What have I done?

What is this?

Look carefully, we all have them in our homes.

The common answer would be a smoke detector...

...BUT in our home...
...it is a camera that Santa uses all the way from the North Pole to watch the kids.
When the green light is on (which is always) then that is how the kids know that Santa is actually watching everything they are doing, and with a "camera" in all the rooms of the house, the kids know that they must be good always.
When yelling begins, or fighting starts, all I have to do is give a simple reminder that, "Santa is watching," and all is clam again.

Carson and Cassie are constantly going and looking at the "camera" and I can't believe how good the older girls have been and how much they are willing to help.

Ok. I know what you are thinking, maybe it might be a bit mean or maybe just pure genius.

Either way what you may think, it is working or us now and like I said, the kids haven't been this "good" in a long time. I know that there will be a time where I can't use these type of "incentives," so why not use them now.

Hey, who knows, this "camera" might just come in handy during the rest of the year as well.

Bring on Christmas!

So now that Thanksgiving has officially come and gone, I can now finally post what we here at our home have been enjoying for the last 2 weeks...

(remember, it is what Carson requested when he started to use the potty)

...our Christmas decor!

So here is the "Before" picture.

Drum roll please...

Here is where you say your oohs and awhs.

It was a minor 3 day project, but I am (and even more the kids are excited) pleased on how it turned out. I think that I am just as excited as the kids are...that is what I am, just a big kid when it comes to this time of year.

And here is the "Before" of the tree;

boring and dull, but add a bit of bling and sparkle and you get...

...Ta Da!!!

Our Christmas tree!

With each new thing I would pull out of the bins, the kids would get that much more excited and enjoyed every moment of the decorating. I know that is why it did take me that much longer to put everything up, but with my helpers and watching them, it put me in the spirit of Christmas that much more!

So bring on the holiday music, the gift giving, the decor; the whole magic of Christmas.

I am ready for the holiday season!

We are so Blessed and Thankful...

Today at Delanie's class in school, I was invited to help out in their Kindergarten's Thanksgiving Feast. Here is all the good food that the kids were able to eat; lunch meat turkey, rolls with butter, popcorn, cranberries, pumpkin cookies, carrots, and cheeses. The kids were excited to try and share just like the Pilgrims and Indians did long ago.

The kids were even able to wear Pilgrim "costumes."

When I asked Delanie what she is thankful for and her answer were the following...

"Lots of stuff: my family, my school, I-Spy books to make my eyes strong, my house, and my friends. Oh, and church and my cozy bed."

Mackenzie made a project at school of what she is Thankful for:

Pets, Family, Sisters, Brother, School, Teachers, USA, and Food

It makes me proud to know that even an 8 year old knows what is important in life and what she is thankful for.

I am Thankful for...

...the mess to clean after a party because it means that I have been surrounded by friends.

...the taxes we pay, for they mean that we are employed.

...the clothes that fit a little to snug because it means that I am getting plenty to eat.
...my shadow that watches me work because it means I am out in the sunshine.
...the lawn that needs mowing, the windows that need cleaning because that means that I have a place to call home.

...all the complaining I hear about our government, for I know that we have the freedom of speech.
...my huge heating bill because I know that I am warm.
...the lady that sing extra loud in church because it means that I can hear.
...the piles of laundry and ironing because I know that my loved ones are near by.

...the alarm that goes off early each morning because I know that I am alive.

***I told you, we have a lot to be thankful for and it is good to be aware of it, so we can be grateful for all of our blessings. ***

Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving with the ones you love and remember the things you are grateful for.

What is one more???

So I have to ask myself, "What is really one more?" and you might be thinking, What??!?

You already have two dogs, a cat, and 4 kids!

But the last two nights, it has been crazy at our house at night.

This is how it started; we are all in bed for the night and then around 2 AM the craziness began:

Cassie comes walking into our room to use the "bathroom," that is always her excuse. Cassie then climbs into our bed, like she doses every night. The thing about Cassie is she is a very active sleeper and the closer she can be next to someone the better, so she thinks; and with those two combos, it is quite a night, but it gets better...

...Dan takes Cassie back to her room, where she is crying because she doesn't want to leave our bed...

...About 20 minutes later, Cassie comes back into our bed. Dan decide to pick his own battles, and lets her stay in our bed. Cassie won!

BUT here is where the really fun begins!

About an hour later, Carson comes into our room and wants to come into our bed! He never does that!! But he had no intention to go back to his own bed, so being tired from dealing with Cassie, Carson climbs into the bed.

So with Dan and myself in our king bed, PLUS Carson and Cassie, we were all "fighting" for the covers, so with Dan's toes being uncovered, the cat, Kingston was biting his toes on top of everything else,

BUT it keeps on going...

...So next Mackenzie comes into the room crying cause she had a bad dream and she couldn't go back to sleep, so she wanted to sleep with us...

...so she climbs into the bed, but thinks that she needs to bring her American Girl doll as well and they both needed to sleep in the middle, causing Carson and Cassie to wake back up!

What a crowed mess! So FINALLY at 6 AM on a SATURDAY morning, I get out of my OWN bed and go into Mackenzie's bed to try and get some sleep...

and one hour later, all the kids awake up and come and get me up.

See I told you, What is one more???

And this is what we have dealt with the last TWO NIGHT!

See it usually happens with Cassie or at least one kid, but we have had 3 or our 4 kids the last couple of nights and it is starting to really mess up on my sleep and I am a mom who needs sleep!!!

Anyone have suggestions for what we can do. A king bed can only hold so many people comfortably and I want my bed back!

Face Time?

Today was the day that I have been waiting for for a LONG time!

The NKOTB tour is here in Utah!

SO being the crazy girls that we are, we got beautiful for our "boys" (the new Kids that is) and heading to the E-Center to get some face time with the guys!

We got there at 10:30 and we waited and waited for them to come outside...

...waited and waited for our face time.

We meet interesting people, we thought we were groupies; but there was one girl that was from Texas, but this was her 10th concert ON THIS TOUR!

WOW! So we waited and waited some more, 4:30 came and no "Boys" came out!

So much for having FACE TIME!!!

but we were too cold, hungry, and excited to care...

Eliza posing by the back side of the E-Center, if you look behind her, you can see the tour buses!

Dinner before at Chili's.
Time to get food in our bellies and warm our bodies!

Proof that we have our tickets and are ready for the night of all nights, besides marring my best friend and the birth of my 4 children!

Right before this picture, we were waiting in line outside and I looked up in the E-center windows and saw 2 figures...I thought it was a creepy janitor, but Tiffany waved and "it" waved back to us....It was the New Kids them self. They were looking down upon us the whole time!!!

Oh, let the scrams begin!

These girls have the "Right Stuff" and are ready for the show to begin!

This was one of my favorite moments of the night!!!
The opening act was Lady Ga Ga and I have to admit, it was a bit much for me; a little on the scary side, so you ask,

"Why was it your Favorite then?"

During her act, I was looking around cause I wasn't into her show and what did I see was...

...two tall robed "things." I got a bit worried, I thought it was part of Lady Ga Ga's act. I saw a "normal" man and asked him, "Who is that?" He shurged his shoulders and just smiled...

The rest was AMAZING!!!

Eliza danced over to the robed "things" and it was DONNIE and JORDAN!!!

Eliza got right into Donnie's face and was asking him for some "face time."

We all got excited and the realism hit, IT WAS THE GUYS!!! We yelled and scream and then people around us started to notice and then the guys were gone.

IT WAS PERFECT!

I know that I am silly, but then I had to go rub against the wall that the two of them stood by...I know a bit stockerish!!! But it was a great moment!

Can you feel the goosebumps coming on? What about the scramming and yelling?

It was so loud in the E-center, you never would have believed it.

It was an amazing experience!

Every time I look at this picture, I get goosebumps!

The "Boys" are back and have grown up. They might have been cute way back then, but NOW I have to say it...They are HOT; Joey a little bit more then any of them.

The New Kids/ my "Boys" played most of their old songs and even songs from their new album. I have to admit, I like the new, but the old stuff will always be the "right stuff." It is an earlier 90's classic that I remember so well when I was 10 years old and my parents thought that my sister and I were just silly kids who had a pop-star crush...

...now that I am a mom and make my own decisions, I wasn't going to miss out on this concert.

I have to note though, when I was rocking out, getting ready for the concert, I was listening to the "greatest hits" CD and when I walked downstairs to leave, Delanie was in ah to what I was listening to and asked, "What crazy music were you listening to?"

Lanie, you don't know what good music is, I must play the CD for you more and more to get you use to the boy band of my era.

It was just the beginning of the love of 'N Sync ( I [heart] Lance Bass, stop your laughing NOW)and all the other boy bands that sang of love and romance...I am a romantic, what can I say?

You can tell that we are happy women and that we all waited a long time for this moment.
There was nothing that was going to take that moment away from us.
We enjoyed every minute of the concert and from the moment it started it was fantastic, all TWO hours of it!

We finally got back to the car and happened to notice the clock...midnight!
We partied and played all day and boy did we have have fun with just us girls and the NKOTB.

But I do have to admit that I am sad that the day is over. What am I now going to look forward to??? I would take the crazy groupies we spent the day with, the cold weather we stood for hours in, the ringing in my ears and the sore throat...

to have another amazing day to spend the "Boys" but also my dear friends.

Thanks girl for the memories and I am really thinking we need to take a road trip to another concert to see our "Boys"
Or at least plan on the Summer tour for sure! (I know Liza will keep us all posted.)

We made it another year...

...Dan and I are proud to say that we made it another year;

Carson and Cassidee are 3 years old today!!!

So today it was their day and no matter what I was to suggest to them, they wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese.

I really don't understand why kids like that place...Germs, lots of kids running ramped, and you pay a small fortune for cheap toys, but that is a parents' perspective...

BUT as a kid, Chuck E. Cheese it one of the best places ever!!!

So, when the Kenzie and Lanie got home from school, we all plied into the truck and went to celebrate. I think that the twins thought that it was never going to come, they asked me ALL day when it was time to go.

When we pulled into the parking lot, the yelling and excitement was to begin and it didn't stop till we left almost 3 hours later! (I wanted to get our moneys worth, plus they all were in heaven; they would come to get more tokens and not see them for awhile.)

After the gift opening, we sang Happy Birthday and had our football/strawberry shortcake cupcake. Everyone was happy and we all had a good time, but I do have to admit...I am glad that birthdays come once a year. It is a lot of work to plan and this year we didn't even do the whole big birthday party with lots of friends, but we did have Conner and Caleb come and the kids thought that was just fine. (so did I)

Well, Carson and Cassie, with you being 3 now, I want to Celebrate YOU!

Carson at 3:

You love Cars and playing with your trains

You are now potty trained and wear big boy underwear

You love all sports; basketball, baseball, football, and even golf

You are extremely active and love to climb on everything

You do great somersaults

You can out eat any of your sisters

You love to wear shoes without socks

Your favorite is you monkey blanket that Oma made

You like to be dirty; you won't bathe it you didn't have to

Loves to nursery and play with friends

Wants to be Superman when bigger

Little bit shy at first, then watch out when you are ready to play

You can mess a room up in a matter of minutes

You look after Cassie all the time

We LOVE YOU FOR YOU!

Cassie: You are 3!

You love to dress yourself

You are very expressive with your smile and dark eyes

You are a great mommy with your baby dolls

You have a devilish way about yourself

You are the last to fall asleep at night and the first to wake up

You are a little entertainer and like to be laughed at

You are smart; you know your colors and how to count

You are a great cuddlier

You have no fear

You love to dance even though you have little rhythm

You sing extra loud in the car

Carson is your best friend

You love High School Musical and want to be Gabriella

WE LOVE YOU FOR YOU!!


Happy Birthday to the both of you!

Here is to another year and now that you are 3, all the naughty things you two did the last year at 2, should be over and gone with...Right???

"Yes!" Is an UNDERSTATEMENT!

Hallelujah! Yippee! Hurray! Celebration!

YES! Boooo-Ya!

I think you can say that there is a party at our house; by what Carson is holding, you can tell that he has defeated the potty!!! NO MORE DIAPERS!!!

Tonight Carson and I went to Target to get the scooter that we promised the kids way back when we first attempted to potty train during the Summer (if you can recall that far back.)

Well, Carson didn't forget and he was excited to FINALLY get his Cars scooter after all the hard work to master the potty.
You bet that Carson is smiling, but the ones that are REALLY smiling is Dan and I...the thought of NO Diapers doesn't get old!
Since the twins were born, Dan and I got very familiar with diapers and have gone through a small fortune. In fact, when the twins were first born we went through about 250 diapers in a WEEK! (about 10 diapers a day per kid) (Our kids have always been very regular.)
After the first time Dan's parents watched the twins, the next time we saw them, they had a big pack of diapers from Costco. They could feel our pain!
So after almost 3 years, (next Tuesday will be their big 3rd birthday) of double diaper duty, Dan and I are completely ready to be done with diapers!


So Thank You Carson for allowing Daddy and Mommy to buy something more fun then diapers and wipes the next time we go to Target!



***(A Side NOTE....)***
What do you get when you are potty training a boy and his twin sister is wondering why he gets to stand???

So the other night while we were all decorating the house in Christmas,
I hear Lanie yell, "NO Cassie, you can't stand while you go potty!!!"
I look in the bathroom a little too late to stop Cassie and notice that potty is running down her little legs.
Cassie just couldn't figure out why Carson gets to stand and she can't. She wants to stand, but after this first time, I am pretty sure it will be the last time she will try that one again.
Girls...Gotta love them!
Then Lanie says, "Boys, they have it made."

AMEN LANIE AMEN!!!

To be a kid again...

...what was the highlight to every kid during the school year?

A Field Trip and this time I was able to go with Kenzie and the other kids in her class...where are we off to you ask?... a Jr. High production of Hansel and Gretel.

Here is my little group that I was in charge of: Lincoln, Jonny, Dallin, Kaylee, Kenzie and Me.

We were on the bus and if any of you have forgotten what it is like to ride a bus full of second graders, it was loud, crazy, and they play all the games I use to play; the clapping/singing rhyming games, rock, paper, scissors, and drawing smiley faces on the steamed windows. Kids were climbing on the seats, it was controlled chaos. No wonder why my girls love to ride the bus. Here I am with Kenzie before the play was to begin. All during the play it was the bestest feeling; Kenzie would hold my hand and ask me questions about the show. Kenzie was totally into the play and said that one day she would be in the spotlight on the stage. I told her that she can do whatever she wants (except band, my heart goes out for the patients of those band parents. They really love their kids.)
The group is excited to watch the play...


Here we are after the play, as you can tell, they all loved it by the smiles on their faces.
On a side note, I forgot just how little Jr. high kids are, but for the most part, they did a real good job on the show. You got to start somewhere and the younger kids who came to watch, really seemed to enjoyed it as well.

I am glad that Kenzie asked me to go with her to this field trip and after it, we all headed back for lunch in the class room due to the yucky rain! I just want the rain to go away and for the sun to come back out.

In the class room, we ate our lunches and sang songs and even played a game of heads up seven up; who remembers that game? I know that we all played it.

After lunch, I headed back at home to "play" mom again and Kenzie got to stay at school to learn and have fun with her friends. I got to come home and clean and get dinner ready. Kenzie got to go to gym and jump rope and run around. I got to come home and do laundry while she got to read and learn time and math...

To be a kid again and have nothing to worry about except when the next field trip will be would be great. Kenzie enjoy being a kid, it goes by so fast! Thanks for letting me come and have a fun day with you today. I loved every minute of it, well maybe not the bus ride, but it was fun and brought back memories of way back when.

"Where have I been?" you ask...

I know that I have been slacking on our blog, but I have good reason...

I was out in Oregon for a bit of work (thanks to my mom for giving me her airplane ticket so that I could go. Mom's are truly the BEST and thanks mom. I love you tons! I owe you!) but mostly play for a well needed GIRL's weekend.

I left on Thursday with my bags packed for nothing but FUN in my future for my next four days in Oregon.

It was a weekend of no sleep, scrap-booking, fun and lots of giggling, and friends.

See twice a year at the local scrap-booking store: Scrapbook Fever, they offer a non-stop crop starting on Friday night up until Sunday afternoon. When I say NON-STOP that is what I mean! Sleep is something you are willing to give up when it come to something like this!

So, Deanna and Jenny: Only my two bestest friends who seem to get me and still seem to love me for who I am (mother/daughter) came from Idaho and me from Utah and we meet my mom in Oregon and together we spent the weekend making memories and having a good time. Let me tell you, you get the four of us together and then little sleep, we tend to get loud and tend to get in trouble with the other ladies, but we are having a good time at it.

Let me tell you, the scrapbooker are a crazy breed. (There was over 40 of us ladies in one room.)They take thing like this very seriously. You can tell by the picture that women will bring their entire supplies and make the crop room their new house for the weekend. There are even women that will sleep on the floor, so they don't miss what is going on...Crazy I know, but I am proud to say that I am one of those crazy ladies. I was able to get 2 mini albums done as well as over 20 2-page layouts.

Well Sunday came and it was time for our crop to end, but that didn't mean that our fun had to end. Deanna, Jenny, and myself as well as Jenny's Dad, bro. Travis, Bryant, (Jenny's son) Hannah (Jenny's daughter that she gave up for adoption 18 years ago) and her parents went to a Portland Winter Hawk Hockey game.

It was so much fun!

No major fights and that was too bad, because the fights are the best part of the hockey game. The final score needed up being 7-5 Winter Hawks, so we got to see a lot of goals which you don't see a lot of in hockey. I told Dan that we need to take the kids to a Utah Grizzlies game. They would love it just like their own mommy did.

I guess as long as you have friends by your side, no matter what you do, it will be fun. I am one lucky girl to have these ladies for my friends and a part of my life, I know "cheesy" but it is true. Though we may live in different states, we have a friendship that is strong and is unbreakable. I love you girls! Thanks for the laughs and great weekend!

SEE I TOLD YOU IT WAS A GOOD REASON NOT TO BE BLOGGING,

but now that I am back, so will be the blogging. It is good to be back...oh and Dan did a great job with all the kids. He is an amazing dad and the kids didn't let me down; they didn't take long for me to get back in the "mom" grove... Driving home from the airport, the twins fought over a hockey puck and Mackenzie was fit to be tied with them, that she got a migraine and ended up throwing up in our Burger King dinner bag with the food still inside...I am telling you, never a dull moment and as crazy as it might sound, I did miss it, but girls weekend are the best!

That much closer...

...to NO MORE diapers!!!

Look at what Carson is doing tonight!!! He just might be a big boy now.

Tonight was his first time to pee in the potty and not only pee, but stand and pee like a "man" as Dan would say. Dan says that no boy of his is going to sit and pee; so let the messy floors begin...

but is is a lot easier to mop the floors then to change a diaper of a almost 3 year old boy!

As you can see, Carson is proud of himself as well.

So you may ask...

What finally made him want to go pee in the potty???

Carson wanted to put the Christmas Tree up tonight!!! It didn't take a scooter, a cake, or even new Spider Man underwear...it only took a tree in the house!?!!

So when you see the tree in pictures on the blog, it was part of the bribe. Dan also had to do a cartwheel in the front room. Let me tell you, surprisingly, Dan can do them pretty well.

After the peeing in the potty, the celebration was to begin as well as the phone calls. Carson first called his buddy Caleb who is younger then him, yet was potty trained WAY before him. Then it was Pappy, Opa, Nana and Feef! Everyone had to know the good news!!!

Well, my hopes and dreams of not having to buy diapers ever again just might be here before I know it and I can honestly say...I couldn't be happier!!! Yes, my little boy is growing up, but that also means he has big boy poop too and I by far would take the unders over the diapers!!!

Way to go Carson!

Show us what you got!

The results are in:

and Brock Obama is the winner of the 2008 presidential election, therefor, on January 20, 2009 (not the birthday gift I was hoping for) Brock Obama will be the 44th President of the United States of America.

History has been made; Obama is the first African American to run our country and he has promised us (the people) change for the good.

I understand that we (the country) is in need of help, and the people have spoken.

They want change, so the next 4 years is in the hands of Mr. Obama.

I have to admit, that I wasn't an Obama fan, but I am proud to be an American and I will stand up for what I believe, but I am just one person and there are many many people who are tired of what the current situation of the country is in, therefor, I will stand by Obama as the president of the USA and still be proud to be an American. We are lucky to live in such a place that we do...Where people can Dream, Where we can be Free, and there is a Desire for Greatness and Change.

So here is what I would tell Obama:

You have made your promises on what you would change for our country, but no more talk. You have won the race for becoming the next president, so now show us what you got.

Here's to unbroken promises and change.

The next four years should be interesting to say the least.

Cross your fingers

Cross your Fingers, Say a little Prayer, and find a Lucky Rabbit Foot and rub it like crazy...

I think McCain/Palin need all the help, luck, blessings, prayers, a wish on a shooting star, and even a miracle to win this election.

Go out and Vote!

Make your voice be heard! Add your vote in this presidential election.

Make sure the right choice is sitting in the white house, leading our country to bigger and better visions and helping fix our futures.

VOTE!!!

Arrh Matey...

Halloween night our home was full of Pirates...

The Pirates were darling and super cute, not your typical pirates, but what these pirates are the same as every other pirate out there is that these pirates that we have where full of spunk and energy. They were ready to concur the neighborhood and gather the "treasures" of the treats.

So with all the pre-pictures done, these pirates were set free to reek havoc.

Over an hour and half outside, these are the treasures that the pirates have to show for all their hard work. They dealt with the rain and the cold, but the looks on each of their faces, shows that it really did pay off for them.
At first, Carson and Cassie were not sure of the whole trick or treating thing, but it didn't take them long to figure it out. The two of them were able to keep up just fine with the older girls.
When they all got home, without any time wasted, they all dumped out the candy and started to dig in.
I am honestly surprised that none of the four kids have gotten sick from all the candy that they have eaten.
It is a good thing that the Great Pumpkin will soon be by to take the candy away cause I can an going to go crazy if I see another candy wrapper on the floor or a sticky sucker left on the table, but hey, isn't that expected with Halloween??!?