Drawing Smiles for Mom!

Alex is our little artist. Not only does she enjoy writing stories but she also enjoys illustrating them. Our house is full of little drawings here and there. Usually while Sydney does her homework, Alex sits at the table with her and draws. I love these drawings and all the others I always find. They make me smile. I'm happy knowing my kids are happy and they love their parents.

I hope the girls never get to old or grown up to draw their parents funny little pictures. That would be a sad day when that happened. Thank you for the smiles Alex, we love you!

We bought a new car!

We added a new car to our family! The truck was needing some repairs, and with no A.C. and the summer coming, I was a big whinny baby. After we looked at the suggestion from Ford on what to fix on the truck, we thought our money was best spent getting a new one. 

 After test driving a Corolla (same model as I blue car which we still have also), We decided on a bigger, roomier, Camry. We headed up to Phoenix to our favorite car dealership Camelback Toyota, haggled over prices and drove off the lot with a brand new 2012 Toyota Camry, Barcelona Red, with only 14 miles on it.

I have to say I LOVE this car! It's comfy, roomy, and doesn't feel like I'm driving a bus! I've never been happier! The Toyota dealership was awesome, we went on a Saturday, we got free soda, hot dogs, chips, they even had a massage spot for adults (which Clay's Mom thoroughly enjoyed) and a video game room/ movie area for kids complete with free popcorn and drinks, and plenty of games to keep them busy. It made the trip so nice and they day not seem so long because we didn't have bored tired kids to deal with too!

New Beginnings

Last night we went to New Beginnings at the church. Sydney was invited because she will be going into Young Women's in November. I cannot believe I will have a twelve year old young woman! I feel old. Where has my little baby girl gone? I am proud to say she is turning into the best young woman I know. She's well behaved, well rounded and still nice to her parents and sister! Hopefully the teenage years won't change anything. All the young women had to bring a hat that symbolized them and one of the young women's values.
We made Sydney's hat. I was a little confused about the whole hat thing but it turned out so good. I think it made the night more special because we had made her hat together and it said so much about her. We made a top hat to symbolize honesty, like honest Abe. We put a big heart on it because Sydney has a huge heart when it comes to others. We also put some books because she loves to read and learn, we put a list of things she was thankful for (School, Church, Family, and friends). We put a little 1st symbol because she always puts everyone before herself, including school work and her pets. She is amazing! The hat was all about Sydney.

Dad had to work and Alex wasn't invited so we invited Nana to share the experience with us. We had a great time. The program was spiritual and wonderful, and uplifting. I still can't believe Sydney is going to be in Young Women's. I'm excited for her!

We love you Sydney!

New paint!

My office (the school library) is getting a paint job! These turquoise walls will soon be white and have murals painted on them! A local artist has volunteered her time and paint to spruce up our library.

I

Can't

Wait!

Girls, girls, girls.

What do most kids do if their Mom is taking a nap? I've heard some Mom's don't have the luxury of taking a daily nap. I've heard that they can't for fear of what their kids will do while they are asleep. I don't think I could or would survive if I couldn't take a nap. Lately I've been taking an almost daily nap. My kids are wonderful to let me. They play quietly an entertain themselves while I get a quick hour of shut eye. Yesterday was no different. We got home from school, the girls started their homework and the dishes, I picked up a little bit. The next thing I know I'm waking up from a LONG nap. I had slept almost two hours. I woke up because it was so quiet. Where were the girls? I look around for them. I found them in the back yard like this!

Reading books on the trampoline. My kids are amazing! I think it's a kind of strange way to spend free time, but hey, I got a nap!

They are the best of friends and the best kids any parent could ever wish for. I love my girls. I love my afternoon naps. I love days like these.

Thanks for being awesome girls! Mom loves you!!

Tooting my own horn!

OK, so I am not one to go around tooting my own horn but I think I've earned the right. I made yet another New Years resolution this year. My resolution was not some unattainable, lose weight, starve, or kill myself goal. My goal this year was to try to get more in shape. I decided on doing push ups and sit ups every day. So far I have done this every single day of 2012 ( I know the year just began but for me that's huge!). Yay me!! I started out doing what I could, now about every week or less I add a few more sit up or push ups. I tell ya, it's been harder than last years resolution of no ice cream and soda (which I stuck to the entire year!). I get up earlier than I use to so I don't have all eyes in the house watching me and critiquing me. I'm not doing this for them, it's for me. I've noticed a difference. I feel great and can't wait to see what the final out come is. I'd rather gain muscle than lose weight. My biceps are starting to resemble something a little like what they looked like in High school. Not that I was a huge body builder or anything but I was one buff chick thanks to hanging out with my brothers and the wrestling team.
If you made a resolution.....stick to it! It's an amazing feeling to know that YOU did it. I keep a journal. It helps me drag my buns out of bed at 4 in the morning to do sit ups. I don't want to miss a day and have a blank line in my journal. I'm putting my horn away now, I'm all tooted out. If you ever need an encouraging word to help you stick to your goal, call me, I'll be there for ya! Good luck!

Super Bowl 2012

Today started out like any other Sunday. We were up early, went to church ( I loved all the testimonies and the great lesson in relief society), took my Sunday nap, and watched the super bowl! My parents couldn't come down this year to watch it with us, so it was just us having a party. We partied that's for sure! We had a full spread. The MVP of the food table was the grilled asparagus. It was a hit, thanks to our produce man for talking me into buying it. It was awesome, the girls ate it up! We also had zucchini squash, hot dogs, grilled chicken, carrots and ranch, black olives, chips and dip, and soda. We were stuffed when kick off time came around. We saw the Pepsi commercial with Elton John as the king. Sydney ran and found her colored rocks. She looks just like him and his goofy colored glasses. I got a kick out of that!

Clay was really into the game can you tell. He's just doing what his wife doesn't like to do. I did offer but he said no. I sat happily on the couch bundled up watching the very handsome Tom Brady play a good game. (I was cheering for the Patriots because their uniforms were cuter and they have the better looking quarterback, plus I don't like all the showboating Cruz and the rest of the Giants do. I'm sad my team lost but really it's not like I watch every game of the NFL season. I only watch the super bowl.)

Our favorite commercial of the night was this M&Ms commercial. Made me laugh, the song was funny, and the girls are still saying, wiggle wiggle wiggle. Too funny. We also like the new Sonic car commercial because it was filmed in Arizona (At the Eloy Municipal Airport), and because Rob Dyrdek starred in it. He's one funny guy.

Halftime was the best I have seen in a long time. Madonna rocked the stadium. Complete with old songs, cool dance moves, no wardrobe malfunctions, new songs, and of course Madonna herself. Amazing!!

Not your typical Sabbath day that's for sure. Maybe not the most reverent and calm, but we had a great time spending time together as a family. I do have to say this, I completely despise the Go Daddy commercials. I do every year. They're full of half naked girls and provocative suggestive language. I have no idea what they're even pitching or wanting me to buy, of course I'd never check out their website. I'd hate to end up on a site full of smut. They ruin the whole super bowl party experience every year. I wish they would stick to Internet advertising so I can choose not to see their lame commercials. OK, that's my rant! I'm done.