Totally Random for the New Year

The other day we were getting ready to go to a wedding. I asked Branden to get Nikh ready with the clothes I had set out on our bed. Of course, I had also set out Ember's tights on the bed too. So I got...

(Ignore the drunken face I am making)

Mommy, I think you bought the wrong size.

When Jo first got home, he brought presents for each of the kids. Since Nikh was only 5 days old, he brought her a stuffed animal. It was a tiger with a blanket that wraps around it. For those who do not know, Jo had a tiger of his own when he was younger. His favorite part was the tail which he would rub inside his ear and suck his pointer finger with the other hand. This tiger meant the world to Jo, to the point that when we lost it in Disneyland, we HAD to find it; and we did, thankfully. Now he has passed his love for the tiger on to Nikh. She goes to sleep with it every night and it comforts her when she is upset. I finally got a picture of her love for this tiger.

Zzzzz...suck suck...Zzzz....

I can see you! Don't you dare.

Ah, sweet sleep at last.

Well, the year is ending and I am at a loss for what to write. First of all, I missed my reading goal by a book and a half! That makes 38 1/2 books read in a year! How many will I read in the year to come??? This has been the first full year I have blogged and man was it a lot of work to keep up. However, I am thankful that I will have these memories to look back upon. We have had ups and downs and maybe even some sideways things happen. But we are healthy, happy, and together and that is what counts. I can only imagine what this new year will bring to our little family. Here we go...

Happy New Year! 

in 3 hours

Christmas PJs

Branden and I made the tradition a couple years ago that the boys will buy the girls' pajamas and the girls will buy the boys' pajamas. I have really enjoyed this tradition. It gives the girls a little time to be together and same with the boys. I always like having pictures of the kids with the decorated tree.

Santa Came!

And Mom did not get very many pictures. I got 17 minutes of video, but will not post it here.

Our Christmas Day always starts with everyone opening their stocking stuffers. That way they kids have a little something to play with while they wait. We do not open presents until after Christmas breakfast. Branden and I invite our family over for a huge breakfast. We find that to be easier and more fun that dinner. This year we made crèpes. Plus everything else; the works. Then we all gather around the tree and mayhem happens as we open presents. The kids get too excited so presents are passed and opened everywhere. Maybe when they are older we will have it a little more organized. Ember received Tinkerbell, Rosetta, V-reader books, clothes, and more. Linc received Disney Universe, Bumblebee, V- reader books, and more. Nikh went crazy when she opened Rock 'n Roll Elmo. It was so funny, she was going wild when she was waiting for it to be opened. I received The Michael Jackson Experience from Branden, clothes, money, a date, and more. We have danced almost everyday since! Lovin' it! That guy was truly an amazing dancer.
The most fun for me was seeing Branden open his one gift from us. He got other things too. Back in July I got the awesome idea to buy Branden an acoustic guitar. He has been wanting one for a few years. I talked with Josh and MaKayla and asked for their help in figuring out exactly what guitar Branden would want. It just happened to be that on my birthday we all passed a Guitar Center. All four of us went in and Josh kept asking questions about the exact guitar Branden would want. He found a beautiful all-black Fender. So after going home, Makayla and I went back to buy it. I had to hide it at their house for 4 months! And yes, I am all about surprises on Christmas so I kept it a secret the WHOLE TIME!! He was pretty cute when he opened it and was asking exactly how I did it.

Linc, the Force is with you.

HeeHeeHee....I know what I can do with this!

Random Videos

So earlier this year I posted about Ember participating in Bingham High School's mini cheer clinic. I never got to posting the videos, so is one of them. She is so cute doing her little cheer moves.


On Thanksgiving we went to Mary and Dorick's. After dinner we had to burn off all the extra calories we had eaten by playing Just Dance 3. Even Branden and Cody were shakin' that thing!

My Little Superhero

Back on December 3rd we had a party for Lincoln's 4th birthday. Branden was nice enough to let me pay someone else to do it. We had it at Discovery Gateway. It was so much! And the best part was that I didn't have to entertain anyone at all, and no clean up afterward! Everyone got to go through the museum at their own pace and stay where they wanted until the party started. We had two wonderful superheroes that helped during the actual party. They were awesome! Both came dressed up as superheroes and played with the kids, including a balloon fight! The little superheroes then got to make masks and go through superhero training. Every superhero needs to be able to jump over hot things, crawl through small spaces, and avoid lasers. After getting to the hideout Linc had to be the lookout and peek out to make sure the coast was clear. I hope you had fun my little superhero! We love you.

Thanksgiving x 2

Well, I always get to have two Thanksgivings...and grateful, I am!

The first one is always on Thanksgiving with my dad's family. The family is starting to grow again and it is so fun to see everyone. This year we went to my Uncle Dorick and Aunt Mary's house. It was a lot of fun getting to know newer members--Cody...nope, just Cody! We ate lots of wonderful traditional Thanksgiving foods; especially pie!

After stuffing ourselves, the grown ups stayed at the table and talked, while the "kids" (yes I am included in that group) went to the family room to lay down, chat and watch the little kids play around. It was really funny because as Branden was playing with Nikh, my little cousin Rylee came over and decided she wanted to join in the fun. She just couldn't get enough of climbing all over him!
Then came the pie! Heaven.

No Thanksgiving is complete without a little working out to burn off all the extra calories you just finished eating! Tacie was kind enough to let us all join in the fun of playing Just Dance 3 on her wii.

Thanksgiving Numero Dos
Our second Thanksgiving is with my mom's family and takes place the day after Thanksgiving. So, yes...my family stuffed themselves silly again! This time though, the food is not exactly what you would expect. While we do have turkey, there is no gravy. Instead it is marinated and cooked so that all the juices stay in the pan it is cooked in. There are potatoes, but they are boiled, sliced, and served cold with a gray sauce on top. The sauce is made out of purple olives...soooo good! Salad and rice with beans completes this meal. And last of all, flan for dessert.

I love my two very different Thanksgivings.

When I'm Four...

Yesterday, my charming little man turned 4! I can't believe how much he has grown up. He loves cars, swords, guns, superheroes, and having books read to him. Some of his favorite foods include peas, rice, pizza with olives, noodles & tomato juice, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, and salad with Olive Garden dressing. Yes, my little boy is practically a vegetarian. He is so nice to both his sisters and loves playing with them. They really are his best friends. But probably the funniest (and most frustrating) thing is that for the past year we have tried to potty train him. He is NOT interested. However, he has told Ama and his daddy that "When I'm four I will be potty trained." Funny kid. Except that when we brought it up with him yesterday he now says "When I'm Five I will be potty trained." Like I said-totally and utterly NOT interested. Maybe someday...

I Love you so much and am very grateful that four years ago you came and joined our family.

Happy Birthday My Bubba-Boo!

Primary Program

     So, a couple weeks ago back on November 13th Ember and Lincoln participated in the Primary Program. It was the cutest thing. Both of them had their parts memorized since the beginning of October. Ember new every song and said her part well. "Because of Heavenly Father's plan, Jesus created the earth and animals for me." Linc's favorite song, and the one he sang the loudest, was "Scripture Power." He was so cute. They had all the sunbeams standing on the second pew from the front facing backward toward the audience. He kept looking for us every time we turned or looked at Ember.
     The funniest part had to be when Lincoln got up to do his part. As he was getting up on the stool you could hear him say" I can do it myself" to the Primary leader standing by the microphone. I am not sure if she was going to help him up onto the stool or with saying his part. Then he stood up to the podium, looked out with a big smile on his face and sighed right into the microphone. We are talking REALLY loud! He finished his part without any problems. "My favorite scripture hero is Jesus." I really like how the leaders try to leave blanks for the children to fill in with something that means something to them. Ember filled in animals and Linc filled in Jesus. Both Ember and Lincoln remembered to say their parts slowly and clearly so everyone could understand.

I am so proud you!

More! More! More!

Well, I have continued my reading spree. Earlier in June I had read 24 books. At that point I decided that I would try to read at least 40 by the end of the year. Let's see how many more I have to read to reach my goal.

25. The Wise Man's Fear
26. Vampire Crush
27. Uncommon Criminals
28. Chain Reaction
29. Forever
30. The Exiled Queen
31. The Gray Wolf Throne
32.Blood Like Poison: To Kill an Angel
33. Wolfsbane
34. Silence
35. Tiger's Voyage
36. Crossed

WooHoo! Only 4 more to go! I know I can...I know I can...I know I can...

A Wonderful 2 Months

Well,  okay. Life has definitely gotten in the way of my blogging. I have been good at taking pictures, but nothing else. Please excuse the two month delay on some of these pictures! It all starts back at the beginning of September with Hunts Gymnastics' Annual Fundraising Picnic.

 Then we move on to the end of September when I got a surprise and Ember was able to participate in Bingham High School's Mini Cheer Clinic. Thanks to my cousin Abbie who texted me about it. I hope you are having so much fun cheering! Ember had so much fun being a little cheerleader. She still sings the cheers around the house!

Next came October and Fall. I don't particularly like the colder weather, but I do enjoy seeing the changing leaves. I really like seeing different colors around me. I decided after a 

VERY rainy week that I wanted to take the kids to a pumpkin patch this year. Let's just say that I think I will wait until the ground is dry to go next year! Thanks Jo and Shelbi for coming with us!

 Just days after going to the Pumpkin Patch we had an accident. Ember was injured on the playground before school. Talk about a lot of blood! My poor little girl was so brave at the hospital as they stitched her up.

October also brings in Halloween. I happen to like this weird holiday. Anyway, right after Halloween last year Ember and Lincoln decided that they were going to be Buzz and Jesse. Which means that Branden would be Woody and I would be Bo Peep. Well, all that fell through when Linc found a SWAT team outfit! It was all good though. Branden ended up having to work that day anyway. 

On Halloween, I took the kids to Jackie and Dennis' house to go trick-or-treating with Isabella and her sisters. So much fun! Let's do it again next year!

All in all, September and October have been pretty good! I hope that as the holiday season rolls in that the fun will continue. I love my little family!

First Day of Kindergarten

Ember has been ready for almost two years, and now the time is finally here! Kindergarten, here she comes!

Temples and Reunions

Believe it or not, my mom finally got sealed to her parents! YAY!!!

Katia and her family came to visit for the weekend too! The kids had so much fun playing together in the sun for hours.

That night I also had the opportunity to go to my 10 year high school reunion. It really does not feel like I have been out of high school that long. Am I really that old???

Thanks to everyone who planned and organized the reunion!

Oregon part 5

On Friday- our last day- we decided to go to OMSI...The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. It's a huge museum with hands on experiments. The kids had so much fun. I was sad when I forgot my camera.

That night we roasted marshmallows in Rachelle and Justin's backyard in their fire pit. It has been years since I've had a s'more. I am VERY messy!!!

Oregon part 4

Thursday we found ourselves at the Japanese Gardens in Portland. Can we say beautiful?! We got a few cute shots of the family.

Oregon part 3

Wednesday we went berry picking! The kids and I have never gone before and they had a lot of fun. First, blueberries. Ember and Lincoln concentrated really hard at filling their buckets with blueberries. The conversation with Ember went something like this:

Ember: Are you going to pick any berries Mommy?
Me: Yep, and then I am going to eat it!
E: But they aren't washed!
Me: That's okay every once in a while.

I think this conversation opened Ember and Lincoln's minds up to new possibilities because when we moved on to raspberries and boysenberries, Lincoln didn't even have a bucket! Every berry went in his mouth! Ember had a bucket, but only used it half the time. Five berries to eat, one berry in the bucket...

Birthday Fun

First Birthdays are not big for us. Branden and I figure why spend a lot of money on a birthday our kids won't remember? So we celebrated Nikh's birthday a couple days early on Sunday. With just family...(yes, you Lance's are practically family!) It was fun to just spend some fun time together. Nikh was my little fairy princess. I found the cutest little wings at Target!

Branden and I made cute cupcakes that Nikh tried to devour. She really got into it after a little bit.

So much fun! Thanks everyone!