Christmas Nativity!

Last night was our annual Christmas Dinner at my Grandma's house. The nativity was kind of crazy this year! Charles was the narrator and did a fantastic job! Maryn was a golden glowing angel because her mom procrastinated the costume-making this year. She really loved the idea, though, and was very proud of her costume. Little Kaydence was a beautiful angel with stage fright, so she wasn't in the actual performance. And, we were short on actors, so there were no shepherds. Gaven the wise man refused to give the gift to the baby Jesus, so Joseph (Colby) tried to muscle it away, which I found hilarious! Little Beckah was the beautiful Mary and was so sweet! All-in-all, it was very memorable!

Charles' Christmas Program!!

Yesterday was Charles' Christmas Program at school! He did an awesome job and really sang every song! It was so much fun to watch. Glenn missed it this year because of work, but we've been blessed that he's been able to come the last two years.

Later that night, the kids and I decorated the cookies that my grandma brought over and had an awesome movie night! We watched "Elf" and popped popcorn and finished decorating the tree.

Two funny things happened this week:

Maryn loves singing all of the Christmas songs on the radio and has decided that every time "Feliz Navidad" comes on, she sings "feliz naughty dog" just to crack herself up!

And, Charles took two small stockings off of the tree and hung them up for the guinea pigs next to ours, because he said that they've been good girls this year. So now, Santa has to have gifts for two guinea pigs!

California Adventure with Maryn!!

Today I had a great day with Maryn! Since we never made it to Disneyland last night or last Tuesday, I had to take her today. We went while Charles was in school. We got there at 9:30am and California Adventure was just opening their gates. We immediately went to Soaring Over California, then got peppermint hot cocoa at the bakery, and still made it to the first showing of Playhouse Disney!

The best part of the day, for me, was Maryn's first time going on Tower of Terror!!! Woo-Hoo! It scared her a little but she still liked it and said she wants to go again next time! I am so excited to have someone to go on that with me!! Charles refuses to go on that with me and Glenn hates it.

After that, we went on Monster's, Inc. (Maryn calls it Monster's Stink) and watched the Muppets 3-D show. Then we split a sourdough bread bowl with broccoli and cheese soup in it and went home.

On the way out, I noticed the signs posted advertising monthly payments for the annual passes. You put $60 down and then make payments starting at $5.45 to $24.95 a month, depending on which pass you buy. I thought that was kind of cool. I don't know if they charge interest though. I just thought I'd pass that on for anyone who might be interested.

Our Knott's Date!!

Today Glenn took me to Knott's Berry Farm for a date! Every year at this time, Glenn's work gets in free! So, thankfully, the Winston's babysat for us so that we could go out alone.

We got there and I was a little disappointed that it closed at 6pm tonight. But when we got in, it was empty! The rides didn't even have lines! Glenn dragged me on the log ride and I dragged him on all of the roller coasters! Our favorite was the Silver Bullet and we both hated Boomerang because it totally messes with your neck and back. I really wanted to take Glenn on the Xcelerator, but it was closed. Lucky for him! He was feeling sick to his stomach after the first ride.

I am thankful that I have a husband who is willing to indulge me in my craving for fast rides. It really has to be one of the things that I enjoy most in this world. If I was a guy, I'd totally be a Nascar driver. I'm really serious! One of my ultimate fantasies would be to rent- okay, if it's really a fantasy, I'd buy- a Corvette and take it out to a deserted, flat highway and just drive it as fast as it could go!

After Knott's we were driving home and passed this diner, Portillo's. We decided to stop and give it a try. It was so awesome! I think that we've found a new favorite. It was so nice inside and decorated like an old-school diner. You order your food at the counter and seat yourself, but the best part is the menu! They have all of our favorites! You can order burgers, hot dogs, sausages, sandwiches, onion rings, malts, made-to-order chopped salads, tamales, and so much more! We both ate for $12. We had an Italian sausage sandwich, onion rings, a large malt, and a tamale with chili and cheese. We will be going back because all the food was so good!

Today was a fantastic day!

Thanksgiving 2008!

This year we were lucky to have Glenn off for 3 days! We decided to go to my mom's house for Thanksgiving. We left on Wednesday after school. The normal 3 hour drive, took us 6 1/2 hours! I wanted to die!

(Jesse, Chad, and Chris)

When we got there, we were glad to be able to spend time with my step-brothers that I hardly knew and their families. One of the twins wasn't there, but I got to see Chris and Jesse. Charles got to know his cousins, Wesley and Alex. They played video games for hours and hours!
(Charles and Alex)

(Grandpa Smith and Grandma Nelda)

Of course we also got to spend a lot of time with my mom and Chad's dog, Emmy. She's gigantic! She's 80 lbs. and still a puppy! My mom made her a special holiday dress to wear on Thanksgiving. They think she's a human.


Dinner was so great and the visit was relaxed and pleasant. My mom did a great job with the cooking. The turkey was beautiful. She even made homemade apple pies! They were huge! She put 8 apples in each pie. She also made aprons for all of the women and Maryn.

(My SIL Amiee, Slade, and Me)

My mom convinced me to go to Black Friday. I have been against this idea from the start because I HATE getting up early and I really don't care for shopping. But the time with my mom was worth it. I had so much fun with the "girls"! Brenda (Chris' girlfriend), and Jeannie (Jesse's wife) went and so it ended up being a great opportunity to get to know them. They were both so much fun to be around! I am so glad that I got to know them! We went to 4 stores and I was so good. I didn't even buy a lot!

(Brenda and Chris)

(Jesse and Jeannie)

When we got home from the stores, we immediately packed up the car and made our way home. We had promised the kids we'd take them to Santa Claus Lane in Carpenteria, but when we got there, it was gone!! No candy shop, no bakery, no toy store, no ornament shop, nothing!! They have made it a surf town. We were so disappointed to say the least. I've been going there since I was a child.


Since we missed all of that, Glenn and I madly tried to make other plans. We ended up taking the kids to a beach in Ventura. It was so beautiful! The best part was playing Freeze Tag as a family. I enjoyed this so much and will remember it always! Running on the beach in my UGG's was so tiring! We were in this hilly area with little dunes and so it was fun trying to run around and catch each other. What a wonderful trip we had!

(Maryn Enjoying the Appetizers!)

Twilight!!

Last night I had the opportunity to go to Twilight with 14 women! We had a blast! I showed up and there were already people there saving our spot. We hung out in line and just talked and some women ate dinner. The theater was packed full of crazy girls and women! It made me laugh to hear all of them going nuts when the movie started. I thought that Edward was so beautiful, although I've heard so many people say that they didn't care for him. I really liked the movie. I can't say loved yet because of certain things that I wish that they had put in- like more character development with the Cullen's family. I though that Emmett was the best and Jasper and Rosalie were over-acting big time! Anyway, the much-needed "girl time" was my favorite! We were all so happy and excited and that made it so much fun to be together!

I stole a picture from Vivian's blog to post since I didn't bring a camera!

Our Family Day at Disneyland!

Yesterday Glenn and I took the kids to Disneyland! Yes, we were naughty keeping Charles out of school, but it's a rare day that we get to spend together, so we did it! My sister was taking her family that day, and our awesome friend signed Glenn and Charles in. My brother Slade came with his family and my cousin, Tiffany came with her girls, too. We ended up meeting up with my Aunt Bobbie, Uncle Dick, cousin Linda, and Kenzie. So, it was a huge family day! We enjoyed the time together so much!

Kaydence, Maryn and Kenzie!

Notice that my brother Slade has his head in his hands laughing? That's because he was flipping off the camera in the previous picture I took! I didn't find out until I downloaded the pictures because I was trying to take the pictures backwards and just holding the camera up behind me. He thinks that he's sooo funny!

This is us after Splash Mountain. I was in the front. It was getting cold outside and I had already gotten completely- yes, completely drenched on the raft ride earlier that day and had finally dried. Then came this! The guys thought it was so funny! My hair was seriously soaking wet like I had taken a shower and my make-up was running down my face! Charles said that I looked scary.

This is Kenny, Maryn, Maeli, and little Kaydence is in the front!

Charles being a typical big brother!

A Marriage in the Family!

Yesterday we had an exciting event take place in our home. Maryn informed me that her cat, Golden Purple Flower, and her monkey, Monkey Face, got married! A few minutes after the marriage ceremony, Golden Purple Flower was pregnant with a puppy! (See above photo for the expecting couple.)

The new puppy, Cilla, was born within 5 minutes. She was born with lavender ears and a mask. The whole happy family is pictured below.

Bonfire at Huntington Beach!

Yesterday my mom and Chad came down and treated all of us to a bonfire on the beach! My sister Beth, and her family are here visiting and it's been so much fun. The weather was great- cool but not cold. My brother Slade came with Sara and Kaydence as well. The time together was wonderful. It's really only once a year my sister makes it here from Utah, so it's so special to get to see her and her husband Ken, and the kids: Kenny, Maeli and Sadie. Thanks mom and Chad for making it such a special day!!

Tribute to Glenn!

This post is a tribute to my wonderful husband whom I love with all of my heart. He is sunshine to my soul. His birthday was a few days ago amidst all of the election drama and so I'm late with honoring him for his special day.

I wanted to share a few pictures from his past with all of you. I don't have many, but I posted all I have!

Glenn Learning to Walk

Glenn's Junior Picture!

Glenn's Senior Picture!

Glenn's College Freshman Picture!

Glenn's Mission Pictures!

Our Engagement 1995!

Glenn's First Dirt Bike Trip 1996!

Halloween Fun!

Today ended up being a great day! This morning we got a call from the body shop and our van was finished. It looks wonderful! I had a little bit of a heart attack when I drove it off the lot and the check engine light came on, but it went off about half-way through the day.

The kids and I had a great time at Chuck E. Cheese this afternoon. We had some tokens left over from last week so the kids played for a couple of hours. It was a much needed break from the everyday worries for me.

Tonight Glenn got to go trick-or-treating with us! We went to my grandma's neighborhood and the kids made out like bandits! At every house I'd try to get the kids to say "Thank you" and "Happy Halloween". Maryn would not do it! All she would say was "Adios!" She said that she had all kinds of "Adios's".

The other interesting thing that happened was at an old man's house. I was the one who walked the kids up to the door while Glenn waited on the street. When I took the kids to this old man's house, he opened the door and the kids said, "Trick or treat!"

The man was so happy! When he welcomed us into his home, we hesitated. I could tell from his thick accent that he was from Germany. We stepped up into the doorway and waited for him to get the candy. He stood there and shook our hands and complimented the kids on how cute they looked but made no move to get any candy from anywhere. I realized that he had no idea what we were doing there. I think he might have had a little bit of Alzheimer's. When he motioned for us to come all the way in, I told him that we couldn't stay. He asked me why we weren't going to visit longer. I told him that we just came to wish him a "Happy Halloween" and show him the kids' costumes. As we walked away, Maryn said, "We didn't even get any candy!" at the top of her voice! I was so embarrassed, but the man didn't notice. He just stood in the doorway and said strange little cute things while waving to the kids, like, "Goody-goody!"

So, that was our Halloween! We came home and had our movie night. We watched a live version of "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride". The kids thought it was a great movie. Now they're in my bed fighting over the covers. Fun fun!

Church Halloween Party!

Tonight was our church Halloween Party. We had a great time! Charles and Maryn looked so cute in their costumes. Charles was Prince Caspian and Maryn was Vidia from the Tinkerbell movie. I was a polygamist sister wife. The kids came home with tons of junk! They're loving it!

I know that I look old and scary- but that's what happens when I have no make-up on!

Silly Kids!

The kids can do the funniest things sometimes!

Today, I woke up and Charles was on the couch watching t.v. with no shirt on. I thought it was strange because he's absolutely not one who likes to go around without a shirt on. I said "Good morning" to him. He quickly turned around and demanded to know why I took his shirt off last night! I told him that I didn't do it and asked him where his shirt was. He told me that he found it in the dirty clothes hamper. I started laughing. He must have been sleep-walking last night!

To appreciate this next story, you'd have to have spent some time with Maryn. On the way to pre-school this morning, we were in the car and Maryn said, "My voice won't always be quiet- when I grow up I will have a loud voice! Huh, mom?"

My Tragic Accident...

Yesterday I was involved in my first car accident. I had the kids in the car with me and we were on our way to the stake center for an early choir practice for stake conference. Glenn was on his way home from work.

Anyway, I was going through the intersection of Newland and Bolsa. The right lane was open and the light turned green. I was going probably 25-30mph when a man riding a bicycle rode right in front of me! There were cars in the left lane, so I couldn't even see him until he was in front of me! I braked as fast as I could but I hit him hard. He smashed into my windshield and cut his head. His bike flew across the other lanes and he rolled to the ground. He was wearing a helmet but I have no idea how badly hurt he was because he passed out from all the bleeding. I'm just fretting because there's no way for me to find out if the man is okay! There are so many laws now, that I may never know. I wish there was a way to at least write a letter or something.

The kids are fine. The police made sure that they didn't see anything. Maryn told me today, on the way to preschool, "Mom, make sure you don't hit any boys riding bikes with your car. You're not supposed to do that, Mom." So, I guess I'll be reliving the accident forever.

Halloween Crafts and Butternut Squash Soup!

Today was full of surprises! I took the kids to the Pet Smart today to buy a couple of things. We walked past Michael's craft store and I saw in the window that they had a room set up for kid's crafts. I walked in and asked the ladies what I needed to do so my kids could make a craft. They said it's open to everyone from 10am-12noon! So, I paid $5 per kid and they got to make these really cute wooden Halloween frames! They put together the kits and we got to take home the paint brushes and paint. Next week they're doing scrapbooks.

Then, this afternoon, I made butternut squash soup from scratch for the first time! I've wanted to make it forever, but I've never been brave enough. Yesterday I bought the squash and I got so excited that I had to make it for lunch today! It is so creamy and yummy! I made it with fat free half and half, so it's only about 120 calories per serving!

I also put in a picture of our room after we hung the curtains a few weeks ago.

One Super-Crazy Fabulously Wonderful Day!!

Yesterday was a wonderful day, but I'm sure you will all think that I'm a little crazy (if you don't already!).

A couple of weeks ago, our landlord came over and asked me if I would chaperon his 14 year old daughter and her friend at Knott's Scary Farm. So, Glenn traded shifts and our landlord got me a ticket so that I could go.

Then a couple of days ago, I got a call from My cousin, Darice, that she was in town from Arizona and going to Disneyland. They already had 2 people to sign them in and offered the last sign-in spot to Charles! He's been dying to go! His 2 boy cousins his age were going also and so that made it so special.

Well, these 2 activities were both yesterday! Yes, I took the kids to Disneyland all day in the heat, and then 2 teenage girls to Knott's all night long!

Disneyland was so much fun! It was my 2 cousins, Darice and Tiffany, and 7 kids! Darice left her 2 little ones home. Surprisingly, the day went very smoothly. We seemed to have great timing and really accomplished so much. Darice and her kids hadn't been in 2 years. Her little Morgan was so cute planning out each ride she wanted to go on. She had a list of 4 things she had to do. She and Maryn really got along well together. The three boys were so awesome together! They worked out ways to go on most of the rides together and really had a fun time! It was interesting to see how this combination played out, because I don't think these 3 had ever been together for any length of time. We have 5 boy cousins born the same year and they are rarely together because they live far away from each other.

I left Disneyland in time to come home and make dinner before the girls showed up at my house. The girls came over at 6pm and we were off! I was a little bit nervous about spending that much time with girls I didn't know very well, but they were so cool! They were really nice girls and didn't seem to mind me tagging along. I offered a few times for them to go do a few things without me, but they didn't really want to. So, that made it possible for me to go on so many rides I'd been dying to go on!! I played it cool and calm, but I was freaking out like a teeny-bopper inside! The rides were so awesome and all the haunted houses were really good! There are some twisted minds in this world! I don't know how they think of all the gruesome stuff I experienced last night!! The girls were not scared of anything! I was the one screaming and covering my eyes the whole time! I really tried to be nonchalant about everything but something would always surprise me and I couldn't help but scream! The night ended about 1am. I was home by 2:15am. Glenn let me sleep until 11am. What a man!

Weekly Sleepover!

Every week, the kids and I have a sleepover together. Since Glenn works over-night shifts, it gives us the opportunity to have a lot of time together. Saturday night, Glenn and I took the kids to the Cable's housewarming party and then to the dollar theater to see "Journey to the Center of the Earth". It was a fun movie!

After that, we got the kids ready for bed and Glenn took a nap before work in the living room. The kids and I got into our big bed and I brought in a couple of flashlights. That entertained them for a good hour! We played flashlight tag on the ceiling and made all sorts of shapes. The funniest one was when Maryn made a grandma alligator- it really looked like one! Then she had fun making shadows of her foot and saying, "Say hello to Mr. Footy!" about 100 times! I can't tell you how much I love those kinds of memories.

Costco Date?

Okay, today was an interesting day! Glenn surprised me in more ways than one. After I got up extremely early this morning to take Charles to school and pick up Carter for the pre-school carpool, I was kind of lethargic. I put a load of dishes in the dishwasher and plopped down on my bed. Then I realized: Glenn and I have 4 hours together! What to do? Well, I suggested to him that we should do something fun together- such as take me out somewhere. He wanted to take me out to Costco, so we went! I put on my make-up and he drove me in his truck. We just walked around for a while looking at all the Christmas stuff and electronics. Glenn says we "need" a new T.V. After all that shopping, he bought me lunch there. He did ask me for a few dollars to cover it, though.

The second surprising thing he did was go on a walk with me! It was really hot outside but I really wanted to get some exercise. So, he went with me! That is something that I've been trying to get him to do with me for years! Hopefully, he'll do it again soon. It's always fun when after 13 years, my husband can still amaze me.

Another Super-Fun Week-end!!

This past week-end was another good one!! I worked hard to clean the house because my mom and Chad came to visit. At the last minute, they decided to come down on Saturday morning instead of Friday night.

That worked out perfectly because Ronda had asked me earlier that day if I wanted to go to the movies with her. So, I called her and invited her over for brownie sundaes and a movie! We watched Cinderella Man- one of my all-time favorites! I love the family message. The brownie sundaes were so good, but almost sickeningly sweet! Neither of us could finish, although I did a lot more damage than Ronda, of course!
Saturday morning, my mom and Chad got here bright and early! They came with 2 bicycles for Charles and Maryn!! The kids were so happy!! Charles has been riding with Glenn already and Maryn will have to grow a couple of inches before she'll be able to ride hers. She talks about it everyday! Thanks mom and Chad for thinking of them!
After the kids got the bikes, we took off to the Kid's Faire at the OC Fairgrounds. We met my SIL Sara and Kaydence there. We had a great time walking around the exhibits. I think my mom signed up for everything! Chad bought tickets for Maryn to ride the ponies and Charles to ride a camel! They thought that was so awesome!
When we were done with the fair, we all went to Slade and Sara's house to take naps and have dinner. It was funny to see all the people sleeping! Charles played guitar hero and Sara made a delicious dinner. That night we all crashed out early.

The next morning, I made breakfast for my mom and Chad and they played Candyland with the kids before they had to go home to their 60 pound "baby", Emmy! All-in-all it was a fun visit!