CHRISTMAS GIFTS (NO EARLY BIRDS PLEASE)

Kids x-mas morning .. unhappy Z

Aftermath

Zane's new blanket

Jenny posing for the camera and Josh reading...

It's a pillow ... it's a pet!

The big kids woke up at 4am. I can't belive it! I made them stay up until almost 11pm since Jake was working a graveyard shift and I wanted them to sleep in as long as possiable... so didn't work.. This is the first year they have woken up SOO early. I think next year we are going to have some rules in place. Santa had brought the kids a couple of wii games and left them unwrapped so they could play them until their dad got home and help them be patient to wait to open any other gifts until then... so what woke me up at 4am. ... the wii being turned on! I came out and said NO WAY!! I did let them look through their stockings but then I sent them back to bed until 7am AT LEAST!!!!  They were quiet after that but I have a feeling some (BAiley and Josh) didnt go back to sleep cause boy have they been grumpy today. We were all  the kids were spoiled this year with toys and books...Zane didnt understand why all the presents werent for him and cried  until it was his turn again... Exhausting but it was a good christmas just glad it's over

Birthday Hangover Part 2

Multi-talented reading and playing at the same time

His Mario Blanket I made and is FINALLY finished

Josh and Zane's B-day cake (first time)

Josh and Zane's b-day Cake (2nd time... we saved the words  Happy and Josh )

Josh turned 11 on the 22nd... We were still recovering from Zane's but his birthday still came.. It wasn't his year for a friend party so he invited a friend over and went to "TRON" the movie and then they came home and played video games all night..what more could you want right... On his actual birthday the next day we got our cousins to come up for a sleepover and leftover birthday cake. He got the new Nintendo DSi that he has been wanting for a few years now. I told him that I would only pay $50 towards it for his birthday so he gathered up his DS and decided what games he didn't want to play anymore and asked his dad to put it on Ebay for him.. he was nervous esp. starting the bidding at $ 0.99 cents but it sold for $170.00 so I ended up forking over his birthday 50 bucks and he got $70 to save... but he did have to go without any kind of DS for a month until his birthday.... but Im not worried Im sure he will make up for lost time somehow.

Christmas Pictures 2010...

I have never sent actually christmas cards out. Nope, not once since we have been married.. I attempted to this year.. but so not gonna happen. I don't have a scanner so I took a picture of the professional picture I got of the kids sorry it is a little ghetto but oh well I am past caring on this one.
 Let me just tell you I HATE trying to get my kids pictures taken. HATE, HATE, HATE!!  I asked for this expenisive camera for my birthday this year so I could just take them my self but Zane is horriable and I can not get him to stand still... so I decided to go professional  cause I have not gotten one "professional picture" of Zane yet and he's now two.
So I sucked it up and went by myself... (jake was working) drove an hour to get there,After searching and stressing  for the perfect matching outfits.... (I actuallly cut up and glued flowers on Jenny's dress to get it to match Baileys a little more.)  Jenny poked holes in her tights the whole way there, Josh was slouching and making faces in all the pictures, and some lady gave me the pity look and pity sigh for having 4 kiddos.. (Honey, She's got some holes in her tights... (she said to me and pointed at Jenny) "I'm aware, she did that on the way up here.."  I said. ... and then she responded with " I guess you did the best you can do with FOUR children.." AGHHH..kinda wanted to punch her in the face but I didn't... and look I got them back and they kinda even look nice BUT now I can't find the christmas cards I bought to put them in so I give up.. Merry Christmas RIght.

Zane's Two!!

Waving at me instead of posing for a picture

making a funny face at Josh while he is fixing Cars for him on my ipod

His favorite ride of the night

The kids in front of the Zoo Light entrance

I can't belive that it has been two years since this little guy has joined our family.I still wish I would have held out and had him in January or after Christmas.... what was I thinking?? Josh and I were talking about birthday presents the other day and he said "You know what .. Mom, I think Zane is still my best birthday present ever! (Zane came home from the hospital on his 9th birthday) but my most challenging one as well.. you know cause he runs every where and screams and always wants to watch Cars or Chuggington... but he's still my favorite."  Other sweet moment with my two boys. This year for Zane's birthday we decided to go to the Phoenix Zoo Lights.. we had heard that it was super neat so we drove up to the valley and went. We were not impressed... it cost alot to get in and then there were sooooo many people. Jake and I both decided next year we will go to the "free" temple lights instead and save our money but hopefullly it was a memory right. We also went to Red Robin our token birthday resturant and the boys got sung to and everyone left full and happy with ballons..

For a good time.....call

Jenny's got a boyfriend. Not a boy that is a friend. An ACTUALLY boy that asked her to be his "girlfriend". What!! She is six ... and I think I failed my first mother/daughter girl talk session with her. This is how it went down...

Jen- Mom, "Can you keep a secret?"

Me- Sure.

Jen- "Promise you wont tell ANYONE!!! Esp. Dad and Josh....

Me- Okay.. what? ( yes, I am aware of the fact I am telling the whole blog sphere but she's six! )

Jen- I have a boyfriend .... (and hides her head in her hands)

Me- What! What do you mean... silly girl.

Jen- Caleb asked me to be his girlfriend yesterday and I said YES!! (Hides her Head in her hands again)

Me- Oh,... (pausing to think of what to say) do you really need to be boyfriend/girlfriend Jenny that is kinda silly you guys should just be best friends.. you are too little to have a boyfriend... What does it mean to be his girlfriend?
(kinda came out sounding like my mother a little...augghh I think to myself Im getting old and uncool)

Jen- Nothing... well, today at music we sat together and let our backpacks touch and we pretended that they were married and were kissing...

Mom- (A little shocked...) Oh... (pause) That is silly (giggle) you guys don't kiss right...( pause) JENNY RIGHT!!

Jen- (head in her hands again, refusing to answer) I don't wanna tell you ... (whimpering and starting to cry)

Me- Jenny, just tell me okay..

Jen- I'm afraid to... I dont remember...

Bailey-( who has been quiet until now)  Ewwww!!! Jenny you are in so much trouble Dad is gonna rip his lips off!

Me- Jenny...

Jen- I'm afraid .... you will (sob) make us  (sob) break up! (sob)

Me - (giggle couldnt help it she's SIX) Jenny.. its okay just tell me

Jen- Okay... He kissed me TWICE... on the cheek. (whew)

Me- ( a little dumbfounded at this point) um, um, Jen I think you guys shouldnt be kissing each other ok you can be best friends and  show him you like him by giving him a .....high five or something??  ( again lame mom comment out of my mouth)

Jen- But he just broke up with Lauren cause she wouldn't do the baby part when we play house.

Me- WHAT! WHAT IS THE BABY PART JENNY!!!!  (shocked)

Jen- You know when you play house and you pretend you are married and then you pretend to have a baby.... well ...I 'm not sure I'm usually the dog.

Me- Oh.... (pause and giggle ) If it was me I'd totally keep being the dog cause you know DOGS are more fun then anyone else ... they get to bark and bite and run around.. ( she didnt sound conviced so I threw in.. ) and sniff their own butts..

Jen- LAUGHING... maybe your right... That is funner then having a baby. (whew)

Up A CRICk

Doesn't he look RESPONSIABLE....

So.. I did something scary this week.... but I was UP A CRICK (hence the title) no judgement please...
I let Josh babysit Zane.( He will be 11 next week rite) Oh, How I stressed over this. I HAD to be at the kids school to volunteer on Friday night and Jake got called out on a detail and I could not find a babysitter..
It just happened to be the ward Christmas party that night as well so I really was having a hard time finding anyone I knew. Josh keep telling me that he COULD do it. I was taking the girls with me so it was going to just be them. And Zane would only be awake an hour or so after I left... so I started to consider it while in the back of my mind trying to think of how I could possiably get out of this commitment all together..
 So all week Josh practiced.. He changed diapers( even poopy) and fixed Zane's sippy cup and tucked him into bed everynight (with me right beside him) but I wanted to make sure  he could do it.
 I went back and forth and back and forth and stressed and stressed about it and was ready to take the crap from the PTO ladies and cancel on them but Im chicken and thought maybe I should give it a try so ...I made sure I had a friend on notice that lived close that would be able to drop everything and run over if he needed her.. and I left.(GULP)

I called to check on him every hour... and which he started to just answer the phone " RESPONSIABLE OLDER BROTHER SPEAKING"  which made me laugh and relax a little and when I got home all was well. Zane was tucked in sweetly and when he woke up the next morning I ran to get him and he held his arms out for me to lift him out ...and then demanded for his "JOSH" and looked around for his brother.
... my sweet boys oh how I love them.. but I dont think it will be a regular occurance until Josh is a little bit older but I am grateful that they love each other and I think they always will. Maybe 9 years is a good age gap after all.

What I did over Thanksgiving Break.....

Josh had to write two paragraphs about his thanksgiving break. I thought it was funny so I took a picture so I could remember what it said:

During My thanksgiving break I went to my grandparent's house in Utah where I experienced the cold shoulder, a wizard movie, no elk, and the opposite of a hot dog. (a cold one)

The cold shoulder I experienced was when I slipped on a ice  rink (a frozen pond) and in a snow bank. The wizard movie was "Harry Potter and the deathly hallows Part one", it was so good I can't wait for Part two coming in June. No elk was when My dad, grandpa and me went hunting but didn't catch anything. The cold dog was my aunt's dog Max (who I raised myself, Thank you), I played with him all break.

The rest of Thanksgiving was quite  a HAIRRAISING time. Let's see first we drove over a 2,000 miles... in the snow. (Well, only out of Arizona) My dad got married, I got stuck driving in the snow ALONE... (after I dropped Kim off) which was scary.. Drained and tired got back to my in-laws where we had some "new" experiences and I got the flu all night the night before thanksgiving... and lived on coke and crackers thanksgiving day.When I was finally feeling better emtionally and physically it was time to head home and back to LIFE AS I KNOW IT. 

Sidenote: I DID NOT take one picture during thanksgiving so I hope these do.

Cat and Mouse

A big kitty hug

                                                               telling the kitty whos boss

                                      will not change his handling grip aka thoart hold

Loses the kitty after mom tries "again" to show him how to hold him around the stomach

Kitty is resourceful and HIDES well

Zane has found a new playmate during the day while the kids are at school. The Kitty is less then thrilled about this new friendship however. ... but has yet to bite or scratch Zane. (others of us have not been so lucky including moi) Zane chases the poor kitty around all day and he is a pretty good sport about it and usually hides when he has had enough. I tried to get just a cut picture of zane holding him but he wouldnt stop shaking him long enough :)

Witches and Wizards and their cat & owl too

Bailey as "Hermoine Granger"

Megan "the witch" and her "black cat" Jenny

Harry Potter (Josh) and a dark wizard " he who should not be named"..

(really I dont think he had an offical name)

Zane as "Hedwig " Harry Potter's owl

The girls haul

and the boys

This Halloween we went down to Brian's and went Trunk or treatin' with cousins. We only went up for the day so it was short but VERY sweet!

Lottery ticket

It's here. Our ticket to move North. The question is.... do I (we) want it? When we joined the BP we thought we would only have to be in Arizona for 3 years max and then we could transfer to a BLM job back in Utah or go to Washington State where I begrudging left as a junior in High school and ALWAYS wanted to go back. 

Not so... we have applied and applied but nothing. We have now been here in Arizona for 7 years this month. I have gotten to really enjoy the weather and found  good friends, finally gotten the kids into a wondferful school that I really dont want to leave, have close cousins just two hours away and there are so many things we havent gotten to do and explore here yet.

 I DO like living here.... But... We have always half- heartly lived here  and thought of it as meerly a stepping stone and I am done feeling that way. I want nothing more then to feel  SETTLED!  It scares me the thought of completly starting over someplace even though that is what and where we have always dreamed of going and doing maybe I'm not as adventurous as I once was.
The transfers have opened again and Jake is going to put this name for some washington stations, Idaho and a montanta station. This is it though our last chance If we get passed up  again we are done and we are going to  SETTLE DOWN AND BECOME REAL ARIZONIANS.. with both feet in the state :)

I'm excited for the answers that are coming.

Road Trip

Grandpa manwaring telling storiesb

grandkids listening.....hopefully

                                          

Me and the kids tagged along with Bri and Shan for fall break to my dad this last week. It was a looong drive. We wimped out and stayed in a hotel each way since it was over a 1000 miles each way. I checked into a hotel all by myself a first for me ... well, Brian was next to me and the hotel lady thought we were married but whatever I still did it and stayed in my very own hotel room all alone with all the kids. WE helped dad shovel dirt outta his basement and played with cousins and enjoyed being together.. you know after I got my keys back from locking them in the van at a burger King in Kingman, AZ and kids throwing up in hotel rooms and having to get two new tires went I got home... and two kids home with sore thoarts and fevers (a possiable strep watch.. we still love you kim)   It was still a really good time. :)

Long Distance Dad

Jake's fridge in Roswell covered with all the cards and letters we have sent while we have been home..

i think he misses us too.

I have done pretty good while Jake has been gone, I miss him like crazy and can't wait he is here to help with  the fanastic four. But it has been a learning experience as well for me. I have a wonderful, wonderful husband that does sooo much for me. While he has been gone I have had to pick up his slack like you know take out the trash, :) (well, I try to make Josh do that one), feed the dogs and take them on runs, change the fire alarm batteries (which I have NEVER done and it only took me like 6 hrs to get them all changed and stopped beepin), even taking Z's carseat out and harnessing back in. all simple things that my hubbie does without me even asking) The other things I have had to do alone that were a little harder were bullying issues with Josh and another boy at school, red spots somewhere he didnt want to show me and I didnt wanna look ... Jenny crying and wanting her dad and our family back together hysterically. Two bunnies dead.. (died while we were in NM) 3 book reports, homework, homework, homwork, fighting, fighting, fighting, a crying baby.. going grocery shopping with all four children and the looks of pityand hatred of other shoppers. I have SURVIVED!!! Yeah, but this week I broke down. I had put the baby to bed and remembered something (wont tell u what but COULD NOT go with out) I needed a the store. It was past 8pm and I decided to leave Josh in charge and run quick.. so I gave Josh instructions and made him PROMISE to keep the girls quiet and left. I wasnt even gone 5 minutes when I remembered my purse at home. So I turned around to go and get it.... I walk in the house and Josh was sitting on top of the girls in a dog pile and they were screaming (happily but screaming) I had HAD IT. I told Josh he was fired and I picked up the phone and called Jake put it on speakerphone and informed everyone Dad was babysitting while I was gone and to be quiet!! so thats what they did.

DONT WAKE THE KITTY

We got a kitten this week. Yep, another animal.. have you lost track in how many we've had cause I have. The bunnies died while we were in New Mexico. Seems our bird dogs are also bunny dogs as well. : (  So we are trying a kitty this time. (An INDOOR kitten) So far is going good and the kids are loving it and taking care of it and it is litter trained so thats a plus and Zane hasn't gotten in the kitty litter either so  EVEN BETTER!!! But yesterday morning Jenny woke me up at 5:30 am  asking if she could use my bathroom (cause the kitty is in hers) cause she didn't want to wake the kitten up... so I sleepily nodded and remembered that Zane can hear the toliet flush from his master closet bedroom and just as I tried to warn her not to flush "MAMMA!!! " WAHHH!!!! So I have now explained to the kids to "forget about the kitty, dont you DARE wake up the baby! BTW we named it Scout (notice I have been refering to it as it cause we don't know if its a boy or a girl yet)

Jenny-Poloosa

Jenny turned six this past week and boy did we celebrate!!! We went down to Uncle Brian's and played with our cousins, (the weekend before) on her "offical" birthday Jenny got to go out to lunch and a movie with friends, but refused to have ANY cake or ice cream without her dad who missed it. So last weekend we headed down to New Mexico to see our dad and finally had our cake and ice cream. :)

CARS

 To say Zane loves Cars would be an understandment.

School Year 2010

Well, we started school last month and came home from New Mexico.. Here is a picture of the kids on the first day of school this year. They look thrilled don't they. Josh is now a 5th grader, Bailey is in 3rd and Jenny is in 1st. grade. So far school is going well and the kids are enjoying it. I am suriving here alone without Jake (he comes home in oct) and dealing with the kids alone... just barely. We all miss our dad and can't wait to have him back, FULLTIME. It is a little discerning when the kids talk about going to their dads or.. saying oh, thats at my dads.. etc. Zane cries everyday when the kids leave him and run into school and has to just deal with mom till they get home BUT we are both enjoying our  his naptime.

Sante Fe

We went to Santa Fe, New Mexico... which I may or may not have thought was in Texas..maybe I need to start studying some maps. Anyways, We took the kids on a Train ride to Lamy, New Mexico got to eat lunch there and then ride the train back to Santa Fe.

This is what the train looked like and the kids were sooo excited.

The had a place between the cars that you could be totally outside during the ride. This is where we spent most of the ride.. esp. Zane he didn't want to ride inside even though he was sooo tired. It made me a little nervous and Jake kept getting upset at me when I would sneak a hand on Zane's leg when they were leaning a little to closely to the edge. ( you know for extra insurance in case he fell outta Jake's arms I could quickly grab him) Jake thinks I am turning into a nervous nelly like my mother.. likely so

The kids inside the train

Jenny just "resting her eyes" for a minute

Zane almost asleep outside with Jake.

It was fun and hopefully a memory for the kids. Josh said " that a train was his favorite vehicle probably until he gets to ride a rocket." Jenny said " Trains are faster then motorcylces." Bailey is ready to go again and Zane .. well we will all have to tell him about it someday.. We enjoyed the weekend and exploring Sante fe.

Side note: After two kids you have too many kids to stay in a hotel. Unless you bring the bendryl.

Carlsbad Caverns

Josh and Bailey EARLY in the morn to watch the Bats

(This is where they sat and the bats flew over their heads.)

We went to see the Carlsbad Caverns this weekend. It is only about 2 hours away from Roswell. Jake, Josh and Bailey woke up at 4am to go and watch the Bats return back into caverns. They said there were millions and millions that flew over their heads and back into the cave. Then later that afternoon we all went to the caverns and did the tour, which was family fun and educational according to Josh. (As well as "Man, I better not get Bat guanno (poop) on me. Jenny was worried and got after us when we talked to loud because she didnt want us to wake up the bats.... Zane sleep through most of it. It was interesting and the tour took over 3 hours to do with the kids.. we walked and walked and walked. Jake rented these audio devices for the kids to listen to at certain points of the trail and they would tell the kids about the history of the part of the cave. They loved to listen and I was so glad that there was an elevator at the end... that took us all back to the top.