Today...

...is a good day. As I said in my last post, I have had a bit of a hard time getting psyched up for the holidays this year. I have my own issues and problems that I have had to work through.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We went to my Grandma Schvaneveldt's house and got to see all of my brothers and their families and some of my cousins. I have a niece and nephew there that just have the kissiest (I make my OWN words!) chubby cheeks. I got in some smootchin on both of them! And Bryli just makes me laugh! I love to watch and listen to her and see what funny thing she comes up with. Trust me, there is NEVER a dull moment when her and Pyper are around!

Speaking of Pyper, here is the funny story of the day. At dinner, Grandpa Schvaneveldt asked who would like to say the prayer, because he has a lot of family now. Not one to miss an opportunity to pray, Pyper raised her hand, yelled "I want to say da prwawer!" and SAID THE PRAYER! She was thankful for her mom and dad, and blessed the food. Short sweet and to the point! And if you weren't ready then you missed it! We all got a laugh, and she was happy as a clam to have gotten to say the prayer!

We got to visit for just a bit with the family after dinner, and the kids got to play with Braven, who they all informed me on the way home is AWESOME and they are so glad when they get to see him! (He is the new cousin we gained when my cousin Brandon married Maryann this summer and my kids have so much fun playing with him, he has fit right in with them, they are all crazy kids!) Then we had to run to Grandma and Grandpa Sue's house for ANOTHER turkey dinner!

We got to spend time with almost the whole family! There was only one of David's sisters and her family missing! We had a yummy dinner again, and some super tasty pies for dessert! Then we all freed our inner rock stars and played Rock Band. We even got Grandpa to sing! The kids got to play with more cousins, and I got to visit with my sis-in-laws. It was a filling, loud, chaotic, and wonderful day!

After it was over, and we were home, I realized how very lucky I am. I got to have a busy day because I have two families that care very much for us and wanted to include us in their plans. I am grateful, now! Bring on Christmas...

Happy Turkey Day!

MySpace Graphics & Free Myspace Layouts

It has taken me a little extra time to get thankful this year, but I think I finally made it! Here are some of the things that I am grateful for-- The country I live in so that I can have the chance to enjoy all the things that I have been given; a loving husband and great kids to come home to, some people never get to feel the joy that brings; family and friends, they always seem to make life better and know how to fix those bad days; a Heavenly Father who loves me and knows my needs, and will always make sure I get them even if it is not how I had it planned; a good dinner! (Some people don't even get that!)

Just venting...

Why is it that some mom's feel that I LIKE to watch their kids? They have them call and see if my son can play and he says he will be over as soon as his chores are finished. Then they just show up at my house. When I tell them that Seth isn't done with his chores and he will come over when he is finished, they state "Well my mom just dropped me off while she took my brother to the dentist." DO I LOOK LIKE YOUR FREE BABYSITTER?!? If you need a babysitter ask me, don't just send your kid over to "play" with mine! And people even wonder why I am not fond of kids. Maybe it should be the parents I don't care for since this isn't the first time this has happened!

Guess where I went last night...

Yep, it was GREAT! I was a bit sceptical of some of the actors, but it all worked out. It was a really fun Girl's Night Out. Great friends, yummy food, involuntary Heimlich maneuvers, a good movie filled with sexy men, and LOTS of laughs. What more can you ask for? Thanks Les and Jody, I had SO much fun!

*Yes Jason, I took the hair bows out before going out in public!*

My Personal Hairdresser

Pyper fixed my hair today. I don't usually wear bows, but it is nice for a change.

Here is our cheesey "after" picture!

Disney On Ice

This afternoon our WONDERFUL Grandma Charlene took us to see Disney On Ice. We had a blast! This was the first year that Pyper has gone, and she clapped and cheered and loved every minute. I don't think that I have seen Bug sit that still for that long in a while! Seth got a pair of Mickey binoculars and was able to see everything up close! And Hannah, well, she wore her princess crown most of the day!


Here is a slide show of all we saw...
(There are a bunch of pictures, I got a little picture-happy.)

Thanks again Grandma Charlene, we has a BLAST! We can't wait until next time when Bryli is big enough to go!

There was a funny that happened on the way home. Pyper got a princess crown that had flashing lights on it. She wore it on the way home and had to make sure that the lights were ALWAYS flashing. I had it pretty easy on the drive home, people just kept moving out of my way especially after dark. I was talking to Grandma Charlene on the phone and told her the other cars probably thought I was a cop with the flashing lights in my car. Just after I hung up, I caught up to the van that was in front of me. They pulled over to the side of the road! We just cruised on by, laughing!

Pyper's New Job

I took Pyper to the school to get her pictures taken, since I always remember to get the rest of them done, but not hers. They came back today. I found this badge in her pictures. I am just glad to know that she is going to earn her keep, she IS 3 after all!

Again?!?

Remember when I said that this kid was going to kill me off? Yep, see that lovely pink Band-Aid? She has done it again! Luckily, this one DIDN'T result in an ER visit. She fell into an end table and gashed her forhead right above her eyebrow. A couple of butterfly bandages and we were lucky enough to get it to stick back together, and the Dr. said that he could super glue (yes, you read that right --SUPER GLUE) it if it didn't stay closed, which it did--YAY!!

The funniest part was this morning as she was getting ready for school, she asked me if I would curl her hair so that everyone would notice her cute hair and not her Band-Aid! So, my question is...Did you notice the pink Band-Aid or her cute hair?

Also, in case you wondered...I got to go to my first Cub Scout Activity on Tuesday after school. It was a ton of fun (as I knew it would be) and I really enjoyed it. I had a good time with all the boys, but I knew I would! This new calling really is going to be fun, that was never the issue. I will just miss the girls, they were great too! (And yes, I still cry every time I think about it, but that is OK!)

Mixed Emotions

So, I got a new calling after church today. Since they asked me if I would start this week, I suppose that it is OK to talk about it.

I was asked to be the Den Mother for the Wolves. I am really excited about this calling. It will help me to be able to spend more time with my son and learn more about the scouting program that he loves. (Also I'm grateful that it involves the younger boys, because I still think that teenage boys are gross! I may change my mind in about five more years though!) I have always had stuff to do with scouts, I grew up with three brothers! I remember many family vacations that were spent at scout camp and many nights spent at Pack Meeting! I always had a good time doing all the activities and singing all the silly songs that seem to accompany scouting! I even completed some merit badges while "at" scout camp. So this new venture will be fun and I am really looking forward to it.

Now on to my struggle...

I have been in Activity Days with the 8-12 year old girls for the past few years. I can honestly say that this has been the ONLY calling that I have had in a very long time that I actually enjoyed. I have loved every second of it! The other leaders are great, and we have a wonderful bunch of girls. I have had the best time getting to know each of them and their fun and unique personalities. It has been fun to plan all the new and different things for them to do and watch the light turn on as they find something they like and are good at. I had the opportunity to be Hannah's leader until September when she went to Young Women's and was looking forward to getting to spend time with Bug next year. I guess you could say I was in it for the long haul!

Since scouts is such a big calling, I am going to be released from Activity Days. (I am sitting here with tears streaming down my cheeks as I write this, and that is DEFINITELY not on the normal side of things for me!) I will miss those girls so much, but there must be things for me to learn from the boys! I can say that the girls have prepared the way, I don't think that kids in general are as gross as I once did! (mine were always awesome, it was just every other kid, minus a select few, that made me bonkers!) Anyway, wish me luck on this new venture, I am having a bit of an internal struggle, but I know it will also be a fun experience for me!