Ending the Season....Undeafeated!

The Midas Creek Fireballs did it this season, they went undefeated. Although technically they aren't supposed to keep score, all the kids are on the sidelines taking note. And then there is Brayden taking his own personal stats for the game. I finally brought the video camera to the game and missed it every time he scored. Get this, the other team showed up in their Halloween costumes, so I was to busy zooming in on Optimus Prime and Captain Jack Sparrow. I think I am fired from video duty. OOPS.
Three Generations of Great Soccer Players Here is the Cheerleading Section. Kaylee has voiced that she would like to play soccer next year. But for the sake of humiliating herself I think she should stay sitting down cheering for her brother. We need to get her involved in dance again, maybe that will get her mind off soccer.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOAAL!!!
Good job Brayden, you had a great season. You are a natural soccer player like your dad and your Grandpa. Keep up the hard work your practice is paying off. Grandpa was really excited that the weather was nice today and he got to come watch you play. You've grown alot as a soccer player since last year. Good job bud!

Happy Birthday Brandi!

*Our lives are filled with simple joys and blessings without end. But one of the greatest joys in life is to have you as a friend*

I'm not sure if Brandi knows what a dear friend she is to me but I want to use her birthday as an opportunity to sing my praises of her. Brandi is a person that came into my life by chance. She was called to be the Activies Chairman on the Activties committee that I served on for quite some time. She was a great leader, she was a great missionary, she always thought outside of the box. She was always going above and beyond her call, Because that's what Brandi does. She taught me so many GREAT things! It's a good thing too, cause I had to fill her shoes when they released her...Thanks alot! I would have never been able to do that calling if Brandi hadn't already taught me the things I needed to know. Thanks for being a great teacher.

Brandi is such a great example to me. She is always selflessly serving. I watch her day in and day out. No matter how tired she is, or what she needs to get done for the day, She is always taking care of somebody else. She never complains, or says anything bad about anybody else. She is always upbeat and positive and has a really contagious giggle. Sometimes I think Brandi knows me better then I know myself. Their have been nights when I'm sitting their folding laundry mad at the world, and she will call me and see if I need to get away and have a Target run. She knows how I love Target! Brandi you constantly make me want to strive to do better.

I again have the opportunity to work with Brandi in our church callings. She is our Primary chorister. And can I just say how fabulous she is at this. Knowing Brandi, I knew she wasn't going to be happy when this calling was extended to her. And she really tried talking us all out of it. But when we needed to fill this position we just KNEW she needed to be the person to do it. And I know exactly why now. She brings the spirit to our primary each and every week. She is SO fabulous with the kids. So basically what I'm trying to say is she is Fabulous at everything she does. She is spiritual, giving, kind, nurturing, loving, pretty, and sweet! Everybody needs a Brandi in their life. I love you Brandi! Happy Birthday.

Happy Birthday Papa Kenny!

Last night we got to go over to my mom's and celebrate Kenny's (my step dad) birthday. I just wanted to wish him a quick Happy Birthday. We are so grateful he is in our lives. He is such a great grandpa to the kids. They always look forward to the time they get to go play with Papa Kenny. He is always engaged with the kids, even during those hard years of his life. He never made them feel like he was sick and he wasn't able to play. Even if he had to grab his crutches to kick the soccer ball with . He is either busy playing soccer, football, wrestling, playing golf, Xbox or letting Kaylee paint his fingernails. And he isn't afraid to go to work at Home Depot the next day and show off his manicure. We are greatful that Kenny came into my mom's life, and our life! Happy Birthday!

Hopefully we get to benefit from the ice cream maker. No pressure.....
Why is it that brother's need to endlessly torment and tease their sisters? I should destroy him with this blog and bring out old baby photo's and embaressing high school pictures. Maybe I will one day...stay tuned.
Kade just enjoying life, and his pizza. Thanks for the fun night of pizza and dessert!

Children are like snowflakes. No two are alike

MOM! I'M READY TO PLAY IN THE SNOW!

Sunday was a great day around our house. The day started bright and early for Mike and I. This is usually never a good thing in my eyes, but it ended up being a lot of fun. The kids were mesmerized my the snow that was covering the ground and they instantly wanted to go outside and play. So we got everybody all bundled up and we all went outside and built a snowman. This was Kade's first real experience with snow and he loved it! He just kept throwing himself face down in the snow! Mike's

Grandparents from Idaho Falls and aunt from Oregon came into town this weekend to visit Grandpa Bill. So since it was Regional Conference this weekend we decided to stay home

and spend sometime visiting with them. It was hard saying goodbye to them and watching them leave, they knew it would probably be the last time they would see him again. It was good they had the chance to come and visit. Overall it was a great day spending time with the family. Life is so crazy all the time...especially Sundays. We don't get many opportunities to just hang out and relax. Sunday was a great day of family fun.

The Kid's snowman they named him "Frosty"
aren't they original

Remember...

One of my favorite Conference quotes from President Eyring

"Tonight, and tomorrow night, you might pray and ponder, asking the questions: Did God send a message that was just for me? Did I see His hand in my life or the lives of my children? I will do that. And then I will find a way to preserve that memory for the day that I, and those that I love, will need to remember how much God loves us and how much we need Him."

Happy Halloween

I took the kids to Gardner Village to see the Witches,
and take some fun Halloween pictures. The problem was
Kade was so intrigued with the witches that he didn't
want to sit still for the pictures....what was I thinking?
He didn't have a problem sitting still for the cookie I
bought him afterward though.

Father's

The greatest gift I ever had came from God,

and I call him Father.

We are greatful for the Father's we have in our lives.

Tag Your It...

So, to begin my blogging experience, I have been "tagged" by my dear friend Brandi. She sent around this fun questionaire to kind of get my mind thinking. I was just just going to fill it out and email it back to her but she talked me into setting up a blog...so here it goes. It's actually been kind of fun.

1. Best thing you cooked last week?
Chicken Tortilla Soup. I'm not sure if it was a big hit with my family but I have been craving it everyday since.

I also made Meatloaf one day which was ok (that was a hit with the kids) but I made a really yummy salad to go with it. It had lettuce,apples, craisins, motz cheese, and bacon and then a really yummy dressing to go on top of it. Been craving that everyday too. Can ya tell I like food?

2.If money, time, and babysitting were no object, where would you go and with who?

Oh...so many places. I want to go to Hawaii soooo bad with my hubby. I would take a vacation for a couple weeks without kids and just enjoy each other and the warm weather. I would also like to go somewhere in the Carribean or someplace like that cause I've never been there, of course with my husband.

I want to take the kids to California. Go to Disneyland. Go visit Becca and Gerry!

If sickness were no object, the place I would love to go the very most right now would be Brazil! I would go with Mike's whole family. I can't imagine a better place to be right now. Just to see smiles on so many hurting faces would be worth any vacation in the world.

3.When was the last time I cried?

Honestly? I can't stop crying....I hurt for so many people right now. With some recent bad news my heart just hurts.

4. 5 things you were doing this month 10 years ago.
(not sure I can think of 5 things but here it goes.....)

1. I had just started my Junior year of Highschool at Copper Hills. I made some good friends, most of who I am still close with to this day. We had some good times going to the mall, dragging state, and hanging at Artic Circle.
2. I was on the JV cheer squad having the time of my life! I would wake up at 4:30 every morning to shower and go to cheer practice. I don't know how I did it cause I can't drag myself out of bed at 7:00 now. But we had a really fun squad and a really fun year that year. We weren't very good....but we had fun. At competition the only good remark the judges had for us were "cute outfits."
3. I met this really cute boy who I started dating named Michael Davis. And as time will tell this month marks our ten year anniversary of dating!
4. Even though I had started dating Mike, I had already been asked out to Homecoming by somebody else, so of course I had to go with him. It was the most excruciating night of my life. Mike of course got to go with this gorgeous blonde (Nichole Terry) that everybody was in love with. I did end up ditching him for one dance and got to dance with Mike. Wasn't that sweet of him:)
5. It was hard enough coming up with 1-4 I don't think I can come up with the 5th

5. 5 things on your to do list

1. Finish painting the toy room. YES I AM STILL PAINTING! We are almost finished though and with winter settling in I hope to be finished with it soon, so the kids have a place to play!

2. Clean my blinds. (That's always on my to do list cause I never do it.)

3. Finish my Christmas shopping. I am on a mission to get it done early this year so I can enjoy the season this year.

4. Clean my house (That's always on my list too, cause it's always dirty...impossible to stay on top of. I don't know maybe I'm just lazy.)

5. Organize my storage area so I can fit my food storage in. I have all my food storage in Brayden's soon to be closet and he's going to need it soon.

6. 5 favorite snacks
Cinnamon rolls (actually let's just bunch pastries into one category), Swedish Fish, Fruit, Pretzels, Crackers with Cheese and Salami

7. 5 bad habits
Dr. Pepper, procrastinating, love sleeping too much (I can not wake up in the morning,), I'm a pushover, Dr. Pepper

8. 5 favorite foods
This category really isn't fair that they narrowed it to ONLY 5! This is my favorite category!
Texas Roadhouse Salmon, Cafe Rio Pork Salad, Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, Italian Food, Chinese Food.

9. 5 favorite places you've been
1. Switzerland. The trip I took with Mike this year was amazing. It was a trip we probably never would have taken by ourselves. Let alone, never would have been able to afford. So I am greatful his company gave us that opportunity. I have so many great memories that I will cherish always.

2. Brazil. We went when Brayden was about 6 months old. It was so amazing and beautiful. I hope we will be able to go back and take all the kids one day. Kaylee and Kade have never met their Grandma and Grandpa that live there. Like I said above, it is the one vacation I wish we could all go on right now.

3.Hawaii. Even though when I went, I went as a babysitter. I didn't get to see as many exciting places as I would have liked. I still got to do a lot of fun things and it is a gorgeous place.

4. California. What a fun place. No matter how many times you go there it is exciting! Especially when you have kids.

5. Florida. I have been there a couple times. I went as a kid. And then I had a chance to take the kids for Thanksgiving a couple years ago. Grandma Wags lived there and we had a chance to go visit her and we went to Disneyworld. It was a fun trip.

10. 5 favorite memories
1. Going to my Grandma and Grandpa's house. I loved when my Grandma Ige would have "girls night" she would take us to the River Queen and get us ice cream. We would go back to her house and sit around and sing and then lay around her floor and have a slumber party. I loved when I got sleep over at my Grandma Karma's. I would lay in her cozy bed's and listen to the sounds of the cars going past at night. We would always wake in the morning to the smell of bacon, she would always make us a variety of different things because she wasn't sure what it was we wanted that particular morning.

2. When I was a little girl I would wake up really early on the mornings my dad had to work early. I would wait til I could tell he was all ready for work then I would sneak out of my bed, before he left for work, and he would sit on the couch and just hold me. No one else was awake, just me and my dad. I also remember he would bring us home jaw breakers from work.

3. I fond memory I have is a family vacation we took to California. It was the first "real" trip we had taken. It was so much fun. We did so many fun things. And for some reason I remember so much of that trip and I was only like in 4th grade.

4.I remember the day that Mike and I and Brayden got sealed in the temple. It was such an amazing day. It was a day we had been looking forward too for a long time. Brayden was so little, and I worried how he would behave and how the ceremony would go. But the day couldn't have gone better. I remember who was there, and where they were sitting in the room, I remember Brayden's precious expressions on his face when they brought him in the room, and the way he looked at everybody that was there, and for a brief moment thinking he knew exactly what was happening. I hope those memories will be with me always. It was sad we didn't make it to the temple the traditional way most couples do, but we got to share something so sacred with our little family that day. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

5.I'm going to sum 3 of my other favorite memories into one. The birth of my babies. Each one of their experiences were unique, and fascinating in their own way. They each hold a special place in my heart. Not only their birth but bringing them home and being granted the opportunity to be their mother. Hopefully I can instill in them some precious memories that they will remember always.