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.