Fennbunch

Happy 18th Birthday Skyler!!

2010-07-20T09:17:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Skyler!! The years have just flown by. It seems like just yesterday you were a baby and blessing our family with your presence. You have been such a great son!! You have made us laugh and cry, but most of all you have made us proud. You are ready to go out and conquer the world, you have been well taught and prepared for this moment in your life. Have a great birthday and we know you will be able to make all of your dreams come true. We love you! Thank you for being such a good kid!! :).

A Fond Farewell to Cub Scouting

2010-04-09T12:24:00.000-07:00

Last night we attended the final Cub Scout Pack Meeting for Bryson, our youngest son. He is now 11 and has joined Boy Scouts. He received the Arrow of Light, which is the highest award in Cub Scouts. His cub master did such a great job honoring him and had a cool box set up with lights that indicated all of the steps you go through in Cub Scouts (Bobcat, Wolf, Bear, Webelo, Arrow of Light).

It has been a fun journey to do Cub Scouts with all 4 of our sons for the last (almost) 10 years and we have learned so much and so have they. I believe scouting helps to turn our boys into men and gives them the leadership skills that they need to be successful in life. Thank you to all the leaders throughout the years who have helped my sons, we owe you so much!!

11 Years old and loving life

2010-04-06T10:56:00.001-07:00

I can't believe this youngest son of mine is already 11 years old. He is so sweet and quiet and smart but lately he has really gotten a voice in our home. I think with maturity he is starting to see that he has to speak up to be heard in our group! He is our son who is always getting "picked up" by women all over (in restaurants, in stores, and on the street) who fall in love with his big eyes and dark eyelashes. I am going to worry about him in a few years when the girls his age start noticing him!! Happy Birthday to my sweet Bryson, we love you!!!!

Coloring the Easter Eggs!

2010-03-31T16:47:00.000-07:00

It's always fun to sit back and watch what my kids create when they are given free reign of my kitchen with messy egg dye and hard boiled eggs. This year the "cyclops egg" was very popular, no doubt a throw back from their recent obsession with "Percy Jackson". This tradition begs the question though, "Why do we dye eggs at Easter time?" What does this have to do with Easter or Spring or anything? It's a fun tradition but I wonder every year who came up with this idea. Were the ancient Egyptians sitting around when they suddenly said "Hey hard colored eggs is the way to bring on Spring". Just a thought. I love to spend these times with my kids and it makes me pause to wonder how I'm going to do with Skyler gone next year although as you notice he's not in the pictures since he was working the night we did this, he is gone so much already. I guess it is preparing me to allow him to spread his wings and leave the "nest". Sigh....

Kick'n It Old School

2010-03-25T14:03:00.000-07:00

Skyler and his five buddies from jazz choir put together a number to compete in their high school talent show. They sang an a-Capella medley of You are my sunshine, My girl, Ain't no sunshine, and I got sunshine. It was super funny and very good. They got a standing ovation when they were done (the girls especially liked them). Out of 12 groups that performed that night, they won first place! I love having a son with musical talent, it is so fun!! I did a video of the performance but it is on Facebook if you want to see it. It took forever to get it uploaded there so I am not even going to attempt it here :).

Vacation-Day Two "SeaWorld"

2010-03-10T19:35:00.000-08:00

We are in the second day of our vacation. The first day we spent getting here (all day from Boise to Orlando). We had a nice welcome dinner last night on the beach and then we crashed in our hotel room - we were so tired.

This morning we got up and decided to go to Sea World. We haven't been there since 1995 and figured it was time to see what they were up to. It was great!! The shows were amazing - our favorite was the dolphin show. In the evening we went to the Luau show and dinner and saw some amazing dancing and had great food. Tomorrow we board the cruise ship and are looking forward to some more fun and some great memories!!

Going Private

2010-02-18T13:33:00.000-08:00

I have decided after much thought (and a couple of creepy comments from "Anonymous") that I am going private with my blog. If you would like to be able to read my blog, please send me your e-mail address that you use for blogger and I will put you on the list of people who can visit. My e-mail address is nicole-fenn@cableone.net. Thanks for understanding!

-Nicole

Happy 19th Anniversary!!!

2010-02-02T09:08:00.001-08:00

Today is our 19 year anniversary. It is hard to believe that we have been together that long. It seems like just yesterday I spotted this good looking young man walking into my institute class. I had butterflies in my stomach and I knew I had seen someone who would be very important to my future. I had no idea!!

After we took our family pictures this year, a lot of people said that we never age. Well, to show how different we look than we did 19 years ago, I am posting a picture from when we were first married and then one we took a few months ago.

Happy Anniversary honey!! Here is to 19 more great years. I love you!!

My sweet 15 year old son

2010-01-25T13:04:00.001-08:00

My second son turned 15 yesterday and I wanted to complete a birthday tribute to him. It's amazing to me that he is already 15 as it seems like just yesterday he was born. How time flies and my kids seem to grow faster every day. Following are 15 things that you may or may not know about this special kid.

1) He does not like to have his picture taken.

2) He always volunteers to do things and doesn't need to be asked to help.

3) He comes and tells me "I love you" before school every morning.

4) He is great with kids, especially his little 6 year old sister.

5) He is a peacemaker and never wants anyone to argue.

6) He is really funny and can make anyone laugh.

7) He is taking a Senior level math class and has the highest grade.

8) He loves to yo-yo and can do just about any trick.

9) He is about to get his Driver's License - yikes!!

10) He is very strong and can wrestle most people to the ground without effort.

11) He is a great skateboarder.

12) He's sensitive and not embarrassed to hug his mom :).

13) He loves the movie "Avatar" and has already seen it twice.

14) He's hard working and loyal.

15) All the girls are crazy about him because he is such a cutie!

I am so happy to have this guy as part of our family. He makes us all smile and knows how to lighten any mood. He makes me proud to be his mom. I love you buddy and I hope you had a happy birthday!!

Wow 12 already!!

2009-12-31T10:48:00.000-08:00

Today we wish our third son a happy 12th birthday and in the spirit of the day of his birth, here are 12 things that are special and you may or may not know about this sweet young man!

1. He was born with red hair (it faded as he grew, but we were sure surprised).

2. He had colic as a baby and the doctor said he liked to cry (weird but true!)

3. He plays the saxophone.

4. He is our social butterfly and seems to attract tons of friends.

5. He is very competitive (especially when he plays games)

6. He can beat just about anyone at foosball.

7. He is always eager and ready to help.

8. He is a great student and often makes the honor roll.

9. He loves video games, music, and playing board games.

10. He's got a great contagious smile and cute dimples.

11. He always wakes up happy no matter what.

12. He loves to hang out with his dad, it's probably one of his favorite times.

It was a wonderful day when this little guy joined our family. He gets along with everyone and bring so much joy to all of us. Happy Birthday son, we love you!!!

Pumpkin Patch Fun

2009-10-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

We love to go to Linder Farm's Pumpkin Patch each year to pick out our pumpkins. We have been so busy we couldn't go until last night. I was so worried that we were going to freeze, but the weather was so beautiful yesterday that the pumpkin patch was perfect. We were missing our oldest son, who is so busy with swim team and marching band right now that we barely see him, but we picked a pumpkin out for him so he would have one :). We saw several others families there that we knew, so it was fun to visit. After we picked out our pumpkins, my little girl rode the new ride they have this year, a swing that about made me sick watching, but she loved it. She is a real daredevil and I am so glad she is not like her mom. Finally we ended out the night at the snack booth for popcorn, donuts, and hot chocolate. YUMMY!!!!

Homecoming Dance

2009-10-10T19:00:00.001-07:00

My oldest boy went to Homecoming tonight with his "special" gal. I had to capture it all of course. We took a few shots at her house, they were cute pinning on the rose and ten putting on the corsage. He wanted to take the Mustang to the dance and his dad was happy to let him. We then went to the temple grounds to take some pictures with the rest of his group. It was beautiful background for the pictures and the cloudy sky made for perfect light, however, the girls were freezing in their short sleeve dresses so we had to make the photo session a quick one. We did have enough time for a few silly shots though. I love the one of them all looking off in the distance like they are in deep thought and then of course the one of Skyler picking up his date - right after this picture he pretended he was going to drop her. What a funny kid!! I hope they are having a great time at the dance. Oh to be young again - sigh.....

The Homecoming Answer

2009-09-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

So the answer to homecoming was cute. We were about to go to sleep and the dog started barking and wouldn't stop. This generally means someone is at the door and so we looked out the upstairs window and saw 4 giggling girls behind the trees in the middle of our cul-de-sac. Then one by one they came in dark hooded costumes and rung the doorbell and said "Delivery for S" and then handed him a pizza with balloons on top. There were 3 pizza deliveries and they spelled out "Y-E-S". I ran downstairs to take a picture and S had already eaten 2 pieces of the "Y" pizza and so the pictures aren't as good. What can I say, teenage boys will eat pizza even if it is 11:00 at night!!

An Invitation to Homecoming

2009-09-15T10:52:00.001-07:00

My oldest son is a Senior this year and he is determined to live it up this last year of high school. Homecoming is about a month away but he wanted to make sure that this special girl did not get invited by someone else. So he got on the ball and asked early. He wanted to make a grand gesture and decided to fill her room with balloons. He purchased over 500 balloons, but after he and I filled 200 and put them in both of our cars to transport them, we realized that we were at our maximum so off we went.

Her mom laughed as we filled her room as much as we could and then hung the sign that read "We will have a ball if you go to Homecoming with me" and then below in smaller writing it said "pop the balloons with the x's on them to find out who". He put his name in one of the balloons and in the rest "not this one" and "keep looking". It must have been loud in her house as she was popping all those balloons to figure out who invited her. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall to see all of that!!!

Everyone Needs a little Time Out!!

2009-09-12T18:24:00.000-07:00

Each year I get the chance to attend a women's day at the Boise Centre on the Grove where I hear wonderful musical, inspirational speakers, and I get to spend some time with the girls. This year was especially wonderful because it was both Friday night and Saturday. I leave this conference feeling rejuvinated and determined to be a better person. I call it my spiritual battery recharge session. I was missing my BFF Queenie this year, but I know she will join us again next year. Thanks "Time Out" for another great year!!!

Go Baby Go!!!!!!

2009-09-09T13:37:00.001-07:00

My oldest son has played every sport out there, basketball, baseball, soccer, track, marching band, not football (thank goodness) and so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when he came home one day and said I am thinking of going out for the swim team.

He is a senior this year and he is going up against kids who have been swimming competitively since they were 3. Should I be worried, no, this is my go getter we are talking about.

I guess it doesn't matter what he does I will be excited about it. I'm a proud mama, what can I say? So when I saw his swimming yesterday I almost jumped out of my seat. He was doing the free style against 3 other boys and at first he was a little behind, then he pulled up to meet them, and then when he turned over in the pool to go to the other direction he pulled way ahead and came in first. I wanted to scream "Go Baby Go" but I didn't want to embarass him. It was so awesome to watch him, he is powerful!! He still has to shave a few seconds off of his time to qualify for state but for his first meet he did so well. Good job buddy, you have a fan in your mom!!!! (Sorry for the blurry picture, my camera was dying....)

Family Day at the Discovery Center

2009-09-07T16:24:00.001-07:00

It's the labor day holiday and are we camping? No. Are we having a bunch of people over for a BBQ? No. Are we headed to a party? No. We spent the day with our family at the Discovery Center (a hands on science museum in downtown Boise). It is so rare these days when we spend the entire day as a family and we decided to take advantage of this opportunity.

We let our 14 year old drive us all downtown, we ate lunch at a little mexican restaurant and then went and played for 4 hours with all the fun gadgets they have to offer at the Discovery Center.

There is a bed of nails, a vibration exhibit, mind bender puzzles, and even a miniature grocery store for the kiddos to try their hand at shopping. Afterwards we went to a snow shack and sat out in the sun to have snow cones. The day was spent with only our little family and it was heavenly. We need to do this more often!!

First Day of School-Summer Blues!!

2009-08-31T08:36:00.000-07:00

The first day of school this year brings to my mind a line from a song in the musical "Fiddler on the Roof". "Sunrise sunset, sunrise sunset, swifly flow the years. Where is the little girl I carried? Where is the little boy at play? I don't remember growing older, when did they?" That is truly the way I am feeling today.

This is a significant year for our family. It is the year of many firsts and lasts. For my oldest son, it is his senior year of high school. For my second son, it is his freshman year of high school. For my third son, it is his first year of middle school. For my fourth son, it is his last year of elementary school. Finally for my daughter it is her first year of all day school, 1st grade. For me it is the first time in 17 years that I have not had at least one child at home with me. So needless to say, I am a little sad and unsure about this new stage in my life. That being said, I realize I didn't blog much this summer. The reason for that is that we taught so many Driver's Ed classes that any available time I had to myself was spent with my childen and not the computer. So here without pictures is a re-cap of what we did this summer (well the highlights anyway).

1. School ended for the 2008-2009 year.

2. My best friend moved in 3 houses away from me ;)

3. Our Nevada friends came to visit for a week.

4. We had our annual 4th of July party.

5. We floated the river.

6. My youngest boy and I went to cub day camp.

7. The 3 boys and my hubby went to scout camp.

8. We went to the zoo

9. We went to many movies.

10. We went swimming in the pool.

11. My hubby and I went to girl's camp.

12. My two oldest boys went to high adventure.

13. We went to Roaring Springs.

14. My 3 boys mowed many many lawns.

15. My oldest boy went to band camp.

16. My oldest boy also went to jazz choir camp.

17. My oldest boy made the swim team (he's a busy kid!).

18. We biked on the green belt.

19. My best friend moved away :(

20. The kids started the 2009-2010 school year.

That was about it, we had a very busy, great summer! It came in with a bang and went out with a bang. Since I was a little girl I have always mourned the end of summer and I will again, but I do love fall and all of it's color and life. I look forward to spending time with my family and making more awesome memories which I hope to blog about!!

Happy 6th Birthday to My Little Girl!!

2009-07-25T15:41:00.001-07:00

Today is my little girl's 6th birthday and I want to wish her the happiest day!! When I found out I was having a baby so close to my oldests son's birthday, we told the doctor we wanted to wait until my due date to have her (scheduled c-section) so their birthdays would not be in the same month (she was due August 9th). My doctor laughed and said, "this is your 5th baby, I would be surprised if you go to your due date", but we decided we would try. True to form, this little girl came over 2 weeks early, arriving only 5 days after her big brother's birthday. This was a sign of many interesting times to come with this busy little girl!!

So in honor of her birthay I would like to list 6 reasons why I truly LOVE having a girl:

1) She is so fun to spend time with, we read together, paint nails, watch movies, I love it!

2) She is a girly girl, but she will still get out and play rough with the boys.

3) She is so daring and brave (she jumped off that 10 foot platform in the middle of the Boise River!!)

4) She has a beautiful smile and a contagious laugh.

5) She gives the best hugs and loves everyone.

6) She stands up for herself, she won't need her brother's protection when she dates, she will have no problem protecting herself!!

She is such a sweet girl, and we all love her so much. She has a strong personality but that just makes us love her all the more for her spirit. I am so thankful she joined our family 6 years ago, she truly revolutionized the Fenn Home!! Happy Birthday Baby!!!!

Happy 17th To My Guy!!

2009-07-20T11:57:00.001-07:00

I can't believe he is 17!!!! It seems like only yesterday I was being wheeled into the hospital truly terrified of becoming a mom but so anxious to meet this little stranger who had been kicking me for literally 6 months straight! So in honor of him and all of his accomplishments I would like to list 17 little or maybe well known facts about my first born son in no particular order-

1. He was born in Santa Monica, California.

2. He hasn't always been such an easy going kid, he was a terrible toddler!

3. He loves his siblings and protects them even if he is hard on them.

4. He is a great student although he doesn't kid himself enough credit.

5. He is an amazing musician, he plays the trumpet and is teaching himself guitar and piano.

6. He loves to sing and is in the school and church choir.

7. He can solve a rubik's cube in 1 minute 29 seconds.

8. He used to think girls had cooties, until his sister was born!

9. He would love to serve his mission in Brazil.

10. He's awesome at Guitar Hero.

11. He's a great skate boarder and snow boarder.

12. He is a dare devil which can get him into trouble or land him in the ER!

13. He is a neat freak - you should see how organized his room is.

14. He had his Eagle Scout rank at 14!

15. He loves music, he maxed out our hard drive with songs on I-Tunes!

16. He's a hard worker and does so much for our family.

17. He is the most awesome son and is such a good example to his siblings!

We love you buddy!! Happy Birthday, we are so proud of you!!!

The Wedding

2009-07-14T09:10:00.001-07:00

My hubby's little brother got married on June 30th and it was such a beautiful wedding. They blended two families and the kids are just like brothers and sisters, it's great to see how good they get along. The bride was absolutely gorgeous and the groom was handsome too! It was fun that my husband got to perform the ceremony, they got married in the little white chapel by BSU. It's neat to see the family growing by leaps and bounds and to get a new fun sister-in-law!!

Proud Moments!

2009-06-03T14:08:00.001-07:00

These are the moments I live for! My daughter graduated from Kindergarten today, son number three graduated from 5th grade and subsquently is finished with elementary school (yikes!) and son number two graduated from 8th grade and is off to high school (no pictures-sorry he is a hard one to get pictures of).

I can't believe it is the last day of school, it seems like just yesterday that I was taking their pictures on the first day of school, time flies! I was so sad to see it all end. There is always next year though and I will have a senior in high school!

Happy 42nd Babe!!!

2009-05-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

Today is my hubby's birthday and I want to dedicate my blog to him today. He is such a great guy and he does so much for our family. I would like to list some little known facts about my husband.

1. When he was 11 years old he drove his mom's car and ended up on the 405 freeway.

2. He once jumped off the roof of a building and landed in a metal trash can

(he was also too short and couldn't get out of it).

3. He loved gymnastics and he used to do the rings at Venice beach and amaze everyone.

4. He had a moustache and long hair in high school.

5. When he was a young kid he and his friend shot bb guns at the back fence and didn't realize until after they were done that they shot out the windows in a ton of cars in the parking lot behind the fence.

6. He went on his mission to Nova Scotia and it was so cold there that he and his companion used golf balls to knock on doors so they wouldn't break their knuckles.

7. He bought and sold so many cars one year that the DMV told him he would have to get a dealer's license.

8. He used to drive his brother's to school on his motorcycle (one in the front and one in the back).

9. The year we met he was a "flasher" for Halloween (I think he had shorts on under his trench coat though - keeping it PG and all).

10. He is the most fun to be around and can always make me laugh.

Happy Birthday honey, hopefully I didn't embarass you too much!!!!!! I love you, you are the best husband and dad our family could ever ask for.

Preschool Graduation

2009-05-21T12:20:00.000-07:00

Today was preschool graduation and it is always such a happy and sad occassion. I love to see the kids and talk about how much they have grown over the year, but I am sad when I think I won't see those bright smiling faces every year. Sadly I am not teaching next year, I am taking the year off to help my at my husband's office. His business is the bread and butter here and it takes priority over everything else. I have been helping a lot over the last year and doing both is quite difficult. So it with sadness I say goodbye to these kids this year, they have been fun and we have had some crazy times together!!!! This is a graduation I will never forget, one of my students cried (quietly) through the whole thing because she didn't think the graduation gown matched her outfit, she is a fashionable little girl and could probably give me some wardrobe advise! Here are some pictures of graduation - a disclaimer though, my hubby took the pictures so I look terrible in most of them because I am talking and we all know how much expression I have in my face when I talk - not a Kodak moment!!!!

My Best Friend!!

2009-05-18T08:23:00.000-07:00

Today is my best friend's "??" birthday and I wanted to dedicate my blog to her and wish her a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! We met 11 years ago when her family moved into the apartment building we were managing. The story is actually quite funny so I want to share it here - my husband was over at their apartment helping them move in and I was at home with the kids. I kept peeking out the window trying to get a look at the wife in the family to decide if she was a potential friend. I had met her husband when he came to look at the apartment but she was still in Utah. I never did get a look at her out the window but when my husband came home I gave him the third degree about what did she look like, what was her personality like etc. He was non-descript as most husbands are.

The next day we were at the park watching our kids play and I heard her husband and her come out with their baby to go for a walk. I looked back and she was chatting with another neighbor, all of the sudden I heard this laugh and I immediately knew that this woman was my soul sister. The next morning I was at her door to invite her to play group and I got no answer which was strange because they only had one car and her husband was at work. I knocked the next day and still no answer. I went back again after I saw her walk up with her baby in the stroller and she still didn't answer so I persisted knocking until she opened the door. I didn't know this at the time but she had made up her mind not to like Idaho or anyone in it. She didn't realize at the time that I was her soul sister and we were destined to be friends. I kept bugging her all that summer until eventually she started knocking on my door as well. We were neighbors for 4 years (after the apartments we built our houses right by each other) and then Utah re-claimed her with a job transfer. We still talk every day via e-mail but I miss her so much!! In honor of her birthday today, I would like to list the 10 top reasons why she is my best friend -

1. She is a great mom and is always there for her children
2. She is a fantastic wife & has stood by her husband even in tough times
3. She is a fabulous friend to anyone who takes the time to get to know her
4. She is loyal
5. She does not judge
6. She is funny and can always make me laugh
7. She is the life of any party she goes to!
8. She is creative and always makes the most amazing gifts
9. She has the greatest laugh, it is contagious
10. She is always there for me no matter what!!

Thanks Queenie for being my best friend!!!! Here's to another 11 years of friendship and more!!! I hope you have the best birthday, I wish I was there to celebrate it with you :)

TAGGED!!!

2009-05-07T12:47:00.000-07:00

Top 8 I've been tagged

My 8 favorite TV Shows
1- Castle
2- Boston Legal
3- Dancing with the Stars (I know, I know)
4- Without a Trace
5- CSI
6- Law & Order
7- Jon & Kate plus 8
8- Family Feud

8 Things I did Yesterday
1- My calling
2- Laundry
3- Started reading "Anne of Green Gables"
4- Shopping with Breezy
5- Lunch out with Breezy
6- Balanced my check book (yikes!)
7- Ran errands
8- Took my kids to mutual

My 8 Favorite Restaurants
1- Saigon Grill
2- Cancun
3- Texas Roadhouse
4- Olive Garden
5- On the Border
6- Cheesecake Factory
7- Johnny Carino's
8- Tito's Tacos (it's in CA)

8 Things I am Looking Forward to
1- School being over for the year!!
2- Spending time with my hubby
3- My BFF coming to visit
4- Friday
5- Seeing my mom this summer
6- The pool opening
7- Warmer weather
8- Vacation (if I get one this summer!)

8 Things on my Wish List
1- Family getting along
2-More time with my hubby
3- Some $$ in my savings account
4-A car that runs well
5- A cruise!!!
6- A maid so I can spend time with my kids instead of cleaning
7- New clothes that fit
8- A better economy

Now I have to tag 8 people so I look forward to reading all of yours.
1- Tammy
2- Jen
3- Staci
4- Becky
5- Erica H.
6- Erica F.
7- Julie
8- Val

Shotgun Prom?

2009-05-05T14:29:00.000-07:00

Now I have heard of shot gun weddings, but who ever heard of a shot gun prom? This was really funny because before my son went to pick up his date for the prom on Saturday night, he asked "Is your dad going to be waiting for me with his gun" and his date laughed. Well once he got there her dad really was waiting with his gun, as a joke.

The kids had a great time. They went in my hubby's new yellow Mustang and didn't seem to mind that they had to squeeze into it since it is a sport's car. They even had to mash down my son's date's dress to get it in before they closed the door. What a bunch of great kids! I can't believe my son is old enough to go to the prom!! Isn't his date a cutie!!!

Women's Conference 2009!

2009-05-02T12:51:00.000-07:00

Each April for the past 4 years I head down to Utah to go to BYU Women's Conference and meet my BFF to have some much needed girl time and rejuvination.

This year was awesome, the weather was beautiful, the classes were amazing and I am refreshed and determined to be a better wife, mom, and person.

I have some pictures here of our dorm room and the cute sign that the Queen made to put on it. It was a riot to come down the hall and feel like I was walking into Hawaii (we even had a Scentsy in our room that made the whole hall smell good which was great because we were in the men's dorms again with the urinals and all!). It was great fun, we talked, we laughed, we read our books, and just enjoyed the few days we had to finally remember what our names are (yes, we have names besides "mom"). I can't wait for next year!!! Hopefully we can drum up a bigger group for next year, anyone up for some girl fun?

Easter Fun with the Fenns

2009-04-13T09:41:00.000-07:00

Whether it's baskets from the Easter bunny, coloring eggs with Mom, hunting for eggs at Grandma's house, or just eating dinner with the cousins - there is never a dull moment with the Fenn kids. These kids will do anything for candy! They will climb trees, hop fences, or dig through a weedy garden to find those colorful eggs filled with candy.

Our tradition is for the older ones to hide the eggs while the younger ones find the eggs. We leave it up to our kids to decide when they are too old for the hunt and they usually decide around 12 years old. So this year we only had 3 egg hunters, but the older boys had a blast hiding the eggs where it was quite difficult for the littler ones to find them. They were on top of the grape arbors, in trees, hiding on top of and in the hedges, and of course in the weed filled garden of yester year. I think the "egg hiders" have more fun than the "egg finders" but it is just great to watch the whole process and of course capture it on film!!

Ice Skating Fun!

2009-04-12T12:14:00.001-07:00

My little girl was invited to a birthday party at Idaho Ice World. A little boy from her kindergarten class invited her and it was so fun for her to go and see the kids from her class in a more relaxed setting. We decided to take all of our kids and make it a family affair. My 4 boys donned skates and they were so funny skating, and falling, and then picking themselves up, brushing off the snow and skating again. The kids had a ball and it was a great Saturday family activity and so good to get to spend some time together!!!

Coloring Easter Eggs

2009-04-10T16:15:00.000-07:00

I love to watch my kids coloring eggs. It is just one of those annual traditions that can make a mom feel like a child again. It is so cool to watch that magical look in their eye when they pull the eggs out of the coloring cups and see how pretty they are. Even my teenagers still induldge me and participate in this "time honored" tradition. Happy Easter everyone!!

Double Digits for my little boy!

2009-04-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

My "baby" boy turned 10 yesterday and it is so hard for me to believe. He has grown up so fast. In honor of his birthday, I would like to list 10 things about my sweet little boy that you may or may not know (in no particular order).

1. He is very independent and doesn't mind playing by himself.

2. He is SUPER smart. All of my kids are smart, but he says things that dumbfound me!

3. He has beautiful eyes, greeen eyes, that stop women in their tracks.

4. He is my boy that looks most like my husband (at that age).

5. He was our bonus baby who came 15 months after his brother.

6. He spent the first 4 days of his life in the NICU learning to breathe on his own.

7. He loves to play video games!!

8. He has been reading fluently since he was 5 and has mastered Harry Potter.

9. He is a super snuggler.

10. He is such a low maintenance easy going kid. He has been left at church several times because he is so quiet and we forget he is there.

Happy Birthay my darling boy, we love you so much!!!!!

Field Trip to Krispy Kreme

2009-03-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

I love to take our annual field trip to Krispy Kreme with my preschool kids. It is so fun to see how the donut making machines work and to see the kids expressions on their faces when they touch the dough (they alway say "eewww!"). The guys at Krispy Kreme do a good job explaining everything and making it fun for the kids. Thanks to the moms (and dad) who came along to help!! After we came back to the preschool classroom, I asked the kids what they thought of the field trip and they said "YUMMY!". I think that sums it up - yummy - what a great word.

Blue & Gold 2009

2009-03-14T13:44:00.001-07:00

Each year in Cub Scouts we have a banquet celebrating the Cub Scout organization. It's a fun opportunity for the boys to decorate cakes with the dads for whatever the theme is for that year, and these cakes are entered into a contest and then become the desserts for the banquet. This year it was "American ABC's". They scratched their heads a little over this one but then the idea came to them to do the letters "USA", it's definitely American and those are letters so it worked well with the theme. There were cakes in the shape of flags, a Liberty Bell, Idaho shaped cakes, a few hamburger shaped cakes, as well as some shaped like landmarks in our country. It's amazing to see how creative some of these dads can get when they are competing with other dads.

This is our 9th Blue & Gold (you go to a lot of these when you have 4 boys!) and we have seen every theme you can think of. We have done "earth" shaped cakes, on in the shape of a wave, and many in the shapes of animals. I love to watch my boys create with their dad. This is our last year in Cub Scouts as my youngest son is about to turn 10 and at 11 they join Boy Scouts. It's a bittersweet feeling! I am excited for my youngest to join his older 3 brothers and yet it will be strange to close this chapter on Cub Scouts. We will just have to really enjoy this last year and make lots of memories, they truly grow up too fast!!

Another missing tooth and controversy in the household!

2009-03-03T11:25:00.000-08:00

So our little princess has lost her second tooth and why do you ask would this cause controversy? Well all of my boys sat through Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade watching all of their classmates lose teeth and have their name on the coveted "die cut tooth" for the month. They would come home and ask me "Mom, why don't I lose my teeth". I would then explain that all children lose their teeth at different times and they would eventually lose their.

With our first son, he was in the 3rd grade before he even had a loose tooth and we had to read "Arthur's Tooth" many times to show him that he wasn't strange and everyone has their own time schedule for lost teeth.

Now fast forward, 4 boys later, none of which lost any teeth before 2nd grade. It has become a legend in the Fenn household that Fenn's just don't lose their teeth early. Along comes the princess, the only girl, and of course the one child who truly walks to the beat of her own drummer. She is in Kindergarten and in November she loses her first tooth. The boys about lost it, they were so mad, but they chalked it up to the fact that it must be a fluke. Now we are in March and she has lost her second tooth. Needless to say, they are livid and they now believe that the legend of Fenn's losing their teeth later is a bunch of baloney. She is paving a new trail and now the older ones think she may lose all of her teeth before they do!!

Sweetheart's Dance

2009-02-27T09:32:00.001-08:00

My oldest son got asked to another "girl ask guy" dance and they went last weekend. I love how they invite each other to dances with the posters all decorated with coded messages, it makes me laugh. It also makes my son have to get creative so he can answer the girl in a clever way. He actually comes up with some great ideas, I have to give him credit for being so creative at 16.

A group of kids from our ward went to this dance together. They had dinner at Donnie Mac's, went to the dance, and then ended up at one of the kid's houses for dessert. Our car was notimated as the vehicle to cart everyone off to the dance (I guess since it seats 9) and so my son got to drive. He was quite responsible and checked in with us several times that night by cell phone. I hope he continues to be this dependable and my other kids follow in his footsteps.

It's so cool to see him growing up and doing all of the things I did as a teenager, it also makes me feel a little old. Next year is his Senior year and I can't imagine the time when he won't be with us full time, okay I am getting misty so I am going to stop. What an awesome kid!!

Preschool Fun!

2009-02-18T10:11:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun at our preschool Valentine's party. The kids made cards for their families and little hearts out of beads and pipe cleaners. They were so funny, they all said "I can't do it" and then I said "Oh, sure you can, see" and then I took their hands and helped them put the beads on the pipe cleaner and then you could see the light bulb go on in their heads, "Oh, I see" they said. It is so cool when they learn something and you can see it in their eyes.

We had fun watching "Be My Valentine Charlie Brown" and eating treats while looking at the Valentine cards in their mailboxes. It was a blast and they all went home nice and "sugared up" which I'm sure their parents just loved!! I love teaching preschool!!!!

This is the day I married my friend

2009-02-02T12:11:00.000-08:00

It was this day 18 years ago that I married my husband. He has been the best and truest friend I ever could have hoped for. I am dedicating this post to him and here are 18 reasons why I would marry him all over again! (They are in no particular order but they are all great reasons).

1. He is kind
2. He loves kids
3. He is loyal
4. He is a hard worker
5. He makes me laugh
6. He loves his mother
7. He makes a great omelet
8. He is always happy when he wakes up in the morning (I'm not!)
9. He lets me choose the restaurant when we eat out
10. He is adventurous
11. He always gives someone the benefit of the doubt
12. He is a great father to our children
13. He still looks hot at 41!
14. He still thinks I look hot after 5 kids
15. He hates to see me cry and tries to make sure I never do
16. He is true to his faith
17. He is someone you can always count on
18. He loves me!

I made the best decision on February 2, 1991 to marry this man of mine and I would gladly do it again. Happy Anniversary honey and here's to the next 18 years, I'm sure they will be just as great!!

Winter Carnival

2009-02-01T15:48:00.000-08:00

We headed up to McCall this weekend for the Winter Carnival. It is a family tradition to go up there in Jan/Feb each year and freeze to death while we look at ice sculptures, we love it!! This year we met the Beath family up there (and nearly drove them crazy with our big bunch I'm sure) and hung out with them. We ate dinner at the Toll Station, breakfast at the Pancake House, did some swimming in the hotel pool and went up to the activity barn to go down hill tubing. Kids and adults alike had a great time!

It was hilarious to watch the chains they would make by attaching their tubes to each other and hear the screams of delight as they came thundering down the hill. They were all laughing too hard, not to mention pulling the tubes to the hill (except for my little girl who seemed to con everyone into giving her a ride while they pulled her up) to get cold and then we were all awarded with hot chocolate afterwards. While my 3rd little guy was riding down a slide in one of the ice sculptures, the Idaho Press Tribune took his picture as well as a statement from me, so he may be in the paper today who knows. The trip was definitely a must do again next year!!!!

I can't believe he's 14!

2009-01-26T13:54:00.000-08:00

It's amazing to see your first one grow up so fast, but when the second one grows up just as fast, it never ceases to blow your mind!

My second boy is now 14. He is such a fun kid (notice the shades he is wearing-just in case the flames from the candle were too bright). He had a great birthday, new cell phone, rip stick, games, etc. He also got to go with his 3 nutty friends to see "Inkheart". I love to celebrate my kid's birthdays!!

Tale as Old as Time

2009-01-12T10:32:00.000-08:00

Grammy sent money for Christmas for all of the kids and while the boys put their money towards "electronic" type purchases, my daughter and I decided to use ours to go and see "Beauty and the Beast". We went with my friend and her daughter (the girls are good friends) and it was a fun evening to be out just as "the girls". We laughed and cried and really enjoyed the characted "LeFou" the most, he was hilarious. We love Starlight Mountain Theatre, they do such a good job and we especially appreciate their winter performances because they are all right here in Boise.

Never a Dull Moment!

2009-01-09T08:49:00.001-08:00

I was going to post the Christmas pictures but we have already done so many things since then that it seemed kind of silly. My 3rd little guy just turned 11 on New Year's Eve (yes, he was my baby new year in 1997). He is growing up so fast and I can't seem to slow him down. Son number 4 has to promise to be my baby boy forever!

We had my little guy's party on December 30th and he had a great time with about 10 of his friends, playing video games, watching movies, eating lots of junk food, you know - the works! Then the next day we had a New Year's Eve party. We usually have a big bang with tons of people but we kept it kind of small this year, things are just kind of overwhelming for me this year. Since the party is always on his birthday, my son thinks that this party is a must have, so we did it but on a much smaller scale this year. Some of my really great friends came and one that I have been friends with for almost 14 years (she is pictured above with me). Our kids were just babies when we met and look at them now! My little girl is pictured with another friend's baby because if there is a baby within 100 yards she wants to hold it. She almost dropped this one though, that was a little scary!

Last night we went to Pack Meeting for cub scouts and it was my 11 year olds last time as a cub scout. He has graduated into Boy Scouts! He received his Arrow of Light which is the highest rank you can achieve in Cub Scouts (similar to the Eagle in Boy Scouts but on a much smaller scale). We were very proud of him! He ran right to the bathroom after the ceremony to watch the war paint off of his face though. Too funny!! I had to end out with a picture of my son and one of his best buds who he has known since we moved to this house. Such fun times, but truly never a dull moment in this busy family!!!

Catching up December

2008-12-30T14:33:00.000-08:00

Before I put Christmas pictures on here, I need to try and catch up on pictures for the month of December. We had so many activities during the month (before school got out) that it seemed we were running every night (and day). We had a school play (son number 4 played "Lewis" in the Lewis and Clark play), a school musical program (son number 3 sang Christmas songs and it was so cool!), a Christmas parade (where we froze to death while watching son number 1 play his trumpet - so fun!!), and finally my daughter and I went and watched Ballet Idaho perform The Nutcracker. Her best girl friend (I have to specify because she has a best boy friend too!) played a mouse in the ballet and it was so neat to watch her perform and the ballet dancers were excellent. Of course we can't forget the picture of my little girl on Santa's lap (the boys think they are all too big for this:(.

It has truly been a full month and that is not including the Christmas festivies which I will post later. On another note, my hubby and I have two foster kids now and so this brings our total to 7 children living in our home. I can't post pictures of them because that is against a VERY long list of rules we have to follow, but just know that they are darling and we enjoy having them in our home, but our workload is up a bit and this may cause me not to post as much or maybe I will post more to save my sanity!!

It's beginning to look a lot like....something?!

2008-12-17T11:32:00.000-08:00

It's great fun when your kids are old enough to do the Christmas light hanging by themselves (Dad was on the group supervising and directing) and my boys are just the two for the job. They love being up on the roof where they can break their necks.

Then we were off to the tree lot to pick out just the right one. The kids all have their own idea on which one is the perfect tree and I just give my seal of approval and go stand by the outside heater. We love to have a real tree, you can't beat that fresh tree smell!

Exciting Times!

2008-12-10T18:55:00.000-08:00

First she wore her dad down until he let her get her ears pierced and then she felt confident enough to ride her two wheeler without training wheels. Such exciting times! So much for a mom to handle in a week, she needs to slow down a little bit or I am going to feel like she will be off to college soon. She looks so cute with her little flower earrings though! I worried if she was old enough or responsible enough for it all but she is the one who reminds me to clean her earrings 3 times a day. She also remembers to wear her helmet on the bike (even if she has been reminded a few times) and now that she has a helmet that fits her (the one in the picture was bit big) she puts it on and buckles up every time. My little girl is growing up!

I got tagged

2008-12-01T09:04:00.000-08:00

10 years ago I was
1) Living in an apartment
2) Busy with 3 very little kids
3) Managing an apartment building-yikes!
4) Dreaming of a house
5) Happy!

5 things on my "To-do" list today
1) clean the fish bowls
2) take the kids to the dentist
3) water the plants
4) make the gingerbread house with the kids
5) Laundry (the daily grind!)

5 snacks that I enjoy
1) Carmel with a little apple dipped in
2) Pretzels
3) Popcorn
4) Girl Scout cookies
5) Anything chocolate

5 things I would do if I was a millionaire
1) Pay off student loans
2) Pay off my house
3) Share with both families (mine and his)
4) Take a Disney Cruise with my husband and kids
5) Give a bunch to my favorite charities

5 jobs I have had
1) Dental Assistant
2) Secretary
3) Human Resources Manager
4) Teacher
5) Mom (by far my favorite)

5 places I have lived
1) New York
2) Texas
3) New Jersey
4) California
5) Idaho

5 people I tag are
1) Jen
2) Jamie
3) Shandy
4) Stacie
5) Amber

They grow up so fast!

2008-11-18T11:39:00.001-08:00

Okay, I swear this kid was just a year old yesterday and then he was off to Kindergarten. Could it be that he is now already 16 years old and going out on dates?! I can't believe it my oldest is old enough to date and just went to his first school dance. It was girl ask boy (in my day that was called Sadie Hawkins but I guess this was called Harvest dance).

It was so cute, about 2 weeks before the dance a huge poster board arrived on our door step with a box if goldfish crackers. On the poster board the invitation was written to the dance in a really cute way and then inside the cracker box was the name of the girl who asked him (but first he had to dig through all of the crackers (coming up empty several times with notes that said "keep looking"). Once this was done, he had to come up with a way to answer her that was just as clever. He went and bought a goldfish and put it in a bowl and covered the outside of the bowl with swedish fish candy (under one of these gummy fish was his answer). I thought that was clever.

They had a great time at the dance and went with 7 other couples. Their day date was a scavenger hunt at the mall and all 16 kids participated. Fun stuff! I can't believe how fast they grow. I remember being 16 like it was yesterday and now my kid is that old!!!

Disney on Ice

2008-11-08T15:07:00.000-08:00

While my husband took our 4 sons camping last night, my daughter and I went to see "Disney on Ice". Now Disney always puts on a good show, we love their movies, and their parades are amazing. This show was no exception. They had numbers from most of the popular movies, from Toy Story to Pinocchio. All of the princesses (with their princes) were represented which my daughter loved. I snapped a few pictures and before you look at them, I am warning you that my camera isn't very good (especially for far away shots). Hint hint to the husband - I need a new camera honey!! There is a picture of the Disney gang, the Lion King w/ Timon & Pumba, the grand finale where all of the characters were on the ice, and then finally a picture of me and my little princess. It was a really fun night!!

Preschool Halloween Party

2008-10-31T10:37:00.001-07:00

We had our preschool Halloween party yesterday and the kids had a blast! We had two princesses (one peach and one pink - now don't get that confused because they will remind you!), a soldier, a dragon, a ballerina, Spiderman, and Ironman. We decorated a haunted house, played Halloween Bingo, watched "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown", and had lots of treats to eat. It's hard to believe that this is my job - to play with kids! Who knew!! My other job is to hang out with teenagers (teaching Driver's Education). What a life! I'm so glad I got my teaching degree, I truly never have to grow up!! Happy Halloween everyone!!!!!

Pumpkin Carving late into the night

2008-10-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

Even though it was almost 9:00 when we got home from the Simmons going away party last night, we began our pumpkin carving. Monday is the only night that we are together as a family these days (some one is running in another direction every other day of the week). So as tradition holds, I let my children weild knives and work drills to carve their masterpieces.

My oldest carved a sinister face, my second boy made his look like "The Joker" on the new Batman movie (even with the bloody scars), the third son gave his a hat and made him a "gangster", my youngest just made a cute face and my little daughter carved her whole face (she needed a little help with the mouth) by herself. They all put their creativity into the project. What other night do I allow my children to stab something with a carving knife? They loved it! For anyone who hasn't discovered the tool that you connect to your drill to "de-gut" the pumpkin, it is worth it's weight in gold. No more yucky hands for me!

The kids were exhausted by the time we finished (thus the reason why my daugher is bawling in the group picture when the pumpkins were complete). It was difficult to get up this morning for school, but hey - Halloween only comes once a year right?!

GO MAVS!

2008-10-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

Mountain View's marching band did so well at the District III competition on Saturday! They won first place in their division for percussion, marching, and music, second place for auxiliary (color guard) and second place overall (that is against 30 other schools). They were so awesome to watch!!

Their band director was so cute, she was jumping up and down and going "whew!" and that is something because if you know her she is very reserved and doesn't get too excited very often. It was such a great night for this marching band who have worked incredibly hard since August! My son is going to be so happy to have a much deserved break for a few months (after practice 2-3 times a week, games and competitions) until pep band starts. I am so proud of my musical son! Go Mavericks!!!

The Quirky Tag

2008-10-22T10:31:00.001-07:00

Okay my best friend tagged me and so I guess I better do this!

6 things about me that are quirky:

1. I am always cold no matter what the weather is (unless it is 100 degrees and I am in the sun) so I always take a sweater to the movies even in the summer time and I wear socks to bed!

2. The last thing I do before I go to bed is go to the bathroom, even if I just went 5 minutes ago. I think this is a mental throw back from when I was a kid and we weren't allowed out of bed once we were tucked in even if we had to go to the bathroom (I had many accidents as a little kid and then I became paranoid!)

3. I have to do my own laundry. If someone else does it I am afraid they will shrink my clothes or not get the stains out before they go in the washer. Again, I think this is a paranoid throw back from my childhood.

4. I won't go to bed with a sink full of dirty dishes. I hate the way my kitchen smells in the morning if there are dirty dishes in the sink.

5. I am always lighting candles and spraying febreeze around my house. I am super worried that my house will smell like it is full of a bunch of boys - oh wait, it is full of a bunch of boys!

6. I am a romantic through and through. I cry at sappy movies and romantic books, even if it is so obvious how they are going to turn out. I love a happy ending, chick flicks, and the hallmark commercials always get me bawling.

Okay, so those are the quirky things about me and now after writing them I am wondering if Tiffany is right about me being a little OCD! I tag - Shandy, Julie, Jen, and Jamie (but only if you want to do it!)

My Kids Are Amazing

2008-10-18T16:07:00.001-07:00

My kids just love to dress up, every Sunday they jump out of bed and say, "yeah mom we get to put our Sunday clothes on!" Okay, can you hear my voice dripping with sarcasm? My kids despise getting dressed up. What they love more than anything is an old t-shirt and ripped jeans. What kid doesn't?! Well today, we went down to the green belt and had our family pictures taken. Christmas is around the corner and I want to me sure we got the pictures taken outside before it gets too cold. So if there is one thing my kids dislike more than dressing up, it is taking pictures. Once when they were little and we took pictures at Sears, Skyler knocked Kyle off of the table they were sitting on and we had tears for over an hour! They were so good about taking their pictures today though. We got them done in under a half hour and they even posed for me in front our house when we got home. They are so awesome!

Preschool at the Patch

2008-10-09T11:42:00.001-07:00

Although it was absolutely freezing today, we had a field trip to the pumpkin patch for my preschool class. Who knew it was going to freeze overnight? We had shorts on a few days ago and now it is parkas, hats, and gloves. Yikes! The kids were such troopers though. We were riding on the hay ride to see the pumpkin patch and all of the animals and they were saying, "Teacher, this is fun" while their teeth were chattering. They were all very independent about picking out their own pumpkins and we ended up with one that looked a little more like a gourd. I love their independence!!

They are such a fun group and are really starting to get the routine down. We have gone from a rag tag motley crew to a true preschool class in just two short months. Aren't they adorable? I just love them! All of the hugs and "I love you teacher" just make my day. Thanks to the fantastic parents who braved the cold to come with us, you ladies are my heroes!

Home Science Experiment

2008-10-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

I was outside this afternoon re-arranging the pumpkins by the front door and doing a little Halloween decorating and my eyes fell upon this movement by one of the pumpkins. I almost jumped out of my skin, but then I realized that it was a little caterpillar. I was so excited! I thought this will be a great opportunity to do a little "Home Science Experiment" with my kids. When I was a kid we were always catching caterpillars and putting them in jars and watching them turn in to butterflies. So I grabbed a mason jar, drilled some holes in the top, put some leaves and grass in the jar, and plunked in Mr. Caterpillar.

I have no idea what this species of caterpillar is (it is green like the grass so it may be hard to see in the picture, it is sitting on the grass at the bottom of the jar) and so I don't know how long we have to wait before it spins a cocoon or how long it will be before it becomes a butterfly. If anyone has some expertise on this subject and wants to pass it on, I would be thrilled. I looked on-line, but there are so many green ones I coudn't identify ours. If he actually lives and makes it to a butterfly (if the kids don't shake his brains up by looking at the jar constantly) I will post his picture when it happens. Here's to a little home science :)

Pumpkin Patch Fun!

2008-09-29T19:57:00.000-07:00

Last year about a week before Halloween we went to the pumpkin patch to get pumpkins and it was absolutely freezing. I rushed the kids through the patches and told them just to grab whatever pumpkin they saw. We sat on the hay ride shivering and tried to smile for the camera but it was impossible. After we paid we sat at the picnic tables to have a snack and our hot cocoa turned cold in just moments. I was so miserable that we were barely there for an hour and I wanted to go home.

This year I approached the experience with much more wisdom. Yes it is only September 29th, but who says you can go pumpkin hunting in September? It was absolutely gorgeous outside, sunny and 75 degrees. I thought we were in California again. The hay ride was glorious, we walked through the pumpkin patches taking our time to pick out the perfect pumpkin. The kids rode rides, we took our time weighing and paying for our pumpkins. We sat down at the picnic tables and had popcorn, donuts, and icy cold sodas. It was a joyous family night out and I left there after 2 hours with a huge smile on my face. Obviously I don't like being cold. I highly recommend Linder Farms to anyone who wants to enjoy a family night, but don't wait too long the cold weather will be here shortly. We already have our pumpkins though and I couldn't be happier!!

What do you Celebrate? Rain maybe?

2008-09-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

We went to the Women's Fitness Celebration on Saturday and walked the 5K. Yes, we did it in the rain. It was so funny! It rained all Friday night and I kept saying, "Surely it won't rain anymore, it never rains in Boise very long." When we got in the car at 7:00 am it looked pretty bleak outside and there was thunder roaring and lightning streaking the sky. I turned to my ya-ya sister and said, "I'm sure this will stop before we start walking." I mean really, she came all the way from Utah to visit and this was her first time doing the fitness celebration. We went over and picked up our third participant and drove on to the mall.

My cell phone starts ringing and I answer to my crazy friend who says, "I'm not sure if we are coming there is a lot of thunder out there." I told her to quit being a chicken and get with the program. She said she was on her way. As we sit in the parking lot at the mall awaiting the other 6 participants in our party thunder roars and a huge lightning bolt crashes across the sky. My cell phone starts ringing again. I answer and all I can hear is "Yeah, we're out!" So now we are a party of 3. We board the bus to go downtown for the walk and as soon as we exit it begins to rain. We pull out our umbrellas and say, "Surely it won't rain long, it's Boise!" 2 hours and 2.3 miles later it is still raining and we are soaked to the bone. We had such a fun time though. We grabbed our free-bee breakfast at the park and headed for the shuttles back to the mall. That was the least I have seen of Ann Morrison park after a 5K walk in the last 10 years, but I had seen enough rain.

Well here's to next year. Surely it won't rain again, its Boise right?!

Guess What Teacher?

2008-09-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

It's so funny to listen my preschool kids tell me stories. You never know what you will get what you hear "Guess What Teacher". Here are some of the comments I hear.

A.R. says "Teacher my kitty bit my foot!" What did you do this weeknd A.R.? "I played house."

H.L. says "Teacher I got a new game and I played it this morning" What did you do this weekend H.L.? "I already told you, I got a new game!"

M.O. says "Teacher I have a dog named Pongo, he is under the computer table". What did you do this weekend M.O. "There was a tree monster in my room and my dad scared her away."

P.S. says "Teacher, I'm going small!" (this means the swing is slowing down, come and push me) Also "Come and see what is on the slide, it's a HUGE bug!"

P.H. says "Babies don't live on farms." What did you do this weekend P.H. "I did a project!"

M.H. says "Teacher it rained two days ago" What did you do this weekend M.H. "I played Candyland with my family."

R.M. says "Teacher I ate my mom's birthday cake" What did you do this weekend R.M. "My cousin bit me!" (uh-oh)

S.E. is very quiet but when I ask, What did you do this weekend S.E. "I baked a cake with my mom"

Now each of these "teacher" comments, starts out "Guess what teacher" and it is so funny to hear what comes afterwards. I love their stories, they always make me laugh. I wonder which ones are true and which ones are dreamed up. I'm sure the moms all know the histories behind these silly comments, but for me they just makes me think "hmmm, what wild imaganations".

Images of Summer

2008-09-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law just sent some pictures from her camera that she took in July when she was here visiting. We had great fun with them! It's always awesome for cousins to re-connect when they live so far away. The picture of the kids with the snake was actually taken last summer (2007) when we went to visit them. We took a walk on the Venice boardwalk (where the freaks come out during the day and night!) and the boys were so brave to pose with this snake and their two cousins. My daughter wouldn't go near this snake and neither would I! Summer fun!! I will miss those lazy crazy days............

Another Great Preschool Day!

2008-09-09T11:11:00.000-07:00

These kids are so fun! They had such a ball at recess today that it was hard to go in and do the rest of our projects. It is fun to watch them having such a good time. Oh to be young again! They were so funny, they had a "I love you Miss Nicole" contest. They were trying to figure who could say it the most. So sweet!!

Blog Award!

2008-09-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

This is so funny to me because I think my blog is so blah! My good friend from Utah decided to give me an award and I will take it. It is so rare when I get an award!

Here are some people that I would like to nominate for a blog award.

My sweet friend Jamie whose blog is always so fun and she even includes slide shows of her kids.

My friend Jen whose blog cracks me up with all of her funny stories about her family (except for maybe the one where her husband had a compound fracture on his foot - that was a little gross but very interesting!)

My friend Julie whose blog is both educational and fun to look at and she is just such an awesome person to know.

My friend Staci who finds the most interesting pictures to put on her blog even pictures of people she doesn't know, but they are always funny.

Finally the woman who gave me the award, she is so awesome and her blog boggles the mind, because you never know what you will find. Today she had pictures of her botched hair do from the beauty school, now that is brave! We need to get you an appointment with TJ, Queenie!

Now nominate your friends and come and get your award from my blog!

Tag You're It!

2008-09-03T11:36:00.000-07:00

Four Places that I go Over and Over
1. Church
2. School
3. The Laundry Room
4. Wal-Mart

Four Places I'd Rather Be
1. Disneyland
2. On a Cruise (even though I have never been on one, I think I would like it!)
3. Visiting my family in CA or FL
4. Reading a book on a beach

Four People I talk to on a Regular Basis
1. Tonya
2. My Mother
3. The Husband
4. Tammy (via e-mail)

Four Places I like to Eat
1. McGrath's
2. Donnie Mac's Trailer Park Cuisine (sweet potato fries-yum!)
3. Saigon Grille
4. Cancun

Four People I Tag
1. Jamie
2. Julie
3. Staci
4. Mom

My New Preschool Class

2008-09-02T11:34:00.001-07:00

Aren't they cute! I have eight 3 year olds this year. They were all over the place today. It was a crack up and so different from my group of 4 year olds last year. It was great though because last year those 4 year olds did their own thing and didn't really need much direction. These kids are fresh and new and ready to learn. They all got along beautifully. Once we get rid of the wiggles, they are going to be perfect. I love them already! Preschool is great fun!

A friendship that lasts

2008-09-01T19:11:00.000-07:00

Our great friends came to visit us from Utah for the weekend. We had so much fun! The guys played games and the girls had a "chick night". We went swimming, visited and the kids played and played. What a wonderful blessing to have such choice friends for the last 10+ years. How we miss them and wish they lived closer! Thank goodness for e-mail and blogging so we can stay close through modern technology. We love you guys!

Our New Nephew

2008-09-01T18:41:00.001-07:00

This is the newest member of the family on my husband's side (his brother's son). He was born about a month ago and he is so cute! What a sweet baby! My kids enjoyed holding him and getting to see how little they once were.

It was so funny. They would ask to hold him and when he started to cry they would say, "Mom take him" and then when I got him calm and happy, they would say, "Mom I want to hold him, he's being good now!" Kids are so funny. What a joy, to see a little piece of heaven in our arms.

Hurray for Scouting!

2008-08-29T15:01:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of my boys, they are all scouts. My oldest son is an Eagle Scout, my second son is a Life Scout (the rank before Eagle), my third son just got 4 pins toward his Webelo badge, and my fourth son just earned his Bear badge as well as several arrow points. They are such amazing kids! I love the scouting program, it truly takes boys and makes them into responsbile young men. They learn so much and I get to be a part of that because I am the Bear den leader right now. Hats off to the person who started this inspired program!

The First Day of School

2008-08-25T09:29:00.001-07:00

Everyone told me that this day would be so excited and I would have so much freedom. Well, I think they left something out. This is the hardest day I have had since I first became a mother 16 years ago. Every year when I send them off to school I am sad, it is bittersweet. I miss them, but I know they love school. Well this year was so much different! Sending my last one off to school was so hard. I put on a brave face for her because she was so excited, but after she went into her classroom, I cried the whole way home. I'm not sure why I even put make up on this morning because it is all gone. I got pictures of the youngest 3 (the older two were gone before I was up and together) and they are so cute! Oh, how I miss them!!

My mom

2008-08-25T09:22:00.000-07:00

My mom was here for 2 weeks (she brought the cousins with her. We had such a great time. My mom is such a great woman. She gives me such strength and is always there when I need her. She has always been a force in my life, but as I get older, she has become a very good friend. I love her so much. Thanks for being such a great mother mom!!

Cousins!

2008-08-25T09:08:00.001-07:00

We had such a great time with our cousins from California (my sister's kids). We floated the river, went to the Discovery Center, to the drive in, rode in Paddle boats at the park, a baseball game, swimming at Eagle Island and the pool, and had an un-birthday party for everyone all together. They were here for two weeks and we had so much fun that it was hard to see them go. We love our cousins!!!

Going to see the Hawks

2008-08-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

We went to see the Hawk's game with our California cousins. It was fun and we even got a picture with Humphrey the Hawk. The boys were rooting for our team, but we lost by one point. It was fun to go and sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" and eat popcorn on a warm summer evening. What a great summer we are having!

Return to the 80's!

2008-08-16T08:33:00.000-07:00

We went to a friend's 40th birthday party and it was 80's themed. Everyone dressed in 80's clothes and it was funny to see so many friends and how they looked in high school. What we found so amazing is that we only had to go into our closet to find clothes to wear (have we kept our clothes for that long?!) It was a fun party with 80's karaoke and games to go along with TV shows and music from that era. A great time was had by all!!

The Memories Game

2008-08-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

Memories... I have loved thinking about my favorite memories for everyone who is playing, here are the rules, cut and paste them if you are playing.

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

This should be fun!

Twin Falls Temple Trip

2008-08-05T08:12:00.000-07:00

Last Friday our family took a trip to Twin Falls to tour the new temple. What a beautiful building it is! It was such a privelage to get to see it with my husband and kids. We also met our best friends there (from SLC) and made a day out of it. After our tour we went to lunch, saw Shoshone Falls (with actual water in it for once!) and went to the lake and swam. It was a great day! It made us remember how much we miss our friends, but also made us grateful for the day we had to spend with them. If you have the chance you should go down to Twin Falls to tour the temple, tours will only last for two more weeks. Enjoy it!

Two Parties - One Day

2008-07-28T17:01:00.001-07:00

A Hawaiin party wouldn't be complete without a cake with a palm tree on it. (Little sister had to get in on the picture). It's not easy when your oldest and youngest children have birthdays 5 days apart, but we all learn to be flexible and they both had great parties!

The 16th birthday party was too much fun! We had a luau/swimming party. Who knew teenagers could be cool to hang out with. They played sing star, guitar hero, went swimming, and of course ate! Their was a lot of Hawaiin food to eat and we decked out the clubhouse with Hawaiin decor. It was a late night, but a party worth all of the work.

We started out the morning with a 5 year old birthday party. Crafts, musical chairs, freeze dancing, and limbo. What a day! The kids had a ball and the birthday princess was on top of the world.

What could be better than a tinkerbell cake?

I love how they can make cupcakes into a cake now. Serving the kids is so much simpler and there is not yucky mess. Yay!

Family!

2008-07-28T16:53:00.000-07:00

My husband's family was here for a few days and we finally got a picture with all of the cousins in it (except the one that is being born right now!) It was a late night and we were at it until midnight, but we got the pictures. It was fun to spend time with the cousins and all of the aunts and uncles and grandma. We went to Eagle Island and went swimming, had lunch in the Basque district and did a carne asada/chile relleno night at Grandma's house. Family is so fun and we wish we all lived closer so we could spend more time together, but being far away makes the time together even more special!

This family picture was quite the effort. The timer kept going off before the "photographer" got into the photo. It was too funny! The result, a family picture with all 22 members in it.

Wedding in Tennessee

2008-07-26T14:05:00.000-07:00

I just returned from the wedding of my cousin in Tennessee. It was so wonderful to see so many famiily members I hadn't seen in 14 years. Why is it that we wait until a marriage or even a death to see our loved ones? I don't know the answer to that, but it was so good to see those so many that I love in the same place at the same time. I have inserted a picture of me, my mom, and my aunt at the wedding and another with the happy couple. Don't they look so cute! Aah young love! It makes me remember my own wedding over 17 years ago, where does the time go...................

Aren't they photogenic?! I don't think I was ever that young!

You've Got a Friend in Me!

2008-07-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

Friends are the essense of life! If they are near or far, it doesn't matter. I have such a great group of friends, I just don't know how I would navigate my life without them. This picture reflects just a few of my friends, but two who are so dear to my heart. One is my Ya-Ya sister who is my kindred spirit and probably should have been born into the same family as me. The other is my crazy always there when I need her friend who puts up with all of my stuff on a daily basis. To all my friends out there who have touched my life, I love you gals!! You are the best!

Memorial Day

2008-07-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

On Memorial Day we went to a friend's house for an annual breakfast (yum!). It was great to see old friends and visit. The boys all dressed in their scouts uniforms and Jason (family friend) who is currently in the military wore his uniform. It was great to see them together looking all official. What a beautiful day!

2008-07-02T19:04:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I spent two years with thes cute kids! They are kindergartners now. How I will miss them. Especially my daughter. Next year I have a brand new class of 3 year olds. What a cute age!

Hot Summer Days

2008-07-02T16:27:00.001-07:00

After reading many blogs from friends, I have decided that I need to get on board. I have so many people I love to keep in touch with, but no time to e-mail each one. This seems like a good way to keep people updated.

Boise is hot in the summer, but this year it seems that "old lady summer" is hitting the heat button as fast as she can. We went from a cold winter to hot summer with very little if any spring in between. I love spring, it is my favorite time of the year and I didn't get to enjoy it this year. Heat is good for one thing though and that is cooling off in the pool. Luckily we have one of those in our neighborhood and we are there quite often. Who knows, maybe this summer I will actually get a tan!