I need Bert (Dick Van Dyke)!

In an effort to save money.

It made me wonder.

Have my kids ever seen Mary Poppins?

Confidence! It's Freaky Friday

How is it that we instill confidence in our children? Are they born with it? Do we as parents create it, or encourage it? Why do some kids take everything other kids say to them, to heart, and let it hurt their self image? Why do some kids not care what others think or say? Are we fighting an up hill battle, while we as moms are trying our best to make our kids feel good about themselves, but meanwhile the siblings and others are sabotaging our efforts? I think about this ALL the time. I was so shy and insecure as a child, and DON'T want my kids to EVER feel that way! Is it part of the growing process? Does it make us who we are? Maybe confidence is a gift. Some of us are given that gift, while others have to work for it. I may never know!

Each morning as the kids are running out the door to school, in an effort to help them, I say-

Bye, I LOVE YOU, have a great day, do your best, be brave, be smart, remember your beautiful, make good choices, choose good friends, and BE HAPPY!

Sometimes I even say it to Alyssa when she is having a rough day, because I know it always makes her smile!

Sometimes I wonder if the others ever think about what I am saying, or maybe they are just thinking, hurry up and say what you always say, so we can go! I may never know!

Maybe they all have enough confidence - because this is how they looked for school today. It is school spirit week, and today was Freaky Friday!

2009 YEAR in REVIEW

JANUARY

2009 began on January 1st at 7:30 am when we headed up the canyon to ski at our favorite ski resort in Utah, ALTA! The snow was in abundance and the lines were short! Perfect ski day! Later in the month the 4 kids earned their third belt in karate.

FEBRUARY

Every year for Justin's birthday we take a trip to Utah to go snow skiing! We love it! It is so much fun to do things that the whole family can do together!

MARCH

Tanner was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! That night after the baptism I was laying down talking to Tanner and he told me "mom, I use to feel dirty inside, but now that I am baptized I don't feel that way anymore, I feel clean." I thought, how sad that he felt that way, he hasn't really ever done anything that wrong. Then he says to me "well, I think it is because I use to eat sand when I was 7."

Tanner and his friend Jacob were baptized the same day

APRIL

We had our first 2009 Family Home Evening at Lake Pleasant. Some Monday nights there would be 6 boats full of people from our ward! Great memories!

MAY

A month of celebrating! I turned 40! We have been married for 18 years! We have lived in "The House of Remodel" for 10 years! Alyssa graduated from 8th grade!

Our house before it became "The House of Remodel" 1999

Our house now! 2009

8th Grade promotion dance in our backyard

40th birthday in Las Vegas. We went and saw LOVE with our friends Scott and Linda Copp

Napa Valley, CA

JUNE

Alyssa spent her first week away from anyone she knew, when she attended Especially for Youth at BYU. She had a great time and loved it! We shopped, shopped, and shopped for food, for both our trip to Lake Powell and Girls Camp! It takes a lot of trips, and car loads of food to feed 300 people for 4 days! We headed up to girls camp on June 29th.

JULY

Started out CRAZY and ended GREAT! Justin and I cooked for girls camp, which was a great experience, minus a small mishap the last 30 min. of camp! We spent the second and fourth week at Lake Powell with great friends and family! And between the 2 lake trips we hosted a going away party for our friends the Belnap's who are now serving a mission in Spain.

AUGUST

I conquered my great fear of breathing underwater, when the girls and I became certified SCUBA divers! School started, and we now have a daughter in High School!

SEPTEMBER

I decided to learn a new skill! I LOVE cupcakes, so I have started learning how to make yummy cupcakes. I would like to practice more, but I have found that I eat too many of them myself! Not a good idea when you are 40! Justin flew to Utah for the weekend and paced a friend of his in the Wasach 100 mile endurance race.

OCTOBER

Finally, a little bit cooler weather! 3 cross country meets, a quick trip to Yuma to see and visit with extended family, Rhino rides to Circle K for Icee's, The Marshall Ranch Family Fun Fest, and Halloween!

Alyssa with my cousin's daughter Hayley. It is crazy how much they look alike, especially when Alyssa isn't wearing blue contacts. They both have brown eyes, same skin color, same height, same teeth, same hair color, and they are the same age!

NOVEMBER

We thought about and remembered all of the things we are grateful for. Our home, our family, the gospel of Jesus Christ in our life, our business, the freedom we enjoy, our health, and so much more!

DECEMBER

The last month of 2009 brought the usual excitement of the Christmas season, and of course the BIGGEST party we have ever thrown! HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!

Earlier as I thought about the past year, my first thought was it has been a difficult year. But, as I have reflected today on what has happened each month in our life this past year, I can truly see we have been greatly blessed. Our children are healthy, our business is still in business, we have a home to live in, we have faith, we have hope, and we have love! What more do you need?

NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY!

Everyone (big and small) is invited

to join us as we celebrate 2010 at a

New Year's Eve Party!

Thursday, December 31, 2009

7:30pm until 1:00am on the 1st

At The King's Home

Bring a treat to share if you

would like. Fun for everyone.

Live band FADED JEANS

Giant blow up slide

Food and Bon Fire!

Dress warm - the party is outside!

Don't miss it!

I L O V E Christmas Sunday!

All my life part of Christmas is getting a new clothes to wear to church on Christmas Sunday! My very favorite is when Christmas Eve falls on Sunday. It just makes the day so perfect. All of the shopping is done, the house is clean, and it is a day of rest! It is almost like having 2 days of Christmas!

MERY CHRISTMAS FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS!

Me and my totally hot husband!

Addy

Alyssa

Amanda

My little boyfriend Tanner!

Keeping the Tradition

Christmas just wouldn't be the same if we didn't make ginger bread houses for family home evening. Tanner refused to help because last year he ate so much of the candy he threw up. He really believed that if he helped this year the same thing would happen. Hopefully he will get over his fear of ginger bread houses someday!

Princess Amanda

Winter Wonderland - was the theme for the school Christmas dance this year. Amanda could hardly wait to show off her new dress, her perfectly straight teeth with no braces, and of course the sparkling crown she wore! I have to say that she was looking pretty dang cute!

Ward Christmas Party 2009

The great part about church Christmas parties is even the teenagers will sit on Santa's lap!

And They're OFF............. number 2

After 2 1/2 years Amanda got her braces off on December 10th! It amazes me how much older her and Alyssa looked the minute the braces came off!

BEFORE

AND...... AFTER

I HATE school projects!

Yes, I do! Especially ones that kids are not able to do without parental help! This project that Amanda had to do for Tech (?) took us at least 30 hours to complete. She had to design a house on the computer at school, and then their teacher printed a pattern and they had to construct the house. You could use foam board, cardboard, or wood. Then they had to paint, decorate the inside, and landscape the outside. AND she only had 2 1/2 weeks to complete it, AND it was due the week they had their final tests for the semester! SERIOUSLY!

It did turn out pretty good! The landscaping looked really cool!

The roof was removable so you could see the inside was decorated.

Merry Christmas, Justin!

This past summer Justin decided it was time to add a mantel to our fireplace. SO he had a company come out and take measurements and build him the mantel he had pictured in his mind. It was finished and installed 2 weeks ago. The only problem we had with the picture perfect mantel was that it didn't look good, at all, in our family room, after it was installed. I know that is a HUGE problem! So after looking at it for a few minutes Justin decided that it needed to be re-installed in the living room! He was sure his masterpiece would look good in there, and so it does! We had our handy, do it all, guy come over the next day and help us re-install it on the other side of our fireplace. I L O V E the way it looks in the living room! Who would have known!

Maybe is NOT an answer!

Every once in a while, after Addy has gone to bed, she will leave a note for Justin and I, on her dry erase board, for us to see when we come check on her before we go to bed. This is what we found the other night. I was totally cracking up.

What kid does their research to find out what everything on their Christmas list will cost? Earlier in the evening she must have had other things on her list because she asked me if $500.00 was to much for us to spend on her for Christmas. She must have re-thought, re-calculated, and now we only have to spend $320! AND if she can't have all of it I have to RIGHT why!! AND maybe is NOT an answer!