Find Joy in the Journey....

So I didn't really give myself time to write this post. I have to pick up kids...in about 15 minutes or so. But I just thought I should steal any chance I get at this point, to blog. So here you have it.

What is going on at our house...? Some may be wondering (if anyone still reads this :)

Well...we just recently moved. 2 and half weeks ago I think. I am so busy with moving us in. I know that I have all the time in the world. People keep telling me that. However, I prefer "my space" as you call it...to be organized and pretty. I can't help it. I don't want to live around clutter. So I have got quite a bit done already (with Jake's help of course,) and the plan is

to be finished by Superbowl Sunday! Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Mari and Mike will be here for the big reveal. (By the way...they totally don't care...it just gives me a goal.)

Meanwhile, I keep walking past this saying in my TV room...

Find Joy in the Journey. I have to say with all the crazy changes....I think we are. I made it a goal this move to just enjoy it. Enjoy the fact that I get to clean, organize, (forced if you will to downsize)....but to enjoy that it is healthy and good to do this. I am loving getting this home more orderly than anyone before. I de-cluttered sooooo much before we moved and I have about 5 huge boxes more that I am de-junking. It is hard, (some of the stuff means a lot or is actually worth a lot) but there is no NEED for it...so it is gone. It feels wonderful! Things are finding their place in our smaller, more humble home. I can't wait to show pics of the finished product.

I had my birthday in all of this. The day after we moved in fact. It wasn't the best ( I can't lie.) It is hard to enjoy a birthday ...when you are still completely living out of boxes. But family was supportive and this last weekend Jake took me to a fabulous Vietnamese restaurant and then to a comedy club. It was WONDERFUL! It totally made up for the lack of fun a few weeks previous.

So there you have it. We are SUPER busy...trying to put together a new home. There is a lot of measuring, sewing, rearanging and of course....life going on around here.

Oh...and to top it off (this probably needs it own blog post)....we started HOMESCHOOLING! So there is actually a lot more going on right now...hence the lack of blogging going on.

Two BIG BOYS...

So here is Weston and Spencer's new room. It isn't quite finished yet. I need to invest in a dresser probably and some sort of window treatment. However, the "fatheads" (which are the huge pictures on the wall) turned out great. Jake bought them and I thought I would just hate them...but low and behold my little boys room turned into a BIG BOY room overnight. Spencer and Weston love it. Spencer keeps saying "football player" over and over again.

One room done!

So Aubrey is officially ...well almost finished with her room already. It is a lot like what we have done before...but still I think turned out rather cute. She loves it and is sleeping great in the new BIG BED!

Spencer is my buddy today, while the other two are attending school. He is in my lap right now...saying "me do it!"

Wish I could blog...but

I am still up to my eyeballs in this! Moving really is sooooo much work. But in the end, I love the new projects and work that lie ahead. There is no time for blogging today though.

Monday: Jake's Day off.

We had such a wonderful day this Monday. We haven't gone into town or done anything really since the kids were out of school. (Actually we did see the temple lights and go to Organ Stop Pizza and have Christmas... but who is counting right?) So since Jake had Monday off, we thought it would be fun to just get out of Maricopa and enjoy the nice day. So we went to GolfLand. The pictures are backwards again...but you get the idea. The kids did AWESOME and even Spencer enjoyed the round of minigolf. Dad got 4 holes in one and I got 3! Each one of the kids got one too. After that and archade/ticket time...we went to Freestone Park and let the kids ride their scooters and skateboards. In the end, we sledded down the hill on the longboards. It really was fun and reminded me of sledding as a child with my Uncle Roy and cousins. We ended the evening with time at Grandma and Grandpa's house. There was playing in the leaves and of course AMAZING food. The perfect day! Why can't husbands just not work and we get to be together all the time?

Our favorite game was Deal or No Deal! All the kids one over 70 tickets...and I got one on my turn.

Merry Christmas to you!

Usually I take the time to organize my pics...but blogger really is a pain isn't it! I am over it today. So here they are, out of order. Christmas this year was simple and sweet. I would have loved to have been home in Idaho or even spent more time with the Watkin's side. However, that isn't what happened. So once again, we spent Christmas with our small sweet family. We didn't get much for our kids this year, so there wasn't a lot of stressing out or crazy last minute shopping. We spent a lot of time with our children and hopefully these memories will be as sweet for them as they have been for Jake and I.

Christmas night we enjoyed the sparklers that Santa brought in the stockings! It was lots of fun. Aubrey and Weston got their long awaited LONG BOARDS! Weston is loving his and Aubrey is tentatively trying to start to like hers...

Spencer got a set of new wheels himself and is loving them.

Weston was his usually energetic self this Christmas morning. What would we do without his "fainting from excitement" and long screams and runs around the house.

Before they opened their presents Christmas morning. These three boxes had all the Santa presents wrapped inside.

So here is Christmas eve. We did the nativity and food and singing all before 6pm and Jake and I were getting bored. The children were getting annoying (too excited and all.) So we decided to look at our list of all the things we planned to do before Christmas. One of them had been to sell Hot Chocolate on our street (our street is very highly Christmas lights adorned.) Anyhow, it was Christmas Eve and all so we new we didn't want to charge anything...but we could give out Free Hot Cocoa and do a good deed. Not many cars stopped...but those who did made our night. Plus the Bishop even stopped by and got some and the kids sang for him. It was great!

Here are pics of the Nativity. So cute. I love our Savior and I love the Christmas story. It really never gets old. It was wonderful to see Aubrey and Weston understanding it more and Spencer kissing the baby Jesus.

Our costumes were simple and lacking...but we felt the Christmas Spirit at our house this year...and I hope you all did too. Merry Christmas!

Crap! I thought that was the end.....still too lazy to move pictures. A few nights before Christmas we went with the Watkins to Organ Stop Pizza! It is this old wonderful place in Mesa! There is a huge organ and some organist plays Christmas songs while you eat. There are lights and full house every time we have gone. This is a Watkins' tradition that we haven't done for a couple of years.

So here we are.

Spencer and Max's first time. They loved it! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Watkins!!

Letter to Santa

Another letter Aubrey wrote to Santa, just this morning. She is so cute. I wanted to remember this one.



It started the same as others with a list of things that she wanted and telling him that she loves him. Then this



"my brother Weston and me are having a very very hard time getting along. although i still think we should both be on the nice list.we fight almost all the time. we just can't help it. i know that i have been a little bit bad this year.i apolagize for that.and we are going to give you the best snack you have ever had on christmas eve.it is pretty cold here in Arizona.how is the weather at the North Pole? i want a skateboard because i ride my friends skateboards almost every day.(but not on Sunday)me and my brother weston are like totaly skateboard experts now.i want squinkies because they are just amazing.i want a digital camra because the one i have gets broken every time it runs out of bateries.what do you want for christmas.i am trying to handle my brothers right now. they are spitting and yelling and fighting.i lied to my brother weston. i am so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so sorry.merry christmas.



Aubrey Jean 7 years old.

HO,HO,HO!

Santa came to our house the other night and the kids weren't even scared of him...(go figure.) Actually, Spencer still was a bit. Jake dressed up as Santa for a local preschool and our kids sure got a kick out of the idea. Weston kept singing " I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus..." It was too funny. Or course our kids know that the real Santa doesn't spend his time running around town going to all the parties in the world. He has much better things to be doing, especially with Christmas being right around the corner.

Memories

We were just sitting like this one night, while watching TV together. I told Jake to grab the camera, just so I would have the memory. I love my children so much. I am so grateful to be able to spend time with them...just chilling. Time really does go by so fast, and I am very glad to be in this stage of life. I enjoy it!

University of Phoenix Christmas Party

Last year for Jake's Christmas party...it was very fancy. I loved getting all glamed up and having a wonderful DATE NIGHT with my hubby. Anyway, this year his work decided to make their Christmas Party a "family party...!" So I was a little disappointed, but the kids were so excited. Well, I have to say, it was WONDERFUL. It was all about service and I was pleasantly surprised the whole night. There were hundred..maybe thousands of build a bears there. Each child was able to pick their own bear, then dress it and give it to a policeman or fireman. All of the bears are going to charity and our kiddos got their own smaller versions for themselves. We decorated cookies and then ate a wonderful dinner. My kids didn't want the "kid food" and chose steak. It was just as fancy as the year before, but a lot less drinking (by others of course) and so family oriented. After dinner there was daycare for all the kids. So in the end we still got to have our couple time and dance and hang out with Liz and Kurt. It really was a great night. Without even having to pay for a sitter in the end...it was perfect. Thanks University of Phoenix!

Here is Kurt and Liz...these are some of our favorite people. Always so much fun to hang out with.