THE best wrap job ever!

I almost forgot to add this to my last post. Grace was very into Christmas this year. She wanted to help with the wrapping. This is my present from Frank and the kids.
She was VERY proud of herself. I was pretty impressed my self. I loved the usage of the pink rose. I was a little confused when she spelled my name sararararara. She knows how to spell it. Maybe it was some kinda of cheer. If you look closely you can also make out two U's. What can I say she loves the Utes! She also wrote "i heart u". I love this girl.

Always late

I hope all of you had a Merry Christmas. This year was a simple Christmas on account that I haven't been working full time since Kohen was born. I made most of the gifts I gave to my family and we tried to stick to a budget with the kids. Thankfully Grace is pretty easy to please, all she wanted was an Easy Bake Oven and a cupcake decorator. Kohen was too sick to care about Christmas or presents. My goal for Christmas 2009 is to be done shopping by Halloween. I tried to get Christmas cards to as many as I could, but postage is expensive and so was printing the cards so I hope no one got their feelings hurt. I am very excited for what 2009 will bring. Frank and I are going to be tightening the belt straps and working on getting our vehicles paid off. We want pay off Frank's student loans, they are not due until he is done with school which won't be for a few more years but we want to be out of debt by the end of 2009. We are going to start saving for his tuition and thankfully his works offers tuition reimbursement. Besides our home we hope to be debt free. Not only are we going on a financial diet but on a food diet as well. We are both unhappy with how look and feel and we want our children to learn to eat healthy and be fit. Hopefully since we are both ready for change it will be easier. Wish us luck. I hope all of you have a wonderful new year!

We're goin' BoWLiNg baby!

 

UTES 48-BYU 24

The UTES gave the Cougs a royal butt kickin' on Saturday. Frank was so sweet to take me to the game. Besides not being able to feel my toes by the end of the game, I can't complain about the weather it was great.  No snow, rain and very little wind.  I'm so glad that he had season tickets this year. What an awesome year the UTES had. I only wish that I had the money to take us to whatever bowl they make it to.  Unfortunatley we were sitting by quite a few "kittens". Most were okay but a few were quite obnoxious.  One guy (BYU fan) two rows in front of us tried to start a fight with the guy (U fan) one row in front of us right after the first Utah touchdown and right before halftime a BYU fan about 5 or 6 rows up from us decided that it would be cool to swan dive onto the rows below him. (What an idiot) Thank goodness no one was injured.  All in all it was a great night. I may not know much about football but with the energy and excitement of just being there you can't help but have fun!  I have to accomplish two things before next season:

#1. Learn more about football

#2. Learn the fight song (not just the the tune)

Thanks again Honey for taking a chance with me. I hope I didn't disappoint you.

Back by Popular Demand!

okay, well maybe not by popular demand, but I have had a few of you hounding me to update. Give me a break, I've been very busy. I had to recouperate after Disney World, hosted two parties, prepared for Halloween, voted early and went to craft day with Stephanie (by the way the hot glue gun injury is healing nicely). I've been busy, I have also started selling Usborne Books. If you have never heard of them, they are THE best children's books. Grace loves them. If you are interested in purchasing books or hosting a party and earning free books, just click on the yellow duck on the top of the my blog.

So for all of my fans out there just dying to know what I have been up to
(who am I kidding, I have no readers)
here it is:
our October in a

We're Off To See The Wizard

the wonderful Wizard of Oz. It's okay you can keep singing it if you would like. Grace and I have. This year Grace went as Dorthy and Kohen was the Cowardly Lion. I have to first give a huge THANK YOU to my wonderful sis in law who made Grace's dress. Mindy you are amazing. She made her dress from start to finish in about 3 hours. I think it would have taken me that long just to figure out how the sewing machine turned on. I'm what some people might call "domestically challenged." I never learned to sew, knit, quilt or cook. I am getting better at the cooking though. Back to the costumes. I have to say that I love a good bargain. I don't like spending too much money on Halloween costumes, seeing how it is my least favorite holiday. I needed to find a white button up shirt for Grace and couldn't find one anywhere so I thought I would hit the D.I. (a second hand store for my readers who aren't from Utah). Not only did I find a perfect white shirt but I found a slip and Toto's basket.

Basket for Toto: .50 cents (dog not included, we already had one)

Fluffy slip: $3.00

White blouse: $4.00

Fabric for dress: $5.00

Shoes: $12.00 (my only splurge)

The Best Dorthy Costume Ever: Priceless
(I know I'm cheesy, but it's getting late and I tired)

Kohen's was too cute for words. I had to splurge and get his.

It's The Great Pumpkin

Charlie Brown. We took Grace & Kohen out to the pumpkin patch. Of course I waited till the sun was almost setting before we headed out. Luckily we had enough light to find the perfect pumpkins. I think Grace enjoys picking her pumpkin more than the trick or treating. I think it is the thrill of the hunt, she gets that from Frank. I just want to get in take a few pictures find a fairly decent one and go home. I would have pictures of us carving them, but, a, yea well we didn't carve them this year. We waited and we ran out of time. Oh well.

#1 Ute Fan

Well at least we thought she was. Frank and I thought that Grace would have fun seeing the Utes in action. She is always cheering for them, her favorite color is red, she makes sure we have the flag flying on the car on game days and she knows the tune to the fight song. Apparently we were wrong. Kick off was 12:00 for the game last Saturday and at 12:30 I get a call from Frank that something like this, "I don't think this was a good idea, she is bored and wants to go home already." She did manage to last the whole game, with the help of a hot dog and dippin' dots. Well Frank, hopefully Kohen will be a bigger fan. Frank is going out on a limb again, he is taking me to the Utah/BYU game. I promise I won't start whining until after half time.

Florida Slide Show

What I learned on vacation

#1. a family of 4 consisting of 2 children in car seats DO NOT fit in a Ford Mustang.
(rental car companies mistake, after 2 days we exchanged it for a Chevy Impala)
#2. Florida is HUMID
#3. A 5 year old is impossible to please. Even at the Happiest Place on Earth
#4. Thank Heaven for Nona & Papa
#5. 7 days is not nearly long enough to attempt the Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Sea World, Universal Studios and an airboat ride.
(We didn't even get to see the ocean)
#6. Florida is HUMID
#7. Grace is a thrill seeker. She LOVED the Tower of Terror, Everest, Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain.
#8. 40 Minutes is too long to wait for an autograph of Ariel
#9. Grace hates 3-D movies
#10. Next time I will make sure we get the direct flight home from Orlando.
#11. That a gift shop can charge whatever they want for a 27 cent postcard stamp.
#12. Who cares about fashion, wear comfortable shoes!
#13. Traveling with a 6 month old isn't as difficult as I thought.
#14. Nursing on the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride is a little tricky.
#15. Did I mention that Florida is HUMID. (At least Kohen's Eczema cleared up while we were there)

Another WIN for our UTES!

Utah: 30
Air Force: 23
I have the worlds BEST husband. You see, I got him a set of season tickets to the Utes for Christmas and he was in heaven. In February we started planning our Disney World vacation and when we got his tickets in the mail a month ago we realized that he was going miss not 1 but 2 home games! I am going to have to figure out some way of making it up to him. The real tragedy in this story is that he doesn't even like Disney World. He is a true family man. Thanks for taking one for the fam honey.

Book Club Virgin

Yep, that's right. I joined my first book club. I think the last time I opened a book and read it was probably in high school. Okay okay, I did read a few baby books when I was pregnant but I don't think that really counts. I have never enjoyed reading. EVER. I get bored reading the newspaper if I have to search for the rest of the story on another page. I like to read to my daughter and we do so every night. I want to her to have what I don't, a love for the written word. I know I would have done better in school if I had enjoyed reading. The funny things is is that I always scored rather high on reading and reading comprehension tests in school. I just didn't like to pick up a book and sit down and read. I guess I never found a book I really loved. But last week I was invited to join a book club at church and I said to myself, "self, I think it is time we challenged ourself. Step out of our norm and try something new." I didn't think I would have time to read but I was surprised to find how many times I could squeeze in a few pages: waiting in line to pick Grace up from school, sitting at her gymnastics practices ( I can't really see her anyway), in bed instead of watching TV and most often when I was nursing Kohen. I think he enjoyed me reading out loud to him. It was such a proud moment for me when I completed the book. For some of you who are major readers you are probably laughing but I really am proud of my self. I realized that I could read a book and actually enjoy it. I also think it helped knowing that I had to have it read by a certain date and that I would have to discuss it as well. I had so much fun getting to know some of the girls from church better. Of course we talked about much more than just the book. We swapped stories about our children, I learned that Grace is not any more difficult than any other 5 year old. Thanks again for the invite Jen. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the book.
It's called The Dream Giver. By Bruce Wilkinson. It talks about how God has given each of us a dream. Not just any dream but His dream for us. Some have forgotten the dream, others don't think they can accomplish it, some are working towards their dream while others are living it. It reminded me of my dream, to become an interpreter for the deaf. I have always felt that I was called to do something within the deaf community. I realized that I have let fear and other roadblocks keep me from pursuing it. The book deals with our fears and the obstacles that enter our path that try to derail us in our pursuit of accomplishing our dream. If you have forgotten your dream or need encouragement I suggest reading this book.
I can't wait for our next book. I think I might really enjoy this.

First Day of School

Grace started school this month. Actually the first day was her birthday. She missed the deadline for kindergarten so she started preschool. I drove up to the door and the teacher came to car, unbuckled her and she hoped out turned back at me and with a big smile on her face she said "bye mom, I love." I think it was more traumatic for me than her. She loves her teacher Miss Robin. I hope that she will stayed challenged seeing how she is a little older than the rest of her class. Everyone I know who have children that were in the same situation as Grace all have told me that it is better to let her be the oldest. I hope so. At her preschool orientation her teacher was listing things they were going to be learning, for example, the Pledge of Allegiance, days of the week, months of the year. I thought to my self, hmm, Grace already knows this stuff. Her class is divided into 3 skill levels so I am confident that she will do fine. I did opt for the 5 day class so that she could get a little more out of it. So far she has really enjoyed it. She is so proud to show us what she worked on each day in school. I still can't believe my little baby girl is in school. Ok I need to stop now, my eyes are tearing up and I can't see the screen.

Frank's Birthday part 2

So as you know I surprised Frank for his 30th birthday. On Friday the 29th I gave him a gift bag with a dozen skeletons. He looked a little confused, like many of you I am sure. Frank has wanted to see

Bodies The Exhibition for about 2 years now. I told him I was taking him to Vegas for the weekend. Of course I got the usual response, "cool." Frank is a man a few words or emotions. But I knew he was excited. We stayed in St. George at a friends condo (thanks Betty). We spent Saturday in Vegas at the exhibit, I must say that if you ever get the chance to see it, do. It will give you a different appreciation for the body that God has given us. It is one thing to see pictures in a book, but to see a real human body like that is amazing. I know that a similar show is coming to Salt Lake this month. Grace really wants to go see it. She was mad that we went without her. After we were done we wandered the strip for a while. I tried to gamble but they don't let you just drop a coin or two in anymore. You have put in at least a dollar bill or more. I did find one of the huge slot machines and dropped a quarter and I won $6.00! That just brought me even for what I lost on Keno at breakfast. Oh well, gambling is not for me.

Frank enjoyed a 44 oz daquiri which left him a bit tipsy. But he does remember watching the Utes beat Michigan. Go Utes! (Thanks Lenzi for watching Kohen for us. Sorry about the mishap with the booby milk) I also surprised him by taking us to see David Copperfield. Oh my heck! It was awesome. I'll be honest, he was a bit goofy but anyone who can make a car appear on stage out of thin air, or make 15 random audience member disappear from stage and then reappear in the back of the auditorium is just plain amazing. I hope that Frank had a great 30th birthday, I know I enjoyed it.

(I'm hoping for New York, maybe a broadway show for my 30th birthday. Hint Hint)

Happy Birthday Gracie

  Grace celebrated her 5th birthday on September 2nd. I can't believe how fast it has gone by. It feels just like yesterday that I woke up at 2 am to find that my water broke. knibzsreml OPSFDg  (that would be Kohen helping my type) I have very few pictures since it was pre digital camera for us in 2003. I don't know how I ever survived.  Grace had a difficult time deciding what she wanted to do for her birthday.  Here is a short list of a few ideas she had for her birthday. 

1. Blues Clues (again, we already did that when she turned 3)

2. The Brady Bunch. (I wasn't sure how to do that one?)

3. Curious George (she loves that silly monkey)

4. High School Musical ( she is obsessed) 

She finally chose HSM. We went to Jungle Jim's Playland with a few friends and family. I am so glad that birthdays only come once a year. 

The Big 3-O!

hApPy BiRthDay dAdDy!

Well Frank is officially old. At least he thinks he is. I used to think that 30 was old, but not so much anymore. I can't really tease him too much because I will be thirty in six short months.
30 reasons why we are so blessed to have Frank.

1. He is such a wonderful husband

2. He is a loving dad
3. He gave me two of the most beautiful and wonderful children
4. He can help with the laundry when needed.
5. He loves his children.
6. He works so hard to make sure that we are taken care of
7. He makes me laugh
8. He can finish my sentences
9. We can be together without saying a word and know what each other is thinking
10. He looks sexy on his motorcycle
11. He loves my mom
12. He gets along with my brother and dad
13. He always put the needs of his family come before his
14. He lets me sleep in on the weekends
15. He can change a dirty diaper without complaining
16. He makes me feel beautiful even though I haven't lost all the baby weight
17. He bathes our dogs Schatzi & Maggie
18. He will watch chick flicks with me
19. He doesn't make fun of me for crying at sappy chick flicks
20. He doesn't mind cooking, he actually cooks better than I do
21. He loves my hair short and long. I always win
22. He always lets me win the fight
23. He is taking us to Disney World even though he hates the place
24. He likes to grocery shop with me
25. He doesn't make me watch sports
26. He still opens my door
27. He will hold my purse, by that I mean diaper bag, when I am trying on clothes
28. He will get on the floor and give "horsey" rides for Grace
29. He doesn't mind that I hog the covers at night
30. Because through all the trials of marriage and parenthood, he is still right here by my side.
I Love You
I can't say enough wonderful things about him. I can't say what we are doing for his birthday. It's a surprise and he hasn't guessed it yet. He always figures things like this out.

Thanks IHC

Saturday was Franks company party. They threw a Hawaiian luau complete with food, games, prizes and entertainment including a fire dance. Grace was invited to go on stage with other kids to learn a dance. We had a blast. Frank even won a huge 7 day cooler. Not sure what we'll do with it? But hey, we never win anything so we'll take it. Big Buddah from Fox 13 news was the emcee for the party. What a character.

Grace taking a swing at the Shamu pinata. She didn't break it but she had a pretty mean swing.

Grace doing the Haka. What a fearless warrior she makes.

Kohen just relaxing and enjoying the island music.

Hanging with Big Buddah

To mommy's little man

Your not my newborn any more. You are growing up too fast. Sunday you turned 4 months old. You are now 13 lbs and 1 oz and 24" long. You are laughing and babbling all the time. Your sister loves you so much. She and I can't get enough of you. I love that when I come into your room in the morning you smile when I call your name, even before you turn your head and look at me. I love that you giggle and get excited when it is time to nurse. I love when you look up at me and smile. I can see the awesomeness of God in you. You are a gift of perfect design. I pray that you will be strong in your faith, gentle with your words, steadfast in your convictions and sincere in your actions. I am blessed to be your mother. I want you to know that I may not have all the answers but I promise to do my best to raise you the way the Lord would want me to. I hope you know how much you are loved. I love you my little Bubbers.