THANKFUL

Short list of what I'm thankful for:
The Plan of Salvation
Tony, Colton, Asher and Kyler
All my relatives (list would be too long!)
Friends (again, too long of a list!)
A Home, Nourishment, Tony's work
blogging!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We started the day with Costco chocolate muffins and then headed out to the first showing of Bolt. It was really fun...all the boys loved it! Next, we watched Tony make cookies before going to my Uncle Chris and Aunt Liz's home for the Thanksgiving meal. There was so much good food and so many people to catch up with. I'm so thankful for my family!

SLACKER!

Ok, I think this is the longest I've gone without posting! Too many things have happened and I'm just going to throw out what I can remember.....here goes:

I don't know if this would be different with a daughter, but I really don't care what outfit Kyler puts together in the morning. He can wear pretty much anything he wants and I'm fine. Like yesterdays ensemble: Royal blue Lego Star Wars T-shirt, Navy shorts with a red and tan line down the side, bright red soccer socks (that ended up looking like tights since they came up under his shorts!) and blue, orange and silver shoes! Mom's embarrassment: NONE! He dressed himself and picked out the clothes - I call this SELF-RELIANCE! (his wife won't, but I'm hoping he'll get better at this before too long, besides, he will be in a school uniform this July!)


INSTRUCTOR CJ LEAVES! Nobody was happy with this change at the Tae Kwon Do studio. He left a couple of weeks ago and all the students are still trying to adjust. It didn't help matters that the Grand Master left the key to the front door at home yesterday - everyone had to walk to the back of the building to go through the studio's backdoor! (I'm going to rethink class next week if I have to scale the wall and repel through the ceiling tiles to enter the studio!) After we got in, Asher didn't really have his heart into the class. I hope that they can get another instructor with as much energy for these kids that CJ had. This picture was taken on CJ's last day. We miss you and wish you well Instructor CJ!

Got tagged by the the gr8 Andrew and Michelle....

8 TV Shows We Love To Watch
30 Rock
The Office
Pushing Daisies
Two and a Half Men
My Name is Earl
My Own Worst Enemy
Life
ANY Law & Order

8 Favorite Restaurants
Pei Wei
Chipotle
Texas Road House
Wildflower Bread Co.
Bajio's
Fat Burger (love to hear Kyler say "baby fat!")
Blue Adobe Grille
Panda Express

8 Things That Happened Yesterday
(or in the past week/memory isn't good!)
Built a shed with Tony
Cleaned the Garage and added new shelving
Celebrated 19 years, 3 months of marriage
Saw Colton's violin in pieces/took it to a Luthier to fix it
Got the Christmas decorations out
Watched TV
Listened to Christmas Music
Celebrated 4 years since Kyler was sealed to us

8 Things We're Looking Forward To
4 days with kids and no homework to help them with
Thanksgiving dinner with family
December - Tony has lots of time off
Sleep (one day)
Children/husband that pick up after themselves (one day)
Christmas decorations up/boxes in garage/just sit back and enjoy the season
Christmas Eve
Tony's 42nd birthday

8 Things On My Wish List
Vacation with the whole family
Vacation with just Tony
Vacation with just ME
Backyard redesign
My Scrap room to magically get cleaned
To USE my Scrap room
Having a girlfriends weekend somewhere (come on ladies, let's plan something!)
Have Christmas shopping done! (normally I'm done in August!)

8 People To Tag
Alison and Ben
Juliet and Jeff
Tabitha
Becca and Matt
Jen and Jason
MiKell
Deidre
Catherine
Thanks Andrew and Michelle!!!

Halloween is so different now! I no longer have a say with the boys costumes...there is no theme anymore....and now, Colton and Asher don't want to Trick or Treat with a parent! They went out with their friends and that left little ol' Kyler and Tony alone - until Jean-Jacques said he would be taking his kids out....Yea! Cousins!!! Tony and Jean-Jacques took seven kids out on their adventure. I think the best part was their matching treat bags....they all used Chipotle bags! (yes, tony and I are addicted) Mita and I stayed home, ate candy and looked at everyone's blogs! No pictures, but it was a great night! Colton was a demon boy scout, Asher was a cowboy werewolf and Kyler was the Red Power Ranger Jungle Fury. (Ok, I had to have a photo, so I stole this photo from my cousins blog - isn't her baby adorable - even though he resembles his dad in this photo!)

Kyler was so happy to have the Red Power Ranger Jungle Fury costume (with muscles) that he wore it ALL the time! He especially wanted to go to Tae Kwon Do with it on and scare the instructor. He did and Instructor CJ played along great! Then class started and Kyler was bored....so he fell asleep under the chairs. Thank goodness for a camera phone to capture the moment. (thanks CJ)

THE HOLIDAYS ARE HERE!!!!!!!

My visiting teachers brought me these cute pumpkin cupcakes the other night. They have this very, very fine glitter on them and I LOVED how sparkly they were (not to mention delicious!) I just wanted to share. Thanks Jennifer and Lisa!

LOSER MOM FORGETS CAMERA....NEWS AT 11:00

Ok, it's bound to happen occasionally.....but me.....REALLY?!? I was so excited for Asher's green belt testing last Friday. Problem: Couldn't find my camera! What was I to do? I had a picture and video of every breaking technique so far. I couldn't stand the idea that I would mess up so soon.....so I brought the camera to the next class. And then asked Instructor CJ if he wouldn't mind posing for a picture and if he wouldn't mind recreating Asher's breaking technique as well. Now, imagine yourself as a 10 year-old boy.............I know EMBARRASSING!!!!!!!!!!! Well, that was his reaction....but Mom got her way (big shock). So please enjoy the reenactment of Asher breaking his board (notice: 10 year-olds get a thicker board!).

WARNING: THIS IS ONLY A REENACTMENT!!!!

THE "YLER" BOYS

Kyler's best friend, Kevin, shares a birthday with Asher. At one point in Kevin's party they were playing HULK, HULK, SMASH! (duck, duck, goose converted to fit a Hulk party) and I looked over at Kyler and saw this. The "yler" boys - Skyler, Tyler and Kyler!

WHAT AM I TEACHING MY 10 YEAR OLD!

Asher's 10th Birthday!!! We always let the kids choose what food they would like for the day. Asher wanted to eat at IHOP (a Stock Family Favorite). Mita, Tony, Asher, Kyler and myself went to IHOP for lunch to eat breakfast....got it. Only problem...after a 2 1/2 week fall break, school had started that day. Asher and Colton have never spent their birthday at school before, and Asher certainly didn't want to start now. So we let him ditch and have fun with Kyler (I'm sure that the fact that Colton still had to go to school didn't influence Asher's choice to stay home!) Happy 10th Birthday Asher!

FRIDAY MORNING CONVERSATION

Kyler and Tony are the only ones awake when Kyler starts the conversation:

Kyler: "I know why I'm in this family"

Tony: "Why?"

Kyler: "Because Mom really, REALLY wanted me"

Tony: "She did! When she told me we had a chance to get a Kyler I said SIGN ME UP!"

Kyler: "And when I was born I saw you and said - Hey Dad! and you said - WHOA!.............He knows my name! and I said - I knowed because I was supposed to be in this family!"

CONFERENCE WEEKEND

I had a crazy idea this weekend.....I decided that all of my children could be present (in the family room) during ALL four sessions of conference. I had my conference packets printed out for everyone (Colton was offended) and they could be on the carpet or at the table. I wasn't forcing them to watch, just be in the same room with me as I watched. Can we all guess what happened?!? I got about as much out of Conference as I do in Sacrament Meeting! I couldn't tell you ANY detail with either Sunday session. Just trying to keep them quiet took all of my energy! (Notice I included the picture of Colton and Asher "watching" conference....Colton's even taking notes......this was a fleeting moment Kyler did enjoy coloring the ties of the general authorities. Well, Mita did what she does best....SLEPT ON THE COUCH!) The priesthood session was the best.....Colton and Tony were gone and I took Asher and Kyler and a couple of friends to meet more friends at the park. No complaints!!! The weekend wasn't a total bust though....we had yummy food the whole weekend - including the muddy buddies that Colton helped make - and Asher, Kyler and Tony got the winter lawn in between Saturday sessions! I can't wait to see that beautiful green carpet in the front and back yards soon. Sunday evening we visited with lots of family at Uncle Chris' and then a fried turkey dinner with friends. Now, back to the drawing board......how to keep three kids quiet and get the most out of conference in April......IDEAS?????

SATURDAY IN THE PARK

I wouldn't say we have cool weather yet, but I'm started to deal with the mornings better. So the first 2 1/2 hrs of Saturday was spent at our neighborhood park with the cousins. I was smart and brought my camera. Here's my family and Jean-Jacques' in order - Colton (with the preteen angst look), Asher and Kyler, then Michael, Sofia, Sariah, Jean-Jacques, Ruslan and Joseph. They had fun playing and then building in the sand. They even got to see many dogs and pet a few of them. Thanks to our cousins for starting our "park season" off on the right foot. (Sorry Jean-Jacques - no pun intended!)

ASHER'S BIRTHDAY BASH!

I run into a problem every year with Asher and Colton's birthdays. Colton's birthday is during spring break and Asher's birthday is during fall break. I always try to plan their party before or after their break, which is 2 1/2 weeks, and the break for Gilbert schools, since they have friends that they don't want left out. Asher either ends up with a birthday party WAY EARLY or one around HALLOWEEN! This year was early - last Saturday. Eighteen children gathered at the World Tae Kwon Do Center to celebrate 10 years of Asher! Asher wore his uniform, complete with orange belt and showed off his kicks and punches. Instructors CJ and Jacqueline kept order and ran the party like a class. For some of the games, they were divided into three teams and chose their own team names - The Dragons, The King Cobras, and The Smokin' Hot Guys (thank you Colton for your guidance). Kyler was so adorable and LOVED following the instructors. After the party he said he would only join Tae Kwon Do if his best friend would (come on Deanna - let Kevin join!). After stretching, learning jab, cross, front kicks and running races it was time for cake (and the tradition of the instructors smearing frosting all over the birthday boy's face), then presents and finally getting back in line to review what they learned AND TO BREAK A BOARD!!! Every kid was able to break their own board and take the pieces home to show off! Asher started off breaking his board with a step-in back kick - which he did beautifully. Every one else was taught to use their hand. This party far surpassed any expectations that I had!!! Thank you again, CJ and Jacqueline!!!

SUMMER OF 2005

I was looking through photos the other night and came across these of Kyler. The second picture is my favorite! Could he be any happier....PURE BLISS! It was the summer of 2005, we had bought the Southern California City Passes and visited - Sea World, The San Diego Zoo, Knott's Berry Farm and 3 days in Disneyland. It was a very fun trip - Kyler especially liked Sweet Tomatoes! He was so intent on getting every last noodle that he finally picked up his plate to lick it all up. Today he's a very picky eater - I wish he had the appetite and the willingness to try foods that he did at 14 months.

TIME TO BUZZ THE HAIR!

Kyler has avoided the clippers for far too long. So I got them out last Wednesday and took my underwear boy out back to cut his hair. We generally give the boys mohawks first, just for fun as we buzz their head, but Kyler didn't want to do that this time. Instead, I decided to cut the top first - Yes, the male pattern baldness cut! He was really looking like Terry Bradshaw to us - Tony and I were cracking up (yes, we have NO life when cutting our kids hair reminds us of Terry Bradshaw - AND WE THINK IT'S HILARIOUS!) Now Kyler is back to his WAY TOO CUTE status with his buzz cut!

19 YEARS ON THE 19TH - PART 2

When we came home from dinner, we found two notes waiting for us. Colton had written a very nice note to me (we had a conflict earlier) and Asher wrote a Roses are Red poem for me and signed his dad's name! He also had a drawing of the two of us holding hands on a boat. He told his dad that he figured he'd need some help with romance. When Asher heard what we did on our date, he just shook his head and informed Tony that he should have bought me flowers and candy. So the next day, that's what Tony did....but in true Tony style! He showed me the beautiful roses and then handed me my box of candy........."What's this?" I asked........."Candy for your anniversary, " he said..............."Then why does it say Happy Birthday?" I comment............"WHAT??!!???!!!!! HOW DID I DO THAT?????!!!!!!!?!"
That's my husband!

ORANGE BELT

We have had computer problems for a little bit and it's prevented me from blogging, so please scroll down to see all five of my posts today. Ok, now on to Asher! We are so proud of this kid! He works really hard and LOVES Tae Kwon Do and it shows!!! He tested last Friday for his Orange Belt and easily passed! Check out his breaking technique on the video. He has also made a choice to continue on in the Black Belt club - which is a 3 year commitment. Yesterday he had his first class toward this goal. I'm excited to see him continue in a sport he loves. I'm appreciative of Grand Master Hong and all the other Grand Masters, Masters and Instructors (especially Instructor CJ who works with him regularly) and all the training they give him. Asher, enjoy your orange belt!

19 YEARS ON THE 19TH

That's right, August 19th marked our 19th wedding anniversary (and I was 19 when we got married)! I know what you're all thinking (all 4 of you that read this!) - This anniversary is even more monumental than Michael Phelps winning 8 gold medals in the 8-8-08 olympics! And really......WE WOULD HAVE TO AGREE! We started out in 1989 with nothing to our name. We enjoyed a beautiful honeymoon at Disneyland and our song was Debbie Gibson's "Lost in Your Eyes". 19 years later - We have 3 kids at 3 different schools, a Mita, Tae Kwon Do lessons, Dr. appts, volunteering, jobs, orchestra rehearsals, church jobs and never enough sleep. We celebrated last night (after Tae Kwon Do) by having a great dinner at FATBURGER (hamburgers and onion rings to die for!) and coming back home (school night) to watch The Simpsons Movie. Just in case you were curious about our song, that's changed in the past 19 years too! Tony could never (DIDN'T WANT TO) remember our song. In 2004, I helped Tony correct the only regret he had in his life - TO SEE VAN HALEN WITH SAMMY HAGAR. (that is a long story in and of itself....maybe one day I'll share.....maybe this is enough embarrassment for now, we'll see) When they sang "When It's Love" I sarcastically suggested that we choose that for our "new" song. Tony was so excited it was (and is) embarrassing - but hey, he now ALWAYS remembers our song. I'll leave you now with some of the timeless lyrics to our "new" song WHEN IT'S LOVE:

HEY (kind of screamed out by Sammy)

How do I know when it's love?
I can't tell you but it lasts forever
Ooh, how does it feel when it' love?
It's just something you feel together, hey!

(Guitar Solo)

(Oh oh oh oh) Yeah, you can feel it
(Oh oh oh oh) Oh, when it's love
(Oh oh oh oh) When nothin's missing, ow!

Ooh, when it's love
Hey! It'll last forever

Well, I agree with the last lyric IT'LL LAST FOREVER.....HEY! (screamed out in Sammy Hagar fashion)

1st DANCE

August 13th was a Tri-Ward Back to School Dance for 12 and up. Of course, Colton was NOT excited and wanted to know if he really had to go. I said he did, but I told him I WOULD NOT attend - hoping that would make him feel a little bit better about his 1st dance. I coached him on how to ask a girl to dance and answered any questions he had - then I took him to the church. I EVEN TOOK MY CAMERA!!!!! You could not believe how wrong that was! Ok, maybe you could, but I couldn't resist. I took his picture before we went in. Notice how I also (very incorrectly I might add) made him tuck his shirt in. Am I the worst mom or what!? Well, 90 minutes later I showed up and found him dancing with Veronica (shirt had been correctly UNTUCKED by then). He was quiet until we were driving off and then I heard ALL about the dance. He loved it! He danced with different girls. He danced a lot with Veronica (trust me, I heard it from the girls how he danced with Veronica too much!). Now, he's counting down the days until his 1st school dance (in October) and wishing there could be a church dance every Wednesday for mutual! It's amazing how quickly things change in life. Before the dance, I just wanted Colton to not feel too awkward and maybe dance a little bit. Now, I'm more concerned with his new "dance fever" and anything that could accompany this!

"REGULAR-WARDS"

Kyler's new thing is to put his shirts on backwards. Why? I have no idea!!! But that's his new thing. I was making sure that he was ready for the bus and asked him to fix his shirt. He needed to know why and I said because it's backwards. He looked at his shirt and realized that I was telling him the truth and then said "I like it that way! I don't like it 'regular-wards'!" 4 year-old logic - can you argue with that?

2014!?!

I was so excited when Colton was given this shirt at Bookstore Day, but now....IT JUST SCARES ME!!!!! 2014......that's not far off. How can I pretend that I will have this boy with us forever if I keep seeing the reminder that one day he will graduate and move on in his life. One day we won't have daily contact with him...and then.........he'll go on a mission!!! As much as I want that for him, I can't even begin to think about how much I'm going to miss him. For now though, he's still mine. I can enjoy him every day. I can talk to him and guide him and see for myself all the ways that he's growing and developing. Truthfully, it makes me more PROUD than scared. He's a great young man and the next six years will continue to help him (and me) prepare for that day in May 2014! GO HUSKIES!

KYLER'S SWIM REPORT CARD

Kyler just had a month of swim lessons with Gilbert Parks and Rec. I was very happy we were able to get into something since he has never had lessons and should learn. So my friend emailed me the class she was putting her son in and I enrolled Kyler as well. I didn't think about skill level and found out that Kyler should start out in "shrimps" and then move up to the "otter" class that his friend was in. This was fine with me, but made Kyler sooooooo angry! He wanted to be with Kevin! It was a very sore subject around our home and I talked with Kyler many times about it. Kyler took matters into his own hands and charmed his way into the "otter" class without actually improving any swim skills. So his swim report card should not have surprised us. The first comment was "Great Kid" then "Great Improvement" and then the recommendation for the next class to enroll him in was "Shrimps". This makes me curious, how do you show "great improvement" and move BACK a class. The next thing I think of are my cousins blogs. The ones with great current photos (this photo of Kyler is not from this summer, it's from last summer - at SeaWorld in San Antonio to be exact) of their kids swimming - actual, real swim strokes. How can I let them know that my kid also takes lessons - and has been held back despite his "great improvement". I then open the report card to find 15 skills that can be checked off. My child has ONE checked off. Safety skills is apparently all my child has accomplished. That's right - (drumroll) - HE CAN GRAB THE SIDE OF THE POOL!!! Well, maybe I'm a little prejudiced, but I think my child should have more than ONE checkmark. So I've made a list of skills that Kyler would have earned a checkmark for.
Showed up every day - CHECK
Eyes are as blue as the water - CHECK
Swim shirt always coordinated with swim trunks - CHECK
Had at least one day where he did not scream and cry at swim lesson - CHECK
Is blond and looks like he could be a swimmer - CHECK
Consistantly plugs his nose two minutes before he goes under the water - CHECK
Can go a whole lesson without getting his hair wet - CHECK
After being placed in the pool screaming, managed to grab mother's ankle almost tripping her face first on the cooldeck - CHECK
Able to escape swim instructor and grab dad as he was walking back to his seat - CHECK
Required his own lifeguard to place him in the middle of the pool so he could not reach any other child, instructor, parent, rope or side of pool - CHECK
Look at that - 10 checkmarks!!! Kyler sure did great this summer!
(oh, I am so embarrassed)