Christmas 2009

I'm trying to get my last post in for 2009 and unfortunately I didn't leave a lot of time to do that. :) We had a great Christmas season and it started with Hailey getting to babysit one of our favorite babies of all time at our house on the 19th. Her name is Ellie and we LOVE her. Hailey did a great job comforting her when she was sad her mommy wasn't there and once we got all the tears gone we had so much fun playing with her. It's bittersweet watching my little "baby" girl growing up and becoming the babysitter rather than the one being babysat. I remember feeling the same way about babies when I was her age...I was always wanting to hold everyone's babies (okay so I'm still the same way now) but it's fun to watch Hailey become that way too!
Unfortunately I went brain dead during our family parties and didn't even take one picture. But we had a great time as always hanging out with my family on the 23rd and Brian's on Christmas Eve. It was very different this year with my family though because my mom was sick and didn't want to come infect everyone so it went on without her for the first time ever. It's just wasn't the same without her!

On Christmas morning we gave Rocko a bully stick to chew on and he was perfectly content laying in his bed amongst all the chaos of wrapping paper flying everywhere and giddy kids excited about their gifts. He wasn't even interested in his stocking that we laid beside him until the bully stick was gone. :)

Nick was totally hoping for a telescope this year and he left his biggest present for last hoping that's what it was....and lo and behold it was! :) He was SO HAPPY!!!

Hailey got a new scooter (since her last one was stolen) and she rode it around the house all day. She didn't put a lot of things on her Christmas list this year so I was left guessing on what to get her but she informed me afterwards that I did a really good job picking out things she liked. Whew!!! The things the kids were most excited about were the tetherball set for the backyard and the Arcade Basketball game for the basement. They ran back and forth between the two all day!!! (Yes were crazy enough to be out back playing tetherball in about 10 degree weather.)

Rocko chased Hailey around behind her scooter all day as well. :)

It was a great holiday season and as always it's sad to see another year come to an end but exciting to anticipate what the next year holds. Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year!!

Thankful Thursday

I realized a couple days ago that I missed my Thankful Thursday last week...this month is TOTALLY getting away from me. Today I am thankful for many things...I am thankful that as of this morning I only have 2 more Christmas presents to get and then I'm officially finished shopping. I'm thankful that my husband still has his job even though he has a much larger territory and will be gone a little more. I am thankful I am surrounded by such great family, friends & neighbors. I am thankful to have such wonderful kids. And most especially I am thankful for this Christmas season and I am hopeful that we can see past the presents & yummy food and feel the peace and hope that is the true reason for the season.

Christmas Fun

I can't believe there's only 18 days till Christmas...I am NOT ready yet!! :) It really seems like Christmas snuck up on me this year. We just got our tree up a couple days ago (none of the pictures I took of the kids decorating the tree turned out...I must've done something funky to my camera setting) and there's not one present underneath it...I have bought a few but they aren't wrapped yet. :) We did buy the Gingerbread House Kits though and the kids had fun making those on Sunday afternoon. So we are in the process of bringing the Christmas Spirit to our home. :)


I love this picture...I actually took it on Thanksgiving. They were all on the couch relaxing after enjoying our yummy dinner with the family.
Rocko continues to love playing in the snow. Hailey and Nick enjoyed playing out there with him until he got a little too rambunctious and started trying to bite their snowsuits. I think he was a little freaked out by them all geared up.
Hailey being Vanna White (she probably doesn't even know who that is) showing the fun kits.
(It wouldn't be a Christmas picture at our house without a football game on in the background.) :)

The final products! :) Nick was just excited to eat his...that tree disappeared about 5 seconds after I snapped this picture. :)

Rocko modeling his new sweater...yes I know, I'm humanizing my pet! :)

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for the kindness of others. Those people who will lighten the burdens of others whether they know them or not. Ever since our neighbor was killed in the accident I have seen how individuals can become an army for good. I, along with countless others have wracked our brains for the right words to say and the right things to do to lighten the burden of our neighbor and friend. What I have witnessed humbles me to the core. I have seen elementary schools rally their students and faculty in gathering needed items for the family, My children's teachers have asked them what they can do to help/serve this family. (These teachers don't know this family.) I have seen primary children write words of love and simple inspiration all over a giant poster-sized card, I have seen ward members clean their home and help prepare for the viewing, funeral, & luncheon. The company I work for picked this family's memorial fund as their charity to donate to this year. A couple of sales reps who work for my company out of Florida and Kansas City are either sending money to the memorial fund or sending gift cards for the family. (No one at my company knows this family.) And I know that there are many, many more things that are being done that I am not aware of not the least of which are the countless prayers being offered on their behalf. We went to the viewing tonight and Colette was no doubt buoyed up by countless angels as she was the pillar of strength amidst one of the hardest nights of her life. I am thankful to witness all of these acts of generosity, love and kindness which has confirmed my faith in the human spirit.

One more hug...

We received some very sad news when we came home from the football game yesterday. Our neighbor (who was 31) had been killed earlier in the day in a motocross accident leaving behind a pregnant wife (due in 2 weeks), a son who is 3 and a daughter who is 2. He was a great guy and his little boy just idolized him. We are heartbroken over this news and it has put life back into perspective. We always get so caught up worrying about the daily grind and responsibilities and this is a reminder that it's more important to take the time to give one more hug, one more kiss or say one more I love you. We so often take our life for granted and it's unfortunate that it takes a tragedy like this to remind us of what's most important.

So to my family, friends and neighbors that read this I love you and I am grateful for each one of you. My life is better because of each of you. I appreciate the love, laughter, kindness, and examples you bring to my life. Give those extra hugs to those that surround you and never take a moment for granted! Please also add the Buttars' family to your prayers!

Thankful Thursday

With Thanksgiving tomorrow I thought I would write my Thankful Thursday tonight before all the cooking and chaos begins. :) I am thankful for so many things and it's always nice to have a day every year that directs you to reflect on those things. I'm thankful that I came across this "Thankful Thursday" idea in someone elses blog so I purposefully reflect each week on those things for which I am most grateful.

This year I have been continually grateful to be surrounded by such wonderful friends and family. My friends and family constantly lift me up, perform selfless acts of kindness, are always willing to listen to me vent and help me move on, and provide hours of laughter and fun.

I am thankful for blogs where I am entertained, enlightened and inspired. I'm thankful for the blogs that help me keep in touch with my friends that live far away and for the ones that help me get to know my neighbors better. I'm also grateful for the blogs of those I don't even know but feel like I've lived through a year full of struggles and victories with them.

I'm thankful for my husband and children. I'm thankful we are all healthy and happy and I'm especially thankful for the days when the kids actually remember they love each other! :)I'm thankful for a year full of memories together and I'm thankful for the opportunities we've had to learn and grow together.

I'm thankful for so many things but I am especially thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ and for his atonement on my behalf. I'm thankful for my knowledge of Him and for the role He plays in my life. I am grateful to serve in the primary with such wonderful women who are great examples to me and to be around the kids with their purity and innocence...even when they don't seem so "innocent". :)

I am thankful for my life and for everything it entails...the good, the bad, the blessings and the trials. They are all a part of what makes my life mine!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for those "Perfect Moments" in life that don't happen very often but sure are great when they do. They are the simple moments that make all the other chaotic moments worthwhile. I had one of those simply perfect moments one night this week...we were all in the living room - Nick and I were reading and talking about his book for school (it's a little hard to understand so we're reading it together), Hailey was working in an activity book doing puzzles and crosswords, etc., Brian was reading the newspaper, we had the football game on in the background, and the puppy was laying on his bed chewing on a stick he loves. No one was fighting or arguing, we all weren't running in 5 different directions, no one was chasing the dog down to get something away from him, we were all just doing our things in the same room together peacefully. It was a great moment. :)

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for humor and laughter in my life. I'm thankful that I laugh so much when I'm out with friends, at work, and at home with my family. I loved a comment Hailey made the other day when Brian and I were joking with each other and she said, "You guys sure laugh a lot together." What a great compliment that after 13 years of marriage we're still laughing and have our fun jokes with each other. I'm thankful I'm married to a guy who loves to laugh and have fun with life and I'm grateful that each of my kids have such a great sense of humor...they make me laugh everyday with things that come out of their mouths! :)

One of the things that made me laugh this week is something Brian did...awhile ago he was commenting that his hair was getting too long and that his "bangs" were in his eyes. The kids and I started laughing as we were looking for these bangs that were in his eyes. He is the first to admit that his hair has receded a little over the years and we're thinking the hair on top of his head might have CAUGHT his eye, but it certainly couldn't have been IN his eyes. :) We also let him know that we weren't sure he even HAD bangs. :) He was not appreciating these comments but we were all (including him) having a good giggle over it. Well he went to get his hair cut this week and apparently the gal cutting his hair asked him how he wanted his bangs done. He perked up and said, "I have bangs?" She assured him he did so he asked if he could get that in writing.

When he walked in the door that night he handed me this...

Too funny!!! :)

Opinions Needed

Our dishwasher (that I hate by the way) died yesterday so we're deciding whether to put money into repairing a dishwasher we hate just to keep it going awhile longer, or if we save our pennies and invest in a new one. Since I've never really shopped dishwashers (the one that died is just the one that came with our house when we built it), I wanted to get opinions on some great dishwashers/brands/models that are also a great price. :) I know that most of you that read this don't actually blog so you never leave comments, but you can send me an email with any info you think might be helpful. :) Thanks!!!!

Thankful Thursday

This is more like a Halloween post then a Thankful Thursday post but I am very thankful that the kids had a fun and safe Halloween! I am also thankful for the lesson I learned in being patient and going with the flow with my daughter this year. I don't know why I expect it to be different every year, but each year as Halloween approaches and I ask Hailey what she wants to be for Halloween I should just come to expect that what she originally decides and what she actually is are ALWAYS going to be different. :) She is not big on dressing up so we try to come up with something that won't require an elaborate costume. I thought I had it nailed this year when I suggested she be a Jazz Fan (the Utah Jazz basketball team for those that live outside of Utah and aren't big into sports). :) She was excited about that at first and we bought a plain blue sweatshirt from Walmart and used fabric paints to write "Go Jazz" on it, we got blue hair spray and face crayons to write Jazz on her cheeks and we had some wrist bands and a head band that have the Utah Jazz logo on them. Simple enough right? Well she wore that to a church party but the morning of the Halloween Parade at school she said she didn't want to be a Jazz fan anymore. My first reaction was to get frustrated that once again I wasted money buying anything for her for Halloween. But I took a deep breath and just tried to support her new ideas she was coming up with and I thought she ended up with something pretty creative that allowed her to stay within her comfort zone of not wanting to "dress up". She got a white face crayon and drew a milk mustache on her upper lip and made a sign to wear that said, "Got Milk?" I NEVER would've thought of that!!! :)

The funniest costume we saw this year though was our neighbor Travis who dressed up like Woody Harrelson's character in the movie Kingpin. (I can't remember his name.) Travis actually shaved the middle of his head bald and glued his longer hair across the top for a comb over...it was HYSTERICAL!!!!!

His right hand is a fake hand with the big championship bowling ring on it just like in the movie. Needless to say when I saw Travis out in his driveway yesterday his whole head is now shaved bald...I guess he didn't want to keep the comb over look. :)

Rocko even got in on the act this year and dressed up. Brian walked around with Hailey and her friends for trick or treating so he took Rocko with him. :)

This is Hailey and her friends when they came to our door trick or treating. The funny thing is I didn't recognize the shorter girl dressed up like Twister so I just assumed she was one of the others girls friends or cousin or something but I found out afterwards that she just came to the door at the same time and they didn't actually know her. :) She was nice enough to pose for the picture though. lol

Nick and his friends getting ready to go out trick or treating.

This obviously has nothing to do with Halloween but I thought it was so funny that Hailey had Rocko sitting on his bum on her lap while she was playing the piano with his paws. :)

Pumpkins, Choir & Snow...Yep, Snow!

After my last post I had a few phone calls and emails asking if I was okay...I was really just in a ornery mood that night but everything is good!! :) Maybe the key learning there is not to do a "Thankful Thursday" post when I'm in a bad mood. :) But we had a great weekend and I'm starting this week renewed! :)

Yesterday I took the kids to pick out their pumpkins that we were going to carve last night when Brian got home. But I got a text from Bryson at 3:30 telling us he had a choir concert at the school that night. So instead of waiting for Brian we threw down the newspaper and I let the kids do it all...usually Brian helps them actually carve. But this year they got all the guts out, drew out their faces and carved it all themselves...they were pretty excited about that.

Bryson's choir concert was awesome. He tried out for Concert Choir this year and made it. And he looked so handsome up there!! :)

What I'm not so excited about is that we've had our first snow of the season! I am NOT ready for winter yet...it is WAY too cold and windy out there. But Rocko got to play in snow for the first time and he loved it!! At first he kept lifting up his hind legs as he was walking around in it, but then he realized he could eat it and that made him forget about his little paws getting cold and wet. :) He has gone to the door constantly this afternoon to go out and play in it...at least someone likes it. :)

Thankful Thursday

I'm not in a very "Thankful" mood tonight...just ask my family, I've been pretty cranky, but maybe thinking of something to be thankful for is just what I need to do to help my mood. The first thing that comes to mind is that I'm thankful it's Friday tomorrow. It's been another busy week and I'm really looking forward to the weekend. I'm also thankful Nick is feeling a little better tonight after coming home from school not feeling well. I'm thankful I have a nice warm bed to sleep in tonight and I'm looking forward to crawling under those covers! I'm thankful for a mom who is such a great example of selflessness! And I'm especially grateful my family still loves me after I have nights like I did tonight! :) Yep, I feel much better now!

Fun Fall Break & a Little Sadness

The kids had fun doing their projects over the break and we had some fun family time. On Thursday they painted their plaster of paris pumpkins and had a lot of fun doing it. They love projects like that and I will be sad when they outgrow doing them!

Of course I don't have a picture of their finished products to post here, but you get the idea. :)

Brian had the day off Friday and I had to go into work for a meeting so he took them bowling and they all had a blast. I kept getting emails from Brian during my meeting telling me he had a "me-he-heeen bowling game" going on. :) He definitely had as much fun as the kids. Then he and Hailey went up to have dinner with Bryson and Nick went to a birthday party. I was sad to miss dinner with Bryson since we haven't seen him in a little while but I had one more phone interview to do before my day was over. That night Hailey, Brian and I watched Napoleon Dynamite...again. Such a silly show but it makes us giggle!!

Saturday morning Nick & Brian went out shooting guns with Grandpa Walker. Nick saved his money to buy his own .22 so he loves going out and shooting at targets. Hailey and I got to hang out and do a little Christmas catalog shopping with Grandma...so fun to hang out with her! Then in the afternoon we made homemade salsa and the whole family helped. Hailey found a creative way to protect her eyes from the onion burn (as you see in the picture below) but the goggles didn't help quite as much as you'd think. :)

Nick sauteed the jalapenos and said he was feeling like quite the chef but said it was hard on the eyes as well! It turned out pretty darn yummy though!!!

We finished the weekend with Nick being set apart as the secretary in the Deacon's Quorum Presidency at church and that was a neat experience as well. Nick loves his teacher so much at school that he's very excited to get back to school tomorrow and I think we're all ready to get back into the normal routine even though breaks are fun!

We did have a sad note over the break and that was that our bunny Nibbles died. We've had him for 6 years and Nick went out to feed him and he was not moving. So we're hoping he's found Squirt the Snake up there in heaven (and Libby's cat too Pam) so he has some friends up there! It's going to take Nick a little while to get out of the habit of going out there each morning to give him food and water. He's been doing that faithfully for all 6 years...we originally bought it for the "family" pet but it quickly became Nick's since he was the most loyal in taking care of it each day! We'll miss him!!!

Thankful Thursday

Well...it's ALMOST Thursday...just 55 minutes away. But today I am thankful for a couple things. One...that it is Fall Break and I get to spend the next couple of days with my kids. We have a couple of projects planned that the kids are excited to do...especially since one includes plaster of paris and painting. :) We'll see if they turn out. It's always nice to have a couple days out of the normal routine just to hang out with each other....especially since life has been so crazy lately!
The other thing I'm thankful for are blogs that show video of how to do hair on little girls. Many of you know I'm a little "challenged" in this area and it is often a source of tension between me and Hailey. :) But I came across some video blogs that show hair styles and how to do them that are easy enough for even ME! :) We've tried them in Hailey's hair and she loves the different styles and has been so grateful that I can actually do them! I posted some pictures of her cute new dos...

This one we've actually done before but it actually turned out a little cuter than normal that day...the braids were actually fairly even. :)

Thankful Thursday

Today I've decided that I'm thankful for being busy. Yesterday I was just trying to figure out how to get through the day with my sanity intact...I started going at 6:30 am and didn't stop till about 10:30 last night. The saving grace was a fun lunch with a couple of my wonderful friends. Other than that I spent the day getting the kids ready for picture day (luckily Hailey & I agreed on her outfit and hair pretty quickly), taking the kids to school, going to the grocery store, to get the things Brian needed for his fishing trip he was leaving on with his buddy, returning some things at Home Depot, 3 hours at the office working, picking up the kids from school, taking Nick to get his allergy shots, getting a bid for blinds for Nick's room, conference call for a consulting job I'm doing, parent/teacher conference with both the kids teachers, getting dinner, helping with homework, getting Nick to scouts, then a couple hours of reading resumes for positions I'm recruiting for at work. Brian was out of town so I was on my own and exhausted by the end of the day.

But today I've decided to be thankful for my schedule because it means I have people in my life that need me and I am gainfully employed. What more could I ask for? I am thankful for the hectic schedule that reminds me I'm needed, loved and productive.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for nice people. In today's world we tend to talk mostly about the mean people or bad customer service, etc. But recently I have been much more aware of the nice ones in my daily life or the ones that offer great service when we're out. The kids and I were at Subway a few weeks ago and this particular Subway has never been very efficient at getting people through the line very quickly. But this time I noticed they were efficient, friendly and we got through very quickly. On the wall was a number you can call to report any problems or offer compliments. So as soon as we sat down I pulled out my cell phone and left my message on the recording about our experience. That was not a normal thing for me to do...sadly, I'm usually much more apt to log in my complaints.

Also I appreciate the people that helped us with our basement project out of the goodness of their hearts. Between helping with the electrical part, getting us good deals on carpet and donating a counter top for the bathroom, we appreciate being surrounded by such nice people!

Thankful Thursday

Tonight I am thankful that we made it through playing a game together as a family without any major arguments from the kids. :) They have been asking us a lot lately if we can have Family Game Night (thanks to the commercials on TV about that...advertising dollars doing their job). Many times in the past however, the game ends when a fight breaks out, not when someone actually wins. So I told them we could start having Family Game Night when they were able to just have fun playing and not be so competitive that they were accusing the other of cheating or doing something to work things in their favor...or actually DOING something that made things work in their favor like not really rolling the dice...just sliding them gently out of the palm of their hand onto the game board with the exact number needed. They assured me they were to this point. The first night started out a little rocky, but they have continually gotten better to the point that we are now starting to have very enjoyable game nights. I love to play games so I am very thankful they are trying so hard to keep Family Game Night going!

Happy Anniversary

Today is our 13th anniversary and we've celebrated by going our separate ways to work, me taking Hailey to the ear doctor after school, running to the bank, then taking Nick to get his allergy shots and meeting grandma at Build a Bear for Hailey and her two cousins to make their cute little animals. I know, sounds like a romantic fairy tale right? :) It actually just sounds like real life...a life that I love and I am so glad I married Brian Morrow 13 years ago to create this life.

We actually went out Friday night to celebrate and went back to the place of our first date...a Mexican restaurant called Baja Cantina in Park City. It was yummy and fun to just spend some time chatting and laughing. Then tonight we included the kids and threw some steaks on the grill and finished the meal off with ice cream. It was delicious and Hailey let us know how lucky we each were for marrying the other. She especially made sure I knew how lucky I was to marry her daddy...she LOVES her daddy! I do too! :)

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for a few different things. I am thankful that Nick's MRI came back normal and that his ACL is exactly as it should be. So no surgery, just a knee brace hurray!! I am thankful that the snake I let Nick keep is just about to go to snake heaven. (I'm no vet but when the snake is laying upside down with his mouth open but still sticking his tongue out every once in a while I think he's about to draw his last breath.) I'm also thankful for extended family dinners and lots of laughter during them.

I'm especially grateful that as we live together as a family and fights and arguments naturally happen that they're always followed (eventually) by I'm sorry's and I forgive you's. Nothing is more important to me than my family and I am so thankful for them!

Nick's MRI & Hailey's Comment

Yesterday Nick had an MRI on his knee and he did GREAT holding still long enough for them to get everything they needed. He apparently has very "loose" knees (the right one is worse than the left) and they're concerned about it hyper extending easily. They will probably just end up having him wear a knee brace for awhile, but they wanted to do an MRI to double check the ACL. If there's a problem with that, they'll have to surgically repair it, but they really don't think there will be an issue there...keep your fingers crossed!

On the way out of our first doctors appointment for Nick's knees Hailey was talking about how Nick's last name will always be Morrow but hers could change if she gets married. She turns to Nick and says, "Who knows, my last name could be Onkadonk." Onkadonk????? Who has that last name???? I am going to fall over dead if she actually brings home a guy named Steve (or something) Onkadonk! :)

Trip to Dallas

Well it's taken me so long to write this post that it's all old news now...but we had a GREAT time in Dallas last weekend with Dave & Marci. From dinner in the "Papa" district (all the restaurants in that area started with "Papa"...our restaurant was Papasitos or something like that) to touring the 6th Floor Museum with all the Kennedy pictures, films, memorabilia, etc. Of course the highlight of the trip was THE GAME. #20 ranked BYU vs. #3 ranked Oklahoma. I found out at breakfast before the game that my brother and husband were predicting pretty much a blowout with BYU losing...WHAT???? And we spent all this money to get down here for a BLOWOUT??? They told me it was just going to be neat to see the new 1.2 billion dollar Dallas Cowboy Stadium...which WAS impressive...but I was still hoping for a better showing from BYU then they were predicting. And what a game it was!!! For those of you who have not had a chance to turn on the TV or read a newspaper in the last week, or just simply don't care about sports and tune out when anything sports related comes on...WE WON!!!! We all cheered like maniacs throughout the whole game and left with a euphoria that only comes from lack of oxygen from screaming so much for 3 1/2 hours straight.

Thanks again Dave & Marci for inviting us and for the awesome tickets!! Great game, great company, and great laughs (unfortunately from some struggles the cheerleaders were having...it's gotta hurt taking a foot to the head repeatedly)!


Dinner at Papasitos

If you look closely you'll see an X on the street in between Dave and Brian...that's where the 2nd shot hit Pres. Kennedy.

We were pretty excited when we saw our seats were this close to the field!

The 4 of us.

The CATCH for the winning touchdown!!!!!

The final score...WAHOOOOOOOO

Nobody wanted to leave after the game...we stayed and all celebrated together until the event staff started shooing people out of the building.

Thankful Thursday

I'm cutting it close writing my Thankful Thursday about 1 hour before the end of Thursday. :) This week I'm thankful I get to go on a short weekend trip with Brian. It seems like the last month or two have been so busy that we haven't even had a night to go to dinner just the two of us. So when my nice brother called and said he had a couple of extra tickets to the BYU/Oklahoma game in Dallas we jumped at the chance to go! It'll also be fun hanging out with my brother and sister-in-law...even though we live about 30 minutes from each other we don't see them near enough!! I'm thankful too for my awesome parents who are willing to come hang out with the kids for the weekend. It's always so much easier going when you know your kids are with people who love them!!

Thankful Thursday

This Thankful Thursday is a simple one...I am thankful for the days that I get to talk to the ones I love. I have realized lately how easy it is to take this for granted...having Nick gone at scout camp for a week without anyway to even tell him goodnight about KILLED me. And this week Brian is on a backpacking trip up in the high Uintas without cell service so I'll go about 3 1/2 days without hearing his voice either. It really makes you realize how wonderful it is to be able to pick up a phone at anytime (or walk in the next room) and talk with the ones you love!

And I thought a DOG was bad...

Well evidently I'm going for "Mom of the Year" this year and I will be awaiting the flowers and fame that go along with that title. :) On Sunday I was taking a trash bag out to the garbage can and I turn the corner and about step on a slithery little snake on our driveway. So I scream and run in the house yelling for Nick to come see it. He comes running out of the house with his net to catch it. Next thing I know he has the snake in the net and his old hermit crab cage all set up with a water dish, rocks etc for the snakes new home. I couldn't believe the words, "sure you can keep it" came out of my mouth and I looked around to see who said that. That DID NOT sound like something I would say about a SNAKE!!!!!! I did however make the stipulation that it would NEVER be in the house...it would have to live on the back patio. So Nick is one happy boy and has dug up worms for it to eat since that's what it said on the Internet to feed it. We'll see how long this lasts but I'm really hoping snakes have a very short lifespan!

On a side note, the kids are still totally in love with Rocko and he's getting to be a better puppy every day. Who knows, maybe we'll even beat our record of having a dog more than 3 months. :)

More Progress...

Well we are seeing that there actually might be a light at the end of the "construction tunnel" in our basement. Over a year ago we decided we'd finish a bedroom & bathroom downstairs for Nick...then Bryson would have Nick's old room when he came down. Since we've lived here Bryson has just thrown an air mattress down in either the office, bonus room or one of the kids rooms when he's here. But he's started to bring friends down with him when he comes so it would be nice for them to have a room to crash in rather than an "area". :) So we started with the framing, electrical work, vent work & plumbing for the whole basement last summer. The framing, plumbing, and vent work went pretty quickly because we hired that out but it was also fairly expensive so Brian (with the help of friends who know what they're doing) have done the electrical work and they've worked on it here and there over the winter and this summer. About a month ago we had someone come in and drywall, texture, hang the doors and attach the moldings and yesterday we actually got to the painting stage...HURRAY! Nick has been so patient waiting SO LONG for his new room and he was very excited to help paint. We got his bedroom and bathroom fully painted yesterday and the 1st coat on the hallway walls with most of the 2nd coat before we ran out of paint (and energy). So tomorrow we'll finish the hallway and then we're ready to order carpet. Wahoo!!!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for a new school year kicking off today and for kids who are excited about it. Even though I think summer went WAY too fast, this time of year is always exciting. Going to see the class lists and finding out who your teacher is and who is in your class; going to meet your teacher and seeing where your desk is and who you sit by; picking out your "first day of school outfit"; filling up your new backpack, and waking up with a few butterflies in your tummy when the big day finally arrives. I'm thankful for the teachers and the PTA volunteers who do so much for my children and we're looking forward to a great school year...Nick's LAST year in elementary school...WOW!

After the kids left this morning Rocko searched the whole house looking for them. I think he's going to be a sad little poochie during the day while the kids are gone.

One of the PTA members decorated the Teachers Lounge in this jungle theme.

Nick's face was one of the monkeys...so cute! (Thanks for telling me about it Mary.)