Happy Birthday To Me!

Yesterday was my birthday. Let me tell you....I am sooo excited to be another year older--NOT! Fortunately I don't feel any older. :)

First thing in the morning, we went over to the school to see all of the 5th and 6th grade Science Fair displays. Here's Kendall with his blue ribbon:I had such a nice day--so many phone calls, emails, visits. It really made my day special! I got some smelly Bath & Body Works soaps, some licorice pastels (candies), an iTunes gift card, earrings, money, and a new cell phone. No, it's not another line, but just a new phone. That was the hit of the gifts--all 4 kids were DYING to get their hands on it to try it out. But I think one of the best gifts was that the kids got along! No fighting, teasing, screaming, whining, etc.(smelling the soaps)

My sister and her two darling babies stopped by for a minute and then my parents and youngest brother and sister came and went out to dinner with us. It was such a good meal and we had a good time visiting.

I LOVE snowmen!! So...I don't know why I've never thought of this before....I made a snowman cake!I think I should've trimmed the head down so it was smaller than the bottom "snowball." But I guess it tastes the same no matter how it looks and I still thought it was pretty cute. All in all, it was a really GREAT day!

Kendall....

Kendall worked really hard on his science fair project and got a 1st place! Congratulations Kendall!! All of that hard work paid off...

Kendall was also in a Geography Bee a couple of weeks ago and made it to the final round. His good friend, Braden, took 2nd place. Kendall got a really tough question that wasn't worded very well--something concerning planting zones. Anyway...he's doing really well with school things this year. I hope the trend continues.

Kendall's Science Fair Project

I don't know if anyone will really care but the grandmas, but I'm posting about Kendall's science fair project. He decided (after much debate) to do it on flowers. His question was: Will flowers change colors if placed in colored water? He got some white carnations and put them in 4 different cups--one with clear water, one with red water, one with green, and one with blue. Then he had to observe them. At first, we had NO idea how much water and coloring to add, so the first experiment took a really long time to work--24 hours! And just the edges and the part at the base of the flower/top of the stem turned. He observed them every 3 hours for 2 days. The 2nd and 3rd experiments worked a lot better. The florist said to cut the stems way down, use fresher flowers, use less water and a TON of food coloring. Kendall put them in and we went to church. When we came home 3 hours later, they had turned really well! Good job Kendall!!

Only in My Dreams...For Now

About a year ago, I was reading our newspaper's travel editor's top 10 hotel picks for 2007. His #2 choice was some hotel in the French Polynesia. I read a little about it and fell in love! Someday, I'm going to escape this depressing, inverted, freezing cold, January air and head for the French Polynesia!!! If this ever actually happens, I'll be sure to send a postcard. :) If it doesn't, I guess I still have my dreams....

Stages

Jarren is obsessed with Indiana Jones again. He got some of the Legos and the Lego Wii game for Christmas and he discovered this enemy soldier that he just loves. He came up with a costume that he wears day and night, and even to school. We had to go out and buy some suspenders and we could only find some for men. Jarren refuses to wear the belt through the loops, putting it straight around his waist instead. He looks like such a goof, but we just love him! And it's definitely fun to have pictures and remember this costume and stage he's in.That said, when Kendall was about a year younger, he went through a fireman stage. He wore this costume EVERYWHERE--even to the grocery store. He wore ski goggles for the mask and used a little medicine cup or bottle cover for his "oxygen" breather. He wore snow boots and clomped around all over.Kristen always dressed up like a princess or a "dancing girl." She would do the silliest dances and loved to put on makeup--even on other people. :) She didn't really have a favorite princess that she always dressed up like--it changed weekly. Right now, Jenna likes to wear the Indiana Jones hat and occasionally a twirly dress, but she's not really into the dressing up stage---yet. Here's a photo I managed to capture.Of course the kids don't get their craziness from me (LOL)--just take a look at Jon, dressing up like a rock star. :)

Giant Wolves

Kendall is playing on a basketball team again this year (6th season). He played on the same team for a couple of years and switched to a new team this year--he has more friends on the team and worked with the coach for a couple of years in flag football. The team is called the Giant Wolves and they are pretty good. So far, they haven't lost a game, although they have had a couple of really close ones. Their two toughest competitors are the next two games. He really enjoys basketball and always has. Oh, Kendall is #34 and is a guard.

One Life To Live

I went to the funeral of a friend's son today. For him, it was probably best that he passed away, but it's still sad for those left behind.

Being there just really made me realize that: We only have one life to live and I'm NOT ready to die yet. Here are some things I want to do before I die (keep in mind there are probably too many to list--these are just a few):
1. Travel the whole world--especially more of Europe, Australia, Indonesia, Hawaii, the US, etc.
2. Make millions of good/fun memories with my kids and Jon.
3. Get better at the piano and violin.
4. Learn how to decorate cakes.
5. Learn how to keep my house organized and clean, my kids fed and happy, and my yard neat and beautiful.
6. Make better relationships with my parents, in-laws, siblings, kids, and friends.
7. Become a better person--more willing to serve, less talking about people, more scripture reading, go to the temple more, etc.

Here's hoping that my life will be betterand not wasted and that every minute, both good and bad, will be enjoyed!

A Brand New Year

I guess I should write about New Years. I didn't take any pictures. But....we still had fun. Kristen went to a party at her friend's house and had a blast! The rest of us stayed home and played. We worked on a puzzle (750 pieces) that is so hard--it's still not done. I told the kids we were going to play games and watch a movie. Well...to me playing games means things like Scrabble, Uno, Apples to Apples, etc. Jarren thought that meant we were going to play "Mother May I." We played a few rounds of that, just for him. We watched the ball drop on tv in New York and then settled in to watch an old version of "A Christmas Carol." Jarren had taken a nap (late afternoon), so I thought he'd be good until midnight, but he fell asleep just after 11. Jenna hadn't napped, so she went to bed just before 8. She woke up at 11:45 and I thought all the fireworks and noise would wake her back up, but they didn't.

On New Years night, Jenna ended up getting a really high fever. It was over 103 degrees. I had a very hard time getting it to break with medicine. It would lower, but not go away. It finally left for good on Sunday night. Hopefully this new year will be a little more healthy.

Strange Stuff...

We're now thinking that the big Christmas illness wasn't food poisoning after all. Basically, there are only 4 of us left who haven't gotten it--knock on wood. People got it who didn't eat and who weren't even there, but were around others who had it. I just don't get how that many people could get something like that almost all at once. There were a few more who kind of trickled into it a few days later, but for that many at once? It's some mutant flu virus or an epidemic or something strange. I hope and pray that we're done with that type of illness for at least another year--or another 20 years. Strange stuff...