.: 2008

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Well, the 2008 Christmas season has come to an end. The toys are in the playroom, the leftovers are all eaten and the decorations have been returned to their boxes until next year. My bank account is depleted, I guess we will just eat top Ramen and Macaroni and Cheese for the next month...LOL... Seriously though, nobody can blame me for a lack of profits in the stores. I did more than my share of shopping.

Santa was more than generous with the girls this year. They of course got everything they asked him for and then some. I had to purge toys from the toy room in order to fit in the new stuff. It was a big year for Barbie and the pretty ponies at our house. Anything pink, purple, sparkly, ruffly or princess inspired is a hit! They also got a lot of nice art stuff, including an easel from Grandmom Judy & Papa Lyal. Grandma Deana, Papa Brian and Uncle Jason helped to dress all the new Barbies in the latest fashions. Papa bear was a huge hit with his Einsteins rocket he got Abby. She has wanted that toy for months. Ever since she saw it at Luke's house. Aunt Jan and Uncle Brian did fantastic with a huge treasure box full of princess dresses and jewelry, always a big hit at our house, as most of you know. Uncle Josh and Aunt Ambyr also seem to know our girls well. They earned points with them by giving them cute pink pajama's and books.

We had a fantastic prime rib dinner at Grandmom Judy's house on Christmas day and we did lunch and sugary Christmas treats at Aunt Ambyr and Uncle Josh's house on Christmas Eve. It was a great holiday with lots of great gifts and to much food. I probably gained 10lbs the last week.

I still need to mail out all my out of state gifts, I just never got to a post office, SORRY if you are awaiting a gift! :) I guess I will have to deal with being a less than superhero mom this year...LOL

Well I guess that about wraps it up. I hope you all have a Very, Very
Happy and Blessed New Year!!!

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

The rest of the weekend!

The rest of our weekend was busy. We of course had gymnastics on Saturday followed by lunch w/ grandmom and then gingerbread houses at uncles house, and then we drove around the neighborhood and looked at lights. On Sunday after a brief time laying around on the couch, we got up and went to see Santa Cause and do a little shopping. Then we went to grandmom's house ate lunch hung out a bit and then headed to Littleton for Tavish's 2nd b-day. We had dinner, presents and cake at Tavish's grandma Kaye and grandpa Jay's house with his other aunts, uncles and cousins from moms side. Life is busy, but good. We are so blessed by the family and friends in our lives.

Look at all that drama little mama!

This is the response I got when I said it was nap time. You'd would assume i just did something horrible.

And let me just say that, taking pictures of her while she is crying and throwing a fit, did not rank high with her, she kept saying, "No mommy, no camera, stop it mommy". LOL

Sleepy Sunday morning!

This is what our house looked like this last Sunday morning. Lazy morning, it makes you wonder why they woke me up so early, if they are both so darn tired...LOL

If you didn't know better, you'd think the two of them were out late drinking and partying. I mean, come on look at them, why are they even out of their beds? Crazy girls...

Monday, December 8, 2008

Gingerbread House Building Contest!

On Saturday, afternoon we went to my brothers house for our annual gingerbread house making contest. The twist to this is that the houses are built from cardboard frames instead of gingerbread. But beyond that it is very traditional. entirely decorated and landscaped in Candy. This year there were three teams. It is a mix of couples and kids.

It is very competitive, and there is a lot of trash talking and accusations of cheating. All in fun of course. There are rules, like you have to use ALL of the cardboard provided, there are certain candy items you must use completely, and you may not use anything that was not provided for everyone from the start.

Each team is a mix of kids and adults, although normally the kids do more candy eating than candy decorating. Also of course the teams with older kids usually have more help then those of us left with toddlers and preschoolers. When the houses are done and time has been called, my brother reigns in a neighbor and has them mosey on over to judge the final products.

The house looks like the gingerbread man tossed "cookies" (LOL) all over. There is candy on the floor and counters. We usually have traces of frosting in our hair and on our faces. And the kids balance on the edge of sickness from the amount of candy they have consumed in 2 1/2 hours.

Every year the houses get bigger and more creative. the ideas have gotten so creative in fact, that I am not sure some should even be considered houses anymore. this years winner should have been disqualified for just that reason. They built heaven with the Lamb of God as their focal point. That is not technically a house...LOL

This is the winning team, the creators of "Heaven".

This is one of the losing teams, the creators of the Clock Tower".

And this is my team (minus me of course along with our three preschool helpers who had left to play already.) I could not get in at all to help with building the structure, the men were on a mission, that meant it was easier for me to just take pictures.

This is our allotment of candy and supplies. It starts out so neat and orderly...LOL

Monday, December 1, 2008

Our Long Thanksgiving Weekend!

We had a great 4 day weekend. We had Abby's Papa Bear and Brianna's Grandma Deana over and had a traditional turkey dinner. We watched the parade in the morning and Grandma Deana spent the night.

On Friday morning Michele and I got up at 4:45 in the morning because we decided that it was a good idea to go to Wal-Mart on Black Friday to try and get a Leapster for Abby's Christmas that was discounted by $20.00. Grandma Deana watched the girls. It was an insane asylum with angry, tired looking people. I could totally see how people get angry and fight over toys in these situations, because there are body to body people, lines through the store and people are tired. I was so irritated by the situation that I could easily have been provoked into an argument with a total stranger. By the time we made it to the toys, the Leapsters were already gone. After that we spent most of the day shopping. We hit Target, Kohls, Gap, Gymboree, Children's Place, Borders and of course Wal-Mart. I got ALL of my Christmas gifts but one, and I have already wrapped all but 4.

On Saturday we cleaned up the house and put up the Christmas tree and other decorations. Due to the snow we still have not done the outdoor lights, but we will get to them soon. Then we ordered Pizza and watched the movie Elf with the girls.

Sunday we just had a relaxed do nothing kind of day at home. We enjoyed the pretty snow and cold weather by the fire and had warm toasty chicken corn chowder and hot rolls for dinner. A perfect end to a perfect holiday weekend. Busy, productive and lots of time with family. Life could hardly get any better. I am so blessed!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

2024 USA Olympic Gold Metal Gymnast!!!

This is Brianna doing her Saturday morning gymnastics class. She loves it, it is the first activity she has ever been signed up for like this. She is very strong, as you can see from the picture on the bar, but she needs a lot of work on her balance (like on the trampoline or balance beam.) That is actually why I signed her up for this, because balance and coordination stuff can sometimes be a challenge. She cannot wait to go every week.

Happy Turkey Day, Friends and Family!!!

I’m Thankful for You

Thanksgiving is the appointed time
for focusing on the good in our lives.
In each of our days,
we can find small blessings,
but too often we overlook them,
choosing instead to spend our time
paying attention to problems.
We give our energy
to those who cause us trouble
instead of those who bring peace.
Starting now,
let’s be on the lookout
for the bits of pleasure in each hour,
and appreciate the people who
bring love and light to everyone
who is blessed to know them.
You are one of those people.
On Thanksgiving,
I’m thankful for you.
Happy Thanksgiving! By Joanna Fuchs

Sunday, November 23, 2008

These boots were made for walkin', uuummmm, maybe not.

I just thought this was funny. You have to know that this was the 3rd time that this whole scenario played out. She tried it over and over again. Each time she would walk a couple minutes and lose her balance. Yet she goes back, over and over again...LOL

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Christmas Pictures

Tonight we went and got the girls pictures taken. We did the whole holiday

thing. Brianna was not exactly cooperative. She sat nicely, but she would
not smile, getting her to was a nightmare, and my patience with her was completely spent by the time it was done. Abby did beautifully. She was so grown up about it. The hardest part for Michele was Abby's posed smile. It was just hard for her to get a natural smile out of her. We did it immediately after I got off work, so the girls were starving afterwards, so we went to dinner afterwards. We are very tired, but I thought I would post Brianna's pictures before I go o bed.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Somebody Said

Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you bring home a baby ..
somebody doesn't know that
once you're a mother, "Normal" is history.

Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct...
somebody never took a young child shopping

Somebody said being a mother is boring ...
somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit

Somebody said if you're a "good" mother, your child will "turn out good"...
somebody thinks a child comes
with directions and a guarantee.

Somebody said "good" mothers never raise their voices ... somebody never came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a golf ball through the neighbor's kitchen window.

Somebody said you don't need an
education to be a mother...somebody never helped a fourth
grader with her school project.

Somebody said you can't love the fifth child as much as you love the first...
somebody doesn't have five children

Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to her
child-rearing questions in a baby book ...
somebody never had a child stuff beans up her nose or in her ears.

Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery or waiting to sign an adoption paper...somebody never watched her "baby " have cancer .. or fly away on a plane headed for war

Somebody said a good mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one
hand tied behind her back .. somebody never organized seven giggling
Girl Scouts to sell cookies

Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets
married...somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or
daughter-in-law to a mother's heartstrings.

Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets
married...somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or
daughter-in-law to a mother's heartstrings.

Somebody said your mother knows you love her,
so you don't need to tell her....
somebody isn't a mother.

Friday, November 14, 2008

My Adoption Blessing!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

National Adoption Day!!!

National Adoption Day!!! This post is in honor of the families that were brought together through love and adoption. Families like my own conceived not in the womb but in the heart.

"I didn't come out of my mother.
I don't have my father's green eyes.
No one in my family looks like me.
People are always surprised.

I think we're a happier family
Than if we were all kings and queens.
We're so lucky we all found each other.
That's what being adopted means."

Author: Pamela Espeland and Marilyn Waniek

Tiffany and Brianna Hunt Forever Family 2008

Michele and Abby Forever Family 2006

Joshua, Ambyr, Emma, Kaidon, Mihya, Graysie, Mikael, Kayela Hunt Forever Family 2002 and 2006

Chris, Salina, Cooper & Charlotte Derichsweiler
Forever Family Coming 2009

The holidays are coming!

Well, it is time to start planning for the holidays. Christmas is coming, so there are gifts to be purchased. Santa Clause has already begun taking care of the things on Brianna's Christmas list. Small things, not the big stuff yet. I am hoping for some good day after Thanksgiving sales. Oh I mean Santa is...LOL...This is the first year in a while that I need to get gifts for out of state people. I need to make sure I get that sort of thing done on time. It is also the first year that I think we are going to have to try and shop without the girls. In the past we could sneak around and hide things in carts. But this year I am sure that will not be possible.

We are doing the Thanksgiving dinner thing at our house again this year. So far I think it's Grandmom and Papa Adams, Papa Tom and us. Uncle Jason might join us, but he tends to have other plans. I hope he comes though, he has never met Brianna and we live in the same area. I need to decide on the Thanksgiving Menu and decide what I need the others to contribute.

My nephew Ashton will be out here from Oregon again this Christmas and we always look forward to that. He is 13 now and I can hardly believe it. Maybe if Jason doesn't make Thanksgiving I can manage to get him over here with his son (Ashton) at Christmas. We don't usually see the six pack on Thanksgiving, they usually do more with her family then. But we always plan something with them on Christmas Eve. And with the exception of this last year, we usually get together with them for a Gingerbread house decorating contest. Josh ALWAYS thinks his team is the winner. It is always fun, but this would be the first time Brianna and Abby could participate. Even though the little ones usually eat more decorations than they build with them. That is all part of the fun of it. I hope e do it this year, we missed it last year.

One of my favorite things that we do each year is have a cookie making day. It usually includes me, Michele, my mom, and Michele's mom and Jan, Michele's sister in law. I have wanted Ambyr to participate, but certain circumstances keep that from being possible. We all bring ingredients for one or two different cookie or cookie type goodies and we spend all day baking. When we are done we share the wealth of such yumminess (not sure that's a real word) with each other. We make containers full for family, work friends and neighbors and then deliver them to recipients on our own. And of course we keep some for ourselves. I hope everyone has a blessed holiday season, I am sure there will be many pictures and postings over the next couple months.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Weekends

Well, we had a fairly uneventful weekend. We took the girls to gymnastics yesterday and then we went & did a little shopping. Then as usual we ended back over at Grandmom's house. Today I just went to the grocery store, and picked up the house a bit. We were very lazy otherwise, which was nice because we are hardly ever home to just relax. As you can see, Bailey dog decided to have a lazy day to0. We probably should have raked leaves and gotten some laundry done, but we didn't and I think that's o-kay sometimes. I can be a little anal about housework sometimes. It's good that Michele forces me to let it go sometimes. I am not feeling very well today either. Michele has been sick with something for about a week. I think I have caught it. I feel a little flush and ache a little. My throat and ears are bugging me a little also. That always makes days with the house full of kids seem like a lot more work. I will make it through though, I always do. I should head off now. I hope you all have a great week.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Vote-Vote-Vote!!!

I have voted and so should you! Hopefully you will Vote for REAL change, not the change that is a wolf in sheep's clothing. But regardless of who you support you should get out there and make sure you use your right to be counted! If you don't vote then you cannot whine about the outcome!!! Everyone have a great voting day, go get your free Starbucks!

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