Life around here

We've been super busy just like everyone else I know ;) Just getting ready for Christmas and trying to enjoy ourselves a little bit at the same time. I hate rushing around and stressing out at Christmas. I'm refusing this year. Even if things are just simpler. I did get our friend gifts done and I like how they turned out.

Connor loved crazy hair day at school and I snapped a few pics of him in the morning. I went to show my co-workers the pics and......I saw that Connor had taken one of himself after I was done! He cracks me up. He's so serious in the pic. All I have to say is...that took all the hair products I own to get that hair to stand up like that! He could put his hoodie on and it would just pop right back up after he took the hoodie off.

Got Connor signed up for wrestling. We'll see how that goes. He's way excited and so am I ;) but he has tons to learn and it's gonna be a lot of work for him. I think that's good though.





Fancy-Shmancy Magnets

My eyes were opened..

to see how many people have so little. It made me so incredibly grateful for what I have. We put together bags for the homeless at the Anderson's house....everyone brought stuff like apples, oranges, grandola bars, gloves, jackets, hats, blankets, you name it. Fresh & Easy helped us out with some more food and some cool bags to put it all in. Then on another night we took it all downtown...wow. That was an eye opener for me. The girls & kids all stayed in the trucks and the guys got out and handed stuff out. It was crazy...I was driving someone's truck really slow while they handed stuff out and all these homeless guys were eying us through the windows. It was SO crazy. There were tents on the sidewalks lining the road. I felt so happy to have my little home with warm beds!!! It was a good experience, even if it was kinda scary...

Wyatt kept busy too while we put the bags together. Bryson is awesome.

Listen Up Everybody!!!!!

My little famiy is going to do a FOOD DRIVE during the month of December and would love any help you can provide.

I am so grateful for the blessings we enjoy everyday and want to make the Christmas season more about serving others and striving to live as Christ lived instead of my kids focusing on...."I want this for Christmas!" Sound familiar ;) I want my kids to know that serving others is the best gift we can give.

If any of you are able to donate any food, you are more than welcome to drop it off at my house, work, or I can come by and pick it up. If my parents or the Duke's are closer, they said it would be fine if you dropped if off there as well.

Everything will be donated to the Food Bank here in Las Vegas and they said the need is greater than ever. I will post some info on items needed, but when I talked to them they said they especially need peanut butter and tuna because of the high protein in it and long shelf life it has. They are also in need of canned soup and hygiene products such as shampoo, soap & toothpaste.

Thanks for any help you can give and I love you all very much!!! I wish you the best this holiday season!

Happy Birthday Wyatt & Emily!!!!!

My baby's 4 years old! We had the best day on Friday...started with a birthday breakfast, opened gifts and then met up with my family at the Mini Grand Prix. That place was a total blast. I got the kids wristbands, then we could go on the rides too to "help" them. We rode the rollercoaster, go carts and went down the huge slide, but the absolute best was watching them drive their own go carts!!!! Wyatt had to sit on a booster to see over the wheel, but he was such a cute little driver! We met up that night for dinner at Claim Jumper because it was Emily's birthday too and then ate cupcakes at our house.

Reasons I LOVE Wyatt:
*his smile
*his big blue eyes
*he has rubber face! He can pull the silliest faces and he loves to look at himself in the mirror when he does it.
*he says the FUNNIEST stuff! "that's what me talkin bout!" "hey, take it e-say!" "look at those hip hop tires"
*he knows tons about cars already, like spoilers, mustangs, excursions, sports cars.....and minivans
*he tells me I'm pretty all the time
*he says, "don't worry bout it mom. Me take care of it"
*his giggle is the best!
*he loves animals and I love to hear him talk to them. He has the cutest, scratchy voice. He tells them they are so cuuuute. "Nick, good job gettin those crickets buddy! Nick you are so cuuuuute!"
* he says I have 4 kids...Connor, him, Nick & Eeyore. Yikes.
* he's squishy!

Happy Birthday Wyatt!!!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!

Emily! I know we are a little tiny bit different from eachother, haha! But I love you and would do anything in the whole wide world for you! Especially because you already do that much for me. But mostly just because you are my sister and I love you. You have such a good heart, that is generous and giving. You are one of the most steadfast people I know. You have such a firm foundation, yet you always smile and are so fun to be around! I hope you had a good birthday! I can't think of a better person for Wyatt to share it with! Love you!

Utah Trip

So.....we went to Utah last weekend to get some stuff from IKEA and to see some old friends..and by "old" I mean awesome and I've known them for years! I dread going up to Utah because I have so many horrible memories or good memories that are tainted now. But honestly, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. My friends pampered us with homemade biscuits, homemade jam, homemade soup, homemade bread sticks and a HOMEMADE loaf of bread to take home. Now my kids keep asking me for "homemade" stuff! All of it was SO good and I can't even explain how great it was so talk to friends who know me and what we've been through. The ones that saw and helped move our things to their basement or who watched my kids while I was at the lawyers or who helped me choose what I would take from my home. These are the same friends who cleaned my house when I'd have a baby or help tend my boys when I'd be at my whits end because Justin was never around. It was more than great to see them again.

I have so many great family members and friends who live close by and help so much and I love you too!!!

I took the boys to see the houses we used to live in. It wasn't as bad as I thought either. Kinda.

Parent Day at Connor's School

So I skipped out on work for a little bit to visit Connor's classroom for Parent Day at his school. It was so fun to go with him and to see some of the stuff he does during the day. He was so excited for me to come and for me to meet all his friends.

I was incharge of a little activity that all of the kids rotated through so I got a chance to meet all of them. It's interesting to see how different they are and the different situations they have. For some reason it just made me so happy I could actually come to something of Connor's during the day. Made me realize we have a better situation than a lot of others.

Oh by the way.....The kids all had turkey's they had to disguise at home so they wouldn't get "caught" and eaten for Thanksgiving. They could color and glue stuff on them and use things from home to decorate it. Well I of course had all these crazy ideas and Connor said, "Why don't we just put a picture frame around him so everyone will just think he's in a picture." Pretty smart kid I think. I took a few pics of some of the other's that I liked. Steph, I like Clark's spiderman turkey too!!!

The Happs

Best date night ever...McDonald's playland with two handsome men and a fort to watch Willow in. Guaranteed good time.



Crazy huge pizza and an early "Valentine's Day gift" from Connor. He put a bow on it and everything. It's his collection of rocks with CTR he taped on it.

Wyatt and I got busted eating the Halloween candy. I love his arm around me and I love how Connor was cool with me eating the candy out of his stash.

Jason Mraz

This group from Ireland opened for him and they played lots of funky instruments including this recorder/keyboard thing. They would blow into it and play the keyboard part. Hmmmm...

Melody watched my boys and when I dropped them off, Faith wanted a pic with me... I think it was because of my big Hannah Montana hair;)

Veteran's Day...

That's what it's called...but I had a day of rest and it was awesome!

1. slept in
2. played Monopoly Jr, snowboard video games & played outside with the boys
3. stayed in my PJ's til 4pm when I finally showered AND
4. never put any make up on ;)
5. made breakfast for dinner
6. my car is FIXED!!!!!!

Halloween 08

Day started with orange pancakes, some in the shape of pumpkins & ghosts.... how can you go wrong with a start like that? The boys dressed up as superheros (of course) and we hit the church party that night and saw lots of friends and family. Kids loved it, but I was beat...sorry I'm not even gonna lie! Connor said he didn't have to smile if he wore this mask :)Wyatt holding a cricket he caught at the Duke's Cutest Alfalfa and his sis was Darla...how stinkin cute is that? Lots o cool people
Lester the child molester

Joel Brough says this pic looks like I'm in the Beastie Boys Sabotage video

I feel so short next to them!

I got glasses!