SYTYCD

Yes, Yes, I went to the show!!! I absolutely loved this show, and knew I had to go see them on tour. It just so happened that the performance was on John's birthday. I know what you are all thinking... "you did not drag your husband to that on his birthday!" I sure did! That gives you a little glimpse into my obsession. Luckily, my husband wanted to go. No really, he did. John and I fell in love on the dance floor at Ricks, and even spent hours in the family room perfecting our lifts. All of our talent has since passed, and now we just sit home and watch the show to relive our glory days. Anyway, the show was FABULOUS! I absolutely loved it. We sat so close that we could see where they had band-aids. They danced every routine from the season that I loved, it was so neat to see them live. It was so entertaining I will definitely be going next year. Anyone else want to go? I know there are a lot of groupies out there. If you don't want to go to the show post season you are always invited to come over for SYTYCD night. Sabra, the winner, was phenominal! She hasn't been dancing that long, and she is amazing! I am so happy she won- she deserved it!

Notes for Nana

I decided I wanted to blog about all of funny things my kids were saying, but thought that no one would really care that much, except for maybe my mom. So mom, these posts are for you.

Last night Jensen asked me to come into his room after getting ready for bed. When I reached his bed he said, "mom, I had a dream about the mystery mist." I was so thrown off by this comment that I literally laughed in his face. Lately he talks a lot about scary things (post halloween)- I assumed it was something scary. He proceeded to tell me this long story about what the mystery mist was. Nothing scary, just the mist that is in the forest when Pablo (a backyardigan) is there.

Giving Thanks for Utah

We Went to Utah for Thanksgiving this year. We suprised my parents, and what a surprised it was. When we arrived I let the kids go to the door and ring the door bell. Let's just say they definitely got the response they were looking for! Here are some hi-lights of the week.

Ellie warmed up to Papa quickly this year, not the case last year. They are a good match because she loves to give away kisses, and he loves to recieve them.

Jensen was pumped about making the letter J out of dominos. Ellie waited on the sidelines, then when the first domino fell she swooped in like a hawk and made sure none were left standing.

Ellie met her cousin for the first time this Thanksgiving. She is so into babies right now, and insisted on being involved with all things baby. These two girlies are the only girls so far on my side. Is it just me or do I look like I'm 12 in this pic?


Making a huge mess out of Nana's recycling was a hit with these two. The entire week they were partners in crime- it was fun to hear them off in another room laughing hysterically.


There is a fantastic place close to my sisters house to go and feed the ducks. Naturally my children LOVED this! The bonus about feeding ducks is the purchasing of the bread. We bought six loaves of "duck bread" for one dollar.


The fuzzy slide hair- pictures like this make me smile.


This pic is my favorite. I have pictures where everyone is looking and smiling- but I can't get over my two year old clown in the front. Where did she come from? At what age do you learn to pull a face when you are supposed to be taking a group photo? I guess 2... yep 2 years old apparently.

Little Turkeys

Thanksgiving Turkeys- All three of them!

Daddies Birthday is always celebrated on Thanksgiving. I made him a Raspberry Rhubard pie that tasted great, but looked more like soup than pie. Both ingredients were frozen and I blame that for my pie failure- that and the oven was turned off during baking- those turkeys!
Grandma's Little Turkey place cards-
Little Turkey desserts- Rache is getting so old!! This year she blew out her candles ontop of turkeys that her mom created. Good thing I wasn't in charge!

Jaime Buddy Spotlight

So I keep telling her I am going to give up some love... so here it is:

Jaime Buddy is my bestie! It is funny but from the first time we hung out- to when we realized how bonded we were it was a matter of days. We are constantly teasing eachother about random things we don't know about eachother, that should be a staple with friends of our magnitude. It literally feels like I have known her for years and years, I just adore her. Jaime is a fabulous mom- the kind that gives everything to her kiddo's. I love her confidence, she is so comfortable with who she is- which makes everyone around her comfortable. I have never walked into her house and seen anything out of place, she is ultra organized, and a super fancy homemaker. She has the best stories, her life has been way more exciting than mine! She is so strong in her faith, and the most charitable person I know. Jaim is truly someone that everyone loves, you just can't help but love her! I can't say enough about this girl- I am so glad she is in my life! Oh, and she has a perfect face- the girl can't take a bad picture!

FHE a la Home Depot

The kids were pumped when I brought home some woodworking for FHE. Can you guess whose is whose?? Like Jensen would ever give up a pirate ship. Ellie with a hammer is so darling- she pounds surprisingly hard. If you are ever in need of a FHE idea these puppies are free. Home depot does kid workshops where they make fun wooden crafts, but they are always on Sunday. If you ask the right guys you can just pick up some spares and make them at home. The project changes once a month- the pirate ship was this month, I am not sure about the bobsled. I think daddy had as much fun as the kids!!

Salt Dough Ornaments

We were fresh out of activities for the day so I decided to whip up some salt dough that the kids could make ornaments out of for the Christmas tree. The kids always have fun with "pirate boy" and "knees" (The kids in the picture). Both nicknames created by Ellie. My personal favorite creation is the moose. Now we just need some paint and voila! The only draw back to making ornaments so early is that Jensen has been inquiring about the Christmas tree NON STOP! It is funny but I totally remember making these, I can almost taste the salty disappointment.

If you are wondering what the shape above Ellie's name is... It's a Mermaid. Jensen was really proud of that mermaid.

Taggski

Ok, so this post is to satisfy all of the “Tags” I have received.

1- 4 places I’ve lived

I posted this then decided I didn't want it on here...

next,

2- 4 Jobs I’ve had:

· Dance Instructor

· Preschool Teacher

· Professors Assistant

· Sandwich Artist (1^st job)

3- 4 things I’d like to do before I die

· Own a Café Rio (or at least have access to one)

· Europe!!

· Run 10 Miles- Nope never done it!!

· Play the harp in the conference center

4- Favorite Desserts

· Grasshopper Shake

· Banana split

· Torte

· John’s Cookies

5- 4 interesting facts about me

· Um, I have an aftermarket heart

· I don’t have my ears pierced

· My family has holiday birthdays

· I don’t like pastries

6- Favorite TV Shoes

· So you think you can dance!!

· Extreme Makeover HE

· TLC anything

· American Idol

1. What I was doing ten years ago: Hmmmm, I was probably getting my drivers license. Let’s be honest, I can’t remember that far back.

2. Five years ago: This one I do remember. I was recently married, and living in a spider cave south of BYU campus. I had a few credits to finish up, so I took a class, and then filled the rest of my schedule with classes from the MPA program. I was also teaching at MoutainLand, I loved those kiddo’s. Oh, and I was pregnant with my 4 year old.

3. One year ago: I was pretty much doing exactly the same thing I am doing now- with the exception of gearing up to hold a big fundraiser for my friend who has cancer for the fifth time- (see blog for more details).

4. Yesterday: We went to the Y for Jensen’s Itty Bitty Sports class, and Ellie’s Toddler Gym class, and then we were off to the preschool piano class. A woman in my ward does a piano preschool, it is darling! Then we came home for lunch, and went back to the Y- I taught a ballet/tap combo class, then just a ballet. Then we went back home, and we picked up the house. I made dinner but before I could eat I was off to the mall to meet my new foster care to college mentee. She is super bright and, I can’t wait to help her get into college. Then I went grocery shopping, and came home. Busy Day!

5. 5 Snacks I enjoy: I love saltines with mayo (I have been teased a lot for this), chips and salsa, almonds, croutons, baby carrots.

6. 5 Things I would do if I had a $100 million dollars: I would buy a gigantic house in Utah of course, invest, Spend money on Caesar and all his friends (kiddo from Mexico), travel where ever I wanted to, and buy cars for a bunch of people (like Oprah).

7. 5 Locations I would like to run away to: I don’t want to run away, but I would like to be closer to my family!!!

8. 5 Bad habits I have: According to John....

• Come into the house empty handed
• Use a fresh towel after every shower
• Not letting things slide
• Forget to transfer wet clothes to dryer
• I am a nail biter- not recently, but for most of my life.
  

9. 5 Things I like doing: Dancing, I love to snuggle with my kids, organize, cooking, if I have ALL the ingredients, I LOVE to sleep.

10. 5 Things I hate doing: I hate waiting to turn right (no turning lanes here)… that’s pretty much it, but I really really hate it!!!

11. 5 Biggest Joys of the minute: My giggly kids, their darling requests, Christmas coming, Egg nog, and my super cozy robe.

Five People to Tag: Raegan, and anyone else who wants to.

Mi Vida y Mi Familia

So my dear friend Rebecca started her own business called Mi Vida Photography. She is an AWESOME photographer! Just take a look at these DARLING photos- if you don't want her to take your kids pic's after viewing these- then you're crazy! I have been wanting her to take pictures of the kids forever- but we were both out of our minds with auction tasks that we never got around to it. The pictures of Ellie were planned, but the rest were taken randomly after church. Rebecca is a pro at pretty much everything- let's be honest. There are so many things about her, that I wish I could say about myself... RM, fluent spanish speaker, adobe expert, photographer, fancy invitation designer, choir reunion planner, frequent face painter to her two girlies, and many other things. I am blessed to know her, and am SOOO grateful she moved into my ward! Oh, and she drinks GREENS... if you want to know what they are, you'll have to ask her- it's a secret!

Oooo Oooo Oooo Oooo This is Halloween!

Trunk or Treat night is always a hit due to the fact that you go from trunk to trunk for the candy and not house to house. Jensen filled up his entire bucket in the twenty minutes we were there. Ellie had fun, but didn't really get into it until we did the real trick or treating in our neighborhood. In fact, she would turn down any tootsie rolls that were put in her princess pale. She would pull it out, inspect it, then promptly give it back to whoever gave it to her. She didn't want a new piece, she was just off to the next person to see if they had something better to offer. Glad to know that she is so selective with FREE candy.
Here she is, sorting through the candy, seing if anything is up to her standard.


Later, Haloween evening "pappy" came over to see the kids in their costumes. Unfortunately they had already changed. Luckily he came prepared for his grandkids to trick or treat from his pocket. Jensen took it to the next level and manged to get a large sum of money out of his back pocket without him noticing. Good work Jensen!

I WANT CANDY

Ellie and Ali trying to consume as much candy as possible! Not interested in playing- Just eating thanks.
Take a good look at this picture because it is probably the only one you will see of her looking afraid. For the girl who will jump from dangerous heights, she was quite unsure of getting to the end of the balance beam. She is wearing a different costume in this picture because we hit up the YMCA Halloween parade twice( Jensen was in preschool during the first). In all of our festivities this year- Ellie dressed up differently every time.

Good Morning Snuggle

Sunday morning Ellie woke up too early so I put on some Winnie the Pooh and set her on the couch with some milk and a blanket. Back to bed for me. Later that morning when we came down, Jensen had joined her and had snuggled up too little sis. Really cute.

Preschool Pumpkin Patch

I took the kiddo's to Jensen's preschool pumpkin patch field trip. They had a lot of fun! Jensen was really concerned about getting to play with all the toys, and picking out his pumpkin. I was trying to get the kids to pose at the huge pumpkin, but Ellie was too pumped about the planes.
AAAhhhh! Finally got the pumpkin! This is the face of my little man- I can't get enough of this little one! The grin on his face is PRICELESS!