Christmas photo shoot done!

Every year I swear I am not doing a photo shoot of the kids for the Christmas card. I have no patience at all so taking 3 hours to make them sit still long enough to get a shot makes me say bad words.
This year we added Wade to the mix and let me tell you if I thought getting the two older kids to sit still was hard I was sadly mistaken.
This scan turned out so much darker than the real picture but you get the idea anyway.
My idea was to have them all in Santa hats but try explaining that idea to a two year old. I have plenty of shots of him pulling the hat off and shoving it in his sisters face. They really are to cute for words and after I get "the Christmas card" shot then I remember why I do this every year.

Why doesn't it feel like Christmas?

I am trying to figure out why it doesn't feel like Christmas yet.
I have done all the "preparing"for Christmas things. I have put up the trees, I have hung the wreaths, put up the nativity, lit the peppermint smelling candle but somehow it just doesn't feel like Christmas. Mother nature has even helped out with a nice fresh coat of the white stuff and it's cold cold cold!
Maybe its something about getting older and the year has flown by so I don't feel it's late enough in the year to be Christmas. Maybe its my denial that I have almost no shopping done and usually I have it all done before Thanksgiving, maybe I am just having a hard time feeling the spirit of the season because I have a major attitude problem this year?
What ever the reason I am just going to keep plugging along doing "all the right stuff" and I think I will include reading some of the great Christmas books that are out now as well as reading the Christmas story in the bible. It wont get my shopping done and it wont make me more patient with the people in line at the Toys R Us but I hope it will put me in a better frame of mind for the coming month and help me to remember what this season is all about.

Let it Snow...

I love the first snow of the year! I like it even more when it waits until December to do it but after Thanksgiving is good. I love that when it snows it just seems more cozy. When its just cold and blowy it just seems dreary but throw in a couple inches of the white fluffy stuff instant Christmas card.
I don't even mind shoveling the first snow of the year, the rest of the year not my favorite thing but for what ever reason that first snow is fun to shovel. I think this probably says a lot about me I am like that about many things. If its something I want to do or if I think I have thought about doing it myself then I love it. Tell me I have to do something or make it feel like I have to do it and man I am going to dig in my heels and fight you hard. I guess I should work on that it isn't exactly the way to win friends and influence people, Its not exactly the way to get your one way ticket to the celestial kingdom either.
Anyway back to snow. I love it when its clean and fresh and new, when I have a cozy fire and a cup of hot chocolate. Its not my favorite after a couple days and its all dirty and nasty, don't even get me started on driving in it.

I thought long and hard about something clever to say to end my post today but nothing came so I guess you just get bye for now.

Worlds Greatest Dad!

This is my sweetie! (yes that's always the face he makes when his picture is being taken) Mike is the greatest!

That could be the end of my rambling but then that wouldn't be much fun would it.
Mike is an awesome dad for many reasons, This picture was taken when he took Austin to the air show at Hill Air Force base near our house. He knows all the planes (the numbers, what they do, who uses them, when and why they are used), he knows all the guns and the missiles and all that stuff I think is really boring but that his boys eat up.
He takes us all hiking and is able to tell the kids about the rock formations and he is teaching them to take care of the trails and make them better.
He is an AWESOME cook and for the last 11 years has done about 90% of the cooking at our house. He is willing to play short order cook and make everyone something they like which is why the kids like it better when he cooks.
He is the most supportive and loving person he is always encouraging the kids and me to be better, smarter people, to make the most of ourselves.
He works hard at his job and here in our home. With Mike everything he does he has to do right. (He over engineers and over complicates everything but when he is done its good.)
I love Mike! I love that he is such a good dad! I love knowing that we are going to be together forever.

Afternoon update...

Just when I had decided that all of humanity was a waste of space (I spent the day at the several grocery stores with 3 kids I think my opinion is justified)I see something that changes my mind.
While waiting at the stop light a couple cars back from the bottom of the off ramp to the freeway I saw a homeless man with a sign standing on the corner. The sign simply said hungry. As I sat wondering if I should find some cash to give the man a man in the car in front of me called him over handed him some cash and then gave him a takeout carton from a local restaurant. I am assuming this man in the car gave this poor homeless man his lunch. It made me cry. The man in the car didn't give up his lunch because he wanted to look like a hero, he didn't do it for a tax write off, or because he wanted everyone to know what a generous guy he was he did it because that man was hungry and he had something he could do about it.
I hope I can remember to have a more Christ like attitude when it comes to the human race even after Sam's club with 3 kids in tow.

Why do I even bother...

To send my kids to school on a week we have a holiday? I didn't today I figured they could watch cartoons and eat crap at home and I didn't have to get dressed to drive them to school to do it. Does this make me a bad mom? I guess when it comes down to it I have a tolerance for the school system but over all I am not thrilled with it.
I am tired of teachers around here complaining that they don't make enough money when the way I see it they don't do a whole lot. They get every holiday off and usually don't bother to do anything in the week leading up to the holiday. They get the whole summer off. They have "short" day on Wednesdays and have short days at least once a month plus a day off for "teacher work day". I think its a load of you know what that they complain they don't make enough! They make as much as any other college graduate and have total job security try to find that in the "real" world.
Who wouldn't want a job that you have a minimum of 3 months vacation, work Monday to Friday, 7 hours a day, get anywhere from 1 to 7 days a month off for some holiday or "work"day, get to go home early every Wednesday, you can send home anything you assigned but didn't feel like doing with the kids so mom and dad have to do it, and make 40 grand a year.

Okay I know that this isn't the case with every teacher in every school district in every city in every state. However it has been my experience with teachers while going to school and now with sending my kids to school. I am grateful for the teachers my kids have had that truly care about the kids and teaching them something. I am grateful for the time and energy those teachers put in they should be paid more. But it doesn't work that way see teachers have a union and heaven forbid we pay the ones that do a great job more and get rid of the ones that are incompetent. I know several teachers and the men and women I know are of the they deserve more kind unfortunately they don't teach where my kids go to school and where my kids go to school they could use a good old fashion house cleaning when it comes to teachers.

What is a Squirrel?

Scientists believe that squirrels appeared early in message board history, During the Two Peas in a Bucket Era.
Squirrels are some of the most popular and easily recognized animals because of their curiosity, liveliness, and all night gab sessions.

Squirrel behavior has been heavily influenced by the animal's dependence on certain foods. Diet Coke/Pepsi, chocolate (especially Canadian and German), Smarties, Marzipan and Salt and Vinegar potato chips.
A good memory and a keen sense of smell help squirrels find and retrieve the food hidden from squirrel children.

Second only to food in importance for squirrel survival is the availability of scrapbook supplies
A squirrel usually has more than one scrapbook store and can move quickly to an alternate scrapbook store if threatened.

Most people enjoy squirrels as neighbors and want to protect them.
Many species of tree squirrels may become used to people and seem quite tame. Squirrels should not be kept as pets, however, because of their wild nature.
I enjoy the squirrels I know a great deal they are a huge part of my life and I am so glad they are. I hope they are a part of my life for a long long time to come.

Medieval Torture?

I hate the dentist! I think they are evil!
That being said I need to go I have a tooth that is making the whole side of my face ache. One would think in the 2 or 3 thousand years that the art of dentistry has been being practiced that they could have found a way to not cause as much pain as they are trying to help? I have to wonder if the ADA doesn't have some sort of test to make sure only sadist become dentists? Do you suppose that leaning on the needle until it feels like its coming out your cheek is a required class or just an elective?
love to type more but I must go medicate.

It's Finally Friday!

I am not really sure why I wait for Fridays to come along. I find that my weekends are the busiest time of the week. Most Saturdays I don't stop running from early to late and don't even get me started on Sundays.
This Saturday will be different however because I have cleared my calendar so we can go to the new Harry Potter movie, We have had tickets for a couple weeks now and every time I get in my wallet to get something I see them and giggle.
I love the Harry Potter books, I love them more than the movies but the movies are pretty dang good.
I love to read, reading is a great escape for me. I feel like I climb into someone's else's life when I am in a good book. I am sad when something sad happens, I am thrilled when something good happens, I mourn for the loss of these wonderful people in my life when the book is over. I don't get that as much with a movie, maybe because I have to many outside distractions at a movie. Kids wanting popcorn, or for me to explain the plot, it's always to cold at the theater and so that distracts me, there is always someone who has seen the movie first and wants to tell the person next to them what is going to happen next, or the guy who's cell phone rings right at the climax of the whole movie spoiling the mood.
Don't get me wrong I love a good movie, I love to eat greasy popcorn dripping with fake butter and salt (my arteries are clogging just thinking about it!), I love to take a step away from reality for 1 hour and 59 minutes, I like to snuggle up to my sweetie and put my cold hands on his tummy my head on his shoulder and escape to another world.
I know that the kids will enjoy this movie as much as I do for a lot of the same reasons but mostly I hope that they enjoy going out as a family and having a good time. That when they are older and they think about our family they remember the fun we had sitting in line to get the very best seats we could and giggling at the people that came in costume but mostly I want them to remember that we shared time together and it was good.

Typically Two

Our Wade he will be two on December 31st and he is already two in every way. He will keep busy for hours with Matchbox cars or he chases the cat around the house just so he can give her a hug. He is demanding, loud, throws fits and hates to bath and I wouldn't want him any other way.

Some of my favorite "wade-isms"...
-When he sings along with the Barenaked ladies "It's All Been Done".
-When you come home he tackles your knees and screams "Mama".
-The answer to every question is "NO!" even when he is shaking his head yes.
-How much he loves his sister. When we pull into the parking lot at the school he sings the Miranda song while we wait. It goes kinda like this "Unda,unda,UNDA!!!,unda".
-When He and Austin play cars together and they are both on the ground pushing little cars going "brrrrrrummm brrrrrrummmm".
-He is totally fearless! He climbs the stairs, our bed, his high chair, he dives into the chair in the living room when he is standing in the dining room, he loves the slide, he loves when daddy swings him, he will stand on your shoulders if you let him.
-I love that he loves spicy food. He will eat chips and salsa that makes grown men cry, he eats curry, he loves mint and cinnamon. My baby the hot head! I couldn't be more proud.
-He wants to read and will sit next to me while I read a book and read one of his own. He turns the pages and says "nice" at each page.

It took a lot to bring our Wade into this world at times I thought I was going to die before this pregnancy was over but he is so worth every thing I went through. He is such a gift and a blessing in our family we love him with all our hearts and souls. I couldn't imagine life with out our Wade.

Gratitude

I know its corny and expected near Thanksgiving to talk about gratitude but it has been on my mind a lot the last week or so and I wanted to share a few thoughts.
I received a gratitude journal and on the cover is this wonderful quote unfortunately the person that put them together didn't attribute it to anyone. I will share it with you and maybe someone can tell me who it is...
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend, Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."
I loved that! I am reminded I have so much to be grateful for, a free country, a loving family, a warm home, awesome friends and pants that are 2 sizes smaller than the last pair I bought.
Thomas S. Monson said "Let us have gratitude for our friends
true friends put up with our idiosyncrasies. They have a profound influence in our lives" I feel like I have some "true" friends and I am grateful for them I hope they know that is the case.
I have a great family they make me crazy but they are wonderful.
I hope during this Thanksgiving we can all remember we have so much to be grateful for and remember to give your sister a hug even if she got away with everything growing up cause she was the youngest and your were the oldest, Give some money to that man standing on the corner even if you are sure it is going to pay for the BMW he has parked around the corner, Be thankful for the fire in your oven from the turkey at least you have an oven, but most of all be grateful and remember to thank your Father in Heaven for all we have.

Gratitude expressed to our Heavenly Father in prayer for what we have brings a calming peace a peace which allows us to not canker our souls for what we don't have. Gratitude brings a peace that helps us overcome the pain of adversity and failure. Gratitude on a daily basis means we express appreciation for what we have now without qualification for what we had in the past or desire in the future. A recognition of and appreciation for our gifts and talents which have been given also allows us to acknowledge the need for help and assistance from the gifts and talents possessed by others
Robert D. Hales

Welcome to Cyberspace...

It had to happen sometime and I suppose now is as good a time as any. I have been bitten by the Blog-bug so I thought I would give it a whirl. I am not promising that it will be clever or thought provoking, I don't even promise it will always be spelled correctly but it will be my thoughts, my family and my life.