It's a Family Thing...

Happy New Year!

2011-01-04T19:30:00.002-07:00

Trying this AGAIN! I love to go and read other peoples Blog's... but have the hardest time keeping up with ours!

We had a great holiday season and really enjoyed our families. We have learned so many things over the past year but most importantly, we have realized just how important our family is and the time we can spend together! My dad had a close call over the summer and we lost some important members of our family over the last 6 months (namely my paternal grandma!) But, it feels like some good came out of these life challanges!

We had a great time with Darren's family who were able to visit over the holidays and spent some fun time with the kids! We LOVED being with the kids and especially enjoyed our new 6 month old nephew (who lives WAY too far away!) We took the kids to fun places, and enjoyed a day sledding! We also had the bonus of spending time with my family (because of my grandma's funeral) and enjoyed visiting with all of my cousins! GREAT memories!

We look forward to a wonderful 2011 and plan to make this a good year with good things happening!

Happy New Year!!

WOW!!!

2009-12-04T08:18:00.008-07:00

WOW!! That's all I have to say... it has almost been a year and soooo many things have happened I just don't know where to start! So, I am not going backwards (very much) it is all going to be looking forward from here!
I hope you are having a happy holiday season!? We are enjoying the hustle and bustle of the season - already! Here are a few pictures from Halloween and Thanksgiving!
New Baby Halle! She is 9+ months old now! What a cutie!!

My Best Duct Tape Job EVER!!!

2009-01-24T12:13:00.007-07:00

Okay.... SO... our mailbox is every young hooligan's dream!! Out in the middle of 2 driveways on a BIG WIDE street!! What more could a naughty person dream of?? Well - even though it is total white trash looking - I have always fixed the problem with Duct tape (a Halladay family tradition - started MANY, MANY years ago)! Every time my siblings come for a visit (because friends wouldn't think to be mean) they comment on the nice tape job and there is always a little mockery involved! As a side note, Darren has had nothing to do with the tape jobs he suggests getting a new mail box each time it gets hit and I was ALL for that the first 2-3 times but NOW... I am not going to keep paying for this expensive hooligan fun!! So, the last 3-4 times I have nicely (and not so stylishly - is that a word?) wrapped the shiney silver duct tape around the mailbox to hold it on!!
Well... the other day I was shopping for a school project for Marin at Michael's Crafts and "what to my wondering eye's should appear"??? - COLORED duct tape!!!! Even WHITE!! I quickly purchased a roll of white duct tape. Last weekend - the HOOLIGANS struck again!!! So - with my new WHITE duct tape, I created - MY BEST DUCT TAPE JOB EVER!!! (We're only a LITTLE worried that we can't shut the mailbox!)

Fun with Cousins!

2009-01-20T22:08:00.005-07:00

The other night we had the Ward's over for dinner and the kids had such a great time together! I love to watch them play together as cousins! They love each other so much! While the adults were upstairs talking the kids went down and put together a "show" for us! What a hoot! They ran around in circles and turned the lights on and off! I did get some cute pictures though. Afterwards, they all wanted to do a sleepover... so Marcie took the boys and I kept the girls (It was reversed the week before - I had the boys and she had the girls). I had a great time with the girls!! We did a spa day(night) and I made a special facial scrub (crushed grapes and honey) and washed their faces with it as well as cucumbers on their eyes! They thought they were so BIG. I also did a foot scrub for them and then massaged their feet with lotion and then painted their toes - all while drinking apple juice out of heart glasses! Love those kids!!

Thanksgiving - 2008

2008-11-29T18:03:00.002-07:00

We had a great Thanksgiving this year! It was very layed back and fun with my brother and sister and their families and Rosemary. We enjoyed one anothers company and the cousins all had a blast together! Sometimes I wonder - they act and treat each other more like siblings than cousins!

The night after Thanksgiving Chad's family and ours, went on the Trolley at Thanskgiving Point to see all of the Christmas lights! It was so much fun and the kids loved sitting in the front of the trolley! It was such a great way to start the Christmas season.

Looks like A LOT of TROUBLE!!

Happy Halloween Time in Disneyland!!

2008-11-04T16:18:00.002-07:00

We had such a fun Halloween this year! We got to spend it in Disneyland and we played sooooo hard! The kids had a great time and we hooked up with our friends the Clawson's to play all day (and evening) on Halloween! By the end of the day, Jack was falling asleep on rides and not wanting to give up on going on the rides! The funniest thing was... every time we asked Jack which ride was his favorite - we all waited (and still do) in anticipation for what his answer would be, because it is always different! For the longest time he told everyone Peter Pan was his favorite ride and we had never riden on Peter Pan so Darren and I decided we better take the kids on that ride so no one could call him a liar! Marin had a great time with 2 boys!!! They were 10 and 11 and Marin had a great time with them and LOVED having friends to go on all of the rides with her! The only SAD thing... we had to come home! Both of the kids cried on the ride to the airport (with real tears and everything!!) It was the perfect time with family and with friends and we LOVED being in Disneyland for Halloween!!

Carving Pumpkins with Grandma Ter!

2008-10-26T16:23:00.000-06:00

While Darren's sister Jodi was in visiting we had the opportunity to see the family a few times to catch up! One of the visitings to Lee and Terri's - we were so lucky because Grandma Ter got pumpkins and carving "stuff" and helped the kids carve their pumpkins!! It was a lot of fun and the kids LOVED it! I was just so happy to not have the mess at my house!! THANK YOU TERRI!! I didn't get many good pictures of Terri up to her elbows in GOOK!!

DEAD EYE!!

2008-10-14T12:59:00.003-06:00

Just a little follow up from our Falcon's Ledge trip... I am a dead eye shot! Anyone looking for a hunting partner... look no further - I am your girl!! LOL!! Seriously - I am a joke of a shot and may need a little practice before showing myself in public again with a shotgun!

Saying Goodbye!

2008-10-05T16:15:00.009-06:00

This last weekend we said good bye to our Jeep! It was a mixed emotions sale - but feels good not to have it sitting out on the driveway!

Champion Swimmers!!

2008-09-25T16:08:00.000-06:00

Over the last few months Marin and Jack have been taking swimming lessons! Marin to perfect her strokes and Jack to actually LEARN how to swim. Jack spent the summer on "the sidelines" as he had NO desire to get in the water. Sooooo... the first few lessons with Jack were painful! He cried a bit and was so sad to get in the water - but by the end... he is an amazing swimmer! At the end of their lesson's they get GOLD MEDALS and both kids were so excited to get their gold medals. Marin is a BEAUTIFUL swimmer. I love to watch her swim and she works so hard on her strokes to get better and better! Both kids are champion swimmers!!

Girls Night in St. George...

2008-09-15T16:13:00.000-06:00

Lucky me!! I had the chance to go with some girlfriends overnight to St. George to see Les Mis at the Tuacahn outdoor theatre. It was a whirlwind trip - but we had such a great time! We went down on Saturday morning and had a chance to spend some time at the pool of our hotel before getting ready and going to dinner and on to the musical. It was a good production, great friends and a lot of fun! AND... a highlight was on the way home - I got to pick up my NEW CAR from the most awesome salesman!!

Papa Joe's Birthday!

2008-09-08T16:10:00.000-06:00

Joe and Diane came to visit the first weekend in September and we had a very nice time with them! AND... lucky for us we got to celebrate Joe's birthday with him!! Of course the kids were THRILLED to get to share his "Nothing Bundt Cake" with him AND help blow out the candles! It was nice to spend time all together! Even though they came for a family wedding, Joe and Darren were able to get out golfing and Diane and I hit a movie! Both of the kids also enjoyed time with their grandparents!

First Day of School!

2008-09-02T13:40:00.004-06:00

Today our baby started preschool!! It was so much fun for Jack to start school today and he was so excited!! We were trying to anticipate what Jack's reaction would be about school when Darren and I were on our way to pick him up - we weren't sure if he would have cried, been too wild, or if he would get in the car and be chatty... My personal vote was on the latter. AND BINGO!! He was so happy and excited to tell us about his day. He was most thrilled and proud that he came home with "a paper" in his Bob the Builder backpack! It was so much fun to hear about his day and then, just before we got home... Jack announced he would not being going back to school! He doesn't want to go to school anymore!! When Darren asked him "WHY??" he told him he would only go if he could eat lunch there!! Jack Macker!!!

And... we can't blog about the first day of school without including the fact that Marin started 4th grade this year!!! She started school at the very end of July! We can't believe she is in the 4th grade! She is really enjoying math and science! We have made salt dough twice now for a project she is working on and we are excited to see how it works out for her!! AND... she did a great job on her first book report! She really challenged herself and read a book that was over 400 pages for the report! And we are happy to announce she got an A+ on her report!! GO MARIN!! Here are some pictures from her first day too!

Great Labor Day Weekend!

2008-09-02T12:53:00.002-06:00

We had such a fun/great weekend! We went to the movies Friday with our friends (got to see Mamma Mia for the 4th time!!- for me!) and Saturday we went swimming at our friend Becky's pool. The kids had such a great time and loved being out in the water. Saturday night Darren made an awesome dinner! He made pasta with a Bolognese sauce! YUMMO!! Sunday after church we decided to run up to Falcon's ledge and took our friends Rich and Pam with their kids! It was so much fun!! It was great just to be in the outdoors and we played pretty hard! The weather was cool and felt like fall. We got some fishing in, shooting, 4-wheeling, played games, and watched movies!! AND... plenty of eating!! It was fun to hang out with great friends and play hard!! The only hard thing was... we got home after 10:00pm last night and Jack started preschool today!! Ahhhh...

Saying Goodbye to Papa and Ooh Whoo!

2008-08-25T16:09:00.000-06:00

What a tough time we had saying goodbye to my parents at the end of August!! We went down to Cedar City the weekend before they left and spent time with all of the family! We had a great time all together and we were able to get family pictures taken, which was very important to my parents before they left and we were all excited to get the pictures done as well. It was fun to go to a movie with just the girls and the guys stayed back with the kids with the power out the whole time! My parents are LOVING China and we are happy for them!!

Good Things Utah

2008-08-20T14:55:00.003-06:00

Marin had the opportunity to model some new school clothes for a local mall on Good Things Utah at the end of July and she was THRILLED!! Our good friend Natalie is the Marketing Manager for the mall and had to find kids to model clothes. Marin wore an outfit from The Children's Place (which she later got as a birthday gift) and she looked adorable!! It was so much fun for her and she really felt like a queen. She was beautiful (do I sound like a mother?) and smiled the whole time she was on camera.

Piano Recital

2008-08-19T23:29:00.006-06:00

Marin had her first ever piano recital this summer and did a GREAT job!! She was a little nervous but played perfectly and we were so proud of her! Grandpa and Grandma Martineau came to support her and suprised her with a dozen BEAUTIFUL roses. She was so excited and loved having her picture taken with them afterward. Yeah Marin!!!

Note: the younger brother trying to escape!!

4th of July

2008-08-16T15:32:00.003-06:00

We had a great Independance Day weekend! My brother Erik and his family came for a visit because his son Kole had a baseball tournament all weekend. Also, we were excited to have my nephew Josh (Natalie's son) join us for the weekend! We spent most of the time traveling to Park City for games and loved every minute of watching baseball and being outside. On the morning of the 4th Darren and I took the kids to neighborhood bike parade and decorated Jack's bike for the event. Jack had fun - but was a little frightened by the police car's siren! The little parade is a great tradition for us - it gives the kids a chance to decorate up their bikes and they always have a flag raising ceremony with the National Anthem and the pledge of allegience. It always makes me emotional and appreciate the freedoms we have when I see our flag raising and hear our national anthem!
We also had a great BBQ that night after returning from games all day, our friend Becky joined us for our BBQ and firework celebration! We really spent some fun times together. Erik is a ROCK STAR and the rest of us are "back up"! It was so fun to watch Darren and Erik rock out with Kole and Josh!! Darren was so excited to get Erik here to rock out with him but couldn't stop laughing long enough to participate in the band! It was great!

We really enjoy our family visits AND especially love it when we get to spend time with family over the holidays!!

Spring Soccer Season ENDS!!

2008-07-01T08:20:00.005-06:00

But... now Marin is on the Sparta team and will be playing a tournament this month! She had a great Spring soccer season with a lot of fun girls on her team! We are going to miss the fun team she has been on for the past few years but she is moving on with her same coach and a couple of her closer friends to a more competitive league... should be interesting! I wanted to add a few pictures from this last season that ended at the end of May!

Marin is bending over - because she is taller by a few inches than both girls!

FUN, PACKED Weekend!!

2008-06-30T13:58:00.007-06:00

We just had a great weekend... but it was packed with many activities and fun!! We got to spend Friday as a family - and it has been a long time since we have done that... We went to the gym, went swimming, went to dinner got Rock Band (we LOVE to play - esp. Darren and I). Saturday my niece, Alex came to stay with us and we hung out at my friend Becky's pool for a few hours and then headed up to our friends the Rideout's cabin! We had a really great time riding 4-wheelers, playing games and eating!! It was a lot of fun!!

Darren took the kids in the Rhino and the LOVED it!

Jack and Aidan spent most of their time in the Rhino!

Marin was an Excellent driver!

Board Meeting Visit

2008-06-28T07:57:00.003-06:00

In April the kids and I made another trip down to Cedar City for my bi-yearly Board Meeting at SUU. We were able to go to one of Rennen's soccer games and spent a lot of time with family. While we were there - the kids got to go to a little fair in the park and Marin and Rennen had a great time! My mom and I ended up taking the smaller boys home. But before we left I got the cutest picture of my mom with Deken and Jack!

I also had the great opportunity while in Cedar City to visit my great-aunt as she was dying. It was so nice to get to see her and squeeze her hand before she passed away two days after I got home.
We tried to take as much advantage of our time together as we could because my parents are schedule to leave for China in August for 10 months!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? It is going to be a tough 10 months!! But what a fun and great experience for my parents - good for them!!

Papa and Grandy's Visit

2008-06-26T19:18:00.003-06:00

Joe and Diane (Darren's dad and step mom) came for a visit in April and we really enjoyed our time with them. The kids kept them busy and we were running the entire visit! While they were here - we kidnapped Joe to visit the Dinosaur Museum for an afternoon. He was a great sport and the kids LOVED getting to go with Papa. We got to go to a fun "kids" movie together. Also, one night Marin and Diane cooked dinner for us... it was a special treat and the kids especially enjoyed eating the chocolate cake! YUMMY!!! We got a special surprise at the end of the trip, we went to dinner one night and waiting at Fudrucker's were Uncle Jason, Aunt Marcie, Benjo and Caroline!! (Darren's brother and family in from NY!) The kids were extra excited to see each other as we have not seen them since Christmas!! We can't believe how much we have missed them since they moved away from here last summer!! It was a great way to end Joe and Diane's trip to Utah with a mini-reunion.

Has Easter Passed?

2008-06-26T18:10:00.005-06:00

Okay - so I thought since I missed Easter on the blog - that I would post a picture anyway!

So - I am beginning where I left off (kind of)! We had a great time in Cedar City visiting my family and spent a nice warm day riding 4-wheelers and the Rhino!

The kids had a blast (and so did their parents) and we were all warn out when we left that night to head back home. Marin stayed with my parents for the week and LOVED her time alone with them! She always cherishes her time spent alone with her grandparents. So it was a special treat that she could work it in while she was off track!! My parents brought her home and we built planter boxes for our gardens - it was a lot of fun to get to build them ourselves (of course my dad was the main builder/helper) but Darren seriously dug 6 - 3 feet deep holes for each planter box!! He was an awesome digger!! Way to go Mr. Fix-It/Builder!!

WOW....

2008-06-12T07:18:00.003-06:00

It has been TOOOooooo long since I posted last! I have a new found enthusiasm to begin posting again - especially with the summer months and lots of fun here! So - just a warning... I am coming back!

Happy Valentines!!

2008-02-19T14:09:00.004-07:00

The kids and I had a great time preparing for Valentine's! Of course we made our traditional sugar cookies. I actually rolled out the cookies and cooked them all up the morning before so the night before we could frost and decorate the cookies.... Jack went NUTS waiting ALL day to frost them! By the time we were ready to frost and decorate - he could only do ONE cookie because he couldn't stop eating and frosting his cookie! Marin was a trooper and helped a lot!

Marin and Jack also had a lot of fun putting their Valentine's together. Last year Marin and I made the cutest "popcorn" themed Valentine's but this year - we didn't get very creative and bought them. On the 13th Marin informed me she needed a decorated box to take to school for everyone to put their Valentine's in... I have to preface this by saying - I AM NOT the type of parent that does their child's homework or would even consider it! BUT... when we started putting together the paint can (which we decided we would do instead of a box) it was 9:00pm and I wanted my sweet little 8 year old IN BED! So, I told her I would do it! Marin was just as happy to have me do it as I was to do it... unfortunately, I have had to put up with extensive teasing from Marin's father! My sweet husband - will not leave me alone regarding the fact that I solely made Marin's Valentine's box. Something that is supposed to be for the kids! ha ha ha! Well... it turned out cute anyway ;o)
I think the best thing about Valentine's this year was the fact that the kids got to start school late because of SNOW!! (Yes, more snow!!) Marin got a fun new movie for Valentine's and was able to take time and eat her pancakes and watch her movie all before school started at 10:00am! YEAH!! We love all the extra time we get with Marin - even if most of that time was spent... you guessed it... shoveling snow!

Still Alive... and PUSHING SNOW!!!

2008-02-01T14:40:00.000-07:00

The past month has provided A LOT of snow for us (to Jack's dismay)! We have had a lot of fun... but we are ready for SUMMER - didn't say spring - SUMMER! (Now, this summer when I am complaining about the heat - PLEASE be a sweetheart and do not remind me about this post?) With Darren at the studio most all the time, Jack and I have had the pleasure of being the snow removal crew at our house! Okay - so FINALLY... this week... Jack has walked out on to the driveway and tried to help with the removal, once I have cleared off the snow. However, he keeps asking me to please not use the snowblower because it is too LOUD!!

The last few storms have provided several inches at a time of snow... the storm where we got about a foot and a half of snow, (Martin Luther King Day) we went out as a family to do the snow removal/play. I got a few pictures and we had a great time laughing at how much snow there was. I am not laughing as much anymore :o(

By the end of the day (MLKD) the kids and I met up with friends and went sledding. Jack and I sat in the car with the other moms and small baby. BUT - once the friends all left, I locked Jack in our car and Marin and I got to go down the hills several times. I just couldn't pass up the snow fun! It was great!!

However, as previously mentioned - after removing snow for the third day this week.... we are ready for summer!! (Okay, so I know we have prayed for moisture here in Utah - A LOT - but we can look at it one of two ways.... be careful what you wish for, OR be thankful for what you get?)

Happy Snow Day!!

Off Track and Having Fun!

2008-01-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

Marin and I had the opportunity to get a pedicure together while she was off track! We usually go each year on our birthdays to spend a little "girl time" together - but we didn't make it on my birthday in December and thought it would be the perfect time to go while she was off track! We had a lot of fun - and she had A LOT of questions for the ladies who did our pedicures. Lucky Marin - she got many additional services done on her feet because her technician really liked her! She had her first paraffin wax and her big toe has little flowers painted on them! Jack and Darren also got some father/son bonding time and met us afterwards for an early dinner together! It was a really fun day for all of us!!

Happy New Year!!

2008-01-02T11:23:00.001-07:00

First, of all I had to put our Christmas card on the blog. Most of you already got it - but I want to put in up because I LOVE the pictures on the card!!

We hope you had a Happy New Year!! We had such a great time - my brother Chad, and his family (Tanya and sons Rennen and Deken) came to celebrate the New Year with us and we had a lot of fun together! We cooked up a huge dinner Sunday night after they arrived (recipes from our new cookbook from Christmas - Mesa Grill - Bobby Flay our favorite chef!) and we ate until we hurt!! It was fun to all hang out in the kitchen and with Chad washing dishes (almost before we could get them dirty) and Tanya filling in chopping, putting things away etc... Darren and I felt like REAL LIFE - Iron Chefs!

New Years Eve day Tanya and I took the kids shopping to make returns etc... all day!! Chad watched football at home and D worked! BUT... when we all got home - we got dressed up, (with a special little treat and visit from our favorite Cousin Ed) picked up the babysitter and the 4 adults along with our friends Rich and Pam all went to La Caille for dinner!! It was the perfect New Years Eve! AND... of course none of us took our camera! But we had great food, beautiful atmosphere and even better company!

The kids were in heaven at home - with one of their favorite babysitters and the thoughts of staying up until midnight (Marin is the only child who made it to midnight!)

New Years day was completely relaxed and the kids played outside in the snow - except for Jack... still not loving the snow!! I did buy him a snow shovel in hopes to encourage him to get in the snow more (or at least to walk in it, he has snow boots!!) But Jack wanted to stand in the house, fully dressed in snow boots, coat, gloves etc... and shovel as far as his arms could reach. He is so funny!!

We had a great time with Chad and Tanya and sooo happy they came to celebrate New Years with us (and their Anniversary - which is New Years Day!)

Cousins, Cousins... and More Cousins

2008-01-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky to get to spend time with cousins over the Holiday's!! The kids especially LOVED it!!

We're Dreaming of a PINK!!?! Christmas

2007-12-27T16:39:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas!!!

From the title you probably can guess... we got to celebrate Christmas with PINK EYE!! Christmas eve afternoon Jack's eyes started running and then they started turning red and then they started having goopy discharge and it was yucky! By about 3:30pm we started thinking we were going to have to go and hang out at the ER to get some medicine. LUCKY us - we called our friend and neighbor Dr. Boam and he wrote a prescription and we ran it up and started Jack on ointment immediately! Poor Jack!!

But... as you can see - we had a wonderful Christmas and the kids were so happy! It was a great day of relaxing and spending some time with family.

Marin's highlights: Hannah Montanta Stage and Hannah Montana barbie, CLOTHES!!, games (board, computer and DVD), movies, Baby Alive, PINK golf clubs, High School Musical everything!!, gift cards
THEMES for this Christmas: High School Musical, Hannah Montana and Justice

Jack's highlights: Stick horse (YEAH - now I can have my broom back!!), train table and many new Thomas trains, Bob the Builder Stuff (tool table, backpack, doll, phone), toy rifle (to his fathers joy!), games, toy guitar, Disney "Cars" tent and many cars, Scooter!
THEMES for this Christmas: Bob the Builder, Disney "Cars" and Thomas the Train

We hope you all had a very happy holiday season as well!!

Oh the Weather Outside is... COLD!!

2007-12-26T17:40:00.002-07:00

Christmas eve we have the most fun tradition (at least we think it is the most fun - we had followers that totally DOGGED us this year! ;o) It could not have been the fact that it was snowing HARD!!!) But... each Christmas eve before we have dinner, we go sledding! It is usually super fun for everyone, but as you can read from our "Pink Christmas" Jack was not so much in the mood! We all bundled up, picked up Jack's medicine and headed to the park for a little sledding. Jack lasted about 15-20 minutes and was in meltdown mode, so Marin and Darren stayed out and slid down the hill and had snowball fights for another 30-40 minutes! I enjoyed watching them playing and having fun from the warmth of the car... (have to admit I would rather be out in the snow playing!)After our outing, we went home and had our traditional clam chowder and read "T'was the NIght Before Christmas" and the Christmas story from the book of Luke. We had a relaxing evening and enjoyed one anothers company AND the beautiful snow storm we received!

Christmas Party at Grandma Rosemary's

2007-12-26T17:40:00.001-07:00

The 23rd of December, every year we get together with Darren's mom's family and have the Truman Family Party. This year, we did it a little smaller and just had it with Darren's mom and his siblings families. It was so much fun and the kids LOVED being with their cousins!

Magic in the Air

2007-12-18T20:43:00.000-07:00

What a fun night we had!! We started out taking Marin to Kung Fu and then picked her up to go and get 6+ inches cut off her hair!! She loves it and has wanted to cut it for so long!! I think she would go shorter if her mom would let her. It looks so healthy and cute on her!

Jack also had a little trimming while we were there - we are going to have to go and visit Cookie Cutters tomorrow... the girl who cut Marin's hair did great for Marin... not so great for Jack!

After hair cuts we decided to tackle the mall and pay a visit to Santa! Jack was sooooo excited to visit Santa and I just prayed we would not have a repeat performance of last year... (cutest screaming fit you have ever seen)! But he was so excited to see Santa and to sit on his lap - and it was so much fun to see him with Santa. It was magical for me (sounds a bit cheesy I know... but seriously - so dang cute!) Jack sat right on Santa’s lap and looked in to his eyes and said "Hi Santa" and then the questions started! He wanted to know where the sleigh was, where is the North Pole etc.. And Santa was AWESOME - he answered all of the questions and really took time with Jack. Also, Marin was a great sport about going to see Santa. She was not so excited but I think in the end she enjoyed it and looked great in the picture!

After the pictures and visit with Santa we went up to the Hot Dog on a Stick and the kids got their dinner. We also went on the carrousel. Marin and Jack both enjoyed it... UNTIL... we had to get off and any magic that was around before... was LOST!! Jack threw the biggest fit and everyone in the mall knew we were there! It was great fun! Luckily our good friend Natalie came upon us there and diverted Jack's attention with the promise of chocolate and treats in her office (she is the Marketing Manager at the mall). She was from heaven! And I think Marin was sure we were getting preferential treatment by going in the back offices of the mall.

As we were walking out of the mall, Jack with a big sucker in his mouth and Marin's mouth full of chocolate, Marin said to me, "This was such a great night for me mom!" Made my day, and the magic returned! ;o)

Snowy Days

2007-12-15T07:14:00.001-07:00

Living in Utah, we frequently have the opportunity to play with and shovel SNOW!!! Last weekend we got about 6 inches between Friday and Saturday and the kids were itching to get out and play in it! Unfortunately, Jack is terrified of snow!! Who is scare of snow?? We went out as a family about 9:00pm Saturday night to clear the snow off the driveway and sweet Jack never left the garage! He didn't want to step on the snow. I don't think I have ever met a kid who didn't love snow - and here he is!!!Marin wore her favorite pajama bottoms (she was already dressed for bed when we went out) and did a make-shift snow outfit! But after the snow angels she and I made on the front lawn... the PJ's had to be changed! We got the entire driveway shoveled and then went for a walk around the block (trying to ease Jack in to enjoying the snow)... BACKFIRE!! He whined and asked when we were going to be home the entire walk. So fun!! It may be a LONG winter!

3rd Grade Christmas Program

2007-12-13T19:26:00.000-07:00

Marin had her Christmas program at school today - it was a lot of fun to go and hear her sing and she also had a co-speaking part! She did a great job AND the biggest bonus of the day was.. Her dad got to come to the program!! She was so excited that he could make it! Darren is a great dad and a wonderful supporter of his kids - just doesn't get to attend very many things lately with his schedule... so it was a wonderful treat for him to be there! Marin hasn't been feeling well the past few days so we were not sure if she was going to be able to make it for the program but she woke up feeling quite a bit better and really wanted to participate! Grandma Terri also came which is so fun to have a grandma there!! Thanks for the support!!

We LOVE the Christmas season - there are so many fun things to do!!

Night at the Nutcracker

2007-12-12T23:19:00.000-07:00

Marin and I were able to attend the Rocky Mountain Ballet Company's performance of the Nutcracker tonight. It was fun to get some alone time with her and we enjoyed going to a Christmas performance. Even though I have taken Marin to the Nutcracker every year (except for last year when she had mono) she seemed amazed/surprised that "no one talked". She liked it, except she wished they would talk to each other, or at least had words to the music! LOL!! She is a character! She usually has something funny to say and we really enjoy one anothers company. Lucky Jack got to stay home with Grandma Rosemary - so he thought he got the better end of that deal! And - we all got to enjoy our evening!

Annual Gingerbread House Party!!

2007-12-08T21:38:00.000-07:00

Today Marin hosted her annual Gingerbread House party and we had so much fun!! She kept it kind of small this year, only inviting 5 girls (she invited 10-12 last year) but we had a blast! The girls were so silly and enjoyed decorating their houses, eating gingerbread cupcakes, gingerbread man shaped PB&Honey sandwiches and disassembled snowmen (carrots, olives and ranch dip)! My friend Megan came to help (maybe more for moral support AND she brought the MUCH needed 44oz. coke) and we sat back in the kitchen enjoying the coversation the girls were having. They ate the candy the entire time and WOW things got a little crazy towards the end of the party, once the sugar kicked in!
Jack thought he was part of the party as well... even though we have talked about it for the last couple of days that this is "sissy's party" and that he had to stay out of the way etc... In the end I had put together an extra one for him to do later but I sat him up to the bar in the kitchen and he and Megan put his together at the same time! (SCORE!! One mess.... 2 gingerbread houses!!) However, mid-decorating Megan brought my attention to the fact that Jack was chewing the bubble gum balls we had for decorating and sticking the chewed gum in various places all over the gingerbread house! He is so "creative"! ;o)
Each year at the party Marin gives her friends their Christmas gift. This year was especially exciting because I painted each of the girls a magnet board (the color of their individual rooms) and put vinyl "Girls Rule" on them. The dot on the "i" in girls is a small daisy flower so I put a little bling in the center of the flower which was especially fun! They turned out so CUTE!! And we were very excited to give the girls their personalized board!
In the end... it felt like a success!! NOW... if I can just get to bed! 4 1/2 hours is just not enough for me to function AND be nice!!

Thanksgiving - Falcon's Ledge 2007

2007-11-26T22:02:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year! We went with all of my siblings and their families, my parents, an aunt and uncle and cousins with their families and Darren's mom to Falcon's Ledge Lodge - it was great! We played pretty hard and ate A LOT!! I will share more later... but I wanted to be sure to get some pictures up (thanks to Ali!! - I still have not downloaded pictures from my camera yet)!
We hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving!!

Girls Night Out

2007-11-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

What a fun night! Marin and her friend Sophie and I went to the High School Musical on Ice Tour!! The girls went nuts! It was a lot of fun for all of us! I got the girls matching HSM t-shirts last night so they could dress completely the same for the big night and they looked so cute!! I will post more pictures tomorrow - but I had their picture taken with "Troy" and "Gabriella" there so I scanned that in for your viewing pleasure! Darren asked if I enjoyed the performance and I told him I did find myself on several occasions singing along with the music... because we ALL have both soundtracks memorized!! (Even little Jack!) Marin had stars in her eyes all night for "Troy". She and Sophie both screamed as loud as they could for most of the night - it was so fun for me to see them enjoy it so much!! YEAH!!

The Kids Latest "Stages"

2007-11-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

I have heard all of the stories from parents with teenagers, they are on the phone all the time, OR loud music, OR close themselves up in a room... I wonder if we are entering that stage a little early? Marin has discovered a new website and I can't get her off it! She gets on the phone with her friends and they make up people on this website and have little towns etc... and talk for HOURS!! She is so in to it and loves it - BUT I have to put a stop to it now... while I still can! We have decided to limit her computer time to less than 30 minutes a day (is that not harsh enough? too harsh?)! We'll see how it is received!
Jack has become very interested in coloring! He loves to color trucks and tractors mostly - but isn't above coloring princesses in his sisters coloring books too! Now, if I can just get him to color on JUST paper! He seems to like to match colors up and has started coloring his toys - matching blue to blue etc... The other night he and I sat and colored for over 45 minutes and I just had to get a picture of him and how happy it makes him!

Where Is That Boys Hair???

2007-11-12T20:51:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, I decided I couldn't do the "growing out" thing anymore with Jack's hair. This kid seriously has some amazing cowlicks on the crown of his head - 2-3 different swirls going on... so when it grows out a bit it just sticks straight up (everywhere)!! I took him to Cookie Cutters to get his hair cut and they just shave it down, it is basically all I can do with the swirls! He looks so cute when he gets his hair shaved - his eyes look huge!!
Today we were playing on the floor and I rubbed his head and told him I liked his hair. All of a sudden, he started rubbing his head and saying "Where my hair go? It's all gone!" Pretty cute little guy!!

Family Outing

2007-11-11T23:19:00.000-07:00

On Saturdays, Darren gets off at 2:00pm so we try to do something fun as a family! This weekend we went to Fred Claus. It was a fun movie and we all enjoyed it. It was a little "old" for Jack and he started getting bored about an hour in to the movie. He has a new little "game" he likes to play where he pretends he is a dog, and it is so cute until... he started playing at the movie theatre and I looked over and he was crawling around on the ground EATING POPCORN OFF THE FLOOR!!! Not even picking it up and eating it off the floor, but actually leaning down and lapping it up with his tongue!!! NASTY!!

The Newest Kung Fu "Orange Sash" Student

2007-11-03T21:40:00.000-06:00

Last night Marin attended the rank review to earn her orange sash for Kung Fu. She was very nervous, but worked closely over the past few weeks with private as well as group lessons to get ready for the review. She has THE BEST instructor ever!! And loves to go to lessons!

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T16:47:00.000-06:00

One of These Cookies is Not Like the Other...

2007-10-30T23:23:00.001-06:00

Last night was a BIG one for us, the kids and I were able to create a Haunted Gingerbread house AND make a double batch of pumpkin shaped sugar cookies. Jack and Marin were especially helpful! I had to have a little talk with Marin prior to creating the Haunted house, to understand it WILL NOT be perfect with the help of her brother. She was a great sport and they had a great time together. While they were decorating the Haunted house, I rolled out sugar cookies and cooked them. At one point I heard the kids giggling and turned around to see:

Who's kids are these anyway??

So, the minute Jack saw the camera come out - he pulled the frosting away and said "cheese":

After we got done I ran the kids up to the tub while the cookies cooled and because they were COVERED in black and bright orange frosting. We came back down and I gave them their own bowl of frosting, 2 cookies each and a spreading knife for each of them. I started frosting the rest of the stack and looked over to my sweet children to see Jack swipe a knife full of frosting across the cookie and then lick it off. Over and over... I decided immediately, Jack was going to get BOTH of the cookies he frosted! Thus, the title "one of these cookies is not like the other".

Anyway (didn't mean to make this story so long... but it really was a LONG night) - We had a great time together and are excited for Halloween!

Pumpkin Carving

2007-10-29T22:04:00.000-06:00

We had so much fun last night carving pumpkins! Grandpa Lee and Grandma Ter joined us in the carving process and were a TON of help. The kids enjoyed each part of the festivities....

1 - Selecting Pumpkins on Saturday - As soon as Darren got home from work Saturday we were all excited to head to the annual Pumpkin Patch. We have been excited to pick our pumpkins all week and just waited for the opportunity to go as a family. We all had a great time together!

2 - Cleaning out the Pumpkins (YUCK!!!) - Jack decided to clean out his own pumpkin... again, and again, and again... He would get it cleaned out and then put the seeds back in the pumpkins, over and over again! Marin was a trooper in cleaning out the pumpkins and used the plastic gloves included in the pattern packets we bought. However, we did get a few sound affects from her thoughout the process.

3 - Carving the Pumpkins - Jack enjoyed stabbing the pumpkin multiple times with the not-so-sharp carving "knives". Grandma Ter was super patient and helped Jack in carving out his pumpkin quickly and testing out the battery operated lights MANY times while the rest of us carved. Marin wanted to free form her pumpkin face while the rest of us used patterns. She had a great time drawing and redrawing the perfect face for her pumpkin! Darren was no-so impressed with the detail of his pattern - it took him the better part of the night to get his pumpkin carved. But it looked great!!! ;o)
4 - Putting the Lights and Candles in the Pumpkins - The finish product was so much fun for all of us to see! We stood outside and had them all lined up for pictures. When it was time to go back in the house and Lee and Terri had gone home, we couldn't get Jack to come in the house. He didn't want to leave the pumpkins. This picture was taken in the pitch dark night - love the flash!

I love to experience all of the holidays through the kids eyes!

Trying it out....

2007-10-07T15:13:00.000-06:00

This is a little bit scary for me - seems like it could really be a commitment. So... I am going to give this blog thing a try and see if I can really do it! I love to go in and read everyone else's blog so I am hoping our little family's life will be fun to keep up on! Here goes!