Hello again!  I have had so much guilt at not keeping some sort of family history... so I dug up my password and decided I'd try to at least type a few sentences here and there.

The kids are so stinking cute lately (and always I guess!).  They are doing and saying the funniest things.  A few quotes from Anna lately:

"I really wish I could walk on rainbows.  My favorite dream would be to walk on a rainbow, come home and since it's a nice day go on a bike ride around the block with our family, then ride the horses."  (Age 4 1/2)

At church today during sacrament meeting - while coloring - "I really love church."

Looking at a picture of a random guy on a bull... "Look!  It's dad riding a buffalo!"

"Mom, I really am like Jesus.  I try to be kind and nice to everyone, just like he did when he was my age."

Oh how I love her!!  Owen is in first grade and has started to notice girls. Until a couple of days ago, he wouldn't admit it - but now it's out.  He has a crush on Adyson.  And she is moving to Eagle Mountain.  We even tried to deliver a personal Valentine to her house... but we didn't know her exact address... so I ended up knocking on a random house and asking for Adyson. Wrong house.  Oh well!!

Owen's best buddies (the Richins boys) moved in January, leaving Owen with a lot of down time.  Although we REALLY miss their whole family, Owen has played with Anna more as well as made some new friends.  He gets along GREAT with Jackson Beck who is in his class at school, and was on the same football team this last fall with.  He also has been playing with a boy in our ward - Jackson Andrew - and that has been a fun little friendship too.

T is busy hunting and being a fireman at Lehi Dept.  I am busy taking care of kids and Pioneer Party.  Life is good.

Life...

I am feeling horribly guilty that my blog is not updated... however - I continue to log onto Facebook daily, add pictures and read everyone else's posts.  I guess I'm in a slump!  But today, I have to document.  It was just one of those days!!  Not bad, but just crazy busy.  And although I can not handle days like this every day.... every once in awhile it is good just so I appreciate the "regular" days!

So here's the rundown/summary:

Went to bed late, so kids and I both slept in.  Couldn't get Owen quite ready in time (between lying around on the top bunk and a couple of attitude issues), so had to take him to school.  My hair still wet, FYI.  Finished getting ready at Marnee's since I was already out.  Left Anna at grandma's and went to work.

10:00 am:  Made a new Valentine's tag (something about bursting with happiness that you're my friend - turned out really cute btw), scheduled an advertisement with the local newspaper, printed a banner, etc.

11:45 am:  Grabbed my gym bag and ran to Legacy center to sub for a water aerobics class... a Jr. High boys PE class was coming in.  So I taught 45 9th grade boys (freaking) water aerobics for 45 minutes.  I was on deck and sweating to death.  Yelling so everyone could hear.  Fun actually, but whew!  Crazy.

12:45 pm:  Drove to my house, picked up a puppy (telling it to say goodbye to its family on the way out...) and had the pup sit on my lap (licking and playing with me the whole time) to meet it's new owner's friend in the Wendy's parking lot.  Did the switch (pup for $$) - almost cried - and drove back to store.  Changed clothes, picked up balloon delivery and banking.  Took delivery, and made deposit to bank.  Back to store.  Random work for 2 hours.

3:15 pm:  Picked up kids from Grandma's.  Stopped by a neighbors to deliver items for Teacher Appreciation Week.  Have 1.5 hours til we leave the house again.  Snack for kids.  Owen in bball uniform.  Change Anna's clothes cause they are wet from snow.  Read instructions for Owen's game.  Put on muck boots to feed the 8 horses in the mud.  Let dogs out to run for a minute.  Got muddy and had to switch pants.  Owen's hair fixed.  Bathroom breaks for kids.  Snack for Anna.   Did I fix my hair?

5:15 pm:  Took Anna to Sarah's house to play with Max while Owen and I went to Legacy Center for bball pictures.  I'm the coach this year, so I was in charge of getting the 10 kids their individual and then team photos.  Another whew!

6:00 pm:  Practice starts - I don't have an assistant coach, so I am out there on the court with 10 kindergarten kids while their parents watch from the bleachers.  Yeah.  Craziness, really.  Game at 6:30 - lots of running around, yelling "pass the ball!"  - "Get the rebound!"  "Shoot!"  "Pass!"  "Take the ball out of bounds!"   "Don't forget to dribble!"

7:00 pm:  Dad brought Anna to game, so round everything up and head out to car.  Grab dinner:  bug juices, popcorn, and a Diet Coke for the car ride out to Eagle Mountain for a surprise party for Aunt Staci.  Get out there and let the kids run around and scream, take some pictures, hang out/talk (more about that later), play duck duck goose, etc.

8:45 pm:  Head back home.  Kids inside to have some yogurt and a biscuit.  I run outside to feed the dogs.  Muddy, poopy, and muddy.  Inside to check on kids.  They both have smeared yogurt all over their faces and are running around acting like monsters.  Pretty funny...!!  (said sarcastically)  Back outside to finish dogs and take garbage to road.  Gate is iced shut so that I can't get the garbage can out.  I kick and kick at the ice and finally realize I have to actually go get some sort of tool.  Find a hammer and start hacking away at the ice build up.  Done - take garbage out to road.

9:30 pm:  Kids in bath (they didn't bath last night - or I would have skipped it!).  I read a chapter from the BOM 'cause we are trying so hard to not miss a day.  Kids have been listening so good!  Out of bath, PJ's, Owen reads his homework book - PRAYERS!!  (that means we are almost done!)

10:00 pm:  Kids in bed... almost asleep.  I head into my room and realize I cannot see my bedspread.  Clean clothes that need to be folded are covering it completely.  Sit down to fold clothes... sucks but a relief to finally sit down.

11:22 pm:  Blogging about a busy day.  I am so excited for tomorrow where nothing is planned but work and grocery store.  Thursday I have parent teacher conferences, work, Family History Fair.  Friday is a lot of volunteering at Meadow for Teacher Appreciation Week...

Thanks for listening!!  I think it will be fun to read about this in a year or so - just to remember what was going on.

Anna Things

I was tucking Anna in tonight and told her that I was going to go do some "mommy things" so it was time for her to close her eyes and go to sleep... (I tell the kids this almost every night).  Anna responded, "I'm going to do some Anna things..." while she smiled and gave me another tight hug.  I got a kick out of it!  She has been so darn cute lately.  I need to update with pictures and stories soon!

And... the Rest of Halloween!

We visited Grandpa Dean... who SPOILED the kids with a TON of candy!

T took us to Thanksgiving Point for a surprise lunch  - he had tried a sandwich there with his crew that he thought I would like (Thanksgiving Turkey Cranberry Sandwich on wheat - yumm) and then we had ice cream with the skunk...!

The Skunk at Thanksgiving Point who gave the kids their ice cream.... which they got a kick out of!

The next door neighbors look SCARY huh?!  Spencer, Owen, Matt, then Sam.

Little Pirate Max came and went trick-or-treating with us.  Such a cutie and for details on HIS experience, check out this.  She has lots better pictures of her little guy.

Quick funny story.  Anna basically couldn't wait any longer, and took off on her little red tricycle before I even knew she was gone.  And... I had no idea she was even excited to go trick or treating.

So, when I realized she had left, I look down the street and see her about 6 houses down on her trike.  I ran down and noticed that her basket on the back was almost full of candy!!!

She had gone up to the doors of everyone on the street BY HERSELF!  I had no idea she was that brave - and I realized that she would take more than one piece of candy at any given house.  She's so darn cute, I'm sure no one had the heart to tell her otherwise!!  

Halloween at School...

I was in charge of helping with Owen's Halloween Class party.  

The kindergarten teacher's had it all planned out, and I just organized donations and was there to help.

They had different stations:  one was a witch's brew with Capri Sun's in a cauldron bubbling with dry ice.

We had the kids help us add ingredients to the brew - witch's warts (chocolate chips), deep fried fingernails (bugles), vulture toenails (candy corn), skeleton bones (pretzel sticks), and ghost guts (mini marshmallows).  We then stirred it all up, and scooped out some for each child.  It was darling!  

The other stations were:  Don't Eat Frank game, decorating a witch with noodles for her hair, a dice/halloween game, a guessing game with pumpkin seeds scooped out of a real pumpkin, and charting how many people liked and didn't like the witch's brew.  The kids all seemed to have a good time!

I dropped Anna off and left her to have fun by herself!  I know they went trick or treating and that's about all the details I got out of her!  I can say I think she is THE cutest Super Girl there ever was!!

Introducing...Super Girl and Sonic!

Goodbye Mills Family!!

We had to say goodbye to the Mills family.

At first when we moved into the neighborhood, they were known to us as "the family in the blue house just kitty corner from us."  Not too long after that, we met Collin.  He is about 2 years older than Owen, but they hit it off pretty fast.  Lucy is Owen's age, then there's Ruby and Emma (who's Anna's age).  So we had a lot of friends to play with at any given time!

This last summer Owen and Collin seriously played EVERY SINGLE day AS MUCH as we would let them!  They played legos, lincoln logs, cars, Wii, made huts, and who knows what else!

Fast forward to the night before they moved.  We got a little "letter writing box" ready for Collin with a personalized notepad, some treats for the drive to Idaho, some envelopes, pencils, and a note from Owen to Collin.  We delivered it together and they were so cute - ALL smiles and just so naive and loving.

I cried and cried!  I can't believe how sentimental I am - I couldn't stop thinking of all the fun memories they had had together, and how sad it was that they were moving away.  But Owen hasn't complained that he is gone, and I'm sure Collin is doing great too!  I am about to cry just typing about it.  

Molly (the mom) is such a super nice lady.  Totally laid back and easy going.  I will miss our random talks in the front yard.

Anna also loved playing with the girls.  She thought it was so fun to have friends over like Owen.  

I seriously don't know if I ever saw Collin smile so big!  He seemed excited and I'm glad he felt special that night.