Good Bye 2009

I can't believe tomorrow will be the first day of 2010...where is the time going? In some aspects time hasn't gone by fast enough and in other ways I wish it would slow down so we can just breathe...

2009 was the year Elliott found out what Spontaneous Pneumothorax was and had to put his exercising on the back burner.

2009 was the year Alyssa was baptized

2009 was the year Elliott's Dad got in a Motorcycle accident...lets just say our car was on auto pilot Jan-Feb-Mar to the hospital between Elliott and his Dad

2009 was the year we were blessed to have more time with Elliott and his Dad on earth

2009 was the year Elliott finally got his long awaited job

2009 was the year we sold our home in SLC in 8 days and went through hell to buy our new one in Las Vegas

2009 was the year we had to say goodbye to old friends and hello to new

2009 was the year Elliott spent more time living away from us then with us

2009 was the year I learned how much others help is needed at times...even if I feel guilty for accepting it.

2009 was the year I was homeless for 2 months

2009 was the year I got to live in a hotel with the girls for about a month

2009 was the year my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer

2009 was the year that Ryann showed us she could ride a bike without having to be taught how-to

2009 was the year I learned an expensive leson on the importance of backing up files on our computer.

2009 was the year I got to take my girls back to Casper so see our old homes and friends.

2009 was the year of strength and endurance...

2009 was the year I learned how much a smile can mean to someone

2009 was the year I experienced having my body waxed...my whole body...umm ouch

2009 was the year we got to take Kylee and Alysssa through the Draper Temple

2009 was the year I got my first flu shot despite my fear of needles...I still think it is a scam

2009 was the year I chopped my hair 8 inches

2009 was the year of road trips with just me and the girls

2009 was the year that Kylee and Alyssa each saved up over $200 to buy themselves each a DSI

2009 was the year I picked out and bought Elliott a car...he was happy with my choice

2009 was the year I learned that sometimes you just have to get up and get dressed up...just because...just because it will make life feel okay...even if it's not

2009 was the year I learned that despite the good, the bad, and the ugly...we have a Father in Heaven who loves us, who knows who we are, and that this does not exempt us from bad things happening...isn't this the point of coming to earth anyways...to be tested

2009 was the year I learned that sometimes all you can do is pray

2009 was the year I was reminded how much I cherish Elliott and the wonderful marriage and children we have...even if they can get on my nerves at times

2009 was the year I learned that I am the luckiest

I downloaded my pictures from my phone from this past year to my computer. Here are some random moments from 2009:

Addison

School carnival


Buddies

E's new car



The usual morning hair do from Pat



Alyssa-we spent lots of time in my car this year



Yummy Ice Cream- we got it free-one of many things we got free while living in the hotel from the staff...they thought my girls were cute.

Kylee taking a break from the car on one of the road trips

Road trip and the power of a DVD player...happy kids...quiet kids

Too much swimming

Good ole' bubble bath

Falling asleep on the floor in the hotel as usual

Said goodbye to Tyrone because I took him to a party for my white elephant gift...it was a big hit

Moon family party in the park


Birthday card from David

Addison the houdini...no matter how tight she could escape.

naughty...makeup...white carpet....bad combination

Ryann in the cute hat we lost

Doesn't this woman's friends know they should submit her to What Not to Wear...has she not seen this show to get some tips? She is blowing it on so many levels.

Just bought the DSIs

Hayride in Vegas

Just got back from chopping my hair...Kylee did the same 1 week later.

Yes that is Addy's poop on our new furniture...good thing I went with the leather

Kylee's First Love Letter

Two weeks before school got out Kylee received her first love letter from a boy in her class (not already). This boy has made it known to everyone that he has a crush on her. Kylee gets annoyed because he is always starring at her in class. He is in our ward and is seriously the most polite boy....but hello....5th graders.

Her note was a poem:

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Sugar is Sweet
And so is you!

Okay so not an original but she was so embarrassed needless to say when he left it on her desk.

Fire Pit

Our backyard has a fire pit and the day after Christmas we decided to try it out. Now their is no need to go camping when we can roast marshmallows in our backyard.

Roasted Marshmallows.....yummy!

Elliott's new tradition....yesterday I striped down the tree and instead of throwing to the curb he came up with the idea to burn it.........lets just say that the flames were anything but small.

That night Alyssa woke up scared because she had a bad dream that our house caught on fire....

Boys and fire...

Christmas

This year for Christmas we stayed home but were fortunate to have Elliott's parents come and spend Christmas with us. It was pretty low key but had lots of good food to eat. Lets just say I lived in the kitchen. I love to cook and more importantly love to eat good food.

Here's the run down:

Christmas Eve-

Did the usual open two gifts during the day (they are always games) so we have something to do. We had fun playing games. That evening we all wrote down what we are going to give our Savior for the next year, watched Joy to the World DVD that the church put out years ago, and of course open another gift which is always the ever favorite PJs except this year I did slippers for the younger 3 since they all have a bijillion pairs of PJs (thank you hammy-downs). Tile flooring is all you will find on our first floor which can make for cold piggies. Kylee on the other hand has decided to continue to grow taller and has one pair of PJs that fit...now two.

Ready, Set, .....Go!

Notice Ryann and Addy got the same kind...to prevent any future fights...I know I am brilllant.

You'll never guess who came to visit while we were snug in our beds.....Santa...guess we were on the good list this year.

Christmas

Kylee and Alyssa were soooo excited they just couldn't stand it! Who knows if they actually got any sleep but were up before the sun. We made them wait until 6:30 a.m. This game me enough time to make and get a breakfast casserole and coffee cake in the oven before we began the hoopla......

As tradition...from my childhood....we video taped the girls coming down to see what the man in red had left for them. This year Alyssa, Ryann, and Addison all got dolls (all different). Kylee got her very own adult sewing machine. She loves to design clothes and always begs to use mine. I was always afraid she might break it so I am glad she has her own...to break. Now she can sew whenever her heart desires.

The other big hit was the WII we finally got. We are always the last in my family to get new technology. Our home has been blessed with more polly pockets, webkinz, pet shops, and barbies, leaving all girls happy.

Ryann with her new Fancy Nancy doll

Overly excited Alyssa with some more Pet Shops...I think she is up into the 150s now with her collection.


Addy with her new baby in one of her many dress-up outfits she got from Grandma.


Kylee and Addison on their new Plasma Car. We have the perfect house for indoor cars and scooters.

Nana and Paca

The greatest quote from the day was when the girls were opening up all the presents for the wii and Ryann got irritated with Alyssa and said, "ALYSSA, STOP BEING SO EXCITED YOU HURT ME!" (Alyssa has the tendency to jump up and down a lot when she gets excited...and yes lots of carpet tickling too...and don't you know we have it all on video so we can be sure to play it when she gets older for a good laugh.)

For Elliott and I this was a Christmas full of new small needed appliances. A larger crock pot, larger waffle maker, and a new hot oil popcorn popper to replace the one I broke when I dropped it. We love popcorn and it is by far the best popper!

We spent the rest of the day playing cornhole, the wii, and of course eating lots of good food.

Merry Christmas

From my family to yours...Merry Christmas!

Gingerbread Houses

Okay so they aren't exactly gingerbread...going for the fast and easy approach this year and stuck with graham crackers that I hot glued together for the girls and some friends that came over to decorate with us. (Having all of my craft stuff organized I easily was able to go to my "glue guns" bin that is properly labeled) This is always one of the girls all time favorite things to do.

Alyssa

Ryann

Addy more concerned with eating the candy and since tries to carry it around the house.

Kylee with our cute neighbor she has made friends with.

The final products--Ryann, Alyssa, Kylee, Addy

Since many pieces of candy has been eaten off I think by Addison.

Oh Christmas Tree

It is so fun to be living in a house with a fireplace again. Living in Vegas their really isn't a need for one but it gives me a place to hang some stockings. Now Ryann won't have to ask how Santa is going to come into our house...I would like to know who came up with the dumb idea that Santa comes in through a chimney to begin with. We are pushing it to get them to believe that a man brings gifts to all the children in the world in one night and uses a sleigh and reindeer for transportation....but that he uses the chimney to get into your house with all the gifts....like I said pushing it... No wonder Kylee at the age of 8 questioned it and it made no sense that he could be real. Just like the tooth fairy...why would a fairy want kids gross teeth and pay them for it at that...yucky.

This year we got new stockings...and no I didn't make them. I left that up to Pottery Barn Kids. Elliott's matches Kylee & Ryann's and mine matches Alyssa & Addy's. We have a real tree which reminds me I need to probably water it (the down side). We love the smell but they can be messy. The girls love decorating the tree and do such a good job that redecorating is not necessary. I know my mom would redecorate our tree growing up. I am hoping next year to get a fake one to put in the Living Room area that is decorated by me and then get our traditional real one for the family room with all usual ornaments. That is part of the fun for the girls is remembering all the ornaments they received or made that hang on our tree.

December Morning Surprise

December 1st Elliott and I woke up to a huge surprise. Elliott's Mom had planned a surprise for us with the girls help. We came downstairs to a table that was completely set in all new Christmas dishes. Kylee and Alyssa had also made breakfast for us all with hot chocolate included. In October, Elliott's parents came out for the weekend so Elliott and I could get away. She found these dishes and had Kylee hide them in her closet until December 1st. I am so amazed that the girls were able to keep a secret after all. It is crazy because I will go and get her dirty laundry sometimes out of her closet and I never noticed. It was a fun surprise.

Please disregard the orange placemats...it was December 1st and since have been changed to Christmas ones.

The Christmas Spirit

The Christmas Spirit has been visiting our house in the middle of the night leaving us little gifts to wake up and find to help us to remember the true reason why we celebrate Christmas. (This is the new tradition I have started and yes I stole the idea from someone else) The Christmas Spirit is leaving us different ornaments to hang on our tree. Each ornament is a different symbol of Christmas and how it can remind us of our Savior, Jesus Christ. With presents under the tree and the girls dying to open "just one gift" this gives them little surprises along the way. They are left on random mornings and will increase as it gets closer to Christmas. We are really trying to scale back our Christmases and trying to help them all know why we celebrate it.

Welcome back Computer

Yeah we finally have our computer back and up and running! We also received all of the photos and files that were on the hard drive that died or what ever happened to it. All I can say if Geek Squad really knew what they where doing it would have been running a lot sooner. We had been using a small netbook for 2 months now. I didn't realize how huge our monitor was until now being without it. Oh how having a big monitor is wonderful! It is also nice to have all of our music back that was on our computer. This motivated us to finish organizing the office.

We finally have all of our office stuff 98% organized including all of my craft/scrapbook/sewing stuff. I have discovered that I am the owner of 2 hot & 4 low glue guns...who knew. I could never find one and they are so cheap and so I would just go and buy another. Then I discovered that the "hot" ones are better to make hair bows with and had to buy another only to discover at sometime I had already bought one...and is still in the package. Slowly this house is coming together.

Smart Girl

One of Ryann's Christmas gifts has been sitting out in the garage on the top shelf since I bought it a month ago. It is a pink and white Hello Kitty CD player. Saying she loves music would be an understatement. She is always singing and dancing...always! Today she was out in the garage with Elliott and discovered it. She pointed it out to Elliott and then told him it would look great in her room and then asked if she could have it. He told her he thinks the box was empty and then they came inside to let me know about the discovery and I told her, "Oh sorry buddy the box is empty." She responded immediately with, "Your lying." It was so hard not to laugh because she was so right! I always believed my mom's lies growing up...I even believed that if she got to "3" she would get the wooden spoon...I should have asked her what she was going to do with it...or be like my youngest brother and wait for her to get to "3" and find out...then I would have discovered nothing happens at "3". I guess I better get wrapping...good thing it wasn't going to be a Santa gift.

Courtesy Letter

Last week we received our first "courtesy letter" from our Home Owners Association. It was to inform us that we were in violation because we had a weed on our side yard. Yes a weed. They even included a picture and you could barely see it in the picture. I just laughed. They wasted a stamp for that. Elliott and I are very good at up-keeping our yards with all of the homes we have lived in. Shame on us for missing the weed. I guess it is good that they are keeping up on everyone. It is what keeps a neighborhood looking nice. My dad immediately got up and went and pulled the weed...Thanks Dad.

Thanksgiving

This year for Thanksgiving we were fortunate to have my parents for a week. I always enjoy having my parents around. It was my moms first time to see our new home and she was able to help me out with a few decorating dilemmas. Elliott and I love playing cards with them when the kids go to bed. On Thanksgiving my Aunt and her husband came to visit and they brought Coco with them. My girls had been really missing her and it was perfect for them to spend a little time with her. Of course lets not forget about the food....uhhh...I just love Thanksgiving food!! My only regret is I didn't take one picture the whole time my parents were here.

Friday after Thanksgiving I went to Walmart kinda early (6am I wanted to sleep in) to go and get a present and was wondering the whole time if it was worth it...seriously where do all these people come from??? I knew it was going to be crazy when I saw the parking lot and then had a hard time finding a cart. The lines were soooo long and surprising they had every lane open...never seen that before. I always find it interesting to look in other people's carts to see what they are buying. Luckily I was able to use self check out and stood in line for only 5 minutes. It is amazing what people will do to save a buck. I am not a big fan of shopping with crowds because honestly there are a lot of dumb people out there that I would rather not be around and I am to impatient to stand in long long lines. Then later that morning my parents and my family piled into my car and headed for St. George. We then spent the day at my Uncle Don's home with my cousins and Grandma. It was so fun visiting with everyone. Elliott took Kylee shooting with some of the guys and was quite impressed how well she handled the guns and shot them. Again no pictures. Now it is time to get ready for Christmas...Yipeee. I am going to start a new tradition this year so we'll see how the girls will like it.

Forgetful Fanny

I remember after having Kylee that I felt like the biggest flake. I could not remember anything and would always lose my train of thought in mid sentence. Slowly my brain would get turned back on. I don't know if it was from hormones, lack sleep or the fact that maybe my brain needed to shut down so I could go through the ever so pleasant process of giving birth...without drugs. Regardless it was all the same...except with my last. I am still so forgetful and it has been two years...I swear I would have lost my head 2 years ago if it wasn't attached! I am wondering if I will ever get back my brain or if this is just the reality of the new me....that would not be good. I feel like I should keep a notebook in my back pocket to write myself notes so I can refer to it later. Like when I bought some Halloween goodies for Ryann's preschool class a note referring to where I placed them or even if I actually bought them would have come in handy a few weeks ago, or when I left today to go pick up Kylee and Alyssa from school..note...girls rode their bikes today don't pick them up...would have been nice too.

Face-Book

Last night like every night Elliott made the rounds to check on the girls before going to bed. Guarantee you will find Ryann with the covers kicked off, Kylee with the fan blowing in her face, Alyssa sleeping like an angel, and Addison...well usually you get surprised with her. She will be in her bed, on the floor, backwards in her bed, covers on or off, it is always different. You also get to remove piles of books or toys that she got out of bed to gather and sleep with. Last night this was the scene...on top of her covers...backwards...and well....???

You should also note the damage to the book was done by her at an earlier time.

Diapers Be Gone

Addy has been on and off with her interest with potty training. Potty training is by far one of my most un-favorite transitions my children go through so I don't encourage it. She can also be STUBBORN and I have to let her "DOOO IT!" with everything else so this would be no different. All last week she kept taking off her diaper and has been running around the house with a naked bum. It is a fight to get a diaper back on her. So I decided to buckle down and take the leap. For the last two days she has only worn panties all day long with no accidents. I have even done two short outings with her in panties...I was sooo brave. I am crossing my fingers this is it and we will be done with diapers for good.

Our main floor only has tile and and girls love to ride their scooters around inside including Addy. This was one scene one morning with Addy and her missing diaper. If you notice her Halloween Candy bag is hanging off the handle bars. She was riding around as if this was completely normal.

Our Little Ant

Addison like to snack all day long. I really need to put a lock on the pantry. She will monkey up the shelves to get what ever her little heart desires to eat and get it down. For some reason it always seems to be the biggest box of what ever. She will then bring it to me to open...and sometimes that is upstairs. It is the funniest thing to see her carry them around. It reminds me of how ants are always carrying something twice their size.

My Monkey in the Pantry