Painting...

For a couple of years now, I've been trying to find time to paint our bedroom. I've done the kitchen and the living room... I suppose they were more of a priority since they are the rooms that are seen the most, but I've really wanted to do our room. I've even had the stuff to decorate with for over a year! Well, I finally decided to JUST DO IT! I'm so glad I did. It was a great opportunity to re-organize. As I took stuff out of our room so I could move furniture and paint, I realized how much unnecessary stuff we actually have, and I decided that only things we really need and have a place for are allowed to come back in. It's so nice to be in our organized, newly painted bedroom. The only downside? Now I see how bad some of the other rooms are looking after seeing freshly painted walls... they just don't compare! I now feel extra motivated to work on them. Next up - the bathroom. I can't wait!

Oh, and as you will see, there is another member of our household who is also enjoying the new bedroom.

"Beware to be Amazed!"

I wish I had written down every single funny little thing that came out of my kids' mouths. I just love what they say! Hayden has been so funny lately. Everything that comes out of his mouth makes me laugh (except when he says "I'm so mad at you!" Okay, actually that sometimes makes me laugh too!) Here are just a few of the gems we've heard lately.


* Driving to pick up the other kids from school, we were listening to the radio. There was a song that came on called "Replay." In the song, there is a part where it says "... like my iPod's stuck on replay." Suddenly Hayden just busted out laughing and turned to my nephew Justice and said, "Did you just hear what he said? He said, MY EYEBALL'S STUCK ON MY PLATE!" And they both laughed their cute little heads off!


* Hayden has been coming into our room around 4am every. single. morning. While I usually prefer my kids to sleep through the entire night in their own beds, I sometimes just open up the covers and let them climb in. Well, this time as Hayden climbed in, he fell right back to sleep, and not 5 minutes later started talking in his sleep. As loudly as he could without yelling, he said "I'm NOT A ROBBER!" It woke Jared up, and I laughed. Made me wonder what on earth he was dreaming about.


* Thursday, for lunch, Hayden had a PB&J sandwich and a few saltine crackers on his plate. I was enjoying my salad, when suddenly he said "Beware to be amazed!" Of course I laughed a little bit at his mistake with the wording, but then he proceeded to stick his crackers into his sandwich, making a perfect little house - 4 walls and a roof. Fighting the urge to stop him from playing with his food, I just enjoyed this hilarious moment of creativity. Who am I to stop an artist (or architect) at work?

Please stop growing up Hayds. I love your cute little voice and the funny things you say. You make me laugh every day!

Snow Fun!!

Lots of snow?.............. Check!


Warm winter clothing?............ Check!


Sleds?............. Check!


Nice, big sledding hill?........... What! No hill? How in the world are we supposed to go sledding?


Who needs a hill when you have a few 4-wheelers and a huge field? We went with some friends and family to the Young's (on New Year's Eve), tied sleds to the backs of the 4-wheelers, and rode like crazy. It was so fun. The kids (I include dads here) were having a blast, even with snow blowing into their faces. It really was the perfect day to do it. It was sunny, no wind, plenty of snow, blue skies... perfect! Some rode sitting, some rode sitting backwards, some rode on their tummies, some decided that a few rides on the sled were enough and chose to ride the 4-wheelers. Everyone had fun! I even took a ride in one of the sleds. It was a nice deep one, and 3 of us "moms" hopped in. I was laughing the whole time. Snow blowing in my eyes, riding over bumps, bushes and plenty of rocks... It was really quite funny. It was a great time!

Drama Queen

Everyone with little girls knows that along with their cuteness comes a bit of drama. The drama isn't always bad, however. I used to love listening to Eryn playing. Her dolls, barbies, and other little "friends" were very DRAMATIC. They said the funniest things, and were quite expressive about it. She also loved performing, putting on little plays for us, singing, dancing... all of it. I remember during her third grade play, someone in our ward said "you really should get her into acting." She wasn't the first one to say it, and definitely wasn't the last. I always knew that at some point we'd be sitting in an auditorium watching her in a school play. Well, that opportunity has arrived. She decided to try out for her school's production of "Fiddler on the Roof." The first round of auditions were last Tuesday. She had to sing a song (she learned "Matchmaker"), and run some lines with another student (she had memorized it over the holidays). We got an email later that night saying that she was on the list for call-backs on Thursday. There were a few of the call back names that were asked to learn part of a song from Fiddler. Eryn was not one of them, so we weren't sure if she'd get a part with a solo, but when the cast list was put up on Friday we were excited. She got the part of Chava, one of the three main daughters. She will have a solo in the song, "Matchmaker," and is really excited about the speaking parts. She's one of only four 6th graders to have speaking parts... the rest are 7th through 9th graders. There are a few other 6th graders, but they are "villagers" and don't have speaking parts, just choir-type singing. Rehearsals start Tuesday, which means she'll be spending even MORE time at the school since she still has ballroom, but she's excited, and we are excited for her. I can't wait for April so I can see it!

And because I don't like to post without something to look at, here are a couple of pictures we took yesterday just playing around :)

Oh! And there are a few other pictures on my photography blog.

What a Zoo!

We had the same idea as half of Utah County on December 29 when we decided to head over to Kangaroo Zoo while my sister, Jessica and her cute little family were in town. It was snowing and the roads were slick, but we thought it sounded fun, and the kids were super excited. There were a ton of people, so it was quite the job just trying to keep track of all the kids. ALL the cousins were there - all of mine, Jess's 3, Jana's 3 and Jodie's cute little one. It was fun to have them all together for a fun activity. My girls were great to help keep track of and play with some of the little ones.


All the cousins (and GRANDMA) having fun...

My silly boy...

My other silly boy...

My girlies...

Bryson and Sage were born only a week apart, so they are special little buddies. And we thought they were so cute with their missing teeth!!

New Year's Resolution: Clone Myself!!

HAHA! Wouldn't that be nice? Well... we did it with Eryn (see below)! I'd like clones of myself that don't involve Photoshop, however. That way I could be in more places at once. Think of what I could accomplish!!



Actually, I think my biggest New Year's Resolution is: PRIORITIZE! I have lots of goals, probably many that will be nearly impossible, but I can dream, right? I always resolve to do all the standards... get in shape, get organized... but I think my OTHER biggest one (next to prioritizing better) is to be more consistent. Get in a routine! I need to be able to do everything that I'm supposed to, and this is the only way I'll be able to. I love the beginning of a new year and the fresh start that comes with it. I'm ready for a fresh start, and I'm really excited about this coming year and what it will bring. What are your New Year's Resolutions?