January Comes to an End....YAY!!!

We ended January with a great night at the new Draper Temple.  We went to the open house with all our kids, Stephanie's family, The Donaldsons and The Richards.  It was really neat to be able to show and explain to the kids all about the temple.  It is a beautiful temple.  I can't wait to actually go through a session there.  We are still stuck in ugly grey snow and terrible air.  There are days the kids are not allowed to go to recess at school because the air is so bad.  It has been really cold.  I have been cleaning the house really good all month and I am sick of being home!!  The kids are all really busy though. Jess is taking 16 credit hours at UVU, teaching dance every night and dancing with the Thunder professional dance team.  She also has a boyfriend in Salt Lake so of course we never see her.  She is good about coming home every Sunday!  Austin has been waking up every morning for baseball at 6:00 am.  He is also the entertainment guide for all his friends now that he has a license.  Sidney is busy with a different set of friends every night and of course, dancing! Nikki has been playing Jr Jazz basketball.  She also is dancing, piano lessons and has had straight A's since kindergarten.  Yay maybe another child I won't have to stress too much about ( as far as grades go)  Conner keeps his Mom on her toes.  He can be such a sweetie and then a monster in the next minute.  Everyone tells me he is so awesome at school and church but for his Mommy he can be naughty.  I have to say he is my baby and I know he gets away with soooo much more than any of my other kids. I am trying.  This is a really lame and boring text and I hope no one is reading it.  I just like to use my blogs as a journaling of our family and needed to catch up on everyone.  Scott has been working out of town a lot of the month too.  

Walking with Dinosaurs and Dinner with Jess and Chase

Lat night we went to see "Walking with Dinosaurs" I can't say I loved it but Conner and Nikki thought it was great.  the dinosaurs really were cool.  They were life size and the lighting and sound was awesome.  The MC of the show was really good.  He taught us all a bunch about the different periods of the dinosaurs.  after walking with dinosaurs we went to dinner with Jess and Chase at the Skybox at the gateway.  We played some video games and then had a yummy dinner there.  I had never eaten there and they had a delicious strawberry salad.  It was fun to get to know Chase better.  Jess has been dating him for about 4 months.  All in all it was a great night!

Go Eagles!!

Today I had to make one of those life changing decisions.  Do I go against my instincts and go with my heart on who to root for in todays NFC's championship game.  I had my fantasy team all picked filled with Cardinals, when at the last minute I couldn't let down my McNabb by rooting for the Cardinals, even though I think they might win.  I quickly changed out my whole team and I am fully enjoying the game now!  For the past 4 years our family has played fantasy football and had a blast watching the super bowl together.  We all have jerseys and really love football season.  At least Austin and I love it.  The rest of the family just goes with the flow and they are all good sports about football season!

The January Blaaaa's

I need fun and sun to stay HAPPY :)  January doesn't have a lot of that.  I have tried to take on a few projects this winter to keep me out of the blaaa's.  I'm not calling them new years resolutions but my stay Happy projects. 

 #1   I am training for a triathalon in May.  

#2 My service blog..at least one act of service a day.

#3   Reading my scriptures every morning before getting out of bed.

#4   Planning our family vacations for the year!

#5    Having Windsor 2009 girls camp well planned and most of the things I can do out of the way.

#6    Organizing my house

I think I might have to go lay in a tanning bed too ( just to feel the fake sun on my face).  

Body Worlds

Scott and I thought it would be great to go see Body Worlds this weekend.  I bought tickets online for 10:00 pm.  Saturday night.  We showed up at 10:00 along with 3000 or so other people. They took us downstairs and set us in an enormous, Disneyland style line.  We were in line until 12:25!!  I was in high heels and already tired from a long week.  We almost left but we had driven all the way to salt lake, paid 22 bucks a ticket, and Scotty really wanted to see it.  It was really neat. I had seen the one in Vegas too.  This one had better displays but was about the same.  It really makes you think what a blessing these bodies we have truly are. And how much thought and creation went into mankind and the way we operate.  It is all just mind blowing.  I also couldn't stop thinking what a great blessing it is that we are all so different.  No two people on earth have ever looked the same.  It really made me think a lot about things like that.  All in all...it was worth the money but is anything really worth a 3 hour line at midnight?

Austin's bad end to a great year.

New years Eve this year was so boring for Scott and I.  All the kids had other plans, even Conner went to his cousins house for a sleep over.  You would think Scott and I would find a great party or something to go to.  We went to dinner and movie, like we do every weekend...yawn.  I missed my kids.  I should of known the boredom wouldn't last long.  While watching the last 15 minutes of  Valkire Scott got an unknown phonecall.  He didn't answer it in the theater but quickly listened to the message.  "The Orem police Department with your son Austin."  Scott left the theater and called quickly.  I sat inside the theater, my heart racing wondering; did he crash, was he driving with friends, is he hurt, is he in jail.  Scott came back in ten minutes later and told me "It's fine"  I had to hear the whole story in whispers during the end of the movie.  Austin and his 4 friends had taken our big four wheeler over to the high school and pulled each other on a sled.  I guess some neighbors called on them.  Luckily they had a nice officer who thought it was pretty funny but had to call all the boys parents and then he let them go.  I know it scared Austin a little bit. I'm hoping it will be our last run in with the law.  I tried to get mad at him but ended up cracking up while he told me the story.  

We also had the police called to our home this summer when the boys were skate boarding past a field and one of his friends pulled a political sign out of the ground to use a sword and then through it in the field.  Well that is against the law. Neighbor called and police came.

  Another time while Austin was gone home teaching his friends decided to push each other home in a shopping cart. When they got it home they decided to paint it up and use it as their sweet ride.  A neighbor called, the gang task force came because it was considered tagging (graffiti).  Our boys were even on the news as a gang that night.  It was so funny because all of Austin's friends are the cutest, slightly innocent boys and they were on the news as a gang.

SO NO MORE POLICE BOYS!!

Christmas

Christmas was a blast as usual.  I fell asleep around 3am and woke at 5:30am  but it keeps me young.  We spent Christmas Eve with the Stalker family and then later on Christmas Day went to the Snowdens.  Opened Christmas Eve jammies, bought Christmas for a family, bought everyone a new oranament, made midnight sugar cookies, watched " A Christmas Story", made Christmas Breakfast Bread.  Decided we have too many traditions....haha

We are tired and cold after all the playing we did this Christmas break.  As I sit here on my couch tonight to blog.  I can honestly say I'm as tired as I am after a fun family vacation.  We just played at home this time.  I cleaned my house and put away Christmas and it felt good.  The kids all played at friends today and I can't say I really missed them. I think I am ready to get back to the scheduled life that school and work bring.  Pics are of tubing at Soldier Hollow, sledding with the entire Stalker family, and skiing at Sundance with the family.