Stokes

I blinked and like 3 months past :-)

2011-12-04T06:29:00.000-08:00

I had to have the grocer snap about 11 of these babies to finally get 1 of the teenager looking with a smile, and only because the grocer said he could play a game on his iPhone until dinner came. . . . hey I am not above bribery when it comes to pictures.

I am not sure how this happened? It went from September to December when I blinked :-) It has been a jam packed to the rim past few months and so far there have been no signs of slowing down. School is as usual it's own kind of crazy then you add dance rehearsals, orthodontist appointments, the teenager work schedule and just flat out the teenage schedule which is definitely a thing of its own, and walla you get a September to December thing ! The girls have both been super busy, as usual for this time of year with dance recitals and nutcracker rehearsals. The teenager, it seems, is gone every chance he gets hangin' chillin' or whatever it is they call it these days :), he recently started drivers ed so that means I see him a little more because his friends are usually Long gone by the time he gets done with that, so yay, 1 bonus point for the mom ! Our baby, puppy who is going to be 9 months in a few short days, is still growing like an out of control weed! He is the sweetest teddy bear of a dog, but the problem is he thinks he is a tiny dog, he has no clue how big he is and this has become a problem for whatever child is laying on the ground when he just goes limp and lays right on top of the poor child. He still favors Miss Brynlee and is usually not far from where she is.

During these past few crazy months we took a little 4 day weekend and flew to San antonio . It was a quick trip but it was so well worth the craziness.The kids and I arrived with my mom and little Bro a day early and the grocer flew in the next day, I mean after all who could resist Halloween with Shamu?

2011-09-14T19:37:00.000-07:00

The kids are in their 3rd week of school now and we are finally getting into the swing of the "school schedule" I am not one for schedules, but I must admit, I kind of like the structure. The kids go to bed surprisingly without arguing every night at 9 sharp leaving me with a few hours of ME time, or ME and the grocer time, or ME and Rueben time, either way its got ME written all over it :) This was a sad mom year for me as my baby boy started High School and my baby princess went to Kindergarten, tough adjustment for me. Its quite and clean around this house though and I really am enjoying getting things done that I didn't get to this summer.

Brynlee loved her 1st day of school! She was so excited on the night before that she picked out her clothes 5 different times. This is her teacher Miss Louisa, I had to warn her that Brynlee will be giving her family updates about every 20 minutes through out the day, as she thinks the entire population needs to know what goes on in our home! I can't believe she is barely going to Kindergarten though, because it seems to me that she is far past that. She knows her letters, colors, shapes, she can write and she is now reading on her own, this past summer she learned single digit addition, I am hoping they can teach her some new stuff :)

This is such a typical Brynlee picture, this girl loves to "pose"

Here is Mr. Stokes on his way out the door on his 3rd day of school, yep 3rd day, he snuck past my camera the 1st two days, what a little sneaky teenage highschooler! So far so good though, he is actually enjoying school, he was lucky enough to get classes he wanted. The only thing I have heard him complain about is getting up early, which I totally don't blame him for, I don't like mornings either :) Miss Savana couldn't wait to get back to school, this little social butterfly loves to be with her age kids as much as possible. She loves everything about school, the planning out clothes for the week, hair-dos, new shoes and backpacks, recess, honor classes . . . . she is an awesome fun little girl. So with all my darlings in school it frees up my time to spend some more time with this guy and the little darling Cinderella :)

2011-08-31T20:03:00.000-07:00

School started this week and the 2 older kids went to their schools and so far so good, I am laughing because 3 days into school of course it's all good :) Princess Bryn starts next week and I am not looking forward to watching my baby go to school.
I finally got a few pictures of my nephew edited, now the hard part is choosing the ones I want to print. He is such a sweetie pie. I have not yet looked at 1st day of school pictures of the kids, I figured I would wait until next week when I can snap one of the princess. I decided to do a tale tale post of tidbits of none other than ME!

1. I wash my car almost every other day not me personally, I actually pay $10 bucks to have it washed, which is a total waste of money because I live down a dirt road and the road to get out here is also a dirt road. It drives me crazy to have such a nice sports car and drive it dirty, so my car washing has become an outright obsession!
2. I love a vacuumed room, I have been known to not let the kids walk across a vacuumed room because I don't want them to ruin my nice straight lines, I have them walk around the long way.
3. I hate to cook dinner, we eat out about 5 times a week because of my kitchen hate.
4. I don't sleep very well if I don't have newly washed sheets, I strip down my bedding every other day and wash it all, sheets, top blanket and pillow cases - it takes about 3 1/2 hours to do this and I do it because I am a little crazy and fear my sleep will be interrupted if I don't do it
5. I let my 5 year old put on makeup everyday, I do this because it makes it really easy for me to stand in the bathroom and get myself ready and have her occupied on the other side of the vanity, I realize it could pose a problem when she wants to go to school with make-up, I don't really care because I like to get ready with out any interruptions
6. I would much rather shovel stuff in the horse corral than clean my own toilets, I also would rather go be the pooper scooper in the yard for my giant dog, than clean my own toilets
7. I have mad will power when it comes to food, when I decide certain foods are off limits I can stay off them for months!
8. I haven't had a soda for a year on September 9th
9. I watch all my movies with sub titles because I have convinced myself I am semi deaf
10. I hate working out but I force myself to do it. I think anyone who says they love it are lying
11. I can't remember the last time I moved my fridge and cleaned under it
12. I usually forget to shave my legs until I am in shorts and sitting in a car noticing how gross they are
13. when I sleep I have 3 pillows
14. I used a glue gun to hem Savana's jeans the other day because I was too lazy to sew them
15. the rare times I do cook, if it is totally disgusting I pretend it tastes good so everyone will still eat and I don't have to re-cook
16. I go into super freak momma bear mode when it comes to my kiddos
17. I think pumpkin yogurt is the best invention ever
18. I would sleep until noon if I thought the grocer wouldn't find out
19. I am secretly in love with Matt Damon
20. I am insanely afraid of the dark . . . . . . . .

August Rush

2011-08-22T20:04:00.000-07:00

We have been having a blast this month, I can honestly say that right now at this point in life, I am loving life! I love the ages of my kids and how I can take them almost anywhere and have fun with them, the little one is old enough to be able to hang and there is very little fighting or melt downs anymore, (in public that is). It is funny where life takes you and the the things you was once thought were important and big deals just seem kind of lame, I am super content being wife to the grocer, sister to my nutty sister, and mom to these treasures of mine. The grocer had to work out of town today, so I thought I'd take the kids swimming in this 90 degree weather. It was a nice get away and totally kept us cool.The county fair came to town and we enjoyed eating lots of yummy fattening food almost every night it was here. The last night we headed into town and to the Rodeo, it was Savana's 1st rodeo and she did not appreciate the calf roping!My city slickers tried there hand at the mechanical bull! They all rode their hearts out :)

Worst blogger ever!

2011-08-18T08:04:00.000-07:00

I admit it, I am seriously a terrible blogger person. So now that I have admitted it and gotten that out of the way, lets move on to some good stuff . . . . I don't really have a post post but I have like a bunch of stuff, my brain and life have been on serious over-load and I just need to get some things up here. We are soaking up every last drop of summer and trying our hardest to not "dread" the upcoming date at which time, all things must come to an end and school will be starting, nope we refuse to "dread" that!

We had a good ole' fashion Stokes Hoe down here at the house. We had about 52 guests it was insane - insane fun! Really, we all had a blast, soon I will even post some pictures :) The grocer has been working overtime on the house addition and it is almost finished, I can't wait to walk through a room and not stub my toe on a power tool of some sort lying around. The International Dance Festival came to town and we housed 4 sweet boys from India, my kids love participating in this event. It is a super crazy week with all the dancers but we do enjoy it and have done it for several years and will continue to do it. . . .

Savana got an early ? I am not sure what present but her pony is finally here! Chloe arrived early one morning and the kids all went outside to greet her. We left her in the corral with Phoebe, only speaking to her and giving her treats for the day, to let her absorb her surroundings. The next day Braeden had her saddled up and riding around! He is so good with the 2 ponies and so good with the girls around them, he is very careful and aware of the ponies and their hooves and mouths which is a big rule. The girls can't saddle Chloe with out Braeden around and he has been (so far) pretty good about helping them.

I am not being naive in my thoughts, I do know summer is ending, but we have yet a good week and a half and so I must be getting off this computer and making some plans with the kiddos now!!

Rylan Daniel ♥

2011-07-30T21:02:00.000-07:00

Finally after 8 months and 1 week of waiting for this tiny baby boy to arrive - HE DID!! I am the proud auntie of Rylan Daniel Stevenson. Congrats to my nutty sister and her new baby. We are doing a photos shoot with him tomorrow I am so excited I can barely stand it . . . . This past week we were a host family for 4 dancing boys from India! We have so much fun with them, but WoW was it ever work!! The places we went and the people we saw, I would post some pics but it is all I can do from falling asleep right now, so pictures & details tomorrow. This moment I will leave you with this sweet pic of the baby and his Uncle Steve . . . .

2 weeks in 1 post

2011-07-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

We have packed lots of things into the past few weeks, with more to come in the next few! I thought while I actually had a *spare* ( I use spare lightly here ) moment I would jot down a few things here. We took our family and of course the teenager's BFF Lexi up to Almo camping for a few days, we had alot of fun chillaxing and just hanging out. While we were there we took a trail ride on horseback through City Of Rocks. The poor grocer rode Bob up and he was practically falling asleep standing, he couldn't get him to speed up for nothing, it was hilarious! The older kids loved it, I left princess Brynlee back at the camp with Grandma and Grandpa. We took advantage of the natural warm springs one hot evening after dinner. I think by night 2 the grocer had "let it all go" and relaxed :)
Relaxing on the deck at the Out Post , there was a live band playing some country stuff inside so we sat and listened on the deck for a bit, before heading back up to the campsite.
The grocer and I have been up to City of Rocks several times, however we have never gone as a family. This camping trip we made it a point to go up there, and also climb Bath Rock while we were there. It was harder than I thought. I am not an athetic person, but I am no means a lazy one either, I thought in my head, Oh climb that rock, ok, should be fun and easy. Pfft, who was I kidding, it was hard work, and scary too. We decided to take the teenager, his BFF and Savana, the Princess stayed at the bottom with grandma. We also decided to leave Rueben down at the camp.
What a gorgeous family if I may say that :) I am not a fan of chick sports, I seriously dreaded game nights. I just have never really been a fan, I for one think its a waste of time, but little Savana has a blast, so I continue to keep up the "pretense" of the wonderfully happy adoring mother" ha! Savana kicked some softball butt this year with her pop fly catching, surprisingly long armed throws, and the most common grand slams she hit! Her team only lost 1 game during the season and didn't lose at all during tourney, Stokes softball team once again took home that 1st place trophy. YaY Savana! I have to admit, she was darling out on the field :)
Our amazing nanny finally had her baby girl - one day past her due date and 12 1/2 hours of labor later, came the gorgeous addition. We love Tiff and are so happy for her new family! I did a mini-photo shoot of the baby already and can't wait to edit them and et them printed!
It has been an activity jam packed season here and a bit stressful at times I admit, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Summer is flying by and I am happy to say we are taking advantage of every opportunity that flies our way :) The princess and I at iHop eating breakfast, I heart me some Brynlee!

2011-07-13T06:49:00.000-07:00

I love the days that end up as nights by the fire :) This past weekend we all worked around the house doing yard work and clean up around the addition. The kids got done and decided to go swimming together for a bit. After dinner we had a nice big fire to just sit around and relax. The grocer has been a busy grocer this summer, he has done so many projects around the house to make it more relaxing and enjoyable for us. One big one is the vinyl lattice he put up around the gazebo surrounding the fire pit, it makes it that much more cozy and private from the road behind us, on top of that he is putting in a privacy fence behind our house! I love him and all his hard work he does for us. I am not sure where he finds the time or energy, but way to Go Steve!Mr. Rueben is never not part of any activity we do! We have a camping trip planned this weekend and I really excited for him to go on his first camp out :)

Summer & the 4th

2011-07-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July has come and it has gone . . . this really makes me sad because it seems to me that once the 4th is over, summer just flies by ends and school starts again! So what other choice did I have but to celebrate the holiday with a bang - ha. We had like a 3 day party around here with my favorite peeps, ate too much yummy food, and all of us have had not near enough sleep, but hey - what are the holidays for? I decided long ago holidays were for family fun and not for the regular house stuff chores. I don't want my kids to remember the days when mom was in the kitchen all the time cleaning, or barking out orders all day long. I am all for the clean stuff but not on the holidays :)

Bo & JoeWhile I am trying to lay out and get some color, the grocer decided to *steal* my rays!My pina colada cupcakes in a jar! The girls saw these little yummies in a magazine and have been on my case to make them. We finally did and they were a big hit!Living where we do, shoshone falls is just one of those things that must be done a few times a year. It was an awesome day so we hit the lake afterwards and spent the day chillaxing in the sun.Awwe, love this man!The poor pregnant nanny is sooo ready to be done with this pregnancy - maybe I'll make her a little castor oil smoothie :)My bestie! I have had some relationships in the past that have taught me one thing and one thing only - my sister is the only one true friend I can I ask for! Friends come and go but family remains no matter what, and my sister is the best! Friends are good to have and great to be with but in the end family is all that counts, they are the ones who will still be there when something rough goes down and everyone else disappears. I am so lucky to have her, we have a blast together and our girls are all learning this family thing too . . . . I love the family time and holidays together.

Random Family Fun

2011-07-01T08:14:00.000-07:00

It isn't the 4th yet, but that hasn't stopped us from partying like it is! We have been to the firework stand everyday this week and let the kids light off fireworks (day or night) they really just enjoy them either way. The town over from us had their firework show last night, so we had dinner in the park, then just relaxed on our blanket until dark time. My sister's nutty baby who is a little firecracker herself, was scared to pieces, my sister had to bail early and take her home. It took us about 40 minutes to finally get home, but we did have a nice evening spent with family. I am so glad my nutty sister came to the park with us, we have a blast together and no one knows why, only us, it makes it that much more fun!!

Princess Brynlee loves all things girly, which totally excites this mamma, when she asked me today if I would curl her hair, I about ran to the bathroom to heat up the iron, for fear she would change her mind, ha! I don't know why it is so hard to get a smile from the grocer, but it is, and after trying about 7 times I got one, YaY me! :)

My nephew is getting a horse this weekend so we went over one evening this week and helped him with his corral. It was some hard work, and he has done most of it himself, in one week. One night with my allergies was about all I could stand to be out there right now. Joe is gonna love his new home, Bo did a great job on this corral. We can't wait to meet him.

Are we really half way through June?

2011-06-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

June has been flying right by us at lightning speed, sheesh! I have come to a point in my life where I have learned to *chill* so the laundry may not always be done, there might be dust on some side tables and gasp, beds might not be made - BUT IT IS OK! Time is so precious when you have little ones and I am going to take full advantage of time right now. I am practicing on being more spontaneous, spur of the moment, fly by the seat of our pants, ha. If something comes up and we still have "chores" we just might finish them later and go spend some time together having fun :) I can see how this sounds a little crazy to some, I mean where is the structure, where is the responsibility? Believe me there is still plenty of that to go around, but it is summer break after all and shirking some house hold duties never killed anyone (that we know of) It is a little hard I am not gonna lie - it isn't all peaches and cream - sometimes it takes a lot of will power to ignore the mess and focus on the fun! We are living in the moment and having a blast. . . . . soon, summer will be over and my kiddos will be one more summer older so we are embracing the togetherness :)
The grocer and I had to run to Twin to grab a few things for the addition and we took the teenager and his bestie Lexi - mostly because she is ALWAYS here :) These 2 kids are so dang fun to have around, it's like a comedy show, they definitely keep us laughing the entire time.We went camping last weekend with the grocer's family. We took up the 4wheelers and bikes and had yummy food and lots of R & R. It was a nice little getaway - our goal is to try to get away to the mountains every chance we get this summer. It is really a great family time, sans technology :)The grocer took the teenager and went to a store meeting for a few days in Utah, the girls and I didn't waste anytime packing up and heading to the water park! We came home exhausted and hungry, we stopped at the store grabbed some food, and headed home, we had a carpet picnic and got into bed together and watched Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Roderick Rules. It was such a cute little flick . . . Not to exclude out newest furry family member . . .Charlie had his 1st vet call. The vet was so gracious to visit us on his route, saving me the hassle of trailer training him :) - Thanks Kelly! Apparently, mosquitoes and equines are super enemies and he needed vaccinated for West Nile ASAP since we live by a canal . . . .weird learning all this horse stuff.

Since we added our newest member, Rueben has become quite the mommas boy. All I was trying to do here was sit with my laptop, but Rueben had other plans, he kept laying straight across my lap, on the keyboard! Oh how we love this boy!

Charlie

2011-06-18T20:49:00.000-07:00

We decided since we are super busy crazy already, let's add a side of miniature horse to the existing crazy hot mess :) We found Charlie in Blackfoot on a farm amongst 10 other minis and we just wanted him. He is so sweet and gentle and loves kids. I picked him out a few weeks ago and told the kids we would be driving down to look at him soon. Today we surprised them and had him delivered to the house while the kids were outside working on chores. They can't get enough of him and Rueben thinks we got him another dog! I laugh because they are going to be species confused, since Rueben will soon be the size of Charlie. If Charlie starts barking or Rueben starts neighing it sure won't surprise me a bit. . . . .it'd be something like -welcome to our crazy life :)

Random June Stuff

2011-06-13T21:36:00.000-07:00

So the grocer is at it again. Him and the teenager are doing another house project, this time they went above and beyond :) They decided to add an RV garage and put a game room on top of it. It really shouldn't even surprise me that the grocer is doing this, I mean he CAN NOT sit still. It does however surprise me that he does this in his spare time, which is quite sparse to begin with. I am loving the fact that the teenager gets to work side by side with his dad and learn lots of cool *boy* stuff. They are building some awesome memories that I am sure the teenager will look back on often, when he has a son of his own. I am so thankful the grocer is such a good dad and all around amazing man

Rueben my boy has left the building! Ha, he went away last week to 4H doggie boot camp with his handler, Shawna. I miss him so stinkin' bad, but the grocer keeps telling me, it is for the best, he needs to trained and I need to learn to follow through on his training. . . . . but he looks at me with those big ol' eyes and I just melt♥This picture cracks me up, he looks pitiful, like he is walking the walk of shame or something :) My niece Taya came and watched her cousin Savana play some ball - play is a very loose term here . . . .At one point in the game my silly girl was dancing -while the game was going-. Ahhh she cracks me up, I am glad she doesn't take chick sports so serious :)June is flying by and we are loving summer . I love the unscheduled randomness...

2011-06-08T06:18:00.000-07:00

The weather around here stinks and really can't make up it's mind about being either spring or summer. We have had a handful of nice days, but nice being about 72 tops, which is odd for June weather. Our pool is up but no way are we going in there, the city pool is up and running but no one is going there either. The river here is flooding and boats have been banned. It has just been odd all around I suppose. We drove out to one of the damns in the area. It was so full it was scary, Savana stayed in the car with the grocer because the rushing water made them both nervous.
We stopped at my sisters house for dinner and 4 wheeling. Our night would not have been complete if the girls couldn't feed "Poo" some carrots. Savana was a little stand-offish with her, but princess Brynlee, who has no fear of anything, jumped right in there and pet the horse, fed her, and was pretty much just fascinated with her. I can never get the teenager to take a picture for me. This is a rare moment when I called his name, he looked. saw the camera, but to my surprise he didn't immediately scoff and look away.

My princess had to have her sweet sweet shades on to ride the 4-wheeler :)

Whose kids are these? Surely they cannot be mine, these ones are all so big, Ha! Father time please slow down . . . . . .

2011-06-03T06:23:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been busy, but why, it is summer vacation! We did a little of this and little of that. . . . .my goal for next week and the following weeks to come is *to not make myself crazy busy* I always find myself running around taking kids here and there, picking them up, going somewhere else at a certain time, and I am just sick of it. I have to remember when I am stressed out to the max, dinner is late, laundry is piling up - We do this stuff to ourselves, but why? I am not gonna do it anymore - I am gonna be okay if my kids don't participate in every single function this town has to offer and they will probably be a lot happier at that :) The grocer took Monday off - Memorial Day. We did yard work in the am and just chilled the rest of the day. It was a nice way to start off the week.

That same evening we took our families to see Pirates 4, YUCK! I did not care for this show at all, it just kind of drug on and on. The grocer and the teenager liked it though.

Baseball season has started and so far Savana has had 2 games (which she won), but they were both frrreezing, so this is where the princess Bryn and I have ended up both times - in the car with a heater!

Thriller! Do you remember learning the thriller?

We had a nice busy week with our family and friends. I am gonna have lots more nice weeks, sans the busy part :)

2011-05-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

This past week went like a blur, super busy but great. School's out for the summer! Yeah, I love having my three treasures home with me. This extra long weekend we got busy and did some yard work, real down and dirty, all day long yard work. I am so proud of the teenager, on top of working for his dad at the store, him and his good friend J. have decided to start a little side business - Yard work :) they made flyer's and got their 1st job Saturday when the grocer hired them to lay sod. He is such a little entrepreneur, no lazy dog days of video gaming or night game wasting for him, he says he needs to work hard ! Wowzaa I am sooo lucky because he is getting older and it is like having another guy around the house to help me with "heavy lifting" when I need it. My cup runneth over with him . . . . The girls had friends over and played the weekend away, the dog *helped* the teenager and the grocer and he needed a bath in a bad way and of course that one little responsibility came to me, as I am the primary disciplinarian when it comes to Rueben, I don't think he would have cooperated for anyone in a bath tub full of water, ha. I really don't mind though, because I freaking love that dog! I don't think the grocer can handle sitting still and just chillin', he is ALWAYS doing a project, don't get me wrong I am way grateful for this, I just think he is funny, I mean really where does he get his energy? He works well into 60 hours a week and still makes this yard and house look immaculate - sheesh, I need some of his energy :)
We went to the early service at church so we could enjoy the rest of the afternoon home with the family. . . .

My little graduate and her hair

2011-05-25T07:40:00.000-07:00

My Princess is so into all things hair, so when someone in her class had shiny hair, she was all about it! My nutty sister came over, bringing all her hair supplies and fixed Brynlee right up with bling strands in her hair. When I asked Brynlee, "do you like it" she said,, "I Love it!!"

She woke up in the middle of the night and asked me very sleepily, is my hair strips still in mom? Mini-Me I tell ya!!

Princess Brynlee had her pre-school graduation this past week, sad day. I told the grocer we will never again have a preschooler in this house until it is our grandkid! Ha, I am not sure he really enjoyed that comment because he gave me the weirdest look I have ever seen and then said nothing :) I had a mini photoshoot with her in her cap and gown and made invitations out of the pictures I took. We went to her ceremony and then had a graduation party here at the house for her. It started out small (in my head) then me -in spite of me- got carried away, as usual when it comes to parties. My little party turned into about 35 people coming for dinner and a huge sleep over with 6 kiddos. It was great though, I always enjoy a good party!! I am sad about the fact that this actually happened. My baby is getting older and those milestones are coming at us like the lines on a freeway, I can't stop them, try as I might, life continues and with it my children are growing. I am one proud mamma watching all their accomplishments, but they all come with a bitter-sweet twist.....enough of the sad mom moments this day was about Brynlee and she knew it, all day long she would say, I get to do that, or I get to go 1st, it's my graduation day :)

Congrats to my Bryn for another sucessful school year. I have said it before and I will say it again, watch out for those Stokes Girls they are forces to be reckoned with :)

The many faces of Savana :)

2011-05-19T06:22:00.000-07:00

Wordless Thursday Post . . . . . .

My oldest adds another year.

2011-05-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

The time has come . . . . .waaaah! My tiny boy turned 14. I don't like it, I don't like it at all. I don't like the hands of time spreading over my family and dusting it with aging children. Braeden turns 14 this Tuesday and since it is during the school week, we celebrated his birthday this past Saturday and Sunday. For a few weeks now he has been telling us he wanted to go clothes shopping at the Buckle. The Buckle is a cool store but really not good on the wallet. It was for his birthday though, and normally if he wants to go there it is on his own dime, this being his birthday and all, we decided to take him. We went to his cousins and had cake and a bbq. We took the dune thing and his bike and the kids were able to ride in all the fields. On the way home I asked him if he had a good day and his response . . . Uh Huh. That really made me laugh - he was smiling ear to ear this weekend and for him to actually admit that would be totally un-cool I guess. We love that boy and we are so greatful to have him in our lives. Braeden is the coolest kiddo ever. I have no clue what I have done to deserve such an amazing person in my life, but I am sure counting my blessings . . .
We dropped the girls off at my moms and took Braeden shopping, he looks so excited, ha! Totally the opposite of me when I get to go shopping!!

The teenager's new ride . . . the grocer has been wanting to get one of these for a while now and with the teenager turning 14 it was just perfect timing, Happy Birthday :)

WoWzaa - what an amazingly handsome young man , ha, just saying . . .

2011-05-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

I am so honored to be the mom of these kids. WoW it really is an amazing thing to be a parent and to watch your children learn, grow and become little people. . . .

Savana has had such a long past 2 weeks with dance. I am so happy to say she had her last day of 4th grade last Tuesday and I get to have her home with me the rest of the summer!I was getting ready to take the teenager to school and princess Bryn came running down the hallway saying, "wait! kisses and hugs" Awwe I love the tender moments between these two. They have a unique relationship because they are 10 years apart. This was supposed to be a "wordless" post but I guess I ruined that part by sticking words in it, Ha! I will do better on my next wordless post :)

☺

2011-05-10T06:59:00.000-07:00

The month of May continues with it's crazyness! Savana invited her cousin to come see one of her many performances. This was Brynlee's night off and she spent it sleeping in my arms at the recital, she has been a little sick for 12 days now, with today finally looking like she is getting on the other side of it - finally! In the midst of the chaos we had a girls movie night, perfect way to let off some steam and let the little girls relax. . . So I walked into the girls room to tuck them in and found them here . . . . saying their prayers together, with Savana leading. . . .awwe I love the fact that they pray with out me, that they pray on their own and that they believe in prayer . . I am going to do something I rarely do, I am going to give myself props for doing such a good job with my girls right now, because sometimes I feel like a mom who can do nothing right, a mom that spent too much time doing housework, or reading, or anything else besides the time I should have spent with the kids. May is a crazy busy month and I go to bed feeeling like a failure, a failed mom for not spending or talking enough to the kids that day. I feel like we spent too much time on the run, in the car, or just speaking to them to give them orders on which clothes to pack, and to hurry up, we only have 10 minutes. I know this is not true, for the most part, I know we (moms) must all feel that way at times. So right now, in this moment, I am actually a very proud mamma and despite the lack of time we have right now, I feel like I am sending them on the right path, because already they know the Lord as their Savior and believe in the church and the power of prayer, and that right there tells me, NO I am not failing my children:

♥ ♥ ♥

2011-05-07T06:55:00.000-07:00

We have been crazy busy this past week with dress rehearsals and end of of school stuff. The girls had rehearsal and 2 practice performances 4 times this week, it was super girl busyness around here. Savana is older and can handle the rush a little better than her sister, we got through the busy week with just one melt down from her, over her tights being too tight, ha. Princess Bryn on the other hand. . . . meltdown central. I have done this for a few years with Savana so I kind of knew Bryn would be a little whirlwind of a hot mess, but she really put a spin on things with asthma, allergies, breathing treatments and fevers. In between rehearsals and naps we added breathing treatments, but as the saying goes -the show must go on.

Savana really was a good sport, coming straight home from school, switching outfits and eating on the run...

This melt down was right before I needed to do makeup ( we were already running behind ). It all started because we were out of hot cocoa it just escalated from there :)

Poor Rueben doesn't know if we are coming or going, he just waits patiently in his kennel for us to come let him outside for a few minutes and put him back in...

Savana got some snuggles one night after practice. Next Week, final recital then we prepare for try-outs the next week . . . . never a dull moment .

The grocer has mad skills

2011-05-05T06:17:00.000-07:00

Yeah he has mad skills alright, and he is teaching them to the teenager! The front entry way of our house has been an eyesore since we moved in about 6 years ago, we have always wanted to pull off the fake rock siding stuff that had been there and put up cultured stone. We just never had, because we figured it would be a spendy little project and other things always came up. Spendy is right! We had it bid out and the bid came back about $2700.00. Ouch. The grocer, being the grocer that he is said, absolutely not, I am not spending that, I can do it myself. He checked into this, took a day off work, that's right one day, and he did it himself. After school, and after he got the hang of it, he recruited the teenager and taught him as well. He saved way over half of that amount. I am so happy with the results and I can't wait to get everything else I want done, bid out, because that seems like the perfect motivation to get the grocer to get it done :)
I am so blessed to have such a patient dad to my teenage son. He stopped everything and walked over the tools, how they work, the saftey issues, what each one does and explained how to do this project correctly. Braeden was soon the pro just like his dad, and the two of them cranked it out for the rest of the evening. When it was all finished we loaded up everyone in the car and went and got a treat, what fun would that have been to only get the two workers treats, ha. When we pulled back into the driveway, we all just sat there and admired the newly rocked addition :)

1 sentence for each person on one day . . .

2011-05-01T06:03:00.001-07:00

Saturday was an okay day for weather, we woke up and expected it to be nice so we can do some outside work, it didn't really warm up until after 3 though, so everyone kind of did their own thing, ha!

SATURDAY : Here is what each Stokes did . . .I for one, hate yard work, so I stayed inside and did a few house things until way after 3 when it finally warmed up. Brennan and his mom picked Braeden up, after he mowed the lawn, and they went to KiWi Loco.Rueben had his 1st, of 10, obedience training lessons with a dog handler.

Savana did some house work and then she left to go to Tiff's house. Tiff kept my girls all day long, they baked brownies, made crafts, and then topped it off at Storybook park, we heart Tiff.Braeden got up early and mowed the entire lawn, then spent the day hanging out with his cuz, Jordan, Drew and Lexi. Brynlee woke up very late, got dressed, ate a donut and then split, she went to Tiff's with Savana.

This hardworking grocer woke up at a ridiculous hour, went to town for cinnamon rolls and then immediately got busy on outside house stuff, he got the 1st scratch coat of stucco done on our entry way :)

There was a time in the day when all the kids were gone, the grocer and I took full advantage of that, we went to Real Deals looking at home stuff and then we went out to Rupert and enjoyed a quiet late lunch. Everyone eventually found their ways home, and we ended the night hanging out with my parents, my sister and her family, and some friends. It was a great night, totally unexpected when people started showing up but hey . .. . the more the merrier right? We didn't go to bed util waay late and now I am nervous about how the kids will be acting when I get them up at 7:30 for church, ha! I always say you guys can take a nap after church.

Our new header . . .

2011-04-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

It has taken me nearly 5 months to change the header on the top of this blog because I didn't want to take Maverick off of it. The time has come, I decided, to update it anyway. Although Maverick is no longer on the family blog, he will forever be in our hearts as that crazy out of control dog that we all loved. .. .

Easter twenty-eleven

2011-04-26T21:05:00.000-07:00

1st off, I am pleased to report, Rueben is transitioning into our family perfectly. Easter weekend was Krazy! Ha, we packed in 3 parties with both families in 3 days, it was a blast. My house, dishes and laundry would disagree, but who are they to argue with our awesome weekend? My best sister in law Lisa and I went out shopping Friday morning and then enjoyed a lunch together kid-less, then school got out early and she offered to keep all my kids at her house while I went home and unpacked my car and put things away. We then re-convened at my house for dinner, a movie and a 10 foot fire the boys built in the fire pit. The grocers family all arrived also. Saturday started early with breakfast, easter basket hunt and a picnic . . . . . dinner, and kiwi loco . . . bed waaay too late. Sunday the grocer and I got the kids up and ready and headed to the Easter service at my church, it was so good to be in church on Easter morning, it was a great service with an awesome message about our Saviour. We headed to my sister's house for lunch and a huge scavenger hunt. I would say the weekend was a success and everyone enjoyed all the family time we had. It has taken me nearly 2 days to get my house back in order but it was worth it. Family is so important and having the kids grow up with the importance of family time is one of the best gifts we can give them.

I was driving to town the other day and a song came on the radio that just spoke to me, it made me think of our Savior and how we are surrounded by his blessings and tender mercies everyday. the song is called I Can Only Imagine by Mercy Me. It made me think, like How would I be acting if I came face to face with the Lord right now, I can't imagine . . . . here are some of the lyrics

♫♪♫I can only imagine, What it will be like, When I walk By your side, I can only imagine What my eyes will see When your face Is before me I can only imagine I can only imagine [Chorus:]Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel ,Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still, Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall, Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all, I can only imagine I can only imagine ♪♪♫

It really made me think . . . I want to live my life so that one day I may actually know how it will feel to be in his presence face to face and not just imagine it.

Ballet Recitals . .

2011-04-20T21:05:00.000-07:00

The school year is coming to an end, and the dance studio we use is having an end of the school year spring recital, it isn't the end of the dance for the season, because at this particular studio we don't really have a summer break, the girls do dance year round, which definitely has it's goods and it's bads with that, but for the most part I guess I will go with not that bad :)
Savana has been in dance since she was 5, she did take half a year off in the 3rd grade and decided she didn't really like not being in class, so back she went. She is actually a very good dancer, and I am not just saying that because she is my daughter because believe me if she sucked at it, I would be the 1st to admit it . Savana loves her jazz and hip hop she really gets in there and shakes her bootay, I love watching her, and am soo glad she likes the up beat dances because I don't know if I could sit through a folk dancing or clogging recital where all you see is moving feet, ha. I recently went to a pageant where alot of the girls chose clogging as a talent, I was bored, I guess I just don't get the whole dancing with nothing but the feet moving and an occasional clap with the hands? I am not judging, to each his own, I am just glad it isn't our own :)This is Princess Brynlee's 2nd year at dance, she is only 5 so last year was pretty much a waste of time, although she loved it, ha! She is picking up dance pretty quickly although at this age it is rather watered down to where every step is basic enough to do. I love watching her face while she is dancing, I think she can make up to 12 faces in one song! I joke alot but seriously, I am one super proud mamma bear . I have said it before and I will say it again . . .GO Stokes girls!!!

Dog sweet Dog & a BBQ :)

2011-04-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

The kids are very much enjoying our new puppy, and from what the vet said, they better enjoy him while they can because he will not be a puppy for very long. Apparently these dogs grow like wicked fast, doubling their weight every 3-4 weeks and becoming half their adult size at about 4 months old. So at 4 months old he should be roughly the size of a small Golden Retriever, this is only half the size he will be . . . crazy, I know! HUGE puppy madness going on around here, I have forgotten about the whining, nipping, annoying puppy stage. I often forget about potty training so I have set the timer on my phone to go off every 45 minutes to take him out, I have missed the *signs* twice now, he actually went to my back door and stood there, then he came in the room and started sniffing and circling - but of course I watched him and missed it! I have got to get the hang of this before I go mad :). . . YES I am most definitely one of 'those' people, you know the ones that take crazy amounts of pictures of their pets, and actually talk about them, like really talk, and to someone who doesn't know better they would think I was talking about an actual person, yep that's me. I don't know, I think of it like this - we are bringing a dog into our family, everyone is logging in the hours it takes to raise him and make him part of the family, so that includes blasts in my conversations from time to time, and shout outs in the family photography department too! Awwe this is just the picture perfect puppy right here, how could I walk by and not snap a shot of him? Oooh Laalaa, Saturday was amazing! The weather was pretty decent so we took full advantage of some outdoor playing. Saturday started early for the boy and the grocer, they had the men's breakfast at my church at 7 am, then they loaded up the four wheelers and gassed up the truck and went out to Milner riding for the day. We had our 1st BBQ of the season too! I mean we have stoked up the grill every now and then this whole past winter, but this was an actual fruit & dip, hot dog & hamburger, invite the friends over BBQ!! The girls enjoyed getting out and playing while the boy & the grocer were gone. I did not ask Princess Brynlee to climb on the outside of her slide, because frankly it makes me nervous just thinking about it, so right after I said Smile, I then had to have a chat with her about using the inside of the slide NOT the outside :)

Rueben

2011-04-16T06:42:00.000-07:00

It's time! Thursday I was surprised when the owners of our puppy called and said he is ready to be picked up. YaY my kids were so excited, athough Thursdays are so busy and they all thought that since he was ready we would just skip dance, work, homework and chores, ha, I think not! We finally made it over to their house late in the evening right before the kids were about to explode by the way :) Rueben, our gentle giant, is just so fluffy and cuddly. At 6 weeks he already weighs a whopping 27 pounds and towers over Bailey, who is still not sure what is going on. I did forget about the silly puppy stage and all the work, ahhh. Just writing this post I have spent more time getting up and checking on him than actually sitting comfortably like I am used to, because he whines, or gets stuck on a cord or just goes out of my sight, and that is never a good sign with a puppy :) We are excited to have him home and when we make it past this dang puppy stage we will have a great family pet. I love all his *skin* it is so cute and wrinkly, he has alot of growing to do and since these dogs grow so fast they have alot of excess skin to grow into. . . when he looks down you can really see all the bunches he has.Ha Ha, poor Bailey, he just looks confused everytime I see him. He has tried his hardest to show the puppy who is boss around here, but I am afraid he cannot pull his own weight, after all his weight is right around 5.7 pounds!

The kids are in Giant Mastidane Heaven . They (especially) Braeden have all been so helpful, the eagerness to help will probably wind down a bit with the girlys, but not with Braeden, he was always so very ready to help out with Maverick. In fact he woke me up at 7 this morning to give me some *instructions* on Rueben since he was leaving .

Girls day at the Salon

2011-04-14T21:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I wasn't planning on getting my hair done, as I am sure my nutty sister wasn't planning on doing it, on her day off. Well being the sisters we are, we just were on the phone and said hey, lets do hair! Ha, so her husband dropped her off at the salon and ten minutes later I was in my car driving to meet her there. We had a blast talking and laughing . . . . and laughing. The girls just played and ran around like little crazies. After we got done we went out to Wendy's got a soda and I took them back out to their house, what a fun spontaneous day and like the ole' saying goes, these are the days of our lives . . . . now I can say maybe blondes do have more fun (since I am one now)! I am so gonna miss having Princess Brynlee home with me next year, I love our special time together, this year has been amazing with my girl. I enjoy our "picnics" and had to snap a pic of it today.Yeah, I am not sure how this happened, but the proof is in the picture! I can't even begin to wonder how 1 baby and 1 little girl even gets themselves into a situation like this :)

Easter Krispy Treats :)

2011-04-12T08:05:00.000-07:00

The kiddos wanted some good ole' feel good snacks so we decided on Rice Krispy treats, always a fave around here. We did however, in the spirit of Easter month, put a holiday flare on them. We stuffed them into plastic eggs, we even hollowed some out and put M&M's inside them. They were a hit and the kids had fun "helping" in the kitchen. We had enough left over so we spooned it into a Bunny shaped cake pan for dessert after dinner. The kids enjoyed eating their treats and I enjoyed a very less-mess desert for the evening:) Of course Bailey is never too far from where we are, so thats what happens when the innocent dog comes in looking curious . . . Bam he gets smacked with bunny ears and has to have a picture :)

Weekend Fun

2011-04-10T20:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend was just a weekend where we did nothing, but seemed busy :) The weather here has been absolutely ridiculous, I wish someone would tell Mother Nature that we are in spring, not winter. The kids have had it, so despite the wintery conditions they bundled up Friday and went out riding, all 3 of them. . . I was surprised at how long they were out there ripping it up, ha. School is winding down this year and I can barely stand it, I can't wait to get the kids home with me and have some summer fun. Don't get me wrong I am seriously no wonder woman, they do get on my nerves with the fighting, nagging, constant kitchen messes, the extra laundry and loudness, but I think the time we spend with them out weighs the being on my last nerve part, I just have to concentrate hard on that :) Sunday evening the grocer spent some time with the girls putting together a puzzle, a princess puzzle at that ! What a great guy. the kids and I came home from church today to a nice warm meal the grocer made for us. I ate and took a 3 hour nap, mmm hmm Sunday naps are my fave.

I think it is almost time to trade up, the teenager is gonna need some new wheels this summer. I know he needs a bigger bike but I am trying to "procrastinate" because bigger means faster. He is a very good rider and uses a lot of caution when riding but you know what they say . . . Boys will be Boys, and he is ALL Boy :)

Sisters Day . . . .

2011-04-07T07:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our very own Sisters Day! This is a day where we get the girls together along with my nutty sister, her nutty baby and I, and do a fun crafty project, baking or something of the sort. My girls had a blast, they were so excited to start their Sisters Day, they wanted to leave the minute they woke up, I had to "stall" them until it was actually time to go. Note to Self: Do Not Tell Them Of Our Sisters Day until 5 minutes before :) Of course Mr. Bailey had to come with us because he can't stand to stay home, and since he did come, I just had to include at least one picture of him, fair is fair, ha! Since we are in the month of Easter we decided to bake some colorful sugar cookies and let the girls have at em' with the decorations, icing, candy and lots of sprinkles. Hadyn actually buried her cookie under a pound of green sprinkles, she thought it was so beautiful - she didn't exactly say that, you could just tell by her big smile- Our project was a success, the girls loved it and can't wait for the next Sisters Day :) I can't wait either, although if this weather continues the way it has, we are gonna have to become mighty crafty at indoor projects. Seriously we woke up to the frozen white stuff out there today YUK Bailey looking like a hansome little guy, he ran and waited by the door the second he saw me grabbing coats for the girls :) Smarty boy he certainly knows how NOT to get left behind. Here are some of the supplies for them to work with .

Brynlee looking oh so proud of her work. I have to say . . . these girls are so amazing! We have been blessed with such wonderful, happy, little sweet girls who enrich and make our lives fuller . . . not to mention, their moms are pretty much rock stars, or so we think, which is all that matters right? We are what we say and think we are, HA!

Gorgeous girls and a Handsome little man . . .

2011-04-06T07:27:00.000-07:00

So after the kids did most of their house work Saturday we went into town and visited our new puppy! I had to get a pic of him even though he is still pretty little. Rueben will be joining us April 15th and I am so sorry to the people that have him right now, because my kids think they need to go visit him at least everyday :) Braeden just had a haircut and wasn't too excited about taking a picture because he says the hair dresser doesn't know how to style his hair, wow he is definitely is mother's son! I blame it on the kiddos, but I am also super stoked about bringing Rueben home, I am like a child I can't wait. This afternoon when the kids get home we are gonna go out to Cal Ranch and buy some puppy supplies and some toys for him. I take a gazzilion and one pictures of my kids, if you don't believe me ask them they will tell you YES, Ha! However I have 3 giant pictures of them set in the family room, those are the ones I update every year in the month of their birthday. My girls birthday both have come and gone and I have been a slacker mom in the updating of the giant picture department. Friday happened to be a fairly decent day out so I took the girls and snapped a few pictures of them. I am not done editing them yet but I did manage, out of the 70 I took, to get a few that I absolutely love :)

The middle child shocks me everytime I get pictures done, she is so photogentic and beautiful, and growing like a weed. She looks so mature in her pics this year making the mom just a little bit sad . . .

The baby was just a hoot! She was running around picking flowers, blowing bubbles, chasing the geese, oh my, I got a huge work out trying to catch her.

We couldn't leave out our precious Bailey Boy, there is rarely a time where he isn't with us, and picture day was no exception.

Honey I'm hoooome :)

2011-04-02T07:22:00.000-07:00

So I took a little 2 week hiatus from the bloggy thing. I know, how can I vow to update this blog everyday, then I go off and do something like take a 2 week hiatus? Ha! Well the answer is simple, there are not enough hours in the day :) . So we had the spring forward time thing a few weeks ago and I kid everyone not, I am still feeling the effects of that, and so is the rest of the Stokes people. Spring break came for the kiddos and we headed to the happiest place on earth - a.k.a Disneyland, for the week. Then upon returning it has taken me another week to recooperate from said vacation, needless to say, I AM BACK! I am not very happy to say, I have NO pictures to speak of from this spring break vakay . . . . grrr. I uploaded a gazillion pics on my laptop and even posted a few on my facebook page just minutes before my laptop ate everything, yep it died and took everything with it. My mom went with us on vakay and I am hoping she took plenty of pictures, not of the things she wanted to remember, but of things I want to remember, my kids, ha. So I have only the mental pics in my head of their cute faces while they were taking in the sites at D-land, but even those are disappearing because let's face it, I am NO spring chick and this memory of mine seems to be on the fritz as well, some days more than others. We have had lots of down time this week just getting the kids to school, dance and work and pretty much nothing else, its been a nice few weeks and we can't wait for summer break! Today I am gonna be switching out some of my formal decor for some cute springy and Easter stuff, I love this time a year when everything is so bright and colorful. Also, we are preparing for that new furry addition in our fam, our puppy was born 4 weeks ago and he is a very energetic healthy little guy, we are gonna go visit him this afternoon because my kids, well my kids just can't wait, ha! He will be ready to join our family in about 3 weeks. . . . .really, we are all ready, even the grocer is looking forward to bringing him home :)

Prayers Answered?

2011-03-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

I love my middle child, she is spunky, sassy, easy-going, and has a huge heart. In fact, that sounds a lot like me, HA! Seriously though, we are a lot alike, and because of that I tend to be a little harder on her I think. We clash ALOT. I have been praying for the Lord to please help me with her, help me to get along with her and learn to accept her little personality - WRONG! I realized through prayer that she doesn't have a problem at all, her personality is amazing, the one with the problem is me. I really had to get down and specific about this, so going to the Lord again, I decided to ask for prayer to show me my heart, to search for those things in me which I do not like that make me clash with her. I am seeing the areas in her that are so mirrored to me, and it really isn't a bad thing, she is like her mamma and she is a force to be reckoned with, ME. WoW I have a mini-me and what a unique and awesome thing that is, I was not even appreciating it. The Lord has opened my eyes so much with the middle child and I am staring to see ALL the amazing qualities she has, it's funny that the once 'faults' I thought she had, seemed to pull ahead and become some of her strongest qualities . . . . on the other hand I think our Saviour might have a bit of a sense of humor, because while I have spent the last few months in prayer over this, I have been asked to help with the Stars class in church - 22, nine and ten year old little girls, just like Savana!! :) We took the old church van and all the girls that were able to come, to Skateland. It was actually a blast! I had so much fun watching all those kids and getting to enjoy my girls, yes I said girls, Princess Brynlee came too . . .Savana was loving having me hold her hand and whip her around the corners, I did however forget that I am well into my 30's and this is quite exhausting at the end of the day. I must remember that I am not 18 any more and while I am perfectly capable of doing most ALL things, my body will have another story in the morning, ha...

I am so thankful to have this opportunity. It really has been a great experience with all these wonderful little girls who all interact and most the time act just like each other . . .

Popsicles & Coin Covered Booties . . .

2011-03-15T07:46:00.000-07:00

I love having so much one on one time with princess Brynlee, the other two are in school, so it's just me and her! She does go to Preschool a few times a week for 2 and a half hours, it really isn't a big deal, people say, wow you have that time to yourself a few times a week? I don't like the time to myself, I'd rather be with my kids, but yes I do have it to myself, and like I say it's no big deal because Princess is 5 and if I need to do something I just take her along with me she's great at running errands or doing housework. I really am gonna miss her next year badly. So I do tend to 'give in' to her wants a little more easily because I feel like I am losing my time and I want her to be happy, now I know alot of you will now start to question my parenting capabilities, or even my mental well being for that matter. I just have to say in my defense, that this is simply a subject of picking my battles. When the princess wants to wear pajama pants to school, I decide that isn't a deal breaker for me, sure wear your pj's the girl has just chosen comfort over fashion, I can live with that. . . . On this particular day I had two battles ahead of me, the pj's which as you can see, I forfeited, and the other was the cherry popsicle for breakfast . . . :) So I had just two thoughts pop into my head on that subject 1). It is after all cherry, which by my standards still constitutes as a fruit, so in my book we were good to go, and 2). her teacher will be handing out healthy snacks in less than 2 hours and I can make it up with a wholesome lunch. . . The girls are still loving their afternoon Zumba class! YaY for me, because such is my luck that the minute I pay for it and they are committed, the complaining begins, but not with Zumba, they have been so good about going and it really is a tight squeeze for us to get out there on time and still no complaints. I decided to reward them with coin skirts. They both loved them and couldn't wait to try them out at their next class .

In fact, they were so excited to shake their coin covered booties, the teacher asked for volunteers, both my girls (at separate times) volunteered to go up on stage and zumba in front of the whole class, all I have to say is . . . . Go Stokes Girls, shy kids are for the birds!!

Spring cleaning and a Burley tornando!

2011-03-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

Last week we had such nice weather. I took the kids on a few walks, cleaned out a few flower garden areas, raked leaves, I even buttoned Brynlee up and sat at the park for an hour! One of the days I pulled back the curtains and opened all my windows, it felt so nice to let that fresh air and sunshine in. Since I was feeling so springy I thought I would share the spring love in my house and do some spring cleaning :) Boy was I wrong! I decided all that spring cleaning and park partying must have somehow made mother nature mad! The very same evening of my open windows we had one of the worst wind and rain storms this year. . . . besides my swing set flying across my yard, along with most every one's in town, the soda machine outside our store actually lifted up and flew into the front entrance window, shattering it and leaving a mess for the grocer to work the rest of the night, securing other things around the store. There were power outages all over town, my mom lost power until 5:30 the next morning, so weird how the beautiful day turned into that evening storm. I am not gonna rush spring anymore, she can come when she wants

Even Bailey enjoyed some rays on the back deck, I opened up the sliding doors and he just stared at me like what was I doing, he stayed out there and soaked up the sun!

I just left the doors open and let Bailey and the cats come and go, surprisingly they all choose to stay out there . . .

This giant thing tipped over twice, lifted up and flew like Dorthy's house!

I heart the Boy . . .

2011-03-10T18:19:00.000-08:00

My heart has been so heavy lately watching my son become a teenager. He has really has grown and matured ALOT, this year in particular, enough for me to notice changes in him every single day. I don't think a night goes by when I am in bed telling the grocer I just can't believe our son is growing up . . . he is so kind and has a sincere heart and such a sweet spirit. Braeden is not like most boys his age, and for this I thank the Lord everyday!! He isn't really into the 'girl scene' like so many of his school peers are, I mean I am not dumb and I don't pretend to not notice that girls do catch his attention every now and then, but as far as actually having a "girlfriend" or kissing on them, it's not something he wants right now. He doesn't care for the pushing, rough housing, and teasing that boys do to each other, I was there I remember the boys just trying to one up each other in the name calling dept. or the "your mamma's" it's just not his thing, and I am happy about that because boys really can get mean with each other. I know he is getting older and I see it all the time, he spends quite a bit more time with his dad, they have *inside* jokes, they go out to eat, they go to the gym . . . . he is at an age where he needs his dad, but what happened to cuddles with the mom? I am really happy about the person he has become and is still becoming. I am proud to be Braeden's mom, he loves his family, and he loves his Saviour and has become very passionate about church, and he is a strong believer in the power of prayer and prays like a maniac :) I am so very blessed to have a son that loves church and never ever argues about going because I am sure I gave my mom a headache every Sunday, ha! This school year is coming to an end quickly, and then my baby will be going to High School and I am having mini panic atacks just thinking about it! Sheesh. I love my boy and treasure every moment we have with him in our home :)
I also can't help but think of Mary, and how she felt raising a teenager and watching her son (the Messiah) grow from that awkward pre-teen boy into a teen and eventually a man. She held that baby boy and raised him like any of us mothers do, and I feel sometimes like we lessen her struggles as a mother because she *knew* he was chosen, you know? I don't think it was any different of a heart ache for her to watch her son grow. I bet she even felt her heart strings pulling when he turned 1 then again everytime he reached those important milestones showing growth. . . she was an amazing woman and that is where my thoughts go when I look at my son, ha !

The Stokes first week in March re-cap :)

2011-03-06T20:30:00.000-08:00

We have had a fun filled busy week and weekend. The girls had their usual dance classes, zumba class and school, the teenager had school, weight class at the gym, and tons of shifts at work, and the grocer is having his case-lot sale. With all that we managed to sneak away for an over nighter in Utah, just me and the grocer! It was a nice get away. Saturday we spent the day on our bathroom re-model and then had friends over for dinner and a movie. We finished the weekend with church on Sunday and then meeting with the rest of the fam for lunch in Twin and hanging out at my sister's house afterwards. I love being able to spend so much time with our family and I am grateful we all live close enough to do so. This is my brother in law Terry and his redneck scaffolding! We needed his help so we can decorate my sisters stair case wall and this is how he helped!

Haydn is so dang cute! She had not 1 but 2 pickles, after all what fun would it be to eat a pickle if you didn't have one in each hand.? We had an awesome day hanging out with the fam.

After church we went out to eat with my mom and Ed and Charisse, Terry and Haydn.

On the way to church this morning I pulled out my handy dandy camera and snapped a shot of the grocer and I - it's so funny how that trusty camera always finds its way into my hand :)

I love me some LeXi! Lexi is one of our young girls from the youth at church, she is absolutely a joy to be around. She usually comes home with me Sundays after church and just hangs out here with the other kiddos. There was no school on Monday so we went to Twin shopping and out to lunch, we heart Lexi.

The grocer had his birthday and is now a year older. Why does this keep happening to me? Everyone I love is getting older . . . .my mom cooked us a fabulous dinner and invited over some family to help us celebrate.

Braeden is such a good big brother, he spent over an hour out in the snow just pulling the girls and their friend around and around the neighborhood.

My Snowboarding Princess ♥

2011-02-28T18:23:00.000-08:00

Every time I left to go snowboarding last year, I left behind a very unhappy 4 year old. I promised her when she turned 5 I would take her up with us. As it happened, she did infact turn 5, so off to the mountains we went. Everytime I looked in the mirror on the way there I would see a very excited smiling from ear to ear 5 year old. However the higher we climbed and the more apparent it had become that she would definitly be boarding on that mountain soon, she became so worried and nervous, ha and Bryn being the nervous eater that she is wanted to eat a snack and have some chocolate milk 1st. So we went into the lodge first of all and had some 'down time' . She had her snacks and decided she was ready to giver' a try! It is so nice for us mothers how chocolate milk can be such a cure all. . .
She is up! Her instructor was so impressed at her abililty to pick it right up, he took her up on the lift! I did have to laugh when I saw them pass me on the way to the lift and he was carrying her and holding his AND her board, the little princess can use those big brown eyes to get anyone to do anything for her. She had a blast and I am planning on lots more trips up with her while we still can :) and seeing as there are huge amounts of the white stuff still falling around here this time of year we will be going alot. . . .

Planet Zumba

2011-02-25T07:51:00.000-08:00

I am so not a zumba girl, I actually don't even get the whole craze about zumba, but like the grocer says, its a fad it will pass. . . .anyway I am not one, but my girls are! Ha, they love their zumba class and get to dance and shake their little booties off for an hour a week! I usually just drop them off and run errands or something while they do activities, but this is way to cute to just drop and leave, I enjoy watching them shakein their booties. They are so dang cute :)

The middle child is a year older . . .

2011-02-23T09:27:00.000-08:00

Why does this keep happening to me? My kids keep having birthdays :) This time it was Savana Lou, she turned the big double digit TEN, which I hear is the bomb. Ha, thats it for me trying to use the 'in lingo' I guess I am just not that cool anymore. . this middle child is a true treasure. I feel sometimes like the middle child can get lost in the crowd - if you consider our family of 5 a crowd, which sometimes I do. This one can entertain herself for hours, she can maneuver her way through the kitchen to hold off hunger, she can read her way through homework instructions and be done before I even get there, she can multi-task a complaining five year old, and a yelling teenager into harmony. Sometimes I go to bed at night and often lay awake and wonder if I paid her enough attention in that day, she is not constantly nagging me like the teenager and she certainly isn't whining like the 5 year old is either, she didn't however even ask for anything? Savana has learned to be the just do it type of girl, if she wants something done she has figured out a way to do it. I have decided this is the trait of the middle child and it is a very good trait to have, so why does it make me a little sad? I think it is because she has been told so many times, hold on a sec, let me deal with the little one, or wait a minute I am gonna help your bro and I will be right there, Savana being Savana quietly slips away and does it on her own, with no complaining I might add. She is used to having to wait - patience, she is used to letting her brother be first - Understanding, she is used to letting Bryn have what she has - Giving. She is a true gift to have around. Her Brother and sister are lucky to have her and her parents -well we are truly blessed . She is a super spunky, ballerina twirling, jazz dancing, iPod listening, trampoline jumper, basketball shooter, friend to all . .

1. She is always willing to share with her family

2. Savana is super compassionate and wants everyone around her to feel loved

3. she will always ask me if I need help, no matter what I am doing.

4. she has a gusto for life

5. Savana can turn up the tunes and dance in the kitchen for hours

6. she will do her chores with out complaining, just so she can get them outta the way

7. she takes her schoolwork seriously and gives it her all

8. Savana loves church and believes in the power of prayer

9. she thinks of how a decision she makes with affect everyone around her

10. she loves her baby sister and tells her everyday!

Enjoying the kiddos. . . .

2011-02-18T21:02:00.000-08:00

There was no school for us today, so I got to hang out with my treasures! I ran to the store this morning while they were all sleeping and got some Stokes famous donuts and some chocolate milk *no judging, I really scored some points in the awesome mom department* The teenage boy stayed home and did a few chores while the girls and I ran into town for some manicures - booyah! We stopped and grabbed some lunch and came home and ate while we watched a movie. We decided we had had enough time just chillen so we took a drive out to grandma's house, when we got out of town and into the country I let the teenager take over. Ha, he was in dodge heaven taking the wheel of the grocer's charger :) We visited for a bit then my mom surprised me by keeping the kids, I jumped in the charger (kid free) and drove straight to the store to pick up the grocer for an early date night. We had a great evening just the two of us.
On a more serious note, the grocer lost his dad 16 years ago today, it is something that he has learned to live with, and time has significantly made it easier but the pain is never gone. He had nice phone chats with most of his siblings tonight, and also called his mom to chat with her for a sec. It makes me realize that life is fragile, something can happen in an instant and forever change our lives, it makes me want to spend quality time with those dear to me, and it makes me want to tell my loved ones just how much I love them every chance I get . . . . the middle sister chose a haute pink with white zebra stamps

the baby sister went with fire engine red with white leopard print stampsI looked in my rear view mirror and saw both girls looking super serious while watching The Princess Bride it just made me laugh.

Savana has been begging me to crimp her hair, I finally decided to do it, and this is what she looked like 2 hours and 15 minutes later!! This girl has so stinkin' much hair . . . I forget just how much every time, wow. .

Valentines Day Twenty-Eleven

2011-02-16T20:33:00.000-08:00

This girl was so happy on Valentines Day . . . .

when this grocer . . . sent her these flowers :)

I love this grocer♥

He makes me smile, he makes me laugh, and he makes me realize that it is possible to fall in love over and over . . . .

Princess Bryn turned the big FIVE

2011-02-14T20:49:00.000-08:00

It happened . . . father time has once again visited the Stokes home. My baby (whom I just delivered and brought home yesterday ) turned 5! Seriously how did this happen? Try as I might I just can't keep these kids from growing :) Brynlee is the caboose of this family and is adored by all in it. She had a great birthday with some church friends and family. We had a small party Sunday evening, the menu was Bryn's choice and it consisted of Spaghetti, apples, grapes, chips and rootbeer, perfect for a 5 year old!
This was taken as soon as she fell asleep as her last night of being a 4 year old . . .

My baby!! Ahhh Brynlee is such an amazing girl to have around here are 5 tidbits . . .

1. Brynlee loves to help. She will help anyone with whatever they are doing if they ask her to help.

2. She won't share her food or drink with anyone but Savana.

3. She will let me hug on her and hold her hand where ever we are no matter who is there :)

4. She prefers comfort over style, ha! I have learned to pick my battles where clothing is involved, or hair dos for that matter!

5. Brynlee is miss sassy pants and can handle her own! I guess the 3rd child kind of ends up tough!

The grocer built her a princess castle bed for her birthday, it still has some work but she is in love with her bed!

She asked for a swingset, and the grocer being the grocer that he is didn't just fill her request for a regular ole' swingset, he is putting together a ginormous monster swingset/clubhouse/jungle gym thingy for her, lets just hope it gets built before she turns 6 because the manual has like five thousand and four steps :)

Brynlee has a contagious laugh and a huge heart, she keeps us all on our toes with her energetic spunky personality. She is a tough spirit but gets her feelings hurt easily. She is pretty shy until she gets to know you then watch out! Out of the 3 kids she seems to be the most attached to her mom, she is forever following me everywhere I go, even if I just run on a quick errand she will go just for the ride with me. I love it and I am not complaining :) . . . We all love the baby sister ♥

TAG - You are it !

2011-02-12T07:20:00.000-08:00

I have seen this tag on a few blogs so I thought I would join in the copy and pasting fun and tag a few people here too :) In the process of getting to know each other I am going to TAG . . . . Amber, Sommers, Charisse, Kellie G and Ashley Wray ! So TAG your it ladies, get to work copying and pasting . . . . . . .

Where are you right now? Sitting on my couch, my feet up and laptop on my lap.

Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? My mom.

What was the last thing you ate? A chocolate symphony bar with toffee and almonds :)

Outdoor or Indoor person? Depends on the season.

Kill the spider or let it go? Die little creepy, hairy spider!

Favorite song of all time? Poison - Alice Cooper

Would you rather be blind or deaf? Deaf, gotta see my babies!

What are you most proud of in life? My 3 treasures

What is the one thing that guarantees a smile on your face? Children laughing, specifically mine!

If you could have one super human power what would it be? Invisibility

Have you joined the Twilight Kraze? Sadly yes :)

Favorite Movies? Goonies

One thing you are dreading today? Laundry

One thing you are looking forward today? Dinner with friends tonight!

What is something about you that would shock people? I am obsessed with vacuum lines.

Juice and Crackers, or Cookies and Milk? Cookies and Milk

Cats or Dogs? I like em' both but enjoy Dogs better

3 words you would use to describe yourself? Energetic, outgoing, Cautious

Would you rather be hot or cold? Definitely hot

Why did the chicken cross the road? Who cares

A day with just us girls ☺

2011-02-08T20:24:00.000-08:00

What is better than spending a day with just the girls? Spending a day shopping with just us girls! My mom, my nutty sister and her nutty baby, Princess Brynlee and me got up early and went shopping, we went to breakfast first at iHop, every girl needs her calories to properly shop ya know :) This year with Brynlee has been so awesome to spend time together, I am getting a little touchy though, she is gonna be 5 in a few days and also she will be going to school next year. I am trying to savor every minute of our unique one on one time since the other two are in school. I am trying to accept this new chapter in our lives of being 'older' parents and not having any little ones and not expecting anymore to come either. It's just life I know, but it happens so fast, yesterday I was in the hospital having them, then BAM less then a year away they all go to school and I am home alone in silence, weird man . . .
Both girls were so good today, and the princess was such a big girl helper .

I ♥ my girls ♥

2011-02-05T06:52:00.000-08:00

I am super duper lucky to have a house with sisters in it. Savana and Brynlee are super duper lucky to have each other. I hope they realize this, and I hope they treasure each other always. I have my sister and she has me (she is so lucky), I am so thankful to have a sister, she is amazing and I don't know what I'd do without her. Brynlee came along 5 years after Savana and I was a little worried about their sisterly bond, however in the past five years my worries have been put to rest, these two sisters absolutely adore each other. I mean sure now that Brynlee is getting older they do have their fair share of fights, what sisters don't? At the end of the day they are sisters and that is all that counts. Savana has friends over usually daily and little Brynlee thinks they are her friends too, Savana always always lets Brynlee play too and be apart of whatever they are doing. Well this is one big proud mamma bear, last week I over heard a friend of Savana's say, Savana make your sister go downstairs, she is annoying! GaSp, I wanted to call her mom asap and tell her to come pick up her little bratty kid. Ha, I didn't have to, big sister Savana said, well she is my sister and she is my friend we play together all the time, if she is annoying you then it is your problem not hers, if you want to keep playing we will, but if you don't I can have my mom take you home? WoWzaa big sister is amazing! I have always told my kids friends will come and go in this life but what really matters is that they have each other, and truly that is all that matters, why treat a friend better than we would our own sister? Sisters matter! I have had friends come and go and the one steady that matters is MY sister thats it period. Watching my girls together I have no worries that this is a concept they are already learning and will continue to apply in their lives. Having girls is also a bonus for the mom, I simply love the girly stuff, the glitter, jazz and everything spunky and sassy that comes with having girls, I've said it before, and I'll say it again . . . I am so LuCkY ♥
There is nothing better than having a sister . . .
So this brings me to my niece Hadyn. Although she may not have a sister (yet) she has the next best thing . . . sister cousins and a sister aunt! I believe she will be taken care of in the sister department by these wonderful sister cousins around her. They will take her as their own and not think twice about it, I am excited to watch them all grow together and grow closer creating a bond of sisterhood :) because there is no stronger bond to be had than . . . .SiStErS

What needed done, but didn't get done . . . .

2011-02-02T15:12:00.000-08:00

To keep a house there are certain things that need to be done through out the day. Certain things that should get done. When something out of the ordinary comes up, certain things fall to the side and off the top of the priority list. Nothing around here really came up, but it was a choice I made to actually do something out of the ordinary . . . I TOOK 2 DAYS OFF :) BAM! There it is, I admit it, in my own self professed slacker of a wife head, I took time off from keeping a house :)

. . . .this is the bed that needed made . . . . . . this is the front room carpet that needed vacuumed . . .

. . . these are the dishes that needed unloaded - also there is a sink full that need to be loaded . . .

. . . this is the poor little dog who wanted to go out and play catch . . . . . this is the little princess who has been having a carpet picnic and watching Sponge Bob Square Pants . . .

. . . this is the bathroom that needed attention , also the counter tops could use a wipe down . . .

. . . but because of the amazing decision I made to take 2 days off -nothing was done around here, this is the book I have had my nose in for the past 2 days . . . Great author, great book, and awesome ending!

I am going to make a pledge right here and now . . . I will be taking time off here and there, from NOW on . . .word!

365

2011-01-30T18:02:00.000-08:00

A picture a day . . . .My 3 treasures just chillin' watching Imagine That . . . Sundays are made for chillin' :)

Monday morning yep . . . . the struggle still continues as to whose bed this really is!

Both girls had dental exams today . . . long morning .

The grocer is building a bed for the princess and she wanted to go out and help paint.

Pina Colada cupcakes . . .mmmm My mom had her retirement party and birthday all in one. . . it was a fun filled day of partying

It was such a nice day Saturday. The grocer had the day off and we did lots of jobs around that house that have been needing our attention. Tiff came over and picked up the girls for the day. I ran into town and went through the carwash, ahhh I love a nice sparkly car. When I came home it was lunch time and we wanted sonic, only problem is the nearest sonic is about 45 minutes away. . . .well we went for it! Ha, the girls were gone so it was just the grocer, the teenager and me, so we went to Sonic:)

Running it out . . .

2011-01-26T20:59:00.000-08:00

This is what I have been up to lately. Ha, yes this is me *pretending* to be a runner. I have been trying to work out 5 days a week for at least 45 minutes each time. It has gotten surprisingly easy to fit in a work out during the day. Princess Bryn is doing ok going to the nursery there at the gym, as long as I time it during their least busiest time so she doesn't feel too overwhelmed by strange kids :) I have been going for about 5 weeks now and I can report as of date I have NOT lost a single pound! Actually that is a lie, I did lose 1 pound the 1st week, but it came back, so I am still holding strong at my current weight. . . whatever! At least I am off my couch right.? My blog header remains, I just don't have the heart to take it down yet . . .

Project 365 . . .

2011-01-22T21:13:00.000-08:00

Project 365 continues . . . . . Poor princess Bryn! She had such a rough weekend, but not to worry, by the end of the week she was feeling back to her normal self!

I made a cream cheese pie from scratch this evening, thanks to The Pioneer Woman! Mmmm it was a hit, and it was gone in two shakes of a tail feather!

I about fell on the floor this afternoon when I rounded the corner and saw something moving from the corner of my eye on my table! Fluffy enjoyed himself some warm rays

Awwe, what a wonderful evening. The grocer and the teenager made dinner! An awesome dinner at that, zoupa tuscana soup. Everyone loved it. They even cleaned up, I don't know what I did to deserve that special treatment, but I hope I keep doing it!

We had a play date today with cousin Addie. Brynlee loves her cousin, and they have tons of fun together. I had a nail appt. this morning and told Bryn if she went with me and was patient we would swing by and grab Addie on our way home :) Bribes work wonders!

Friday night, family movie night in the home theatre. My favorite thing to do is grab a good movie, some snacks and cuddle up together with the family downstairs :)

The grocer took the day off and we took the girls on a walk, down good ole' overland! The walk lasted all of 15 minutes back and forth one time :)

Grey's Anatomy no more . . .

2011-01-21T07:57:00.000-08:00

Sad day in the Stokes home, my favorite show that has kept me happy, and mostly on the edge of my seat for the past 6 and a half seasons, has come to an end in this house. I love the doctors at Seattle Grace hospital, and although there has been controversial stuff on the show in the past, nothing even comes close to last week's episode Disarm. Season 7 hit the ground running with a re-cap of last seasons cliff hanger finale', but 12 episodes into the season on the episode called Disarm, the e.r. was flooded with teenagers who had been shot by a random gunman. Dr. Bailey's (Chandra Wilson ) patient was a young kid who had been shot and the Dr's lost his pulse, they began CPR or whatever, and Chandra's character then began to panic and she looked straight up at the ceiling and said. . "you bastard, send this boy back . . " she then later looked at the ceiling and said, . . ."sorry for that bastard thing earlier . . ." GaSp! That is something I can NOT put up with in this house, that is my Father that the writers chose to dis-respect, make fun of, and use as a very inappropriate punch line in a very popular t.v. show. I watch lots of stuff, but this was drawing the line. Such a great show, I am sorry the writers felt it wasn't great enough without putting something so poorly written as that statement into their episode. So it is with that episode that I must say good bye to a once awesome show . . .
I realize that some may say I am over-reacting, or I might just be a bit dramatic, well to those people I will say Thank You. I hope I will always be over-reacting and dramatic where my Saviour is concerned.

Ready for another addition . . .

2011-01-20T07:38:00.000-08:00

I think it is time for me to change my blog header, it says 3 kids, 1 grocer and 1 wild dog. Since we are minus 1 wild dog, it is time to change it, sad as it makes me, we are all doing ok. I miss Maverick everyday though. We are a dog family and we want a family dog. 3 years ago when we brought Maverick home, I just figured he'd be watching Braeden leave to college, you never expect them to only be here for 3 stinkin' years. The grocer and I decided we are almost ready for another furry addition to bring home to the kids, we are gonna wait until this spring, potty training at 3 am will be much nicer with out the white, freezing stuff on the ground outside. We are looking at this as an adventure :) like I said bringing home a new dog was not in our plans, but since we are going to do it, why not look at all the fun breeds that are available? We love the golden retrievers, they are amazing with kids and so super duper friendly, however, they all look alike and it may be hard to see so much Maverick resemblance. We have researched some other smart, family, kid-friendly breeds and have narrowed it down to 3 breeds. . .

The Giant Schnauzer : Working breed, very large, males can weigh between 80-110 pounds. This is a super friendly family dog, short hair with very little shedding, he is vey protective of his family and wants to be a part of every activity we do, they are very alert and energetic.

German Shepherd: Also a working breed. Large 77-85 pounds. They are very gentile calm dogs. Cheerful, obediant and eager to learn, confident, serious and eager to learn, extremely faithful and brave, the german sheperd will not think twice giving up his life to save his human pack family. They have a high learning ability, they love to be close to their families but can be wary of strangers , the wary thing can be dangerous if not socialized at a young age. . .Doberman Pinscher: Medium sized squarely built dog, weighs 66-78 pounds. Keen, super energetic dogs, with lots of strength and energy. they need lots of human interaction, very loyal, tolerant and dedicated to the family. Highly skilled and versatile, and very easy to train. All family members must be firm, and consistant when training this breed. He doesnt look very cuddly, but my friends the Shirley's, swear it is the best dog ever!

We have to wait and see what we all agree on, and also which dog is best for our family! Kind of exciting to look forward to the new addition we will be getting :)

It really isn't this hard....is it?

2011-01-18T20:42:00.000-08:00

So I have been thinking alot lately about Compassion, forgiveness, faith and patience. . . just a few things we could all use a little or in some cases alot of, ha. I am not judging I too could use plenty more of all these things. I have spent alot of my time in prayer asking for these things, just asking the Lord for a little more understanding of other people's situations and to not try to fix them, but to accept them and accept the things people might say or do because of the place in their lives they may be and not get all jumpy and upset - enter the forgiveness part :) Anyway, I have just been talking (praying) to Him so much, that I haven't shut up, I have been the one talking without ever taking the time to listen. As I was going about my day, the milk spilled right after I mopped, Brynlee experimented with her new sand art bottles all over her freshly swept floors, as I was vacuuming the handle fell and knocked my candle over, denting it! I mean literally this is the way my entire morning went. I had no other choice but to cry like a frustrated child, it wasn't until this evening that I realized HE is listening to my pleas. After I got out of the shower, still a little agitated, I began to blow dry and comb my hair, I kept stepping on the cord of my blow dryer every time I brought it up to my head, this was irritating the living snot out of me! Seriously how many times did I step on it right after I knew I did!! Well this is what I discovered. . . . it really doesn't have to be this hard! I have been praying and talking to my Father so much and not even waiting for a response, it is like asking for these things but without really meaning it, ya know. I was stepping on my own cord! Blow drying my hair is something so simple but there I was making it difficult by stpepping on the cord, I was the one who was doing it, no one else. I began to think, I am making something so simple into something so hard. How many times do we ask and He is so willing to meet us and we hold ourselves back? He says in His word. .. Ask and it shall be given unto you. . .Seek and ye shall find, well there you go easy peasy :) Another thing I discovered from this little cord stepping thing is that it was ME, I was the one doing it, so while I pray to help me with others, I also need to pray that others can handle me, that the words I speak can come from Him, that I am in him and He in me, that I carry the light of God wherever I may go. God is not a God of frustration, he is a God of order. He wants his children to seek Him and lean into him, I have got to learn to Seek, Ask and . . . .Listen, because we serve a living God and He will answer, just as soon I am ready to l i s t e n :)

The yuckies have hit . .

2011-01-17T20:22:00.000-08:00

Princess Brynlee has been feeling under the weather this past weekend. I generally am not one of those mom's who run to the doctor at every sniffle, fever or runny nose. Nope in fact I am the opposite actually, I wait it out, yes that's right, I WAIT it out, I keep them home and try to control the fever and it runs it's course and usually the little problem goes away in about 7 days on its own. However, when the princess started coughing like a baby seal Saturday evening and was running a fever that I could not control with 2 fever reducers, I decided it was time to get her into the clinic. She was such a little trooper, burning up and I am sure a pounding headache, she quietly layed in my lap for more than 2 hours, that was the wait we had when we arrived at the clinic. She is smiling here because she is so relieved to finally get out of the waiting room, and in her own room where she could actually lay on the bed and stretch out her aching limbs.

After a very long morning, a hot bath, some warm soup, and a super duper vapor rub down from her mamma, and lets not forget the wonderful meds to help her breathe, she was able to get a very peaceful and much needed nights rest :) She slept so good last night and so did I. We were both so tired that I didn't even mind her sleeping right smack dab next to me. . . . truth be told, I preferred it!

Project 365

2011-01-16T08:37:00.000-08:00

Project 365 is underway and as usual when starting a new project, I still have some kinks to work out, some balance and some quality issues, but as far as snapping one shot a day of our every day going ons I have been keeping up. My hope is at the end of this year I have a nice little coffee table book, or side table book for my mom and mother in law, with 365 pictures and a brief description of our every day lives here :)
The teenager can be found most times with a laptop on his lap, but especially on a Sunday. Sundays are just really a lounging around sort of day, after church we put on our warm and cozzies and just chill. I wasn't planning on going shopping in Twin Monday, but I did end up there and uh-shopping I did go !! It was pretty laid back just Brynlee and I, no rush or real purpose we just browsed a bit, had lunch and bought some stuff to do crafty things this week. Best part of it all, when I got home I found a Netflicks movie in the mail! Netflicks makes checking the mail so much fun :)

Tuesday I got crafty and made two Valentines wreathes for each side of my mantel. Brynlee played with her kitchen set on the floor and watched some sponge bob while I worked on these.

. . . breakfast in bed for the princess . . .Why not, the other two kids have gone off to school and Brynlee woke up and gave me a shot of those big browns and I could not resist the request for her breakfast in bed and a movie :)

For lunch today I made these spinach, dried tomato things on thin buns. I copied the recipe from the cooking channel on quick and easy snacks. They were great and bonus - Low Cal!There was no school Friday, so I got up early and went to the gym. When I left, all 3 kids were sawing logs. This is what I happened upon when I walked in the garage door. . .all three kids getting along, cooperating and making breakfast, wow someone in heaven does like me :) it is the moments like this that melt my heart and remind me to treasure my moments with them while they are all so young . . .Bryn woke up fevered and coughing today so we kept her home and *tried* to keep her laying down most of the day, after lunch I bathed her and gave her a good old fashioned vicks rub down ( yep just like grandma used to do ) and layed her on the couch next to the grocer, not more than 5 minutes later this is how I found her :)

True Grit

2011-01-15T17:32:00.000-08:00

GNO! Girls Nite Out . . .this past week Rachel, Marianne and I went to a late show at the theatre. I am so not a western movie type of girl, but I am totally a Matt Damon type of girl, and he just happens to star in this western movie so I said sure, why the heck not! Awesomely enough we were the only 3 in the theatre and that is always a bonus as we tend to be a little "loud" while we "watch". haha Anyway, I totally recommend this western show ! I always enjoy my girl time - thanks Mare, and Rach for making my super duper late night :) I was thinking maybe I should cancel because this ole' body doesn't like late nights, but this girl-time was long over due, glad I made it.
This is the water I drank . . .

. . . and this is the treat I chose! Yep I ate myself an entire bag of baking chips :) Don't judge me, I woke up the very next morning and hit the gym twice as hard.

I think the staff thiinks we are nuts, we are and we love it!

Confessions . . .

2011-01-13T07:37:00.000-08:00

I thought I would do a little dishin' . You know those gossipy magazines you pass by at the check out counter at the store, well don't ya just love to pick it up and read All About It. They do a fantastic job at airing everyone's dirty laundry. I am secretly addicted to reading them, ( so this will be confession #1 )

-I didn't shower yesterday, I won't even mention if I have today or not.
-I haven't shaved my legs for close to a week now, I know eewww gross whatever, but it is winter and it really does shorten my showers by at least 5 minutes. At the rate of me even showering lately, I am really racking up the minutes saved in a week!
-When I eat a Reeces pieces, I eat all the chocolate around it 1st and savor the chewy peanut butter center.
- It really annoys me to lend stuff out and have to ask for it back, like seriously if you borrow something and you think there might be a chance that you'll forget to return it WRITE it down i am just sayin' . . . .
- I don't really like "play dates" I mean the adult conversation can be great and all, but is it really worth your child being slugged, pinched, scratched, hair pulled, or just having every toy she grabs taken from her, only to hear the other moms say something like kids will be kids. . .NO thank-you I'd rather stay home and watch Dora while eating an entire symphony bar.
- My car is disgusting! Really the inside is smelly and dirty and it has been this way for years, I think it is my outlet because I am so anal about the house, I have really just let the wild woman out in me when it comes to trashing the inside of my vehicle :)
- I really don't make the kids cook or do their laundry because I'd rather not deal with the drama of hearing them complain. Also, I like things done my way and I have a hard time watching them do it their way, even if the end result is the exact same.
- The grocer hates the dog on my bed, but when I have an afternoon nap ( while he is at work ), I bring him right on up to the pillow and he snuggles in and we nap :)
- I'd rather just skip date night all together if I have to try more than once to find a sitter
- I hate cooking dinner and I start dreading it about 3 o' clock every single day
- I work out but I HATE it badly.
- I woke up yesterday and actually wore the shirt I slept in to the gym~
- I have been known to sniff out clothes in the teenagers room and actually put a few of them right back on hangers :)

Ahh, that was nice airing some of my own dirty laundry I feel so light and airy now!
I thought to myself when I posted this Confessions post, self, what kind of a post would this be with out any cute and adorable pictures? So here are 3 of my favorite cute and adorable pictures :)

♥Valentines Wreath & a mini How To . . .

2011-01-12T07:59:00.000-08:00

Super cute and easy to make Valentines wreath . . Start with an empty wreath, any size you want . . . Buy a roll of Poly Deco Mesh . . whatever color you want to incorporate into your wreath. I have used two colors in the past, but this time I used just the one. You can get the mesh at Hobby Lobby, the store or online for pretty reasonable.

STEP ONE : Gather the end of the mesh together and wire it tight, leave some wire at the end to use to wire it to the wreath STEP TWO: After you wire the mesh together, use the slack in the wire from earlier and wire it onto the wreath. You'll want to have a starting point and kind of bunch the mesh evenly all around the wreath, wiring it down at every bunch you have.After you wire the mesh together, then go to STEP TWO and wire the mesh to the wreath, you'll gather it up until it looks as bunchy, and fluffy as you want, then you'll repeat STEP ONE - gather together the mesh and wire it, leaving some wire left to go to STEP TWO and wire it onto the wreath. . .continue this process until you have gone all around the wreath, when you come back to the beggining wire it to the wreath and cut off the mesh and just tuck it into the wreath it won't be noticiblae once you finish the decorating.

Now that the mesh is complete - the fun starts!! I tucked some zebra print ribbon underneath the mesh and kind of just hot glued it down here and there . .

Get creative - I didn't take a pic of the pile of stuff I used until I was almost done, but you can use anything your little heart desires to stuff onto that wreath. I use lots of glittery sticks and beads, and this time I used feathers, which turned out cute. Long sticky outy stuff is the goal, you want your wreath to have lots of dimension.

I think I am so handy with the *tools* Ha, the truth is I had to have the grocer use those wire cutters and cut most of my stuff for me. . . it's a tough job :)

I hot glue everything into place, hot glue is fine and sturdy enough, there really isn't anything big or heavy enough to have to wire onto the wreath. (Please ignore my ghetto glue gun - whatever it gets the job done, why fix something thats not broke :) )

Waa-laaa! You got yourself a unique one of a kind wreath, or in my case. . . Two unique one of a kinds wreaths :)

7 pictures in 8 days ☺

2011-01-09T16:50:00.000-08:00

This past week has been just kind of busy, not real busy, but too busy it seems to do anything, like relax and just hang :) I did manage however, to take a week of pictures . . .Yep a picture a day, actually Friday slipped by me some how, so I got Saturday - Saturday sans Friday .
Saturday Savana was the flower girl in Tiff's wedding. Braeden was out at my Nutty sister's house and the grocer took Bryn to the store that morning for a few hours of work, so me and Savana Lou Hoo lounged around and watched a movie in the morning, I then took on the deed of tackling her hair! She has gobs and gobs of hair, it took me about an hour and 45 minutes to curl that head of hair. . . .after the wedding we had a late lunch there at the reception, we ended up bringing a bunch of people home with us for a few hours to chillax and just visit. The grocer ordered some pizzas for dinner then we went to the dance.
Sunday morning. . . . ahhhh, after a late night out the kiddos slept in until about 11:30 . I went to church by myself, ha.

Monday was a big day for Savana she started Jazz classes with a new dance studio. She was exhausted and came home and went straight to her room to put on her warm & cozies, she just sat and chilled on her iTouch for the rest of the evening

Tuesday the girls and I did P90X Yoga in the basement, wowzaa, talk about a workout and a half .

Wednesday PEDICURES, enough said :)

Thursday was a big day for princess Brynlee, she started her 1st day of ballet with a new dance class. She will be trying out in a few months to see if she can move up next fall. . . .Go brynlee!

Friday I dropped Bryn off with Tiff and I hit the gym, then I surprised the kids and picked them up for lunch, we met Tiff and Bryn there and invited grandpa Eddi too. The kids ate and we went home. Braeden went to grandpas for the night, and the grocer, the girls and I had a very nice quiet evening at home .

Saturday we woke up early and went to Boise with the girls for some shopping! We shopped until we were too tired to hit one more store, we ate at our favorite Cheesecake Factory, we were all too stuffed for cheesecake so we sadly passed on it. We headed home right after dinner and we decided we weren't as stuffed as we were when we left Boise so we stopped in Twin for some ice cream at Cold Stone :)

The nanny gets hitched !

2011-01-04T07:18:00.000-08:00

This past weeekend Miss Tiffini became Mrs. Tiffini! YaY and she married my cousin, so when I say she is part of the fam. I am not lying anymore :) Savana was one of the flower girls and she talked Tiff into letting them wear hot pink glittery high top converse with their dresses . . . being the sweet nanny she is, Tiff said yes, ha!

The grocer rarely gives a big smile!

The wedding after party at my house was so much fun. . .then we hit the dance that evening :)

My nutty sister and her nutty baby !

New Years Eve .

2011-01-02T19:23:00.000-08:00

New Years Eve this year started early! Princess Brynlee came into my bed around 6:40ish and that was pretty much the end of sleep for me. I got up and did some laundry , swept and mopped the kitchen, and before I knew it, I had gotten myself on a roll ( I hate when I put myself on rolls on accident) so I didn't stop until about 2 that afternoon. I had a nice clean house and went into town for some goods for the evening. We had a late lunch at Stevos with my mom, nutty sister and brother. The grocer got home from work about 6:45 and we headed out to my sisters house for food and games and to bring in the new year :) We had lots of fun and lots of yummy food - probably too much food. It was such a treat to celebrate the eve of a new year with my Brother and Sister and it makes me think of one of my favorite sayings. . . . We may not have it all together, but together we have it all. . . or better yet . . . . my family is like a chocolate bar, sweet but with a few nuts. . .

Our RedNeck cooler . . . Yeah baby . . .Brautworst and sauerkrat!

For some reason, we ended up walking in zero degree weather and Christmas caroling! Seriously I don't know whose bright idea this was! The teens getting ready to light up the new midnight sky.

Movies . . . . the good and the bad .

2010-12-28T19:53:00.000-08:00

Ok so first of all I have just gotta give a shout out to the grocer! YaY Steve-a-Rino for taking the week off to have some family time :) We have had a good time just hangin out with the kiddos. We actually have done a whole lot of nothing, and it feels grrreat!

Word to the wise . . . .DO NOT waste your money on this show!

We actually got up and left, I can not remember the last time a show was so bad it deamed a walk out.

Seriously YOU have been warned . . . . . . . instead. . . .go see Narnia 3D it was totally worth the $30 plus we dropped at the local theatre . . :)Meet my nutty sister! Ha, we love the nutty sister, she brings out the nut in all of us . :)♥Me and the good-looking grocer ♥
The girls loved the show, but my poor little princess Brynlee fell asleep and missed most of it, but even the parts she did see she said she liked!

Christmas twenty ten

2010-12-27T11:44:00.000-08:00

Princess Brynlee will join us this year up on the snow covered mountain!

Braeden's big gift last year was a snow board! This kid is growing like a weed, geez. So needless to say he has outgrown last year's snow boardl

ChRiStMaS has once again come. . . . and gone! WoW it happened so stinkin' fast as does everything else around here. We celebrated Christmas Eve with a pajama dinner party here at our house with all our family and their pj's too :) It was lots of fun, and lots of work, ha! i feel like I was chained to the stove for 2 days straight. There was so much yummy food, I am a true believer in "holiday weight gain". The rest of the weekend we pretty much hung out around here in our comfy cozy clothes doing nothing but relaxing . The kids have had a great time just lounging around playing with all their new toys and games, with no real schedule to follow. This next week we are gonna just keep a low profile and "hang out" some more. It's been nice not going anywhere and just enjoying the kiddos this season.

My poor nephews! Their faces say it all - I think they are bored with the gift they have gotten from me every year for Christmases and birthdays.

♥ Feeding the camel ♥

2010-12-21T06:06:00.000-08:00

Every year around this time we dress everyone up in their coats, hats and gloves and we head to the mountains to feed the camel. The house there is lit up with over 2 million lights and they usually have Santa there handing out candy canes and of course Mr. Camel. The kids love going, its about a 45 minute drive we put on a Christmas movie and drive on up :) This year Brynlee actually wanted to feed the camel, on one condition, she feeds him from the safety of her dad's shoulders, ha! The older kids ran around examining the displays and occasionally squealing and calling us to "hurry, come look at this one". It was extra freezing this year so we made it around the circle one time and headed to our cozy warm car. We got home and had some snacks and actually went to bed at a decent hour for a change. This week is super busy and I hope to get everything I am wanting to get done, finished this week. . . . we will see. Tomorrow evening . . . . . . the kids will dress up and I will read the story of baby Jesus!

Maverick

2010-12-20T06:48:00.000-08:00

This past week our baby boy Maverick got into some trouble. He is sooo well known for eating just about anything, this time he ate a little rubber ball, you know those super bouncy rubber ones from a candy machine? Yep he swallowed one whole. We took him to the vet Monday where he had 2 surgeries and a week long stay, it finally ended Saturday afternoon when he was so infected and weak the Dr. called and suggested we put him down right now while he was already under in anesthesia, I didn't have time to think or talk over with anyone but the Dr on the phone who was positive it was for the best, I gave him the ok and tried to prepare to tell the grocer and the kids. OUCH! What an awful thing to go through and double awful to watch those kids go through it. Still terrible yet, the breeder of Maverick offered my son a 1 year old from the same sire! He has Maverick's direct bloodline and we trust this breeder. I do not like jumping into this, as we are all still very much grieving for our boy, but I don't want to turn down the offer because A. it's an amazing offer, one I would hate to pass on and regret, and B. I never want to have to go through the puppy stage again, to get to an awesome adult Retriever. :) I just hate in life when important decisions have a rush on them due to other circumstances. So the grocer and I will talk this through and try to figure out the best plan today. . . . .I love Maverick and his craziness, and will miss him forever. If we end up with a new one I will love him sooo much, if we don't end up with a new one I will be ok for a while too . . . .

Brynlee Princess, her bestie, and company parties

2010-12-15T20:04:00.000-08:00

This week has past in a flurry of busyness :) . It has been pretty cold around here so I have had to be kind of creative to entertain the princess during the days ( at least until Savana gets here to take over ). It still shocks me to see the bond she has with the dog, I have said it before and I will say it again, he is never far, usually not more than 5 feet from where she is. She sat on the counter to do crafty stuff and he waited patiently in the middle of the kitchen facing her. Everyone thinks the dog is retarded and is more of a problem than he is worth, but every time I see them together I have to secretly disagree. We had 2 of the Grocer's company parties this week, fun as it can be it is alot of work also! The kids are just ready for Christmas break already so much so that I am all but carrying them to school, they DO NOT want to go this week. . . . We all know I am a self proclaimed slacker and in my slacker mom head I am mulling over the idea if letting them skip school Friday so we can head to the hill and snowboard. I mean it is the last day of school before winter break and they get out early any way so really, what on earth could they possibly miss??

Randoms ♥

2010-12-10T07:25:00.000-08:00

It is raining, blowing like a hurricane and just plain freezing outside this morning. I am sitting on my couch under a blanket watching the orange flames in the fireplace, the kids and the grocer just left for the day and the baby is still sleeping. I was gonna sit for a sec. and write a list for the day, but most of it includes running errands and I just don't think I want to go outside until 3 when I have to go get kids and come straight home to my cozy blanket and fire :) The picture of Maverick makes me smile - he is such a crazy undisciplined, out of control dog and I just love him to pieces ( I am the only one ). The grocer says he needs help, the kids can't stand his lack of manners and the little dog just runs away from him. Ha, I just ordered a video called The Perfect Dog supposedly it works in minutes. . . .. or so say the people in the testimonials I watched on the infomercial, we will see :) The teenager is such a great kid, he got to go to the Grocer's company party last night because technically he is an 'employee' I mean after all he takes 12 hours a week. He was super excited to go as an employee and participate this year in games and prizes, it was fun to watch him go.

Brynlee loves her Grandpa and I don't know why, but she is just staring so deeply at him in this picture that it melts my heart, I may blow this up HUGE and put it in my hallway.

Taya and Savana have been dancing together since Savana was 5 and Taya was 7. They always look forward to the new dance season and getting to hang out a little, Taya is a few years older and she also goes to a different school, so they only get to 'hangout' during dance :)

Family Pictures . . . . . again :)

2010-12-09T06:26:00.000-08:00

I think my family thinks we take more family pictures than anyone, ha, I think they are right! I just love pictures sheesh it is not my fault I love pictures so much, they have the people I love the most in them :) This season I ran out of time to do some great outdoor shots, I have actually been meaning to do some fun fall ones since late October and since I never did, the weather made my decision to have them taken inside my house. We moved couches, brought up lights and dressed everyone up. My kids gave me a good hour or so before the melt downs began and I called it a wrap. Even the dog had a melt down and was kicked out of pictures first. After pix we ate dinner with Patty, the grocer's GM manager, then Kim, the grocer's Deli manager joined us and we wrapped presents until waay late into the evening for the store party. We had fun visiting, eating laughing.

A day in the life . . . .

2010-12-06T17:27:00.000-08:00

I am doing a little re-cap of a day in our life, this is definitely not a typical day in the Stokes life just a day :). . . . . . .There was an early morning. . . . .dance recital, festival of trees, hanging of Christmas lights outside, treats, dinner with my mom at her house and then we watched the Ultimate Fighter finale! , yeah good times :)

The process of the perfect treat. . . .Carmel chocolate covered pretzel sticks

the first coat is complete - carmel - now just wait and cool for the next coat - chocolate - This is what the middle one did while I made snacks and the others hung lights . . . .she sang Christmas tunes while watching youtube. I can barely stand waiting for this pot to hurry up and get done so I can have me a bowl! Mmmmm finally I got my bowl of Menudo . . .

The grocer kick'n back watching the fights and watching his stocks :) This picture makes my heart smile, after a long day scripture reading wasn't in the plans but at the request of the teenager we did some scripture study :)

Thanksgiving twenty-ten

2010-12-03T19:29:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving in Park City was the bomb! Ha, we had a huge extra long Thanksgiving vakay - the kids went to school Monday and were out the rest of the week and also the following Monday for snow. Did we let the huge amounts of white stuff falling from the sky ruin our trip? - NO we did not, we took the ride by storm .... literally, I was shakin' in my uggs, I had to stay busy reading so I wouldn't see (or not see) the roads in front of us :) Once we did get to our condo it was smooth sailing, turkey-eatin' bliss. We enjoyed lots of family time, late nights, over eating and swimming outside in 1 degree weather. I especially enjoyed the super duper shopping day we all know as Black Friday!! Yes siree I seriously shopped until I dropped, I came back to the condo put on my warm and fuzzies and dropped! The ride home Sunday was a pretty big ordeal . . .it took us 7 hours to get here, the roads were a mess and they closed the freeway, so we had to take an extra long detour. Once we got home we unpacked and fed everyone and found out there would be no school again the next day, talk about a party!! It is good to be home and now after a week of being here I can finally say I (think) I am caught up on house duties .

♥

2010-11-23T06:15:00.000-08:00

This weekend flew by as usual. Friday night we took the kiddos out to dinner and came home and just kind of lounged around the house. Saturday we were up early (too early) Savana had a basketball game at 8:30 in the little town next to ours so we had to leave our house at 10 to 8. She played a great game and even made a few baskets. I have no idea what it is with chick sports but some mom on the other team tried to get mouthy to me, really? I mean what'd she think that I was just gonna put up with it - NO WAY I mean this is me we are talking about, ha ha, anyways besides the loud mouth, bad sport of a mother over there the morning was good :) We hit Mickey Dees on the way back into town and brought some home to the teenager. When we pulled into our driveway we could see that he had quite a productive morning as well, there were 4wheeler tracks all over the snow and the driveway and sidewalk had been shoveled! What a great kid he wasn't even asked to do that. We ate and went back to town we dropped Braed off at work and went to the sporting store to get Bryn & Savana snowboards for park city. After more errands we stopped at and ate soup and hot subs then we went out to my sisters house to do Christmas crafty things . . .

I am not as crafty as the other girls, it took me 5 hours to put the deco mesh on my garland and thats it! Ha, I still have the ornaments AND the center piece to make for it! We got home late and went straight to bed. Sunday we went to church and came home to a warm lunch the grocer had made us. We hung around did some chores, watched some tv, then we went to my mom's for dinner.

We came home and got into our pj's and watched Iron Man 2 in the theatre. I thought Iron Man was such a guy show but I was wrong I loved it, and part 2 is just as good. The weekend went by waay to fast but we had a good one and enjoyed it with family:)

Just livin' it up in November :)

2010-11-19T19:09:00.000-08:00

The past few days have been eventful . . . Savana made it on the high honor roll and invited her dad to the renaissance breakfast at her school he surprised her before their 'date' with a bouquet of flowers. Savana's basketball team won their 2nd game and I managed to snap 1 photo of her. The teenager had a speech at school about how to handle and care for large dogs and he took Maverick with him as a 'visual'. . The usual loudness around here has increased by a TON, the teenager got an early Christmas gift from his list - drums!! Yep his music is the loudest banging I have ever heard, and there is no where in this house where I can escape. I am trying to figure out some sort of schedule I can live with, you know like playing hours or something around here to keep me from going even more insane, ha. I tell ya . . . . there is never a dull moment . . . . :)

Tommorow I am going out to my sister's house to do some crafts with her and her friend Kelly, I am super excited, I am planning on learning lots of new things, Kelly is going to be making some wreaths out of Poly Deco Mesh - she will be selling them in her salon, I can't wait to see them she is hella creative :)

Thankful Season. ..

2010-11-17T05:25:00.000-08:00

The days are so full and busy lately, I could really write a novel on the things I am absolutely NOT thankful for ( all the yummy, fattening foods that tempt me so, the extra amounts of people out and about . . . I could go on ), but I won't, however, I thought I would take a minute and list just some things I am thankful for, this being the 'thankful' month and all :)

I am super duper thankful for being blessed with an amazing, hard-working husband, the grocer works hard - so I don't have to, ha! Seriously I think alot of times I take for granted the fact that I am able to stay home with my treasures and be a mom, I mean isn't that just what moms do? NO in fact alot can't stay home, this is absolutely a blessing I wouldn't be able to do with out the hard work of the grocer. I am way beyond thankful for the health of all 3 kiddos . We have been lucky to have such healthy kids, I mean they get their fair share of the yuckies, flues, snots and the pukes and all that, but we have been lucky to avoid any life- threatening crap, and for this I thank my lucky stars :) I am very thankful for having such a great sister and awesome brother. . . I am thankful for my cousins Amber & Alex who are like sisters to me. . . I am thankful for Jamie who is now my sister . . . .I am thankful for wonderful parents, I am equally thankful for such awesome step parents. . . I am thankful for close friends, I am thankful for my church family and the bond I have with the women there. . . I am most thankful for prayer and the freedom we have to worship and serve the Lord . . . I am thankful for Pumkin Yogurt, snuggles from Maverick, the rare quiet times to sit and read, the way the teenager laughs super hard when something strikes him funny, the way Bryn snuggles right before she falls asleep, the grocer for kissing me goodbye every morning before he leaves, my mom who calls every single day to check on how the kids were before school, taco bandido for helping me with dinner, the fresh brisk autumn weather, Savana's ump for life and her sweet sweet spirit, hoodies and furry boots . . . . the way my house smells after it has been cleaned, clean sheets, a warm cozy house, marshmello popcorn. . . .

Brynlee the flying 4 year old

2010-11-13T19:58:00.000-08:00

So today we woke up early got the kids up and ready and went to Papa Kelseys to get cinnamon rolls. . . or that was the plan, turns out we were about 5 minutes late for the last cinnamon roll was just sold :( We dropped Braeden off at the stake center for his last church basketball game and we headed out of town to Savana's basketball game, but not before stopping at Maverick to buy a cinnamon roll! The grocer went in to get his fix he came out and got in the denali and started to drive to the game, he opened up his cinnamon roll and decided it smelled old, ha he didn't get his fix. We pulled into the next town with 5 minutes to spare before the game and you would think he would high tale it around the corner to get there, well not this grocer, he pulled into the Maverick in search of his perfect fresh cinnamon roll. They had some!! YaY, he took us to the game, Savana hopped out and RAN, Bryn and I followed behind at a little slower of a pace than the running Savana and the grocer stayed in the car to enjoy his perfect fresh cinnamon roll :) The game was great, Savana was her usual awesome, aggressive, basket shooting, ball bouncing self. The game ended with a win of 12-6, yay for her team! We spent the rest of the day at home finishing up some projects - it feels so good to actually finish and enjoy . . . in the mean time Brynlee found a way to entertain herself while the grocer was working in there . . . .

Enjoying the month so far . . .

2010-11-11T06:04:00.000-08:00

So the first week in November has flown by and we are into the second now, why on earth is time flying by at the speed of light these days? I don't much care for that. The grocer and I celebrated our 14th year anniversary, seriously 14 wow we really were kids 14 years ago it's crazy! Savana started basketball practice this week and she won the game lighting and talked about how she is gonna practice and win again next week . . . uh, I think she is missing the point of it's not to win a game within your own team, but to BE a team and win other teams :) It is really funny though because we all know how I feel about chick sports - completely worthless!! Ha ha but I suppose she likes it so I will continue to drive her all over tarnation and cheer her on . The grocer sent me to Utah on a girls shopping trip with some friends and I had a blast, I forgot how much fun it can be just getting away and spending some dough! So this is what was left in my car after the other 6 women took their bags, lol I guess you can say I kind of went shoppppping!! Whew, now where to put it all? Our boys are just growing like weeds! The teenager and my nephews. . . see what I mean about time and having wings, sheesh !

The Broncos cheerleader, my zombie ninja, and the zombie cheerleader :)

Brynlee has been having some intense hour and a half long rehearsals to get ready for the upcoming holiday season and all the recitals they have scheduled. She loves dance and is great at it, which surprises me a bit because she is such a mommies girls she never leaves my leg!

Awwwe Poor Kristen she was such a trooper shopping all day pregnant and I wouldn't even let her eat! Seriously it takes too much time to sit and eat when there are goods to be bought. . . . :)

♥ the 3 kids ♥

2010-11-05T20:08:00.000-07:00

I am not gonna lie - I am super lucky :) I am lucky to be able to be called mom, fifty thousand times a day, ha! I made a vow to be great blogger, well right off the bat I skipped a day, sheesh this is going to be a bit more difficult than I thought. Anyways today there was no school, it was PTC and I went last night so I could spend some time today with my treasures. This morning I got up and ran to the grocery store before any of them woke up, I got doughnuts and egg nog so depending on how you look at it I either scored some points or lost major ones. For those health nutty people thinking OMG how could she jump start the morning for her children by loading them up with pure sugar and empty calories, probably yes I have lost points with those ones(maybe even some respect), but for the super laid back, going for easy and pleasing, I have just racked up the bonus points with those ones!! Either way the kids were stoked to wake up to something different than they have most school days. These kids are growing at the speed of light! I can't seem to stop the hands of time, although I have tried many many times and not succeeded everyday I wake up and they just keep growing and getting older. I am not a fan of this part of life, the inevitable will eventually be here but in the now I am trying to soak up every minute of them. . . We spent time together this morning eating our delicious (un-healthy) breakfast, watched some tv, and just hung out. Eventually Savana's friend called and invited her over, the grocer came home and took the teenager to work and Grandma came over to play with the 3rd one :) So my togetherness plan was short lived, ha !!

The World's Worst Blogger . . .

2010-11-03T21:15:00.000-07:00

Yep the title is actually ME. I have really been a terrible blogger and I don't know why? I love blogging and I love to keep up on it, this is my sort of daily/weekly/monthy journally thing. I am now announcing that once again I am going to make a very conscience effort to be a better blogger - I say once again, because I am pretty sure I have valiantly made this vow before, but this time I mean it!! :) To better help me with this effort I am going to try to "implement" something - I have no idea what , but something, like Tuesday tell alls, or show and tell Fridays, or What did we eat for dinner each night??? Something, the ideas are brewing now so this will be soon to come! Along with this effort, I might add, that I am going to take 365 pictures of my kids also, I am not sure how I will incorporate this little picture taking journey into the new blogging but I am sure I will figure something out :). I love all things fall and I especially love Halloween time. This little family of ours has enjoyed as much of this fall and halloween time as we could. . . .pumpkin patches, straw mazes, haunted things, spooky movie nights with rootbeer floats. I can't even count the number of times we just decided to dress up in costumes for the day and just have some fun! So Braeden has been busy with school and work, he is going to buy himself a truck next year and this is going to take alot of cash so he is taking as many shifts as he can. The girls are their usual busy self's in school, dance and just playing :) The Grocer stays plenty busy just being the grocer, and the sweet little wifey is just here to pleasantly meet everyone's needs . . . .NOT! Ha ha ha . . . .

. . . by the way. . .I am loving Grey's Anatomy this season - just say'n !

Brynlee's Wonderland

2010-09-22T07:24:00.000-07:00

My baby girl turned 4 1/2 this August and we went out in style - wonderland style :) 4 is a big deal to me, I think the year from 4 to 5 is a huge change for my kids they seem to grow all of 4 years in this one year, so I like to celebrate big! Brynlee has been captivated by Alice in Wonderland for quite a while and when I told her we needed to plan a summer party for her there was no question in her little 4 and a half year old mind that it would be a Wonderland Party! Well whats a mom to do except immediately head into my favorite mode - Party Planning Mode :) I wrote down a few things I had seen and heard from the movie and started making table arrangments, centerpieces, and decorations. Then we had a photo shoot for the invitations, and finally, got on the phone to order a bounce house and food! The party was a hit - we had a maddhatter desert table and that would just not be complete without a Queen of hearts candy table, Bounce house for the kiddos, photo booth with whacky "mad-hatterish" costumes, rides on the wonderland float, a pinata, we also had an activity, the kids made edible bracelets and necklaces out of gummy lifesavers, and gummy rings, we topped off the evening by having an outdoor theatre, the kids all had popcorn and treats and relaxed on giant bean bags and watched a movie. This was one of my favorite parties so far with my kids. I am excited to plan many many more . . . . .

The queen's table was my favorite! The little tin boxes are party favors for the kids to take home with yummy candy inside :)

The photo booth was a hit - even the teens couldn't stay away . . . .

Summer fun

2010-08-25T06:38:00.000-07:00

This summer has flown by waay to fast for me! We have had a fun-filled super packed past three months and my blogging has takin' a huge hit because of all the summer busyness :) We started the summer out by living at the baseball fields, then living at my moms hanging out on the river and completely ignoring the endless amounts of housework, then there were the many, many parties! BBQ's, picnics to shoshone, swimming at Ross, Lagoon, camping, parades. . . . Well school is now in our very near future and it is time to get back to normal life! No more midnight bedtimes and sleeping in until noon, no more eating whenever we feel like it with dinner sometimes around 9 pm, no more slacking in the reading department - sometimes we just did not get around to that reading to the kiddos at night :) but all that is about to change - goodbye summer 2010 you were great to us but you know what they say, "all good things must come to an end" . . . .

This is the camping trip that never ended! Ha! We spent about 5 days in the rough. Trying to cook and make activities and get little ones to nap, and keep them semi-clean to be safe was just a huge chore :)

My baby niece turns 1. . .

2010-08-17T06:37:00.000-07:00

Hadyn turned one last week and we had a celebration party for her at my sister's house. My sister waited 13 years for Hadyn so she was pretty much useless to me the day of the party :)I think she was in shock her baby was now 1! There were about 40 people with us to help celebrate Hadyn's special day.

I heart the 4th . . .

2010-07-07T05:58:00.000-07:00

I love all things of July 4th! They yummy food, the gazillion BBQs we have, all the chillaxing and hang'n with family and friends. This year it was like a 3 day 4th of July party that started Friday at Ross park and didn't end until late Sunday night roasting mellows out at the fire pit :) Ross park is always a favorite for the kids and I don't even know how it happened but the weather cooperated! We went canoeing at Wilson Lake, lit fireworks everynight and had so much company here that I actually could start a lost and found of my own . . . We went to the Rupert Square and ate way to much yummy food, enjoyed the music and watched the night time sky light up. So after this past weekend I think I will actually get re-aquanted with my friends the vacuum cleaner, dishwasher and washer & dryer :) I promise anything that resembled housework was not on my list of things to do, I made a vow to myself that my kids will remember the holidays as fun and enjoyable times spent with their family and NOT of the mom giving out orders and standing behind the broom and a wash rag all day.