Lots to do...and lots got done...

No picture today...

I know, boring.

We had a busy day.

Before we left on vacation, or dishwasher went out.

Kinda a bummer.

But we didn't have to deal with it until now.

Yes, I know, a lot of people deal with living with no dishwashers...but I think that has mostly to do with kitchen room.

We did our own dishes for a couple days, and I actually find it relaxing...but way too time consuming.

So we set out this morning, trying to figure out how to fix it...and then figuring it is worth the money to just go buy a new one.

We saw lots of different kinds, and lots of different prices...but finally found the one we wanted...that was in stock!

We loaded up the dishwasher, then did our grocery shopping.

When we got home, Brent starting hooking up the new dishwasher...found out he needed another part, so he headed back to the store.

But it worked out, cause we loaded up our old dishwasher and RC Willey took it for us.

I spent a lot of my time editing pictures...I have so many to do, and I just want to get them all done so I can focus on Christmas...

Then this evening, after homework was done, we went through all the kids toys and weeded out all the stuff to take to DI.

The rooms are much cleaner and it always feels good to go through stuff...and the kids are happy to give their stuff to other little kids out there.

I also went through all of Elsie's clothes to pass don to my sister, Sara's, little girl Samantha.

They are coming to visit for a really short time on Saturday, but I am happy to get to see her.

So we got a lot done today...it would have been nicer to not have to buy a new dishwasher...but it sure is pretty, and quiet!

So I guess I got my Christmas a little early this year.

Technically I should say the girls got their present early, since they are the ones who do it most of the time.

And the craziness starts!!!

This is a terrible picture...but it represents what I am feeling right now!

Running around like a chicken with it's head cut off!

This is what I didn't want to do...I didn't want to stress out.

But somehow it is creeping in anyway!

There is so much to do and so little time.

But I am trying VERY hard not to let it all make me crazy!

Home at last...

Well, it was another LONG, snowy trip...

But we made it home safe, and that is what counts.

It was pretty bad the whole way, and the pass from the Utah state line and Burley was closed, so we had to go up through Pocatello, adding more time...but at least we got home.

We saw about 5 cars by the side of the road, and at that point the semi in front of us started to jack-knife...luckily he got back in control, because his back end was headed towards those people on the side of the road!

That would have been BAD!!!

Our other Thanksgiving dinner

We got to get together today to have more yummy food.

We had fun playing games and eating too much pie!

Elsie spent the whole day attached to Emmy's hip.

She sure LOVES her Emmy.

I got to take picture of sweet little Benjamin.

The kids got to have LOTS of cousin time.

It is always so great...they all get along so well and have so much fun together.

Of course we missed Sara and Aprils Families...but we will all get to see each other together again in the summer time.

Nathan, Cassi, Grandma Na, Ariel, and baby Benjamin playing games.

Of course we did some Triplet pictures.
Perfect again.
Aren't they so cute?

Homestead fun...

We made it here to Springville safe and sound.

Lots of fun things to do here at the Homestead.

Cassi thrives on one-on-one time.

She had so much fun hanging out with Grandma and gathering eggs.
Then she went with Grandpa to milk the goats.
It sure is fun here.
Tomorrow we get to have another Thanksgiving.
We will really miss you, April and Sara...and your families.
We will be thinking of you.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!!

We had such a great time today.

We headed to Randolph this afternoon to have our Thanksgiving dinner with the Thomson Family.

It was so great.

I had the BEST stuffing I have EVER had!

Way to go, Nancy!

The kids all had a lot of fun.

Cassi and Lauren enjoyed their pie outside...it the FREEZING cold!

We played games and talked and just had a really great time!

Thanks to Nancy for hosting it.

It really was perfect!

Now tomorrow we head to Springville for more fun with my side of the family.

SNOW much fun!!!

Lots to do in the COLD, COLD snow!!!

But first on the list.....

Go see STRIP!!!
Strip was so excited to see Elsie!

Actually, so were Sundance and Dolly.

They ran right up to us.

(They probably wanted us to keep them warm!)

Then onto the snowmobile fun.

I guess we can put up with the cold if there are fun things to do with it!

Oh the SNOW!!!!

We left earlier than expected...

We wanted to beat the big storm coming in.

We made it here...with only 1 1/2 extra driving time.

We had some major visibility issues in places...

Drivers off the road EVERYWHERE!!!!

But we are here safe, and the kids are having fun in the snow already...

Getting ready!

We are trying hard to get everything done that we need to so we can get out of here before the storm gets here.

The kids have been pretty good about doing all the things I am asking them to do....

But this little face took it upon herself to pack her own bags.

What a big girl!

I just LOVE her!

Cake and present pictures...

Here are a few shots from Porters big day!

Porters Lighting McQueen cake!

Blowing out the candles...

Porter seeing his tool bench for the first time...

Watching Lightning McQueen's eyes moving...

TRACTOR!!!!

And wearing his cool new Bomber Jacket!

Awesome punching/wrestling bag from the Young's that will be getting A LOT of use!!!

My baby turns 2!

I officially don't have a baby anymore.

I am kinda sad...but excited too.

He is such a fun little boy and he gets more and more fun each day...

So I am okay with him getting older.

He had a fun day.

He started off with watching CARS at 6:15 this morning.

Then when everyone woke up, he got his big present...his tool bench.

He LOVES it!

It is so fun to see him sit and play with each tool.

Then he got a good nap in before we headed to church.

After church we had a yummy RIB dinner with our friends the Young's.

And we had a little cake and ice cream party for him...and he got some fun presents too.

It was a good day.

It is no secret how much I love this boy.

How spoiled he is and how he could do no wrong in my eyes.

But really, he is a pretty good kid.

Port knows how to make us laugh.

He is turning into quite the comedian.

Porter LOVES cars.

And tractors, trucks, 4-wheelers...anything with wheels!

My big boy is a little daredevil.

This is good and bad.

He will try anything...but he also throws himself off the couch head first.

Crazy kid.

Porter has the best little cheesy smile and smiley eyes.

He gets a lot of stuff from his Mommy (and Daddy) with those eyes.

We are lucky to have this little man in our family, and I can't imagine a world without him.

Thanks Port, for making each day more exciting and super busy!

***************************

Here is Porter through the years...all two years!

Day 1

2 weeks old

One year old

The BIG 2!!!

We sure love this boy!

First SNOW!!!!

We woke up to a little skiff of snow this morning...and these kids could not be any more excited!

We got them all dressed up...

I sent them out thinking that they would be right back in.

But surprisingly...they all stayed out for a pretty long time.

Porter wouldn't wear his gloves, so his hands were freezing cold when he came in...but he didn't fuss about it.

I thought Elsie would have a hard time getting around with her big boots on and all of her bulky clothes...but she was walking around the backyard like a pro.

It really makes me happy to see her doing all the things I didn't know if she would ever do!

Madi and Cassi made a cute little snow man together.

Complete with celery hair.

And chocolate drops for eyes and buttons.

Adorable.

They had a lot of fun and had hot chocolate when they came in.

Then the big girls made themselves some snow cones.

They grabbed some freshly fallen snow, and added some strong Crystal Light to it.

Silly girls!

********************

Then we went out for Ports birthday dinner.

We had a little big of last minute shopping we had to do (trying to get everything ready to take up to Utah/Wyoming so we don't have to mail stuff for Christmas!)

So we did some shopping and ended up at good ol' McD's...

Great place to celebrate a 2 year olds birthday, right!

Actually, Brent and I had ourselves some Costa Vida! YUM!

They played a little bit and headed out for a little more shopping.

Brent says I am not nice to make a boy go shopping for his birthday!

Oh, I also took Porters birthday pictures today.

Tomorrow is gonna be too crazy to try and do it then...but you will have to wait to see his cute little mug in his cute little sweater!

Man that boy is cute!

I also did Cassi's birthday pictures...finally.

I didn't do the guitar ones...she said she wants to wait until it is warmer outside.

I will share some of hers too.
Too bad she is so ugly...(ha ha)

Really, she is a pretty little thing.

Anyway..it was a pretty packed day, and that is how things are gonna be until we leave for Thanksgiving!!!

AHHH!

Girlfriends for LIFE!

Man....I can't even say how lucky I think these kids are to all have each other!

We are missing the little ones...but these guys were playing so good together, I had to get a shot.

We went out to Star tonight to have dinner with the Young family.

We always love it out there.

Good food, and good friends...nothing better than that!

Turkey and Beethoven

I got to go have a turkey dinner with Elsie and her class today.

I love her class, and her class LOVES her!

And I loved her little turkey hat that she made...so cute!

Then we, Brent, Porter, Elsie and I, went to Madi's Beethoven concert.

Madi did a great job...and the whole 4th and 5th grade were very entertaining!

Brent spent most of the time out in the hall with Porter and Elsie where they tore down all the little things hanging on the giving tree they have there...

Brent picked them all up and had to put them all back together.

They are such trouble makers when they are in cahoots with each other!

But I got to enjoy Madi's concert and all her hard work.

Nerd Day

My kids are loving to dress up for the wacky days.

Madi used to be pretty conservative...she didn't want to be embarrassed if no one else dressed up.

Her class this year must have a lot of kids dress up, cause she likes to go all out now.

Now come on...aren't those some cute little nerds???

What I am learning...

I am becoming more and more ware each day how true it is that if I am mad...everyone else is too.

But I am also learning...that if I am happy, and trying for a good day...guess what...they feed off that.

Today has been a mixture of both.

I think I am a pretty good mom to the two little ones.

I think I am pretty good with the two big ones too.

But the four together...my goodness...madhouse!

The two groups both have such different needs.

Does that make any sense?

The younger ones like to play and be entertained....the big ones like to be listened to and to have you hang-out with them.

BUT it is almost impossible to give Madi my full attention, while I am playing horses with Elsie.

The craziness happens at 4:00 when Madi and Cassi come home.

The little ones still want my attention...but it is the big kids turns right then.

I need to figure out the best way to take care of all of that...when Brent is at work anyway...cause there is no problems when he is home.

But actually, my ramblings are about more of what I am learning...

Every little thing I am getting in my head lately seems to be really pounding at me.

Like:

Take time to just sit. (ha, ha)

Don't be a multi-tasker. (what me???)

Invite the spirit in our home. (when I remember this...oh, what a difference!)

The kids feed off my actions...(oh man...that is a big one!)

And there are few other things on my mind...but those are the big ones.

And maybe it is because the holiday season is upon us.

I feel like every year I get so caught up in making things, that I don't really get to sit and enjoy the spirit of the season.

I don't want to do that this year.

I want to feel all that Christmas time has to offer!

Anyway...my goals...put on a happy face...even if I don't feel like it, cause it will make the kids have a happier day.

And, try not to take on too much.

I have a neighbor who is willing to pay me big bucks to refinish a few of her furniture pieces.

I love to do that stuff.

But right now, it is just not the right timing.

Maybe she would agree to put it off until January.

We will see.

So I need to courage to tell her that!

Another goal, make it a simple Christmas.

Not that I spend major bucko-bucks at Christmas-time...but I do MAKE a lot of stuff...which is great, but time consuming.

So some things just need to be put off, for now anyway.

I don't want my kids to have Christmas memories of a frantic mom sitting at the sewing machine yelling at the kids not to touch the stuff that is everywhere!!!

And my biggest goal...I need to take the time to invite the spirit in my home.

Literally invite it!

Thanks to a wonderful lesson is Relief Society this last Sunday...It helped me put my priorities straight.

Present preperation...

I can tell you, Brent has never been as excited about building a barbie house as he has for this project.
He even went shopping, by himself, to go get the tools.

A certain little boy will be turning 2 this Sunday!

T-W-O!!!

Brent has had fun getting ready for the little mans birthday.

And Porter is gonna be one happy little boy...

Why buy toys????

I can't even tell you how many hours my kids have spent with these cardboard boxes, duct tape, blankets, and scrap wood in the last couple days.

It is actually pretty great!

I mean really...who needs toys?

They also get along pretty well when they are making messes...I mean, being creative!!!

It could make for a pretty EASY Christmas!!!

#1 Dad!

I had the chance to go out with some girl friends of mine tonight...

So Dad took the kiddos to McD's!!!

The kids had a great time.

I had a great time...

We also got some Christmas stuff done this morning...so that is pretty great too!

A boy and his Dad.

Okay...I know...too many picts of Porter recently...

But how could I resist this???

This boy sure loves his Daddy...

***********

Oh, and GO BRONCOS

No title.

I am too tired to come up with a title tonight.

And here is proof that these two really are trouble...

This might be one of my favorite pictures of the two of them...so cute!

They thought they were hilarious!!!!

*****************

Tonight Porter did not want to go to bed.

He kept asking for Madi.

Madi said she could read to him while I read with Cassi.

So I agreed...thinking it would only take a couple minutes for her to be sick of him and I would throw him in bed...

But no...it was quiet...we got Cassi's reading done and I went in to check these two...

And this is how I found them.

Porter was sitting perfectly still, completely mesmerized by the story Madi was reading him. LOVE IT! Needless to say, he wasn't very happy when I took him away. But we talked about Daddy being home when he wakes up, and how he gets to wrestle and play trucks with him...so he went down happy and I am sure he is dreaming of playing with his Daddy!

Best of friends....worst enemies....

These two are quite the little handfuls...

I kept Elsie home from school today.

She woke up happy, but she had a hard time walking and her muscles were pretty tight...the way her body feels depends a lot with how the cold weather is.

Then Porter bit her this morning, and she got so worked up, she ended up throwing-up.

So I kept her home from school.

And boy oh boy...these two are hard to keep up with when they are together.

If they are happy, and playing nice...then you have trouble, cause they have probably sneaked themselves into Madi's room and into her stuff, or into Cassi's new markers, maybe in the pantry taking out ALL the canned food, or possibly in the bathroom, trying to strip down to get in the bath.

Elsie opens the doors for him, and he causes the havoc!

But if they are fighting, you have to keep a close eye on Porter, cause he is strong, and pushes Elsie down and out of the way with no problem at all.

And you have to keep your eye on Elsie, cause she can get pretty mean if you cross her.

She pulled out the claws and aims for the face or head region...

I literally followed them around the house cleaning up what they were doing or getting in the middle of any fights...all day long.

But aren't they sweet?

They sure do love each other...and I am so happy they have each other...

But I am also happy that I don't have to have them together in the mornings everyday...cause I think I would pass out from exhaustion!!!
I love my babies!

Little helper...

While I was with Elsie at the eye doctor...Brent sent me a text with this picture.

He knows exactly where to go to get dads tools.

I think I might know something this boy needs for his birthday!

********************

Give-away ends tomorrow!!!

If you want a chance, write me a little something about your favorite Thanksgiving/Christmas tradition....

F.H.E.

Cass was in charge of F.H.E. tonight.

Things didn't run perfectly smooth.

Things were kinda crazy this afternoon, but it turned out good tonight... I think.

I have been getting a Chore Chart ready all day to use for tonight.

Cassi's quote was "Many hands make light work."

That is something we say a lot, and it was time to put it into action (on a more regular basis!)

I will post the chore chart when it is actually WORKING!!!

But I have high hopes for this one.

***********************************

On a side note...

Brent is a great cook.

He cooks most of the meals in our house.

Who could blame us...it is either a good bowl of mac and cheese from me....or some majorly awesome RIBS from Dad like he made tonight!

These were SO GOOD!

GOOD doesn't even give it enough UMPH!!!

These were perfect...like "you should start up your own restaurant" good!!!

Yummy!

But I ate WAY too much!
It was a big hit in the house and I can't believe we (he) has never tried to make them before!!!

I wonder if he will make them again tomorrow??????????????

Thanks babe, they were so good!

Birthday fun...

Here is a little bit of the excitement Cassi had today!

She sure LOVE Taylor Swift!!!

Thanks for the Young's and Terry's for coming over for a major sugar high this evening!

It is so great to have such great friends in our lives!!!

HAPPY #7 BIRTHDAY CASSIDY!!!!!!

Since we had major rain today, we will do Cassi birthday photo shoot really soon...guitar picts and all!

But here is one we shot under our front porch this morning....

**********************************

10 days old

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old

4 years old

5 years old

6 years old