My most favorite Christmas present!

This is the present that Hagen was working so hard on for me! You can tell just by looking at it that it took hours upon hours of work. The craftsmanship is of the best quality. Each layer crafted with love and excitement! I was most shocked when I opened this gift. It is amazing! It is priceless. I will cherish it always. Thanks so much Hagen. I love you with all my heart! YOU are my Favorite!

This is a pic of the one he made for Bree. He picked her favorite colors pink and purple. Do you notice the little straps tied to the top?? He is so clever! Bree calls it her munchie??

I have a million things to tell you...

Hagen has been working on his Christmas present for me for about a week now. He has been working every day at school, and even brought it home on the weekend to work on it. So he completed my present yesterday and he brought it home, wrapped it and it is currently the only present under our tree. While he was working on my present he decided he would make Breeley one just like mine, only a little smaller. So he worked on that at school today and yesterday.

When he came in the house after school he searched our house to find me to tell me he is "So excited for Christmas!" I said "Really" (What nine year old isn't excited for Christmas??) and he said "Yes, I have a million things to tell you, but I can't or it will ruin your present!" I just laughed and hugged him because he had the biggest smile on his face. He truly is soooo excited for Christmas.

How lucky am I to have a nine year old so excited for Christmas because of the things he is giving and not receiving!

Daring Abell to Graduate!

Abell Graduated from Dare!

I am so proud of him for making the decision now to say NO to drugs!

I love Abell so much.

He is getting so old and so... teenagerish! (Heaven help us both!)

Seriously, he is so funny!

Last friday night I was driving home from Addison's basketball practice. I had my four kids and my neighbors two kids (Adam and Ethan) with me. Adam was saying how happy he was that he was able to go to basketball with us. He thought he was going to have to miss it because his parents are out of town and he was staying with his grandparents for the weekend. I had talked his mom into letting me keep the two boys so they could go to basketball and then our ward Christmas party and then I would take them to their grandma's house after. (Does this make any sense??)

Anyway,

We were driving home and Adam (Addi's friend) was saying how happy he was that he got to go to basketball and I was saying loudly
"Who's the coolest?? Who's the coolest??" (Pointing a finger at myself) since I was the reason he was able to go, and Addison, sitting clear in the back of the excursion says loudly... David Archuleta!

I was like... "What???"

What a humbling month.

Christmas 2006 I love this photo!

I have had a really hard time getting into the spirit of Christmas this year. I kept trying to figure out if it is the lack of snow, or the lack of ideas for gifts for everyone. My kids Christmas list's are short, sweet and simple. Abell wants hunting items, Hagen wants basketball cards, Addi wants pixo's and a bike with a kick stand, and Breeley wants a Snow White Dress and new Snow White slippers/shoes because the ones she had got broken. I have been searching for something fun to get them that will make their eyes sparkle on Christmas morning but I haven't found a thing!

Then tragedy struck. Two of my brothers live in Craig Colorado for their jobs. Since their work requires them to travel they decided to rent a house together so their wives and kids can be together while the men are at work. Well last Wednesday night the chimney for the wood burning stove that they use to heat the house caught on fire and part of the house burned down. Everyone in the family and the pets were able to get out safely, but what was not burned has been destroyed by smoke and water. They have nothing!

Then one of my sassy scrapping sisters Laura lost her baby Ella at 32 weeks along. She had to have the baby and go home without a baby in her arms. It breaks my heart to think of the pain that she is and will go through.

So I have been worrying all month about finding the Christmas feeling and I have finally found it. I am so blessed. Adam and I have a nice house and two cars. We have oodles of warmth from our furnace. My children have tons of clothes. We have a washer and dryer to do laundry. I even get to do the laundry during the day since I get to stay home with our children. We just are so lucky to have happy healthy kids and a warm house.

Instead of thinking of about the craziness of Christmas, I am trying to think of ways that I can help my brothers and my friend. I don't have a lot of money or items to give them, but I think we as a family can find a way to serve them, and I think it will be a great experience! It will help us all to have the true feeling of Christmas!

Miss Cutie Pie!

While I do Breeley's hair we often say the ABC's, count to 20, or sing a song to get her mind off it. With all those curls comes a lot of tangles. It doesn't matter how much spray in conditioner I use, or how slow or fast I go, she still whines/cries about getting her hair done.

So for the last week, we have been singing the primary song "I Love to See the Temple". She knows all the words by herself and I thought it was so cute, I would share it with ya!

Special Day Today!

Today is our anniversary! December 8th 1995 Adam and I were married in the Logan Temple for time and all eternity! It was the best decision both of us ever made. Not only do we have a fabulous life together, have four wonderful kids, but we get to wake up to each other every single day! I love Adam so much and am so greatful that he didn't think he was too good to date a young girl still in high school when he got home from his mission.

I met Adam the day after he returned home from his mission. He came home on Christmas eve, and on Chistmas day he went over to the Chandler's house to visit. I just happened to be at the Chandler's house hanging out with my friends. We had the long Christmas break off from school, and he didn't have a job yet so "conditions were perfect" for us to have plenty of time to get to know each other.

When he asked me out on our first date, he asked me about two weeks in advance. My friends had told him I was pretty busy so I would need to schedule it. I became a really popular topic of conversation at school when word got out that I was dating an "RM". Not in a million years did I ever think I would get married right out of high school. I had two scholarships to Dixie College and had definite plans of attending! But I have a feeling that Heavenly Father knew the choices that I probably would have made down in Dixie and he thought I better stay clear of there. Adam and I started talking about getting married early on in the dating process, but I refused to have a ring in high school. So he waited to propose until after I had graduated. We waited until December to get married since he was attending Weber and didn't want to miss a weeks worth of classes. So we were married the day after he took his last final.

Thirteen years later, we just spent 11 days together in Cabo and we still like each other a lot!

Fun Fun Weekend!

This weekend has been so much fun! For a couple of years now Adam's mom has given all her kids and grandkids a night at a hotel in Park City for her Christmas present to us. We really had a good time hanging out at the pool, eating too much pizza, playing ping pong, domino's and letting the cousins have time together. We are so busy these days that even though we live so close to each other we still don't see each other very often. Jenny and I had fun at the Walmart in Park City buying all of the day after Thanksgiving doorbusters that they still had in stock.
Abell, Hagen, and Addison really enjoyed skipping ice across the pool after it was closed. Breeley was such a sweetheart and fell asleep while watching the Barbie Princess and the Pauper. It was nice to have her asleep so we didn't have to worry about her while we were sitting in the hot tub. (Our rooms were all pool side and had sliding glass doors so we could watch her sleep from the hot tub)
There was even a big group of girls there for a birthday party that were the same age as Abell, cousin Adam, and Hagen. It was funny to see the three boys in a hot tub with about 10 girls. Boy are we in for a world of trouble when those boys will actually dare talk to the girls. I made a joke to Madi (the cutest 9th grade cheerleader ever) that she should do a survey to the girls and see what boy they thought was the cutest. The boys heard me say this and were so excited to see what the results were. But it was just a joke. The boys stayed up until midnight and were sad when we made them go to bed.
Saturday we did family pictures with the whole dang family and it was a nightmare to get the kids ready. NOT ENOUGH SLEEP THE NIGHT BEFORE! They didn't want to change their jeans, they didn't want to wear that sweater, do they really have to brush their teeth, blah, blah, blah... NEVER again will we plan it in that format again. I don't care how convenient it is for 22 people. We really had a lot of fun getting our pictures taken. We went to the new popular place of the Union Station and got some really great pics. The photographer was awesome and I bet she took more than 500 pictures. Every time we asked for a specific backround or anything she would just say "Let's do it". I am so excited to get them back. I will post them asap so you all can see how cute we look with puffy sleep deprived eyes!

While the cats away...

The mice will play!!!
Look what two darling little girls can do while being babysat by their big brothers!
Dads are at work, and moms are in line to see TWILIGHT!!!
Lesson learned (the hard way!)!

Adam's Birthday!!

Sunday was Adam's birthday!

He is now 35 and teetering on the downslope towards the big 40! It is crazy weird that he is that old. I mean by 35, you should be set in your life, have your parenting skills down to perfect, have your saturday chores down to a science, have your house in perfect condition, have a set weekend every 6 months that you clean out your garage, totally KNOW EVERYTHING your wife is thinking about since you have been married FOREVER!!! Seriously, what is wrong with us because we are none of those things. I MEAN what is wrong with HIM because he is NONE of those things! But there are a few things that he has perfected by this age... let me think about it... still trying.... trying harder now..... ok, so there are a few things that I love about Adam even though he hasn't perfected anything yet. I will list the top three...

1. He is fun to be with. I love to be with him. I spent 11 whole days with him when we went to Cabo and I totally wanted more days. At about day 9 I asked him if he needed a break from me (I could kindly go on the other side of the pool) and he kindly told me no. We really really like being together. It makes it kind of hard for us to get things accomplished because when we are together, we just want to be with each other.

2. He has the best memory ever. He can repeat so many SNL skits after seeing them just once. I love it when we start talking about SNL, because he remembers which skits are my favorite and he repeats them for me and it is HILARIOUS!

3. He lets me sing and doesn't judge or correct me. He has been the ward choir director for forever and someone just asked me on Sunday if I was going to sing with the choir for Christmas and I replied... "Funny thing, Adam has never asked me to participate in the choir." I mean we have the most pathetic choir attendance, and yet he doesn't ask me to join... HUMMM something to think about. What a nice guy, I bet his ears are throbbing when I sing, he never says anything to get me to stop.

4. He cleans (sometimes) Okay so my favorite thing about Adam is when he gets home from work. When he walks in the door and the house is messy he automatically starts picking things up and putting them away. He just knows what kind of day I have had with the kids if the house is bad, so he just starts cleaning to help make me happy.

5. He always says to all of us (and the people at his work) "What can I do to make you happy?" He says it to the kids all the time and he is always doing something to make someone else happy.

I know I am totally rambling on and on, and none of it probably makes any sense, and I listed more than three things, but Adam is the coolest guy ever and I am so lucky he comes home to me every night!

***P.S., who else has a husband that lets her go away about five times a year to play with her friends!!!*** Good thing I made him a wicked awesome cake for his birthday!

I am SO EXCITED!

Adam and I are off to see COLDPLAY tonight! I am so excited!!! We are going with Kenny and Jenny and they will make it even more fun!!! We have been waiting a long time for them to come to Salt Lake! I AM SO EXCITED!!!!

Hey, I have an idea!!!

Today when it was about time to pick up Breeley from preschool, I had a bright idea! I said to Abell, (who was the only one home with me) "Hey, lets ride bikes to pick up Bree from school!" Abell said, "Are you serious?" I replied "Yes, lets go, we have to hurry!" So we jumped up threw our shoes on, grabbed a jacket and a toy, treat, and drink for Bree and we were off.

I realized at the end of our street that I had forgotten my phone, so Abell booked it back to the house to grab it (wasting very precious time). As soon as he returned to me at the top of the street we were really off and peddling as fast as we could. It turns out we left our neigborhood about six minutes before school was "out" (3 pm). I knew we HAD to have her picked up 3:15 so we just peddled and peddled and peddled.

We did stop and try a mayday call to my friend Julianne to tell her we weren't going to get there in time and maybe she could drive and pick up Breeley so the teachers didn't have to stay and wait for us, but when we called there was no answer (Hello, wasting more precious time). So we realized we really needed to hurry now.

Well, long story short we finally made it! Abell and I both were so greatful to see the little boy sign that hangs in front of the preschool, knowing we had actually made it. I like to think we were were there by 3:17, but I am sure we were later than that. There was one other mom that arrived at the same time we did, so we weren't the only late ones... so that made me feel a little better.

Our ride home was much more fun! We peddled as fast... or slow as we wanted. It was fun to ride with Abell, and I was so proud of him for riding so fast. (I wasn't sure he was going to be able to make it when we first started) Breeley enjoyed riding past the llama's and the horses and she actually fell asleep about 2 minutes from our house.

All in all we rode about 22 blocks! I am going to clock it when we drop her off on Thursday. But I am guessing it is about 4 miles each way. Addison and Hagen want to ride bikes to her school next time. If that is the case, we will DEFINITELY leave our house by 2 pm, so we are DEFINITELY at the preschool by 3 pm!

Sassy Scrappin Weekend

Last weekend was "The Weekend"!!! The weekend I get to go to Park City and shop, eat out, eat in, hang out, sleep (or not), chat, watch total chick flicks, listen to music and scrapbook!
Twice a year (usually April and October) I get together with my "Sassy Scrappin Sisters" for a weekend of scrapbooking. It used to be two nights, but a trip or two ago we added a third night, and it was the best idea we have had! It is a lot of fun to get away and be responsible for only myself for a few days! We stay up late, sleep in late, always make our best recipes and have tons and tons of fun! I can't wait to go again!

How do I say this???

I haven't posted on my blog for a bit. I have had something that I need to share with everyone, and I really haven't had an idea of how to say it. There are so many other things that occupy my days that it become's very easy to put it off and think I will figure it out tomorrow. The last few nights I have actually laid in bed for hours thinking about it and trying to figure out a way to say it delicately, but there really isn't a delicate way to say it. So, I decided that I need to just get it out there for my friends and family to know. No more avoiding the obvious. I just need to say it! So here it is...

My camera is broke. The flash refuses to work. I have tried everything. I have googled until my eyes are blurry and my head aches. There are no solutions that cost less than one hundred dollars. I have no Halloween pictures; I have no pictures of my kids carving pumpkins. I can't take a picture of my shiny kitchen floor to show you that I mopped today. No camera to take a picture of the granola I made today. No pictures of my kids all sprawled out around the house looking at their scrapbooks on a rainy day. It is killing me! There has been so many fun and cute happenings taking place and no camera to capture the moments. My heart is broken!

I told Adam about the camera, and he pretty much just shrugged his shoulders to the effect of... really Deanna??? (I am sure he thought I was wrong and just needed to charge the battery!) He didn't even act like he cared until he came into our room one night and I was online researching what camera I wanted to buy to replace it. Then of course he saw the price of the replacement camera and wouldn't you know it, within minutes he was sitting next to me on the bed... camera in one hand, owners manual in the other. Charging one battery, and inserting the spare fully charged battery hoping he was right and I was wrong. After the owner’s manual offered no help, he gently took my laptop off my lap, placed it on his and did some major googling. There were a few hints of hope that came up, but in the end, none of them worked.

So now my dear friends, I get to buy a new camera. I am most excited about this! It is going to be wonderful! So many new pixels to play with. So many closer zooms before getting blurry! I can hardly stand it! The excitement is getting overwhelming! Now, I just need to decide... Which kid is going to sacrifice his or her Christmas, so mom can take pictures of their siblings on Christmas morning? (This is where I would insert a picture of my broken camera!)

Addison is SO FUNNY!!!

So I am making dinner tonight, and Addison was drawing a picture. (He has been drawing almost all day today.) He says he is making another picture for his friend Jake. I asked him if he was going to take it to his house when he was done drawing it. He said "No... uummmm mom....do they send envelopes for short people????" (Meaning he wants to send it in the snail mail.) I said "Yes, they do" and he said "Good, that is what I want to do!" Seriously it was so funny!! I love him like crazy!

Go Cobras Go!!!

Hagen has been playing on an independant comp soccer team this fall. Their team name is the COBRA'S! They have excellent coaches and were all scouted out from AYSO. During the summer they played many scrimmage games and even played in a tournament. They were creamed every time. It was so hard for the boys. They were so used to winning in AYSO and they were all used to being the best player on their teams, so losing everytime was tough! But I think it was the best thing that could have happened. They were all so dedicated to practicing with all their hearts and energy that they have had an amazing season. Our record right now is 6 to one. The one game we lost, the weather was terrible and the poor boys were freezing! They have been playing together like a team that has been together for years! I am so proud of Hagen and his dedication to soccer. Before we let him play we made him really think about it and make sure that he would be willing to miss out on things if he had soccer and he hasn't complained once. I am glad that he made the decision to play on his own, and that he is being dependable to his team. It is so fun to watch his team play!!!

Hayrides and Pumpkins Oh My!

This is a view from the hayride. The different colors of the trees was so beautiful, I just had to take a picture!!! (For some reason I am having a hard time uploading my other pictures today. maybe I can get it to work after Breeley's dance class!)

On Saturday we went to J & J Nursery for the annual hayride to the pumpkin patch. My kids love it and I love it because it is so fun and free. This last saturday was the first chance we had to go this month and unfortunately Adam had to work. We missed him a ton, but we had fun picking out a pumpkin for him. Abell went far away from the drop off area and picked the biggest pumpkin he could find. It was fun to watch him carry it over his head as he made the short hike back to the group. Hagen looked around for a long time before he decided on his, and Addison got really bugged because he had a hard time finding one that didn't weigh too much. he kept seeing one that interested him, then he would pick it up by the stem and declare "It's too heavy!". Breeley just kept saying she wanted a "very big one" and nothing would satisfy her until I just kinda told her "This one here is beautiful and perfect for you Bree". Then she decided it was okay with her. My pictures didn't turn out very well. I had a bit of a hard time keeping track of kids, carrying pumpkins, and trying to take pictures all at the same time.

Breeley's Funny Comment

Breeley has a very bright imagination. I have been shocked by how different she plays versus my three boys. Her imagination can turn a small barbie from McDonalds into a bottle of sunscreen, that she will apply to Adam's entire face before telling him "Your all done, you can go get in the water now" in the middle of sacrament meeting.
My boys never really played like that. They would have a ball... and it would be a ball. They would have a car... and it would be a car. They also never really played with toys. I kept buying them more toys hoping to find something that they would just sit on the floor and play with, but they just never did. They always seemed to be happy to follow me around and tell me crazy things.
But my purpose in today's post is something Breeley said when she was in the tub before church. She had been in their long enough that she had "grandma fingers and toes" and I finally went in to get her and her crazy hair washed up and she said...

"Mom, you are the girl and I am the mom and dad is the dad... and there are no boys allowed in the clubhouse, except just one (dad)."

I said "What about your boys, Abell, Hagen and Addison? They all love you very much, can't they come?"

She just looked at me in the eyes and said "No" and went back to playing with the bubbles like it was no big deal that they can't come.

Adam and I just started to laugh.

Hagen's Funny Comment

On Saturday night Adam ran to Cafe Rio to get some take-out for us and Hagen went along with him. While they were standing in line Hagen told Adam..."I like to watch people when they don't think anyone is watching." He had just watched a guy spread some sour cream on his burrito and the guy made a funny face like he had put too much on or something. Hagen thought it was so funny that he made that face. I seriously love him way too much., He is SUCH a GREAT kid. He is my favorite! (I tell all my kids they are my favorite.)

Snow much fun!

Hagen Addi and Bree all had fun playing in the snow.
After playing for a few minutes they were having so much fun they decided to come in and really get dressed for it. They put on their snow pants, boots, gloves, hats, and coats. They spent probably three hours playing outside. (Longer than they ever played in the summer)
They built this snowman!
I just thought Breeley's hair looked so pretty with her hat on. It looked a lot better in person.

What is up with all this snow??? I had heard it was coming but this is ridiculous! It just keeps coming and coming. While we were at church today Bree and I stood in front of the large windows by the doors and just watched the huge snowflakes fall. It was so pretty to watch, but a lot more fun to watch on say... CHRISTMAS EVE! One of the other young women leaders said she held back the urge to play Christmas music this morning. I really hope it melts so I can finish getting my yard ready for winter. Plus we still have a few soccer games to play in and watch. (one is tomorrow night) I hope Hagen can run fast in the snow. That will be funny to watch. The kids have had fun playing in snow, and we have all enjoyed drinking yummy hot chocolate and eating homemade cinnamon rolls :)

Relaxing and Playing in Cabo!

Hacienda Del Mar

Kevin sweeping Catrina off her feet!
Ali and Aaron looking darling!
Uuuummmmm... I am not sure.
This is the iguana that we met at the pool on the last day. He hung out right at the edge of the infinity pool. We fed him some cantaloupe and he loved it! We have it on video!
Look how cool we look!

Aren't we so cute???
The view from the pool area! It was so hard to look at it all the time! NOT!
We are just watching the waves!

Our trip to Mexico was so fun! We really didn't take a lot of pictures until the last day. We had an amazing condo, amazing friends, amazing time playing at the beach, amazing time snorkeling in the ocean, amazing time swimming/reading/sleeping at the hotel pools. It was really relaxing and fun. We missed the kids a ton, and they had so much fun with Aunt Jen Jen!!! She did an amazing job and can now drive the excursion like it is a mini cooper. Adam did a great job learning all the spanish words for things, I cared less and only learned Hola and Gracias.

Some favorite family pics!

Hagen at a beach in San Diego.

Family pic at the beach in San Diego.
Addison at his preschool graduation.

Abell snowboarding in front of our house.
Breeley on her new big girl bed.

How cute is this picture???
I just wanted to post some of my favorite pictures. Just in case I get really sad and miss my kids too much while I am away. Maybe I will find internet access at the hotel and can view my blog. I can't believe I am leaving them for 9 days! I have been so excited to go on the trip until about Thursday, then I realized how long we are going to be gone and I started getting really sad about going. I know Adam and I are going to have so much fun and we are going to love being together, but it is so weird to think about being gone for so long.

Cabo San Lucas

In just six short days Adam and I are leaving for this beautiful place. We have had the trip planned for 18 months so we are so excited to finally go. We are staying for seven nights in Cabo and then a night in LA. (Thanks to Delta's schedule changes.) My sister in law Jen is staying with our kids!!! They are so excited for her to stay here! It is going to be such a fun week for everyone!

BOUTIQUE IS ON SEPTEMBER 26 and 27th!!!

This is my one of my new tutu's. It would be really fun for a birthday girl!
I started sewing satin ribbon around the bottom of the tulle. I think it looks so pretty and would look great in a black and white photo. I have begged Bree to pose for me, and it is the wrong time of day, week, or month. Breeley just brought me the purple tulle and asked me to make her a purple one. Maybe I can bargain with her and get her to pose for pictures in it??? By the way, I wish all my enemies in life (if I have any) have to sew with tulle all day long.

Treasure Box Boutique

Can you tell what I have been busy doing??

I have been busy making purses, handbags, totes, church bags, school bags, or just bags! My cousin Laci and her friend run a boutique in Roy called The Treasure Box Boutique twice a year. After having me make a tutu for her daughter (Cutest Brinlee ever!) she told me about her boutique and encouraged me to put some of my tutu's in it.
Well, I have never ever done anything like that before and I really don't even know what made me start selling them, but I thought it COULD be a fun experience. I really have fun making the handbags, so I thought I would make some and put them in "my space" as well.
I am really excited to see how it goes and I keep trying to decide which of the bags I hope doesn't sell (If any of them even sell) so I can use it when Adam and I go to Cabo in two weeks.
I am going to put pictures of the bags in my etsy store and make them as they sell. That is how a number of the etsy stores do their bags and when I first thought about it, I thought it was really dumb but now that I have pre-made so many, I understand that it is necessary so you are only spending your time making things that people want to buy and really like.
I have also changed my tutu's a bit. I hope it makes them easier for the little girls to wear and hopefully they won't get lost in all the tulle! I have bought some really darling ribbon that I am hoping I can add to the tulle to make it extra special.
Anyway, if you are in the area and want to see some way darling tutu's and handbags and other cute things... you should stop by the boutique.
It is at 5426 S. 3500 W. (Across the street from Kents) and it will be open September 26th and 27th. Friday 1 pm until 7 pm and Saturday 10 am until 4 pm.
What am I thinking... I can't believe I am doing this... Talk about stepping out of your comfort zone!

Third post of the day

I am posting this picture for my friend Amy. She has a post of long hair/short hair for her boys. This is my favorite picture of Abell with his long hair. It was taken in the fall of 2007. He will hopefully never have long hair like this again. We told him he could do it until he received the priesthood. Despite some very lucrative offers for him to cut it, he kept growing it out, until one day he decided it was enough and he passed me a note in sacrament asking for a haircut. (He didn't get paid any money.) Now he only has about 8 months until he turns 12. That's not enough time for his hair to get that long. :0)

What do you do.....

What do you do when you have a lot of boys at your house RIGHT after school???

You make RICE CRISPY TREATS!!!
There always has to be one that doesn't want what you have... Addison really wanted a bowl of Lucky Charms... (Which I let him have!)

Quote of the day!

We went on a walk before lunch today. Conditions were perfect!
Sometimes Breeley really likes to get her pictures taken.
Especially when there is a red sucker as a reward for standing still!

Today while I was sewing Breeley was watching me and I told her "I love you so much, I am so glad you decided to come to our family." She replied "Me too, it's pretty fun to be here!" I had to just grab her and give her a big hug!