Colors

Mason was playing with a toy that had several different colors.

Mason: Dad, what color is this?
Dad: Red
Mason: Great Job

Mason: Dad, what color is this?
Dad: Blue
Mason: Great Job

(This continues through all of the colors)

Mason: You're doing a great job on your colors Dad!

(Mason has known his colors for a long time now, and apparently Dad is doing a great job learning his colors too!)

Seussical The Muscial

At Doug's High School, the students put on the musical, "Seussical The Musical". Doug was able to get free tickets for the whole family. We all loved it! I love going to plays and musicals and haven't been to one for a long time. Doug, unfortunately, missed the second act because Mason was too noisy. I was hoping that since it was Dr. Seuss, that he would just watch the entire performance. He talked a lot and was distracting to others around us so Doug took him out. I told Doug that maybe he could go back tonight or tomorrow night on his own to catch the 2nd half. The rest of us thoroughly enjoyed it.

If you haven't seen this musical, I highly recommend it.

Squating

The girls made up Squating. It is a combination of skating and scootering. It looks very dangerous, but the girls think it is really fun.

Squating from Kristi Farr on Vimeo.

Lexi's 7th Birthday

Today Lexi turned 7. We give our children the choice to either have a kid party or a fun event with the family. Lexi chose the family event (which I was thrilled with her decision). Doug and the kids have the day off school due to end of quarter...hooray. Her day started out with decorations, balloons and cheese omelets. We then decorated her cake. Lexi knew exactly how she wanted her cake this year (and it was super easy compared to last year). She wanted a marble heart cake with chocolate frosting. I always enjoy making the cakes for my kids even though I am definitely still an amateur. Lexi and Kaylee had a fun time decorating their own cake out of the cake scraps I cut off to make the heart. Their masterpiece:

She opened her presents a few hours later and said "this is the best birthday ever". She received money and gifts from her parents, Kaylee, her cousin, and both grandparents. She is definitely spoiled.
After lunch we headed out to the Funplex (Rec center here in Greeley) for some water fun. This was definitely cheaper than a kid party (only $15.50 for the entire family). This is the kid zone:

This is the Lazy River (the bucket fills up and dumps on the kids): And the part that the kids liked the best...the slides:

Funplex from Kristi Farr on Vimeo.

Untitled from Kristi Farr on Vimeo.

We came home and had ice cream and cake:If you look closely in the last picture, you'll notice that Lexi is missing her front tooth. It has been really loose this week and today she let me pull it. One of her gifts was a tooth fairy pillow, so she is very excited to use it tonight. She also remembers that when her sister lost her tooth on her birthday, the tooth fairy left extra money.

We are going to have chicken squares for dinner (Lexi's choice) and a movie night. It's been a day long celebration. Happy Birthday Lexi!

Caught Red Handed

Mason is at a stage where he knows when he is doing something that I don't approve of, but not smart enough to know how to get away with it. Sometimes he'll hide under the table doing mischevious things, sometimes he tells me not to come into the room he is in, and sometimes he will cover his face...possibly thinking I can't see him?! Here is a picture of Mason pulling a chair up to the counter, opening the spice cabinet, and getting into the salt. He loves salt and pepper. When I caught him, he immediately covered his face hoping I couldn't see him. I guess it could've been worse...he could've gone for the block of knives sitting next to the stove.

Blue & Gold Banquet

Last week was the Cub Scout Blue & Gold Banquet. Doug and I are the Cubmasters in our ward and had a fun time preparing for this event. Unfortunately, our family was hit with the stomach flu and only Doug and Kaylee ended up attending. I went over earlier in the day to help set up and decorate along with my fabulous committee.

As you can see, Kaylee stood up there and helped Doug run the program. One of the traditions that they have in this ward is that all of the fathers and sons have to bake a cake and bring it to be judged. Later the cakes are consumed for dessert. Jordan and Doug still made a cake to be judged, even though we knew that it couldn't be consumed due to flu germs.

Two of our ward members judged each cake and handed out awards. Jordan and Doug received an award for "The best looking inedible cake". There were some really awesome and creative cakes that these kids brought. Since cub scouting has been around for 100 years this February, the theme was a Happy Birthday theme.

I was sad to have planned the event and not been able to see the results. Jordan also seemed sad to have missed his last Blue and Gold Banquet before he turns 11. I have really learned to love the cub scouting program over the past few years.

Blue Hair

Last week when the boys had their haircut, the stylist put blue gel in Jordan's hair. He thought it was totally awesome.

It was just temporary and washed out when he showered the next morning. I wanted to get a front view, but my camera battery died as I took this picture.

Valentines

For those who follow my blog, you may remember that my diamond fell out of my wedding ring in January. For Valentines Day, Doug surprised me with having it fixed...hooray:

They also cleaned it. Now it is so pretty and shiny again...just like the day he proposed. We also had a "family" candlelight dinner.

This kids had homemade pizza, while Doug and I ate Steak. Yummmmm..... The candlelight part was Lexi's idea and somewhat last minute. But we lit some candles, turned off the lights, and played soft restaurant music. Everybody was happy.

I hope all of you had a great Valentines Day too!

Big Band Boogie Ball

There is a 21 year tradition here in Greeley to hold the "Big Band Boogie Ball". It is at held at UNC (University of Northern Colorado). Doug helped to organize and participate in this fabulous event. Several volunteers and the boosters club helped set up and decorate the Ballroom. The boosters club collected donated gift baskets to auction off as part of a fundraiser:

Since this is such a big tradition here they always get a fabulous turnout. They had more than 500 people come to dance it up on the dance floor. They had several different Jazz bands perform. This included 3 of Doug's Jazz Bands, "Kream of the Krop" (a local Jazz Band), and 3 of the middle schools had their Jazz band perform. They also had a professional sound DJ. What a wonderful event to hold near Valentines Day. Here is one of Doug's Jazz Bands that performed....Jazz 1:

Jazz 1 at the Big Band Boogie Ball from Kristi Farr on Vimeo.

I am looking forward to attending this event with Doug in the future. I didn't attend this year because of me being so pregnant, not having a dress, and not getting a babysitter. Maybe in a few years....

Talent Show

Kaylee tried out for the school talent show with her friend Eden. There were 60 acts that tried out and only 30 were chosen to perform. They made it in! Last Friday they performed the show in front of the entire school. Kaylee didn't have a big part, but she did great. Her friend Eden sang the song "Popular" from the musical "Wicked". Kaylee played the Wicked Witch of the West and had a few speaking lines. This is a picture of Kaylee and Eden before the show began: The show lasted nearly 2 hours and there were some very talented kids. I enjoyed watching all the kids perform. I cried on about 4 different acts. (Kids I didn't even know). This is my pregnancy hormones. I am normally not a crier. Mason slept through most of the show, but unfortunately woke up right before Kaylee's act. This is unfortunate because I was planning on getting that perfect recording. Instead I got Mason pulling on the camera and trying to put the lens cap on. So...the above picture is all you get. I loved watching you Kaylee!

Little Conversations

I find it so hilarious to have conversations with my 2 year old. There is a point when you wonder what your baby is thinking and as they get older, it is fun when they can express themselves. This is a conversation I recently had with Mason:

Me: Mason, Do you want to go with me to the Doctors? Mommy has an appointment today.
Mason: Are they going to fix you?
Me: They are going to take some of my blood to make sure the baby is okay.
Mason: From your hair?
Me: No....they will take the blood from my arm.
Mason: Oh, yeah...right.

On the way to the Doctors office...

Mason (as we are pulling out of the driveway): Where is the doctors?
Me: It's about 10 minutes away.
Mason: Is that his house?
Me: No
Mason: Is that his house?
Me: No, that's not his office.
Mason: Is that his office?
Me: (We are barely pulling out of the neighborhood now) No.
Mason: Is it back behind us?
Me: No (growing a little impatient now)
Mason: Is it up ahead of us?
Me: Yes...we'll be there in just a bit.

At the Doctors office...

Mason: (Standing at the check in desk) Are we done yet?
Me: No, we just got here. It will be a little while.
Mason: (As a man walks by) Mom, who's that guy?
Me: Just a guy.
Mason: (As a woman walks by) Mom, who's that guy?
Me: That's just a woman
Mason: (As a woman with a cane walks by) Mom, what's that?
Me: That's a walking stick called a cane.

Okay....so the questions are endless, and sometimes it does get a little tiring answering all of his little questions. But since he's 2 and so inquisitive I know he is just learning so much and trying to take everything in. Such a fun stage.

Swetsville Zoo

Today we visited Swetsville Zoo in Fort Collins. It's about 30 minutes from our house. Swetsville Zoo is not a real zoo, it is animals and other amazing items made out of metal. It was free and the kids loved getting out and doing something fun.

Lexi, Mason, Jordan, & Lexi

A pure miracle!

I FOUND IT. If you read my previous post, you'll know that my diamond fell out of my wedding ring. I decided to go through the vacuum bag and found it. It was a long and tedious job, especially since I didn't even know if it was in there. I searched for an hour before I found it. Ahhhhh.....the power of prayer and faith!

SO SAD!

I'm really sad and upset because my diamond fell out of my wedding ring today. I guess this is what happens when you don't take it in for maintenance after 14 years of marriage. I don't know when it fell out today, but I've cleaned my bathrooms, gone to the library, gone grocery shopping, among several other daily SAHM stuff. It could be ANYWHERE and I am very skeptical that it will be found.

Looking on the brighter side....this will give Doug an opportunity to get me a new ring (after, of course, we dig up some money). I think I might go white gold next time around.

What a sad day.

Enjoyment

Every year my goals are the same:

• Lose weight
• Get out of debt
• be more organized
• read the scriptures more
• be more consistent with family prayer
• write in my journal
• become more intelligent
• be a better wife, mommy, daughter and sister
• Read more
• go on more dates
• go to the temple more
• blah blah blah

Every year I strive to become a better person, but my goals are endless. They always will be. So this year I will still focus on my endless list of goals to make me an amazing person :), but I am mainly just going to concentrate on enjoying life. Enjoy my family, enjoy my friends, enjoy laughing, enjoy not having to work yet, enjoy learning and growing spiritually & intellectually. I'm just gonna take it all in. What are your goals this year?

Happy New Year

We went to my sister Marilee's house for a New Years Eve party. We played games and made homemade pizza. My family was a little wild and crazy (and LOUD), but we still had a ton of fun. Here's some snapshots I took: Benjamin, Daniel, and Marilee Charles cookin' the pizza
Steven riling up the kids (Kaylee, Lexi, and Mason) And yes, Mason is spitting...we're working on that.
Nathaniel and Jordan playing the Wii.

Marilee, Doug, and Daniel

Happy New Year!

Christmas Morning

Organized chaos? HA!

The loot

Christmas Eve

For Christmas Eve this year we had a delicious Ham Dinner followed by some fun events. We acted out the nativity story, watched Claymation Christmas, played some games, had dessert, and opened 1 present. The kids set out cookies and milk for Santa, of course. We enjoyed a nice evening at home.

The girls received a new pair of pajamas, Jordan received PJ Bottoms (the shirt is old), and Mason received new slippers (which he LOVES).

December Updates

I haven't taken the time to blog the past few weeks, so I thought I would give you all an update.

1. If you haven't heard yet...we're having a boy! We can't wait. We're trying to pick out a name and hopefully we will have one chosen by April.

2. We had a good time at our Ward Christmas party. We ate food, saw Santa, sang karaoke (well Kaylee and Lexi did anyways), and went room to room while being told the story of Christ's birth. Mason was a little tired and ornery that night, but we still had a good time.

Mason isn't in the picture because he was terrified of Santa and refused to go near him. The ironic thing is that he talked about seeing Santa all day long and even told us he was going to ask him for a little computer for Christmas.

3. Recently, Mason has decided that he is done with naps. Some days he'll take them and some days he doesn't even seem remotely tired. Some days he'll just crash wherever he is, especially after an emotional 2 year old tantrum. Here are a couple of places I have found him: He fell asleep to the lull of the vacuum.

This second one is at the second to top stair. He threw a tantrum because we didn't go into the library to exchange his books (I used the drop box outside of the building). He was really tired that day. Obviously, for safety reasons, I had to move him.

4. Our ward family surprised us the other night with a gift on our doorstep. It was a gingerbread house kit. The younger three kids had a great time putting it together (Jordan was too busy doing something on the computer).

The kit only included the house itself. Luckily, I rummaged through the pantry and found frosting, pretzels, marshmallows, and chocolate chips to add. Mmmmmm... Thanks Peak View Ward!

5. Unfortunately, all 4 kids have been sick. It wouldn't be a Farr Family Christmas without someone sick. I think Jordan and Mason are the only ones who will have lingering symptoms for Christmas. Doug and I are crossing our fingers that we don't get sick ourselves.

6. It snowed and snowed today. We are all excited to have a white Christmas. :) I don't know if I'm just being lazy or if it's because I'm pregnant (we'll opt for that), but I didn't get Christmas Cards out this year. Happy Holidays to all and I have enjoyed reading the cards that we have received. If you want to know what we've been up to this year....just read our blog. :) Merry Christmas!

Child's joy

Last night we put up Christmas decorations and the kids were soooo excited. When I turned on the lights to the Christmas tree, Mason said, "Oh my gosh, beautiful". I've never heard him use the word beautiful before, so it was hilarious. This morning, this is how I found Mason....It is going to be such a fun Christmas this year!

Fun give-a-ways

My cousin Heather is completely awesome. She just published her first book and is an extremely motivating and inspiring person. This week she is giving a ton of fun things away. Check out this blog article to find out how to enter to win some really cool stuff.

Parade of Lights

Last night Greeley Central High School Marching Band marched in the parade of lights in downtown Greeley. We all bundled up and went to see this fun event. I have to say that parades in the dark with lots of lights to oooh and ahhh at are so much more fun than the traditional parade. I tried to get a picture of the band as they passed by, but we were really close to them and I forgot to switch my camera to motion mode. I did get a really cool picture though:

I promise....this is the band. Next weekend the band gets to go to Denver and march in the Parade of Lights there. This was a great practice run for this even bigger event. The kids had a great time listening to Christmas Music, seeing Santa and his reindeer, and even getting a little bit of candy.

Help

So after several weeks of scrutiny, I have decided to print the following pictures to hang on my wall.... What I can't decide is which of the following to print along with it:


So I am asking for your vote. Which one do you like best? The one in the tree, in front of the tree, or bird eye shot?

3rd Grade Thanksgiving Program

The third graders had a Thanksgiving Program that was so much fun to see. Mr. Beckman (the music teacher) did a wonderful job of putting this together. Kaylee did an excellent job at knowing all of the songs and her part in the program. I won't put all of the songs on, but I did choose a few that I thought were very entertaining.

Turkey Tango-Kaylee from Kristi Farr on Vimeo.

Bert the Turkey from Kristi Farr on Vimeo.

14 Years

Today Doug and I have been Married for 14 years. Happy Anniversary Doug. I love you!