Candy Making

In December I went to my MIL's with two of my SILS and one neice.

We made homemade candy galore. We had caramels, peanut butter balls, chocolate

covered raisins and peanuts and almonds, truffles, orange truffles, dipped pretzels,

3 kinds of cookies, and more. They were so delicious! Since I'm not losing ANY weight,

I want all of this again. But, I won't. I'll be strong and keep pushing along.

Not One

So, I've been dieting and working out faithfully for about 2 1/2 weeks. And, I haven't lost one pound. NOT ONE! What is up with that? I hate it. I hate it.

Jo

I found a memory card and put it in the computer to see what was on it. There were 2 pictures of J on it. I can't believe how long her hair is in this picture. She looks so little.

My "baby" is growing up!

M loves Activity Days

M loves going to activity days. During Christmas they made some cute ornaments that she is displaying here. They have some great leaders who do fun things with the girls, and who really care about them. J will be joining the fun later this year. She can't wait!

Fedora and Flapper Hat

When Uncle Alec and Aunt Kelly were here visiting we went to the mall and did a little shopping. J found this headband with the netting in front that she wanted so much. Kelly is so nice and bought it for her. She was thrilled. She even wore it to church. It was so cute.

S and Alec didn't want to shop with the girls, so they went and did their own thing. Al called Kelly to tell her which store they were in, so we could go find them. So, we were walking in the mall to go find them, and the next thing I see is Alec and S standing in one of the store windows like mannequins. It was hilarious. They had been there for like 5 minutes just holding still. I guess they got some good looks from others. Anyway, S had this fedora on. He fell in love with it and once again Aunt Kelly was so nice and bought it for him.

He wears that thing all the time. I love it on him.

4:45 a.m. is so EARLY

So I got this crazy idea that I should start doing yoga (no that is not a picture of me, I wish). I found a free class to go to on Tues. and Thurs. The only downfall is that the class starts at 5:15 in the morning, which means I have to drag my behind out of bed at 4:45. I really like yoga. I thought I was pretty flexible until this class. I think it'll come back, I just need to give it some time. On my non-yoga days, I'm running. Hopefully this'll help me get back into shape.

Why is it so hard?

Compatibility

This is such a fun game! Possibly my favorite game right now. I need to own it. We went to some friends house Friday night for a game night. Compatibility was one of the games we played. So fun. DH and I won!! Yeah. We played again last night with my BIL and SIL. We won again, but it was a close game. I would recommend this game. Super fun!

It's Great to be Eight

Last night we went to the baptism preview with J. I can't believe she will be getting baptized this year. CRAZY. My last little one to be baptized. She was very cute listening to everything that was going on. There were some nice talks given and then refreshments afterwards.

Fancy Nancy Raspberry Swirls

J is a huge "Fancy Nancy" fan. She was even Fancy Nancy for Halloween (I don't think I ever posted pictures because I had no working computer). We have lots of Fancy Nancy books. One of the books is all about tea parties. It teaches you how to have a fancy tea party down to the invitations, how to dress, how to decorate, what to drink, and what to eat. J has been wanting to make one of the recipes for a long time. We finally had the time to do it this morning. So, she made Raspberry Swirls for everyone. Here's the recipe:

Cut the crust off a slice of white bread and place it between two pieces of wax paper.

Flatten it out with a rolling pin.

Now spread raspberry jam - or any flavor you like - on the bread and roll it into a log.

Cut the log into slices.

Don't they look pretty?

M came down to help.

Yummy raspberry swirls!

Our Saturday

DH worked all day yesterday, so the kids and I just hung out all day and relaxed. In the morning I got up and ran (yes I'm trying the running thing AGAIN). Then I ran to the store to get a few things. I hate shopping on Saturdays, it's like everyone is there. I did get cereal for $1/box, so that made it worthwhile. Then I came home cleaned, did laundry, cooked, watched the girls dance, read, and listened to the kids playing so nicely!

T went to a scout merit badge day at the church. He got all the requirements done to earn his First Aid Merit Badge! He'd done all the requirements before, but somehow his card that he earned got lost, so he had to redo it all, so that he could get the merit badge. Oh well. I think he had fun and it kept him busy for the entire afternoon!

I went to check on the boys last night, and they had both fallen asleep upstairs watching a movie. We had a big box up there that still hadn't made it to the trash that the boys had taken and made beds out of. It was hilarious. S put his "bed" on top of the weight bench. I'm sure glad he didn't fall of it during the night. Crazy kid!
Here's T sound asleep.

Last night was our monthly family birthday dinner. Aubrey is the only one who has a birthday in January. Since there are so many of us, we just do one big birthday each month for everyone. We always have a theme for the month and a theme for birthdays. This months dinner theme was salads and sandwiches. So, everyone brought something different. We always eat so well at our dinners! Yum! Our birthday gift theme this year is rectangles. The gift you give has to be shaped like a rectangle. In years past we've done drinks, and chocolate. Aubrey got some stickers in a rectangle package, some rectangle flash cards to put in a rectangle bag, and some eggs in a rectangle carton, because she loves eggs! Too funny.

As I was downloading my pictures I found about 15 pictures of bears. Bears in differnet outfits, bears in groups, bears alone, bears in all sorts of poses. While T was at scouts, the other 3 kiddos spent hours playing with their bears. I can't believe how long they stayed busy doing this. They were having a great time. They even did a little photo shoot of their bears, I thought that was too funny I had to post one of them.

After the kids went to bed, I worked on my lesson for RS. I'm subbing for someone.

I hope it turns out okay. I always get so nervous.

Donuts for Good Grades

Yesterday was the end of Term 2 for the kids. We had SEP's and got the kids grades. They all did really well. I was very happy with the progress they've made and how hard they've all been working to get good grades. Krispy Kreme gives free donuts for good grades. So, we went today and picked up some yummy donuts. Another reason we should get good grades!

Chemical Peel

When my brother was here he gave me a chemical peel. It was awful. I hated it. My face felt like it was burning off. I could hardly keep it on for 10 minutes. I don't know how people do that regularly. Crazy. I don't think I will be having another one any time soon.

Natalia's 1st Birthday!

13 Years

DH and I celebrated our 13th anniversary a few weeks ago. I can't believe we've already been married for 13 years. Time sure flies. I'm so grateful for all the wonderful times we've had together. I feel very blessed to be married to my best friend! We out to a yummy sushi restaurant. The food was fabulous! Maybe the best sushi I've ever had. I will be going back there again, hopefully soon!

After dinner we went and saw "Avatar". I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. I'm not a huge sci-fi person, but I really enjoyed the movie. We saw it in 3D which I think made it better. It was a great night, and I was glad to be able to spend it with my hubby!

Tooth Fairy

Last week one of M's fillings came out. And of course the dentist was gone all week. So we got in this week and we went to her appt. yesterday. The dentist said her tooth would probably come out some time this year, so he just wanted to pull it because it would be easier and cheaper. The tooth in front of that one was super loose, so he pulled it too. Her poor little mouth was so sore. Now she is missing 2 molars in a row on both sides of her mouth. I'm not quite sure how she's going to eat anything. Poor girl. But, on a good note the tooth fairy was not late this time!

S also lost another tooth. That's 2 teeth for him in just a few weeks. This tooth was also one that got knocked loose and I'm pretty sure that's the only reason it came out. He actually knocked it loose back in Sept. Since then it has turned a little gray so I think it died. He had been wiggling that tooth for months and kept asking us to pull it out. It just wouldn't budge. My friend even used pliers at his request, which he said didn't hurt at all. But it still did not want to budge. Then, last week the boys came downstairs and S had a mouthful of blood and a big smile on his face. He told me that T had pulled his tooth. Because of the amount of blood, I asked him if it hurt. He said not at all. I asked T how he got it out. His response was, "I just put my arm around his head to hold it into place (kind of like a headlock) and pulled and pulled until it came out." He was so proud of himself, and S couldn't stop smiling. Crazy boys. And, the tooth fairy wasn't late that time either. She's getting good!

Work Computer

So, just when I was starting to be a "better" blogger, my computer crashed AGAIN. I guess it's time to have a professional check things out. Today I'm using DH's work computer so I can do a few posts and check up on all my blogging friends. Then, I'll be without a computer again.