One Advantage

to being sick
is losing 4 pounds.
Unfortunately, once I start to eat again, I am sure it will all come right back on.
Bummer!

1. feeling better
2. hopefully feeling better enough to get my house somewhat back
3. it is almost FRIDAY!!

Hairstyle

This hairstyle has a name. It is called..................wait for it..............

The JENNIFER!!!

Brynn asked me on a regular basis if we have time to do the "JENNIFER".

Let me explain the name. I have a friend that lives in Utah that we all love. Of my kids, Brynn loves her the most. After we would walk the kids to school Jennifer would frequently take Brynn home with her and more often than not, her hair would come home looking like the picture. She loves doing her hair like this and has dubbed the style with our friends name!

Brynn and I miss our friend Jennifer on a daily basis and it makes me smile every time Brynn asks for her hair done like this!!

Here's to good friends!!!

1. friends 2. a new day 3. great church talks

Procrastinating

I am a procrastinator.

I admit it.

I have been procrastinating my blog, my house, phone calls needing to be returned, lots of things.

It's not that I don't want to do them. I do.

I just have SO many other things going on right now that when I get a few minutes, the last thing I want to do are things that need to be done.

I have issues, I know.

I have many good intentions.

When I get distracted or have thoughts that consume me, I tend to be no good.

This week, I have been consumed by Haiti. I was told by a lady at Brynn's school about all the orphans, which I knew there were orphans, I just tried not to think about it. Now it has consumed me and I have sat at my computer for probably an hour today watching all the stories about these poor children. It is consuming me, which then leads to procrastination.

Issues, I definitely have them!

1. admitting
2. my family is safe
3. the weekend

Happy Birthday

5th

Birthday to

Brynn!!!!

5 reasons why we love Brynn

1. she is very funny

2. she is very outgoing

3. she is always up for an adventure

4. she loves her family

5. she is full of and loves life

Happy Birthday Brynn!

Brynn's Christmas Present

Brynn loves Build A Bear and has always wanted to go there and we just never have. So for Christmas, Marissa decided to have her and the boys pool their money for a gift certificate so she could finally build her bear!!

Stuffing!
So excited~she was jumping up and down!

Putting in the heart!

Giving her bear a bath!

I will have to get a picture of the finished product. Brynn chose to make her a cheerleader because the only thing she likes about Braden's basketball games is the cheerleaders and she wants to be one when she grows up!!

Funny side note~Marissa told me at a game a few weeks ago "Mom, you won't catch me dead being a cheerleader!" Thought that was funny!!

1. great gifts

2. a child's excitement

3. funny kids

Christmas

Christmas morning was its usual greatness! Brynn was SO excited, although again, as in EVERY year in the past we had to wake her up.

I had jokingly told the older kids that I didn't want to see them until 7 am and being the obedient kids that they are, I didn't see them until 7 am. I couldn't believe it! I was just joking!

It is always so fun to see the excitement in their eyes!
Opening gifts

Braden, being on the basketball team wanted/needed some new shoes. I bought him a size 12 and they were too small. Had to take them back for a size 13. Hope those feet don't keep growing or we will have trouble finding shoes!

Brynn is in love with cameras. Being that she ALWAYS takes mine, that is one of the things Santa gave her for Christmas. Now she no longer uses mine!!

It was a great day by all. This year I decided to make a blanket for all the kids and Todd, as we were always wanting the same blankets and Todd and Braden complained that they weren't long enough. So, I made 5 blankets. I won't do it again! It took forever. I didn't get Braden's finished, which turned out nice, because Todd and Braden helped me finish his blanket.

We had my cousin over for dinner~ham, and stuff and it was fun to see him.

1. Christmas

2. new blankets(I bought one that plugs in!!)

3. staying in pjs all day

Christmas Eve

Our Christmas Eve was spent in the same way as we have done most of the years we have lived in MA.

The kids act out the nativity and most of them are still really good about it. They change rolls, except for Braden who has the recurring role as Mary's donkey.
Shepards

The Star and the narrator

Mary and her donkey

Good times are always had with lots of good food and company!

1. Christmas

2. GREAT friends

3. good food

Basketball

Braden is playing basketball for the JV team at the High School!

He is loving it and it sure has been keeping us all busy. He isn't getting a lot of playing time, but he is a freshman and doesn't have a ton of experience.

In this video he misses two shots, but I pulled my camera out because he made the one right before!!!!

I absolutely love the sports and have thoroughly enjoyed going to the games. Unfortunately, my girls don't feel the love of staying for the varsity games, so we haven't stayed as long as I like, but it is fun as long as it lasts!

1. Braden 2. basketball 3. patient coaches

Let It Snow

At 5:38 AM I got the phone call. One I was expecting but the words on the other end made me a bit upset.

SCHOOL IS CLOSED TODAY due to inclement weather.

It was the closed part that disappointed me. Not that I don't love having my kids home and a day off of school is always nice, it is the fact that now we have to make up the day at the end of the school year. We weren't supposed to get out until June 18th and today just pushes us that much further into the summer.

What I was hoping for us a 2 hour delay. Didn't get it, so I am just enjoying the fact that I had something to motivate my kids to get their jobs done and quick this morning.

They wanted to play in the snow.

And playing they are doing. They have already been out for over an hour and they are in heaven!!!

The boys are totally loving the hill on the side of our house, they have their snowboards out and can't wait to get to the real mountain. Braden has been praying for snow since August.
The girls enjoyed sledding down the hill for a bit, then decided it would be fun to make a snowman. They used sticks for the arms, a towel for his scarf, carrot for the nose and sweet tarts from Halloween for the mouth, buttons and eyes!!

In their eyes, their day is pure heaven!

1. kids

2. being able to stay home in yucky weather

3. snow (only because I can stay home)

Rachel's Challenge

This is Rachel Scott.

She was the first student who died at Columbine High School in April 1999.

Rachel wanted to start a chain reaction. She wrote an essay called "My Ethics, My Codes of Life" a few months before she died.

In it she said she has a theory, that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, then it will start a chain reaction of the same. People will never know how far a little kindness can go.

Yesterday at school, Rachel's brother, Craig, came to talk to the students about starting a chain reaction. He had an hour long presentation that he presented to students in 8-12th grade.

Last night, he presented it to the public.

Brandon and I went. Braden saw it at school, so he didn't want to go again.

It was a moving experience. There were not many dry eyes in the audience.

Rachel's Challenge is basically this:

1. Eliminate Prejudice....by looking for the best in others

2. Dare to Dream...set goals, keep a journal

3. Choose your influences...input determines output

4. Kind Words...small acts of kindness=huge impact

5. Start a Chain Reaction...with family and friends

Craig told the kids that it is ok to be nice to someone that is different.

He did it in a way that was different and cool, not a parental way!

I am taking this challenge. I will start a chain reaction.

Each day I will say something to someone that I wouldn't have otherwise.

Will you do it too??

Check out her website:

http://www.rachelschallenge.org/

1. moving experiences

2. people willing to talk about their tragedies

3. change

Marissa

This girl's mind seems to go a million miles a minute. Todd walked into the bathroom this morning and this is what he saw......

This note was on the mirror...
The sink full of water!

Where does she come from??

1. Marissa
2. funny things
3. Grandma in town...nuff said

Happy Birthday Braden

Happy 15th Birthday to my boy!

15 reasons we love him:

1. he is a peacemaker

2. he loves the gospel

3. he is a great big brother

4. he attends seminary everyday

5. he is very knowledgeable

6. he is outgoing

7. he loves lacrosse

8. he loves music

9. he plays the guitar well

10. he is kind to people

11. he usually makes his bed in the morning

12. he is usually willing to help out

13. he is responsible

14. he is a hard worker

15. he is a gentleman

Happy, happy birthday!!!!

MOS

A few weeks ago the kids were out of school for a few days, so we decided to go into Boston to the Museum of Science. What a neat museum. We could have spent many hours there.

This was neat, there are many eggs that are hatching.

1. a fun day

2. interesting places

3. no school!

We've been hit......

Just got the call.............

Marissa is confirmed with Influenza A. Which, I believe, is the nice way of saying she has the SWINE FLU, H1N1, whatever they want to call it, but either way, she got it!

And she was vaccinated last Thursday!

Maybe that is why she doesn't seem like she has the flu. I thought she had strep or pneumonia.

1. getting the last of the motrin at Walmart

2. clorox wipes

3. soap

Brynn's 1st Fishing Experience

Brynn has wanted to fish for a while. We bought her a "fishin stick" in September when we thought we were going camping. We didn't go camping, so she didn't get to use it.

Finally, a couple of weeks ago, Todd took her down the street to a lake and she had success!

It was kind of funny, because Braden was with her and didn't even get a bite!

She loved every minute of it and can't wait to do it again!

1. little pleasures

2. fishin sticks

3. having water close by~that we could walk to if we weren't too lazy!