Brayden's field trip

This month I was lucky enough to get to go on Brayden's field trip. We went to the mall to see Santa, shop at the dollar store for a Christmas present and finished up with ice cream from Chick-fil-A. His teacher once again amazed me. She bought each student an elf hat and mini fanny pack to carry their letter to Santa and their money. For two weeks before the field trip the kids did extra "chores" in class to earn dimes. (They were learning how to count by 10's) The morning of the field trip each student went to the "bank" and traded their dimes in for dollar bills. It was brilliant! Once we made it to Santa and each child had his own turn, they sang him some songs, measured his tummy and left him with a snack. It was utter chaos, and it was WONDERFUL! It is definitely a memory that will stay with me for a lifetime!

Kaitlynn's music performance

This year the third grade was picked to give us a holiday music program at the monthly PTA meeting. Grandma and grandpa drove over for the evening and we all had a great time. Kaity is such a cute little ham! She gets into it and rocks out like nobody's business. It was interesting to hear all the "cultural" holiday music that they had to learn. It gave us all a pretty good laugh!

Christmas morning 2008

I hope that you all had a very merry Christmas! We had a great morning filled with magic. Santa brought Kaity a camera and she started sobbing when she opened it. She was so excited that the camera didn't leave her hand all day. Santa brought Brayden a new big boy scooter and his beloved dinosaur that "scares" people. Thanks to all who sent cards, gifts and especially those who have kept us in their prayers. Hopefully Travis will hear soon about a new job. I wish us all a happy new year.

Travis' 35th birthday

After we opened all our presents we started Travis' birthday party. After a lunch of pizza we packed everyone into our van and went to the bowling alley. We bowled for 3 hours- that's too much bowling! Afterwards we headed back home for cake and presents. I think that Travis had a great time even if it meant he was a whole year older!

Day after Christmas 2008

The day after Christmas we decided to put the good weather to good use. It was a perfect day for beach going and kite flying!

Festival of the Nativities 2008

This year I have really been aware of my blessings. Not that I am not always grateful for what I have, but sometimes it is easy for me to fall into the "woe is me" mood. With the economy in such bad shape my awareness of others has increased and my attitude has done some shifting- for the better. I have always loved Christmas and all the commercial aspects of the holiday. I do know what the true meaning of Christmas is and I do enjoy the religious aspect of the season, but I admit that the dazzle and the sparkle of beautifully wrapped gifts under the Christmas tree and pretty new Christmas clothes has always been an important part of my holiday. I am ashamed to admit that. This year I have opened my heart and my eyes to what is truly important. Today is Dec. 8 and we have few gaily wrapped packages under our tree. We realized that the time we spend as a family is the best gift that we could give ourselves. The memories that we make with our children are priceless and will be treasured always. We have been on the hunt for fun family events this season and have come up with quite a list. Last night we attended the festival of the nativities at the stake center across from the temple. It was BEAUTIFUL! When we were done there we went across the street to the temple grounds and let the kids "go to the temple." They are such sweet spirits that teach me on a daily basis. They have a love for the temple that is almost palpable. I am very grateful that we are so blessed. I know that many of you are experiencing difficult times. When life seems unbearable just look into the sweet faces of your children and you will realize how wealthy you are!

Santa Downtown Disney 2008

I love this time of year! Friday night after dinner we drove to Downtown Disney. We do this every Christmas even if we don't have Disney passes. The kids LOVE it there. We were a little disappointed though at the lack of carolers and music programs this year. That is usually the highlight of our visit. Nevertheless, the kids were thrilled to see Santa and drink some hot cocoa that mommy didn't make from a box! :)I love the magic of Christmas!

Hollywood studios 2008

I Love this time of year! Christmas lights, holiday music, and yummy smells- need I say more?! Yesterday we were experiencing one of those rare Florida winter days where a coat was actually required. I came up with the idea at lunch time to take the kids to Hollywood studios after dinner to see the spectacular light display. I figured that with the weather nice and cool, it would seem like we were back west! We didn't ride a single ride or take in any of the typical shows, instead we stayed on main street for 2 hours just taking in all the sights and smells. The kids were THRILLED with the snow that falls from the rooftops of New York and San Francisco and Brayden was determined to catch some on his tongue. It's too bad that they tasted like soap! It truly feels like the holiday season is under way. I am trying to enjoy every minute of it because it will be all over before I know it! So remember the reason of the season this holiday and count your blessings! I know that times are difficult for many, but we are all truly blessed in things that matter. Happy Holidays!

Help!

What do you do when your child is the class bully?! I am so upset and sick about this that I just don't know what to do!

my little indian

Today Brayden came home from school dressed as an Indian. His teacher never ceases to amaze me. Once again she has proven to me that she was born to be a teacher to 5 year olds. She put on a pow wow complete with outfits and makeup for each child, canoes, bonfire and tee pees. Brayden was so sad to hear the bell ring signaling the end of the day. Last week they learned all about dinosaurs and went on a dig where they dug up bones of some sort. It is no wonder Brayden loves school so much. I'd go back to school too if I could dig in the dirt and roast marshmallows!

Timber!

Wow I don't quite know what happened to November. I realized today that we are already knocking on December's door. We have been busy this month getting ready for the holidays and working on lots of schoolwork. We are determined to help Kaity pass the third grade and it is taking a lot of extra TLC. Our biggest accomplishment this month was getting rid of the huge dead oak tree in the backyard. It died fully this summer and every time we had the threat of a hurricane I held my breath and prayed for it to pass us by. Last Thursday we decided that whatever it cost it must come down before nature took it down onto our house. Monday the crew re showed up at our house with a crane and 7 men. It took them about 6 hours but we finally have a yard ready for a pool!:) Now I just have to figure out how to pay for a pool! good thing I have a few months to figure that one out! Anyway we are sooo glad to have the tree gone and I had a very cool Monday when I watched it being cut to pieces.

trunk or treat 2008

Last night was our ward trunk or treat and chili cook off. Halloween is Brayden's favorite holiday so he has been looking forward to it for at least 6 months. Kaity and I went as witches and Travis and Brayden both dressed alike as vampires. They were really cute. I made a cake that was supposed to be graves in a cemetery. I won the scariest cake award which was nice since I thought that there was a lot of fabulous cakes to choose from. We had a great time and now we are looking forward to Halloween tomorrow.

Happy 30th Birthday Wendy!

I'd like to welcome you Wendy as the newest member of the old ladies club! Happy 30th birthday! Now I have had to think hard and edit A LOT to come up with a few of my favorite memories involving you. There are sooo many, I have had a difficult time narrowing it down but here goes.
1. Remember the "skinny" mirrors in the shoe department of the super Kmart?! We always knew right where to take the other if one of us was feeling badly about ourselves.
2. Skipping first period and hanging out at the public library, cracking each other up over exerpts in the romantic novel section. (How were we never thrown out of there?)
3. Laughing uncontrollably in the middle of every Friday night! Remember our dance parties in your room with the curtains open? I LOVED your room!
4. eating stove top stuffing with sour cream and half baked brownies as a midnight snack was delicious!
5. Remember when I ran into your dad one morning while I went downstairs to get the jug of milk. He couldn't figure out why we didn't need cups!
6. Remember how much I hated Don Richards for you!
7. I loved how we could start your white car with a fork when your dad took away your keys for not attending seminary!
8. I remember sitting in your bathroom hours before church dances started while you curled your hair. Oh the fun we had at those!
9. I remember my long distance phone bills to you when we were in college. OUCH!
10. Remember how we used to model our crazy outfits that we found in your moms closet in the window of the FISH store?! Remember how Pam was too embarrassed to join us?! I know there were video tapes out there. I sure hope they were destroyed!
These few memories don't even scratch the surface. I am so blessed to have you in my life! We may not be sisters by blood but you are my sister in every other way! I love you Wendy! I hope that you have a great birthday that you fill with many new memories!

Girls' night out!

Tonight Kaity and I went to see High School Musical 3 at our local theater. I was dreading the evening, not because I didn't want to spend time with Kaitlynn, but because I am really not a HSM fan. Kaity woke up this morning yelling "wahoo! It's HSM day!" She has been working hard for 6 weeks at school earning good behavior points that she redeemed for the movie. (Yes I believe in bribery) I surprised her after school with her new High School musical outfit- complete with new hair ribbons and glitter. She was ecstatic! I have to admit I had a blast with her tonight. I have never been to a movie theater when it was completely full of girls ages 5- 14. It was a whole new experience for me. Every little girl knew EVERY word to EVERY song and clapped and sang and DANCED along with the characters on the big screen. It was a zoo in there. The movie was so cheesy, I was wishing that I had brought along some Ritz crackers! :) But the evening was a memory that I will cherish forever!

pumpkins

After many hours of searching the internet for fall festivals, I finally found a corn maze, wanna be pumpkin patch and hayride in Zellwood. This past weekend we thought that we would surprise the kids with a trip to this adventure. After a lot of hype and secrecy we arrived at the farm... along with thousands of other floridians. Long story short, we decided against waiting in the 2 hour long line just to pay to get in, and went on a hunt for a new pumpkin patch. We found a church selling pumpkins on their lawn and decided that was more interesting than just picking up a couple the next time I hit the local Walmart for laundry detergent. The kids were thrilled just to get pumpkins and really didn't know what they were missing out on. (I feel so bad for them. Some of my fondest memories are of apple hill in the fall. I am sad that they don't get to experience that.) Brayden knew right away that he wanted a white pumpkin, but Kaity had to have the biggest one she could find. After much searching she was content with her pick. We may not have cool pumpkin fields, but we do have fantastic weather. I must look at the positives in life!