DECEMBER

I just thought Roscoe would be a cute start to this very large post. Isn't he adorable.....well, that is when he's NOT peeing on your bed on Christmas Eve!!! Apparently in the hustle and bustle of the night's events, Roscoe didn't get outside as often as he needed to. He jumped up on our bed that night (nothing out of the ordinary) then started digging to China (he's done this on a few occasions WITHOUT peeing) then assumed the position. That's when I started yelling "He's peeing on the bed!" Tony freaked out (especially since he was sleeping) and jumped up, grabbing the dog in one hand and the comforter in the other. (thankfully we had a $9 comforter on top of our quilt and was able to throw it in the wash quickly) As Tony and Roscoe were leaving the room, Tony shrieks "He's still peeing!!!!!!!" (I have to admit.....that part was HILARIOUS!) Well, let's go back to the beginning of December. It was the first Saturday and Colton's orthodontist was throwing his annual Snow Party (he also has an annual Swim Party in the summer) We had invited the cousins, but they were busy helping Mamita move into her shoebox.....oops, her condo. So this year it was just our three boys. Asher was the only one to happily pose for me, so he gets two photos!

Kyler wasn't posing.....he was trying to throw a snowball at me!

(it was one of many)

Asher getting ready to battle.

Colton in action.

The snow was fun, but Kyler was in Heaven in the Game Truck! He could have cared less about the food, snow, his brothers, the huge blow up slide, the bouncy house or the face painting clown (ok, to be honest, he would have NEVER cared about the clown) He only explored other attractions when we forced him to stay out of the game truck!

On the last day of school, Asher and Kyler had parties. Normally their school only allows the party the last hour of the day. This year, they had the Kindergarten party at 12:30 and the 5th grade one at 1:30. I was soooooooo happy to be able to attend both. So, off to Kindergarten. First, they made gingerbread houses.

Next, Kyler made an ornament out of his handprint.

He ended up with a trip to the treats table. After getting his Capri Sun, cookies and cupcake, he sat down to enjoy the feast. Apparently a feast would not be complete to Kyler without a massage.....yes, MASSAGE! He asked, I complied, then took a photo. Oh, to be the baby of the family!

Christmas Eve. We had a wonderful evening (I'll get the photos and then post about that later) with all the extended family. After they left, the boys were able to open one gift: their pajamas. Don't you like our festive skull and crossbones?!? They did! Here's our annual pj picture by the tree. Complete with Roscoe - you know it was his first Christmas (a fact the boys pointed out to me several times) Can you believe how tall Colton is.......he's taller than me now!

Christmas morning the boys came out to a roaring fire with the stockings hung with care. (translation: We played a fireplace dvd complete with fire noises and Christmas music. I didn't put up their stockings and we didn't want to search for them, so we just used Chipotle bags - they were also used on Halloween for trick-or-treating.) Pathetic or genius.......hmmmmm.

The boys even "warmed-up" to the fire!

There aren't photos of Kyler opening gifts.....he mainly complained about them. It wasn't the action figure he wanted, that wasn't the right color, he wanted the video game for the Xbox360, not the Wii. He'd open a gift, complain, be called over to me, get a little lecture about being gracious, followed by an apology from him, then back to his gifts to start the cycle again! I kept telling myself, he's 5.........he'll learn........right?!? Colton and Asher have already been educated in this area and they loved what they got! Here's Asher with his big gift....his new bike!

Colton only wanted one thing for Christmas - Call of Duty, Modern Warfare II for the Xbox 360. Now, remember that he's a teenager.......he has a lot of teenage attitude. So I decided to have a little fun with him. I didn't get him the game.....don't be sad though, my mom bought it. My plan was to give him his other Christmas gifts ($$cold hard cash being his biggest one$$) and then be done. Wait for a little bit so he could sweat it out, then give him Mamita's gift. Colton was really confused about not getting his one wish, but he was gracious!!! (hope renewed for Kyler one day) He was sooooooo good about it! My mom was not happy with me and in tears because Colton didn't get the game yet. Finally we gave him Mamita's gift and you can see by the reaction.....delayed gratification was worth it!!!

And once this gift was opened....

this was all we saw of the boys!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

A few things I'm thankful for:

My Family!!!

My Testimony

That I live in this day and age....I love my modern day luxuries, like running water, electricity, dishwasher, washer & dryer, refrigerators - can you imagine living without all of that?! Not this city girl!

My 20 year marriage

My Friends

Blogging

Scouting

That I have 3 independant boys! (well, thankful & frustrated)

I'm also very happy to entertain friends and family in our home. Thanksgiving day we'll welcome my mom, Mita, Jean-Jacques and Linda and his six kids for dinner. Then all the extended family will be joining us for dessert that evening. I also get to host Christmas Eve for all the extended family. I can't wait! I love my family and having them close for holidays....we don't need a holiday to get together though!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

THE PROBLEM WITH MY BOYS......

The problem with my boys is........they do and say sooooooooo many things I DON'T WANT TO BLOG!!! Sure, we can't stop laughing at the dinner table.....but do I really want to share the conversation with everyone!?! Like the first time Kyler met Jean-Jacques' girlfriend and said - and I quote "I'm Kyler and this is my dog, Roscoe. We're going to cut his balls off!" Or the morning that I awoke to a conversation between my boys about who would wake me for scripture study.....Kyler says "I know, why don't we just fart to wake her up!" And then there's the dinner conversation where Kyler wanted to know..........well.........nevermind! That conversation SHOULD NOT BE SHARED! (ok.....if you really want to know.....call me) So do you see my problem!!! I want to blog more....share the fun I'm having with these boys.....tell all the things that make me laugh.....but it's not always appropriate! Maybe tomorrow they'll have better manners.........maybe

LIBERTY BEAR

Kyler was so excited to bring Liberty Bear home with him on October 30th. He was able to have Liberty visit for the entire week! On Saturday Kyler took Liberty Bear to his flag football game. He enjoyed being on the sidelines....even though it was a little too warm. Gripping action out on the field (ok....they're just 5/6 year olds)
Kyler and Liberty Bear on the bench.

Roscoe made quick friends with him.....except when he mistook Liberty for a chew toy. Thankfully the confusion was cleared up and Liberty went back to school in one piece.

HALLOWEEN 2009

We decided last year that 13 was our cut off age for trick-or-treating. Colton was fine with it - especially since he was able to go to a party! Asher (in his penultimate year of trick-or-treating) was really looking forward to all the fun of running around with his little brother. The Tuesday before Halloween Kyler became ill. Thankfully it was short lived and he was back to school by Thursday. Then Friday night came......Asher was sick! He was not well throughout the weekend and MISSED trick-or-treating!!! (asher is back to normal now and was spoiled with clearance candy deals) The saddest part of this (for me) was the lack of pictures. Colton wore a demon mask to the party, but quickly took it off. Asher didn't dress up. Kyler wore his costume from last year and didn't pose for me.....until we got home that night. I looked over to the table and saw this little power ranger worn out!

Tony asked if we had to undress him for bed. I thought it would be nice to have his tennis shoes and costume off, but as we started to help him - he woke up and started talking a mile a minute! After a little more awake time he happily went back to dreamland.

Maybe next year we'll get some better pictures...with all three of the boys.....IN COSTUMES!

SENIOR BROWN BELT

Asher's spent over 18 months studying at the World Tae Kwon Do Center.
He's punched and kicked this bag countless times! He trained with 3 different instructors, 2 Masters and 1 Grand Master. Lately he's enjoyed kicking this bag to the ground with a flying side kick.

And here he is after earning his senior brown belt - his 8th belt!

We are so proud of Asher and all that he accomplishes. He's set a goal to become a black belt and he's 2/3 of the way there! Aside from this goal, he's an "A" student and earned his Arrow of Light in Cub Scouts. He's now starting in Boy Scouts and plans to have his Eagle Scout award by the age of 14. I know he'll continue to accomplish anything he sets his mind to.

ASHER'S ELEVEN!

No, that's not two candles in that donut....it's an eleven! Asher turned eleven this month and we celebrated with donuts and....

Pizza! He called a few friends to come celebrate on the big day. They had lots of fun together eating lots of pizza, crazy bread and donuts.
Here's the happy bunch - Kyler, Connor, Asher, Alex & Simon (yes, Colton's in the back)

Asher always poses so nice for his pictures!

This was the most wanted gift for our birthday boy!

It was also the bulk of the entertainment for the party.

The only problem.....four boys, three controllers.

They all took turns sharing....except the birthday boy.

(can you blame him?!)

Happy 11th Birthday, Asher!!!

FALL BREAK 2009

This is a sight I haven't seen for years....Asher playing with his friends in the sand! We were invited by his friend Simon to their ward park day (the day before going back to school). We had a great time and loved our wonderful weather. After the park we went to Olive Garden for lunch....YUM-O! Next was our annual flu shot (not the H1N1 shot, just seasonal flu) - Kyler screamed and screamed and screamed. He said things like "don't let them do this" - "save me!"...and apparently the scene was talked about throughout the day at Tony's cubicle! (flu shots were given at his work) To try and smooth things out we went for dessert.....See's Candies! The boys picked their own and we left with a pound of delicious chocolate. The night was topped off with football practice, Tae Kwon do and I had a baby shower to attend.

Kyler loved the sand too!

Colton (our resident teenager) didn't want to pose for a photo....so I got these two lovely shots!

This is what happened for most of fall break.....VIDEO GAMES!

We did make it to Polar Ice one day to go ice skating. Kyler didn't do so well.....he decided (after 2 min. on the ice) that he was done and wanted to go. I kept making him go out there though. He was rewarded with some cookies for his effort. When all was said and done with the skating and his skate were off & shoes back on, he suddenly disappeared. I started frantically looking for my boy when I saw him back on the ice....IN HIS TENNIS SHOES!!!!!!! He would run in one direction and then slide on his feet and then turn around and do it the other way. He was breaking one of the major rules there, but was finally having the best time on the ice! I quickly summoned his brothers to get him off the ice and walk NO WHERE NEAR ME - you know, just in case someone thought he was with me!

This is what you get when you ask three boys to pose for a photo! I'm soooooooo glad I took lots of photos of them when they were younger!!! This was the BEST photo of the three of them. (yes, this is pathetic.....but so real!)

Did I mention how happy I am that they're back in school?!

FALL BAKING KICKED OFF!

Asher enjoying Spiced Pear Bread. You can find the recipe at: http://nicolecreates4fun.blogspot.com/2009/10/spiced-pear-bread.html Cute bread in a super mini bundt.

Kyler shows the tiny loaf from my micro mini loaf pan.

Fall baking has begun! I have many recipes I want to try. Fall Break (kids are out of school now and go back Oct. 21st) and Conference Weekend provide just the opportunity I need. Now back to Conference!

WEEKEND FUN!

This weekend was full of Family, Food, and Fun! We hosted a family breakfast Saturday morning - Belgian waffles with sour cream syrup, Sausage breakfast casserole, Green chili frittata, Bacon, Fresh fruit, Juices, Milk....YUM-O! Our home was FULL of family....20 adults and 19 kids!!! FULL HOUSE FOR SURE! This summer two of my cousins moved back to Arizona with their families and it's so great to see them at our family get-togethers. My Aunt, cousin and her son flew into town for the weekend to visit Mita. They even brought Mita out to the breakfast - having that many kids around was a little too crazy for Mita, but we're so glad she was there! Here's the man of the hour: GUNNAR!

Gunnar in the MAN CHAIR! He didn't want his shoes on this morning!

With General Conference this weekend, we'll be sure to see all the "local" family next Sunday. Today we had to say goodbye to Candice and Gunnar! We miss you already!!!

MY SON - THE LADIES MAN!

You may be wondering what this innocent looking piece of paper is. It came from my son's pocket. It has a number on it. A girl's number! She wrote it on this piece of paper and gave it to him. I know what you must be thinking...."Nicole, Colton IS a teenager. This was bound to happen sooner or later." I agree. I think I would have been happy for Colton. Except it wasn't Colton. On to Asher, now in today's world, getting a girl's phone number at age 10 (almost 11) isn't that big of a deal. To me, it is! Asher will be 11 in less than a month, but I don't like the thought of a girl already giving him her number. Don't worry - it wasn't him either! Yes, in case I haven't already talked to you or you haven't seen my facebook post, IT WAS KYLER!!!!!! He came home on Thursday and pulled this piece of paper from his pocket. He told me a girl gave him her phone number. I asked him why, his reply: "so I can call her". I asked if he was going to call her, his reply: "NO!!!!" What a relief I thought, until he said "Her mom might answer the phone!" REALLY!?! So let me get this straight, if this girl had her own phone line......KYLER WOULD SOOOOOOOO CALL HER! I guess we're safe until this girl gets her own cell phone.....by today's standards that will be next year! Heaven help me!

side note: Kyler even memorized the first three numbers...I'm in trouble!

IT'S A GIRL......thing

I have a new blog and

IT'S A GIRL

...............thing!

I started a new blog http://nicolecreates4fun.blogspot.com/ to post any projects I do.....scrapbooking, mini books, cards, even decorating the house for the holidays. It's just for fun and just for me. So, if you're interested.....just come on over and see what's coming out of my scrap room! I have two posts ready to go.

ASH & KY

These two brothers are loving being at the same school together! Kyler was so excited to start Kindergarten at Asher's school and I knew that Asher would be so happy to have his little brother around. This summer they would talk about Kindergarten Buddies - the 5th grade classes are assigned a Kindergarten class and they pair kids up to be buddies. Asher was really hoping that he would get Kyler's class. Wouldn't you know it?! He did! They weren't paired up together, but Kyler gets to see his big brother on buddy days. Oh.........and if you were wondering about Kyler and his sticks........he hasn't (I repeat....HAS NOT) lost a stick in two weeks!!!!! He was even given 5 Liberty Bucks last Friday for making good choices, not losing any sticks, and doing his personal best all week! He was even able to participate in Friday Fun for the first time! (sure, it was the THIRD Friday Fun for the class, but Kyler's first time!) He is really starting to like school, JUST NOT THE RULES! He hates, no....loathes the rules. He said, "If they didn't have any rules, then I wouldn't get in trouble!" Can you argue with that logic?!? Thankfully, it's Friday - no homework, a weekend with no driving to two schools, and some freedom. Especially for Ash & Ky!

HIS SIGNATURE STYLE!

If you've known Kyler over the last two years, you've seen at least one pair of these. And if you've seen these, you know he's not a fan of CLOTHES! The first thing to happen when he gets home is to take off his pants or shorts and run around in his underwear. Everytime I tell him to get some pants on he gets a different pair from his drawer. Then after a visit to the bathroom, there he is again with his cartooned bummy. He can go through 5 pairs of shorts in a day! (and you'll find every pair on the floor next to the toilet!) Lately we've noticed it's been a tight squeeze for our 55 lb, 3ft 11in "baby" to get in these undies. Underwear was put on the back to school list and off to Target we went. When I found the next size for him, we discovered that it pushed us out of "cartoon alley" and into the really big kids aisle. Well, as annoying as it's been to see these bouncing around my house all day - it's time to say goodbye to his signature style! He protested briefly (no pun intended), but saw it was no use. He selected some very nice looking camo boxer briefs and he was fine. I thought I was fine until I found myself photographing a pile of underwear - that before this moment I tried to avoid touching! (thankfully I only photographed the pile and didn't preserve any in his baby box) It makes me sad to think it's really the end of little, little children in our home. It was sad when we moved on from the bottles, the crib, diapers, and pacifiers.......................................ok, pity party's over! Now I'm off to go on a date with my husband. We don't have to pick up a babysitter, the boys are old enough now!

ME AND MS. JONES

This picture is Kyler with his Teacher, Ms. Jones. I took this photo the Thursday night before school started at Meet the Teacher Night. I was so confident that he would do well in Kindergarten. I just worried about the long days - would he be fine at school for so long? would he be too tired? I was very confident however, that I was sending a well-behaved kid to school. Well, here's our report of the first week of Kindergarten. Monday - 1 stick taken away - he lost a recess. Tuesday - 0 sticks taken away. Wednesday - 2 sticks taken away - he lost a recess and would sit out for his first "Free Friday". Thursday - 0 sticks taken away. Friday - 0 sticks taken away. We ended the week OK. I don't have the energy to write about the 2 sticks yet.....it will be written when I gain my confidence back!

KYLER'S FIRST DAY IN GRADE SCHOOL

I've been so excited to get Kyler in all-day school! Saturday I started to wonder how happy I was going to be. I didn't know if I wanted to let go of my baby yet. Surprisingly, I was fine Monday morning......do you think Tony was as fine! Not really.

Before the goodbye hug, Kyler was able to play at the main playground. (he calls the main playground the park and the Kindergarten playground the mini park) Here he is on the "cheese".
And here's the brave boy standing in his line. There were some kids crying, lots of parents crying, but not Kyler. He acted like he's done this everyday of his young life. I was concerned how this morning was going to go.....what had I worried about. As far as the classroom goes, I knew he would do well. He's spent two years in Mon.-Fri. preschool. Both of the teachers he's had have raved about how wonderful and smart he is. What a pleasure to have in class!

After picking up Kyler from school that first day, I was excited to hear all about it. He told me a little and then I went to the backpack. I love the information I find in these magical vessels. That's when I found it..........the purple slip of paper with three frowny faces at the top. WHAT!?! I've never, in nine years now of school with my kids, had a frowny face paper. Kyler had lost one stick for talking in class! He explained that he wasn't allowed to go to the mini park - but don't worry.....HE DOESN'T LIKE THE MINI PARK. So let me get this straight: First day of Kindergarten.....Kyler's in trouble.....HE DOESN'T CARE TO MISS RECESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What incentive do we have if he doesn't like recess! Can we say: WORRIED!!!!! I asked him what he liked about Kindergarten - the snack, lunch and seeing Andrew. I asked what don't you like - the mini park, THE RULES, they make you look at stuff and the mini park. WE GET IT.....YOU DON'T LIKE THE KINDERGARTEN PLAYGROUND THAT YOU CALL THE MINI PARK! I get why he doesn't like rules, but 'they make you look at stuff'! What is this? What was he forced to look at........THE TEACHER................THE BOARD.....................A BOOK!!!!!!! Everyday Kyler starts the day in Ms. Jones class with 3 sticks. If you don't follow the rules, then you will have a stick taken away - for this you miss recess. If two sticks are taken away, you will miss out on Friday Fun. You get to sit at your desk with a book. If you get three sticks taken away, you visit the PRINCIPAL and have DETENTION. (i made those words in all caps to emphasize the seriousness of this. kyler can't read and therefore doesn't get this!) I'm just going to say that we have not been to the principal's office...........yet. He has missed recess......and will be missing out on Friday Fun, before he's even participated in a Friday Fun. This is not how I thought his educational career at CTA Liberty was going to start! Now I'm off to hear Gloria Gaynor sing to me........I WILL SURVIVE!