HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TYLER!

It is Tyler's 31st birthday tomorrow and I am feeling the need to honor such an occasion with a quick blog post- the kind that might increase my chances of passing away sooner rather than later, but a post all the same. Here is my tribute to you - The Tyler:

For such an old guy he can sure use his imagination and make things fun!
He is patient enough to put up with me all these years- that ought to say it all right there.
Randomness is a great thing- sometimes you don't even know ahead of time that he is planning on having a great time and participating in the festivities. (Please don't make me sleep on the couch for this one, Honey!)
Now that is what I'm talking 'bout! Yup, this is my man- and a manly man at that.
He loves making fun of my desire to take pictures all the time. (Well- here is one back at ya.) On a more serious note it is inadequate to say he is merely a fantastic husband and father, he is so much more. Happy Birthday, your family loves you.

HALLOWEEN!

Frightmares 2009 was fantastic, the weather couldn't have been better. Thanks kids for earning homework points.
My kids love Mandy- glad you could go too!
I think this is one of the worst rides they have for my poor tummy. Blah!
Nothing too spooky here, folks.
HALLOWEEN DAY! Since it was on a weekend and I didn't have any bio exams the next week we said "what the hey- let's go visit us some folks!" First stop- Grandpa Buggy and Grandma Lucie's house. They carved pumpkins with Grandpa's jigsaw (ever so appropriate for pumpkin carving) and Grandma helped me with math- bless her heart.
Syd took a break to pose with attitude outside.
Next stop- Aunt Trishie's house! We had an amazing time with cousins- soup in a pumpkin bun, Trishie took the kids trick or treating, and Ty and I got to hand out candy at the door. I was the best old lady ever. Kids came to the door just wanting there candy and I made them talk to me and tell me what they dressed up as- they were so annoyed and I couldn't have been having more fun.
Two on the left are 2 weeks apart, and you know Syd - or do you....?
Surprise of all surprises, we even got to see Grandma and Grandpa! We snuggled them up to keep them warm so that they would be comfy. Fantastic day & weekend if'n I do say so myself. Not only did I get to play ping pong while dancing to the new Michael Buble cd in Ty's parents' driveway (in full view of neighbors, mind you), act like an old lady and pass out candy in a very annoying manner, get enough math help to pass my exam today (I hope)- but I also got to pinch the cheeks of the little ones excessively - and they even liked it.

Frightmares & Family

We are super excited for Frightmares this year! The kids earn it by getting homework points for everyday that they come home and complete their homework in a reasonable amount of time with a good attitude, and it seems to be working wonders. Some of us need motivation a little more than others, if ya know what I mean. And again, I am certainly not above bribery as a parent. If it helps my kids develop habits of doing homework with a good attitude it is worth a whole lot of Frightmares.

Also, I must say that Ty and I have awesome, awesome, awesome, families. This semester has been INSANE, like no semester has been before it, but we have certainly had great help from our families. My favorite part is that the kids are only neglected some of the time, and we don't have to have sandwiches or Papa Murphy's every night (you can only do that for so long, ya know). Last weekend my friend from micro was so excited that her family was helping out for a couple of hours over the weekend, I didn't have the heart to tell her that mine were totally loved and taken care of for the whole weekend. I have never felt so incompetent as I do in my classes right now, but having such awesome support day after day just makes me want to try harder and do better.

Much to be Grateful For

We have so much.

I need to try harder to be more appreciative and thankful for what we have.

I am going to do better.

For Ronald McDonald and his great invention of a Playland.

Ice cream cones that make kids smile.

My Dad who taught me

"What matters is that you do the right thing."

Finding out what that is can be quite a journey.

Kids who never let life get too dull.

Sisters who love you, no matter what.

Pinkie swear.

A family to learn and grow with.

Curious Cousins and an adorable Aunt.

Chubby cheeks and a sassy attitude.

A husband who will:

do the chores

make great dinners

read with the kids

support me in anything

even...

pose for cheesy pictures with me.

Hooray for School!

I can't believe summer break is at an end and the kids are back in school already! They both have great teachers and aids and we are excited for a great year ahead of us.

Royce was super excited about having lunch at school and getting to go to recess 3 times each day. Syd just likes school and is really good about coming home and getting her homework done. Royce has a much harder time, and I'll admit I am not above bribing my kids. In fact, right now everyday they come home and do their homework right away (with a good attitude) they get one homework point. They are saving for Frightmares at Lagoon which is 40 points, and it is totally working! I am ever so sneakily establishing habits and routines, hopefully instilling these in them so that when they are older they already know "how" to do homework or to study. The best part is that they have a great attitude while they are doing it and don't seem to get so frustrated when something may be difficult.

Yup, I'm Officially OLD!

I had a great 30th birthday last week complete with "Welcome to the Old People's Club" comments and the like. I am not super excited to be 30, but I must say I feel as though I have earned it. I have done enough in my life that I can feel good about being 30. (30!)

Just wanted to thank the donors of all the birthday wishes!

Freaky Nightmares!

So Royce has been having some freaky nightmares, and I do mean freaky ones lately. So we looked up some stuff on the lovely internet, and of course decided to make him a dream catcher to help him "catch" his bad dreams. I did not think it would work, but so far so good. If this stops working we are going to try to spray for bad dreams (squirt bottle with water and vanilla). All this stuff seems so weird to me, but it is just heartbreaking to have to see him go through this. I'll do hokey stuff if it helps my little man. Anyone have any good ideas? What do you do when your kids have nightmares?

Fantastic Yellowstone

We decided to go to Yellowstone for a couple of days before Ty's surgery. It was beautiful!
The kids were tired, but had a fun time seeing all the sights.



The view from the front of our Hotel. The place was old, but I'd stay there again just to sit outside looking at this all day.

It is so nice when they are not fighting. =)

The kids participated in the Junior Ranger program and passed off their stuff with this Ranger for a fancy badge that I sewed onto their backpacks. Great program for kids!
Just hanging out, enjoying the view.

Tyler's Surgery

Tyler just had surgery for plantar fasciitis on both of his feet so I had to post a couple of funny pics before he told me not to. He was kinda nervous before the surgery but he sure was a good sport posing for pics!

Look how proud he is of the IV - and he didn't even faint. Good job Ty!

The surgery went well and now he is enjoying his convalescence at home. He will be getting his fill of movies and Wii games for at least another week or so. Thanks for all the well wishes, visits, and support from family and friends! He is still accepting treats. And visits. =)

A Great Week with a Holiday End

I have been wanting a bike for long time "I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike..." so my hubby went and done bought me one. It is so much fun to ride as a family, we have been going all about town. After swimming we had to stop for some lunch, and what better place?

My little man, already a fisherman.

The kids got to ride Tonka in the 24th of July parade this year (thank you Kali!). Needless to say they had a fantastic time and enjoyed all the attention. We had family come up and down to see them and to hang out over the weekend. It was so fun to see everybody! Next time Syd wants to throw out candy to the loud hollering folks.

Ty doesn't have to do much to make this chubby-cheeked baby giggle, and Syd right along with him. She got to wear makeup for the parade and she looked way too old to be my Baby Girl!

Cousins just chillin' like little folks like to do. Aren't they stinkin' cute? I love being an Aunt!

More giggles, this time the littlest of them all got in on the action.

Gotta do sparklers before the fireworks start. I think the sparklers might have lasted about as long as the big fireworks this year. Anyone else feel like they were short?

Ahhh.... Because we are a happy family( although it would be nice if my own kids would pose for the pics)! Thanks for coming up, folks! Sure do preciatecha!

Take it from the Champ

As some of you know, our apartments banned the use of outdoor grills. We were pretty bummed, so a few weeks ago we bought a George Foreman grill for inside. I have to say it's pretty awesome. Our chicken is always juicy and cooks quick. It even does fish sticks - no more warming up the oven.

So here's an easy meal that Shanell has made me prepare a few times because she loves it so much. It's a tropical chicken salad: Romaine lettuce, whole black olives, grilled pineapple and barbecue chicken.

I put a Jamaican jerk rub on the chicken before putting it on the grill. I do 3 or 4 breasts, sometimes the grill can fit all at once. It takes 15 min or so. Then cut the chicken up, put it in a bowl with spicy honey barbecue sauce and stir it up. Skin the pineapple, cut it into thick slices and cut out the core, and throw it on the grill for a few minutes - until it turns golden brown but still juicy. The throw the chicken, pineapple, olives, whatever dressing you want - and some bacos, if desired - on the lettuce and enjoy. Easy!

Royston's birthday and long weekend

We had an eventful weekend; most of it revolved around Royce. It was his 6th birthday on Thursday; he had a party on Friday. Here we are at Angie's enjoying the birthday benefits:

He had a cowboy party complete with horses, bandanas, and rubber band guns. Here is Sydney, Grace, and cousin Mykaela with Tyler atop a few of the nags:

Enjoying a snack and opening presents:

Royce has been doing jiu-jitsu this summer, and he surprised me by wanting to compete in the kids tournament in Ogden on Saturday. He did great and had fun, we are so proud of him! He lost his first match by armbar to a kid who had a lot more experience, but he hung in there and won his second by descision, taking the kids back and almost putting on a choke! Awesome dude!

Uncle Glenn and cousin Mykaela came up to Ogden to cheer Royce on. Afterward, Glenn sucked up his broken foot and we all went to the Eccles Dino Park in Ogden - Shanell and I liked it so much, we got a year pass. Here we are in front of the Stegosaurus - one of many to explore.