The Things I've Learned and / or Experienced Lately

So lately I have had some pretty awesome things, plus some not-so-awesome things going on, so I thought I would share:

* I've experienced my baby girl turning 11. She sang in her final Primary Program in Church, and I cried. Just like I cried during her first Primary Program when she was 3. Next summer she will be a Young Woman and I'm not real sure where my little baby went.
* I've experienced Halloween with kids who are getting older. And one of them (the boy) actually said, "I don't really want to go Trick-or-Treating." What???!!! Who???!!! What did you say??!!!
* I've experienced a Thanksgiving full of things I should express more gratitude for on a daily basis. I've realized how truly blessed I really am.
* I've experienced Wii Bowling with my dad. IT WAS AWESOME!!! The best part was when Belle told him, "Look Papa! Your Wii Guy looks just like you with only some gray hair on the sides and he's bald on the top!" (Picture her hands waiving next to her ears, and then circling around the top of her head as she says this).
* I've played "beauty shop" with my mom. We also stayed up late laughing and crying with each other. It was great.
* I've had to let my youngest go to Kindergarten. Even though I wish I could stop time and keep her little forever!
* I've learned that Flag Football really kinda sucks. But my son learned a lesson by not quitting even though he really wanted to. We promised him that next year he will get to play contact football instead of weenie football. (No offense to those of you who put the program together this year. You did a great job, we had a wonderful coach, it just wasn't for us).
* I've learned what the word "Parvo" means. (Apparently everyone in the world knows what this word means... but me!) And I wish I could go back 1 week to when I didn't know. It's a really, really bad thing!
* We (as a family) have made a commitment to keep the spirit of Christ in Christmas. We are focusing on being kind to one another and remembering the real reason for the season. December seems to be going well... so far. We have been reading uplifting Christmas stories every night before bed, and trying not to let Christmas stress us out, but rather lift us up!

Perfection

I have a problem with perfection. I always want things to be perfect... and they never are.
Enough said.
My lovely sister is visiting my parents in Paradise (Avon) for about a month this summer. She happily volunteered to keep my children in Paradise (Avon) for a few days. Bless her little heart. And bless my mother's heart, too, because it is her house that will suffer the consequences. So my lovely little monkeys have been gone for a full week now. At first the silence was enjoyable, then strange, then eerily strange, and now the silence is annoying.
Everything seems to be perfect. All the beds are made, all the laundry is DONE, the dishes are clean, the toilet is clean, the floors are swept / mopped, the carpet has been vacuumed, and there are no traces of messy hands anywhere. So it appears to be perfect. (Someone PLEASE stop by unannounced for once while the house looks this good!!!)
J.R. and I have enjoyed some much-needed alone time together, and it has been great, but I miss them terribly! Is all the perfection in this house worth the loneliness? Not hardly. I think I'll take the messes and enjoy them from now on.

Wal-Mart

I hate Wal-Mart. And before you start yelling, "Don't be a hater!" in your best Mexican accent, please realize that I hate Wal-Mart for personal reasons. Because I'm selfish. And if you know what I do for a living, you will begin to sympathize with my selfishness.
I don't hate Wal-Mart because they run all the "Mom & Pop's" stores out of business, and I don't hate Wal-Mart because of the way they treat their employees, or because I can't get out of there without spending less than $100, or blah blah blah blah blah. I hate Wal-Mart because I HAVE to go there. And I don't like to have to go there.
I live in a small town, and it is inevitable that every time I go there, I WILL run into someone I would rather not run into.
I only go to Wal-Mart if I ABSOLUTELY have to! For instance, they sell my favorite tortillas... that have saved my marriage! (Tortilla Land uncooked flour tortillas - if you haven't tried them, you should. They saved a poor gringa like me from utter destruction in a world where, apparently every Mexican wife should know how to make homemade tortillas... Just like Wela's!) Not only does Wal-Mart sells these bad boys, but they sell them in an 18 pack for the same price as the 12 pack at other competitor's stores. I have no choice but to have to go there.
OK, so that's really the only reason why I would HAVE to go to Wal-Mart. We need tortillas? Crap, I guess I have to go to Wal-Mart. The following reasons come in a close 2nd after the tortillas: I can buy a shload of dog food for $10 bucks. Enough said. Oh, and I can buy a bottle of the generic Zantac for $4 bucks. Ah crap, and sometimes, in my weaken state, I will answer the nurse with, "Wal-Mart," when she asks, "What pharmacy should I call this prescription into for you?" I always, ALWAYS regret that one! Why can't I ever think straight during a doctor visit with a sick, whiny child???!!!
I went to Wal-Mart on Saturday night around 6:00 so that I could be a good Mormon wife/mother and use Saturday as my "Special day... the day we get ready for Sunday!" And I immediately regretted it. Don't get me wrong, I ran into some people that I like, My cousin's husband & their 2 oldest "kids," for example. (However, when I walked away from them, I realized how old I really am because I used to babysit those 2 when I was in college, and now THEY are old enough to be too old and too cool to babysit anymore).
And then I ran into it Brother "R" who is always smiling. (Who smiles that much?!) The same Brother "R" who I ran into in a different grocery store 3 days ago. And he asks, "Have you seen my wife?" And this is my train of thought... Ha ha, sucker, that is the very reason I came by myself without the hubby & kids this evening... but you work at the jail right??? And you'rein the bishopric? Keep this guy on your good side, Amber, keep this guy on your good side. Oh man, his wife looks just like Sister "H," so if I have seen her, would I even be able to make a positive identification??? So I answer with the truth, "Sorry, I haven't. When I'm in this store, I really try not to look up at anyone. Otherwise I run into people who don't want to see me. I try to get in and out, unnoticed." He laughed because he does know what I do for a living, and I think he sympathized momentarily. He walked away, and I walked toward the pet section for the fantastic dog food, and then I momentarily made eye contact with a friendly, familiar face, and smiled. Then continued walking... then realized that was Sister "R."
Throughout the course of the shopping spree, I "saw" three individuals who would probably rather not have seen me, but I just kept walking anyway. And it was a nice breath of fresh air to look up and see Uncle Al & Aunt Kathy behind me in the check-out line. Ah... there ARE good people in this town!

DISCLAIMER: I love my small town & I live here on purpose. Just because some situations can be a little awkward for me at times, does not mean that I hate this town. I will buy my favorite tortillas if it kills me! Oh yeah, and I love my job, too!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas
& best wishes in the new year.

So, when a person hasn't posted on their blog for 2 full years, where should they start? Let's just say we have plenty of catching up to do! Many things have happened & the little monkeys are growing up waaaaay too fast! You know you're in trouble when your kids only want electronics for Christmas & a simple baby doll just won't do! But we love them still the same & are enjoying this journey through life with them. Sometimes my kids says the darndest things & I think, "that would be really funny to post on my blog." And then I never do! So I know this is redundant, but I have some new years resolutions I would like to keep, and one of them is to be a better blogger. It will help me remember the cute things in life. (Plus, I put our blog address at the bottom of our Christmas letter, so I should probably at least post something!) Stay tuned for wonderful things this year.

Merry Christmas

Well, we hope you all had a fabulous Christmas. Despite all the stress beforehand, the day always seems to come and go, and it always seems to work out perfectly! Hope you all enjoyed the lumps of coal you got from Santa! We know our kids all did!
One of the most fun things this year was that Papa Bruce & Grandma June did the "12 days of Christmas" for us. So we got to open one present every day for 12 days! It was so much fun! We especially enjoyed the gift where we put a piece of straw into baby Jesus' manger when we did service for someone else. What a fun gift! Thanks so much!


We always get Christmas jammies on Christmas Eve! This year they came from Papa Jesse & Granny Crystal. Not so "Chrstmas-e," but we liked them better than the lame-o red & white ones we get every year anyway! We had fun spending Christmas with them and were happy to eat the yummy turkey Granny made (oh, and the pumpkin pies, too)!

The two of us on Christmas day. Thanks for making our Christmas wonderful this year, honey! I love you to the moon & back!

We took some pictures of the kids in an attempt to send out Christmas cards with a cute picture. This was one of them. But then I read something (a blog possibly) that my cousin (Shandy possibly) wrote about hating it when people send out Christmas cards with only pictures of the kids on them. They want to see the parents, too, dang-it! So I got so frustrated & mad that I didn't send out any cards! Ha ha ha! Just kidding, I didn't get that far this year with sending out cards and all. In fact, I barely downloaded the pictures from my camera. I guess people will just have to read my blog instead (yes, both of you).

We Survived!

We officially survived most of December! We somehow made it through finals week, moving (again), the stress of finding new jobs, holiday shopping, and starting over in a new ward! However, we haven't managed to send out any Christmas cards yet, so you will have to forgive us, please. It just isn't gonna happen this year. Sorry to those of you who are anxiously anticipating a fabulous card from us. We did manage to get some cute pictures of the kids, though. They will be posted soon. If you are looking for our new address, send us an email or call and we would be happy to give it to you! Love you all and hope your holiday season is filled with love and joy!

Give Thanks...

Here are a few of the things I am most THANKFUL for:
- A wonderful family (including parents, in-laws, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, etc.)
- My loving husband who I love and adore (especially his cute smile)
- My beautiful Taylor who is such a great example to those around her
- My Darling Izaak who is such a big helper
- My adorable Isabelle who brings so much joy to our home
- A warm bed to sleep in
- Plenty of food to eat on Thanksgiving
- Good friends
- A wonderful visiting teacher who continues to call me even though I moved
- And especially Our Savior, Jesus Christ, who lived and died for us, and is the reason for the season we are all beginning to celebrate

I have so much to be Thankful for! I hope everyone else is as blessed as my family is!

Taylor had a Birthday... Shout HOORAY!!!

So our little Taylor turned 8 in August. Can you believe my baby is already this big??? So Daddy decided that she deserved something "very nice" for her birthday, and he found this cute little kitty for her. She absolutely loves this cat and was very attached to her the moment we got her. The morning of her birthday we woke her up and said we had a surprise for her and didn't tell her what. So we drove her to some random house clear over in the next town, and all the while she was wondering what in the heck we were doing! She didn't have any idea until she knocked on the door and saw the lady there with the kitty for her. What a great surprise! She named her "Fluffy" and we all kinda like her.

And who can turn 8 without receiving a little "Scripture Power???!!!" Needless to say, she was thrilled!!!

School is now in session...

So I know that school started waaaay back in August... but I just have to post our 1st day of school pics! They both look so grown up!

Ikes on his 1st day of 1st grade. He was very excited and especially surprised that he got to stay at school for the WHOLE day... AND eat lunch there! YIPPEE!!!

Tay-Tay on her 1st day of 2nd grade. She was like an old pro... all set and ready to go!

We've Moved!

Sorry to all of you faithful blog followers of mine (well, both of you)! Life has been crazy, crazy busy and my blog has been neglected. We have recently made some major life changes and we have moved! To those of you who know us and love us, feel free to email us and we will give you our new contact information. I will have to catch up on the blog another day when my computer is cooperating and letting me download pictures! Still haven't posted 1st day of school pics, and now my kids have had another 1st day in another school! UGHH!!!

"Four" Tag

I was tagged by Amanda Pants. I am suppose to go to my 4th picture file and pick the 4th picture there and post it. Well, that picture has already been posted to my blog, and since I haven't posted anything for like 1/2 a year, you may recognize it from my last post and wonder, "Why in the world would she not post for like 6 months and then all of a sudden post again with the last picture she used??!!" So I'll be honest, I had to cheat a little and choose the 12th picture because 1-11 have all been used in the past (sorry to break the rules, but at least you can divide 12 by 4 evenly, right?)
So this is the picture we sent with last year's Christmas cards. Those of you who are yearly receivers of our lovely Christmas cards may really appreciate seeing this again (or maybe not). It was taken in November of '07 at Hardware Ranch where the elk go as a refuge in the winter (that is, if they live through hunting season). You can see all the elk in the background if you look closely. We usually go up there every year around Christmas time and take a sleigh ride around the elk and then play in the snow and have hot chocolate. The kids love it! Even though it was freezing cold there that day, they were good sports and let me take some pictures! It is amazing how much they have grown in the past year (especially Belle)! Oh how I love these little monkeys!
So now I tag 4 more people: Shandy, Bryner, Vicky, & Lisa. Good luck, suckers!

My Beautiful best friend and wife.

Today is Amber's Birth Day. So as is customary (I think) I will write 29 (because this is how old she says she is) I will write 29 things I love best about her.

1-3.Amber is the love of my life, A blessing sent directly to me from Our Father in Heaven Amber accepts me and all my craziness. She is Perfect and she is MY WIFE (I am so blessed)
4. Amber is my best friend
5. Amber is a great mother
6. Amber is kind to all
7. Amber has a strong testimony of the gospel
8. Amber makes me a better person
9. Amber loves and accepts my crazy family (This means the world to me)
10. Amber loves her children
11. Amber lets me and Bubba go fishing almost every Sat. during the summer
12. Amber took Hunters safety one year just so we could do more things together
13. Amber let me buy my old truck
14.Amber lets me spend money fixing my old truck
15.Amber is nice enough to laugh at my jokes and or at all the cool words I invent
16.Amber is patient with me and my football fanaticism
17.Amber always does her best at anything she does
18.Amber is SO BEAUTIFUL
19.Amber loves to be held
20.Amber loves to be with family
21.Amber lets me take the family to the farmers market pretty much every week even though everything is same every time
22.Amber took time to take care of Gma Kathryn.
23.Amber enjoyed caring for Gma and would sit and have long conversations with her even if Gma could n't respond .
24.Amber lets me buy a bigger TV every few yrs so that I feel like I am at every football game
25.Did I already say that Amber is a little HOTTIE if so it deserves to be said again
26.Amber Bought me A new Benelli Shotgun
27.Amber thinks every song is "our Song"
28.Amber Loves long bubble baths
29.Amber is everything I was Promised in my Pat. Blessing and more.

I Love You Amber !!!!! And I hope you read this.

So many things to post... so little time!

Sorry we have been a little M.I.A. lately, but for some reason this summer has been waaaaay busier than I anticipated! So many things have happened that I don't know where to start! Ikes lost his first tooth, Isabelle is learning to swim, and Taylor is turning "the big 8" this month! My sister was here visiting for most of July, so we have mostly just played and played and played (and in between we had to work a little, too). To top off all of the excitement, my digital camera is out of batteries, so nothing more than words today until I can get some batteries and download all my new pics! Stay tuned for the excitement to come!

Happy Birthday, J.R.!!!

This week J.R. celebrated his 31st birthday! Wow, we almost bought black candles, black balloons, and black streamers, but refrained. Despite the age issue, and the slight hints of a mid-life crisis, we tried to make it a great day for daddy. We all went to see him at lunch and took him his favorite ice cream (D.Q. banana split flavored blizzard), and later we had a fabulous dinner with grandma and grandpa followed by his favorite pineapple upside-down cake. Then he got to open present, after present, after present. Spoiled!!!

Finally, a "smile" while opening presents.

This is his "Do you really have to take a picture of me at 6 a.m. while I am trying to leave for work" look!!! He wasn't impressed when I whipped out the camera in perfect motherly fashion.

And this is his "OK, I will attempt to fake a smile if you will just go inside and take that dumb camera with you and let me leave for work" look.

31 Fabulous Things About our 31-year-old:
1. J.R. has beautiful brown eyes.
2. Our children have inherited his beautiful brown eyes.
3. He has fabulous eye lashes!
4. He has thankfully passed on his fabulous eyelashes to our darling girls.
5. He is freaking hilarious... never a dull moment in our house with him around!
6. He makes cute babies!
7. He's a word mixer-upper genius... he comes up with the craziest things!
8. When he chooses to smile, it is beautiful, and melts my heart every time!
9. I've loved him since I was only 14.
10. He lived across the fence from me when we were young.
11. We used to sneak out and chat across the fence... sometimes even in the rain.
12. He is a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan!
13. He would marry them (the Cowboys) if I would let him.
14. He is a die-hard football fan... football season rolls around, and I'm history every year.
15. He is also a die-hard Burley Bobcats fan! (Of course... who isn't???)
16. Not a huge basketball fan...
17. ...but will watch it when the Jazz play.
18. He is a wonderful father.
19. The kids like him the best.
20. He hates to swim and never really learned himself...
21. ...but he taught the kids to swim anyway and takes them almost every day.
22. He loves to fish.
23. If he doesn't have to work on a Saturday, you will find him off fishing somewhere at dawn.
24. He still has a passion for detailing cars.
25. He loves to hunt.
26. On a Saturday during hunting season, you will find him off hunting somewhere at dawn.
27. He used to send me a dozen roses every year on my birthday.
28. I think he sent them (the roses) just to give my mother a heart attack!
29. He was raised as an "only" child...
30. ... but he has 1 full sister, 1 half-brother, 2 half-sisters, and 4 step-sisters.
31. I am still head-over-heels in love with this wonderful boy!

Big Blue's Lil' Aggie Football Camp

Last week Izaak participated in Big Blue's Lil Aggie Football Camp (he had only been looking forward to it ALL year long)! He had a blast and learned lots of important football stuff and is looking forward to camp every summer from now on. The camp was for Kindergarten - 8th Graders and they split them into teams based on their age group. He had so much fun! For being such a little guy, he is quite the trooper! Way to go, Bubba!!!