A New Look

Just wanted to be festive so I changed the blog up a bit!

Hope all is well wherever you are!

Some pics for San Antonio Texas

This is a little town called La Villita. It was just a hop skip and a jump from our hotel. It is the older part of the town, just down the river from the hotel full of artistic shops and stuff. This amphitheatre is still used and the 5 bells represent the 5 missions in Texas. I bought some cute skirts and a hand made pottery plug in nightlight for the kids here!

Then a pic of me at the best and cheapest place we ate at, The Mexican Manha

ttan. A ton of Jim's helicopter bud

dies from all over the nation told us to go the

re. True

 authentic Mexican food in very

 large portions. I also left this hat there but was lucky to get it back that evening. 

Then while on the Riverboat Ride at night we drove passed one of the bigget malls ever

 right on the river front. This river is 

more like a canal but man its a neat tourist attraction and the food is good and not too pricey. How would it be to take a riverboat taxi to work everyday?

Next is the famous Alamo. It was a very n

eat place. What an incredible story

 it has to tell. We were there when unfortunately a huge school group came with young kids and it was a little

 crowded and loud.

 So later that evening we went back and were fortunate to see it lit up in blue lights for the Worldwide Diabetes Awareness day. I guess lots of famous landmarks were lit up in blue, The Eiffel Tower, The Empire State Building, Leaning Tower of Pisa and some more. I mean how many people can say they saw the Alamo in Blue.

Like I said in my earlier posts. It was a nice get away the people were kind and I really could have stayed another week and been entertained.

THANKSGIVING!!!

Hey All

First of All!!! We hope you all had a very nice and relaxing Thanksgiving! We are grateful for you all and miss all of you we haven't seen in a while!

It's pretty cold here and I hate it. If it's gonna be cold there better be snow. I am seriously considering being a Sunbird when I am older! HEHE

So some of the radio stations have been playing Christmas music since Oct right, and the stores have the stuff out way early now right. Why? Money? However, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because its all about family, and blessings not present or some imaginary gift giving person or animal. We don't have to break that bank if everyone does there part, we get to just eat a ton of food, gain 10 lbs and not fill guilty and reflect on what we have, not what we don't. I am so grateful for this day and I wish it wouldn't get skipped in the worlds view you know. I like Christmas and all but man the earlier you start it I feel the sooner you want it to get here and get over with right!
OK so... that said....

We have soo much to be thankful for. As I sit and ponder I just can't get the little homeless boy we gave food to in San Antonio out of my head. I am so grateful to have a warm home to come home to with food in the cupboards (even if it's just soup sometimes) and fridge. I am grateful for my awesome husband who works his tail off to provide for us the lifestyle we both want. I am grateful for my little kids even though they drive me up the wall sometimes. I am also grateful for my new job and the fulfillment it has brought to my life. I am very grateful for medical insurance. And last I am ever so grateful for both my extended families who are always willing to help us out in many different ways and love us unconditionally.

So on to the BIG DAY!!! We had dinner at the Herberts this year with about 25 people, lots of kids, very loud, but it was good food. My favorite is the yummy carrot pudding my mommy makes for one of the 12 desserts and I love candied yams. I did homework I know boring but that is what I get for procrastinating my psych online course, while the family played cards, the Wii and watch the ballgames. It was a great time. In the evening we went to Mama Innes' house and just hung out it was nice to just relax.

Since this lovely holiday we have accomplished much at home. My parents have been here several times to put the finishing touches on our kitchen, I got some homework done, we finished the kitchen, we put up our Christmas, did some shopping (yes I am one of those crazies that likes to go out the day after Thanksgiving!) and managed to make it to Sacrament ALMOST on time this morn. No really I know you are all laughing but this is a big thing for us. We have early church, only 6 more weeks or so WAHOO!!, and the kids and I hate to get up the morning. WE are NOT mornin people so JIM will tell you it takes much to get me up.
And then we just sit in the foyer because Ryker is soo loud in and our overflow echos.. so anyway, we almost did it today, however, we had to leave early because Ryker smacked his head on the rock wall in our foyer and it needed medical attn. Just a small puncture wound is all and we took some advice from a nurse and superglued it together. It wasn't fun, he cried but it worked.
I know you also are all thinking what silly people, super glue, but really that is what they use in the war fields and it absorb into the skin. I didn't want the poor little guy to have to go through the trama and pain for 1 single stitch at the ER. And thankfully my mom, a nurse agreed as she looked at it tonight!
So yeah that has been our weekend. I will post pics of my beautiful kitchen when I get my new curtains done. I hope you are all doing so well.

PS.. so Jo thought since we set up our tree that it was Christmas last night. WE just could not get her to understand it was far away even with the calendar so I was bracing for major upset this morning. But since she loves church soo much, nursery really, she didn't even think about it not being Christmas this morn thank goodness.
Christmas coutdown...29 days!

Update! and Dancin Kids!

Just a quick update!! We just got back from the beautiful San Antonio Texas on Friday! I will post pics soon! It was so fun! Jim and I got to do some touring, shopping and ALOT of walking! The kids got to stay with both grandparents and got spoiled rotten! I also did a lot of psychology homework while Jim went to his classes for work.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SOME NEWS not nearly as exciting as Jake and Kerries though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OUR HOUSE!! Last Saturday Jim and a friend in the ward put in NEW WINDOWS in our 40+ yr old home and what a difference it as made. It was hard work they worked from 9am -10pm and the next day Jim was sore! I am so glad though. We have been wanting them since they day we closed. The ward friend, Jon Gledhill, works for Jones Paint and Glass here in Provo. we purchased them through Jones' and then paid him only $500 versus the company cost of $1300 for labor. It's so nice! The kids rooms aren't freezing when I go to check on them anymore. The heater is not on ALL Night Long and the outside noise is almost unheard. And my house looks good now to just paint the siding, put the new doors on and shutters!YEAH!!!

MORE** Friday afternoon we pulled up to our house and who is here Papa Spike! My dad was here with the kids working hard and giving me an early Christmas Present!! He and my mother built a whole new beautiful countertop, got rid of the old 60's white with gold speckled, and put in a dishwasher! YEAH!!!

Today Sat we have been working on just touching up the cupboards and re texturing the wall that had the old fermica on it! It's really coming along! We will post pics when its all done!

ME!!! I have just been working away getting the mentoring program started at my school however I am lacking mentors hopefully my one will recruit 9 friends. I love it though. Here comes the real fulfillment in my life, changing others hopefully. I also sang in relief society with some ladies a few weeks ago it went well. School is going well. I only missed 1? on my 3rd Medical Terminology class and I was excited because I had just realized I had the test 2 days before so I hadn't even read the terms. My other class is a whole other story.

JIM...This last Thursday... Jim discovered he has kidney stones and passed one last Thursday afternoon. It nearly floored him and since they say its almost worse than childbirth I sympathize. He has been quite a trooper though. So with this...we told Jo she couldn't crawl on him because he had rocks in his belly, so she told him " Daddy you are not suppose to eat wocks they're gwoss" pretty funny, we thought. And all the weekend she keeps asking him if he is ok, or if he feels better as she brings him little candies, gum, apples... to make him feel better. On the trip he felt great!

JO...Another funny things she said this week.... I was getting ready for the day and she was in her room, she asked for my help and I said in 1o mins. Soon 5 mins. passed and she walks by on her way downstairs and says " you took too long!" and just kept walking. What an impatient bunch of kids we have. She is getting smarter and working on her letters. She can recognize the SWTYJO... so thats a start!

RYKER! He hit his big 18 month birthday on the 9th. He is such a joy so funny to be around. He has started saying cheese and loving the camera. He loves to play with any blocks, and microphones and of course his cars. When he plays he jibber jabbers in that cute little high-pitch voice and it just makes me giggle.

Another funny thing he did this week while at grandpa and ma Herberts!

Mom had just put him to bed in this crib, and went to shower. When she got out she heard a loud thump and then pitter patter or little feet, the toy cupboard open, the basket of toys being pulled out of it and then she looked out of her room and there was Ryker. He has shook the very old crib so hard that the side fell. Got out (its a very short crib) and then went to play. When my mom walked out he started running in circles and grinning from ear to ear. He was so proud of himself!! Little Stinker!

LAST... We were exploring other people and family members blogs before we left on our trip and we came across Cousin Nicky's band myspace page: "So Called Tragedy". Here is a clip of the kids just dancing to their music from the webpage! ENJOY!!! we did!

Twick or Tweating!

Here are some of the halloween pics of our kids! 

We tried to go to UVSC Halloween get together the night before halloween but after waiting in Disneyland lines just to get a pumpkin we were done. Too many people in too little spot.

Halloween was nice. After searching all day for Ryker a costume I found this cute doggy one at shopko.. I hated to pay for it though. Costumes are sooo expensive it was $25 and that was 50% off. I would never have paid $50 but we were down to our last 2 hours. He make a cute puppy but hated the head part. He liked to wear it to the side kinda like he had a dog coat. morbid I know. BUT HE was cute!

JO was a cute doctor. Gma Joy made it. She has matching one and it cost nothing because she got the doctor set for her good potty training about 2 months ago. Which she is doing better on... much better.

I bought myself a cute little holland girl costume but just decided it was too cold to sport it so I grabbed my old authentic 70's retro outfit and wore it. 

Jim was Darell from the show "The Office" we love that show. He was messin with the camera so all you get is a pic of his shirt until angela gets me the family pic we took at moms. 

While Ryker was sleeping JO and I went trick or treating around the neighborhood. She did well as this was her first year really twick or tweating she called it. She just wanted more and more! She said to me " thank you mom his is pun (fun) your da best!" I love it when she says that as I know as she gets older I will not hear that often or even at all. 

After Jo and I returned Jim was down to 8 pieces of candy so we headed to Lehi first to gma Innes took some pics and then to G Herberts. It was good times!