is the shirt I was goint to get, if the line hadn't been so long - but I really liked the brown. I guess this will do since, now that I'm not at the concert, I don't have an urge to buy it! :)

Twilight

I gave in to the madness of going to the midnight showing . . . dinner at the Melting Pot (at 9:30 p.m.) and craziness with the girls was great! The movie, on the other hand, was beyond cheesy - and I needed a little more in the vampire department. Too bad, but a fun night overall!

Hooray for Teachers!

I went into both Conner's and Anika's classroom last week to volunteer, like I have been doing for the last 6 years. It is not some great service I am performing, I just really like being there. I love to be in the classroom - seeing how my children are doing, getting a feel for the classroom climate, checking out the friends, etc. Anyway, I left feeling so happy for the teachers my kids have. Anika is very serious at school! She won't even wave to me or Jason if she happens to see us in the hallway at school - no talking, you understand! She is very self-motivated and does neat work! Her teacher is fit just to her! The classroom is open, all students were busily working on their own assignments at their own pace and moving forward when they were done. It was great. . .
Then, I move to Conner's class. I walk in and notice Conner sitting at his desk with a paper bag over his head. Of course there are eye holes and he has his glasses on over the bag to keep it in place. Mrs. Christensen (or Mrs. C) says off hand that he is being an example to the class that it is okay to be different - I am thinking it must be some kind of object lesson or something. Looking at my blank face, Mrs. C asks if Conner told me about the book they read - no! Apparently they read "Bag Head", a story about a boy who wore a bag over his head to prove the point of being different. Conner decided to bring a bag to school and wear it - Mrs. C says, "He's so creative!" I just laugh and Conner looks over at me coyly! The class then proceeds to tear apart newspapers all over the classroom to have a "real world" experience with decimals and percentages. The whole while Mrs. C is apologizing for the class being such a mess every time I come in. I love it! I hear so much criticism for teachers everywhere, so, I want to say Hooray for Teachers this week!

Fall Fun

Monsters!

The kids Halloween party!

Pumpkin carving

Our annual Halloween dinner

"Neewollah Eats"

My parents -

they are always up for fun!

Christina & Jason

Picking pumpkins. . .

Scarecrow festival

8's Tag

Tagged by Kelli

8 TV shows I like to watch.....
(This might show my true character)

1. Prison Break
2. 24
3. Without a Trace
4. Signing Time
5. Bones
6.
7.
8.

8 favorite restraunts. . .
(This is the only one I didn't have a hard time with)

1. Epic
2. Stoneground
3. Ginza
4. Goodwood
5. Olive Garden
6. Melting Pot
7. Biaggi's
8. Rumbi
9. Some back woods, crab cracking place the Barton's took us to!

8 things I did yesterday...

1. Took my kids to the Scarecrow Festival
2. Started laundry
3. Went to my favorite class at the gym (Strike!)
4. Drove the girls to dance
5. Made dinner
6. Went to the store at 8 pm to buy a cake for my 2 year old's birthday, it was yesterday! (lame mom, he had to ask for it)
7. Picked out pumpkins
8. Crashed early - I was tired!

8 things I'm looking forward to...

1. Our house exterior to be finished
2. My boys bedrooms put back together
3. Seeing my new nephew
4. Going to Thriller with girlfriends
5. Seeing Wicked in the spring
6. Seeing Coldplay next month
7. My son and his friend's haunted house
8. Conner's last football game

8 things on my wish list...

1. My house done (There is a theme here. I might blog it someday)
2. Our yard finished (We are almost there! Thanks to my talented and handsome husband, who is not sitting here watching me.:))
3. Find great jeans that fit my waist and thighs
4. Jason to be able to breath long enough to kiss
5. Garage that is bigger than my car
6. Bosch mixer and wheat grinder
7. My friend, Christina, to have a baby
8. My children to always be happy and good


8 people I tag.....

Carlee, Jami, Candace and anyone else who actually finds their way to my obscure blog.

Fall Hike

What a gorgeous fall we are having here in Utah. We took a hike up Big Cottonwood Canyon to Dog Lake, 70 degrees and loving it! I love being in the mountains! The smell and color of the leaves, the blue sky - it really doesn't get better (unless I am riding the trails on a mountain bike)!! The kids were troopers and thought the berries they found and the snow on the hillside were the highlights! Best moments for me: Trey falling down a black dirt hill on his face. He didn't get hurt, but wasn't too pleased about the dirt in his mouth. Comments from every hiker about the "pack" we had with us - picture it: 2 ladies with babies on their backs and 7 other children in tow!

Friends

I threw this picture on because it makes me happy! This is my daughter with the daughters of my high school friends/college roommates. I am grateful for the friends I have from all phases of my life. I have realized that none can be replaced, but more can always be added!

Saturdays

We have put 3 of our 4 children in soccer starting at age 3. I am sure I will sign up the fourth when he hits the magic age. None of them have actually liked it. They enjoy the treats at the end for sure and I think that is the main motivation for going! They all have given the running a good shot, but they mostly steer clear of actually kicking the ball. As long as they are on the perimeter of the swarm and someone else has it under control they have been pleased. This year for Lucas (his 3rd season, the first he played 1 game and then refused) we thought we had a soccer player. He was excited to be on the field, and he went after the ball and kicked it. This practice came to a screeching halt when he got hit twice on the head with the ball. He then followed his siblings patterns and skirted around the actual contact with the ball. Funny thing, we continue this practice and we all really like it!

Now, football - FOOTBALL, really! I didn't imagine having a son play football. I imagined soccer, basketball, SKATEBOARDING, mountain biking - not football. When my tender Conner asked to play tackle football I told him he would be getting hit, thrown to the ground, etc. He smiled and said, "I know". After my much complaining (not his) of a month of 5 day a week 2 hour practices, lots of bruises, bought and lost uniform pieces and now several games . . .

I am loving dragging my little kids in the freezing rain to watch these boys run into each other! I even get tempted to watch football on tv! Go figure! I tend to fall in love with those things my most precious ones love.

Summer is over and am I really doing this?

My kids are growing so quickly, it seems right before my eyes. The fact that I am actually attempting to blog must be half peer pressure and half desire to slow life down. Since the latter is impossible I am in a race to preserve what I have. That must be my problem . . . always in a race. So, this is dedicated to all my wonderful talented friends who are far ahead of me in the blogging world.