A Son's Perspective

Well, my son gave me quite the laugh today as I learned that in his opinion I am doing too much around here! While in deep conversation with Matthew after school, he made the comment, "I don't even know what you do all day." He knows that I don't watch T.V., which is what he would do all day, so really, what could I possibly be doing?:) Well, he goes on to say, "All you should do is cook, wipe the counters, and have fun!" I busted up!

Thanks to Matthew I will no longer be doing dishes, sweeping, laundry (luckily he does his own), exercising, helping with homework, grocery shopping, writing bills and keeping the checkbook, picking up after everyone, helping out at Pre-school and the Elementary school, serving in my calling, and the list goes on. Well, my days just got a whole lot more open. I don't know what I will do with all the extra time. I guess I'll take my son's advice...fun times, here I come!:)

Bribery At Its Best

I have to confess! I broke the #1 "How To Be A Good Parent" rule: "Don't Bribe Your Kids" to get them to do what you want them to do. Well, when your soon to be 5 year old daughter still sneaks into your bed almost every night, AND you don't know she's there until you wake up with a foot in your back, AND because she sleeps in your back your sleeping on your side on the very edge of a King size bed, AND all the "Please don't come into my bed sweetie" talk doesn't seem to be working, what's left but to bribe!:) At the beginning of the week, I made a deal with Kenzie that she just couldn't pass up. I told her that if she slept in her own bed all night, every night, I would buy her a new toy at the end of the week. Her eyes lit up, but instead of a new toy, she wanted me to take her to McDonald's to get a Happy Meal. I'm no dummy, so I agreed!:) Each night I would remind her of the deal and each morning she woke up in her own bed! I thought for sure she would slip up one night, but the girl made it the whole week!

This morning when she woke up, I gave her the biggest hug and told her how proud I was of her! She squeezed back hard when I told her I'd be taking her to McDonald's today for lunch. I love this little girl and she taught me a great lesson - If you put your mind to something, and have a little bribery on your side, you can do impossible things! Kenzie enjoyed her Happy Meal!

Kindergarten Registration

Today I registered Kenzie for Kindergarten this next school year and it was both exciting and impossible at the same time. It's exciting because she is so excited! She can't wait to go to the big school like her older siblings and all she talks about is how fun it will be to ride on the bus with the girls...that's what it's all about!:) My sweet Kynlee and Karley are sacrificing going on B track one more year just so they can ride on the bus with Kenzie in the mornings. Now it's impossible because, well...MY BABY IS GOING TO BE IN KINDERGARTEN! I know this is what we all long for when are kids are much younger and life is crazy - a needed break - but has the time really gone by that fast? The answer is obviously YES, so instead of trying to slow down time, I'm going to keep up with it and enjoy all the "good" times and learn from the "less good" times. I know I can't keep them here with me forever!:)

Sisters In Town

I feel so lucky that I was able to have two of my sisters visit me in weekends right after each other. Each sister means the world to me! I had so much fun, but wished that it would've lasted longer! They were just what I needed and I'm thrilled that I was their needed getaway!:)

Karissa visited first. After picking her up, we went and got pedicures...so relaxing! Later that night we took the girls to a dance performance at the high school. It was very entertaining! On Saturday we were able to get out by ourselves and do what girls do best: shop, eat, watch a movie - "When In Rome", and shop some more!:) I loved every minute of it!

They love their Aunt! I had a meeting Sunday morning, so Karissa helped get the girls ready...make-up and all. So beautiful! I loved showing off my gorgeous sister to my friends at church!
Just before I took her back to the airport, we took a walk in our neighborhood up to a bench that looks out to the frozen lake and snow covered mountains. It was so peaceful and the view was gorgeous! It was sad to say goodbye. The kids enjoyed you being here, but not near as much as I did! I loved staying up late, talking and laughing with you! Thanks so much for coming up sister...I miss and love you tons!

The following weekend, I took all the kids with me to pick up Natalie and we headed straight to Temple Square. We don't mess around when company is here!:)

We went to the top floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building to get a different view of the Temple. Then we headed in to watch the memorable Joseph Smith movie. It was such a great experience!

Cute Natalie and I in front of the waterfall at the Conference Center!

That night we made homemade pizzas...yummy!

Natalie really wanted to play in the snow, so we headed up American Fork Canyon where snow was a plenty. We brought our sleds and had a blast!

We cruised down the huge hill and it was so much fun to walk back up...NOT!:)Dad and Kenzie had lots of rides down that mostly ended in crashes! Kenzie never cried though...she would give the thumbs up sign and say, "Dat was awesome!"

Karley chilling on the tube after racing down!

It was so beautiful there and the fresh snow was a perfect recipe for a snowball fight! Later that night, Natalie and I headed to the movies and saw "Dear John". There was a part that I had major tears coming out of both eyes. When I looked over at Natalie, she did too, and we both started laughing!

These girls love their Aunt! She was so nice to paint their toenails and to trim Kynlee and Karley's hair while here...thanks seester! I hope my daughters will always have a special bond with each other just like I do with my sisters.

Too cute! While the kids were at school, we were able to get away her last day here for some shopping and lunch. The whole weekend was a lot of fun and we were able to do so much! Thanks for coming...I love you Natalie and already miss you terribly!

Christmas Vacation

We count down the days for our trips to Arizona! We were so excited to be able to go for Christmas this time! It was a new adventure to pack up our gifts and not be at home on Christmas. Matt stayed behind to work. He was sad to not have us with him for the Holidays. We left the day after the kids got out of school which was only a couple of days before Christmas. The first 3 1/2 hours of the drive were completely nerve wracking for me. It was stormy and the roads were a mess. I had to drive slow and when I couldn't handle the pressure I would tell the kids to say a prayer. They were so good. After passing a couple of roll overs, I broke down in tears, because of the overwhelming responsibility I had of getting my precious cargo to AZ safely. I know we were blessed and watched over, because every time I called Matt or Donna (who was an hour or so behind me) for support and comfort, my cell phone had service in areas I know I don't usually get it. Once we made it over the pass, the roads cleared up and we had a great rest of the drive. We were ready for our Christmas Vacation to begin!

After a long 11 1/2 hour drive down, we were so happy to finally get to Grandpa and Grandma Debbie's for the Christmas party! Debbie had a yummy feast prepared that hit the spot! They handed out their gifts to the grand kids: games and $30 in a toilet paper roll, a gift my Dad used to get from his grandpa. Kynlee and Karley gave them beanies that they had made themselves...they look good!

The kids had fun making their ginger bread houses with the cousins later that night! It's a tradition for Grandpa and Grandma Debbie that we don't get to participate in every year. So fun!
Christmas Eve day we frosted sugar cookies at Grandmama's for Santa's plate! They looked good enough to eat...lucky Santa!:)
That night we had everyone over for my Mom's homemade Chili and Indian Fry Bread...yummy! After our bellies were good and full, we all loaded up in the back of Uncle Jesse's truck to go look at lights in the neighborhood. Then we came back and the kids put on a Nativity and we did a grand kids gift exchange as we waited for a SPECIAL visitor.
Santa came! The kids love this tradition of sitting on his lap and getting their Christmas pajamas from him! When he leaves they all race out back to see Santa leave, but they have never seen the sleigh and reindeer!:)
All the cousins in their Christmas pajamas!My silly Kenzie made this face when I woke her up Christmas morning and told her that Santa had come!
Merry Christmas kids! They're wrapped in the comfy blankets Grandmama made and are ready to open presents!

The kids with their gifts from Santa! They loved the gifts from Mom and Dad too! Matthew got snowboarding boots & bindings, Kynlee got a Nintendo DS, Karley got a remote control car, and Kenzie got the Dog Park Barbie, too name the biggest ones.

Aunt Karissa invited us over for Christmas breakfast...biscuits and gravy, eggs, and bacon! It was so yummy! Thanks sister!

I'm surrounded by my beautiful sisters, Natalie and Karissa.

I was so excited to see Kristy on Christmas Eve! We were being totally retarded in this picture as I was pretending to knee her "where it counts"!:) We were laughing so hard! We went and saw Avatar in 3D later that night, which was awesome!

We went and saw Alvin and the Chipmunks with Grandpa and Grandma Debbie and the rest of the crew.

Great Grandma Schroeder's birthday is on New Year's Eve and we were able to attend her party the Monday before at Peter Piper Pizza. We love her! It was great seeing extended family, but it was most exciting to see Matt's brothers, Billy and David with his fiance. We hadn't seen them in years...we love you!
We tried something new this trip and went ice skating with the cousins...it was so much fun and we will definitely be doing that again! We went on my gorgeous niece, Kylie's birthday...Happy Birthday Ky Jo! Group Picture

I got my Mom tickets to the Broadway show, Annie, for Christmas! It of course was amazing and I loved being with just my beautiful Mom!

I have been wanting to go hiking every trip we've been down there and finally, thanks to Aunt Kristy, we did. We drove to Usery Pass to hike up a little mountain out in the desert. Well, as we were just starting our hike, we heard a pack of coyotes yipping back and forth not far away...totally freaky! We hustled the kids back to the Ramada. Aunt Kristy and Grandmama bravely stayed behind and were able to see the coyotes run away. Aunt Karissa and I stayed back with Kynlee and Karley (who were both terrified), Presley, and baby Harlow, while the others went on to hike.

The brave ones! I love this collage, because it shows the different colors the sky changed to as the sun was setting in a very short amount of time! What a gorgeous sunset!

Aunt Natalie is going to Cosmetology school and so I had her give Kenzie a needed healthy trim. She did great and it looks so much better!

Kynlee with Harlow, who we couldn't get enough of!

Our trip ended with us being over at Grandpa and Grandma Debbie's. The kids played games outside, and then we all went bowling, which is a special request each trip! We loved spending so much time with our wonderful family! We love you all!

Christmas Dance Recital

Kynlee and Kenzie had their Christmas Dance Recital. They looked so cute and festive in their skirts that their teacher, Sis. Jones, made. These girls love to dance and it showed in their performance. I remember being so shy during a dance performance when I was Kenzie's age...I think I actually stood on the stage with my finger up my nose!:) But Kenzie impresses me by not having any stage fright at all...she really gets into it and is so fun to watch!

My cute dancers striking a pose!
Kynlee's group danced too: "Get Away" by Ashley Tisdale and "Rockin' On Top Of The World" from Polar Express.

Kynlee swinging Kenzie around in between programs.

Kenzie loved wearing this bear hat for one of her dances...she's so cute!

Kenzie's group danced too: "Swinging On A Star", "Teddy Bear Picnic", and a cute Christmasy song I didn't recognize.

Clear Creek Adventure

Kynlee has been looking forward to this 5th grade Clear Creek Adventure since Matthew went on his 2 years ago. I feel so privileged that I was able to go. I had the time of my life with Kynlee on this little overnighter! The boys headed up the day before and loaded the buses when we got there...so it was just girls, except for Kynlee's teacher. The teachers had so much planned for these girls to do: different rotations, skits, songs, movie, hike, food, and it all ran smoothly. I have a whole new appreciation for teachers, especially Kynlee's, after seeing their enthusiasm on this trip. I had just as much fun as Kynlee did and I am so grateful for the memories we made!

This place was gorgeous! These were the nice, clean, and heated cabins. Kynlee's class stayed in the one called PINETREE.

Kynlee chose a top bunk and I was able to have the top bunk right on the other side of the opening. We held hands through the opening when we went to bed...so cute!
She's got her bed ready and now it's time to be SILLY!:)

Kynlee hardly left my side...I love this sweet daughter!

This was the rotation I was over - the Web - which was the only one outside and it was FREEZING. The girls had to work together to get each girl through a different part of the web without touching the rope. It was tricky, but they had a lot of fun working as a team!

Some of the girls doing their "Dias Power" class chant.

Kynlee brought up a deck of cards and taught some of the girls how to play "Kings In The Corner" before going to bed.

Say cheese!:)

Kynlee with her friends, Nicole and Kaitlyn.

The girls on their hike. It was so beautiful!

My beautiful snow bunny!:)

Kynlee with the best 5th grade teacher, Mr. Dias. She thinks the world of him and she has every reason to...he is INCREDIBLE!