It is CRAZY what a little motivation will do to you.

Tonight we had homemaking, I mean, family, home and personal enrichment, no, enrichment, oh that's right Relief Society Meeting. I've been planning on going for a few weeks but I wasn't really in the mood to go this evening, but the alternative to staying home and finishing dinner, homework, dishes etc. was less appealing. There was a class on digital scrapbooking that I did want to go to so I hopped in the shower, changed out of my pajamas and said good-bye to all motherly responsibilities and left. What a great feeling that is sometimes.

I always feel for the teachers in these meetings because you put a few women together and there is bound to be a lot of talking and laughing. Tonight, Stephanie did a great job teaching and motivating.

When I got home the dishes were in deed done, thanks to Justin, the girls were in bed waiting for me to come in and say good night to them, thanks to Brett. All I had to do was get ready for bed and go to sleep. But there was a problem...I wasn't tired. I kept trying to talk to Brett but he was trying to go to bed. He suggested I go take Buddy for a walk around the neighborhood or atleast lie down so that I might have a better chance at sleeping. But I just couldn't.

Did I mention that Stephanie did a great job motivating me? Infact she did such a great job motivating that I have spent the last 2 hours doing digital scrapbooking. It is now past 1:00 am and the alarms for seminary will be going off in 4 hours and 10 minutes. Brandon is definately not getting a hot breakfast tomorrow. I'll probably make his sandwich and go back to bed.

There might be alot of gramatical errors and rambling going on during this post but it is Stephanie's fault for doing a great job tonight.

Good night!

Evil wins out

I am sitting in the office and the doorbell just rang, twice to be exact. The window in the office is right by the front door so I saw that it was the missionaries. I really do enjoy the missionaries in our ward, but they are at my house quite a bit. I've been cleaning all day long so I'm still in my pj's, no bra, no make up. It is 1:30 in the afternoon and only me, my dog, and my mom are home so they can't come in. As I am hustling to get things done my mind thinks: 1. oh man, I don't want to stop what I'm doing 2. it is cold and windy outside and I don't want to get cold 3. seriously, there isn't anything I can do for them right now is there So, the evil part of me wins out. I scoot close to the desk so they hopefully can't see me and I proceed to type this post. After a few minutes Buddy came and sat down beside me. I knew I was safe to move around because Buddy wouldn't leave the window if someone was standing there. And just in case you've ever knocked on my door and nobody answered. I don't usually do this, unless you are selling something or the missionaries on my cleaning day. You will also know to look in the window to see if I am at my computer.

A Grandma? Seriously?!?

So, I am usually a really hard sleeper. Once I kiss Brett good night I am out until my alarm wakes me up in the morning. What happened last night then when I was up from 2-6? My mind kept thinging about life being so crazy. Then I started to think about the fact that I'll be 40 next month. I have no problem with the idea of being 40. It is kind of exciting to me to see what this new decade will bring. The more I thought about it though, the more I couldn't believe all the changes that will happen before I reach 50. This new decade is going to be amazing.

1. All 4 kids will be graduated from high school.

2. Brandon and Justin will have served their missions and Kelsey could be on one.

3. Brandon, Justin and Kelsey could all have their bachelors degrees. And Emily would have 1 year of college under her belt.

4. Brandon and Justin could be married, Kelsey as well since I was married at 20.

5. Then the thought hit me like a brick...I could be a GRANDMA!!! Seriously?!?

Next, I started thinking about how much I need to improve in so many areas of my life in order to be a good influence on my kids while they are going through such huge changes.

Life has gone by so quickly and it keeps speeding up on me. It seems I am never home. With volunteering, errands, sports, sports, and more sports, as well as music lessons and church callings it is amazing we ever sit down to dinner as a family. But, all this will go away too quickly. I know everyone has the same busy life, but will I remember all the moments I don't want to forget? I love the phase of life I am in right now. I love my teenagers and I love my girls at their ages. And, most of all I love where Brett and I are at this point in our lives.

Note to self for next year: Remember it is impossible to get the whole family together in the months of November and December. Between Brandon's basketball, Justin's soccer and church assignments the first time to get together with it light outside was on Dec. 19.

Once again I'm late with mailing out Christmas cards.

I haven't posted since May and a million things have happened that have made 2009 a fabulous year. Too much to catch up on...lucky you.

I look back over the year and see how my children have grown both in size and in character and wonder if the same is happening to me as far as who I am. As the years fly by faster and faster I hope I'll be able to keep up with my kids as they learn and grow. How sad to be the same person year after year. There are so many ways to improve, hopefully I'll grasp on to some of them.

Here's to a fabulous 2010!!!

Wait...stop...time is going too quickly!!! (still)

As the weeks go by in a flash, I get more and more behind on things and forget things I'm really looking forward to. (Like the VT luncheon this past Thursday, darn it.) If I wrote about the things that have happened in the last 2 months I would be even more behind than I am now. So I decided to just move forward. My kids are healthy, happy and the bright spots in my life so the craziness that I find myself in because of them is worth it. I'm posting a picture of them all together, which is rare, all with smiles on their faces, which is also rare, and syrup on the dogs head. That is a bonus. Atleast the kids got a got breakfast that morning.

I've been picture tagged--and I was honest!!!

This is the 6th folder and the 6th picture. Would I lie about a picture like this. I thought of using a different one, but good grief, I can own up to the picture. Each year on our anniversary we take a picture of Brett and me. This picture was taken in Dec. 2007 while I'm putting my jewelry on for the actual picture. Thanks Mendie!!! Atleast your picture was of Kenzie on her birthday. I tag Teri Esplin, Kimberlie Hall, Amy Hatch, Jen Kesler, Stacy Rhineer and Clarissa Campbell.

New Form of Punishment

This past Presidents Day the boys had slept in late, ate breakfast in front of Sports Center and then went up to shower and get ready for the day, or so I thought. It turned out they started fighting with each other. Not the fist fight kind of fight, but the kind where goofing off and horse play goes a little to far. Well, I didn't want that on a day where we were all supposed to be home having fun together. After calling Brett at work about what to do, (he doesn't necessarily like that type of call), he suggested I have the boys pull out the two big ugly bushes in the front that needed to come out. Brilliant!!! I told the boys what they needed to do and they did it. The boys got to work quickly since they had plans with friends in a few hours, and I got the bushes removed...next time this happens I might have a freshly swept out garage or the rocks moved for our garden area.