Hair Update... not really

So I chickened out and didn't ACTUALLY venture out and do something new with my hair. I did add highlights though. Sadee took the honors of capturing the change on camera.

P.S.

Check this conversation out- Like mom like daughter.... literally!

Sadee "Mom, what is your favorite food?"

Me " Um, have to say cookies."

Sadee "That isn't a real food. It is just a fun food."

Me "True, but it is still my favorite."

Ava "Mine is chocolate."

Sadee "Then I call fruit snacks!" (she has said this since a year old. I have included a picture of Sadee from WAY back when I locked the cupboard because that is SERIOUSLY ALL she would eat.)



Yes people, we have a sugar problem. I am WELL aware of that. :)

"We HAVE to play in that snow momma!"

And that they did. After 20 minutes of gearin' up the girls were ready to attack the yard. They were all smiles... Until of course the blowing snow froze their little faces and then the tears started. Is this pattern bringing back any childhood memories anyone??? Thank goodness PB&J and hot cocoa fixes most winter tears.

Marathon Love and Jamie Parks

I have thought about this show all week long. I hope some of you watched it and will give me your thoughts on how inspiring this family was. This year I think I have been in need of inspiration more than most and this story was the ticket.

This man, Jamie Parks fell in love with his wife Lynn back in the 1980's. Then, only months before their wedding Lynn was in a tragic car accident leaving her body extremely mangled and a severe brain injury. Did Jamie leave? No. Knowing their lives were forever changed, Jamie stuck by her side. It took her 7mns. to speak (her speech is still very slurred today) and 7 years to walk but as promised he married her in 1994 and since then they have accomplished the following:

* Had a beautiful daughter (natural birth)
* Ran 170 races while Jamie runs and Lynn and baby girl ride in the wheelchair
* Qualified for the Boston Marathon pushing Lynn in an astounding 3:12:00!
* Completed the Boston Marathon together in only 3:25 minutes.

To make it more amazing, Jamie had recorded most of their life together from way back in the 1908's. Now his daughter will be able to watch his unwavering love for her mother. I was so moved by this man.
His love for her is Christlike love. He can see her, not her body or her imperfections. I have thought about that so much this week. How Christ see's our goodness and our potential and reaches out to us to help us become what he sees we can be.
I hope that I can work to be more like Jamie Parks.

Cool New Website

This is my favorite new website-

www.bradsdeals.com

This guy lists coupon codes, sales, promotions and secret discounts for almost any store you can imagine. He gives his top 10 bargains for the week and then lists printable coupons and other online shopping deals.

I just bought new running shoes and literally saved over 1/2 the regular price... plus free shipping!

His advice- Don't EVER shop anywhere without visiting his sight. There is ALWAYS a discount available.

Cool huh!

Looking For Your Opinion

I have a hair appointment this week and have been contemplating what to do with my hair. Should I add color? Do I pick a style that is straight, leave it curly, cut it, grow it out?

So all suggestions are welcome. I included a picture of straight hair to aid your comments. :)

Dave- leave it long and curly
Sadee- long and straight
Ava- Curly!

Tell me yours....

Ye Ha!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Wrapping up the Week

Sadee's class became "Whoville" on Friday spending the day doing Grinchy things. Of course Sadee AND Ava wanted to be Cindy Lou Who- the pictures tell the rest of that story.



These were just too funny not to post.

Sadee's Dance Recital- Hippo for Christmas- really cute even though all the kids had major stage fright with 80 adults watching.




Sadee's Creativity-

Tonight Sadee created this little set-up. It was a resturant she said. If you can't tell the toys are the food, each person has a "napkin" and drink. I laughed out loud when she turned to me and said, "Mom, maybe I won't be a teacher or a doctor. I might just have to be a cooker because I practiced so much at that."

Let's stick to plan A Sadee K.

"Honey, will you PLEASE put up the lights?"

I finally said it. And it worked! Dave put up the lights within a week and they look presentable. Yes, we came across many of the same Christmas Vacation problems such as

- Ladder issues
- Miss stringing up a gable
- One light bulb on one string doesn't work
- And of course, after the lights were on only for 5 minutes, one entire string wouldn't work.

But I was out shopping when all of those problems occured.:) (Thanks Honey) I did however enjoy some of my own "fun" holiday shopping problems.

-Took both Ava and Sadee (call me a wimp, pathetic I know, but at Christmas time it is like every store has done everthing in their power to market to kids! It is like taking an alcoholic to a bar and then saying NO, NO, NO!. Drives me crazy.)

- While standing in line at ROSS (sidenote- has anyone out there NOT stood in line at ROSS like everytime they go there?)Ava slyly breaks open a Christmas basket and starts eating the preztels. It was 1 pm and I guess she was hungry. Love that. Also, the lady behind me's cart fell over causing her child to fall and get a HUGE bump. Poor kid.

-Had Sadee announce loudly in the middle of Best Buy- "Mom, we are too poor to shop here. The price of this TV is eight numbers long!" Thanks Sadee for keeping mom in check and everyone else laughing.

The day has a good ending. I was able to fill up for $1.41, took the girls to the library, didn't have to grocery shop, found the perfect gift for Dave, and the funkiest pair of PE shoes for me for only $12!

How does ANYONE shop for more than a few kids? Seriously, that takes major planning.

Kindergarten Craft Night

Yes, these are the rag muffin pictures of our family enjoying EVERY minute of our Christmas Tree making. What can I say... curly hair is CRAZY after naps!

Just For Me

It seems like my brain is wracking at this late hour to remember all of the cute things my kids said today. Just can't forget them. So this is mostly for me to journal those mommy moments that make it all worth it.

Ava- we play I love you the most, no I love you the most lately. She topped me tonight with I love you more than Disneyland! That is lots of love little Ava. :)

Ava- brushed up to touch a tree ornament and exclaimed, "The tree tickled me!"

Sadee- when questioning whether elves are real and i told her I believed so- "How cool is that job!"

My girls making glitter foam Christmas trees while singing Christmas songs. Our house was mess, we all looked like we'd had quite the day( pictures coming) but I was able to zone in on that little moment and relish in what a family is all about. I am so blessed.

Austrailia Awed Me

If there are Gone With The Wind fans out there have I got a movie for you. Austrailia, with Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. Not many movies like this one guys. It had it all- action, emotion, legend, romance, and much more. It was very believeable and heartwarming. Go see it- if for no other reason than to see a very built Jackman. Oo, La La! Didn't think I would EVER be attracted to a cattle driver.

A+ on this one.

Family Night

Sadee came home today from school with our family night all planned out. We were to play Native Americans and talk about the pilgrims and how the indians helped the first Americans. So... her wish was granted.

Coming up with the names was the funnest part... oh and saying we are_________ for only one more moon!

Dave- Buffalo Sky
Kari- Owl Creek
Ava- Tiger Lilly
Sadee- Little Bear

You should have seen Ava's smiles as we chanted around the living room called each other our "Native" name.


Love nights like this.

Wrestling

Being a PE teacher I am aware of what kids are great athletes and what kids aren't. Love them all but I am obviously aware. Teaching this year has me 100% convinced that wrestlers are the hands down the most refined athletes in school. I am also here to dispel the ever popular comment of "Wrestlers are GROSS!" I think not! They have endurance, grit and an incredible amount of discipline. I dated wrestlers in high school and thought they were sexy! Such hard workers. I remember the crazy dates where I was the only one eating at dinner because my date was 3 lbs too much for the next days meet. Or they couldn't come to the football game because they had to run off weight or meet with coaches to master moves. Although every sport has some of that, I am here to tell you that wrestlers have my vote this year. No one in Sandcreek works harder than those 25 boys. Watching our school's team this year has me convinced that if I ever have a son he will wrestle. If for nothing more than the discipline.

Boutique Hats

I have scene these cute hats all year and finally bought the girls some at the big boutique this last Saturday. Which as a sidenote that place was crazy. You honestly couldn't even walk down the rows and see anything. We left after a 30 minutes. WAY TO MANY PEOPLE IN A SMALL SPACE!

The hats were worth it though. I think they capture the innocence in little girls. Love them.

Twilight... of course

Did I like it? YES! Of course the movie can't capture all the internal conflict of Bella that makes up SO much of the book but for a low budget film with beautiful actors I thought is was good. Hard book to adapt really.

Loved the restruant scene, Emmett's character, Edward and Victoria too. New Moon has been officially announced though.. yeah!!

50's Party

So Sadee has officially been in school 50 days. To celebrate her class had a fifties party which included learning the twist, listening Elvis, hula hooping and counting by 50's! Sadee's teacher is seriously one of the most CREATIVE people I know. She has anything and everything you would ever need to teach Kindergarten. Amazing teacher.

And shout out to Nancy for making the girls the poodle skirts. We love em! The girls have worn them almost everyday.

Thanks so much... I owe ya!

It was a happy, happy Halloween!

Halloween is just so fun! Every year I think of all the fun things our family can do to make October special. This year we visited the pumpkin patch, decorated our home, read spooky stories, and made way too many treats! Thursday I took the day off work to spend the day in Kindergarten with Sadee. Friday our school danced the Thriller (sidenote- we will be on TV on Sunday night, channel 3, at 5:30 and 10:00pm) and I chapperoned the dance- too funny. It made me think back to 8th grade dances. You know, where everyone WANTS to dance but no one really does? Lots of memories there. We also did the classic Trunk or Treat and then had friends over for a night of ghoolish fun. Food, games and even the classic Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin. Sadee went as Cleopatra, Ava Pocahontas, Dave the Mexican Moffia and myself, a flapper. We cracked up at all of the adult costumes. Below are the pics- I also included a video of Dave bobbing for apples. I think I disturbed my kids as I forced his head into the water. It was really funny.

The Duggers Distracted Us

Dave and both had heard of this family years ago but watching their show on TLC created so many questions...
Are those kids really happy?
How much money does that guy make to provide for 20 people?
Why the dresses/long hair?
Are they fundamentalists?

We were genuinely interested. However, the more we watched, the more we started believing they are really happy. They love one another, are disciplined, serve others, etc.

By the end of the night we realized what our family must look like to such people.

Weird post I know. What is your take on this?

Birthday Fun!

Had to Journal these...

Two things came up today that I wanted to remember.

1. My girls are in swimming lessons right now and tonight Dave admitted to me that he told them to pee in the pool if they needed to go. Can you even belive that?? I am writing this because there has to be other dads out there who are guilty of the same laziness? Please, for Dave's sake tell me there is.

2. We have talked about possible future babies in our house lately and Ava usually scowls about the idea. Tonight she, out of the blue, said,
"Mom, how about you eat me up and then I can be in your tummy and be your baby again."

I melted at that and assured her that she will ALWAYS be my baby. To that she smiled and gave me a big hug. Love that girl.

Liked This One

8 THINGS I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT1. Family/Friends
2. health
3. Influencing kids for the better
4. motherhood
5. Politics (a new craze of mine)
6. Learning/knowledge
7. The Gospel
8. running

8 WORDS/PHRASES I SAY OFTEN

1. It's freaky
2. Sadee don't
3. Ava please
4. Dave will you
5. I'm tired
6. I love my job
7. I really need to quit sugar
8. Why?

8 THINGS I WANT TO DO BEFORE I DIE

1. Have more children
2. Keep a consistent journal
3. Complete a triathlon
4. Take my kids great places around the world
5. 100% debt free
6. Watch my kids graduate college, get married and have kids
7. Become a life coach- as soon as I figure my own out well enough!
8. Be an at home mommy more

8 THINGS I HAVE LEARNED FROM MY PAST
1. Every experience has a purpose
2. Sacraficing can bring great joy
3. Don't judge- it ALWAYS will return the favor
4. Everyone struggles
5. Laugh A LOT
6. Forgive and forget
7. Prayers do get answered
8. Our own perceptions can be VERY flawed- take others advice

8 THINGS I CURRENTLY NEED/WANT
1. My basement finished
2. A fench
3. A haircut
4. New skincare
5. A new BIG TV
6. my bumper on my car fixed
7. Food storage
8. the P90X workout system- don't laugh- you know you all are tempted to call and get it too!

8 People I Tag
1. Brianne
2. Krista
3. Jodee
4. Kim
5. Becky
6. Gina
7. Alisa
8. Jeff

Favorite Halloween Movies

I was thinking what movies I used to stay up on Halloween and watch as a kid. These made the top two.

1. Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin- the first thing I think of when Halloween approaches. I read the book as a kid, listened to it on tape like EVERY night in October and now have the little finger puppets to have my kids continue the tradition.

2. Ghostbusters- Isn't that where Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd made there real debue? Still love the song too.


As far as the scariest movies I have seen, which isn't many by the way because I HATE scary movies....

1. Watcher in Woods- holy cow. Even as an adult I wouldn't want to see this. It's creepy! And isn't it made by disney? So scary.
2. The Sixth Sense- liked this movie but was scared for weeks to be alone in a kitchen. Creepy as well, but creative.
3. The Ring- watched this in an outdoor theatre with some friends and I ended up leaving early because I thought it was insane. Shows like this wig me out. Can't watch them.
4. Wait Until Dark- Shout Out to Krista on this one. Old movie, but nontheless very scary.
5. Lady in White- Anyone seen this? I just think movies that take place in the woods are super freaky. Agreed?

Brianne, you should have a good list on this one. Your probably the only person I know that ENJOYS scary movies.

Thrill It

I finally learned the Thriller dance- something I have wanted to do since I was like 12-years-old. This is week in school I taught my 8th-graders the dance and now are joining in on Thrill The World World Record this month. Thousands of people will dance the dance on the same day at the same time to break the Guiness Book of World Records. Our school is pumped! How fun huh...

And did I mention I get PAID to play, dance and have fun with kids?? My job rules!

I think our Bunco group should learn the dance and perform it for our families. Hehehe!

Collin

Can I just say that being a Auntie to a new little nephew is oh so fun? I can hold him, play with him, rock him, and then, say bye-bye and have no worry about how the night will be. I think that must be how a grandparent feels. I am proud to say that after wrapping him in a tight burrito wrap he slept from 9:30 until after 6 am for my sister! I think that was a record. He is getting to be so cute, smiling all the time. I will admit that being around him tempts me. He makes me miss babies.

Isn't he cute??

Party on with 3-yr-old Ava

Ava woke up on her birthday ready to party! She started with the shower... just watch to see how fun it is to live with sweet little Ava~!

Marley the Monkey

Sadee was selected to take home Marley the Monkey from school. She was so excited! Marley represents friendship, integrity, and other good character skills. So, over the weekend we took Marley around and taught others about those very things. I thought it was a genius idea.

We Love Our Uncle Jeff!

We love our Uncle Jeff, my little brother, who is one of the funnest, nicest and neat people I know. This weekend we counted our blessings that he was ok after finding out at a regular eye exam that he had a blocked ventricle in his brain, creating abnormal amounts of pressure in his head. Within hours of the MRI Jeff met with a neurologist and was scheduled for surgery the following day. My dad and mom traveled to Utah early Saturday morning to be there with Brianne and give their love and support for a very unexpected surgery.

The news is good though. The doctors were able to place a shunt in Jeff's brain which now allows the excess fluid to drain to his lower abdomen, relieving the dangersou pressure around the brain. It is unknown why the blockage occured but we do know that it was very life-threating. Our family is feeling very blessed that the eye dr. was able to notice something wrong. According to the neuro surgeon, many of these blockages are diagnosed during an autopsy.

Jeff is to make a full recovery and minus footbal and other head-contact sports, he will be back to himself soon. Thank goodness.

We are SO grateful, as is Jeff and Brianne, for our Father in Heaven who is so aware of our lives- intricately involved in our well being more so than we realize. Our family realized it a little more this weekend.

Finally a camera!!

Somewhere in the craziness of our year our camera went missing. Going weeks without memories we broke down and bought a new one. Not fancy but having bought ours 5 years ago it was cheaper and nicer than before!

Much love to the Johnson family

Having been very close friends with one of Wayne Richards(Johnson) daughters in HS and college I have been listening to KLCE and reflecting on memories of their family today. What a honorable and service-filled life he lead. I have read and heard so many wonderful comments about him that it has really made me realize I want to live a life the same way. I want to live so I can be remembered the way he has been. He was the quiet smile and influence in a room who will be missed by many.

Happy Birthday Ava!

Quirky Kari

And I tag Alisa, Bri, Gina, Becky, Tawnia, Jaclyn and Lora

Here are the rules:
1. Link the person(s) who tagged you
2. Mention the rules on your blog
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
4. Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them

1. I CANNOT make a pancake for the life of me! I either mush them, burn them or screw-up the recipe. Dave grew-up with perfect pancakes and in all my attempts to carry on the tradition, I have failed... royally!

2. I don't know how to do hair. Obviously I have the hair that does itself, along with my girls, so hair doing is NOT in the genes. All those cute updos and fancy twists and braids seem daunting to me, although I would like to have more experience in this area. At least Sadee says I need some.

3. I am scared of jeans... that's right. Jeans are like the the item of clothing that either breaks or makes your day and for me, usually breaks. None fit right, none are sized right, their expensive and uncomfortable. I do have some very cute jeans in my closet gathering dust that used to be worn (when cookies and peanut butter weren't quite so enticing), but I rarely wear them. I literally panic when I try them on just waiting for the drama to unfold. Very quirky I know.

4. I HAVE to read before going to bed at night... no matter what. Even if it is 2 am and I am exhausted I have to read to wind down. I sometimes only get through 1 page or less but it is a must.

5. I don't wear my seatbelt regularly... but enforce it in my kids like a NAZI. Tell me what is wrong with that. I don't really even know why I don't. I don't mind the seatbelt, don't even mind taking the 10 seconds to click it in. I just can't seem to automatically do it. My car is constantly beeping at me for this reason. I think my girls have giving up argueing with me about it because I, truely, don't even have a good reason... just strangly don't. Stupidity on my part.

6. I am EXTREMELY competitive! Ultra! It takes me 30 seconds to get into anything and want to win. I am like this with games, opinions, jobs, etc.

4.

Sunday Sugar Cookies

After having about 10 people ask me about a recipes for those AMAZING cookies I figured I better give it.

Winco Bakery and aisle 3 for the frosting...

and I laughed every message out-loud!!

If you want a REALLY good one I would be happy to give it to you. My grandmas from way back beats those anyday.

Thanks for the props though ladies!!

Too funny

Friends

It's been the topic of conversation at our house this week.

Sadee Says- "I have remembered all my friends names from school mom. Riley, London, Kirche, Elle, Kristen, and River. He is boy mom, not a river."

Ava Says- "I play with Jordan, Hayden and Broccoli" (aka Brooklyn). Now doesn't that make you smile? Pepper too mom, he's a bunny.

Dave says- "Can potatoes be friends?"

Kari says- "Eighth-graders make great validating friends!"

Favorite Movies

My principal asked us our favorite movie during our faculty meeting last week which got me to thinking... " What is mine?" I have figured it out, and got Dave involved too. :)

Kari #1 The Goonies
(and as a side note, there is going to be a Goonies 2, WITH the original cast. CRAZY! Chunk grown-up, or Mikey? Too funny.




Next, Pearl Harbor. Love history, and LOVE those boys in that movie.


Sixteen Candles... just because it reminds me of funny times with my sister (well that and the Love Boat, Remington Steel and Alias... all of which are no longer. :( )



Finally, I can't forget The Notebook. I seriously viewed this film in the theatre, 4 of 5 times, three of those being el solo. It's true. And this was also after reading the book a few times. How can you not love Noah Calhoun??



Dave's list is classic....

Indiana Jones (all of them)
Superman (all of them)
Better Off Dead ( I want my two dollars!)






What are yours??