If Only It Were Legal!!!!!

I would smack some little twits that go to school with Lexi! As many of you with daughters might know girls can be quite catty and cliquey and this has been no stranger to our house since Lexi was very little. While I don't pretend that my children are angels and have never been unkind, I will say that there are some little girls that Lexi has been going to school with since Kindergarten that there is no secret among other Mom's that these girls are in need of a good smacking!! Yesterday brought me to the edge of wanting to bust them in their grills and realizing that they are little children who will act that way the rest of their lives and me slapping them wouldn't change a darn thing, well except I would be in hand cuffs and on the 5 o'clock news!!

These are the type of girls that have decided that Lexi is not" cool enough" to hang out with them, they exclude her from all of their "coolness" unless they need something from her. For example one afternoon it was raining pretty hard by the time school let out and twit "A" didn't have an umbrella but Lexi did, suddenly twit "A" was so sweet to Lexi and "would you please walk me to my car so I won't get wet" of course my Lexi wanting to be accepted and being too nice walked her to her car sharing the umbrella. These girls have said some awful things to her over the years, things like "Your belly sticks out too much" "Your glasses make you look nerdy" "That shirt doesn't look good on you" "You can't play with us". Now I have always instructed Lexi to be kind and not be rude back but to just avoid them and play with other girls, and up until a couple years ago that worked. Then the summer of 2007 came and she lost all three of her closest friends in one fail swoop! One was killed in a car accident, one moved across town and the other switched schools. It was a tough thing in it of it's self but then to return to 3rd grade knowing she wouldn't have anyone to hang out with on the play ground she just resorted to hanging out with teachers.

It makes me sad to think of my sweet girl just standing by the teachers on the play ground waiting for the bell to ring. Being up at the school I see these little snots in action and yesterday as I served them their hot dogs for Principals Honor Roll lunch I wanted to shove them up their noses! Not only do they exclude her from hanging out with them but they won't let anyone that they like be nice to Lexi. I pray that Lexi will take the lesson of how important it is to be kind to others because she knows how it feels to have someone be soooo rude and I hope it will make her a stronger person but I know all too well how it feels to be left out by the "Cool" kids and it still makes me a little sad to think back. Lexi will make it through this school year and perhaps we will move away and she won't have to be around them anymore but there will always be the "cool" kids no matter where we go and I just hope she will be able to see her own worth regardless of who wants to be her friend or not!!


I couldn't help post this picture of them, but I wanted to protect their identities!! Little SNOTS!!

Texas!!!!

As I posted before we recently spent 9 days in Austin (Round Rock),Texas visiting my sister and her great family! The drive out there was long but fueled by our excitement to get there. I loved seeing new places and landscapes along the way, while much of what we saw was really flat the closer we got to Austin the more beautiful it became! The kids did amazingly well considering and there were only a few times that the phrase "If you don't quit it right now so help me I will pull this car over right now and........" you fill in the blank :)! There were a plethora of bathroom stops and caffeine consumption but we made it there safe and sound Thursday night.

Driving into there neighborhood I called Alyssa to get their exact address and she sent the kids out to stand in the yard to help us find it, well we had actually driven past it so the kids were running down the sidewalk screaming!! It was all our girls could do to keep from jumping out the windows to see their cousins. We turned around and parked in front of the house and the car was barely stopped when Lexi and Grace opened the door and leaped to the side walk, watching them all embrace was almost more than I could take but I managed to keep the emotions in check. After a million hugs we all made it into the house for a tour and then since my nieces and nephew had school the next morning we put the kids to bed and us adults stayed up to talk!

Highlights

I will spare you all from the day to day run downs and just share some of the highlights of the trip.

One afternoon we had lunch with Carli and Amy at their school followed by a tour of the campus. The facility was AMAZING! The lunch room had the "Kids Cafe" where they all went through a buffet of food and selected the items they wanted to eat. There was even a salad bar and a condiments island and after they ate they could return to the cafe for an ice cream treat! Now for those that are not familiar with Las Vegas schools our lunch rooms don't really provide the same luxuries, OK so not even close but back to the story.

After lunch we were taken by our tour guides Amy and Carli to see their class rooms, it was at this point that I knew I liked this here place called Round Rock, Texas! Each classroom has 4 Apple computers and the K and 1st grades have bathrooms in the class, there weren't 42 students to one teacher and the windows everywhere made it feel so much happier. The older children are separated from the younger ones with their own multi leveled wing of the school and then when my sister mentioned that there are just over 500 students in the school I nearly fell over!! They have empty classrooms so there will be plenty of room to grow as people move into the area! C'mon Clark County it's time to give up your money and split the district for the sake of our kids!! OK let me compose myself whew, breathe in breathe out, wax on wax off! Anyway you get the gist of it, an AMAZING school!!

Next highlight will be shorter, sorry got carried away

The Food!!
Rudy's (twice)
Jimmy John's
Chuy's
Some Asian place
Cru's
Custard place
Shaved Ice place (twice)
#2 Doughnut Place (OH MY GOSH!)
And a few home cooked meals!! Diet? What Diet?


Outings!
IKEA
Children's Museum
Park with a Train Ride
Target
Great Shopping center (like The District, only better)
Block Party with their neighbors

Many of the afternoons were spent hanging out playing their Wii and playing in the HUGE backyard and driveway. They all rode bikes, scooters and skateboards, we played Red Rover, Red Rover, Duck Duck Goose, Red Light, Green Light, Tag, T-Ball! It was a blast!! Jimmy and Chet became quite the duo on "Rock Band", their inner Rockers came out with a vengeance, they played the drums and guitar like nobodies business!!

It truly was a great way to spend our vacation! Jimmy did spend time looking for work, turning in his resume and interviewing. We don't know if we will get to move there but we sure did fall in love with Texas!!

The drive home was hard to get excited about after the week we had, but we managed to pack up and pile in to head home on Friday the 23rd. We made it all the way to Tucson, AZ and spent the night there, had breakfast at Cracker Barrel with our friends the Bush's (No not George and Laura) Mesa and Mark and then made the rest of the trip home! So now it is back to real life but boy was it fun to escape for a little while!!

The Hotel in these pictures was in El Paso,TX and in the room there was a sign that said "Please Dispose of Syringes at the Front Office", WHAT?! We almost packed up and got back on the road but it was 1 AM and the kids were tired!!


I decided to take my Nieces and Nephew out for a little photo shoot around the corner from their house! They were so much fun and great little models!!

And the Winner Is..........

Named on My Craft Blog!!! :)
I know I am cruel!! For those that didn't win there will be more opportunities ahead so keep a look out!! Love to all of you and thanks for your support in my creative side!!

A little Sample of my stuff!

I Know, I know I am late!

So I haven't forgotten about the Give Away, just trying to recover from our trip! So many things to do! So here is a last chance for you slackers that haven't done it yet!! I will officially announce the winner tomorrow!! So good luck and if you still want to enter just go leave a comment on my Craft Blog and there you have it! There is a much more detailed list of rules here.

Happy 1st Birthday Little Man!!

So I know I have lots to blog about but first HAPPY BIRTHDAY my sweet little James!!
Today you are 1!! I am sorry you had to spend the day in the car, but you were really good and I love you so much. A year ago today was a wonderful day and the last 12 months wouldn't have been the same without you!

Business or Pleasure!

Well we made the 22 hour drive to Austin, Texas beginning early Wednesday morning and had a night in El Paso, Texas and then made the rest of the trip on Thursday. My sister and her family have been living here in Austin (actually Round Rock, a suberb of Austin) for nearly two years and we finally found the perfect time to come for a visit!

Part of the reason we came was for Lexi's 10th birthday and to see our family. The other part is so that Jimmy could apply for some jobs here in the Austin area, there seems to be a pletheria of Engineering firms here in Texas that are still doing ok. For those that don't know, Jimmy has been working as a Designer in the Civil Engineering field for the last 6 years. His schooling is actually with computers but when we got married he was hired on as an I.T guy and through some late nights he taught himself AutoCADD. Well for those that still have no idea what he does, I will try to explain it the best I can, he basically designs all the sewer, drainage, curbs, streets, setbacks, water, plans for a neighborhood or business complex. Since the residential side has been hit so heavily by the hault in the housing market it has put many Engineering firms out of business!

As we watched the slowing in the market we realized that there was a very real chance that if Jimmy wanted to continue working in the industry we would most likely have to leave Vegas and since Texas as a whole seems to be in a much better place economy wise it has been on our radar for sometime now. While we trust in "His" plan and that where ever we are supposed to be will present itself, after being here just a few days we have fallen in love with the area!! We were able to visit my nieces school and it was seriously AMAZING!!!! I have not been into a school that could even compare to it in Las Vegas, in fact Texas has some of the best schools in the nation! Anyway the coming week will be some days for Jimmy to look into some prospects as well as for us all to spend some good time with Lys and Chet and the kids!

This post has gone in a little different direction that originaly planned but I want to remember this time of our lives so we can look back one day and perhaps see why and how our lives changed. I truely believe that our family has a change coming, not sure what, but I guess we will see!

These pictures were taken on a train at one of the MANY parks near their house. It was so fun, it took us for a ride through and around the park all for only 10 bucks for all of us!!! I love cheap family fun!!

K Ya'll GIVE AWAY!

So we are headed on a little trip to Texas this week which means I will spend the next few evenings packing and getting ready to leave so I thought I would post to give another reminder about my Give Away on my Craft Blog! Quick rules

1. Leave a Comment on my Craft blog = 1 Entry
2. Leave a Comment, post about it on your blog = 3 Entries
3. Leave a Comment, add craft link to your blog roll = 4 Entries
4. Leave Comment, post about, add link= 6 Entries

***Make sure to leave your name and the City you live in!!

Oh and the Prize, well that will be up to you, either a one of kind Apron or a blanket!

And just cause I felt it was fitting here is a nice old picture of my sisters and I love that Alyssa is wearing the Cowboy hat and she is now living in Texas!! Haa haa so funny! And I just can't post without a picture!

Sunday Scripture"Impressions" & Something Sweet

D&C 8:2 "Yea, behold I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart."

Today in Church I was a bit distracted, yes by three children but mostly by my own mind. I was kind of in and out the entire time, getting bits and pieces here and there, yet most of the time was spent silently praying for guidance and piece of mind. Many times I have experienced life changing impressions or revelations while sitting within the walls of a church building. The Lord is so smart because he has allowed us to have these buildings that are dedicated and prepared in such a way that even with little ones crying, crawling around, eating gold fish to keep them quiet for just a few more minutes, we are able to feel the spirit. Personally I have received the inspiration to expand our family in the case of James and Grace while sitting in Relief Society or in the Nursery! I believe that the Lord has blessed me so greatly through the Holy Ghost so I try very hard to live my life in such a way that I can feel it. I don't wish to go throughout my week without knowing I have some backup! I know that Jimmy was guided while we were sitting in Sacrament Meeting on August 25th 2002 that he was to marry me and that boy follows his promptings because he purposed that night!!

I pray that I will be able to always listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost so I might teach my children through example and so that I can help my husband in guiding our family the way we should go. So here's to a day that perhaps didn't lend itself to all the insights that were being taught through the lessons but I was spiritually fed through the Spirit.





***And on another note, a few posts back I talked about the "Salt Chaser" and last night I made the most perfect combination of Salt and Sugar, it doesn't bode well for my "Biggest Loser Challenge" but that is why I gave some away and made everyone else eat most of them, but I had a taste or two!! :)



It ended up being pretty simple, a little messy but very tasty. So here is how I did it. I bought both white and milk chocolate Almond bark (about $1.98 at Wal-Mart) I also found these great caramel pellets in baking section right near the chocolate. They are all capable of melting in the microwave which shortened the time to make it all. I then purchased pretzel rods, but any shape would work ok.


Step 1 Melt the caramel and cover about 3/4 of the pretzel leaving enough to use as a handle (side note:prepare a sheet of wax paper on a plate to keep it from sticking)then put the caramel covered pretzel on the wax paper,place the plate in the fridge allowing it to cool. (About 10 Min)

Step 2 While the pretzels are cooling begin melting the chocolate remove the pretzles from the fridge and again spoon or dip 3/4 of the pretzel in the chocolate covering the caramel entirely. Then place them back on the wax paper and put in the fridge let cool (about 5-10 min).

Step 3 Next melt the remaining chocolate (which ever one not used previously) remove plate from fridge and then drizzle chocolate over the pretzels while they remain on the plate. For one last time place the pretzels back in the fridge and allow to fully cool (10 min) REMOVE THEM AND ENJOY!!

Flash Back Friday! My BABY IS Growing up....But here comes the "in house" Babysitter!

Lexi is 10 today!! What the heck! Who let that happen? I'll beat em down! Ten years has just gone by much faster than I thought possible! It feels like it was just yesterday that this little head of dark hair put me into 13 hours of labor, 2 of which were spent pushing! Lexi was the end and the beginning for me, she ended my days as a young, selfish, do whatever the crap I wanted to life and the beginning of my life as a strong, creative, more humble, more loving, Mom. I had just turned 20 when I had her and when she was just 10 days old I was also single!

In many ways we have grown up together, not that she is grown but you know what I mean. For anyone that knows Lexi they will tell you that she is a 45 year old women packaged in a 10 year old body. She is the quintessential "Oldest Child", always in charge, the mother, the protector, the boss, all that goes along with that.

For her birthday this year we are taking a family trip to Texas so on her actual birthday we had a small party with pizza, cake and a girls night to the movies! She was allowed to take two friends and we went to see "Bedtime Stories", it was such a great movie, I loved it and so did they. That morning she chose French Toast as her birthday breakfast and since she is on track break she and I spent the afternoon just hanging out! It was the perfect day! Happy Birthday to my oldest child! On the selfish side there is only two years left until we have an in-house baby sitter!!!

Happy Birthday!

My Lexi is 10 today!! Holy cow time flies! I will post once the festivities are over but I just had to get a little picture of my girl!

Bandwagons!!

This blog has been in my head for quite sometime now but I had been waiting for a good time to do it and so today is the day! As many of my friends were getting all worked up over some book with an apple on the cover I was sewing. As they were going to midnight showings of a movie based on the book with the apple on it I was sewing. While they were spending an evening a week watching a show about "Dreamy" and "Steamy" Doctors I was sewing or maybe watching John and Kate Plus 8. You get the gist, I am not so much on most "Bandwagons", not necessarily because I didn't want to be on them but most of the time I have missed them! The whole Twilight MANIA made me start thinking about all the Bandwagons I have missed over the years vs. the ones I might have hitched a ride on.

I know that many many many of you have read the twilight series multiple times (which I must say seems a bit excessive, but it's your time) and I remember a while ago my Mom and sisters were talking about these books with vampires and I was a bit skeptical. I have yet to read them, but in full disclosure I have read the first 10 pages of the first book. I think it has actually come to a point where I just have no interest in reading them, but perhaps in a few years I will.

Now it is not just this bandwagon that I have missed, but I would say the majority of what the "cool kids" are doing I tend to skip out on, either by choice or just being clueless. There have been some though that I have been the driver of, like I totally had the charm bracelets and necklaces that were popular in the 80's or Rainbow Bright, jelly shoes, heat sensitive clothing that changes colors, cuffed jeans, side pony tails, hammer pants, all that! I had them, wore them and shared them with my friends! On the other hand I think by the time I was 16 I was truly living by the beat of a different drummer. I never watched an episode of Friends until it was in syndication, same with Dawson's Creek. I only recently have listened to music by the New Kids On the Block. The only time I remember watching 90210 was with my older sister Janna and her friends as they would make fun of it and actually they even wrote a poem about it just to bag on it. I have seen the Harry Potter movies but never opened the cover on the books. I have never been into Brad Pitt, George Clooney or Tom Cruise, they are all too short for me, I prefer the ones with southern accents!! :) I don't have anything against those that jump on, drag behind, guide, or blindly follow these trends and movements, in fact I wish I was more "with it" to be a part. No doubt there are some that I am a part of now, hhmmm Blogging/facebook! I love the social aspect and being in touch with my friends and family when I am awake at midnight!

So enjoy the pics I found of some of the most popular trends in recent times and those from a few years back! So are you a trend/bandwagon kind of person, are you behind in the times, are you aware that there are" times"!?!?! I would love to hear about the ones you have been on or maybe still are!! Remind me of some that I forgot or never knew about!!

Show Some Love!

I have been thinking about it for sometime but I finally sat down and created a craft blog. Somewhere I can display my latest projects and in the hopes that I might be able to make a little money on the side!!! I do one of kind aprons, blankets and other stuff that I haven't gotten around to yet! :) Visit my craft blog and give me some feed back!! Love to the Crafty and those that love the crafters!!! :)

Oh and one minor detail there is a GIVE AWAY! If you leave a comment on my craft blog you will be entered to win either an apron or blanket (colors of your choice). If you post about my give away on your blog you get 2 extra entries and if you add my craft blog link to your blog roll you get an extra 3 entries!!!
The Give Away will run until January 25th!

***MAKE SURE TO LEAVE YOUR NAME AND CITY YOU LIVE IN WITH YOUR COMMENT!! Love to you!

I Just Had To!

For anyone that knows me or has read my blog at all they know that I LOVE old pictures! I am all about nostalgia, I love where old photos take me, a little journey to some of the most amazing times growing up! Recently (last few months) I have been blessed to reconnect with some very old friends (they aren't old aged, just how long we have known each other) some of them I haven't seen or spoken to since I was 6 but I still consider them to be friends cause they knew me at my purest!! So I found some old pictures with a few of these awesome ladies and I just had to post.

Oh Jamie the good old days in Sunshine Generation!

Oh and no hating on the costumes they were required in order to be a SUNNY GENERATION! :)

Somehow Shauni I am thinking you are still spicy!! :)

Home Is Where The Heart Is

So I got home tonight from a 4 day trip to Tucson, Arizona! My long time great friend Mesa moved there almost 2 years ago and her sweet husband decided to surprise her for her birthday and flew me out to see her!! I took little man with me and he was the perfect traveling companion! Mesa and her husband were great host, making me breakfast each morning and seeing that I had all I needed for a nice stay! It was great staying up late nights laughing and talking about the old days (we met in 7th grade). I think we both loved watching our boys play, I drug her on a walk one evening but I think she secretly loved it!! :) I also introduced her to the world of Cracker Barrel, mmm (for those that don't know it is a great homey place to eat). One morning I was able to go running and it began to rain, it was actually an awesome thing to be running under a grey sky on a gravel road out in the middle of nowhere thinking only "one foot in front of another".

In my life I have been so blessed to have many friends that I have known for a long time and there is nothing like being around someone that just "knows" you. They know where you are coming from, they know who you are and why you are that way. It was a very nice weekend! Thanks so much Mesa, Mark and Nate!! Love you guys

I must say though that I missed my hubby and my girls terribly, and while coming home wasn't to "my" home it is where my heart is!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2009

As we do most years we spent New Years Eve with just us! My parents headed to Arizona so it was Jimmy and I and the kids! Per Jimmy's tradition we bought lots of junk food and just watched movies and waited for midnight! None of the kids were gonna make it so we put James to bed and then the rest of us had a little celebration complete with a toast and horns and then the girls went up to bed. Lexi did request we wake her for the fireworks, but they were so lame this year that she has no memory of the event! Vegas decided to do the fireworks from ground level so unless you were standing next to them you couldn't see them! We had fun nonetheless and here we are January 1, 2009!! Here's hoping the New Year will bring us good things and for all of you as well!