Like peas in a Pod

I found these pictures from when the cousins were together in the summer.
Oh, to be eating ice cream outside at night, in shorts,no jacket, and not developing hypothermia!
We can't wait to see our cousins again next weekend in Ca!

Sister Sleepover

Hmmmmm...doesn't this look comfortable!!!!

The girls decided they all wanted to sleep in crazygirl's room the night before Dan left for St. Louis. We took this picture around 11 p.m. and they were all OUT! Amazingly, no one fell out of bed or woke up with their teeth kicked in.

13 going on 3

Dancingqueen and her buds came home a little hyper on V-day. Was it the sugar? Noooo... It was the note that previously mentioned crush wrote to Dancingqueen during school and the promise of a gift that was to be delivered later that afternoon by him.
I'm not sure who is more excited... Dancingqueen or her buds
of course, the first thing I think of doing when coming home from school is to go outside and jump on the trampoline in 25 degree weather!

SNOW DAY!!!

This is what I opened our garage door to this morning
This is after starting to shovel it...notice the van in the background getting towed by our neighbor's truck after getting stuck in the road for over an hour. What you can't see is a line of cars about 1/2 a mile long stuck on the road, with guys walking up and down with shovels and snow plows attached to quads trying to get them out.
Have I mentioned lately how much I love my 4 wheel drive with a hemi engine???????
This is our 6 foot tall cypress tree in a snow drift

School was delayed two hours this morning for Dancingqueen. The other rugrats are off-track, so it's a fun day anyway for them. Dancingqueen was happy because that gave her time to paint her nails 3 different times before finding just the right shade of Valentine's day red for Jr. high. Not even the aftermath of a blizzard with hurricane force gales of wind can detract her from whats REALLY important in life...she just saw it as extra time to primp!

Happy Valentine's Day

Talk about scoring some serious points...this is what I woke up to this morning!!

And this is what he got...

Nothing says "I love you" like a chocolate fish. Well, a chocolate fish and a really nice watch.

Seriously, after 15 years of marriage what guy doesn't want to hear "Hey babe, you're a keeper!" ???????

Aaaahhhh, Love

Tattle tale

Okay, so here is the background to the story...
Today I went to the store with dancingqueen to get a little valentine's goody for her crush. Something that says "I like you", but not "I'm desperate". While there, I decided to get Dan's gift also. Once home it was put in a grocery type bag and put very nonchalantly into the pantry to hide on a top shelf.
Here's the conversation between Bug and Daddy when he got home tonight:

Bug: "Daddy look, mommy got you something in here..."
(mommy shaking head desperately behind daddy's back)

Mommy: "no, there is nothing in there for you, I think she's crazy!"

Bug: "No mommy, REMEMBER? The orange th....

(gets cut off by mommy)
"Oh yes, daddy already knows we bought oranges"

Daddy: "So Bug, come give daddy a hug and tell me all about it, so you say it's orange..."

Bug: "and a rectangle!"

Mommy: "oh, you mean these wafers? yes, daddy knew about those too!" (point emphasised with second evil glare in Bugs general direction)

Bug: "Oh, don't worry mommy, I won't tell him about the OTHER orange rectangle thing you bought for his secret Valentine's present!!!" (Bats eyelashes and throws her arms around daddy's neck)
"I love you daddy!"

And so our house goes yet ANOTHER year with mommy being unable to surprise daddy for Valentine's day!

Blegh!

Snow, snow go away, come again another day

Words cannot describe how ready our family is for spring. I was just thinking about how we used to drive 2 hours each direction to get to snow, so we could find some abandoned parking lot, or a rest stop and play in the snow for an hour or so. We are sooooo over that thrill now. Can you tell by the look on Bug's face? It has snowed more this year than I have ever seen (of course, we have only lived in snow for 3 years, but who's counting?). It's not BAD, we are just over the thrill. I am sure by next December I will be looking out my window in awe as the snowflakes come down, and my children will beg to get out the snowboards and sleds. But we are done. DO YOU HEAR ME MOTHER NATURE, PUXATAWNNY PHIL AND ALL OTHER POWERS THAT BE?

It's only the beginning of February

BAM!

This is what happens when I leave my camera unattended on the kitchen counter. Well, this, and 52 pictures of stuffed animals in various poses, 3 pictures of the dog and one picture of what I am hoping is a fake tarantula posing on my laundry basket.

We love you President Hinckley

I found some pictures this morning from when President Hinckley came for the groundbreaking of the Sacramento temple. He flew in and out of the little airport that was literally in our backyard. Our good friend Mike was one of his security. A few families,including us, got to say goodbye to him before he flew back to SLC. Our kids got to sing for him, and he rolled down his window and had his driver stop and wait to hear them sing and then to talk to them. What an incredible moment for our family, and what a special memory, now that he is gone. We will miss you President Hinckley!

This is for you Auntie!

I'm so glad I am loved and missed! It's been a busy couple of days , doing a lot of nothing, and my wonderful auntie wanted to make sure we were still alive!
Pinkeye pete was nipped in the butt, I attacked it the first day with my leftover medicine. (Great, now you all know I do not follow the "discard immediately" directions on the bottle).
My eye was really sore for a few days, but never goopy...yea!
Dancingqueen had solo practice, we are preparing for competition season for dance...it's around the corner! I think the first competition is the beginning of March at Thanksgiving Point. Crazygirl was invited to practice with a competitive soccer team one of her friends is on. She has the soccer bug again. It might be a busy spring! Dramaqueen got a perfect score on her spelling test...something she has struggled with for the whole year... and Bug has her first loose tooth! She might need to be renamed dramaqueen! She was beside herself, one would have thought she was losing an arm. She won't let daddy come anywhere near her mouth to wiggle it...smart girl! That's about all that is going on, like I said, a whole lot of nothing! (and nothing makes me happier!)