Happy Turkey Day!

Hope you all are having a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know I am. What could be better than my Mother-in laws cooking? Nothing but my Mom's of course! Here's a little Maxine to make you laugh. Sometimes we get a little stressed out and frazzled for the holidays. All the family, the noise, the gifts, the traveling. Don't let it all get you down, Maxine never does. This post is for my very own Maxine. Love ya mom!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

the 12 days of Thanksgiving

The 12 Days of Thanksgiving

On the First Day..... We give thanks for the fresh turkey feast and its hot trimmings.

On the Second Day..... We bless the cold turkey sandwiches, sloshy cranberry sauce, and hard rolls.

On the Third Day..... We praise the turkey pie and vintage mixed veggies.

On the Fourth Day..... We thank the pilgrims for not serving bison that first time, or we'd be celebrating Thanksgiving until April.

On the Fifth Day..... We gobble up cubed bird casserole and pray for a glimpse of a naked turkey carcass.

On the Sixth Day..... We show gratitude (sort of) to the creative cook who slings cashews at the turkey and calls it Oriental.

On the Seventh Day..... We forgive our forefathers and pass the turkey-nugget pizza.

On the Eighth Day..... The word ''vegetarian'' keeps popping into our heads.

On the Ninth Day..... We check our hair to make sure we're not beginning to sprout feathers.

On the Tenth Day..... We hope that the wing meat kabobs catch fire under the broiler.

On the Eleventh Day..... We smile over the creamed gizzard because the thigh bones are in sight.

On the Twelfth Day..... We apologize for running out of turkey leftovers. And everybody says, "Amen!"

Birthday Bonanza!

This was once again a birthday to remember. No party, no stress, no large amounts of people to entertain. Just a fun evening spent together as a family. My kind of party! What a fun time we had. I hope Sydney had as much fun as we did. Thanks to Nana and Papa and the rest of the gang that sent the balloons and gift to the school. Sydney was so excited! Of course, what is a birthday without presents. Sydney got a lot of things but not the one thing she really wanted. She really wanted some Magic Tree House books. Since Alex has been sick I haven't had time to get to sierra vista and pick her up some. She is so excited to go to the bookstore today with daddy and buy some. Thanks to all of you who sent her money, she can now go and get the books she really wanted!

There is always at least one DVD given as a gift. Sydney was so excited to get Wall-E. You can just see it on her face. She also got Kung Fu Panda (thanks Nana and Papa), which we watched last night. It was a cute movie. Now you know why we have the movie collection we do!

By far, the BEST thing she got for her birthday was this game. What a hoot! We had so much fun playing it as a family. We kept saying "let's play ONE more time". After about ten more times of that, mean mom and dad finally said no more. We watched a movie instead.

This game is kind of like Guess Who but can also be played like charades. We had a blast! The person wearing the body doesn't know what they are. They have to ask questions to try to guess what they are. Here is Sydney as an Octopus.

here is Alex in her true form, a monkey!

Daddy being a baby. We laughed and laughed. The girls got a huge kick out of this one! Kodak moment!

Here is another round. Sydney was a hippo, Daddy was a spider, and Alex was a fish. Too funny!

After everyone else went to bed, Sydney and I stayed up playing the game some more. As soon as she woke up guess what she wanted to do. Play with her new littlest pet shop toys? Watch a new movie? Read dsome of her new books? Oh no, she wanted to play her new game. I said I couldn't right now, she then asked if she could play it with her stuffed animals (since Dad and Alex were still in bed). I just had to laugh. What a silly girl! We love you Sydney we hope you had a Happy Birthday!

Happy 8th Birthday Sydney!

This was Sydney on her blessing day (she's the little bundle of sweetness in my arms). Look at her now!

Yes today has been an emotional day. My baby, my first born has turned 8. I feel so old. Where has the time gone? I'm so very thankful for Sydney and the sweet spirit she is. Sydney adds so much fun to our family. I can't imagine our family without her. We had our struggles when she was little, but now they seem so trivial in the grand scheme of things. Sydney still has her ups and downs but she has grown into the most thoughtful, most polite, most sensitive, most giving and loving little girl I know. She can be so sweet and timid sometimes ( I have told her more than once this year to hit the boy back then!), then other times she can be just as mean and trying as any other 2nd grader out there.

Sydney is our little book worm. She would rather read a book than do almost anything. She always sits with her legs crossed like a lady. Whether were watching T.V., traveling in the car, or sitting at the dinner table. You can be sure she'll just be sitting as quiet as can be with her legs crossed. On many occasions she has refilled the TP in the bathroom without even being asked, she'll bring glasses of ice water to her mom and dad just because she thought we were thirsty. She is notorious for giving hugs out of the blue and for saying I love you. Sydney was so clingy at one time, that I wasn't able to give the prayer in sacrament meeting without her screaming, she wouldn't go to preschool with out me and if I tried to duck out she would cry the whole time I was gone. In a weird way I really miss those days.

I am so sad that children have to grow up so fast. It makes it worth it seeing all the progress in life they are making. I almost can't wait to see her grown up. Hopefully all my hard work, tears, prayers, and sleepless nights will pay off in the end. I wouldn't trade Sydney for the world, and hopefully as she gets older she won't want to trade me in! I look forward to seeing Sydney baptized and can't wait for her to receive that special blessing.

Since Alex is sick, Uncle Will came down today to eat lunch and spend some time at school with Sydney. What a life saver! Thanks Uncle Will, you rock!. I forgot to send the camera to school with him. We'll take lots of pictures as she opens presents tonight, and post it all for you to enjoy soon.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SYDNEY. We love you!

1st baby tag

Tag...you're next, so fun to look back! Since my first baby turns 8 tomorrow I thought this would be fun.

My 1st baby...
Here you go mommies - a different kind of survey for a change - it's all about you and your first baby.

1. Were you married at the time? Heck yes

2. What were your reactions when you found out you were pregnant? Finally...yes, yes yes!!!

3. How old were you? 20

4. How did you find out you were pregnant? Peed on a stick like everyone else!

5. Who did you tell first? Hubby, then my mom then everyone who would listen

6. Due date? December 5, 2000

7. Did you want to find out the sex? of course, I hate it when my babies were called it's.

8. Did you deliver early or late? 2 weeks early

9. Did you have morning sickness? Nope never

10. What did you crave? Chips Ahoy and Yogurt

11. Who irritated you the most? The public, I worked at Safeway all day

12. What was your first child's Sex? GIRL

13. How many pounds did you gain throughout the pregnancy? 45 lbs.

14. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? swelling, preclamsia (spelling?)

15. Where did you give birth? Tucson Medical center

16. How many hours were you in labor? not long enough apparently, I can't remember

17. Who drove you to the hospital? my hubby

18. Who watched? Hubby and Mom were in the room but I doubt they were watching!

19. Was it natural or c-section? o-natural plus some awesome drugs to make me happy

20. Did you take medicine to ease the pain? epidural and oxygen...maybe laughing gas too. The doc kept saying. Ok Roxanne, stop laughing and push.

21. How much did your child weigh? 6 lbs. 4 oz.

22. What did you name him/her? Sydney Ellen

23. How old is your first born today? 7 today but 8 tomorrow!

24. Where did your water break? The dr. broke it after I was induced...

Tag: ALL of you gals with a baby =)

Calling all stressed and clueless Moms

Ever had a day where you wake up thinking it's going to be a great day only to find out, just after you have put on the finishing touches to your makeup, that in fact it's a day you should have just stayed in bed? Yep, that was our kind of day today. I still had to think about what to feed everyone. Stressed or not stressed they have to eat. That's where I was clueless. So I called a few friends and got some ideas for grub. I won't go into all the excruciating details of this long day, but I will give you two quick and easy recipes that made dinner time go a little smoother than the rest of our day.

Potato Soup

1 pkg. southern style potatoes. (in the frozen section by the hash browns)

1 big can cream of mushroom soup

Dried minced onions (amount to your liking)

2 cans green chili's

1 can evaporated milk

1 lb. ham cubed (we used chicken and it was yummy too)

Cheese

Empty potatoes into pot. Fill pot with water until potatoes are covered. cook until boiling. Add soup, green chili's, onions and meat. Stir and heat. Cook until potatoes are done to your likeness. Add evaporated milk and cheese. (We put a little cheese on top as well) Serve.

So easy and the kids even had a good time helping. That's my kind of recipe. Just dump, stir, and eat! Now for dessert. Our house was beginning to stink I was informed this morning. Sydney said it was because our bananas were beginning to look like poo. Hmmmm, banana bread anyone? I always say, I'm going to make banana bread with our slowly rotting bananas. I never have followed through. Well today I did. This recipe was so yummy and so easy. I'll be making it more often. The kids had a blast mushing bananas.

Banana Bread:

2 large bananas mashed

2 eggs

1/2 C. sour cream

1 C. Sugar

1 stick softened butter

1 tbs. Vanilla

1 1/2 C. Flour

1 tsp. baking soda

Mix wet ingredients together then add dry ingredients. Grease and flour large loaf pan. ( I sprayed Pam). Cook at 350 for 60 mins, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Walla, there is a meal and dessert! So regardless of how stressed out you are, at least you can have something good in your tummy! Tomorrow is another day, let's just hope it goes better than today!!

I love playing tag!

Once again I have been tagged. Too bad for Emily, she doesn't know that most schools have banned this awesomely fun game. Keep it on the DL, I don't want detention for playing. Here goes!....

8 things I am passionate about:

1. Being the best (and most fun) mom I can be.
2. Raising well behaved kids.
3. Family time.
4. Scrapbooking.
5. Taking at least one picture of the kids a day. (they don't stay young forever you know)
6. Being a good wife.
7. Alphabetized DVDs (I know I'm strange)
8. Reading everyday to the girls.

8 words or phrases I say often:

1. I love you
2. Goodnight, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!
3. Time to wake up sleepy heads
4. What did I come in here for again?
5. Yes Alex, you can have a snack.
6. No Sydney, you can't play your video game.
7. What do you want for dinner?
8. Wanna watch a movie?

8 things I want to do before I die:

1. Have more kids
2. See my kids have kids
3. Be on a reality T.V. show like the Amazing Race or Survivor
4. Get a Mini Cooper
5. Get Clay the Jag he's always wanted
6. Learn to cook Italian food from scratch
7. Go on a cruise as a family
8. Help Clay build our dream home

8 things I have learned:

1. Cats have scratchy tongues.
2. Motherhood is what you make it.
3. Alex and Sydney's laugh can make a rotten day excellent.
4. Looks aren't everything.
5. Clowns aren't funny.
6. Having an eternal family makes life worth it.
7. Little girls can be just as loud and dirty as little boys.
8. Grandparents really do love their grand kids

8 places I would love to go or see:

1. All the temples in the U.S.
2. Egypt
3. Argentina
4. Tour the historical sites of the church
5. Niagara Falls
6. Hawaii
7. The Titanic
8. Times Square

8 things I need or want:

1. I need to get over this cold
2. I need to clean out the back storage room
3. I need a new chair for my living room
4. I need to worry less
5. I want new windows for the house
6. I want AC for the house
7. I want to scrapbook more often
8. I want to visit family

8 foods I love:

1. Millenasa (sp)
2. Moms Enchiladas
3. Uncle Charlie's cooking
4. Charlotte's Thanksgiving spread
5. Ice Cream
6. Kettle/Carmel corn
7. Olive Garden
8. Rolls from Texas Roadhouse

Thanks Em! That was fun.

I tag anyone who wants to play! 1 2 3 not it!!

Another good read!

Wow, does Stephanie have it or what! This book is very different from the twilight series but VERY good. In the beginning it is a little hard to get into but even before the middle of the book I was hooked. I like this book too because the chapters were smaller, easier to pace myself. I recommend to anyone that likes a good sci-fi love story. Good thing I was sick for a few days and had all the time in the world to read. It was excellent! Once again, now what am I going to do with all my free time?!?

I am man, hear me Growl...

Actually there wasn't a whole lot of growling. There was a whole lot of grumbling but it wasn't coming from the male in this story. So....... Friday Clay was off and I was home sick from work. What oh what could make me feel better? Hey wife!, how about we do some spring (more like winter) cleaning? Oh yeah! Forget a hot bubble bath and maybe a movie, let's clean instead. That's the ticket. Silly me for wanting to rest. (This was really my idea but for complaining's sake let's point fingers at hubby) Why a picture of the vacuum you say? Well.......... We decided to unhook the cooler and get the heater all set up. We haven't had to use the heater yet but on more than one occasion we have waited to long and froze our little behinds off. Getting back to the story... Clay went to the hardware store to get a new filter for the heater and asked to please vacuum out from under the heater. So I do. The vacuum starts screaming and stops sucking. OH NO, I have broken the rainbow!!. Now the grumbling starts (more like fit throwing). I didn't buy the vacuum but my mom did and when she got a new one I got the old one, and man are they expensive!! I immediately pick up the phone and call mom. She walks me through some repairs and after kicking out some rather large dust bunnies from the hose we were back in business....... so I thought. By the time Clay gets back from the hardware store I'm on the verge of tears. He walks in takes one look at my face, and in a very non growling voice says Here wife, let me help you with that. Well, it was his fault, he asked me to vacuum in no mans land! He wants to fix it now???

Calmly, he takes it apart, shoves a broom handle down the hose and unleashes about 7 years worth of heater closet dust bunnies! Holy moses where did they all come from? Surely not from my immaculate house! Long story a little shorter. No cussing, no stomping, no gnashing of teeth. You can tell my husband is not related to the men on my side of the family. I told him NEVER, under any circumstances are we to vacuum that little closet out again. EVER! Needless to say, the rainbow is back in action, house is ready for winter, and my faith in my very own handyman has been restored once again! Yay for my man!

What do you want for your birthday?

My Aunt Bev must be a mind reader. She didn't even have to ask the girls what they wanted for their birthday, and they still got exactly what they wanted. No, not a fun toy, or clothes, or even a stuffed animal in it's very own bed. Oh no, they wanted the bags they gifts came. I mean, who wouldn't want a super cool, super pretty plastic bag......right?

Here are the toys that came in the bags. Sure they loved them and even played with them for a few minutes. The thing that kept them busy for hours?........The plastic bags. They wore them, cut them, danced with them. You name it they did it. They even tied it around their heads and played Kung Foo. I think next year I won't waste my money buying expensive things. I'll just buy plastic bags!! Thanks Aunt Bev, you're the best!! We love you very much and now that the plastic bags have been thrown away by mean mommy, the animals and their beds are getting played with! We can't wait to visit you soon! P.S. Sydney wants to be a spy, Alex wants to be a black widow, and I want to be a cell phone. :)

I miss Araya.

Not a day has gone by, since we last saw Araya, that the girls don't say that they miss her. Alex says that all the time. I heard her telling Sydney in the bathtub the other night, I miss Araya. I heard Sydney saying it at the dinner table. I miss Araya.They both said it to me this morning when I was doing their hair, we miss Araya. We may have to make a visit up to Montana sooner than later just to please the girls. I miss Araya too.

Baby Araya's Blessing

Once again.......blogger is being picky. I wanted the last picture first but because it was saved as a higher number on my computer it has to go last. Whatever, you still get to see it so who cares about order I guess. We went to Araya's blessing in Benson on Saturday. It was so nice that Clay actually had the day off and could go with us. I can't even remember when the last time my Aunts and Uncles had seen him.

The girls were so excited to have a new little cousin. We don't get to see any of our cousins much, but when we do it sure is a fun time. This was the first girl baby for Tammy's side of the family and the third girl grandchild for our side. We love little girls!

We don't get to see Will all that much either so it was great to see him there. Our family has always been pretty close but since James lives in another state and we all work so much it's been pretty hard to get together. I asked Clay if he wanted to hold Araya (I felt like a baby hog but I know of at least one person, not naming any names, that held her WAY more than me), and he said No thanks, I've held a baby before. I think he was just being nice because he knows how much I LOVE babies.

So, yes, I did get to hold her. What a beautiful little girl. I love her hair color, her little cry, everything about her. I can't believe how much she looks like James did when he was a baby. I was more than happy to hold her whenever I got the chance. Wow, did holding her really make me want to have a baby (that's a whole nother blog). I did get a little tired of being asked when we were going to have another one. Just to set the record straight, we've been trying for six years, I don't want to have to take drugs to get one, and there have been many bumps along the way that have made me thankful that we didn't have another child to care for at the time. Anyways, like I said......A whole nother blog.

James and Tammy are awesome parents. I didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with them, but I can tell they are. I always knew James would be an awesome Dad. Tammy seemed to handle everything so well. I remember my kids blessing days and I was stressed and frazzled and going crazy. Tammy wasn't. She seemed very calm and collected. Araya was perfect for her big day, slept through the whole thing like an angel. What a great day for little Araya. We can't wait to see everyone again. Thanks Aunt Debbie for sending pictures. I put them to good use right away!

8 Tag

8 Tag........ It's a two parter so get ready!

8 Tag!Here are the rules:

1. Post the rules on your blog
2. Answer the six "8" items
3. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

Number One:

8 Favorite TV shows:
1. C.S.I. (Las Vegas only)
2. Survivor
3. The Amazing Race
4. The Hills
5. Pushing Daises
6. Eleventh Hour
7. Law and Order: Criminal Intent
8. 48 hours mystery / Dateline / 20/20

8 Things I did yesterday:
1. Took a shower
2. Went to baby Araya's blessing
3. Visited with family
4. Held Araya and loved and kissed her and rocked her to sleep
5. Watched a DVD Clay made
6. Went to Walmart where Clay bought me the book The Host by Stephanie Meyer!
7. Read my new book some
8. Watched Mad T.V. then went to bed.

8 Things I look forward to:
1. Thanksgiving
2. Sydney's Baptism
3. Christmas
4. Seeing James, Tammy, and Araya again
5. The end of the Iraq war
6. Going to work and seeing all the kids
7. Spending time with my hubby and kids
8. Christmas shopping!

8 Restaurants:
1. Olive Garden
2. Chili's
3. Texas Roadhouse
4. Macayo's
5. Tachos Tacos
6. Magaly's
7. McDonald's (with the kids)
8. Pizza hut

8 Things on my wish list:
1. FAMILY vacation to the beach
2. Tile in the hall living room and kitchen
3. new pots and pans
4. no debt
5. new computer desk
6. go to Argentina
7. All the latest stuff for scrapbooking
8. any movie we don't already have

8 People I tag:
1. Amie W.
2. Linda
3. Sara
4. Terianne
5. Amy D.
6. Nora
7. Chalice
8. Anyone else that wants too!

By the way, I'm not going to tag you by leaving a comment on your blog so if you read it, do it....



Number Two:

Find on your computer, your 4th picture album's 4th picture...then post it.
Here's mine:



It was our first Christmas together as a married couple. Look how little Colin is! This was at Clay's parents house in Pomerene in 1998.