CATCH UP

I have so many posts running through my head & just no time to keep up. So, here's a catch up post of what happened during one weekend...

The 11th of December my Kylie turned 10!! My how we love that girl. Even when she's crazy - which is pretty much all of the time! How did I get so old to have a 10 year old? She told me a few times throughout the day, "I'm 10 now mom. Double digits. Do you feel old now?" Why yes, yes I do. Here she is with her Phineas & Ferb pin she got... (She loves that show.)

We love that she's not shy. Sometimes it can be much, but for the most part it's wonderful! We have no idea where it comes from as Erik & I are not very outgoing. She loves life & loves to be in charge. If you've been around her at all you know she can keep you busy all day long with activities made up on the fly. We're so happy she's part of our family!!

The next day the girls participated in a movie. A couple in our ward has a daughter in film school. She was making a short film for her class & needed girls for one of the scenes. They had to be crazed girls at a birthday party. (Not very hard for my girls.) They had a blast!! They actually filmed stuff a couple of weeks ago, but the camera broke towards the end. They had to come back to refilm & my girls were quite happy with that idea.
They loved being "on set" for a day. I came for a little bit to take some pictures & I'm so glad I did! Check out what they did to my girls....

I was laughing so hard! I loved it! (Do you love Kylie's dress EmmaLee?) They had some dresses for the girls to wear, but asked them to bring some more just in case. Kylie was the oldest & they didn't have anything that fit her. All we have is old dance costumes & she chose the lovely pink & white number to wear.

I asked a guy at one point what was going on in the story & he mentioned something about zombies. But, they did not tell the girls that. They just told them to act crazy. At one point they had to dig in & destroy a birthday cake making grumbling noises. Again, I was just laughing! Then, a guy stole a bike from the party & the girls had to chase him. I can't wait to see the finished product. We'll be getting a copy of the film once it's all edited. And I'll probably need to watch it before I let my girls see it just to be sure! ;)

DISNEYLAND

We went to Disneyland Dec 3rd - 6th & had a BLAST! How could you not? It's Disneyland! It's no secret that I absolutely love this place. I could live their & be just fine. We met some friends their which made it all the more fun. The Paez family & the Wallis family. It was great to see them again. The girls love Tinkerbell & all of her friends. One of the highlights for them was getting to meet Rosetta....

The classic castle shot...

I love this castle. I could stare at it all day. Did you know it was patterned after the Noschweinstein castle in Germany? That castle is also one of my favorites. Erik & I on the Peter Pan ride....

All the times I've been to Disneyland I have to say that this was the first time I remember going on this ride & it was cool. Even Erik loved it.

I have to tell about my Grizzly Rapids adventure. Have you been on this ride? Well, I have not, until now. It's the Wallis kids favorite ride, so we went. I got drenched! When we got off I rubbed my hands down my jeans & water flowed like I was wringing them out. But, I just touched them. That's how drenched I was. Not to mention that it's FREEZING outside. A nice worker told me that the first aid stations have dryers. So, I went & spent 30 min or so trying to dry off. I never completely dried off, but it was better than the alternative. And I was not about to walk back to the hotel to change & miss out. It was an adventure.

Our girls were awesome! We had prepped them for months that they needed to be tough & try all the rides. They did have a couple of nervous times, but all in all they did pretty good. They even rode Space Mountain a few times. Jadyn rode the Tower of Terror with Erik & loved it. She's crazy - I hate that one. I was happy to sit out with Kylie for that one. I hate that pit in your stomache feeling.

This picture just makes me happy - I LOVE IT!!!!

Thanks to my job (Disney Store) we were able to go. Free tickets is not too shabby!! Not to mention I got our group into a special store for employees called "Company D" which has park merchandise at good discounted prices. Then, I discovered that they were running a special that week that even store employees got 50% off all park merchandise!! How lucky is that? It was pretty sweet! Especially considering I only work once every couple of months or so!

200

This is my 200th post. Why not make it a big one?! :) Actually, just thought I'd share that I saw this movie...

I saw the midnight showing with a friend. We actually did the double feature where we saw Twilight first & then New Moon. As we all know, I'm a fan. I've kept myself pretty well contained lately. Here's Bonnie & I before it starts.... (I'm not good with the one arm pictures, so it is what it is.)

Well, I loved it! It was way better than Twilight & I'm not usually a huge sequel person. You could definitely tell the budget was "beefed" up. I'm a little bit closer to being a Jacob fan, but not quite! It was a blast & I'm glad I got to go. I told myself I wasn't going to do a midnight showing, but I'm glad I went. Bonnie cracks me up & it was fun seeing it with her! Thanks again Bonnie!!

RJ's FAREWELL

Today was our nephew RJ's farewell. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that one. Especially since he was only 5 when Erik & I started dating!! I can't believe he's that old & going on a mission. He's been called to serve in the Guixaquil, Ecuador Mission. He's been ready to go for a LONG time now. He was hoping to have his call before he graduated in May, but due some circumstances (Hmm, hmm... his papers being lost in the Stake President's office for a bit) it's been a little longer. I can't remember the last time I've seen a young man so ready & worthy for this calling. He's an amazing kid! An awesome example of how everyone should be! Here's Erik with RJ. RJ calls Erik Uncle Rico.

His talk was wonderful. All the kids, cousins sang "I Believe in Christ". Kylie & Jadyn didn't hesitate. They were ecstatic to do so. It was beautiful to watch all of the kids sing. My brother-in-law Ron spoke as well & did a good job. But, what took the cake was something I've never seen before. The closing song was "Called to Serve". A real tear-jerker in itself at a farewell right? Well, all (& I mean ALL) the priesthood holders were asked to come up to the front to sing. What an AWESOME sight to see all of the men, young & old, in the audience stand up at the front & sing that amazing song!! Then, I saw my friend Sarah's dad standing behind RJ (he was RJ's Young Men's President in his previous ward) singing & lost it. I miss that man so much & his daughter even more! There really are no words to describe how beautiful that was. What a tremendous idea for a farewell. Supposably it has become a tradition in that ward.

At the "Open House" Edwin (my friend Sarah's dad) serenaded RJ. It was great! Again - I miss this man! He had served his mission in Ecuador & came to tell some stories. No one tells stories like Edwin. Here's a picture of me with Edwin & Sarah's youngest sister Ashley. Ashley was born at the end of our Junior year in High School. She was only 3 when Sarah was killed. Ashley was also the flower girl at our wedding when she was 4 since Sarah couldn't be a bridesmaid.

In watching all that this family has done in preparation for RJ I have found myself a little sad. I'm quite jealous that I don't have a boy to send out & have that experience with. I've told Ron & Nikki numerous times that I will have to live vicariously through their boys. Lucky for me, I also have many boys to live vicariously through on my side of the family. So, I'll be covered. As sad as it makes me - I can't help but be extremely excited as well. I can't wait to hear his stories & all about his adventures! I can't think of a young man that was more prepared than RJ. He will be an amazing missionary! We're so proud of him & the choices he's made.

RACE

Today I did something I NEVER thought I would do. I ran in a race! I'm not sure I can legitimately say that since I did a Family Fun Run at a race, but for me, it counts! As I've said a million times before - I DON'T RUN! I despise running & always have. Even when I was in the best shape of my life & dancing for hours everyday - I still could not run. It takes a completely different endurance to run. Well, I'm changing my ways & am now slowly becoming obsessed.

Today didn't help. I found out from a friend in my ward about this race & quickly signed up. It was great for me to kind of understand how things worked. Even though it was a family thing (& there was a lot of kids) it was an adrenalin rush for me. It was suppose to be a 1.5 mile, but I"m not sure it was that far. It went by so fast! I just kept thinking - that's it? I didn't get overwhelmed. Maybe it was the running outside and seeing different things, as opposed to running laps around a track. Or maybe just the sheer excitement of doing it. But, I loved it & can't wait for the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving! (I'm doing the 2 mile run their.) Then, I'm going to train for a 5k in Sedona - I hope!

Getting ready to go.....

At the end I got an AWESOME medal!! My cute sister Allison came running up & put it around my neck. She & my other sister Stephanie brought it for me. They were my cheering section with my girls! I loved it! They made me feel so special to take the time to come see this silly women racing with kids.

This is the main reason for doing this.....

I want to be healthier & be a good example for my girls. I hear Kylie say all the time that she hates running & hates when she has to do it in PE. I don't want her going down the same road as me. I want her to be active, healthy & happy. What better way to achieve that than by teaching by example. We had a talk today when we got home about how I said I hated running for 30 years & now after some hard work I actually enjoy it. Hopefully, it will help in the long run. (No pun intended!)

MEXICAN

Kylie's full of them lately! Here's her latest silly quote...

Erik & the girls were watching "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" the other night while I was making dinner. In the catagory 1st Grade Language the question was: What language is the word Fiesta (meaning party or celebration) that is spoken by 1/3rd of the world.

KYLIE: "Oh! That's so easy!!! I know that one!"

(**I have so many exclamation marks on purpose. She's yelling as she says these things because she's so excited.**)

ERIK: "Oh yeah, what is it?"

KYLIE: "It's MEXICAN!!"

I about fell over I was laughing so hard. Silly girl! She quickly realized the error of her ways once Erik & I couldn't talk from laughing so hard.

FALL FESTIVAL

Last weekend was the girls Fall Festival. This is the school's one fund raiser they do each year. They don't sell cookies, wrapping paper, etc. They have this carnival. Since I'm on FPAC this year I had a committee to help with. I, luckily, had a partner with me - Kris. She's the best ever!! We were over the games. It was A LOT of stress & a lot more involved than I thought, but it actually went pretty smooth. I'm glad it's over! Here's a few pics from the day....

Kylie didn't feel very well at the end. She ended up spending most of the time helping with the Prize Booth & hanging out with me.

Kylie with her teacher, Mrs. Kunda, and her boys...

A sign that my daughter loves me so. ;)

Jadyn told me this today - as well as a couple of days ago.

"Mom, you're getting old. You have lots of white hairs."

My how I love that kid! I'm just not quite sure how to respond to that.

HALLOWEEN 2009

Erik loves Halloween. He was dying to carve pumpkins this year. We usually do, but for some reason we haven't the past couple of years. We did this year. Only I didn't take a bunch of pictures. Nor did I have candles to put in them. Therefore, we don't have pictures & the pumpkins rotted fast before I got candles to light them. Oh well! We still had fun.

This year for Halloween we headed down to Arivaca, AZ for the second year in a row to hang out with Luke & Rennie's family again. We had such a blast last year that we figured we needed to do it again this year while we still had the chance. If you've never heard of Arivaca don't be shocked. It's definitely a small town. Which is what makes events like this all the more fun! Small towns know how to do holidays.

Everyone gathers at a church for dinner (aka hot dogs & such) & mingling. Then, you jump on a hayride. Lucky for us, my brother Luke drives one of those hayrides as a representative of the boys ranch, so we get to reep the benefits. All the hayrides caravan through the town making various stops to trick or treat to booths rather than doors. After about 3 different stops everyone ends up on the main street to "trick or treat" to all the booths up & down the street. It's great! No doorbells, wondering if people are home & just lots of fun. This is more than likely our last year doing this, so it was fun to go one more time. One of the booths...

My poor girls have the worst mother when it comes to these kinds of things. I'm not good at going all out for a one night deal. Nor am I creative at all in this area. Kylie actually had her costume planned all year. She was dying to wear her pirate costume she wore for a dance last year & there was no changing her mind. She told everyone she was Elizabeth from "Pirates of the Carribean". And we let her.

Jadyn wanted to be a vampire. We went to Wal-Mart to look for a black dress. When we went to buy it the cashier asked Jadyn if the dress was for her & what was she going to be. Jadyn replied that it was for her & that she was going to be "Victoria" from "Twilight". That took me by surprise. I looked at Jadyn & asked her how she even knew who that was? Not only that, but why am I buying you a costume when she could just wear regular clothes if that's who she wanted to be! Silly kid! I guess I forget how observant she is. I'm a huge "Twilight" fan (as I'm sure you already know), but I've never let my kids watch it. I just don't know how that came about!

Here's our scary group of pirates & vampires on the hayride.....

Only in a small town would you see this I think....

I love how the parents are COMPLETELY decked out & their daughter is in a cheasy, crummy, some kind of princess costume. Isn't Halloween for the kids?!

This old guy was awesome zipping around on his TINY electric scooter...

His name was "Little Mike". He was trick or treating himself & didn't even get off his scooter. He'd just zip up to the tables & hold out his hand. HILARIOUS! Another thing you would probably only ever see in a small town.

On the drive home (about an hour to Luke & Rennie's) I think the kids were a little tired...

Thanks again Luke & Rennie for the fun time!

VETERAN'S

Our girls are so blessed to go to such a wonderful school!! I love that their school is very patriotic. They have flag ceremony everyday where they recite the pledge, sing the National Anthem, learn about this day in history & discuss the virtue for the month. By far, my favorite thing their school does is the special Veteran's Day flag ceremony & breakfast. Kids can invite Veteran's to come eat breakfast with them & then attend a special flag ceremony. This year did not disappoint!

Due to Kylie being on Student Council this semester & me over the yearbook we were highly involved this year. Kylie helped decorate Monday after school. All of the student council kids wrote notes to the Veteran's on the paper they placed over the tables. Here's one of Kylie's...
Then, on Tuesday morning we were at the school at 6:00am to help prepare. (They had it a day early since there's no school on actual Veteran's Day.) She helped set up the chairs & then had the job to greet people as they came in to eat.
As the flag ceremony approached she was outside passing out programs. The girls are also very blessed to have their own Veteran! Erik's dad served in the army. We are so lucky he lives close to us & that he was able to attend this event with them. Here they are eating breakfast...

Throughout the entire morning I was on the verge of tears. Seeing all of the Veteran's always makes me emotional. There was one gentleman I couldn't even look at. (He's in one of the smaller pictures in the tall hat & red shirt.) When he first walked in he stood out. He was tall & in a fancy get up. I snapped a picture of him. Then, I watched him sit down with his grandson to start eating. He then proceeded to tell his grandson stories & cried the entire time. I had to walk out of the room. He was SOOO cute & endearing. And he was in tears throughout the whole morning.

During the flag ceremony the kids always sing the different military anthems. (Again, my personal favorite of the event.) As the anthems are sang the Veteran's stand during their song. This is really when the tears start flowing for me. There's something so wonderful about their sacrifice that they made for their country & for me. Here's a couple of shots I got of them standing during their song...

The first gentleman was one of my favorites. I LOVED that he came in a uniform. We only had a couple do this this year. The second is our very own Veteran. We sure do love him & what he went through. We're so blessed he's in our lives.

This last gentleman is another that brought a tear to my eye...

Do you not want to just hug this cute man? A WWII Veteran. I can't imagine how different things were in the military back then & the things he went through. Maybe it's because my Dad's dad served in WWII that I find it more fascinating. I never had the opportunity to meet him - he passed before I was born. I love looking at his pictures from the military & wish I knew all of the stories behind them.

Another military man I can't forget is my Grandpa Julian. He was also a WWII vet. He had great stories of being a fighter pilot. He was truly an amazing man & we miss him dearly!!

The last thing at the ceremony was this darling 2nd grade class that sang "God Bless America" with their teacher. It was beautiful & there wasn't a dry eye their. I love going to things like this and being reminded of what a great country we live in!

FRUSTRATED

This week I find myself OVERLY frustrated with things. It doesn't help that I have a tremendous amount of things happening right now. Oh well - such is life. Everyone has that, so I can't use that as an excuse.

My main concern right now, however, is my stinkin' diet! I started exercising about 2 months ago. I do this on and off from time to time, but I've done much better this go round. I'm so sick of always being the biggest one & being uncomfortably large. Which has led to my desperation of sucking it up & doing something about it finally!! I've talked about it for years, but now is the time for action!

About 1 month ago I decided to really start running & even counting my calories. That's an unheard of adventure for me on both accounts!! I'm a lady that can't even run a lap around the track! I never thought I really ate all that terribly, but this counting calories is hard work! It's almost a full time job. It's getting really old. As for my running - I quite enjoy it now. I walk/run 2 miles at least 5 or 6 times a week. Within that 2 miles I can now run a full mile without stopping. That is something I've never done in my entire life! So, I'm pretty proud of that. The other laps I always run the straightways & walk the curves. After my 2 miles I then run up & down the bleachers 3 times (I run at the nearby Community College) & then finish off with a cool down lap. It takes me about 40 minutes total right now.

Here's my frustration....

After 2 months you would think I would have lost something, right?! Not so in my case! A whole month of counting calories & running & a big fat nothing! My weight's the same & my inches are the same. I'm so frustrated!! I'm not going to give up, but I just don't understand what is going on. Plus, I thought exercising was suppose to make you feel better. Well, I just feel tired & worn out. Not to mention the fact that I'm STARVING all of the time. I think I can now comprehend a little bit of how Michael Phelps must feel! :)

Here's the only benefits for me so far:
1) I can actually run a mile! (Seriously - that's huge for me!)
2) My skin has actually been clearer. An added bonus I didn't think of. I can actually feel like an adult when I go out now & not like a paranoid teenager! Hopefully, it lasts & isn't just a fluke.
3) uh......uh......that's all I can think of at the moment

I don't necessarily feel better. Just tired & hungry. I can't even say I feel stronger. Oh - did I mention I do a workout DVD as well? That's how I get my strength training in. Wish it would help. I'm not going to give up. I realize I'm not like the contestants on the Biggest Loser. I'm not obese & realistically can't expect to lose weight the same rate they do. I know this, but a little something would be nice. To actually have my clothes look normal on me & not like they were painted on my body would be nice as well. It's not too much to ask for right? ;)

I've been even more sluggish the past 2 days. I'm hoping it's a hormonal thing & will go away soon. Oh well - I'll keep going. Don't mean to be a DEBBIE DOWNER on here, but I had to get it out.

Yesterday Erik was helping Kylie clean out her room after school. This is always an overwhelming project. She is the hugest pack rat. In fact, Erik is on the lookout for that "Horders" show to tape it & show Kylie how crazy it can be.

Anyway, not the point of my story. I hear this little conversation occur during the process over Erik trying to throw away some "Camp Rock" movie peraphinalia....


Kylie: "Dad, you can't throw that away! It's from my "Camp Rock" party which was my second favorite party ever!"


Erik: "What was your first favorite party?"


Kylie: "My baptism, duh?! That's everyone's favorite birthday party."


Well, gee - maybe I'm not the world's worst mother after all. Seems like I'm doing something right!

muscles

This is by far the cutest little boy

in the world!

Mr. Creed
*and this is what happens when his mom hacks into his aunt malorys blog and hijacks the site

RINGTAIL

This is my mom's newest pet...

His name is "Moki". My mom & Alan caught a ringtail cat awhile ago that was pregnant. They took care of her & her babies when they were born. They sold the othe babies & kept Moki. Kylie's class just recently did a report & learned about these animals. Her teacher asked if we would take pictures for the class & even asked Kylie to interview my mom about it. Everyone took a turn holding Moki....

He was fascinated with my glasses. Or maybe it's my red demon eyes that I'm too lazy to fix in photoshop. Gotta love overly large pupils!!

SHIP ROCK

Again, one of our favorite things to do at my mom's house is to go hiking. This time Jadyn picked up a bizarre new habit. She had to stop everytime she some a patch of dirt & feel how soft it was. I'm not sure where that came from - it was weird!

This pinecone definitely stood out from the rest....

I thought it was so pretty & just crazy! Kylie thought it looked like a watermelon with the red inside & green tips!

Here's a rock we looked for. On our last trip Erik & Kylie found this rock & Kylie named it "Ship Rock". (Yes, we like to name rocks at our house - see previous post) They named it this because it looked like the fron of a ship that was shipwrecked. Here's "E" & the girls on top of "Ship Rock".

The girls & I acting like pirates. Jay is steering while Kylie & I keep a look out.

This stuff is all over the place at my mom's. It's called resurrection moss & I think it's so cool! It's black moss all over the rocks. Poor a little water on it & it comes to life & turns green again. I poured a little water on one area to show the difference.

The girls also like to collect rocks while on our hikes. Jadyn had her pockets completely stuffed with rocks. She had to have gotten a work out with the extra weight hiking uphill. Here's the haul they made.