Hodgkin Family Updates!

Christmas Card 2010

2010-12-13T14:30:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!
This past year has been a pretty exciting one.
In March Emma joined us, so cute and so fun!
Six months later our house was feeling a bit tight.
So, Tyler and Caleb moved out, then it was just right.
We sure miss them a lot but they visit a Ton!
The kids think it's great and we always have fun!
Gregg's worked at Colliers for almost 6 years,
We think it could be time for him to switch gears.
Although happy he is to have work and have pay.
We're hoping for more in our future someday.
Elders Quorum President keeps him busy galore.
Sometimes I wish he was home a bit more.
But grateful he is to serve with his heart.
He's always so willing to do more than his part.
As for me I am home with my active little crew.
I go crazy at times, but have lots of fun too.
I taught the 11 & 12 year olds at Church this year.
I've really enjoyed them and will miss them I fear.
Dallin is now my big 11 year old
although he is loving, he's become very bold
Speaking his mind and sticking up for what’s right.
He's quite the example and it's been a great sight.
He also tried out and made the team
Being in Basketball is always his dream.
Alise is so sweet and always loves to share
She's made lots of friends and tries to play fair.
She played soccer for the first time, mom thought it would be rough
But Alise got right in there and played really tough.
Preston our quiet guy doesn’t complain a whole lot.
Sometimes we wonder if he is happy or not.
Preston played soccer and really surprised us all.
We had no idea how great he was with a soccer ball!
Maleah is just happy to cuddle and chat.
She's our sweet lady, no doubt about that!
This year she's enjoyed our preschool co-op.
Which lately's kept mom busy non-stop.
Little Emma is last of our little clan.
We're just happy she fits in our minivan.
Emma loves to smile, wave bye bye, and try new food.
Her spirit warms our home and puts us in a good mood.
As Christmas time draws very near,
We think of Christ and what he's done for us all year.
So grateful we are for His birth, life and death
We owe him everything even our breath.
To Him praises We'll Sing!
Let us worship him, our Savior and King!
From: the Hodgkin family

Okay I am up to date! Check it out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-08-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

After about 4 hours of updating I sucessfully posted 11 new posts! Please go look though them and leave a comment. You'll have to scroll down and click on older posts to see all the new posts. The 11th one is SOOOOO funny. I promise it will make you laugh so go through them all. ENJOY!

Yes, Yes I had a baby girl!

2010-08-24T11:56:00.000-07:00

My friends keep bugging me and saying that it's been so long since I've updated this thing that Emma is not even on here. So here is a post deticated to my sweet
Emma Julie Lynn Hodgkin born March.30, 2010

Horrible things happen after you have a baby!

2010-08-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

After Emma was born Maleah decided that she wanted to be an artist with her poop. She would hide out in her room and smear it on the door, toys, clothes and floor. I thought I was going to go CRAZY! It happened more than once and she decided to cover it and smoosh clothes on top so we wouldn't find it. I was to upset for pictures. . .sorry. After MUCH prayer and tested patience it finally stopped. Then we took Preston to his Kindergarden testing (again, right after baby was born) and they gave him a pair of scissors and told him to practice cutting at home. This is how he practiced. . . . . .

Lucky for me I have a really good friend who can fix any haircut! LIsa did a great job and Maleah is always getting compliments. I just hope all the compliments don't go to her head and make her want to do it again!

Soccer

2010-08-24T11:33:00.000-07:00

Preston had a chance to play soccer on a team for the first time! When little kids play for the first time I always think it is so funny! Sometimes they get a goal for the opposite team, or you see them looking confused, or my favorite is when they are daydreaming and totally not paying attention to the game at all. We got a few laughs this last season but overall Preston is getting much better. We signed him and Alise up for soccer again this year. We can't wait to see how they do!

Summer time fun at home and Father's Day

2010-08-24T11:30:00.000-07:00

Swim time with cousins in CA!

2010-08-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

Vacation at the Beach house!

2010-08-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

We went to Dilon Beach this year as part of our vacation and stayed in a really nice beach house. The house we stayed in was so close to the water and it was just beautiful!

This is the 3 level house we stayed in. It was really nice! The last picture is our view from the house to the beach. So Pretty!

Jelly Bellys. . . . .mmmmmm......my favorite!

2010-08-24T09:15:00.000-07:00

We took a tour of the Jelly Belly Factory while on Vacation this year. They didn't let us take pictures on the tour so this is all I have. They have really re-done the place since the last time I was there! Our tour took place above the factory so you could look down and watch the people making the candy, separating the bad ones, etc.
When we first went into the tour it smelled like barf! People were covering their noses and making faces (I should have taken a picture of that :) I didn't find out until much later that they were actually making a barf jelly belly! They have a whole section for young kids with weird jelly belly flavors that I normally wouldn't try (I'll tell you more about that in a minute) there was baby wipe flavor, toothpaste, skunk spray and booger flavor just to name a few. Dallin thought these were cool and he bought a few to share with some friends.
On our way back to Sacramento Dallin took out his yucky jelly bellys and tried to get Alise and Preston to eat them. They didn't of course but in the process Dallin dropped one and couldn't find it. Later when we got home I went out to clean the car a little. I was cleaning the back and I saw this Jelly Belly just sitting on the seat. I normally wouldn't eat it from the seat but there was no where to put it so I popped it into my mouth when suddenly I realized it wasn't a normal jelly belly at all! I had eaten a BARF one! Yuck!!!! I went inside to tell the kids what happened and they laughed their heads off! All this time Dallin was just pleading for someone to try a barf jelly belly and I had just fulfilled his wish without knowing it. At least it made someone happy i guess.

Train Museum

2010-08-24T09:02:00.000-07:00

On our Vacation to California this summer we went to the train museum with our cousins. It was interesting but I think Gregg liked it most of all! It was all about history and that is one of his favorite things. We got to tour old trains and hear about how they rode, slept and ate during their travels. There was even a mail train where they sorted mail while they rode. It was very educational! We had some friends take a vacation this year by train and they got to stay a few nights in a little room on the train with bunk beds and everything. I think it would be so cool someday to do something like that with the whole family.

Fun with Hair

2010-08-24T08:55:00.000-07:00

I braided the girls hair before bed so in the morning it would look all cute and wavey. I think it turned out pretty cute and they were loving all the attention too!

The Discovery Center

2010-08-24T08:18:00.001-07:00

At the Discovery Center here in Boise they have all kinds of cool experiments to try out. There was one room with t.v cameras,a screen, and a couple green blankets on the floor. When you wrap the blankets around you the green will not show up on the screen so it looks like your head is floating around on the screen. Also they have a shadow box where a light flashes and your shadow continues to stay on the wall even though you've moved. We had a great time testing all the experiments!

In these pictures they had a pretend grocery store and the kids got to shop (as the customer) and then be the check out clerk. I think they liked this one best!

I had this crazy idea. . . . (this is the 11th post)

2010-08-24T07:54:00.000-07:00

Each of my kids have a baby picture of me adding a little extra hair to their head, it's just something I have always done. This past Sunday me and the kids had a great time goofing around, we've never laughed SO HARD! I am sure my kids think I am nuts sometimes!
I asked permission to add these to my blog and even Dallin said he didn't mind. Enjoy!

Dallin

Alise

Preston

Maleah

Emma

I showed Gregg these pictures when he came home and he laughed and said," Our boys really would make cute girls!"

My mom is BIGGER than that!

2010-03-10T06:20:00.000-08:00

With three weeks left in my pregnancy I have to say that I feel pretty large! However I haven't felt larger than I did last night. My almost three year old, Maleah was sitting on her aunt Sidney's lap while we all enjoyed an episode of The Biggest Loser. Suddenly she turned from the t.v, looked her aunt in the eye and proudly said," My mom is bigger than that!"

I played catch-up, check out the last 6 entries!

2010-02-12T13:12:00.001-08:00

Flattered by a 10 year old!

2010-02-12T12:35:00.000-08:00

Valentines Parties! Yesterday I went to the kids school to help with their Valentines day Parties. I went to Dallin's class first to drop off some treats and I was able to sit with him for a few minutes. As I sat down, a girl next to him just stared at me. I was a little uncomfortable and she finally said (while still looking at me) "Dallin your mom is pretty." I was flattered and said, "thank you." Then she went on to say,"I wish my mom was as pretty as yours", I almost had to laugh, this was getting funny. Then she continues to say, "my mom wears too much make up, sometimes she wears so much that I don't even recognize her!" After she finished I couldn't hold it in, I think I laughed out loud.

I got to go to both Dallin and Alise's parties and help out. I really enjoyed being able to help and just relax and watch them have a great time. i think I forget how much it means to them to have me there. Dallin and Alise both told me later that day how wonderful it was to have me come. It was really a great day!

Alise's Spa Party!

2010-02-12T12:05:00.000-08:00

The invitation Alise and I made.

This past January 29th Alise turned 7! I can hardly believe that she will be able to be baptised next year, she is growing up so fast! I let each of the kids have a party every other year and this was her year. We went though all kinds of options: Princess party, fashion show, you name it and the only one she even considered was a Spa party. So we decided to do foot massages, toe painting, and make-up. I rounded up the help of two Tweens (Katie and Leila) along with my mom "the make-up artist." They did a great job! Katie and Leila were wonderful helpers and they loved it too! The girls at the party were really pampered and one even said (while her feet were being rubbed), " I could be here all day." Alise wanted to play bingo so we also played a "spa bingo". It was so much fun and Alise said it was the best party she's ever had (although I think she says that every time).

Feild trip to the Krispy Kreme

2010-02-12T11:50:00.000-08:00

Preston's Preschool class had a feild trip to Krispy Kreme and I finally remembered to bring my camera! They had a great time hearing how the doughnuts are made and being able to touch the dough, and at the end they even got to sample one! I think this is one of our favorite feild trips.

Our Cousins came to visit from CA!

2010-02-12T11:40:00.000-08:00

Heather (Gregg's sister) came to visit for a couple days with her two kiddos, Jordan and Caiden. The kids had SO much fun playing and being wild. The kids loved having them sleep over! Caiden and Maleah became best buddies and occationally Maleah would rest her head on his shoulder when they watched t.v or played on his pixter, it was the CUTEST THING! They all got along so good and didn't fight at all! The kids all cried when it was time for them to leave.

What will he come up with next???

2010-02-12T11:33:00.000-08:00

I had to post these pictures of my brother Andy. He was going to a Christmas party for work and they were having an ugly sweater contest. Andy ended up winning 2nd place. We laughed so HARD!

Our new cat MAX

2010-02-12T11:13:00.000-08:00

Around last October our cat Tia dissapeared along with 2 others cats in the neighborhood that month. These cats always come home and suddenly they were gone. We tried posting Lost cat flyers and driving and walking around the neighborhood but we found nothing. We were all very sad and the weather had suddenly turned really cold so we knew that if someone didn't bring her inside, she was most likely dead. I kept telling Gregg that I was going to make one last attempt to find her by checking the animal shelter. I would always add," if she's not there, don't be surprised if I come home with a new kitty." To that he would reply," No way." Life got busy and I didn't have a chance to head to the shelter and one evening Gregg came home with a box. He gathered us all together and pulled out a black kitty and totally surpried us all! He's not really a big fan of cats, but he knew I wanted one. We were all so excited! The kids named him Max. He is now very much part of our family. The kids play with him, tease him, and they love to dress him up in doll clothes. He is pretty melow and puts up with So much from the kids. Here are a few shots of him.

It's a. . . . . .

2009-11-17T13:16:00.000-08:00

I found out today that we will be welcoming a little baby girl into our family around April the 6th. Today was a very special day for me. I have had a special feeling that a little girl was waiting to come down to our family for a long time now, even before we knew I was pregnant. I feel like she was meant to come to our home at this time and I couldn't be happier. On the way home from my doctors appointment I just had to have a good cry. . .darn those pregnancy hormones!
The kids are really happy too, although Dallin still had his heart set on a little brother. Each of the kids keep talking to my belly and hoping she can hear them. It's pretty entertaining to hear what they each have to say to her.

Check out my 3 new posts!

2009-11-07T16:31:00.000-08:00

Princess Alise

2009-11-07T16:22:00.001-08:00

I just had to show off my pretty girl. Alise was invited to a princess party where all the girls dressed up like princesses. She told me exactly how how she wanted me to do her hair and everything. After we dressed her all up she couldn't stop smiling. She felt so beautiful. She had a great time at the party.

Halloween!

2009-11-07T16:01:00.001-08:00

Maleah- was a cute little kitty. She sort of looked like a leopard but she told everyone she was a cat. She loved all the dressing up, and she's continued to dress up everyday since. I think this opened a whole new door for her. We found her late one night (while everyone was asleep) in the middle of her room in a princess dress.

Preston- had his mind made up and he wasn't going to be anything but a pirate this year, so I got creative and made something for him. I think it really turned out cute!

Alise- was a snow princess and she loved posing for these pictures! She tilts her head just right and does a half smile, she is so hilarious!

Dallin- decided he wanted to create his own costume this year, so he made himself a ninja costume. I think he was pretty creative! Around his mouth he tied a soccer sock. . something I would have never thought of. Gregg and I had a good laugh, but Dallin was very proud of his creation. Earlier that morning he came into my room wearing all dark green, he had those green soccer socks on his arms and he was holding a light savor, and he had his knees tucked into his shirt as he attempted to walk around, he said," I am Yoda." I laughed so hard, and told him I didn't think he could do that all night while we went trick-or-treating.

Pumpkin carving

2009-11-07T15:40:00.000-08:00

The kids really had fun carving pumpkins this year! It's our family tradition to sit in a circle and carve pumpkins together.

- from left to right: Dallin, Alise, Preston and Maleah's pumpkin.

FAMILY PICTURES!

2009-10-10T13:50:00.000-07:00

Check out all our new pictures (you have to scroll down to see them all). Shandy Vogt,a lady in our ward does wonderful photography and I was blest enough to get in on her busy schedule. Thank you Shandy!

The 5 club!

2009-08-26T08:33:00.001-07:00

We are officially joining the 5 club! We weren't planning on another bundle of joy quite so soon but the Lord had other plans for us. We are all happy and excited to have another member of our family. The kids are overjoyed! When we told them the news, I pointed out to them that whatever we have (boy or girl) will determine if the boys will rule the home or the girls since we will no longer have an even amount. Dallin is now crossing his fingers for another brother.

Chris and Susan came to Visit!

2009-08-26T07:39:00.001-07:00

We had such a great time with Chris (my brother) and Susan (his wife). We had a couple B.B.Q's with all of us, the kids had a blast playing together and the adult's had fun talking and playing Apple's to Apple's (we played through every single card).

Cousins (My kids, Andy's kids, and Chris's kids)

My family one Sunday right before Church

2009-08-26T07:32:00.001-07:00

Preston was a stinker and kept sticking his tounge out. That's Preston for ya. . .always silly.

Here's what we've been up to.

2009-06-16T13:02:00.000-07:00

Preston had his preschool gratuation. He got to wear a gown and everything. After we had a huge breakfast with just about everything you could imagion.
This is Mrs. Nicole's last year teaching preschool so it was really bitter sweet. Mrs. Nicole taught Alise for 2 years and Preston for 1. She's been so wonderful and we are really going to miss her. I only got one picture because my camera died shortly there after.

Alise had her gratuation from Kindergarden. The Kindergardners sang to the parents and after the pricipal read off each one of their names and handed them a diploma. She Loves school and her teacher so it's was hard for her to say good bye.

We also had Alise's first piano recital. She was SO nervous to get up in front of everyone, but she did it and we were so proud of her. Afterwards she got a gift from her teacher and a rose from us. On the way home she said,"mom I want to do it again!"

Random pictures of my kiddos

GIRLS WEEKEND!

2009-05-12T19:33:00.000-07:00

I had a Blast at our "Girls weekend!" I went with 4 of my high school friends down to San Fransisco to celebrate all of us turning 30 this year. Stephanie (our friend who is ALWAYS planing trips, parties, and anything else you can think of) invited us all to a special "time out" for us moms. We had an awesome 4 days! I don't think I have laughed that hard in years! The first day 4 of us met up and went to the Oakland Temple and did sealings. It was so nice and the weather was awesome. Then we walked to the top of the temple and had a great time setting the timers on all 4 of our cameras and running into position.

Us at the Hotel before the temple

This is the view from the top of the temple

Us on top of the Temple

That night we met up with our other friend Amy and went to a nice dinner.
The next day we went to see WICKED, which was SO awesome! We sat in the 2nd row and it was amazing! Go see it if you ever get the chance.
Riding to Wicked

We also went to Great America, shopping in San Fran, went to dinner at the Cheesecake factory, got lost a lot, stayed up all night, and laughed a ton!
Thank you to all you ladies who came, we'll have to plan another one for sure!

Surprise

2009-04-17T15:08:00.000-07:00

We took Preston to the eye doctor last week to discuss removing the bump above his eye. He was born with small cyst above his eye and the doctors told us long ago, that it was no big deal and that we could choose to remove it or not. So Gregg and I had finally had decided that Yes we wanted it removed. We were thinking that this appointment would be no big deal and we'd basically schedule a surgery date and be out of there. Well, 2 hours later we were still there and the doctor was doing all kinds of testing. Finally they dilated his eyes and told us that he was very farsighted and needed glasses. Gregg and I were pretty surprised, Now a week later we were able to pick them up and I think he looks really cute in them. Preston wears them proudly and shows them to everyone. I just hope he stays this excited about them!

The Race!

2009-04-17T14:34:00.000-07:00

The pinewood derby was really fun this year. There were about 30-35 kids that participated and Dallin actually made it to the final rounds. He didn't place anything this time but his cousin Jayden took 1st place out of everyone and Dallin was So excited for him!

I am playing Blog Catch-Up

2009-04-04T17:33:00.000-07:00

Maleah's 2nd Birthday

My Trip To CALIFORNIA

A few weeks back I got to California for almost a week with Maleah. I had a great time. I got to see my brother and sister and their families.
Here is some of the things we did:

- Another birthday party for Maleah (the cousins really wanted to do one for her since it was her birthday the day we arrived).
- Lunch with just my sister/best friend (at my favorite resturant in the whole world)
- shopping
- Maleah loved playing with cousins
- visited Gregg's two sisters (and more cousins)
- went on a run with my brother (it kicked my butt)
- Went by my old house and neighborhood
- went to dinner with all my family(that was really cool to be all together)

Here are a few pictures but I have to warn you that they were mostly taken the night before I left at bed time.
Cousins (Grant and Nathan)

Brother (Christopher)

Kristen and Maleah (cousins)

sister-in-law Susan, Kristen and Maleah

My sister Julie (right after working all night long as a nurse)

Our Spring Break Tea party with cousins

We had a very fun tea party with lots of manners, it was so yummy and the kids loved it! Alise and I made it very formal with hand-made invitations and place mats, we even bought a new tea pot.
First we started out with sliced apples and sandwiches (I forgot to take the picture until they were almost gone)

Served with our Tea (which was made with soda and juice)

Next we had lemon muffins

And for dessert we had home made donuts and cookie ice-cream sandwiches (They were all being so goofy)

A Family of Sickee's

2009-03-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

I got home from California (I'll have to write about that later) on Saturday afternoon and by Sunday 1/2 of the family was sick. Dallin and Preston had pink eye and Gregg felt yucky with a cold. Now it's Monday and all the kids are off for Spring break and we all have pink eye (except Alise) and almost all of us have the cold flu. I feel terrible today! I ache all over my whole body. I just want to curl up and sleep all day, but I have to many things to do. I hope we all get better soon. Gregg felt good enough to go to work today, so it's just me and the kids.

The Blue and Gold Banquet

2009-03-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, I am the scout leader over the Wolves in my ward. I really like my calling. It is tough sometimes with 8-10 eight year olds but they are new to scouts and most are very excited to be there each week. This last Thursday was our Blue and Gold Banquet, where the scouts all come with their families, eat a nice dinner, give out earned awards, and have a cake decorating contest. The cakes fit with the theme of the banquet and each scout makes them with their dad (a father-son sort of thing). The theme this year was American ABC'S meaning all the sites, cities, and states in America, so basically anything American would work. Me and a couple ladies pretty much planned and did the whole thing. It was SO much work and the night of the banquet we never even got to sit with our families because we were just so busy. I think it turned out really well, and I am glad that it is over now.

Here is Dallin's cake, it's suppose to be idaho with a river and a guy fishing.

The other scouts brought some really cool cakes, take a look:

Blogged out!

2009-03-13T16:25:00.000-07:00

I am sorry I haven't posted anything in awhile. To be totally honest I haven't felt like there was much to blog about (I think I am blogged out. . .if that's even a word). I did however have a wonderful Blue and Gold Banquet for scouts that I helped to put on, I will post about that soon. Right now I have a date night with my hubby.

Our Visitors

2009-02-26T14:50:00.000-08:00

This last week some of our very best friends came to Boise to visit us. Brooke and Kenny are now from Utah, but they were our neighbors in Sacramento. They came here to celebrate their anniversary (thanks for including us guys, we feel So special).
While they were here we watched movies, stayed up late and talked, and had a date night at Ruby Tuesdays . . . .yummy! We really had a great time, Thanks for including us Book-tenny (our kids use to call them that. These pictures were taken late when we were really tired.

Our kids with little Ashton (their daughter)

All of us

Ashton and Maleah hugging . . .so cute!

Them

I thought this might be fun!

2009-02-15T16:38:00.001-08:00

Here are some random pictures of my youth. Don't laugh to much! If you want to see them larger, just click on them. ENJOY!

This is my brother Sean, sister Julie, A neighbor, me and my brother Andy

This is me, my friend Natasha and Amy getting back from our first year at girls camp.

My brother Chris and my sister Julie with their dates.

This is me and my friend Amy at our first year of girls camp

Andy

This is my senior Portraits

This is also my senior Portraits

This is me and a friend named Lance

This is Aaron, my sister Julie, her best friend Nycole and her date

Me in my high school computers class

My good friend Tasha and I

Friends: Neil, Jodh, George, Nate, and Vistor at my 18th birthday surprise party

Friends George and Steph

Me in 8th grade

Me and my nephew (I was just barely engaged to Gregg)

Me with friends Steph and Tasha

Same friends

Me and friends Tammy and Stacia

Me, Don't remember when

Me with Friend Amy (I think I was about 12)

Me in 4th grade

Gregg and I RIGHT after getting engaged, on top of the Oakland temple

e
Tasha and Steph

Bro-in-law Brian, mom, bro. Sean, Dad, Bro Chris, Nephew Landon, Sis Julie, me, sis-in-law Susan, friend Lindsey

A change of plans

2009-02-08T20:39:00.000-08:00

I was actually hoping to post a slide show of old photos from my growing up years. I went through pictures and picked all the ones I wanted, and then my scanner wouldn't work. They were pictures that were sure to make you laugh, I'll have to find a way to post those later.
So I have decided that this post would be dedicated to my precious girls!
(The pictures rotate Alise to Maleah)
Not sure how to take the music off, so click on the sound and it'll turn off.
I just love my girls! They make me smile everyday.
Alise is so thoughtful and always looking to serve others by drawing a picture or offering to help with a chore. Many times I find her in her brothers room cleaning and she whispers to me," I want to surprise them mom." When she gets candy or money all she wants to do is share! One time she saved her money and bought some candy that she really wanted, when she got home she gave almost all of it away and was so happy about it. When someone is sick it just kills Alise, she thinks of anything and everything she can do for them. Today Preston was actually sick and she would look at him and then at me and say," mommy I feel so bad that he is sick." She is going to be a great mommy someday!
Maleah is also a sweetheart. Even though she is young her personality is shining through. She loves to sing songs and is often making up her own songs (most of the time it's a gibberish language with a few understandable words here and there). If we are in the car and she is upset, all we have to do is sing a song and she'll start singing too. She is so obedient and always wants to please us. When I tell her to do something most of the time her response is "okay mommy" or "sure mommy." She is very polite, when I hand her, her lunch there is always a "thank you mommy." Or when she wants something it's, "please mommy" and if for some reason that doesn't work there is a "PPPLLLLLLLEASSEEEEEE mommy!" She is my cuddler and loves to be with me. I love her so much!
Here are some recent shots of my girls, being the cuties that they are!

Dallin's Presentation

2009-01-31T21:57:00.000-08:00

Dallin class was assigned to read a biography of someone famous this month. Dallin actually chose two, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. He read both and decided that he wanted to to do George Washington. The night before the presentation Dallin tried on the wig in the bathroom, looked in the mirror and said," I don't know mom, I think everyone is going to laugh at me." I reassured him that everyone was dressing up and that people would think it was cool. Moments later Gregg came into the bathroom and began laughing uncontrollably. So much for mom's comforting words!Anyway to make a long story shorter, he wore the wig (I let him decide) and he looked great! Hardly anyone in his class made a sound. He did a great job on his presentation and I was VERY proud of him. . .and he was too!

Here are some of his classmates: Abe Lincoln , the indian girl(I forgot her name)and, Helan Keller

Alise's Cooking Party!

2009-01-29T19:42:00.001-08:00

Let me introduce you to our six little chefs: Abby, Shaylynn, Teya, Sariah, Alise (the birthday girl),and Breanna.

First, our little chefs made their own personal pizzas. . .Yummy!

They also frosted their own specialty cakes!

Aren't they Beautiful???

Time for Presents!

One of the Dad's modeling our beautiful aprons!

Also a couple of shots playing with her new toys.

We had a great Party! A special thanks to Becky (Sariah's mom) who stayed and helped. I couldn't have done it without her!

Random updates

2009-01-24T15:08:00.001-08:00

Maleah will be 2 years old in March but she is already showing interest in the potty. She asks me once in awhile to go (or I ask her) and she actually goes almost every time. She is very proud and mommy is too! Maleah also LOVES to sing, so I recorded a couple of her favorite songs. . .isn't she a cutie???

I have been so proud of Dallin lately that I just need to brag a little. The other day I got a phone call from his 3rd grade teacher asking me to attend their school Assembly that Friday. She said that Dallin would be getting an award because he is just outstanding and his grades are awesome!!! I was such a proud mommy that day! I went to the Assembly (he had no idea I'd be there and no idea he was getting an award)and I had butterfly's in my tummy because I knew how happy he'd be to see me there and then to get an award like that in front of the whole school. He walked in and saw me, and was all smiles after that! It was a great experience!!! I am so happy to be his mommy! Also, I've started baby siting for a family in our ward once in awhile, while she heads off to school. This is a quick video of their little boy falling asleep while he was playing . . . .I just couldn't resist filming, it was so funny!

We have a winner!

2009-01-17T13:02:00.000-08:00

The total of my shopping trip was . . . .$54.73
So our winner is. . . . Shandy Vogt! YEAAAAAAAA!
Mealah show her what she's won:

A wonderful box of Fruit Loops!

Fruit Loops are great for snacking. . .

For wearing as a necklace. . . .

For eating for breakfast. . . .

And even for taking on long road trips!

Shandy we hope you enjoy those Fruit Loops!!!!!!!
But wait that is not all . . .we have a second runner up. . .Staci Starnes! Staci for being the second place winner you will receive a complimentary box of peanut butter granola bars! Great guessing ladies!

Okay, I admit it I'm Cheap!

2009-01-15T13:04:00.000-08:00

I am probably one of the cheapest people you will ever meet. I love sales, coupons, thrift stores, you name it. If I can save money I'll do it!

FACT:It kills me to spend over $10 for my kids shoes (I've only done it a few times and with 4 kids that's amazing).

FACT:I usually search the ads before I grocery shop, and then I go to at least 2 or more stores to get the right deals.

FACT: I am to cheap to buy a newspaper so I get all the coupons I can from my mom's paper and I use them as much as possible.

FACT: I haven't bought any children's clothes (that weren't clearance priced) in years, and I can probably count on one hand how many times I have.

Now that I have admitted how cheap I really am (because I KNOW most people have no idea) Here is what I bought today and I am taking guesses on how much the total came to after the sale and coupons. Oh yeah, and there were 3 candy bars that we ate before we took the picture.
Here's a clue- the original total was: $199.71

Now be reasonable, I didn't spend $20 okay!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-01-12T13:51:00.000-08:00

I have been really busy lately preparing for for Alise's birthday party, and I think I am finally done! Her party is not until Jan.29th but I always feel so much better when I am prepared ahead of time. I thought you migh want to see the cute invitations that I made for her party. I just love doing parties, they are so much fun and the kids love to help!

This is too funny!

2009-01-08T13:47:00.000-08:00

This is totally my grandma. Thanks for letting me steal this one Jethro.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/36608/talkshow-with-spike-feresten-cable-psa

Christmas Eve at my parents house.

2009-01-02T14:55:00.000-08:00

I know this is a bit late but I thought I'd post something about Christmas anyway.

The poor kids had to eat on the floor because there was no room at the table. They loved it!

My handome husband, being the good guy that he is, cleaned the kitchen after dinner.

The adults were chatting and relaxing after all that good food!

The kids were upstairs in the playroom having a great time.

Christmas morning

2009-01-02T14:49:00.000-08:00

All of the kids in their matching P.Js. Don't you just love Maleah's hair?

Preston in his new pirate gear.

Can you feel the love???

2008-12-29T18:51:00.000-08:00

The other night Gregg went into the girls room to do the nightly check before we went to bed. The next thing I know he is calling me in their room to show me something. I walked in, looked into Maleah's crib (fully expecting to see both the girls in there sound asleep just like last time) but the bed was empty. My first reaction was panic. I quickly turned around to look at Alise's bed, and there they were fast asleep. After we put them to bed, Alise must have again wanted her sister, climbed into Maleah's crib, pulled her out and put her into her own bed. They never made a sound so I am assuming they both enjoyed it. Looking at them sure made Gregg and I smile, I am so glad they get along so well!

The Grinch!

2008-12-24T08:20:00.000-08:00

Kittys are so little and cute, fluffy and innocent. . . .

well mine isn't! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my kitty but she has become the Christmas Grinch! Ever since we put up our Christmas tree she isn't the same cat. She now scratches our couches, our nice dinning room chairs, and climbs up our Christmas tree. Climbing up the tree actually wouldn't bother me if she didn't knock down every ornament, make our star crocked everyday, or make the beads that were nicely strung on the tree slide right off. Right now our tree looks like someone knocked it over and stomped on it! Finally in the end I got so tired of fixing the tree that I stopped doing it! So for Christmas this year we have a "Special" tree :) Here is a few pictures of the damage, but I have to say that it looks 99 times worse in person!

Santa Claus is coming to town!

2008-12-24T08:12:00.000-08:00

We had our ward Christmas party and the kids LOVED seeing Santa. Maleah who shouldn't have any idea who he is, was excited to see him. She is by far my bravest child and the only one (as a baby) who didn't cry when she sat on Santas lap. Even Dallin (an unbeliever) sat on his lap!

Some fun stuff happening

2008-12-17T13:15:00.000-08:00

For F.H.E this past Monday I decided it would be fun to do Graham cracker houses. The kids had a great time building them and eating all the extras. We did however, have a couple collapsing houses but overall I think they had a really good time. I think I will have to do this next year as well.

Dallin's masterpiece

Alise's creation

Preston's cute little house

This week Alise lost her first tooth. She cried and cried in the car on the way home from my parents house because she heard a crack in her mouth. Then she kept crying and saying, "It's going to fall out, it's going to fall out." We tried to convince her that it was an exciting thing to loose a tooth. It didn't matter what we said, she continued to cry. At home she started trying to pull it out herself (still crying). It was funny because she was so scared to have her tooth come out, yet all she wanted is to get it out. Finally she decided to have Gregg pull it out. He did, and she smiled the rest of the night!
These are after pictures, although I wish i would have gotten a picture of her sad face too.

Yesterday Dallin got his braces, expander, and head gear off! He was so happy, but it made me kind of sad. He looks so big now! It's almost like he got older over night or something. he doesn't have that cute little baby face anymore (even thought he's still cute). I think he looks a little like my brother Chris (for all of you that know him). It's going to take some getting used to.
His head gear that he wore at night while he slept:

His before picture the day he got his braces off:

His after picture that same day:

Sorry some pictures are sideways. I fixed them all and somehow the computer didn't save it. I didn't have time to go back and do it all again.

THE RESULTS ARE IN!!!

2008-12-12T09:14:00.001-08:00

I had my MRI on Tuesday night. It took about 30 minutes and it was pretty easy, although they did have to give me an IV and inject me with die, I HATE needles! Anyway, last night my doctor called and said that everything looked normal and he prescribed me with that migraine medicine that I was telling you about. I feel so much better knowing that everything is okay. I just want to say thank you to everyone who said a prayer for me, that means so much!

Something funny and something sweet.

2008-12-07T20:51:00.000-08:00

My girls are just so wonderful! There is nothing like having a couple girls! Tonight as we did our nightly check on the kids this is what we found:

We put Maleah in her bed first until she fell asleep, then we put Alise in. Apparently Alise decided she wanted her sister tonight, and crawled into her crib and cuddled with her. I am guessing Maleah didn't mind one bit because she didn't make a sound and she looked so comfortable all snuggled up to Alise.

Also a few nights ago we were having foil packs for dinner and the kids were dipping it in ketchup (that's what the red stuff is). They were all in joying their meal and it was quiet until Maleah held up a piece of hamburger on her fork and said,
" Mommy. . . .poop'n" (that's what she calls poop since every time we talk about it, someone is in the act of actually pooping). She really thought it was a piece of poop! She didn't seem to mind eating it either, in fact she kept wanting more. The other kids (and Gregg and I)were hysterical! So of course all the kids started calling it poop'n until I ruined all their fun and told them to stop. I didn't want her to actually try her poop someday thinking it was something yummy! So here are a couple pictures of that night.

Mysterious song!

2008-12-02T13:14:00.000-08:00

Okay so I never picked this song that is playing right now. . .it picked me! Pretty freaky really. I have no idea where it came from, I thought maybe my playlist was going nuts so I deleted the whole section, and still this song plays. I hope you like it, you might be hearing it forever if I can't fix the problem :0) I actually wrote a message to "the blog doctor", I didn't even know they had something like that,so I hope he helps me out. Until then enjoy the song if it's your taste, if not turn down the sound. Oh, and check out the blog under this one too.

Aunt Tammy's visit and getting ready for Christmas!

2008-12-01T14:07:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving this year, Gregg's sister Tammy came to visit for a few days. We had such a great time with her! The kids loved playing hide and seek and putting up the Christmas tree with her. Also last Saturday Gregg and I got to meet one of Gregg's cousins (Melanie Hodgkin) she stopped by with her boyfriend for a couple of hours and we had dinner and talked. It was so weird how even though we never really knew each other before, it was like we had known her for years! She is such a sweetheart and her boyfriend was a funny guy. We had a great time.
Here are some pictures of our week:

Tammy and the kids:

We made Tammy's favorite, homemade bananna muffins and cinnimon rolls (which we ate so fast we didn't get a picture of)

This is a picture of Melanie and Tammy

Caleb, Gregg, and Melanie's boyfriend Jacob (I think that was his name anyway)

My doctor update!

2008-11-25T14:25:00.000-08:00

This afternoon wouldn't you know it, I was eating lunch when I started to see spots AGAIN! I was kind of annoyed because my doctor appointment was going to be in an hour and I can't drive if I am having a migraine (it's to dangerous). So I called my mom to drive me, and lucky for me Caleb was here for my kids and I was able to lay down and rest until it was time to go. By the time I got there I felt pretty good. The doctor said he thinks I am just having bad migraines but to be sure he ordered an MRI. I will be having the MRI next week sometime, they still have to call and make an appointment for me. He said that he doesn't think they will find anything on the MRI and if they don't, he has this really cool migraine pill that dissolves and works really fast. I am not worried at all, in fact I am actually excited that there might be something out there that will help. I'll update you next week when I go. Thank you all for caring so much. Love you all- Jamie

Doctor here I come!

2008-11-21T13:48:00.000-08:00

Okay, I have been procrastenating but I finally have an appointment. I have been having these horrible, horrible headachs lately. They start with bright lights (sort of like someone just took your picture) and the lights get worse and worse until I have this massive headach and I can't really function. Sometimes I get numb on one side of my body and sometimes I have it so bad that I can't even talk right. I can think stright but my words come out all wrong. About 2 weeks ago I was at Old Navy with Denise and it happened. I tried talking to her but it was so difficult and she was a little worried. I ment to make an appointment but things got busy and I didn't have another one. . . .until today. I was in bed for quite awhile, while my kids ran around my bedroom. My poor visiting teachers waited at the door and no one ever answered it:( I finally decided that enough was enough and I found a doctor (because I only had a OBGYN doctor) and made an appointment. It's this Tuesday at 1:30, so please pray for me. I hope its nothing serious, I'll update you when I know more.

A Song, A Party, and a Tag

2008-11-12T21:23:00.001-08:00

MALEAH'S SONG

PRESTON'S PARTY
Preston's birthday party was today! He doesn't actually turn 4 until Saturday but he had his first real party today. He invited all the kids from preschool (even the girls) and one other boy from church. It was all about dinosaurs and he loved it! We had a Dino egg hunt, played musical Dino's, colored pictures and played play dough. You know. . .it really is funny to watch kids that age, they don't really care about other people. I know that sounds bad but I mean that in a very innocent way (they aren't doing things to be mean or rude). One of the girls was really shy and complained to her mom the whole time that she wanted to leave, one boy ignored what we were doing and did his own thing, and Preston . . .well he ditched his friends once he opened his presents! I don't think any of the kids even knew the birthday boy wasn't with them :) Even so, I think they all had a great time. Thank you to Tina who stayed and helped she was a lifesaver!!!

I've been Tagged So here goes...........

8 Favorite TV shows
1-Jon and Kate + 8
2-Cosby show (reruns )
3-Home Improvement (reruns )
4- Little People Big World
5- The News
6-Running out of shows ???
7-Honestly I really don't watch much T.V
8-

8 Things I did yesterday
1-went shopping for a scout project
2-Cleaned house
3-mailed a package to my grandma
4-Made dinner for dinner group (4 families)
5-read blogs
6-decorated for Preston's party
7-made a dinosaur cake for Preston's party
8-went to the gym

8 Things I look forward to
1-Girls Weekend end of April Yeah
2-Thanksgiving
3-Christmas
4-Maleah not throwing tantrums
5-My Anniversary 11 yrs 09/10
6- naps (yeah right)
7-my next date with my hubby
8-Tammy (my sister-in-law) coming to visit

8 Favorite Restaurants
1-Olive Garden
2-Applebees
3-Chili's
4-WONDERFUL CHINESE -only in CA:(
5-Ruby River
6-I am to picky about my restaurants to have 8 favorites!
7-
8-

8 Things on my wish list
1-I wish my house could be spotless
2-I wish I could be a better organizer
3-I wish I could win the lotto
4-I wish I could travel to Germany to visit family
5-I wish I could go on a cruise
6-I wish that I could build my dream home
7-I wish I could be more patient
8-I wish I didn't have to think of so many things to wish for!

Shopping no more!

2008-11-05T20:17:00.000-08:00

I feel SO good, I am mostly DONE shopping for Christmas. Yep, you read it right. This year I decided to start WAY early and I found some GREAT deals too! I am totally done with all my kids, including stuffers (I just hope candy will be okay until then :) I am almost done with Gregg just a few more little things. I am also done with my parents and Gregg's parents and Tyler (I already shipped those two):) I feel on top of the world! I do have a very small list left for people here and there but nothing big at all. I think I am going to start doing this every year! You know what has been really cool too??? When I see something I already bought go on sale (or in my case on clearance) I have plenty of time to take it back!
I love the Christmas holiday and now I can finally take it all in without having to worry about the "other stuff".

Halloween

2008-10-31T20:49:00.000-07:00

You know I am starting to care less and less what my kids are for Halloween. Usually I go all out, pick their costumes months before the big day, and get everything prepared. This year was So different I pretty much let them be whatever they wanted and I let them find most of it in their own closets (although I did buy a few things). They all thought it was the greatest thing and I had no complaints. The only one with a problem was Preston, his original costume was a dragon which was just WAY too hot for the unexpected warm weather we had. So at his preschool Halloween party we improvised and I grabbed a spider man dress-up costume which he gladly wore that day. . . .then comes Halloween night and he tells me (while we are getting ready in our costumes)that he changes his mind and he wants to be a skeleton like Dallin. So we scrambled up his costume the best we could in the five minutes we had, and he ended up being the happiest little boy ever! So from now on I am saving my time and my money! They love it that way anyway.

I just love our family

2008-10-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time with Spencer(Gregg's brother)and Marie and their two kids. They live in Louisiana so we don't see them very often. When they came it was like old times right away. Marie and I talked about girly stuff and the boys well . . . .

they did manly stuff. We also had awesome late night talks, a movie night, we took the kids to the zoo, and Gregg and I babysat for them while they went out to celebrate their 3 year aniversery. I loved every minute of their stay and we were so sad to see them go (especially since we had no idea when we will see them again).

Here is a cute family shot of their cute little family.

This is Little Spencer (they call him little man) he was SO cute!

Soon!

2008-10-23T08:37:00.000-07:00

I will be blogging again soon but as for right now we are enjoying company from Louisianna this week. We have Gregg's brother (Spencer) and his wife (Marie) here with their two little ones that we finally got to meet. We are having a great time! I'll post more in a day or two when they leave.

I learned something new!

2008-10-18T23:09:00.000-07:00

First of all I have to thank my friend Jen for telling me how to fix my camera. It works again!!!! I am so happy about that. Blogs are just not the same without picutres!
I learned something new this weekend. I threw a babyshower for my friend Brandy and another friend (Janeice) showed me how to make this diaper cake for her.

Isn't it cute??? They are so easy and fun. What do you think?

3 Tags in one!

2008-10-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

Quirks

Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours

So here goes . . .

1. I have to kiss my husband goodbye when ever he (or I) leaves the house if I don't get to I am upset.

2.I have to clean the kitchen as soon as we finish a meal. I guess it's kind of nice because my husband is the same. If I am not there doing the dishes then he is.

3. I leave my projects (whatever I am working on) laying around and I like it that way because then I remember to finish them. My husband isn't to fond of this idea :) but he puts up with it anyway.

4. I love to take my cat on car rides. I think I enjoy it more than the kids!

5. I call Denise (my sister-in-law) at least 5 times a day. Denise calls me about the same. We just can't get enough of each other. LOve you NEE-SEE :)

6. Sometimes out of the blue I grab one of my kids, hold them down and hug and kiss them until they want me to let go . . .usually they love it! Dallin might not admit it but I think he likes it the most!

I TAG ANYONE WHO WANTS TO DO IT

Photo Tag
I guess you post the 3rd picture in your 3rd file and explain the picture. SO...here it is:
This is a picture of our whole family (except Maleah because she wasen't born yet) in Germany with Gregg's Oma (grandma). This was in May 2006

HUSBAND TAG

1. Where did you meet your husband? At his mission homecomming.

2. How long did you date before you married? 5 months

3. How long have you been married? 10 years

4. What does he do that surprises you? He always helps around the house, I never have to dust anything or vaccum a floor. . .he's a pretty amazing guy! Also last Sunday I came home from choir practice and dinner was ready made (he made tacos).

5. What is his favorite feature? I love his blue eyes! Oh and he's been working out so I have to say that his musscles turn me on too:)

6. What is your favorite quality of his? I love how he listens and tries to make me feel better when I am upset. He is also a very honest guy and that is really important to me.

7. Does he have a nickname for you? Honey

8. What is his favorite food? Not sure, I think Mexican but he likes everything.

9. What is his favorite sport? Basketball and Tennis.

10. When & where was your first kiss? After a week of dating in front of my house.

11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? We love to go out to eat at nice resturants.

12. Do you have any children? 4

13. Does he have any hidden talents? He gives great advice and he is very smart. I guess that's hidden to some people because he is a quiet guy.

14. How old is he? 33

15. Who said I love you first? I am not sure, I think he did???

16. What is his favorite music? He likes a lot of things.

17. What do you admire most about him? His honesty.

18. What is his favorite color? Blue

19. Will he read this? No

20. Who do you tag? Brooke, Cindi, Becky, Erin

Our Elder

2008-10-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

For all of you who didn't know, Tyler (Gregg's brother) lived with us for a year and a half before we sent him off on his mission. We were his parents for that time (taking him to early morning seminary and back, work and back, helping him finally get a car, etc.) Tyler will also return from his mission and live here again with us, so in a way Gregg and I feel like we are his parents. We try our best to write each week and he tries too. He loves it there in Mexico! He is learning so much and he has been very humbled! Tyler describes his little apartment as "interesting" (there is a picture of it below). He also has had to eat small black bugs for dinner at a member's house (GROSS)! He was such a picky eater before, I felt so sad for him! At least he's great at pretending he likes something :) We miss Tyler SO much, especially the kids! Please pray for him and write a quick note if you have a chance, although I have to warn you he only has 30 minutes each P-day to read letters and respond so he might not get back to you quickly (or not at all), but at least he'll know you care.
TylerHodgkin@myldsmail.net

I am so MAD!

2008-10-06T07:12:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to post pictures of Dallin's party and some of the things I have been working on, however my camera broke last night! I have no idea what could have happen to it. I was at my parents house having dinner and I snapped a few shots, put my camera down and as soon as I went to use it again it didn't work. When I push down the button to take a picture the camera turns black. I am so frustrated! I can't afford a new one right before Christmas! Then when we got home from my parents house we opened the garage door to park inside and our automatic garage door opener broke too! We had to hand shut the door and then the lock wouldn't work either so we had to use a screw driver to lock it! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I could just scream! I feel like nothing works lately! Thanks for letting me vent a little bit!

I been busy!

2008-10-02T18:26:00.000-07:00

I am sorry I haven't posted for awhile. I have just been SO busy! I have been doing tons of projects lately! I am going to be blogging about them soon when I get an extra minute or two. Tomorrow is Dallin's Detective party. . .wish me luck. I'll have 7 wild 9 year old boys here. Actually we are all going for a walk around the neighborhood, trying to find and figure out all the clues to the mystery. I know they will love it. I'll tell you more later!- Jamie

Great Christmas ideas!

2008-09-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

In response to my last blog entry, my dear friend Stephanie thought of some really awesome, yet inexpensive gift ideas and I wanted to share them with you! Here they are:

*Placemats, cloth napkins, or tabble runners. They are all super easy to make, and very cheap if you get the fabric at a discount home fabric place. They usually have the wider bolts of fabric, so you only need like a yard and half for 8 placemats.

*I'm making my boys personalized letters right now. I bought big 10" tall cardboard papermache letters at a craft store for $1.50 and then I am going to piant them a plain color and then paint on things that they love like tanks, helicopters, stuff like that. Or a soccer ball for nathan. Anyway, they are going to be for their trophy shelves in their room.

*It's super easy to make a nice wall hanging for someone. I print out a poem I think they would love on Velum (5x7), usually it might have some kind of nice border around it. Then I mount it on a shiny piece of cardstock/cardboard (gold, bronze, silver) that is 8x10. Then I mount that in a matted frame (11x14) It's really easy, my printer can print on velum (it's just inkjet but just make sure to let it dry for a while (like an hour) otherwise it will smudge. Or you can take it to Kinko's and they will print it for like $.10-$1.00 depending if you want color or not. And a simple way to make a cheap frame look nicer, especially like a $1 store or a wal-mart cheapy is to get one that is a really plain solid color and just sand the very edge, so the wood grain show through. You could easily do this project for under $5 and it is personalized for the person you love.

*My kids love soap that is personalized. You can melt regular soap in the microwave and then pour it into a mold and put a little Mc Donald's toy or action figure half way into it. Or you can buy the soap and mold plain from a craft store and put a few drops of fragrance oils in it too. I have a kit for this from a lady I used to live by in utah. But she even had little confettis and curliey-q's that we would put into clear soap. It's not a big deal kind of present but it makes a fun stocking stuffer or something fun for your kids to give to a friend. You can experiemtn with different colors and do layered ones too, all you have to do is let each layer cool in the fridge before you pour a different color.

*Ken loves a blanket I made for us one of our very first Christmas. I hate to put it on my bed now because it doesn't match the colors, but I'm thinking of doing another one. In fabric paint I painted on (it looks like embroidery) a 3 line poem about him feeling love in my arms or something like that. I can look at it if you want and get it exactly. But he has absolutely loved that blanket. I should really make another one.

*My kids love fun pillowcases, and blankets too. But a new pillowcase that reflects what they are into at the moment is super easy. They don't care if it doesn't match their bedding at the moment.

*Dress up clothes for stuffed animals is always fun. I'm going to be doing that for Rose this year.

*Things with pictures is really nice. Like photo albums, or a photo collage. Or even cute ways to display souvenirs. Ken really really loves things like that, that remind us of stuff we did as a family or as a couple. He just likes to see things in our home that will remind him of good times because he is usually pretty focused but whenever he see it then he smiles or tells me about it. Like I just bought a $1 hurricane glass jar and put sand and shells from our Anniversary trip that we collected. That was pretty much our only souvenir from our whole trip, other then pictures. Or I put together a photo album that is only pictures of us and there is a cutout in the front that has a picture of us too, so that sits on top of our entertainment armoire in our room.

*The boys love having just a huge basket and put all sorts of stuff to organize things that are special to them. Like a binder and plastic sleaves for all their pokemon cards (you buy the sleeves by page protectors and they are way cheap). A plastic container for special lego builds. They really like it when I get them something that protects things that are special to them and helps them preserve it too. Like putting their Pinewood Derby Cars in a small plastic case (you buy it at a craft store).

I would STILL love to hear what else you all come up with, so keep the ideas roll'n!

What are you doing for Christmas this year???

2008-09-21T20:55:00.000-07:00

I was totally inspired when I went to Utah this last week. My friend Brooke has such a cute house and she and her husband are just so clever about using what they have to make other things. Her baby's room was adorable! It looked like something out of Pottery Barn and they put it together using their old things. They mainly took apart their old entertainment center and got REALLY creative!
I got to thinking about Christmas coming up and how I'd like to save some money and get creative too! I thought long and hard about what I could make and I came up with this diaper bag for my girls. I had almost everything to make this already so it was VERY inexpensive. I made the diaper bag, the Velcro diapers (recognize the fabric from the aprons?),the blanket, and the cloth diaper wipes (in my old wipe container), and then I bought the bottle and got an old baby toy to put in. What a great present for so cheap!
SO NOW I AM ASKING YOU ALL TO GET CREATIVE. I want to hear all your ideas of what we could do for cheap presents this year. It can be for kids, parents, spouses, grandparents, whatever! I can't wait to see what you all come up with!

One more idea I had was to make super hero capes for boys. It would be so easy and I know Preston would LOVE it!

I also added another post under this one check it out!

Funny

2008-09-21T20:41:00.000-07:00

I let Alise take a nap one day on the couch in my room. . . or so I thought. I had to laugh when I walked in to check on her and found her sound asleep on top of my laundry basket. It looks totally uncomfortable to me, but she slept so good. I love what kids come up with!

Mormon Tabernacle Choir

2008-09-14T20:53:00.000-07:00

I thought you might want to hear their beautiful music. It was so neat to see the Motab Choir live! Also scroll down and check out the pictures from our Utah trip.

We're Back!

2008-09-14T19:05:00.000-07:00

Gregg and I had such a GREAT time in Utah! Here is what we did:

* Saw the Joseph Smith movie
* Had lunch in the Nauvoo cafe
* Took a tour of Brigham Young's house (the Beehive house)
* Toured the Church History Museum
* Toured the Conference Center
* Shopped at Distribution
* Watched the Mo-tab choir rehearse
* Sat in the Hotel spa with Gregg
* Got up early and worked out in the gym with Gregg (at the hotel)
* Did a live session in the Salt Lake temple
* Went to "This is the Place" took a tour and explored there.
* Visited our friends Brooke and Kenny
* Went to dinner with them at Applebee's
* Had a few bowling competitions on the Wii (with Brooke and Kenny)

I might have missed something in there, but this is basically what we did. We had such a good time going places alone! Gregg a and I were able to just talk and pay attention to each other. Usually we are just so busy with kids and the flow of life that sometimes we don't have that one on one time like we used to. I loved it and I think that we wont wait another 10 years to do it again!
Brooke and Kenny thanks for the good times. I know we only had one night with you, but it was SO FUN! We laughed so much! At dinner that night we had this waitress that obviously hated her job but she was trying so hard to act nice. She would stand over our shoulder when we were still deciding what we wanted to eat, she had a fake smile and seemed annoyed when she messed up on our order (which she didn't even write down in the first place)! She was horrible! We had some good laughs about it and we joked about not leaving a tip. Finally in the end we were all very generous and gave her a very UNDESERVED tip. She was Great entertainment though! We loved our trip but we're glad to be back with our kids. I really did miss them! Here are some shots we took around Salt Lake (we didn't get any of Brooke and Kenny and their baby because we were just to busy to remember) :0(

Can you believe it's been 10 years????

2008-09-07T17:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's finally here! Gregg and I will celebrate our 10 year anniversary this Wednesday! Actually we aren't celebrating on Wednesday at all, instead we are getting up on Thursday (September 11th) bright and early and we are heading for Utah without our kids! We are staying there until Saturday. I am so excited to finally go somewhere by OURSELVES!!! We have never done this before so I am actually having a hard time already just thinking of leaving Maleah behind. I know this is normal for a mom to worry about leaving her baby, but Gregg is right there with me! He already said, “should we just take her? One is SO much easier than 4." You know I almost went for it, but then I thought about it and there is NO way I am going to share my anniversary with someone extra. . .even if she is so cute and can melt my heart. We are finally after 10 years, going somewhere alone! We plan to visit all the church sites that we've never had the chance to really see before because the kids were always so ready to leave. We are also going to see some of our best friends in the whole world Brooke and Kenny Favero (our old neighbors in California). It's going to be great! I guess I will try to post something about our trip when we return.

My little Ladies

2008-09-04T20:43:00.001-07:00

Alise and Maleah wanted me to take pictures of them (they love the all attention). This is a couple Sundays ago, after church.

Preston LOVES preschool!

2008-09-04T15:48:00.000-07:00

Preston thinks he is So big now that he goes to school too. On his first day he sat down right away and started the project on the table (that's what they do when they wait for the other kids to arrive). I told him good bye as he was working and he didn't even turn around, he just said," Bye" and then kept doing his project. He has been in school now for a week, he goes Tuesday and Thursady mornings. He asks me every night if he has school the next day or not. When I say yes, he is SO excited and gets ready as soon as he hops out of bed the next day (usually at least 2 1/2 hours early). I am so proud of my little guy! Here on some school shots.

Tired of Pink

2008-09-04T14:08:00.000-07:00

I wanted to change the background of my blog but pink is just NOT working for me! I cringe every time I go to this page. It's cute and all but it's to little girly for me (Alise is the one who picked it out with me). So I am changing it today! what do you think of my new one?

First Day of School

2008-08-27T16:19:00.001-07:00

On the first day of school I wasn't ready at all for them to go back. Of course I went through the motions of getting backpacks ready, lunches ready and them ready, but when the time came to take them I didn't want them to go! There is just something about having your kids all to yourself and then suddenly having to share them again. So the first day was hard on me not to mention Dallin kept saying,"Man. . I don't want to start school" he said that over and over again. Then there was Alise who was scared to death to go to her first day of kindergarten. Needless to say, I thought it was going to be a really tough first day for me and the kids. However I was really surprised how smoothly it went! I got a lot of things done and the house was quiet for me to work. Alise did great and came home saying,"Mommy I LOVE school!" She had a great first day and she loved her teacher and was looking forward to day #2. Dallin still wishes it was summer time but he is starting to like school more and more.

My New Project

2008-08-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

The other day the kids were bored and just sitting around doing nothing, so I pulled out my kids party book and for fun I asked them what kind of birthday party they wanted this year (my only request was that it be LOW cost and reasonable). I sat in the middle of my bed with the book in my lap and the kids all sat around me. The kids had a great time looking at the fun creative things we could do. I was surprised that the kids all picked something right away. Preston wanted a dinosaur party, Alise wanted a cooking party, and Dallin wanted a detective party. I was excited to know so much in advance what they wanted so that I have plenty of time to get things ready (especially since their parties are so close together). That night we went to Wal-Mart and I picked up some inexpensive material for me to make aprons for Alise's cooking party. All of my friends know that I LOVE projects just as much as I LOVE planning parties. So I got really excited and I came up with my own pattern and starting making them that night. I already have 3 done and her party is not until January! Take a look and tell me what you think. Also if anyone has any more ideas for the other two parties, I'd love to hear them.

BLAST FROM THE PAST!

2008-08-09T20:42:00.000-07:00

Gregg and I went to an 80's party tonight and had a great time! I origionally planned to go shopping for the PERFECT 80's outfit but that didn't happen. So Gregg and I dug in our closets and got creative.
When we got to the party they put stickers on each of our backs with pictures of old 80's movies, shows, and music groups. We then had to try to guess what was on our backs by asking people yes and no questions. That was so much fun remanissing about all the old things we used to do. I got the smurfs and Gregg got Dukes of Hasard. Then later they had 80's karioke. That was halarious listening to people sing WAY off key. It was great, take a look.

Maleah was posing for me today

2008-08-09T20:32:00.001-07:00

Dallin and Maleah

2008-08-06T20:37:00.001-07:00

New Song

2008-08-06T19:52:00.000-07:00

I usually am not into country music but this song by Carrie Underwood is really awesome! I had never heard it before until I went over to my brother Andy's house and he was playing the video on his computer. He asked me to sit and watch too, and at the end when it shows the older couple Andy just broke down and cryed (I did too). That part is really touching and even now I can't watch it without crying.
Check it out. . . .I promise it has a happy ending.
Sorry Andy I hope I didn't ruin your manly image, I love you bro!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky4rfA_tebY

I'll play the game too

2008-07-29T19:24:00.000-07:00

Memories... I have loved thinking about my favorite memories for everyone who is playing, here are the rules, cut and paste them if you are playing.

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments

This Morning

2008-07-26T12:42:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how someone so small can have such a strong opinion. Maleah was just so cute, I had to film her and show it to you.

Our cousins are moving!

2008-07-26T12:22:00.000-07:00

Our kids are really sad that their cousins (Sean's family) are moving to Oregon. We had them over for dinner last night to say good-bye. We had a great dinner of terriaki steak, potatoes, green beans and french bread. . .yummy! After dinner Andy's kids came over to our house too (while Andy and Denise went to a movie together) and all the cousins had their last fling. They had a great time going in the house and out, in and out, in and out (I am sure some of you can relate). I ran outside and got a few pictures while they were eating their frosting graham crackers on the lawn. We will sure miss them around here, but I guess that means we have a great place to stay in Oregon, right Erin? We wish you guys the best on your trip! Let us know when you get there safe.

Bubble Fun

2008-07-26T12:08:00.000-07:00

The children frequently get bored in the summer time so I try my best to keep them busy. The other day I scrabbled up some soap suds, put them in a bowl, gave the kids kitchen utensils, and let them have at it. They got creative and made beards, bubble hairdo's and had a great time tossing it around the yard.

Extra Pictures

2008-07-17T15:01:00.000-07:00

Here a few extra pictures taken lately. No rhyme or reason, I just thought i'd add them.

You do what you have to.

2008-07-17T14:28:00.000-07:00

These are before and after pictures of Maleah. I'm not sure if you can see it, but she was a MESS!!!
Here's how it all started. . . .I was cooking dinner for the 4 families in my food group and things were going pretty well until it came time to put in the rice, stir the meat sauce, and put cupcakes in the oven(which all had to be done at the same time). I began to juggle my tasks and things were going okay until Maleah walked into the kitchen and began to cry at my feet. I quickly scooped her up and put her in her highchair and handed her a yogurt and spoon, hoping that she would be happy long enough for me to finish. She did great for awhile, I hardly even remembered she was there. After what seemed not long enough she again began to cry. I took a quick glance around the counter to find something else to occupy her since I was at the very end of cooking and running a few minutes late. I saw the cupcakes first and gave one to her (anything to give me a few more minutes). I finished the meals and looked at Maleah, she was a MESS! Right then, Gregg came home and I left to deliver the food. That night she didn't want to eat dinner because she was full already. I felt bad, but sometimes as a mom you just have to do what you have to, to get through the day. Oh well tonight will be healthier.

The rest of the pictures!

2008-07-08T13:07:00.001-07:00

Beach House

2008-07-08T12:38:00.000-07:00

This is the Beach house that we stayed in for a few days.
The next picture is our view from the window in the livingroom.

Boogy Boarding

2008-07-07T21:30:00.000-07:00

If you click on the middle picture to enlarge it, you can see me boogy boarding with my brother Chris.

Beach Babes

2008-07-06T20:47:00.000-07:00

Don't we look HOT???? We all put on wetsuits and went boogy boarding at Dillon's Beach. I LOVED it! For those of you who don't know what that is, we walked out into the water pretty far, jumped on our boards and rode the waves back to shore. We ALL had a blast!!! Can't wait to do it again next year.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

2008-07-06T20:45:00.000-07:00

On June 27th our family awoke bright and early for our vacation to California. We were all pretty tired, but somehow we made it on the rode by 5:30 am! The ride went really smooth except towards the end when Maleah was just DONE! Luckily our hotel wasen't to far. When we got there Maleah was SO happy to get out and walk around and everything was better. Our hotel was AWESOME!!! We stayed at the Staybridge Suites. We had a 2 room, 2 bath hotel with a livingroom and kitchen. . .it was like a small apartment. We went swimming, ordered pizza and as a family watched a movie on the pull out couch. It can't get much better than that!!! The next day we had a great breakfast there and headed off to Six Flags. Six flags was so much fun! We mostly stayed in the kiddie section (all of our kids liked those rides) and we saw a couple shows that were really neat! That evening after all the fun, we met up with Chris and Susan and their family (my brother and his family)and together we drove to Dillon's beach, to stay in a beach house there.

I learned how to do a slide show!

2008-06-23T15:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I am finally learning a few things about blogs and I don't feel so dumb anymore. My friend Peggy dropped by today with her kids for a few hours to eat lunch with my family and teach me a little more about blogs (Peggy is visiting from California and was in our last ward). It was great to see her after 3 years and reminess about our old ward and friends. I was SO excited when she taught me how to put on a slide show and music! I thought it would be much harder than it was! So everyone take a minute to look at my masterpiece. Oh, and I wanted to tell all my friends to PLEASE leave me a message when you visit my blog, I am not sure if you looked if you don't. So far I feel like I am writting this blog to myself! I will commit myself to keep up my blog if I know you want to see it. I love you Guys -Jamie
P.S This song playing is my new favorite, I've been listening to it non-stop lately. It's just so pretty and relaxing!- Enjoy

2008-06-23T14:24:00.001-07:00

Circus FUN!

2008-06-16T17:47:00.000-07:00

Friday night we got a phone call from the Bernhardt's (friends in our ward) and they invited us to go to the circus with them on Saturday. Of course we excepted, but we didn't tell our kids until right before we left. Our kids were so excited and were literally jumping up and down when we told them. We drove over to the Bernhardt's house, let the kids swap cars (some of our kids in their car and some of theirs in our car) and together drove to the circus.
When we walked inside the building it was smaller than I thought, but big enough to get the job done. The show was great, there was a band playing music and making sound effects, dancers stunt men, acrobats, bears, elephants, horses. . .you name it. We had a wonderful time! With their 5 kids and our 4 kids we were quite the crowd! All of the kids enjoyed blue cotton candy which was a big hit but incredibly messy. We took a few pictures to show you how much fun we had!

Our newest addition . . .TIA!!!

2008-06-09T10:45:00.000-07:00

Gregg finally gave in and we got a cute little kitty. She is about 7 weeks old and very active! The kids just adore her and the kitten can't live without us. She is always so excited to see us, she reminds me of a dog. In the morning we take her out of the bathroom and she is all over us! The funny thing is that Gregg has really become fond of her (even if he wont admit it) and the kitty loves him more than anyone! Tia will come jump on his lap in the evenings and cuddle with him. We love our new addition to the family!
- The first picture is Maleah with the kitten, she holds Tia and rocks her like a baby doll, it's so funny.