SEVEN

OH to be seven again!! My little boy has grown in his missing front teeth this year and has decided he wants to go by the name Bryden. No more Bozer, or bubbie, just Bryden. It is so fun to see him get so excited about what life has to offer yet he can still snuggle in with mom and dad every once in a while. This year the big theme for him is Star Wars. Thanks to a friend finding this on clearance Bryden at last received the long awaited Millennium Falcon. His weekend fell on one of the craziest weekends of the year. In two days we had 5 basketball games (daddy won bragging rights in his alumni tourney), March Madness and the welcomed first day of spring. In the middle of it all we took a little time for a Chuck E Cheese Party.

Bryden is still wearing the Birthday Medal!!

Of course we had to go with the Star Wars cake (again) this year.

We ended the fun weekend with a little homemade Strawberry Shortcake for the boy and the family on Sunday night. Next? Hayden turns 4!!!!

The Late Winter Funk

I never really keep track but it seems like about this time each year we all kind of seem to hit a wall. Its late winter. There is snow on the ground and we are setting every record in the book with our high of 11 degrees today. Its cold and I am done!!! Along with the weather we have 52 things going on at once, the kids are getting tired of school and homework and the same old meals just don't taste good anymore. The news is depressing as is the newspaper as well. Our routine seems so mundane and if I have to pick the Candyland game up off the playroom floor one more time I am going to scream. I am done!! Did I already say that????

Although it is very cold outside the sun is out today so I had an impromptu coffee this morning to see some of the faces I only pass in the car leaving the school. We all had some catching up to do. Plans for spring, trips coming up, soccer season teams and even a little coupon insider sharing. It was what I think everyone needed as we all sit tight and wait for spring to sweep into the valley and make it all better!! Thanks girls!!!

Daddy Daughter Dance

For the last two years Makena has wanted to attend the daddy daughter dance, but by chance Blaine was not able to take her. This year she finally got to lace up her dancing shoes, dress like a princess and race to the ball for a night of fun. YMCA, the chicken dance and a little Mama Mia, she got to do it all. They had a great time even tough her date was about 3 feet taller than her!!! Now she knows how I feel sometimes.

Before the dance I was able to catch a few pictures quickly while Hayden kept running in and out of the picture. Here is one I caught with just the dancers.

Makena did have to shoot a few hoops before the dance. This girl never stops moving!!!

25 Random Things About Me

This is a repeat from my Facebook page but for those that are not into my new addiction I thought I might share it here as well.

1. I am a VERY indecisive person. Dinner menus, paint colors, what to wear, even where to send my kid to preschool. It all scares me that I might make the wrong decision.

2. I am a horrible speller (as some of you may have figured out by now).

3. I always replay conversations in my head. I should have said this or that, or did they take that the wrong way, what does that person think about me?? Goes with #1.

4. I LOVE painting. I painted my master bedroom in my last house 4 times in 3 years. I just finished helping a friend paint at her house this morning. Its like coloring for adults and relaxing to me.

5. I cannot watch any kind of medical shows. I think that I have everything the people on the shows have. Now I always worry my kids might be sick. No Greys or ER for me EVER!!

6. I am also addicted to bedding. For my sixteenth B-day I used all of my money for a new bedding set from Sears. Now I change my bedding every year. Again #1. I especially love Pottery Barn Bedding. My closets are full. Its a nasty little habit.

7. My favorite subject in high school was Geometry. I could do proofs all day long!!

8. I married my High School sweetheart and never dated anyone else after the age of 15. Knowing about my indecisiveness he wonders how I have kept him around for so long but he is my stable rock!

9. My sister owned a coffee stand for 6 years and I never got a cup of coffee from her EVER. Now I can't go a day without it. Its my ME time!

10. I always have the same dream. My teeth all fall out at the same time?????

11. My favorite color is green although I haven't used it much in my house and I don't wear it much.

12. I LOVE being a soccer mom. I can watch my kids do things all day long.

13. I LOVE a late summer thunder storm. A coffee and a big blanket and I can sit on my back deck and watch them come in all day long.

14. When I was a kid I wore huge glasses. Thank goodness for contacts and Lasik.

15. I live in black yoga pants. No high heels and cute jeans for me in the valet at the school.

16. I watch HGTV all day long.

17. I rearrange furniture all the time. Probably has something to do with #1 and #16

18. I can't go a week without going to Costco. I am afraid I might miss out on something good.

19. I just got my first tattoo in November. A plumeria for each of my kids and two rings for my 10 year anniversary.

20. In July Blaine bought me a road bicycle. I LOVE it!! So just signed up for my first sprint triathlon. I am not a great swimmer and I HATE cold water. I hope that I don't drown so that I can ride my bike.

21. I value ALL of my friendships and family. Probably more than any of them will ever know. I am not very good at telling people that kind of stuff.

22. I get car sick all the time. As a kid I always got car sick and as an adult I still cannot ride in the back seat or read in the car.

23. I would love to learn how to quilt. Probably because of by bedding fetish.

24. In high school Blaine and I had matching Geo Storm cars. His was red and mine was white. Good thing we went to different high schools. It wasn't planned out but it just worked out that way

25. Did I mention I am very indecisive??? Maybe I should redo my list????.

What Have We Been Up To Now????

Since we are back into the swing of things we have become very busy as usual. The kids are back in school. It is STILL freezing here and the activities are picking up. This week both kids started basketball and we now have practice three nights a week and three games on Saturdays!!! BUSY but GREAT!!!

Here is 5 seconds of Makena actually making a basket. She loves to shoot but lets just say we are not keeping stats just yet!!

Happy basketball season!!!

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!!!!