It Happened

Well after a week of sledding down the big hill Miya and Cannon went in the lake. Miya said they were going so fast and at first they were floating and then they sank. She thought it was super funny and great fun, but Cannon was screaming the whole walk up the hill. He then later admitted that he didn't like the water getting in his eyes.
And we made them stop for pictures before taking off the wet clothes and tossing the kids in the bath.

Christmas

Phil and I talked a few days before Christmas about the traditions that we wanted to have with our little family and this year we tried a few things we thought would be fun with the kids. We did make your own pizzas and the kids had a pretty good time decorating and eating their own pizza. Lyla just kept licking the sauce off her dough and it never even made it to the oven, but she was happy.Miya and Cannon were super excited to get up Christmas morning and see all the things Santa had brought and left in their stockings. Miya wrote a really great letter to Santa and they were happy that most of the cookies had been eaten and all the egg nog was gone. After opening presents and webcam with Grandma and Grandpa O'Brien, Aunt Nicki and Aunt Ashlee we headed downstairs to try out the new rollerblades.

It was a great day spent eating, hanging out in our pjs and rollerskating.

Today, Miya and Cannon got to go on a daddy date to lunch and a movie. They were excited to get dressed up and head out. I am pretty sure this was the best part of all the Christmas holiday so far. Lyla screamed once she realized she was staying home with mom for nap time.We hope you all had a very merry Christmas.

Color

The snowman we built last week turned into a bit of a rainbow snow cone today. My friend, Crystal, put the idea on her blog and my kids loved it. They both love squirt bottles anyway and putting the coloring in the water and letting them go crazy made for a pretty good time.

The best thing about these pictures are my kids snow clothes. We don't have anything that really fits anyone and most of it was for someone else a few years ago. Miya took Cannon's snow pants that don't really even fit him and Cannon got stuck with some we bought for Miya when she was two. You can tell you aren't in a place meant for snow when you see kids running around looking like this in the snow. They are however very happy to have the snow stick around.

We have thrown a million snowballs.

Taken 5,000 trips down the hill on the sled (sometimes backward).

Rolled and flipped off the sled, but it has only brought smiles and laughter. We love the snow, but I am afraid that it won't be around for too much longer now that the rain has started to come.

Weekend Forcast

Snow, Snow, and lots more Snow! It is amazing how much snow we have received this last week and how cold it has been to keep all the snow around. We were scheduled to have a family Christmas party here on Saturday, but ended up cancelling due to the weather. Some of the family was already on the way over on the ferry so we had a small partial family get together. The kids enjoyed the pizza and cookie decorating with cousins.

Today church was cancelled due to the weather, but we had an excellent day as a family making cinnamon rolls for the neighbors. We walked door to door and found most people home because nobody can drive up their drive-ways to get out. We have been in our house for a year the end of the month and I can't believe how many of our neighbors we still hadn't met. The kids had a great time throwing snowballs at each other and dad along the way.

I was feeling a little put off by all the snow because I still have things to buy for Christmas, but after this evening I am reminded of the importance of peace and still during the Holidays. It was a perfect night filled with laughing children, meeting new people and feeling love and happiness. I am finally ready for Christmas, it took me long enough to get the Christmas spirit this year.

Snowman

Yesterday afternoon Cannon went out and made all the balls for the snowman by himself. He came in and said, "mom, I need your help because my back isn't strong enough to lift the snow." I went out and found three good sized snow balls and we put together his snowman. He got a little creative with the facial features and we got a little Sloth action, but the kids loved him.

Lyla was so excited about her "globes" for her hands and helping with the snowman. We also spent a little more time perfecting our sledding before the dark came at around 4:00.

Snowday

No school today, but Phil was off to Portland for the "End of the Year" party. Miya remembered the sleds we found in the shed in the other house and was excited to try them out. We had a great hour sledding down the hill and getting as close to the lake as we could before we had to put our feet down in the sand. If all of us got on one sled we got going pretty fast and the kids loved it. Cannon was totally chicken at first, what's new, but he loved it in the end after I forced him on to the sled.
We came inside for a living room picnic and now everyone is taking quite time. It has been a pretty good day. I think I could have another one of these tomorrow.

Sunshine

Well we got home from Los Angeles yesterday and arrived to snow and ice on the freeway. It sounds like it is going to be cold for awhile. They said last night that we are getting Alaska's weather, poor Alaska! Miya started school two hours late today and I walked her to school and told her all about growing up in Driggs and the snow we got. It was great to pick-up the kids from Phil's parents and they were pretty happy on the ferry home telling us all about their favorite things at Aunt Jenny's and Nana's.

Miya's: going to school, playing with Gideon, sleeping in the boat bed, then getting to play with Emma.

Cannon's: playing with Gideon, playing with Zach, helping with dinner, fun class at church

It was great to see Ashlee and it made it a little easier to not be going to my mom and dad's for Christmas because I got in a little sister time. We took her girls swimming, watched movies, laughed, ate a lot, walked around the shopping centers and enjoyed the company. Phil had to work three of the days and we had his Christmas party on Friday night, but we spent as much time as we could with Ashlee and Michael. We ate breakfast on Saturday in San Pedro at this waffle shop from when we went on the cruise three years ago and I have been dreaming of this place since that day. It was still really good!

This is what Arliegh thought of me the whole time. She would talk to me if I asked her questions, but it was often through a hand or an arm that I got the answers. Emery liked me until Phil came around and then she wanted him.

We spent all of Saturday together and had a hard time saying good-bye. My Smashy is so pretty, kind, funny, easy-going and sweet. I loved all the effort she took to come down and see me with the girls.

We tried really hard just before we left to get pictures with Ashlee and Michael with all of our eyes open, but it just got harder as the pictures went on because we started to laugh. Thanks, for the great time.

California

So I am sitting in the hotel room without kids or husband waiting for Ashlee to get here to spend the day with her and her girls. It is going to be a beautiful day with the temperature reaching 80. We will take lots of pictures of all the fun and post them later.

Someone Turned Six

Miya turned six today and with that she received a little dose of reality when not one single person showed up for her birthday party. She stopped sucking her thumb a few days ago so she could have a party. First she wanted to invite two friends to go bowling, but then changed her mind on Monday because she wanted more kids from school to be able to come.
First mistake: I had Miya take the invitations to school to give to the kids to take to their parents (I don't have any contact information for any of the kids at school)
Second mistake: Only giving them two days notice.
Miya sat at the window for about 30 minutes and kept asking how late they were and if there was any chance that she would have kids show up. Finally I heard her say, "please, just let someone come." She then said, "well I guess we should just do everything without them and have a good time." She has always been my kid that knows 'life is not fair' or somethings in life just don't turn out the way you wanted.
We did paint the Christmas tree ornaments and had cupcakes with frosting. Phil is coming home early and we will take her to dinner. We also decided to try another party on Saturday with the friends from church that had already told us they couldn't make it today because they didn't have a half-day like we did.


On the positive side, each kid got to frost about 9 cupcakes and they will be eating them for the next few days.

Instead of quiet-time today I rocked Miya in the rocking chair I got when I was pregnant with her and told her all the things I love about her. She kept asking, "and what else?" when I paused. Her are a few things off the long list of things I love about my Miya.
1. She is very positive
2. She is a great big sister (as in always helps Lyla and tries really hard to make everyone happy)
3. She loves to be tickled and has such a great laugh
4. She tries hard at everything she does
5. She is just so stinkin' cute
6. She is a deep thinker

Things Miya loves right now:
1. Learning to read and write words
2. Her teacher, Mrs. Jones, everything she makes or draws she wants to give to her.
3. peanut butter and banana sandwiches
4. running
5. singing
6. Having people over for dinner so she can have dessert

Lyla

Lyla was loving watching the squirel eat the apples from our bucket. She is always found carrying a baby around the house.

Weekend Update

We had a great Thanksgiving...except we are still eating the turkey. We were up late both Friday and Saturday night so the kids were asleep last night at 6:30 and Phil and I lasted until 9:00 and then gave up and went to bed.

Friday the kids made gingerbread houses over at Nana's...Cannon's survived the trip home and Miya's did not.

The kids didn't mind so much that one got destroyed because it meant they could eat all the candy off the house before it got old and nasty.We got to spend some two-on-one time with Lyla and she loved laying by Phil with her blanket and fingers watching football.

We did a ton of yard clean-up on Saturday and the weather was so nice and warm for us. I was just in a t-shirt and worked up a sweat raking leaves and loading the truck with all the pruning branches and bushes.

Sunday morning we managed to find all the Christmas tree decorations and get it up before we went to church.

Thanksgiving

Well I figured I shouldn't let this day go without posting the things I am most thankful for: (in no particular order)
1. My Family
2. Gospel
3. Good Friends
4. Warm and Safe Home
5. Food to eat
6. Free Country
7. Outdoors
8. Health

Bowling Birthday Party

We headed up to Seattle for a little girlfriends birthday party on Saturday and the kids had so much fun. I am not sure why I have never taken the kids bowling, but they loved it. Miya liked it so much she kept sneaking down and bowling for other people while everyone else was eating cake.
In our Ward up in Seattle we had only a handful of kids in all of Primary so they became more like family than friends and Cannon and William had such a great time seeing each other again. There was some fake karate that turned into really karate rather quickly and once we got that stopped they just started hugging each other...that almost turned into wrestling, but we threw in a distraction of flexing muscle photos.Lyla liked the bowling until the cake came out and then she happily sat down and ate a large piece of cake all by herself. She would not get down from her set until she had licked off the last crumb from her plate.


Miya is now making big plans for her birthday party coming up next month.

Kindergarten Field Trip

I got to go with Miya's class to the Children's Hands On Museum in Olympia on Friday. It was crazy with all the kids, but they were all so cute and excited. When they first got into the building they were running around crazy because there was too much to see and do. There was some serious channeling of energy and division of kids so they could see and do everything in there. It was a great place and Miya LOVED it. I had Miya and two of her other girl friends in my group.

I have a hard time not discussing everything we are doing and asking lots of questions when I take my own kids places. I think the other two girls we wondering why they got stuck with the mom that couldn't just let them play. When we were at the art table and working with the sculpting clay I had them look in the mirror and we talked about symmetry.

When we were playing in the construction site we had to sort the rocks by size and discuss what we would build with these rocks.

At the water table I had to stop them from building the dam and talked about current and get them to make a channel.

In the ambulance and the hospital site we looked at x-rays and discussed names of bones. When we got back together as a class to go to the lesson on wind some of the little boys were so sweaty from running around crazy and I had to laugh at how this same field trip will be so different next year when I am running around with Cannon and two of his buddies.

Concert

For my birthday in September Phil bought me tickets to go see Jason Mraz at the Paramount in Seattle. This was all before we knew he would be having surgery on his knee at the end of October. We still went out and hit the concert. When we got to the concert two guys at the end of the row offered to let us have their seats so Phil could put his leg straight, but he refused. They were really tall guys and he felt bad having them sit in our seats. So Phil squeezed in and sat sweating due to the pain for the first band. Needless to say we didn't enjoy that very much.

I thought I rotated the picture before I posted it, but I guess I didn't. This really isn't a position you want your knee to be stuck in for 45 minutes if you just had surgery a few weeks ago. The two guys left to move up with some friends for the rest of the concert once Jason came on stage so we took their seats. The rest of the concert was great. We forgot our camera so we captured everything with the wonderful phone camera, but you can tell we had a wonderful time.

Jason Mraz has such a great voice and sounded just as good in concert, if not better, than on the radio. He plays the fiddle too and did a few folk songs that he learned as a kid growing up in Virginia. I love the new tradition of giving gifts that keep on giving. It is always fun to get to go out on my birthday and then have something fun to look forward to in a few months.