And More Christmas

This week has been fun. We spent Monday playing with toys. Tuesday, Dan and I took the kids down to Frank and Tina's to spend the day and the night. They had fun playing and eating goodies and making new friends. Dan and I loved having a day to ourselves. We started our day together with a trip to the temple. We loved participating in a sealing session and serving others! It was an unforgettable experience - our sealer was awesome! After - we finally managed to make it over to the Denver Art Museum to see the King Tut exhibit. It was an amazing experience. To imagine what it was like to live back then - and to wonder what their lives were really like. After we went out for dinner to a small pub near Dan's work - the food was excellent! Then we went home where we enjoyed our evening together and enjoyed even more a chance to sleep in the next morning. We then picked up the kids and went to go pick up Grandpa and Grandma Cox from the airport. We loved having them stay with us for a few days. We got to celebrate Christmas all over again - including a new camera for me!! Dolls for the girls (which they have spent the rest of the week dressing and undressing) New suits for Dan (they were buy one get one free so he got 2!) And noisy trucks for Aaron.

For Christmas Eve we went to Grandpa's house - we had a great time making hats - playing with balloons, eating yummy food, blowing noise makers and doing the traditional puzzle. :)
Saturday we took Grandma and Grandpa to the airport and today we enjoyed our first week of having church at 9am instead of 1 pm! YEY for not having church during nap time!!!! :)

Is it Christmas? YES!

As the clock turned midnight at our house on Christmas Eve, the tolling bell we heard was not one of a stately grandfather clock, or a near by church, no the only bell we heard was Dan's phone - with it's push notification letting us know that it was indeed Christmas!



Our week has been a fun one - lots of wrapping and last minute sewing and such. We got together with Newell and family for decorating Christmas cookies. All of us, but especially the kids, loved loading up our cookies with frosting and sprinkles and trying to make them look pretty and taste delicious. As you can see - we succeeded!! We also succeeded in making a mess and loading our kids up with sugar. :)
My Aunt and Uncle and cousins flew in on Tuesday and stopped by on the way back to Grandpa's from the Airport. It was fun to see them and to see how much they have grown. They are no longer the little kids they were when I last saw them. They are now much taller and much more mature. The kids had a blast playing with them and it was nice to catch up.

Dan had Friday off - so I did a bit of last minute Christmas shopping - then barely got home in time to take off for the family Christmas Eve party. We got together at Frank and Tina's for Bagna Caulda and other yummy food. Bagna Caulda is an Italian sauce - but in our family it's more - it's a holiday tradition with tons of memories attached to it. I still remember as a child trying it and loving it, I remember my dad trying to find creative ways to break 'the rules' and dip his bread in the sauce safely. I remember singing Christmas carols around the piano with my Uncle Doug playing - I remember when I was finally old enough and good enough to play a song during the caroling. Friday was the beginning of memories for my kids as they each took their first taste of Bagna Caulda - with varying amounts of enthusiasm. Eileen took a couple tries to really like it - while Anna couldn't get enough. Aaron and Evie both just liked gnawing on the soaked bread. Christmas Morning was fun. Dan and I were tired from being up wrapping presents (lol - since I hadn't wrapped hardly anything before) But their enthusiasm was infectious. The kids LOVED finding presents - seeing who they were for and delivering them to the person. They girls were so excited to give the gifts they bought with their own money, and were so happy when they person liked their gift. They were thoughtful - willing to share and didn't once complain! We also had fun talking with family - we even got to talk to Grandma and Grandpa Jones on Skype.

That evening we went to Stuart and Rebecca's for Dinner and gift exchanges. It was a huge mess and tons of fun!! The kids had a great time running amok with the kids and Dan and I had a great time enjoying the food and the company. :)

Dan and I gave talks today in Church - I even managed to talk for nearly 10 minutes - that's a record for me.... Then for the rest of church - I played piano for the primary - and loved every minute of it!! Now we are hoping the kids are sleeping well and recovering from lots of excitement and not enough sleep!!

We are so blessed this holiday season with love and friendship and family!!
Merry Christmas!!

It is Christmas???

So Dan found this app for his iPhone called "Is it Christmas" and you click on it and click on "Is it Christmas?" and then it tells you if it is Christmas or not... now many of you probably think that is the most ridiculous thing you have ever heard of... well that may or may not be the case, but if you know my hubby - you know that he LOVES Christmas. As soon as it is over - he starts counting down to the next one - so he LOVES this app - he even has is set to give him push reminders every day at noon. I'm just wondering how many times he is going to check it on Christmas day - just to see it say YES!

It's been a fun week - Dan had Monday off - we were going to go see the King Tut exhibit... but it's not open on Mondays.... :(

Eileen's last day of school was Thursday and she's looking forward to having some time home with us - she has been missing mommy recently.

Friday and Saturday I had concerts again. I was so excited to have my Aunt and Uncle and Cousin come on Friday night and my Grandpa come on Saturday. It seemed strange to have a concert with out my dad there watching and laughing/crying. After my Saturday concert - i went out for dessert with my Grandpa - I'm so glad to have this time with him - I really enjoy our time spent together - he has always been a special part of my life and I'm glad that I live near enough to him to have these times together. The concerts were just amazing and once again I am soo excited and grateful to have the opportunity to sing with this group and I'm looking forward to many more seasons. My Aunt, Uncle and Grandpa actually talked it up enough that Dan is considering going to one one of these days :) (please don't take that wrong - he supports me soo much by watching the kids and giving me this time to do something I enjoy this much - but classical music isn't really his thing... ) :)

Sunday was our Christmas program - which was beautiful - I LOVE Christmas Music!! And after church we went to Grandpa's for caroling, dinner and tree decorating. The kids had lots of fun...at least until they got cold, hungry and tired... :) It really was neat though - I've never really done much caroling - so I really enjoyed it. Plus my Grandpa and Uncle provide wonderful harmony!

We found out that Sandi is having a baby boy - so I'm getting very excited planning and creating!

Saturday - i took the girls out to use their spending money to get Christmas gifts. It was so sweet to watch them think about what their siblings might like and decide what they would get for them. Eileen really puts a lot of thought into her choices and both get soo excited about how much their siblings are going to like the gifts they got them.

Party!!!!!

Well - Dan got back on Friday and since then we have been running running running. That night I had my first concert with the Colorado Mormon Chorale. What an awesome experience!! It was just amazing! One of the soloists lost her voice just before the concerts - and I was asked to fill in. The solo was in the song "Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella" Which is one of my favorite Christmas songs. Both concerts were well attended and went well.

The kids were just excited to have daddy around. They miss him when he's gone and are always so glad to have him back (well, I am too, for that matter)

Tonight was Dan's company Christmas party. It was a lot of fun - nice people and good food. Dan was saying how nice it is to belong to a company that does nice things for it's employees - ya know - stuff other than complaining, chastising and treating them like 5 year olds.

Why I Clean....

Well...actually... I'm really not sure some times. Why do I spend all day Saturday cleaning when it's impossible to tell by the end of Sunday - for that matter it's often impossible to tell by the end of Saturday!! So obviously I don't clean so that I can have a nice looking home... since no amount of cleaning seems to be able to make that happen for more than 3 seconds. :)

• I clean because I want to teach my kids to clean up after themselves and care for themselves
• I clean because I can't stand the mess anymore and I have to do something - ANYTHING!
• I clean because I love my sweet husband and want him to think I'm a good housekeeper (LOL - I know I can't hide the truth forever - but he's sweet and turns a blind eye on my lapses so it may last awhile yet!)
  
• I clean because it's the cutest thing in the world to watch Evie copy me by picking up everything and throwing it in the garbage.
  
• I clean so I have room for more fun pursuits. It's hard to play on the floor with the kids when we can't find the floor!
• I clean so I don't feel guilty when i reward myself with whatever dessert happens to be upstairs. :) (not that that stops me from eating the desserts at other times - I just don't feel as bad about it) heehee

Why do my kids clean? lol - that's easier...

• They clean because i told them not to (LOL thanks Claire for the idea)
• They clean because I'm bribing them with treats later
• They clean because I'm threatening to take away their toys if they don't clean them
• They clean because they want to be like mommy and daddy
• and Finally - they clean so they can throw paper airplanes with Grandpa.

The kids had a blast - Eileen was actually pretty successful at getting the airplanes to fly - but she was impossible to get a picture of! Anna got fed up fast - but was pretty cute while she was trying
Aaron was the best - he would wind up like throwing a shot put and then let it fly - it would then careen off somewhere. Then he would get soo excited and say 'watch me momma' Evie just walked around picking the planes up and throwing them away. She did win Grandpa over by babbling 'pa pa pa pa pa pa' every time he walked into the room.

I'm Thankful!

What a week! Between Thanksgiving, Friends and Harry Potter, it feels like we've been going non-stop. Dan got to spend most of the week at home with us which has been wonderful!

I am SO thankful to be married to such an amazing man. Honestly - he puts up with so much and does so much for me - I am the LUCKIEST woman in the world!!!

I spent all day Wednesday cooking - but it was sooo worth it! Yummy Rolls, Yummy Pies and Yummy Dip.... what more could you ask for! Thursday was of course full of family and food. We went to my Aunt and Uncle's for Thanksgiving. The food was DELICIOUS and the company was of the best kind.
Friday we had friends over to eat and play games. We shooed the kids downstairs and put on Finding Nemo and had fun being adults and playing games.

Saturday, Dan's cousin, Newell and family came over for dessert and then stayed to baby sit the kids while Dan and I went to go see the new Harry Potter. I always have a good time being out with Dan, and I always enjoy the Harry Potter movies... obviously the combo was perfect!

I am SO blessed to have my family around me and my WONDERFUL kids! These kooky kids light up my life.

He's Home!!!!

We are all excited to have Dan back home! We survive with out him - and even manage to have fun - but life is just never quite as good as when he is home. I realized this week that no matter how much time and effort I put into trying to keep the house in perfect (well perfect for us) order - that it is just not possible with Dan gone - so instead of stressing about it this week - I did what I could and didn't stress about what I couldn't do. Plus we managed to get through a whole week with out anything major breaking or anyone getting seriously sick!

We managed to keep ourselves pretty busy. My aunt was very kind and watched the kids for me while I went to choir practice. Being able to go to Choir always provides some stress relief for me. The kids had a blast and came home nice and late and loaded with sugar! They loved it! Tuesday I had the opportunity to provide some meals for people in our ward and once again was reminded how the best way to forget your own minor trials is to help others. Thursday we went to the park with friends who then came over for lunch after. It was nice to have some adult conversation. I have really missed the friends I left in Texas, and really appreciate the opportunities I find here to slowly make new ones. Daddy came back on Saturday in time to help clean the house for Sunday. We also baby sat for his cousin's baby so the rest of the family could go see Harry Potter 7. They are planning on returning the favor. Their baby is less than 2 months old and sleeps most of the time still. I think they are getting the rough end of the deal! :)

Evelyn has mastered the stairs. She now goes up and down with ease. Dan took a video today and then had fun playing with it. :)


He also played with a few other videos he had taken recently and if I do say so myself they are hilarious!! You can see the others HERE my favs are the "putting on a shirt" and "brushing teeth"

Enjoy!!

Snow, Princesses and Giants... oh my!

Well we got our first snow of the season this week. The older kids loved it - Evelyn - not so much. Her first experience with it was walking in it while we went to pick up Eileen - so nearly half an hour in the snow was miserable for her - she was getting wet and cold and there was nothing I could do about it :( The kids spent as much time as they could outside playing in it. And while it looks like it's night time in these pictures - it was actually like 5pm and still pretty light out - but my camera make the pics very dark for some reason.... :P I tried turning off the flash, but it just made them blurry. So after snowing a couple inches on us (and that's rounding up) it didn't last long - however, now it feels like we have officially landed in Winter.

My cousin Frankie was in a production of Beauty and the Beast done by the Christian Youth Theater, so I decided to take the kids - hoping that it would be a fun and good experience for the kids - A good way to introduce them to theater with something I already know they like. They had a blast - Evie wasn't crazy about sitting on mommy's lap for over 2 hours, but she did amazingly well - she didn't get fussy until the last 20 minutes. Eileen, Anna and Aaron were enthralled - they hardly wiggled or squirmed the whole show - just a little clinging to mommy during scary parts. :) It was really pretty good for a group of 8-18 year olds. Some very nice performances by Belle, Gaston, and Mrs. Potts in the singing department and some good acting all around! As much as the kids liked the show, and as excited as they got seeing their cousin every time he was on stage ("mommy - their's Frankie!!!!!") the highlight of the day was getting to meet Belle after the show. The girl was very sweet and wonderfully patient with the swarms of little girls all wanting to talk to her and meet her and just be near her. She must have crouched down to talk to them all for over half an hour - LOL - I don't care how young you are - that gets uncomfortable!
And all of us with Frankie the fish monger after the show - yes this kid is just 10 years old - and he is about to pass me up.... Anna wouldn't get in the picture, and Dan is out of town, but hey- here's the rest of us!
Evie managed to do a face plant on the floor earlier today and ended up with a bleeding mouth and a seriously fat lip... my poor baby!!! Funny - sometimes her eyes look totally brown - but here they look green.... and ohh so sad :(

Eileen was asked to give the scripture in Primary next week - so when we got home she began a full fledged talk on her topic of service.... Her premier example of service? David and Goliath - David served Israel by killing Goliath. She was busy writing down what she wanted to say in her notebook. Such a sweet, smart and hard working little girl!! I was just brought to tears by the idea that she may have gotten the desire to write her talk and use scriptures and her notebook from watching me do my lessons.... What a humbling thought about the influence we can have in our kids lives for good when we try and magnify our callings.

On Thursday night (before Dan left) we had Parent/Teacher conferences with Eileen's teacher. Her teacher recommended some areas that we could work with Eileen and then praised her up and down. We asked her for a recommendation for Eileen for a Gifted and Talented school in the area, and she commented that Eileen should have no problem getting in.

Anna and I had a cute talk this evening while i was making dinner. They talked about service today in Primary and it really stuck with her. She was helping me by holding the garbage lid open while I peeled potatoes and she was so excited to be 'serving' mommy. She then proceeded to serve me by helping sweep the floor and set the table. I asked her what service was and she told me that it was doing something to help someone. So I asked her how we serve people, and she told me that she could serve by doing things for them and being nice. She is growing so fast.

Eileen recently got a package in the mail from Grandma and Grandpa Jones with this cute nightgown in it to go with the one they had gotten for Anna while they were visiting. Eileen was so excited at the cute nightgown made by Grandma Jones and Anna got hers out and got very excited that they could both wear them and so we took this picture to say

THANK YOU GRANDMA AND GRANDPA JONES!

Family Fun

The rest of our week has passed quickly - the kids have had a blast. Thursday we went to the playground with friends from church and the favorites being a funky slide and the see-saw for Aaron and Anna. For Evie though - it was these rocking pigs. She quickly figured out how to climb in to it and spent most of the morning climbing in and out and rocking herself. She LOVED it! The weather here has just been GORGEOUS! And out morning at the park was perfect (at least as long as Evie was contest to say with the pigs or swings - after an hour or so she started trying to wander off...)

Saturday was a bit busy. We went to a cousin's baptism in the morning. Dan being a witness and me singing. It was really beautifully done - and short sweet and to the point - which is of vital importance when you are fighting 4 kids... After we went to their house for lunch - where thankfully no one wet themselves or made too big a mess. Dan took Eileen to Costco in the afternoon and then in the evening we had some friends over for dinner and games. We played killer bunnies - which we haven't played in awhile since it's a bit involved to teach and no one else seems to know how to play.... But they did so we had a blast killing bunnies and stealing carrots.

Dan leaves for a trip to Chicago next Friday - I have to admit that after struggling with 4 kids all through Sacrament meeting today - I am not looking forward to next Sunday... maybe I can bribe them into reverence....

Sorry there aren't more pictures- but all the ones I took this week were of Eileen's birthday :)

Happy Birthday Eileen

Eileen had a great birthday - she got to have cupcakes at school, she got to go out for ice cream with Great Grandpa Francone and she had fun eating Mac and Cheese for her special birthday dinner and pink cake made especially by daddy and ice cream. She loved opening her presents and loved the cute clothes from Great Grandma Penny, the horses and cute shirt from Grandma and Grandpa Jones, the jewelery box and jewelery from Grandma and Grandpa Cox, the Barbie from Anna and of course, the make up box from Mommy and Daddy. Eileen had a little kid make up thing that she had bought for herself awhile ago - and after receiving this new, bigger one from mom and dad gave her old one to Anna. What a sweet sister! Anna had a lot of fun picking out the barbie for Eileen - she spent a lot of time looking and deliberating (well a lot of time for a 4 year old...)

I'm not quite sure where the last 6 years have gone.... I can't believe how grown up she is sometimes. She is smart, beautiful, kind and faithful. I am so blessed.

Some highlights of our evening!

Happy Halloween

Well - Halloween was kinda anti-climatic for us this year. Between half of us being sick and Halloween falling on a Sunday, and all the family we have had recently, we didn't do much for Halloween. On Friday we went to a ward Halloween party with lots of fun games, a bit of trunk-or-treating and yummy food, but 'we' only included me, Eileen and Anna - Aaron was rather naughty and didn't get to go - and Dan was nice enough to offer to keep Evie too. So the girls and I had some fun and then today for Halloween, I made Dan get out the costumes after church and get the kids dressed up so I could take pictures. LOL - kinda pathetic I know - but they are so CUTE! Eileen was a witch, Anna a ghost (she ran around the party yelling BOOO at everyone) Aaron a pirate (for like 20 minutes - but he LOVED the sword) and Evie was Tinkerbell. Can you believe this picture was only the second one I took! Good thing too since my battery was nearly dead.... :)
Now on to November and (as Eileen won't let us forget) Eileen's birthday. Eileen has been counting down days and excitedly anticipating presents. She has picked her birthday dinner (Mac and Cheese of course - and she even picked Broccoli for a veggie) and she talks non stop about her birthday. I can't believe my little girl is almost 6... where have the years gone!!!! Heehee - more on that in 2 days though - since 6 years ago today, I was just a massive blimp who was waiting not so patiently for a sweet little bundle of joy!

Fun Fun Fun!

Well Grandma Cox finished up her stay here, and we had lots of fun playing with her. She flew out Wednesday afternoon and on Thursday morning, Grandma and Grandpa Jones flew in. They have been their usual busy selves - cleaning and fixing everything they can find. The kids have been having a blast with them too. They spend as much time as they can hanging on Grandpa's legs and watching and helping Grandma. Dan left on his trip to Seattle on Monday and we were so glad to have him back today! The kids were just bouncing off the walls. The highlight of the week was the kids primary program. They had a practice for it on Saturday - so the kids had fun there - on the way home we were working on their speaking parts for the program. They each had two lines - Anna managed to memorize one of them - we worked on it in the car - but I couldn't find the other one to work on it.... Anna's lines was "I know I can have faith in Christ" - she told me she liked saying faith in Jesus better. I told her - well maybe then say Jesus Christ. Eileen said - so is Christ like his last name or something? I said...well kinda.... Eileen: "Soooo like... Heavenly Father Christ?" Me: ummmm..... not really. Eileen: "well who's in this Christ Family??" LOL - she's such a smartie!

So the actual program was today and our two little girls were the spot light stealers. Well - mostly Eileen. Anna said her line perfectly - all by her self....twice... Eileen said her lines very well - but on the first one she got a bit too close to the mic and woke up anyone sleeping in chapel and most surrounding buildings. She also sung every song at the TOP of her lungs (as in - I could hear her clearly over the entire primary) She was also bouncing around, hamming it up and pointing up anytime the word "Heaven" was sung. And any time she was unsure of the words in a song - she turned around to the primary leader behind her and looked at the program she was holding. She did the whole program with the biggest smile on her face! This sweet leader behind her tried to encourage her to be a bit more reverant , but she was a lost cause - she had both parents and her grandparents to perform to - she was radiant and I don't know that I've ever enjoyed a primary program more - I don't know which emotion was more prevalent - laughing or joy. :)

Le Sigh....

Well the contract on our house fell through.... :( So now we are back to waiting....

This has been an eventful week. Monday we got to go and see the newest Bessendorfer and she is adorable!!! She slept the whole time we were there and she is soo sweet! We got to see Aunt Linda and meet Joseph and had a wonderful dinner.... then my kids peed all over themselves and we had to go home.....

Thursday Paul and Candace and family got in town. We had tons of fun playing with them. Soo fun to watch the cousins play together. It's so nice to be a bit nearer to them - we've missed them!

My mom got in on Friday - which also happened to be her birthday - so we had some family over for a little birthday party. I made a cake which was WAY overcooked - so i threw it out and started over and made one that was MUCH more edible! :) Food was good and company was better!

Saturday and Sunday I was performing in firesides with the choir that I joined a week and a half ago. They went well - I don't think i messed up too much!! :) The Colorado Mormon Chorale is somewhat similar to Evening Song (which I sang in in Texas) but bigger. :) I'm looking forward to rehearsals full of Christmas music now and can't wait for the Christmas Season!! LOL - I think Dan took all the pictures this week on his phone - so when I can get him to send me some of them I will post them :)

Another One Bites the Dust

Another what? you ask? Another tooth. Eileen is now down 3 teeth. She has an adorable lopsided grin. This evening when she went to bed she cried like her heart was breaking - Dan had dropped the tooth and hadn't found it yet and Eileen was horrified at the idea that there would be no tooth in her tooth box when the tooth fairy came. She and Anna got to go to a friends birthday party yesterday and had tons of fun and tons of junk food. Anna was sick last night and this morning - thankfully it seems to have passed and Dan and I are just chalking it up to too much JUNK!

The weather here has been beautiful (at least until last night when it started drizzling and has kept going all day) so the kids and I spent most of the week walking around and enjoying the weather. There is a walking/bike/running path that runs right by our house and 3 out of 5 days this week, Anna and Aaron were begging to go on walks/bike rides along the path. It's a lovely walk and the kids love it. Anna and Aaron pedal their hearts out and we probably end up going at least a mile before we are done. It also makes nap time go more smoothly :)

Dan and I are very excited to have our house under contract and we are praying that all goes smoothly and that we will soon be able to put the money for those house payments and the utility bills into savings. We aren't making any money off the deal - but at least we won't have to keep paying for a house we aren't living in! Anna's big thing right now is wanting to do my hair - she loves to brush it and spray it with water and put clips in it. She tries to put hair bands in it, but she isn't able to make it work and she gets very frustrated with herself. As long as she sticks to brushing and clips we are both very happy (i love having my hair brushed!)

Evie has reached a new level in her mobility. She has started climbing everything she can find. She climbs Dan's and I's bed - she climbs onto rocking chairs (small ones) she climbs onto anything that she can manage and then sits there and looks at us proudly. She is such a character! She loves to make noises with her mouth and loves to put things on her head and loves to play patty-cake. She loves to snuggle and she loves her blankie. She is starting to want to follow her brothers and sisters around.

Well that's life around the Jones house - insane but fun! Next week the real insanity begins - starting next Thursday and going for about 2 and a half weeks - we will have house guests, and Dan will be gone for some of it on business trips, and Eileen has a week off school in there. Oh yeah and a holiday... Life will be fun but CRAZY!!! We can't wait to see family though!

Conference and Canning

I'm going for the whole alliteration idea.... anyway - we have had a great weekend! My dad came out on Wednesday - he had a business meeting in Colorado Springs, and spent a few days with us around the meeting. The kids had a blast with Grandpa (and I don't think we scared him too badly...) He watched the kids for us on Friday night so Dan and I could go to the temple and then for dinner. Going to the temple right before conference was just amazing and he and I were both very glad to have gone having come out feeling at peace with some big decisions we've had to make lately. This week we also got some Bartlett pears and have been canning them... YUMMY!!! We went to my aunt and uncle's house this morning and had a great time enjoying breakfast with them and playing. They also had some stuff they were getting rid of that we got to pick through - and the kids loved coming home with a couple new toys. Conference was amazing. LOL - I don't do New Years Resolutions really - I find that most of my resolutions are made around this time of year (or April) when I hear the words of the apostles and resolve on things I can do better. So my goals after this conference? Be more thankful - I think I'm pretty good at being thankful to my husband - but I really want to make an effort to tell my kids that I appreciate them more. Be more consistent with personal scripture study - Family and couple study is regular - but I need to make time for personal study more consistently.
(if you are wondering what happened to Aaron's face and arms - he colored all over himself with markers.... and didn't want his picture taken)