2009

This year instead of my typical New Years Resolutions I'm doing the following.

1. Setting a theme for the year. My theme is "Embrace your crazy". Everyone has their own brand of crazy, some are more pronounced and others are so similar to mine I don't even think they are crazy. But really we are all crazy at some level. When I look at other people's "brand" of crazy and see it as just that I am much less judgemental and enjoy other people more.

2. Sign up for races/events. Instead of setting a weight or workout goal I like to find races or events to do and then I meet any fitness goals while training for them. Here is what I have in mind for 2009.

• Moab Half Marathon (already signed up....now I must train)
• 2 Centuries (Little Red Riding hood and Heber most likely)
• A marathon (maybe Top of Utah or Deseret News)
• Run at least a 5K every month of the year

Grandma Giboney

The reason I took all 4 kids up to Spokane for the funeral was not to give Todd a fun-filled weekend alone.....it was so I could get 4 generation pictures with my Grandma (who is weeks away from turning 95).

All 4 kids with their great-grandma Giboney

Tayson

Luke

Claire

Sophie

Some funny stuff about the visit:

My grandma has no idea who I am or who my kids are, but she LOVES her great-grand kids and couldn't get enough of them.

Claire was so cute with Grandma and all Grandma kept saying was how beautiful she was.

Grandma loved Sophie because she was such a sweet little baby...and she just kept saying over and over what a handsome little baby "he" was.

The last time I did 4 generation pictures was when Luke was about 6 weeks old and he had a major blow out so he was only wearing a diaper and socks....I have to hunt down those pictures!

Fairmont Hot Springs...and this week's flashback

Last week my cousin passed away from Cancer so we decided to make the trip up to Spokane. Timmy and I drove the minivan with all 4 kids (Todd had to work) and my parents went up too. We decided to cut the drive up in half and stop at Fairmont Hot Springs in Butte, Montana.

I haven't been there since I was a kid...here is this week's Flashback.

1984

Amy (my cousin), Sherry and I

2009 Sophie and my mom
(this is Sophie's first time swimming)

Me, Luke, Tayson, My dad and Claire
we are freezing and have no tan whatsoever!

So much better once you're in the hot spring

It was a long trip... Claire was left in the back by herself too long. She decided to play with her crayons and colored her entire face red. We noticed this about 5 minutes from my Uncle Ron's house.

New Years Eve

We played rock band....what did you do?

p.s. I stayed up until almost 2 am...I don't think I've stayed up that late since college!!!

The Kids Space Museum

Our first day in Cali we all sat down to plan out the week. We planned meals and activities for everyday. We put all the options down on paper then everyone was allowed 1 cross off. There were small activities (like making reindeer cookies) and big all-day activities (like the "space museum" or Griffith park). Todd crossed off the "space museum". But then Amy and I decided it was a good option for the kids so we put it on as our Dec. 23rd all day activity.

It was quite a drive to get there and we were following Todd M. but lost him due to way too many cars on the road and too many freeways. Thank goodness for google maps on my iPhone so we could get there without directions. The kids kept asking us what were going to do so Todd and I explained what "space" is and about stars and astronauts and how this would be just like the Dinosaur museum but about space.

Then we got there and the first exhibit was bugs....what in the world? Finally it dawned on us that it was the "kidspace" museum - not as in "outer space" but as in "give me some space". For days we had been calling it the "space" museum. HA!

They crawled in ant holes
The rode tricycles
(Tayson's helmet is on backwards...LOL)

Luke was kind enough to take Claire for a ride
And they both loved it

They climbed on plant roots
They climbed rock walls
They built towers
(Claire was an excellent assistant)

The kids had a blast and loved every minute of their own space!

Christmas

**Warning: Picture Overload**

We went down to California for Christmas this year. Traveling with 4 kids to Salt Lake is a lot of work so preparing and taking the long trip (with Christmas presents) is no small feat but we did it! The drive home was HORRIBLE - it took us 8 hours and 45 minutes to get from Todd's house to Danny's house in Vegas. This is normally about a 3 1/2 hour trip. We were in serious traffic for HOURS and HOURS!!! The kids were really good and Tayson got his first true road trip experience of peeing in a bottle (there was no choice!) and now he loves it and would rather pee in a bottle than stop at a gas station. Oh boy - what have we started!!!

California was a blast. Amy and Todd were there too with their 3 kiddos so it was non-stop action the whole week (7 kids under the age of 6).

Here are the highlights...

The kids on the swing

Luke, Claire, Tayson, Sophie, Carson, Emma and Wyatt

Claire getting ready for church

(yes that is a real blow dryer and she thought she was in heaven using it - quite the diva)

Christmas Lights:

Carson, Claire, Todd, Luke, Tayson, Me, Sophie, Wyatt, Emma, Amy and Todd

Sophie looking at the Christmas Lights

The Train

Back to front: Tayson, Luke, Carson, Wyatt, Emma and Claire

Great-Grandma reading to Claire and Emma

Claire and her stocking

The boys and their stockings
Sophie and Claire on Christmas Morning

What I've been doing ....

And NOT doing.

I HAVE NOT been: blogging, exercising, waking up in the morning, or even to the grocery store for the last 3 weeks.

I HAVE been: sleeping, in the minivan with my kids way too much, playing rock band, and eating too much fast food and gas station food (sick) while on the road with my kids.

As of right now I'm changing my ways I will be back to myself! So get ready for some serious blog catch up....I have lots to post.