Tis the Season

Tis the Season for walking around the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights and not freezing to death.

Tis the season for unwrapping Christmas presents before Christmas.

Tis the season for snow.

Thanks to a surprise present from family in Utah.

Tis the season for childrens bellies to be filled with candy and cookies instead of fruits and vegetables.

Tis the season to remember the Son of God and

be thankful for the many blessing we have been given!

Merry Christmas!!

Excuse my Randomness

As I was looking through my blog I realized how many important, fun and life changing events have occured over the past few months and I have neglected to blog about them. So I am going to try to catch up on everything that has been going on in our lives and post them at random.

Havyn started Kindergarten at Blanding Elementary. It is a little weird to have her going to the same school I went to. Havyn calls the school the "Craynola School." She is standing by the crayons that my dad helped construct when the school was first built. Havyn enjoys school so much, especially recess. (what kid doesn't) She also loves story and art time and making friends.

I thought I better post about Havyn's first day of Kindergarten before next Monday, because it will be her last day at the Craynola School. We will be headed down to Yuma, AZ to soak up the sun and start a new adventure of our lives.

Happy Halloween

Rainbow Brite, Raphael - Ninja Turtle, Shaggy & Scooby Doo

This year we decided to travel back to the

80's and have a tubular and rad halloween.

(I know Krew doesn't look like he had a great time, but once he warmed up to the fact that

if he wore a costume he got candy, he was ALL over it)

Happy Halloween!

Parenting: FAIL or WIN?

This is what happens when I leave the kids with Jack.

The kids enjoyed themselves and returned with no injuries,

Jack got his nine holes in.

Everyone WINS!

Enjoy

Happy Summer!

We are enjoying our summer (despite my claw)

Hope everyone is enjoying theirs.

Shakira, Soccer, Africa ...... Whats not to like

To Elder & Sister Saunders,

I know you are worried about what musical number will be performed at your homecoming (which is only in four more weeks! woohoo)

well worry no more. Krew has been practicing a little diddy by Shakira (his celebrity crush)

called Waka Waka (this time for Africa)

(appropriate, don't ya think?)

He can sing, he can dance and best of all he has my rhythm and Jacks singing voice.

(imagine the potential)

Expect a full audience!

Locks 4 Love

Havyn decided that her hair could be put to better use than just hanging around on her head, so she donated it to locks for love. She loves it and I love that there are far less knots and far less tears!

Jett in a Jet? Love it!

my BRAG moment

This is a moment I want to remember forever.

(so if you don't want to hear a mom brag about her kids it time for you to move on)

Yesterday I was in church and I was enjoying the testimonies (BELIEVE me, in my ward you actually enjoy them. So far we have had three people go up and say my name is ________ and I am an alcoholic and there have been many other personal things said that most people wouldn't say in testimony meetings. It keeps you on your toes)

Havyn started to notice all these people going up to the stand and she turned to me and said

"mom, is this testimony meeting?"

me- "Yes, this is where you can go up and bear your testimony about Jesus Christ, the gospel and the church"

Then I directed my attention to Jett. I turned back toward Havyn and notice she is half way down the aisle headed up to the stage. I panic and half whisper, half yell "Havyn, what are you doing?"

havyn - "mom, its okay, I am going to go bury my testimony"

Then, I panicked again thinking, oh great, now I am going to have to go up with her to help and 'bury' my testimony too. (and if anyone knows me and public speaking, they don't go well together. Picture Ozzy Osborne bearing his testimony. words mixed together, mumbling, not making sense, audience confused at what was said, yep thats me.)

But she seemed so confident I figured to let her go on her own. She had to sit and wait until the next speaker finished and then she got up to the stand and said:

"I would like to bury my testimony, I love to pray and I love to read the scriptures and I am trying to be like Jesus. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen"

And then the whole congregation gave her a standing ovation.

(okay, they really didn't, but maybe the should have, I'm just saying.)

I was so proud of her!!!

side note: my nephew baby m&m (Emmett Ray) was born, I haven't met him yet but I can't wait to get my cuddles on with him. Also I found out that my other sister in law Ashley is having another BOY. This will make seven nephews for me and still no nieces. COME ON PEOPLE!!

Oh, the places we go

Oh the places we go........

and all the things we do.......

I hope to catch up on blogging too!

(just call me Dr. Suess)

We have had a lot of big events happen over the past few weeks. I hope I can find time in the next week or so to blog about them all.

Krew's birthday, Easter, Fishing, Jett's Blessing, Pseudo Graduation for Jack, preschool graduation for Havyn and maybe when I get all caught I MIGHT be able to tell you about a brand new baby (nephew) that will be blessing our lives soon.

(baby m&m, please don't wait until I have finished my blogging to come out, otherwise you might be in there a few more months and that wouldn't be fun for your momma and plus I want to play with you)

Because of......

..... {my kids} I get to celebrate Mother's Day

I get to have my meals made for me and cute homemade mother's day cards

I also get extra hugs, kisses and snuggles

Thanks for being amazing kids

..... {my mom} I still get to be a child

I have someone who takes care of me.

I always have someone to laugh with, whine and complain to and share my secrets with

well, between the callable hours of 10 am and 9 pm, minus your 5 - 6 pm nap time

(don't worry, after having three kids I now know why you sleep so much, I can't wait to catch up on my sleep)

Thanks for being the best mom and grandma

.... {my mother-in-law} I get to be married to my favorite person

Thanks for being Jack's mom and raising him with a great sense of humor and a kind heart

and for being a second mom to me, even while you are serving the Lord in Africa.

But remember when he does something wrong he is YOUR son,

when he does something good he is MY husband. :)

Thanks for being the best mother-in-law and grandma

Jettakiss

6 Months.....6 MONTHS!!!

I can't quite wrap my head around the fact that this little creature

has been in our lives for 6 months.

He couldn't be more of a perfect third child.

He gets stepped on, poked, loved on and probably ignored,

more than the other two and through it all, he still smiles his big ole smile.

(That I can't get enough of, really who could??)

Here are some highlights of Jett's first 6 months of life:

He can sit

He can army crawl/inch worm to an object a foot away

He has already has his first hair cut, mighty studly if I do say so

He eats some veggies and rice and oatmeal cereal

Laughs, smiles and rolls his lips

No teeth (this is more of a celebration for me)

He loves to watch Havyn and Krew play

He sleeps through the night and takes great naps

He patiently waits for me to feed him, whether it has been 2 or 5 hours since the last feeding.

Nicknames - Jettakiss (by Havyn), Jetterbugs (by mom), Jettermergretter (by dad), and Ett, (by Krew)

WE LOVE HIM!

Ready for Spring!

Monthly Update: Sometimes blogging just eludes me.

Here is what we have been up to since our last post.We finished celebrating Havyn's birthday with Birthday Cake

and playtime at Discovery Gateway.We said Good-Bye Mr. Winter, thanks for all the fun, till next year. We got our jump on at Airborne to celebrate Jack finishing his Master Project.

These blocks were almost impossible to get out of, as shown by our friend Kayla.
Smiles of relief from his PA friends
We showed some brotherly love

We had several pajama days (my fav) due to sniffles, blah weather and laziness.

Havyn Potter and the Tri-Wizard Birthday Party

Get the party started...........

Krew thought he would take it upon himself to test out the cupcakes before the party started to make sure they didn't contain 'Draught of Living Death'. Jack, Havyn and I were not in the room to catch him being mischievous.

Cutest Tri-Wizards Ever!!!

Transfiguration - The kids got to decorate their wizard's hat, put on a lighting bolt tattoo, cast a spell and don the infamous black-framed Potter specs.

They also got to shoot dragons and search for mythical creatures and dragon eggs outside.

My attempt and Harry Potter decorating, from ivillage.com.

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY

HAVYN!!!

You magically entered our lives and cast a love spell on us forever!

Today, I'm Italian

In the book "Eat, Pray, Love" The author talks about the difference between Americans and Italians. She says that Americans have an ingrained sense of Puritan guilt. Americans are always questioning if they deserve to do something good for themselves and then feel guilty when they do. Italians KNOW they deserve to do things just for themselves. So when my friend Kacey called me up and asked if I wanted to go get a pedicure (Katy Perry style) with her, I jumped at that chance. And I am not going to feel the least bit guilty about it.

Check out my hot, hot, hot Valentines day toes and yes I have my dads man feet.

Thanks Kacey for the Pedi and Gramma for watching the kids.

Punx

Will he? Won't he????
OH, THE SUSPENSE!!!

No, I am not talking about Brad and his rose ceremony. (I am just putting it out there, Michelle is a loon!)

I am talking about today when Punxsutawney Phil makes his grand appearance to see if he sees or does not see his shadow. (I think in my next life I want his job, make one appearance a year, have a whole day that everyone celebrates you and you predict the future, how cool is that. Not to mention you have a rockin name.)

This year Punx predicted that we will have an early spring. Hallelujah! So what else could the kiddo's and I do? Celebrate this wonderful holiday of course. (Kudos to whomever made this a holiday.)

Kids chillin on the 'ground' eating Hawaiian Pizza. Yumm

If I would have seen this on someone's blog five years ago I would have thought "Wow, these stay at home moms don't have anything better to do with their lives than celebrate measly holidays?" But I would tell my 23 year old self now that sometimes being a mom feels like groundhogs day. (the movie, not the actual day of popping out of a hole)

You get up at the same time to the same screaming children and you are wearing the same clothes you wore yesterday, you clean the same rooms, pick up the same toys, clean the same laundry, tell your kids the same things, (mind your p's and q's, don't wipe your snot on the wall, put your underwear on, don't pull your sisters hair, ect.) Feed them, bathe them and then go to bed exhausted, just to wake up the next day to......the same thing in repeat.

But, (see how big that but was) everyday you get the same hugs and kisses from the same smiling children, you get to see them learn something new, you get to imagine with them, slay dragons, fly like fairies, put on a cape and save the world, you get to laugh with them, make weird bodily sounds (and get laughed at, instead of someone thinking you are crude.) and you get to watch them grow emotionally, physically and spiritually. And those are the things that will never get old day in and day out.

So bring on groundhogs day to help remind me that I love being a Mom!

Even Jett is excited about Punx's prediction!

Havyn gives me these cards after she gets put in

Time-Out for doing something wrong.
The other day she was sitting in Time-Out and yelled
"Mom, Time-Outs don't work for me anymore, I would rather do chores."
I'd love more help around the house,
but I think I will miss the cards. :(

All the Way to the Superbowl!!

Go Packers!!!!

My Boys

Jett at 3 months

Rolling over from front to back

Laughing out loud

Sleeping through the night

Smiling constantly

and he still has his eyes and belly button after Krew pokes at them all day. (hopefully his eyes are still working)

Like father like son - everyone I meet tells me Krew looks just like Jack. I guess he wants to be like his dad too, because he loves to put on his hat and shoes.

Krew has a fasination with belly buttons lately, he loves sticking his finger in his and everyone elses.

Christmas

We had a fabulous Christmas this year!

Our family was spoiled by the whole family on both sides - Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Parents, Grandparents and Greats.

Thank you!

Pillow pets were a big hit.

I love this picture of Krew. He wasn't into the whole unwrapping of presents so he mostly chilled and let Havyn have all the fun.
He loves his soft blankie.

Havyn loves mythical creatures and so she received a unicorn and a her favorite book to go with it, A Dignity of Dragons.
From Santa all Havyn wanted was a puppet theater that was the color of the rainbow.

I'd say Santa did a great job and had help from many of his elves.