Baby Gaga

Here is Brin ... al naturale in the morning. Ew La La!!!

What's Cookin'?

the birthday girl and her new cookware

a heartfelt letter from Paige...In case you can't decifer it, it says..."Dear Mom, I love you so much. You are the best mom in the holl wide wrold. Your not the best coock but I think your good at coocking lemin creme bars. To: Mom Love, Paige"

my manly man at the BBQ grilling up some dinner

It wasn't meant to be this way but my b-day ended up being cooking themed. Matt had to work the whole day, so the girls and I partied it up while he was gone. OK, it wasn't much of a party...we made dessert, cleaned the kitchen, and watched "Julie & Julia". Avery's card even talked about cooking. She said. "Mom, oh Mom, Of all the things U do for me, I love your caring heart the most. Maybe your cooking." I'm so confused, am I a good cook or not? I know I shouldn't look into things too deeply, but one kid thinks I'm great, one doesn't . I just asked Macy to break the tie and she said, "I like some and I like some not." It looks like the vote is Even Steven, so I guess I'll never know. One more question...What does it mean when your husband buys you workout clothes???

Look Who's 5!!!

The countdown to 5 has ended!

Macy and her 5 BFFs at McDonald's

Brinley eating a low carb version of her happy meal. She honestly ate the entire thing...minus the fry on the ground, but I'm sure she would have eaten that if I had let her.

Her sophisticated cake made with Fruit-by-the-Foot and Skittles. The more kids I have, the simplier the cakes have become.

Well, kiddo number 3 has turned the big 5! We started the day with Fruit Loops for breakfast. It amazes me that a $2 box of cereal can bring so much joy. Macy didn't have an official party this year, but we did take all of her friends to McDonald's after preschool to help kill time during the day (Matt and Avery weren't going to be home until 7 that night, and I knew the wait would be brutal if we didn't do something). We had pancakes, strawberries, and sausage for dinner. She was hoping to have rootbeer to drink but decided against it because she didn't want to burp. What a lady. She settled for apple juice instead. Her big gift was MarioKart for the Wii. The girls have been playing it every spare moment they've had. Today when we were coming home from the Y, Macy said,"I'm going to run to the Wii when I get home, but first I'll have to wash my hands. Mom, can I have the hand sanitizer?" (My kids love it when they don't have to wash their hands when they get home. I'm a hand washing Nazi).

Macy told me that being 5 means she is ready to go to Kindergarten. It's hard for me to believe that she is as big as she is. It seems like only yesterday she was eating hail with a spoon and falling asleep at our front door while waiting for me to come home. Sunrise, Sunset. Let the countdown to 6 begin.

Stockton 'n Malone

The Dribbling Duo

Paige's Action Shot

Avery's Action Shot

We decided to give BB a go this season, and it has been pretty fun. I'm really enjoying having our girls on an INDOOR sports team. Soccer in Colorado is brutal. Unfortunately, Avery and Paige are both the team shorties. It makes sense, tall people put their tall children in BB leagues. Matt told Paige that she is going to be a great "point guard". She told him, "but I didn't make any points." The only downside we've experienced is a team that Avery has to play a lot. They don't have many teams in her league, so we are going to face this very stacked team over and over. These girls have sports glasses and are pivoting all over the place. It is crazy. I think the last time we played them the score was 30-2, and we weren't the 30.

Holiday Happenings

Here are some random holiday pics for your viewing enjoyment.

Melted Snowman Slushie--the hit of the 4th grade holiday party

Shopper-in-Training

Star Cookies for Santa

Our baby with her baby

The princesses seeing "The Princess and the Frog".... we loved it!

Our non-commercial Christmas picture

"...love to see the temple"

Sisters+Sleeping Bags=Sister Slumber Party

It's fun to play at the YMCA!!!

"Back to School Party"-I had a couple parents ask if the party was for me or for the kids...hmmm, no comment.

Feliz Navidad!

Our Mexican Feast

Macy and Matt "Siamese Present Wrapping"

Avery and Paige "Siamese Present Wrapping"... Picture #1

Avery and Paige "Siamese Present Wrapping"... Picture #2

Avery and Paige "Siamese Present Wrapping"... Picture #3

Me n' Matt

The Party Pooper (that's why her pants are missing)

We couldn't go to our Ward Christmas Party this year, so we had our very own party at home. We had festive Mexican food (question: are Navajo Tacos considered Mexican food?), played a rousing game of Siamese Present Wrapping, made ornaments, drank Grandpa's Holiday Punch, and played "Sleds" (aka Spoons, only with Sled ornaments from our tree...so creative). The party was a success, with the exception of the present wrapping game. Deep down I knew this was a bad idea, but I didn't follow my intuition. Instead we had 10 minutes of Avery yelling at Paige for not helping and Paige screaming to delete these pictures from the camera. Sorry babe, they are goin' on the blog. Merry??? Christmas!

#66.....Check

Well, I'm able to mark off item #66 on my bucket list....serve on a jury. O.K., it really wasn't on my bucket list, but it should have been. It was quite the experience. I was summoned to show up for jury duty on October 27th and I finished up yesterday...3 + weeks later. From jury selection to the actual trial to deliberation to the reading of the verdict, my inner core was overflowing with a strange combination of frustration, sympathy, interest, and confusion. My case consisted of a soldier stationed in our area gunning down and killing 2 people standing on a street corner hanging up garage sale signs...with an AK47. He also shot at 2 other guys, hitting one, on another street corner on a different night. My 11 new best friends and I found him guilty of on 12 different counts. The thickness of the air during deliberation and the reading of the verdict will be permanently tattooed in my brain. I thought the weight of the matter would be lifting by now, but I have either been crying or on the verge of crying all day today. My heart goes out to the families of the victims and others that were involved.

On a lighter note...there were a few, I mean very few, funny moments, but I have to share them. Lawyer: Who is your cell phone carrier? Witness: I am. Lawyer: No, I mean, which company do you get your cell phone service through. Witness: T-Mobile, they have good rates!

Here's one more... Lawyer: What does a flash suppressor do (to the layman, it's an end of an assault rifle used to minimize the amount of light that comes out when a gun is shot)? Witness: (smugly) It suppresses the flash.

Well, I have to give a shout out to those who helped us or offered to help us these past few weeks. To my parents for dropping everything and showing up 2 days after I was selected. To my sisters for leaving their families to serve mine. To friends who either took the girls for a playdate or helped transport them. We wouldn't have survived without you!