Joy to the Holidays!

Boy oh boy…where did the year go! So thankful for so much this year. This year we are going to learn the true meaning of Christmas. We will spend Christmas eve giving to those who are stuck in a hospital bed and Christmas day with those who have much to tell us of their long lives. We love Jesus and we celebrate his birthday by serving others. What a gift! Merry Christmas!!

2011 Updates!

Here we are, already August. Spring and Summer breezed by and I didn’t even have a chance to blink. So let me catch you up…let’s see I left off in January. Kayne turned 6 and he completed his kindergarten year by the skin of his teeth. Katelyn completed her 4th grade year and Kenyon his 3rd grade year. Darryl and Amber had their wedding in February so the girls were all together again for the first time since July. Adriana came out for a week and so the girls all got together for lunch. It was sad giving her a hug goodbye. We miss them so much. We did make it out to San Diego for Spring Break. We turned it into a Road trip. We got off to a late start but we made it to Salt Lake City, Utah Saturday evening and went to the Temple and checked out the Visitor Center. Sunday we left and headed to Vegas for a couple days. We stayed at Circus Circus and the kids had a blast. Tuesday morning we headed to San Diego and arrived at Kimmee’s in the evening. She took us to Mission beach and we saw our first California sunset. It was breath taking. Kim's friend Cindy was also in town job hunting so we all hung out at the beach for her last night in town. We hit Disneyland on Wednesday. We hit all the major rides but did not get to see the big fireworks show :( Apparently they only do it on the weekends. We went to Coronado Beach for the day and played in the water. Kimmee joined us after she got off work and we had a nice time. A tsunami hit Japan on Friday and we were not allowed near the beaches for the rest of our visit so we just hung around Kim’s house. Leaving was bitter sweet. We were so excited to be headed to see my brother in his family in Arizona but we did not want to leave Kim’s.We got on the road late but finally got into Arizona Saturday evening. We had dinner with my brothers family and met my nieces that I had not seen. We had a wonderful visit and I wish that we had planned more time in Arizona. We will have to make another trip out there just to spend time with them. We headed home and stopped in Castle rock to rest. We actually did not get home until Monday morning so we spent the day at home unpacking and getting some much deserved rest. Glenwood Springs was our second vacation of the year. It has been a tradition for the last several years so we have been continuing it. My in-laws joined us and we hit up the Hot Springs Pool, Hanging Lake, and Rifle Falls. We did not get to see the Falls sadly this year but we got to check out the Fish Hatchery which is right above the falls and that was really neat. We got to feed the fish and you could see them jump out of the water for the food. There were small fish and larger ones. It was a great experience for the kids. June was not all that eventful. Just a lot of parties and the start of Movies on the Main in Centerra. A couple friends joined us a couple times and I even had the opportunity to become friends with one of Kenyon’s friends mom. We just knew each other in passing but she is a really neat lady. And a single mom like me. So we understand each others whoa’s.

July proved to be the busiest month of the year so far. We got to the Renaissance Festival this year. It was an extremely hot day but once we got to Larkspur the shade from the trees was perfect. The kids each purchased something special. The boys both got swords and daggers. Katelyn got a really pretty fan. And I of course got my roasted pecans and almonds…YUMMM! We then met up with my old friend Nancy down in Cherry Creek. Her son, who I use to babysit sometimes, is all grown up. He is much taller than me and so well spoken. I hadn’t seen them since I was pregnant with Kenyon so almost 9 years ago. So it was good catching up with her and spending time with them. And we enjoyed fireworks in the park which were spectacular. I think that will be a new tradition to go down and watch the fireworks in the park. The boys went to an adventure camp and Katelyn is gone this week to the same camp. We will end the summer with the kids spending time in Denver with their dad while I jet over to Minnesota for a week long Creative Memories Convention. So very excited for that.

We celebrated the 4th with friends in Loveland at the Loveland LDS church. The fireworks went off over Lake Loveland so we were close enough to enjoy them without all the traffic of people. Plus we had the facilities of the Church so we had water and bathrooms.

Coming Up This Year
1. My trip to Minnesota.
2. The kids start back to school at the end of August.
3. Kellie and Dani visit to Colorado
4. Camping
5. Taste of Colorado in Denver.
6. Alzheimer Association Memory Walk event
7. Race for the Cure and Crop for the Cure
8. Halloween
9. Thanksgiving
10. Christmas

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Gosh! Where has the time gone? It is now officially 2011. We kicked the New Year off with wonderful friends and even managed to meet some new ones. I started the New Year with my 33rd birthday, yes I know. And now Kayne's birthday is fast approaching. I am truely grateful for all the Lord has blessed us with. We got through the holidays in one piece and so now here we are. What's up next?? We have so much planned this year. I hope that we can get to half of it. We will be going to San Diego this year for Spring break (fingers crossed), get some camping in, get down to the Renaissance Festival, take another trip to Glenwood Springs and possibly purchase that new home I have been dreaming about for so long. We will continue to spend time with friends and family and possibly get some scrapbooking in.

2011 Resolutions

1. Finish my scrapbooking room.

2. Lose a couple pounds.

3. Catch up on scrapbooking projects.

4. Start selling crafts in itsy website.

5. Earn a profit with my Creative Memories business.

Here's to another great year!! Cheers!!!

Thankful

Oh Thanksgiving. What a wonderful time of year!! We are nearing Christmas and it just brings happiness to my home. The holidays start with Halloween and then continue with fun, food, friends and family. So this season we have to take a minute a truly be grateful....(even for those things I would hate to say outloud).

I am thankful for my heavenly father and lord in savior. He brings all the blessings to my life that I could not live without.

I am thankful for parents who at one time loved each other enough to bring me into this world.

I am thankful for my children and the joy they bring to my heart. They have been sent especially for me.

I am thankful for a King size bed. On lonely nights I have enough to spread out and roll over without falling off the bed. On nights where the kids have nightmares or feel especially loving I am glad that I have the room to share with them.

I am thankful to have a home with a roof, running water and electricity. So many people this time of year do without so many things. And just having the comforts of home to go to makes this time of year less stressful.

I am thankful for my job. I complain on a daily but without my job I don't know where we would be. I have a wonderful boss and for the most part I work with truly good hearted people.

I am thankful for my many freedoms. We have soliders overseas fighting for our freedoms everyday and because of that they give up the time that they could be spending with their families and friends.

I am thankful for my immediate family. Although far from us they are still near and dear to our hearts. WE MISS YOU ALL!!

I am thankful for my friends who inspire me everyday. I have been so blessed to meet so many wonderful people in my short time on this earth. Some I don't see all that often but they are in my heart this holiday season.

I am thankful for my pets. Boo, Goblin, Pumpkin and Salt. You make life comical. It helps not take anything to seriously. Nothing like a bite on the toe when you are trying to have a serious discussion on the telephone.

I am thankful for my craft talents. This time of year can be stressful but this time of year I enjoy spending time making cards and completing our family album. That time is reserved just for me and is truly an escape.

I am thankful for my extended family and the kids' dad who love us unconditionnally and find time to spend with us.

So many more things that I am truly thankful for. My education, our librarians who keep us stocked with good reading materials and dvd entertainment, my health and my children's health. Our lives have been truly blessed. Although I wish I could add a couple more dollars to my bank account I wouldn't change anything about it so far.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

My little Super Heroes!

I am sure every mother in this world no matter if they are able to raise their own children or if they are with them every single day say that they are proud. I don’t think there is a word strong enough to describe how I truly feel about my kids. Everyday I am surprised how lucky I got. I see so many children who disrespect their parents or who act up and give their parents such heartache. I don’t have to worry about that. Of course there are times when they test my patience or they have a bad day of listening but all in all on any given day I go to bed proud of the people they have become. Each of them is giving, kind, funny, spiritual and well mannered. If something were to happen to me today I know that I would not have to worry about if they became good people. I am sure that’s what my mom thought of me and my brother and sister. She left this earth all to early but her work was done one this earth. She raised some pretty darn good kids and they in turn have raised awesome children as well. How lucky can one person get! Blessed, truly blessed!

I Love Fall!!!

So we are definitely into fall and I am completely excited. Carmel apples, pumpkins and falling leaves. What more could you ask for. This weekend, the kids and I took a trip down to Denver and hung out with our family and my friend Heather and her son Gabriel. It really worked out because I ended up keeping my niece Lilly and her and Katie had a blast hanging together for 2 straight days. They have really missed each other. Our first trip Saturday was to the Four Mile Historic Museum for their Great Pumpkin Harvest. Oh there was plenty to do for sure.

First we stopped at the school houses and we saw 3 women in there making lace and brading rugs. Which was really neat and I think I want to learn how to do the rug braiding. It was so neat.

Outside the school house there was a tent set up where we learned about Honeybees and how bees makes the honey. It was so incredibly interesting.

Then we went over to the chicken coupes where this man had burned these cookies and he threw them to the chickens. And he said the chickens had been waiting all day for him to burn these cookies. Now we stood there and watched these chickens and none of them were interested in these cookies...especially burnt cookies. Me and my friend Heather got a kick out of that. Our next stop was the old fashion cellar. This is where the pioneers would put their food storage. They would hang meat and put all their canned goods in there.

To the side of the cellar was a "panning station" where the kids could pan for gold. This probably took the most time. All of the kids were interested in playing in the water and coming with the pieces of gold and rocks.

The out skirts of the museum was TeePee's set up for the kids to look in. One TeePee had a couple inside and they told stories of the Native Americans and showed us tools that they would use made out of things from the land. That was my favorite part. We sat in there for a long time asking questions. And everyone was interested so it was really neat.

Next we played with the sticks and round wooden wheels and Stilts.

Then we headed over to the pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin. We will definitely come back next year. What a fun day!

Minute to Win IT

September 25th we celebrated Kenyon’s 8th birthday party in the park at Lake Loveland. He had several friends attend. His guests included kids he knows from school, the boys and girls club, daycare ands family. I planned 17 games inspired from the NBC game show Minute to win it but we were only able to fit in a total of 6. The kids really had a good time. The games included:
(Bottoms Up!) Where the kids had to knock over empty cans using a yo-yo.
(Breakfast Scramble) The kids had to assemble the front of a cereal box that has been cut into 16 even pieces.
(Bucket Head) The kids had to catch 3 balls in a bucket on top of their head.
(Defying Gravity) Where they had a partner and each kid had a balloon. They had to throw the balloon to each other and keep the balloon off the ground for a minute.
(Extreme Hanky Panky) I split the kids into groups and they had to remove all the tissues from a tissue box one at a time. This was by far the funniest. The kids seemed so panic’d and were out of control ripping the tissues out of the box. It was hilarious.
(Rapid Fire) The kids had to shoot rubber bands to knock down a stack of cans. This by far was the hardest game. We did not even have one winner. Many of the kids did not know how to shoot the rubber bands so it was tough.

These were a good filler for the time. I think we will plan a party next summer with many of the other games. What a good time!

Happy Birthday ‘lil man!!!

Kenyon’s official birthday is today. 8 years old….boy where did the time go. The tike has grown into quite the little man. I made him a birthday badge to wear to school today. He was so proud. He has been spoiled thus far and received a Nintendo DS from his Grandmother and Dad. I of course will take him to dinner tonight for his birthday. (The place where they give sundae’s FREE on your birthday J) Gosh I hopefully have another 60 of these birthdays with him. This is the one day that he is happy alllllll day!

Mom’s Night Out

I attended my first “Stamp Camp” on Friday, September 10th. My co-worker, Heather, and I went to a Stamp Camp at a Stampin’ Up Consultants house in Fort Collins. We made a total of 5 cards.

The first card was a template card.

The second card was done using the Faux alligator technique. It took probably the most time but was my favorite to make. I learned how to emboss and I think I am addicted now.

The third card was a Masculine card that can be given to a father or male friend.

The last 2 cards were both Fall cards.

The whole process took 3 hours. We are going to go to another Stamp Camp on October 22nd. Hopefully miss Katelyn can go with us.

The Hayden Corn Pickers

The Greeley Stake in the LDS Church has a farm in Eastern Greeley. The Church posted a bulletin that you could go out to the farm and pick some sweet corn from the corn fields out there. A Sister from the Church sent me directions on how to get out to the farm and unfortunately we got lost several times. We finally stopped and asked a sweet lady at 7-11 and she put us on the right track. And just when we thought we had passed it we found it. My friend Hollie and her daughter Danielle joined us. We got out the cars and stepped into the corn fields. It was eerie. The wind was blowing around us and most of the corn had been picked through. The first couple ears of corn we picked were not very good. The deeper we got into the corn field the better the result. We got some really fat ears of corn. Looking back I bet all together we picked about 200-300 ears of corn. We stayed for about an hour and half. Hollie filled up about 6 bags of corn, I filled up a huge tub of corn, Katelyn filled up a bag for a co-worker and Kayne filled up another bag for a co-worker. After digging through bugs and tearing at the tall stalks we were tuckered out. We found our way out of the tall stalks of corn and at the road we had to sit and shuck the corn. Make sure we had some good pieces of corn and get rid of any remaining bugs…ewwww. We had lunch at Burger King and headed home for a nap. Kenyon and I washed the corn in a nice bath of water. Katelyn tore the aluminum. We wrapped the aluminum and placed the wrapped corns in plastic bags to freeze. We decided we will make this into a tradition. Next year we are going to collect much more :)

Sometimes...

Sometimes I miss being 21…I could eat out every night with friends and work it off dancing until the wee hours at a nightclub.

Sometimes I miss being someone’s daughter…I could rant and rave to my mom about this friend or that friend and she could put things in perspective. She also, did all the grocery shopping, cleaning and paying of the dreaded bills.

Sometimes I miss being in gymnastics…I loved the energy I had during gymnastics. I always hated when it was time to go home.

Sometimes I miss my kids…All day when I am at work and when they have sleepovers at their grammy’s or friends. The constant going, going, going is what keeps me moving. At work I slow down and watch the time go by. No random questions from my 9-year old and no just a thought I love you from my 5-year old.

Sometimes I miss *NSYNC…I don’t think I have ever loved another band or group since. They were a crucial milestone in me becoming an adult. A lot of memories I have from that time of my life is centered around and *NSYNC song.

Sometimes I miss being 100 pounds lighter…Oh yea THE BIGGIE. So 3 kids in a 5 year time span seemed like a good idea at the time. I always thought I would have time to exercise and take off the weight but it compounded on top of itself and now finding 30 minutes to go to the gym is a task within itself.

Sometimes I miss my friends…Over the last decade, I have lost some friends and made some new ones. But I can’t help of think of all the good times I have had with each and everyone one of them.

Sometimes I miss my first apartment…Nothing at all special about it. But I had no curfew, my own house key, my own dishes and my own food. Life was simple and I was only responsible for myself. And it didn’t have a bad location, down the street from my work and the mall.

Sometimes I miss being the youngest worker in the office…Little expectations were placed on me as the youngest person in the office. When I would do something unexpected I would blow everyone’s minds. “Wow you did that all by yourself. Without anyone asking you?” Now EVERYTHING is expected. I should just know better.

Sometimes I miss family vacations…Mom would pack us in the car like sardines and drive. We went from Denver to South Carolina to Florida to Texas and back to Colorado. We went from Denver to Oregon to Nevada and back to Colorado. And although I slept most of the trip I wasn’t the one driving.

Sometimes I miss our house in the mountains…Tony, Veronica and I would go “exploring”. We would leave early in the morning and just walk through the mountains and pretty much get lost all day. But somehow we would always make it home before dinner.

But….when I think of all the things I do miss I remember all of the good things I have NOW.
I am 32. Older, more mature and settled.
I am someone’s mother. I am raising the future.
I don’t have to run a mile everyday before gymnastics practice anymore.
The kids always come home. And they shower me with kisses and hugs and lots of stories so I don’t feel left out.
Justin Timberlake is a part of my adulthood and he continues to entertain me. And like a schoolgirl I run to Best buy to get his new CD whenever one comes out.
I have the ability to make new friends and can still cherish good times with the old ones.
I live in a house and a yard.
I have a job I love and appreciate everyday. With the economy as bad as it is, I have heard of so many being without jobs for over a year and its sad. I stayed at home once and I remember how frustrating to try and re-enter the job force.
Although I am not the youngest person in the office I am not the oldest either. Being somewhere in the middle is okay with me.
I get the pick the radio station on our car rides. Although now I am the one doing the driving I get to burn the CD’s that we listen too and I make the kids endure my music. I don’t get to take little catnaps but I determine the pitstops (although Kayne can clear a car when he says he has to go…we don’t argue…I just stop)
I get to choose new places to “explore”. The kids are adventurous like we were as kids so sometimes we will go on walks that take us to new places. Or drive down miscellaneous roads that spit us out into new areas of town.

My Scrapbooking Playlist: Favorite Songs to Listen to in my Scrapbooking Room

I don’t think I have announced it but recently I started thinking about the versatility of our garage and how we should turn it into a more functional area. With a couch already in their I decided to make the space into a Scrapbooking room. So the kids and I spent one Saturday dragging everything out and spraying down the garage. We even dried the floor. We sprayed for all the bugs and before we actually “move in” I am going to bug bomb the place. Katelyn and I have poored over dozens of ideas for the new room and I will of course post the “how to’s” and before and after pictures shortly. For now I am going to post my New Scrapbook Playlist for Opening Day. I anticipate that our first day in our new room will be September 1st but that is only if I can find some carpet for the floor. I still have some stuff to buy but the hard part will be covering the wall and getting the furniture just right. But we are almost there.

1.Cry Me A River…Justin Timberlake
2.Waterfalls…TLC
3.Youth of the Nation…P.O.D.
4.Let Me Let You Know…P!nk
5.Diamonds and Pearls…Prince
6.Break It Off…Rihanna
7.Rendez-Vu…Basement Jaxx
8.Gasoline…Rob Thomas
9.Better Life…Keith Urban
10.Everybody Have Fun Tonight…Wang Chung
11.Ready for Love…India.Arie
12.Goodbye,Apathy…One Republic
13.Sunshine…Kirk Franklin
14.How Long Gone…Brooks & Dunn
15.Instead…Stacie Orrico
16.How it Feels to Fly…Alicia Keys
17.Shining Star…Earth, Wind & Fire
18.Unwritten…Natasha Bedingfield
19.Save Room…John Legend
20.Weekends…Black Eyed Peas
21.Saturday Night…Bay City Rollers
22.Picture This…Danity Kane
23.Nothing’s gonna Stop Us Now…Starship
24.Forget Me Nots…Patrice Rushen
25.Beautiful…Christina Aguilera
26.Express Yourself…Madonna

What’s in a name?

Brandy: English in origin: Meaning, Burning wine: Brandy is a spirit made from distilled wine or fermented fruit juices. The name "Brandy" can also be taken as a feminine form of "Brandon," though it is usually taken more literally as the alcoholic beverage.

Katelyn: Gaelic in origin: Meaning, Pure

Kenyon: English in origin: The etymology of this surname is uncertain. Kenyon is the name of one of the main characters of Hawthorne's novel "The Marble Faun." It is also the name of a small liberal arts college in the U.S.

Kayne: Hebrew in origin means a spear: Welsh in origin means beautiful, fair: English in origin means Reed, cane or tall thin person; French in origin means battle pain

Kenyon and Kayne both have very unique names. Katelyns name became very popular in the early 2000s and has become very common. They have names that fit their personalities. Katelyn is pure at heart, sensitive, caring and smart. Kenyon is strong, energetic, determined, strong-willed and talented. Kayne is loving, funny, friendly and bright. I have raised 3 very well rounded children. I can't wait to see what they become.

Top 100 Movie Picks

I have this never ending list of movies that I want to watch. At this point I am watching between 8 and 12 movies (sometimes television series) per week. The list started with 100 movies and has grown to over 1400. Today I’ve been thinking how for the longest time Man on Fire has been my all time top favorite movie but after starting this task of watching all these movies my top favs have shifted. So here are my top movie pics.

1. Alpha Dog
2. Man On Fire
3. The Hangover
4. The Sandlot
5. Dirty Dancing
6. Annie
7.Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
8. Friday
9. Go
10. Clueless
11. Babe
12.I am Legend
13. Over the Hedge
14. What Happens in Vegas
15. Bad Boys
16. Grease
17. Leaving Las Vegas
18. Titanic
19. 16 Candles
20. Night at the Roxbury
21.Diary of a Mad Black Woman
22. Beetle Juice
23. Monsters Inc.
24. Finding Nemo
25. Three Kings
26. Edison Force
27. The Other Boleyn Girl
28. Road to Perdition
29. Simon Birch
30. Gran Torino
31. Camille
32. Hatchi
33. My Sister’s Keeper
34. 16 Blocks
35. The Blind Side
36. Everythings Fine
37. Death Sentence
38. The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons
39. City of Angels
40. Night to Rodanthe
41. Stepmom
42. Changeling
43. Uncle Buck
44. Four Brothers
45. Back to the Future
46. Romeo + Juliet
47. Daddy Daycare
48. Curious George
49. Nanny McPhee
50. Something New
51. Happy Feet
52. The Proposal
53. Casper
54. Romeo Must Die
55. Face/OFF
56. Shrek 2
57. My Best Friends Wedding
58. Madea Goes to Jail
59. Toy Soliders
60. Varsity Blues
61. American Pie
62. Avatar
63. Be Kind Rewind
64. Enchanted
65. Faithful
66.The Truman Show
67. Harry Potter series
68. Uptown Girls
69. Alvin and the Chipmunks
70. Mean Girls
71. The truth about Cats and Dogs
72. New Moon
73. The Butterfly Effect
74. The Mirror Has Two Faces
75. R.L. Mostly Ghostly
76. Knowing
77. BandSlam
78. Flash of Genius
79. Sex and the City: The Movie
80. 2012
81. Premonition
82. The Jane Austen Book Club
83. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a day
84. Pineapple Express
85. Kids
86. Money Talks
87. Weird Science
88. Along Came a Spider
89. Antwone Fisher
90. Awake
91. The Devil Wears Prada
92. Disturbia
93. Fast and Furious
94. Hitman
95. Paranormal Activity
96. The Prestige
97. The Secret Life of Bees
98. Taken
99. Things We lost in the fire
100. Secret Window

Summer 2010

Alright I'm back. I have let the blog slip this year and it saddens me. I just caught up with my friend on Wednesday and I hadn't seen her daughter in 3 months so the fact that she grew so much in that 3 months made me sad. Luckily, she keeps up with her pictures so I can see her. But still its not the same. So I told her that we needed to start blogging again. So I am starting today. This blogs for you Kellie :)

January

What a month! I celebrated my 32nd birthday. Yes sir! I am 2 years into my 30's and boy has it been a ride. The kids and I went to our 2nd Girl's basketball game at CSU against BYU. Sadly, the girls lost again this year but the game was really good. We are hoping to make this a tradition. We had a sleepover with the Klosowski family. Katelyn got to spend some much needed time with her dearest friend Lilly and I got to catch up on several hours of Jersey Shore. Also, I got to meet their new dog Whitney. Such a sweetie! Kayne celebrated his 5th birthday and he had a Ice Skating Party at Centerra. After Skating we went to Culver's and enjoyed burgers, fries and ice cream :) After indulging in a much needed nap, we headed down to Aurora to have a birthday dinner with the Hayden and Pell family. Grammy went out to dinner with me and the kids and we ate at Bono's BBQ. It was delicious and topped off a wonderful month for us.

February

This month was uneventful. We took up a new activity, Letterboxing and this got us exploring Loveland. We searched for 3 Letterboxes but only found 2. We tried to take up Letterboxing before we moved from Denver but spent all day looking and couldn't even find one. So after we found our 2 we ended our day at McDonalds. I started a Letterboxing scrapbook so hopefully we can add more pictures and stamps.

March

Was the Molly and Jason wedding. I was so appalled when he broke up with Melissa on television and I was refusing to watch the wedding but yea...don't judge me I broke down and watched it :) I am glad though it changed my opinion about the both of them. You can't help who you love and yes we all are imperfect and are capable of making bad choices. And Jason did. He let the little bird on his shoulder tell him that Melissa was 'the one' but deep in his heart he knew better. So all's well that ends well. The kids and I got into a new show this month. The Big Bang Theory is hilarious. We have gotten through Season 1 and 2. I think this might Kenyon's favorite show. Also, I promised my brother, Tony, that I would scan all the pictures I had of him growing up and send to him. The project blossomed into a trip down memory lane. I scanned all sorts of pictures and posted on Facebook. They were hilarious to see. Funny how time can make you forget about so much. Katelyn and I watched My Sister's Keeper and cried our eyes out. I am glad that I waited to watch it on DVD. I was a wreck after seeing that movie. It made me realize how much I miss my sister :( But we are taking a trip to Dallas to see her and my niece and nephew. Sniff Sniff

April

Easter weekend we headed down South to enjoy some of the Easter fesitivities. We went to a church in Westminister and the kids enjoyed the Easter egg hunts, Easter bunny, free hot dogs, popcorn, lemonade and music. It was a nice day. And they loaded up on free candy. Their baskets were so heavy. I even got to have a couple pieces of laffy taffy :) And double bubble gum! After the Easter Egg Hunts we went to little Aaron's 3rd birthday part at Chuck E. Cheese. The kids had a blast and I was able to catch up with all of my friends. Then we spent the evening with the Pell family. And had General Conference on Sunday. After General Conference we went and picked up Grammy and headed to the Park to have a Easter day lunch. Kenyon taught us a fun basketball game and all the kids came and played with us. We had a ton of fun! My brother, Tony, and his wife Karissa announced this month that they are going to welcome and third baby into the Alexander family. He told me after April fool's day so there was no way that I believed him but it wasn't a joke. So I am so excited. Our family is getting bigger and bigger. I've always wanted a bog family but now they are so spread out. Veronica in Texas and Tony in Arizona. But I guess now we have a reason to visit. Katelyn and I took a mommy and daughter day and headed down to World's Largest Crop at the Merchandise Mart. I was working but Katelyn got to scrapbook. She was spoiled. My customer, Laura, brought her gifts and they spent the day together gabbing. I didn't get much done but I enjoyed the time just us girls. The boys went to Grammy's and got spoiled themselves. Kenyon got his much anticipated Webkins and Kayne got some G.I. Joes.

May

This is where the year kicked off into high gear. School ended and the kids headed off to daycare. We welcomed a new member to the family, Pumpkin. A cute little kitty. She is 2 and 1/2 years old. She hid under the bed for the first couple of the nights but once she showed Boo who was boss she stopped hiding. The kids and I spent an afternoon at Lake Loveland on the swim beach. It was so nice. I could lay back read my book and the kids could splash around in the water. This kicked off our time in the water. We headed to Glenwood Springs Memorial Day weekend and got to the pool at 9am. The Pells met us at the pool and we spent the entire day at the pool. Unfortunately, all of us got sunburned and it made for a bad nights sleep. We ate dinner at the White House and headed to Rifle Falls on Sunday. We had a picnic and watched the Falls all day. Went in the caves and hiked up the Falls. Sunday night I got a call from Tony and Veronica and we were united with our half brothers and sisters, ShaRhonda, Aubrey and Aleiisha. We have planned a reunion for later this month. Isabella G. turned 1 years old this month and Kenyon and Kayne and I went to the birthday party down in Highlands Ranch. Katelyn went to the Colorado State Education day and competed for the Boys and Girls Club of Larimer County. She competed in Spelling, Science, Georgarphy, Math and Trivia. She won 2nd place in Spelling, 1st place in Sportsmanship and 3rd place all-around. She received 2 medals and 2 certificates. We also received a letter in the mail stating that one of her poems has been selected to be published in a book. My little girl is excelling.

June

Free movie night started up again at Centerra. They have tons of games and activities for the kids and give free popcorn and cotton candy. At dusk, they play a movie and the kids and I lounge on the grass with blankets and lawn chairs. This year we watched:

~Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel

~The Spiderwick Chronicles

~Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

~Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

July

This month has been crazier than ever. Katelyn turned 9 years old so we threw a birthday party for her down at Washington Park in Denver. All our friends and family came out to celebrate with us. My half sister, ShaRhonda, and her kids came to the birthday and this was the first time the kids had met and ShaRhonda and I as adults. After the party and reunion we got into the car and headed to Grand Lake. It only took an hour and a half. Unfortunately, we did not get there until after dark so we were not able to do anything on Saturday. Sunday we hung out with The Herman family and my friend Liz and went into town and had lunch. Sunday night we went out on the lake on the boats and enjoyed the fourth of July fireworks. We had a wonderful time camping but Kenyon liked to remind us that he is not a WILDERNESS boy :) Ron, Isabella and Adriana headed into town from Germany and it was great spending time with them. The time flew by too quickly. Then the following week, Miss Kellie and Dani came back to Colorado. We will enjoy some much deserved time with them before they head back to Iowa :(

The Alexander-Hayden’s 2009

So I was going to be a champ and blog all year about what was going on up north but got to busy to do it! So that will be the first of my many new years resolutions next year. This year I was so fortunate to find Facebook and was able to connect with friends of long ago and make new friends. This is a big deal because one friendship I had with my friend Liz and she helped me get through a really rough time in my life. And I was never able to thank her for that and let her know how much that meant to me. Now we both have children and truly know the importance of “mommies”. I have always cherished all of my friendships and I thank all of you that have been there. Even those that I have known for the last year. My friend Kellie and Jenn B, I just met at my new job and they have been like sisters to me. Kellie welcomed her first child only a few days ago and I am so happy for her. My girls, Sammi, Shannon, April, Cari, Kimmee and Adriana are the best friends a gal could have. Aunts to my children and my biggest supporters. My family of course has no choice but to put up with me. They of course are always loved and missed daily. My brother and sister being so far away L I love seeing pictures of their lives and wish them the best in the new year.

As we say good-bye to 2009 I look back on the year we have had. Definitely some ups and downs but we made it through without a scratch on us. The Alexander family welcomed a new addition to the family, Miss Liberty. The kids and I lost to family members this year. Pepper passed away tragically and Maggie ran away and hasn’t been found. Salt is growing and has got a clean bill of health so we are hoping to have her with us for quite sometime. Boo is still driving me crazy and keeping the kids amused.

The kids and I enjoyed our first CSU event this year. We attended the girls’ basketball game against BYU. Sadly, they didn’t win but we had a great time. We will be going to the game again in January so we hope they win this year but we just like the hot dogs J We took a vacation to Dallas, Texas to see my sister and niece and Nephew. We only got to spend 3 days with them but we had a great time.

Katelyn completed 2nd grade this year and was invited to be in the Gifted and Talented program at her school. She has taken a lot of tests to determine her overall level of understanding and has tested at a 5th grade level. She is very bright and she has a goal to be a Vet and/or President of the United States. She celebrated her 8th birthday in July by going to Water World with her family. Katelyn was baptized in November in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She studied very hard to prepare herself for this big decision. Her Uncle Dave baptized her and that was truly amazing. I know she will never forget it. Katelyn participated in her first Fashion Show this year and she modeled some clothes from Old Navy. I was so proud of her and she said she wasn’t even nervous. Maybe she’ll get a modeling contract and buy her mom a house J


Kenyon started Second grade this August. He has developed quite the independence. He enjoys reading and fights with me about homework. I keep telling him Santa won’t come if he keeps this up but somehow he doesn’t believe me. Kenyon turned 7 and he requested Legos this year. He received several lego sets and he had them all completed within a week. Katelyn and Kenyon joined the Boys and Girls Club at the end of the summer and have made new friends and have joined several groups there. They met Champ Bailey and received autographs and Bronco memorabilia.


Kayne started pre-school in fall 2009. He goes to pre-school Monday through Thursday from noon to 3:30. He is learning how to play with others and everyday he comes home with a humorous anecdote. His favorites are of course knock knock jokes. He likes to tell those over and over again. Kayne will celebrate his 5th birthday in January and will share it with his new friends at daycare and preschool.


In the upcoming year we will take our annual trip to Glenwood Springs and we are planning a trip to Germany in October to see The Shelley family and hopefully get some sight seeing done in Italy and Paris. It will be a short trip but of course a trip of a lifetime. We will get out to Houston, Texas next year and hopefully see my sister and her family. 2010 looks promising for our family and we are truly looking forward to it! So here's too another great year!!


We love you all!!

Brandy, Katelyn, Kenyon and Kayne

21 Questions I asked my children

Katelyn age 7
Kenyon age 6
Kayne age 4

1. What is something Mom always says to you?
Katelyn-I love you

Kenyon-Let out the dogs

Kayne-Make good choices

2. What makes Mom happy?

Katelyn-when I help her

Kenyon-me being good

Kayne-doing everything I do

3. What makes Mom sad?

Katelyn-when I’m bad

Kenyon-me not being good

Kayne-doing nothing

4. What does your Mom do that makes you laugh?

Katelyn-repeating what I did when I’m sad

Kenyon-wrestle with me

Kayne-make jokes

5. What was your Mom like as a child?

Katelyn-you were like your mom

Kenyon-watched funny things

Kayne-she did things like me

6. How old is your Mom?Katelyn-31

Kenyon-36

Kayne-I don’t remember

7. How tall is your Mom?

Katelyn-5 feet and some inches

Kenyon-7 feet

Kayne-that big! (motioning with his hands)

8. What is her favorite thing to do?

Katelyn-to make cards and scrapbook

Kenyon-play with us

Kayne-check the mail and fix dinner

9. What does your Mom do when you're not around?

Katelyn-go to work

Kenyon-go to work

Kayne-drive

10. If your Mom becomes famous, what will it be for?

Katelyn-dance choreography and singing

Kenyon-a famous movie star

Kayne-Rock guitar (cross between Rockband and Guitar Hero)

11. What is your Mom really good at?

Katelyn-singing

Kenyon-talking

Kayne-Karate and walking the dogs

12. What is your Mom not very good at?

Katelyn-running into walls

Kenyon-she is good at everything

Kayne-spanking my butt (yes he said this)

13. What does your Mom do for a job?

Katelyn-Payroll Supervisor and Creative Memories Scrapbooking

Kenyon-Heska-taking care of the pets

Kayne-work very hard

14. What is your Moms favorite food?

Katelyn-fried chicken

Kenyon-cherries and vegetables

Kayne-salad

15.What makes you proud of your Mom?

Katelyn-when she does fun stuff for us

Kenyon-go to Waterworld

Kayne-when she does the dishes

16. If your Mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?

Katelyn-Sandy

Kenyon-Spongebob’s mom

Kayne-Bugs Bunny

17. What do you and your Mom do together?

Katelyn-make cards and laugh

Kenyon-eat

Kayne-do my homework

18. How are you and your Mom the same?

Katelyn-we love Barbie’s

Kenyon-we like waterworld

Kayne-we like to go to bed

19. How are you and your Mom different?

Katelyn-how we look

Kenyon-I don’t tap my feet all the time

Kayne-we are different sizes

20. How do you know your Mom loves you?

Katelyn-you do fun stuff for us and give us treats

Kenyon-I cuddle up with you

Kayne-she kisses me

21. Where is your Mom's favorite place?

Katelyn-home

Kenyon-Buffalo Wild Wings

Kayne-here at home

Cute Little Stinky Boys!

As a single mother I knew there would be things that I would not be able to teach my sons. These are things that can only be taught by a male. Seriously, I thought that those days were far off until my sons were nearing their teenage years. Little did I know that some lessons were to be learned before the age of six. The first lesson being the dreaded toilet seat in the bathroom. During potty training the boys learned to sit down when they needed to do their business. My oldest son started school and found that all the boys stand up when they use the bathroom. So wanting to fit in he started standing. My youngest son seeing this decided that he wanted to stand too. Since we moved in October they now have their own bathroom so no big deal for me because I don’t have to worry about falling into the toilet or sitting on a wet seat. Unfortunately, I did not take into account the aim factor. Cleaning the house this weekend I had to complete that horrible chore of scrubbing toilets. Now me and Katelyn’s bathroom not so bad. Sweep the floors, clean off the counters, scrub the tubs and it sparkles. But walking into the boys’ bathroom it was something out of a horror film. I remembered the scene from the movie Daddy Day Care where Eddie Murphy’s character goes into the bathroom after one of the boys and he is horrified by what the little boy left for him to clean. That was me! My face was probably worth a thousand words. I could not figure out where to begin. Dis-gus-ting!! The walls, the base boards, the floors, the trashcan, the seat cover….you name it they got it! I threw on the yellow gloves, grabbed the bleach, spic-n-span, scrub brush and any other chemical that happen to be near and went to work. So the new rule in the house is I don’t care what you do at school but in this house you SIT! No standing over the toilet seat unless you want to clean up the mess. I am sure this is nothing new for mothers with sons but it was an experience I will soon never forget.

Brandy's Top 10 Never Again List

So my sister-in-law, T, gave me the idea to construct my own 'Never again' List. Today a ton of them popped in my brain and I had to jot them down.

1. Never again go to bed with a million things swimmin around in your head. (You will only wake up @ 1am reading O magazine, eating a cup of ice cream and watching a sappy love dvd)

2. Never again give a 4-year old a piece of chocolate in the car in 70 degree weather.

3. Never again tell your 6 year old he can do anythin he sets his mind too. (You end up with the Olympic tryouts in your living room)

4. Never again answer the question, "Mommy, why can't you be President of the United States." It only leads to more questions.

5. Never again try to cram 3 kids and 2 dogs onto a queen size bed for bedtime. (Unless you enjoy a foot to the face and a paw in the gut)

6. Never again eat day old chili (after it sat out all night).

7. Never again forget God is always there to rescue you.

8. Never again spend your last $8 on McDonalds :)

9. Never again mail cash via USPS. (You will only spend the next week praying it did not get lost)

10. Never again send a text to someone that might save it and hold it against you later.

Am I old?

One night as we were driving home, I was rocking out to one of my old Mtv Party to Go Cd’s (so 1990’s) and the song Boom shake the room came on. And the kids stopped what they were doing and started jamming with me. After the song was over, Katelyn asked who sang that song. So I told her that Will Smith (one of her favorite actors) sang it. Looking just as cute as can be, she looked at me so puzzled. I must have been wrong with the name. So she very a matter of fact said to me…Will Smith is not a singer. And I said to her “oh on the contrary my dear that is how he started his career.” So as the weeks progressed I dug out, “Getting Jiggy with it”, “Ring my bell”, “Parents just don’t understand”, “Men in black”, “Miami”, Freakin’ it”, Wild Wild West”, “Just the two of us” and “Summertime”. She was so fascinated with this new found knowledge. So then I asked her if she knew that Will Smith was also on television. And she says of course. He is on the television when we play his movies. So I told her how he starred on a television show called The fresh prince of bel air. I told her all about Hilary, Will, Ashley, Carlton and Uncle Phil. Boy, was she impressed. (Now of course she wants me to get all six seasons so she can watch the show). But this got me to thinking…am I that old that today’s generation does not know that Will Smith was once a rapper? That Willard Christopher Smith Junior is more than a big mega movie star actor. He has success in music, film and television. He started his career in the 80’s as a rapper. He was a part of the duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. I know the answer is yes, I am old. Although 31 is not so old to some…1980 was not that long ago that’s an eternity to a 7 year old. I will just have to mark this day as the day I realized I was old L