Snow Day!

This morning the kids woke up to this:At 3:30 AM we received a call from the transportation department announcing that school was cancelled due to the snow. We received a call from the High School at 5:00 AM, and a call from the Elementary School at 6:30 AM. We were well informed. I think we received about 2 inches of snow and the roads are clear. I just laughed. I can understand if the roads were covered because there are not any snow plows, but they are clear. The kids were excited and Doug gets to stay home too, so I'm not complaining. It is close to 10:00 AM and it's almost all melted! The kids bundled up and went outside to play anyways.




Happy Snow Day!

Desert Snow

Today was one of those rare exceptions to the desert weather. It snowed. The kids were all very excited and decided to build snowman.

Growing up in Utah I would have called this creation pathetic, but here in the desert it is a masterpiece. The girls had already changed into their jammies before I decided to take the picture, so you'll have to excuse their flip flops and bedtime attire. The kids are looking forward to building an awesome snowman in Utah next week.

Baby Shower

Last week, I gave a good friend of mine a baby shower. She is due at the beginning of January. I had a good time and was happy to be able to celebrate this upcoming addition to her family. She is having a boy. This will make 4 little boys running around her house (in addition to 2 step sons that live with their mom). She's destined to be the only girl in her family...just like my sister Marilee. As predicted, several people were unable to attend due to the busy season, but those that were able to attend enjoyed themselves. We played 3 games. Guess what's in the bag, Candy Bar memory game, and guess the lullaby song title. Here is a picture of Debbie playing a game:

(I offered to hand her the bags, but she insisted it would be easier if she were on the floor)

This next picture is a picture of Debbie's Mother-in-law and Sister-in-law playing games:

Here is a picture of some of the guests eating lots of yummy food. We had lots of finger foods. I offered Mexican 7 layer dip, deviled eggs, crackers & cheese, veggie tray, cookies, and homemade candy (divinity, toffee, peanut clusters, & peanut butter balls). The food was yummy and my family enjoyed the leftovers for a few days after the shower.

Debbie opening up some gifts:

I can't wait to see her new little one. (Probably not as anxious as she is though). I am also anxious to see my sister's new baby. She is delivering on Monday. This will make it her 5th. Doug's cousin is also having a baby soon. Everyone is excited for this delivery because of their long and difficult struggle to have a child. Babies, Babies, Babies!

Electrical Parade

Last week we were able to attend The Electrical Parade here in town. It's fairly new here and there were only about 25 floats, but the kids still had a good time. Five of Doug's students played Christmas songs on one of the floats, so we decided to check them out. They did a great job. The parade only lasted about 10 minutes. The kids had the most fun playing in the leaves at the Duck Pond.

Student of the Month

For the month of November, both Jordan and Lexi received Student of the Month. They were both extremely excited. Each teacher chooses one student per month to receive this award. The school holds an assembly where the principal reads an article written by their teacher on why they received this award. They receive a ribbon, certificate, and passes to Skate Zone.

This is both Jordan and Lexi's first time receiving this award. Kaylee has received this award every year so far, so luckily she wasn't sad about both her brother and sister getting it and not her. She is hoping to get it sometime this school year.

Mr. Wombaker (principal) awarding the certificate to Lexi

Mrs. Englund (Kindergarten Teacher) and Lexi.

Jordan with Mr. Wombaker.

Jordan with his 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Weir.


Way to go kids!

Snowball Fight!

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The Elephant Song

My Kids have been begging me to put this video/song by Eric Herman on the blog. It is a really cute song. Take a look:

Tis the Season

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday. My parents came for the holiday and we had a very pleasant visit. Thanksgiving dinner was definitely easier to make this year with my Mom making half of it. I was sad to see them go, but look forward to our visit in a few weeks. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures this holiday.

I am happy to announce that we are completely done with our Christmas shopping for our children. Not only are we done shopping for them, but we have all of the presents wrapped too! Woo hoo! We do have a few more presents to buy for a sibling drawing, but it feels good to be mostly done. Now that all of the commercial stuff is out of the way, I am looking forward to:

• Focusing on the true meaning of Christmas. I hope that everyone can take the time to read about Christ this month and truly remember what a great majestic being He is.
• Listening to Christmas music. I love Christmas Music. It always sets a wonderful tone wherever it is played.
• Looking at Christmas lights. I love driving around looking at the lights. We will be putting ours up soon.
• The smell of Christmas. I love the aroma of Christmas. The Cinnamon, berries, chocolate, mint....all of it.
• Family. About 6 years ago, I used to think that Christmas was just so hectic trying to visit all of the family and getting home late...not even having time for our own family. Wisdom with age and moving to a desert away from family has made me realize how much I actually loved those days and I miss them dearly. I'm so excited to spend Christmas with all of our family this year. I have come to truly love family and enjoy spending time with ALL of my family.
• Chocolate. I can't help it....I love chocolate!

I encourage all of you to take time to think about Christmas and what you enjoy before it passes us all by. Tis the Season!

Way to go Utah!

Well...they did it! The Utes won the Cougars 48 to 24. They remain undefeated so far this year 12-0. Hooray! Although I would have loved to have listened/watched the game...a girls day out took precedence. We went to Chili's for a yummy lunch, caught the Twilight Movie, and then a girlfriend and I did some Christmas shopping. What a great day! The movie was pretty good, but only because I have read the books. I fear that if I hadn't read the books, I don't think I would have liked the movie. Although...I anticipated that before I went to see the movie. The movies normally never hold up to the details painted by the author. Through the entire show I would think...that's not how that happened...or they skipped that scene. Overall, I enjoyed the movie and am planning on seeing the rest.

Utah Rocks!

This weekend is the big game between University of Utah and BYU. Since Doug attended the U of U and we lived in their Marriage Student Housing for a few years, we are big fans of the Utes. Don't get me wrong, we still like BYU...but when it comes down to a game between the two, we are rootin' for the Utes. This year the Utes have been amazing. They haven't lost a game yet. 11-0. Woo hoo! If I'm not mistaken, BYU is 10-1 so they're having a great year too. This Saturday the two rivals play each other and it should be an exciting game. If we have time, we might take a few U cupcakes around to the Y fans to spice up the excitement. If you are not from Utah....you probably don't understand the hype between the two teams. In fact, I think that there are a lot of Non-Utahn BYU fans out there who are fans of the Y just because of the LDS connection. But those who live in Utah know and feel the rivalry connection...it is in the air. I just have two words.....GO UTES!

P.S. Thanks to my sister-in-law Crystal for the inspiration to post this article.

Our Wedding Anniversary

Thirteen years ago today, Doug and I were married in the Salt Lake Temple. Four kids, three apartments, and two houses later, we are just as happy as the day we were married. We were pleasantly surprised by the gorgeous weather that day. Usually in Utah at this time of year, the leaves have mostly fallen off and there is snow on the ground. But in 1995, we woke up to blue skies, no snow, and those beautiful fall leaves were still hangin' on.

I love my husband because:

• He is always trying to improve. Not only in our relationship, but in EVERYTHING he is involved in. (Thus, there is never enough time in the day) He's always setting goals.
• He is very smart. I've always wanted to be smarter than him, but I know I never will be.
• He is very talented. This is pretty obvious to anyone who knows Doug.
• He is pretty good at playing boggle. Although he tries to make up a word here and there to get one by me. Good thing I'm pretty good at boggle too! This makes for great competition.
• He puts up with me wanting to change the furniture around every six months.
• I love that we have several common interests.....Yard work, reading, watching "our shows" (Smallville & Prison Break), Camping, Games, Puzzles, & Dining.
• He is a great father. The kids just adore him and there definitely is a certain glow around the house when Daddy is home. They can't wait for him to be home.
• His sense of humor. I don't think I could be married to a man without a sense of humor. I love to hear him laugh!
• Becuase he married me!

Here are some pictures of our special day

Happy Anniversary Doug! I love you!

Veterans Day!

Thank you to all those veterans who served for our country!

Deep Sleepers

A friend and I were talking about night terrors the other day and I decided to do a little digging. I learned that Night Terrors, Bed wetting, and Sleepwalking are all related. They all normally occur within the first 90 minutes of sleep. Your body will go through 4 stages of sleep and then go into REM sleep (where you dream and have nightmares). It is in stage 4 before REM sleep that a child will have a night terror, wet their bed, or sleepwalk. This is a very deep level of sleep.

A night terror can last between 5 and 20 minutes long. The child will normally not remember the night terror at all. Some experts say not to yell or shake the child awake, but you can try to comfort the child and wake them up with a soothing voice. Other experts say to move items out of the child's way so they will be safe and unharmed, but don't try to wake them at all. Just let them wake up on their own. I recently realized that Lexi is having an occasional night terror. She will wake up with a horrified look in her eye. When I try to talk to her she doesn't focus on me at all. She'll walk around the house and be softly crying. I didn't realize these were night terrors. I always talk to her in a soothing voice and usually steer her towards the bathroom. I always thought that she just needed to go to the bathroom. She always woke up while sitting on the toilet. They've never lasted for more than just a few minutes. I'll ask her about it in the morning and she laughs and never remembers it. She has done some pretty hilarious things during these night terrors. I know that my nephew Benjamin had night terrors and I think that my brother Ryan used to have them too, but never realized it. Night terrors are most common in children 2-6 years of age, but can still occur in adults. In fact, I'm pretty sure Doug use to have night terrors about 12 years ago. They say that stress can be a trigger. One time he tried to move the TV. Another time he flushed the toilet, pushed play on the answering machine, and came back to bed. Anyway...I have several of these stories...but I'll save them for another time. I'm pretty sure that he was having night terrors though .

Bed wetting also occurs during stage 4 sleep...deep sleep. Experts comment, "Have you ever noticed how your child is hard to wake up in the middle of the night or can sleep through anything?" This is a perfect example of Jordan. Jordan is 9 and is recently overcoming bed wetting. He is a very deep sleeper. We would have New Years Eve parties at our house with drums, party blowers, and pots banging at midnight...Jordan would sleep right through it. Bed wetting is very common. I've heard of SEVERAL different ways that people have tried to get their child to overcome bed wetting. Since Jordan is overcoming this problem on his own, I don't think I'll take any more action. Otherwise, I might have tried to wake him up during stage 4 sleep (within first 90 minutes) and made him go.

I've learned that this deep sleep where night terrors, bed wetting, and sleepwalking occur is often hereditary. You'll find that a relative also had/has this same problem.

I wanted to post this article to be informative, but also to see if you've ever had to deal with similar issues. I think these things are more common than we realize. So, please feel free to share.

More Visitors

We've been really lucky to have lots of family visit us this past month. Last weekend, Doug's Mom and Dad came to visit us. It was fun to have them here over the Holiday weekend. On Friday (Halloween), we carved pumpkins. I took a short video of how they turned out:

Jack-o-lanterns from Kristi Farr on Vimeo.

On Halloween night, we went trunk-or-treating at the church. Jordan was a Ninja, Kaylee was a Twisted Witch, Lexi was a Cheerleader, and Mason was Superman.

On Saturday, we headed to the Lied Children's Museum in Vegas. We have a seasonal pass there and the kids always have a great time.

Doug had a Marching Band competition and wasn't able to join in the fun. :(

On Sunday, we went to church where the kids practiced for their primary presentation. Their presentation is in 2 weeks. Grandma & Grandpa were able to see them practice, so that was fun.

Grandpa recently had his 65th birthday and we celebrated by having Oreo Pie after dinner...YUMMY!

We had a great time with them and it was sad to see them go. Thanks Grandma & Grandpa for a great visit!

Spirit Week

This week was Spirit Week at the Elementary School. On Monday, they were able to wear their pajamas to school. They were so excited: On Tuesday, the kids learned all about staying away from Drugs. The theme was: "Don't Monkey around with Drugs" . All of the kids had to wear a shirt with a monkey on it:On Wednesday, they had to wear red. This day was a half day of school and it was Parent Teacher Conferences. I didn't get a picture. I was able to go to PTC however, and all 3 kids are getting straight A's! Woo Hoo! They are also doing great in Behavior.

Today (Thursday) was the Halloween Parties and Costume Parade. The kids all had a great time getting in their costumes, playing games, and eating! I took a picture of each of them as they walked around in the parade:

We don't have any school tomorrow due to Nevada Day. Hooray!

Mmmm.....Frosting!

This past weekend the kids and I made Halloween Sugar cookies. They each got to choose a frosting color and put different kinds of sprinkles on their cookies. They had a great time. Mason didn't get to frost any cookies, but he did get to frost something else...

Himself!

Unfortunately I had cleaned up everything before thinking to take pictures of the kids actually decorating the cookies. They all had a good time. Kaylee said the best part was eating them.

Tagged

I've been tagged by my sister-in-law Heather to play the following game:

Here are the rules: I have to answer the following questions with one word answers and one word only! Then I must pass it on to seven others. Here are the questions:

1. Where is your cell phone? pocket
2. Where is your significant other? work
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? stressed
5. Your father? pain
6. Your favorite thing? scrapbooking
7. Your dream last night? dunno
8. Your dream/goal? skinny
9. The room you're in? bedroom
10. Your hobby? scrapbooking
11. Your fear? debt
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? anywhere
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. What you're not? sad
15. One of your wish-list items? grass
16. Where you grew up? Riverton
17. The last thing you did? Chauffeur
18. What are you wearing? clothes
19. Your TV? off
20. Your pet? hamster
21. Your computer? busy
22. Your mood? relaxed
23. Missing someone? always
24. Your car? Honda
25. Something you're not wearing? Shoes
26. Favorite store? Sees
27. Your summer? Extreme
28. Love someone? Lots
29. Your favorite color? Blue
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Forgot

The seven others will be

Marilee
Mom
Katie
Kathryn
Kym
Andi
Cheryl

You can still take the challenge even if you didn't get tagged. I have actually done this game before, but it was in an e-mail.

Mom & Dad

My Mom & Dad came to visit us for a whole week. They left this morning and I already miss them. I don't think I was the best hostess this visit. They visit us at least once a year and I have run out of things to show them. I'll have to start making a list of fun things to do for the next time we have visitors.

Highlights from our visit:

1. Since Monday was a holiday the kids did not have school. We ended up driving to Las Vegas and going to a fun park that my friend told me about. It is a really cool park. I took some pics...
   
2. We watched "The Ultimate Gift". This DVD has been out for a long time, but this was the first time that we have seen it. It is really cute. I highly recommend this DVD if you haven't seen it before.
3. Playing Games. My family is into games big time. I remember each Christmas we would get 3 or 4 games. We would open them up Christmas morning and play all day while we ate our Christmas candy. So every day while my parents were here, we stayed up past 11:00 PM playing "Hand and Foot". For those of you who don't know, this is a really fun card game.
4. Cookies, Ice Cream, Brownies, and so on. My Mom loves to bake cookies. She has never visited my house without buying chocolate chips and baking cookies. She bakes cookies when she is nervous, bored, happy, scared, anxious, excited, and so on. I love her baking, but this week she was a nervous wreck over my sister moving to MN and so she baked all week long. She baked 2 different kinds of cookies, a sheet of brownies, and made root beer floats twice. Now those who are an avid blog follower of mine know that I am trying to lose weight. I only exercised twice this week on top of eating too much junk. I had lost 11 pounds in the past month and I'm hoping to have not gained any of that weight back. I'm scared to even check. Upon parting, we both vowed to lose 5 pounds in the near future.
5. The kids played the "Pillow Game" with Grandpa. When I was a kid my Dad would pretend I was his pillow and I would laugh. He would say, "Pillows don't laugh...Pillows don't move...pillows can't talk, etc". Well he has continued this tradition with my kids and they think it is hilarious. It gets them all riled up and Grandpa is the best. My girls told me they were getting all "fluffed up" for when Grandpa gets here. The down side....apparently Jordan jumped off of the couch onto Grandpa and he was in pain all week long. So...I need to monitor this game if they play it in the future. Sorry Grandpa!
6. Hair Cuts! My Mom has a talent for cutting hair. I wonder sometimes if she regrets having this talent because with 8 kids, their spouses, and 30 grandchildren this turns out to be a part-time job. Four of us got hair cuts this week. :)
7. Visiting. Although we didn't do much of anything it was fun to just spend time with my Mom and Dad!

Thanks Mom and Dad for coming to visit us. (And a special thanks to my Mom for doing all of my laundry for me this week...woo hoo!)

Short but Sweet

Last weekend we had Doug's Brother Darren, his wife Crystal, and their adorable 1 year old, Judson, visit. It was fun to see them. Judson and Mason are only 5 months apart and they had a great time. I was afraid that Mason would bully him, but he didn't....hooray. (Mason has been known to push kids in Nursery before). They arrived on Friday, we visited for a while and then went to the High School Homecoming football game. Unfortunately, our team lost, but we did get to see the Marching Band perform their show. So that was fun. Sorry...these pictures aren't the best. The only down side was that it was COLD. There was a cold front that came in for a few days and the wind was pretty cold. We left after the half time show. That was about all Mason could handle.

The next day the kids played and later that night the adults were able to play games. We pulled out a game that I haven't played for ages...."Inklings". This is a really fun game and I enjoyed spending time with Darren & Crystal. Although, I learned that I don't know comic book characters or much about the wars in this country. Sad, but true.

We were sad that it was such a short trip, but we were very happy that we were able to see them. Thanks for coming to see us!

Family Night with the Band

The Marching Band held its annual "Family Night with the Band" this past week. Each year they perform their Marching Band show for friends and families in the community. You don't have to go to a High School Football game to see the band. The performance was short and sweet and it gave the choir an opportunity for a fundraiser. They sold Hot Dogs, Chips, and a drink for $2. My kids love it and I couldn't pass up dinner & entertainment for my entire family for less than $10.

Another favorite...the kids sat on the highest seat in the bleachers. I am thankful for the new bleachers at the High School...they don't have big gaping holes that kids can fall through...yeah!