Christmas 2016

Another Christmas come and gone.  

Time flies when you're having fun.

Picture overload ahead.

and crappy ones to boot. One day I'll have a nice camera.  Until then, not quite focused phone pics. I dropped my phone in the toilet (okay 2 phones in the toilet) and the phone I have now seems to take horrible pictures.

Grandma Tacos tradition every year has been to do a fish pond for the kids. Her mom did it and she continued in the tradition.  Until this year. Guess she got sick of it and just handed all the kids a bag with their goods in it. Low key--I can handle that. 

 ^^ anxiously waiting to go see what Santa delivered

 ^^ my kids didn't really ask for anything this year. That makes my life easy.  Dax did ask for a pair of fake red glasses.  I don't think he's taken them off since he opened them up.  He's gotten sooo many compliments on them.  I kept telling him how cute he looks, that he rocks those glasses, etc and he said to me one night "so mom, if I ever get in trouble all I have to do is put my glasses on.  I'm so cute in them you can't be mad at me anymore."  It's kinda true.

 The Wrights are starting to out grow grandma and grandpas front room.

 For years I have posted pics of all the Wright grandkids and made the comment that one day there would finally be pink in there. This was the year! Yeah Cassie and Michael for getting the pink in there.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

The honesty of a 7 year old

My conversation with the 7 year old this morning:

Me: Dax you should be a dentist when you grow up.  Then you can fix my teeth.

Dax:  But you'll be dead by then....

Me:  You think I'll be dead in 20 years?

Dax:  You will be like 50 something so probably. You're getting pretty old.

Me:  Thanks for reminding me.

 Dax: you forgot?  How did you forget?

Me: because I'm getting old, I can't remember anything.

Dax: Oh yeah, right.

Good times. 
If I'm dead by my 50's I blame dax.
**If I truly do die for some reason by then and you happen to find this and read it dax, don't worry,  I don't actually blame you. I don't want you to have to spend your adult years in therapy thinking you caused your mothers demise.  Sarcasm is one of my great qualities that you probably already forgot about now that I'm 6 feet under ;)

Light the World

So we, as a family, are participating in the Light the World thing our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) is doing. It is a great way to remember what this season is all about.  Honoring Jesus Christ by following His example. 

Day 1 (yesterday) was a worldwide day of service. I wasn't very on the ball with planning something specific for all of us to do.  Then half the fam didn't get home from wrestling until after 8:30.  So we decided to just share something small we had done for the day for someone in need.  My kids were sharing all these experiences with us like helping a kid in gym open his locker when he couldn't, helping someone rebuild a huge snowball other kids at school had wrecked, etc. and my mom heart was busting at the seams. 

 Then came Day 2.

Day 2 (today) is about honoring your parents.  So I suggested to the kids to write me or Nate a letter.  Everyone picked to write to Nate (what the heck is wrong with this awesome mom!?!) except Dilon.  He wrote me a letter.  This is what it says:

Dear Mom, 

Thanks for being the best mum ever. 

You smell like tacos.

You're the best ever.

Dilon

Uhm gee, thanks?  I smell like tacos?  Those tacos are buying your Christmas thank you very much!

Thanksgiving was good

Man I stink at this blogging thing lately.  Long time, no write.  I have a to-do list right now that is about 23 pages long and growing longer by the second.  Eventually I will catch up on all the happenings around here.  Okay, probably not, but I'll give it a good try.  

Thanksgiving was good.  Food was good. Pie was good.  Shopping was good.  

These kiddos of mine tried like crazy to get the Christmas tree up before Thanksgiving.  Not happening here. Lets enjoy the bird and stuffing then we can bring on the candy canes and stockings.  

Now that Thanksgiving is over the tree is up

^^pretend grif's eyes are open in the pic. 

 It will save me the hassle of trying to load another pic on here. 

Also look at the top of the tree.  See the white square there?  Apparently I tossed the tree topper last time I took the tree down because it was broken (I have a very vague recollection of that happening).  I figured when the time came I could just go buy a new one, well now that it's here I haven't had time to get one (remember the list of to-do's that's 23 25 pages long now?).

Dilon decided to solve the problem by grabbing a tissue, drawing a star on it, and then slapping it on the top of the tree. Works for me, besides the fact that he got permanent marker on my garbage can lid as he was drawing it. Thank heavens for magic erasers. 

Halloween 2016

Here's a little of our 2016 Halloween fun.  

Nate and I go to a friend party every year. 

 These people are fantastic.

We were lame and cheap and didn't really want to spend money on costumes, so burglars it was.  

Dilon has hit the age where he's too cool/old for trick-or-treating.  He went to the trunk-or-treat with us but wouldn't dress up and then ditched us to go with his friends.  Lame.

Grif is on the fence about whether or not he's too old.  Last minute he decided he wanted to do the trunk-or-treat so we quickly threw together a costume for him.

Dax and Bay are still loving Halloween.  They were over it by 7:15 though which is fantastic when it falls on a Monday night.  Works for me.  

 

Dax makes such a cute little girl!  People truly thought he was a girl dressed as a cheerleader. Their faces were pretty funny when they figured out who it was. 

Happy Halloween!

mummy boxes

I'm not that mom.  I'm not the mom to do the cutesy birthday parties for her kids. I'm not the mom that buys the best clothes and the newest electronics. I don't do over-the-top costumes and bedazzled posters for my kids school projects.  I'm mediocre at most of the mom stuff I do.
But this year I stepped it up a notch. I was asked to bring the drinks for Dax's class Halloween party on Monday.  I don't know what got into me but I was feeling festive so I have to document it.

I made mummy juice boxes. Go me!  Baylor decided that since Dax got them for his class he should get them for his preschool class too.  So 50 mummy boxes it is. 
I know, it's lame in comparison to what so many other moms do.  But don't be a buzzkill. I'm trying here and for once I feel like that mom.  Despite the finger tips that I can no longer feel because of all the hot glue gun burns, I still feel like I accomplished something.
If nothing else got done the last couple of days, at least the 5 and 7 year old are happy.

Proud mom moment

I had myself a proud mom moment the other night.  Went into Grif's room to help him pick what to wear for red ribbon week. It was a day to wear something from your favorite team.  Well my Grif doesn't have a favorite team but he does have some weird obsession with collecting jersey's.  Grandma Squeaker is his main supplier. Thank you thrift store in Heber.  Anyway I walked into his closet to see what he wanted when he started rattling off the jersey's...in alphabetical order.  Did you hear that? Alphabetical order!  He organized his jersey's. I love this kid!  

Everyone mocked me when I alphabetized my cd's when I was younger, but who got the last laugh when trying to find their Reba cd? Me.  I could go right to it so ha. 

And can I just point out how so not right it is that Grif has a bigger closet than I do.  Look at all that unused space in there.  I'm jealous. 

Two less tonsils in this house

This little babe of mine went in for surgery a couple of days ago. 

 So long large tonsils and adenoids, hello tubes.  Hopefully now he can hear and start speaking more clearly.  I am going to miss the little game we play around here called who the heck knows what Baylor is trying to say?  Dax usually won. 

Now we just get to chill at home until he feels better.  

Happy 5th Baylor

I have a new favorite 5 year old!

Happy Happy Birthday, Baylor Von.  

We started the festivities a couple days early when grandma and grandpa squeaker came to visit with his cake

Then the next day we celebrated birthday's for Baylor and Elle

 Look at the cupcakes Kenzie made for them.  So cute!

and today we celebrate the real deal.  We woke everyone up bright and early so he could open presents before older brothers got on the bus for school.  It's torture to make a 5 year old wait until 8 at night when everyone is home to open them.  

and just because I need to always remember the miracles that have happened in my life here is a flashback to 5 years ago

We've come a long way kiddo.  

We love you Bay!

It's finally done(ish)!!!!

Finally!!!   We have carpet in our basement!  

A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into finishing this on our own.  

I really do believe we will appreciate it more because of it.  

I know that I appreciate the fact that Nate and I survived each other through the process. 

It's not 100% finished (more trim and odds and ends still. and the bathroom, but that won't be for awhile.) but it is livable.  

As soon as the carpet guys left Grif had his bags packed ready to make the move down there. I guess he was tired of sleeping on Dilon's bedroom floor.  Plus he has missed his full size bed this last year (can you believe it has been a year since we moved out of our old house?!?).  The kid has been in heaven the last couple of nights.  

I'm also in heaven --- new. carpet. smell. Enough said.

Preschool for Baylor

My baby started preschool yesterday.

He was the first kid I didn't get to take to his first day of school.  

I didn't shed a tear but that's only because I was at work.  I work the days he is at school so I am never going to get to drop him off or pick him up.  Lame.  

Nate was a slacker and didn't get his first day of school pic (don't dads know these things are important?) so I had to snap a shot after I got home from work. Still counts, right?

Such a handsome little fella.  

First day of school 2016

The first day of school rules!!!

Yesterday was the first day of school for the boys.  I think we were all ready to get back to a schedule in this house. But then once they were all gone I missed my helpers.  I mean they drive me crazy at times but it was lonely with 3/4 of them missing.  

 Dilon-8th

Grifin-6th

Dax-2nd

and Baylor is still chillin' at home with mom.  He missed the cut off for kindergarten by about 3 weeks. So we will wait another year.  I kind of enjoy the 1 on 1 time I get with him.  Preschool pics to come.

So I spent about an hour and a half after school yesterday reading, signing and filling out all the forms from the teachers.  By the end I had had enough and this was the result of that.

I don't know if you can really see it or not but there's a good chance Dax will have a rough 2nd grade year because of it.  

I'm kidding.  I'm good friends with his teacher so it's fine.  I 'm sure it's fine.  I really hope it's fine. 

Also there is a back story with the not letting other kids pee on his shoe answer.  Happened to Dilon in her class before we were friends. A kid peed on his shoe (you know 7 year old's and their aim), and dilon had to move his clip down because of it.  Probably the only time he had to move his clip down because the boy is a brown noser.  Anyway, it's been a long running joke since then.  Good times.

Happy 2016/17 school year everyone!