The Vegas Veenendaal's

Family Temple Trip

2010-05-09T10:14:00.000-07:00

We took a Sunday drive to the Temple on March 21st. I had fun taking pictures. Dillon took the picture of Dustin and I and then the security guard asked if we wanted one of the whole family. I was excited because we havn't had a family picture in years! I think it turned out great....

Opening Day of Spring Baseball

2010-03-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

Opening day of Spring Baseball was on Saturday. Dillon is on the Cubs this year. We are very happy with the team and his coach! They have had two games so far, and have won them both! GO CUBS!

2010-03-16T09:35:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking it will be easiest for me to start with most recent and then randomly post some of the events of the last several months. Last Friday I took the kids to M&M World and to the Gameworks cafe. I had a gift certificate from restaurant.com, it ended up being pretty cheap to eat there, and it was yummy too! It was the last day of track break and I promised them I would take them to do something fun. We had not been able to do much because of all the stuff going on with Dustin. We had a great time together! On the way home, I took them to Target where they were able to spend their Birthday money. Dillon bought a new Transformers Wii game, and Ashlynn bought a Hannah Montana Wii game. Samantha actually ended up spending her $4.00 that she received from the toothfairy on some little, tiny, miniature farm animals... right up her alley!

Where I have been.....

2010-03-15T21:23:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have been missing in action for quite some time. I feel like this last 8 months or so have been a big blur. As all of you know that even follow my blog, the post about Trent's funeral was the last. For whatever reason, it has been difficult for me to blog since then. Sounds weird, but that's just how it has been. Not to mention, the last 6 months have been spent trying to figure out some pretty serious health issues with Dustin. It has been a situation that you can't imagine unless you have been in something similar. Dustin has just barely, in the last two weeks, been able to go back to work for an entire 40 hours. We have been in and out of the ER, been admitted to the Hospital, and have had countless Dr. appointments, scopes, and bloodwork, all trying to figure out what is wrong with him. I will not go into all of the nightmarish details of the last 6 months, and about how incredibly difficult it has been to find a diagnosis.... but I will tell you that I have had my faith in every way tested, not only my personal, spiritual faith, but my faith in the medical field as well. There are a couple Dr.'s that I would honestly like punch in the face, and then there are those few that have pulled through for us..... and thank the Heaven's above for them.
To make a long story short, Dustin has been diagnosed with 2 things: Celiac Disease, and Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EE). Two separate diseases, that normally don't exist in the same person together..... of, course. For those of you who do not know, Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disorder located in the gastrointestinal tract. Wheat, cross-contaminated oats, barley and rye contain gluten that is toxic to people with Celiac Disease. The body attacks itself, flattening villi, which are hair-like projections in the small intestine. Villi under normal conditions, would allow the body to absorb needed nutrients. But, because of the damage that gluten causes to the the villi, most nutrients are not able to be absorbed, and this can cause an array of problems... which Dustin has had an abundance of. EE is an allergic inflammatory condition of the esophagus that may be caused by food or airborne allergies. It can cause many symptoms, such as difficulty swallowing, food impaction, heartburn, chest pain, difficulty breathing, all of which Dustin has had. So, between the 2 conditions, he has been so miserable and literally deteriorating before our eyes. He lost around 30 lbs, give or take, and had zero strength or energy. He could not eat anything, with out having some kind of adverse effect. The most frustrating part, I think, was being told time after time that he was "just having panic attacks". We both knew that it was more than that. Of course he was having panic attacks! His body was freaking out because of everything that is wrong with it! I'm sorry, but I will never forget or forgive the Dr. at the ER that looked at both of us and told us "not to come back here. Go to a psychiatrist." Can you say IDIOT!? Sorry, I'm just a little bitter. This whole situation has drained all of us both physically and mentally. We also know that Dustin has probably had Celiac Disease his entire life, but the symptoms were brought into full effect probably by the stress and trauma of Trent's passing. Emotional stress and trauma is a common factor in many people that are diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Now, for the positive... Celiac Disease has one treatment, and one treatment only, and that is to eliminate Gluten from the diet. If you don't know it already, Gluten is found in many of the foods we eat on a daily basis. It is found in things as simple as cream soups (ie: chicken, mushroom, etc.), tomato soup, condiments, spices, it is used as a filler in many things. It is found in pasta, tortilla's, breads, anything made with wheat, barley, or rye. So, as you can imagine, it is a little difficult to just stop eating it. I was totally overwhelmed and didn't even know what to make for Dustin to eat, let alone myself or the kids, because I felt bad eating in front of him. I have since done a lot of reading and research, and am starting to get the hang of it. There are many resources available online, I have purchased a couple books, and cookbooks, and have even started making up my own recipes. I did have to re-arrange my pantry and separate everything out, and I still struggle trying to think of things to make sometimes, but I know that it will get better and easier the more familiar I get with gluten-free options. Dustin has been gluten free for about a month now, and we are finally seeing some improvements. He has good days and some bad ones still, but you figure it took him 6 months to get this bad, it is going to take him a while to regain his strength completely. As far as the EE goes, he is being treated with a couple different medications, and he will be following up with a new GI Dr., who will do routine endoscope's to monitor both conditions, thanks to the awesome allergist (Dr. McKnight) that we were blessed to find. I would like to thank you all for your unending prayers, acts of kindness, patience and understanding. I know that I have not been "myself", but you have all stuck with me.... and I do not think I will be able to repay you for that. I am holding out faith and hope that better months are ahead....
Oh, and I forgot to mention just how genetic Celiac Disease is. The allergist is sending us directly to a Pediatric GI to have the kids tested. The likeliness is high that at least one of them will have it. If that is the case... we will become a completely Gluten Free Family. The worst thing in the world?...... I don't think so.

{The Day of Trent's Funeral}

2009-08-24T22:44:00.000-07:00

No idea where to begin....

2009-08-24T22:42:00.000-07:00

I really have no idea where to begin catching up... so, I will just start doing random posts of recent events. Sound good? Okay, good.... ;)

God Be With You Till We Meet Again....

2009-07-20T22:23:00.000-07:00

Trent Stephens Veenendaal
Trent Stephens Veenendaal "Our He-Man" Trent was an angel sent prematurely on September 16, 1982, and passed away prematurely on July 13, 2009 from complications of a liver abscess.Trent had many challenges in his life but bravely he conquered them all. Trent loved teasing, pulling the cats tail, the Simpson's, Mylar balloons, hanging out with his buddies, going for rides, chocolate pudding, and sitting on 700 E. and 9800 S. to watch cars. Trent thanks all of you for the honks. He loved his family, especially his nephew and nieces, Dillon, Ashlynn, Danica, Samantha, and Bryhn. Survived by his parents, Danny and Gloria; brothers, Dustin (Stephanie), and Jeremy; sister, Shalise (Shawn) Benjamin. Preceded in death by grandfathers, George Veenendaal and Reuben Stevens; nephew, Ashton Robert Benjamin; cousins, Marcie Stevens and Taylor Logan Wallace. We have been so privileged to have such a beautiful, strong spirited angel dwell with us in our earthly home. We love you so much, Trent, and you will be greatly missed. Fly high our Angel Boy! Thanks to the many professionals who made Trent's stay on earth better. Thanks to Sandy City Fire Department for Trent's last ride home! Funeral services will be held Saturday, July 18, 2009 at 12 Noon in the Mt. Jordan 5th LDS Ward Chapel, 9331 South 300 East. A viewing and time of celebration for Trent will be held at the Goff Mortuary 8090 So. State on Friday from 6-8 p.m. and on Saturday at the church from 10:45 - 11:45 a.m. Interment, Larkin Sunset Gardens. In lieu of flowers, the family would love to see balloon bouquets. "No one is a stranger to me, they are just friends I haven't met." BYE-YA! www.goffmortuary.com

Here is a link to the tribute that ABC 4 Good Things Utah did to Trent.... It was so cute..

http://www.abc4.com/content/about_4/gtu/hot_topics/story/Angies-Hot-Topic-A-Final-Farewell-to-Trent/hikC5tE4HEiV9JgDiY43fQ.cspx

Dance Recital

2009-06-07T21:45:00.001-07:00

The girls had their first official dance performance last night. They both did a wonderful job! I thought for sure one of them would end up getting stage fright, but I was pleasantly surprised when Samantha said, "Well, I wasn't scared at all Mom." Anyone who knows Samantha, knows how unexpected a comment like that is. They were seriously so cute, I will have to figure out how to get the video on here. Ashlynn did her dance to "Wild Thing" , and Samantha did hers to "Baby Take A Bow". The girls' teacher, Stephanie Baker, put so much time and effort in to this performance. We appreciate all she does and teaches our girls, this has been a great opportunity for them.

Sunday Pics of the Kids

2009-05-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

I took these pictures of the kids Sunday after church. I've really been in the mood to practice my photography lately....

Saying Goodbye to Ashley

2009-05-20T10:28:00.000-07:00

I am a little behind with this post... A couple of weeks ago, I said goodbye to my dear friend Ashley Bailey. They moved to Logan. Ashley was the first friend that I made here, and really, probably the first person to make me feel like I could actually live here. I will miss her and her cute little family, but I wish them all of the best in their new adventure.

Samantha's Field Trip

2009-05-20T10:00:00.001-07:00

Last Friday I had the opportunity to go with Samantha on her field trip to the Lied Discovery Museum. We had a great time! There are soooo many fun and cute things for the kids to do there. Samantha's little friend Luke came with us and they had fun hanging out together.

Samantha's cute teacher, Mrs. Stott

WARNING: Highly Addictive

2009-05-12T00:06:00.001-07:00

So, thanks to my mother-in-law, and my sister-in-law, I am addicted to making these interchangeable, bead watch bands. When they were down here for Spring Break, I had them help me with an Enrichment night where we made them. These watches are so fun to make, and I now have to have one to match every shirt... ha, ha.. well, maybe not every shirt, but close. :) There have been a bunch of ladies in my ward who have caught the watch making fever also. We have fun getting together to make them and going on bead hunting adventures (aka. SWAP MEETS). Anyways, here are a few of my creations....

Belly Portraits

2009-05-11T23:51:00.001-07:00

My cute, and VERY pregnant friend Tara asked me if I would take some belly portraits of her. I had soooo much fun doing this! Anyone that knows me, knows that I love taking pictures. I use to do photography a lot before I got married and had kids. I have always loved it, and am trying to get back into it. It is a lot easier now that I have a GREAT camera to work with (thanks to my cute hubby). I am so in the mood to take pictures now, so if anyone needs any done, I could use the practice! :)

Here are just a few of my favorites...

Tara's Baby Shower

2009-05-11T23:31:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to be able to help plan my cute friend Tara's baby shower. We had originally planned on having it at the park, but the wind wouldn't stop blowing, so we had it at my house. Everything worked out great... we had a great turn-out and Tara and Jason received so many awesome gifts. Yay! Now all we have to do is wait for little, baby Elias to arrive!

Easter 2009

2009-05-11T21:50:00.001-07:00

We were so lucky to have Dustin's family come for Spring Break and Easter. We did so many fun things while they were here. The kids love having their cousins, Danica and Bryhn here to play with. It is always sad to see them go, but we sure make the best of it when they are here!

California Pizza Kitchen Field Trip...

Town Square...

Bonnie Springs

We took everyone to Bonnie Spring's. It is a fun little place to go. There is a petting zoo, an old western town, a train ride, and little melo-drama's. It was a great day...

Playing at the park...

Danica, Samantha, Ashlynn, and Bryhn

Trent

Dan and Trent

Decorating Easter Eggs...

Primm, Nevada

We went to Buffalo Bill's and the outlet mall in Primm. We rode some fun rides. Dustin, Jeremy, Shawn, Dan, and I went on the HUGE roller coaster that goes all the way around Buffalo Bill's. It has a world record drop on it, and boy did I feel it! It was fun... but I think once on it was plenty for me! We also rode on the log ride. I love that ride and I was so happy that Trent was able to go on it.

My First Time Eating Sushi...

2009-05-11T21:39:00.000-07:00

I would like to thank my cute friend Aimee for having a birthday so that I could experience Sushi for the first time in my life.... ha, ha! :) I was really nervous to try it, but I actually liked it a lot!

The darling purse cake was made by our friend Kelly Jo. She does such a great job with cakes!
It looked so much like a real purse that you had to double take.

I love to make these canvas board collages, so I made Aimee one for her birthday.

GO TIGERS!!!!

2009-05-11T21:19:00.000-07:00

Dillon is on the Tiger's baseball team this year. Here are some pics from opening day and also of him playing catcher.

Where To Start???

2009-05-11T21:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am going to try and catch up on the last month or so. There has been so much going on, and I have not had much time to blog. This is mostly going to be pictures with brief descriptions....! :)

Who Say's Mom's Can't Make Pinewood Derby Cars?

2009-04-05T23:36:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday was Dillon's Pinewood Derby for scouts and let me tell you, it was quite the event! Dustin had planned on helping Dillon make the car, but we couldn't find anyone who had the right kind of saw to borrow. So, at pretty much the last minute, on Monday afternoon, Brother Norr from our ward helped Dillon cut it out at his house. Dustin and Dillon had already drawn it on the wood block. My friend Lisa needed to finish her son Clays' car also, so she came over on Tuesday morning and we worked on them all day. I even had to make some minor adjustments with a steak knife. :0) Dillon wanted his car to be named the "American Eagle", so I got online, found a picture of an eagle, shrunk it down, printed it out, and Modge Podged it to the car. I also printed out the words "American Eagle" and Modge Podged them to the hood of the car. Yes, I used Modge Podge again. Some of you may remember that I did the same thing for the Raingutter Regata boat that we made for scouts. That stuff works on everything! After getting the cars looking all fancy, we had to put the wheels on, and then make sure they weighed the right amount. Most of you probably know that the cars can only weigh 5 oz. When I weighed our car in, it only weighed 4 oz., so, me being the crafty person I am, ha-ha, hot glued some weights to the bottom of the car, to bring it up to the 5 oz. Pretty funny. Anyways, I was pretty nervous for Dillon, and was just hoping that the car would at least make it down the track. To mine and Dillon's surprise, the car did pretty dang good! Dillon ended up taking second place in his pack. Lisa and Clay also did awesome! Clay took 3rd place over all! So, like I said, Who say's Mom's can't make Pinewood Derby Cars? Definitely not me!!!!

Dillon

Clay

Ashlynn, Kyndal (Clay's sister and the girl's best buddy), and Samantha

There we are, winning! Yay!

The awards....

I forgot to mention that Dillon's car got the "Presidential" Award,

and Clay's got the "Fiercest" award, along with the speed awards.

My Little Ballerina's

2009-04-05T23:10:00.000-07:00

Last Monday was Parent's Day at dance. Ashlynn and Samantha have both improved a ton since the last one. Stephanie Baker is their teacher, and she is wonderful. She does such a good job of teaching them basic steps, and working on their coordination, and flexibility. She is also very good at teaching the kids to be respectful and polite. Stephanie Baker's dance lessons are just one of the many opportunities we have been presented with since we have lived here. Stephanie is so awesome, she allows me to make her little girl hairbows in exchange for the girl's dance lessons.... not to mention she just lives down the street from us. It works out so perfect.

The Drive-IN

2009-04-05T23:00:00.000-07:00

The Friday before last we were invited to go to the Drive-In by our friends, the Marchants. It was their daughter Morgan's birthday. We got to see "Monsters vs. Aliens" . We all loved it! What a cute movie... There were also some other good friends there, the Fabrizio's, the Berges's, and the Sargents. The kids and I love going to the Drive-In... great fun.... and cheap too, you can't get better than that!

A Fun Day With Grandma Carole and Grandpa Neal

2009-03-25T23:34:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday my Grandma and her sweet husband, Grandpa Neal, as my kids call him, were in town. They were staying at Circus Circus, one of my kid's favorite places to go. So, we drove down to the strip and met them there. We had such a fun time with them. This is the second time we have been able to do this, they came last year also. Like I said, my kids just love the place, and I, well... tolerate it for their sake. I have to say, I do like watching the Circus acts, some of them are really incredible. I swear I am allergic to smoke though, cause everytime I go in a casino I get the worst headache and start feeling sick. Then, as soon as I am outside, I start feeling fine. So, of course the kid's insisted on going to the Adventure Dome to ride some rides. They each got to pick two, and Dillon had to pick the Canyon Blaster roller coaster. I didn't want him to go on it alone, so I went with him. Let's just say that it didn't help my nausea or headache one bit! In fact, I was pretty much sick to my stomach and dizzy for the rest of the day. The whole time I was on that thing, I not only was screaming my brains out, but thinking to myself, "I am too old for this, I am too old for this!" Dillon was laughing at me, because he said I screamed way more than him. :) Aside from the not feeling so hot, it really was a fun, fun day. I always look forward to family visiting. It makes it easier to be away, when you get to see people every once in a while. Thanks so much for the fun, Grandma and Neal! We love you!

Dillon is 9 Year's Old!!!!

2009-03-16T22:18:00.000-07:00

I'm a little slow posting about Dillon's birthday, it was actually on March 9th. I wanted to wait until I had all the pictures from his party first, which he didn't have until Friday. I can't believe my little, well, my not so little boy is 9 years old! It truly does not seem possible! I remember every detail of when he was born. He was the cutest little baby I had ever seen. He had the BIGGEST, most beautiful eyes.... Dillon has grown into such a handsome and smart boy. He amazes us with his intelligence, and especially with his ability to memorize pretty much everything. For years, he has been fixated on Dinosaurs, and knows everything about them, and now he has moved on to sports, mainly Football. He fills us in on scores and stats daily. Lol ;) Dillon is such a sweet and sensitive boy. His teachers in school have always praised him for being so kind to everyone. Dillon is an excellent student and is always on the Honor Roll and was just recently nominated for Student of the Month by his peers. He is involved in Baseball right now, and is improving with every practice. He also enjoys being in Cub Scouts, and is currently working on his Pinewood Derby car with his Dad! We are so proud of Dillon and all of his accomplishments, he is a great son, and we are proud to be his parents. Happy Birthday, Buddy!

Dillon asked to have a Football Party this year. He specifically wanted a Utah Utes helmet cake. So, me being the crazy person I am, stayed up until 3:30 in the morning on Friday creating his cake. Even though it was a big pain in the you know what, I think it was worth it, cause it turned out pretty cute. The party was a success, I think all of the boys had a lot of fun. They played touch football, and a couple of games- hot potato with the football, and toss the football in the bucket. After the games, we ate "football nachos" (tortilla chips, nacho cheese, chili, and halepenos), cupcakes, and drank our "football water bottles". Then we sang Happy Birthday, and Dillon blew out his #9 candle. Presents came next, and boy, did he get some great stuff. I think he has every kind of football imaginable now.... I decorated the tables to look like football fields by covering them with green table cloths and then using white duct tape for the yard lines. I had a lot of fun planning the party, and I hope Dillon enjoyed it... he is definitely worth all of the work. :)

Fun and Healthy Lunch Ideas Class

2009-03-04T10:38:00.000-08:00

Last night I taught a "Fun and Healthy Lunch Ideas" class at my house. It was really fun to find ideas and try them out. Anyways, I thought some of you might be interested in some of this stuff.....

Fun and Healthy Lunch Ideas

* Quesadilla Pizza’s-
Kids love anything that tastes like pizza. Take a tortilla, cover with pizza or spaghetti sauce, cheese, pepperoni, and any other topping that your kids would enjoy. Cover with another tortilla and cook it like a grilled cheese sandwich. Cut into wedges, and pack it in your kid’s lunch.

* Bagel Face Sandwiches-
Take a bagel and spread with cream cheese. Arrange any toppings that you like into a face shape on the bagel. Use toppings such as green peppers, olives, tomatoes, sprouts, and lunch meat. Wrap in plastic, and pack in kid’s lunch.

* Frito Pie-
Pack canned or homemade chili in a thermos. Send a bag of baked tortilla chips (store bought or homemade), and some shredded cheese. Have your child layer the chips and cheese in the bottom of the thermos cup, and top with the chili. Enjoy!

* Homemade Tortilla Chips-
I use the Tortilla Land uncooked flour tortillas, you can also use regular flour tortillas. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Arrange on cookie sheet and toast in a 400 degree oven for 6-8 minutes. Try brushing a very small amount of olive oil or cooking spray on chips and then sprinkling cinnamon sugar or parmesan cheese on top. If you try the cinnamon sugar, send the chips along with a container of applesauce for dipping in your child’s lunch.

* Deli Rolls-
My kids love these! Take a slice of deli meat and wrap a slice of cheese and a pickle spear inside.

* Cookie Dippers-
Kids love to dip! Send vanilla wafer cookies along with a container of their favorite yogurt to dip them in.

* Fruity Marshmallow Kabobs-
You can use drinking straws for the skewers, by pinching the end of the straw together so that it will poke through the fruit. Alternate putting chunked fruit and large marshmallows on the skewer. I like to use the flavored marshmallows to add a little variety; they have chocolate, strawberry, and coconut coated ones. Wrap in plastic and send in your child’s lunch for a fruity treat.

* Protein Balls-
1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
½ cup nonfat dry milk powder (you may also use vanilla protein powder)
½ cup raisins, chocolate chips, carob chips, yogurt chips or whatever you think would be good.
¼ cup honey
Graham cracker crumbs

In large bowl, mix all ingredients except the graham cracker crumbs. Shape the mixture into 1 inch balls. Roll in graham cracker crumbs and refrigerate. Makes 24. YUMMY!

* Cookie Cutter Sandwiches-
Any sandwich cut with a large cookie cutter; star, heart, dinosaur, animals, etc. will become an irresistible treat!

* Pin Wheel Sandwiches-
Spread your child’s favorite sandwich filling onto a tortilla. Roll it up and slice it into small pieces. Our favorite fillings are peanut butter with jelly or banana slices, or lunch meat with cream cheese, or scrambled eggs (made with salsa) with cheese and sour cream.

* Cheesy Stars-
Use a small cookie cutter to cut cheddar cheese pieces. In a separate bag provide crackers or apple slices. You can also use the cookie cutter to cut bologna, ham or turkey.

* Bugs on a Log-
An old favorite with kids- Fill celery with cream cheese or peanut butter and top with raisins or craisins. Stick two of them together to form a log.

* Bean and Cheese Roll-ups-
Fill tortilla with refried beans and shredded cheese and roll.

* Ocean Yogurt-
Buy a large container of yogurt and spoon it into smaller containers that fit into the lunchbox. To make it fun, add some blue food coloring and tell the kids that it is ocean yogurt. Pack with some fish-shaped crackers. (Also, try green food coloring to make the yogurt alien slime)

* PB & J Spiders-
To make regular PB & J’s more exciting; turn the sandwich into a spider! Use a large glass to cut a circle shape from the already-made sandwich. Add eight pretzel-sticks for the legs and 2 chocolate chips for the eyes.

* Drinks-
Fill small plastic water bottle about 1/3 full with water, and freeze overnight. Add fruit-juice concentrate to the bottle in the morning. It will mix with the water as it thaws. It will also keep the food that is in the lunch box cold, and it will be ready to drink by lunch time.

* Strawberry Cream Dip-
1 Pkg. cream cheese, softened
½ cup vanilla yogurt
½ cup strawberry jam

In a medium bowl, with an electric beater on medium speed, beat the cream cheese until creamy. Add the yogurt and jam, continue beating until smooth. Cover and chill for at least an hour before serving. Hint: Use reduced fat cream cheese and low-fat yogurt, and serve with fresh-cut chunks of cantaloupe, honeydew, or pineapple, and apple slices and whole strawberries. It all works!

* Pizza chips-
These are similar to the homemade tortilla chips only with a different spin.
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 package (1 ¼ ounces) dry spaghetti sauce mix
10 (8 inch) tortillas
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the butter and spaghetti sauce; mix well. Spread evenly over on side of the tortillas then sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges and place on baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the chips are golden and crispy. These are terrific as is or served with marinara sauce for dunking.

* Fruit Roll Sushi-
1 tablespoon butter
12 marshmallows
2 cups crispy rice cereal
4 (4 ½ inch0 square fruit roll-ups
6 assorted licorice or fruit twist sticks, cut in half crosswise

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the cereal until completely coated. On a flat surface, unroll the fruit roll-ups. Spread equal amounts of the cereal mixture over each roll-up, covering the entire surface and packing the mixture flat. Place 3 different –colored licorice or fruit twists in the center of each and roll tightly into a log, sealing where the edges meet. Squeeze the rolls gently to secure. Trim the ends and slice with a serrated knife into ½ inch pieces. Serve, or store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Preparation Tip: To give your snack the most variety and color, use different-colored and flavored fruit roll-ups and licorice or fruit twist snacks. And if you can’t find different- colored licorice, you can even use gummy worms or fruit snacks.

CrAzY Hair Day!!!

2009-03-04T10:30:00.000-08:00

Last week was Reading Week for Dillon and Ashlynn. One of the fun things they get to do during the week is have Crazy Hair Day. Samantha has reading week this week and her Crazy Hair Day was yesterday. Here are some pics of the CrAzInEsS!

Paul Harvey's On Air Prayer

2009-03-02T21:48:00.000-08:00

When I learned that Paul Harvey had passed away I was a little sad. I remember listening to his "The Rest of the Story" program all the time. I was reading some stuff about him this week and came across the prayer that he offered on the air. Boy, did he hit the nail right on the head.....

'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God , and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!'

Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,' and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called 'One nation under God.'

Relief Society Lesson

2009-03-01T23:11:00.000-08:00

It was my turn to teach today in Relief Society, and as I have said before, I like to post my talks, lessons, etc... because I use my blog as a journal. I enjoyed teaching this lesson, it gave me an insight into the Prophet Joseph Smith that I had not seen before. He was a great man, with great character and depth.... and this is definitely displayed in his writings.

The lesson today was out of the Joseph Smith Manuel, Chapter 29. I started out the lesson by having Marissa play Joseph Smith's First Prayer for us on the piano. She did not play it quite as everyone was expecting, she actually played it very out of key. She then played it the correct and beautiful way, as everyone sang along. The reason that I had her do this was to demonstrate the difference between something that is harmonious and peaceful, and something that is "ugly" and uncomfortable. This little demonstration led into the lesson which was entitled, "Living with Others in Peace and Harmony". One of the desires of the early Latter-day Saints was simply to be allowed to live their religion in peace. This did not happen, as we all well know. In 1833 the Saints were forced to leave Jackson County, MO just 2 years after dedicating it as a place of gathering. In 1836 they began moving to northern Missouri. Most settled in Caldwell County. Far West which was the county seat became a thriving Latter-day Saint settlement. Just 2 short years later in the fall of 1838, tensions similar to those that they experienced in Jackson County arose. Mobs and militia once again began to attack and harass the Latter-day Saints. The prophets mother Lucy Mack Smith shared this moving account about her son:One day the Prophet was visiting his parents’ home in Far West, when a group of armed militiamen came in and announced that they had come to kill him for a supposed crime. Lucy Mack Smith, the Prophet’s mother, described his gift for peacemaking: “[Joseph] looked upon them with a very pleasant smile and, stepping up to them, gave each of them his hand in a manner which convinced them that he was neither a guilty criminal nor yet a cowering hypocrite. They stopped and stared as though a spectre had crossed their path. “Joseph sat down and entered into conversation with them and explained to them the views and feelings of the people called Mormons and what their course had been, as also the treatment which they had met with from their enemies since the first outset of the Church. He told them that malice and detraction had pursued them ever since they entered Missouri, but they were a people who had never broken the laws to his knowledge. But if they had, they stood ready to be tried by the law. … “After this, he rose and said, ‘Mother, I believe I will go home. Emma will be expecting me.’ Two of the men sprang to their feet, saying, ‘You shall not go alone, for it is not safe. We will go with you and guard you.’ Joseph thanked them, and they went with him. “The remainder of the officers stood by the door while these were absent, and I overheard the following conversation between them: “First Officer: ‘Did you not feel strangely when Smith took you by the hand? I never felt so in my life.’ “Second Officer: ‘I felt as though I could not move. I would not harm one hair of that man’s head for the whole world.’ “Third Officer: ‘This is the last time you will ever catch me coming to kill Joe Smith or the Mormons either.’ … “Those men who went with my son promised to go disband the militia under them and go home, and said that if he had any use for them, they would come back and follow him anywhere.”1 Speaking the truth in a kind, forthright way, Joseph Smith overcame prejudice and hostility and made peace with many of those who had been his enemies.Question: Can anyone think of any examples of someone remaining calm and peaceful in a difficult situation?A couple that were discussed were, Abinadi, and Martin Luther King. I also brought up the fact that I admire so much how the leaders of our Church handle the constant scrutiny and criticism. They always handle situations with the utmost tackt and dignity. I have never known any Church leaders to show anything but respect for people of other religions or faiths. Just last week I watched a video clip that was e mailed to me by a friend. It was an interview with Elder Russell Ballard, and Elder Quentin Cook. The goal of the interview was to dispel some of the myths surrounding our faith, they wanted to present a fuller picture of our faith. A few subjects that were discussed included; Proposition 8, Temples, Baptism for the Dead, and how we are not part of the Reorganized Church that practices polygamy. In the interview, Elder Cook said, "We feel enourmous respect for other Faiths". I was very impressed with the interview and have included the link in case you would like to view it.http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=6616644The interview was a perfect introduction to another section in the lesson which was about cultivating harmony in our communities by respecting the freedom of all people to believe according to their own conscience. We discussed different ways that we can honor the rights of others to "worship how, where, or what they may". Some of them were: to listen and try to understand, to find common ground, to be respectful, and to not talk negatively.We discussed what it means to be a Peacemaker. Joseph Smith described it so well. The one thing that hit me the most though, was that we should be like little children. We ended the lesson by discussing the importance of refusing to find fault one with another. How often do we judge or find fault with others unfairly because of something that we have heard, or thought we heard? I asked this not because I am immune to this, but because I am as guilty as the next person. I would though, however, like to make a much greater effort to be respectful and mindful of other people's feelings. I think that this is something that as Relief Society sisters, we can be especially aware of. We need to be mindful and considerate of eachother, and for sure not say things that could be hurtful or damaging to another sister in our ward. I challenge all of us to work to have more peace and harmony in our lives and to always strive to be Peacemakers.

Dillon and the Haircut

2009-03-01T21:41:00.000-08:00

Most of you know that my kids and I pass out fairly easy. Well, here is just how easy it is for Dillon to hit the floor..... Every time Dustin cuts the kids hair, he either passes out or almost does and then Dustin has to catch him. Today was no exception, it was way past due for Dillon to have a haircut so Dustin decided to attempt it. Sure enough, Dillon started complaining that he was dizzy, and that he couldn't see, and that his stomach hurt, and yadda-yadda, and then his face and lips turned white as a ghost, and Dustin had to catch him and lay him on the floor in the hallway. He then got him a chair and had him put his feet on the chair. EVERYTIME! This happens every single time he gets his haircut.... What the heck? We always make sure that he has eaten and that he drinks water, but it still happens. This time, I was actually laughing my head off, because it was just, well, comical.

This is the amount of hair that was actually cut BEFORE he passed out-

White as a Ghost!

Feet UP!

I am reminded of a video clip that has often been used to describe our family..... Take a look & Enjoy a laugh on us! :)

Random New Camera Pics!

2009-02-26T11:04:00.000-08:00

Samantha and Jason

Dustin relaxing at the park.

Dillon being, well......... Dillon.

Samantha pouting.

Before Church.

Ashy.

Samantha at the park.

Student of the Month

2009-02-26T10:43:00.000-08:00

Dillon and Mrs. Roqueni (the principal)

Dillon was Student of the Month (Citizenship) for the month of February. I found out that the citizenship award is voted on by peers. What a neat honor. Dillon is always so nice and kind to everyone, it doesn't surprise me that he was nominated. Samantha and I were able to attend the assembly where all of the students of the month for the different grades were honored. Each student of the month receives a certificate presented by the principal, an invitation to attend "Pizza On The Stage" with the principal, and they get to have their picture posted on the wall for the whole month. Great Job Dillon!

Mrs. Roqueni & Mr. Hinchlife (vice principal)

Welcome Mr. President

2009-02-26T10:12:00.000-08:00

Josh, Halston, Dillon

On Tuesday, Dillon had to give a report Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States. Mr. Earley set up a pulpit in the multi-purpose room, and invited all of the parents to attend. The kids made president bags, and were asked to bring 5 things to put in them that were symbolic of their president. They stood at the pulpit and told some historical and personal facts about the president, along with explaining their 5 items. They ended their reports by reciting 2 or 3 quotes that they had memorized. Dillon did an awesome job and got 30 points out of 30. I think it is so cool that Mr. Earley is teaching the kids public speaking skills so early on, it will be so helpful to them.

Josh

Cooper

Dillon

Taren's Birthday Dinner

2009-02-23T22:22:00.000-08:00

On Saturday night a group of us girls went out to celebrate my friend Taren's Birthday. We went to Bonito Michoacan. It is a really yummy mexican restaurant. We had a great time, we always have so much fun when we get together. Taren, I have really loved getting to know you. You are such a sweet, beautiful person. Happy Birthday!

In Group Picture: Me, Shawna, Taren, Ashley, and Khali

Build A Bear

2009-02-23T22:14:00.000-08:00

Going back a little... the week before last on Feb. 12, the girls had the chance to go to Build A Bear for little Kenna's birthday party. Kenna is my friend Taren's little girl. Ashlynn and Samantha absolutely had a blast. I had never taken them there before, and I must say, I was really impressed. What a fun activity for the kids, it was Great! Thanks for inviting us Taren!

Our 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

2009-02-23T21:35:00.000-08:00

Friday was mine and Dustin's 10 year anniversary, and as I said in the previous post, the day started out perfectly. Little did I know that it would only get better from there. I usually can't say that I have had a perfect day, but this day actually was.... I can't think of one thing that wasn't great. When I got home from hiking, Dustin and I were talking and deciding where we wanted to go out to eat. Tara and Jason had offered to watch the kids for us. We ended up deciding on King's Fish House. Dustin looked up the menu online and told me to look at it and decide what I wanted to eat, so that we wouldn't have to decide when we got there. I thought it was a little weird, but I did it anyways. When I was done looking, I got up to go to the bedroom and there was a dozen roses in the middle of the living room along with 3 gifts that he had wrapped in inside out Christmas wrapping paper. :) The first one he had me open was a new griddle, Ashlynn had dropped mine on the kitchen floor a couple of months ago and broke all the legs off of it. The next one I opened was a new Crock Pot, mine has had a short in it for I don't know how long, and was such a pain to use. Those were both awesome gifts, but the last one took the cake for sure! It was a new camera... the one that I had been wanting forever, a Canon Rebel! I seriously could not believe my eyes, all I wanted to do was cry because I was so overwhelmed with everything he had done. It was so nice to go to dinner just the two of us, too. Thanks so much Tara and Jason for watching the kids.

When I think of our 10 years together, I honestly cannot believe how fast it has gone. We have been through a lot together, many ups and downs, and I believe we have become stronger and closer because of this. Dustin is a wonderful man.... he works so hard to provide for our family. I appreciate everything he does on a daily basis for me and the kids. Here's to another 10 years, Babe, I love you!

Hiking at Red Rock

2009-02-23T09:36:00.000-08:00

Friday morning my good friend Aimee called and asked if Samantha and I wanted to go hiking at Red Rock. We met our other friends Brandy and Erika, and the kids and headed up there. We hiked up a trail that took about 20 minutes (it only took that long because we had 7 little kids). Our destination was a waterfall. I was so amazed when we got there, it was so beautiful. There was snow and a creek, and the waterfall was surrounded by tall rock, almost cave like. It was so nice just being outside in nature. I didn't have cell service, and I felt like I could just leave all the stress, and hustle and bustle of everyday life behind for a while. It really was rejuvinating for me. When we hiked back down we had a nice little picnic, visited, and watched the kids play. I can't wait to take Dustin and the other kids back up there, I know they would love it! All in all this was a great start to my perfect day.... Dustin and my anniversary.

PaReNtInG

2009-02-19T08:58:00.000-08:00

So, I have been taking a parenting class for the past several weeks. A gal in my ward is a Marriage and Family Therapist and offered to teach a class for the sisters in our ward. There is a group of about 20 of us that attend in her home. Well, let's just say that this class has been nothing like what I expected. I expected to go and have her give me solutions to all my parenting woes.... I wanted to leave from the class, go home, do what she said, and BOOM, BANG- have things fixed. Needless to say, that is not what has happened. This is a class about fixing yourself, it is about finding out why it is that you parent the way you parent, it is about why you function is relationships the way that you do. In a nutshell, it has been about getting to know yourself and what makes you tick. We discovered our parenting styles. There are 3 different ones, autocratic, permissive, and democratic. I discovered that I am all 3. When I was learning about these, I was thinking, "What am I, schizophrenic or something?" But, then I realized that I had 3 different parents, my dad, Janalee, and my mom, who were each one of these different parenting styles. Your parenting style usually reflects how you were parented.... or you can be completely opposite because you vowed that you would do things different than your parents. Either way, you can trace the way you parent to the way you were parented. I guess in a way, I now feel like it could be a good thing to have a combination of all 3 parenting styles, because from what our teacher said, none of them are wrong or right.

We took the Alderian Lifestyles Priority test to determine what type of personality we have. Here again, I was quit close in several different categories, but most closely fit the category entitled "Pleasing". Basically, I always feel like I need to please others, even if it is at my own expense. Some of the assets of a person with this type of personality are that you are, Friendly, considerate, non agressive, likely to volunteer, compromises, does what others expect. I thought those were some good qualities to have, but then I looked at some of the other stuff and realized that people pleasers often lose respect for themselves and others, they have less growth, and are often self berating. They hate rejection, and they are always searching for some kind of approval. Although I feel that I genuinely love to help and do everything I can for people, I do feel like throughout my life, I have gotten myself into many situations where I have lost myself, and allowed myself to be taken advantage of. I think this comes out of a fear of someone not liking me or in general, a fear of rejection. We also looked at birth order, and how that plays a role in what your personality is, and how you deal with situations. I, being the oldest in my family, fit pretty perfectly with the characteristics of the Eldest child. I realized also that the characteristics of the eldest child, in my case, also go hand in hand with the Pleasing personality. Right now, I am reading a book that my teacher suggested, called "The Disease to Please. Curing the People Pleasing Syndrome". So, far this book has been very eye opening, making me realize things that I do, that I wasn't really even aware of. At first a lot of the stuff I was learning about myself was hard to take in, but now I am really appreciating knowing this stuff so that I can catch myself doing certain things and hopefully make some changes for the better. To me, the key is balance. If we could somehow learn to find balance in our lives, we would be more at peace. .... we would be more content in all of our relationships, with God, with our spouses, children, and everyone.

Now, on to the actual parenting stuff I have learned. The thing that has stood out the most to me so far, and actually helped me the most has been: Removing myself from the situation that gets me upset or worked up. I often get very frustrated with my kids because they don't mind me and because I have to ask them over and over again to do things. It seemed like there was always contention of some kind because I was constantly asking or yelling at them to do something. For example, mornings have been a challenge for us. I could never get the kids to get moving and get the simple things done that they needed to do in order to go to school. Every morning, it seemed, they would leave sad or mad, because I was mad at them, and then my morning would be ruined because I felt bad that I had yelled or got mad at them. So, in class, I used this example, and asked the question, "How do you get your kids to mind you?!" Well, I ended up learning that I am not good at following through with consequences, mostly because, well, it goes back to that pleasing thing.... and plain and simple, I just don't like being mean. So, my kids have learned that basically they can get away with things, because I am not consistent with making them receive a consequence for their action...... good or bad. A girl in the class suggested that I make a Morning Chart for each of the kids and post them in their rooms. I had tried job charts and such before, but this is different. These charts have every little thing that they need to do in order to be ready for school. I decided that I would even take it one step further and make Afternoon and Night Time Charts also. Happy Day!!!! Life has been much improved since the implementation of the CHARTS! When the kids wake up or come home from school, I simply say, "Get going on your charts!" and remove myself from the situation. Of course, it hasn't been perfect, they still have their moments when they don't want to do anything, but over all the atmosphere in our home has been much improved. I don't yell as much, and as a result, I am calmer, and everyone is happier. When the kids fill their charts consistently for 1 month they get to go on a one on one date with mommy to somewhere of their choice. They are getting close! They have almost completed their 3rd week.

The website I use for these charts is http://www.freeprintablebehaviorcharts.com
I like these charts because I can make them fun for the kids by having a different character or theme each week. The kids are now excited to wake up Monday morning and see who or what will be on their chart for that week.

Another thing I have implemented is having the kids do chores. Dillon is in charge of taking the garbage out every day, and Ashlynn is in charge of unloading the dishwasher. These two things are included in their weekly charts. On Saturdays though, I like to clean the whole house, and I feel that my kids are old enough to help me. I tried giving them lists like I use to have growing up, but that didn't work too well. They just fought and complained the whole time, and made it not even worth it. So, one day I was thinking about how I could get them to help willingly and came up with having them draw jobs out of a baggie. I just put the jobs that need to be done on a piece of paper, cut them out, and put them in a baggie. Each of them then draw 3 or 4 jobs out of the baggie and write them down on a piece of paper. I always have an uneven number of jobs in the bag and then I draw the last one. The kids like that because they think it is funny to see which one I end up with. This system has helped out immensely! They cannot complain anymore about which job they receive because they drew it out of the bag! Just like the charts, this system, turns the responsibility to them instead of to me.

With a little less stress and contention in our home, it has given me the motivation to try and improve on other areas. I have made a goal of having Family Home Evening, which I am sorry to say has not always happened with us. We are having Family Home Evenings on the same things the kids are learning in Primary each week.

I was given this idea for FHE for the entire year of 2009. It has been working out great for us, and I love it because it just reaffirms what the kids are already learning in Primary.

http://downloads.sugardoodle.net/2009FHEBook.doc

So, in a nutshell I can say that I am trying to complain, fault-find, and frown LESS, and listen, laugh, and LOVE MORE......

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-15T18:59:00.000-08:00

We had a pretty good Valentine's Day yesterday. I woke up and put the gift's that I got the kids and Dustin out on the kitchen table. I got each of the kids a little heart shaped box of chocolates and a card, and I got Dustin a box of chocolates from See's Candy. We spent the morning at the batting cages, where Dillon was practicing in preparation for his Baseball try-outs this week. After that, I took Dillon to the park to meet his friends and his coach where he practiced some more baseball. Then I got to have a couple of hours to myself to go shopping. I had to get Dillon's friend Nycholas a birthday present. Nycholas is Coach Pete's son. We then dropped Dillon off at Nycholas's surprise party, and the rest of us went to Outside Inn to eat dinner. I love eating at that place, it looks just like a log cabin inside. So, it wasn't your traditional lovey, romantic Valentine's Day, but it was okay just the same. :)

I have started my own little tradition of making the kid's Valentine's that they take to school on the computer. I decided that those little cardboard ones you buy at the store are cheesy... so I decided that I could do better. I started this last year, and had one of the mom's tell me that Ashlynn's Valentine was the only one she kept and put up for her son. So, I decided to continue the tradition this year..... and here they are.....

Crocale

2009-02-15T18:53:00.000-08:00

In school Dillon had to make up an animal and write a report about it. I was so impressed with what Dillon came up with that I had to post it. He is such a smart kid, with the best imagination! Check it out..... (click to enlarge)

Shark Reef Field Trip

2009-02-06T09:58:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to go on a field trip to the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay with Ashlynn's class. All though we had been there before, this trip was much more fun and informative because we had a tour guide telling us all about everything. Like, did you know that Sharks's skin is little tiny teeth all over instead of scales, that is why it feels like sandpaper..... and did you know that Crocodiles can eat one large meal, and not have to eat again for another year? We learned all kinds of things that I never knew before. I had a great time spending one on one time with Ashlynn and helping our with her class.

Toothless Ashy

2009-02-06T09:20:00.000-08:00

Ashlynn has lost 2 teeth in the last couple of weeks, both of them on Sunday's. Well, in this house, the Tooth Fairy does not work well on short notice, and instead of stressing over it, I told Ashlynn that the tooth fairy doesn't work on Sundays. The Tooth Fairy must have had a chance to go shopping on Monday because on Tuesday morning Ashlynn woke up to find a battery operated Bratz toothbrush and some Disney Princess toothpaste. Ash was very excited and the Tooth Fairy was glad to be done with that for a while. Then, wouldn't you know, the very next Sunday, Ashlynn lost another tooth. Same thing.... I told her, "You will have to put your tooth under your pillow tomorrow because the Tooth Fairy doesn't work on Sunday." Of course, this reverts back to the fact that the Tooth Fairy doesn't work well on short notice, as previously stated. This time Ashlynn said, "I just want the Tooth Fairy to give me money, she always gives me toothbrushes and stuff." So, the Tooth Fairy decided that she would give Ash money this time, only this time, Ash decided to wake up at the crack of dawn, Tuesday morning, before the Tooth Fairy had a chance to plant it. Of course, Ashlynn was bawling because there was nothing in her tooth pillow, and me being the quick thinker that I am, told her , "The Tooth Fairy can't come come if you wake up at the crack of dawn, Ashlynn." I said, "You will have to try again tomorrow, and sleep in a little longer." But, somehow while Ashlynn was getting ready for school that morning, the Tooth Fairy snuck in her room and left $2.00. When Ash found the $2.00 she was so excited, she kept saying, "She came! She came, while I was getting ready! All I ever wanted was $2.00, I wished for $2.00 and that is what she brought me!" Through all of this, the ever-creative Tooth Fairy, managed to keep her identity a secret... and managed to come up with 3 pretty good new rules:

1. The Tooth Fairy does not work on short notice.

2. The Tooth Fairy does not work on Sunday.

AND

3. The Tooth Fairy does not come if you wake up at the crack of dawn. :)

Happy, Happy Birthday Ashlynn Dear.....

2009-02-01T20:05:00.000-08:00

Our little Ashlynn had her 7th Birthday this past week. I really cannot believe how fast these kids grow up. Ashlynn has always been our little spit-fire. She has always kept us on our toes, and is constantly entertaining us with her fun personality. Ashlynn is my little helper, she loves to watch every move I make... and learn how to do everything that I do. She loves to cook with me and she loves music, and loves singing. She has a beautiful voice and has always been able to sing on tune. One thing that I admire the most about Ashlynn is her determination, if she sets her mind to something, she always tries and tries until she accomplishes it. I wish I had more of that characteristic, I think she will go far in life because of it. Ashlynn is beautiful, we have always had so many compliments about how pretty she is with her blonde hair and big blue eyes. We love you Ash.....

Ashlynn really wanted a butterfly cake, so my friend Tara and I used our cake decorating skills that we learned in our class to make her one. It was a lot of fun making it, and Ashlynn loved it.

A Visit to Holden

2009-01-26T11:19:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we decided to take a quick trip to Holden, UT to visit Dustin's Grandma Stevens. Her health has not been good at all, and Dustin wanted to see her. Although it was a VERY short trip, we had a great time visiting with everyone. Dustin's parents and all of his siblings were there. We also got to see a couple of aunts and uncles and cousins. Grandma Stevens is such a sweet lady. She is so full of humor, she is constantly making us all laugh by the funny little things she says. I am so glad that we had the opportunity to see her, and take some special pictures with her. I have learned that pictures with our grandparent's are priceless.

Night out with the Girls!

2009-01-26T10:00:00.000-08:00

Friday night a bunch of us girls went out to dinner at BJ's (YUMMY!) for Kenna's and Shawna's birthdays. I think there were 18 of us. It was such a fun, fun night. I am so blessed to have so many wonderful friends here. I know I would not have survived living so far away from family, without them.

Cutest Aprons ever!

2009-01-09T22:44:00.000-08:00

I almost forgot to post about the cute aprons that my friend Marissa made for Ashlynn, Samantha, and my neices, Danica and Bryhn. They were so darling, she does such an amazing job. Marissa made me one for my birthday that is pink and brown, and she made all of the little girl's in pink and brown also. They looked so cute in them on Christmas morning. Marissa also made aprons for my Grandma and my Mom. They were so cute also, but I forgot to take pics of them. I did get a pic of the girls, though. This one's for you Marissa! :) Everyone check out Marissa's Etsy Site, Marissa Magnolia (link on my blog roll).
.

Package from Grandpa and Grandma Morris

2009-01-09T22:28:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, because of the weather we were not able to make to Idaho during our Christmas trip. It snowed and stormed the majority of the time we were there. So, we ended up taking all the gifts for my family back to Las Vegas with us and I shipped it to them this week. We received our package from them this week too. While the kids were at school I took all the gifts out and put them under the tree (yes, my tree is still up...) so that the kids would see them when they came home. They were so excited, it was like having Christmas all over again. Samantha got a life size Barbie that she now carries all over the house with her. Everytime I pass the thing, I see it out of the corner of my eye and think it is a real kid. Samantha has already undressed the doll and tried the clothes on herself, and they actually fit.

Getting fun packages has been one of the fun things about living down here. We can usually expect something fun on most Holidays and Birthdays, it makes us feel a little bit of home here.

Christmas 2008!

2009-01-09T21:02:00.001-08:00

Okay, so I am a little slow getting Christmas posted, but what can I say? Life hasn't slowed down around here at all, and I'm so tired by the end of the day that I want to go to bed instead of get on the computer. So, I apologize to all my blog-stalkers for the wait.... lol ;)

This year we traveled to Utah to my in-laws for Christmas. For the two years we lived down here, we were lucky to have them come here. This year we all figured it was our turn to go there. We had a great time, we always have a lot of fun when we are all together. We left Tuesday night and got there at like 2 or 3 in the morning. It was nice to be there for Chritmsas Eve. We thought we might not be able to because Dustin was going to have to work, but he ended up not having to. We always let the kids open a present with pajamas in it on Christmas Eve, and this year Dustin's parents started the tradition of filling stockings for the kids and letting them open them on Christmas Eve also. I really liked how this worked out. I think the kids paid more attention to their stockings this way. I have always felt that stockings get kind of over looked on Christmas morning because of all the "bigger and better" presents. Gloria did a good job of filling the stockings with lots of fun and entertaining stuff. One thing being, some stuff called "FLARP" Noise Putty. We all decided that if the kids would have received nothing else for Christmas, they still would have been perfectly happy with just that. My kids think that any type of "fart" sound is hillarious and this is exactly what "FLARP" does. They were seriously entertained by it for hours. Some other simple things the kids seemed to be entertained with, ......a few practically deflated helium balloons, and Nana's shoes. Which leads me to wonder why we always stress and worry, and spend so much money on toys and other stuff that they are only excited about for 5 minutes, when really all they need is some "FLARP" from the dollar store. Who knows?.... Christmas morning is always like a whirl wind. Paper and bows flying everywhere, and who knows what anyone gets, but boy, do they have fun for the 10 minutes that it lasts. Christmas morning is much different with Dustin's family than it is with my family. My dad always wanted to see us all open everything, so he would hand out one present at time, most often, youngest to oldest, thus making Christmas morning last much longer. He would also have us put all of our paper in a garbage sack as we went, eliminating the sea of paper everywhere. I guess a little more orderly, but no less fun from my perspective. The end result is the same, I just think it is interesting how different families do things. What about you all? What are your Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning traditions?

I think the most exciting part of Christmas for me this year was receiving an armoire for my jewelry from Dustin's parents. I have wanted one of these for so long and I was so happy! I feel much more organized now that my jewelry is all nicely enclosed in one place... Some other exciting gifts for our family were Guitar Hero World Tour for the Wii, and also Wii Fit. We have already had so much fun playing the drums on Guitar Hero! Dustin will even play the drums, he is usually not a fan of any kind of games..... but this one has actually got him hooked, I think. ;)

The rest of Christmas day was spent taking a long nap (for me), snacking, and visiting. Friday, Gloria, Shalise and I went shopping and got stuff to make watches with. They are so dang cute! They are similar to the "Bumble" watches that everyone is wearing. We always enjoy making things together and usually end up doing one craft type thing everytime we go up there.

On Saturday we all went to see the movie "Bolt" in 3-D. I think we all really enjoyed the movie, it was one of the cuter animated ones I have seen lately. Sunday, was the dreaded day when we had to leave, everyone always gets a little teary eyed when it is time to say goodbye. We are thankful for the fun times and memories that we always take home with us, and we always look forward to the next time we can be together.

Candy Train

2009-01-09T20:48:00.000-08:00

Ashlynn's Primary teacher, Sister Fausett had a Christmas party at her house for the kids in her class. Ashlynn had such a fun time. They had pizza, played games, and Ash's favorite part, made a candy train. She was so proud of her's that we had to take a picture. Our children have been so blessed to have such wonderful Primary teachers who care so much about them. It was hard for the kids to start a new year with new teachers this past week..... but I'm sure that they will end up loving them just as much.

Honor Roll

2009-01-09T20:40:00.000-08:00

We are so proud of Dillon and Ashlynn, they were both on the Honor Roll for the first Trimester. Congratulations to both of you! We are so proud of you.....

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Part 2

2008-12-17T16:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, Monday was nothing compared to this! This stuff is actually sticking this time! And as you can tell, I do not want to go out in it, so I have all this time on my hand to blog... lol! I was supposed to go to Parent Teacher Conferences tonight, but the teacher's called and said that they were cancelled for the rest of the night and that school might be cancelled tomorrow! Holy cow! I know that I have turned into a wimp since we moved down here, but people really do not know how the heck to get around in this stuff down here! It cracks me up....

Girl's Night Out at Mimi's

2008-12-17T09:34:00.000-08:00

Last night a bunch of us girl's from my ward got together and went to Mimi's Cafe. Aimee organized, sort of as a Visiting Teaching get together. All of us were either visiting teaching partners, or visit taught eachother. It was a blast! We had so much fun talking and laughing. We also had an ornament exchange that was really fun. Of course, I can never count on being home early from anything like that. In fact four of us ended up sitting in my car and talking until like 1:00 AM or something. I know, we are crazy! It really is great to know such cool girls though! It was a blast, thanks girls!

Kellie Jo Black, Brandy Oskilanec, Me

Molly Rivera, Taylor Kowallis, Aimee Cooper

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

2008-12-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

On Monday it snowed here almost the entire day! It was amazing! I know... you don't expect it to snow in Las Vegas, especially as much as it did. It was pretty cool, the kids were loving it. The flakes were huge, but did not stick to the ground where we are. It did stick in the mountains though, and in other parts of the city. I was watching my friend Aimee's kids that day. Samantha and Colston kept opening the door to look at the snow, it was pretty cute, so I decided to take a picture.

Breakfast With Santa

2008-12-17T09:21:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday we had our ward Breakfast With Santa. The ward provided a wonderful breakfast. I don't think there was one breakfast food they didn't remember. There was a short program. Some of the adults in the ward did a hillarious version of "The Twelve Days Of Christmas". After breakfast was over, they had everyone sing to invite Santa in. Samantha was really excited to see Santa and wanted to go talk to him, but it was like pulling teeth to get Dillon and Ashlynn to. I think Dillon just thinks he is getting too old, and Ashlynn is scared of him. Ashlynn has been scared of Santa ever since she was born. Every picture I have ever had of her with Santa, she is bawling. I had to push her up there to get a picture. Amazingly, she is smiling though.

A letter from Sister Thistle....

2008-12-10T22:20:00.000-08:00

I just had to share this sweet letter that Dillon's primary teacher, Sister Thistle, sent him in the mail. Dillon likes to draw pictures for her, he is quite the little artist. I read this letter and it made me want to cry. Dillon is just such a sweet, sensitive little guy. He has always been very thoughtful and considerate of other people's feelings. What great qualities to have, I hope he carries these traits with him throughout his life. (click letter to enlarge)

School Pictures

2008-12-10T08:33:00.000-08:00

Here are Dillon and Ashlynn's school pictures for this year. They turned out pretty cute. Plus, I just wanted to replace that gross gall bladder post, I can't look at it anymore. :)

The Great Gall Bladder Adventure...

2008-12-07T22:01:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer:

This was totally Dustin's idea to post this. I personally think it is sick and wrong. lol So, you can all blame him if you get grossed out.

This weekend Dustin decided to do a Gall Bladder cleanse. We have suspected for quite some time that he was having problems with Gall Stones. He started last week by not eating dairy, or meat, and by just getting himself cleaned out. Then on Saturday he started this regimen that he had to strictly follow. He couldn't eat anything after 2:00 on Saturday, and had to drink all these weird concoctions to try and get the stones to come out. So, this morning I got up because I heard him up moving around. I asked him if it worked, and sure enough it did. Not only did he tell me it worked, but he had the evidence to prove it! Yep, he saved them... and was trying to get me to take a gander at them. I was like, "Not only NO, but he_ _ NO!" Anyone who knows me, knows that I have what you call a weak stomach, and have been known to pass out at the sight of gross stuff. Well, then Ashlynn woke up and wouldn't you know, she just waltzed right over and wanted to examine the things. I swear, nothing phases that kid. Dillon on the other hand, was more like me, and stayed clear of them. That's my boy!

Dustin estimates that he passed close to 250 stones. Thankfully, he didn't save them all. He only saved a few of the best ones, oh, and he cleaned and sanitized them with alcohol before he took pictures!!! He says to let you all know that he is doing well in his recovery, and appreciates all your love and support during this rough time.......... LOL :) Oh, and I'm sure if any of you would like to go on the "Great Gall Bladder Adventure", he would be happy to share the how to's of it all.

P.S.
I'm gagging as I post these pictures.

Craft Fair

2008-12-07T21:49:00.000-08:00

This weekend my friend Kollen, her sister-in-law Dana, and I had a booth at the Reedom Elementary Winter Craft Fair. They sold jewelry that they make, and I sold my bows. Although it was not as lucrative as I would have liked, hee, hee..... (I always have way to high of expectations), it was still a fun day. I loved sitting and visiting with Kollen and Dana, and I love just people watching. There are some interesting characters out there. :) My good friend Kenna was one of the head honchos over the whole thing, and she did such a great job organizing, and getting vendors. I think there were around 50 booths. She was also the MC for the whole day. I had no idea she was so good at that type of thing, I could never do that. She was crackin jokes right and left.... what a funny gal! Anyways, here are some pics of our booth and of Kollen, Dana, and I.

O' Christmas Tree

2008-12-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of our Christmas Tree this year. I thought it turned out so cute. Last year I was able to get the big Santa head ornaments on clearance after Christmas. I have been looking forward to decorating with them ever since then. I like to change the theme of my tree every year. The picture really doesn't do it justice, but it will have to do. :)

Thanksgiving

2008-12-03T23:34:00.000-08:00

Dustin's family came down here this year to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. It was nice because it was only a week in between seeing them, because of our trip to Utah. They came Wednesday night and were here until Sunday. We had a yummy Thanksgiving day meal, and that evening my friend Elena came over with her triplets. She brought us stuff to make Mexican hot chocolate with. It was fun to see them and get to visit for a while. After they left Gloria, Shalise, and I took off and went to see "Twilight". I had such a good time, it was fun to go out with just the three of us. I liked the movie, but I have to admit, I was expecting more from it. I guess the books are always better than the movies, and I think that is true with "Twilight".

On Friday we just kind of hung out and went to Wal-Mart. I didn't think there was anything that exciting, certainly nothing to go at 4:00 AM for. While most of us went to Wal-Mart, my brother-in-law Jeremy took Dillon, Ashlynn, and Danica to the park to play and ride scooters. The kids all love Jeremy, he is so good to play and do fun things with them. On Saturday, some of us went to the Swap Meet. Gloria and I enjoyed it, but the rest of them didn't so much. I just love to look around at stuff and find good deals, I probably could have spent a long time in there. Then that night we loaded up and went to the "Gift of Lights" at Sunset Park. It is a huge display of lights that you drive through. The kids and Trent especially loved doing this. Sunday everyone left, and the kids of course, cried and cried. It is always hard to say goodbye to family when we see them. We had a great time though, and are so glad that they all came.

I do not know what I was thinking, but I did not take any pictures of Thanksgiving! Don't ask me how that happened, because I usually take pictures of everything! I only managed to get a couple of the "Gift of Lights".

Trip to Utah and Idaho

2008-12-03T22:56:00.000-08:00

Some of you knew, but many of you did not, that Dustin was out of work for several weeks. Arco, the company he works for bid on a job and got it, but it was taking forever for it to start for some reason. So, he was home and the kids were out on Track Break at the same time. I kept saying it was like some kind of never-ending weekend. Anyways, because of this, we decided to take the opportunity to go to Utah and visit. I also was able to take the kids and go to Idaho for a couple of days. It was so fun to see everyone. We enjoyed it so much, I don't think any of us really wanted to come back. The only reason I did was to sleep in my own bed. While we were in Utah, my neice Danica had a birthday party at this place called Back Yard Adventures. Here are some cute pics from that day...

I took the chance to go up to Idaho for a couple of days since we were already that far. I had not been there in a year and a half. It was so great to see all of my family. Even though time was short, we were able to see my parent's, all of my siblings (except Brandon), my nephews, and all of my Grandma's. I miss all of them so much. The fun thing about this little trip was that we totally just showed up and surprised them. My Dad and Janalee had no idea that we were coming. It was funny to see their expressions when we showed up there. I made my kids take pictures with all of the grandparents. First of all because it is so few and far between when we see them, and because I realized that I don't have enough pictures of the kids with all of them. I really thought they all turned out great....

Sidenote:
While I was in Utah, I was able to go out and have dinner with two of my good friends, Sydni and Jeni. We are all from Idaho, and have been roomies, and just go way back. It was great to see them and get to visit and catch up. Thanks for the good time Girls. :)

Update on Samantha...

2008-12-03T22:35:00.000-08:00

I've had some of you ask about Samantha and if she qualified for the Child Find program. She did qualify and started going to a pre-school last week. She is enjoying it so far, and her teacher says that she has been behaving well. We were really lucky because there is a program in the same school that Dillon and Ashlynn go to, which is just right across the street from our neighborhood. So, I am just able to take her and pick her up everyday. She goes Monday through Thursday, from 12:45 to 3:26. So, I am back on the Kindergarten schedule that I was on with Ashlynn last year. Anyways, we are hoping she will keep adjusting to the change. She has had kind of a hard time in the evenings after she gets home, I think because she is so tired.
Here are some pictures of the Thanksgiving Feast we were able to attend at Samantha's new school:

Sleeping Beauty...

2008-12-03T22:31:00.000-08:00

One day Dustin found Ashlynn asleep on the couch like this. He thought it was cute and decided to take a picture. What a funny girl.... :)

HALLOWEEN

2008-12-03T21:50:00.000-08:00

Our ward had it's Trunk or Treat the night before Halloween. I always try to decorate my trunk cute. Here is what I came up with this year....

This year Dillon dressed up as Indiana Jones, Ashlynn as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, and Samantha was a Witch (she said she was the "Wicked witch of the west", hee, hee!). The Trunk or Treat was really fun, our ward activities are always so fun and well put together. We had a great dinner, there was chili, hotdogs, and nachos, and desserts. There were carnival games for the kids, and a big bounce house set up in the gym. After dinner and the games, everyone went out to the parking lot to trunk or treat. I think the whole "trunk or treat" concept is such a good idea, then I don't have to take the kids around the neighborhoods to people I don't even know. The idea of that makes me a little nervous, you just never know. Oh, and there is this guy in our ward that always takes pictures at the activities. His name is Brother D'Arcy, and he always does such a great job. He always has the cutest back-drops and props. Good thing he took a picture that night, because I couldn't keep my kids together long enough to take any....

On actual Halloween, we decided to go to the Springs Preserve. It was pretty fun for the kids. They had a lot of lights and scary stuff, and they let the kids go to different posts through out the park and get candy. That night Samantha decided that she did not want to be a witch anymore, but that she wanted to be Cinderella. So, she was two things for Halloween this year.... oh, well, what do you do? Dillon on the other hand decided that he did not want to dress up again for Halloween, he figured doing it once was enough. Again, what do you do? I just figure, you have to pick your battles, and that is not one that I wanted to fight. Ashlynn was just happy being Dorothy, I'm so glad that she just goes with the flow most of the time. :) Here are some pics of our Springs Preserve Halloween:

Dance Recitals

2008-12-03T21:23:00.000-08:00

The girls both had Dance Recitals in October. This was Samantha's first time in a dance class and she did a great job. Ashlynn has been in a few different classes and is improving all the time. It is so fun to go to these little recitals and watch what they have learned. Stephanie Baker does a great job teaching these little girls.

California Pizza Kitchen and the Evaluation....

2008-11-07T20:09:00.000-08:00

One day in October, Samantha and I were able to go on a field trip to California Pizza Kitchen. My friend Kollen invited us. Dillon and Ashlynn were in school that day, so Samantha and I got to have a little one on one time. They let the kids make their own little individual pizza's and then they took them on a tour of the kitchen, then they got to eat their pizza's and have dessert. They even fed all of us mom's that were there. They brought out 3 different salads and 3 or 4 different kinds of pizza's for us to share, and gave us free drinks. It was awesome! They also sent the kids home with a coupon for a free kid's meal for the next visit.

After our field trip I took Samantha to an evaluation for Child Find. It is an early intervention program for children. Because of all of the stuff with Samantha's seizures, and the neurological issues that she has going on, there have been some sensory and behavioral difficulties that have come up. She met with a nurse, a phsychologist, and a early childhood development teacher. As far as "smartness" goes, she has no problem there. I knew that she was smart and that she wasn't lacking in that area. My concern has always been her inability to adapt to change, and how easily she gets upset and frustrated with situations. Sometimes she is so hard to calm down that I have to just hold her really close and tight until she stops screaming. Anyways, we found out this week that she qualifies to go to a special pre-school 4 days a week. She will be going to the same school that Ashlynn and Dillon go to... right across the street from our neighborhood. I am really excited and nervous at the same time. Because of all of her problems, I have been really protective, and she has never been away from me very much. It is going to be hard to have her away from me for that long and that often. Plus, the fact that I won't know what to do with myself without any kids for half the day! But, I'm sure that I will adapt, and hopefully Samantha will adapt, and benefit from this program. Only time will tell, I guess....

Cozymel's and M&M World

2008-11-07T19:50:00.000-08:00

One of the weekends in October we took the kids to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. It is called Cozymel's. I found it on Restaurant.com. Usually we only eat out at restaurants that we can get restaurant.com gift certificates for. For those of you who do not know about it, you can purchase a gift certificate for a fraction of what the certificate is actually worth. For example, when you first sign up for it, you buy a $25 gift certificate for $10. Then after that you start receiving e mails for 50 to 80% off. Then you are able to buy $25 certificates for like $2.50 to $3.00. We save a ton of money doing this and it allows us to eat out more than we would otherwise. Anyways, Cozymel's is one of the place we have discovered that we love.... and it is Mexican, our favorite!

After Cozymel's, we took the kid's to M & M world. The kids had fun looking around and watching the little 3-D movie that they show.

Kidz Rule!

2008-11-07T19:42:00.000-08:00

There was a Friday in October that the kids were out of school. My friend Kenna and I decided to take the kids to a little place called Kidz Rule. It has a big McDonald's type play area, and a few video games. It seemed to be a little too young for Dillon and Kylie, but they ended up having a good time anyways. It was nice just to have a place where the kids could run around and get there energy out. Kenna and I just sat and visited and watched the kids play. It was a fun day..... Thanks guys for inviting us to go with you guys!

Playing Catch-up!

2008-11-07T19:37:00.000-08:00

Okay, I am going to play catch- up here~ Life has been busy to say the least, and I am sorry to say that blogging has pretty much been pushed to the back burner lately. But, I am going to do my best to post about some of the highlights of the last month.

Husband Tag

2008-10-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

A) The rules are posted at the beginning.
B) Each person answers questions about their sweethearts.
C) At the end of the post, the person then tags people and posts their names; then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know they have been tagged.

1.What is your husbands name? Dustin Veenendaal
2.How long have you guys been married? 10 years in February
3.How long did you date? 2 months and then engaged for 4 months
4.How old is he? 34
5.Who is taller? Dustin swears he is, maybe by like an inch or so.
6.Who can sing best? Dustin really has a good voice, but I am the one who likes to sing the most.
7.Who is smarter? I think we are both pretty smart, just in different areas.
8.Who does laundry? Me, unfortunately.
9.Who pays the bills? Me.
10.Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Dustin.
11.Who mows the lawn? We don't have lawns in Las Vegas. lol. But if we did, Dustin would do it.
12.Who cooks dinner? That would be ME!
13.Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Definitely me, although, we are both quite stubborn.
14.Who kissed who first? Dustin, at my apartment, after we got back from a date.
15.Who wears the pants? In the end...... probably Dustin. :)

This is a pretty fun one, so I tag any of you who would like to do it.

Fun at the Firestation

2008-10-02T23:51:00.000-07:00

Today Samantha and I enjoyed some together time at the official opening of the Mountain's Edge Fire Department. We had a great time doing something, just the two of us. To start out there was a short program which included the presenting of the Colors, one of the guys was playing the bag pipes. I love to watch and listen to people play the bag pipes, I think they are awesome instruments. After the Flag ceremony, the Fire Chief, and the County Commissioner said a few words. The program only lasted a few minutes and then it was time for the fun stuff. We got to meet "Fireman Be Safe", the world's biggest fireman. He was a huge inflated balloon guy. Samantha was scared of him, and wouldn't take a picture next to him without me there. We then got to see the fire trucks and meet a real fireman, who showed us his equipment and how it works. Samantha was also scared of the fireman... she is such a little turkey. We also got to see and meet some official "search and rescue" dogs. Of course Samantha was not afraid of the dogs, and did not hesitate to go up and pet them. After all of the fun activities we had cake, and drinks, and they gave us free water bottles and mugs with "Clark County Fire Dept." printed on them. Samantha is excited for Grandpa Veenendaal to see all of the pictures we took, she told the fireman that her Grandpa was a fireman. :)

Today turned out to be a really fun day. Before the fire department thing, we went to Lunch Group at Karen Pula's house. There was a really good turn out at that, and it was fun to visit with all the ladies that were there. Then tonight Dustin and I, and the kids loaded up and went to Saver's to see if I could find Ashlynn a Dorothy costume for Halloween. We did not end up finding one, but did find stuff for Dillon's Indiana Jone's costume. I also found tons of cute clothes for the kids. I love Saver's! It is the best! I could spend all day there just looking around and digging through stuff. I do wish I wasn't having such a hard time finding a Dorothy costume though. Any ideas? I'm trying not to spend a lot on costumes this year. So far I have done good. I pieced together Samantha's witch costume at the D.I. and Dollar Tree. Her whole costume cost me 8$ total. Then Dillon's was about 12$ from Saver's. Ashlynn's is probably going to end up being the most, since I already spent 9$ on just her sparkly, red shoes. I love Halloween and get so excited for this time of year. I think I might even dress up this year!

Relief Society Broadcast

2008-09-29T00:14:00.000-07:00

Last night I had the priviledge of going to the Relief Society Broadcast at the Stake Center. I went with my good friend's Aimee Cooper and Brandy Oskilanec. We had the best time. The broadcast was, of course, excellent. My favorite speaker was President Uchtdorf. I think he is so awesome! His talk was so uplifting, and motivating. All of the talks were, actually. After the broadcast, the Stake Presidency and some of the Priesthood brothers provided dinner for us. Can I just say, "Yummy?!" It was prime rib, mashed garlic potatoes, two kinds of salad, seasoned green beans, rolls, and apple pie. I was so impressed! There were so many women there that they had to set tables up on the stage, which is were we sat, and in the Primary room. What a great turn out! After wards, I didn't end up getting home until like 11:00 because Aimee, Brandy, and I sat in the car and talked for like 2 hours. It was so much fun, those two girls make me laugh. I love having friends that you can just totally be yourself with. Thanks for the great night girls!

In the picture from left to right: Krista Watson, Heather Oliver, Marissa Moss, Carrie Anne Berges, ME, Dyana Jones, Brandy Oskilanec, Aimee Cooper

Johnny Appleseed's Birthday

2008-09-29T00:04:00.002-07:00

Friday I volunteered to help in Ashlynn's class. They had a birthday party for Johnny Appleseed. It was such a cute idea. The kids were asked to bring in stuff such as apple juice, apple pie, apple sauce, apple slices, etc. I sent some apple filled cookie things, and decorated them with vanilla frosting. See, I knew that cake class would come in handy! :) Anyways, the kids were so cute, and were all dressed in their matching, red class shirts. I love that the teachers think of such fun things for the kids to do. Mrs O'Donnel and Ms. Tratos (student teacher) are doing a great job. I was also happy to find out that Ashlynn is one of the top readers in her class. Great job, Ash!

My Final Cake...

2008-09-28T23:50:00.001-07:00

On Thursday I had my last cake class and made my final cake. I decided to stop with course 2 because the next class is learning about Fondant. I really only wanted to learn enough to be able to make cakes for my kids and other special occasions. I think I have accomplished that, and am now going to move on to an 8 week long Parenting class...... something that I need to learn about much more that Fondant. :) I was quite happy with how my final cake turned out. I thought it was really cute. Since we aren't big cake eaters and I knew it wouldn't get eaten, I decided to give it to someone that I thought needed it. I knew my friend Sheryl could use a little "Pick Me Up", so I took it to her tonight. She has a teenage son, so I know that it won't go to waste. :)

Basketball

2008-09-28T23:36:00.000-07:00

Dillon started a basketball skills class a couple of weeks ago. He and his friend Jamison Cooper go every Monday and Wednesday from 5:00-6:00. Aimee (Jamison's mom) and I take turns driving them back and forth. The first day that I picked Dillon up, I had to laugh because his shirt was completely soaking wet. I asked him why his shirt was wet, and he told that he had dumped his water bottle on his head because he was so hot from running the whole time. This class is definitely giving him some much needed exercise. The kids have not been able to be very active because of how hot it has been.... so, this is really good for him. Dillon really likes basketball and would like to be on a team after the skills class is over. I have decided that I want him to try a lot different things, so that he can figure out what he really likes. Maybe next time we will try Karate..... :)

Fun Saturday

2008-09-24T22:13:00.000-07:00

We had a fun Saturday last week. It started off with me taking Ashlynn to get her hair cut. She had been asking for weeks if she could get it cut again. It had been about a year since she cut it and gave it to "Locks Of Love". It was getting pretty long again, which I was happy about. I enjoy doing my girl's hair in cute, different ways. Every day was a battle with her though, she balled and fought it to the point that I just decided to give in. She wanted it cut into an A-line. So, off we went to Great Clips, where she told the girl exactly what she wanted. It is actually really cute, and much easier to do. Ashlynn really is one of those low-maintenance types.

After the haircut we rushed home so I could get Dillon to his friend Jackson's Birthday party. The party was at an ice-skating place. I didn't even know there was one here! The boys had such a great time. It was fun watching Dillon, he was of course, very cautious as usual. I think he used the little, metal cheater bar the whole time. That's okay though, at least he has tried ice-skating. More than I can say for myself. That is right, I am from Rexburg, Idaho and have NEVER been ice-skating. How that happened? I do not know. We skied my whole life, but never that. Anyways, I wish I would have had my camera to take pics of Dillon, but maybe I can get some from Miranda (Jackson's mom).

That evening we went to dinner at the Elephant Bar with our good friends the Reynolds. The food and company was great. We always have a good time with Tara and Jason. Our kid's were more rambunctious that night than usual. All three of them had their very own melt-down, all for different reasons. Some nights are just like that with kids.... I have to thank Tara and Jason for being such good sports when it comes to that kind of thing. :)

Anyways, so here is a picture from the Elephant Bar. Of course, Dustin ran away when he saw the camera, but we took them anyways, and I thought they turned out pretty cute. You can also see Ash's cute, new "DO".

Our Last Month In A NUTSHELL....!

2008-09-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

Well, it has obviously been hard for me to find time to blog lately. As if life wasn't busy enough already, it seems to have accelerated even more lately. I am going to do my best to summarize some of the main events from the last month. My hat goes off to those of you who find the time and energy to do a much better job of updating than I do.

Okay- here goes....

First Day of School:

Dillon and Ashlynn started school again on August 22nd. Dillon is now in 3rd grade, his teacher's name is Mr. Earley. Ashlynn started 1st grade, and her teacher's name is Mrs. O'Donell. We have heard nothing but good things about these two teachers and have so far been impressed. Both Dillon and Ashlynn seem to look forward to going to school, and come home happy and excited to share what they have learned. Ashlynn has had a bit of a hard time adjusting to the all day schedule. After the second day of school, she went in her room, layed on her bed, and slept for three hours. Poor thing, she was completely exhausted. Dillon is enjoying having a guy for a teacher this year. He has always had women, which is fine, but I think this will be a good change for him.

My Cake Decorating Class:

Tara and I have been taking a cake decorating class at Michael's. It has really been a lot of fun. I have always been interested in learning how to decorate cakes, just so I could make my own for Birthday's and other special occasions. Tara asked if I wanted to take the class with her, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity. We are now on the second course, I think there are 3 in all. Our teacher's name is Shaynee, and she has been fun to get to know. I think I will take all 3 courses. Dustin says that I might as well if it is something I enjoy. I appreciate him watching the kids while I go.

Labor Day:

We decided to make a trip to Utah for Labor Day. We were all ready for a break from Vegas. It rained a lot of the time, but it was a welcome change for us. If it rains in Vegas, it is only for like 5 minutes. Gloria, Shalise, and I always try to find time to get away and go to our favorite places: Robert's, and the D.I. I absolutely love going to the D.I., I always find lots of treasures to re-do and decorate with. We also went to the Wood Connection and got stuff to make a Halloween craft with. I always get in such a crafty mood when fall rolls around. The kids all played non-stop outside, yes, even in the rain. Ashlynn especially did not want to spend any time in doors. She was constantly outside riding bikes or jumping on the trampoline. On Monday, we all went out to lunch at Joe's Crab Shack. After lunch, it ended up being a beautiful afternoon, so we took all the kids to the park. They all rode bikes and scooters, played on the play ground, and kicked a soccer ball around. Danica showed us all how good she was at swinging on the monkey bars, and Ashlynn made it her ambition for the day to learn how. I tell you, if I could have half that girls ambition......... She tried and tried until she had blisters on her little hands. The next few days, her arms were pretty sore, Geez, my arms were sore from trying it one time! Anyways, it was a great weekend, and fun for everyone.

Samantha's First Day of Pre-School:

Yep, my baby is going to Pre-School. I will admit that it was actually a bitter-sweet day for me. I kind of wanted to cry when I left her. Part of it was not knowing what the heck to do with myself for 2 and 1/2 hours without kids, but it was mostly coming to the realization that Samantha is really not a baby anymore. It has also been a worry for me to leave her because of the issues that she has with seizures. I think that I have kept her quite close to me, I guess just my way of protecting her. I am grateful that her teacher is my good friend Tara, who I trust. Samantha is doing well, and enjoying herself. She has already learned a lot, and has come home with the cutest little projects. She goes to pre-school on Tuesday's and Wednesday's, from 9:30-12:00. I have made it my goal to not waste my precious alone time. I have tried to accomplish as much as possible each day. I think that is why my blog has been lacking lately, because by the end of the day, I am just ready to go to bed. Night time after everyone else goes to bed, has normally been my time to blog. I have just been too tired though.

The Planetarium:

Over this last weekend, we decided to take the kids to the Planetarium. Samantha was kind of a pill through the whole thing, but other than that, it turned out to be very informative and entertaining. After the movie, we were able to go outside and look through the big telescopes. It was pretty awesome... we saw Jupiter, and the moon. It was so neat to see the moon close up, you could really see all the detail of the terrain. Dillon especially enjoyed this, and kept saying, "This is SO AWESOME!" After the Planetarium, we went to a Mexican restaurant called Cozymel's. We loved it! Mexican is all our favorite, we are always wanting to try new restaurant's. What makes it even better is the gift certificate's that I get from Restaurant.com. We totally save so much money when we get certificate's from there. So, any of you who like to eat out should give it a try.

Samantha's 1st Day of Dance:

Another big step for Samantha. I put her in a tap/ballet class. She has the same teacher that Ashlynn has. Her teacher Miss Stephanie said that she did very well, but was quite selective with what she would do. If she didn't want to do something, she would go sit over in the corner or something. Hmmmm.... not like this surprises me, Samantha is definitely stubborn and has to decide for herself whethor or not she does something. Stephanie said that she eventually realized that she was the only one not particpating and decided to join back in. Also, the fact that they don't get a sticker unless they participate helps. I think she will end up enjoying dance because she is such a girly girl, she just takes a while to adjust to things.

Some other events:

-The tornado returned to our house, again, only striking Samantha's room. My solution to the problem: I am boxing up most of her toys and donating them to someone elses problem. ;)

-I passed out and had what we believe to be a seizure, because I swallowed my Diet Pepsi the wrong way. We are pretty certain, at this point, that I have the same thing Samantha has. The other day I kneeled on a stupid toy in the tornado room and almost had the same thing happen again. More to come on this story later.....

-Dustin's company thankfully was able to get another job, offering us job security for the moment, or atleast until we decide what we want to do in life. :)

I'm sure that there is more that I have forgotten, but atleast for now you have been given a little bit of our life in a NUTSHELL!

Bye for now..... ;)

Kindergarten Graduation

2008-08-15T00:22:00.000-07:00

Ashlynn graduated from Kindergarten on Friday,
August 8, 2008.

We are very proud of Ashlynn and are amazed at the progress she has made since the beginning of this year.

Ashlynn is excited for 1st grade, and thanks to her great teacher, Mrs. Keidel, she is more than prepared.

All of the kindergarten classes combined and performed a few songs for the parents. They were so cute and excited. Ashlynn was smiling the whole time. She has been singing and practicing those songs around the house for weeks now, so I think she was excited to finally perform them.

Ashlynn loves her friend Morgan. It has been fun for them to be in the same class at school and also at church.

Congratulations Ashy! Daddy and I sure do love you, and can't believe how fast you are growing up. You are so smart and will do great in 1st grade!

Congratulations Dillon!

2008-08-15T00:12:00.000-07:00

We are proud once again, of Dillon, for being on the honor roll at school. He ended the year with excellent grades. We are so proud of you Dillon... Great job!

The Waiting Is Over!

2008-08-11T00:56:00.000-07:00

I know several of you have asked why I have not posted in a while, and honestly, the only answer I have for you is that life has been incredibly, crazy, busy lately! Last week we ran from place to place, event to event, with no time to spare. Even at night, which is when I usually blog, I was just too tired and chose to go to bed instead. I have several new things to post, but figure I will just work on getting one up at a time. So, for now... enjoy reading about Samantha's birthday and there will be more to come soon! Love, Steph

Happy 4th Birthday Samantha!

2008-08-10T23:37:00.000-07:00

On August 6th Samantha had her 4th Birthday. I can't believe my little, baby girl is 4 years old already! The time has flown by so fast! I actually had a little bit of a hard time with this birthday, because I realized how much of a little girl she is, and not a baby. I wanted to make this birthday special for her because it seems like her birthdays have been a bit over looked in the past. Her 1st birthday was on the same day as her cousins blessing, on her 2nd birthday we were moving to Vegas, and last year we didn't do anything exciting... so this year, I decided was party year! Samantha chose completely on her own to have a Teddy Bear party. I have no idea where that came from, but that is what she wanted, and that is what I did.
I decided to do a Teddy Bear Picnic at the park. The kids each had a sack lunch that contained a peanut butter and honey sandwich shaped like a Teddy Bear face, Teddy Bear crackers, and grapes. I made labels for the water bottles that had bears on them and a space for the kids to write their names so that they could keep track of their own. I had a macaroni salad and chips for the moms.

After everyone was finished eating, I gave each of the kids a bear mask that I had made. They had fun coloring them with markers and wearing them everywhere. Next, we played Stick the Heart on the Bear. I drew a bear on a poster board, and had heart cut-outs for each of them. There ended up being 4 winners, and they each received a Teddy Bear coloring book.

After the game, I had the kids put their masks on and follow me on a "bear hunt". They hunted for a basket with a bear on it. There were little treat bags for each of them in it. The treat bags contained gummy bears, and bear shaped rice crispy treats that I had made.

We then went back to the tables where everyone sang "Happy Birthday" and Samantha blew out her #4 candle. It was so cute to watch Samantha while everyone was singing, she was acting so shy and embarrassed, I think it was all a bit overwhelming to her.
*Just a little bit about the cake.... I attempted for the first time, to make a cake that wasn't just in a 9x13 pan. I made a little sitting up Teddy Bear. A friend of mine loaned me the pan and all of the decorating tips. I stayed up until 2:00 AM doing it, but I think it ended up being worth it. It turned out pretty cute for my first try. And just a funny sidenote: My friend Tara and I started a cake decorating on Thursday, the day after the party. Man, that class sure would have come in handy when I was making that cake!

Samantha's shyness passed quickly as she realized that it was PRESENT time! I wanted to do something a little different with the gift giving thing. I always feel like that part of birthday parties is so chaotic and rushed. So, I set up two chairs, one for Samantha, and one for the child giving the gift. The child giving the gift got to sit on the chair next to Samantha and hand her the gift and watch her open it. This gave Samantha the chance to acknowledge and thank the child giving her the gift. It worked very well and all of the kids were excited to get to sit in the gift giving chair.

I was really happy with how the party turned out, and I think that everyone had a lot of fun. I have to thank my friends Tara Reynolds, and Taren Morris for helping me pull it off. Thank heavens I have friends here that are always so willing to help me.

Happy Birthday my little Samantha, I hope you enjoyed your day...!

Happy Birthday Tara!

2008-07-31T23:42:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was our good friend Tara's Birthday. Shawna (another friend of ours), all the kids, and I were able to take her out to lunch to one of her favorite places, Don Antonio's. We picked up a dragonfly balloon, some flowers, and a cake for her before. I snuck them in and had the waitress bring them out after we were done eating. The waitress was so nice and patient, especially with as many kids as we had. Surprisingly though, they were all pretty well-behaved, until the end when their "15 minute window" ran out. Hee, hee, that is what Dustin calls it. It is the little window of time that you have when your kids are actually good, when that window is up, it is time to go. We did have a lot of fun, and we hope that Tara did too. Happy Birthday Tara!

This is the canvas collage that I made Tara for her Birthday.

Toxic Audio

2008-07-31T23:21:00.000-07:00

On Saturday my good friend Tara invited me to go to the show Toxic Audio with her. Toxic Audio is a group that does everything completely acapella. They are absolutely incredible. They sing, and do all the background music, and sound effects only with their voices. It was awesome, I was so happy to go. It was a really nice break for me. I appreciate Dustin watching the kids while we went. I was able to purchase a CD and have them all sign it. All of the members of the group were so fun and friendly. Going to that show makes me want to go to more! I loved it! Hopefully I will get to take advantage of a few more while I still live here.

Swimming Fun!

2008-07-31T23:11:00.000-07:00

Last week we went swimming at the Yellowstone pool with our friends Tara Reynolds, Aimee Cooper, and Kollen Marchant, and all their kids. It is always so nice to be able to cool down at the pool. Thank heavens Tara lives in the Yellowstone community and let's us use her pool key! Thanks Tara!

Forecast: Sunny, Hot, and Tornado?

2008-07-23T22:50:00.000-07:00

Headline:

Tornado Strikes Las Vegas Girls Bedroom

A rare phenomenon occurred today as a tornado struck a house in Las Vegas, causing damage to only one room. The room belongs to little, almost four year old, Samantha Veenendaal. Authorities are adamant that this occurrence is rare, but worry that it could happen again. They believe that there is a mysterious force present in the room that invites disasters to occur, such as the tornado that struck today. The family is, of course, concerned about the problem, and would welcome any advice on how to prevent such traumatic events from happening again. One suggestion: Blow up the room and everything in it.

Raingutter Regatta

2008-07-22T23:50:00.000-07:00

Last night Dillon and I stayed up very late making his boat for the Cub Scout Raingutter Regatta. Dillon named his boat "The Dinosaur Traveler", but we didn't have enough room to put the whole title on the sail, so it got shortened to "DINO". For me not knowing anything at all about making a boat, I think it turned out pretty good. It was done in true woman style though. In combination with Dillon's dinosaur stickers, we put glitter around the sides, and used some of my scrapbook sticker letters for the name on the sail. Then, in all my brilliance, :) I modge podged the whole thing so that all the stickers and glitter would stay on... pretty ingenius I think. It must have looked okay, because I over heard one of the boys saying that Dillons boat was the "COOLEST". I was laughing out loud when I heard that. Dillon ended up winning one of the two races that he participated in and received a blue ribbon.

It seems like lately I have had more opportunities to work with Dillon one on one, and I have to say that I have really enjoyed it. Dillon is a great kid, and is so smart, and imaginative. I am so glad that he has the opportunity to be involved with Cub Scouts. It is fun to watch him smile and be so happy when he is at his activities.

We had been told to have the kids wear their swimming suits, because they were going to be able to play in the pop-up fountain at the park. When we got there everyone was dissapointed because it was blocked off and not working for some reason, but the sprinklers ended up coming on and saving the evening. The kids had so much fun running through them, and getting soaking wet. Samantha liked it except for the part where she had grass stuck to her feet, then she had to have a little OCD freak out moment. I swear she is OCD, seriously!

This was definitely an evening full of activities. After the Regatta, the kids all got to go Ice Blocking! I think they all had the most fun doing this. I even tried it a couple of times. I can't say that I had ever been ice blocking before. The kids' little behinds were freezing, so I ended up folding up a towel and putting it on the block of ice. It seemed to help, so much, that they didn't want to stop. I think they could have slid down that hill all night. I think I will get some friends together and do it again. What a great way to cool off in this awful HEAT!

We really did have a great time tonight. I love it when my kids are laughing, smiling, and having so much fun. It makes me happy when they are happy. :)

My Beautiful Kids

2008-07-21T11:08:00.001-07:00

I took this picture before church yesterday and thought it was so cute. I love my kids!

Happy Birthday Dustin!

2008-07-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

Saturday was Dustin's 34th Birthday. He doesn't really like Birthdays, and probably would have been happy if we would have just let it pass by, but we of course did not. In the morning the kids gave him his gifts. He got some new clothes, the Book Of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants on CD, and some Church History DVD's. I know he liked the DVD's because he watched them on and off all weekend long. That evening we went to Lucille's Barbeque for dinner, and then went to see Journey To The Center Of The Earth in 3-D. Our friend Tara's husband was out of town, so we were happy to have her join us. The movie was great, especially because it was 3-D. I about jumped out of my seat a couple of times.
We hope you had a good Birthday Dustin! We Love You!

Field Trip

2008-07-14T23:36:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I had the opportunity to be a chaperone on Dillon's school field trip. We went to the Exploration Park that is right here in Mountain's Edge where we live, and then we traveled to the Natural History Museum. It ended up being really enjoyable for me. The kids were all so cute and excited. Riding the school bus brought back lots of memories for me! I forgot how cramped those things were. It really was a lot of fun, I learned a lot of interesting stuff from the tour of the museum.

My favorite part about the whole trip was being able to spend some one on one time with Dillon, something that does not happen very often.

She Does Hair....

2008-07-09T23:52:00.000-07:00

I have been trying out new hair styles on the girls off of a blog called http://www.shedoeshair.blogspot.com/ . I actually had my friend Kollen and my sister-in-law Shalise tell me about this site. I thought these two turned out so cute, I just had to take pics and share.

The Great 4th Of July Adventure!

2008-07-09T21:03:00.000-07:00

It all started when Dustin's family decided to come to Vegas for the 4th. We wanted to do something different and Dustin came up with the idea of going to Laughlin to watch the fireworks over the river. We toyed around with the idea for months but never ended up deciding for sure until the week before. Of course all of the hotels in Laughlin were booked, so me being the great researcher that I am :), found us a motel in a little place called Searchlight, NV. On our way to Laughlin we decided to stop in Searchlight and check the motel out. Can I just tell you, that when we pulled in to that place I was laughing so hard I almost peed my pants. First we drove through the dumpiest trailer park I have ever seen, and then we came to the beautiful arch entrance of the "Kay Motel" or "K" as it says on the archway. After I stopped laughing, I proceeded to go and talk to the guy in the office, to ask him if we could check out the rooms. Let's just say that they were a little on the old and decrepit side. In our room, part of the carpet was being held down with duct tape, and the sink in the bathroom was really wobbly, when you turned on the water it felt like the whole sink was going to fall off. Over all, I would say that the rooms were fairly clean, except for maybe the cockroach my brother-in-law found on the floor. lol

Where's The Pool?

So, after checking out the rooms we journeyed first to Bullhead City, AZ to eat lunch at the Black Bear Diner. I had purchased a certificate off of one of my favorite websites, restaurant.com. We try out a lot of new restaurants, because we can eat for cheap. Black Bear Diner ended up being a really great place. The food was yummy and the portions were HUGE! After eating our food, we all decided to have dessert. Dustin and I got a brownie sundae thing to share and talk about HUGE again! It was giant... but boy, was it good! After we had all thoroughly gorged ourselves, we went outside and took pictures of the kids with the cute carved bear statues.

Our next stop was the Riverside Casino were we went to the Auto Show that they have there. I really enjoyed looking at all of the old cars. I have never seen so many. Dillon had fun looking at them and reading the histories.

After the Auto Show Exhibit we went out to the dock and looked at the water. I went to check on possibly taking a boat ride, but they were all booked. So, instead, Shalise, Gloria, the kids, and I took the little taxi boat across the river and back. It goes back and forth all day, taking passengers across. I'm glad that we at least did that because the kids really had fun doing it. The water is the prettiest greenish/ blue color... I thought it was so beautiful.

We then had another few hours to burn before the fireworks, so we headed over to the mall. I was laughing and excited at the same time when I realized that The Family Dollar store was part of the mall! Shalise, and Gloria, and I spent a while in there shopping. I love that place! You can get the best deals. I got the kids some clothes and I got a bunch of flowers to make hair things for the girls. After we were done shopping we went and found the guys, and decided to go to the movie. There was a movie theatre in the mall. We saw "Iron Man", I thought it was a great movie. Robert Downey Jr. was really good in it. Finally, by the time it was over, it was almost time for the fireworks. We went back to the Riverside Casino, and I was able to find a space for us to watch them along the boardwalk. Trent ended up not being able to see, so Dan and Gloria took him out to the parking lot to watch them. From what I hear, he was screaming because he loved them so much. I'm glad that he was able to see them. We ended the day with a trip to In n Out Burger and then headed to our humble motel, where we all got some much needed rest.
The next day everyone was pretty anxious to get out of there. I think Gloria was up and ready at the crack of dawn. Hee, hee. But, seeing how they didn't even want Trent to crawl on the floor, I can understand.
When we got back to our house, we rested and hung out for a while and then Gloria, Shalise, and I went shopping. We hit the dollar store, Kohls, and Albertson's. We told the kids that when we got back we would take them swimming. They, of course, were ready to go as soon as we walked in the door. So, we got in our suits and went to the Yellowstone pool. Thanks, Tara, for letting us use your key! It ended up being really fun and refreshing. The kids and Trent had a blast, I think it really cooled everyone off. I think the Utahn's were suffering just a little bit from the heat... ha, ha, ha!

After swimming, we came home and had a big dinner. I had been cooking ribs all day in the crock-pot. We had cheesy potatoes, corn, potato salad, and Gloria's yummy homemade salsa. I also made this really yummy, addictive jello/pretzel salad stuff. Oh, my gosh, it is so good, I could just eat it, and eat it, and eat it..... oh, sorry, got a little side tracked there. :) Here is the recipe-
Pretzel Salad:

1cup crushed pretzels
1cup sugar
1 stick margarine or butter

Mix and bake 7 minutes at 350 degrees on a cookie sheet. Let cool then break into small pieces.

While the pretzel mixture is baking:

Mix together 8 oz. softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and 12 oz. cool whip. I blended this with my beaters. Then add one large can of crushed pineapple.
Add the pretzel pieces to the mixture, and ENJOY! SO YUMMY!!!!

On Sunday, we had kind of a lazy morning. I think everyone was pretty worn out from the previous 2 days. Shalise and I made flower clips for our girl's hair. They turned out darling. Shawn and Shalise and the girls had to leave to go back that day, so we decided to go somewhere fun before they left. We decided to head to In-n-Out, (Yes, again) for lunch. (It is Gloria's favorite place, and she had not been able to eat there Friday night cause she gets sick if she eats that late at night). It was extremely busy there as usual, but luckily we found a nice place outside, in the shade to eat (not that shade makes a difference in this kind of heat...). After eating we went to the Bellagio Conservatory, and then watched the fountain outside. I thought it was a lot of fun, I had never been there before. The garden was beautiful, I could totally go there and make my kid's pose for pictures forever.

Shawn, Shalise, Danica, and Bryhn left after we were done at the Bellagio. It is always hard to say goodbye, especially for the kids. They always cry and then it makes me want to cry.

The next day, I woke up and Dan was not here. Gloria told me he had gone to Lowe's to get a new dish disposal for us. Ours had been broken the whole time they were there. The sink kept getting backed up the whole time, and it was pretty gross. I am so glad that it is fixed now, I don't know how people function without one of those! Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness, Dan. I appreciate it so much! After Jeremy installed the disposal, they were ready to leave. I expected Samantha to cry and throw fits because Nana was leaving, but she actually did okay. Samantha is very attached to Gloria, and is always glued to her hip the whole time she is here or we are there. I was glad that she did better with the goodbyes this time. It really was sad that night after they left though, Dillon was crying before bed, because he was missing everyone already. I can say that even though the Laughlin part of the weekend definitely was an adventure.... I think it is a memory that none of us will be forgetting any time soon. In my opinion, it doesn't matter what you do, (or where you stay), as long as you are with the ones you love. Thanks for the great weekend guys!

Do You Remember When?

2008-06-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

M E M O R I E S

This seemed like a really fun thing to do... I got it off of my sister-in-laws blog. Here's how you do it-

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.
If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Red, White, and Blue...

2008-06-30T01:15:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken yesterday after church. I love the 4th of July, and have always enjoyed dressing my kids in red, white, and blue around the holiday. We are especially excited this year for Dustin's family to come down here. Friday we will all be heading to Laughlin to see the "Rockets Over The River"! I am so excited to do something fun and different for a change. We got some motel rooms in a little town called Searchlight, NV for after the fireworks show. It should be a fun, little adventure for all of us.

Scouts!

2008-06-30T00:53:00.001-07:00

Dillon has been having such a great time in Cub Scouts. They have den meeting every Tuesday night at the leader's house, and then they have Pack Meeting once a month at the Stake Center. These are some pictures of Pack Meeting last Wednesday night. They do a lot of crazy stuff, like learn silly cheers, play games, and do skits. Along with this they are also learning how to do a flag ceremony, and every activity they do is to help them pass off or earn something from their books. These pictures are of them having a relay race where they have to chase paper-towels. They also made them see how many push-ups they could do. It was cracking me up to watch Dillon, because everytime he would do one, his whole upper body would rest on the ground. Then he would slowly push himself up and act like he was going to die in between each one. I think he needs to start lifting weights with his dad, hee, hee. This really has been great for Dillon though, it is good to see him being enthusiastic about something.

Play Time!

2008-06-30T00:43:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday our friends the Vincents invited us over

after school to play and have snacks. The kids had fun playing outside in the water and on the slip-n-slide. The Morgan kids were also there, so there were all together, 10 kids running around. It didn't take them all long to get hot, thirsty, and hungry, so we went inside and had crackers, grapes, and kool-aid. We always have such a good time at the Vincent's and Sabrina is always such a great hostess. Thanks for inviting us!

Happy Birthday to Ashley!

2008-06-23T23:45:00.000-07:00

Saturday night a group of us got together to celebrate my good friend Ashley Bailey's birthday. We ended up having the best time! Sometimes it is good to have a girl's night out. First we went to Olive Garden for dinner, which was so dang good. I love that place just for the breadsticks and salad! Ashley does not like attention to be on her at all, but there was this waiter that was bound and determined to draw as much as he could to her. First of all, it didn't help that I brought birthday balloons that we put on the back of her chair.... but besides that, every time he would walk by, he would say or do something funny to draw attention. He even took some pictures of us, and even posed for one with Natalie and Ashley... Then he got a whole group of people that work there together to sing to her, they were all really getting into it. One guy especially was jammin... :)

After Olive Garden, we headed over to the Red Rock Casino to go Cosmic Bowling. We all had such a great time! This really is a fun and crazy group of gals... no one cared how bad I was bowling that night. I got my lowest score ever. I think it was because I was laughing the whole time. Hee, hee. Rachel made a yummy birthday cake, and Ashley blew out her candles as we sang the primary song "Happy, Happy Birthday Ashley Dear" to her. It was quite funny. What a fun night and a great break for me.... thanks for the good time girls!

The Wallace Cousins

2008-06-23T23:26:00.000-07:00

Dustins cousin Bonnie, her husband Dave, and their 4 kids were in town for a vacation. We had the chance to spend a little time with them. First we went to the Condo that they were staying at and let the kids go swimming for a while. They had a lot of fun, and of course, did not want to get out of the pool. It was especially fun to see the newest addition to the Wallace family, cute little Kallie (I hope I spelled it right). She is such a little doll, and I loved being able to hold her. The kids all played really well together. It seemed like they were paired off perfectly, Dillon and Kaden, Ashlynn and Karlie, and Samantha and Kyler. After the swimming we all went to Ricardo's for dinner. We had gone their with them last year when they came down here, and Dave wanted to go their again. It is one of the Mexican restaurants that we have gone to quite a bit since moving down here. One of the fun things about Ricardo's is the magic trick/balloon guy that comes around. We ended up having a great time visiting, and wish that we would have had more time.

Great Harvest Bread Company

2008-06-23T23:12:00.000-07:00

Last week on June 17th, we had the opportunity to go on a tour at Great Harvest Bread Company. It was a lot of fun for the kids. They learned got to see all of the equipment that is used to make the bread, and were able to see how it is made. They each got their own little ball of dough to shape any way they liked, and then it was baked for them. The girl that did the tour did an awesome job, she was so enthusiastic and fun with the kids. While the bread was baking she took them outside and read a story to them and gave them each a BIG chocolate chip cookie. At the end, they each got a cute little bag to take home that contained a color page, a coupon for a free loaf of bread, and some seeds to grow their own wheat grass. I love doing fun, educational things like this with my kids. Thanks to Angie Gubler in my ward for arranging this fun trip.

Of course, Samantha is the only one that would not participate in the group photo..... instead she went and hid behind a wall and pouted. :)