Congratulations!

Jamie and Michelle are getting married in just a few hours here in the Sacramento, CA temple! Congratulations you guys! We are, yet again, so sorry that we aren't there! We hope that you have a special day and a good start to your new life together! WE LOVE YOU!

Hidden Talents

Jaxon and I had the funniest conversation yesterday afterschool. Actually, it started a the day before that. He told me that they were having a talent show at school and that he wanted to show off his "moves". I didn't really think anything about. I didn't hear anything from the teacher...no notices, no memos or anything of the like that would indicate any such festivities. So Jax came home from school yesterday and we started talking.

I asked him what happened at school. Oh what a treat I got! He told me that they did indeed have a talent show in his music class (his teacher is our first bishop's wife--when we first moved here). So I asked him what the kids did for talents. He told me, "Mom, I showed them my blocking moves!" I'm thinking...OK what are you talking about? He said he asked for a volunteer to come up and then he blocked all his karate moves! He said almost everyone volunteered to be his helper, but he chose Malcom (a good friend of his). He told us how the teacher moved all the chairs out of the way to make room for the performers. Now, Jaxon has never had any kind of Karate lessons. He has picked up what he calls his "moves" from movies like Ninja Turtles and Kung Fu Panda. Yeah, now you're getting the picture.

Oh, I can just imagine what that teacher was thinking. I can only imagine what Jaxon's 'blocking his friends moves' looked like. He was so proud of himself!

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

So we finally got our christmas tree. I had all these visions of a great bonding experience filled with fun and laughter as the kids ran around trying find the best tree in the lot.

Really, I should know better than that by now. I should not have visions in my mind of these great experiences...they never work out!

Real life...we meet at Chris' mom's house around 6:30. We start to head to the lot and then realize we need some cash. So we go to the ATM. We drove past the lot and then had to make a u-turn and come back. We get out and just can not find a good tree...quite a few of them looked like they were already dead!

Anyway, we don't even start decorating the tree until 9:00 after a "nutritious" meal from our friend Wendy. So at 10:30 we start our festive christmas movie...the Polar Express. I passed out somewhere in the middle of that. I don't remember the rest of the evening. Only that I was tired and disappointed.Jaxon hanging the ornaments
kenzie hanging an ornament
feeding payton
Jayden taking the ornaments off the tree
Yes, I know some of these pictures are fuzzy...that is how the night went. But this is all said and done and ready for a movie!

Girls and Dolls

There is nothing like a girl and her dolls! Kenzie always has a doll somewhere near by. She and Jayden practice for Payton!

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Rod

Yesterday was Grandpa Rod's Birthday. Here is his cake:
(he's a contractor!)

Artist!

A TRUE artist can work in many different media. For example, bread dough on a cabinet!

Dance Party!

So last Wednesday was Mykenzie's dance recital. It was so cute. They danced to a chipmunk song.
This is what you get when you tell Mykenzie to pick her own pose...

This is the grand finale when they wave to everyone as the curtains close.

She did great and it was really fun to watch her dance!

Those who make bread Seldom loaf

WOW!

September 22:
Same t-shirt and chair on November 21:
Now that is growth!

Nicoles' new hair

I took some pictures of Nicole, to show her that
that her hair didn't look as bad as she thought.
I think it looks pretty good!

Bad Things Happen When You're in a Hurry

So I really wanted to get my hair cut before Thanksgiving. I really like short hair, so I was thinking about chin length. I had a little time last night, so I hurried over to great clips to get a little cut. I told the girl I wanted about chin length and that's what she did...in the back. in the front? we're talking cheek bone length! Who angles the front of a cut this short? and the bangs I said needed to be fixed and trimmed up a little. What she heard was make them as short and crooked and ugly as possible. This is the first time in my entire life that I cried over a bad hair cut. When she finished I looked like the girl on parent trap....the ORIGINAL Parent Trap. I cried all last night. My dear sweet husband felt so bad, he got on the internet to find pictures of girls with short hair to help me figure out how to make it look respectable (at least). This was the best I could do. The bangs will just have to be clipped back for a few....MONTHS!
Moral of the story: make it VERY VERY VERY clear how long you want your hair...all the way around your head! or just bring a picture

PS she did take $7.00 of my cut because it was such a disaster, so I only paid about $6.00 for it.

What To Do When the Little Princess WON'T Go To Sleep

Take pictures of course. These were taken at 10:00 last night. Micky Nicky wouldn't go to sleep, so we went through a little photo session to tire her out. That girl was a machine, not even the least bit tired when it was over!

How to Drink Water by Jayden Anderson

After dumping the water from one container to another (I say container, because apparently cups are optional for drinking...only tolerated when there is nothing better around), you drum up the courage to take a drinkNext, you swish the water from one side of your mouth to the other, straining it through your teeth and occasionally spitting some of it out.
Once it has become sufficiently warm from all the swishing, throw your head back and gargle with it for a while. You'll love the feeling of it and your parents will go crazy with the sound!
Then you pinch your nose to force yourself to swallow it. (it's that whole, swallow or breath thing. gets me everytime!)
then as they say...lather, rinse and repeat!

Watery Lessons part 2

Jaxon had a quick physics lesson Saturday night...when a soapy wet object (jaxon) standing on a dry smooth surface (the counter), creates a slippery and painful experience!
Jax got on the counter in the bathroom to see if he had gotten all the shampoo out of his hair. Obviuosly, he slipped off the counter scratching his stomach on the sharp corner and landing on the toilet. He also bit his lip pretty good and now has a loose tooth! Maybe next time he'll just ask for help! (not likely)

4 Months

Wow! The time is going fast! I was just looking at pictures from when he was little...MAN was he little! Anyway...11 lbs 8 oz 60th percentile (adjusted). He looks good...and is growing well. He is the best baby! A good positive person to bring up the rear of our family!

Don't Forget to Vote!

The other day as we were driving in the car Jaxon and I had this conversation. Out of the middle of nowhere Jaxon says : Mom, I don't want Barak Obama to be the new president.

I'm thinking...how does he even know anything of what's going on? Does he even know what a president is? How did he come to this conclusion. So I say: Hmmm. That's interesting Jaxon. What makes you say that?

Jax: He wants to take away our guns. He's a nice person, but he wouldn't be a very good president.

Now I know where he was having this conversation. So I say: Jax, who would you want to be president?

Jax: I want John McCain to be president.....

Jax: because his name sounds like candy cane.

And there you have it...that's how you pick a president. The one with the "sweetest" name!

Happy Voting!

The Aftermath of Halloween

OH, the joys of Halloween night. This year we had unusually warm weather for the night of haunting...the kids, as you may recall from last year, are usually bundled in coats and hats and gloves and still freezing their little buns off. Jaxon had a short sleeve shirt on under his and was fine. Chris didn't even wear a coat. We are so loving that weather.

Remember halloween night when you were little. You'd come home, dump out your candy and then count it and sort it and trade it and all that good stuff...well, little kids still do that. Only, our three are a little territorial. They would only trade with Chris (he got our leftovers)!


no halloween is complete without the donut-tailed cat!
thank you grandma janet for your help with the donuts!

Happy Halloween!

Even the sunrise this morning was a tribute to this odd holiday!

I DID IT!!!

This is Jayden's "I did it" dance...after he went potty like a big boy! YAY for the little man. Yesterday he was DRY ALL DAY! Here's to only having to change one little bum. A happy day for me. To celebrate and motivate we bought him his undies of choice...Lightning McQueen and Choo-Chooo's...He's well on his way to being a big kid.

Here's how the potty training goes:

Me: Bay, you need to go potty?

Jayden: No, I just fine.

repeated over and over through the course of the day.

eventually he comes to me and says, "I need go potty" and then we rush to the bathroom while we wait patiently for him to learn how to go. Usually this requires some coaxing from warm water...
what a guy!

Halloween Festivities

So, how cute are these chair covers? My mom sent me the stuff and I put them together just the other night...we are SOOO ready for "the big night".
Payton went to see our favorite nurse yesterday...we had to show off the cute little policeman costume
mykenzie all decked out as the fairy princess...notice all teh GLITTER and rhinestones...yeah, baby!

jayden getting ready to take off

iron man
the whole haunted group so impatient to go to the ward halloween party!