BIRTHDAY UPDATES

Landon's 16th Birthday. December 30th

Highlights:

BRACES, chinese food, Avatar, Cold Stone Cake, New Boarding Boots(Molded to his feet)

My Birthday. January 9th

Highlights:

Dinner with good friends Lori and John, German Chocolate Cake made by kids:) Games(Telestrations all time fav!) Spoiled by family!!

Val and Brylee's Birthday. April 6th.

Highlights: Another shared birthday! Brylee is a teenager 13!!(Oh no) Cold Stone Cake=Brylee...Banana Cream Pie=Val Went to Alice In Wonderland 3D ... Brylee got lots and lots of clothes and her ipod which she had been wanting (and has lost it)!!! Very good day:)

Lexie's Birthday...April 19th.

Highlights:

Celebrated April 18th(sad day...Nick left for Alaska on the 19th)

Cold Stone Cake (I know I'm lazy but the fam loves them)

Nick gave Lexie a laptop so they could keep in touch by webcaming. He is still in Alaska. Hopefully comes home the end of this month. Lexie is an amazing girl and very strong to be holding it together like she does!

Brianne's Birthday. May 11th.

Highlights:

Celebrated on the 9th since she was home that weekend. She moved to Orem the first part of May to start Dental Hygiene school. I made her a rainbow cake. Didn't have time to make all the layers so made up my own version. I loved the way it turned out. Especially before it was baked. Loved having Brianne home that weekend and miss her so much!!

Happy late birthday to Nick whose birthday is also in December. Didn't have any pictures and Lexie procrastinated getting them to me. And Happy Birthday to Teegan, April 19th(shares his day with Lexie), Camdyn April 1st, Josh July 3, Brittany July 6th(check out Britt's blog for her bday post)

I LOVE MY FAMILY SO MUCH!!

FINALLY....MY NEW BABY...♥

This new baby of mine was not near as painful as my previous "5"...and maybe a different type of love after delivery...but oh how I love this new baby of mine! It took 6 months of research, hunting on line and interacting with car dealers before the actual transaction took place. Very painful ordeal and think I would rather have all my teeth pulled with no lidocaine before going through this experience again! And if anyone needs to know anything about "crossovers", I am the one to ask...I know more about them all than the car dealers do. Just ask Val. I think he was a little embarassed and know he was very relieved when I drove off the lot with this red beauty! I was very specific about what I wanted and didn't want;

1. Had to be a crossover

2. Could not be; black(my current car non-color), blue(Val's car), white(My good friend

Lori recently got a white crossover and didn't want to copy), red(yes I said it red. I think

people who drive red cars are attention seekers. Sorry if I offend anyone but I now belong to that group)

3. Could not be a Lexus(once again the, "Copy Lori factor")

4. Could not be from a car company that accepted bailout money

5. Had to have Navigation feature

6. Had to have a sun roof

7. Had to play my Ipod

So the cadillac SRX that I wanted so badly was out...now what? I searched online and car lots, test drove, searched some more....then....stumbled across this beautiful "RED" Ford Edge. I found it in Utah...had to buy it before I could even see it or drive it so they could get it across state lines...was scared because of the color...saw it...instantly bonded.

This car is amazing! It is so smart. I talk to it...it talks to me...even tells me when I am leaving the house and have forgotten my phone. I love the hands free feature of the phone....that my contacts are downloaded into the car phone....that I can tell it who to call and it does....that it can read texts and text by voice command without ever picking up my phone. That it can tell me how healthy it is. That it takes commands from me:) has a USB port and downloads my ipod music...that I can tell it what songs, artists, playlist to play or just shuffle...that it can direct me to the nearest mall from any city I might be in...to a hospital...to a gas station...to a hotel. Like I said...it is so smart and I am in love...red was the only color I could find over a 6 month search that had every feature I was looking for so I gave in to the color and...who knows...maybe I am an attention seeker(but actually try to have as little attention drawn to me as possible...usually:"> )

...and just to clarify...this purchase had NOTHING to do with American Idol! but way to go Lee DeWyze! You had my vote from the beginning....

♥Girl's Choice Hillcrest High School Valentines Dance♥

Landon's first date was to Hillcrest's Girls Choice Valentines dance. He didn't know the girl that asked him and had only seen her from a distance several times. He knew she was tall but didn't think she was taller than him. That was all he knew. We were all anxious for her to come to the house to pick him up. Poor Landon being the only boy. This is the first time we have experienced High School dances from the boy side. "The Sisters", were so excited, and he, even though he won't admit it, was very nervous. Myself and the girls minus Brittany (Dang you Britt for living so far away) were planning to see the movie "Dear John" that day and had to do it between the day date and night date. (And first time I can say I liked the movie more than the book. Book was way to depressing). Landon's date was very cute and we all approved:) It was a good day for everyone!

-Landon and Maddy leaving for their rock climbing day date-
♥CUTE

Dear John Date with the girls!

{ B*R*A*C*E*S }

landon and brylee both got braces! landon got his on his 16th birthday, december 30th. happy birthday landon! he was soooo mad at me to say the least. i even paid extra for clear braces on his top teeth thinking that might ease his anger but no! when we left the orthodontist office i turned towards town instead of home. he forgot that we were going to get his new boarding boots molded to his feet. he told me he thought for sure i was going to make his birthday even more memorable by taking him to the eye doctor for glasses, then taking him to get neutered....what a brat!! he wouldn't smile or show them to any of us for hours after. i kept trying to sneak a shot but he kept his lips tightly sealed....then he had a weak moment and forgot:) he later informed me that i have ruined his dating life.....
it is hard to tell he even has braces....the orthodontist did a great job!!

brylee on the other hand was a different story. she counted down the days until she got hers on. the end of january. not soon enough for her. she even planned the trip to jamba juice after....i must say i love girls:)

before

and
after

A birthday wish for you...

Happy Birthday Mom!! With the help of dad & Brianne, I secretly sneaked onto your blog. Surprise!:) We just wanted to with you the best birthday ever! I wish we could be there to celebrate with you.

This ones for my mom...
who growing up made us feel so special on our birthdays! She is beautiful, fun, talented, hard working, & a great cook.
She is one great mom!

{Just pretend this video has music...my stupid computer! grr.}
Sorry we didn't send you a birthday card. We LOVE you dearly mom!!

Our month of graduation, boarding and birthdays! Camdyn 1 year old!

Brylee 12 years old:)
Boarding at Targhee!

Lexie's Graduation

Happy Birthday Val and Brylee! April 7th... It is hard to believe that 12 years ago on Val's birthday Brylee was born! It seems like just yesterday but it has been 12 years. 12 years that they have shared a birthday. She was a surprise baby, but the best surprise I could ever have. She is little miss responsible...always reminding me what to do and when to do it. Even calling me from school to make sure I had voted! (Nov. Election) Sometimes I think she is more of a mother to Landon than I:) And Val...what can I say. The best father and husband! I love you babe!

The most dreaded month of the year is already here. January! The holidays are over, the fun is over, it is cold, the month is long, and I turn 1 year older! So much has happened since I blogged last. Christmas, Britt, Josh, Teegan and Camdyn came and went, Landon's 15th b-day, New Years and my b-day. I'm still trying to recover from it all! I have attached some pictures of the last several weeks events...It is late, I am tired and as usual am having computer issues so these pictures are very randomly selected and not in order.

And what have I learned from all the chaos? My family means everything to me and I love them so much and would go through it all over again:) Thanks Britt for staying with us so long after Christmas. We all loved every minute of it!! Our house is so quiet now it's scary:)