Oh yeah!

I have been having a major need for something sweet and chocolaty tonight and our new home teachers just showed up at our door with a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies.

The spirit works in mysterious ways, haha.

Valentines Day

Despite all commercialism, I LOVE to get Brett lovey cards from the kids and something big to embarrass him at work. One year I stuffed his new shoes with Dove chocolate and gave it to him. I'm awesome, I know. What should I give him this year? Can't wait to go shopping.

As for what I'll get, I already know. Brett has done this without realizing it every year since we've known each other; I get workout something or other. I pointed this out to him earlier in the year that he has never once gotten me candy for V day, but he's always right on getting me stuff to lose weight in. Don't get me wrong, I always love what I get, but when I consistently get work out clothes instead of candy it gives me lots to make fun of him for.
The look he gave me said "Don't you dare twist that in that insane way women do to make it bad!" at the same time he looked worried that I might be offended about it.

Haha, he always makes me laugh

And since Brett actually reads my blog frequently, I really would like a nice lightweight long sleeved workout shirt to take to the gym with me. Hint, hint. It can be more expensive to, since my birthday is just a few days before.

Random

Today we had to replace my husbands car. We ended up buying it at a goat farm in the middle of No Where, Idaho. I thought we were going to be eaten by the natives, but instead our kids got to feed newborn goats from bottles while we paid for the car, and our "new" BMW is now parked in the garage. Pray it works for the next couple of years for me please.

~~I got to apply for Brett's graduation this week!!! He's amazing.

~~~If you happened to walk by me in the store and I smelled of goat, I apologize.

She's got skills

One OCD organizer coming up!

How could I stay mad?

(I love you and I am sorry that I lost my sight words)

He folded this up into a paper air plane and flew it into the office; he wasn't allowed to leave his room. I can't be too mad, he's raised all but one of his grades so far for the quarter, and five of his 9 grades are 100% A's. He's a good boy.

Can't help it, I'm in love.

He's rolling from front to back and back to front like a champ now. It makes me sad at the same time it gets me excited about him growing.


When he's older he's going to wonder why he always has nightmares of a giant head attacking him with kisses. I'll have to remind him how much he would smile and laugh when I did it.

Lauren, la petite ballerina

Lauren and her adorable friend Lilia.
My friend Carolina, Lilia's mother
Lauren got her birthday present a few weeks early. Plus it will last all year. Happy 5th birthday Princess.

Bringing in the new year

We built giant snowmen, a snow fort, played a two day game of dominoes, ate 2 pounds of chocolate and drank 2 gallons of Mountain Dew each(or maybe just I did), dipped pretzels, candy canes and oranges into melted french truffles, camped out with the cousins at Grandma and Grandpa Ross house, and played Uno. We also celebrated Jason's 35th birthday on the 31st and Jason and Cori's anniversary on the 1st. Then we went to bed at 11:30 and got woke up by a million fireworks being let off. It was a fun time.

I'm sorry to say that I did not reach the goal I had set for myself by New Years day. After having Tyler and ending up 50+ pounds, I wanted to be back to 132 by then. I'm now down to 137 and have 16 pounds to go until I'm back where I was. So not as great as I would have liked, but I'm moving down consistently. I really wanted that hour massage I promised myself if I succeeded though, boo.

Christmas #3

Lauren got the "baby set" she's been asking for for months. She's grown so much this year, she's turning into a tall little lady.
These two were giving each other the funniest looks. Ethan got his Leapster here and they both seriously love Lauren's so they were excited.
Lily got a talking baby.
Tyler got a dog 5 times bigger than he is. Lauren is eating one of the apples Aunt Joyce and Beth sent us.
Once again, little boy clothes are the cutest!

Brett and I got spoiled with various kitchen items we've been wanting; a salad spinner, new wooden spoons, a something-tukie knife Brett wanted, and other things.

Christmas morning #2

After we did Christmas morning at our place we drove over to Brett's parent's house to celebrate with Mom, Dad, Brett's 3 brothers and their families.
Kenna and Boston with Lauren chomping at the bit to open presents.

The men folk making Mountain Man for breakfast.
This was awesome. Mom put Christmas onto a spreadsheet this year. I would make fun of her, but I've already done that and it would be repetitive. She assigned a number to each person and put all their gifts into a pile with numbers on top. We then started with Grandma T. who then picked a number out of a bowl. That person then got to open their gifts and so on. It was so fun to get to actually see what people were opening instead of having mass chaos while everyone tore into their gifts. With this many people it tends to be a pretty random mess, so this is definitely a new tradition I'll be sticking to. Even all the kids were very patient. Lily had a bit of a fit when Daddy wouldn't let her put on Lauren's big dress. We were trying really hard to make her wait until she opened her own gifts and get a big pretty dress of her own, but try explaining that to a two year old.

Lauren got two presents this year that she has been asking for forever. This big dress was one of them and she couldn't have been happier to get anything else. It was made even better when Lily got a matching one, too.
This is just funny. Dad has a major vice, can you guess what it is?
There is our Christmas morning operations manager Audrey Ross holding her spread sheet and overseeing the mess. And the only picture you'll see of me because it's the only one I didn't take myself. Of course my back is to you, so...
So there we all are! Eleven adults and 12 children. I'm loving my amazing new mattress topper! And my rice cooker! And I will love my gym membership once I go and renew it! I'm so spoiled.

Tomorrow is Christmas with the Pendletons and also the day Tyler was blessed.

Our 3 Christmas mornings

I'll do these in order, so first is Christmas morning at home with our own little family.

There are sleeping bags out because we camped out in the living room together.

Lauren has been liking her new Leap Frog learning system well enough, but she LOVES her new Children's Place jeans. She's been wearing them every day so I'm glad I got her two different pairs. Everyone got to wear their new jammies that we opened up Christmas Eve and the girls thought it was awesome that they got to match.

Ethan LOVED his Carnivorous plant terrarium and his microscope. So far he thinks a drop of blood is the coolest thing to look at.

Lily went nuts over all the fun little things in her stocking. Now I'm going nuts at finding all her stickers all over my house.
Tuke was pretty excited about his new squeaky toy. After playing with it a few minutes he ran back to his stocking and started nosing around trying to find something else.

The drum set Lily got has been an all around hit with everyone; not me so much, but the kids for sure.

I have an awesome husband. He bought me excercise pants and a coat I love and commissioned my sister-in-law Ashlee to sew an apron for me! I need to take a picture, it's so fun! And he got exactly what he wanted, a cot that he picked out and paid for.

Stay tuned, tomorrow will be Christmas morning #2.

Lily's favorite thing to do

Climb all over Momma

Our lazy morning on the couch

Winter boy clothes are the cutest things ever. Just saying.


slobber, slobber


We really had nothing better to do than sit on the couch and stare at each other. The dirty clothes can wait.

New Years Resolution #2

Continue to do lots of this.

I was in the back of the room doing the same thing when I got an urge to take a picture. Lauren was off the ground too. Tyler was on the couch doing baby tummy crunches and Lily joined in every now and then. How's that for family fitness?

Tyler's big day

He was blessed on December 27th. I was thisclose to eating him he was so cute.



I put this one up because typically when I try and take a picture of Tyler, Lily jumps right in and says "Cheese!!!"