From My Heart To Yours

This truly ought to be the new title of my blog. Enjoy!

My own personal elves that love me!!!

My song of the week.

I wanted to take a moment to say that I am truly loved. On Saturday I went to St. George to decorate gingerbread houses with the family for the kids Annual Christmas Party. While I was gone Roxanne (my BFF) and another friend of ours came over and cleaned my house and wrapped my gifts without me knowing they were going to do it. This is huge for me! I have so much to do (not one that is blogging yet here I am) before Thursday. I have to have all my Christmas stuff done before then because I am taking the kids to St. George for the weekend so I can attend Michael's work party with him. Christmas will have to be all done! Think I can do it?

Anyhow, this was a big one for me. Single Momming it is hard. I have so much going on all the time that I don't even realize how much I am doing or have to do until someone else picks up the slack. Roxanne is a friend of the highest quality for realizing two things about me 1-I never ask for help. I'm not good at it. I often don't even realize that I need the help. I just do what needs to be done. Asking for help often makes me feel like a burden. 2- I am not good at letting go of things and I am very controlling about my environment. As a child, I never had control over my environment so I am very particular about things now. Which causes a few problems. I can't have someone else clean my house because I don't like them in my things and I want it all done a certain way. Anal I know. So for her to come over and really respect my space and help me out, was simply AMAZING.

These "Happy Elves" as I call them, made my Christmas. I was a little down on people after catching some folks the other day talking trash about me when one I would have considered a friend. I was shocked and bothered. SO for them to come and do something for me to make my life easier, MADE MY CHRISTMAS. Thank you Roxanne and Farren for all you've done and do. I hope that I'm as good of a friend to you as you are to me.

Friday Fill In

1. Friends __TRUE friends are hard to come by___.

2. __Protect your health___ health; it's __irreplaceable___.

3. I'm ready for __Friday to see my honey___.

4. __lavender vanilla___ is one of my favorite perfumes or aftershaves or smells.

5. The oldest ornament I have is __?___.

6. Take some __music___, mix it all together and you have __a road trip___.

Fun Post borrowed from Avner (thanks!)

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00 bill.
In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.
He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill.
He then asked, "Who still wants it?"Still the hands were up in the air.
Well, he replied, "What if I do this?"And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.
He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty."Now, who still wants it?"
Still the hands went into the air.
My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased,you are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you.

The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE and WHOSE WE ARE.

You are special- Don't EVER forget it. Pass this on for if you don't, you may never know the lives it touches, the hurting hearts it speaks to, or the hope that it can bring. Count your blessings, not your problems."

And remember: amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic.

Catch Up Time!

I realize that I just posted 8 (not including this) new blog posts. I am sorry to do so many at once because I put my Disneyland one up last and it will probably be looked at last. Good times though. Take a moment and have a look. We've been busy. Thus my absence LOL. Here is our Christmas Tree. I put it up today and Nya is doing her best to take it down. I wanted to put up a pic for Michael to see. It really is hard having him so far away all the time.
Every year we have these tiny angels that we put on the tree. There is one for each of us. We kiss them and make our wish for the year and put it up. Mike hangs them together so we can all be together. His wish for me this year was, "I wish you'd take care of Mommy, give her a nice gift and a kiss." SO SWEET. His wish for Daddy's was "to be with him on Christmas and have him home." Then he sung the song from The Grinch. One of Michael's favorite movies and hung it up. It was all I could do to not cry.

Mike fell asleep holding all his lizards so "they could have sweet dreams and be safe," how sweet is that?

My food storage all organized (at least to me)

Yesterday I got all my food storage together. Sorry if this post is boring to you all, I am just posting it for Michael to see before it gets wrecked or something.

See honey I have been as busy as I say!

Zion and Arriel's Birthday 11/8/08

Daddy's Little Girl. Mike was too busy playing at Zion's party for me to get any pics of him at his friend's party but Nya got down!
See I am at events. I promise.

This girl loves her some cake!

That night we went back to Town Square for Arriel's Birthday. Megan was in town so the kids got to hang out and we got to catch up some. Meg I am posting this pic because you look great (like always!).

Arriel wouldn't let me take her picture so I am posting this one to motivate her next time to come out of hiding and let me get some pics. You're too sexy to be hiding Air!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY A.O. We love you!

Wichita

See this grin... Mommy and Daddy time for a weekend with no kids.

Take Dad's (or special person) to Lunch Day

Take Dad's to Lunch Day fell on a Friday so there was no way that Michael could make it and so I filled in. I was thrilled and so was Mike.

I brought Mike a Special lunch on this day however, he insisted we both have school lunch. This is him picking the pepperonis off his pizza and me behind the camera eating only as much as I have to to please him. Oh the lengths we go to...
Mike let Mommy snap a pic. NO, none of the Dad's were doing this. Just me.
My child pretending to be good because I'm watching. Doesn't he know I'm always watching???

This One's for you Gramps.

I love my daughter but most days she could use a hard hat.

Katelynn's Birthday Party St. George

We drove up for Katelynn's 4th Birthday party at Lincoln and Heather's cute new house. It was a fun and relaxing afternoon.

Caden you are one goofy kid.

Thanksgiving 2008

-THANKSGIVING FEAST in classroom 64-

Happy Thanksgiving!
My little man and me. He loves when I go to his school but not nearly as much as I do.

Nya of course had to dress up too. I mean what girl could resist the hotness of this outfit!

Mike and Nya on the Carpet at school. She was so into what he was doing and he lovingly put up with it. What great friends.

-THANKSGIVING DAY-

This year we got to spend Thanksgiving with our really good friends Scott and Roxanne. We love them and love them for having us. :) It was a very relaxing day for me since it was the first year I didn't have to cook the entire meal in I don't know how many years.

My little Cupcake helping me bake a Pumpkin Sheet Cake to take to Roxanne's.

Mike taking a break from baking to draw another "Iron Man" picture.

Disneyland December 2008

Sorry there weren't pictures from before this point during the trip. I'm convinced that it is because I wasn't awake quite yet. We left Las Vegas after picking Michael up at the airport on Sunday at 3:45. We didn't get to the hotel until almost 2AM. It took 2 hours just to get to Primm. It was literally bumper to bumper most of the way. Insane! Oh well. The kids were great in the car and we made it safely so what more can we ask for? Maybe to be wealthy enough for our own private plane and the Presidential Suite at the Grand? P.s. I'm using "The Secret" to win the "Cinderella's Castle" for a night. You can only win it and I WANT IT BAD! I am NOT big on princesses but I am a fan of almost all things Disney (except High School Musical) so I'd love it!

"The Grizzly River Run" aka, the boys favorite ride. Michael had to go to the bathroom and Red needed to change so I waited for the kids to get off their ride well low and behold, they rode it 8 times! Yes, EIGHT!!! There wasn't a line at all and they found some friends that also rode it over and over with them. To be young again...
I had to post this pic of Caden's Face, it cracked me up!
Our boys growing up and getting to do things just as little boys. These days are flying by which is why this annual trip is always so important to me. They just change so fast!

The boys all soaked!

This is me giddy after my alone time with Michael since his mother took the kids into the park for the morning. Ahhh, adult time! That was the first time ever on any trip to Disneyland that we've been able to be alone there. We loved it for the couple of hours then we were missing the kids. We're lame right?

Michael and the boys when we caught up to them before we rode "Haunted Mansion."

One of the Fairies on the way in to Pixie Hollow. This was the first "girl thing" we've ever done at Disneyland. Ever. It was quite emotional for Michael and I with our baby girl doing all these super girlie things and how much she likes it.

I shouldn't squint like this unless I've invested in some Botox. But I had to put it up because it is proof that my husband adores me. :)

Michael and his mom Red (Linda) waiting to get into Pixie Hollow.

Nya and Iridessa.

Nya finally gets to meet "Pinkerbell!" She can't say Tinkerbell just yet but that doesn't stop her love affair one bit.

Michael and his big boy Caden. He is growing up so fast!

It's A Small World finally reopened after being closed since February. It looks pretty dang good for as old as it is.

The Christmas Tree in the Lobby of The Grand Californian Hotel where we stay when we come for our Christmas trip. We tell the kids it be because they like to stay there but really I book there because Michael loves it.

Nya wasn't feeling well so Mike climbed in the trundle with her to help her sleep. He loves her so much. The bunk beds in the rooms at the Grand are one of the top reasons we stay there. Plenty of room in your room and sleeping space for everyone.

The family before we loaded up to head home. I had to turn to get Nya to look at the camera. She was D.O.N.E..

Mike lost his tooth while I was brushing his teeth at Disneyland. It literally fell out onto the counter. Funny how he lost the three up top and the new ONE took the place of the two that were there before. Mike's face is changing almost daily and so is the way he talks. :)

Prop 8 - The Musical

I thought this video was super funny but I know lots of people don't share my brand of humor so if you're looking for a star-studded, good laugh, check it out!

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/c0cf508ff8/prop-8-the-musical-starring-jack-black-john-c-reilly-and-many-more-from-fod-team-jack-black-craig-robinson-john-c-reilly-and-rashida-jones