Candy Houses

For the Achievement Day activity I helped with we made candy houses. We had extra houses and candy so sunday I let the kids decorate them. They loved it. Sammy took time to make her house look very nice. The boys enjoyed using all their extra frosting to pretend their houses were being bombed. I love to see the different creative ideas they come up with.

P.S. Lydia--Thank you for the advice on how to clean up my blog. It is working again.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!

Thursday August 26t the kids went back to school!!!

Logan started the 2nd grade and Kylee is going back to preschool.

Braden started at the middle school in the 6th grade. He gets to have a locker this year. Yeah!!!

Steven moved to the junior high and is in 8th grade.

Sammy is still at the junior high, but she is officially a high school studen and in the 9th grade.

Mome is busy trying to stay caught up with everyone's activities and can't wait to start scrapp'n again.

Manti Pageant

Braden and Steven had the great opportunity to participate in the Mormon Miracle Pageant in Manti, Utah. We took the boys to Manti on Memorial Day. The whole family stayed the first week of June and then we left them there for two weeks. Steven was a Nephite warrior and Braden was a Nephite and a pioneer. Grandma Cox was their gaurdian in the Pageant. Thanks Grandma!!! They missed the last week of performances because they came back for scout camp. They only got to be in 3 performances but they had a lot of fun.

Volleyball Season

Yes, I am alive. Life is going well, but very busy. Here is one thing that has filled up my time this past winter.

Last December, Sammy joined a club volleyball team. May 7th and 8th was her last tournament. There were three 14 year old teams. She was put on the 2nd. Her first tournaments started in January. At the beginning her team was ranked somewhere in the teens and placed in the second division. About a month and a half ago, here team had moved to I think 8th and bumped up to the 1st division. They played a couple tournaments against the top teams. They struggled and didn't win much. But this last tournament weekend they turned up their game and did so well. Friday night they took 1st place in their pool. Saturday they fought hard and played great and got 2nd in their pool. The team that took 1st in their pool was team 14-1 from our club. Our team made them work for it, but if we couldn't take it we are glad they did. We moved on to tournament play and placed 6th out of 42 teams.

(This is Sammy's best friend, Amanda. She happens to live right next door. It made driving to practices so much more convienent because we carpooled together and swapped weekends driving to the tournaments. )

It was a great season and Sammy improved so much. Her team was great and all the girls got along so well. Her coach was fabulous and so positive. They girls just loved her. Sammy is so sad the season is over, but she is looking forward to August. That is when tryouts are for the freshman team. Go Sammy!!!

RUNNING THROUGH MUD IN THE FOG

This time of year I feel like I am running through mud in the fog. I feel like I am always on the go but not getting anything done. My mind is foggy (the weather outside has been that way for the past month) and I can't seem to concentrate. I always feel tired and sluggish. I am ready to curl up with a good book or movie all day long, yet I don't because I am a mother and life must go on.

I started taking vitamen D a couple of weeks ago and it is helping. I am so excited for the spring, except that all the inside projects that I should be getting done now will still be there and I will be starting on outside projects. I don't know if my home willl ever be organized. All is well though. I am just venting and I am already starting to feel better. Thanks for listening (reading). Happy day!!!!!!

OUR NEW YEAR'S EVE CELEBRATION

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL

(a week late).

New Years Eve is one of my favorite nights of the entire year. When else can you play games for hours and eat all kinds of deliciously unhealthy food and not worry about it? For New Year's Eve, Bishop Paul Hoggan (the bishop Brian is counselor for) asked our family to spend New Year's Eve with them. The other counselor (Craig Adams) and his family were invited too.

We ended up going to the Adam's home due to their two small children needing to go to bed early. We started with dinner and continued eating late into the night. Our children all get along and they had a fabulous time. They watched movies and played their own games.

The adults played some great games and the ladies enjoyed teaming up against our wonderful husbands. It all worked out great because we won some and they won some.

I could have played all night, but unfortunately midnight did come and the celebrating did need to be replaced by a few hours of sleep. I could have a game night every week. Any takers.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

After a month of hustle and bustle, shopping, parties, being a little stressed, the day finally arrived. The kids could hardly stand it on Christmas Eve. "Can we open a present?" they asked all day long. It was funny how the answer never changed but they kept asking.

One of our family traditions is that the kids get to sleep all together on Christmas Eve. They picked the boys room and scooted all the beds together and then Sammy brought her mattress in. (She is no dumby. Comfort is important.) They stayed up way to late, but missed Santa anyway. What a sneaky Santa.

Tradition calls for a parent wake up call no sooner than 6:00 am. In past years the kids have been prompt. This year their late night paid off for Mom and Dad and they slept in until 7:30. Brian and I enjoyed sleeping in. Maybe they will wise up next year and set an alarm.

Our first Christmas present was enjoyed in November when we took the kids to Disneyland the day after Thanksgiving. Because of that Christmas was smaller this year, but I think just as fun.

My big present this year was a new lap top computer. Yeah!!!! I was so

excited. Our other lap top is really slow and having problems. This one is just for Brian and I. Most especially so I can run my new Photoshop Elements that my brother Glen got me a killer deal on because he works for an Adobe company. (Thanks Glen you are the best.) I look forward to doing some fun scrapbooking with it.

The day was a much needed relaxing one. The kids watched all the movies they got. The boys flew their remote control helicopters (yes, and even broke them), we ate too much junk food (Yum, yum), and I even got a nap. What a glorious day. I hope you all had a wonderful day as well. Now we look forward to celebrating the new year.