christmas cheer.

Cute Grandma Jones and Mataya! Look how she is holding her skirt on one side...so dainty.
We love our South Dakota cousins Raylee and Tucker!

The two things that make Christmas bright are fudge and Snuggies. Here is Parker rockin' the kids Snuggie. Mataya was overwhelmed with all her gifts:) Santa just wrapped the boys presents, but some of them looked like they were wrapped by a lil' tardy elf. These two planned their outfits.
Mataya had her own little seat. I think it was just a decoration, but she fit in it perfectly. Raylee and Spencer playing Connect 4. It was funny they just took turns putting their checkers in and made a nice pattern:) They didn't really "get" how to play. Merry Christmas!

tis the season.

Mataya got this cute onesie from Santa that says: "What happens at Grandma's stays at Grandma's!" I sure wish that was true for me. After our 5 night stay at the "Jones Bed and Breakfast" and being spoiled with amazing food I'm sorry to report that I came home 5 pounds heavier....sure wish that could have stayed at Grandma's!

Tis the season.....for New Year's resolutions....

say cheese.

We had a fantastic time celebrating Christmas in South Dakota. We are glad to be back home. I will post more about our adventure. We stopped to see Cory's cute grandma on our way to church on Sunday. Mataya is a doll...and Parker has issues taking normal smiling pics...we need to work on it I guess:)
Mataya started doing this cheesy smiling while closing her eyes, it is so cute. She started doing it when we got to SD. I think she was showing off for all the fam:)

chocolate.

You gotta love a morning that starts out with a little boy wearing incredible hulk pj's with a ring around his mouth from a See's Candies chocolate sucker.

santa.

Parker was anxious to tell Santa what he wanted. Spencer was actually excited to see Santa this year. He is showing him on his list what he wants. The boys had cut out pictures from ads and catalogs to show Santa. Just wanted to make sure there wasn't any confusion as to what to bring this year. Mataya's body language says it all. She is looking at me wondering why this old man is holding her.Whenever something is too loud or she is scared her arms go up by her hear ears. It's quite cute:)

a burger, the book of mormon, and good times

Spencer was just like the cowardly lion in the Wizard of Oz who needed courage and had to find it somewhere. He found his in a little place called Kangaroo Zoo. We had the boys birthday party there in March and Spencer was so afraid to go on anything. He would've just sat there if it weren't for his best buddy/cousin Marley. But this time we went back and it was a success. I ran around with him for the first 30 minutes and helped him climb up and slide down things. I could not contain my excitement as you can see it on my face. Parker is Mr. Fearless.
The boys wore their Kangaroo Zoo t-shirts from the party so they each got a free slush puppy. It was perfect for our little red-faced, sweaty boys. After we took a little break and re-hydrated, Spencer and Parker were off again and I stayed with Cory. Spencer had no trouble going on everything. It was awesome to see him not be afraid and just do it. It was great that I could go on the bouncy things. It says you can't weigh more that 150 pounds, and last time we were there I was 7 months prego and weighed just over that so let's be honest I was a little excited to play with the boys this time around.

The little girl hung out with Daddy and had a great time.

So the whole reason behind the trip to Kangaroo Zoo was it was our reward as a family for finishing the Book of Mormon. We started out last year and slowly, but surely we finished on November 22, 2009. It has been a great experience for us and we have grown as a family and have had a stronger spirit in our home. So we finished it one day and then started over the next. It's a pretty good book I don't think you could ever read it too many times:)

I remember after we had Mataya and we got home and were all together again and we sat down to read and it was a challenge to suddenly have another person to manage and still read. It was a struggle, but we read every night and I'm so grateful for an awesome husband that is right there by my side as we try to teach our children what we know to be true.

So our reward would not be complete without a stop at 5 Guys Burgers and Fries. Mmmmm, so good! Sometimes you just need a big ol' burger.

embarrassed....to say the least

Friday night was Cory's work Christmas party. It was at Rodizio Grill. We had a big room and we ate, and had a comedian/magician, which was pretty entertaining. Then some ladies from his office were passing out little gifts to everyone. Then suddenly this guy shows up:

Mr. Santa Claus. What a pleasant surprise.....but look closely at him.

It's Cory!

So this had been in the works for a few weeks and it was supposed to be a surprise, but a few people found out beforehand. (because of me, I didn't know it was supposed to be a surprise, Cory forgets to tell me things sometimes:)

He did an awesome job. He was so funny! I think he was funnier than the comedian. He was giving gag gifts to the CEO, CFO, the president, and some other people in the office. He joked that he hoped he would still have a job by Monday.

So I was standing by the side during his little act because I wanted to get some pictures of him. We told Parker and Spencer about it and they really wanted to see pictures. We had to tell them that Daddy was just pretending to be Santa to be funny and give gifts to people. So he is finishing up and he starts to leave and I see him walking towards me and at first I think 'okay, maybe he will give me a little kiss', but little did I know he was coming at me with crazy, Santa eyes! He grabs me, dips me down and is kissing me. As if that wasn't bad enough, he then slaps me on the butt so hard that it really hurt. So he walks away and leaves me standing there with 50 people looking at me turn bright red!

I later asked him why he slapped me so hard on the butt and he said, "I wanted people to hear it!" I told him thanks for the red cheeks you gave me. I only have 4 and 3 of them were as red as the Santa suit!

I always took pride in the fact that I don't get embarrassed, but then I married Cory and it all went downhill from there. I need a little revenge for this one!

Someone came up to him afterward and said, "I'm glad my kids weren't here to see this, it would've been hard to explain Santa kissing some other lady!" Cory said, "It's an adult party I figured I would kick it up to a PG-13 party."

confessions of a utah mormon mommy

Just reading the title of this post causes me a bit of anxiety. I feel a bit like Tiger Woods watching his wife read his old text messages. But I felt like it was time to reveal a little about myself so as you read please be do so with an understanding heart and a non-judgy soul.

{deep breath}

Here goes: I don't know how to say this, but I've never modge podged before. I don't even know what the stuff is! I've heard it's great and many people I know and love swear by it, but it eludes me.

Next, I don't shop at Costco! {gasp} We went to my parents for Thanksgiving and my Dad had some jalapeno spinach dip and so many peanut M&M's it would make your head spin. I asked him where he got all the delicious goods and his response was always, "Costco, of course!" I then asked if he considered himself a "Costco Snob" (said with air quotes....naturally!) he said, "Yeah, we go there every Saturday." I will admit, I wouldn't mind buying enormous bottles of vitamins and buying diapers that come in such a large package they barely fit in your SUV. And where else can you get a 2 gallon container of mayo, buy a giant trampoline, spend $250 in less than a half an hour, and buy a casket? They do sell caskets online it can be found under the 'funeral' section....in case you were wondering.

Now this next one is especially hard for me to reveal as I fear my own mother will disown me.
I....don't....own...a...hot...glue...gun!
I certainly grew up in a house where there was always one plugged in, you never know when a broken plate will need fixing or have to make a craft for the ladies on your visiting teaching route. Nothing says 'I love you' more than a hand made gift given out of hands with blister filled finger tips. I recently attended an enrichment where we were making a fall craft. When the announcement was made I was excited and wanted to participate.....then they said we should bring a hot glue gun if we had one. I was suddenly overcome with fear.....someone is bound to find out I don't own one! So the night came and I went to the church, I thought if I just pretended I forgot mine all would be well and no one would 'find me out'......thankfully it worked. I came home with a lovely fabric pumpkin centerpiece...phew! That was a close one.

I have never successfully made a jello salad. There was one pathetic attempt a year and a half ago and my jello making ended there. I hope my bishop isn't reading this I could be in some real trouble.

I hope I still have some friends by the end of this and I saved this one for last to lessen the blow. I have not seen New Moon.....I hope nobody just fainted! Believe me I've heard all about Jacob's abs, killer bod, and dreamy eyes. If I had a dollar for every blog I've read about that movie I could buy a premium membership at Costco and have the opportunity to gorge myself every Saturday on all the samples of food. And I would make sure my first purchase would be a hot glue gun, and maybe a Bedazzler.

Please stop breathing into a paper bag and listen to this last part. I do enjoy fry sauce, funeral potatoes, scrapbooking and an occasional diet coke. I hope that, at least, puts me in good standings.....

6 months

My gorgeous little Mataya. I love her chubby cheeks. I love the tiny drool on the bottom of her chin in this last picture. She is 6 months old today! She went to the doctor and weighs in at 16 lbs. The girl loves to eat and I think it's all going to her thighs....We love you Miss M!

thanksgiving.

As we were getting packed up to head out for Thanksgiving the boys got the idea to use the suitcases as little seats to watch t.v. (yes my boys drink out of sippie cups...don't judge me:) So that kept them occupied so I could get everything ready.

I started doing laundry and on my second load the washer started making strange noises, I knew it wasn't going to end well. We've had our washer and dryer for 7 years and they were pretty inexpensive when we got them. So I guess it's time for a new one. Chloe LOVES babies and she wanted to hold Mataya every chance she got. Miss Brown eyes holding Miss Blue eyes.The boys wasted no time and went from one adventure to the next. And my little Spencer. He likes to use his boots as gloves. That kid is unique and comes up with some funny stuff. We ate our Thanksgiving feast at the elementary school. There's kind of a lot us. Only a school's cafeteria can contain us...that's just how we roll. The high point was when Billy chose to serve his mashed potatoes out of a small cooler. Keep it classy Hurricane! As the blessing was said for the food. We all got in line to fight for the deep fried turkey, mom's rolls, and Grammy's fruit salad a.k.a. chocolate chips, cool whip, snicker salad. And my mom looked over and noticed Spencer was about to fall asleep in his chair. She quickly got him a beanbag and he took a nice long nap. He woke up about the time the vacuum cleaner was coming by after it was all over. So he completely missed out, but he didn't care he had some chips and a drink of diet coke so he was good:) Cooper, Carter, and Parker found the Halloween/dress-up bin in the basement and they really went for it. This is Parker with a black wig, clown wig, and a cheerleader costume. That's a little awkward, but they were sure entertaining. I guess it's okay to wear a hot pink poodle skirt if it's paired with a crazy zombie wig. (too bad I didn't get a pic of that:)

And finally, no trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house would be complete without several half naked boys eating mac 'n cheese at the table.

What a fun and yummy time we had. It's always nice to get away. And nothing brings out that holiday cheer in Cory more than wasting a few rabbits with the AR. (that stands for assault rife for all you non-gun-lovers)

the end.

little girl.

Mataya 4 weeks

"A daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart." Author unknown.

mr. parker

Parker "Mom, I know what you and Dad do when we (kids) go to bed."

Me (with a panicked stricken face) "What's that?"

Parker "You pop popcorn and eat it."

Me "I think you might be right about that, bud."

Phew.....

red heads have more fun?

I think that hair color brings out the chunkiness of her cheeks:) My mom always wanted a red headed grandchild. And she was sure that Mataya would have red hair what with all of the jalapenos and spicy food that I while I was pregnant. We've got a little blondie, but she would've been just as adorable with Ronald McDonald colored hair.

i looked out the window and what did i see

*

Cute kids! Mataya and Spencer sure look a lot alike. I think it's the eyes.

*Cory name that face?

let's build something together

In true boy form Cory took Parker and Spencer to Lowe's to build something. What was that something? A wooden garage with a wooden car. They came running in the door when they got home and you would've thought they discovered the lost City of Atlantis....that's how excited they were! Spencer quietly played with his for hours, while Parker talked about going back and making something else.

Cory and the boys are well on their way to doing "guy" stuff.....while I'm home with the little princess....and boy do I love it!

the songs we sing

My cute, little Spencer! He loves to listen to the ipod. His favorite song is Pink's "So What". He calls it the rock star song because it says that in the chorus. It's a good song to jam out to and he can sing every word of the song, it is too cute. I have a video of him I should post.

This morning we were running errands and we had this conversation:

Spencer "Mom, I love the Transformer song"

Me "It is a good song"..(I then proceed to sing "Transformers....more than meets the eye!" I really belted it out....my poor kids have to hear me sing often and very badly.

Spencer "No, not that song!"

Me "Oh!"

Spencer "We sing the Transformer song at church"

Me "What song are you talking about?"

Spencer "It goes like this Mom: I'm bringing home my baby bumblebee"

So while most kids picture this while singing that song:

Spencer is picturing this:

when we're helping we're happy

I was at Albertsons yesterday and as I checked out and about walked out of the store I noticed they had a bunch of carts full of discounted items. I looked through some of it and found a few great things for really cheap. I looked over and saw a cart full of mops. I got this mop for Parker for $2. And had it there when he got home from school....he was really excited. He is my little helper at home and his favorite thing to do is mop the kitchen floor. When he got home from school today I put him to work, he couldn't be happier! My hard little worker. Now he has his very own mop!