Happy Birthday to me!

I love having my birthday.
Really, I try to be mature about it, but I just love it & look forward to it.
I want to tell everyone I see or talk to that day that it's my birthday. I know that's what 8 year olds do, but still!
So today I had breakfast brought to me in bed. Then my 3 older kids brought their breakfast in my bed too & we all hung out & ate & talked. Then we had mostly a normal day with a few breaks.
We took a break to play some musical chairs blindfolded. I'm mature enough to know I'd get hurt doing that, so I was in charge of the music. But then it was just plain musical chairs & I joined in.
Later in the day we all played some Wii together.
Then we went to church & I got sang to and saw my wonderful friends.
We went shopping and bought me a new kitchen faucet (a fancy one!).
When we finally got home after 9pm, we ate the delicious dump cake that my daughter had made me and I blew out my candle after my wonderful family sang to me.
The Lord is so awesome and blesses me more than I can say!

Back to the Grindstone!

After a fantastic and amazingly blessed Christmas break,
we start school up again today.
I also am starting on my kitchen renovation. I'm so excited about the fresher looking kitchen I hope to have in a week.
As for the school, not so excited, but it's something that needs done and is good to get back into a routine.
That means I had to make a menu again. I made a menu for 2 weeks and now have my grocery list made (already bought the chicken & beef on sale at Safeway last night though). Don't really enjoy grocery shopping, let alone with 4 kids, but it's just part of life. :-)
I thought I'd post my menus just for fun...

Monday -

Breakfast: banana muffins & protein bar

Lunch: Fish sticks, carrots & chips

Dinner: meatloaf, broccoli & bread.

Tuesday

Breakfast: granola bars

Lunch: sandwiches

Dinner: Hamburgers (Pickles & chips)

Wednesday - (Happy Birthday Mommy)

Breakfast: Kids are in charge of it! (they already told me they wanted to bring me breakfast in bed)

Lunch: Mac & Cheese, hot dogs & apple

Dinner: French Dip sandwiches & green drink

Thursday

Breakfast: cereal

Lunch: tuna & crackers

Dinner: sandwiches

Friday

Breakfast: sausage & smoothie

Lunch: 3-2-1

Ø 6 chips

Ø 5 Pepperonis

Ø 4 apple pieces

Ø 3 pecans

Ø 2 kind words

Ø 1 Candy

Dinner: pizza

Monday

Breakfast: pancakes

Lunch: cheese crisp & tomato soup

Dinner: Chicken Ceasar Salad

Tuesday

Breakfast: cereal

Lunch: sandwiches

Dinner: Baked Penne Casserole (with Garlic Bread)

Wednesday

Breakfast: toast & sausage

Lunch: ravioli

Dinner: egg burritos

Thursday

Breakfast: oatmeal

Lunch: 3-2-1 Lunch:

Ø 6 chips

Ø 5 pinches of sunflower seeds

Ø 4 pieces of chicken

Ø 3 apples slices

Ø 2 slices of cheese

Ø 1 candy

Dinner: sandwiches

Friday

Breakfast: Sweetrolls

Lunch:Leftovers

Dinner: At Uncle Philip & Aunt Teddi’s house

Fun Friday Field Trip

Reid Park Zoo...bright & early this morning!














Grandma & Grandpa joined us!


































And Tim got to go...that's always better on field trips! (I just love my parents in the background of this picture holding hands...too cute)

































Animals were seen, played in & fed!






























A picnic at the park and a stroll through the rose garden and we were headed back to CG!

Vegas - it's a wrap!

Saturday the 5th we had a big get together at my parents house...on our way there we stopped at a yard sale in my parents neighborhood. We ended up buying a very cool porch swing.
















We all got to enjoy it Saturday, but we haven't gotten it from parents backyard to our porch yet...someday we will I guess.

So Sunday we made it to Vegas. There's so much to see and everything is larger than life. So big and bright and so much going on all the time! Wow.
We had a blast...we always go around acting silly when we're without the kids & don't have to be the responsible ones. :-)








In M&M World I posed with the yellow M&M which we all know is a peanut M&M, which we also all know are the best kind!

We watched a 3D M&M movie...we acted shocked for some reason with the 3-D glasses on.


















Then we headed over to Coke World and ordered "Cokes Around the World".
Which is 16 various Coca-Cola products from lots of different countries.















We all sat around sharing them (in a sanitary fashion). Some were good, some were different & ONE was absolutely disgusting!
Quite the experience, sitting around cracking up laughing with another couple and drinking Coke from around the world.















The Venetian was absolutely awesome. They all gave me a hard time since I've actually been to Venice & rode in a real Gondola. But it was so cool, with a mini Grand Canal running through the hotel and the ceiling looking like the sky and street performers all around.
















One more highlight was the Bellagio fountains. I think that we caught the show of them 4 times!















The Stratosphere was very cool...had a great view. Unfortunately it was too windy for the ride that we wanted to ride on top to be open.















Madame Tussauds Wax Museum was quite the optical illusion!























We rode a roller coaster inside Circus Circus and then were almost attacked by a verocious dinosaur! (See, we get to be all care-free and do stupid stuff when we don't have our kids with us!)















Well it was an exhausting and fun trip, full of memories, experiences and bonding.

I can now cross Las Vegas off my Bucket List.

DeWitt Ranch Pumpkin Patch Fun

I like the fall.
Of course Friday didn't feel much like fall. It was very warm (might have reached 100).
But it was the day my sister & Mom & I had all planned to go to do a fall activity!















































Dawson had a great time! We all did, but he seemed to just revel in the animals and hay & outdoors!




























Ella really enjoyed herself, despite the fact that we spent her entire nap time outside in the sun! It took her awhile to warm up to riding a pony, but once she did, she must have ridden one about 6 times or more!