Merry Christmas

I can't believe how fast this year went by. It's the morning after Christmas, and the house is very quiet. It's my favorite time of day. I am looking at the 8 plus inches of snow that was dropped since Christmas Eve and wondering who gets to shovel this morning. We have had a snow blower for around 10 years that we have probably used 3-4 times. Ed thinks it's too hard to start, it drives me crazy to have it sitting there and not be able to use it. Oh well, at least we have a shovel or two. I would much rather be sitting by the beach instead of looking at the snow. Snow just doesn't do it for me.
My boys built an igloo the other night in the front yard and are determined to sleep in it. So far they have attempted twice, but it got to stormy so they said. We'll see if it works out.
We have been so blessed this season. Many wonderful friends and family. We are so thankful for everyone's generosity, we were the recipients of a wonderful Christmas chain letter. I only hope to pass it on next Christmas. Thank you to whom ever it was, You will never know how much you blessed our lives. Well off to laundry, even if it's Christmas break, the clothes seem to still get dirty. YUC!

It's Been a While

I realized the other day that it has been months since I last posted, that just tells you how fast the summer flew by. I had all of these plans to scrapbook, paint my shop, clean the house, bake, read and anything else I am always wanting to do. Well the summer flew by and I didn't get much of anything accomplished. We did however enjoy more summer evenings together, and lunches with Ed during the week. Ed retired from Midstate Consultants in May after twenty two years, (the last three in misery). He wasn't retired long before he had a couple other companies calling him to come to work. He took off 3 glorious months with the family and then he started working for Gunnison Telephone in August. We did get to visit Yellowstone, and Lake Powell with Mike and Deana's family during the summer. Quick and very fun mini vacations. Our family is back into the football season. Jameson is a captain for the varsity squad and having a great senior year so far. Kellon is playing on the JV team and Tanner is a guard on the 8th grade team. We usually average 4-5 games a week. Needless to say I need a better seat cushion. Our family has been so blessed of late that I find I am constantly pinching myself to make sure it's all real.I am so thankful for my large family and all of the support that we give to each other. Even in times of trial, actually mostly in times of trial. Thanks family, I love you all.

WOW!

Wow, how time flies. I just realized that I haven't had a moment to post for about 3 months.
Life has been so busy that most days I don't know if I am coming or going. We are in the middle of track season, spring season, and normal every day life. Since we changed to daylight savings, I have somehow lost the desire to cook. Haven't you? My children are tired of the "find your own dinner" night. I am however looking forward to not having to work for the summer and staying home with my children.
Alex is embarking on a new adventure this summer, he is moving to Washington State Kennewick area(the place he served his mission) to sell satelite systems. He has been selling for about 8 months and wants to go full time for the summer. I think he wants to hang out with all of his mission buddies and sell a little too. He leaves tomorrow morning. We wish him well, we are just very glad that this time he goes to Washington, we can call him!
Jameson had his Junior Prom in March. He had a very nice time and looked very spiffy, but then I am his mother, I can say that! He was chosen to be a delegate to Boy's State this summer. He feels very honored.
Kellon, Tanner and Annee are counting the days left until school is over.
I would say I am too.
We just returned from a trip to California and 5 fun filled days in the Magic Kingdom. We had a wonderful time and couldn't have asked for better weather. We made some fun memories and did some great things together. That's what it is all about. Making fun family memories, and spending time together. The older I get, the more I cherish these times together. My children bring me such happiness, I love to watch them grow up and make new choices in life. I get a little sad to watch it all happen so quickly. Before you know it they will be gone and we will start out on the grandparent life, eventhough I have been told how great that is, I think I will still miss these days.

A Day Off, Yea Right!

Today is a Holiday!
My children were so excited to have a day off of school. So was I until I realized that they would be home with me while I had that day off. So after a late night on sunday evening,we awoke to 6 inches of snow. Not my idea of a holiday (ie beach, sun, water, book). To top it off we have a broken shovel with which to shovel that 6 inches of snow.
I started the day off with a tan in the tanning bed, (yes, I know what you are thinking, but it is my quiet place to hideaway and get a quick nap). After my tan, I started to shovel a path to my back door, as I shoveled around the house and on the sidewalk, I realized that I was in my tennis shoes and my robe. I am sure a site for sore eyes, obviously I didn't care after all- it is a holiday.
After my shoveling, I woke my children and I was so pleased at their bright and smiling faces, especially after I handed them a chore list. I was reminded gently of the holiday and all that it means. They grumbled around the house finding fault with everyone and accomplishing there jobs. For Tanner it meant cleaning out his drawers, a feat in itself. For Annee, she vacumned the front room and put her clothes away. Kellon, well what did Kellon do? Oh yes, he shoveled the driveway, not without reminding me how dumb we are that we don't have a good shovel.
Jameson helped me by taking apart our bathroom vanity so I can redo the finish on it.
Then we headed out to lunch.
After lunch all of my children, headed out to a fun filled day off. I stayed home to a quiet day of work. My holiday consisted of baking bread, painting a cabinet, cleaning the house, fixing my lingerie shop door, putting an order away, doing some ironing and going to lunch with my kids.
After all that i made dinner, and helped Eddie with the bathroom painting and touching up the finish on the vanity. My, I can't wait for another day off.

The Scoop

Here's the scoop on the Family!

Alex is living up in Orem, starting school this week. This will be his 2nd semester at UVSC. It has been a painful last couple of months. He has had to work, work and more work to earn enough money for tuition. You see, if he had gotten better grades the last semester, he would have been able get a student loan or grant, but he had to do it the hard way. I suppose in the long run it is a blessing. He hates work, so he doesn't see it that way. Alex wants a job that starts at 10 and ends at 3-4pm. No weekends and all Fri and holidays off. NOT! He is not dating anyone in particular(which doesn't make his mom happy), but he text's over 2ooo text's a month. wonder who he talks too?






Jameson is doing great, he plays basketball, he just finished with football. He was named to the 1st team All Region for Utah as a defensive lineman. He was mighty proud.
He received his letterman jacket for Christmas. Now it's official, he is a jock! He got dressed up on Dec 20th for Senior Ball. He is only a junior, but a very nice junior who will use any excuse to rent a tux and go out on a date. He is enjoying the game room out back and entertains his friends constantly with xbox 360 and hottub parties. Life is good when your 17!

*the black eye in the pic is from a great BBall game, he went for a ball and collided with 2 other kids, I think he is still trying to play football!

Kellon hates this pic, I am looking for another one.



Jameson at his latest game.







Kellon is our social butterfly. He loves to text and usually has 2-3 conversions going on at anyone time. Yes with girls. He has a few. He says thay are only friends, but he blushes when you ask. He too schedules our game room for "parties". Xbox, movies, and sometimes hot tub, but only hottub with the guys. No girls allowed for that. Kellon is most generally happy, except when his big brother gets after him. He is a tease and loves to get into it with Dad.

Kellon played on the freshman team this year. He was a defensive lineman (must run in the family)too. His team went undefeated this year. He is in training now for the next football season. He wanted to weightlift all during Christmas, he was going thru withdrawals.

Tanner is our quiet child. He is into Xbox, computer games and for Christmas he got a Ipod.
Tanner just turned 13, so he is officially a teenager. He also plays football and loves doing it. He will start his basketball this next week. Tanner is working on his Star in scouts, and isn't very excited about it. (It's a mom thing, but they will thank me when they are older, I hope).

Tanner got braces this year, and will be done with them quickly. He also picked up the electric guitar. He plays quite a bit.

Annee is our Princess, as the boys say. They say she is spoiled. I say she is a girl. They are more privledged than boys. She keeps us smiling, and happy around here. Her favorite thing this year was going to the Hannah Montana concert. Mom surprised her and took her to see it. She didn't even know. She also is in the process of braces. She has a palate extender right now. She has moved her teeth so far apart that we can put 3 pennies in between her front teeth, but who's counting.

Annee at the concert. she didn't stop smiling!



The day will come when she has beautiful teeth to go along with her beautiful smile. Mom and Dad will be poor, but all that matters is that they have good teeth.



Those three pennies. We had to have proof.

Eddie is doing great. He is still working at Midstate's and like Alex, he hates his job too, but when you are a Dad you sometimes have to do things you don't like. The only thing he hates about it, is that he has to travel and be away from his family. We don't like it either, but what do you do? Eddie had a big birthday this year, the big 45. Now he is as old as me. He remind me quite regularly that I am older. Some of his favorite things to do is to watch his kids play ball. To wrestle with his kids and to play xbox. He is getting pretty good at guitar hero. Then of course his most favorite thing to do is to go to the beach with me. We look forward to each and every trip away together. It keeps our sanity.

Eddie and I playing guitar hero, the kids forced me.

Well that's the scoop, or the poop on our family. Until next post. Stacee

Happy New Year only 1 Bathroom.

Our New Year came and went. We are back to the grind stone again. The kids weren't very excited about school starting again, I must say neither was I. Gone are those quiet sleep in mornings. Back to the 6 AM buzzer. The only difference this new year is we are down to one bathroom. YIKES! That in itself is enough to drive a mom crazy.

As most of our family knows. We are a two bathroom family, one of the bathrooms is a small shower only bathroom, primarily a boy bathroom, if you know what I mean(beware before you sit). The other bathroom is a very old shower/tub bathroom upstairs. This bathroom has needed an update for a very long time. Finally the time has come. We decided that the best time to to a updo was during Christmas break, mainly because we wouldn't have to compete for the shower to be somewhere at 8 AM. So on Dec 23rd. Ed and Alex started our version of Extreme Makeover. Out came the old vanity, floor and toilet, fixtures, old wall board and marble shower. Out came the window, a very chilly experience in the middle of winter, but they worked very fast. We were so excited to get started.

Eddie spent most of his days working in the cold garage cutting tile for the bathroom.

He has worked tirelessly to finish the project. It is looking beautiful I am so excited.

Alex and I have grouted the tile. I think that is my calling. I have grouted all of the tile we have in our house. I learned it young. I was thinking about that the other day. I learned this skill from my Dad while grouting the tile in our Horsecreek home. The old blue and pink bathrooms. It wasn't any more fun then.

I had in my mind that we would have 1 week to finish. Well we aren't like the T.V. show, it takes a little longer. I am seeing the end though. We are on hold this week, due to Ed leaving out of town. Hopefully only one more week of sharing the bathroom, we are getting good at staggering those showers, ect.

My little week long project looks more like a month long project.

The best part is when you come to visit, it will be finished and you can sit like a queen in our new bathroom. YEAH!!