Playing Catch-up!

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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..... :)