Vote for Dex!

Do you want to support the Humane Society? Do you want to help donate to Spay Day 2010? Well here is the perfect opportunity. My handsome boy is in the running for cutest pet and he needs your votes. Each votes costs $1.00 and it all goes towards helping animals. You can donate as little or as much as you like. Come on people, he needs you. And look at this face, how can you not want to support him?

http://photocontest.humanesociety.org

Be scared.....

Be VERY scared of...

Witches

Headless people

and Devils (that's blush and lipstick if your wondering)
I just LOVE Saturdays with "nothing" to do.
Happy Saturday everyone!

Ten in 2010

Ten words to describe my pre-teen in 2010.

Creative
Crafty
Reader
Musical
Inventive
Writer
Strong
Responsible
Independent
Baker


Ten words to describe my nine-year-old.

Laughter
Determined
Singer
Football
Helper
Energetic
Friend
Baseball
Persistent
Kind

Ten words to describe my three-year-old.

Adventurous
Imaginative
Sweet
Funny
Runner
Chef
Cuddly
Active
Builder
Mischievous

Costume?

This is so true some days.

A New Year

The start of a new year. A time to start things fresh and do things better. To make and/or break New Year's resolutions. How about you? Are any of you trying to do things different?

As for me, well I always have some things in mind. Here are my resolutions for the new year and I WILL follow them. I will.

1. We are going to be budgeting and working on debt reduction even more this year. We have been doing really good, but there is always room to improve.

2. Cook more. I am home and have no excuses not to make some really awesome meals for supper and healthy snacks for after school. I do OK, but once again there is room to improve. I have gotten out some of the cookbooks I haven't used in awhile and have been having a lot of fun trying new recipes. The family, well.....maybe not as excited as me, but I just love thinking of all the different ingredients I am exposing them to. So far they have liked just about everything I have come up with.

3. To relax. Most of you know that I lost my job early last summer and then tutored kids over the summer, but since then, nothing. I have been stressed all Fall thinking I should be working. Since we are paying down debt, I kept thinking we could be paying things off so much faster if I was working, the kids could have more clothes, we could do more things, buy things for the house, etc, etc. if only I was working!! Well, I signed up to sub and interviewed and "hired" a babysitter only to have lots of signs slapping me in the face to stay home with my son. It just hit me lately that this is where I am supposed to be right now. I have never just stayed home and I think that transition is very hard to make and get adjusted to. But now I feel like a weight has been lifted, and Sawyer loves being home with me (me too!) and I am able to do so many fun things with him. There is the whole rest of my life to work and I can go back full swing when Sawyer is in school. That takes a lot of stress off of me and my family and that is much more important then the material things.

And that is it. If I add to much, I won't try at any of them. I have been faithfully exercising since last Spring and I always try to eat healthy so I do not have to include them this year-YAY!

Here's to a new, wonderful, better year!

Sledding

Last week, my sister, Chris (who was home from Colorado with her family) and I took our kids, my niece Kate, and her old neighbor's kids sledding. It was going to be the last day above 0 for awhile, but honestly I think it only got up to 8. Once you start walking up the hill you warm up pretty fast.

Here is Alaina and Kate on the double tube.
Jonnie retrieving the sleds Sawyer kept pushing down the hill.
All three on one sled-so fun!
Ashley, Chris, and Sawyer
Chrissy kept teasing Sawyer that she was going to grab him and make him go down the hill with her and sure enough she did. He didn't know what was happening and the scream coming out of that kid was hysterical!! There they go....
Going backward-that is what he really hated and screamed the loudest...
I quick grabbed a sled and met them at the bottom thinking he would be crying, but he survived and actually was smiling. He told me never again, however (:
Tanner
Here are six of them holding hands and going down together.
They stayed together the whole way down.
The number increased to all eight.

They had so much fun together!

Nollaig Shona Duit!

Which means Merry Christmas in Ireland! For my family Christmas, we have been choosing countries to celebrate the different foods, gifts, and traditions of that country at Christmas. Last year we celebrated France because it is part of our heritage and this year we chose Ireland as it is also part of our heritage. I found some traditional Irish dresses for Alaina and I to wear but I just couldn't spend the money on them as we were sticking to a budget this year. Oh well.

Here is Alaina, Luci, and Nevie. Alaina had a couple of admirers that day and she loved it. She would love to have a little sister following her around.
For the Irish meal, we had Potato/crab soup, turkey, ham, soda bread, Irish sweet potatoes, veggies and for dessert a mince meat pie and I made a Irish bread pudding with ice cream-most all of the desserts and bread recipes have whiskey in them and they tasted delicious (:

Here is Jon and my mom getting the meal ready.
"What it's Christmas again?"
My brother Adam and his family were home this year (they live in Washington) and it was so nice to have them here for Christmas! I really wish they lived closer....
Even Super Sawyer showed up and out of the blue he had to prove his strength for everyone!
Beautiful sisters, Cassidy and Courtney
Alaina
Beautiful sisters, Allison and Ashley
These three LOVE getting together. They stayed overnight and Grandma's house again this year and I think it is their new tradition. Mitchell (middle) is visiting from Colorado so the boys don't get to see each other very often.
Allison and her boyfriend Phil
Tanner having fun with Luci.
The kids played a game of Hot Potato-I had read that it is a traditional Irish kids game. They enjoyed it (especially Tanner :). We had other games planned, but things get busy and we didn't have time to play them.

Onto gift opening.....as part of the celebration, the gifts are supposed to be Irish and homemade. It is sooo fun seeing what everyone comes up with. We are all so creative (: Some of us more than others-you know who you are.

Liam received a bib from Grandma.
The men (and mom) watching the gift opening.
Sawyer's gift to Luci was a sewn soft book called the "ABC's of Ireland" It had all traditional Irish words. It was homemade, just not by me (:
Chrissy made a beautiful gift for Nevie. She stitched a poem that went along with a charm bracelet. Such a cool idea!!

Luci gift to Aidan was an Irish whistle
Alaina received all the material she needed to make her own earrings-very cool. She has actually made a couple pair already!

Julie's girls painted aprons for Mitchell, Tanner, and Courtney and sent along a cookbook of Irish desserts-another awesome gift!
Alaina and Jonnie made Cassidy and Ashley some Irish Cream Cappuccino mix with a mug.
Allison received some jewelry from Raquel.
Here is everyone enjoying their gifts. My mom gave each grandchild an Irish ornament and a bag of homemade treats (the kids' favorite).
After the gift opening the adults played a fun game of Scategories. Some of us cheat and once again you know who you are (:

Here Sawyer is now the Hulk and he is trying to save Mitch from the "bad guy" AKA Uncle Chuck.
Alaina loving up little Liam.
Here are the boys winding down and getting ready for their sleepover. We finished the night with dessert and conversation.
I know it is getting to be a lot of pictures, but I wanted to add the next few. Most of us met up the next day for bowling and pizza. Every time Adam is home, we go bowling. I am still not very good, but it is always fun!

Maja (Adam's wife) and Luci
Jonnie and Mitch are such big helpers!

Alaina giving it her all.

Peace out.
After bowling I had my brother and his fam and my parents over for Chili. Sawyer had to show Maja all his toys. Not only show her, but put them all on her lap (: Your a good sport, Maja!
Here the kids are playing the cooties game.
Luci is so adorable and has the CUTEST little voice ever! She sounds like a little chipmunk.
And were done! All the out of towners have since left and it always makes me sad that we don't live closer and can just stop by and visit them. It was so nice to see everyone, though and even though it can get crazy, we had a great Irish Christmas. Next year I am really hoping for Italy or Spain-mostly for the food!