In Which Mommy's Computer is STILL NOT FIXED

Yep - again... last night I came home and sat down at my computer and the monitor wouldn't turn on - the computer still sounded like it was running, but nothing would show up on the screen - and the computer wouldn't turn off to restart... So it's looking like twice now we have sent my computer in to be fixed and twice now they have fixed the result of the problem, but not the cause of it.   Sigh..... So I will try and add pictures later, but for now I'm typing this on my tablet....

Dan got back into town on Monday morning, we picked him up from the airport then since the kids had the day off school for MLK Jr. Day we all went to the Museum of Nature and Science. We all had a great time - The kids always want to see more than we have time for when we go there - so it's nice to be able to say - we have a season pass - we'll come back soon (THANK YOU GRANDMA AND GRANDPA JONES!!!!!). I got some fun pictures, but I will have to add them later...

James' birthday was this week - it was on Thursday, but we celebrated on Friday.  Dwayne and Nicole and family came over and we had dinner and cupcakes.  James had a blast opening presents and reading his new books, but he had a bit of a fever and was kinda tired.  Friday night I went out to pick up a wedding present and when I came home (when he should have been asleep) he was up screaming - so I picked him and and snuggled him for a bit and he just lay on my shoulder and at one point he started rubbing his ear, so Saturday morning we took him in to the doctor and sure enough he had a double ear infection.  So he is now on antibiotics - still running a bit of a fever and really tired and out of it - but he slept a lot better last night, so hopefully the pain is going away.  He and daddy stayed home from church so mommy could do singing time and choir - but when we got him up for dinner and medicine, he was acting a lot more normal.  Poor James got to spend his birthday weekend sick though :(

Saturday we were invited to a wedding, we didn't want to leave a sick baby with a babysitter though, so I took Anna as my date and we went.  The wedding was lovely and we had a great time chatting with friends.  I think Anna also had a blast being out with just Mommy :).  Mommy kept her out too late though cuz she was tired and cranky today :)

Otherwise our week was pretty normal - school, preschool, laundry, errands, piano lessons, library, work, etc.  Poor Dan has been worked to near exhaustion (especially with a crank baby waking us up at night) thankfully he won't be traveling again for a month. 

Mommy Becomes A Zombie Part 2

Dan stayed home on Monday, though he had to spend most of it working anyway - but it gave me a chance to get the grocery shopping done.  Monday night for FHE, we went to the Nickel-a-Play - a fun little place near by.  The kids had a blast (except James who couldn't care less about the games - he only wanted candy....)  The kids had a ton of fun playing games and winning tickets - then they had a blast picking out their prizes at the end.  We found that a nickelcade is a great place to take cute little kids, because everyone wants to give them tickets and candy and coins.... the hard part was cutting it off when we were trying to get them home and to bed.  :)

One of the best parts about it was that a lot of the arcade games there were free - games that gave tickets and some "big" games still cost coins, but there were a lot of games the kids could play even after they had used their allotment of coins.

Mommy's favorite is Skee Ball - Eileen proved to be quite good at it - winning herself a good sized chunk of tickets.  Evie had a lot of fun trying it out, but had a hard time getting to go past the metal cover since she was close to throwing it than rolling it.

Oddly enough, this little merry-go-round was a huge hit with the kids....

Our week since has mostly included the usual insanity and lack of sleep.  Dwayne and Nicole came and watched the kids so I could go to choir.  

Evie has preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays and she just LOVES it - and she loves being able to talk about 'when i was at school' when her older siblings are talking about their days at school too.  

Saturday morning we went to a baptism - it was wonderful!  James was rather beastly during the whole thing though, so we went home after and I put him down for a nap and he slept all afternoon.  The weather outside has been GORGEOUS the last couple days and so we spent Saturday afternoon outside enjoying the weather. 

Aaron lost his first tooth on Saturday - the only problem is that he lost his lost tooth - he didn't even remember losing it - he just realized that it was gone.  

When we got home from church, the same wonderful weather prevailed, so we spent the time between church and dinner outside enjoying it!  We played tag and James made a muddy mess of himself going down the slide.  

Now we are all eagerly awaiting Dan's homecoming tomorrow - though he may need 2 days sleep to recover from his week...

Mommy Becomes A Zombie - Part 1

Dan was out of town through late Friday this week - and weeks are always much more exhausting when he's out of town.  It always feels like I can't seem to get anywhere near enough sleep.

Monday, my friend Heather came over to hang out in the afternoon and to get my help with doing the primary bulletin board.  After getting stuff together and heading over, we decided we needed a few more things - but it was too late that night.  So she came over again on Tuesday and we got more stuff together.  LOL - I spent 8 months as Primary President meaning to get that done - and we finally manage to get it done 2 weeks after I have been released.  :)

Wednesday was the normal insanity - we went to the library in the morning - it was really good to see Nicole and the kids again - we haven't seen them much since the holidays started.  It was also nice to get back to normal routines.  Dwayne came and watched the kids on Wednesday night so I could go to Choir.

Thursday was Preschool for Evie and Piano lessons in the evening - by this point in the week, I was worried about making the drive across town and falling asleep at the wheel - but a good audio book kept me awake and us safe.   Then we quickly grabbed some dinner and I bundled the kids up to go to the Relief Society Activity.

Dan finally got home on Friday, but it was pretty late at night - after the kids were in bed.  Friday was also Aaron's birthday - I can't believe he is 6 already!!  He is getting so big and so smart!

Saturday morning we spent the day cleaning house (and car) and getting ready for Aaron's birthday party.  I've been feeling kinda guilty about never really doing much for his birthdays - they are close enough to the holidays, that I'm usually to tired to contemplate doing anything but a little family party with cake and ice cream.  So this year we let him invite some friends over for a birthday party.  Dan blew up balloons and made swords and we made pizza and had spider web cupcakes

If you notice Eileen isn't in any of the pictures, it's because she went to hide out someplace quiet while the party was in full ear-splitting swing!  LOL - she's already starting to act like the big sister :P

Happy New Year!!

We have had a mostly quiet week - Dan worked every day but New Year's Day, trying to get a big project done before he left on his trip Sunday. Dan and I spent a quiet New Year's Eve watching a movie, doing a puzzle and drinking some sparkling cider.  After the bustle of the holidays, it always feels nice to do a quiet New Year's Eve at home. 

Friday, we met up with Heather and Chasity and Jonah and her boys at the museum of Nature and Science.  We got a family membership with the money Grandma and Grandpa Jones sent for Christmas and had a fun time checking out some of the exhibits. 

One of the kids favorite was in the Health area - lots of fun interactive exhibits about our bodies and how they work and how to take care of them.  It also had a great little kid area to keep James contained which was a lifesaver since it was insanely busy!!

Their other favorite part was climbing on the statues outside....

 

Weather turned cold and snowy yesterday - we've been shoveling snow and bundling up to keep warm and staying inside when we can - which means the kids are all going a bit stir crazy and are looking forward to starting school again!

Newell and Becky and family stopped by to have dinner with us - then Becky took the guys to the airport.  It was a lot of fun and a great dinner - but as usual, Dan and I overcooked.... lol - lots of leftovers!  Dan's going to be in Vegas until Friday - back just in time for Aaron's birthday. 

Christmas!!!

Monday was mostly a day of preparations - however in the morning we took time for a fun little nearby museum.  There is a nearby museum called "Wings over the Rockies" that was right up his alley - so the kids and I, my cousin Julia and my dad all bundled up and headed over for a morning of fun and exploration - they have a fun area of math games that the kids just loved.  It was a fun morning - we went home and put James down for a nap, then Julia and I spent the afternoon singing at the piano.  :) 

 

In the evening, we went to Aunt Joan's house for Bagna Caulda night - a fun family tradition, followed by more singing!  We finally got the kids home and to bed with their new slippers and started getting set up for Christmas - pies made, presents set out and finally, bed time for the adults! 

Bright and early the next morning, the kids were up and ready to get going.  They had a blast digging through stockings and unwrapping stuff - they all seemed to be happy and loved what they got, so i guess we did ok :)  My big presents for the year were a serger from Dan and a Game boy 3DS from my parents.  I got Dan a bike rack and bag for his bike so that he can ride his bike to work once it warms up :)  (don't look at me like that - it was his idea)

We tried to skype with Great Grandma Penny and Aunt Pam, but had connection issues - but the kids now have a whole new wardrobe of very cute clothes :)

The rest of the week has mostly been recovering.  My parents headed home on Friday and decorations came down Saturday - now we are (not really very) quietly enjoying our vacation together - well the kids and I are - Dan has had to work to get a project done, so he's been at work every day except Christmas Eve and Christmas.... 

Last night I got to go hang out with a friend from Texas who was in the area - we had a really fun quiet night playing games and chatting!  I left to over an inch of snow on the ground - and today we have a nice soft blanket of white covering everything. 

More Holiday Fun

We've had a busy week getting ready for Christmas and company.  We had school, pre-school for Evie - helping our dear friends move, and of course Christmas activities.  The kids all had their last day of school on Thursday, I went in to volunteer to help out in Anna's classroom party - we had fun reading stories together, doing crafts and eating treats. 

Friday, we had Becky and her girls over for making Christmas cookies - Becky and Zoe and I did most of the making and decorating - my kids were still trying to meet the "you must clean up the play room before you can decorate cookies" requirement that they had been trying to meet all day.... not that the play room was that messy, but they kept forgetting that they were supposed to be cleaning.  They did finally get to decorate a couple cookies before dinner.  Then they got to pick one to eat after dinner. 

Saturday was busy with cleaning and such, in the evening, we went over to Grandpa's for a Christmas carol sing - my cousin Julia was supposed to make it in time to sing, as were my parents, however delayed flights for Julia and treacherous weather for my parents meant that neither one made it on time - they did however eventually make it safely.

Sunday we all headed to church for the Christmas program - it was beautiful!  Sara really did an amazing job of bringing everything together, even though she had hardly any time to prepare and plan!   After, Uncle Doug and Grandpa joined us and we had a great dinner of waffles and hash browns - which James insisted on helping to make! 

Holiday fun

It's been a fun and busy week. We had preschool here this week and had fun reading books and playing games and coloring. After preschool on Tuesday, I helped out one of the moms by watching her kids for a bit after preschool - when she came back to pick them up, she locked her keys in the car and had to hang out with me while she waited for her husband to come unlock it for her - I fed them lunch and as a thank you - she helped out with the pile of dishes that was the result of me forgetting to start the dishwasher the night before. Which meant that when Dan got back on Wednesday, the house was relatively clean.

Dan got back on Wednesday, just in time to make it to Eileen's concert - she has been singing with a choir at school and they had their first concert on Wednesday - she did such a good job - it was so much fun to watch her!
 

We have some good friends who are getting ready to move - I've been helping out with packing and cleaning as much as I can - on Friday, Taylee came over to spend the night and have one last sleepover - her mom was really sweet and provided some fun gingerbread stuff to decorate and the kids had a blast decorating and eating gingerbread men and trains.  And of course they had a blast just hanging out and being together.  

Saturday we went over to Grandpa's for some caroling - we walked around his retirement center and sang Christmas Carols - the kids had fun singing and enjoyed even more all the sweets that everyone was handing out.  :)  They also loved ringing the bells and making lots of noise....

After the caroling - I went to my concert and the kids went home.  The concert went really well and I really enjoyed singing with the group. 

Sunday night was Dan's company dinner - Dwayne and Nicole came with us and we had a lot of fun - I always have fun with Dwayne and Nicole and Newell and Becky - the food was really good too and we had a really nice time. 

Baby It's Cold Outside!!

Monday this week, we went out after school and work to get our Christmas Tree - we headed to Home Depot and had fun picking our tree  :)

We then took it home to decorate it - it was kinda late by that point - so we just let the kids hang their ornaments.  James mostly just wanted to play with them and it's taken a few reminders (every minute) that they aren't toys and he can't touch.   He just has such a hard time not playing with the "BALLS!"  

The kids were fighting over who would put the star on the tree - so Daddy decided that Mommy would put the star on.  So for once, there is a picture of me :) 

Tuesday, the temperatures dropped drastically and we got snow - unfortunately, the snow caused one of Dan's co-workers to slip and break his ankle - which meant that he couldn't go on the show this week and the only other person who could go was Dan - so bright and early on Thursday, Dan headed off to Florida (and somewhat warmer weather)  We have been below freezing since Tuesday - which means that there isn't a lot of ice - but by now the snow has been so packed down it is a bit slippery.  The kids have still been having fun playing outside though - and Eileen came home from school on Friday and said "Mommy, when I finish my homework and piano, can I go shovel the drive way?  Why yes, Eileen, yes you can!

Eileen and Anna were both very good shovel-ers and helpers and because they were outside, everyone else wanted to be outside too!

This little girl came inside after playing outside in the snow and she just looked so CUTE with her rosy cheeks and all bundled up in her winter clothes!!  

Saturday and Sunday have been a bit insane - Saturday I had my first Christmas concert with the Colorado Mormon Chorale - I brought meatball subs for everyone since we were gonna be there for almost 5 hours without break (mostly I made the mistake of asking the president if there were any plans for feeding people...)  

Sunday since Dan was gone, I couldn't go to ward council meeting, so I watched the kids of my counselor so that she could attend meetings - which meant that I didn't have enough room in the car, which meant that we all walked to and from church in below freezing weather - they way there wasn't so bad, it was chilly, but sunny so we made it there with cold noses, but otherwise fine.  The way home 4 1/2 hours later was not quite so nice.  It was colder and the sun was going down and all the girls were complaining horribly about being freezing before we got home (and that was with hats, scarves, gloves, snowboots, big coats, tights, and everything else we could find.  Church was eventful - as it always is with a grumpy (almost) 2 year old - but James did well as long as I was willing to hold him the whole time - then he was sweet and cuddly and quiet - but now my back and arms are a bit tired!  LOL - a good work out though!

After we got home we had hot chocolate to warm us up and nice hot oatmeal for dinner.... yeah - I was tired..... and then we put James to bed and the rest of us went downstairs to enjoy the Christmas Devotional - it was WONDERFUL!  such a wonderful way to start the Christmas holidays with our family!  It's so nice to be able to enjoy it at home with out having to drag a bunch of tired cranky kids and a cranky momma out of the house to watch it!

Home Again

We really enjoyed a fun few extra days with our Utah family - we kept very busy!  We made and played the Thanksgiving game.   

 

We helped Paul and Candace take care of their chickens - feeding them, cleaning their coop, collecting their eggs and catching them to put them back in their coop after cleaning.

We hung out at the Haymore's cabin and had all kinds of fun on swings, zip lines, ATV's and more!  (Well Dan and the older 4 hung out at the cabin - James was horrendously cranky and needed a nap. 

 We ooh and aahed and cuddled with an ADORABLE new little baby!  The kids really loved little Eliza - even James was fascinated by her and did a good job of being gentle with her. 

Poor little Evie got sick - and slept for most of 2 days, then felt mostly better :) 

 We all had a lot of fun playing outside - the weather was cool, but sunny and James had a blast with all the big boy's balls - soccer balls, basket balls, baseballs - he would have spent all his time outdoors if we let him - but the kids all spent a lot of time outdoors, playing, riding, jumping, running.  James loved getting lifted up to make a basket - he would run after the ball - walk in front of the hoop and say "help me!" 

Thursday we drove home - the kids were all sad to leave, and we are already planning another visit!  We spent the next couple days settling back in and re-stocking our fridge - The kids had oatmeal and cereal for dinner on Thanksgiving day :P  I had potato skins, I don't think Dan had anything....

Sunday we got to church early to meet with a member of the Stake Presidency - Dan got a new calling, he is now officially the Executive Secretary, which is going to mean some changes around here. 

Utah Ho!

This week has all been about preparation for our trip - Dan and I spent most of our week trying to get things ready, food eaten, clothes washed, car packed.  The kids had school and Evie had preschool, so I tried to get errands run while she was at preschool.  And by Friday when we were ready to pick up the kids, we were also ready to go.  We grabbed the kids and headed out to Utah.  We made it in late at night with the kids asleep - they did a good job of being good at watching movies and not causing trouble.  And we all made it safely there. 

This was our Thankful table cloth - the kids all got to color pictures of things they were thankful for - My kids drew pictures of our family!  They are SO AWESOME!

Grandma and Grandpa Jones brought back some fun things for the kids from Thailand - and here are the girls showing them off! 

Saturday, we did our early Thanksgiving - we spent the morning cooking and the kids played - the cousins all get along so well together!  Then the whole crazy party got together for a delicious meal!  Candace's parents and one of her brothers were also in town and we had fun seeing them again.

Sunday we went to Paul and Candace's ward for Eliza's baby blessing - I didn't get to hear any of it - James and I were out in the hallway while he threw a massive tantrum - but it was so nice to be there.  I also really enjoyed getting to go to Sunday School and Relief Society. 

While we were packing - I went into a massive panic realizing that on this huge weekend, we had no working camera - I had one camera with dead batteries and no charger or cable and another camera that had recently stopped working.  So on our way out we stopped at Costco - we've been having fun playing and taking lots of pictures - but I didn't bring my computer on this trip, so I'll add the pictures when we get home!  It's been a wonderful trip so far and we are looking forward to spending some time with family this week!

Busy... as Usual!

We've had a fun week - lots of the normal - preschool for Evie, school for the older kids, work for Dan, napping for James, piano lessons, church, choir, all that fun stuff.  I had some fun Relief Society stuff this week.  Nicole and I went to a little 'Spa Night' type thing on Thursday and made sugar scrubs and bath salts and ate chocolate :)  Then on Saturday, we went to Peoria ward's super Saturday and had fun making hair bows and magnets.

Saturday afternoon, Dan and I took the kids to the Zoo - i actually managed to get them to try a new area (something other than bird world and the hippo statue, but after a fun trip through tropical discovery - we ended up back there anyway - the kids love it!  I promise that Dan is holding James in this picture! 

I know i got more pictures and better pictures than this, but I'm having a hard time finding them.... The girls took their cameras to the zoo and had a blast taking lots of pictures of everything they saw.  

Today after church, we headed down to Frank and Tina's for Frankie's birthday - the kids had a blast playing with their cousins and James had a blast stealing my cake.... When we got home - the kids (and maybe the adults too) were a bit tired....