SNOWBOARDING SCHOOL IS OVER AND SO IS JANUARY :(

Grace and Emma got through snowboarding school....YEAH. For the past 5 Saturdays...Grace has been going to ski school. She has really improved and she loved every minute of her time up on the mountain. Sara went for the first 3 weeks just to go skiing, but she isn't quite into it like Grace and Stockton. So Sara stayed home with Grandma and the rest of us went up to Powder Mountain. We had a lot of fun. Stockton even came the last week. It was great to all be together. The teacher told me that when Grace gets to be 15-16 she will be a very good snowboarded, and it won't surprise me.

Tepanyaki's

Bracken was asleep, I guess??

Look at those cute kids!

We went to a family favorite restaurant!!! Jack took the family to eat at Tepanyaki's for Brent's birthday. It was so fun. The kids love to watch the chef cook and they are so funny. Zoey didn't like the chef, she would scream when they tried to have her catch some shrimp in her mouth. She loved to sit by Grace and Sara and be a BIG girl. Thank you Jack for taking us all to a wonderful dinner it was yummy and lots of fun.

Birthday Girl!

I am so lucky to have such great friends. Angie is one of the best friends a girl could have. I am so happy to have her in my life. It seems we have been through a lot of things together. We have had such FUN times and some rough times too, but at least we had each other. She is always there for you. She is such a GREAT example of being a wonderful wife, she is so respectful of her husband and never speak ill of him (I am trying to be like her), she is a marvelous mother, she takes great care of her children, they are her life. She serves the Lord by serving other constantly. She knows of others needs, and always is helping people in the neighborhood and anyone who needs help (I want to have her instincts.) She is a person you want to become like. I am glad she is my friend. We went to lunch and then later that night we had recipe club, so we had a fabulous dinner at Marla's.

Jr Jazz....this is the Future JAZZ

I miss those days...We all went to watch Brady play ball. Our cute neighbor Sam is on the team, and Landon, Devin, Grayson and the Coaches are the Banks. So it was fun. Brady has always been a big talker, I would even dare say cocky at age 6, but he can hoop it up. (You have to be able to back it up.) He is a little stud. He and Sam love to pass to each other and make all the baskets (well shots), then they run down the court giving each other high fives. It is so funny and so cute to watch. Those two could be two peas in a pod. They both love to play hard (sometimes even a little rough). They would be great friends if they lived closer. When Brady comes here, the first person he wants to play with is Sam. They love to play with Brock and Stockton, the two big ones can get the little ones to do crazy things (tackle football on the driveway).

I FIGURED IT OUT!

Who said "you can't teach an old dog new tricks."? Well, I have been trying to figure this BLOG out. It drives Brad crazy, because I've become obsessed with blogging. As many of you have noticed, you haven't been able to leave comments...well, now you can. I have spent hours trying to figure it out. I have called the blog expert, in my opinion, Stephanie. I have tried everything everyone told me to do. All systems said it was a go...but no. Finally I joined the help group, I went to the help on the dashboard and problem solved!!! I wish every problem was that easy, I would join EVERY help group possible. So now you have to go back through and post comments. Thank you for your help. (Solution: go on the template code and then mark default.)

Are you Kidding Me???

I have said over and over, I am going back to school. The first semester, I felt very successful. I got an A. After graduating from WSU 16 years ago, I was nervous but felt proud of the accomplishment. NOW....well, first of all I took 2 classes, which is a stretch in itself. But, I took an online course, I have never done this (they didn't have them when I went through school before)...crap, I don't get it. I am lost. I have to watch Sniffy the virtual rat, then analyze its behavior..What? Anyway, that is the easy class. The class I actually attend, is STATISTICS. Holy *&%*!!! A disclosure, I have not had a math class since the space shuttle blew up, remember that 1986, I was a sophomore in HIGH SCHOOL??? Well, I have gone to the class 5 times and come out, literally in tears, 3 times. I am trying to figure out if its worth it?? I will keep this updated and posted. I have had plenty of failures in life, don't get me wrong, but academically, I can say that I have always done well. That was kind of my thing. I was a good student, with little effort. I hate this feeling of failure and just not getting it. OH MY, I am scared, so if you are reading this and are good at stats, call me.

Only a REAL man can do this....

Whenever Brad starts nights, he will usually make dinner. He likes to make the eleborate dinners i.e. chili verde - things with lots of ingredients and takes lots of time. I came out and saw him in my cute apron and I had to take his picture. As you can tell he knew it was going on the BLOG. I told him only a real man could get away with that. See .... he is such a GREAT hubby.

More Ups and Downs...

Well its been an uneventful January, thus far. It is so very difficult to raise children... I wish they would have come with an instruction manual. I love each of my kids, but they are so different. Sara is still young, therefore easy to please. Hip HIP HOORAY!! I have a few more great years, which I truly appreciate.
Grace is just starting to be sassy. Thankfully she is still wanting to do things to please us. She is emotional, from one extreme to another.
Then Stockton, these teen years are difficult. Poor Stockton, he still has to take piano lessons and he has been taking for years, but he has worn OUT his teacher so we recently changed him to a REAL piano studio. They are serious, and I want Stockton to continue and learn to play well and hopefully, along the way learn to LOVE it. He thinks we are the meanest parents in the world. The other night, we had a sit down talk, it started out as "piano" but of course, it ran deeper than that. It was so heart breaking not only for me but Brad and Stockton too. I don't think Stockton has ever since his dad cry, that made Stockton feel so bad. I know that 'the plan' is to have free agency but I'm not sure I like it. Even though, he isn't necessarily making bad choices, I want to be in CHARGE, plus it doesn't help that I'm an emotional wreck, most of the time (another resolution, be less controlling). Its hard to let go and let them grow up...but that too is 'the plan'. When I let him make his own decisions then he will be a more productive adult but boy its hard. I feel so protective and just like a mama bear when it comes to my kids. As Brad explained to Stockton, all we want for him is the very best. We want to save him from making the same mistakes as we did (and we both made too many). It seems to have been a good thing, Brad and I have both noticed a change in attitudes, not just Stockton's but the girls and ours too. I love to be around Stockton and his friends, they try to create fun no matter what the circumstances. They are fun to be around, it is just getting Stockton to focus on what is really important in life and try to help him reach the goals he has set from himself. I LOVE YOU STOCKTON!!!

Paintballing Fun

This group is exhausting. They have been a little "high maintenance" since they were in 4th grade. Stockton hangs out with some of these kids, but not all are in his 'normal' social group any longer, but when he goes with them he does have a GREAT time. The latest craze for them is to go paint balling. Well, its not close...its in Salt Lake, not that its far, but definitely too far. Anyway, I got suckered into driving them. When I went to pick them up, well there were 11 kids. So I didn't feel comfortable driving that many kids, that far without seat belts, so Brad had to drive too. So we drove them down, dropped them off and we went to Gateway and ate lunch, then went back an hour and half later and we got to watch them paintball for 2 rounds. It was fun to watch them. They all had a great time.

The Lodge Bunnies

For those who don't ski..we sit in the lodge and watch, take pictures and enjoy each others company. Sara - she likes to do a few runs then come rest by me and then go back for a few and then in...so see I need to be there for her. Grace comes in to eat and get hand warmers and that is IT. She is out there as long as possible.

Snowboarding/Skiing begins for Grace and Sara too!!

Grace signed up with Emma, her cousin, to do snowboarding school again. She wasn't keen on the idea because she had 'already done it, and felt she could already snowboard'...can you hear her telling me? Well to her dismay, she is doing it again. First of all, this commits me to take her and she'll get better. Secondly, she is learning harder tricks and finally, last year she just boarded 'Sundown' and this year she is intermediate and going on the whole mountain at Powder Mountain.
Sara isn't doing lessons this year, but she and Easton are going up each week and getting better at skiing, so I figure its a WIN WIN situation. The last picture is of Grace, Emma and Easton they are in powder up to their knees. FUNNY STUFF. Grace's binding broke so she and Easton got his skis off and rode like a sled down on her board. Some day they will love to ski through brand new POWDER, but for their first time....they didn't get the joy, they only got STUCK!!

I'M ON TOP OF THE WORLD

This is a picture Brad took at the top of the mountain, of course it wasn't me, I stay in the lodge. He thought it was BEAUTIFUL and he is right!!

WELCOME 2009 New Year's Day/Brad's 40th Birthday!

As if we hadn't enough parties....but Brad turned 40!! Brad was born on his grandma, Vera's birthday JANUARY 1, 1969. I have been telling him for months that I was going to have a party for this milestone birthday, he was less then thrilled. If you know Brad, he doesn't like attention or any focus given to him. So need less to say, he was against it. I really wanted to call some "old" friends from school, etc and make it a really big deal, but he wouldn't let me. So I did what I could and invited our families, and all of the neighbor friends. We made soups, salads, appetizers and lots of yummy stuff. I really appreciate everyone who made something and who came. It was fun to have everyone over and celebrate with Brad. I had people write something to Brad in a notebook, most people wrote (of course some of my family didn't, RUDE) great things and it was nice. I love you Brad. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

What are we resolving to do???

New Year doesn't come without a few resolutions. Every year as one - I pick to STOP swearing, and I did again this year...sorry to say that it lasted 22 minutes, which I messed up even before I wrote this, DANG! This is something I need to do daily, because I mess it up daily. Another is to journal better, even if it is ONLY on this blog! I tend to take a picture - post it - tell about it. Well, hopefully I can do better at journaling writing some of my thoughts and feelings. I am going to be a better wife and mother. Talk kinder and softer. I wish I had Tonia's voice. I just can't picture her saying some of the things I say...ummmm. There are more but I am not posting them!!!