Jibber Jabber....

All day long I listen to Addison's jibberish. Sometimes it makes sense but most of the time it doesn't. She seems to know exactly what she is talking about though and looks at me as if I am crazy when I dont understand her. Most of the time I would swear that she just likes the sound of her own voice..... here is a little video of her jibberish and her attempt at singing the ABC's... also a picture of her at the piano and a cute one from the basketball game on Saturday. The sound on the video isnt the greatest so you will want to pause my music playlist to hear her jib jab.

Tagged....

Ok, so apparently I have been "tagged" by my friend Melanie. I have been blogging for roughly 9 months now and as I have perused other blog sites during this period I have noticed this "tagging" thing but have no clue how it works. I want to be a good sport and use good blogging etiquette so I guess I will humor everyone with some really boring stuff about me. Honestly I dont know if I can come up with 7 things but I will give it my best shot. Regarding the "rules" of tagging 7 random people at the end.....well, considering I dont actually have 7 people that I can tag, I dont think I will be following this one very well. So, here it goes:

7 Random Facts about Me.....

1) I spent 6 years in the Air Force as a Korean Linguist but of that 6 years, only 3 weeks were actually spent in Korea doing the job I was trained for.

2) I have to have a drink of pop first thing in the morning because the fizz feels good on my throat.

3) I have more quirks and pet peeves than I like to admit but one of the biggest pet peeves is that I cant stand poor grammar/english (by people who know better). My quirk list is far too long to even start but my Mother in-law can fill you in sometime.

4) I was a Ballroom Dance Major at BYU....you can see how far that got me.

5) The smell of fresh bread makes me weak in the knees.

6) I once hitchhiked with my roommates at midnight in the middle of southern Utah because my car broke down on the way home from Lake Powell. 3 girls no older than 22 and we caught a ride with a trucker who took us 70 miles to the next town.....not too smart and we are lucky to be alive.

7) I have dreams of writing a book someday

Ok....there it is and that was a very difficult task. My life is not random. That can be good or bad. I think my husband would be a better candidate for providing weird or random facts about me since he thinks I am from another planet sometimes. As far as tagging goes. I tag Alisha and Kellie....here are the "rules"

• Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog, as we all want to know them.
• Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. (or however many you feel like you can tag.) Good Luck.

Lost in the 80's......

Ok. Im having nostaligic flashbacks to Jr. High and High School.... I think it is because #1. I have been writing a personal history and happen to be in High School at the moment. and #2. Club DV8 just burned to the ground the other day. Nevermind that I only actually walked into that place twice it was still a fixture for the 80's and 90's club scene and they always had the best concerts. I was never allowed to go during High School (of course) but even in college it was popular enough that many a BYU student made the trek to Salt Lake City to do a little dance! Anyway, it is no longer..... so with that, I have made a temporary change to my music playlist to honor the best decade ever...... the 80's! I love 80's music. This entire playlist is made up of 80's New Wave music as this was my biggest influence during High School (sad as that might be). I love a lot of other genre's but this one in particular stirs up the most memories. I had fun putting it together and had to tear myself away from adding more music. I could go on and on and on! For those of you that are not 80's New Wave afficionado's some of this music may sound a little strange. Sorry about that. I will return to normal in a week or two.....until then enjoy, or turn it down! Oh, and technically this picture of me was taken in 1992 so not officially an 80's pic. I dont have a scanner so I cant give you one of those pictures. Just picture me a little younger and hair much much bigger!

In other news, Denver and I went to the Jazz game tonight. I had a great time. First we celebrated our recent weight loss with a meal from The Red Iguana....dont worry, I controlled myself. I am still feeling the "burn" from my chili verde burrito.....yum. After dinner we headed over to the game. I havent been to a Jazz game since high school (even more memories flooding now) and I had forgotten how much fun they are. The Jazz played the San Antonio Spurs and actually won the game! Denver was frantically looking for Eva Longoria (as if) but unfortunately, Utah is probably too cold for her Hollywood Highness. It was exciting and I would love to go to more games. Denver won these tickets from his work and that made it even better.....Free! Anyway, we had a nice time away from the kiddies. Now its off to bed and up tomorrow to start my week...... Have a good night.

President Gordon B. Hinkley.....

While I was a work last night, I heard through water cooler chatter that President Hinkley had passed away. I found it very difficult to concentrate the remainder of my shift as my thoughts drifted to this man and the life that he led. A few years ago, I read his biography....thick as it was... and was so touched to learn about the full and unselfish life that he has lived. He is truly the definition of servant even though he held the highest of positions in my church. Every person growing up has a particular Prophet that they relate to and consider "their prophet".. President Hinkley was mine. He was kind and witty and dedicated to making the world a better place. He was loved by so many people....members of our church and non-members. Few who have met him can say anything bad about him. I havent heard a single story of someone meeting him and not instantly loving him. I know and understand that he is in a better place with his sweet wife but I cant help but feel sad knowing that there will be no more talks from him in my lifetime. I am so grateful to have known him in the small way that I did and for the influence he has been on my life. More than that, I am grateful for the church that I belong to and know without any doubt that I am in the right place.

Frosty Shannon.....

Well, this is officially our very first snowman! I know it seems crazy we havent ever built one before but it just never happened. This year for Christmas we got a cute "snowman kit" complete with hat, nose, eyes, buttons, and mouth. So, we really had no excuse. Ian actually built this pretty much by himself. Nate helped with the bottom "ball" of snow....then that sat for nearly a week or so. Today Ian finished making the other 2 "balls" and dad helped him lift them up on top. He is very proud of "Frosty Shannon"
In other news......Denver's basketball team lost.....again. That is Ok though (well, not in the players' opinion). Uncle Nate joined us today and played GREAT! Im sure he could see that our team desperately needs him and hopefully he will play again. I have to work tonight so I will end this post on that note!

Ebay Rant....

Okay, so I just got home from work and Im trying to stay awake because Denver has a bball game this morning at 9am and that means it is pointless to go to bed only to wake up 2 hours later.....in fact that is nearly impossible for me once I go to sleep after working. Are you wondering why in the world I would bother going to a bball game after working all night and essentially being awake for over 24 hours? Well, Denver cant take Addison to the game and let her run nutso around the gym so if I dont go, he has to leave her here and since she will be awake, I cant sleep anyway....might as well go to the game! I'll sleep when I get home. zzzzzzzzzzzzzz


So, anyway, now Im online trying to keep awake.....blog surfing is always fun...... I figured I would rant about my recent Ebay experience since Im still boiling over it.

I dont use Ebay that often. Once in a while I will buy something random on it. For instance, I bought a text book for Denvers History class last week. I go on there to pay for it today and it says my Ebay account has been suspended for......"being linked to a previously suspended account".... WHAT?! Im sure. I have no clue what they are talking about so I go onto Ebay to see what the heck is going on. First of all if I bought something from someone who has a problem with their account, how am I supposed to know that? Second of all, what ever happened to being innocent until proven guilty? Well, according to the rules page, they are accusing me of having a previous Ebay account that was suspended and then creating my current account on the sly so I can keep using Ebay. Well, I cant wait to find out what this mystery account is since the one Im using now is the first and ONLY account I have ever used. Im so mad. If any of you know me, I like playing by the rules. Im a rules kinda gal......I dont do things that are questionable and Im so totally offended by this Ebay thing I could just scream. They are lucky they dont have a phone number I can call or someone would have gotten an earful today. So, Im an Ebay criminal now.....and I doubt I will even use them for anything again.

No news other than that....sorry for the boring post! I will think of something more interesting this weekend to write about.

Vegas baby.....

A while back I was messing around on classmates.com and found a couple of people that I used to hang out with when I was in the Air Force. This eventually led to finding another friend that was actually in my Korean class and someone that I had some great times with. The 4 of us have been gabbing back and forth now for months. I have had lots of fun re-living (in conversation only) those wild and crazy days. Anyway, we decided to meet up in Vegas for a weekend! Kellie has a timeshare that we are using and so we are going to have a little reunion. Im excited but nervous too. I was a very different person back then :) Im sure we will still have fun and I am looking forward to it. Im hoping to lose a little weight first of course....we'll see. Anyway, here are a couple of pictures of us from way back then......11 years ago? Yikes..... These are pictures from when we were living in Monterey and studying whatever language we were studying. Kris and I studied Korean....Kellie was Arabic....and MK was Russian. It was a great experience I just wish I had kept up on my Korean skills.....

This picture is me and Kris. We were in the same class together.

This picture is Kellie. She and I were roomies for like 3 weeks.....also lots of fun

This is a picture of me with another friend although we did not remain friends....I just like how skinny I am in the picture ! HA! If you click on the individual pictures, it will bring up a bigger version....these scanned pictures are hard to see sometimes.

Ok, and here is Mary Kelly....she's the one with short hair.

Im looking forward to seeing you guys again! After I get back I will post and updated picture of us.....maybe :)

Its a Girl!.....

Not that there was ever any question.....but, she finally has enough hair to make little pig tails. Granted they are pretty scraggly looking but I dont care! The hair on top is still pretty sad but at least I found cute clips that stay in it....at least as long as she will leave it there. She is really growing up right before my eyes. It just seems like yesterday that I was in the NICU holding her tiny little hand all stuck with tubes and IV's...... I just couldnt imagine life without her. I thought I would fall off the table when the Dr. told me it was a girl......I feel so blessed to have her. I love my boys of course but there is just something special about a little girl. As I say this she is screaming at the top of her lungs because I wont give her a treat.....Addison Jayne Shannon, Diva in training!

Is is Spring yet?.....

Ok. I love the snow. Dont get me wrong, it is beautiful.....but is it ever going to stop? I cant remember the last time Utah has seen so much snow. It has been bitter cold for the past few days so I guess one good thing about the snow is that it brings a bit warmer temperatures....temporarily. I got off of work last night at 4:30 (this morning actually) and it was snow snow snow! That is the bad thing about the shift I work.....I have to drive in the worst of the winter storms. It was so slick that I barely missed being in an accident twice on the way home. There were cars everywhere off the side of the highway. Yikes. Im thankful that I got home safe and sound. So now, Denver is out shoveling the 7 inch deep snow off of our driveway. I dont feel sorry for him though because I have been telling him for weeks to get out the snow blower that comes with this house. It would make his life so much easier and he would never pick up the shovel again. But, he makes all kinds of excuses of why he isnt going to bother with the machine and then spends an hour shoveling......good exercise though! Honestly though, I wouldnt trade it. I love having all 4 seasons and living under these beautiful mountains. Im looking forward to enjoying them more this coming year. Every city has its good and bad but out of all the cities I have lived, Salt Lake has the most good.....even with all this SNOW!

The kids are progressing in their piano lessons. They will have a recital in April....that should be fun :) Their teacher is this little old lady in our church. She only charges us $7 per lesson which is a slammin deal. She pulled me aside last week and said she needed to buy a more difficult book for Ian because he is moving so fast. It is hard because we dont want Evan to feel like he isnt just as great. Evan is moving at a perfectly normal pace its just that Ian is a very quick learner and usually above average in just about everything he does. She was nice to pull me aside and speak quietly so Evan would not hear. Evan has beautiful piano fingers. They are long and thin and as he learns, he will probably end up being a better piano player than Ian. The one thing that Evan has over Ian is passion. He is a very sensitive and artistic little boy and I believe he feels the music more than Ian. Ian is methodical and deliberate and does it well but I think in the end he will probably get bored and move on to something else. That is probably the most difficult part of parenting our 2 boys. They are so close in age that no matter what we do, Evan probably feels that people compare him to Ian. That is the 2nd child syndrome, right? But when they are so close in age it is even worse because Evan thinks he should be just like Ian and when he falls short, it must hurt. I read a great article in Time magazine yesterday about "expectations". In a nutshell it said that we should adjust our expectations to meet the child. Everyone creates expectations. It is how the human mind is able to wrap itself around this world. But sometimes the expectations dont fit the circumstances which always leads to disappointment. If we adjust out expectations to fit the individual child, then the child doesnt feel like he/she is falling short or disappointing people. Ok....so how do you do that? I am going to find a book to help me with that. I dont want Evan to ever feel that he is falling short of anything. I relate to Ian more because our personalities are so similar and I sometimes worry that I am not giving Evan everything he needs. Anyway.....Im rambling.

Can I just say that I hate politics. They are just ugly no matter how you look at them. Ive been reviewing the candidates a little bit at a time although I dont believe in really studying them until the ACTUAL candidates are chosen for each party. I dont have time for that. Of course I have a somewhat personal interest in this one because of the "mormon" candidate. Mitt Romney. At this point I cant say that I know a whole lot about any of them other than the glaringly obvious ones.....woman, black, mormon,....etc etc. Sadly these are probably the premises on which a lot of people will base their vote. Do I lean toward Romney because he is a mormon? Well, yes, of course. I understand his belief system and agree with it so of course that will make a difference for me. Am I going to vote for him? I just dont know yet. What I dont want to do is defend my reasons for voting for someone. I dont think anyone should have to defend that decision. It is our right as Americans to vote for whom we see fit. There is no clause in the constitution that says after we choose we have to say WHY. So, I avoid political discussions at all costs. Politics and Religion.....I hate discussing both of them and ironically they are so intertwined in this upcoming election. No matter how we look at it, this will be an election to remember. It will be in the history books at some point I am sure of it.

Ok......well, I guess Im off to start my job as housewife/mother/maid/chef/comforter.......I hope the week is a good one for everyone.

A Present for Mommy....

given with love from Addison...... Here you go mom, she says in her 21 month old mix of words. I turn around to see her outstretched hands holding her diaper. Great! She seems to be getting ready to potty train since every time she pee's she takes off the diaper and wants a new one on. This time however I got an extra special present with the diaper.....yes, it is what you are thinking! AHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Sick. I guess the good news was that it was all contained within the diaper and her cute little bum. Nothing on the floor or walls. She simply didnt want a dirty diaper on. Cant blame a girl for that! I guess I will go buy a training potty today and see what we can accomplish this week. Im keeping my fingers crossed that it will be quick and painless and I wont have to buy another package of diapers next week. Woo hoo! My life is so exciting isnt it?

Jeffrey Scott Ries

Today is my littlest brothers 32nd birthday, which by the way makes me feel like a fossil. He still seems like he is 18 but I guess that is the beauty of being the oldest in the family. Jeff has always been kind, caring, and lots of fun. He is good natured in spite of adversity and health problems. He has a good soul. Once he even let me cut his hair and pretended to like it even though I had destroyed it....(I gave him a bowl cut by literally placing a bowl on his head and cutting below it) Jeff has always been there for me whether it be for babysitting, moving, or anything else (nicola too) and I love him dearly for it. So, Jeff I hope it was happy and I hope you have many many more..... Love you Lots!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEFE......

PTC's.....

Well, parent teacher conferences were this week. Because of this the kids have been having "short" days which is really inconvenient. I dont know what I would do if I had to work full time during the day. Im so grateful that Denver has a good job and that I am able to work a schedule that allows me to be home during the school week...... Its really pointless for Evan to even go to school for 2 hours in my opinion... what in the world do they accomplish in 2 hours?

Ian's conference was first. His teacher asked him what he thought he was good at and his response was....P.E. Mmmmmm, I dont think that is what she was after. So after not getting an answer from him she decided to tell us what SHE thinks Ian is good at. First of all she said reading....he is an excellent reader and is still reading on 4th/5th grade level. The second thing she stated is that he is good at "scientific thinking/reasoning" she says that he thinks like a Scientist. This made Ian beam. He likes science. I was worried about his math only because we struggle so much with the homework. I am left wondering if he even understands what he is doing. Well, apparently he knows EXACTLY what he is doing. He tests in the 90% everytime. I guess he just has poor focus sometimes and gets lazy and wants me to give him the answers. She says that gifted students often exhibit this type of behavior but when it comes time to test them, they always score high because they understand everything. Ian is too social that is his problem. His goal is to work on focusing on his work during class and not on his friends. I seem to remember similar comments on my elementary school report card too.....must run in the genes!

Tonight we went to see Evan's teacher. She is such a nice lady and Evan likes her a lot. She tells us that Evan is very good with numbers and counting. He is able to count to 100 without any help. He also has excellent handwriting. He is a very sweet boy with tender feelings but has no problem making friends. He has a wonderful imagination and tells great stories. There were snowmen hanging on the walls that the kids in his class made and honestly Evan's was better than all of them. He was so neat with his work and kept inside the lines. I was very impressed. His goal is to work on sounding out words. He get shy and clams up when asked to do it so he needs to work on that. But other than that he is right on track for the 1st grade.

Addie has hit her terrible 2's early. Nothing but tantrums every day. Geesh. The boys never did this so it is all new for me. Must be a girly thing. Oh well, I will deal with it because when she is not flailing herself all over the floor and screaming at a pitch that would shatter glass, she is pure JOY.

So, that really is all that has happened so far this week. Nothing major, nothing very exciting. Just wanted to report on the kids progress in school!

I love Blogger!

Can just say a personal 'thank you' to my friend Alisha who turned me onto this blogging thing last year. I mean, granted I probably spend more time than I should messing around with it but it has been so much fun. I wish that everyone would make their own. I keep trying to convince my extended families to start one.....maybe one day! I decided to start another one that is more of my own personal journal. Sorry....no access to this one, which would probably bore most of you anyway. But it is so cool that I can basically keep a journal without the pain of handwriting. I type everything now days so actually writing would be so tiring. Plus, I am so much faster on a keyboard. Everyone should keep a journal because one of the coolest things Ive found is reading my grandfathers account of his life. Unfortunately it is just a small history that he wrote later in life but it is so interesting to read personal accounts of his life and how he felt about things. My previous journals are so "young".....all about boys, clogging, boys, music.....you know all those important things that teenagers think mean so much! So, Ive kindof started mine out as a personal history of sorts and then when I catch up to today, it will become a journal. The cool thing about blogger is that it archives everything and I can just print the page out and put it in a book (which I will do also) if I want a hard copy.....back it up on disk too.....I love computers. Anyway, for those of you reading my blog who do not own and operate your own blog, get with it will ya?! Im kidding....but not really. It is so fun. Thanks again Alisha.

Today we went to a basketball game at the church......yes it was painful. Denver of course was the one playing....You know, even in the shape he is in, he was better than all of those guys on the court. Even the teenagers. When he gets in shape....notice I said when....he will be hard to beat. However, tensions run high in church ball. It is always scary to watch a game as it progresses and the men get more ticked off about each and every foul. Granted some guys play pretty rough considering they aren't that good....but I guess thats why they play so rough. It would be hard to keep your anger in check with some of these guys out there. Playing dirty is the name of the game with some. Denver does pretty good considering how competitive he his. But, not so much today .....:) At least he didnt start cussing or anything...at a church game ha ha ha! I did hear one guy bark the BIG no no word.......yikes! Good thing his wife wasnt there. Anyway...it was fun and I hope that he feels OK tomorrow. I have a feeling he wont be able to walk. Here are some pictures from the big game....which they lost by the way, and it didnt help their ego's at all.

Notice the 3 little guys watching intently and learning BY EXAMPLE from their dads....hopefully they kept it all under control! Ha!

Busy, busy, busy.....

So today I am feeling the crunch of the boys and school, Denver's work and school, my work away and in the home, etc etc etc. I didnt even realize today was Wednesday! I know of course that Im not the only one with busy-ness in their lives but I swear. I just finished the 10th load of laundry in 3 days. I got behind but am feeling proud that I got it all folded. Tomorrow I will work on putting it all away.....then of course I will start over with washing it all again.....I hate laundry but I mentioned that already. Thankfully Ian's teacher has eased up on his homework this first week back. I just know the average first grader doesnt get as much homework as he does. I know it is just the nature of the program he is in but it can be a struggle for me sometimes so Im sure it is stressful for him too. Evan doesnt have as much but still has some. It will be interesting when they get a little older and the homework becomes more intense. I think Denver will definitely have to change to a day shift so he can be home at night to help out! Of course, he is in school too and I know I will be helping him eventually too.....that is if he has papers to write. Im the typist in the family. This semester he is just taking 2 classes: Art and History. Hopefully it wont be too strenuous. He really enjoys History so that should be a breeze for him. Art.....well, its not the kind of art class one would imagine. He is required to create and perform an "expressive piece" at the end of the course.....Dad, can he borrow your tutu? Im happy that he is continuing with school. I know it is a struggle sometimes but the reward will be worth it for him. I will help him as much as I can to get through it. So, lets see, graveyard shift Fri-Sat-Sun, Church, school for kids, piano on Wed (we missed it today...oops) an active 20 month old, babysitting my 4 month old nephew 3 days a week, oh and now I am taking a girl from Ian's class on Fridays after school so she doesnt have to go to the after school program! They get out at 12:30 on Friday's and her dad will pick her up at 3:20. I dont have time for much else really. I think Im going to have to start going to the gym in the early morning. So, here is an update on the kids:

IAN: Is still in the first grade although after Alec visited us he acts like he is in the 6th grade. Kids want to grow up so fast these days. He is doing well in his accelerated program but struggles the most with math....just like his mommy. He is an excellent reader as he likes to point out sometimes and has made a lot of friends. Right now he is in a stage where he claims to hate school. Although I know he secretly loves it. He has done well eating school lunch in spite of his severe peanut allergy and hasnt had any scares with that at all, thank heavens. He still participates in the Chess Club but we are holding off on tournaments this year. Maybe next. He really is so smart and if he can just keep his focus for longer than 5 minutes he is going to be successful at whatever he does.

EVAN: Is still in Kindergarten and has a love/hate relationship with school. Loves his teacher, recess, snacktime, and doing his letters. Hates getting up in the morning, math (which he doesnt really do much of, he just likes to echo Ian) and kids that are mean. His teacher says he makes friends well but I still worry because he is so shy. He has decided that he needs more trophies and wants to play basketball next. He loves loves loves animals of any kind, cuddly, slimy, creepy, doesnt matter....he loves them. He also is a very big flirt and is going to be the ladies man of the family I fear. But, that is a long time off thank heavens.

ADDISON: Is almost 21 months old. She is a such a monkey! She has the brightest, funniest personality and I cant wait to watch her grow. She loves to sing, anytime, anyplace and dancing goes right along with it. Her newest "move" is a spin in which her head spins 180 degrees first and then her body whips around to catch up with it. It is hilarious! She loves dolls and babies and has decided that her cousin Soren is HER baby. She trys to hold him and pick him up whenever she can and screams when I wont let her. She isnt talking a lot of sense just yet but can say important words like "love you", "all done", "brother" and of course....."Spongebob".

ALEC: Is home with his mom in Phoenix. He is in Jr. High and likes that fact but says he doesnt like school.... He wishes he could turn 18 so he can be in his own apartment and drive but then he doesnt want to grow any older (dont we all wish that?). He still likes video games and likes to text his friends on his cell phone. He says he wishes he had a twin so he would have someone at home to play with! Even though he has 3 brothers and 3 sisters, they are all too young to relate to him so he gets kinda bored....one can understand his dilemma. But all 6 of his siblings love him dearly....sometimes more than he can handle! He is growing up fast and will be in High School soon, but not soon enough in his opinion.

Well thats our kids update for the beginning of the year. Im hoping the next one will be that Addison is potty trained. No more diapers! Yay!

I Hate Laundry......

Just had to pass that on because it drives me insane. Any volunteers to do it for me?

Forgiveness.....

So Ive decided I need to add a resolution to my "NYR's". One of the testimonies in church on Sunday was about Forgiving our enemies. Obviously during this tumultuous time in our country's history, forgiving our enemies is a delicate matter. How do you forgive someone for killing thousands of innocent people? Still, we are expected to forgive.... Whether you are spiritual or not, follow an organized religion or follow one of your own making, forgivness is essential for our well being and ability to function as adults. One of the quotes that I have listed in my "quotes that I love" section states that "hatred is a live coal". Perfect description because it literally simmers and burns inside of you until the fire it creates becomes completely destructive. Anyway, I have old wounds that I still work on everyday. Things that are still "simmering" deep inside of my soul. And, I have news ones too that are feeding those embers. I dont want to feel that ugliness inside of me anymore so I am resolving to resolve....is that english? You understand me Im sure. I am not going to allow adults who act like schoolyard children affect me anymore. People can be so petty and immature. Im sure I have been guilty of such offenses myself...... adults seem to get worse as they age. Wouldnt it be great if we could all be like little children and forgive almost immediately.....and then move on? I think the state of the world would be so much more peaceful. I hope if I teach my children anything at all, it is the quality of being able to forgive their enemies and be the bigger person. That when they grow up they would continue to treat people with respect no matter what.... That they dont hold grudges.... and that they always try to speak kindly and with good intentions. I'm very grateful for the faith that I hold that allows me to seek forgivness and receive it. It is with these principles that I try to follow that I am able free myself from the burdens that this world can pile on top of me. Burdens that I create. Burdens that I have no control over also. I pray everyday that I can forgive and be forgiven.......These are my thoughts for today.

More Snow!

I seriously dont remember winter being this dramatic last year. It seems like we have had snowstorm after snowstorm and it is supposed to continue like this through Wednesday. It is done snowing for now but when I came out of church today it was beautiful. I love fresh snow...... So, not much to post today. The week was pretty uneventful. Seems like the week after Christmas is slow going after all the rush of the holiday is over. We went to a movie, "National Treasure: book of secrets" and I left Addison with a non-family babysitter for the first time. I was a little nervous of course but not too bad. The girl ins in my primary class at church and is very responsible. Plus Addie knows her from coming to primary with me and Courtney has a little sister the same age as Addison so it was easy for her. It was successful: the movie was great and I will definitely be calling Courtney to babysit again! She ended up watching Evan too because Evan was more excited about hanging with a sitter than going to the movies. He is such a little flirt and I can see that he is going to be trouble one day...... The boys went back to school on Wed except Alec who starts up again tomorrow. Alec was supposed to go snowboarding with Jeff but we werent able to get in touch with Jeff all week. Next year Denver wants to learn how to ski even though I think snowboarding will be easier on his knees. I havent skiied in many years but they say its like riding a bike. I suggested to Denver that we make it a Ski Christmas and buy the necessary gear for everyone....$$$$$$$$$...... I think Alec might like that. I mean what else could he possibly want now that he has his Wii :) . Friday night Alec went home. I meant to bring my camera to the airport but forgot it so no pictures on this post, sorry. The boys were especially sad to see him go. They think he is the best thing in the world. Especially Evan. Evan will talk about Alec all year long. He makes projects in school just for Alec. Earlier in the week this sparked my idea to make a blog for Alec. I figured why not....he can type stories up for everyone about things that are happening to him and post pictures of him and his life there in Phoenix so that we and the family in Kentucky can feel more connected to him. I helped him set it up and he seemed pumped about it so I hope he uses it. (thats a hint Alec if you are reading this....)

So, a little about Addison. She is growing like a weed. She is so tall and skinny its like she came from someone else! I hope she stays that way for her sake. Of course I USED to be tall and skinny.....hopefully it wont be as hard for her to stay like that. This picture is her new "photo smile"....if you have a camera and tell her to "smile", this is what you get....total cheeze ball. Much different from her earlier in life camera shyness! Her new word these days is "LOVE YOU" although she says it like this..... "Uh-View" and she really emphasizes the view part. It is so cute. She isnt talking as much as I feel like she should at this point but she rambles so much, Im pretty sure that one day soon she will just start talking out of the blue. She also still loves to sing. Today at church she was holding the hymn book open and singing (questionable) at the top of her lungs much to the enjoyment (or dismay) of all of the older couples in the ward. They all adore her though so I dont think she could really annoy them even if she tried. Her hair is getting longer but still not so much on top. I guess Im getting to anxious for her to be a little girl. Braids and bows is all I can think about....and ballet class of course. I mentioned that I am watching Soren now 2 to 3 days a week and that is fun. Not only because it keeps me from having to work 2 more days at the post office but also because of the relationship that I will end up having with him. I hope to be his favorite Auntie......at least on the Ries side! Well, thats about it for the update. Hopefully this will be a good week for everyone....Ciao for now.

Happy New Year.......2008

Well, this is my first post for the new year. Due to the fact that I am a middle aged mother of 3 (4 depending on the time of year) there will be no wild party posts on my blog. Those days are long gone.....thankfully. We did however, have a few people over. Denver invited some of his friends from work over and we just had some good food and talked. Nothing major but it was nice to socialize with someone other than my children! That was it though.....maybe next year we will buy a few fireworks and get the kids more involved. Ive never been much of a New Year party person anyway but they would probably get a kick out of it.

So, I only have 2 resolutions this year.....well, 3 really. I will vocalize them here so that you can all shame me when I fail to accomplish them! Im kidding. Really, here they are:

1. Lose weight.......i know, sounds cliche but it truly is my major goal for the
year.
2. Become more financially secure......i have a number of ways to do
this, I wont list them all
3. Spend more time on ME....this sounds selfish
but the results will benefit my whole family

That is my condensed version. I will start the first one tomorrow with Denver when we attend Weight Watchers together. I hope all of you enjoyed your holidays and wish you the best for 2008.