Briella

I got a new niece. 

SO when I FINALLY got to claim her as my own for a few days, I just couldn't get enough. She's so cute, cuddly, fussy, and a stinker. I knew she was meant for me.

 But I didn't care. I was blinded from all the sweetness and nothing else mattered. I didn't care that she cried. Or whined. Or gave me stink eyes and furrowed brows. 

 It was just her way of saying, "I love you Auntie Auddy"!

                                                             

And I love you to BBE. You look SO good in those black tights, pink ballet slippers, and spring dress with matching cardigan. Yes....all your aunties know how to make you look presh! (You just need a matching flower for all that hair!) MUAH!xoxoxo

American Idol

At least he is in our house. Uncle "Coley" signed up for the navy and ever since, he become some sort of icon amongst the testosterone filled bodies of mass that move about mi casa. He's in the reserves, but when he's not in sight, he's in "danger" (but not really) they just think he is. He has to come through "town" every so often to check in, so the boys get to see him all decked out in military garb. I think he does it for the attention. And he definitely gets it! Last time he came he was dressed in blue camo. All the kids were here and when 12yr old Jade saw him, it was all he could do to prevent that super huge smile from splitting his lips into a full toothy grin. He was kind of bouncing, skipping, pursing his lips together, with excitement and pride. But his eyes told the truth! Doesn't matter how hard you try to "be cool", there's a little excited boy still in there. Hopefully I get a shot of it some time. It was priceless!

Dylan and Eli are always praying for him to stay safe. They know what's out there and what can happen. IF by chance, dear Uncle Coley were actually fighting in a war. His turn won't happen for a while longer so for that we are greatful.

We all have blonde moments....

....mine happened on Jared's birthday.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14QDKi1q9ME&feature=youtu.be

I'm ok. Just a few red spots that went away before the next day.

Babble babble

One day I was talking to a friend and she asked me if I've ever messed up on a cake. I said, Yes..of course But nothing that I couldn't "fix". Skip up a few days later and I'm making a cake. Not the normal recipie that I usually use and I was trying to hurry so it didn't freeze enough. And THIS is what happened. The more I tried to fix it, the worse it got. It was just not frozen enough, or at all! This is when you (may or may not) curse a little, sigh really big and put it aside for little scavengers that (may or may not) live under the same roof, and then start cooking another one to freeze OVER NIGHT! End of the story....turned out MUCH MUCH MUCH better! You can see it here

 This was another cake. I took this picture because they are getting more flat and more straight. Something that excites me. AND....the fondant didn't tear! YAY!

I got a new phone for my birthday. A "myTouch". And I LOVE IT! I finally let go of my old one after 3 years and a shattered screen (hey. it still worked!) The games are pretty fantastic too. It's a race in the mornings between the little terrors on who can ask me first to play it. Usually I say no because I'M playing it! My favorite game....."Where's My Water?" Totally worth the $1 for the whole version!
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And while we're here....Let talk about Dylan. This kid is stuffed, chalk full of energy, curiosity, defiance, cuteness, and love.) But more energy than anything else. He's up before the sun. And down after I finally reside myself. And as of late, that's been pretty late. He LOVES talking to people and asking them all sorts of questions. LOVES being the center of attention and will perform as such. Can't sit still for the life of me. Church is a silent arm wrestle. Me wrestling him to sit, with my arms. (Maybe I should flex to see how big my muscles are!) He's sweet and loveable and cuddly (almost TOO much. Waking up in the night to a knee or an elbow or another head on my pillow, not something I enjoy much.) And then he can turn on a dime and be nasty. Throwing a tantrum that 99.9%  of the time, sends him to his room. He's loud too. I think this is payback because my mom always used to tell me I was loud. I didn't think it was a bad thing. And it's not really. It's just nerve wracking. And to an already tired, stressed, busy momma. It gets old REAL quick! He's a boy who is adventurous. And I have to find the patience to allow that. And I do. Sometimes.

 Ashton came up to me one morning and asked me, "does this look good"? I said, "heck yes! You look HOT!" He smiled and then got serious. "It feels weird". He's wearing his football jersey, which hangs down to his knees. Having it "tucked" in, yea, I would imagine it felt weird. So I took a picture of him so he could see how good he looked. He was smiling, really. He just has to act tough and serious in pictures. It worked because he went to school like this. During lunch break I had picked up Eli and got to get a burger. We went back to the school and parked in the parking lot) because the kids were out for recess. (I know! It's creepy and I could've sworn the duty-guard was eyeballing me the whole time I was parked there.) But Ashton was still wearing it like this. The minute he walked in the door after school, he yanked the jersey off and put something more comfortable on. Gotta hand it to him, the boys got perseverance. (As far as his looks go, that is. Actually...he's pretty good with all aspects of his life.)

 One other thing that I get to deal with. "Plugged ears". I swear, if talking to yourself wasnt looked down upon, I'd be more ok with it by now. But I'm not and I actually don't enjoy doing it. The cute side of this all. Listening to my son sing loud and off key, thinking no one can hear him.

 Monet. My sweet boy. So old. So skinny. So fragile. So sick. But Oh So cuddly. He relishes the moments I actually sit down long enough, in front of the heater, wearing my blue jeans. (Something about making my flabby legs tight enough for a firm place to lay. If I have anything else....he opts for the arm of the chair. But nonetheless near me. In front of the heater.

Rambles

Just love it when Internet is knocked out for a long time. But not really. Not that I had anything to blog about anyways. I haven't really taken very many pictures lately. I did a cake here and some cookies there, but nothing worth immortallizing with blogger.

Tidbits...I guess I could report that Mykael and Jaden went to go live with their mom. It was a mutual agreement between all parents and the two kids. I miss them terribly!!! In just the few short weeks that they've been gone, I feel like I've lost the connection I had with them through the 9 years they've been in my life. I dont doubt B's ability to raise them into great people, but as a parent, it's hard to let a child go even knowing it was for the best. Everything changed SO FAST! But they're happy and so I'm happy for them!

My 9 yr wedding anniversary came and went. We didn't really do anything. No presents. No date night. Just the same daily/nightly routine with the boys. Which is how I wanted it. 9 years. Seems like a long time. But hindsight, it flew.

Which reminds me that I'm "flying by" too. I used to be so young. How did I get so old. 32. 32. 32. 32. 32.32. maybe if I say it enough, I'll accept it. And yet I find myself drawn to the commercials and ads for "age defying" products. "Reverse the signs of aging". Good grief. I think now would be a good time to rid my home of mirrors because I would be perfectly content to just throw my hair up in a pony.
I was walking through the store, looking for a good multivitamin. (next I'll be buying a pill box for a week.) and meandered through hair care and stopped at the hair color. I gazed at all the different colors and thought, "What the heck? Why not"? SO I grabbed two boxes and went home. I really didn't think it through and messing with hair color wasn't wise. I attempted to go lighter/blonder. But it turned out more, yellow. It looks ok, but walking past a mirror, I find my self hesitate, sigh, and then keep walking. Oh well. It is what it is.

I'm on a quest. A quiet and personal one. Seeking truth and finding happiness. What IS truth? What IS happiness? Why is it so important for me right now in my life? Where is it going to take me? I haven't really come up with anything satisifying but if I don't question it, how will I know for sure. *This doesn't mean I'm going to jump off a cliff. Incase any of you think that.*

Well I'm going to try to sleep. Although that has become as illusive as being 21 again.
nighty night!

'Tis the Season

I've actually got some free time to sit down and blog a little. Kinda nice actually. The months are passing by so fast now, it's hard to keep up. This month has definitely been busy. Parties, get-togethers, lunch dates, baking, delivering, cleaning, decorating, shopping, and trying to keep the relaxed attitude that one really wants for the christmas season.

 The most time consuming was the treats. And because I'm all about making things uncomplicated, I decided to make magic cookies. In my book, Magic=Sparkles, which in the baking world=sprinkles.

 The first batch went pretty quick because they were so big. Like 7inch big! Ooooh Eeeee! :o)

 Each kid decorated their own. I did the rest. And then they picked one to give to a friend. Which we delivered. I sold a few. And then they were gone.

 This was my favorite! They're fragile cookies and I broke one when decorating it. It started to bleed.

 I got a call from someone else that wanted to buy some. So I made more. Cause I like late nights. But not really. I just like creating, I guess.

For Ashton's football party, I made these chocolate covered brownie balls. They turned out so cute and S.U.P.E.R. Yummy! I love brownies.

So what I did was cooked a pan of brownies till they were soft. Let them cool down and then cut them in cubes that Mykael rolled into balls for me. I then dipped them in candied chocolate, topping with white sprinkles. WAY time consuming, but totally worth it!

I did make another kind of cookie. Home made oreos, that I rolled the sides (with the frosting) in crushed candy cane. Super awesome flavor combination. Just no pictures.

Traditions

Turkey day shotgun shooting. Although we were 2 days late doing it. It still got done, and we still had fun.

Dylan

Jaden, Eli, Corbin, Gramps, Miriam (with her cute white knee socks), Jared, Ashton, Dylan, ?, Tom

Jared, Ashton, Jaden

  Jane and Dylan up front. Granpa and Eli weilding that mighty weapon.

Gramps and Lotus

 But Man! was it cold!!! Windy cold. Which is colder than cold. In Idaho.

My Dad

I sat in the car majority of the time before I left to have lunch with a friend.

Jared and Dylan

 But I DID get out to shoot once. AND....shattered the first 'pigeon' that was launched. I left the whole group of guys we were with. Stunned. Even my husband and 12 yr old boy. My 'Coolness' went up 10 notches. And now have respect when it comes to shooting a gun.

We just didn't catch it on camera. But I SWEAR I DID!

There were 2 competitions after I left. Jaden won one of them giving him a highlight of the Thanksgiving holiday. 

Thanks to all of you that housed, fed, played, entertained, and visited with us.