Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone is having a great Christmas. The girls have been VERY excited. It's sort of translating to grumpy and naughty lately though--there's only so much excitement/sugar/late nights a kid can handle I guess. It's too bad we can't take a 24 hour break from Christmas and recuperate so they'll be their happy, cheery, and CALM selves for Christmas Day. Erin's chocolaty face says it all. She decided to eat some of my visiting teaching treats while the rest of us were being mesmerized by the "dancing lights house". I guess I should have wondered why she was so happy and quiet. . . We really are having a great time doing all the stuff that comes this time of year--Have a very merry Christmas!!!

8 TV shows I love to watch:
1. The Office
2. House (He's really rude and crude and I shouldn't but I do)
3. I'm stretching here. . .
4. I used to watch Oprah, but not for about a year now. . .
5. Lost (but losing interest fast, they "lost" Kevin around season 2)
6. 90210 (Only a few episodes and only because I was banned as a teanager and Kevin is gone Tuesday nights--excuses, excuses)
7. Yeah, that's it
8. Oh!!! How could I forget the Food Network?! (Haven't watched in a while but I do love Paula Dean and Rachel Ray)

My Favorite 8 Restaurants
1. Macaroni Grill (*Sniff** Miss it and love it)
2. Johnny Carinos
3. Cafe Rio (just give me an excuse to go to Utah--ANYWHERE in Utah ;0)
4. Outback
5. Mongolian Grill
6. The Melting Pot (Can't afford it unless Mom's buying!!)
7. Wingers
8. Papa Tom's Pizza

8Things That Happened Yesterday
1. Bath Day! It takes a few hours to clean them all ;0)
2. Went to the church and spent 2 1/2 hours making changes to visiting teaching routes
3. Realized I was late getting Audrey and Kira to school
4. Fed Erin and laid her down for a MUCH needed nap
5. Read stories to/with Kaylee and helped her draw pictures to report about them
6. Cleaned the same things I clean every day
7. Made grill cheese sandwiches and tomato soup because I had a really bad cold and didn't want to make anything else
8. Spent all evening with Kevin trying to decide if we should go to the ER because he was having massive stomache pain (turns out he's okay, but man he was in a lot of pain--poor guy)

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To
1. Christmas in IF (loved being in Nevada for our last two but it will be nice to be home)
2. Thanksgiving in Malta (Hopefully Gary makes pizza ;0)
3. My carpet being replaced (up and down)
4. My upstairs being repainted (just wish it wasn't me who had to do it)
5. My Aunt and Uncle going through the temple
6. Going to bed (it's late and I still have a cold)
7. Perfecting myself--it's no fun being flawed
8. A clean house (it may happen some year. . . )

8 Things On My Wishlist
1. That all of my children will stay active in the church (Mandy, I'm keeping this--call me a copycat if you must)
2. A cruise, with Kevin and only with Kevin
3. Heck, I'll settle for some alone time with Kevin no matter where it is--we haven't even been able to go to the temple together lately
4. A job Kevin loves that isn't an hour away from home (Frankly though, I'm just glad he has a job he likes so no complaints)
5. More self confidence, less caring what others think
6. Some self control when it comes to baked goods
7. That I could recreate Cafe Rio's Salad--wait, I just did that tonight!!!
8. A personal servant--why don't we have those anymore?

8 People I Tag: Whoever wants to do this...

All About Erin

Happy Birthday Erin!!

I can't believe she's a year old already. How time flies. She loved her baby from Grandma and her zylophone from Kevin and I. She wouldn't even open any more presents after the zylophone--she really loves music and now she can make her own!!

You can tell I don't go all out with the cake decorating. (It's just going to get eaten anyway right?) She was the daintiest cake eater I've ever seen though. A few swipes of frosting and then she pushed the plate away. She's watching her calories apparently.

This is just a cute picture I took of her. She's such a little sweetie and she's probably just given us the easiest first year in baby history. She rarely spit up, she never had any diaper blow outs, never was sick (okay, two colds) sleeps through the night and LOVES vegetables. I didn't know babies like that could exist. We love her, and would love her no matter what, but I'm going to have to say that she's pretty near perfect the way she is and I don't know how we ever lived with out her ;0)

Happy Halloween!! We loved Halloween at our house (what's not to love?)

Kaylee was a witch for a few parties this week and I even stole her witch stuff for a witches tea party that my friend Heather threw.

Kira and Audrey were an angel and a devil for their preschool party.

They had fun being something different for every little party we had going on last week. We have a dollar store costume box and they just pick something out and we go from there! (Gotta love the dollar store)

Erin made the cutest little butterfly!!

Actually, you shouldn't call them butterflies. They were "butterfly fairies" and they were quick to correct anyone who got it wrong.

Finished Basement

What's that you say? That doesn't look like it's finished? Okay, so it was finished. Four years to finish it and four hours (or much, much less) to rip it up. Needless to say we have been trying to take Elder Wirthlin's advice and laugh about it--what else can you do really?
This is the entrance to my laundry room and also the room where the water and more importantly MUD originated. Some something in our main sprinkler line that leads into the house cracked due to pressure or something like that and flooded our basement while we were at church last Sunday. NOT funny, I know, but there are people with worse trials than a messy house I guess so I'm trying to convince myself it's okay.
You probably can't tell what this is but it's a GIANT sink hole in my flower bed next to the offending sprinkler box. Where did all that dirt go you ask? Why in my basement of course!! Thank goodness for cleanup crews!! I have no idea how I would have cleaned all that up! It made me feel really sorry for flood victims who can't just call a cleanup crew and have them show up at their house 30 minutes later and take care of everything. Also, thank goodness for homeowners insurance--they don't cover everything, but they cover the most expensive things and for that I am grateful. It seems that this is my month for being tried to see if I can remain positive no matter how many inconvenient things happen. From kids barfing on the way to dance class, to nasty colds, to locking my keys in the car (stupid, I know, and all my fault, no kids to blame) to flooded basements and unexpected bills and, worst of all, to BYU getting smashed by TCU (yuck!!)--it's been a lovely month so far, things can only look up right? All I can say is BYU better win on Saturday or I quit!!! (wearing my BYU stuff that is, I can't quit anything else)

Girly Girls (and a man?)

Kevin's been around too many girls for way too long. He doesn't look like he wants rescuing though (thank goodness!)

Erin's been a little sick and feverish this week. She's trying to cut a few teeth and she hasn't felt like eating much. She does like snuggling which is not usual for her so I'll take what I can get when I can get it I guess.
Erin's a little claustrophobic in her seat so she eats with her foot on the table--ALWAYS. I've given up on leaving her socks on during meals because I'm sick of trying to get stains out of little three inch pieces of fabric! Nothing I do will get her to quit so I'll just have to teach her some manners when she's a little older--at least her feet are clean ;0)

The Fair

Most of the ride pictures just didn't turn out well. You can at least see Kaylee in this one

Kaylee and Audrey really wanted caramel apples. Kira held out for ice cream. Me? I wanted. . .

Just kidding!! Some of you know this about me, but I have a thing about meat still on the bone a.k.a: "bone chicken". It grosses me out!! Something about food still on the carcass. . . I shudder just thinking about it!! Anyway, Kevin made me pose for this picture because he thought it would be funny--that's a smoked turkey leg I'm gnawing on. It was pretty good actually--disgusting--but good you know?!

Okay, this isn't at the fair. My little bro Matt just got baptized so this is him with his nieces looking all mature and uncle-ish.