New years Eve 2009

We spent New years eve with some of our friends this year. We ended up taking the kids swimming at one of their houses. Of coarse the kids had a great time. Kaitlyn cried as she usually does when it comes to water and splashing. I wasn't planning on swimming but ended up getting in with her to calm her down. Matayia is becoming braver by the year. She even did the polar bear run, not once but multiple times. (rolled in the snow outside and then running and jumping back in the pool) They also have a rope swing which Matayia just loved. I think her and Levi just did it over and over and over. Thanks Finch's for the fun night, even though we are light weights, and went home to bed around 10:00! Happy New Year!

My Family Present

I got a Ipod Touch from Greg for christmas. Greg thinks it so funny how somehow it has become a family gift. The girls have so much fun playing the games I have downloaded on it we have to set them a timer so they won't fight over it. I am happy to share if they could just stop fighting over my present.

Christmas

It seems like Greg and I always wake up before our kids Christmas morning. It doesn't seem quite right that we are waiting in our bed anxiously waiting for them to come and wake us up, but that seemed to happen again this year. Greg and I were talking in bed before the girls woke up and I suddenly remembered Kaitlyn and I had forgot to wrap her present for Matayia. Kaitlyn had found a great hiding spot under head bed in a couple of different boxes. I jumped out of bed, hoping i could get it wrapped before they woke up. When I tiptoed past Matayia's room i looked in and found her wide awake. She said she was waiting for it to be 7:30 which was the time we had set the night before (kiddingly) I told her to hop in bed with Greg while I wrapped on last present. When I came back both the girls were up and ready to go.



We headed downstairs to wake up Grandma and Grandpa and Bubba. (We were lucky enough to have them over for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning) And then the fun began. The girls are both old enough to really get the present thing. Matayia got a new camera, books and some new clothes from Justice. Kaitlyn got a scooter, pet shops and a hot wheels track from Santa also. Before we knew it all the presents were unwrapped and we were busily opening all those annoying little twisty tied little toys so the could be played with. Usually Greg takes so many pictures of the girls but not today we must of both been having too much fun.



Later in the afternoon we drove to Logan to celebrate with the rest of the family. Since we were getting together on Christmas we decided to wait and do the traditional fondue dinner on Christmas. Fondue is one of my favorite meals ans it didn't disappoint this year either. Because of the amount of people (especially kids) we decided it would be easier to cook the meet at the bar instead of on the table. And somehow dad got stuck just cooking all of the meat for us. Thanks dad!!

The rest of the weekend was spent just lounging with the family. (I love to lounge) We played a few games ate some good food and just had a good time together. Christmas has come and gone but once again we have made some great memories together.

Merry Christmas 2009

Once again I saved my Christmas cards til the last minute so Saturday (the 19th) we headed to the park to take some family photo's. It was real cold and we had to fight off a few tears from Kaitlyn, but we got a some good pictures. I especially like the one of the girls together. I told Greg he could be in charge of the neighbor treats, or, write the Christmas update letter. He happily chose the update letter. I think he did a pretty good job. For those of you we missed (I don't think missed many) count this as a card from us this year, send me your address, and you will get a card next year!!



Happy Holidays
2009

We are grateful to be celebrating the wonderful Christmas season once again, and grateful to be sharing it with wonderful family and friends that we love and care about. This year has been a fun and exciting one for our family.

Kaitlyn will be turning four in just a few weeks. She is the baby of our family and Megan and I have been wondering what has happened to the last four years. Kaitlyn is growing up right before our eyes. She has been doing very well in gymnastics this year and seems to have quite the knack for it. She is constantly jumping and doing cart wheels around the house.

Matayia turned seven in August. She has been enjoying the second grade and has really enjoyed making new friends at school. Matayia is an excellent reader and does very well in her school work. She must get that from her mom. Swimming, gymnastics, dance, and soccer; Matayia has been doing it all this year and seems to do well and enjoy everything she does.

Megan is the CEO of our family and she has been running a tight ship this year. I often wonder how she manages to get it all done. She has kept our girls busy in many different activities and is constantly running to either pick up one or drop off the other. She has been an advisor in the Young Venoms (did I say young venoms, I meant young womens) for the last several years and does an excellent job of relating to the girls. I often have to remind her that she is not one of them, just a leader. She is always thinking of others and putting her family’s needs in front of her own. I am often reminded of how lucky I am to have her as my wife.

Megan and I had our 10 year anniversary this year and celebrated with a trip to Europe. This was really the highlight of the year for us. It was an amazing trip and we both hope to be able to return in the near future.

During these tough economic times I am regularly reminded how thankful I am for employment and income, but the thing that I am most thankful for is to be a Dad and a Husband. My wife and kids bring so much joy to this grumpy bankers life. I look forward to the upcoming year spending time with them and creating another 365 days worth of memories.

Hopefully this Christmas Season each of us can be more mindful of those in need in a true reflection of Him in whom we celebrate. We love you and look forward to spending more time with you in 2010.

A little under the weather...

Matayia has been feeling a little under the weather this week I finally broke down and took her to the doctor Monday morning after a full day of a fever. (I actually was convinced she had a UTI) She ended up having a sinus infection (not so sure i am convinced) and missed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of school because she couldn't kick the fever. (her only symptom) Tuesday while she was in her usual place on the couch watching TV she started to become really stressed that she had not made her bed the last 2 days. We just started a job chart and she knew she was falling behind. I started to explain to her that the rules were a little different when you were sick. When I was done with the conversation I heard Matayia's bedroom door close and out came Kaitlyn. She walked over to Matayia, put her hand on her back and said "it's OK Matayia I made your bed for you!" Kaitlyn seeing that Matayia wasn't feeling very well and was upset about her bed went and made it for her. Kaitlyn at times can be a little crazy and has even been known to be a pest to Matayia. But right then and there she showed Matayia that she loved her by making her bed. This melted my heart, I would usually straighten the bed after Kailtyn made it, not this time, I even left Matayia's door open, so every time I walked by I could see the nice job Kaitlyn had done for her sick sister.

Anderson Family Christmas Party

This year we got together to clelbrate christmas a little early with the Anderson family. Since we live in the middle of all the family we had the party here. (I love hosting the party, this works great for me) Everyone came around 2, we played a few games, Pin the nose on Rudolph and of coarse a little Santa Santa, Ho Ho Ho. Then all the adults packed up and went out to dinner. Yes we left all 9 kids, Seth, Matayia, Jacie, Janie, Bryn, Kaitlyn, Adi, Kelli and even Carli home with 1 yep just 1 babysitter!! (thanks Cody, you did a great job.) We went to Rodizzio's for dinner and enjoyed a ton of good meat. I know for Greg he had fasted all day so he could eat till he needed to be rolled out of there. when we arrived back home we found the house in one piece, no one was bleeding and the kids didn't even seem to mind eating chicken nuggets for dinner instead of Rodizio's. After dinner we decorated gingerbread house's or maybe I should say some of us decorated gingerbread house's Chris and Ashlee had a hurricane come through that left there house in a pile of gingerbread and frosting. (better luck next year guys!) And then we hung the pinata. The pinata seemed to be a hit with the kids and we were just plain lucky no one actually got hit with a bat by a blindfolded kid!! One more great Christmas party behind us, and hopefully alot more to come.

The Pinata actually made it through 2 full rounds of everyone swinging!!

Christmas Pinata

Some would ask how a pinata fits into Christmas. Well, we recently got a new neighbor, Sister Otteson and making pinatas is her hobby. She happily agreed to help Matayia make a pinata for our Anderson Christmas party. Matayia drew a picture of what she would like to make (a Christmas tree) and we spent a couple of days at sister otteson's house creating the best Christmas pinata ever. While making it I wondered if Matayia would cry when her cousins went at her creation with a bat, and so we had a few talks about this. She assured me she would be OK. The pinata turned out wonderful Matayia can't wait for the party to display her hard work!!

And then try to breat it to pieces.

Kids Club

On the 1st Saturday of the month our home depot sponsors a kids club activity. My friend Lisa is in charge of the orem store and is always inviting us to join the fun. all the previous times we have gone the kids have had a great time and this was no exception. In December they made little wooden wagons and painted them too. I will have to admit the paint thing kinda stressed me out. They supply the kids with nice little home depot aprons but I was let unprotected from about 50 little kids with paint brushes in their hands covered with paint. (of coarse Greg sent me to the paint table, eagerly volunteering to save our table for when we were done)




All an all the wagons turned out pretty cute, no paint was accidentally spread all over mom's clothes, and we even got to visit with Santa after we were done!! Thanks again Lisa we had a great time!!

You know it's cold when...

As Matayia was running out the door to gymnastics she grabbed her "lighter coat" and said, "I am going to wear this coat, I looked at the temperature and it said it is 22, so it must be warm!" Needless to say it has been real cold here the last couple of days. The kids at school don't go outside for recess until the temperature creeps above 20 degrees, so the kids have enjoyed inside recesses all week!!

Christmas Lights

Would you believe after 10 years of marriage we finally have christmas lights up on our house?

All it takes is two cute litte girls begging their dad to put up the lights, I guess!! He never did it when I asked, but now I know how to get things done around our house. Secretly get Matayia and Kailtyn to beg their dad!!

Ice World

While in Boise we decided to take the girls ice skating. Boise has an inside rink that I had seen many times but had not been to so we decided to try it. Matayia was a little reluctant to go because she was scared she couldn't do it but Kaitlyn was game from the beginning. After we rented our skates i had the girls walk around on the ground first to get a hang of the balancing thing. Matayia decided right then, maybe this was going to be easier than she thought. Kaitlyn on the other hand decided maybe she wasn't as brave as we had thought. Nevertheless we headed out on the ice. Greg started with Kailtyn and I took Matayia. I thought maybe I should take a practice run without kids myself since it had been years since I had been ice skating. but decide maybe ice skating is like riding a bike, once you got it down, you got it. The first couple of laps went well for me and Matayia, but not so much for Greg. I could see Kaitlyn starting to boil over and soon the tears started to flow. Luckily we had brought Grandma and Grandpa for a backup plan for Kaitlyn and they saved the day. After Kaitlyn settled down we tried skating with a walker, and this went a little better.

Don't let the video fool you, there were a few tears to finally get Kaitlyn to this point. But if you ask her if she wants to go ice skating, she would tell you she wants to do it again.

Matayia on the other hand, did really well. Matayia is definitely our conservative one, trying new things is really hard for her. But usually after I convince her to try something new, she has a great time. She had her share of falls, but quickly got up each time. I really enjoyed holding her hand and skating around and around and around. She did have one hard fall that brought her to tears. (I felt bad for her)

But for the most part we had a great time ice skating together as a family.

Black Friday

Though I have never really understood the Black Friday thing, I decided I wanted to try it out this year... just for fun. I had talked to a few friends, also known as black friday experts on the best kept secrets. So after thanksgiving dinner I scoured the ads looking for everything I just couldn't live without. I even had Greg convinced to get up with me but as the day wore on Greg changed his mind, telling me I could just get his items for him when I went out. I quickly corrected him telling him this outing included him too. As he went to bed he said, "wake me up and MAYBE I will go." My body miraculously woke up at 3:59 just in time to hear the the 4:00am alarm.At this point Greg decided to come, since the alarm also woke him up. We (me Greg and Bubba) jumped in the car at 4:15 and headed to walmart. When we got there there were already alot of people standing around pallets of stuff waiting for the 5 am frenzy to begin. I found my place by my pallet, and waited... to just do whatever everybody else did. Someone came over the intercom at 5 and the grabbing and running began. For a moment I just stood with a huge smile on my face and laughed, and then I quickly realized this was game time and began running and grabbing myself. Racing from one side of walmart to the next to get all my needed items. This was actually funner than I had expected. We met back up and gathered all our loot in one cart and sorted though what we really needed. And then we headed to the checkout line and waited to buy our coveted items. I not only went to walmart, I also visited Target, shopko, and Toys r Us. I would say I had a great time, this was actully really fun to me. I later asked Greg if he had fun and he said "I don't think I would call it fun but I would do it again" Sounds like I scored!!

Off to grandma's house we went...

For Thanksgiving this year we decided to buck the rotation system and head to Boise. We are usually so religious in our holiday rotation but this year I really wanted to go to Boise to visit my grandparents. We haven't been to Boise in years and I felt my girls needed to have some good fun memories of my grandparents at their home. I have so many fond memories of my grandparents over the years especially at their house. So off to Boise we went, the drive was long, (a little over 5 hours) but well worth it. Pop in a few movies for the girls and they are good.

I don't know how to explain the warm fuzzy feeling that you always feel at my grandma's house but once again it was there. It felt so nice to be there with so many people who I love, Grandma and Grandpa, Sheri, my parents, bubba and of coarse my little family.


The weekend was full of good food, Greg loved the mashed potatoes (I don't make mashed potatoes because I don't like them myself) Matayia tried StoveTop for the first time along with Kaitlyn. The both thought it was great, after I convinced them that it was just soft croutons!! Though Thanksgiving never really fills me up to the stuffed stage I really enjoyed the lemon merigne pie. Matayia also tried Pumpkin pie for the first time, she said she like it but actually only ate the cream off the top!



The playground at the schoolyard, was a great hit with the girls. Bubba too!! Not really for Bubba but she definitely climbed the ranks of the favorite aunt by spending alot of time with Matayia and Kaillyn there. Thanks Bubba!!

Greg commented while we in Boise that our stuff was taking over my grandparents house. I looked around and I think he may of been right, I know we bring alot of work. I am so thankful for Grandparents who have always made me feel so special. But I feel even more grateful that my kids are lucky enough to feel the same love from them. When we left i promised Matyaia that I won't wait so long to take her back to Boise again. And a promise is a promise, see you soon Grandma!

My Thankful ABC's

A is for Airplanes I am thankful airplanes can take us all over the world to discover new places and visit my family members.
B is for Blogging The only way I can successfully keep a journal
C is for Cell phones not necessarily my cell phone, but my dads. I think of all the time my dad spends in the car and I am thankful he uses his cell phone to keep in touch with me.
D is for DVR Need I say more, the best spent $5 in my budget
E is for Education So thankful my children have the opportunity to be educated.
F is for Friends Not just thankful for good friends, but friends who help me to be a better person
G is for Greg Thankful not just for him, but thankful he puts up with me.
H is for Heat vents - My favorite winter pastime, curling up in a blanket on top of a heat vent.
I is for Instant Messenger - Keeps me in touch with Miranda, wherever she is in the world.
J is for Job Chart-I am thankful to be able to teach my children the value of work.
K is for Kaitlyn I am thankful for the spunk Kaitlyn brings into our home
L is for Love I am thankful to be able to feel true love
M is for Matayia I am thankful for such a great great helper
N is for Nightime reading, I am thankful to lay on a bed and read with my girls.
O is for Oregon, not just the state but all the memories I have enjoyed there over the years
P is for Paying Bills-I am so so thankful at this time to be ABLE to pay my bills while so many are not.
Q is for Quiet Sunday Afternoons
R is for Ranch dressing This may seem silly, But I thankful for the taste of ranch that can help me eat almost everything without gagging.
S is for Sisters I am thankful for all my sisters all for different reasons (not enough space here to explain)
T is for Texting A new found way to keep in touch with Melissa.
U is for USA I am thankful for the freedoms I enjoy living in ths country
V is for Vision I often think of Grandma in her last couple of years without her vision. I marvel at her grace. And appreciate my vision even more.
W is for Walking I think of Travis and his struggle to do such a simple thing, I am grateful for my working body.
X is for Tax returns (the best I could do with X) Always thankful for a little extra money.
Y is for Young Women Girls Not only do I love my Young Women girls they make me thankful I am not their age again, going through the struggles of teen age years.
Z is for Ziploc Bags maybe a stretch for Z but come on what would we do without them

I am Thankful for...

Last night at dinner Greg and I were talking to the girls about why we celebrate Thanksgiving. We talked about the pilgrims and Indians, why we eat turkey for thanksgiving, and explained we had many many things to be thankful for. We then proceeded to talk about things we were thankful for. Greg and I named a few things we were thankful for, and Matayia followed. Kaitlyn patiently listened to every ones list and then replied "I am thankful for prayers" I looked at her a little stunned, but felt a somewhat proud. Prayers at our house are often a time for fighting. It seems it should always be someone else's turn, which always causes a fight on who "gets to say the prayer. I often wonder if the things I teach my kids really sink in and Kaitlyn taught in that small comment, we are on the right path. However, I am sure there will be a fight on who "gets" to say the prayer for dinner tonight.

Matayia's Talk

Matayia volunteered to give a talk in primary last week. When she came home from primary she was so excited to write her talk herself. Her talk was supposed to be on how she can be a good example for her family. She thought and thought about this subject and wrote a short talk by herself. ( I really only helped her a little bit)

It went like this...

I am trying to be like Jesus, I am following in his ways. Jesus set a good example for us, and I can set a good example for my family. 10 ways i am setting a good example are...

1. Being nice
2. Being helpful at home
3. Listening to my teachers
4. watching good TV
5. Obeying my parents
6. Being honest
7. Talking nicely
8. Going to church
9. Paying tithing
10.Sharing with everyone

All of these things are important, but I want to talk about my favorite three.

1. Being nice to others, Jesus said " a commandment I give unto you that you love one another as I have loves you" Being nice to others is sometimes hard but I know Jesus is happy when I show love to everyone.

2. Being Honest, In the 13th article of faith it says... We believe in being honest. When I am honest I am happy.

3. Watching good TV. There are lots of different shows i can watch on TV. But sometimes there are shows that say bad things or are not good. I can be a good example by turning off the TV and walking away.

I am trying to be like Jesus by setting a good example for my family and friends. I am happy when I am a good example. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

I loved how much thought Matayia put into this talk, gone are the days of me writing her talk and making her memorize it, just another sign of her growing up.

My little project

I love to go to the DI. Some may find this funny but I just love to see what I can find there. I often have to remind my self while I am there that I don't need to fill my house with junk. But the other day while I was looking for something else I walked by this little desk.



I stopped, I looked at it and thought it was cute but told myself to walk on. Later that night I talked Greg into coming back to the DI with me to see if the little desk I now wanted was still there. It seems as though our laptop had found a home on our kitchen table and it was getting annoying moving it every night for dinner. I decided that this little desk would solve the laptop table problem. I think Greg secretly hoped the desk would be gone when we got there (He is not always fond of my DI treasures) but to my excitement it was still there. Greg couldn't refuse my little project and at $20 who could. Greg did make me promise right there in the DI isle that I would have it painted and done in 1 week. Greg seems to think I have a small problem with not finishing my projects. (I am not saying he is always wrong on this one) I promised, and we brought home the desk. And in less than a week we now have this cute little piece of furniture, a perfect home for our laptop.




Though the desk is technically done, I am not sure I love the drawers stained. But I figured it was easier to paint over stain, then paint. So sometime in the future I may paint the drawers white also. But for the sake of the 1 week deadline the desk is done. (my main reason for doing this post is to document to Greg that I do finish projects)

I did

I did, I really did put my christmas tree up today. I said I would never put my christmas tree up before Thanksgiving. But I broke down today and put it up. However, I can proudly say there are no decorations on the tree (just lights) that I am waiting to do after Thanksgiving.

Locks of Love

I decide awhile back that I wanted to grow my hair out and donate it to "locks of love" The problem with this was I was really getting tired of my long hair, and it wasn't quite long enough to donate yet. (I needed 10 inches) But I could not handle being what felt like Rapunzel any longer. So I cut my hair, I was very comfortable with cutting about 7 to 8 inches off. But when I got there to get my hair cut I just couldn't handle throwing that hair away. So I went for the full 10 inches. I went from the longest I can ever remember my hair being to the shortest. Matayia and Kaitlyn were facinated by the ponytail I brought home. (You mail your hair to Locks for Love)Matayia loved to smell it, she said it smelled so clean and Kaitlyn just wanted to carry it around and show everyone who came to our house. Both of these things really grossed me out, so I packaged up my hair and mailed it as soon as possible. I am getting used to my short hair, though maybe the summer is a better time to have short hair because my neck has gotten a little cold the last little while. Looking at the bright side I am perfectly capable of growing back my hair while others don't always have that same luxury. I will happily just buy a new warm scarf, to keep my bare neck warm this winter.

Believe it!!

I knew no one would believe that I really dressed up this year for Halloween,(espicially my family) if I didn't take a picture to prove it. Here it is, proof!!

Happy Halloween

Halloween was great this year, as you can see we had 2 witches (sometimes 3) at our house. I decided a couple of months back I would make my girls Halloween costume this year. I think making Halloween costumes is alot of work. Especially if you are me, someone who needs to go overboard on everything. (I just noticed we don't have any pictures of the cute brooms we also made to match.) After the costumes were all done Matayia said "mom, I don't think I am a very scary witch" I said "no, I would say you are a funky witch!"

Trick or Treating went well, no crying, no whining, no begging to go back to the house. Just 2 little witches (and a stray transformer) pounding the streets gathering candy. When we were almost finished Matayia was remembering some of her favorite houses (especially what they gave her) She said "I like the Waite's house they gave us microwave popcorn, they are so nice!" to which Kaitlyn replied "I think every house is so nice, because they all gave us treats!!" Every time Kaitlyn got a piece of candy she proudly showed Greg and I, telling us exactly what she got as she put it in her bag. Let the candy eating begin, we got alot of it.

Pumpkin Fun

Greg doesn't love carving pumpkins, when I told him we were going to pick out pumpkins for FHE he said "do we have to??" I told him if he could convince the girls to forgo the carving I would happily go with it. As you imagine he couldn't convince them. So Greg cut off the tops handed Kaitlyn her tools and told her to dig in. She then decided this pumpkin thing wasn't that cool.



She whined and complained and Greg cleaned out her pumpkin. On the other hand Matayia cleaned out her pumpkin herself this year, and even tried to convince Kaitlyn that it was fun.



Matayia even carved her pumpkin all by herself this year also. After Greg cleaned his pumpkin and Kaitlyns I tried to convince him to clean out mine also, but once again, like every year he shot me down. Though carving has not always been my favorite I think it is kinda growing on me!!

Crazy hair day

I think Matayia and I have talked about and planned for this day since she started kindergarten. Somehow we always forgot or missed it. While Greg and I were in Europe last spring they had the last crazy hair day and Matayia insisted to her grandma (who was watching her) that she better wait for her mom to do it. The day has finally come... CRAZY HAIR DAY!!!! We started out by parting her hair into many ponytails and them twisting them all into small buns.

We then put flowers in the front ones.




But what suprised us the most was, how CRAZY it looked when we took all the buns out that night.



This being our first official Crazy Hair day we can't wait for many more!! (we have so many ideas!)

What I love about you!!

Last time we were in Logan we were lucky enough to be there at the same time as Stacey and her family. Though her family brings a little craziness with them they always bring alot of fun. This visit was no exception. The kids played, they played, and played and when we were ready to leave, of coarse Matayia could not find one of the many trinkets she was planning on taking home. Of coarse the tears started to flow and everyone started to look for the lost truck. Without any hesitation Josh piped in "she can have mine!" he walked over to Matayia with her tears flowing and handed her his truck telling her she could have it. No one asked him to give up his truck, no one expected him to give up his truck, he saw that his friend was sad and he wanted to make things better. This is what I love about Josh, not that he gives my kids his toys, but that he genuinely cares for others. This is not the first time Josh has done something like this and I am sure this will not be the last. I often watch Josh from the background, he truly is so sweet, he thinks of others before himself and accepts everyone for who they are. I watch how sweet he is to his little sisters, how accepting he is of some, maybe younger more abnoxious cousins and how he would do anything of Matayia.
I notice you Josh, I notice your many great talents. I love you Josh. I often wish I could be more like you, so willing to give to others who are feeling sad. I think of what a great friend you are, what a great brother you are, what a great boyfriend you will be, and someday what a exceptional father you will become. I look forward to the day you become a missionary because at the young age of just 8 you truly know what it means to "try to be like Jesus" Thanks Josh for just being you. We love you.

Fall Break

Maytayia had a couple of days off in Oct for fall break. We decided that we should spend the break in Logan. (it is always so boring at home) We (me and the girls) drove to Logan on Wednesday after Matayia finished school. We got to Logan just in time for dinner. After dinner we decided to go over to Tenley's house for a visit. I just love that Tenley lives behind my mom. Matayia and Kaitlyn love Tenleys kids. Carter and Matayia are the same age, with Tate in the middle and then Kaitlyn and Reese are the same age. Often times when we go to Grandma's house the girls beg to go to Carters house to play. Kaitlyn needs a cute little girl friend like Reese to play with more often.

Thursday we spent the day with Melissa and Easton. We did a little shopping (of coarse)went to Jamba and made witch hats. Kaitlyn found a new best buddy in Easton. They haven't always got along that well, but things have changed. They were so cute together.



Thursday night we went to the Rec center where Grandpa was reffing a volleyball game. Matayia and Kaitlyn think going to Grandpa's games is the coolest. They don't care what kind of game is going on they don't even really care about the game they just love to run around the track above the courts.

We were glad to hear that Jacie and Seth were out of school on Friday an that we could spend the day together with them. Val and I worked on some sewing project while the kids played. We just love Seth, Jacie and Bryn and always have so much fun with them no matter what we do.



Friday was Trevors birthday. And of coarse the kids wouldn't let the day pass without a party.



Saturday the boys went to the game. So the girls busted out the pink BB gun. We shot left over party balloons in the back yard. It was a big hit, Jake said he didn't even care that the gun was pink.




All and all we had a great fall break. Both of my kids shed tears as i drug them out the door to go home. (they were also a little sleep deprived) Thanks everyone for the fun weekend. i know we bring alot of noise and craziness, but we sure love being together as a family!!

Current Projects

While visiting my mom, I came with a bag full of projects to get done. What I learned was I brought way too much stuff. I love to be in the sewing room with my mom but when I come with too much stuff it becomes a chore not a pleasure. Sorry mom, I will bring one project at a time for now on.

But I did come home with some great loot...

We made shirts (I say we because, OK my mom did most of the work)

We made Skirts...

And we made coordinating outfits...

Our Halloween Costumes are still to come!!!

This would be the reason

This would be the reason I insist on picking out my children's clothes!!!

Some how she escaped from the trailer that morning!!