M²+2=The Tsantis'

Fun Times

2012-01-27T08:37:00.000-08:00

9 more weeks!! I am looking forward to laying on my stomach, no more elephant feet (as Mike calls them), no more numb body limbs, getting my energy back and meeting our new fella! I am currently diggin yummy sandwiches, pickles, anything tomato-ish and chocolate donuts!! I have also hit the nesting stage and have repainted the master bed and bath, the baby clothes are washed up and have organized and cleaned almost everywhere! Don't think everything is still in its place though thanks to the two crazies in our house:) The little man sure does move around a lot. I think of LMFAO's Party song, but change it up to "There's a party in my tummy". He is also pretty low and sometimes if feels like he might just slip out! My nights are spent tossing and turning: one side will fall numb so I have to switch to the other. Poor Mike:)

We have also been doing some fun things, like watching movies with All of our friends. (Jackson is a good sport.)

Chocolate donut runs. (This one is Ella's. I would have licked my plate and fingers clean!)

We tried out a gymnastic open gym too with friends Brekke and Crue! It was a good time for sure!

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-01T11:18:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! To celebrate last night we went to one of our favorite places, Red Robin. Jackson loves their mac n cheese, Ella loves their ranch and Mike and I love it all!

Then we went to Puss in Boots which we all enjoyed!

The kiddo's were in bed by 9 and I was snoozin by 10. Mike watched Sports Center until 11:45 when I woke up and told him to go to bed! Today we are celebrating with cupcakes and other fun goodies that may give us lots of cavities:) Happy 2012!

Happy Christmas

2011-12-30T11:05:00.001-08:00

On Christmas Eve we made some yummy sugar cookies! Don't worry, we didn't leave the ones Ella rolled out, licked and handled out for Santa;)

Then we opened our jammers, made pizza and watched the Lion King!

I was ready at 4:12 to open presents but Mike told me to go back to sleep. At 6 I wanted to wake up the kids but again Mike told me to go back to sleep. Finally around 6:45 Ella excitedly came in our room and said "My castle is here!", and the rest is history. (Especially since Ella threw up two times on the way home from grandpa and grandma Savages!)

Happy Christmas!

A Bonnie!

2011-12-30T10:54:00.000-08:00

You can't just say Bonnie at our house, its A Bonnie and then Ella will usually say "No, it's baby Bonnie." Anyways, Bonnie came for a visit and we had a good time:

Besties:)

And, played hard! Bonnie digs the exercauser:

And played so hard Bonnie took a snooz. Don't worry though. Jackson made sure she was really warm:)

26 Weeks...

2011-12-22T09:23:00.000-08:00

I am 26 weeks today! My ankles, legs and fingers are swollen, my new bedtime is 8:30and the other night I had lunch with Oprah! (In my dreams.) The little fella is moving like crazy and I love to feek how strong he is getting. We are getting excited for our blue baby brother to join our family! (Ella thinks the baby is coming out blue just like Megamind.)

Lately Ella is really into helping:) Her favorite is making chocolate crinkles and rolling the cookie dough in the powder sugar. Last weekend Mike and Ella made monkey bread. It was delish!

One of our favorite family shows is "the funny show", a.k.a Americas Funniest Videos. Every Sunday night the kids look forward to watching it!

Christmas break officially started today! No big plans for us this Holiday Break! Ella said last night was the Best Day Ever after playing in the newly fallen snow with Jackson and Mike last night. I can't wait to watch the kids as they open their presents Christmas morning. To be honest I have always been the first one awake on Christmas morning. Since I have had kids, I am still the first awake only now it's in anticipation for the kids excitement and awe of this magical morning. I am sure this year will be no different!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-19T13:54:00.001-08:00

Our Thanksgiving Week

2011-11-28T10:16:00.001-08:00

Last week we had a great Thanksgiving week. Mike had the whole week off and it was fantastic! We didn't do one thing, just hung out and enjoyed each other:) Jackson and Ella were playing a fun catch game and I was thinking to myself how much I loved them playing happily together when Ella said to me, "Mom, I like playing with Jackson!". I loved that! Jackson was upset yesterday morning about something and Ella said, "Hey! You are hurting my brother!" I (ususally) love the relationship those two have.

Since my dad was put in as the ICA President they needed a family picture for a magazine spread they are doing on him. Savanah took this photo and I am shocked at how good it turned out! Everyone looking and smiling without a live person behind the camera commanding! (It was on a timer) Jackson was in a super good mood and in every picture we took he cheesed it up.

You better bet I did a little shopping on Friday. And boy did I get some screaming deals! Friday, we also put up our Christmas tree and Ella is awaiting the presents Santa is bringing. We explained to her about Santa and how he sends elves to check if all the kids are being nice. Ella now tells everyone about the "owls" looking in her window and at the mention of them checking on her she is super good:)

Jackson had a homework assignment about the season he was born in and I just love the way his page looks!

Today is back to our everyday routine. Ella and I were really sad to have Mike and Jackson go back to work and school. When I asked Ella if she was going to be good today she said, "Um....Probably."

Sun Valley for ICA

2011-11-18T08:19:00.001-08:00

This week we went over to Sun Valley to support my dad. He is now the Idaho Cattleman's Association President.

We attended a dinner where they recognized my dad which was pretty cool! Afterwards they held an auction and Jackson thought that was fantastic!

The kids loved the chocolate dessert!

The next morning Mike took the kids swimming. They were a little leery since the pool was outside and ffffreezing!

But once we shoved them in they loved it and actually swam for 1 1/2 hours!

Ella was quite the shopper and was very excited about the pink sparkle Tom shoes grandma got her. She definitely had the best time out of all of us. She keeps asking if we can go to Sun Valley and sleep and go swimming:)

"Trick or Treating"

2011-10-30T08:45:00.000-07:00

Mike has been in the Boise area for most of the week so we were all super excited when he took a day off Friday! We had our ward Trunk or Treat that night so we hung out, carved pumpkins and tried on some crazy hair!

Jackson couldn't decide between Spider Man or a basketball player. In the end his true colors came out:)

The Princess and the slam dunk star:

I just love Ella's "princess" pose!

The crazy ref and basketball All Star:

Ella had a super hard time deciding what to be for Halloween. Her all-time favorite, Cinderella was the winner. She was SO excited and when people asked her where she got her costume she kept telling everyone "Some guy brought it to my house". (That would be the Fed Ex man.) And instead of saying Trick or Treat, she said Trick or Treating:)

The crazy pumpkin carvers. Mike and Jackson kept pretending the were sneezing and throwing up pumpkin guts.

The end product! (All pumpkins are home grown too.) We digged the T the most.

Cheers to a great Friday and a Happy Halloween!

It's a.....

2011-10-14T16:23:00.000-07:00

Boy! I couldn't bring myself to post a picture of his manliness so instead it's a picture of baby boy's cute little leg:) The ultra sound tech had no problem determining the sex, instead she said "He's one proud little guy!".

It's Christmas!

2011-10-11T08:24:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday Ella looked out the window, gasped, and said "It's Christmas!". Jackson and Ella enjoyed looking out the window watching it snow:) Ella threw on her boots, coat and gloves and walked around in the snow for 30 minutes. Jackson cheered her on!

With the weather headed cold and wet fast, this weekend we plan to "winterize" our yard. That even includes putting up the Christmas lights! This kids will be so excited since they have been asking Mike to put the lights up since August:)

Last weekend we were at the mall and when we walked by cosmetics Ella disappeared for ten seconds. When she returned she had perfectly painted bright pink lipstick on. I asked her who put on her pretties and she replied "I did!". This little lady loves her lip candy:)

Also last weekend, Jackson worked on a diorama for a school project. He chose the forest as his habitat and had so much fun working on this project! I was sure proud when his teacher called and told me Jackson got an A+ on his diorama:)

Lovin' the Kids

2011-09-21T08:23:00.000-07:00

Definitely lovin' these two:

But I definitely have not been feeling peachy. If I'm not feeling queasy then I am tired and sometimes I am even running around town feeling both! Isn't it funny how life doesn't stop or slow down when you aren't feeling too hot? And it doesn't help that I feel even more sick when I get an empty stomach, but what to eat when nothing sounds good? My IQ is way down. Totally blaming it on the pregnancy. Plus, a few other unpleasantries that I will spare the details on!

Ella's been working on the alphabet and now knows and recognizes every letter:) She also loves, loves, loves to paint and race on her shiny red trike. Jackson is loving school and has already made big improvements in his handwriting and reading skills. Last week he invited Grandma Mitzi Grandparents Day. They had lunch and Jackson showed off his classroom skills. Afterwards grandma treated Jackson, Ella and I to ice cream:) It was tasty!

Mikes been a super star! He works hard at work and then comes home and takes over. Mikes been the cooker, cleaner, homework oversee-er, store runner and bed time putter and usually finishes off the night with a little more work. Plus he sure had been loving the new grass because it is sure looking good! Thanks to him the Tsantis family is alive and doing well.

Babies, School and More Babies!

2011-09-02T12:09:00.000-07:00

We have big news! I'm having a baby and Ella's having a puppy!! At least that's what she tells everyone:) Tsantis baby #3 is due in March and there is no puppy in our future. I have been very nauseous but last night took my first dose of meds to help with that: They worked well!

Jackson started school last Wednesday. He was not looking forward to going but was pretty happy when we got there:) I cannot believe Jax is in the 2nd grade! He must work very hard because he comes home wiped out!

Jackson and Ella have a new cousin! She has many names at our house: that baby that lives at Nana's, lovely princess, baby puppy but her real name is Bonnie. Jackson is smitten by her and Ella can't wait to share treats and play princesses. Yesterday Ella said, "You know that baby that lives at Nana's house? Do you think she can come play princesses with me?" Ella has also tried to give her a cheeto and insisted on taking her a juice box when she had one for lunch.

Turning 30, Soon

2011-07-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

Thursday's the BIG 30 for me. I cried when I turned 20: I thought I was getting old and wasn't quite ready to leave my teens behind. That birthday some of my friends took me to Kilgore and we had ourselves a picnic. It was a goodie and a birthday I won't soon forget:) Birthdays just aren't the same now. Not for sure if it's because I'm a parent or that the two kids I have get to blow out my birthday candles. When we were kids we always got to choose where we wanted to eat on our birthday. One year I chose a sandwich shop and my sister was so mad because she didn't want to eat there. My dad told her that it was my birthday and I got to pick our dinner spot. I loved it and felt so empowered! I still get to choose my birthday dinner location, I just have to take into consideration if my kids will eat anything on the menu:) Mike has a cute little box all wrapped up and I'm thinking it's something lovely. Ella told me she got me ice cream:) Totally diggin that it's my birthday this week, just remembering the good old days!

Grass Planting

2011-07-10T13:26:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Mike planted seed! We laid sod in the front easement and the front side of the house, but where the previous peeps planted grass was a little spotty so Mike filled in there as well.

Picture of the sod in the front easement:

Plus, it doesn't hurt to take a movie star with you when picking up the seed!

Hoping that in 5-7 days we will be spotting grass! Until then there is the chore of keeping the kids otherwise engaged in activities that keep them from the growing area:)

Dress Up with the Little Lady

2011-07-10T13:23:00.000-07:00

The little lady loves to play dress up and try on mommy's make up!

Campin'

2011-07-06T08:54:00.000-07:00

We have discovered the best way to camp: In our back yard!

Happy 4th!

2011-07-06T08:34:00.000-07:00

I do love the 4th! There is something about parades and marching bands that I LOVE! The kids were diggin it too!

One of Jacksons favorites were the hydraulic cars that rotated all over the place. They were pretty cool if I say so myself!

A few family pics.

Later that day we headed to Savanah and Jons for a barbecue. The kids had fun splashing in the pool! One of my contributions for the dinner were these babies. They were yummo!

What better way to end the night than with a firework show?! We oohed and awed over the awesome fireworks and then came home and hit the sack. Happy 4th!

Some Summer Favs.

2011-07-06T08:26:00.000-07:00

When I was little I loved it when my mom made jam. My sisters and I would pick the raspberries, which I hated, then take the berries into my mom. This is such a good memory to me and probably why I enjoyed myself yesterday while making jam. Mike picked these lovelies on Monday:

And I was able to make a batch of strawberry peach and straight up strawberry jam. The kids and I even picked up some freezer safe glass jars for special occasions!

And this is what I totally dig: Grillin pizza. Mike is becoming a pro!

Busy Summ-a-time!

2011-07-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

We have kept busy doing all the summer time activities plus a little extra! Jackson just finished summer school, had a check up at the dentist (hip, hip! very traumatizing but everything looked spot on), a neuro check up and lots of hoop shootin and tramp jumpin:) Ella has been busy watering her garden and painting:) We have been slavin away on our yard and getting ready to soon plant our grass. We planted our garden late, very late but hopefully we get a few pumpkins that will sprout. Potatoes from last year made their way again this year and we already picked a bowl of strawberries:

With a little rhubarb also from our garden we made a strawberry rhubarb pie:) Don't be judgin' on the crust: Still in the perfection stage. Sure tasted good though!

We also celebrated Mike's bday a few days ago! We went out to dinner and came home and had some yummo cupcakes:

We were going to go swimming but the pool was closed so we settled for a jump on the tramp with the hose on!

Happy Birthday Mike, we love ya!

DD, a.k.a Madi, took Jax and Ella to a baseball game! Ella was pretty impressed with DD's friend. He caught a fly ball..... in his hat! And then the bird gave her a hug and KISS!

Other notable news:

Ella told me I was her best friend:) Plus, we saw Cars 2. Jackson was Cars ultimate fan when it first came out a few years ago. Verdict about the new one? It was fantastic! Super cute, plus it didn't hurt that it was a little James Bondish!

Happy Fathers Day, 2011

2011-06-22T07:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Fathers Day, 2011:)

This is our dad. (also known as daddy, honey and Mike)

Mike wanted to go on a picnic up to Mesa Falls. The kids were excited to check out the water fall and eat in nature. We soon found out that Ella is not at one with nature and squirrels creep me out. Ella was not diggin all the mosquitos that wanted to munch on her. Every time one flew around her she would cry for protection from her dad. When he wasn't doing the trick she would cry for me:) As for the squirrel it kept running and charging straight at me and yes, I have to admit I screamed. Then Ella screamed followed by Jackson and Mike laughing at us. We ended up throwing the little guy a cracker and he ran the heck out of dodge.

The kids were amazed by the huge ant "house" we found. It must of been a mansion!

We love our dad and of course think he is the best one! Happy Fathers Day Mike!

We were having water preassure issues when putting in our sprinkler system. This little rock was the reason for our BIG problem!

Lets Get Physical, Physical!

2011-06-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I did probably the most physical work I have done since we have gotten married. We laid sod:) Our fantastic neighbor across the street is working on a project, so he offered us his sod! We spent the morning using a sod cutter and the afternoon and evening laying grass in the front easement and side of the house. I felt like Dick in 'Fun with Dick' and Jane. You know, when he steals a bit of several neighbors sod and lays it on his own yard. Good thing we had permission! The song 'Let's get Physical', popped into my head first thing yesterday morning and kept replaying all day because I couldn't believe how physically hard we were working. Today every muscle in my body is aching. And, I've got the worlds ugliest sunburn. It makes a farmers tan look good!

Mike worked his tail off! He wheel barrowed sod back and forth across the street about 65 times! The best though was when he tripped over a piece of sod I rolled out, took a couple of stumbling steps and then finally fell to the ground. I think he was glad though because he laid there for awhile and was able to get a little break. There were a few explicit words and a couple of wheel barrow tips but by nightfall we had grass. It was like magic!

This morning when we looked out the window and saw green it was all worth it:) I knew we had done something right when our little neighbor girl told me she like our grass:) For only $15 and a lot of physical work we now have grass:)

Memories

2011-06-10T13:43:00.001-07:00

I have been thinking about some of my memories lately. Isn't it funny how different situations bring them back? Like the other day, I was getting ready and putting powder on my face. The smell of that particular powder made me think of my great grandma. I think of her often, but in that moment I could remember going to her house when I was little and patting that same powder on my face. It made me smile:)

My calling in church is Activity Days, and last Wednesday we had our daddy daughter party. Our theme was a western how down and as I was putting on my cowboy boots and red plaid shirt I remembered my own daddy daughter date. I can't remember everything we did, but I do remember square dancing and taking pictures with my dad. That is such a happy memory to me and I was so pleased to hear many of the girls say how much fun they had with their dads. It also made me excited for Ella to have the same special experience in a couple of years with her dad. You cannot replace those memories.

There are also so many little random memories that bring a smile to my face. Like this morning as Jackson was shoveling marshmallow cereal in his mouth. In between bites he looked up and smiled at me:) Or, when we went to a movie this afternoon: both Ella and I cried at the end of the movie when the mom saved her son. (Mar's need Moms)

I am so thankful for the many happy memories I have and look forward to the many more I will make!

Diseased, Again

2011-06-06T11:12:00.000-07:00

I have decided that my kids are carriers for creepy, rare diseases. You know, the ones on the doors of the examination room in the doctors office. I only know that because I noticed the poster today when my doctor pointed out Ella's disease on it. However, I decided that the pictures on the poster make the disease much more dramatic and ugly. It might be because the eyes of the children are blurred out and at first I thought that went along with the illness. Luckily it doesn't:) Ella has fifth disease, a.k.a slap syndrome. She has really red cheeks, like she has been slapped a couple of times. There is no antibiotic or treatment and the doctor said it could take a couple of weeks to go away.

Jackson has had scarlet fever 2 times in the last 5 months along with lots of colds, strep throat and other illnesses! In the past 6 days we have been to the doctors office 3 times. Once for Jax, myself and now Ella. It's a great way to start out the summer!

Last Week...

2011-05-29T20:07:00.000-07:00

School got out! Not for long though, Jackson starts summer school on Wed.. Ella was sure excited on Friday morning when he didn't have to get on the bus:) She even scooted her chair real close to him so they could enjoy every bite of their breaky together!

We got dirt! A BIG dump truck brought 4 loads of rock free dirt and I am diggin it. Literally. That was the most expensive entertainment I have ever bought though. Jackson and Ella though it was fantastic and kept saying "One more time,". As soon as the first load was dumped Ella said "I am so excited mom! I have to go get my shovel!". She has been shoveling ever since.

Grandpa and Grandma Murdoch had their 60th wedding anniversary. We celebrated on Saturday with a big family picture. The one below is G&G and their grown kiddos:)

And this is the Mister and me:)

Ella has been collecting worms she has found with all her shoveling. Uncle Tayti found some biggies tonight. Ella is showing them off proudly:

And Lady O (Oprah) aired her last episode. I am totally one of those girls that grew up watching, and would ask my friends "Did you see Oprah today?". Yes, I did DVR it and yes, I got jealous during the "Favorite Things" episodes. The lady did bug me sometimes but I liked how inspirational and true to herself she is. I can't help but wonder what will replace her 4 o'clock time slot!

Popcorn Popping On Our Tree!

2011-05-25T15:09:00.000-07:00

We've got a popcorn tree! We even sing a song about it, Popcorn Popping On The Apricot Tree! So, you could imagine Ella's surprise a couple of mornings ago when she looked out the window and saw "popcorn" on our tree:) "Oh my gosh!", Ella said and had to call grandma and her dad. We are pretty huge popcorn fans so she might be a little disappointed when she walks out for a hand full of buttered popcorn and gets a flower bloom instead!

In all honesty I have to say I could of been tricked myself! It does look a lot like popcorn:)

Lovin' Life, Livin' the Dream

2011-05-19T08:04:00.000-07:00

It sure is starting to look like spring! We are super pumped because this is the summer we are doing our yard! We've got rocks jumbled in piles and weeds that need to sprayed. Dirt and a sprinkler system is on the way:) I sure do appreciate grass now that we don't have it. Last week we started working on the garden. Mike did the tilling, Jackson shot some hoops and Ella shoveled and took a break under the tramp for snacks.

I love what little besties Jackson and Ella are to one another. Jackson is such a good, loving big brother and Ella is probably the best thing that ever happened to Jackson. Last weekend Jackson's school had a carnival. Jackson and Ella were excited for the jump house. Jax didn't do much jumping, he was trying really hard to keep his balance with all the other kids jumping around. (He also was really wishing he had a ball as there was a hoop in one corner of the house!) Ella was jumping around having fun and then she fell. Jackson was so concerned and said "Oh no Ella, you okay?". This totally touched me. Even though he was so focused on keeping his balance he was still very concerned that his little sis had fell. Another instance happened on Monday. Ella had gotten a couple of new dresses, a swimsuit and shoes that day. When she woke up from her nap Jackson had just gotten home from school. Ella quickly put on her new dress and took the rest of her loot in to show her big brother. Jackson was so excited for her and said "Oh wow, you got a dress?! Cool!". Yesterday I noticed the same rash Jackson had back in December and so I ran him to the Dr.. He has scarlet fever. Again. Even though Jax is sick and feels like crap he has a smile on his face. And, Ella said to me "Guess what Mom. Jax gets to stay home with ME today!" Unfortunately, they do still fight, tease an hit but they sure love and look out for one another. Jackson is such an inspiration to me and I hope that I can be more like him.

Ella is a little ham herself. Yesterday she was playing with her baby. Ella had laid her down in the baby crib and was telling her to take a nap. She told her baby it was all right, that she would say prayers with her so she wouldn't be scared. She then proceeded to pray, blessing everyone. Then Ella gave her a kiss and said "I love you". Then she had her baby say I love you too. That sure put a smile on my face:)

BTW, Ella, Jackson and I are still in shock James left American Idol last week. The show wasn't the same or nearly as exciting without him!

Diggin' Mothers Day

2011-05-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

I think I have decided Mothers Day might be my new favorite Holiday. I'm all about the fruit loops necklace, homemade cards and breakfast in bed! My day started out with a sleep in till 8:30 and a big Happy Mothers Day shout out and hugs from the kiddos. Mike made crepes with strawberries and bacon. Tulips are my all time favorite flower and I was surprised with a colorful arrangement and a fun card with cut out pics from the kids. I also got a super cute maxi dress, denim jacket and shoes to match! I love my little family and how happy we make each other:) I wouldn't trade playing dress up or shooting hoops for anything! Happy Mother's Day!

It's All About the Teachers

2011-05-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

I have never realized or thought about how important teachers are. Good teachers that it! We recently moved Jackson into a different, main stream class and I tell ya, my little Jax is a different person. He is so much more confident and he comes home so happy! His aid told me yesterday they are going to start picking names for who gets to sit by Jackson at lunch:) That made me feel SO good, and to be honest even brought a tear to my eye. He came home from school with a note from a little girl and a different little girl even held his hand! I know this doesn't have much to do with teaching but it sure has a lot to do with the teacher! So, here's a shout out to all the Rock Star Teachers!

Last Week....

2011-04-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

We rocked out to James Durbin on American Idol! That's right, even Jackson and Ella are rooting for James. Ella's favorite friend is still Steven Tyler though:)

Ella played dress up.

Jackson celebrated Earth Day at school.

We decorated Easter Eggs!

Jackson read me his favorite book, Silly Sally. I love to listen to Jackson read, it makes me so happy!

The Easter Bunny found us! Jackson got a cool Spiderman bike and the bunny left Ella a Rapunzel doll:) Too bad I forgot to take pictures of that Happy morning. We made super yummo Oreo cupcakes, and yes, they were the bomb.

I am still a sick lady. The ugliest cough ever is still around and I am no fan of it. Jackson is finally on the mend after his antibiotic kicked in.

While in the car yesterday we passed a dead skunk on the road. Ella smelled it and innocently said, "Ew, is that poop I smell?" We explained to her that skunks are a little stinky.

The Good, Bad and Ugly

2011-04-19T07:23:00.000-07:00

The good news is Jackson went to school today. He has been home sick since Friday with a yucky cold, which brings me to the bad: I caught his infection too! Ella did also but no where near as bad as myself which now leads to the ugly. On day 3 of my sickness I have the ugliest cough ever. Robitussin is my new bestie. I think all the sickness and meds are catching up with me: when asked my name when cancelling an appointment this morning I said Maegan Savage, my maiden name. Ella's going a little crazy herself. She thinks every day is her birthday and that our red ottoman is a magic carpet ride!

So, What Did You Do Today?

2011-04-12T08:22:00.000-07:00

My little Ella is a ham and she is definetly a 13 year old stuck in a 3 year olds body. On the way home from church she said "So, Mike. What did you do today?" Mike said that he went to church and Ella said, "Good Job! That was a good choice!" She then asked Jackson and I what we had done that day with the same good choice ending. It is evident the good choice chat we often have is catching on:) Last night Ella had gotten out of bed a couple of times and we kept telling her she needed to go to sleep. Mike was walking by her room and heard Ella adamantly say, "Leave me alone! I am just trying to go to sleep!" He walked in asked who she was talking too and Ella told him her blankey:)

Tayti went on a trip back east and brought the kiddo's back a suprise. One morning last week the kids called grandmas house and wanted to talk to Tayti. When my mom told them he was gone on a trip Ella gasped and said "Oh my gosh!" Ella's suprise was a bonnet from the Amish. Tayti was so excited to give it to her, but Ella was a little unsure of it. When we left she had it on and was loving it.

Jackson loves, loves, LOVES to go to Tayti's house and shoot hoops with him! He was playing so hard and had dirt all over his face from his intense shoot out. When it came time to go inside he was so upset and said "I need to slam dunk. SLAM DUNK!" Tayti helped him with a couple more shots to apease him and Jax was happy:) This is the shirt Tayti brought him back:

Recap of Spring Break

2011-04-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

Let's be honest: This spring break wasn't overly exciting. (Maybe the kite flying;)) In fact, it wasn't even a bit springy being that it snowed 2 days! Tuesday we hung out at home, Wednsday we tried the park but left at 10 minutes because it was bitter cold so we went to McDonalds, and Thursday was another movie day. Mike was able to take off Friday and we took the kiddo's bowling. We had the best time and what made it that was Jackson and Ella's excitement. Mike won, Jackson and I tied for second place and Ella came in third:) After that we went to dinner and finished off with grocery shopping. Our spring break may not have been dreamy to some, but my kids sure had a good time! Come Monday morning, Jackson will have a hard time getting out of bed (he's been sleeping until 8) and Ella will not be happy to see Jax getting on the bus!

Spring Break: Day 1

2011-04-04T15:14:00.000-07:00

Today is totally not the perfect Spring Break day we were hoping for. The wind is wicked and COLD! This morning we did a little grocery shopping, then we headed to Rexburg for lunch with Mike:) We had to choose a place with an indoor playground and the kids played for 45 minutes. Back at home it was nap time for Ella and Jackson finished some school homework and then we tried to figure out this kite flying business. It was a fluke and I am sure if anybody drove by or my neighbs peeped out the window they got a super good laugh. Jackson had a good time none the less:) The days not over yet! Mike and Jackson are looking forward to the big game tonight. Cheers for day 1 of Spring Break!

Best Day Ever!

2011-03-29T08:37:00.000-07:00

Today is the day: Tangled is here! And Ella is one excited little missy!

We were in the car and headed to the store before 8 a.m. Ella takes this Rapunzel business very serious. It was even before breakfast! Don't worry. She came home, popped in Tangled and had herself some bacon. Jackson is one fantastic bro because even he was excited for Tangled! You better believe we are popping some popcorn tonight!

It's Been A Week

2011-03-27T06:44:00.000-07:00

No, really it's been a week. A wicked crazy week. Monday there was no school and we ran errands. Tuesday I had an orthodontist appointment to replace my built in retainer, a quick trip to the mall, I cut my dads hair, Jackson had PT and I am pretty sure Ella broke her nose that day. Wednesday was visiting teaching. Thursday was a beast: Neuro app. for Jackson at 8 a.m. (Plus, the Dr. was 35 min. late because of an emergency surgery), Eye Dr. for me, babysitting and more therapy. Friday I pulled Jax out of school, went to Pizzi Hut for lunch and did grocery shopping and ended the night working for 4 hours. (Totally love my job at Lane Bryant:)) Saturday was work from 11-4, hair appointment at 5, and helping my neighb paint houses for the road show! Told ya, it's been a week.

This week I am not looking forward to Parent Teacher Conference and another school meeting I have to attend to advocate for my son. Isn't that buggy?! (We haven't had a very dreamy school year:()

P.S, Ella was very excited that it was her favorite friend Steven Tyler's birthday this week:)

Disney on Ice {Insert Spin}

2011-03-17T16:53:00.000-07:00

Mike and Jackson have been wanting to attend a Jazz game but while looking for tickets we saw Disney on Ice was coming. So instead we loaded up the fam, and headed down for the show.

Jackson and Ella were pretty pumped to see their favorite characters. Ella was most excited to see Cinderella, although she waved and blew kisses to all of them:)

This number was a goodie:) It showcased all of the villains. Jax and Ella were pumped to see Cruella, Jafar and Captain Hook!

Jackson was excited to see his Toy Story friends!

The grand finale was a treat too.

After intermission Ella informed me she had to spin. So she got down and spinned her little heart out and has been doing so since Saturday! (Notice her new Rapunzel shades? She hasn't taken them off her cute little face since Friday.)

This is a convo that I had with Ella the other day. "So, you know Steven Tyler?", said Ella. "He's my favorite friend:)". Nice.

Pancakes for Breaky

2011-03-06T07:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday it was pancakes for breakfast. When we first got married Mike wasn't sold on my homemade vanilla syrup. He informed me yesterday it is now his favorite!

Ella and Jackson requested chocolate chips in their pancakes.

Jackson is the absolute pickiest eater. Yesterday he ate 1 1/2 pancakes! He thought they were YUMMO!

We are also looking forward to Disney on Ice! I find myself just as excited as the kids to attend!

I am also on Day 4 of my education quest for Jackson. Special education needs to be of more importance!

Back in Business

2011-02-28T10:24:00.001-08:00

Jackson is back in business.

Thanks to Grandma Murdoch Jackson is very happy.

And, Jackson sang a couple of tunes for a book fair. He's a pretty cool dude!

Yesterday,

2011-02-25T12:14:00.000-08:00

Jackson had yogurt for breakfast. Ella had a marshmallow brownie, again.

Jackson had too many slam dunks. He is very bummed:(

Jackson swam with alligators and ate fish! Well, not really but that's what they imagined when he had pool therapy.

Ella had curly hair. Remember pink sponge curlers? I hated them when I was little. I find it funny that I was super excited to roll them in Ella's hair! Forgot to take an after picture but her hair looked darling. (Nevermind the nose picking.)

Dancing to Michael Jackson.

And I've been wishing Ella was this peacefull all the time!

Happy Valentines Day

2011-02-15T08:29:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day!

To me Valentines Day isn't just about spending time with your sweetheart, it's about spending time with the ones you love and making them fell special too! For me that includes my two kiddos, Jackson and Ella. I Heart Attacked Jackson and Ella's bedroom doors. Mike and I each wrote a message to them and put a few "kisses" on there as well. Ella loved all of her pink and red hearts, the chocolate was a plus too!

To "spread" the love I packed a heart peanut butter sandwich for Jackson in his school lunch.

And, it doesn't even matter that my Valenines pic this year is in my jammers. I love my Mike and am very thankful he's my main man.

I love, love, love tulips and was very pumped when Mike suprised me with flowers:) Happy Valentines Day!

The Little BIG Man

2011-02-13T19:48:00.001-08:00

I don't know when or how it happened but Jackson has grown. His school jeans are looking more and more like flooders (don't worry, his snow boots hide their shortness well:)) and today we discovered his school shoes we got big for him 5 months ago are a tight fit. (Again, he's been wearing his snow boots to school.) It could be that lately Jackson can eat a house. He has been eating a lot of what he likes and even been trying a few new things. Jax also is loving brownies and popcorn. We made Valentines Day sugar cookies and tonight after dinner Jackson insisted on eating his with a fork. (See picture below.) Remember George Castanza liked to eat his candy bar with utensils too? I always have worried about Jackson being a slender fella but at his yearly checkup he was actually in the 65%! I love my little BIG man.

Happy Birthday Dude and Dudette

2011-02-07T18:48:00.000-08:00

I don't know what I can't believe more: The fact that Jackson just turned 7 or that I am old enough to have a 7 year old! Jackson is a great little guy and I just happen to be his biggest fan:) He is a great big brother, an incredible basketball shooter, a really good reader and makes a mean bag of popcorn. Just recently Jackson discovered he really likes brownies, cake (see picture below of him tasting his bday cake), and popcorn. He loves this buttery treat and can eat a bag by himself. Jackson loves to learn. He looks forward to school and is even pumped to do homework! Jackson has an infectious smile and I love it when the checkout gal or any of the number of people he works with tell me how happy my little man makes them feel. The thing I love most is when they realize how special he is. See, told ya I'm his #1!

Blast Off fun. (pics. taken with my camera phone.) We had a wedding (Congrats Cole and Brynn) that day so after the festivities we hit up Blast off.

Monday was Ella's birthday. She tells us she is either 7 or almost 3. I personally think she is 3 going on 13. Ella is a true little Diva. Grandpa and Grandma Savage came and took her to see Tangled (again) and when she walked out she said "Where's my credit card?" She has been wanting to go back and see Tangled every time we pass the theater, so I told her we could for her birthday. Since then she has changed her mind about who the lucky person would be to accompany her. Grandpa and Grandma, Tayti, Uncle Clay, Cory, the list is never ending. The only way I know how to explain Ella is to say She's just Ella. She talks on her phone to boys (however no ones on the other end), thinks all of my friends are HER besties, and loves Amerikidle (American Idol). Her most favorite person is her brother. She waves him off in the morning and can't wait to give him a hug when he gets home. Ella loves to play dress up and knows every single princess by name. Right now her favorite is Cinderella and Rapunzel. Ella can even rope Tayti into playing princess barbies with her. Like Jackson she too has an infectious smile and people often tell me how charming she is. Ella is very smart and picks up on everything we say. The other day she said "We're not suppose to say that dammit word. That's not nice." We are learning:) She also loves to say her prayers and won't go to bed without speaking with her Heavenly Father.

I love Jackson and Ella so much, and am very proud to say they are mine. Happy Birthday!

I H-E-A-R-T them!

2011-01-30T18:59:00.001-08:00

It's true. I think my kids are amazing. They are the whole package: adorable, funny, intelligent, at times monstrous and lately popcorn eaters! These are a few pictures from this week:)

Today...

2011-01-23T13:44:00.000-08:00

Jackson is sick, again. It's just a cold this time and I am hoping it doesn't turn into something more. Ella is wearing her Elmo nightgown, pink leggings that are size 12 months, and her brown Kenneth Cole shoes she got from Nordstroms. I love her style:) Mike folded the laundry, while I made a trip to see my sister in the hospital. I'm going to be an Auntie:) Savanah has been wicked sick, was admitted to the hospital yesterday and also found out she has a blood clot in her leg. It will be a long 7 months for her.

Mike has the game on and is rooting for the Chicago Bears. He says he doesn't have a good feeling about them though. I am making a loaf of homemade bread (does it count as homemade if it's in the bread machine?) that smells yummo and thinking about simmering some potatoes and veggies for some soup.

I got some lovely pillows from TJ's that are making me so happy. They are sophisticated, but colorful and fun. I am wondering if I am brave enough to buy some fabric and sew me up some for my bed. Also, in other house related news, that big green taffy (amaryllis) is about to pop open.

Happy Sunday:)

Favorite Things

2011-01-21T09:06:00.000-08:00

This was my most favorite thing yesterday:

I swear Jackson's front tooth grew into a man tooth over night! I think he might be entering into that stage where his new teeth look like they are overtaking his mouth. Don't worry, he wears them well.

One of Mike's favorite cookies are Snickerdoodles, so the kids and I made him some one afternoon. Everyone helped with the ingredients. Then I did the scooping, Jackson did the rolling in cinnamon and sugar (he took it very seriously), and Ella did the eating of the cookie dough. We made a good team and had one happy daddy:)

We have an amaryllis sprouting. It is loving the sun and has grown quite a bit. Ella is positive it is a big green taffy.

Jackson and Ella are the best besties! Ella wathces him as he climbs on the bus and tells me everyday that she is going to go to school with him tomorrow. Luckily she is afraid of the bus or I think she totally would go to school with him. When Jackson gets home they give each other a hug and yesterday Ella added "Merry Christmas" too.

For breakfast one morning Ella requested a marshmallow brownie and Adam Lambert as her morning tunes. A girl after my own heart!

When I give Jackson and Ella a hug I usually say "I love you so much". Now when Jackson gives me a hug he says "So much". I love this!

Ella is such a social little gal. We went to Uncle Tayti's game last weekend. Ella made a new friend with the lady we sat next to and left with a Tinkerbell tablet. She has carried it around all week and tells everyone a lady at Tayti's game gave it to her and that she was really nice:)

The other day Ella noticed a picture of Jesus on an apartment door (missionary housing). She got all excited and told me how much she liked Jesus. Ella then told me Jesus was taking her to get a Rapunzel dress. (The countdown is on; Tangled comes out March 29.)

Jackson brought home a picture he had painted at school. There are about 10 different colored basketball hoops hanging proudly on my fridge:)

Before bed one night Ella was going to the bathroom. She insists when she goes #2 that the room is cleared and the door is shut. Ella was in their for awhile and Mike and I went in several times thinking she was just putting off going to bed. She insisted she was still going potty. About twenty minutes later she hollared at us to come look at her "monkey poop". I have to admit that she probably did go potty that full twenty minutes. The little lady was so proud of it she wanted us to take a pictures to show Tayti:)

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T08:59:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed celebrating the New Year! We headed downstairs to bowl, have an air hockey tourney (Jackson totally won), and tried out table tennis and field football. These pictures might look the same from Christmas, just different Pajamas. Don't judge!! Jackson loves his bowling game and has been doing so all week. After bowling we came upstairs for Root Beer and Orange Floats: Yummo:) Ella was very tired so she actually hit the sack around 7:15ish. Mike, Jackson and I watched, wait for it, The Sound of Music. Madi gave me a hard time for this but Jackson actually liked it! We have a great New Year's Eve.

New Year's Day was just as great! I spent the morning shopping and got some screaming deals! Later that day we dined at Pizza But, I mean Hut, and saw Megamind. Ella was bugged it wasn't Tangled but everyone else loved it!! Happy 2011!

Very Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T12:28:00.000-08:00

Ella has been wishing everyone a Very Merry Christmas the past couple of days. This has been the best Christmas for our little family; Jackson and Ella made this Holiday seem so magical! We have had fun attending parties, making goodies, delivering gifts, singing Jingle Bells, and just talking and getting excited about Christmas.

Last Christmas Eve we started the tradition of pj's and a movie. This year we continued it with new jammers and Toy Story 3. It was a fun night, but the kiddo's were a little upset there was only 1 gift to be opened that night. Santa's arrival was much anticipated. Ella was up 3 times before she actually fell asleep to see if Santa had come to eat his brownie.

When I was growing up, even in high school, I felt it was my duty to awaken all my siblings on Christmas morning. This Christmas Mike was a little bugged when I announced at 6:45 I was waking up the children. I could not wait to see Jackson and Ella's excitement! With every rip of paper Jackson would gasp with excitement and when he would open it Jax would say "Cool, Cute!" Everything Ella unwrapped she wanted to try it on. At one point she had on several layers of princess and Hello Kitty clothes. The little lady requested everything Princess this year and Jackson our little All Star stocked up on games.

We also got this fun table: air hockey, table tennis, foot ball and pool. We had fun playing hockey and were impressed with Jackson's mad skills!

This was our Cheer Leader/Princess. (After every new princess dress Ella tried on she said, "Mom, I'm getting married today.")

To complete this amazing Christmas we also got our TV replaced. A couple of weeks ago the screen went out and when the repair man finally came (two weeks later) he told us it was the most expensive part that went out and that it was looking like we would be getting a replacement TV. A week later we called and they told us the part we needed was no longer made and that they were recommending a new TV for us. So, we had to wait for that to get approved which could take up to 8 days because of the Holidays. To our surprise later that day they called and gave us our authorization number to get a replacement. We busted a move to head over to Best Buy. All of us were excited, especially Ella and Jackson. They were very concerned about our broken TV and I was looking forward to sleep in my bed without cracker crumbs. After a couple of buggy hours (that's another long story) we came home with a slightly bigger and better TV. We are back in business!

We had a Very Merry Christmas and hope everyone enjoyed a Magical day as well!

So Lately....

2010-12-21T19:17:00.001-08:00

We've been getting ready for Christmas! Last night for FHE we checked out the ginger bread houses and nativity scenes at the Idaho Falls Museum. In previous years the houses were shown at the LDS Visitors Center, so we actually went to the Temple first. As we got closer to the temple Ella said "Look, there's Tinker Bell!" In her mind the Temple looked a lot like the castle on the Disney movies where Tinker Bell flies up on top! (We do teach our kids all about the temple:))

There weren't very many ginger bread houses to ooh and awe over but this was Jackson's favorite. He especially liked the Santa on top of the roof!

Speaking of temples, Ella can sure belt out "I love to see the Temple" and we love it! She started out by learning the first half of the song and ending with "in the name of Jesus Christ, amen", but a couple of weeks ago the little diva wowed us with the whole thing. We are amazed she can remember the big words and stay on pitch. It is fun to accompany Ella on the piano, and we are still trying to work up her courage to sing in front of others.

In my last post I blogged about how sick Jackson was. Turned out he had Scarlet Fever! Ugly, creepy, and scary are a few things that came to my mind when we found out. I had no idea this disease was even still around. Scarlet Fever is actually a form of strep throat. The Dr. changed Jackson's antibiotic, (it is VERY nasty) and gave him a steroid. It took a couple of days, but Jackson was soon back to his happy, smiley self. I don't think he is 100% yet, but he is getting there.

Last weekend was our ward Christmas party. Jackson and Ella were very excited to see Santa again and had no problem climbing up on his lap and sharing their Christmas list with him. We are in the final stretch and the count down for Christmas is on at our house. Merry Christmas!

One Sick Little Boy

2010-12-09T10:10:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I received a call from Jackson's school telling me he was sick and throwing up. So I ran over to the school, bed head and all to get my little guy. I found one sick little boy; he had thrown up 4 times in the lunch room. I asked what sickness was going around the school and was told strep throat was spreading through the first grade. The Dr. said Jackson has strep throat, an ear ache and has been sporting a fever. Poor little Jackson does not feel good. Today he has taken a few sips of red Gatorade.

We are very careful with Jackson. Sickness can trigger seizures and we would most certainly like to avoid that. If Jackson or Ella are sick we keep them home until they are better and would appreciate the same courtesy. Hopefully we can all enjoy a Happy and Healthy Holiday!

Jacksons Christmas Program, 2010

2010-12-08T08:25:00.001-08:00

Last night was such a treat! Jackson's school presented their Christmas program. It was nothing compared to the Hamer Elementary productions I starred in when I was in grade school. Jackson's class sang two songs and recited a poem. Jackson stood on the stage with his tree hat and a smile stretched from ear to ear. I just love this little guy!

After closer inspection of his tree we noticed he had drawn basketball hoops all over it instead of coloring. We know what's on this little man's mind!

T.V is Broken!

2010-12-08T08:20:00.000-08:00

This morning Jackson wanted to call grandma. I assumed it was to talk to her about his Christmas Program last night but the first words to come out of his mouth were "The T.V is broken". Apparently the kids are as hooked to the television as I am. Ella is camped out back on my bed, hollering with frequent request for juice and snacks. It all started with a weird noise and ended with sound but no picture. Thankfully we extended our warranty when we purchased our LG T.V two years ago. We will be without our big HD T.V for almost two weeks. I am hoping we make it:)

Santa!

2010-12-08T08:11:00.001-08:00

The Saturday after Thanksgiving we took the kiddos for a Santa visit. This was Ella's first experience with the big guy and Jackson's 2nd. (He wasn't much of a fan when he was little.) Ella's list is quite long and growing longer every day. At the top is a Cinderella dress and Cinderella and Rapunzel shoes. Plus earrings, princess dolls, a pink shiny dress and everything she sees that she likes gets tacked on too. Ella is so funny; about 10 times a day she will say to me, "So, what do you want for Christmas mommy?". I have a feeling this will be an exciting one for her! Jackson on the other hand was very laid back and was just happy to see Santa! Ho, Ho, Ho!

Rock Stars!

2010-12-08T07:54:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't want to be a Rock Star?! My friends and I went to a craft fair a couple of weeks ago and noticed at one cute booth a gal was doing colored extensions. My all time favorite color is green and I had been wondering about clip in extensions for awhile. For one strand of hair it was $7, and she cut that strand in half and glued it into two spots. One strand is gone, but I still have one up front that I love, love, love! I was very nervous but so glad I did it!

Move It!!

2010-11-27T06:26:00.000-08:00

I am usually a humongous fan of Black Friday Shopping. I get so excited, even I would dare say giddy. Yesterday I was just not into it, and especially not loving the craziness that I usually love. Mike was my partner for the 12:01 Walmart trip. We did get most of our items checked off our list but I was definitely not a fan of the check out guy. And, who knew the movies had to be specified with a dot to get the big discount.

Target was a different story. I was out for one thing to make my little princess Ella happy on Christmas morning and happy she will be! This time I dragged my sister Madi out. I decided she is my new lucky charm. At 4 we joined the line and made our way in. I about ate it and Madi DID get eaten by a cart. I dashed for the loot and my sis got in line. We were in and out of there in 15 minutes. It will be a happy Christmas morning at our house:)

We came home, rested up and then headed outside for some sledding. The kids had a blast and kept pleading with Mike to go faster! Ella is also getting creative with her clothing selection!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T18:43:00.000-08:00

Today as we celebrated Thanksgiving I thought of all we have to be thankful for. I do have a lot to be grateful but decided these are my top 3:

1. My family. I am so blessed to have a happy and healthy family.

2. Mike's job. He loves going to work and even more importantly gets along very well with his boss. It's a good one with great benefits and allows Mike to be available for family happenings.

3. With the below freezing weather I am so thankful for a warm, cozy house. More importantly it is our home and there is no where else we would rather be. There's truly no place like home!

Here are a few favorites from our Thanksgiving Day:

Jackson enjoyed blowing a crocodiles eyes, a cool surprise grandma brought him from Sun Valley. He is also not a fan of your typical turkey dinner so instead he enjoyed a plateful of mac n' cheese. He enjoyed every bite with an Mmmm!

Ella was the first one to sit at the table and asked very politely for her plate of food. She also thought she amazing drinking out of her goblet.

I made my first ever homemade cheese ball and pumpkin roll. They were Delish!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today I am Thankful for 4 Wheel Drive!

2010-11-23T10:58:00.000-08:00

It is a little wintry outside today. (There is a total blizzard warning in effect until 11 p.m!) We had to make a quick trip to the store and I am super thankful for our 4WD. There was no slippin' and slidin' for us!

I am also thankful for magic wipes. Jackson drew some awesome basketball hoops, only they were on his closet doors. (He is definitely a die hard fan!) Thanks to magic wipes they are gone!

I am very grateful for the good job Mike has. He had some vacation time that needed to be used so he had this whole week off. Given the whole weather situation it has been so fun and relaxing, plus he is getting pain for having fun with us!

Ella has been coming up with some things that have gotten a good giggle out of us. She told me that she was going to high school. Not sure where she got that one:)

This is a conversation Ella had with Mike. "You like Jackson daddy?" Mike, "I love Jackson." Ella, "You like me daddy?" Mike said, "I love you Ella." Ella, "Oh, I love you too Daddy!"

Ella is getting very excited for Santa to come. She is telling everyone what is on her Christmas list. She asked Mike last night at dinner what he wanted Santa to bring him. A Cinderella dress she wondered?

Ella wanted to go out and play with Papa one day. I asked her what Papa likes to play. Dress up was her reply. "Papa likes to wear Cinderella's coat," she said. Tayti apparently likes to play pretties and Grandma likes to play kitchen.

Yesterday while running errands Ella looked out the window and said, "Mommy I want to fly in the sky." A few minutes later she said "I don't want to fly anymore, I want to slide." That was probably due to the vast amount of snow she was eyeing out the window!

I'll say it again, I am SO VERY THANKFUL for Mike, Jackson and Ella!

Today I am Thankful for Friendly Faces and Understantding Friends

2010-11-12T16:06:00.000-08:00

Let's just say yesterday was not a groovy day. Jackson had an IEP (setting goals for the school year) meeting and things got a little hairy. I ended up in the ugly cry and left not very happy. At the end of the meeting one of the ladies in attendance came and gave me a hug, said I almost had her in tears and told me what a good mother I was. I was so thankful for her kind, understanding words and being able to see one friendly face in that room.

We then picked Jackson up from therapy, and I was able to talk with his speech therapist (she has also turned into a great friend and advocate for us!). This friend listened to me, encouraged me and gave me a hug. Later last night my long time friend called to see how the meeting had gone and I got mad about it all over again with her. It was great and I loved it.

I am so thankful to have some great friends in my corner and that mean black cow streak I have in me.

Jackson's Thankful List

2010-11-10T18:09:00.000-08:00

Jacksons homework yesterday was to write 6 things he is thankful for. He also thought of them all himself!
1. Ella
2. Hoops
3. Mom
4. Dad
5. Books
6. Nacho Libre

Two things I absolutely love about his list. First, the Ella is numero uno and that Nacho Libre made it. Love my little Jax!

Now, for myself! Over the last 12 years I have had one talented lady do my hair. We must have formed some kind of intimate relationship; when she retired last month I felt like I was cheating on her when I had someone else trim me up. I chatted with Audrey today and made a December appointment for "Holiday Hair". I've got to admit I got giddy. You know when your stomach gets excited and does a flip? That was me this morning. Here's my shout out to AUDREY MURANAKA, the most fantastic hair lady!!

Today I am Thankful for My Children

2010-11-07T16:00:00.000-08:00

Today I am Thankful for my children. I love what great pals they are. I love that they can make me happy when I am having a not so great day. I love how Ella changes dresses about 10 times a day and when Jackson cheers for his dear sister his voice raises a couple of octaves. I love these two wonderful little kiddo's!

I also totally dig it when Ella puts on a dancing show!!

I love myself a SCREAMIN' deal! I found this Sky Hawk leather jacket for $5. It was originally $65. It looks perfect on my little man!

And So It Begins (Thankful Day #6)

2010-11-06T09:09:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we put up our Christmas Lights.

It was a full day ordeal but we are ready to be "plugged in"! Mike wanted to get the lights up before it became "frigid". Yesterday was the perfect day. This year we made some additions: Star lights, pink LED lights for our small front tree and a big red star. (Last two not pictured.) Today I am thankful for several things from this experience. The biggest is that Mike didn't fall off the roof. Every time he climbs up there I have images in my mind of him rolling down and falling off with a big thud. So glad he didn't!! I also love how excited Jackson and Ella are with the "hanging of the lights". However, I still cannot believe it is time TO be hanging Christmas Lights!! Happy Lighting!

Continuing My Thankful Days

2010-11-05T08:43:00.000-07:00

I am thankful for friends. New and old alike, they are the BOMB. On top of my ankle "trauma" my whole family is sharing a super nasty cold. Ella and I were in the middle of Beauty and the Beast when my friend called me and asked if she could drop off a book and wondered if there was anything else I needed. That made me feel so good knowing I had a good friend that cared. This morning as I chatted with a friend on the phone I felt so happy to have a friend that I could tell anything to, and know she would be my BFF no matter what. Today's a Thankful day for friendship and I only hope I can be a true friend to others as well!
P.S, That book was fantastic, already finished it. (Totally am feeling like a book nerd.) It is a series; The first book is the Maze Runner and the second is The Scorch Trials. A third one is coming out and I can't wait!

Two Things I'm Grateful For

2010-11-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

I have been having some ankle problems. I have always had the weakest ankles; I could just be standing, talking to someone and I can twist my ankle. So for about a week my right ankle has been sore, then when I woke up Sunday I couldn't even stand on it. After a soak and a rub it was better. Monday morning was worse than Sunday. I even shed a few tears because my ankle was so sore. My sweet husband got Jackson ready for school, made him a lunch and sent him on the bus. THEN, he gave Ella a bath, helped me soak my foot, rubbed some muscle cream on it and wrapped it up. (He even went downstairs and searched through boxes to find the ace bandage.) Then he scurried to work. I am thankful that Mike took the time out of his BUSY schedule to help me out. My husband rocks.
*This is my make up post from Monday.

Today I am grateful for my Under Armor shoes my husband gave me for my birthday. After a good day yesterday my ankle was very tender and swollen today. I had to run some errands and my shoes saved the day. They made walking on my sore foot bearable!

My 30 Days of Thankfulness

2010-11-02T20:08:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving is a holiday that often gets overlooked in our house. I am a HUGE fan of Halloween and when it's over it seems like we start thinking about Christmas. I also have maybe 3 or 4 Thanksgiving decorations so that might play a part in my Thanksgiving funk. So, this year I have set a goal to blog every day in November about something I am thankful for.

Tonight I am thankful for the opportunity to vote. When Mike and I walked into the elementary school to cast our vote my eyes just about popped out of my head.

I much more like the Hamer voting when you can pop in and out. Even though we stood in line for an hour and ten minutes I was proud for the freedom to do so! Thanks to all our men and women who have fought and are still fighting to this day to protect our country and many freedoms we have.

One BUSY Halloween Week!

2010-10-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

It seems like we have been celebrating Halloween since last Friday and technically it's not even the actual holiday yet! It all started with that darn mix up with Boo at the Zoo. Monday for Family Night we carved pumpkins. Jackson thought that was the most fantastic fun. Mike taught him to sneeze and "throw up" pumpkin guts. Let's just say he laughed HIS guts out!

This last week was Red Ribbon Week at school. Each day was a different dress up theme. Wednsday was crazy hair day. Jackson wore it good!

Thursday Jackson's Elementary School had a carnival. It was great fun! Our little Spider Man and Sleeping Beauty had much fun!

Friday night was our Ward Carnival! (Told ya we were crazy celebraters!) That was mucho fun as well! Lots of candy and lots of fun!

So after all that partying most of the day was spent relaxing with a nice, good back scratch. I love how much these two little squirrels love each other.

Then it was out for some more Trick or Treating; Happy Halloween (tomorrow)!!

It's getting closer...(Halloween)

2010-10-23T19:08:00.000-07:00

We were totally duped. Yesterday I got my cute little Snow White and Spider Man rounded up to visit Boo at the Zoo. Mike even came home early from work. We were excited, and the kids were even more excited to have treats in their bag. You can imagine our surprise when we pulled in to an empty parking lot with the zoo entrance tightly locked up. That darn magazine gave us the wrong info and I for one was bugged. Oh well, we got some good pics. of the little ones! Jackson was really wanting to be Nacho Libre but our search for a costume came up empty handed and he settled for Spider Man. Ella on the other hand has wanted to be about a thousand different things. She settled for Snow White, but actually her dress came apart soon after we took these pics. so she swapped it for Aurora, a.k.a Sleeping Beauty.

One day last week Ella wanted to make cookies. She was sitting at the counter painting and singing while I baked her chocolate chip cookies. (Also made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, they were YUMMO!!) Ella must have been having a good time because she said, "Mommy, I don't want to grow up." I sometimes have to remind myself she is only 2!

Jackson loves music, but really only loves to listen to it. The other night he was in bed and Mike and I could hear him singing. It is the most wonderful song, all about the alphabet. At first he wouldn't sing it for us but now he belts it out! I could listen to his cute little voice sing it all day long. My favorite is about the letter X and the fox in the box.

We are in the middle of a crisis at our house. Our reciever went out, therefor no Dish. I don't know who is more devasted, Ella or I. Tonight Mike popped in The Burbs. That show can always make me giggle. We are hopefull to be back in business by Monday.

A "WICKED" Sunday.

2010-10-17T16:27:00.000-07:00

Today was a delightful day. Jackson's primary produced an outstanding primary program full of songs and cute kids. Ella was very excited because Papa was coming to church with her. What a good sport Papa was as Ella coated his lips with grandma's pink pretties right in the middle of the meeting! This could be why Ella is a fan. Jackson looked very handsome in his brown suit and smiled the WHOLE time on the stage. We worked on Jackson's part, "I can follow the prophet", but sometimes he would switch party for prophet. Jackson said prophet about 3 times so I think the congregation got the idea. Mike and I teared up a couple of times as we sat and watched Jackson. He is such a sweet, special boy and truly has touched and taught us so much. Afterwards we went to Savanah and Jon's for a yummy barbecue, complete with roasted marshmallows and Dr. Pepper. (I'm pretty sure Dr. Pepper was a Dentist.)

Also this last week I had an eye doctor appointment. I learned that my eyes have too much pressure and now have to use eye drops to try and bring that pressure down. They make my eyes bloodshot red, giving the effect of the after mass of a wicked good party. The upside is supposedly the drops will make my eye lashes long and thick.

I set my "wicked" cool pumpkin out so she could greet people. As I was making her Mike said "Do you think all these veggies will last?" I said "The uglier and rotten the better!" Happy Sunday!

And then there was light...

2010-10-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

This summer I totally kept our house closed up much like a dark dungeon. We sorely missed our nice air conditioned rooms when we bought our first house. My mom taught me a great trick, getting your house nice and cool in the morning and then closing all the windows and curtains, trapping in that cold air hoping it would last through out the day. All summer long our house was dark, but that trick was a gem. Now that fall is setting in our windows have a new purpose, letting in heat. We are trying to prolong the use of our heater now! I must say it is a lot happier in our house to have the sun shining in.

Lately I have been feeling some Christmas Cheer. I am looking forward to putting up our Christmas light, snow covering our unfinished lawn and celebrating the holiday with Jackson and Ella. Still loving my Halloween pumpkins though!

Delish!!

2010-10-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

Ever since our apple and peach roasting experience at our neighbs house Mike and I have been craving some warm peaches! Last night we grilled a couple of peaches, sprinkled them with cinnamon and sugar and drizzled white chocolate on top. I am not one for peaches, but these were finger lickin' good!!

I love carmeled apples. Happy Fall!

Mike surprised Ella and I with cupcakes last week! The pink one of course was Ella's and mine was Red Velvet. Ella licked her "ice cream", aka frosting, right off the top and thought it was great!

This post is exactly why I am looking into gyms.

A little of this, a little of that..

2010-10-04T18:31:00.000-07:00

Despite having 6 fewer teeth Jackson has proved his true handsomeness. Can I get a CHEESE!

Ella has been having a problem with number 2, but last Thursday we Woo Hooed and cheered when she was successful! She had to call several people to share her glory and choose a pink Jamba Juice for her prize. Ella told me "Mom, I'm so proud I pooped in the potty." So was I, Ella!!

It's Pumpkin Time! Last year we had tons of little pumpkins; this year Jackson counted 9 big orange pumpkins and he was very excited! So for family night we made our traditional pumpkin topiary. There are still a few pumpkins that we are waiting on to fully change color but they sure look like they will be good for carving! Mike also helped me make my Harvest Wreath, all from corn stalks from the garden.

Other highlights from last week include Uncle Jon teaching Jackson to eat a P.B sandwich with a fork and Ella telling us that something costs a cow.

Drakes Coffee Cake

2010-09-26T11:11:00.000-07:00

This morning I made coffee cake for breaky. As we were enjoying it I remembered the Seinfeld episode with Drakes Coffee Cake. I then started thinking that there is a Seinfeld episode for everything. Like Jr. Mints, one of Jackson's favorite treats. Whenever he chooses this as a treat I think of when Jerry and Kramer are observing surgery and Kramer drops a Jr. Mint into the patient. That was classic. While on the subject of food we joined our neighbs around their fire pit last night for a treat that is total blog worthy. Instead of roasting marshmallows we put apples on our sticks, peeled them when the skin started cracking and rolled them in sugar. We even got adventurouse and tried peaches; Delish!

Yesterday we visited the zoo. Ella told me her most favorite animal was the snake, a big Boa Constructor that could of swallowed her whole and still of been hungry. Jackson's was a fan of the monkeys. Who doesn't love a monkey that swings around and scratches it's pits? Ironically they acted like animals for the rest of the day.

Piano

2010-09-19T12:09:00.001-07:00

Ella and I have been pounding some tunes out of the piano we recently acquired. While playing through some of my old sheet music I find myself remembering counting tips and finger tricks my piano teachers have taught me. I have even thought of the piano students I myself taught. One piano teacher sticks out the most to me and was probably my favorite, Aunt Lori. She taught me from the beginning, kindergarten and even pieced together my Jr. Miss song, "Deep Purple". I remember the 1 e and a 2 e counting for "I got Rhythm" and when her pencil fell into her white baby grand and her hand got stuck when she was fishing it out. (The funniest and memory I remember most!) Thanks Aunt Lori for helping develop my Piano talent!

Big Black Cow.

2010-09-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

This last week I was reminded of an overly protective black cow that Savanah and I once encountered. We were sent down to get a pair (cow and calf) in that had escaped the field they were assigned to. Our first idea was to load the calf into the back of the pickup and hope that the cow would follow. When I hopped out to scoop up the calf that big black cow charged me and I hauled it back to the safety of the pickup. Our next plan we conceived was much smarter. We backed the pickup up to the calf, slipped some twine around the calf and pulled it up into the back of the pickup. (Twine can totally be used for everything!) Then we drove quite quickly to the gate; the cow was trying to make her way into the pickup to join her calf.

With school starting for Jackson we have had some interesting experiences and for some reason my mind kept thinking of this big black cow. I realized how good of a mother she was, not wanting anyone or thing to hurt her calf. I suddenly felt like that cow and anybody that messed with my son better watch out.

On GMA they reported of a story of a dad that had stepped on his daughters bus to confront her bullies. This little girl has cerbral palsy and his dad made it clear he did not want anyone bullying his daughter. It then showed the mother of the bullies and she was upset because now her kids were afraid to ride the bus. To the dad I say Good Job! To the mother I say good, maybe they know how those they bully feel. That just might be the big black cow in me though.

I Love....

2010-09-19T11:25:00.000-07:00

I love that Ella tackeled Jackson and said I wuv (love) you Jax!

I love that Mike is making me tomato soup and grilled cheese.

I loved it when Jackson counted his Pringles to me.

I love that Mike looked through 4 cook books with me for some new recipes.

I love the Ella told me her tummy hurt so she needed to go to Pizzi Hut.

I love that Jackson sounded out every word in his new book by himself.

I loved the corn on the cob we had last night from our garden.

I love that Ella came up and told me I love you, I love daddy, I love water.

I love that I have my Halloween decorations up.

I love that Jackson is rolling his green tractor over my hair.

I love that Ella has pulled out every one of my purses.

I love that fall is coming!

I love that this is Season Premiere week for a lot of my favorite shows!

Chocolate Chip Cookies and a Hair Cut

2010-09-15T14:50:00.000-07:00

Jackson is THEE PICKIEST EATER. I say this with much confidence. I recently discovered he is a huge fan of Chocolate Chip cookies. Jackson likes the littler size cookie and I love the big plump ones! (Go figure.) Yesterday Ella and I made a batch of cookies for our friend Jax and he was very excited to help himself to a couple after he got home.

I had to blog about Ella's recent trip to her friend Audrey's house. Audrey shares her "pretties" with Ella and they soon became BFF's. Ella had probably about 4 inches cut and her hair looks very cute and healthy!

Audrey, working her magic. Pic. is with my camera phone so excuse the poor quality!

The back truly is straight, she was just busy playing the piano.

Our little beauty!

6 Extractions and One Brave Little Boy!

2010-09-02T19:24:00.000-07:00

Bright and early this morning Mike and I took Jackson to the hospital for day surgery. At his dentist appointment last week the Dr. noticed a cavity and that at least one tooth needed to be pulled. Jackson was VERY uncooperative so the nurses weren't even able to get an x-ray taken. So, we got signed up for day surgery. Jackson was very brave and VERY cooperative this time! Once they got Jackson under anesthesia and got the x-ray taken we got a call from the nurse in the waiting room. She said the Doctor wanted to pull four more teeth! I said Holy, and that it was a good thing I trusted this dentist! As they wheeled Jackson back to recovery they told us they thought he had set the record; 6 teeth being extracted at once! (Don't know if that is something to brag about.) Jackson came out a little woozy but came home and slept it off! When he woke up the first thing he did was look for Ella!

While we were hanging out with Jax, Ella got to spend the day with Grandma! She must of had a really, really good time because she came home looking like this!

A Little of Lately

2010-09-01T18:07:00.000-07:00

Ella woke up this morning and informed me Jackson was not going to school today. She soon realized he was headed for school and so she grabbed her back pack, expecting to join him.

So instead of attending school Ella helped me pick some more carrots and boy did we get some biggies!

Sometimes I like to sing the kids songs and totally over do it, really ham it up. Yesterday singing very dramatically Ella quickly told me to stop singing like Snow White.

This morning as I was helping Jackson get ready for school, I realized we had forgotten to pull of the sticker on his pants advertising the size. This made me remember my first year of college. My roommates and I got all ready and headed up to the intramural field for the first big dance of the year. We had ourselves a great time socializing and headed home exhausted. When we returned back to our apartment I realized I had left the sizing sticker on my new Lucky jeans and it striped all the way down the back of my leg. Whenever we are asked to share our most embarrassing moment this comes to mind.

Tomorrow holds a big day for us. Jackson has day surgery for some dental work. His kicking and screaming from his last two check ups led to this decision. While he is under anesthesia he will receive a good cleaning, filling of cavities, x-rays and possibly the pulling of 1-2 teeth. Should make for one exciting day!

There have been a few tragedies in my hometown and it has really got me thinking about how quickly things can change. It makes me grateful to have the knowledge that I do, that Families are Forever. That on the other side we will all be perfect. With that in mind tragedies are more bearable.

1st grade for Jackson!

2010-08-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

I officially have a 1st grader. As Mike and I were getting ready for bed last night I kept asking him if he could believe Jackson was going to be in first grade. I obviously am having a hard time coming to terms. Jackson was so excited to get ready for school this morning. He had a whole basketball themed outfit chosen to wear today, but when we woke up to rain it was swapped for something different. He still looked like a handsome little 1st grader though! As a mother sending Jackson to a full day of school my biggest worry is lunch time. Jackson is such a picky eater, I am hoping he eats his packed lunch. I hope the other kids are nice to him and he chooses some good friends. He loves learning and so I hope the teachers are kind and patient with him. Jackson is a total Rock Star and when the bus drops him off this afternoon Ella and I will meet him at the door to greet our little friend!

The End of Summer and Pianos

2010-08-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning when the alarm beeps at 7 a.m summer is officially over. I can hardly believe my little man is going to be in first grade, that is all day school you know. Ella is already saying she is joining Jackson at school and I fear she will be heartbroken when she realizes she is getting ditched. I guess Ella and I will get to know each other a lot better! Summer sure did fly by!

Yesterday I was super excited to have a piano delivered. Mikes mom and dad gave us their Yamaha. We have discovered we have a Broadway Star in the making. Not only can Ella play the piano she can also belt out a tune too! This is one of my favorite things Ella has started doing. She can make up a song about anything and I can hear her throughout the house singing. Love this and love the piano. Been playing Hymns and Christmas songs since last night. (The only music I have right now.)

Domestic Me

2010-08-22T17:39:00.000-07:00

Not once in all my 29 years have I ever made a pie. I have a friend that makes the tastiest strawberry rhubarb pie and Mike an I are huge fans. This year we planted a rhubarb plant and last week I had just enough to bake my first ever pie; I even used some strawberries from our garden! I don't know too much about rhubarb, or if it was even ripe and ready but that pie tasted fantastic! Definetly looking forward to many more!

Happy 8th Babe!

2010-08-15T08:12:00.000-07:00

Eight years ago tomorrow I married this handsome guy:

We cruised the Eastern Caribbean on our Honeymoon.

Our family now looks like this:

Since August 16, 2002 Mike and I have moved 8 times, had 4 different vehicles, Mike made a career change, and I am now a fan of the Utah Jazz!

Friday we celebrated a bit early. We saw the movie Inception (so good!), ate at the Sandpiper, and spent the night in a hotel. It was nice to watch a PG 13 movie, and choose a restaurant that didn't have pizza on the menu. I do have to admit that I missed Ella wandering into my bed and sticking her cold feet on me Saturday morning!

I love you Mike and am looking to many, many more even better years!

1st Pickings

2010-08-15T07:42:00.000-07:00

I hadn't walked out to the garden for a couple of days so when I did I was a little suprised to see peas ready to be picked, a few carrots and onions needing to be pulled, and green pumpkins and tomatoes growing on vines. The corn and potatoes are looking good too!. We enjoyed some peas in a casserole last night; nothing is as good as enjoying something you have grown yourself! Mike also helped me freeze about 10 bags of peas, with lots more out on the vine still growing. This is a good gardening year!

Trains, Planes and Automobiles, Plus a Wedding!

2010-08-10T09:07:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we headed down to Utah for Savanah and Jon's wedding! Our first stop was at Hill Air Force Museum, and one of Jackson's favs.. He had so much fun checking out all the jets and we knew he would after the Blue Angels show.

We enjoyed dinner out on the patio at California Pizza Kitchen, one of our favorites. Can't go wrong with the Barbecue chicken salad and Hawaiian Pizza!

Plus we got to ride the train, one of Jackson's other favorite moments!

And here are the blushing bride and groom. 8-9-10 was a very popular wedding day!

A couple of sisters and brother shots. (Plus a grandpa!)

Jackson and Ella with Nana and Jon. These two are huge fans. Jon is so good with the kids, especially Jackson and we love him for that!

Here are some family shots we took throughout the day. The kids loved the Christus and totally wanted to jump into every fountain they spotted. I didn't blame them, I was tempted myself. It was toasty!

We had so much fun on this little trip. Jackson wasn't quite as into the wedding day; he wanted to go ride the train and it didn't help that he could hear the train bell. Ella thoroughly enjoyed herself, as she always does. Life for her is much more easy with several people at your beckoning call!

Mike and I had ourselves a good time as well!

Rigby Lake+The Chukars=1 Fun Day

2010-07-31T20:57:00.000-07:00

Friday we loaded up and headed to Rigby Lake. Much fun we had and now know what to bring for next time. (Life jackets. Madi and I were both to nervous to head out to the slide on the doc with the kiddo's.) Last time I was at the lake it was a tad bit nasty. Yesterday I was very impressed with Jefferson County with their improvements.

Go Chukars! Friday was also my Mom and Dad's 30th anniversary and they insisted they celebrate with the Chukars. (Totally not true.) We about got rained out, but us Savage's are strong. I was loving the cooler weather, but couldn't help but wish I was home to pop open my windows and trap all that cool air in my toasty house!

Little Jackson is a sports fanatic! He wanted to stay the entire game, and cheered and hollered the whole time. The best was when he would hold his arms in the air and holler "WOO HOO!"

Here are some more of Ella's crack ups:

Ella has been playing in pretties and getting in trouble. One afternoon she was in her bedroom for nap time and I could hear a conversation Ella was having with her baby. "I said no pretties, baby. Tell mommy sorry."

Madi asked Ella to sing her a song. "Snow White?" asked Madi. "Don't say that word DD," said Ella.

I CAN DO THIS!!!

2010-07-31T20:21:00.000-07:00

Ella said something the other day that I just love: "I can do this". Granted, it was when she was twirling around, but it still got me thinking. If I had that optimistic attitude every day I just might be able to "do this". Life is definetly challenging and is totally full of tricks but I CAN DO THIS!

Holy Crap!

2010-07-25T16:59:00.000-07:00

The last couple of days it has felt like we were living in Layton Utah once again. The Blue Angels came to town and with their practicing came the thrill noise. Today we staked out a shady spot and enjoyed ourselves a fantastic show! (Wished we still lived on the West side for even better seats!) Jackson absolutely loved the show. He was the first to spot the jets and loved the rainbows, circles and especially the J for Jackson they did. (He truly thought they did a J just for him.) When we got home Jax went straight for his toy chest and dug out his airplane.

Ella was busy capturing the moment. She would say "Cheese airplane!". She also kept saying "Holy Crap!" every time the planes would pass. When the planes would be out of sight we would ask where they were at. Ella told us they went to Grandma's house. The little lady was not as huge of a fan as Jackson was.

I love hearing and feeling the F-16s. There is just some kind of fantastic feeling you get when you are below such incredible planes. We were huge fans and can't wait to see the Blue Angels in action again!

Week whatever of summer vaca.

2010-07-17T19:29:00.001-07:00

We are well into summer vacation. Tee ball finished and swimming started up. Jacskon has always been a huge fan of the water. The only actual swimming lesson he has taken was a mommy and me class we took together a couple of years ago. This year Jackson took from a private instructor at a local pool. He was thrilled each day for his lesson. His favorite was retrieving the rings.

I decided that Jackson and Ella have it way too easy. By the time I was Jackson's age I was already driving for my dad to feed the cows. (Cannot believe I just said "By the time I was there age!") So, I decided to give them some hard labor jobs. Actually, it's just unloading the dishwasher but sometimes Jackson does think it is hard labor. Ella on the other hand thinks it is a ball.

Last night we headed out for the tramp for a movie night. The kids thought that was great fun. Very glad they enjoy the cheap entertainment.

Apparently Jackson and Ella were hungry this morning so they helped themselves to a canister of cheese balls. That was one greasy mess.

Wish there was a picture for this one: On the way home from the water park Ella told Jackson, "Jax, you are driving me nuts!" A long sigh followed.

This week we are not looking forward to an all nighter we get to have with Jackson. His neurologist has ordered an EEG to check for seizure activity. I am glad he wants to check up on his brain activity, but am wishing this was something we did not have to deal with. For good reasons Jackson is not a fan of anything Doctor related, especially if there is no suckers in the end. Hopefully all will go well.

New Pics.

2010-07-08T13:58:00.001-07:00

Savanah once again got roped into taking some pics.. I am totally thinking they are fabulicious!

The Black Eyed Ella

2010-07-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

Day 3 for The Black Eyed Ella.

Tee Ball All Star, Jackson

2010-07-05T13:02:00.000-07:00

We just finished up tee ball last week. Jackson had a good time, but he is a true lover of basketball. This weeks, it's swimming; Happy Summer!

Grillin' in the Rain

2010-07-05T12:47:00.001-07:00

Earlier this week we decided to try grilling a pizza. Our neighbs had told us it was quite tasty so we had to give it a shot. As Mike was cooking our pizza a freak storm rolled in. We stood at the window for awhile and wondered what we should do. Mike went and grabbed Ella's flower umbrella and brought in the pizza. The bottom was totally burnt, but that didn't bother me. Mike on the other hand picked off all the toppings, Jackson stuck with breadsticks and Ella just said she didn't like it. Not to worry, we grilled a barbque chicken pizza yesterday and it was TASTY!

Eclipse

2010-07-04T15:43:00.000-07:00

Madi and I were super excited to check out the new installment in Twiligh, Eclipse. It was totally fantastic. She's a Jacob lover and I'm a fan of Edward. I just love how much he and Bella love each other. We both gave this show two thumbs up.

Red, COLD 4th!

2010-07-04T09:03:00.000-07:00

When we lived in Utah they had a celebration called the Red, HOT 4th. I am dubbing this years celebration the Red, COLD 4th! Holy cow, that was crazy! People lined the streets for the parade in their coats! We kicked the day off bright and early with the parade. Jackson loved all the cool old cars, and Ella loved the candy.

Later, we had a barbque in Hamer and played some volleyball, boys against girls. Savanah twisted her ankle, and lets just say I had a few "trick" moves. I think it's safe to say we all had a blast, and a good giggle!

The Hamer parade is always a high lite for me on the 4th. By the time I got my camera pulled out it was over. That's how small it is. The kids always come away with more treats than the Idaho Falls parade!

As we were leaving my dad and moms Ella fell on the cement stairs and Laken carried her screaming inside. It looks pretty sore this morning!

We then rushed back to Idaho Falls for the fireworks. Ella is no fan of the scary fireworks, but in the end I think she enjoyed them! Jackson LOVED them, and said his favs. were the green and blue ones.

We love our country, and are thankful for the freedoms we enjoy. Happy 4th of July!

Happy Birthday Mike!

2010-06-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow Mike will celebrate his 31st birthday! This morning as he was looking for allergy medicine he found a 3 and a 0 candle and said that he could use them tomorrow. I reminded him that they were from last year and he said "Wait, I'm going to be 31 tomorrow?!" Funny fella is loosing his mind with his aging! I love Mike because he is very unselfish and kind. He always puts everyone elses needs and wants before his own. Jackson said he loves dad because he shoots hoops and slum dunks with him. When I asked Ella why she loved daddy she said that he took away her pretty's, but he picked flowers with her and reads her books. Hope you have a Happy Birthday Mike!

Summer Time!

2010-06-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

Friday we celebrated Summer time! We started out with a pizza picnic on the tramp. That was very fun and tasty! Ella is totally into strawberries. The day before we were out at my dad and moms and she had picked some green berries. (She ate them too!) So, when we were out on the tramp and Ella saw red ones she got quite excited. So after dinner and the berry picking we did some jumping. When it got a little darker we hauled out the sleeping bags. Our plan was to enjoy a night under the stars. We had so much fun just being together and giggling with each other. Ella is very imaginative; she told us that a bear had gone on the four wheeler to get her some fries and pop. (Ella is terrified of four wheelers, and loves fries and pop.) As we laid there on the tramp we watched a huge storm cloud roll in. We listened to the thunder for a while, then the lightning started striking. Mike soon gave us a shove inside and about 5 minutes after that it started down pouring. We had a blast while it lasted anyway!

Yesterday we were busy setting up Ella's big girl bed! I'm a sucker for things with sentimental value. Ella's "new" bed is one that started out being my mom's new bed when she was a little girl. Then it was mine, and I can still remember using one of the tops as a microphone! (It's a four posted bed.) Ella was super pumped and spent about half of the day hanging out in it. After a while she asked me where the remote was, she wanted to watch a show in her bed. Mike was quick to tell her there would be no TV in her room to which her response was a devastated look. When bed time rolled around we were wondering how many time she would get out of her bed. After putting Ella back to bed for a third time we were thrilled to peek in and find her fast asleep. This little lady is growing up fast! Big girl potty and now a big girl bed!

Jackson woke up yesterday with what I thought was a cold, but Mike thinks it's hayfever. I am lucky and don't have to deal with allergies but poor Mike gets them awful! Now it looks like Jax might too!

I love you very much!

2010-06-23T20:05:00.001-07:00

Tonight we were hanging out, being cool, and Ella spontaneously wrapped her little arms around Jackson's neck. She gave him a kiss and said "Love you very much"! I love them both very much.

Saturday consisted of a lot of WORK! Mike and I were very excited to see a couple of red strawberries!

And, it was finally warm enough for some swimsuit action! The kids thought it was a real treat to jump on the tramp with the water spraying underneath! Glad they are easily amused.

In tee ball news, Jackson had a game earlier today. He is doing great, and Ella loves cheering for her brother. Mike has been able to attend the last couple of games. Jackson loves to have people there supporting him!

And, here are some cute chats with Ella;

We were driving down the street and saw Pizza Hut. Ella got very excited and said "Look mom, Pizza But!"

Sunday I was getting ready for church. Ella came in and said "I not going to church mom, I serious." The next day as I was getting ready, she again came in and said she wasn't going to church. I reassured her there would be no church that day.

We were headed back from visiting Hamer and Ella knew it would be bed time when we arrived home. She was telling us that she did not want to go to bed. I told her we were stopping at grandma Uvon's house to take her a treat. She started saying I goin' to Uvon's house. Mike said he was happy they were on a first name basis.

You might be a Red Neck if..

2010-06-13T21:27:00.000-07:00

You move an over-sized shed on the back of your pickup. I should of gotten a shot at the head of the pickup to show just how far it hung over the sides. Savanah and Jon asked us if we wanted this shed that was in the back of their yard. Saturday Mike, Jon and Savanah loaded it up and slowly made their way down the road. Mike said they got lot's of interesting looks and even a "Nice", from an on-looker. Good thing we don't live too far away.

Jackson's first Tee Ball game; Go Big Dawgs!

2010-06-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

Jackson was rained out Monday, so today was his first tee ball game. He was super excited and did a great job! It was pretty fantastic to watch and we sure got a good giggle. Still wondering who ended up winning...

Tooth #4, GONE!

2010-06-09T16:33:00.001-07:00

Jackson is 6 years old, and has lost 4 teeth! He was very excited and Ella was very worried. Now we are just waiting for the tooth fairy.

Garden time!

2010-06-09T16:18:00.000-07:00

We've been hard at work; okay, Mike and I have been. Ella has been busy picking "flowers" a.k.a. dandelions.

Last weekend we finally got our garden planted and completed a few projects around the yard. This year we added a couple of new things to the garden, rhubarb and onions. I went out yesterday for a peek and the onions have already sprouted! We skipped out on zuccini. We learned our lesson last year. I was most excited to plant the pumpkins! Loved them last fall!
Savanah and Jon recently bought a house and are re-doing their landscaping. They were getting rid of some big rocks, so we took them and did some fun projects. I think it turned out great!