Afton tagged me last week and I thought today would be a good day to do it since it's about my hubby. =) I've been M.I.A. for the last month because we were sick and then my computer caught the bug and we still haven't fixed it. I think it's been good for me. Now I only get to check my e-mail and google reader at night on Nathan's laptop!! I am no longer a slave to my computer!! I really wasn't too bad before but it's nice to not feel like I'm wasting too much time. =) I will get some pictures up and update ya'll on life as soon as we get internet back on our regular computer!! But, just so know - we are alive and happy! We really enjoyed our day of LOVE today!! Hope you all had a great Valentine's day!!
The tag:
What is his name? Nathan
How long have you been married? 6 years in MAY!!
Who long did you date? We OFFICIALLY dated for a month and a half. But we were joined at the hip for a good 8 months before he proposed. I love the way our relationship progressed. Because of our situation we went the friend route way (well, I guess not WAY - a few months.) before anything romantic happened. I think that's the way all relationships should be. We knew eachother SO well and I love the foundation we had when we began the actual courting process (courting??? SO cheesy!!) We had so much fun and could talk for HOURS.
Who eats more sweets? He digs the candy and I can't get enough cookies. =)
Who said I love you first? He did.
Who is taller? Nathan
Who can sing better? Oh - we are both incredibly talented singers. Haha!!
Who is smarter? School smart - Nathan. Everything else - me. =)
Who does the laundry? Me - but he hangs everything up!
Who pays the bills? Nathan - he is a budget guru!!
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Right now I do. But we like to mix things up and trade every once in awhile.
Who mows the lawn? Nathan usually.
Who cooks dinner? Me.
Who drives? I think I probably drive more often. I get car sick - plus I like to drive and he doesn't. But he is SUCH a backseat driver!!
Who is more stubborn? We take turns.
Who kissed who first? He kissed me first!
Who asked who out first? Him I think. Did he ever actually ask me out?? I'm not sure.
Who proposed? He did and it was so cute the way he did it.
Who has more siblings? Me
Who wears the pants? We both wear pants. =)
I love you Nathan!!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Correction.
Woops! The girls are 8 - not 9!! Good grief. I really thought I remembered them getting baptized LAST year. Sorry Baylie and Carlie! Love you!
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Happy Birthday Carlie and Baylie!!!
My two littlest sisters turn 9 years old tomorrow!! I can't believe how big and grown up they both are. They are twins but couldn't be more different. They are so funny and say the cutest things. I love you Baylie Bop and Carlie Sue!! I hope you have a really fun birthday!!
RARRRRRRRRR!!!!
Yes. That is me GROWLING. I received a lovely virus yesterday that won't let me into my internet (I'm on Nathan's laptop) and has eaten all of our files. I am SOOO mad. Hey, if anyone knows anything about computers and what I should do about this, let me know.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Monday, January 21, 2008
First Trip to New York!!!
We FINALLY got to visit New York this past weekend! Amy and Tim are on vacation there and so we were able to meet up with them! We were planning on taking the girls with us but my friend Suzanne offered to keep them for the day. Thanks Suzanne!! I have to say that I am SO glad they weren't with us! Not that I don't love them, but they would have been miserable. I, however, was in heaven! We had a blast! Nathan was embarrassed of me because I was acting so touristy. I had my map open and was oohing and aahing at everything. We walked from Grand Central Station to The American Museum of Natural History! Actually we hopped on a bus for the last 5 streets. Wish we had thought of it sooner! It was FREEZING!! If we'd taken the bus we wouldn't have gotten to walk up Broadway though! We had a great time with Amy and Tim! Lots of laughs. I wish we could hang out with them more often!
Highlights:
* The museum was great! Lots of cool stuff to look at. We were SOOO excited when we found out the prices are SUGGESTED. WE went there planning on $15 per person and ended up only paying $5!! Happy day!!
* We took the subway and saw Times Square and The Rockefeller Center and all the fun places around there.
* We saw ELMO and he was begging for money!! Poor Elmo!
* Lunch at Rays in Little Italy. DELICIOUS LASAGNA - horrible service!
* World Trade Center Memorial
* The Bull (from Hitch)
* Brooklyn Bridge
* The guitar singer on the Subway! Pretty funny!
Nathan was so excited to see a Chipotle so we stopped there on our way back to the train station. He never did get his burrito from Chipotle while we were in AZ! It was such a fun day! I can't wait to go back!
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Highlights:
* The museum was great! Lots of cool stuff to look at. We were SOOO excited when we found out the prices are SUGGESTED. WE went there planning on $15 per person and ended up only paying $5!! Happy day!!
* We took the subway and saw Times Square and The Rockefeller Center and all the fun places around there.
* We saw ELMO and he was begging for money!! Poor Elmo!
* Lunch at Rays in Little Italy. DELICIOUS LASAGNA - horrible service!
* World Trade Center Memorial
* The Bull (from Hitch)
* Brooklyn Bridge
* The guitar singer on the Subway! Pretty funny!
Nathan was so excited to see a Chipotle so we stopped there on our way back to the train station. He never did get his burrito from Chipotle while we were in AZ! It was such a fun day! I can't wait to go back!
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Tuesday, January 15, 2008
It's a New Day!!
And I am very VERY grateful for that!! Yesterday was one of "those" days. I think that normally I'm a pretty happy, positive, glass is half full kind of person but yesterday I was a "I'm really cranky, get out of my face kind of person." I don't know how people can live like that constantly because I can tell you by the end of the day I didn't like myself AT ALL. We were driving along and Anika asked me why I was sad and I totally snapped that I JUST WAS. The poor little thing then said "Mom, why are you talking grumpy to me when I say nice things to you?". Good grief. I was SUCH a HAG. Once again I found myself asking the question - Why OH WHY can't I be more like the man in the yellow hat. He makes me smile just thinking about him!!
Anyway, today I'm back to normal and repentant and feeling grateful for a new day and a chance to be a better person than I was yesterday.
At the end of nursery I noticed Keslie had a pink, goopy eye. YES. This is at the END of nursery. Hopefully we don't have a mass pinkeye epidemic (is that the right word to use there?) in our ward. I'd feel HORRIBLE!! We gave her drops on Sunday but Monday morning she woke up with swollen, stuck together eyes. It was SO sad but SOO cute! She's doing better today. Still a bit on the boogery side. I thought for sure I was getting it yesterday. I hoped I'd wake up with MY eyes stuck together this morning. Nathan told me that I should just start putting drops in my eyes. NO way! The goopiness is the best part of pinkeye! I do not want to miss that!!=) Haha!! Here is Kes yesterday. Pretty cool, right??! =)
I hope you all have a FABULOUS Tuesday!
For my blogger friends - I'm really sorry about my lack of comments lately!! I'll try to be better!! See ya!!
Anyway, today I'm back to normal and repentant and feeling grateful for a new day and a chance to be a better person than I was yesterday.
At the end of nursery I noticed Keslie had a pink, goopy eye. YES. This is at the END of nursery. Hopefully we don't have a mass pinkeye epidemic (is that the right word to use there?) in our ward. I'd feel HORRIBLE!! We gave her drops on Sunday but Monday morning she woke up with swollen, stuck together eyes. It was SO sad but SOO cute! She's doing better today. Still a bit on the boogery side. I thought for sure I was getting it yesterday. I hoped I'd wake up with MY eyes stuck together this morning. Nathan told me that I should just start putting drops in my eyes. NO way! The goopiness is the best part of pinkeye! I do not want to miss that!!=) Haha!! Here is Kes yesterday. Pretty cool, right??! =)
I hope you all have a FABULOUS Tuesday!
For my blogger friends - I'm really sorry about my lack of comments lately!! I'll try to be better!! See ya!!
Friday, January 11, 2008
Resolutions and Shtuff.
I know - these are a little late in coming!
My goals for 2008:
* Be as cheesy as possible!
* Say things OUT LOUD that should be kept silent.
* Eat lots and love every second of it!!
* Go on lots of girl's nights!!
* Make out with Nathan!!
* Kiss my girls sweet, little cheeks as much as I possibly can!
* Read lots of books!
* Spend money!
* Take gobs of pictures!
* Play games with people and always be the winner!
Pretty tough, right??!! =) I know. Those are the goals I wish I could make because they would be so darn easy to accomplish!! =)
Here are some of my real goals:
* Keep going to my kick boxing class in the mornings (6AM!!)
* Make healthier meals
* Build up our food storage and other emergency preparedness items
* Keep my nice voice intact even when I want to yell and scream.
* Remember birthdays
* Organize my pictures
* Scan old pictures into the computer
* Bear my testimony more often
* Figure out if I have a talent and then develop it.
* Be better at my calling in church
* Potty train Kes
I don't feel too overwhelmed by these goals so I'm excited!! =)
Other things on my mind:
We got our new camera and scanner/printer last night!! Our Sony camera broke while we were on vacation so Nathan researched cameras and finally decided on this one! We got a great deal because we bought the camera with the printer for only $50 more and the printer is normally $150 all by itself! PRETTY SWEET!! So here it is:
* I'm a tired girl today. We had book club last night and I stayed just a tidge too late and then when I got home I was in a gabby mood so I kept poor Nathan up until 12:30 talking. Waking up for kick boxing was hard this morning!
* I think that the site that tells the reading level of blogs is LAME LAME LAME!! Mine is elementary level FYI. They told me this after one second.
THE GIRLS:
Anika has discovered her sass and is using it full force. I don't have much patience for it (thus the resolution to not yell) . A couple of my favorite phrases:
* You're not the boss you know.
* NO!! That's not my favorite!
* I don't like you!
* Don't say that to me!!
Aside from these lovely moments she really is an angel! She talks and talks and talks and asks questions and then talks some more. I love her cheesiness and her innocence. She loves Keslie and tells everyone that Kes is her best friend. She's learning so much and growing up so fast.
Keslie is at such a fun age. She's talking so much and still has such a cute lisp. Her voice isn't as low as it used to be but it's still pretty husky. =) I can't describe the way she looks when she talks and do her justice. I'll have to get some video footage with the camera. She follows Anika around like a puppy.
OH - one more thing. Nathan and I just signed up with this new bank (ING DIRECT). We were surprised by how good the interest rates were, even on your checking account. Plus, when you're referred by someone who already has an account, you get $25 free. The referring person gets $10! And you can refer up to 25 people. Think of the money that could be made!! SO - if you are interested we would love to refer you!! Let me know!!!
Have a wonderful Friday!!
My goals for 2008:
* Be as cheesy as possible!
* Say things OUT LOUD that should be kept silent.
* Eat lots and love every second of it!!
* Go on lots of girl's nights!!
* Make out with Nathan!!
* Kiss my girls sweet, little cheeks as much as I possibly can!
* Read lots of books!
* Spend money!
* Take gobs of pictures!
* Play games with people and always be the winner!
Pretty tough, right??!! =) I know. Those are the goals I wish I could make because they would be so darn easy to accomplish!! =)
Here are some of my real goals:
* Keep going to my kick boxing class in the mornings (6AM!!)
* Make healthier meals
* Build up our food storage and other emergency preparedness items
* Keep my nice voice intact even when I want to yell and scream.
* Remember birthdays
* Organize my pictures
* Scan old pictures into the computer
* Bear my testimony more often
* Figure out if I have a talent and then develop it.
* Be better at my calling in church
* Potty train Kes
I don't feel too overwhelmed by these goals so I'm excited!! =)
Other things on my mind:
We got our new camera and scanner/printer last night!! Our Sony camera broke while we were on vacation so Nathan researched cameras and finally decided on this one! We got a great deal because we bought the camera with the printer for only $50 more and the printer is normally $150 all by itself! PRETTY SWEET!! So here it is:
* I'm a tired girl today. We had book club last night and I stayed just a tidge too late and then when I got home I was in a gabby mood so I kept poor Nathan up until 12:30 talking. Waking up for kick boxing was hard this morning!* I think that the site that tells the reading level of blogs is LAME LAME LAME!! Mine is elementary level FYI. They told me this after one second.
THE GIRLS:
Anika has discovered her sass and is using it full force. I don't have much patience for it (thus the resolution to not yell) . A couple of my favorite phrases:
* You're not the boss you know.
* NO!! That's not my favorite!
* I don't like you!
* Don't say that to me!!
Aside from these lovely moments she really is an angel! She talks and talks and talks and asks questions and then talks some more. I love her cheesiness and her innocence. She loves Keslie and tells everyone that Kes is her best friend. She's learning so much and growing up so fast.
Keslie is at such a fun age. She's talking so much and still has such a cute lisp. Her voice isn't as low as it used to be but it's still pretty husky. =) I can't describe the way she looks when she talks and do her justice. I'll have to get some video footage with the camera. She follows Anika around like a puppy.
OH - one more thing. Nathan and I just signed up with this new bank (ING DIRECT). We were surprised by how good the interest rates were, even on your checking account. Plus, when you're referred by someone who already has an account, you get $25 free. The referring person gets $10! And you can refer up to 25 people. Think of the money that could be made!! SO - if you are interested we would love to refer you!! Let me know!!!Have a wonderful Friday!!
Monday, January 07, 2008
Another Long Post
Sorry guys. I have 18 days to document here so you can count on it being pretty lengthy!! Here are the pictures to start with! I took so many pictures. This is just a sampling!! I wish I had gotten more of the Gordon's and the Allen's. Next time, right? Oh - our camera broke. We should have our new one here soon! Yay!!
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12/19-12/23
The girls and I flew separately from Nathan on the way there and they did great! Especially considering we didn't get out of that plane for at least 8 hours. We had 2 layovers but we had to stay in the same plane - so we were stuck! The last leg of the flight was pretty miserable. We were all getting really restless AND my DVD player ran out of batteries. BUMMER!! We ate the yummiest pizza for dinner that night and it was SO great to see everyone!! Nathan's parents are in a smaller place now but I never felt like it was crowded. It was just nice to hang out! Kes was a huge grump that evening (what did I tell you???!) and we thought it was just because she hadn't slept at all. I now attribute her grumps to the fact that she was SO sick!! She had a fever the next day that ranged from 102.9 - 103.9 and a really croupy cough. I LOVE my pediatrician - she called in an antibiotic and steroid and totally saved us the hassle of having to go to the emergency room. The first couple days there were pretty lay low because of sick kids. The plan was to have a little all day "cousin" playgroup on Thursday but that was canceled. Kelyn and Britt still stopped by because they love me so darn much. =) Anika and I got a haircut and I finally got to see little miss Raylee!! She is so cute!! The next morning Kelyn came by for a couple hours and we took the kids to the park! The weather was just beautiful! I love winter in AZ!! We played some dodge ball and soccer with Alek and had fun chasing the kids all over the place! Then that night we dropped our kiddos off over at Kel's house (because shes the bestest and practically begged us to let her watch them. =) We had our first double date with Mandi and Steve and it was just glorious!! We ate at My Big Fat Greek Restaurant and then wandered Wal-mart. Once we got home the guys started watching the Simpsons so Mandi and I had fun laughing at them laughing at the show. They are so hilarious to watch laugh.
On Saturday we had family pictures taken! I'm excited and nervous to see them. The girls were NOT cooperating so I don't know if we got a single picture of them smiling. =) Jill did show us some samples on her blog. Wanna see them? I'm planning on sending out a New Years card with a picture of just the 4 of us. Haha!! Better late than never, right? I've only seen one of the four of us and I can't wait to see the rest! Thanks Jill!! It was great to see you!
After the pictures we went and got yummy Mexican food! Hooray for AZ and their plethora of Mexican restaurants!!! THEN we went and saw ENCHANTED!!! I can't believe I held out! It didn't disappoint. I absolutely loved it and am trying to scheme up a way to see it again. It was super cute. Here is the opening clip for your enjoyment.
Carolyne got really sick that day!! Her fever was even higher than Keslie's!! Luckily by the second week all the kids were doing better. Anika started doing a lovely eye blink twitch thing and we weren't sure what that was all about. We found out a few days later...
The first Sunday is a blur for me. I remember we watched The Nativity Story and I thought it was EXCELLENT.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
We had a very festive Christmas Eve dinner! It was SO good! My favorite part of the night was when the kids dressed up and acted out the nativity. It was so cute! Alek and Anika were Mary and Joseph. Kes was an angel. Drew, Ethan, and Taylor were wise men. I thought I had videoed the whole thing but I only got a snippet at the beginning! Bummer! We also had a paper airplane contest. The winner got $20!! My airplane was horrible!! Afton's was even worse!! Haha!! (love ya Afton!)
We managed to squeeze in a visit to the Kivett family over at Grammy's house. They are all so sweet and it was so nice to see them! Aunt Jolee and Grammy gave the girls there very first barbies! Have you seen the Barbie movies??? They are SO good! =) It was fun to get all set up for Christmas when we got home. Anika and Kes were so excited to leave cookies and eggnog (Anika's idea - she loves that stuff!). OH - they also got new pj's from Nana and Papa West and they look adorable in them!
Christmas day was so fun. All the guys got mini- helicopters and we were spoiled rotten by Santa Claus. =) The girls got so many fun things! I got a cookbook called DECEPTIVELY
DELICIOUS and I have been telling everyone about it!! I've made 8 things so far. Chicken nuggets with broccoli puree, Mac and Cheese with pureed white beans, quesadillas with butternut squash, chocolate chip cookies with chick peas, and pita pizzas with spinach. All of it has been delish and HEALTHY, I might add! I had loads of fun pureeing all sorts of things today! I think I will make my own baby food my next time around! Anyway - Christmas morning was fabulous. I was the ONLY one that didn't get up and get ready so all the other girls were beauty queens and then there was me. Yikes!! Plus, I was wearing my lovely shirt Nathan bought for me from the Salvation Army. He was So excited about our shirts and then when we wore them everyone thought we were serious. I don't think we will make that a tradition! The rest of the morning was spent playing with toys, reading, and taking it easy! Later that afternoon we went over to Granny and Papa's house. We had such a great time! I wish we could have stayed longer. I can't believe how grown up my little cousins are!! I'm definitely going to need someone to send me some pictures because I didn't get any from that night!! (hint hint!!)
Dec. 26th - Dec. 29th
These days are kind of a blur for me. Some things that happened include:
* Anika waking up from her nap with disgusting, goopy eyes. Yup - she had pink eye. I have no idea where she got it and thankfully none of the other kids caught it. Yay!! Our doc. saved the day again and called in another prescription.
* I got to go to my favorite ribbon store ever!! I was in HEAVEN!! I got some really cute ruffle ribbon and sheers and some darling flowers! I've been in a bow making mood ever since!
* We went out to eat at Red Robin! Love that place!! Loved my burger and shake!!
* We watched The Bourne Ultimatum with Mom and Dad West and loved it again!
* We had a game night with Kelyn and Spencer, Mandi and Steve and us and Kel's house. Loads of fun and we ate cookies and mallow popcorn and donuts and icecream. PIGS! We had some good laughs!
* We went to the temple with Cam and Afton! I'm so glad we got to do that!
* We went out to lunch with Grammy, Aunt Jolee, Aunt Sharla and Uncle Tom. I'm so happy we were able to see them again! The girls really warmed up to them.
* Carol took all the girls out and we got pedicures!! Our feet were beautiful!! Kelyn thinks I have ugly, fat toes! What do you think?
* We had Taco Bell one of these nights. I ordered a tostada because they are nowhere to be found in CT.
* We played Dancing With The Star on the Wii and it was so funny! Nathan has the moves!! He's hilarious! It was fun hanging out with Mitch and Jordan that night.
New Years Eve Eve and New Years Eve
We had a fun New Years Eve Eve party with the Wests because Brooke and Scott were getting read to leave for Singapore and wouldn't be able to celebrate on the actual New Year's Eve. We did the toast at 10:30!! Luckily, our camera was set to CT time and it showed 1/31! That night was a blast!! We played Outburst and Disney Scene It. Afton and I had a duel (fencing on the Wii). We played my beloved game - The Animal Game. I love it! Then we played Afton's game - Snort. That one was lots of fun too! I had a lot of fun taking random pictures (as you will see on the slideshow). I was in one of Nathan's shirts and the collar makes my neck look really short. Oh well. =) It was such fun! When I was getting ready for bed my cell phone showed that I had 3 missed calls - all from my sister Tessa. Turns out that they up and decided to drive down!! It was my dad, Amber, Kensi and Tess. The next morning we went over to Britt and Dusty's house to say hi to them! Me, Britt and Amber played Rockband on their XBOX. I LOVE that game!! I'm having visions of girls nights at my house playing it. I think they have it for the wii! At least we could do karaoke!! I do have a video of us but I'm WAY too embarrassed to post it. =) I love my sisters. =) That afternoon everyone went swimming in the Wests heated pool. I was lame and didn't have my swimsuit. I was sure it would be too cold so I didn't pack one. The water was fabulous and I was regretting my decision! Nathan played some water b-ball with Cam and the girls had a great time floating around. My dad stopped by for a bit to say hi! It was great fun to see him! We got to visit for awhile and introduced him to bowling and boxing on the Wii. After he left we headed over to the Soter's for some New Year's eve celebrating!! We played half a game of Settlers and then switched over to Guesstures. The guys creamed us. Mandi and I - well...we aren't very good. =) We counted down, kissed our hubbies at midnight and then played Tetris!! It's always fun to hang out with them.
Jan. 1 - Jan. 4
Some of the happenings:
*Woke up early to say good-bye to Brooke, Scott, Drew and Taylor. We were so sad to see them go!!
* We were excited to share our newfound love of Southwestern Eggrolls with my Dad so we went to Chili's for lunch. He wasn't a fan and neither was anyone else. Bunch of weirdos!!
* After lunch we went and saw National Treasure: Book of Secrets! Loved it!! I love that Riley dude. He's such a crack up!!
* We then headed to the zoo to see zoolights with Mom and Dad West, Jordan, and Cam and Afton. They were so pretty and the girls had a blast pointing out the animals and the bugs.
*We went to Red Robin for dinner. This time I opted out of the burger. I had been having a lot of hamburgers and decided to go with a sandwich. It was so yummy!!
* We went on a shopping trip to AZ Mills mall and came home with scrubs, clothes, and caramel apples! They were the most beautiful caramel apples I've ever seen and SOOOO good!
* We watched Pirates of the Caribbean 3 that night.
* On our last day there I got to get together with Heidi and Mandi and their kiddos for one last rendezvous. I love those girls.
* That afternoon, Carol took us out to the new Santan mall play area and the girls had great fun climbing all over the bugs and trees. Then they got to go to The Build-a-Bear Workshop! They loved it! Anika chose a dog that she named Blue's Clues. Very original. Kes chose a bunny. Thanks Carol!!!
* That night we went out to eat with my side of the family again. We had Mexican food one last time. I'm so glad we got to see all of them and Kel and Spencer and Britt and Dusty too.
*DQ that night!!
*packing
*good-byes - no fun.
We love our families so much. We were there for 2 and a half weeks and both Nathan and I wished we could stay longer. Thank you guys for everything! Were missing you!
I've got other un-vacation things to post but I think I'll save that for later!!
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12/19-12/23
The girls and I flew separately from Nathan on the way there and they did great! Especially considering we didn't get out of that plane for at least 8 hours. We had 2 layovers but we had to stay in the same plane - so we were stuck! The last leg of the flight was pretty miserable. We were all getting really restless AND my DVD player ran out of batteries. BUMMER!! We ate the yummiest pizza for dinner that night and it was SO great to see everyone!! Nathan's parents are in a smaller place now but I never felt like it was crowded. It was just nice to hang out! Kes was a huge grump that evening (what did I tell you???!) and we thought it was just because she hadn't slept at all. I now attribute her grumps to the fact that she was SO sick!! She had a fever the next day that ranged from 102.9 - 103.9 and a really croupy cough. I LOVE my pediatrician - she called in an antibiotic and steroid and totally saved us the hassle of having to go to the emergency room. The first couple days there were pretty lay low because of sick kids. The plan was to have a little all day "cousin" playgroup on Thursday but that was canceled. Kelyn and Britt still stopped by because they love me so darn much. =) Anika and I got a haircut and I finally got to see little miss Raylee!! She is so cute!! The next morning Kelyn came by for a couple hours and we took the kids to the park! The weather was just beautiful! I love winter in AZ!! We played some dodge ball and soccer with Alek and had fun chasing the kids all over the place! Then that night we dropped our kiddos off over at Kel's house (because shes the bestest and practically begged us to let her watch them. =) We had our first double date with Mandi and Steve and it was just glorious!! We ate at My Big Fat Greek Restaurant and then wandered Wal-mart. Once we got home the guys started watching the Simpsons so Mandi and I had fun laughing at them laughing at the show. They are so hilarious to watch laugh.
On Saturday we had family pictures taken! I'm excited and nervous to see them. The girls were NOT cooperating so I don't know if we got a single picture of them smiling. =) Jill did show us some samples on her blog. Wanna see them? I'm planning on sending out a New Years card with a picture of just the 4 of us. Haha!! Better late than never, right? I've only seen one of the four of us and I can't wait to see the rest! Thanks Jill!! It was great to see you!
After the pictures we went and got yummy Mexican food! Hooray for AZ and their plethora of Mexican restaurants!!! THEN we went and saw ENCHANTED!!! I can't believe I held out! It didn't disappoint. I absolutely loved it and am trying to scheme up a way to see it again. It was super cute. Here is the opening clip for your enjoyment.
Carolyne got really sick that day!! Her fever was even higher than Keslie's!! Luckily by the second week all the kids were doing better. Anika started doing a lovely eye blink twitch thing and we weren't sure what that was all about. We found out a few days later...
The first Sunday is a blur for me. I remember we watched The Nativity Story and I thought it was EXCELLENT.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
We had a very festive Christmas Eve dinner! It was SO good! My favorite part of the night was when the kids dressed up and acted out the nativity. It was so cute! Alek and Anika were Mary and Joseph. Kes was an angel. Drew, Ethan, and Taylor were wise men. I thought I had videoed the whole thing but I only got a snippet at the beginning! Bummer! We also had a paper airplane contest. The winner got $20!! My airplane was horrible!! Afton's was even worse!! Haha!! (love ya Afton!)
We managed to squeeze in a visit to the Kivett family over at Grammy's house. They are all so sweet and it was so nice to see them! Aunt Jolee and Grammy gave the girls there very first barbies! Have you seen the Barbie movies??? They are SO good! =) It was fun to get all set up for Christmas when we got home. Anika and Kes were so excited to leave cookies and eggnog (Anika's idea - she loves that stuff!). OH - they also got new pj's from Nana and Papa West and they look adorable in them!Christmas day was so fun. All the guys got mini- helicopters and we were spoiled rotten by Santa Claus. =) The girls got so many fun things! I got a cookbook called DECEPTIVELY
DELICIOUS and I have been telling everyone about it!! I've made 8 things so far. Chicken nuggets with broccoli puree, Mac and Cheese with pureed white beans, quesadillas with butternut squash, chocolate chip cookies with chick peas, and pita pizzas with spinach. All of it has been delish and HEALTHY, I might add! I had loads of fun pureeing all sorts of things today! I think I will make my own baby food my next time around! Anyway - Christmas morning was fabulous. I was the ONLY one that didn't get up and get ready so all the other girls were beauty queens and then there was me. Yikes!! Plus, I was wearing my lovely shirt Nathan bought for me from the Salvation Army. He was So excited about our shirts and then when we wore them everyone thought we were serious. I don't think we will make that a tradition! The rest of the morning was spent playing with toys, reading, and taking it easy! Later that afternoon we went over to Granny and Papa's house. We had such a great time! I wish we could have stayed longer. I can't believe how grown up my little cousins are!! I'm definitely going to need someone to send me some pictures because I didn't get any from that night!! (hint hint!!)Dec. 26th - Dec. 29th
These days are kind of a blur for me. Some things that happened include:
* Anika waking up from her nap with disgusting, goopy eyes. Yup - she had pink eye. I have no idea where she got it and thankfully none of the other kids caught it. Yay!! Our doc. saved the day again and called in another prescription.
* I got to go to my favorite ribbon store ever!! I was in HEAVEN!! I got some really cute ruffle ribbon and sheers and some darling flowers! I've been in a bow making mood ever since!
* We went out to eat at Red Robin! Love that place!! Loved my burger and shake!!
* We watched The Bourne Ultimatum with Mom and Dad West and loved it again!
* We had a game night with Kelyn and Spencer, Mandi and Steve and us and Kel's house. Loads of fun and we ate cookies and mallow popcorn and donuts and icecream. PIGS! We had some good laughs!
* We went to the temple with Cam and Afton! I'm so glad we got to do that!
* We went out to lunch with Grammy, Aunt Jolee, Aunt Sharla and Uncle Tom. I'm so happy we were able to see them again! The girls really warmed up to them.
* Carol took all the girls out and we got pedicures!! Our feet were beautiful!! Kelyn thinks I have ugly, fat toes! What do you think?
* We had Taco Bell one of these nights. I ordered a tostada because they are nowhere to be found in CT.* We played Dancing With The Star on the Wii and it was so funny! Nathan has the moves!! He's hilarious! It was fun hanging out with Mitch and Jordan that night.
New Years Eve Eve and New Years Eve
We had a fun New Years Eve Eve party with the Wests because Brooke and Scott were getting read to leave for Singapore and wouldn't be able to celebrate on the actual New Year's Eve. We did the toast at 10:30!! Luckily, our camera was set to CT time and it showed 1/31! That night was a blast!! We played Outburst and Disney Scene It. Afton and I had a duel (fencing on the Wii). We played my beloved game - The Animal Game. I love it! Then we played Afton's game - Snort. That one was lots of fun too! I had a lot of fun taking random pictures (as you will see on the slideshow). I was in one of Nathan's shirts and the collar makes my neck look really short. Oh well. =) It was such fun! When I was getting ready for bed my cell phone showed that I had 3 missed calls - all from my sister Tessa. Turns out that they up and decided to drive down!! It was my dad, Amber, Kensi and Tess. The next morning we went over to Britt and Dusty's house to say hi to them! Me, Britt and Amber played Rockband on their XBOX. I LOVE that game!! I'm having visions of girls nights at my house playing it. I think they have it for the wii! At least we could do karaoke!! I do have a video of us but I'm WAY too embarrassed to post it. =) I love my sisters. =) That afternoon everyone went swimming in the Wests heated pool. I was lame and didn't have my swimsuit. I was sure it would be too cold so I didn't pack one. The water was fabulous and I was regretting my decision! Nathan played some water b-ball with Cam and the girls had a great time floating around. My dad stopped by for a bit to say hi! It was great fun to see him! We got to visit for awhile and introduced him to bowling and boxing on the Wii. After he left we headed over to the Soter's for some New Year's eve celebrating!! We played half a game of Settlers and then switched over to Guesstures. The guys creamed us. Mandi and I - well...we aren't very good. =) We counted down, kissed our hubbies at midnight and then played Tetris!! It's always fun to hang out with them.
Jan. 1 - Jan. 4
Some of the happenings:
*Woke up early to say good-bye to Brooke, Scott, Drew and Taylor. We were so sad to see them go!!
* We were excited to share our newfound love of Southwestern Eggrolls with my Dad so we went to Chili's for lunch. He wasn't a fan and neither was anyone else. Bunch of weirdos!!
* After lunch we went and saw National Treasure: Book of Secrets! Loved it!! I love that Riley dude. He's such a crack up!!
* We then headed to the zoo to see zoolights with Mom and Dad West, Jordan, and Cam and Afton. They were so pretty and the girls had a blast pointing out the animals and the bugs.
*We went to Red Robin for dinner. This time I opted out of the burger. I had been having a lot of hamburgers and decided to go with a sandwich. It was so yummy!!
* We went on a shopping trip to AZ Mills mall and came home with scrubs, clothes, and caramel apples! They were the most beautiful caramel apples I've ever seen and SOOOO good!
* We watched Pirates of the Caribbean 3 that night.
* On our last day there I got to get together with Heidi and Mandi and their kiddos for one last rendezvous. I love those girls.
* That afternoon, Carol took us out to the new Santan mall play area and the girls had great fun climbing all over the bugs and trees. Then they got to go to The Build-a-Bear Workshop! They loved it! Anika chose a dog that she named Blue's Clues. Very original. Kes chose a bunny. Thanks Carol!!!
* That night we went out to eat with my side of the family again. We had Mexican food one last time. I'm so glad we got to see all of them and Kel and Spencer and Britt and Dusty too.
*DQ that night!!
*packing
*good-byes - no fun.
We love our families so much. We were there for 2 and a half weeks and both Nathan and I wished we could stay longer. Thank you guys for everything! Were missing you!
I've got other un-vacation things to post but I think I'll save that for later!!
Sunday, January 06, 2008
I'm working on it...
I'm in the process of uploading pictures GALORE!! My next post will be quite the big one!! Look for it tomorrow. =) I hope all of you enjoyed your holidays!!
Monday, December 17, 2007
I tried to be brave.
This picture actually makes this stuff look GOOD. It smelled HORRIBLE and as I poured it into the bowls I actually GAGGED! Anika came in and said "I don't want to eat that!". This is the point where I attempted bravery. I smiled big and said that it would be so DELICIOUS and WARM and that I would put LOTS of sugar in it. I tried a bit and I don't remember if it was as horrible as I'm making it out to be but I gagged again and put it all in the sink!! WHEATENA is banned from our house!! I need to go out and buy some more of my Vermont Morning. Now, that stuff is good!! I guess we'll just eat Chex Muddy Buddies for breakfast! That's cereal, right??
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Top 10
Top 10 things I'm BEYOND excited for this Christmas!!!
1. Being with Nathan's family!! I feel so excited for this year. Mabye I've built it up in my mind (just a little) but I am having visions of all of us West women baking in he kitchen and laughing until one of us wets our pants (it really is a toss up who it will be!!) or the kids acting out the Christmas story, singing Christmas carols, playing games. I just feel like this year is going to be FABULOUS. It's going to be so great to all be together before everybody scatters across the globe. I love my West family.
2. Seeing my 2 little sisters and their cute families!!
3. FINALLY getting to meet Raylee and kiss her cute cheeks!!
4. Going on the traditional double date (or 2!!) with the Soters and laughing our heads off. Who will say the first "inappropriate" thing? It used to be me HANDS DOWN but Steve has been giving me a run for my money. =) We LOVE LOVE LOVE those Soters. Someday it will be as it should be my M&M!! Next door neighbors, married children (to each other, of course!!), and our old reclusive lifestyle. Haha!!
5. The cousin playgroup and visiting the Kivett and Theabold families. I miss them.
6. A temple close by!! Hooray!!
7. Warmer weather!!
8. Mexican food!
9. Finally getting to see Enchanted. It's a miracle I've held out.
10. Getting to watch my girls enjoy Christmas. They are at such a fun age.
10 things I'm NOT looking forward to:
1. The flight. Will it crash or will it land safely??? Will I throw up or hold it in??
2. The stress of trying to do SO much but just wanting to relax and be with Nathan's family.
3. Not getting my Dad's stockings filled with FABULOUS random stuff. Maybe Nathan will surprise me with this. HINT HINT. =)
4. That leads into not getting to see my family at all. This will be my first Christmas to not see them.
5. The girls not being there angel, wonderful, cute selves. It seems like every time we go on vacation the girls go into whiny, grumpy, make me look like I'm not a good mom phase. I just want people to see them how they always are! Adorable little chatter boxes.
6. The desert
7. Missing mom.
8. Saying good-bye and coming home. Time goes WAY too fast when we are there.
Okay, so top 8. Really there isn't much I'm NOT looking forward to!! AZ here we come!! 6 days and counting!
1. Being with Nathan's family!! I feel so excited for this year. Mabye I've built it up in my mind (just a little) but I am having visions of all of us West women baking in he kitchen and laughing until one of us wets our pants (it really is a toss up who it will be!!) or the kids acting out the Christmas story, singing Christmas carols, playing games. I just feel like this year is going to be FABULOUS. It's going to be so great to all be together before everybody scatters across the globe. I love my West family.
2. Seeing my 2 little sisters and their cute families!!
3. FINALLY getting to meet Raylee and kiss her cute cheeks!!
4. Going on the traditional double date (or 2!!) with the Soters and laughing our heads off. Who will say the first "inappropriate" thing? It used to be me HANDS DOWN but Steve has been giving me a run for my money. =) We LOVE LOVE LOVE those Soters. Someday it will be as it should be my M&M!! Next door neighbors, married children (to each other, of course!!), and our old reclusive lifestyle. Haha!!
5. The cousin playgroup and visiting the Kivett and Theabold families. I miss them.
6. A temple close by!! Hooray!!
7. Warmer weather!!
8. Mexican food!
9. Finally getting to see Enchanted. It's a miracle I've held out.
10. Getting to watch my girls enjoy Christmas. They are at such a fun age.
10 things I'm NOT looking forward to:
1. The flight. Will it crash or will it land safely??? Will I throw up or hold it in??
2. The stress of trying to do SO much but just wanting to relax and be with Nathan's family.
3. Not getting my Dad's stockings filled with FABULOUS random stuff. Maybe Nathan will surprise me with this. HINT HINT. =)
4. That leads into not getting to see my family at all. This will be my first Christmas to not see them.
5. The girls not being there angel, wonderful, cute selves. It seems like every time we go on vacation the girls go into whiny, grumpy, make me look like I'm not a good mom phase. I just want people to see them how they always are! Adorable little chatter boxes.
6. The desert
7. Missing mom.
8. Saying good-bye and coming home. Time goes WAY too fast when we are there.
Okay, so top 8. Really there isn't much I'm NOT looking forward to!! AZ here we come!! 6 days and counting!
Yikes!!!
I read this article posted on MSN today. Of course it freaked me out. You can't talk about the Avian flu and not get me a little paranoid. However, I though the article was very good and reinforced the importance of being vaccinated. Check it out!
Why a flu shot just might save your life
Why a flu shot just might save your life
Monday, December 10, 2007
4 YEARS OLD!!!!
Well. My BABY is 4 today!! It is so amazing how fast time goes by once you have kids. I feel like we were just bringing her home from the hospital. Anika has been a joy from day one. She was a sweet baby and now she's a sweet little/big girl. I get choked up just thinking about her and trying to decide what I'd like to write. I remember when I was a brand new beehive at church and they were doing New Beginnings and my mom had to come up to the front with me and talk about me. Of course she bawled and I was SO embarrassed! I didn't understand why she always cried over me. Now I understand. My girls can bring on the tears faster than anything! Anika has such a sweet, bubbly personality when she is with people that make her feel comfortable. She is already being labeled as "shy" at school and my tender mother heart worries so much about her! I want people to know the real Anika. There is nobody as sweet and fun as her. She has LOVED going to preschool this year. I think it's been really good for her to participate in group settings without me. We love her so much. She is the best when you need cheering up or a big hug. She loves to help in the kitchen - especially if it involves peanut butter and jelly! She has an amazing imagination! She is still totally into art stuff. She loves to sing and dance and play with dolls (all those girly things!). We can't imagine life without her!
She had a really fun day today! Her magical pony party went really well! She will probably be talking about it until her next party! She had a really cute group of friends over and they had a ball! She is in HEAVEN with her new toys. She wanted to sleep with ALL of them in her new sleeping bag. Good grief!! Tonight we all went to Mickey D's for dinner and that was fun! She even got a kid's meal and that NEVER happens! We are the lamest parents. Dollar menu ALL THE WAY! Today was special though. Anyway - I am SO tired! Here is a picture of the group from the party! I'll post the rest later. And Jenni - where is Nathan?!! I can't believe he's not in the picture!
Monday, December 03, 2007
Cutest Love Handles I've Ever Seen!!
We attempted the whole potty training thing on Saturday. Mostly because the new diapers were outside in the car and we didn't want to go get them. =) She looked awfully cute but after 2 accidents and no successes we decided that she isn't quite ready yet. =) On went the diaper.
I was so excited when I woke up and saw that everything was FROZEN today! This happened one time in Rexburg and it was BREATHTAKING. It seemed like diamonds were hanging from the trees. Unfortunately, the sun hasn't been out today so there isn't quite the same effect but I still love the it! Look how cool it looks!!
Here are a couple pictures of the girls jumping in the leaves!
This past weekend I got to go see WICKED with my friend Suzanne! IT WAS AWESOME!! She won the tickets in a lottery so we got $100 seats in the front for only $25!! Can you believe it??! We had a blast and I absolutely LOVED the show!
Happy Monday everybody!!
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