Church Family

Today I want my blog to be a "shout out" to all of the family that we have at church! I am so thankful for all the brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, parents, and grandparents that are around to help me with my girls! Today Rob was called into work so he was unable to attend church with us this morning. Since I participate in the choir and bell choir, I am fairly occupied during the morning. If not for all of the loving and understanding people who also attended this morning in spite of the cold and snow, I would not have been able to participate in the music during worship. So thanks to everyone for not only helping, but making us feel like part of a big family!

Black Friday

I've been meaning to update my blog for a while now, but haven't really had the time to sit down to do it. I've had lots of thoughts about what to blog about, but one thing in particular that keeps coming up is Black Friday. I am a Black Friday shopper, it has become somewhat of a tradition, and it is something that I enjoy doing. Some people think this is crazy, and apparently they have no inhibitions when it comes to telling me so! Here's the deal: some people get up early to go hunting for a week. Some people like to camp overnight in the south hills in the middle of February, and some people get up very early to go to spinning or aerobics. Do these people continually get harrassed about their activities? Maybe so, but probably not so much as those of us who enjoy getting up early to save a few dollars. Because of the great sales on black friday I have most of my Christmas gifts purchased. So now I can focus on all of the other fun activities that come up during the month. Now I don't have to worry about who's getting what, and which store has a great sale on Barbies. So anyways, I guess what I could have said in fewer words is: To each his own!!

Fall Fun!

Last night after work, the girls and I headed to Burley to hang out with Grandma, Papa, Ally, and Jerrica. They had a blast decorating their own Halloween cookies and enjoyed a lengthy sugar buzz thereafter! In the morning we all got to go see Ally play in her last soccer game of the season. Papa showed Rosanna how to operate the video camera, she did pretty good and Papa now has a new addition to his camera crew!

After lunch we drove out past Paul to the "Pumpkin Patch" where we all got to pick from a HUGE selection of pumpkins, gourds, squash... you name it! The girls had a great time together and we got an excellent price on pumpkins! After that, I sent the girls with Grandma and Lyndsey so that Dad and I could do some recording back at the house. I was able to record three songs for now, that way I have something to show people who may want to hire me to sing for whatever event they may be planning. :o) The evening ended with a yummy dinner of my mom and dad's tuna noodle casserole and some very competitive Wii Mario Kart racing! Thank goodness I still have a day left in my weekend to recover from all the fall fun!

Worship Skills

What a great night at LOGOS! I have to admit, I have had my doubts about my ability to teach young kids about how to worship. Thankfully, with a little bit of preplanning and patience, I have been pleasantly surprised by how much fun I am having! I am also learning that it is not about me, but about the interaction with the kids that will help me to teach and to learn.

Let me back up a little because I just realized that some of you reading this might not know what I am talking about! LOGOS is a children's/youth program at my church, which allows both children and adults to get together on Wednesday nights to build relationships through recreation, bible study, worship skills, and by sharing a meal together.

SO, I am responsible for the PreK-2nd grade Worship Skills class, which has 11 kiddos in it. Tonight we sang a song about the story of Noah and the Ark, and we also are learning a musical version of The Lord's Prayer. I am so happy that I did a little rearranging in the Chapel so that we could all sit together on the floor to talk about our songs. We giggled over words like "kangaroosies, roosies" and "gopher barky, barky" and we also had a very meaningful conversation about temptation. We were talking about the phrase "and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" and one of the kids asked what temptation meant. I am so excited that they are not just singing the words, but that we are ALL learning from our time together at LOGOS!

Goodbye to Max...

This morning our puppy Max died from illness. We didn't have him for very long, but surprisingly a bond had already been formed and it has been a pretty emotional time for all of us. We will miss this little guy running and playing around underfoot, but we are relieved that he does not have to suffer any longer. Thankfully, Gunner is in good health, and we can love and care for him while we work through this time of sadness.

Snow in October.

It's snowing and it's only October 4, that stinks! I love the fall and I'm not one who likes to be rushed. Hopefully this dreadful snow will go away so that I can enjoy watching the leaves turn and have a few mild weather days to better prepare me for the cold weather to come.

A Busy Saturday

Today started just like any other Saturday in September... with soccer! Rosanna totally kicked butt and scored three goals, which makes a total of seven for the season! I'm so proud of her, not just because of the goals she has scored, but because she is a great player who runs hard, and has a great sense of sportsmanship. She lets her other teammates get time with the ball, and doesn't push or call names like some of the girls on the other teams do.

Layla also got a little practice with the ball and is ready to get in there and join the team. However we decided to wait until she is five and started Kindergarten before we get her registered. After the soccer game, the girls and I went to the Farmer's Market by CSI and found some really yummy fruit and veggies, and also some homemade salsa and raspberry jam. This was our first time to the market and I look forward to going again soon!



When we got home we checked in on Rob, who had his knee operated on this week. The surgery went really well, but he is still in some pain and confined to the couch for a while to heal. The girls and I are playing nurse so that he has everything he needs, he just has to get up at least once an hour to walk around and get the circulation going. Hopefully he will be back to as good as new and ready to hike those mountain trails soon!

A "Holiday" Weekend

Along with the rest of the workforce, I have been looking forward to this three day weekend ever since the last three day weekend we had! However, it did not turn out quite as relaxing as I thought it would be. From cleaning up after sick kids to pulling down wallpaper at my grandma's house, to learning three new songs in three days... there is not much left that I haven't already done! I guess getting back to work tomorrow will feel like a vacation from everything else!

I spilled my puzzle...

I'm not great with analogies, but I tend to think of my life as a puzzle, with each piece coming together in a nice pattern that makes a beautiful picture. Some of the pieces being my husband, children, faith, job, pets, music, etc. However, lately I feel like someone has come along and scooped my puzzle onto the floor! All the pieces are still there and in good shape, they just aren't fitting together like they should be. I think one of the reasons for this is that I keep adding new pieces and I'm trying to take out some of the old ones. I just need a little rest and a chance to clear my head and then I will be ready to put everything back together again!


See, this is what happens when you write your blog at 11:30 at night!

My Nap...

Today I was reading my book in my room and I fell asleep, it was awesome. I wish I could take a nap every day!

Being a Night Person

So, here's the deal: At 10:30, I thought, "I'm not really doing anything productive, I should go to bed." However, here it is almost a quarter past 11:00pm and I am still awake. Not just awake, but on the computer, updating my blog, and I just started a load of laundry! I wanted to write my blog about this to hopefully give a little bit of insight into what it is like to be a night person. (By the way, those of you who are reading this at 7am tomorrow morning are going to have NO IDEA about what I'm talking about!)

Night people work better at night! There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. It's not because I am addicted to caffiene, or just like to sleep all day so I can party all night. It's because my mind "wakes up" during the evening hours. Unfortunately, the rest of the world operates on a day person schedule so I am forced to perform my everyday functions when I am not at my top form mentally. This is not to say that I perform poorly at my job, at least I think I do all right! It's just that, if I were at work right now(at 11:21pm), I would be flinging charts and scheduling like no other! :o)

One of the nice things about being a night person is that I enjoy several hours of "alone time" and I get a lot more done because the kiddos are already in bed. The downside is of course, I probably don't get as much sleep as I should and then I feel rushed in the morning because I like to sleep as late as I possibly can! Trust me, I have tried to go to bed early and it usually results in me getting back up to write down a grocery list or look up an answer to a silly, trivial question that has been bothering me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, I just wanted to let you all know what was on my mind tonight!

Ready... Set...

GO! Back to school, back to soccer, back to choir, back to LOGOS, back to Bells! I am ready to get back into all of the things that we love and have taken a break from this summer! Rosanna is starting SECOND GRADE (that is NOT a typo!) this year and Rob is taking some classes at ISU. Rosanna also starts soccer again, even though her space cadet mom almost forgot to register her!

This year both of the girls will get to attend LOGOS, which is an awesome children's program at our church. I will also be teaching Worship skills, which I am trying to get prepared for.

The fall time also gets us back into music, between Magic Valley Chorale, Church choir, and Handbell choir, Rob and I get to use our musical "skills" in several areas.

Although I am excited for everything that is coming up this fall, I am also relishing the quiet couple of weeks we have before we dive in!

Whew! Is it already Monday again?

Wow! This week has really flown by! Rosanna started soccer camp last Monday and went every weekday in the morning. She really loves going, plus she gets a chance to see some of her soccer buddies and brush up on those skills she'll need this fall. Also, she has decided that next year, she wants to go all day instead of just half day. I guess I have a whole year to get used to the idea! Special thanks go to my mom, who drove from Burley for three days to transport Rosanna to and from camp while I was at work! LOVE YOU MOM!

This week I had the chance to play with the bell choir at a wedding at my church. It was such a cool experience getting to be part of someone's special day, plus the bells were a beautiful addition to the wedding. Then after the wedding, the girls and I went over to the city park for root beer floats and a showing of "Charlotte's Web." I was skeptical at first that we would even be able to see the movie which was projected onto the back of the band shell, but it turned out to be a great (albeit very late) night!

I guess I should mention that while we were having fun at the park, Rob was getting ready to begin what turned out to be an exhausting and somewhat educational experience... climbing Mt. Borah. The exhausting part is that they started hiking at 5 AM (no that is NOT a typo!) and did not get home until well after dark the same evening. The educational part of the hike would be that it takes two good knees to get oneself to the top of Mt. Borah, and unfortunately that is not something that Rob is currently in posession of. However, he has vowed that he will not let the mountain beat him and is already planning on doing it again next year when he is (hopefully) all healed!

Saturday evening, we spent at my sister's rebuilt house having fun in the pool, barbequing, and just generally having a great time. Her house looks fabulous, and I'm considering hiring her out for a little decorating over here! We rounded out the week by heading to church on Sunday and then off to swimming at Nat Soo Pah with friends from church. I ended up renting life jackets for both of my girls which turned out to be really fun! Rosanna was able to go off of both diving boards and both of the girls were able to swim with me in the "deep end" of the pool.

It has been a great week and I have enjoyed all of the fun stuff we have done, the only question is, will I have any energy to start all over again!?!

Can you hear God?

Tonight while we were driving in the car, Layla decided that she needed to talk to God. "Hi God!" she said, then "I can hear him!" Then Rosanna said "You can't hear God" to which Layla replied: "Yes I can... if I am really quiet."

"Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." Mark 10:15

Birthday Girls

So yesterday was Layla's birthday... and mine! We had a lot of fun hanging out in the backyard with friends and family and eating chocolate cake. Every day I am still in shock that I am the mother of two beautiful girls, but I'm extremely thankful for it!

As a four year old, Layla has made several resolutions such as: stop sucking her thumb (first and foremost on both our minds!), buckling her own seatbelt in the car, and cleaning her room all by herself. We'll see how long it lasts!

Sidewalk chalk...

On Thursday, I had the day off, so the girls and I (and our friend Hanah) went to the store and got some sidewalk chalk to play with. Here are some of the pictures:

Fourth of July

Another Fourth of July has come and gone, and it was a great one! Rosanna stayed up late the night before to watch the weather on KMVT to make sure everything would go as planned. We were kind of worried when they said that it was supposed to rain, but thank goodness they were wrong! It turned out to be sunny and warm and we had a lot of fun playing in the pool at my parent's house, even Gunner got in and cooled off! One of the great things that I enjoy each holiday with my girls is watching them experience something new every year. Rosanna got to be more involved in lighting the fireworks this year(with Dad right there with her the whole time!). And Layla was in awe of all of the lights and sounds and even contributed some of her own sound effects during the show!

Nat Soo Pah

Today the girls and I went swimming with Grandma at Nat Soo Pah and had a lot of fun! Rosanna discovered the waterslide and probably would have stayed all day if I would have let her! As for Layla, she is fearless in the water, which scares me to death! Luckily she had her water wings on the whole time so she was able to keep her head above water.

Yeah, yeah, I know, so much for the daily blogging. Who was I kidding? Two things I didn't take into account: first of all you have to have SOMETHING to write about. Secondly, you need to be home and have everything done in time to get on the computer before you pass out from exhaustion. Not complaining though, it has been a good week, just a busy one! Barbeques, Jewelry parties, and staying overnight with family makes for a pretty busy week. Now I am looking forward to tomorrow to get caught up on some laundry and stuff before we start all over again! Did I say tomorrow? I mean today, Sunday, seeing as how it is after midnight. Sheesh! I need to get to bed!

Bells, Bells, Bells!

At long last, I have played in my very first handbell concert! What an experience! I think it went really well and I hope that everyone had as good a time as I did. Special thanks to my awesome parents who came and recorded and took care of my kids!

Well, I'm going to make this short because it's late and I need to get something to eat before I get to bed. I know you're not supposed to eat before bed, but I didn't eat dinner!

Special Treat

Since Rob and I worked so hard at bell practice, we felt we deserved a special treat! So we went to DQ to try the much acclaimed Brownie Batter Blizzard. It was pretty darn good! Other than that, things are normal, just work as usual! Don't forget about the Handbell Concert this Friday at the Presbyterian Church!

Holy Cow... or Chicken!

Too bad I had to work late tonight! I missed out on Rob and the girls coming home to find this near our front porch! I have never seen a chicken just wandering around in town before!

Dishes!

Tonight after dinner, Rosanna asked my if doing the dishes could be one of her chores. "SURE!" I said! We found some rubber gloves and I got the water running for her, and then she was off! Of course, Layla was not to be left out, and decided to pitch in by rinsing (sort of) and giving moral support! I love having children!

P.S. How about that? Two posts in one day! I really must have been feeling guilty about missing yesterday!

Rainy Day

Well I feel bad because I missed a day of blogging, but really I didn't do anything yesterday so I didn't write about it! I was just about to leave for the grocery store just now when the torrential downpour began, so now I have decided to wait it out and play on the computer for a while. The girls built a HUGE tent in their room and it can now be declared a Level 3 Disaster Area. But they are having fun, so I am letting it go for now. Rob worked last night until about 2:00, and I being the good wife waited up for him, so we slept in today and missed church :o( Too bad church doesn't start at six or seven in the evening, that would work much better with my night owl schedule! Oh well, we'll make it next time ;o)

My new favorite drink!

Recently I have been introduced to a ridiculously easy, extremely yummy way to make Pina Colada's. You take this little can of frozen yumminess, add rum and ice in the blender and *WALAH* tasty summertime adult beverage.

Needless to say, nothing of any importance has come up, so I'm blogging about a drink, but it has a picture!

Home at last...

Finally home after a LONG day at work(just busy, not terribly bad) and a quick trip to Burley to pick up the girls. I'm glad that they are home with me, even though I had to put them right to bed, it just feels better when they are in the house with us. They had a blast with my mom and dad, and also got to spend some time with their cousins. Now it's time to do the laundry and Facebook a little before bed!


Oh and to answer DeAun, you are right, I have not been back on the bike since the first time, I think my behind cringes a little everytime I think about going for a ride!

A more active lifestyle...

Last night after we sent the girls to Grandma's and Facebooked for a while, Rob and I decided to go for a walk. So we hooked Gunner up and took off down the road. Of course, we were awfully close to downtown, so we decided to take a quick pitstop for a Guinness (for Rob, not me!). It was starting to get dark so we high-tailed it back home to watch "The Office." Then tonight after bells, feeling gung-ho once again, we left bell practice and headed toward downtown again. Just our luck, "Twin Falls Tonight" is going on and there was a band playing. So we stopped and listened for awhile and chatted with friends. Before too long, we were off again. I'm not sure how far we have walked so far, but I hope that we are able to keep it up while the weather is nice. Also, something I have realized, walking makes me hungry!

Shared Custody...

I just said goodbye to the girls for a couple of days, since they are going to Grandma's house until Thursday. While Rosanna is out of school this summer, Rob and I are "sharing custody" with my parents so they don't have to be in daycare all summer long. I'm glad to have my parents so close so that they get to see the girls a lot, and vice versa. However, my house feels very empty at night when they are gone and after a couple of hours of quiet, I miss them! Such is the major downfall of the life of a working mother.

Bike Ride

Remember when we were kids and we used to ride our bikes for hours and hours on end? Well, those days are certainly over for me! I actually sold my bike to pay for Driver's training when I was 14. Then I bought a crappy bike a few years ago but still didn't ride much. Now Rob has purchased a new bike for himself and handed down his nice(but apparently not good enough for him) bike to me. First of all, do they have to make the seats like miniature torture devices? I must somehow find a way to rig a captain's chair from a Chrysler Town and Country to the post on my bike!

Nothing exciting for today, just hanging out watching movies and getting some laundry done. We just finished Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I have such a terrible memory, that even though I've seen it before, I didn't remember anything about it! It was pretty good, and now we are all caught up on the Potter films and ready for the new one that is coming to the theatre. We also watched the Princess Bride, which again, I've seen before but did not remember! It was funny! I guess now it's time to get ready for the new week we are about to start. I'd rather do this every day instead!

Good Times...

I was just thinking that I don't have to wait for some big event, or have new pictures to post for me to update my blog. Although, I do like adding pictures because it makes it more fun to look at. Anyways, I had a great weekend hanging out with friends on Friday night, and family on Saturday. I think I have long underestimated the fun that can be had just relaxing and hanging out playing the Wii, or teaching my little cousin how to throw a frisbee. My house didn't get any cleaner, and I got absolutely nothing done this weekend, but it was a great one! AND there's still one day left!!

Ahhhh... Yardwork!

This weekend was so nice it gave us an opportunity to finally catch up on all the yardwork we've been putting off for so long. We all pitched in to help, I mowed the lawn, Rob weed wacked, Rosanna "poop scooped" and Layla picked up sticks and threw them into the firepit. Then I helped the girls plant the flowers they picked out into pots, while Rob planted a couple of bushes in what used to be an eyesore of a flowerbed. It felt good to be so productive!

Before...

After...

Thanksgiving Dinner... of sorts.

After 4 months of rehearsing, the Magic Valley Chorale finally presented Elijah to the public. It was a great performance, with everything falling into place at the last minute as usual. Now that it's over, I feel a sense of calm and satisfaction, but also a little bit of disappointment. It's like Thanksgiving dinner, with preparations going on for hours and then in a quick 30-45 minutes, it's over with nothing left but the dirty dishes.

To Blog, or not to Blog...

I guess lately, it is the latter of the two. Now that I am a full time wife, mother, receptionist, choir singer, bell-ringer, soccer mom, and facebooker, it seems I have let my Blog fall by the wayside. But not to worry faithful blog-followers, it has been a good thing! I am enjoying all of the aforementioned activities, even though sometimes they make me so tired and frustrated all I want to do is crawl under my favorite blanket and go to sleep! Which, by the way is what I should be doing right now! Another reason that I have not updated my blog is that I really don't have anything new to report, which is why I have already written an entire paragraph that contains absolutly no new information and is mostly rambling.

There are a few fun, extremely normal things going on, such as:

Rosanna has lost most of her teeth and we will probably have to start feeding her blended meals and soup unless she gets some in soon! She has also started soccer again and if she would stop being sick, she will play in her first game soon.

Layla is just as cute and dramatic as ever, and has a newfound love for Easter egg hunting. Rob has been enjoying life lately by camping in the snow and attending a beer festival(not at the same time!), oh yeah, and he got another tattoo! As for me, well, we already went over that!

House... and more importantly... Home

To those of you who faithfully read my blog, I am sorry that I haven't updated it lately. As most of you know, we have been in limbo when it comes to having a place to live. However, we are now settled back in the same house we left last summer. Funny how things come full circle sometimes huh? We are so happy that the situation presented itself when it did and are finally able to take a deep breath and relax! Rosanna was able to settle into her new 1st grade class for a week before spring break hit and seems to be liking her new teacher. As for Layla, she loves her new "pink and purple" room and has been playing nonstop with refound toys. For me, at the end of the day, it's nice to be home!

Six Things That Make Me Happy!

1) My family! For a long time I underestimated just spending a quiet day hanging out with my family, now I realize there is nothing better! I also enjoy when all of my family gets together, whether it is for a BBQ or a semi-competitive game of cards!

2) Singing: From the shower, to the car, to church, and choir, there is not much that can cheer me up more than singing! Also, it seems I have passed my love of singing in the car to Layla, who I LOVE to hear belting out songs right along with me on the drives to Burley! :o)

3)SUMMER! I am growing extremely tired of winter and can't wait for the days of sunshine and flip flops! I love going swimming (did I hear something about another pool and mom's?), barbequing, and sitting on my swing, enjoying the summer evenings. Will it ever be here again!?!

4) Great Friends: I am so happy that Rob and I have such a wonderful network of great friends that we can both hang out with, and rely on for help. Thanks to all of my wonderfully reliable and awesome friends!!

5) Gunner! I suppose I should have included him in the family, or even the friends part, but he is just so great, I had to make a category just for him :o) I never thought that I would love my dog, but what do you know, I do! Even though he sheds all over my favorite blanket, I still love getting a big hug from him!

6) Bowling: it's just a great way to relieve stress at the end of the week, and have fun with friends and family. I wish I could go more!

Well I want to thank Julie for taggin me, and in turn, I think I will tag LYNDSEY!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Back to Work I Go!

The job hunt is over, HURRAY! Earlier today I got the call that I have been waiting for all week, someone wants to hire me! I am so happy(and relieved) to have found such a great job, and I start on Monday!

P.S. Thanks to all of our friends and family who have been so encouraging during these last few weeks!

Help Wanted!

As many of you know, I was laid off from my job about two and a half weeks ago. Unfortunately I have not been hired yet, but am hoping to hear back from a couple of places that I interviewed with last week. In the mean time, I have been at home with Layla, and I have to admit, it's starting to take it's toll. Don't get me wrong, I love being home with her, but we are not used to spending so much time together. I think she misses her daycare as much as I do! I can't really blame her for acting out lately, I'd do the same thing if I had to spend that much time with me!Let's hope for both our sakes that I find something soon!

Fun, Friends, and a Pepto Pink Jesus?

With the Lord as our bowling buddy, Rob and I, along with several of our friends took to the bowling lanes on Friday night for an evening filled with friends, fun and lots of laughter!

Unfortunately for Wendy, no amount of kissing up to the Good Lord Himself could help her bowling score!

The Men:

Phil, Rob, Trent, and Steve

The Women:

Wendy, DeAun, Kathy, and Me!