I like writing in my blog and feel like I actually am getting to the point of people reading it. I got sick of the bright pink though so I decided to go in a different direction. Luke said Green so here it is.

One of my goals is to keep better in touch with old friends. I have 3 who read my blog so I guess this is one way of accomplishing that goal.

I have been sitting here for like 20 minutes trying to decide what to write but some days I just don't have much to say. Pick up your jaw, it is true.

Disney with no children

Ry is taking students to the National Journalism Convention in April which is in Anaheim this year. I get to go as the female sponsor so yeah for me. The funny part is that I feel extremely selfish going to Disneyland with no kids.

Princesses, Cars, Nemo and no children to be there to share it with. I just feel really selfish at not taking them with us. Partly because we were planning to take them until the whole "We want a Wii" happened. Also, everytime they see a commercial for it they ask when they get to go. 6, 4 and 3. Perfect ages to truly appreciate the magic right? And not too old to see that it is just a bunch of 20 somethings running around in costumes.

We considered it. But sponsoring high school students is more work than you think. Having 3 more to watch is not very easy on the stress. Also, I don't think we could take them if we wanted too. I guess the Mom who wanted to be the female sponsor could go too in my spot so I could concentrate on my own kids but then we would need our own car.... just too much to think about.

I just feel selfish not taking them with me. Is that wrong? How do I enjoy Disneyland knowing my kids are home and would have loved to be there? I had no problem going there as an adult when I was single. I guess my Mom sense is winning out. Disney= kids. Do I tell them I am going? Do I tell them I went without them when I get home? Or just not bring it up and hope they never figure it out. Who knows. I have 4 months to fret over it. Today is the "buy the plane tickets" day. So it is real now. We are going. They are not. Some how I will get over it.

Christmas Letter Pics

To all of you who were lucky enough to get our annual Christmas card, here are a few more pics that didn't make it in the card. We had some printer issues and decided to send the letters without the pictures in January rather then wait for the pictures to work out (finally) and then you would get our letter around April.

Hope you enjoy our little 2007 year in review!




These are some fun pics from a local place "5 & Diner." We ate here shortly after we moved to Idaho Falls.

Aloha from Hawaii! Ry and I were able to go in Feb with my whole family courtesy of my parents. BEST GIFT EVER!!!

Christmas aftermath

WE GOT A WII!!! That is a direct quote from all 3 of my children when asked what Santa brought them.

So here is the story. Ryan got up at 6 am one Sunday morning and went to wait outside the Circuit City to buy The Wii. After 2 hours he bought #16 of 18 and we got the prize for best parents ever.

The best part though? We were at Toys R Us ("toys yes" as Luke calls it) a few days later buying games to go with the Wii (buy 3 get 1 free!) and the sales clerk asked us if we needed a Wii. "Why?" we ask. "I have 2 here to sell," he says as he pats his shirt pocket. It was reminiscent of a Rolex salesman on a crowded city street. So what do we do? Say "Sure we'll take one," and immediately call our friends who are also in search of the elusive system. Now they are the best parents ever as well. Maybe it helps make up for the fact that we bought ours on Sunday. I don't know. I do know that there are 2 young boys very happy that they got a Wii for Christmas from "Santa" and we had a hand in making that happen.

At any rate we have happy kids, a new interactive babysitter(as opposed to the sitting and watching cartoons), and as we found out yesterday, a new form of punishment when they break the rules. (No Wii for the rest of the week!)

Santa Claus

The funniest thing happened the other day and I wanted to share. Well funny to me, but not so funny to Luke and Emma. We went to the mall to see Santa and sit on his knee and get a candy cane. You know the drill. It went rather well, especially considering my kids go from friendly to super shy in the blink of an eye and without warning. They even got a cool coloring book and a "homework" page from Santa to take home.

The next morning Luke and Emma come running out of their rooms with way too much enthusiasm at 6 in the morning yelling "SANTA! SANTA!" They quickly changed their mood when they realized there were no presents under the tree. They thought that because they had gone to see him the night before, he was coming right then. Poor things. How do you explain to a 3 year old he has to wait for a few more weeks. 3 hours is a lifetime to him, much less 3 weeks. Needless to say we had a sad day of disappointment and crying.

The reason I even bring it up is that tonight we got to see HIM again. Of course their wish list consisted of 1 thing between the 3 of them. "We want a Wii game." Unfortunately they are no where to be found but on Ebay for $200 more than normal. So here is our predicament. Normally it would be a funding issue, but we actually have the money and planned to get them one. But Santa's workshop did not produce enough product to meet demand and we don't have one for under our tree.

The search is on and we have not given up. We got a tip the other day that several stores have them available on Sunday morning. GREAT. So if we wait 'til Monday they will be gone, but if we go on SUNDAY...you see my predicament. (And if you don't it is a non issue so don't worry about it.)

I shall keep you posted, but in the meantime, if you know where I can get a Wii, let me know asap! We only have 11 shopping days left to find one!

Captain Trouble

I just caught Luke playing with my knitting needles again--like drum sticks this time. The problem with that is he pulled them out of the project I was working on to get them. I think this is maybe the 15th or 20th time he has done this. Don't you think he would know better by now? And no they were not sitting out for him to find. They were put away in my room where they belong. He just likes to go FIND the trouble.

I think that is his super power. He loves capes and super hero's.

CAPTAIN TROUBLE.

Here to wreck havoc everywhere he goes. Making messes and destroying home decor. There is no wall clean enough, no room tidy enough for CAPTAIN TROUBLE.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I love this time of year. I have been trying to sort out what it is I love the most and here it is.

I love getting back in touch with old friends. I know I should probably never fall out of touch, but life happens. It brings back all the good memories of why they are important to me. Even those who I only hear from once a year, this is when it happens.

I love spending time outside in the cool, brisk air. Even though it is cold, I think I love to be in the snow more than any other weather. Don't get me wrong, I love me a hot beach any day, but I think the fond memories of the holidays are all wrapped up in snow for me. When I lived in that "tropical place" it was really hard to feel the spirit of Christmas whenI was in shorts and it was 80 degrees outside.

I love baking endless goodies for anyone and everyone. Cookies, candy, breads, you name it. It is the perfect excuse to turn on my oven and make the things my family say are "too fancy" throughout the rest of the year. Everyone is my neighbor when it comes to goodie season. Yum.

I love creating fun gifts for family and friends. We did a homemade christmas one year where everything had to be homemade. I LOVED it. Even though it is not realistic with 3 small kids, I try to at least create some of the gifts we give. Even if it is a knitted scarf, a plate of goodies, or special holiday card for Grandma.

I love how everyone you meet seems to have a smile on their face. Peoples attitudes change during the holidays. Some may be not for the better, but for most people you can feel the spirit of Christmas just by looking at them. It shows in the way they dress too. Winter is a time to bust out those fun sweaters and earings you would never ever wear anywhere else. I personally don't have any, but I know people who do.

I love surprises. Creating them the most, but I like mine when I get them too. The look on someones face when they open that perfect gift is better than anything else in the world. The year my mom gave my dad a trip to Hawaii was priceless. I could hardly contain my excitement. The best part, they were coming to visit me!

I could go on for hours. This truly is a magical time of year. I love it so much. It is hard to not get caught in the shopping aspect of it, but it is not why we celebrate Christmas. Santa is fun until you are 9 or 10, but family and friends last for a lifetime. Jesus Christ loves us more than anything. That is where the true Christmas spirit comes from. Our love for him shows in the way we treat others and especially how we honor his birth.