Country Christmas Elves

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Christmas Elves

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A Little About Me...

Another tag...... this one looks fun, so here I go;

*8 Random Facts about me*

1) I do NOT like steak
2) I LOVE snow
3) I LOVE to organize closets, pantry, cupboards (just wish it would stay organized!!!)
4) LOVE music of all kinds except for rap and grunge
5) I do NOT like being hot
6) I LOVE to read. FBI thrillers are my fave
7) I am a total germ-a-phobe!
8) I love to decorate

*8 TV SHOWS I ENJOY WATCHING*

1) Biggest Loser
2) What Not To Wear
3) John & Kate + 8
4) Extreme Home Make Over
5) Dr Phil
6) Oprah (sometimes)
7) Tori & Dean
8) Today Show

*8 THINGS THAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY*

1) Went to work
2) Went to the bank
3) Took a small nap before work
4) Picked up a couple of Christmas gifts
5) Picked up Alexa from her hair appt
6) Went to Maddox with the Family for dinner
7) Checked email
8)Finally went to bed!

*8 THINGS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO*

1) Christmas Break for the kids
2) Relaxing
3) Soaking in a hot tub
4) Seeing my kids faces on Christmas morning
5) Some scrapbook time
6) Sleep
7) Reading a great book

*8 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT WINTER*

1) Beautiful Snow
2) Not sweating
3) Hot Chocolate
4) Warm, cozy pj's
5) Soup!!!
6) Christmas
7) Family time indoors
8) Christmas Music

*8 THINGS ON MY WISH LIST*

1) No Mortgage
2) Go back to school
3) Debt Free
4) A Vacation
5) More time!
6) New, reliable cars
7) Always to have healthy children
8) Be a stay at home Mom, again

*I tag Alexa, Caden, Hunter, Allyssa and anyone else that wants to do it!

Christmas Tag

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial, that way we can have lots of tree
3. When do you put up the tree? The day after Thanksgiving, I would do it sooner if my husband wouldn't care
4. When do you take the tree down? Last year it was up until my birthday (Jan 14)
5. Do you like eggnog? YES!!!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Always my baby doll!
7. Hardest person to buy for? Wade, he claims to not want/ need anything
8. Easiest person to buy for? My kids
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yep, a dozen or so
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? ? don't think I've ever recieved a bad gift
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Elf!!!
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Always have my eyes out for great deals
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think so....
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Peppermint Ice Cream
16. Lights on the tree? White on my tree. Colored lights on the kids tree
17. Favorite Christmas song? Tiny Angels
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Home
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixon, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One on Christmas eve (pj's!) the rest Christmas day
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? All the people in a hurry and ornery
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Depends on which tree, each tree has a different theme
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? ???
25. Favorite Christmas Book? I Believe In Santa Claus by Diane G. Adamson

*I thought this was a fun tag. I tag Hunter, Alexa, Caden, Allyssa and anyone else that wants to join in!

Gratitude

For me, one of the hardest parts of being a Mom is when my kids are sick. Last night Ally woke up @ 11:00 throwing up. I got her cleaned up, her bed changed and tucked her in. Within a few minutes she was back up.
Her stomach was hurting and she was crying. She wanted me to hold her in the recliner. I more than willingly did so. We stayed in the chair until 1:30 am with her throwing up every 20 minutes or so.
My heart just broke for her. I would have done anything to take the hurt and sickness from her. My thoughts then went straight to a special little guy that is at Primary Children's Hospital fighting for his life.
Suddenly Ally's stomach flu was put in perspective. I was so grateful that we were only battling the flu. My heart just aches for parents that have to watch their children suffering and battle for their lives!
Ally continued to throw up about every 50 min last night but each time I was reminded how blessed I am for having healthy children. She has finally gone @ 5 hrs without throwing up and is now sleeping soundly. Although I still hate watching her be sick and feeling so bad I am just so grateful that she will be feeling better in no time at all.
My heart and prayers go out to all of the families that have a child that is fighting for their life. Maybe all of us can keep an extra prayer in our hearts for these children and their families!
I believe that every prayer is heard. So if you will, please say a little prayer on behalf of a special little cowboy that is currently fighting a very hard fight at PCMC.

A Great Thanksgiving

We have had such a great Thanksgiving! It began as a crazy week and has ended as one of the best Thanksgivings ever. On Wednesday I ended up cooking and preparing all day and into the evening. We finished just before my niece, Lyndi, arrived with 3 of my darling great-nieces and great-nephew. It was so much fun to have them stay with us. Ally and Abbi instantly retreated to Ally's room. Gabe and Payzli hung with the rest of us. It was so great to start the Holiday with company in our home.
On Thursday we ran to the church (yes, a church, we had 48 people coming) to get things set up. Then ran home and found Nancy had arrived. We then got 15 lbs of potatoes mashed and all the pies, treats and potatoes loaded up and headed back to the church.
It was so great. ALL of the food was amazing! There was so much to choose from that my plate looked like a taster's plate. I wanted a little taste of practically everything. My favorite dish is always the Candied Yams. The kids' favorite is always "Timmy Rolls". My brother makes unbelievable dinner rolls. Yummy!!!
Not long after dinner, that Jolly ol' Soul came bouncing in. A complete surprise for the kids. After a little singing the kids got to sit on Santa's lap and whisper their Christmas Wishes. With a bit of prodding the older kids even sat on his lap too. Santa finished his visit with a little song and dance and was on his way. Since some of our family has to travel quite a distance we decided to have our family Christmas party on Thanksgiving. It was a great way to start this wonderful holiday season.
Dustin & Carrie were in charge of the Christmas party this year. They did a great job. After Santa left the adults got busy playing the White Elephant game while the kids began their fun picture books for church. Once everyone was done we then watched a portion of The Nativity Story. It was the perfect way to usher in the Christmas Holiday. It's always a great idea to remind everyone of what Christmas is all about.
Once everything was cleaned up we all headed for home. On Thursday night Nancy, Melissa and her friend Jodi stayed with us. It was so much fun to come home and get to just relax and visit. I just love having company stay with us. Especially family that we don't get to see very much. It was a real treat.
On Friday Melissa and Jodi headed to the airport and the rest of us just lazed around until about 3:00 pm. We finally got ready and headed to the Pizza Factory for yummy bread twists and amazing pizza. We topped it off with a trip to Farr's Ice Cream (thanks Aunt Nancy!!!) We then went to Mom & Dad's for a while.
On Saturday we got up and when back to Mom & Dad's and helped them get their Christmas tree and decorations up. It was fun to 'deck the halls'. The kids all were a huge help!!! Nancy, Alexa and I then headed into town to enjoy the crowds! We did find a few great deals but mostly enjoyed our time together.
It has been a long week, but such a wonderful one! I feel so blessed to have been born into my family. We are definitely not the perfect family, but we love each other and love being together. Thanks to everyone for making Thanksgiving so special this year!

Amazing Grades (Warning: Don't read if you don't like a little Mommy-bragging!!!

I want to take a moment and give my kids a little recognition. Last week report cards came home. I didn't expect any horrible grades, but I must say that I was still surprised by them. All of them had great grades!!! I think that any lack of brains I had during my school days was being saved for the four of them.
I am proud of all of them. The lowest grades from all of them was one B and two B+. The rest were three A-, six A, and twelve A+. At the Elementary level they give A+'s!!! How fun is that? Allyssa's report card was amazing too!!! She won't begin getting letter grades until the 3rd grade, but she had all E's, S+, S, and +'s. (E= Exceeding Expectation, S+= Above Satisfactory, S= Satisfactory, +'s= {given in behavior, citizenship} a strength)!!! YEAH!!! Way to go Kids!!!
We have been blessed with very good students at our house. They all work really hard to maintain their grades while they are all involved in extracurricular activities.
Here's a shout out to Alexa's 3.87 gpa and Hunter's 8 A+'s!!! Caden did great too and Allyssa continues to be a 'model' student!!!
I love all you! I am SOOO glad that we don't pay them for grades..... we would have to get a loan to do it!!!

A reason to Celebrate

Thanksgiving is this month and our family has been blessed with a very BIG reason to be thankful! It appears that my Dad is in remission!!! YEAH!!!!!!!! What an amazing gift. He will hopefully be able to talk to the Oncologist tomorrow and find out what his treatment regimen will be now. I am just so grateful to be granted such an amazing outcome. Our prayers have been answered and we will continue to be blessed to have this truly, incredible man in our lives. He has been granted more time to continue to teach us through his gentle ways and example.
Dad, I am so grateful for your example of courage, strength and faith. I think back to only a few months ago during some very dark, hard times for you and I am overwhelmed by this gift.

No one knows how long remission will last, but I can tell you that I for one will not take one day with you for granted!!! I look forward to many anniversaries (10/30/08) of your remission! I think it just might be a new Official Holiday for the entire Hunter Family!!!

Mom, you have been so amazing through out this very hard time. You have been so strong, patient and loving. I also believe that you have been blessed with the strength required to care for Dad. I am in awe of your strength and faith!

I love you both so very much!

(picture is from Christmas 2007 - Grandma and Grandpa in their new Christmas pj's)

Another Halloween has come and gone!

Yeah! We have survived another Halloween! I love decorating for Halloween, but that is about where the love ends. It is fun seeing the kids dressed up too. It seems that for 2 wks before Halloween we had multiple Halloween events that required costume attire. No big deal right? Right, keeping track of costume apparel along with keeping up with the latest choice on a costume can be a little crazy!!! Oh well. We all lived through it and had a lot of fun! Unfortunately, because of all the different parties, etc, I was unable to participate in our yearly pumpkin carving fun. The kids definitely had a great time with Dad!!!

Our Halloween in pictures...

Autumn Snow

Wade took these pictures on Sunday, Oct 12th. I think they are so beautiful. Such a contrast of Summer and Winter! Good job Holmesy.

My Sweet Hunter Si is 10!

Well, we had another birthday at our house last week. (Sorry Hunter that I am so slow getting this posted!) My sweet Hunter Si (short for Silas) turned 10. I'm not sure where the past 10 years have gone or why they have gone by so quickly. His birthday has always been a hard one for me personally, but a miracle for me too.
When Hunter was born he was 5 wks 6 days early. He was having a hard time breathing and needed a little oxygen. He was taken from me so they could give him a little help. After many hours of wanting my baby I was taken to the NICU where he was hooked up to everything plus some. It was determined at some point that he needed more oxygen than the little bubble over his head could provide. Some one had bagged him (oxygen) and did it a little too hard (as it was explained to me) which ruptured his little lung, resulting in a chest tube. They had also intubated him. It was a horrible shock since no one had told me he was in trouble. Unfortunately the dominoe affect continued. Because of the chest tube, he got an infection which then required 11 days of antibiotics and extended his stay. It was all very frustrating and terrifying. I didn't get to hold him for almost 5 days after he was born. Because he was intubated we couldn't even hear him cry, but his little tears told us how distressed he was. During his time in the NICU they came to us on 2 different occasions to prepare us for the very worse outcome.
Finally we were able to take him home where he was basically isolated for months. Everytime we celebrate his birthday I am reminded of his very hard, scary little start in life. However, I am always so incredibly grateful for the miracle of his life.
To see him today you would never believe that he almost didn't survive the first few weeks of life!!! The only proof of his ordeal is his scar from the chest tube. But, as Dr Rose would tell him, "Chicks dig scars".
Anyway, happy birthday Hunter!!! You are such an amazing kid and I love you so much. I love how silly you are, how cuddly you still are, how talented you are. I love everything about you!

I hope that you had a GREAT Birthday!!!

Tagged

Ok, Jill got me again, so here it goes....

List 5 fears, 5 joys, 5 obsessions/collections, 5 surprising facts about you.

5 Fears
1. Having one of my children taken from me.
2. Losing my husband.
3. Fire.
4. Snakes.
5. Getting stuck in a little tiny elevator.

5 Joys
1. Wade and our kids.
2. Having my parents in my life and my children's lives.
3. Seeing my kids succeed at anything they set out to do.
4. Family gatherings.
5. Scrapbooking/ reading.

5 obsessions/collections
1. Bags.
2. Jewelry.
3. Shoes.
4. Scrapbooking supplies.
5. Checking the locks.

5 surprising facts about you
1. I hate stupidity.
2. I love playing cards
3. I hate scary movies/ haunted houses, etc
4. I hate camping!!! (maybe with a trailer it would be different)
5. I love horse back riding.

Three

I've been tagged. So, here I go...

3 favorite last purchases:

Scentsy Plug Ins
Crepe Maker
Brown Skirt

3 favorite movies:

Phantom of the Opera
Wedding Planner
Dr Zhivago

3 things I haven't done yet:

Sky Dive
Swim with the Dolphins
Visit Scotland

3 things I can't live without: (you mean other than church and family)

My own pillow
My camera
My car

3 favorite dishes:

Broccoli Lasagna
Manicotti
Orange Chicken

3 favorite TV shows:

Biggest Loser
Extreme Home Makeover
Jon & Kate plus 8

3 last places I traveled:

Las Vegas
St George
Star Valley

3 favorite desserts:

Cheese Cake
Coconut Cream Pie
Peach Cobbler

3 things I would buy if $$ weren't an issue:

2 New Cars
6 Disney Cruise tickets
New Furniture for entire house

3 wishes:

To be completely out of debt
My Dad to be in remission
weekly maid service

Caden is 12!!!

Wow! My baby boy is 12 years old! I can't believe how fast time goes by. He had a big birthday weekend. On Saturday, the 11th, he had a party with 7 of his friends. We took them to Layton Surf N Swim. It is a pool that they cover with a big white 'bubble' during the winter. Every 20 minutes or so the siren sounds and big waves begin. It is a lot of fun. I think that all of the kids had fun. We had plenty of treats and drinks at the pool for them. After the pool we came back home and had pizza and doughnuts and Caden opened his presents from them. It was a fun party. This group of kids are such good kids. They were funny and just a lot of fun to have hang out. On Sunday, Caden's birthday, He was advanced from the Primary and Ordained a Deacon. Grandma & Grandpa Hunter, Grandma & Grandpa Holmes, and Cheyenne attended Sacrament Meeting with us and then Caden was Ordained following the meeting.
Wade Ordained Caden and Grandpa Hunter, Grandpa Holmes along with the Bishopric (Bp Lattin, Bro Bitton, Bro Branz) all were able to stand in. It was really a great experience. Caden was so ready for this big step in his life. He is such a great kid. I am so proud of him and we love him sooo much.
After church Grandma & Grandpa Hunter and Grandma & Grandpa Holmes came over for dinner. Because it was his birthday Caden got to choose the menu. He chose to have Meatloaf (yes, you read that right), potatoes, gravy, snicker/apple salad and rolls. Both Grandma's also brought yummy salads. For his dessert he chose Cinnamon Coffee Cake. Definitely not a traditional birthday dinner, but it was his chose. I must say that the Meatloaf was quite a hit. Both Grandpa's were very happy with his choice.
He opened the rest of his presents and then we spent the remainder of the evening playing a game and watching old home movies. It was a great day!!!
I love you Caden! You are such a great kid and are so much fun to have around! Thanks for all you do for our family. You are a great son and a great brother. Love you pal!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Ever wondered what happens when you're not home?

So, apparently, this is what goes on while I am not home. These two are so silly and cute together. Alexa loves to dance and Ally loves to do whatever Alexa is doing. They are so funny together. I love that Alexa loves to spend time with her sister. Caden was making fun of how they were dancing. I told him that they were dancing like no one was watching. That is how I want all of our kids to enjoy life!!! Thanks Alexa and Allyssa for loving each other and having so much fun together!

Catching up...

Over General Conference weekend ( Oct. 4-5) we went to Wolf Creek with Scott, Heather and their girls. We love spending time together and all of the kids get along so great. The kids are so funny when they are together. Ally and Avi disappear almost immediately. They go off on their own and play non-stop. They are great friends. Madi and Caden like to hang with Alexa or with the adults. They are funny though. They have a lot in common and love to just hang out together. It was such a great, relaxing weekend. We watched the morning session on Saturday and then Avi and Hunter both were heading back to their soccer games. Neither of them wanted to leave the condo. As it was, both games were rained out and so they got their wish. Scott had the great idea of Ice Blocking. The kids had a blast. It was definitely a big hit. When they came back inside they were freezing and wet. Some nice warm Hot Chocolate and warm bathes were just what they needed to warm up. As always there was tons of great food, fun games and laughter. Little Kendall was such an angel. She is just an amazing baby girl. She was so good and she even slept through all of the noise and chaos. Grandma J'Leanne joined us for the day on Saturday and then on Sunday Grandma and Grandpa Holmes and Grandma J'Leanne joined us for the day and had dinner with us. It was a great day. Thanks Grandma J'Leanne for the use of the condo. Thanks Scott and Heather for inviting us to spend the weekend with you!!!

Oh yeah, we did have one mishap....... We had used all the dishwasher detergent and didn't want to call for more. So, Heather told Wade to use just a couple of drops of liquid dish soap. Not long after he started the dishwasher he walked into the kitchen area and was quite surprised by the steady flow of bubbles escaping from the dishwasher. Of course he didn't think that just a couple of drops of liquid soap would really be enough so he used a couple of squirts instead...........

As you can see, we had a bit of a sudsy mess!!! Hmmm, I wonder if he will ever believe what he is told. We did have a great laugh at his expense!
Ahhh, memories!

Ally is growing up!!!

My Ally-bug is growing up! She has desperately wanted to have her ears pierced. On the morning of Sat., Sept. 27th she came upstairs and said that she had a dream that she had her ears pierced. I smiled at her and told her she would have to talk to her Dad about that. She gave her big, puppy-dog eyed smile to him and went over and gave him a hug. He just smiled at her. She walked away from him knowing that he wouldn't let her. I mentioned to him that maybe we should let her do it before she was much older. I then reminded him that Alexa was older and she was awful about letting us take the posts out. He shrugged and had that 'I give up' look. He then told me he didn't care if she had it done. I went and told Ally that she could have her ears pierced. She was SO excited. We went that afternoon to The Silver Loft at the Newgate Mall. Alexa and her cute friend Ashley went too. They were being so cute with Ally. They were helping her pick which earrings and then they were trying to keep her from getting too nervous about it. She chose her Amethyst posts, her birthstone. After it was done they were telling her how cute her earrings were. Ally said it hurt a little bit, but she has been all smiles ever since. She is also very diligent about cleaning around her earrings. She got all of the way to the bus stop one morning and remembered she didn't clean her ears so she ran back home. I told her it was ok, she could do it after school. She ran back up to the bus stop but the bus had already come! So she came back home, cleaned her ears then I drove her to school!

Birthday Party Candids

Super Man!

Today is my Dad's birthday. He is 74 yrs old today. I view today as a gift. As positive as one may try to be when dealing with an incurable cancer it has been hard, at times, to believe that he would be here for his birthday. It truly feels like such a blessing to be able to celebrate his birthday with him.
On Saturday we were able to have a big birthday party for him. My sister, Corrie, chose a 'Superman' theme. Definitely very fitting. We had the party in Wellsville at my brother, Dustin's house. There was great food and a lot of laughs to be had by all. Our niece, Ashley, agreed to come to Wellsville to take family pictures. Our original plans were to have them taken in front of the old barn at our old house. However, due to a conflict with the present home-owner, that did not work out. Dad wanted to have the Wellsville Mtns as our back-drop. That was easy since all we had to do was walk out Dustin's front door for that back drop.
Unfortunately the rain played havoc for a while and then cleared up leaving a beautiful rainbow as an extra birthday wish.
It was so great to have us 7 kids with Mom and Dad for pictures. Thanks to Dustin and Carrie for the use of their home for the party! Thanks to Ashley and Dwight for driving to Wellsville for pictures! Thanks to Corrie for the amazing 'Superman' cake and Nancy for the great food and organizing the party! It was truly a party to be remembered!!!
Our Dad has been our *hero* for all our lives. How fitting to honor him on his birthday as a 'Super Man'. I found a tile for him that says "If you don't believe in heroes, You haven't met my Dad". We all feel this way about him. He is an amazing example for all of us. He continues to live his life with complete faith and love.
I love you Dad!!! You made it to your birthday, YEAH!!! Now we can look forward to your next birthday and many more to come!!!

Happy Belated Birthday...

Wade's birthday was last week on Sept 18th. Unfortunately, it was quite uneventful. We had chili for dinner and he requested a fresh peach pie for his birthday 'cake'. We had pack meeting that night too. It's always fun having a birthday on a weekday. So between everything going on that night he managed to open presents and have his pie.
Ron's birthday was on Sun, the 21st. All the family gathered for his birthday and had cake and ice cream. It is always fun to get together and hang out.
Happy Birthday Ron!
Happy Birthday Wade!

Rude Awakening & a Thief

Have you ever had a day where you should have just stayed in bed??? Today has definitely been one of those days.
My doorbell rang @ 4:45 am today. Having been in a nice deep sleep this definitely jolted me straight from bed. My first thought was that Wade was home and had locked himself out. I couldn't figure out why he would be home though. I get to the front door and look out my blinds and there stands a policeman. He says "Police".
Ok, my first thought is did we set the alarm last night? Are all the kids still sleeping safely in bed? Then my stomach reaches my throat with the thought 'Wade.....' He had left the house at 1:00 am for work. My thought continued....'he's been in a wreck, they found his drivers license, here they are, this can't be good'. Then, Mom and Dad. Has something happened at their house? Panic!
This all went through my mind in all of a few seconds. I said through the window "Let me get my robe". I had after all ran straight from bed. The Officer nods his head as he is shining his flashlight on his badge.
Finally I open the door and he informs me that one of our neighbors had called because our dog (Hoosier, our Black Lab) had been barking for the past 1 1/2 hrs. He went on to tell me that he had been sitting out front of our house for the past 20 minutes and that the dog had not stopped.
My head was still spinning from abruptly being forced awake. Plus, the worse case scenarios that had ran through my head still had me completely freaked. I think that by this point he realized that I was a bit caught off guard.
I told him that I would go out and check on Hoosier because that wasn't normal for him. I mentioned something about having raccoons that get him worked up, etc. Asked who called in, which of course was anonymous. The Officer then gets my name, birthdate, phone #'s, our street address and offers to go out for me and check the dog. I said no and he left.
Sheesh......
Then tonight Caden is out riding his bike in our neighborhood. Wade is heading to the dump and to get Hunter from soccer practice. Wade stops and tells Caden where he is going. Caden wants to go but has his bike. Cade starts for home, just across the street and over one house, and Wade tells him he doesn't have time to wait for him, to just leave it there. (there = the corner of our friends yard). So, 45 min later they come home and no bike. Yup, the bike is gone. Wade and Caden went and checked with the surrounding neighbors and no one has seen the bike. So now Caden is without his bike that he got just 11 months ago and had just grown into (nice bike that he could have had forever).
#$&(%*#&%&#)*(%&* ( at least that is what I feel like screaming) .

I was lost...

About 4 days ago I was informed that I was lost. I received a phone call from someone looking for me for my 20th yr high school reunion. Apparently I was on their could not find list. It was funny because I didn't know I was lost. I guess that is what happens when you get married and move away. I haven't lived in beautiful Cache Valley for over 18 years and I rarely see any of my friends and old classmates.
I don't know if I will go to the reunion. It is in just 2 short weeks. We'll see. It would be fun to reconnect with some of the others from the class of '88.

Wow, that really makes me think that I should feel very, very old!!!

Good News!!!

Today we received some great news about my Dad. He had repeat CT Scans done yesterday. According to the Nurse Practitioner he will have 2 more chemo sessions and then they will do another scan. Most likely a PET Scan. This will be to determine if he is in remission. Wow!!! The possibility of only 2 more chemo treatments is amazing! He really has been such a trooper through out this very harsh and long journey. He is undoubtedly my #1 hero in life.
For those that don't know, my Dad was diagnosed in April with Advanced Stage 4 Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. He has fought it with more courage than I have ever seen.

I LOVE YOU DAD!!!

Some Vegas Fun!

Viva Las Vegas!!!

As soon as the kids were home on the 28th we loaded up and headed to Las Vegas. Everyone pretty much survived the drive, although, the 1st question of "are we close yet?" happened a mere 50 miles south of home! :'} We pulled into our destination at 12:30 am. We woke the kids up as we approached Vegas from the interstate so they could take in the glow of the lights. Needless to say, they were not happy about being woken. Poor Hunter didn't see any of it. The others caught a glimpse or too. We stayed and the Grandview Resort ( a HUGE thanks to Uncle Mark and Aunt Linda). It is about 7 miles south of the strip. Our accomondations were beautiful.
Once we got unpacked and settled in the kids had caught their 2nd wind. lol They ended up staying up until 3:00 am. Friday morning Wade and the kids hit all 5 pools at the resort. I stayed behind and enjoyed the very inviting jacuzzi tub in the room. We did eventually head toward the strip. We started and Circus, Circus. The kids loved the amusement park there. Alexa had a characature drawn of herself while the other 3 did fun pictures in front of a green screen. We also saw the beautiful water shows at the Bellagio. We watched about 3 different water shows. Definitely one of Ally's favorite parts of the trip.
When we got back to our rooms Ally and I crashed in bed and Wade and the other three hit a midnight buffet next door at the South Pointe. They had a great time but did have a little trouble finding the right floor to get off the elevator!!!
Saturday began with swimming once again and then off to the Dolphin and Lion Habitat at the Mirage. The lions were a bit boring to be honest. We did love watching the dolphins and their silly antics. We also hit many of the other fun and well known sights of the strip right down to grown men vomitting all over! yuck! Good example to the kids as to why one should never drink!
By Sunday afternoon we had finished our fun in Las Vegas and headed to St. George. We got to stay with Nancy that night. (Thanks Aunt Nancy!!!) The kids could NOT wait to get to her house. They adore Aunt Nancy and they all believe they are her favorite! lol It was so nice to get to spend time with her. The kids tried to catch lizards in her back yard and I got to spend some much needed time with my Sis. It was so nice.
Unfortunately for me I had a little too much sun and heat on Sunday. I woke up on Monday very sick. The sun and heat hate me. I tend to get quite ill if I spend too much time in either.
Wade and Alexa headed to check out Kim's house that she is buying . After spending a few more hours with Aunt Nancy, we reluctantly loaded back into the car and headed home.
The only good thing about going home was picking up Chase, who had been at Scott and Heather's playing with Franklin!!! (Thanks Scott & Heather for babysitting for us!!!!!!!!)
It was a great reunion with our little furry family member. He seemed very happy to see us.
All in all it was a very fun, successful get-away for us. Thanks also to Grandpa and Grandma Holmes for letting us take the Explorer. Definitely got better gas mileage than the Suburban would have and the working A/C was a lifesaver!!!
The best thing about a vacation is all of the memories we made and just getting to spend uninterupted time together! We definitely needed it.

Back to School!

Well, the first day of school has came and went. I do not look forward to the kids going back to school, at all! I really dread the added chaos and stress on the kids. Especially the older they get. The kids were all ready and excited though, which is a plus that I wasn't having to force them out the door. I am still wondering what happened to the rest of the summer vacation! Once the kids were at school I went to a mom - brunch. It was fun. My friend, Shawnee, had invited a few friends. We all took a breakfast item and just enjoyed each other.
This year was much easier for me. Last year about killed me. It was the first time in a very long time that I did not have a little buddy with me for at least part of the day. It was a hard transition for me! I even picked

up a 3rd day at work so that I wasn't so lonely. Funny how youbecome so accustomed to having a little person attached to you! Anyway, they all came home happy and excited for tomorrow. Ally and Hunter both declared that this was going to be the best year of their life!!! Here are some pictures of them this morning on their way out the door....

I guess I am going to attempt 'blogging'. I love looking at everyone Else's blogs and keeping up on every one's lives. Hopefully I will be able to keep ours updated and fun. Sadly, these pictures are over a year old. I hope to have new family pictures in the next couple of months to replace these with. I am definitely a beginner, so bare with me!