The Winter Break That Never Ends

Due to the rampant and relentless snow storms we have experienced this year, we have enjoyed an extended winter brake. A few days before school was out and now it is Tuesday and we have yet to go back due to the weather. Along with the snow comes freezing ice and horrible driving conditions. Put this all together and you get one family that definitely has a little cabin fever. Here is a little bit on how we have been keeping ourselves busy!!

Today we have remained in our pjs and the kids have opted to make a fort out of every pillow and blanket they could find in the house.

Along with the blanket and pillows they have also drug most of their bedrooms downstairs as well. When I ask who brought all of this down I get the standard "Not me" times three. Notice the drama queen in the middle of my living room singing on the vacuum cleaner.

We did escape the blizzard of events for a quick New Years Eve trip up to our local ski resort for a ride on the gondola, a few days at the new indoor water park, tubing and a snowboard lesson for Miss Makena. It was a blast and we cannot wait to go back.

Did I mention that we have received a little snow this year. A snow average for this city is about 45 inches in a winter. We have hit 77 inches here in town and a bajillion inches everywhere else. Buildings are collapsing all over town. This is looking out the back at the golf course. The rooftops are slowly disappearing with my patience for Mother Nature!!

Over the last three weeks we have had movie mania with popcorn and all. Its a good thing Costco sells microwave popcorn in bulk. We just don't have a couch quite big enough for the whole family.

This would be yet another day when we never got out of our pjs. The kids decided to pack up because they were going to "Hawaii". Wait guys I am coming too!!!

Did I mention we are buried up here!!!! There is nothing else I can say!!

Feeling a little bit guilty about all the Blogging, Facebooking and coffee drinking I have been doing (did I mention I have learned to make coffee out of a coffee pot since going to Starbucks would require driving on the roads). I did decide to take on a little project. Finding homes for all of the loose DVDs lying around the house and finding DVDs for all of the empty cases lying around the house. So I had myself a little DVD party (much like a sock party) and spent the day organizing. You can tell a lot about yourself by looking at the movies you buy. We love a good laugh, we are obsessed with small blue trains, we live in a dream world and would love to live the life of a super hero!!

Sorry for being so long winded but as you can see we have been soooo busy living the life of a pj wearing, movie watching and imagination using family. If anyone finds my sanity wandering around please send it back to me. My hopes for 2009?? Mostly to just get dressed and get out of the house!!!!!!!!!!!

Chaotic Blessings

It goes without saying that life would not be complete without a Christmas entry put out into Blogger World. It is so easy to get busy with the holidays (and the continuous snow storms) and forget to catch up on things. Christmas this year can be described with two simple words: chaotic blessings!!

At Grandma Dodson's we started Christmas off with our yearly visit from Santa. Of the 5 kids we only have the lonely Hayden who still believes Papa is the real thing!! I have loved seeing all of my kids experience a Santa visit every year.
This picture was supposed to be last but never the less the calm after the storm!!

Thanks to Grammy who cooks Christmas dinner every year. Daddy did do a great prime rib but we were short Uncle Derek and his family and Aunt Keri this year. Hopefully next year!!

Hayden got a Doctors set and has proven he may be interested in the family business along with his helper Duke.

We started Christmas Eve with cookie making for Santa and having Grammy, Kimmie and Tj over for a sleepover.

Bryden this year was all about Star Wars. He truly believes he is the Master Jedi. I can't bring myself to bust his bubble but I hope he doesn't go back to school and try to "Jedi" someone.

Christmas morning and the kiddos are so patient while the adults make their coffee.

This years was a little different for Miss Makena. She no longer wants toys and asked for clothes and very expensive electronics. She pretty much got a lot of clothes!!

Until next year!!!!

Oh This Boy!!

My youngest son has always been strong minded and loves to go to battle some days with me. Like any other busy day we had dinner and were in a hurry rushing the kids to eat and get ready to go to Makena's third grade music concert. Hayden of all days decides he doesn't want to eat dinner and is refusing to get dressed. Like always Blaine and I say at least 50 times "Hayden, Eat your dinner and get dressed or you are not going to the concert". In all reality he doesn't even know what a concert is and could probably care less. None the less we continue to threat and he lays on the kitchen floor screaming. I mean are we really going to just leave him at home? No! I think he may be on to us because as we are putting on our coats and heading to the car we find Hayden in the car ready to go in nothing but Scooby Doo undies and shoes!!

He cries and continues to tell us dinner is yucky and what do we do?????

To keep the peace and get Makena to her concert we take him into the mudroom get him dressed and put him in the car and head to the concert.

WITH HIS DINNER STILL SITTING ON THE TABLE!!!

POINT FOR HAYDEN

The Old Dog

Our older dog Hotch is such a trooper. He spends half the day with the puppy hanging off of his neck and never growls back. He just goes with the flow of this crazy family. The things Hotch looks forward to most are riding in the car and he LOVES sleeping with the kids at night. Last night it was Bryden's turn to have Hotch sleep with him. As I went to say goodnight this is what I found. Hotch obediently sleeping in Bryden's Build a Bear dog house. That crazy dog!!!

I wish the kids were equally obedient for me. He is a great old dog!!!

Renewing the Contract

The Dodson 5 has had a lot to celebrate lately!!! This year Blaine and I celebrated out ten year anniversary. We had always had plans of traveling through Europe this year but that was a plan we made before we had kids "and built a new house". We all know kids change everything and for the better!! Since this year Blaine's brother Chad celebrated his 15th anniversary and his parents celebrated their 40th we all decided to go back to Kauai where it all began for Blaine and I and have one big party. That we did!!! I always thought Bryden got his blue eyes from Papa

Sissy and her cousin Blake. Two sincere smiles, Priceless!!

One of my BFFs came over with her family to join the party. It was awesome having them there!! Love ya Beth!!

Sissy is such a glamour girl!!

So ten years later here we are. It has been a wild ten years and I can't wait to see what the next ten bring.

I would rather be here then Europe any day! Who knew??

If someone would have told me I'd have this in ten years I would have never believed them!!

So as part of this big party all three couples decided to renew their vows. It was a perfect day thanks to all of the planning by Blaines mom. Blaine and I have decided as part of our "contract renewal" we will not be adding three more kids to the mix in the next ten years however!!

This is the whole fam!!! Including Blaine's "brother" from Finland, Ilka and his family. Now, on with the holiday season! Happy Holidays everyone!!

My New Friends

As my sweet little baby lay on the couch sleeping Saturday night my first thought was "I better get him up or he will never go to bed tonight". I tried and tried and could not wake him. He must have been so tired so took a picture of him and thought "How can he look sooooo sweet and be such a monster when he is awake"? If I only new what this boy was capable of!!!

The next day Blaine had a rec league basketball game and I could have stayed home with the boys but I have been cleaning and packing for days and needed to get out of the house, so we all hopped in the car and to daddy's game we went. It was a great day until about halfway through the game it started. That ear piercing, nerve wracking, attention getting noise. It was the fire alarm going trough the whole high school. I swallowed and said a little prayer "please don't let it be my child" and ran to where a slue of kids were running around in time to see them all point at my little angle as the culprit.
I wanted to curl up in a ball and die!!! Yes everyone it was MY kid!!!! I then got to meet most of the CDA fire department, the high school principal, and the janitor as they all ran around on a breezy Sunday trying to disarm the alarm. A little lecture to me, a lecture to the three year old burying his face in my chest and peeing down the side of my leg (we went underwear that day, bad choice) and they let us go.
Has Hayden learned his lesson??? I can only hope. What have I learned? If your not sure what to do on any given Sunday, just stay home!!!!! So now I have a story for his baby book and surely one I will never forget!!! Three year olds CAN reach fire alarms!!! I am still trying to laugh about it!!!

Tick..Tock..Tick..Tock..

Halloween has come and gone and the kids are eagerly making their Christmas lists. However, we have one minor event before the Holiday Season can truly begin. VACATION!!! Mommy has eagerly been counting the days until we leave for a little sun and R&R. Tick..Tock..Tick..Tock just 5 days until Kauai!!! I can't wait!!!