I thought I was on vacation?

Somehow waking up at 4:45 the last two mornings with my kids does not seem like a vacation. I am one more early morning away from packing up and going home. Okay, not really, but what's the deal!

A few things...

First, here are my thoughts on The Bachelor! Even though Lauren was one of my top choices after the first show, I was glad to see her go. She was way to stuck on herself, not what Jason is looking for at all! (Do you like how I act like I personally know him? :))I think the next two to leave will be Naomi and Stephanie, leaving Jillian, Melissa, and Molly. Out of those three I have not decided who I like the most so stay tuned...

Second, thanks to all those who gave me healthy snack ideas! I have tried some of them and it has been nice to feel like I have some options!

Third, I am going out of town soon and will be gone for awhile so I probably won't be posting till I get back (well, I might give in and have to post once or twice.) Anyways, till then...

PS- Don't you love this tutu and little matching shoes?


GIVEAWAY HERE! Hurry, it ends tonight!

PSS- Here is one more giveaway that is too good to pass up!

You can win this here... ends Jan 30th!

No Fun...

We just had the flu go through our family... all of us got sick within 12 hours of each other... but it is good for the diet! :) We all seem to be on the mend so hopefully tomorrow is a new day!

Just Because...

"It's punching day!" Aidan's favorite new phrase and stance. That kid!

Aidan's first day of Primary at church.. the following Sunday he was "initiated" into primary with a talk!

Being silly!

One last thing about Aidan: The last two night I have laid down with him while he goes to sleep... not an everyday occurrence although after the last two nights it might become one. The first night while we were cuddling he told me, "Mom, your my best friend." The second night after I laid down next to him he said, "That's my girl" and he hugged me so tight around my neck I seriously could hardly breath! Who could resist! I certainly can't... (and I think he's smart enough to know that.)

Cute little Brinn!

Brinn has been pulling everything out of her hair (including tons of her precious locks) so for now we are avoiding rubber bands, clippies, etc. Even the headbands last only a minute if we are lucky!

HELP!

So I am dedicated to losing that extra "baby weight" (Not technically sure if that term still applies but I am going to use it as long as I can!) before my sister's wedding... and mostly because it is long overdue! I am currently being motivated by the small wager between my sister Mandi and I.
However, I am huge snacker... which would be fine if I liked snacking on things such as fruits and veggies, but I DON'T! I snack on anything unhealthy and loaded with high fructose corn syrup or chocolate! So I am now dedicated to eat more fruits and veggies but am also in search of some good healthy snacks and/or meals!
Any suggestions or even links to websites with good recipes?

FYI-

My To Do list today:

1. Post pictures of my scrapbook layouts- CHECK!
Here is a sneak peek...

Check out the rest of them here.

2. Get mentally prepared for tonight's Bachelor- DOUBLE CHECK!!

3. Exercise- Uuummm... hhhhummmmm.... well, let's see. Guess it is time to get going on that. Gotta go visit with my friend Billy Blanks.

I am one of those people...

Are you a list person? I am! I love making list.... to do list's, grocery lists, goal lists... you name it, I list it! Almost every day I make a list of things I want to do, half of which are things I didn't do the day before. Eventually the goal is that everything gets done and that nothing gets forgotten. Most the time I end up doing a handful of things that were not on the list, so what do I do? Add them on after I have already done them just so I can cross them out. Yes, I am one of those people. I feel no shame in cheating on my list... clearly those things were just as important as the things that were already on the list. For example- Take a nap. Obviously important. Okay, so I didn't actually add that to my list... I only add those tasks that at the end of the day make me feel productive. Anyways, just a random fact about me.

Speaking of lists... this was on my list of things to do.

Go through clothes- After washing all the new Christmas clothes it turned out I was short on hangers. I decided to go through my kids closets and gather all the old outfits they no longer fit into and pack them away into the garage. This is such a bitter-sweet thing for me. It is so fun to see them growing and changing but at the small again... TEAR! Well, my hanger gathering was a success and as you can see from the pictures it was long overdue! Hopefully this is one thing that won't make my list again for a good long while!

Monster Truck Show

Last weekend Aidan went to the monster truck show... a Christmas gift from my brother Nic. My other brother Austin and my Dad also went and so it officially became a guys night out (David had to work :( )

Aidan told me that I needed to put the monster truck on the blog (sad, I know!) so without further a-due...

Austin, Aidan, and Grandpa

Nic and Aidan


Since the monster truck show all we have heard about is "The Grave Digger" and The Dog Song (Who Let The Dogs Out.) Thanks for a fun time Uncle Nic!

Visitors...

We were so lucky to have David's parents come and visit us right after Christmas. We had a lot of fun just spending time with them! Unfortunately I lost my camera till the last day and so these were the only pictures I managed to get (Brinn was not in a cooperative mood.)
Aidan and Grandma

Aidan and Grandpa

Aidan showing off his fun pj's that grandma made for him. HE LOVES THEM! Thanks Grandma!
This is just the funniest picture... every time I look at it I laugh. I think he was dancing!

Thank you both for coming again! We love you and miss you!

Speaking of visitors...

Nic's girlfriend Lauren came for a visit although...

...Nic might have some competition. Aidan was calling Lauren his "girlfriend" and playing footsies under the table with her at lunch. We are excited that we will get to see her again soon!


We also had our high school friend Eric, his wife Trisha, and there little boy Truman in town for a few days for a wedding. It was fun to catch up with them. They are welcome anytime and so are you! :)

Any one up for a challenge?

My sister and I decided to do two scrapbook layouts by the end up the week...

...any one want to join in? :)

It's about time...

Welcome to the family Abe... well, welcome officially on April 1st! So fun!

My Picks!

You may or may not know this about me but I am a sucker for reality TV. Everything from American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, America's Next Top Model... just to name a few. But one of my all-time favorites has been the Bachelor. And hello... I am SO excited about this season that just started. The Bachelor is Jason from last season... YEAH! Nice guy, single dad, and from Seattle (my old stomping grounds.)

So here are my top picks for this season(as if you care)... but I am just putting it out there so when he ends up with one of them I have proof that I called it. My first thought was Jillian, but as the show went on she got a little weird. I mean who brings hot dogs for the bachelor to eat to analyze his choice of toppings? See what I mean! WEIRD! But I am still going to keep her in the mix and hopefully she will step up. One of my other choices is Kari. Beautiful, seems to have it together, and while the poem was a little cheesy, it was still kind of cute. My final choice is Lauren. Also beautiful, a teacher, but a little cocky... so we will see if she gets her act together.


Disclaimer: These are subject to change at any time. :) I will be updating as the season goes along to let you know how the ladies are fairing. I am sure you will be waiting on the edge of your seat. :)

What?!?!?!?!

Aidan could not understand why I would not let him go to church like this. He seemed to forget that he was missing something. And no... there are no little undies underneath that shirt.

Christmas...

I hope you all had as wonderful a Christmas as we had!

Aidan trying to figure out how Santa got down the chimney...

Brinn was thrilled with everything she opened...

The hit of Christmas... or was it the orange at the bottom of his stocking to which he said, "What I always wanted."

Brinn showing off her slippers and bubble bath...

One spoiled little boy... and so stinkin cute!

Happy Girl... and so stinkin cute!

Merry Christmas!