Wrestling, Bunco Style!

Last night was our monthly bunco night at my house. As usual, we had a lot of fun acting like teenagers without our kids around (except mine were upstairs). For everyone out there wondering what goes on during bunco night check out this clip of our first monthly "tie-breaker leg wrestling" match between Samantha and Tricia. We all had a good time. Josh said he could hear us laughing all the way outside across the street. Enjoy!

Is it Christmas yet?

Our Christmas tree is finally done! As you can see it's a Coca Cola tree. We have been collecting ornaments for it for 10 years. The first year Josh and I got it we only had 4 ornaments on it so it was really "bear" (ha ha! Get it- I made a funny. j/k, I know it wasn't funny. I do that to try and get Josh to laugh at me). They are not cheap so we can only get a couple new ones every year. Jantzen keeps saying we need a star on top, but I have to tell him that the bear sits there in its place. One day I might do a fancy tree, maybe.

Jaron and Jantzen just discovered that there is already a few presents under the tree. They have gone through them and figured out which ones belong to them. They are so excited! As you can see, Jantzen can't wait. Now he likes to lay on the floor and stare at the presents, probably trying to figure out what they are. He is going to be more fun this year than last year. He is more into Christmas this year. I can't wait to see their faces Christmas morning.

OUCH!!!

So, I guess this is what I get for making Josh a nice dinner only once in a while. Since he works two jobs and goes to work at 5pm most nights I don't make anything fancy for dinner. When it's just me and the boys we always eat simple. Jantzen didn't get his "tooshy" rolls on Sunday so I decided to make a nice dinner on Monday and make his rolls. I wanted to have it ready before Josh had to go to work (he eats at 4:30 pm) so I had to hurry. To make a long story short I splashed boiling water on my foot from the chicken I was cooking. It really hurt! I was running short on time so I just kept going so Josh could have a nice meal before he left. The whole time I was was hopping around the kitchen saying "ouch", but I endured because Josh is worth it.

I found out a couple days ago that Josh looks at our blog on his Blackberry at work (he likes to make fun of me for having it, but I think he really likes it) so when he looks at it again I want to let him know that I appreciate all he does for me and the boys. I know it's not easy working all the time, but he does it so I can stay home with our boys. He is the greatest husband/father ever! WE LOVE YOU!!

Tag, Christmas Style

Katie told me at church that I needed to do this tag, so here it goes (beware, I'm not that exciting).

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. You don't have to store it after, you get to throw it away (I have too many gift bags).

2. Real Tree or Artificial? Artificial. It pays for itself & I don't have to worry about watering it. I have a hard enough time remembering things I need at the store. I don't need another thing to remember. Besides, I have a Christmas Tree candle I burn every year that is Josh's favorite. It smells really good.

3. When do you put your tree up? I usually do it after Thanksgiving, but we were in Utah this year so it just got finished a couple days ago.

4. When do you take your tree down? After New Years, when I get around to it.

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes, as long as it is mixed with milk. Josh likes it straight out of the carton.

6. Favorite gift received? A digital camera. I thought I didn't want it until I started using it more. I have saved so much money not having to buy film. I should have gotten one a lot sooner.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My parents & in-laws. They seem to already have everything.

8. Easiest person to buy for? All of my boys. They are easy, but expensive!

9. Do you have a nativity scene? I have 2. One from my in-laws & one my dad made a long time ago that he gave to my grandma. When she passed away I inherited it.

10. Mail or e-mail Christmas Cards? Mail. All cards I send out are homemade. I think they are more personable.

11. Worst Christmas presents ever received? Ugly jewelery, no it wasn't from Josh. I'm not saying who it was from.

12. Favorite/Worst Christmas movie? Favorite: I love all the little kid ones. Worst: A Christmas Story. I have seen it way too many times.

13. When do you start shopping? End of summer. That way I'm not so broke by Christmas.

14. Have you ever recycled a gift? No, but I would like to sometimes.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas time? Cheese ball & crackers & wash it down with some sparkling cider.

16. Lights on tree? Clear. I never liked multi-colored lights growing up. I like it more simple.

17. Favorite Christmas song? I love them all. I drive Josh nuts because I listen to it a lot more than he would like to hear it. It makes me happy since I don't get snow for Christmas anymore.

18. Travel for Christmas or stay home? Stay home. We tried one year to travel on Christmas day & it was a pain. Never again!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes, but you will have to listen to me sing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer first.

20. Angel on top of tree or star? Neither. Our tree is a Coca Cola tree so we have a bear on top.

21. Open presents on Christmas Eve? Only one. Nothing exciting. It's always pj's.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Feeling bad if I can't afford to buy everyone a gift.

23. Favorite ornament? One that Jaron made in kindergarten. It's a Christmas tree with a picture of him on it.

24. Favorite food for Christmas Dinner? Turkey (just give me a leg- I like the dark meat) & rolls.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? For my kids to be happy. Seeing their faces on Christmas morning is the best. They are always so appreciative & thankful for what they get.

A Day At The Lake (Dry Lake)

Yesterday was one of the funnest days we have had in a while. We went to the dry lake bed about 20 minutes north of Vegas to go ride dirt bikes with some friends. This is one of the things we love to do together as a family and when we can have good friends with us it makes the day even better.

Jaron is finally riding his dirt bike without the training wheels on. Yeah!! We are so proud of him. We have been telling him for over a year now that he will have more fun if he takes them off, but he just kept telling us that he wasn't ready. Josh took him on a trail that he usually rides himself and said that Jaron did awesome! He almost crashed once, but he corrected himself before he did. Now we just need to get him some new riding gear that fits him better. His boots and gloves are too small and the last time we went riding he jumped off the back of the truck and got caught on the corner of the truck bed. He was just hanging there by his pants (they got torn, of course). He couldn't touch the ground. It was the funniest thing. I wish I would have had my camera with me that day. I couldn't stop laughing. He didn't think it was funny, but now he does. He's so darn cute!

Jantzen can't wait until he gets his own bike. We were thinking it would be when he turns 5 'cause that's when Jaron got his, but we know he's going to be ready by his next birthday. We took up his truck to ride in, but he always wants to get rides on the bikes. Gregg & Tricia brought up their 4 wheelers so he got a bunch of rides from everyone on those. He would just jump on them when someone would stop. He's so cute, how can you resist him? I took him over a couple jumps. He loved it! He kept saying "do it again". I'm kindof scared for when he gets his own bike. I think he will be crazier and more daring than Jaron was when he first got his bike.

Later we went to the ward Christmas party. The food was actually not bad. We got family pictures that turned out pretty cute. We were all smiling. That doesn't happen very often. Jantzen usually makes a funny face and Jaron looks like he's really uncomfortable. After that Gregg and Tricia came over to our house to have a Rock Band party. We played for a little bit and then Tricia and I ended up on the computer playing around on our blogs (that's when Tricia put the Twilight icon on- I love to tease Josh). We were up until after 10pm. I thought they would have gotten sick of being with us earlier than that. j/k. We had a great time!


My first time on Josh's bike.


Gotta gear up!


The 3 J's (Jantzen, Jace, & Joey)


The 2 J's (Jantzen & Josh)


What a show off!

Rock Band Boys!

Last night I had the opportunity to go see Twilight again. This was the third time I've seen it & I love it every time. I went with a couple of friends (Laura & Amy). This was the first time for Laura and the second time for Amy. Josh volunteered to watch Laura's boys. I told her to take him up on his offer because he doesn't normally do that, so she did. She was worried (not for her boys, but for Josh) but I told her not to be, they would be fine. Jaron and Jantzen were excited to have an all boys night with no girls around. I got them pizza and then we were off to see our movie.

When we got back from the movie all of the boys, except for Jantzen, were playing Rock Band. Josh was playing guitar, Jaron was playing bass, Jack was playing drums, and Charlie was playing our Little Einstein's guitar. Jantzen was laying on the couch. I think he was exhausted. All the boys were so cute rockin' out. They were so into it. It looks like they all had a good time together, and they all survived!

Later Josh told me that Jantzen had a hard time sharing his booster seat for dinner. He said that Jantzen kept saying that he is the baby in this house so he gets the seat (luckily we have two of them so there wouldn't be so much drama- from Jantzen). I think he just missed his mom (he is our momma's boy and our baby- he doesn't let us forget that). I'm glad the night went so well for Josh and the boys. It's nice to be able to get out of the house every once in a while and just hang out with friends, but also to know that my boys are still having a good time without me.


The hottest new band out there!


Look at Charlie rock out.

Yeah, It's Bedtime!

I finally have some peace and quiet in my house. The boys are in bed and Josh is still at work for another 1/2 hour. So, now I'm going to vent about my day. It started out as a nice day. I got to sleep in until 7:30 and the kids didn't wake up until 8:00. Then after breakfast the chaos began. I am still trying to get my Christmas put up and my house feels like it is a disaster since we got home from Utah. And to make matters worse Jaron and Jantzen spent most of the day teasing, fighting, and yelling at each other. They didn't want to listen to me when I would tell them to stop (for some reason they only listen to Josh when he gets mad, maybe I'm not tough enough). It's going to be a long track break. January 5th isn't going to come fast enough!

So, after dinner the boys went to take their baths. While I was trying to bathe Jantzen he started to get smart with me. He was standing up and I told him to sit down, I needed to see his leg so I could wash it. He wouldn't sit down, of course. Instead he lifted his leg and said "see my leg". I finally got him washed and decided to let him play with his toys for a minute. I love to listen to him have his playful conversations. He is so funny. Tonight he was playing with Buzz Lightyear and one of his army guys. The only part of the conversation I heard was "there's no barking spiders, just ladybugs". I'm sure everyone who lives with a bunch of boys knows what I'm talking about. He can be so cute sometimes and then turn into a little stinker 5 minutes later. After I got him out of the tub I wrapped him up in his towel and told him to go to his room so I could get him ready for bed. So I guess this next part is my fault. Jaron was having problems on the computer getting a game to work so I went to help him out. I took too long, Jantzen peed on his towel and the floor. Great, now I get to clean that up too!

It's finally time to go to bed now. After prayers I tuck them in and I hear Jantzen calling for Max (his stuffed animal dog- the one from How the Grinch Stole Christmas). He loves that thing. I find him in the toy room and proceed to pick him up when I feel that he is wet. Yuck! Apparently I hadn't noticed that Jantzen was holding him while he was peeing on his towel and he got Max too. After cleaning him, and myself, up I gave him to Jantzen. Now all is peaceful and quiet. Yeah!! I love my boys more than anything in this world, but sometimes bedtime is the best part of my day. Now, if I could get rid of this headache.

Temple Square

Since we were in Utah for Thanksgiving we decided to go to Temple Square and see the lights. We used to do this every year when we lived there and then we would go for hot chocolate. I really miss living in Utah, especially around the holidays. I miss the cold weather (I know I'm crazy, but I do). When we got there the lights weren't on yet, but soon they were. They went out on us a couple times, but it was beautiful. The weather was nice, not too cold, so we didn't have to bundle up too much. The kids had fun running around and we thought we lost Jaron a couple times, but we found him just wandering around checking things out. Later, after we ate, we got our hot chocolate and the boys got to ride the train back to our car. After we were all done seeing the lights we took the boys for a ride to the capital. Jaron is studying states and capitals in school so he was excited to see it. I hated having to leave because we love it here. Hopefully one day we can move back and do this every year.

Aren't we cute?


This is where it all began.


My cute boys.


My two angels.


Cute little Addison & Jantzen, forever friends.