Christmas Tree

Usually I love the whole experience of putting up the tree. However, this year I accidently dropped my box of ordaments and broke some precious ones. I should have known right then and there that it wasn't going to be a good Christmas tree year. That night we spent 2&1/2 hours trying to fix the lights on our tree (we leave it strung for the next year). Well to make a long story short we didn't fix the lights and we ended up buying a new prelit christmas tree and decorated it the next night. It turned out to be perfect for us.

Post Thanksgiving

So the day after Thanksgiving I always go shopping. This year I drug out my sister Kami to go with me. She is not a crowd person so I didn't think she would follow through with it. But she did and we had a wonderful time. We stayed out from 4:00am until 5:00pm and got so much accomplished. Terry stayed home with the kids and if you know Terry by the end of the day he was going stir crazy. So on Saturday he worked all day to fix my jeep heater and front seat for Bowdee and we took our jeep out that afternoon for her maiden voyage. Yes we called my bro and told him where we were going just incase we didn't return at a decent hour. Then we headed for the hills. It was great but with the doors and hard top off it was cold. We were all bundled up so it wasn't too bad though. Terry and Bowdee went off on a walk hunting for rabbits. Tia, Treg and I stayed back to tend the campfire, which was fine by me. This was the first time Matia was allowed to be the fire master. Bowdee usually has that position so when I handed it to her she was all SMILES!Treg on the other hand was just not up for much so he just laid in the back of the jeep all bundled up in our super warm jeep blanket and was content on doing just that.Dash did great until the moment we pulled out the guns. He gets to frightened by the sounds. It was kinda sad and I felt bad for him. But we had a great time and we made it without any misshapps! These are the things in life that make us feel alive. These are the moments we treasure the most. Just us together as a family, talking, laughing and living in the moment.

Thanksgiving Feast

This year we had Thanksgiving with my family at my house. I have done this before but this year I was touched by the true meaning of Thanksgiving and felt a desire to go up and beyond. I wanted to show my family just how much they mean to me and tried to make it as nice as possible. So for the adults table I got a nice table cloth with chair bows then I put candles on the table with my Grandma Bennions china. I also went to DI and got as many different kinds of wine goblets as their were people. Then I made some platers that stand on candle sticks to hold some food. I also gathered pinecones to hold the name placetags. It looked amazing. Then for the mostly single adults table I had the same kind of set up. We had 15 adults and 7 children so it worked out on two tables. I think they were all impressed but I am not sure they relized the true meaning behind it all. To me my family is above royalty and I wanted them to truely feel important. The childrens table I covered in white paper so they could draw on it with markers during dinner and when they were finished or waiting for the adults. They thought this was ultra cool and it really did keep them busy. After the dinner the little kids skipped off to the basement to prepare a play for the adults. And we just hung out for a while. We looked at the newspaper, talked, looke through grandma b's jewlery, and we played a little rockband. It was the best just to be together and laugh and love. My whole family is amazing and of course I missed my 2 older brothers with their darling families. I know they would have been there if they could. But it is just sad without them. This year I am truely thankful for my parents I don't know what I would do without them. I am thankful for my husband and children they are my life and keep me going strong. I am thankful for my siblings they give me a feeling of belonging. I am thankful for all of my families good health! I am thankful for all the many miracles that happen to us daily. I am thankful that I love my life! Happy Thanksgiving.

Twilight Movie

So I went to the 12:03 showing last night of Twilight. I wasn't much suprised when I heard there were people lining up at the door at 11:00am that morning to get a good seat. They let us in at 10:15pm to get our seats, so that was nice we didn't have to stand outside the whole time. I went Tonya and Angie who are some crazy book readers. I love them to pieces we have the same book reading taste although I am not as fast as they are. It was fun to hang out with them, but I must say honestly the movie was a huge disappointment for me. I don't know that I can recommend it to anyone. Of course that is what I expected but it was even worse then I thought it would be. Let's just say it was very slow and I am sure a man would call it painful. This is one of the first movies that I watched after reading the book and I realize it can't be compared to the book but it is sad when you have such a good image of your characters and then it gets washed away from the movies image. Oh well it was good while it lasted and it was fun going with all the obsessed and getting "SHUSSHED". Tell me what you thought of the movie if you have seen it. I am eager to hear. P.S. Sal we were thinking of you the whole night and wished you could have been there with us.

Gotta love those Utes!

So this weekend we dedicated Saturday to cleaning out the yard. Wow it is amazing how much there is to clean after the fall hits. So we got the kids out there and we had Bowdee mowing the lawn or leaves. Tia was putting all the branches on the trailer and Treg was picking up all the tomatoes out of the garden. Then Terry and I were busy doing everything else there is to do. It reminded me so much of when I was little, my family was constantly working together. Whether it was on the farm or in the house. We loved working together because it just got done so much faster. Then that night we went to Troys house to watch the Utes football game. Bowdee has been a BYU fan for quite sometime now. So we had to show him how great the U was. We had a great time with Troy and his girls eating pizza and donuts and enjoying a GREAT Football game. We finally converted Bowdee to be a Utes fan. But he says he will cheer for BYU when they are not playing the Utes. I have a feeling we will be watching more football in our future with Bowdee's growing interest. He loves watching those football games.

HORRAY!

Last week Terry was offered a permanent position at LanDesk. Well as permanent as any position is, what I am saying is he is no longer a contractor. He had an idea that this was going to happen but just didn't want to get my hopes up. Last week it really happened. Now we have insurance and paid holidays and even a little paid vacation. I just can't tell you how excited we are to get these nice benefits. It has been so long we have dealt without them that it seems like a fairytale. You know how they say somethings are too good to hope for. Well that is how we feel about this job.

Thanks hun, for doing all you do for this family. I really appreciate all you do to make this life the best for me and the kiddos. Thank you so much we do notice and love it. Good luck in your new job which you don't need the luck because you are just that GOOD.

Family Halloween Photo

As you may know I am a little crazy about my photos. When Halloween came and went I knew I was going to regret not getting that family photo. Well I couldn't just drop it, so today was spent dressing us all back up in our Halloween costumes, looking for Tregs Batman mask, and painting on faces again. Then hours of taking photos and trying to find one we liked. I must say everyone was great sports and didn't make me feel bad for being OCD. Well this is the one we ended up with. Someday I will be glad I did this. But I can't say at this moment I am glad I did it.

Joshua Wendall

So you all know I absolutly loving being an aunt. In my mind that is the next best thing to being a wife and mother. I love showing my love for my siblings through the love I show their children. I hope someday I will be called "my favorite aunt" from one of my neices or nephews. Well we just recently welcomed little Joshua Wendall Romans into our family. Terry's sister Talesha just had her 4th baby. She now has 1 girl and 3 boys. Talesha is an amazing person. She is just really sweet and very stable. I just melted when she placed her sweet baby boy in my arms. I really had to question Terry "are you sure we are finished? Maybe there is just one more." Joshua is very beautiful and so alert. I couldn't believe how much he was eyeing me. He really seemed to know what was going on. Like he could tell I wanted to take him home with me. Thanks Talesha for sharing your sweet son with us. Goodluck with number 4, I am sure your family will make him feel so welcome.

Obama Wins!

Today history was made. The United States of America's people voted in the first Black American President. I will be the first to admit, Terry and I both don't follow the political races. I have a really hard time listening to them because I just don't believe any said. I don't believe any of the rumors of the canidates pasts. And I don't believe what they promise. I did vote, however! Then I thought why are you voting for somebody you don't really know. Then I thought does anybody really know who or what they just voted in? I dislike the whole process of lies and trying to outbeat another. But I am grateful to live in a country where I have the option to vote. Congrats to Obama I hope you do many good things for this country. We need a little good right now.

Tagged

Okay I was tagged by Deena and now I have to expose 6 quirks about myself. I think Terry would be the better one to answer this since I don't consider my quirks to be quirks but oh well here I go.

1- I have a REALLY hard time not changing all the little kids shoes that ended up on the wrong feet. Even though they are so proud of themselves it just gets to me and I really have to strain not to change them.

2- I am a door locker. Whether I am home or not I lock the doors, I lock my car doors and everything all the time. I even get confused when I get out of my jeep and there is no door to lock. When it is cold outside and I come in I especially lock the door. It is like I am subconsciously trying to lock out the cold. Crazy I know.

3- I take too many photos. I don't know if this is caused by the lack of photos of my childhood. Or the hopes that my children will remember everything from their childhood. I am just not sure. But I do take photos of everything and it is ridiculous.

4- I sleep better when the kids are in my room. When they aren't there I stress about them then I am constantly checking on them. I wonder if they are cold or sick or having a nightmare.

5- I can't walk by my garbage can and leave the lid open. I have to have it shut. When Terry cooks he likes to leave it open so he can just toss what he wants to get rid of. Well I am constantly walking by and shutting it. Which ticks him off. So I am learning to get out of the kitchen when he cooks so I am not tempted to shut the garbage until he is finished. Hey wait is this my quirk or Terry's?

6- When I am riding shotgun I LOVE, LOVE to roll down the window on nice days and do the wave with my arm. You know the up and down wave. I just love it and if ever drive me around on a nice day you will either see me doing this or fighting the temptation not to do it.

So there, there are a few of my quirks. Poor Terry I know he has to live with a syco, but hey he had the choice and he said yes. I didn't force him into this crazy love. Now I get to tag a few of you who I would love to learn of your quirks to make me feel normal. Kathy, Katie, Sally, JaNae, Nancy, Amy, Tara, Allison, and yes you too Heidi.

Halloween Party

The night after Halloween we went to my brothers for a Halloween party. We got a trusty babysitter and broke free for a few moments. It was fun I have not been to a costume party in so long that it just made me feel like a youngster again. I will post better photos of us later. But this was the cutest one so far. Captain Spaulding and The Nun (Kye and Emilee) my cute brother and his wife.
The cutest Western couple I have seen in a long time. (Shawn and Josie) some good friends of ours.Dr. Fietkau and his wife. I love his fake Cigarette it even smokes. I tried to trick Terry with it and he just blew me off. And what is a party without the Rockband. Kami was my drummer but you just can't see her behind me. It was fun all in all. Thanks for including us among your friends Kye and Em.

Halloween Night

I just love Halloween, even though it is one of those crazy busy days. That seems like you are running around all day long. Well this Halloween was no different. Van Helsing woke up at 7:30am ready to put on his costume. So I let the other kids sleep in while I painted his face and finished some last minute touch-ups on his costume. The next time I looked at the clock it was 8:30 and "The Dead Princess" was still sleeping. We only had one-half hour to get her ready. So we curled her "Dead Princess Hair" and we painted her face then we got her all dressed. And of course mom has to take photos before they go to school. Treg got dressed in his costume and then him and I went to lunch with Christina and Caden. Of course we stopped by the Haunted House on the way home and took some photos. Then I got to go help with the craft in Matia's class. I have to say Katie did such a wonderful job with the activities she had planned. Count Dracula came and told some stories then they turned off the lights and used flash lights to find the bats hiding in the dark. It was super fun.Right after school we headed to Daddy's work for their work party. They had it well organized and the kids wanted to be in the costume contest. We didn't stay to find the results because the kids were so excited to go trick or treating to all the desks. We finally got to see where dad works.Then we came home and had pizza for dinner and Troy came over with his cute girls to go trick or treating with their cosins. I guess they had a lot of fun because they stayed out for a couple hours and came home with tons of candy. It was nice to have a really warm halloween for once. I don't ever remember it being this warm.
So later Kye and his girls came over to visit and they stayed till 11:30. Then we had busted out the boom-box and disco CD's and danced in the strobe light. We love those family dances we can act like complete fools and we still love each other. It was a great Halloween I will treasure these memories forever.

Jason Mraz

So Nancy and Earl invited us to the Jason Mraz concert at the E-Center. It was so fun because we haven't been to a concert in a very long time. So dropped of the kids at their Aunts & Uncles (which sometimes I wonder why they are so excited to get rid of me)then we dressed up and went to eat at Cabella's then to meet them at Costco. We rode up togther and talked about holidays and crazy parents. It was nice to hang with Earl and get to know him a little better. The concert was fun Jason was a great entertainer. We didn't know much of his music but it was fun none the less. Anything with Nancy is always fun she knows just how to "NOT LET YOUR MIND GET IN THE WAY OF YOU HAVING A GOOD TIME". Nancy is always upbeat and happy so it is easy to hang with her. You never have to worry about offending her or saying something wrong. She just gets me and I get her. Its nice to have a friend that knows your faults and still loves you.
Then he played Nancy and Earl's song and it was refreshing to see a love so new and strong. Then he played a song called Lucky and I just couldn't think of how much I love Terry and how he is truely my best friend. He teases me and tells me I am the luckiest in this relationship but little does he know I believe I am lucky to have him. Except those few times that I would love to kick him out on his butt! But I guess those are the times that makes us appreciate the good times! I am LUCKY, yes I am. Thanks Nancy and Earl for the good times!

Last Hunting Attempt

So this years hunting expiditions did not go as planned. We were hoping it would be a lot more sucessful then it was. However, I must say it was fun even though Terry didn't get anything. Personally I don't think it was Terrys abilities that kept him from getting a kill. I think it was more like Matia's prayers were answered. Matia hates the thought that her dad was out there to kill an innocent animal. So we kept trying to tell her that we are just maintaining the big game. And if hunters didn't do their job then they will just kill themselves off anyway because of the lack of food and overwhelming animals. As you know I just love to get out in nature and enjoy the peace and beauty of it. Four wheeling is one of my favorite things to do. So it is just perfect. However, this year I somehow really hurt my wrist and can barely use it.So I was just thankful to have a son who is such a wonderful driver. He took me all the way up and back without complaining. I think we drove about 20 miles so it was really nice of him to be there for me. Thanks for the ride, and thanks Terry for getting us up and out there.

Bowdee's Football

So in Septemeber Bowdee joined his first football team. We felt bad because he wanted to play football at recess but couldn't because he didn't know the rules. If you know Terry and I you will know we just don't do much football in our family. But Kami on the other hand well their family does football so she talked us into putting the boys in together. I am so glad we did. We signed him up in Lehi because we didn't think AF did it. And his coach ended up being Kodie Francom, who is a kid I went to high school with and his wife Michelle was also another school mate. That was fun to see them and get to know them better. They did an awesome job coaching these boys.
Then Kevin stepped in to coach defense and I have to say he really knows his stuff. And he really cared for the boys you could tell he was on cloud nine at every game. He took Bowdee under his wing and taught him a few hints and practiced extra with him and Izak. I want to say thanks Kevin for being so cool to my kids. It was sad to see it end but it was fun while it lasted. Bowdee was named the best defender of the team.

3rd Grade Program

So Bowdee's music teacher Mrs. Miller put on a music program for the parents to come and see what she has done. Now me being a preschool teacher of just 20 children can't even imagine conquering such a task. The kids all did an amazing job. I was so impressed that they all knew exactly where they were supose to be and actions to the songs. Bowdee danced with Adi, Annie, Madison, and . He did a great job and I appreciate you really doing your best. My favorite part was the last dance where they learned about 9 different dance moves then they let the kids just do their thing with their dance partner. Bowdee was up on stage so we could see him really well and he could really groove. They danced to the 1 o'clock,2 o'clock,3 o'clock rock song.Terry was able to take a few hours off work to watch it and my dad even surprised us with his presence. Matia was heartbroken that she had to go to school and not be there to watch her brother. It was so stinking cute. Here are some of his best 3rd grader friends.

The best Haunted House!

Those of you that live here in AF know Dale and Rochelle Price and how they go ALL out each Halloween. Well this year they have entered into a contest. They sent me this email and as their friend I will help spread the word. This is the email that was sent:

Good Morning America and Fearnet.com are sponsoring a “Haunt Your Home” contest, and Dale and I have entered our house. The winner of this contest is chosen in two rounds. Round 1 is a PUBLIC VOTE and Round 2 is a panel of judges, based on the top five finishers from Round 1. WE NEED YOUR VOTE TO MAKE IT TO ROUND 2!!

You can view the entries here: http://www.fearnet.com/HH2008/index.html

I love these guys even though I don't know them on a first name basis. I love how they entertain everyone for the whole month of October. I love that they go all out on trick or treats for the kids. I love that it is the major hang out on Halloween, if you can help them out, they are amazing!!!!

Wendover for UEA???

Well ya we took our kids to Wendover for UEA break. We decided since they did so great on their grades that we would like to show them how much we appreciate their work. So we had a free room to Wendover and took them there. It was great the kids all slept on the way out there until we got to the "TREE" if you haven't seen the tree it is amazing. We stopped and checked out the salt flats and we all tasted the salt. I think the kids just wanted to make sure it wasn't a field full of sugar. Then we went to the hotel, we stayed at the Rainbow. When we entered the room all of the kids jaws dropped to the floor. They were amazed at how nice the room was. They thought it looked like a Kings Palace. Then we hit McDonalds for happy meals and then the pool for a great time. The pool was really cold but after staying in the hot tub for a while the pool felt great. Then we all fell into a deep wonderful sleep. The next day they were invited to G-ma and G-pa's for a night with the cousins for a sleep over. They all had a great time together while Terry, Troy, and I headed out to Wendover for another night of fun. It was great not to have to think about homework and getting ready for school. We just love taking it easy on our own time frame. Thanks guys for the wonderful weekend.