Halloween

First off, no one go into shock, but after 4 or 5 months, yes, I am blogging again. Except this time I will not be promising to catch up or be any more regular with my posting. I will post when I have time and feel like it. Which may be quite often, but more than likely will be occasionally at best.

 

I do have some fun pics of the kids from Halloween, though. Sydney and Jake were really the only ones that dressed up. Brandon techincally did for a party a few days before Halloween, but I only took a pic with my iPod, so it's a little grainy...

 

Sydney chose to be a witch this year. I made her dress and cape (which she didn't even wear much, since she said it was scratchy) and we bought the hat and broomstick at Target. For our ward's Trunk-or-Treat, she wanted to paint her face green and looked so cool, but was over that by the time Halloween was here for real, so no face paint. She carved her pumpkin 100% herself this year and was so proud! I loved that she had to stand on the kitchen table to get the right angle for scooping out the guts. :) She ended up with more than enough candy!

 

 

Jake chose to be Bomb Bird from one of his favorite games, Angry Birds. Bomb Bird is his favorite because "He can 'splode' things." He even told me that bomb birds could "splode" witches and, therefore, he was going to "splode" Syd. He thought that was pretty sneaky, haha. The big pic in the middle is of him showing me the exploding in action--love it! His costume was pretty easy to make, especially since we already had the hat. And since there is this amazing thing called Pinterest, where I found a couple DIY patterns and merged them into one. Ahh, Pinterest, how I love thee...

 

Brandon and Ryan carved their pumpkins themselves, too. It's nice not to have to help them anymore. :) Brandon made the one with the scary grim-reaper-ish guy, and Ryan made the Angry Birds one. They turned out pretty great. Ryan enjoyed being the official candy-hander-outer instead of trick-or-treating. Tim loved it, too. He just watched Duck Dynasty while Ryan took care of the candy duties.

 

Brandon went to a Halloween party a few days before Halloween, and he chose to go as his favorite character, Ron Swanson, from his favorite show, Parks and Rec. Pretty sure that not many of his friends watch that show or really "got it," but he looked pretty awesome. We found that sweet brown corduroy jacket at Savers for five bucks.And we cut out his stache from brown felt. Cheap and easy and awesome. It was perfect.

Ryan's 12th Birthday!!!

My little Ryan turns 12 today.  I'm still in denial, I think.  How can he be growing so fast?!?  He has always been and still is the sweetest little spirit!  He has a natural tendency to do what is right and be a peacemaker.  Why can't we all just be like Ryan?  The world would surely be a better place!

Ryan's favorites right now include playing the piano, swimming (he's even an assistant instructor this summer), video games on the iPod, and fishing with Dad.  He is excited to graduate from Primary to Young Men and receive the Priesthood next Sunday.  He'll start passing the sacrament and home teaching with Tim.  Weird.  For his birthday, he came shopping with me for a new bike, which he's been wanting for a while.  Then tonight, we are going out to dinner.  He chose that over a party--easy enough!  And of course, there will be Texas sheetcake--another favorite--after that.

Love you, Ryan!!!

I AM NOW OFFICIALLY A RUNNER!!!

Saturday was the day. 5K day. I had been training for many weeks. I was pretty sure I was ready to conquer this mountain.  Last Monday, I pushed really hard and ran 3 miles in almost exactly 30 minutes.  Not an easy feat for these short legs to maintain 6 mph for 30 straight minutes...

I was lucky enough to have several ladies running with me.  Ladies from my "old" ward that I miss, but thankfully still get to associate with, maybe just a little less frequently.  Big shout out to Aleisha, Lori, Jessica, Jen, and Shelby for carpooling with, encouraging, and supporting me--you guys rock.

My original goal was just to run the whole race--no walking.  Then once I realized that goal was pretty attainable, I set a new one:  under 35 minutes.  Then after Monday, I realized that even that goal was not going to push me hard enough, so I set a new, secret goal that I didn't tell my friends.  That new goal was to beat all of them.  What can I say--I'm competitive!!!  I reached all 3 goals.  I ran my first-ever 5K in an official time of 30:25.9!!!  I ran the whole way.  I beat my next-closest friend by about a minute and a half.  AND--I got 8th place in my age group!!  Success!!

I wanted to die once I finished, probably just because I pushed super-hard, especially the last quarter-mile, or so.  But now that a couple days have passed, I'm ready to make a new goal.  I think I will run a 10K this fall, and next year for the Potato Marathon, I want to run the half marathon--why not?  I have proven I can do hard things--and that's what makes me want to keep going--that amazing feeling of setting a goal that seemed really hard and then reaching it--what a feeling!!!

 Aleisha, Lori, Jessica, Me, Jennifer, and Shelby just before the race.

Shelby, Me, Lori, and Aleisha after the race sporting our hard-earned t-shirts.

5K

I did it. Something I've always thought, "someday I'll do that...". I signed up for a 5K next month. A few of my girlfriends are doing it, too. I started "training" last week. This morning I just didn't want to. I thought, "I'll just do it tonight," knowing full well how much I despise working out in the evening. Once I got the kids in bed my desire was even less than it was this morning, but since I've committed to doing the race, I ran anyway. And I went much farther than I was even supposed to. I walked/ran the whole 3.1 miles! And I did it in 39:15 minutes. I'm hoping to shave at least 5-7 minutes off my time by race day when hopefully I can run the whole thing.
The reason I'm writing this, though (on my iPod for that matter), is so I can look back and remember how amazingly proud I am that I did something hard but so good for myself and how fantastic that makes me feel. Going to bed without doing it would have made me feel pretty crappy. Oh how I hope I can remember this feeling. I have never really been a runner, but I am determined to become one.

Easter Cuties

This year, the Easter Bunny brought the kids new church clothes. The boys all got suits and Sydney got a new dress in her favorite color. She was so excited it was modest enough that she didn't even need to wear a little white tee shirt with it. It's hard to find little girls' dresses with sleeves...but that good old Easter Bunny came through!  I never bought the older boys suits when they were little, and what a mistake that was!  Jakey was just killing me in this little 3-button number...he said he looked like Daddy and now he could go to work like Daddy (which we thought was funny since Tim never wears a suit to work...).

And don't even get me started on Little Miss--she LOVES purple and was so excited to see this dress on Easter morning! 

Here's our little stud, Ryan looking oh-so-dapper.  Can't believe he'll be 12 in 2 1/2 months!!!

And of course, Brandon, the teenager.  I had to tell him to show me some teeth in this picture--he thinks he's too cool to smile wide.  But those teeth are too nice not to show off. :)

Here they are all together.  The difference in heights is pretty funny.  Our kids are pretty spread out age-wise, but it's been perfect for us.  Love them all so much and wish they would stop growing!!!

Ball Girl

Little Girl started basketball this year...in February, to be exact.  Our school district didn't have a regular basketball season (LAME!!!), so we put her in another league.  Good news: 3 of her friends from our "old" ward (more info to come in a later post...) are also on her team.  Bad news:  this basketball schedule is interfering/overlapping with her softball team, which started about 2 weeks ago.  Such is life.

She has had a really fun time.  Her game face is pretty awesome.  She has played 2 games so far, and in the first one she surprised us all and made 2 baskets...no baskets in game #2.  She is pretty short to be a basketball player, but she gets to be the point guard and gets to handle the ball a lot, which she likes. Instead of paying for team pictures, I just had Tim take some for me with my camera, so she's only with her good friends in these pictures (Ellie, Sydney, Ashlyn, and Kylee).

Go Angels!!!

Playing catch-up

In other news, I have vowed to make this the week that I catch up on blogging.  I only had 3 posts for the year before the one earlier today...lame!  So I'm hoping to get at least one done per day, highlighting some of the fun we've been having lately.  Hoping...

The resemblance continues...

When Ryan was little, he was obsessed with trains.  He had this train sweater that he loved, and we had his pictures taken in it.  Well, as luck would have it, I actually found that old train sweater a couple months ago, and put Jake in it to take some pictures.  Here are the side-by-sides.  Jake saw the pictures of Ryan on the counter and said, "Look, it's me!"  He was a little sad when I told him, "No, that's Ryan."  They continue to look so similar!  We apparently have 2 molds--the Brandon mold and the Ryan mold, repeated in Sydney and Jake, respectively.  What's crazy is that their personalities are so similar as well.  Jake is so much like Ryan is/was, and the same can be said for Brandon and Sydney.  Weird.

Jake is staying blonde longer than Ryan did.  They are almost exactly the same age in these pictures, and Ryan's hair is slightly darker.  Other than that slight difference, they are basically twins separated by 8 years.  So glad I kept that sweater!

Recent craftiness

Last summer I stopped by a neighbor's yard sale (which I rarely do...) and found 2 old, 70's-style lamps for $3 each.  I just knew some spray paint would do wonders for them.  Enter some oil-rubbed-bronze spray paint.  And some clearance shades from Target (that are literally screaming for some burlap or fabric ruffles or something along those lines...).

 I also needed some tables to put my awesome new lamps on.  And being the cheapskate I am, I asked my mother-in-law if I could have some old 70's-style (in keeping w/ the theme, haha...) tables that were collecting dust in their shed and do whatever I felt like to them.  She said o.k. so I got out the sander and paint and gave them (well, technically only one, so far) a makeover as well.  I think it came a long way as well.  And for pretty cheap!

I think the before and afters are pretty impressive!

I'm not sure yet if I love the parts where I distressed it...I may eventually go back over some spots w/ the black paint and un-distress it just a tad.  Sometimes I go a little too crazy w/ the sandpaper...  And now that I see the oil-rubbed-bronze lamp on the black table I think it's too dark and boring, and maybe the lamp should be some fun color like red or aqua...good thing it's easy to change! 

 

Here is the after of the lamp on its new home.  You can also see that I FINALLY painted the piano room.  One less white wall in the house...hooray.  I also got slipcovers for the green and magenta couches (what was I thinking 14 years ago???) and new drapes.  I just couldn't find those pictures on my computer and I'm too lazy to take them again...  Maybe once the new carpet (Hip, hip, hooray!!!) is installed in 2 weeks, I'll take some more pictures.

Pinterest is my new favorite thing.  It's awesome.  But I have decided I need to make sure I'm DOING, not just pinning.  So last week a few friends and I got together to DO one of our pins.  We made paper roses and glued them onto twigs, then put the twigs in vases.  It's much cuter than it sounds as I'm trying to describe it!  Ours all turned out a little different based on our vases, but they all look awesome!  I found some perfect little vases from Target (seriously, that store is the best) that already had the little I LOVE YOU on it.  They look great along w/ my other little V-Day decor on my shelves in the entry.

I'm hoping we can get together once or twice a month for our "Pinterest Parties."  Not much makes me happier than spending time w/ great friends while using a glue gun. :)

Resolving to Do Better

So it's a new year...I always like to look back at the last year and see if I improved in any way...and check back on my previous resolutions and see if I actually accomplished any of them.  The verdict: some--yes; most--no.  I decided that's better than all no!

Here's some accountability from my 2011 goals:

"Scrapbook at least 1 page"--epic fail...I just hate it and I still haven't done any...
"Buy my last package of diapers"--success!!! (of course, I'm still buying Pull-Ups for bedtime and we're not accident-free yet, but no more diapers!!!)
"Write 50 journal entries"--success!!!  I just went and counted, and I had 51 in 2011.
"100 % Visiting Teaching"--fail--I hate to admit that...
"Visit the temple 2X a month"--fail--but in my defense, they closed the Boise Temple this summer, and Twin Falls is a long drive!
"Lose the baby weight--finally"--pass/fail--I technically lost it, then when we found out Tim was losing his job, I consoled myself with food (big surprise) and gained most of it back...but I still ended the year down 5 pounds.
"Wake up at 5am to work out"--fail--I'm just too freaking old for that now.
"Keep track of what I eat"--so-so--I did really well while on Weight Watchers, then not-so-well once I quit.
"No calories after 7pm"--fail--most of the time.
"Paint all white walls still in my house"--fail--but I came really close!
"Organize my recipe drawer"--fail--it's still pretty bad.
"Organize my bathroom cupboards"--success!!!--and they're still looking pretty good several months later!!!
"Go to bed at night w/ a clean kitchen and family room"--fail--I just really like hanging out w/ Tim once the kids are in bed instead of doing dishes which can always wait, in my opinion.
"See Brandon get his Eagle"--pass/fail--He didn't get his Eagle yet, but he got all of his Merit Badges.
"Only grocery shop every 2 weeks to cut down on grocery budget"--pass/fail--I still go every week, but I am doing much better at menu planning, so I have cut down on the grocery bill.
"Install crown molding in master"--fail--but it's still on my to-do list--and getting closer to the top!

Wow, I just wrote the word "FAIL" way too many times.  So for this year, I'm not making nearly as many resolutions so I don't have the possibility of failing so many times.  :)  Good solution, I know.

This year, I only have a few goals.  And they are pretty simple.

1. Learn how to better use my camera.
2. Learn a little bit about Photo Shop and how to use it.
3. Move more and eat less.  And re-lose that baby weight.
4. Craft more.
5. Paint more white walls. I hate them.

That's a maximum of 5 fails this time next year.  That sounds much better!

Christmas Letter 2011

I can't believe I didn't make a single post last month...time to play catch-up.  I also didn't send out Christmas cards until New Years...so hopefully most of the family has gotten theirs by now.  For the rest of you or those that I just plain forgot, here is the body of our Christmas letter, with the news of the year:


Merry Christmas, everyone! This has been a busy year for our family, as usual. We love to play catch-up and reflect on the ups, downs and blessings we've been given at this time of year. Some things we'd like to forget are our first car accident only a few months after we bought our new van, Cathy losing her camera at DFW airport, and being faced with unemployment. Some awesome family memories from this year are camping trips to Grandjean, BSU football games, our dog Molly having adorable little puppies, and Tim finding a new job. The good has definitely outweighed the bad. We have seen the Lord's hand in our lives and are ever-grateful for His guidance, family and friends.

Tim is now the corporate audit manager for Micron, a technology company in Boise. It has been a big adjustment after almost 12 years at SuperValu, but we are so grateful the Lord has provided a way for him to provide for our family. He still serves on the High Council for our Stake and of course, spends as much time as he can hunting. He, his dad and brothers went to Wyoming again in September for an antelope hunt. He also enjoys gardening (good thing, since Cathy does not) and added raspberries to our crop this year.


Cathy started teaching piano lessons in September. She has 8 students, counting her own, and has really enjoyed teaching, much to her surprise and delight. Her first recital is next month. She got to go see her family in Texas in June and has had fun repainting much of the house this year and redecorating. She is the Primary chorister for about 130 children in our ward.


Brandon is in 8th grade and just turned 14, so he is now old enough to attend Stake dances (which means his parents have to wait up for him now…uggh). This year he has played basketball and football and ran track. He is in choir at school and loves the guitar. He got an electric one for his birthday (that thankfully has headphones). He shot his first buck this fall. He has earned all of his merit badges for Eagle Scout and just needs to do his project now.

Ryan is 11 and in 6th grade. He started band this year, playing the clarinet, which he loves. He tried something else new and ran cross country this fall and wants to run track in the Spring. He earned his Arrow of Light award and graduated from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts this summer. He takes piano lessons from Mom and is doing awesome! He shot his first turkey last Spring.


Sydney is 7 going on 16 and in 2nd grade, but she goes to 3rd grade for a couple hours each day since she's such a smarty-pants. She is also taking piano lessons, played T-ball this Spring, and is starting basketball next month. A highlight of her year was getting her ears pierced a few months ago. She is still quite crafty like her mom and is always creating something.


Jake is 3 years old and is still the light of our lives. His smile is infectious and he is at that age where he just says funny things all the time. At Ryan's last band concert, he said (with really big eyes), "They have cymbals. Cymbals are loud. I love them." He makes us laugh all the time! His favorite thing right now is Dad's iPad, especially Angry Birds. He starts Primary next week. He has also been learning to use the potty this year and is getting way too big way too fast.