Winter Palooza 2011

Jan. 22-

The Utah Kid’s Club puts on an event called The Winter Palooza. We went last year and it was so much fun. When I saw they were doing it again this year we decided to go again.

It seriously is the best deal. It is $5 a person and entertained my kids for hours. We got there at 10:30 and left after 2:00. We would have stayed longer, but had to be home by 2:30.

They had bounce houses, slides, climbing walls, activities for the kids, characters roaming around,magic shows, animal shows, and a lot of the booths were handing out free candy. My kids had so much fun, and loved all the free goodies.

Getting her nails painted

Riding in Cinderella’s carriage

I even got me a new cute diaper bag. Can’t wait to  use it!

I hope The Kid’s Club does it again next year. We will definitely go back!

Monkey Island

Jan. 21-

There is a new place in town called Monkey Island.

I had heard it was pretty fun, and pretty cheap. So Ryan’s cousin, Cheri and I decided to check the place out. Let our kid’s run off some of their pent up energy. Let’s just say I wasn’t totally impressed. I honestly thought the price was kind of high for what you got. I thought it was only $5 , but actually on Fridays it’s $8.

 

The kid’s acted bored after about an hour.

It is a warehouse with bounce houses and slides, but there weren’t very many. Maybe only 4 or 5.

Good thing I got a certificate off City Deals to save me some dough.

After Monkey Island Eli was able to go to a basketball party for his friend Edison. It was in Provo and was 3 hours, so Hallie and I killed time by shopping and eating ice cream and soft pretzels for dinner. A real girl’s night.

I am worse than I thought

Today it was confirmed!

I am a terrible housekeeper.

In Eli’s class at school they can earn yellow slips or blue slips. You get a yellow slip if you are good and a blue slip if you are bad. He then brings the slip home and a parent has to sign it and bring it back.

Eli loves to play school and pass out blue or yellow slips.

Today he was down in his art room playing for awhile. He then comes up and hands me a paper.

It was blue.

I said, “I earned a blue slip? How come?” He says, “Just read it!” I read it and it says: Didint do a good gob kleening the hous. (translation: Didn’t do a good job cleaning the house).

He then told me I had to give it to Ryan and have him sign it, and then return it back to him. I guess he wanted Ryan to also know that I can’t clean the house.

So there you have it. My 6 year old doesn’t think I do a very good job cleaning my house. Guess I will hire a maid, because I don’t want anymore blue slips.

Or maybe I should just make him clean it. Lets see how good of a job he can do!

It’s a…..

Baby!!

We had our ultra sound on January 13, and NO we did not find out what the sex was. I know that bugs some, but for me  it makes it all the more exciting. And believe me, I don’t need an extra 5 months to shop.

Eli really wanted us to find out what it was. Right after we told him we were having a baby he asked me when we can find out if it is a boy or a girl. I told him, “when it is born”. He said, "But I thought you said they have a thing at the Dr.’s where you can look in your belly and they tell you if its a boy or girl.”
I had to tell him, “Yes, they have those, but we choose not to find out”. He was bummed.

All week leading up to the ultrasound he would say things like, “Mom, I REALLY want to know what our baby is.” Or “Mom, if we knew what our baby was we could buy it some cute clothes.” (he knows how I work).

I have to admit, his persistence ALMOST made me change my mind, but I held strong!

It was so fun seeing our little baby. We took the kids with us; Eli loved it and was so intrigued. Hallie got bored pretty quickly.

It was a little different than my other two ultrasounds. With the other two as soon as they started the ultrasound, we would see the baby and it would be moving all over the place. I expected that this time, but it wasn’t so. In fact, at first I worried something was wrong. This baby didn’t move hardly at all. Maybe that is a sign that I will have a calm, snuggly child. Haha.

I love going to the ultra sound and having that extra assurance that it is growing and developing well.

They did a 3-D shot, and as soon as they showed that Eli said, “It’s a boy!” We said, “what? How do you know?” He said, “Because it totally looks like one.” Who knows? Maybe he’s right. He knew Hallie was a girl, so maybe he is right with this one too. We shall see…

More cousin Pictures

Ryan’s mom gave all the grandgirls pink and black dresses for Christmas. She said she did it because she wanted to get a picture with all of them.

Ryan’s sister-in-law, Bethany, decided since we were all together and Ryan’s aunt Sharon who is a photographer was in town for the holidays, we would secretly get pictures with all the grandkids and give them to Ryan’s mom for her birthday. (Her birthday is in January).

We quickly threw everything together. We made bows for the girls and ties for the boys, and had our little photo shoot. The pictures turned out perfect.

My little Monkeys

The Boys

The Girls

The whole clan

When we gave them to Ryan’s mom for her birthday she loved them! And I don’t blame her. She has some pretty cute grandkids!!

Thanks Sharon and Muffy for helping us make a special gift for Timi.

This is one good kid

Today it snowed.

First thing Eli did when he came home from school was ask if he could shovel the driveway. I said sure. I was certain he would last about 10 minutes.

I was wrong!

He shoveled the WHOLE driveway. Our driveway is really big. After the driveway, he did the porch and steps. He was out there for almost two hours.

I would go check on him and he would be trying to get every small piece of snow. I would say, “Eli, it’s ok. You don’t have to get every little bit.” He would reply, “But, mom, I want to do a good job.”

He makes me proud!

He is such a good kid, and a hard worker.

He is always willing to help me around the house and is a good little worker.

He will make a great husband someday.

Why do they have beds??

Sometimes I wonder why I even have beds for my kids. Lately, more often than not, when I go check on my kids at night, this is how I find them…

sleeping on the floor.

And the rare times Eli does decide to sleep on his bed, he chooses to sleep on top of his comforter. He hates making his bed, and so his solution…sleep on top!

Winter Palooza 2011

Jan. 22-

The Utah Kid’s Club puts on an event called The Winter Palooza. We went last year and it was so much fun. When I saw they were doing it again this year we decided to go again.

It seriously is the best deal. It is $5 a person and entertained my kids for hours. We got there at 10:30 and left after 2:00. We would have stayed longer, but had to be home by 2:30.

They had bounce houses, slides, climbing walls, activities for the kids, characters roaming around,magic shows, animal shows, and a lot of the booths were handing out free candy. My kids had so much fun, and loved all the free goodies.

 

Eli on one of the climbing walls

Riding on Cinderella’s carriage

Getting the nails painted

Touching some big lizard

Hallie on the balancing beam. Eli wouldn’t do it. He said it was for girls.

I even got me a new cute diaper bag. Can’t wait to use it!

I hope The Kid’s Club does it again next year. We will definitely go back!

New Years

I guess I wasn’t totally caught up on 2010. I forgot New Year’s Eve.

We were invited by my aunt and uncle, who live in Boise, to come hang out with them over the New Year’s weekend.

We picked up my cousin Dani and her cute little girl and headed up Thursday afternoon. The roads were clear most the way, but we did hit a little area that was a complete white out. But we made it.

It was a fun weekend of a little shopping, Dispicable Me watching, some Kinect playing, and just doing nothing. It was fun.

 Hallie and Little E watching shows

Eli doing what he loves-drawing, coloring, creating

Playing the Kinect

Michelle was a natural

Sandra and Danielle

 

Kelsi-so serious.

Eli and Kevin getting down

Hallie practicing her moves

Ryan is lucky that I can’t get the video to work of him and his dance skills. Lets just say I think he may be a worse dancer than me, and I am a BAD dancer. And not bad as in awesome, but bad is in horrible. Maybe I will keep trying to load the video. For all of your viewing pleasure. The Kinect definitely provided us with lots of laughs!

Kevin was such a sport, and took the kids and the dog, for a walk in the freezing cold.

Thanks Sandra and Kevin for the fun!

Whew!!!

I finally did it! I caught up on my blog for 2010! Nothing to exciting, but I am glad it is done for my own records.

Now time to move on to 2011!

Christmas 2010

Santa gifts:

All the presents under the tree before they were torn into:

Unwrapping at our house:

  

Unwrapping at Grandma and Grandpa Teeples’:

   

Unwrapping at grandma and grandpa Mangone’s:

  Eli Giving Great Grandma Stevens the picture he made for her

Luke waiting patiently for his turn

Highlights of my Christmas 2010:

*Eli so excited that Santa DID bring him presents even though he was on the “Bad list”. (When he said this to me I could tell he was truly worried that Santa wouldn’t bring him gifts.)

*The excitement on the kids faces when we told them we were having a baby. Hallie jumped up and down.

*Hallie losing the excitement of opening gifts about 2/3 of the way through. When she opened the one gift she really wanted (a pony for her dolls to ride), she hardly said a word.
*Telling our families we were expecting.

*Eli’s favorite toy: art kit.

*Hallie’s favoritte toy: her babies.

*Eli so excited about sprinkling his reindeer food.

*Eli’s plate of goodies he left for Santa.

*Hallie not wanting to wake up on Christmas morning.