No Coal For this house!

Well we did it we all made it on the nice list this year, so there was no coal delivery here! Some times I wonder how my 3 kids stay on that nice list they must be related to Santa or something, he must have a soft spot when it comes to my kids( doesn't every parent).

Well like I said it has come and gone but we sure had a great Christmas. The kids didn't even wake up till about 8am( what good children) well Mik got up about 2am and started shouting " it's Christmas, It's Christmas" I told him to be quite and go back to bed and he did, no problem(if the girls would have heard him it would have been over). Later I found out he had already been out and seen that Santa had already come, sneaky kid!

I think the kids got everything on their list's and then some! Kinzie & Halli got bikes so now we can retire the little trikes that they still ride and there poor knees hit the handles with every peddle, but they sure have been good little bikes, they said baby Preston( sorry Amy) can have them, they always want to give him everything, well if you want one you can have one at least they are not pink!

Retired Trikes

They also got puppy's in a bag or as Scott calls them doggy bags. They play with them all day and I think everything they got for Christmas is in the bag with the toy dog, excluding the larger items of course( bike, scooter, board games).

Our little stud got a real Basketball hoop this year so move over little tike's this boy is in the big league now! This is what he really wanted even over the Nintendo DS I was shocked! Hey any day I will take that answer! He also got a telescope( NERD) A paper air plane book and more I think one of his gifts is my favorite gift and I am always stealing it from him and that is Cosmic catch, you have to try it is is the funnest game ever and the family can play it is kinda like Simon but with a ball, check it out at the store it is so worth the money! Me and Scott didn't do much this year but we got each other a few things I got some ugh boots and some other fun things and Scott got a Cabela's gift card and his traditional things from the kids DR. Pepper, cookies, and so on. That has become a tradition for the kids to wrap some Dr. Pepper and things and put them under the tree it is just something silly!

We are so lucky that we got a perfect white Christmas this year, to bad it all had to be shoveled and snow blown because that snow blower just about took of my Dad's finger, YUP ER visit on Christmas day, well it made for a memorable Christmas! And it was gross! We won't go in to detail because I will probably faint just writing about it! Note Snow blower vs. fingers snow blower wins that is why there is caution stickers all over it! The ER saw a few that day, so my Dad doesn't feel that dumb!

Oh I forgot Christmas Eve, of course we did the P.J. thing and then watched a movie and popped home made popcorn! YUM! oh and we had to make more sugar cookies for Santa since the 3-4 dozen we had made 2 days before seemed to vanish! Seems we have to little cookie monsters in our house. Hint they look exactly the same. * Kinzie & Halli

And down Comes the Ginger Bread House!

Fa la la la la la la la laaaaaa!

Where do I start? Well I guess I better start off with a Merry Christmas, and for those of you that are expecting your annual West Family Christmas card edition 2008 I am sorry but they are coming just a little late this year I have them done and just need to get them sent out. I know a little late this year! Oh well. So maybe you will get them a little after Christmas but it is the thought that counts right! They got put on hold during finals then those were over and then the whole house was sick except for me.

OK so yes I have turned one year older ( and wiser?) On my birthday I got the opportunity a couple times to have the honor of cleaning up throw up, and doing laundry, what more could I have asked for! The flu or what ever it was circled through our house a few times, I think it is finally gone, just in time!

Mik had his 1st grade program, it was the Grinch that stole Christmas I couldn't see or hear anything, good thing we took the video camera so I could watch it later, there were to many little kids crying and running all over it was crazy( And rude) He was so excited for it and it is so fun that he knows all the songs in the movie. The kids are getting so big I love to hear the girls just bust out a Christmas song, right words or not it is fun to hear them get in to the spirit of Christmas.

We have done a few Christmas activities we went and saw the lights at the Salt Lake Temple Which is a tradition the kids find it fascinating year after year. This week we made a gingerbread house and they all had fun licking there fingers and eating the candy.

Here in Utah it has been snowing the past few days and the kids are having a blast playing in all the fluffy snow and eating it! They were so excited to get out and go sledding finally since they have been asking for weeks when they were going to be able to go sledding it was nice to finally tell them they could! Mik and Halli could live in the snow Kinzie she would rather the snow be warm but she will get out there for a few minutes. Mostly she likes the things that come along with the cold weather, like scarfs and gloves and boots and anything that goes along with fashion.

The kids have been so crazy about there list to Santa I can't tell how many I have printed off because they have either gotten lost or to wrinkled. We mailed some off to Santa and now we are finding all sorts of things in envelops in the mail box from the girls seems they are trying to send Santa everything they can. Well this has paid off today we received a letter from Santa even Stamped from the North Pole. Wow Santa sure is nice to take the time and send 3 kids a letter.

Well as we get ready for the big day we hope you all are well and blessed with the spirit of Christmas in your homes, and remember the true meaning of giving and what we have been given in this life! Merry Christmas

Puzzles

The girls are crazy about puzzles right now here is one we found.

Quick note

I am almost done with school for the semester just finished my final projects and now I just have one final left. I just thought I would Show of few pics I put in my portfolio for my final it was on Downtown Salt Lake City. It was really yucky outside every time I went down there but they turned out OK. Well I will be breathing normal by next Wednesday. Tiff I hope yours are going well to I will talk to you soon, Miss you!

Everything But Nothing

That is exactly what has been going on at our house Everything but nothing! With in the past few weeks we have started Gymnastics ( Kinzie & Halli ), packed, Packed and packed, study, studied and studied, worked, and moved, and of course all the other day to day stuff and things I have forgotten, because my memory is full.

Life like I always say is busy but has managed to get bussier. Trying to pack a house by yourself and trying to fit in school during the last 2 weeks of school is incredible stupid. I have 2 large final projects due this next week then Final exams the next week, and we had to be out by the 1st so it was better to get it over with.

I know you didn't even know we were moving, well we did give our notice 2 months ago hoping to find a place, and we did we just can't move in till the middle of December. so our stuff had to go into storage for a few weeks, our life is never normal like others we can't ever move on smoothly. But we are use to it I guess you can say. So we are back at the parents for a few weeks (Thanks Mom & Dad)!

The kids are getting ready for the holidays and can't wait to get into the house to celebrate them, of course the girls want everything they see, an Mik is wishing for a Nintendo DS and a Basketball hoop along with anything BYU of course.

Note: If you saw the BYU vs. Utah game don't say anything this may strike a nerve and you may get hurt by a 7 year old BYU fan!

So along with our crazy week my phone was on the Fritz and to make a long story short changing providers and should be up and running this week, along with that our lap top just shut down while I was putting together my power point presentation for Architecture, nice like I need this right now so I let it sit for a couple hours nothing would not even turn back on, so as tech savvy as I am I decided to investigate I got on our desktop and googled somethings and after doing a few little minor surgeries we are up and running again. I was shocked and had to give my self a high 5 for a job well done! ( do not attempt at home)

Next good thing( or not) I got out of school early so on the way home I thought I would check out the new store that opened on the way home, so I looked around a bit and headed out, was in a good mood and thought I would just take some back roads home, Bad idea, I got a ticket, I know nice I was out in the middle of nowhere and thought I would be OK well I guess in the middle of the farm area it is only 25mph apparently during the day kids are always crossing back and forth I guess the cop didn't notice it was 9:30 at night and those farm kids were in bed! What the heck if there are no street lights or signs it should be rural not residential! 42 in a 25. I can also blame my parents for the lead foot I inhereted it is hereditary you know. well that is $80 taken out of the Christmas budget!

Anyways here is my attempt for some Christmas pictures that we will be doing over and this time I will make sure Scott is their with me to help with the melt downs!

Going to bed crying!

I know we all have all put our kids to bed crying before, but who would have thought that it would be over the election. I don't know if this is a good thing or not I think Mik might have know more about the election then I did this year. That just shows there is way to much TV ads for the election( Waste of money)in my opinion.

So this sad little boy stayed up till john McCain decided to concede he just was so upset and in tears to her the news. He told me that he didn't want him to win because some how he learned about Obama's, plan about spreading the wealth and thought that he was going to be taking our money( Not that there is any to take) or something like that I was shocked that he could even go in to detail about it, more then I am. What are they teaching children these days, no I am kidding I think it is great to get children involved in the voting process but maybe not know all the propositions and Amendments that the president Elect is standing behind or wanting to change. This kid he cracks me up everyday he is so grown up I still catch my self thinking of him as a little toddler.

On another note Mik has been put in an advanced group for a few subjects and is testing in above his grade, this is the kid that already hates to do homework and anything his favorite subject is playground football, and the son of a mother who was class clown, and a dad who fell somewhere in between the 2 of us, well I guess we weren't blessed so someone had to be. There is hope! We are "BETTERING THE BREED" and that is all that counts! GO MIK!

TRICK-OR-TREAT

Scary

Halli Cleaning out her pumpkin

Kinzie- I'll get you my pretty

We have been working on that all week with our little witches, it is so funny to her them say it!

Any resemblance?- No I don't think so!

Watch out Mik is getting serious

Apparently so is Scott- Standing on the furniture that can get you sent to the corner in our house, now I know where the kids get it!

Here is are Doctor "Mik" Dreamy( If you call him that he gets mad so watch out)

I hope in a few years he will be needing that stethoscope for school that would be great!

And here are our little trick or treaters aren't they cute!

A little bit of Life!

What a week full of fun we had! Like I said we celebrated Miks Birthday on Sunday, he got a new bike that he has wanted for about a year now, he is still a little small for it but he is loving it. My parents gave him a BYU blanket that is so cute and of course he went nuts over it, good thinking mom, and it is something he can keep forever! I don't think I have never seen a kid get so excited over a blanket before!

On Monday we took the kids up to the canyon for a hot dog and marshmallow roast the kids took their bikes up and had a blast and the weather was great. We are trying to sneak the canyon into our schedule as much as possible before it gets to cold, we just love it up there.

Tuesday was Mik's official Birthday, he was at school all day and as soon as he got home I had to run out the door, for school. Midterms are great don't y'all think! I will post one of my architecture midterm drawings later, when I get them back. I hope you all think I have made some improvements, lets hope my teacher thinks so to.

I forgot to mention we got to watch Preston for awhile so of course I have to show some pictures of him... He came to pick out pumpkins with us and he hates his car seat so I had to take a picture of him with a seat belt on, and no the car never left the driveway while attempting this stunt, I put him in his car seat like a good Aunt!

This weekend we had some good friends over to make cookies with us, I think I will be cleaning frosting off the chairs for awhile. I think their favorite part was liking the powdered sugar off the counter as we were rolling out the cookies to cut them out. We threw the cookies away after they all went to bed I think they were covered in spit from licking everything we will be doing it again but will keep our eyes on our little chefs, and their licking habits!

Mik and Scott went to the BYU game this weekend for Mik's Birthday ( Thanks Megan & Mike for the tickets) Mik also got to bring along his best friend Baylor, oh my heck when you get these to together they are CRAZY, Scott had a great time with them though. MIk woke up early that morning and brought me a list that he had written up, of all things they need to take to the game he diidn't want to foret anything. I like the one at the end -Baylor- Of course Scott forgot the camera so he only took 2 pictures on his phone not any good ones but they will have to do!And of course BYU won thank goodness or Mik would have been a wreck like during the BYU /TCU game Scott had to turn it off Mik was getting so worked up, this kid takes his football very seriously it is not a joke. I am so glad Mik and Scott can enjoying something together. And if you don't know what that 1st song was that played ask your husband they probably know( Fox Football intro)

I am so excited for the Holidays to arrive I want to make chocolates with my family and friends and turn on the music and all sing along with it that is something me and the kids love to do is jam out to a good Christmas song, there is just something about it and it just makes me feel so warm and fuzzy about life, I know cheesy but I know you all feel the same. Now along comes the Holidays and they don't come with out numerous visits to the Doctors office because of runny noses and fevers, as for me we are going to try are best to keep it to a minimum this year. Let's all cross or fingers, because the allergies are already coming on strong!

Guess who's 7

You got it this little man is now a big whopping 7( well as of Oct. 21 @ 2:03am). I can't believe it another year has gone by. Oh What can I say, about this boy he is so full of personality I could go on for hours, we love him so much, I will never forget the day that he was born he came into this world emergency c-section and really has kept us on our toes since. Mik is so cute I think he steals every ones heart, that dimple ahhh it gets them every time. It has been so fun to watch him grow and he sure has grown from the little 6 lbs he was when he was born.

Mik is such a great kid he had to learn fast how to be a big brother when his sisters came along when he was 2 1/2 but he has done a great job and even though the fighting never stops he really loves those 2 girls. Mik is the most caring kid I know from wanting to help neighbors move in to picking up any garbage he finds outside. He love everyone especially his mema & papa, and any great mema and Great papa, I don't know what it is about this kid but he has always liked anyone that even just looks like a grandpa.

Mik we love you and we hope you have a great Birthday. Mommy and Daddy have school and Mik has a Football game so we did celebrate it on Sunday. I am so sad I will not be able to be there I have Midterms and can't get out of it. It is the first time we have not spent his whole Birthday together and it breaks my heart, I will be thinking of him.

There goes another week!

Of course this week we have been taking more pictures for my class they really are sick of it. The girls get most of it because Mik is at school.

I also went to the pumpkin patch with the girls and their preschool class they had a lot of fun, and thank goodness it had warmed up or we really would have froze!

The kids have fall break now( Thursday, Friday and Monday) I have nothing planned but that's OK they had there vacation already!

Sorry more pictures then post not a lot to say!