Happy Birthday Schuyler!

Big 16 year old



Egg salad, anyone?

Today is Schuyler's 16th birthday and so far he's turned out to be a pretty great kid. Granted, like all teens he has his moments! To celebrate we went to Brick Oven for dinner (a pizza restaurant), stopped at Sam's club to let him pick out his cake, then opened gifts when we got home. We did all this Monday because I am taking Schuyler and a friend to the Boondocks fun center after school to ride go carts and play in the arcade today. For his birthday we tried to keep things simple. Although being 16 is a big deal. Caleb gave him a book called 301 dating ideas! Kevin gave him a book on everything you need to know about science, Mark gave him some sunglasses and a new CD and I gave him the afgan I had been working on since his 12th birthday! ( We have moved a few times in the last 4 years and I had a baby, so cut me some slack!) Then we had him open his last gift which was his own checkbook with some money in it. We told him even though he has a savings account he needs to learn how to balance a checkbook and learn to be frugal in his spending. We then explained that this money was to be used for any clothes or shoes or things he needs. If he wanted to blow it all on one pair of shoes, or on a fun group date, he could do that but we would not buy anything for him if he needed something else later. We want him to learn to buy his own things. Now that he has finished taking Driver's Ed. he will need to use some of the money to pay for gas if he uses the car, etc...

This will be a good experience for him.

Also the other day I was cutting up one of our many eggs we hard boiled from Easter and found a twin yolk. I thought it was interesting and took a picture. Brielle officially has her 2 front bottom teeth!

Brielle's 1st Easter

Enjoying a nice Saturday together

Caleb and his Cheeseburger Pie!

I could say that raising an 8 month old prevents me from updating this blog as often as I'd like, however, my SIL has a 2 yr old and 9 month old and she can do it! Nevertheless, Brielle is napping and I've got to share these Easter pic's! I found this dress at the DI for $3.00! She just got her 2 front teeth and is chewing on everthing! I would show more pictures of Easter, but we recorded the boys looking for their Easter baskets and didn't take a single picture!

Also Caleb is taking CTE ( Career Technology Education) this trimester and for the cooking section was asked to make 4 recipes at home on his own. These recipes had to be 5 or more ingredients and at least 3 steps to make. (no Rice Krispie Treats here!) So for one of his cooking assingments, he made one of our family favorites, Cheeseburger pie. I tried to suggest something easier, but he insisted and it turned out great! It's a pie crust with hamburger (or ground turkey) with chopped onion, flour, salt pickle juice, diced pickles and grated cheddar cheese. YUM. MY!!

I may not have a full plate of activites everyday, but last Thursday it seemed everything was on my plate. I went walking with a friend in the morning, the twins had a field trip to Logan, Piano after school for all 3 boys, a soccer game for Caleb and then all 3 went to city council with Mark as part of a merit badge requirement. Skyler doesn't need to go to things like that because he has his Eagle, but he wanted to support his dad.

Then on Saturday, Caleb had another soccer game and Skyler had Driver's Ed. I stayed home with Brielle and we actually had enough sun so I could garden. I was excited to till up the garden boxes Mark made last year and add some compost. When the boys got home they helped me finish the garden and we relaxed outside in the sun before Mark took me out to lunch for Mother's day.

Snow is good for...

Purse party
Gourmet Cupcake table

food table

snowboarding fans!

A month ago our BIL, Ken called and told us about a ski/snowboarding deal Park City was having where you receive a 4 hour ski or snowboarding lesson, equiptment included for $25 per person. We signed the kids up and they had a great time. Of course they all wanted to snowboard. Kevin & Caleb were in a group with only 2 other kids so they got a lot of personal help. The instructor asked me if they skateboard. I said they have used their ripstics almost daily for the past 2 years. The instructor said they were so good on the snowboard they could skip level 2 and go to level 3 next time they come back for lessons. Skyler is not a skateboarder, so he struggled a little more. Because of his age he was put with the adults. He said it was fun and can't wait to go back. I am glad they had the oppertunity to go, but I don't think they will go back this season. While they were having fun on the slopes, Mark and I and his sister Deloris walked around looking at shops and checking on the kids. She had her 2 oldest come too. Brielle was in her stroller most the time and was such a good baby! She enjoyed being out of the house.

OK, for those of you who like to plan parties....

I was called back in November as the "Enrichment" Relief Society meeting coordinator. ( Just as sidenote, they officially changed the name of this night from Enrichment to Relief Society Meeting and to be honost, I liked Enrichment better. I think "meetings" should be left for Sunday otherwise the word meeting attached to it turns me off!!) I have never held this calling before and was thrilled when the RS president told me they had the "meetings" planned out for the next few months, so I didn't need to really do anything until March. Feb.4th I had a visit with the RS counselor who said, ok. now we need to plan the biggest event of the year for March, the RS birthday party! Oh, you couldn't of told me that a few months ago to let me get started. And here's the kicker... "There is no committee to help you. The committee we had has been disolved. You need to call people and ask them to help." NICE!! again, you couldn't of told me this before feb. 4th. In any case, I have an amazing ward. And because some of the details were already in place, this party on March 15th came together without much distress. I was told it was to be a Mother/ Daughter purse party and we needed to have a light food buffet and a gourmet cupcake table. My first line of business was to announce the event so we could start getting a head count for food.

Then I dusted off the cupcake cookbook I have had in my cupboard for the last 4 years and actually used it. I found 6 yummy recipes and began calling for people in the ward to help make cupcakes. I also called a few people to take care of a fruit tray a veggie tray, and a crackers tray. I took care of the saucy meatballs.

I also came up with the decorations. Being ready to enjoy Spring, I combined bright pink and green tablecloths with big purses stuffed with pink & green tissue. I grabbed the pink Gerba daisies from Brielle's room and stuck them individually in white vases. A friend came that night and put the tables together while I worried about the food. The RS President was in charge of the history table and I had my VT companion take care of games and prizes as she had actually been to a "purse party" with her mom. You bring your purse and then items are called off a list. The first person to announce they have one of those items wins a prize. We also weighed purses to find the heaviest and lightest purse. It was a fun night and I was thrilled to have my Aunt Candy join me. I am glad the night is over as we had 90 people show up. I will enjoy this calling now and will get a committe together for my futuer events!

Any vounteers??

Finally, a quiet moment...I think

Brielle strikes a pose

Our wintery backyard

I don't know many new mothers who can tell me the day of the week when asked! I thought about that today as I peeled around town running errands (kid free). It's Saturday! Brielle is in the hands of four wonderful caregivers! So... I had a haircut, stopped at the DI, filled the car with gas, and went grocery shopping. Yeah for Saturday!

Back at the ranch, Mark and I purchased a new tv with some of our tax return $ yesterday and so the boys took turns watching Brielle and helping Mark set up the set. Just FYI, we have had the same wonderful 27" tv for 13 years. We were pretty content with our little tv. But as the boys have brought friends over to play the Wii and watch movies, it has become a need. We will probably use the old tv in our room or office.

OK, I have a moral/ethical question. How many of you reward your kids for getting good grades on their report card? Mark & I came from big families, so recieving anything else but a verbal accolade for good grades was unheard of. However, the twins have been struggling in school, so we discussed it and decided to offer the boys $5 for every A. Skyler was thrilled because he has had straight A's for a couple years. The point was to motivate the twins. We haven't seen their report cards yet, but since making the offer I have never seen them get on their homework so fast and so often. Weigh-in on your thoughts.

Brielle is 6 months old now. She is doing an army crawl but gets on her knees every now and then. She hates to be on her tummy for too long. So, while playing with her toys on the floor, she'll lean over on her side. It's really quite funny because it looks like she's posing for a picture. She is also eating solids and so far likes all the food she's offered. (like mother like daughter). The best thing I heard this week was a comment from Caleb. He said, "I love to see Brielle when she wakes up because she always wakes up happy!" He right. She is a happy baby.

On a final note, we have had a pretty mild winter considering it started so early! However, when it snows 7" in one day and the boys have to shovel our drive plus the drives of 4 widows in the ward they are assigned to, it's nothing but complaining. I listen as I pour hot water into their mug of cocoa, let them have as many marshmallows as they want, then I glance out my kitchen window and enjoy my spot of peaceful beauty.

Happy New Year!

Caleb & Kevin protecting our tree
Monopoly game that only lasted 1 1/2 hours!

Helping Brielle open her gifts!

Fun at the mall

Brielle meets Santa and doesn't seem impressed

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations! We have been so blessed with good health and a warm home! We have enjoyed reading about your families and seeing pictures of your littles ones. Thank you for sending your Christmas cards and "old fashioned" greetings!

A visit to the mall to see Santa with Brielle a couple weeks ago was a something we hadn't done for a while. She was so good. This being Brielle's first Christmas, it was a fun experience for us. I am sure she was oblivious to the events, but just the same, we had a few toys for her under the tree. She let us open them for her. She sat in her bouncer and quietly watched us open our gifts. Then she fell asleep. Skyler got his ipod dock he wanted for his ipod. The twins recieved their extra warm mummy bags, and have been sleeping in them ever since Christmas.

After eating our breakfast Mark took the boys to a local shooting range and let them play with their new BB guns. I was opposed to this purchase, but they are almost 14 and Mark says he had a gun at their age. They were very excited about these but know they can not use them unless they are at the shooting range. We then played our new electronic Monopoly game and put puzzles together.

For New Years Eve, Skyler went to the youth dance and the boys went to a friends house until 10pm. Then we watched the ball drop on tv. Brielle hasn't been feeling well these days because she has been teething. She actually has a back tooth coming in right now. The boys all got their front 2 bottom teeth first, so this is new to me. She is 4 months old today, so I think she is on track with her teething.

Out of curiosity, did any of you make or give neighbor gifts this year? I gave out a few plates of treats, and a Santa doorknob hanger with a santa poem on it to those who shouldn't be having treats. A friend gave us a bottle of JOY liquid dish soap that said "Hope you have a JOYful holiday" I like those practical gifts. Did any of you have a favorite neighbor gift?

Thankful for the family

Cousins Rhea and Brielle
Anyone up for clogging?

Our eternal igloo! (Or at least all spring)

This past weekend we had the oppertunity to visit Mark's family for Thanksgiving. It was great to see almost everyone. With parents on their mission to New York, a brother in California and another brother in Nevada, we were fortunate to get the rest of the group together. Here Brielle meets her cousin Rhea for the first time.

For Christmas we will stay in our home where it's nice and cozy.

It's hard to believe Brielle is already 3 months old. I put on this new dress and I could swear she started to move her legs like she was clogging! She has been so much fun. So we had this incredible snow storm come though Sunday night and the boys (K&C) couldn't wait to start working on thier annual igloo in the backyard. Last year we had the mound of snow until May!

Yoda, really?

Several cute names come to mind when I think of our new little girl. When we're cuddling or I'm getting her dressed in the morning, we visit and I call her "pookie", "cutie pie", "cuddle-bug" or "Bri". But never, do I refer to her as "Yoda"! However, My husband seems to think it's funny that she somehow resembles the little green jedi knight! While looking at her, he'll use his best Yoda impression and say..."Cute, I am". (I can imagine my brother Andrew, who is an obsessed Star Wars fan coming up with this.) I just don't see it!

My only question is... whose side of the family is this look suppose to be from? On a side note, I tried to obtain a picture of the real yoda for a comparrison shot, but the picture was copyrighted.

Here's hoping all your children are living free of any sad nicknames!