COOKIES FOR SALE!

It seems like we just got done doing this, but here we are again -- selling Girl Scout Cookies!

The sales officially started at 9am Sunday morning and we were out there knocking on doors at 9:01. The cookies are loaded in the wagon and the girls are ready to go.....

Cameron went along and helped with the wagon......

Well, he sorta helped with the wagon.....

Back at home -- Rena's troop has a Daisy troop back East that they are pen pals with so we took a few pictures of Rena to include with her letter. Rena the Brownie...... :)

Luckily we sold most of the cookies so that I didn't have to have them around the house calling my name to eat them -- I did buy the last two boxes, though, so I do HAVE to eat a few! :)

SUNDAY MORNING BREAKFAST

Sunday morning Maleah was a big helper for breakfast. She made everyone a pancake -- the rest of us got Mickey Mouse pancakes, but she made herself this huge flower pancake. I just thought it was cute and funny......and very creative......that I had to take a picture! :).....

The pancakes tasted as good as they looked -- good cookin' Maleah!

MADE BY STACY

The past couple of holidays have brought me some pretty cool presents made by Stacy.

The first one started on mine and Jeff's anniversary. When we got married in Hawaii the hotel that we got married at created stepping stones that were suppose to line the path to the gazebo FOREVER. Ok, maybe the contract didn't say "forever", but when we went back to Hawaii this past summer and it wasn't there we were pretty disappointed. So, Stacy made us one!

This was the original one in Hawaii 11 years ago......

And this is the new one made by Stacy in our backyard today.....

Didn't she do a great job? It's actually been sitting in our living room for the past few months waiting for our backyard project to get done. Now that it's done the stepping stone has been moved right outside the back door. It is a "stepping" stone, but I really don't want anyone to step on it so it's where we can see it, but not hurt it! :) There it is -- right there to the right of the door.......

The next cool gift made by Stacy was for Christmas. She made this magnetic board with a "family" saying and pictures on it. I love the saying and I love the pictures that she picked to put on it.....

I had a hard time deciding where to hang this one because it's the same color as most of our walls and just kind of blended right in. For now it's in the guest room downstairs -- where I have a lot of family pictures. We are actually in this room quite often because it has a desk in it that we use and it also provides a second bathroom downstairs. So, I do get to really enjoy it there -- every time I go to use that bathroom I stop and look!

I love my gifts by Stacy and am happy to finally have them out and up and be able to enjoy them! Thanks Stacy.......keep 'em coming! :)

PINCH ME!

This is a silly story that actually happened a couple of months ago, but every time I look at this note I get a good little laugh so I decided to share......

One morning we were all getting ready to go and Jeff had a new shirt that he took a sticker tag off of and stuck to my back (which he thought was so funny). When I walked downstairs I took it off and told Rena that "dad stuck this to me and thinks he's funny". So Rena decided to make a note to stick to Jeff. When he came downstairs she stuck this note on his back......

He knew it was there and we all got a good little laugh while we were pinching him at home. BUT then we left the house and Jeff still had the note on his back!

We stopped at Starbucks for coffee to go and Jeff ran in by himself to get it. We were parked right outside the door and when he got in line I started laughing so hard that I could hardly tell the kids what I was laughing about. When I finally got it out we were all laughing so hard that we were crying.

No one pinched him, but a couple of people did get in line behind him and we did see a couple of other people looking at it. When he came back out of the store we all tried to be serious and one of the kids asked "dad, did anyone pinch you?" and we all broke out laughing! It took him a minute, but then he realized what we were talking and laughing about.

So, yes -- it is a silly story, but I have the note on the counter by my computer and I laugh every time I see it!

(Really -- can't you just picture Jeff in line at Starbucks trying to look all cool with a neon pink note on his back saying "pinch me"?!!?) :)

80's DAY

Friday was 80's day at the kids school. The girls had fun dressing up. Cameron decided to skip this one - said there was nothing to dress up as!

Rena, Gabby and Maleah.....

Rena and her friend Ashlyn.....


Don't they look "totally awesome"?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEFF!

Yesterday was Jeff's birthday and we had a full day of decorating and celebrating. Luckily the kids did not have school because they spent A LOT of time decorating and planning.

Here's what Jeff saw on the garage door before walking in to the house.....

Once inside he saw this sign made by Cameron and these streamers.....

LOTS of decorations on the stairs.....


The kids created a little scavenger hunt for Jeff to go on to find his gifts. They each had 5 different clues with 2 gifts hidden somewhere within the clues.

Rena's first clue -- "go where you sleep".....

One by Maleah - "go where I keep my dirty clothes".....

Another one by Maleah - "go where you get clean"......

The last one, by Cameron - "go where you cook - hint: the short word is b_q"......

Happy 39th Birthday Jeff!

ICE SKATING

It doesn't feel much like winter around here outside so we decided that we needed an indoor cold activity! The kids and I went with our neighbors - Jason, Hale, Greyson and Decklen - and Jacinda for some ice-skating!

Greyson, Jacinda, Maleah, Cameron & Rena.....

Some "action" shots.....

All of the kids liked using these things to help you learn . They didn't need them to stand up, they just wanted them so that they could go faster without falling......it worked!.....

Uh-0h.....Cameron had a wipeout!.....

I just loved this -- Jacinda helping Maleah figure it all out.....

It was a fun couple of hours and when we walked outside we were back in the sun with 70 degree weather!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Our last day of 2011 was a good one!

It started with Jeff & dad doing some yard work (which might be the reason dad decided to head home the next day!).....

Jeff did let dad relax a little bit while he was rotissering a couple of chickens for dinner......

After dinner we went to the neighbors for a little while.....

Everyone was hoping to stay awake until midnight, but Rena was the only one that made it. Maleah fell asleep first, then Cameron and here's Rena hanging out with us.....

Happy New Year! First picture of 2012!.....