Snow Day

School was canceled today due to all the snow--a first for our family. The boys were so excited when they woke up and found out. I think Cole was the most excited to have people around to play with him all day. After breakfast and bundling up we went outside and spent an hour having a snowball fight and making snowmen. The boys were most excited to eat the snow. When everyone's hands were frozen, bright red noses and soaking wet toes we all went inside to defrost with some nummy hot chocolate. As soon as everyone was warm they changed out of their wet pants into SHORTS--they are truely Arizona boys.

Appreciate that the snow man is wearing a U of A hat.

Good Times

So I was having a bad morning yesterday. My boys were being a little bit of stinkers and I was just generally crabby. Joel gave his Mom some money and told her I needed a day out. We went and got pedicures and spent a couple hours Christmas shopping. He had the boys all afternoon took them out to lunch and then to a park. It was just what I needed--I forget how sweet and considerate Joel really is (he spends way to much time being a stinker). I am very lucky that I met him when I did.

Our records were read into our new ward last week and we both got new callings this week. Joel is team teaching the 10 year olds in primary and I am the assistant camp director in YW. I told the other girl that I got put in with that I was being punished for how I handled camp when I was president. I am excited, the girls seem really sweet and I love YW. I was totally prepared to go into primay though.

It snowed last night. Only for a little while and it didn't stick to the ground but it was definately snow. There is a chance for snow all this week and I hope for my kids sake that it does. I plan to stay inside as much as possible.

Putting up the Christmas Tree

Pulling out the Christmas tree

Cole put all the decorations on the bottom of the tree

The boys were so excited--Nate was turning in circles

singing a made up Christmas song.

All done!!

World's Biggest Dork

So I have this bottle of soap I really like but, unfortunately the dispenser on it broke so I can't use it (and it was fairly expensive and only a small amount of it has been used). Well, yesterday (way to much info but while I was in the shower) I decide that I really want to use that soap. So I try and take it apart but to no avail. Then I decide to cut it open so I grab a pair of scissors and hold the bottle with one hand and start to jab the scissors in with the other. As soon as I started I knew it was a bad idea and within a second the scissors had slipped off and cut me right inbetween my thumb and pointer finger (in the really fleshy area). I really want to curse and yell but instead tried not to throw up as blood ran all down my arm. I grabbed a wash cloth wrapped my hand up and finished my shower--I was able to cut the soap open so I had to make sure to use it since it had caused me so much trouble. It bleed for quite a long time and while it isn't a big cut it is VERY painful for me to use my thumb and I really try not to use it at all. Joel just laughs at me anytime he is around and calls me 'gimpy'. I showed my boys and explained that there are reasons why we don't play with scissors. I have come to the conclusion that the stupid soap was not worth all the pain.

The Highlight of My Day

When we first moved up here the idea of going back to Arizona for Thanksgiving gave me something to look forward to. I was sad once Thanksgiving was over--I have always been someone who likes to look forward to what's coming next. I am struggling with it being Christmas time--it doesn't feel like Christmas at all so I don't really feel like I can look forward to that just yet. However, I realized yesterday as I sat in the front yard and waited for my boys to come home from school that I look forward to that moment everyday!! I will sit out in the grass while Cole rides his bike around and we wait for the bus. Once the boys get off the bus they have to walk a short distance to see me but the second they do they are off and will start running with their arms open wide to give me a great big hug and kiss and to tell me all about their day. I didn't realize how much I really looked forward to that moment. As much as I miss my family (and friends) I feel like living here has made me appreciate my own little wonderful family that much more.

The One Legged Man

So yesterday my father-in-law informs us that our home teacher is coming to see us ALL (I really wanted to sneak away and take a nap). He also informs my kids that he only has one leg which they of course don't believe because grandpa is the biggest teasier ever, although this time he was telling the truth. My kids, especially C was fascinated with the idea of someone with only one leg. Anytime the doorbell he went running upstairs to see if it was the person with one leg (the first time it was J's Grandma and C had to count her legs and ask why she wasn't missing a leg). When the man finally came over he was wearing his fake leg and C was questioning why he had two legs. I was HORRIFIED, my only saving grace was that no one else can understand C so luckily the man had no idea what he was talking about. My face was fire engine red.

I will be in Arizona tomorrow. WOO-HOO I am doing an imaginary jig. I actually did a real jig earlier and I was mocked very rudely (by my hubby).

My Very Odd Child

I went to the bank today and the girl in front of me was very amused by C. He was randomly chatting it up with her and asking her who she ways. She asked him what his name was and laughed when he answered (mostly I'm sure because he says his name in an adorable high pitched voice). He did not find her laughing to be funny and very sternly advised her there was nothing funny about his name and that she shouldn't be laughing. I was mortified and wanted to beat him right then and there.
My kids are obessed with the idea of Friday Fun Day. I don't know where it came from but they love to talk about what we will do each Friday. Today I picked the boys up from school, let them each pick out some candy from Walgreens, took them to Madagascar 2, and finished the day with letting them play at McDonald's for an hour. Z was so sweet and grateful--he kept telling what a great day it was. On top of that I let them stay up a little later so they were in heaven and didn't even really complain when it was time for bed.
I have been going and working out with my sister-in-law a couple times a week. Today we worked on our arms. Wow I have no arm strength--I have a new goal to get nice arms, mostly because I have never felt so wimpy before in my life.

Lovely Weather

It is so stinkin pretty up here lately. Last night my kids spent over an hour just playing around riding bikes and scooters. It was seriously the best weather ever. I was racing the boys (riding one of Z scooters) and I almost died about 15 times--my coordination is not the best. My kids kept getting scrapped up knees and elbows but had no desire to come inside.

I went and worked out this morning!! The first time since I moved up here and I have seriously been missing it. It kinds stinks because it was so much harder for me to the stuff but I guess that will just give me all the more reason to keep at it now.

Oprah and my boys

I find that I (for the most part) enjoy Oprah. I never really watched her before, but now that my late afternoons are painfully void of any real duties I find myself watching the show. They talked about Prop 8 today which was annoying one sided conversation but beyond that I find her very enjoyable. She had a guy on a couple days ago that was going over how to declutter your life and mentioned that you could get a free picture book through Snapfish. I went and signed up and got my book and made it all about the party we did before we moved. It made me a little sad but I figure it will be nice to give my boys something to look at. Plus they may be 20 before I get around to scrapbooking it. I actually just finished scrapbooking the year 2004--only for more years to go (X 3 equals a lot of work).

By the way as long as my site is not private I have decided to refer to my children by their first initial. I am not a freaky person but I figure anyone who knows me well enough to care about what is going on in my family would know who I was talking about, so I am going to do that--it may be odd but it will make me feel a little better.

My kids had parent teacher conferences this week and apparently they are amazing--I really had no idea. I don't really get the ratings but Z's teacher was telling how most kids his age are testing in a 4 - 8 for reading and he is a 14. He was the only person in his class that finished his math page and it is skills that they should know by the end of second grade. The child taught himself how to multiply. He was bragging how he knew his times tables so I asked him what 8 X 3 was and without batting an eye he told me 24.

N's teacher was telling me what a joy he is (my first thought was REALLY) but apparently he is just really helpful and listens quite well. She told me a couple of the girls in his class have crushes on him. I love that my kids are good for other people--if not always for me.

Last but not least I let my boys play outside last night. Z and C were playing with a little boy Z's age--I personally am not a huge fan of the little boy he is a little bit of a stinker. Anyway apparently he knocked C down, made him cry and was laughing. Z told him it wasn't funny and to leave his little brother alone. The little boy told Z that then they wouldn't be friends anymore and Z really could care less. I was so proud of Z for standing up for his little brother I had to tell him thank you about 20 times

My little nerds

We got the Target and Walmart Christmas catalogs in the mail last week. My children have been looking through them non stop. Z is fascinated with the price of everything, N likes to tell me what he is interested (although it comes out more like isnernsested) and C wants everything that is boy and thinks I need everything girly.

We went to SLC to visit my sister-in-law and her family last weekend. I was nervous I was going to freeze to death (there was snow on the ground) but it actually wasn't that bad. We took all the kids to the dinosaur museum. It was pretty cool. C keeps telling me stuff about that boy whose house we went to, we obviously haven't seen enough of that cousin in particular.

On the way home we stopped in Beaver to get squeaky cheese (anyone who knows what I am talking about is very jealous). The factory was closed so we went to go pick some up at a gas station. While there a very nice lady came up to me and pointed out that my front tire was going flat--grrr we had to buy 4 new tires for my car yesterday. That was not fun!!

Dinosaur Museum

Appreciate I took the picture right as he was about to jump
on the snowball.

Throwing snowballs at me as I try to take pictures--stinkers!!

Digging for fossils.

Digging for dinosaurs.

Preparing to dig for dinosaurs

Putting dinosaur body parts on the dinosaurs (his favorite part)

I did it

Yea me!! I gave myself 2 weeks to get a blog going and I broke down and forced to myself to do one tonight--I am not really sure how I feel about my background and what not. I think it will have to be my work in progress. Joel's only suggestion was that everything needed to be red. He kept walking behind me saying, "It would look better red." Appreciate the pictures--just for my obnoxious hubby. I am sure it will change often but at least for now it is done. I can't promise that I will ever have anything interesting to say but it will at least be an effort to stay in touch with everyone.