Friday, January 30, 2009

Elena Wants To Know...

I want to know why the stomach flu ALWAYS hits at 2 am? Can't it come when I'm wide awake and not stumbling from room to room to find the barf bucket? I'm really not kidding, it always hits in the middle of the night. Does anyone else find this strange?

Yes, Alyssa has the pukes today and is feeling rather sorry for herself. I know she's sick, poor kid and I am being a nice nurse. But when she starts sobbing because the Wheel of Fortune puzzle on tv is "Upset Stomach", I just have to giggle a little.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Take Me For A Ride Removed

Okay, I'm going to remove my story just in case someday I ever decide to really do something with it. I would hate to see an adorable book in the bookstore with my words and me not getting the credit.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

FHE with the Kinikinis

When we moved to Idaho Falls from Nampa/Boise, I knew I was going to miss my friends something terrible. When family isn't near, friends become substitutes. Lucky for me some have found their way over to my side of the state. We had such fun having dinner and FHE with Moses, Anita, Kaylee, and Lanaya this past Monday night. I certainly love living near all our family, but there is something about dear friends that just puts a smile on my face.

The Elders showed up just in time to join us for dinner and Moses's lesson. He reminded us all not to become immune to things that take our minds off Heavenly Father and used the analogy of how a frog sitting in cool water will stay if the temperature is slowly turned up. Next thing the frog knows, it's been boiled.

Moses taught us all how to make paper frogs and then we had frog races.

Anita working on her frog.

And speaking of friends and family, both Kat's husband and Aunt Eja are still in the hospital. Lizzy (Kat's friend) is keeping updates on Kat's blog and family members have started a blog for updates on Aunt Eja. www.ejaallen.blogspot.com

Monday, January 26, 2009

Try-It-Tuesday

Li'l Cheddar Meat Loaves
1 egg
3/4 c. milk
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 Tbsp. minced onion
1/2 c. instant oats
1 tsp. salt
dash pepper
Mix above together then add 1 lb. ground beef.
Mix well and add more oats if mixture is too wet.
Shape into egg sized mini loaves and place on greased pan.
Use a spoon to press little hollows in the the tops of each loaf.
In separate bowl mix together:
2/3 c. ketchup
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. mustard
Pour a little sweet bbq sauce over each loaf.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. We've served these with everything from mashed potatoes to baked and this last time we tried Wendy's Potato Pancakes. A miracle occurred with that, Alyssa (the anti potato girl) ate FOUR potato pancakes. I was shocked!!!

Happier Thoughts

Okay, I'm tired of all the sad posts; it's time for something happy and carefree. This certainly doesn't mean that I take lightly any of the trials that my friends and family are going through at this time. It simply means that there are good times mixed with bad.

I was going through my files and found these two cute shots of Carter and Alyssa. Nothing makes my heart more happy than my kids. (Nothing makes me more crazy either, but we're sticking to happy thoughts today.)


And how about this beautiful snowfall?
This was Saturday morning. The flakes were the biggest I think I've ever seen. Around 2 inches or more. So pretty. And as happy as I was to have been starting to see my grass, there really is nothing more beautiful than freshly fallen snow. I think we've recieved just under a foot of fresh snow this past weekend. It's still definitly winter here.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

One More Prayer Request

One of the reasons I love to blog so very much is because of all the dear friendships I have made over the past couple of years. So many wonderful people out there in the world! And my dear friend Kat is one on the top of my list. This lady is an angel and a riot and a dear friend to me even though I have never met her in person.

I was just informed that her husband had an aneurysm sometime last night. Not to mention that she has been feeling ill herself suffering from vertigo and "foggy headedness" this past two weeks. I will be praying for his recovery and strength for Kat and her daughters.

This week has been one full of sad and scary news at my house. These things put life into perspective right quick. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father that helps and comforts us through difficult times during our stay on earth. I know there is a bigger picture than what we can see through our immediate eyes, and that brings me peace and comfort.

Jarom's Aunt Eja is still in her induced coma, but her surgeries have gone well thus far. We are thankful for power of prayer and the blessing of modern medicine. I also attended Mindy's son's funeral yesterday and was such a nice service. What a wonderful attitude she and her family have.

Go hug your loved ones a little tighter today, you never know what tomorrow might bring.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Aunt Eja

Last night Jarom's Aunt Eja along with several of her daughters, a grand daughter, and Jarom's grandmother were in a serious car accident. They rolled over on the freeway on their way to Salt Lake City. Stacey, Carlee and Grandma (nearly 91 years old, this lady is amazing) walked away with minimal injuries (just some scratches and bruises), Tricia has a badly broken ankle, we are not clear on Jennifer's injuries at this time, but they are not life threatening, and Aunt Eja seems to be the one to have taken the brunt of things.

Eja's liver has a portion that was torn off causing some internal bleeding, her kidneys show some damage as well as her spleen. Both of her lungs were punctured and several ribs broken, as well as a compression fracture in her lumbar spine. They have induced a coma until approximately Saturday afternoon or evening to aid with healing.

It sounds like Eja has a tough road ahead of her and we pray for a quick and full recovery. Our thoughts are with the Allens this day.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

What We Did Last Night

Need a couple of hours to enjoy some quality tv time? Just hand your camera over to your children and you're guaranteed a good 45 minutes of uninterrupted bliss.


Plus, your camera greets you with hilariously fun pictures of what your kids did while you were completely oblivious uh, semi-aware of them.


Who doesn't love a good nasal self portrait?



Posted by Picasa

All the while, I sat in the big red chair, enjoyed some warm delights (courtesy of Kat) and watched LOST in peace.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Try-It-Tuesday

Okay so much today. First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers go out to my dear friend Jennie's sister Mindy who unexpectedly lost her sweet little boy. My heart is heavy for them all at this time. (I am the absolute WORST at knowing what to say or do in these situations, so I'm just leaving it at that.)

Next, I can't let today pass without recognizing the importance of a peaceful transition from one leader to the next. We are blessed to live in a country where power is handed over peacefully. Something I do not want to take for granted. (And I find it quite hilarious that as I type this, my playlist is playing "The Lunatics have taken over." LOL! I totally do not feel that way (I'm actually excited for Obama), but it's pretty funny, none-the-less.)

And thirdly (is that a word? it should be.) I'm SO excited that Cafe Rio is coming to Idaho Falls. Yes my friends, I saw the sign over by Texas Roadhouse the other night and I almost hyperventilated. YAY!!!

Now, Lee Ann asked How does dinner time go at your house? Is there complaining/whining? Are kids making rude noises? Is there laughter? Are you happy or stressed? How is cooking dinner? Is it enjoyable for you or a bad experience? Is this the most appropriate question for T-I-T day or what? Let me tell you that the hour between 5-6 is the worst time of day here. Kids are hungry, fighting and crying. I'm trying to get dinner made and trying to ignore all the chaos behind me. (I don't think I get stressed, but I certainly wouldn't call it "happy".) But when we sit down to eat, things are relatively nice. Oh, we get the occasional rude noise and case of the giggles, but the kids eat fairly well and I enjoy sitting around the table together. However, at the moment we only have 5 chairs (one broke) so one of us usually stands at the counter to eat. (Yes, I am aware that I have a perfectly functioning dining table in the next room, and that it has chairs to spare, but we're weird like that.) And I truly do enjoy to cook, it's just the nasty clean up afterwards that I loathe.

So, that brings us to today's T-I-T. Last night we made THESE (Cookie Brownies) from Bakerella.

They are SO rich that I could only handle one. And I am the queen of rich. But they are very tasty. I'm not a huge fan of semi-sweet, so I think I would like them better with milk chocolate ganache. But that might make them even more rich, so I don't know. If you're in the mood for chocolate these are the way to go!

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Are you tired of me yet?

Clancy asked How did you meet your husband and how did he propose? I'm just going to direct you to this anniversary post, which will give you all the juicy details. (And for my Big Love watching buddies, no we are not polygamists. ;) )

What super hero or super power would you love to be/have? Why? I think I would like to be able to freeze time. Either that or reverse time. Then I'd have all the time in the world to get everything I needed to done. Don't want to clean the house? No problem. Just freeze time until you're feeling more like doing it. Babies growing up too fast? No problem, just rewind the clock and enjoy a few more minutes with them. Wouldn't that be great?


If you had to assign gender to salt and pepper which would be male and which would be female and why? Okay, this question cracked me up because I actually think about this fairly frequently. Blue's Clues drives me nuts because it's backwards to me. It should Mr Pepper and Mrs Salt. Seriously, it annoys me. And Blue is a girl??? What? In my head, he's a HE! (And I have no idea as to the why. That's just the way it should be.)

When you go to sleep at night do you fall right to sleep or do you stay awake forever thinking about a zillion things? If it's the latter, give an example of your thought process. I so CAN'T fall asleep fast. I envy those of you who do. My mind goes a million miles an hour thinking about what I didn't get done, what I need to do tomorrow, how mean I was to my kids, the come back I should have said but wasn't witty enough to think of right off, what I forgot on my grocery list, the characters in the current book I'm reading, and then right as I start to cross the threshold from consciousness to unconsciousness my mind starts remembering dreams from previous nights. And I also think up crazy new things to dream, everything from flying purple monsters to tropical paradise islands.

Lula said Just talk about Lost... Whoo-Hoo!!!!! Favorite show EVER and I can't wait until it's back this week!! And I know I do this every year at this time, but click here and here and get your excited juices flowing!

Alright, enough about me for today. How about a funny from Alyssa to end on? The other day she saw a drivers ed car and it had a sign on the top that read "A+ Student Driver" (the name of the company). She asked, "Why does it have the sign on top?" I told her so that other drivers would be aware that it was a person learning to drive. So then she asked, "Do they all have to have a sign?" I told her yes, so that other cars would know to be careful around them. Then she says, "But what if it's a D- student?" LOLLLLL!!!! She didn't understand that it was the company not the grade being displayed.

Friday, January 16, 2009

And Now, Some Answers

First and foremost, THANK YOU to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. It's so great to feel loved!! Now...

Let's start with some easy ones.
Queenie asked: What is your most favorite time of the day and why? BEDTIME! It's quiet and for a good reason (no one sneaking into a mess), I KNOW where everyone is, and I get to blog and facebook my little heart out.




Stevie asked: 100% honestly, how do you feel about your new calling? I actually love my calling. This is the third time I've had this particular calling and I honestly feel lucky. It's one of my very most favorite ones. Primary is NEVER boring, ever! :) However, I am sad that Deanna had to go, and hope they find a way to get back down in the primary room soon.

Then Camille asked: What is your calling? I am the primary chorister.

How did you get so stinking lucky to win all that great loot!? I have NO idea, unless Kat rigged it. (Just kidding.) Honestly I am NEVER lucky, so this was really fun for me.

Can I have your Wicked soundtrack? Not on you life lady.


And speaking of Kat and Wicked, Kat asked: Do you have a favorite book? I think my all time favorite book EVER, is The Box Car Children. My teacher first read it to me when I was in 2nd grade. I've read it several times since then. I LOVED to pretend I was those kids when I was little. As an adult, I really loved Twilight, it just brought back so many first love emotions. I also fell in love with Harry Potter.

Did you ever decide if you liked Wicked or not? If you would have asked me this last month after I finished the book I would have said no. It was a little more depressing and dark than I thought it would be. (Even though I had been warned.) However...after having some time to stew over it, I say yes. It is not a book I would love to read again just for light, fun reading. But, minus a green witch, talking animals, spells and potions, and other minor details, this book is just life. Our lives, the whole world. It really is so poignant. And who are any of us to assume our ways are any better than someone else's? It's kind of a "whole pie" look at society. And I have enjoyed the reflection I've had on life since reading it. So because of this, I say "Yes, I liked the book." (Did any of that make sense?)

Have you read either of the sequels? No, I have not. I've been too busy reading other things. Have you?

Have you seen the musical? Again no, but I really, really want to. Now that I've read the darker side, I want to see the fun light side of the story.

Have you ever met someone through blogging? And again, nope, I haven't met any of my "computer friends" in real life. Well, unless you count Clancy, cause I spied on her blog the day before I met her. But I've never set up an actual meeting with any of you strange ladies ;), and OHHHH how I want to meet you all!!

I think that's enough deep thoughts from Elena today. I just felt like a celebrity doing an interview. So fun for me. I need a few more days to feel important, so I'll answer the rest of the questions later. Thanks for so many great inquisitions, you people are awesome!

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Boy, did you all deliver with the questions! You are some crazy creative people. I've loved reading all your questions and I'll get to them, each and every one, but first let's hear a little shout of joy for the return of Idol.

I love this stupid show! And how about seeing cute little Jason Castro again. I really ended up liking him last season. Don't know how I'll feel about the brother, but I enjoyed seeing Jason and his nasty locks again. And I want to know if anyone else cries when the contestants receive their golden tickets. I am such a boob. I tear up EVERY time! What is the deal? (Of course I used to cry watching people win on Price is Right too; I think I have a problem.) Then they go and hit me with the whammy of Danny (was that his name?) and his recently lost wife....good grief.

Anywho, I can't wait for the ball to get rolling and the actual competition to begin. Although, the try outs are the only part Jarom watches with me, so I guess I'll go ahead and enjoy my Idol time with my hubby for a while longer.

Now, on to the first question. I'm starting with my mom's question (a.) because she's my mom and you should always start with your mother, and (b.) because it's rather pertinent for today.

What were you doing at this time 33 years ago? I'd really like to know.

Well, 33 years ago today, I was entering this big ol' world for the first time. I'm sure I was feeling rather ripped off to be forced out of my toasty warm place that I had over-stayed my welcome in by a week. I can only imagine the thoughts forming in my mind when the cold blast of air hit me. But here I am now, 33 years later ready to take on the world. And with 33 years behind me, I hope I'm a little more wise to tackle that task. Watch out world, Elena is here to stay.

I feel like a newly engaged, giggly girl again today too. My hubby surprised me with my wedding ring all shiny and new. I lost a diamond 2 1/2 years ago and haven't worn it since. (You may recall I wore a mood ring for the longest time, until the thing turned my finger green.) Its SO fun to see something sparkly on my hand again. I really am married to the best gift giver in the world. Thank you Jarom!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Questions???


Okay, I've got nothing, nada. No kids funnies, no bubbles coming out of toilets, no 911 phone calls, no blog fodder to speak about. So I'm asking you to ask me anything you want and help me have something to blog about.
Thanks ever so much.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Try-It-Tuesday

Today's Try-It-Tuesday is quick and easy and best of all, kid friendly. My kids like it, I like it and the neighbor liked it so much she asked her mom to get the recipe from me. I thought I had a picture of it to post, but I can't find it anywhere.

Crustless Quiche

Beat together:
4 eggs
2 c. milk
1 c. Bisquick
1/4 tsp. salt
dash of pepper

Add:
1 can of ham (found by tuna fish in store)
1 c. grated swiss cheese

Pour into greased pie plate and bake 400 degrees for 35-40 min. (until knife comes out clean). Serve with salted, diced, fresh tomatoes over top, and fruit salad.

***Just a reminder, if you have a tried and true recipe you'd be willing to share, leave a comment with the recipe title, and post the recipe on your blog so we can all come and check it out. Thanks for playing; the more the merrier!***

Monday, January 12, 2009

FHE Kid Style

Tonight the girls were in charge of Family Home Evening. Halle had music and got out the "sing-o-meter" from my primary box (a little poster that's used to help the kids in church sing better). She made us sing "I Lived in Heaven" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" until we met her expectations.

Then Alyssa gave us the lesson comparing a sandwich to the gospel. She made the whole thing up. And she even made visual aids. It was too cute. She's been learning about "catchy" opening statements as school, so this was hers tonight, "Do you ever get hungry? Being hungry can mean many things, like being hungry for food or to hear the words of the gospel." Then she went on to build her sandwich.

  • First the bread= which is Christ the foundation and one person.
  • Then tomatoes (her little cut out was two tomatoes)= missionaries. They make your sandwich better if you add them.
  • Then the turkey = temple
  • Cheese = scriptures
  • Salt & Pepper = Holy Ghost (because he can be in a million places at once)
  • Top slice of Bread = Heavenly Father (because he is a different person)

I thought it was so clever. And she was very serious during her lesson. We sang another song and Halle judged us with the "reverence meter" where we got an "almost there" critique. Guess we have room to improve.

These are the things I will miss when they are grown and gone.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Dad & Mom Sept. '08
Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday Dear Daaaaddd!

Happy Birthday to you!

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Blog to Book

Okay, so I've had several questions lately about the blog to book thing. I decided I'd just ahead and make a full on post about it.

Blurb.com is still not able to support blogger to upload your blog to their book format. However, this does not mean you can't make a book using blurb. And quite honestly, if you are just creating your book as you blog, it's the better option because you can just upload it entry by entry.

Anyhow, all you do is choose the "photo with text" option when creating your book. (Don't try to do blog to book b/c it doesn't work for blogger.) Once you've got the book started, (this is what I do) enlarge the photo from your blog by double clicking, then drag and drop it onto the photo page of the book. I like to choose a page that allows me to add lots of pictures at a time and then I go back and organize and rearrange them how I want. Next you just copy your text from your blog and paste it into the text portion of the book. (I promise it's self explanatory once you try it.) Then you can use blurbs page options to arrange the page how you want it. Blurb saves your book as you go, so you can do one page at a time or 100 if you feeling like it. When you are finished, you hit the publish button, it uploads it back to blurb's site and publishes it for you.

There is also another option I heard about from a friend. It's called bloggled.com and they are promising a blog to book program sometime this coming year. So I'll keep checking on that. In the mean time, get you book started! They are SO fun to have. My kids (and myself) love to go back and read through them.

If you have more questions let me know and I'd be happy to help you more. (If I can. I certainly don't consider myself the blook guru.)

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Exciting News!!

Exciting news for me over at Kat's place!! Holy BATS!! YEAH!

Friday, January 09, 2009

Halle the Cheerleader

Halle has always been our one to want her hair fixed and wear ribbons and bows. She's also always been a muscly, limber, little thing. We've tried dance, karate, and gymnastics none of which have been the perfect fit for our active little Halle. I think we may have found it with cheer though. This is Halle's first year and she is absolutely loving it. I have to admit, I am finding it very addicting and can't wait for her to grow and develop her talent in it.



Yesterday was her very first performance, they were the half time show for the JV Skyline basketball game. If cheer isn't your thing you don't have to watch long to see her in the video. She's on the front row, third from the right and her group performs first. However, if you have the time and patience watch the whole video, its really quite impressive and there are some adorable little teeny tiny ones as well as some very talented older girls. (Sorry about the shaky filming, I was trying to watch and film at the same time and didn't do very well.)

(I don't know what's up with this video. I'll keep trying.)

A Mouthful

I took Carter to the dentist yesterday to see about his mysterious loss of a tooth. They were all a little baffled by it and said it certainly wasn't going by the "text books". They took several x-rays and determined that yes indeed, he does have an extra permanent tooth as well. (They told me long ago that there was a 70% chance of him having one since he had the extra baby tooth.)

From the x-rays they could see that his lateral incisor does appear to be trying to come in before the front incisor, so maybe that could be the cause of the strange order of his tooth coming out. But it seemed really early for that to have caused it. It wasn't really pressing down very much.

The other guess is that maybe because of these extra teeth, while his teeth were forming, it caused his old tooth not to form a strong root. And there is always the possiblity that he knocked his mouth sometime and didn't tell me about it. I don't remember him crying about that, but who knows.

Anyway, the good news is that it's okay for the tooth to have come out already (however, there could possibly still be a little sliver of tooth left, but it should work itself out no problem). The bad news is that he'll have to have some oral surgery in a few years to rid himself of the extra permanent tooth.

And of course, I can't leave you without the funny of the day. While the dentist was working on Carter and such, Kate says nice and loud for all to hear, "I want to go play. I tired of this guy." It's a pretty good thing that she's so blasted cute and thank goodness the dentist has a sense of humor. He just busted out laughing, while I hung my head and turned bright red. Kids....they'll always keep you humble.

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Things That Make Me Go Grrrrr

The tree is empty and ready to be put away FINALLY. Or is it? Nope it's not; there's one last hidden ornament hanging on the tree. How did I miss that? Now I have to pull the stupid ornament box back out to put away one measly ornament. Drives me CRAZY!

Or how about this entire scene from the bathroom that I've grown so accustomed to seeing over the last month, I didn't think to put it away. Does anyone else do this? Does anyone else HATE putting away the decorations? Mine never come down before Jan. 1. I like a tree for New Year's, but after that I just struggle to make myself do it. Even though it feels so good when it's done.

AND (this doesn't make me go "grrr"; it'd make me go "yaaaay" if I won), want a chance to win an I-POD Touch? Go here and get signed up. And while you're doing that check out the rates to see if you could benefit from a refinance.

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Try-It-Tuesday

Okay, I know Tuesday is half over already, but I still wanted to get this recipe up today. It is SO yummy! I actually got it off Elise's link to Culinary Collie Sue (thanks Elise) and then made my own version by mixing it with a recipe from my SIL. We had this for our New Year's Eve dinner and my kids loved it, as did my hubby and I.
I was in much too much of a hurry to eat this and took a really bad picture, but a bad picture is better than no picture right?

Barbacoa Pork
3-4 lb pork roast (Would taste great with chicken too.)
1 can cola (I used Dr. Pepper)
2/3 c. brown sugar
1 c. red taco sauce (La Victoria brand)
1-2 Tbsp. chipotle seasoning (Grill Mates packet)

Put ingredients in slow cooker and cook until tender. Shred meat up and leave in sauce to simmer.

Lime Cilantro Rice (This makes a ton, so I would 1/2 it next time.)
2 Tb. butter
1/2 c. sweet onion chopped
2 c. long grain rice
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro chopped
4 c. chicken stock/broth
1 clove garlic minced

Saute onion in butter til soft, then add chicken stock. Bring to boil, add all other ingredients, bring back to a boil, turn heat to low, put lid on pot and let simmer til rice is done.

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing
1 c. buttermilk (Mine was too runny, so I would use less.)
1 c. mayo
1 fresh jalapeno, chopped (seeds removed) (I only used half and wished I would have used a whole one. It really wasn't spicy.)
3 medium tomatillos (peel off leaf and chop)
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
1 envelope buttermilk ranch dressing mix
juice of 1/2 lime

Put all ingredients in blender and mix til smooth.



Now, put a flour tortilla in a bowl, load up with beans (we used both black and refried), rice, meat, lettuce, crushed tortilla chips, guacamole, and top the whole thing off with the dressing. SOOOO good!

Monday, January 05, 2009

Is it Monday or What?

You know you're going to have a "day" when you start out by trying to put Desitin on your toothbrush instead of toothpaste.

Seriously, why do the tubes have to look so similar in the dark?

Oh, and go enter Kat's final giveaway. It's a doozie!

Sunday, January 04, 2009

Kate is a Sunbeam


Today Kate graduated from nursery at church and moved up to primary. She's now in the 3-4 year old class, the Sunbeams. It's always SO exciting each January for the new Sunbeams to join the "big kids" in the primary room. I can't believe my baby is already so grown up. (I still remember vividly the day Alyssa joined Sunbeams; I swear it was just last January.) It's even harder for me to believe that I no longer have a nursery kid. So sad, but I guess that is the way life goes.

Kate did shockingly well during singing time and sharing time. (I'm the music lady, so it was fun for me to get to see her.) She did run up to the front during the prayer so that she could sit by Carter. (He had the talk today, his first one, and I COMPLETELY forgot about it until I saw his name on the program during sacrament meeting. I even had had a reminder. But we pulled it off.) Carter on the other hand, fell fast asleep, sitting straight up in his hard chair. Our church time switched to 1 pm today and you all know Carter, if he even sits still for one second at that time of day, he's out cold.

And a little funny to add: This morning while we were getting ready for church, Kate was being a bit of a squirt. I told her she was being a little brat (I was just joking with, not angry at all) and she turned to me and told me, "I NOT a bwat; I a Sunbeam!" And that was that.

Friday, January 02, 2009

Toothless Wonder

This morning Carter came screaming in to me telling me that he had his first loose tooth. I was a little shocked. He's only 4! (He'll be 5 in March, but still, he's so young.) Before I even had any time to lament the fact that my baby boy would soon be losing his baby smile, he came running back in the room with one less tooth in his head. He's the bravest one yet, no tears or anything. (Alyssa just lost a tooth the other night and bawled for an hour straight before the thing fell out on its own.)

I seriously think I'm a little in shock. How can my BABY boy be losing his teeth already?! And it wasn't even a bottom front one like the girls both lost first. It was a top one next to the front teeth. I'm wondering if because he has an extra tooth, if the poor thing just got crowded right out of his mouth.

Everyone pray that the Tooth Fairy does her job tonight. She's so forgetful at this house.

Good Luck and Games

For the past several years now, my mom has thrown a baked potato bar lunch on New Year's Day. Our good friends the Infangers always join us. We enjoy lunch together and eat a bite of black eyed peas to insure ourselves good luck throughout the new year. (I made sure I had an extra big bite.) And then we enjoy playing games together. I never seem to take any pictures, but good ol' Jarom clicked a few for me this year.

He made sure the back of my head was well documented.

And also got a few shots of the crew playing games.



Did ya'll eat your black eyed peas? Does anyone else do this? I know we're not totally crazy because Pioneer Woman posted her black eyed pea salsa today. (Mom we should try that next year.)

Thursday, January 01, 2009

Our Rockin' Party

Things were quiet for us this New Year's Eve. I think I was just plain partied out and the thought of another one was overwhelming. So we opted to stay home. Plus Alyssa was sick and I thought she'd need to stay home too, but as soon as the party offers started rolling in, she felt miraculously well and abandoned us. She had a good time partying it up at the bowling alley with Bailey and didn't get home until 1:15 AM. (I'm not looking forward to the teenage years.)

We started the night off with pedicures. Halle gives a mean foot massage. And she's pretty artsy with the toe paint too.

We played a few serious rounds of Guess Who and then I whomped Halle in Life. (I didn't even sue her 3 seperate times that I landed on it.) Kate and Carter just drove their cars all over the game board and kept knocking people out. Don't knock Halle's babies out, she'll get ya.

Carter of course, sat still and konked out early. But he roused happily when we told him we were going to get a treat.

Ice cream sundaes for the kids and Moulten Lava's from Chili's for the mom and dad.

Then it was time for poppers and blowers. (I promise Carter had nothing to drink.) We watched the ball light up, (Did it even drop this year? Weird!) and then kiddos went off to bed. Us Manwarings know how to have a good time even without a party.

Headers 2009