Wii earned it just in time for Christmas!

Since about September 3rd our little family implemented a plan to earn a very great reward. The plan was for certain chores, extra work, and normal routine things everyone could earn a certain number of beads. We had a goal to move 2000 beads from the "supply jar" to the "earned jar". We all knew it would take some time and that it would take some hard work, but at the end the reward would be a Nintendo Wii system. Beads were earned, sweat and tears were prevalent, some beads were even returned to the supply, some days there were many beads earned and some days only a few were earned...but lo and behold on December 24th the last of the beads had been moved from the supply jar to the earned jar. Wii had earned a Wii!!!!

The question from the kids came whether it would be under the tree for Christmas.? We tried to kid around with the kids that we would have to wait until the day after Christmas and go out to buy our new Wii, but that there probably wouldn't be any. But they had been under the tree for awhile.
Here's the loot!!! Needless to say, we were all very excited to get it set up and play.

Here's my brother and John enjoying a round of golf on the Wii. Fun was had by many at our house that rainy Christmas day.

Even the next day when my nephew Skylar came to visit, it was hard not to get sucked in to the Wii vortex.

All I can say is that I'm glad we worked hard for it and that we all feel like we took part to make it a family goal. Now,...who's up for a game of Boom Blox? Game on!!

Christmas at Disneyland

If you love Christmas time and you love Disneyland you should really go to Disneyland during the Christmas season. It truly is magical. The lights, the music, all the decorations...it's just, well, the "merriest" place on earth.

Alright, so some great friends were going to be our guides at Disneyland because John and I haven't been in quite some time and this was the first time for our kids.

So, here's the typical entrance photo with all of us!

We all thought it would be a great idea to start with some easy rides to ease into the fun. That plan did not turn out so well with Hayden...he doesn't like rides that are in the dark and have loud noises coming at him, like Pinocchio, Toad's Adventure, Toontown.Can you see how Hayden has buried his face right into John and he's got his eyes closed tight and plugging his ears with his finger...crazy kid.

We thought that Hayden was really going to have a hard time spending 3 days at Disneyland if he didn't even look at any of the rides, until...we noticed that if the ride was outside, he was just fine.

He didn't seem to mind spinning us dizzy on the teacups!

So how did he do on the faster more exciting rides, you ask? Pretty darn good. We couldn't get him to open his eyes during the Space Mountain ride, but he loved that it went fast and he loved the music in it.

Here we're getting ready to go on Space Mountain. Hayden hasn't closed his eyes just yet.

The first day went great except for John's tired feet. We all loved the fireworks and the snow at the end of the show.

The second started off fabulously since we seemed to be the first ones on every ride for almost 2 hours. We hardly waited longer than a minute at most of the rides. Then once California Adventure opened up we headed over to hit all the fun rides there. Can I just say that I love quite a few rides there...a lot! When Sidney was 2 she fell in love with Monsters, Inc and so did I. To see a ride come to life in person was incredible.

Here she is standing in front of "Boo's" door at the entrance to the ride.

We had to try "Tower of Terror". We told Hayden and Sidney that they had to go on every ride at least once and if they didn't like it then they didn't have to ride it again. So everybody went on this first ride.

Here's the proof...if you look in the upper left corner you might be able to see Hayden clinging to my side. He DID NOT like the Tower of Terror, so he did not ride it again. BUT, on the other hand, my sweet daughter (whom I thought would be terrified) absolutely LOVED this ride. There were six of us that got right back in line to do it again.

We made our way around the park, got wet on Grizzly Rapids, and finally found the big roller coaster...California Screamin'. So, who do you think liked this ride? All of us except for our friends' youngest, and he actually never rode it. (We think he would have liked it if he actually would have ridden it.) The top of the list of favorite rides is Screamin'!!

Hayden is even smilin' in this picture! (Yes, we did take a picture of the display pictures when you get off the ride. I know...we're cheap!).

On the last day we again had few lines on the rides, mostly because of the rain or threat of rain that kept people away. We enjoyed repeating all our favorites. The highlight of the morning was the Jedi Training Academy. My kids are HUGE Star Wars fans and we knew that they would be picking kids from the audience to go up and be participants in the show. We got SO lucky!! Our friends son was the first to be chosen, then Sidney got picked 3rd. We were happy with that and since Hayden is our lucky one ...he got chosen as well! They put a Jedi robe over their clothes and then gave them a lightsaber. They teach them certain choreographed movements all together. THEN,... Storm Troopers and Darth Vader and Darth Maul show up! Each of the kids get to duel with either Darth Vader or Darth Maul. Sidney got to go up against Darth Maul. She was supposed to stay on her circle mat and go through her choreographed movement, but she came to take out Darth Maul and she went after him with her lightsaber! (You, go girl!!!!)

Then it came Hayden's turn to battle Darth Vader. He was up on the stage so we could seem him a little better. He did so awesome with his choreographed moves. Then, the host guy told Hayden he needed his help with the storm troopers. He asked Hayden to use his Jedi mind force and push them back with his hands. He pushed them back and it was so awesome!! He was the ONLY kid in that show that got to do that, we were so thrilled. It truly was the best part of that day for him. He beamed for quite some time after that! We even loved the pictures that the park took and bought them because we really wanted the kids to remember that event.

We got our fill of our favorite rides, and there were probably a few shows that we could have tried to catch and I know that there was a parade that we missed that our friend wanted to see, but we made a pretty good dent in our usable time. And we were exhausted at the end of each day to prove it.

We will definetely come back. I don't think I would have thought to go to Disneyland during Christmas time, but it was so neat. And the weather was really mild (I think we really lucked out!). So...who's coming with us to Disneyland, say in, 2 years maybe?

Blog Slacker

Wow, I look at my own blog and think that I haven't done anything because I haven't recorded it, but really we're just caught up in the whole windstorm of Christmas. Since the last entry we enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving with John's family as well as got to play host part of the time while his sister and her family from TX was here. We visited the Arizona Science Center and the kids got some good playing time together with their cousins. I got to enjoy a couple of birthday dinners; once with family and then again with friends. Then we made preparations to head to the happiest place on earth...yep, our first family trip to Disneyland. The last time John went was just before we got married, but he didn't get to enjoy it because he was trying to keep track of 200 high school students. And the last time I went I think I was about 12 years old...Disneyland has changed a lot since then! Anyway, I will give more detail about Disneyland later. Also, in a month's time Hayden has lost both of his bottom teeth (we have been singing a revised version of "All I want for Christmas...").

We are truly enjoying this holiday season. The lights, the music, the tree, the yummy goodies we've been making and ones we've been given, even the cold that has finally arrived! Merry Christmas to you!

Fun times in Costa Rica

(Warning: This is a long post)

I didn't think it would would take me this long to get around to posting, but since I promised...here goes.

First off, Costa Rica is very beautiful. So green and lush with trees and vegetation everywhere. We arrived on the tail end of their rainy season, which also makes for extreme humidity as well.

It was night when we arrived so we couldn't see much, but when we got up this was one of our views from just outside our room.

And this view is looking from the main lobby area down towards our room. Pretty nice, huh?

The first full day we just took it easy and hung out at the beach, snorkeled, ate and relaxed. While we were getting ready to leave the beach there were a group of howler monkeys jumping from tree to tree right above us. There were probably about twenty or so of them. I was able to get pretty close to a baby one and capture it snacking on the leaves.

The next day was a blast. A big group that were all staying at the resort and were part of the main company that John's associated with all signed up to go on a combo tour. The first part was to get all geared up and fly through the trees going zip-lining.

Here's John zipping from one tree to the next.

Here's me finishing one of the lines.

So, after we got to do 11 zip-lines through the trees, we got into swimsuits and hiked a trail to arrive at the head of a narrow, cement waterslide. You used an intertube to help protect your arms and elbows from getting banged up. And they even made you wear a helmet for the slide.

Here's what it looked like as we hiked up to the top of the slide.

Here's what the end of it looked like.

And here's what it looked like from John's point of view actually going down the waterslide!

After the zip-lining and the waterslide, we had worked up an appetite, so we were treated to a typical Costa Rican lunch. The meal was incredible! Nothing spectacular, but flavorful and new. Good stuff!

Then, came the next facet to our adventure...horseback riding. It took a while to get 36 people set up on their horse before we could head out on the trail. John got a really old horse that decided if he couldn't be right up front to lead the pack that he wouldn't bother and fell to the very end. My horse liked to keep up with the pack.

Once we came to the end spot for the horses we finished the end of the path where we found the last of our adventure which was a natural hot springs. You caked on the mud, washed it off then sat in one of the pools to relax and enjoy. It was very refreshing.

It was a full day. The scenery could take your breath away. Good times!

The next day we had made plans with a dive shop to do an early discovery dive and then go with a PADI (certified instructor) diver into the ocean scuba diving that same day. Well, the bad news came when we were filling out the waiver information and John told them that he had just been getting over pnemonia. They said absolutely no, that he could not dive. We were a little bummed, but we decided to catch a ride on the same boat and go snorkeling while the other divers were diving.

We did get to see some interesting things that we hadn't seen snorkeling before. Using the waterproof camera John captured a picture of an eel. The film is pretty grainy but you can still see the eel pretty good.

We also saw a sting ray and lots of different kinds of fish. We were gone on the boat for the better part of the day.

On our last day in Costa Rica we caught a taxi to Coco Beach were we just did a little sightseeing and souvenir shopping.

We were told by many people to be sure and eat at one of the local restaurants called "Seafood Papgayo". They were the best place to get fresh seafood. Well, they were absolutely correct! We had the best shrimp corn bisque and I enjoyed the "catch of the day", which happened the be the biggest piece of tuna that didn't look I had even made a dent in by the time I was full. John got a mix of seafood in a garlic cream sauce. Mmmmm, my mouth's watering just remembering it.

We had to get up pretty early in the morning to catch our plane to Houston. As you can see the airport in Liberia, Costa Rica is less complicated than other airports. We even climbed stairs to get onto the plane.We had a wonderful time, we would probably go back, but we're glad to be home again.

Gathering my thoughts.

I am just returning from a trip to Costa Rica, and I'm anxious to share the photos and the stories of what we did and saw...but there's other things like kids and housework and laundry and bills and groceries, okay you get the idea. So, check back in a while and I'll try to get the trip stuff posted soon.

Costa Rica
Pura Vida!

Took me by surprise.

Yesterday I was running around trying to get so many things done, I barely had a moment to breathe. So the kids came home from school and started on their homework and I was thinking about dinner. My mom walked in and said "Come here." Her voice sounded odd, something was up. When I came around the corner to see what or who was at the door, I saw my sister and her husband (that don't live in this state). I was in shock. She had kept it a secret that she was coming to visit, she had kept it from everyone. She had been surprising people all day. And it worked on me...I was taken completely by surprise! So, we went out to dinner and had a great time.


Here's my sister, Mom, me & my honey.

Last night when I was looking at the pictures that had been taken with the camera I also looked at the camera my kids had taken along (we got a new camera and so the kids got our older one). I knew they had taken pictures and I was excited to find this one.


It's a lille blurry, but it sure captured the moment of us having a great time. I don't even remember what was so funny, but it makes me laugh just looking at the picture.

How are feeling about the election?

So, the results are in. Mr Obama.
Are you jumping up for joy or do you feel like you just got socked in the gut? Well I happen to think that Obama is not going to do much with this crazy, twisted country that's starting to circle the drain. So does my husband. He feels even more strongly about the political scene. If you are interested in what he has to say or you're just curious, then check out his new blog middleamericanparty.blogspot.com/. Perhaps making the new Mister accountable for the things he has promised will help others to open their eyes. Anyway, just take a looksy and see.

Jedi, terrorist, McCain...oh my!

We had the power of the force with us as we went trick or treating with both of my kids representing the Star Wars genre. Hayden is dressed up as Anakin Skywalker and Sidney is playing Ashoka. She is a new Star Wars character from "The Clone Wars" series. I thought I did a pretty good job doing Sidney's makeup, especially since I didn't want to use the face paint. I found some extra blush and eyeshadow to help.
We had an eventful night of trick or treating. Usually we get plenty of candy from our trunk or treat, but since it was cancelled we decided to make a real go of trick or treating. The kids made out like bandits! Just once around the block filled up their containers. So we stopped at the house to empty out their containers and then headed over to another nearby neighborhood to see how well we could do there and to stop at a ward member's house for homemade doughnuts and rootbeer.

Who knew that we would run into so many famous faces? We saw Achmed the Dead Terrorist (a Jeff Dunham favorite).
Then just as we arrived at our friends' home for doughnuts and rootbeer, I was so surprised to meet Sarah Palin
...AND John McCain!

It was an awesome night! The kids had a blast going trick or treating and sorting out there "booty". And we had fun watching them light up at each new addition to their treat bucket...and meeting presidential candidates.

Just for fun

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

So if I was really Bella, would I have become a vampire...probably not. Anyway, just for fun.

I got squat.

Ok, so for once I have remembered something funny that my kids have said so that I can blog about it...you let me know if you think it's funny or not (actually, only tell me if you think it's funny).

So, I had emptied the dishwasher earlier and I noticed a bunch of dirty dishes in the sink. So, I said to my kids, "Hey, I've emptied the dishwasher, so there's squat in the dishwasher. You can put your dishes in there because it's empty."

Without skipping a beat, my daughter says, "Squat in the dishwasher, got it!"

We all laughed for a good five minutes.

A Camping we did go..

So, camping is not a past-time yet in our household. We have been as a family a total of 2 times, including our trip this last weekend. Our great friends invited us to come join in their fun on the Rim. We agreed. We brought all the right camping gear and enough food to last a few more days longer. The first days weather could not have been better. Warm and sunny and cool at night once the sun went down. We made the traditional tin foil dinners and smores and everyone was having a blast. We slept the first night in our tent and the wind blew and howled something fierce. John had kind of a rough night, but the rest of us slept great! (Sorry, sweetie.) Our friends have a trailer, so of course they were just fine. The wind never seemed to let up for the whole day. We were determined not to let that stop us, so we pack up some fishing gear and headed for the lake. The fishing was only slightly successful with the catch being a crawdad (sp?) and a small trout. The kids rode bikes, played sardines (backwards hide & seek), and even shot a BB gun. Once the sun set on our second night, we scrambled for the indoors of the trailer. We enjoyed some fantastic food, some great games and then we manuevered the sleeping arrangements to fit our family of 4 into our friend's trailer. We are so grateful for the toasty night's sleep because it was around 19 degrees in the morning! Anyhow, fun was had by all and we might even consider going again!

When the family gets together...

My brother drove with his family from Texas to spend a little more than a week with us. We had a family get together, we played lots of games long into the night, we reminisced, and we ate. I got to spend lots of time getting to know my two nephews whom I had only seem once before. They are adorable and certainly have lots of personality. While it was difficult on the kids' rountine, we still had lots of fun reading books, playing and just laughing.

Here's our family get together...don't mind the camera angle, we were trying to use the timer so everyone could be in it! I've got nephews and nieces, 2nd cousins and sisters-in-law, brothers, my mom, my family and a good family friend all wrapped up here.

My brother Randy, me, my brother Monty, and my mom! We're only missing my sister and another brother.

You can't tell at all that we're related, huh?

My brother trying to get his boys to cooperate in getting their picture taken.

Celebrating past and future birthdays!




My nephew Preston LOVES trains...a lot!

He also loves to swing!


My kids fell in love with their cousins. We are definetely going to have to plan a trip to Texas in the near future, or we may all go through withdrawals.