Best Birthday Ever!

Yesterday I had ANOTHER Birthday. This was the first year that I was actually thinking of skipping this day of getting older but soon realized that even if you skip your birthday you still grow one year older (and wiser too). The occasion started on Sunday when I arrived at my mother’s house for dinner with the welcome of a sweet smelling cake that my sisters had baked for me. They are always so thoughtful. Next, my brother Bryan gave me the gift of cutting a piece from the very middle of my cake as is a trademark of his since we were little kids. But don’t worry; when his kind wife explained that they had not yet sang “Happy Birthday” he quickly plopped the piece of cake back in its rightful spot until after the song. Afterwards, I opened my gifts from my family that were, as always, exactly what I wanted. Thanks Guys, you always do too much!
On the morning of my actual Birthday I got up and watched the news, after a while Katie and Allie came in and sang me “Happy Birthday” and then Allie made me my favorite breakfast. At 11:00 my always thoughtful friends took me out to lunch to “Garcia’s” then to the mall where Jairo and the kids picked me up and took me to the movie “Bedtime Stories” (every year since Kate was 18 months we have went to the movie on my birthday) then to dinner at my favorite restaurant, Texas Roadhouse. Later some of my friends and family stopped by and called to wish me a happy birthday. I retired early to bed and got a good nights rest since I need it now that I am old(er). Jairo and my kids we so sweet all day and kept the house clean, just the way I like it. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful family and great friends. Thanks for making this the BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!

Christmas

This was such a great Christmas. With all of the snow we got it felt like a country Christmas. One of my favorite parts of Christmas is Sacrament Meeting the Sunday before Christmas. I love listening to all of the wonderful talks and reminders of our Saviors humble birth. I love all of the beautiful Christmas music and the fact that everyone seems to be wearing Christmas colors to Church. The Primary kids are so excited to act out the Nativity and the teachers don’t seem to mind the extra excitement the kids have on this Special Sunday. I am grateful to have such a wonderful family to spend the holidays with. I love each and everyone of them so very much. I spent Christmas Eve baking everyone’s favorite treats for the family Christmas Party’s. We had a great time Christmas Eve at Jairo’s parent’s house where the kids got spoiled. Then my two year old niece Maya came home with us to sleep over. The kids woke up at about 8:00am ready to check out their delights from Santa. I thought they might be getting coal, but somehow they slid under the radar on the naughty list. We had a great morning opening gifts and eating a yummy Christmas breakfast. The girls were having so much fun with their new Barbies and American girl doll pets they decided to take pictures of them, it was so funny. I had to confiscate the camera before they decided to photograph all of there new Polly Pockets and other toys. Afterwards Jairo took Maya back the Elizondo’s and we went over to my parents house for a great day of visiting, playing games, exchanging gifts, a delicious prime rib dinner and the boys even had some fun in the snow with Bryan’s Jeep and Dad’s FJ Cruiser. My parents got the whole family a trip to Disneyland. We all go to Disney almost every year, but this will be the first time we all get to go together. We are so excited! I am so grateful for all of the time I had to spend with my family and look forward to a happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

I wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! This is my favorite time of year. My favorite scripture from Matthew 25: 40 keeps running through my head “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me”. It is so fun to see the way people’s hearts are softened this time of year. Everyone is running around with their eyes open enough to see the miracles they can complete for those who are in need. It is so great that such a humble story of The Birth of Christ could change the hearts of man for one month of the year. I took my girls for our annual outing to “A Christmas Carol” on Saturday and they had such a great time. This year they seemed to get it even more. They thought that the man who played Scrooge was the best scrooge they had ever seen. He did such a great job. They came home wanting to find more people to help for Christmas. Wouldn’t it be great to see the magic of Christmas through the eyes of a child again?
The kids are also excited to be out of school for 2 weeks. They have a full week of fun all planned out. Today we are going bowling for my Nephew’s birthday. Tuesday the kids are going to the annual neighborhood Christmas Party for kids. They go over to the Richards house to bake cookies and make treats. Afterwards she takes them caroling on her big old fashioned sleigh. The kids decide who had the best decorated house, then they give that neighbor a prize. The kids look forward to the sleigh ride every year.
Wednesday we will go to Jairo’s Parents for their family Christmas Party. We get together, eat, visit, and play games then at 10:00pm we open presents. We use to have to wait until midnight but now that we have children, Grandpa lets us open presents while the kids are awake enough to enjoy them.
Christmas Morning we get up and enjoy Christmas with our own little family. We first open stockings and the gifts from Santa, then we share the gifts we got for each other. Afterwards we eat Strawberry Crepes for breakfast then go to my parents for the rest of the day. At mom and dad’s we eat a delicious meal, exchange gifts, play games, watch movies, nap, then eat again. This year we decided that for Christmas with my family we would go to Disneyland. We are planning to leave after the crowds die down on January 10th and stay for a week. We are Disney addicts and like to go every year but this will be the first year that we are all able to go together. We are looking forward to getting away and warmer weather.
Well I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. This is long entry because our blog is the closest thing we will get to family journal. I am so grateful for my precious family and great friends to share this special time of year. If you have a minute please share your favorite family Christmas tradition with us. Merry Christmas!

Batboy

So Ryan loves being a Super Hero! He is always flying around saving the day. The other day we were watching Batman and he told me that he would be right back and by golly he was right back, in his underwear. It is nice to know that it is important to him to change his underwear to complete his costume. Me being neurotic about having things match all the time did not just get passed on to my daughters. Anyhow, we all feel safe with "Batboy Underpants" around.

Last week Allie had her First Grade Christmas Program. She did such a great job. We had a lot of fun watching all of the kids sing. Allie was so excited for the song when she got to use the guitar she made in class. Kids this age are so funny.
The following night I took Katelyn and her friend Ashley to the Nutcracker. I wanted to take Allie but she wanted to go to a basketball game with her friend. The ballet was great! I can't wait to go again next year with both of my girls.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I love Thanksgiving. A whole holiday dedicated to being thankful. We have much to be thankful for and are so blessed. We started our day off with my kids favorite breakfast, then went to my moms for a wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner at 2:00, ran over to Jairo’s cousins house for dessert and football at 3:30, then went back to moms for treats, games, visiting and of course our annual “Black Friday” planning meeting. Some of our dear friends were in town so they stopped by. What a wonderful day! We are thankful to be able to gather with family, eat a yummy feast and appreciate all our many blessings!

Pictures

I love this picture of Katelyn. After editing it I was messing around and found this glow effect. So which do you like better?

Mohawk vrs Toyhawk

Ryan loves his Mohawk! Everyday when he gets out of the bath he says “mom, you have to make my mohawk now.” He will then tell the Kate & Allie “girls, mom maid my hair so don’t mess it up.” (Jairo calls it a Ry-hawk) So, last night I was sitting on the floor playing with him and he flew one of his toys through my hair which made piece stick up and he said “Mom, I made you a toy-hawk, you look like a nice mom.” Another day in the adventures of Ryan’s World!

Happy Birthday Uncle Steve!

From Collages

On Moday my uncle Steve turned 50 years old! We had a big surprise party with all of his favorite’s foods, friends and had everyone share their favorite memory of him. It was like a funeral of the passing of his youth. We had a great time. Uncle Steve is the kind of person that makes everyone feel like they are his favorite. Here is a poem I wrote to share some of my favorite memories of him.

“Ode to Uncle Steve”

Happy Birthday Uncle Steve, I can’t believe that your so old,
I remember anticipating your funny jokes and waiting for your contagious laugh so bold.
You made me eat my vegetables but unfortunately they came back with ease,
I tried to tell you I don’t like green food especially not green peas.
You had a new boy name picked out for us girls every time we would meet,
But even though you were always teasing us you also gave us good treats.
When Kristy and I would ask for an ice cream cone, the money you would never miss,
The cone came complimentary with a great big “Uncle Steve Kiss”.
Going to the cabin in the winter time was always so much fun,
Watching you climb your snowmobile to the top mountain you would conquer with out much of a run.
We would play board games and eat from your many boxes of snacks late into the night.
You would always let me win, without giving much of a fight.
When I got older you would pay twenty dollars for a pan of brownies made by me,
What you didn’t know was that I loved you so darn much I would have made them for free.
Now I have my own girls you have named them Larry and Mo,
And when your around the excitement I see on their face is too hard not to show.
They call you Suzie or the Great Aunt Steve anticipating that contagious laugh you see,
We can never get enough teasing from you our hearts are filled with glee.
Now even though your fifty the memories will never fade away,
I remember your handsome black hair & shiny red truck as if it were today.
You see we all thought we were your favorite so we have gathered and agree,
The Birthday Celebration of the Great Steve Adams is the place we want to be!

My Eight Alter Ego's

My Eight Alter Ego's:
1. My rock star name: *Friskie Savanna*
{First pet and current car}

2. My gangsta name: *Fifth Avenue Gingie*
{Favorite candy bar and favorite cookie}

3. My detective name: *Pink Rock* (you all know how much I love animals)
{Favorite color and favorite animal}

4. My Star Wars name: *Elish of Synthroid*
{First three letters of last name and first two letters of first name then the word "of" then a medication you are on}

5. My superhero name: *The Pink Juice* (there is only one color on my color wheel)
{2nd favorite color and favorite drink with "The" in front}

6. My Nascar name: *Verlene Arlene* or *Wanda Voila*
{First names of your grandmothers}

7. My "lover" name: *Beautiful Snickers*
{Name of your favorite perfume/cologne and your favorite candy}

8. Witness-protection name: *Arlene Ray*
{Mother's and father's middle names}

TAG, YOUR IT!

Today the girls get to celabrate Halloween at school. Kate does not get put her costume until after lunch so she just put on some Halloween colors. What a cuttie! Allie's teacher is letting them wear their costumes all day but I was worried that "Glenda" would get ruined so I told her she could wear her witch costume from last year then change into her Glenda costume when I come to help with her class party! Good thing there are so many Halloween Festivities to get use of their costumes.

I have been tagged a few times lately but havn't had time to post so here I go! Four, cuatro,4. This is the 4th picture in my 4th folder and I am going to tag Dad, Steph and Kristy because they havn't updated their blogs in a long while and also mom, because it would be interesting to see what picture will come up since she has 3 billion. This is a picture the girls when we stopped at Mesa Falls with our friends on our way home from the Taylor's Cabin in Island Park.
I was also tagged Five, Cinco, 5 so this picture is of Ryan sneaking brownie mix. He loves Chocolate! I had to add picture 4 also because it was so funny. We had to start over on that dessert.

High School Musical 3

Friday was the Opening day of HSM 3. Katie and Allie loved the first 2 movies and also love playing “HSM Sing It” on the Wii, so when they announced HSM 3 last spring the girls started the count down. We picked up our tickets early in the week and met up with some of our friends for a girls night out. The girls really enjoyed the movie. I thought it was good but, I think I actually liked the first 2 better(shhh). There were some cute tiny little girls sitting next to us that were dancing and singing the whole time. They were so cute. I wish my girls were still tiny and care free. As usual I forgot my camera but was able to get a picture of Allie and her best friend McKenna after the show.

Halloween Fun

On Saturday we officially started our Halloween Festivities. I had to work at the PTA booth at the High School Carnival so while I was working the girls enjoyed the carnival with their friends. Later we went to or annual Halloween Party at my parents house. It is always fun to see the creative costumes everyone comes up with. We had a great time playing games and eating yummy treats and catching up with each other. Here are some pictures, I missed some people and others threatened me not to post their picture but, here are a few to enjoy.

Miss Allie

Katelyn

Last week I took each of my kids out to my grandpa’s farm to take some individual pictures. I am very pleased with the pictures but need some editing skills. I want to learn more about photography but for now these will have to do. If you have any tips send them my way!

Birthday

Happy Birthday Aunt Gaylene!

We love you and hope you

have a special day!

Love,

Jairo, Shelly, Katelyn, Allie and Ryan

Out on the farm!

Last week I took each of my kids out to my grandpa’s farm to take some individual pictures. I am very pleased with the pictures but need some editing skills. I want to learn more about photography but for now these will have to do. If you have any tips send them my way!

Crazy Days

I have been everywhere but home since I last blogged running back and forth helping at the school, busy with my church calling (the Primary Program is coming up), PTA, PTA, PTA, and trying to keep on my house, so I am just posting some of the things that we have been up to for the last couple of weeks.

Spud Day
We had a fun time at the Spud Day Celebration. We watched the parade (in the rain), worked at the PTA booth, played on the fun jumps, rode the train, got rained on some more, visited with people we only see once a year (at Spud Day), and ate lots of yummy food!











Miss Russet
The girls and I went out for a “girl’s night out” to the Miss Russet Pageant to watch our neighbor Lindsey Nelson. I thought it might motivate them to work hard at dance and practice the piano. Good news, it worked, Katelyn has been very willing to practice (sometimes too much), Allie is always in her dance costume and Lindsey won!



Crafty Me!
I made the girls these cute little bags for Piano and Ballet. First I made Katelyn’s (it is suppose to look like a piano), then Allie thought she wanted one exactly the same. I told her I would think of something creative for her bag and here they are. They also wanted little skirts to wear to the next Shelley football game that are red, black, and white so I made these little skirts. Once Sandy saw them she had me make a tiny one for Grace. I also made some funky new hair bows for this fun little dress Allie has (she is wearing them in the Miss Russet picture) and some that are the “Shelley Colors.”





My least favorite job
I painted the girls room. No pictures yet because I haven’t finished their new curtains. I let my friend borrow whole bunch of the girls stuff from their bedroom for her house because their house was on the home show. So while all their stuff was gone I figured it was a good time to freshen up their room! It also motivated me to take a day and go see some of the houses on the home show with all my girlfriends. We had a great time.


Football Season
We have been having a great time going to the Varsity Football Games. The girls performed at one game a couple of weeks ago (I forgot my camera) and did a great job. Every Friday the girls think they have to wear all Shelley colors to school and the games. Ryan has a great time playing with Luke and watching the game with his Daddy. Shelley has a great team this year and has only lost one game so far.




Dino Dig
For PTA I was in charge of a Dino Dig for the little Goodsell Preschool Kids. I brought Ryan and Luke along so they could get a little dirty themselves. We dug for bones, played dino games, and made little dinosaur necklaces. The boys had a blast





The other day my sister asked why I don’t ever just sit when I have a day that I don’t have to be somewhere? I guess I have too much A.D.D.!