UGLY Sweater Party!!!

This weekend we headed over to Boise for James and Sierra's wedding reception. More to come on that soon! While we were there our Boise friends decided to throw another UGLY SWEATER party! YeeHaw!

The Haskells hosted the seriously HILARIOUS night. Yummy food, fun games, and great friends. It was such a blast. It was so refreshing and fun to see everyone!

The first game we played was a little something I made up. I've been laughing about this game for DAYS...hoping it would go over as well as I had imagined. I started by having everyone break up into teams. Each team was given 8 balloons and a pair of nylons. The first team to blow up their balloons, stuff them into the legs of the nylons and shove the nylons over their head and yell RUDOLF was the winner! It was AB-SOL-UTELY hilarious. If you need a quick family game for the holidays I would recommend this for a great laugh!!

 We also played the "Price is Right" with some extremely strange and RANDOM Christmas gift ideas. For those DIFFICULT people to shop for on your Christmas list. I won't list the items here....we'll just leave those suggestions for those who were at the party. hehe.

We also had a white elephant gift exchange. Gotta love the white elephant gifts.......a foot measuring thing (like from Payless), a red beard, some big red undies, a worm that lights up, and who wouldn't want a nice frame or mug with a picture of Nate and I with green whipped cream all over our faces from a St. Patty's/Birthday party we went to last year? Sweet.

I love you friends! Thanks for a side-splitting and memorable night!

Parker is 6!

My Parker bear is 6 years old today! It is funny how every Christmas has been even more special to me because I have Mr. Parker in my life. He really was the BEST Christmas present I've ever received.....even with his huge attitude, over the top stubbornness and his mischievous ways!  I wouldn't trade him for the most well behaved kid in the world...no way! ☺

Parker wanted a skateboarding birthday party this year. It is hard to come up with skateboarding games and activities when it is 29 degrees out and the ground is covered in snow. We did our best though! Grandma and Grandpa Starnes came up for the birthday which was so great! I needed help...especially since ALL 8 of the boys came who were invited! I didn't think that ALL of them would come! That is a LOT of boys!

We designed (or colored with permanent marker) our own skateboards, played skateboard bingo and played musical squares.

Behold the cake that took Parker and I all DAY to finish. After we finished Dallin walked in and said, "What is that thing mom?" Thanks kid.

Parks absolutely LOVED his new digital camera. He was in his bed tonight taking pictures of the ceiling and the light fixture. Thanks again Grandpa Ric and Grandma Lee Lee!

To top off an already awesome day, Grandma and Grandpa brought us our Christmas present: An air hockey and ping pong table! Woo Hoo! I know 3 boys who are going to L.O.V.E. having this to keep them busy during the cold winter! And I also know a couple of overly competitive parents who will get use out of it as well! You're going down Nate!

Parker's Favorites at 6:

Favorite toys: Bey Blade, mini skateboards, legos, matchbox cars, crayons and markers

Favorite Movies: Home Alone, The Incredibles, Bill Nye the Science Guy Spongebob movies. He absolutely LOVES to watch Billy the Exterminator which makes me laugh and laugh. He always wants me to pop popcorn and watch spiders. cockroaches and snakes get killed. GROSS!

Favorite Games: Sorry, Spoons, Store, Go Fish, Old Maid

Favorite Foods: Swedish pancakes, pizza, alfredo noodles, garlic bread, mac and cheese.

Joys: Playing with friends, going to dollar store to pick anything he wants, playing outside, playing basketball, teasing the cat, going to visit his Grandparents, going on dates with his mom. ☺

I love you Parks. Even though we've had lots of big changes since your last birthday I appreciate how positive you have been thorough out all of it.  I love that you say funny things and always make us laugh. I love how you will try to help me cook every chance you get. You are so athletic and I absolutely ADORE going to cheer you on at your basketball games. Last game you scored 17 points, and even made a 3 pointer. What 6 year old can do that? You amaze me! I love that you are a good brother and how you stand up for your brothers. I love that you are stubborn....like mother like son. Happy Birthday buddy! I sure love you.

Old Fashioned Christmas

 Christmas shopping is done. Christmas cards are all sent. Neighbor gifts are finished. NOW we can focus on just enjoying the season!! Tonight for FHE we started by taking around our neighbor gifts. I wanted to something VERY easy this year. The boys helped me so all afternoon we partially dipped some big pretzels in white chocolate and added some cute sprinkles. Then we packaged them up with some cute buckets and ribbon. SUPER easy and really cute.

After delivering gifts we went downtown to the Museum of Idaho where they hold their annual Old Fashioned Christmas Festival. It's 100% FREE and such a great way to spend an evening together! The boys took their letters that they wrote to Santa and dropped them off in the special mail drop.

Inside they have all sorts of nativity exhibits and gingerbread houses. They also have tons of antique Santa's and beautifully decorated Christmas trees.

We saw some REAL gingerbread houses. Maybe I should find out who made this little number and get their royal icing recipe. I'm sure if I had the right recipe we could throw something like this together in no time. ☺

 Now THIS is the kind of Christmas activity that I have been longing to do! I'm not sure what is going on with me....I'm on some sort of an "old fashioned" Christmas kick lately. I even watched White Christmas, Holiday Inn, and Miracle on 34th Street....for the VERY first time EVER in my LIFE this weekend!

Once again all of this small town stuff must be rubbing off on me.......help me Aubrey! Good thing a trip to Boise is in sight! haha!

LEARN from my mistakes....

Saturday night I tried to sign into my blog and it had totally and completely DISAPPEARED! I was calm at first....thinking there was someone somewhere we could call and get to the bottom of the problem. Little did I know there is NO blogger customer service. My gmail account and blog had been marked as spam and so we changed the password and thought that would fix the problem. NOPE.
There is a "forum" that is so cryptic and confusing and THAT is what is supposed to help you get your blog back. O yeah...and it takes up to 2 days for them to review your blog to make sure you really are a "person." The scariest part was reading about all of the other people out there that this has or had happened to. Some people don't get their blogs back. It doesn't matter if you have a public or a private blog. This happens to TONS of people!

Me and my little ol' family blog...such spammers let me tell ya!

I had a bit of a melt down last night. Seriously.....3.5 years of our lives, GONE? I felt I had lost all my scrapbooks to a fire or something. I couldn't even think about all the hours and memories that had just vanished.

Well, today it came back up. I was as happy as Christmas morning. I have spent the last hour saving EVERYTHING. Let that be a lesson to you all out there...if you love your blog, back it up. You never know when blogger may just shut you down.

'Twas the nightmare of gingerbread house building.......

'Twas the evening of Monday, and all through the house

All the children were antsy to make a gingerbread house.

The candy was placed on the table with care

Everyone hoping there were pieces to spare

The children were no where near ready for bed

Even though mom and dad were tired and pretty much dead.

The mother decided to make her own batter

Of homemade royal frosting to decorate and splatter

And then it all started...the boys started to clash

"This frosting DOESN'T work! This frosting is TRASH!"

Then houses were falling, there was much woe.

I've never made royal frosting....I didn't KNOW!

The crying all started and fits of rage started to appear

Bottom line, the frosting just would not adhere.

The mother tried to fix it she tried to be quick

But Parker was so upset he started to scream and kick

Then the father stood up, he was ready to tame

He shouted and hollered and called them by name

Now Dallin, and Parker and Landon and cat!

You stop it right now....you don't treat your mother like that!

All of the boys continued to bawl

The house building had come to a compete stall

"Get to your rooms...you are NOT choosing the right!"

"You all blew it, now it is time for bed and GOOD NIGHT!"

*Bottom line. I'm buying the stupid KIT next time.

Mountain River Ranch

Last night was absolutely and positively MAGICAL! Nate and I had an amazing time at his work Christmas party up at Mountain Valley Ranch. We started out the night with some hot cider while waiting for the horse sleighs to come and pick us up. We went on a 25 minute sleigh ride through little towns, over bridges and enjoyed all of the cute little light displays.

After the sleigh ride we had a FABULOUS prime rib dinner at the little lodge. Seriously....I've never even SEEN such a huge piece of meat! One of the partners at Nate's law firm is a guitar player and his band performed for us. They were absolutely hilarious and yes Kelsey.....they were totally HOKEY! I loved every second!

At the end of the evening various people were recognized including my husband. Wow. I'm at a loss for words for how incredible the night was...especially when I compare it to some of the Christmas parties we have been to in the past. My husband works for a group of amazing, honorable, and really good people. He loves his job. He is appreciated and respected here. He says over and over again how this is the first job he has ever had where he actually ENJOYS the practice of law.

Once again....I was humbled to tears. We ARE supposed to be here...there is no doubt in my mind. Life is so good. I'm proud of my husband, the hard worker he is. It was another full circle moment for me and I have nothing but a heart full, or actually a heart OVERFLOWING with gratitude.



My little comedian

Mr. Landon things he is pretty darn funny. I have to BRIBE him to give me a REGULAR smile lately!
He is also quite the little jokester. Today he said, "Knock knock mom." Who's there? "An orange!" Then he laughs and laughs and thinks its the best joke in the world.

He's growing up too fast!

Family

I found this ugly family proclamation at the DI for $2 the other day.  I decided it needed a little love...especially since ours broke a few years ago. Nate thought I had gone crazy bringing this nastiness into our house.  

 A little mod podge, scrapbook paper, windex, and spray paint and VOILA! Come on Nate...have a little VISION will ya??

 Tonight we made some cookies. We've made a tradition of making cookies the night of the annual Christmas Devotional. They aren't too pretty but they sure taste good!

Time to snuggle up and enjoy the devotional. Nothing like kicking off the holiday season in pjs with my family listening to the prophet. Grateful for my family.

Christmas Ramblings

Well, it's DECEMBER! We've got advent calendars going throughout the house. We've got paper chains, chocolate doors, Christmas stories a day, and magnet countdowns every where you turn!

The tree is up. And YES....this is the 9th year of the same $30 tree. In annual Christmas fashion, we complained and griped throughout the entire tree building process. Nate and I have agreed that year 10 will be the year of the upgrade tree for us. But for now, we're still putting each branch in and stringing our own lights.

We've got our Swedish lights up. Once again we have neighbors questioning our religion. "So, are you guys Jewish? We saw the Hanukkah candles in the window." 

A couple of years ago Nate's Grandma Whitaker gave us her little Christmas village. She gave it to us the year before she passed away. We absolutely CHERISH this gift. There is no other Christmas decoration that the boys get more excited about. And its nice that the boys are all old enough to know not to TOUCH the village if they know whats good for them. ☺ 

We have no lights on our house. Frankly, I don't think its going to happen this year. We have so much SNOW here it is crazy to me. There is no way Nate is getting up on the snow covered roof and all of the bushes and little trees have been completely covered in snow for weeks! I heard Boise received 8 inches of snow and school was canceled. Nate and I just laughed and laughed. There is probably a foot and a half of snow here and is school closed? NO WAY! Are the streets plowed? HARDLY! The roads are pretty much a huge ice skating rink. Oh...and no one gave is the neighborhood MEMO that here in Idaho Falls everyone has a 4 wheeler with a big plow on the front. Its the only way to keep from spending 2 hours shoveling your walks. Sorry Nate.....just think, you're getting some good exercise! ☺

So, I am juuuuust about done with all of my Christmas shopping this year. I've decided to get it ALL done so then I can focus more on fun activities and making memories with the kids. I'm trying to find ways to help the boys understand the true meaning of Christmas. If any of you have some ideas out there...I'd LOVE to hear them!

Speaking of gifts, I've come to the conclusion that there really is a HUGE difference between dollar store wrapping paper and wrapping paper from Hallmark. Hallmark paper is heavenly. It reminds me of the good old Customer Service days working at the BYU bookstore. I came across some good coupons in my magazines so I was able to snag the Hallmark paper for free this year! SCORE!

I love Christmas! I'm so looking forward to all of the fun things we have coming up in the next few weeks. It's such a magical and special time of year.

Jack Jack on the other hand.....is NOT a huge fan of Christmas: (or at least his Santa hat and collar)

Hey, if we're going to have a cat we have to find a little bit of joy in torturing him a bit right?