Christmas

I will admit that I had a really hard time getting in the Christmas spirit this year. I had a big case of "Scrooge-itis". After all is said and done though, it was a wonderful holiday! On Sunday we had a fun party at my parents house with my family. We had a good dinner complete with a birthday cake for Jesus! It was my mom's idea and the kids had so much fun lighting the candles and blowing them out. After dinner we opened our presents and Santa stopped by for a visit. He tested our knowledge to see if we remembered all the words to "Oh Christmas Tree" that he taught us last year...we did! It was good to visit with the family and see the kids play.

Christmas day was particularly odd this year! The kids didn't wake up until 7:30, and that was only because I couldn't stand it any longer and started to be really loud! I think them sleeping in may have had something to do with them getting up at 2 and peeking! Grandma Charlene and Grandpa Brent came to see them open their presents.

This is what Bugga was doing after the others had woken up. She isn't a morning person, but one would thinks she could make an exception for Christmas!

Hannah got a snowboard and bindings from Santa and snow clothes from David and I. She was pretty excited!

Seth got this awesome soldier guy in his stocking...he also got an Eye Clops mini projector, snowboard bindings, and a video game.

Bug got a DSi and a cake maker. She made a pretty tasty cake for us to eat!

Pyper got a trunk of REAL princess clothes, made by the Queen of England's seamstress! Now she can be a true princess!

I just have to brag a bit here...I have the awesomest husband and most generous sis and brother in law that a girl could ask for! Thanks to Laura and Dustin, David gave me a laptop and wireless router. I have had so much fun relaxing on the couch and Facebooking, and right this minute I am tucked under the covers in my bed all nice and cozy while blogging...ahhh, this is the life! :o)

We actually ventured out on Christmas this year. We usually just stay home and play. We went to Grandma and Grandpa Sue's house for dinner. It was a good time visiting and playing with cousins that we haven't seen for a while.

On Saturday we went up to Grandma and Grandpa Schvaneveldt's house. again, we had yummy dinner, and presents. The kids broke a pinata and then the grownups played a fun game. David and I rock at opening small presents with gloves on and won a cute lamp! It was a nice day to visit and have some good laughs!

My Lyra....

Little did I know on this day eight years ago that my "bouncing baby girl" would be quite literally...true! Lyra is a delightful, lively, bubbly, impish free spirit! She never ceases to amaze me! If someone thinks she isn't able to do something, she sets her mind to it and does! She is one persistent gal!

She is just as tenderhearted as she is crazy. She loves to help and surprise us by making our beds or cleaning the bathroom sink. She likes to cook, and I very much enjoy the time we spend together in the kitchen.

She gets more and more striking every day. It has been so fun to watch her grow and change into an effervescent young girl! Lyra, I love you more than you will ever know. I am so very grateful that I was chosen to be your mom. I love the fun and "kicks and giggles" that come along with you. Happy Birthday Lyra! I love you!

Time sure flies...

It seems like just last month that I would go to get Seth up from a nap, and he had swapped binkies. The orange ones always seemed to taste better than any other color! And then just last week, I'm pretty sure he was driving around Tonka trucks and watching Bob the Builder. Now he is a skateboarding, snowboarding, video game playing, rock and roll listening 10 year old! Where does all the time go?

Seth is such an amazing kid! He keeps us all entertained with his silly renditions of songs and stories of "What would happen if..." He isn't afraid to be who he is. I love the random hugs and kisses from him, he seems to know when I really need them. Life would definitely be not as much fun if he wasn't around, and we sure do love him!

Happy Birthday Dude! I love you!

My new "boyfriend"

This morning as I was dropping Pyper off at school, my sis in law Laura called. She asked if I had any plans for the morning. I had just taken Pyper to school, and David is in Arizona for the weekend, so I am a free woman! She had a Dr. appointment for her babies and was wondering if I would be willing to be an extra pair of hands. (Two babies requires a TON of crap!) She came and picked me up and off we went. At the Dr's, I got Jonathan. He is quite a somber little fellow, his parents call him "Mr. Serious." But today, he was nothing but smiles....for me.....not his mom....He just smiled and grinned at me! It was so cute! He loves me!

*I caught half a smile on my cellphone at the store after the Dr.*

I have a number of funny blogs that I check in on when I need a good laugh (or just need to waste a little time!). One of my favorites is The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks. I don't know if it is the signs people find, or the blogger's funny comments about each one that keeps me giggling. I had hoped maybe I'd be lucky enough to find a sign with some "unnecessary" quotation marks one of these days, and even MORE of a hope to see it end up on that blog! Well, guess what? I found one, and it made it to the blog! Check it out!

Halloween Weekend

We had a very fun filled weekend this year! Friday night we went to a Halloween party at our old neighbors new house. Cindy and her kids were great neighbors, and we have missed them tons! Through the magic of Facebook (seriously, I LOVE that place!) we reconnected and went to party at their house. We had so much fun! We got to watch our dad come in second in a donut eating contest, and he was against 2 police men! (One of them won, we laughed pretty hard!) The kids also ate donuts off a string, colored pictures for a coloring contest, and just generally had a great time! My camera stayed tucked safely in the car....

Saturday morning Seth had a wrestling tournament. He has really had fun wrestling. They got to go against three different people, and wrestle three matches each time.

This first kid was GOOD!!! It was his 3rd year wrestling.

Seth spent most of his time on the ground. He wasn't having fun! I think he was wondering what he has gotten himself into!

The next kid and Seth were both new to wrestling.

Seth had some good moments....

And he also spent some time on the floor.

The third match up was a good one as well.
Here was Seth's awesome skills...

and here were his challenger's awesome skills. But they were both smiling in the end!

And this one is just because I think it's a cute picture of my Bug!

After the tournament, we hurried home....our good friends the Braziers were coming up to spend the rest of the day with us! Amy and I made a spooky dinner, which consisted of...

A big bowl of Bug Juice to drink,

Monkey Brains, Zombie Eyeballs, and Mummy Toes for the main course,

and Ghoul Eye Pudding for dessert!

Then it was time for the Trick or Treating! We had a pile of kids that went, and they all had a blast and got sacks full of candy!

We had Snow White (no poison apples allowed!)

a vampire

A wizard

and a punk princess.

And here is the group of younger kids just before we left.

And Hannah and Jasmine just before they took off.

After the Trick or Treating we finished up the evening with some scary movies and candy! It was a fun Halloween! Thanks to all our friends for such a good weekend!

A Masterpiece?

Hannah had "Decade Day" at school today. She decided she wanted to dress 80's. After a trip to the D.I., lots of ratting, half a can of hairspray, my knowledge of the 80's, and loads of black eyeliner we came up with this...

I suddenly have the urge to sing "Girl's Just Wanna Have Fun."

Fall Fun

Yesterday we went to a corn maze and then the Pumpkin Walk. It was great fun! We wandered around the maze for a good hour before Bugga finally found us the way out! It was a good thing too, I was getting a little tired of seeing the same place twice or sometimes even three times! Pyper decided to leave us a trail of corn so we could find our way...too bad everyone before us had decided to do the same thing! The kiddos had a good time playing on this giant pyramid made of straw bales. It had tunnels to explore and even a spot you could jump off into a pile of mattresses!

We stopped and got our pumpkins for Halloween, then headed off for the Pumpkin walk. We even got to see the witch! I think this is the first time I've actually been able to see her! We had loads of fun taking our pictures as all the different characters and remembering all the funny (and some not so funny) commercials of the years!

An update...sorta

So, the natives are restless and telling me it's time for an update. I realize it has been a long while and an update is overdue. We have been terribly boring around here lately and haven't had much blogworthy-ness. But here goes!

First off, we made Hannah an AWESOME tutu for the Sky View homecoming game. She and her friend Jessica had matching outfits and I think they turned out cute. I had lots of fun helping them to make them. Thanks for letting me have some fun too gals! The best part of their night was that SV won the homecoming game! That never happened when I went there....

Hannah also got to go to California over the UEA break to visit with the Belew Bunch. She had so much fun. They went to the beach, which I think she can now cross off her "bucket list". She had a small jellyfish squishing adventure and found out that even the dead ones sting. She now informs us every time that Spongebob goes jelly fishing that "jellyfish are rude!" She got to go shopping at a REAL mall and came home with a bunch of cute clothes. She called and told me she didn't know if she could fit it all in her suitcase to come home! Thanks so much Jenni, Brett, Dustin, Shaylee, and Whitlee for letting her come to visit....she is already begging me to come back!


Since we were all well last week, we got to watch Rand and the twins while Aunt Loopy took a much needed break. I got some cute pictures of the twins and my girls. Seth and Rand were too busy playing for any pictures. We had mounds of fun babysitting, but I was definitely worn out by the time Loopy came back! I am very grateful my babies all came one at a time! Pyper was a big help! She got in lots more baby time since she comes home earlier than the other kids. She was pretty excited to get to feed Jona!

Bugga was a good baby-putter-to-sleeper. She used to do this all the time when Pyper was tiny and was glad to see that she still had the touch. He was sawing logs about a minute after this picture! Go Bug!

This is Hannah showing off her mad baby holding skills! She was even MORE talented than this, she was texting too! You know who to call if you need a couple extra hands Aunt Loopy!

And today Pyper and I got to go on a field trip to the Preston Fire Station. She was so happy to get to ride the bus for the very first time. She also informed me that it was "bring your mom to school" day today and that is why I had to go with her! We got to try on the fire gear, see an old fire engine built in 1919, see the big fire trucks and the ambulances. There are pictures of all that too, but they aren't in my possession quite yet. So, I'll add those too as soon as I get them.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot! In the middle of all our boringness...OUR DAD CAME HOME!!! We were pretty happy. We have missed him this year, more so than other years. So we have been spending time this last week not doing much of anything, but we are doing it with our dad! Yay!!!

Seth also went and played his first paintball game on Friday. Uncle Russell and David went too. Seth shot his dad and was pretty happy about that!

And my Bug...well, she is just as nutty and crazy as ever! She went to play paintball too, but changed her mind when they got there. She was an excellent cheerleader though!

So there you have our sorta update!

More Pyperisms

Around here we have funny moments like this one, or this. We call them "Pyperisms". Here is one, and another, and yet another. She is just full of them. She also has batteries that charge while she sleeps. I have often wondered where they are.

I guess now I know!

She was watching cartoons yesterday and hollered for me to "come see this!"

Pyper: "Mom, sewiosly, do you see dat guy?"

Mom: "Yes."

Pyper: "Wewl, he is HOT, I mean sewiosly!"

And, if that isn't enough for you.....David bought toilet paper the other day. He bought a different kind than I usually do. While she is sitting on the potty, Pyper yells "Hey mom, this new toylet paper is nice! It works weally good! We should buy dis kind awll da time!" Just in case you would like to try this awesome potty paper, it was Charmin brand.

Hannah's turning 12...again!!!

Since neither David or I think that we are old enough to have a "teenager", we have decided to celebrate Hannah's twelfth birthday again this year....

I am having a hard time to express today just what Hannah means to me.....I told you last year about how gorgeous she was, that hasn't changed. She still has the same bubbly personality, bright smile, and crazy sense of humor. She has many friends, (her phone is ALWAYS ringing) and treats everyone kindly. She still gives random hugs and kisses. They most often come at times when I really need them. I think about the only thing that has changed in the last year is that she finally passed me up.....yep, she's taller than me now.

She is loads of fun to be with. I even enjoy shopping with her, most days, and I HATE shopping! She is one of my best friends. We have many giggles together. I love that we can talk about anything--school, friends, boys, life, you name it. I love the way she takes care of her little sisters. She is always finding cute outfits for them to wear and fixing their hair. They thrive on all the attention she gives them!
Hannah, you are so beautiful! I am so very proud to be your mom, I love you!

Look what I did yesterday...

I was pretty excited! Thanks for sharing Loopy and Dustin!

My "Top 5 Playlist"

I was reading Kari's blog. She had posted her life's play list, songs that represent her. I read through it, thought it was a unique idea, and then sat up for most of last night thinking of what MY life's play list would be. Thanks Kari! I also had a hard time to narrow it down to just five, but I did. For your listening pleasure, here is my life's play list, in no particular order!

1. Small Town Saturday Night by Hal Ketchum-- This song reminds me of high school. You could never pay me enough money to repeat those years, but they were some of the best of my life. They were filled with many friends from many different beliefs and backgrounds. Some people came and went, some have come back into my life after a while, and some never left, but they have all had at least some portion of helping to shape the person I am today.

2. Somebody by Depeche Mode-- This song started out as the one that David and I would always dance with each other to at sock hops in high school. Then it evolved into "our song" after we started dating. It is still as fitting today as it was then! No other song sums up how we feel about each other, relationships, and us as this song. And it HAS to be this version with the train in the background! :)

3. Living On A Prayer by Bon Jovi-- yep, enough said! Besides that, it is an incredibly awesome song to rock out to on a good night of Rock Band! We have had many laughs as a family with that! And I agree with Kari, you can't have a Life Play list without Bon Jovi!

4. Eye of The Tiger by Survivor--It worked for Rocky, and it works for me too! Makes me feel like I can do anything I want to!


5. Sweet Emotion by Aerosmith-- Solely because a life without Aerosmith would just suck, and this is my favorite song of theirs. OK, so this is my favorite song ever!

So, what's on your playlist?

First Day Of School and New Babies!

It has been quite a day for us! Today was Pyper's first day of preschool. She was very excited for "Toosday" to get here so she could go to school. She jumped right out of bed this morning and got her new school clothes on!

I think that Seth and Bug were almost as excited as Pyper was for her to go to school! They had to make sure she went with them this morning. And they all needed a picture!
Today was just a little get to know you day, parents could come and we could stay as long as she wanted to. Well, we stayed from 8:45 am til they kicked us out cause school was over at 12:45! Pyper had a blast! She played with play-doh (forbidden at home), painted a picture (rarely done at home), played with play-doh, played "house", played with play-doh, played with blocks, and then helped clean up the play-doh at the end of school. She also told her dad that she "pwayed wis the pway-doh at school, but dat's awl I bemember!" I think she liked the play-doh! Then to celebrate her getting so big, we went to lunch. Just as we were finishing up, I got a text message from my sister in law Laura. She was pretty sure she was in labor. Did I mention that she was having twins?! So we hopped in the truck and took off to get her little boy Rand to come play at our house. And GUESS WHAT?!? At about 6:30 this evening I got a brand new niece and a brand new nephew! They were 6 pounds 1 ounce and 5 pounds 7 ounces respectively. For 6 weeks early, they are monsters! So I would like to introduce you to.... Big brother Jonathan...


and little sister Aviendha! Aren't they cute? They are doing well, but are just needing a little help to figure out the breathing thing. I can't wait to love them! Congrats Loopy and Dustin, you did good!!!

Bear Tracks for Seth

Tonight we had pack meeting. Seth got his bear rank, his Faith in God knot, and an arrow point. I thought he was close to getting his bear, I guess I should have looked and counted sooner (I'm such a great Den Leader!). We had a fun time roasting hot dogs and making s'mores. I am really proud of him, and it has been fun to be able to spend time with him in scouts. There is a lot of estrogen at my house, so the time I get to spend with him is a great break! Here is a slide show of his ceremony.

Thank You Mr. Fadell

This afternoon Pyper was being very quiet....too quiet. Usually she is my little shadow as I move about from room to room, jabbbering all along the way. I realized that I hadn't seen her for a while, so I went searching, thinking that maybe since she hasn't felt well, she had fallen asleep.


She had snuggled herself and Fannie in on the couch and was watching "Coraline" on my iPod, oblivious to everything! And I got in a few more quiet moments!

What we do while Hannah shops...

This girl takes a LONG time to shop. Sometimes us other gals have to keep ourselves entertained...

So we try on sunglasses,

and take cheesy pictures,

 and generally act divalicious , until she's done!