This Is It

looking forward

it's december first (happy birthday grandma). the girls are on track break until after the new year. i've put together a list of activities for us this month so we can stay nice and busy. 

dec. 01 - put up christmas decorations
dec. 02 - write letters to santa
dec. 03 - get pictures taken for xmas cards/watch the polar express at 6pm on ch. 59
dec. 04 - watch home alone at 7pm on fx
dec. 05 - have breakfast with santa/go to darric's work party
dec. 06 - make a craft?? 
dec. 07 - bake cookies for cookie exchange
dec. 08 - cookie exchange party
dec. 09 - take the kids to bounce u (we have free passes) 3:30-5:30pm
dec. 10 - go out to town square to see the snow 7pm 
dec. 11 - read xmas stories under the tree/sleep under the tree 
dec. 12 - breakfast/ride the santa train/baking day at jen's house
dec. 13 - watch xmas movie... elf??
dec. 14 - make gingerbread houses
dec. 15 - get starbucks drinks and drive through the gift of lights at sunset park
dec. 16 - take kids to the shark reef (free passes) and go see the bellagio botanical garden
dec. 17 - take the kids shopping for each other's gift
dec. 18 - disneyland with my family
dec. 19 - my great grandpa's 100th birthday party
dec. 20 - watch xmas movie... a christmas story??
dec. 21 - make a craft??
dec. 22 - make reindeer food
dec. 23 - get last minute things done/watch a movie??
dec. 24 - jen + dave's house for mexican food + talent show
dec. 25 - my mom + dad's house for breakfast/our house for dinner

hopefully i will get caught up with things and blog about our trip to california and thanksgiving. HAHA!! (both were great fun) really.

today is YOUR day

today you turn ELEVEN!
go celebrate!!
watch a parade of balloons on tv.
pig out on turkey and ham
potatoes and stuffing.
visit with your aunts and uncles
cousins and grandmas.
and for dessert... pie
sample two or three.
but the most important thing for today...
know that we love you and are so glad you are ours.
have a very HAPPY birthday.
[gobble, gobble, gobble] 

  

  

thankful for

darric... all of his hard work... my three kiddos... their good health... sisters... wonderful parents... friends (new and old)... a new positive attitude... having the things we need... vacations... target/starbucks combo stores... rearview mirrors that allow me to glance at max dancing in the backseat... rear sensors that alert me when i am about to back into something... magazines in the mail... unlimited texting... living close to family... orbit spearmint gum... photos... ponytail elastics... holiday get togethers... bath and body works oils and lip glosses (not the triple hot chocolate lip gloss though, that one smells like stinky feet)... new-to-me kitchen appliances... new tv shows... winchells and their 14 donut dozens... the bravo channel... doubletree hotel chocolate chip cookies... late night christmas shopping.. blogging... great teachers... smart kids (who make my job easier)... new finds at starbucks... a new pizza place right around the corner... laughter... a cat that just got "fixed" (now we won't have to get rid of him)... good music... hats

celebrating #11

20 days early.
at home with friends from school and family.
*note to self: kids are loud, stick to wide open spaces.

mackenzie hasn't had a real birthday party for a few years now. 
i blame myself for that. i always put it off until the last minute.
we have thanksgiving, time off from school, just getting back from vacation and having no money. my list goes on and on. so, this year, i started planning way in advance.

our theme, wii bowling...

 waiting for the party to begin, mackenzie, madi and brianna stood at the door watching for the guests to arrive. and when someone arrived... there was a lot of screaming. but just a sample of what was about to come when all of the guests arrived. 

the kids split into two teams. girls vs. boys. and they played one game of bowling on the wii. the girls won. after that, they ate. nachos, caesar salad, veggie tray. and then it was present time. 

 

she was very pleased with what she got. lots of cash, gift cards for both target and wal-mart, supplies for her desk, littlest pet shops, nail polish, a purse and an IPOD shuffle with a $15 itunes gift card.

next, we sang HaPPy BiRtHDay and had cupcakes.

she refused to blow out the candle again, so this is the only decent one jen got.
the other one was super blurry :)

the strawberry cupcakes, with kenzie wii avatar tags...

the wii candy dispensers we found at walgreens just hours before the party started...

and the thank-you treats that were handed out as the guests left...

the majority of the party guests....

hugo, hugo's sister (who's in madi's class), danny, madison, ian, micco, mason,
ciara, mackenzie, brianna, aliana and max
not pictured: jacob, grace, billy, quincy, tommy, beckam and piper, 
their parents and grandma becky

kenzie claimed this her best birthday party ever!!

TAGS

guess what i've got?

Custom Printable TAGS!!

Just in time for the holidays. 

Tags are $5 each and can be personalized.
You will receive a printable file through your email address
so you can print as many as you need. 
(no items will be shipped)
Tags are created as 3" documents.
Punch them out perfectly with a 3" punch
or a Cricut.
Then attach to all of your holiday gifts and treats!!

[sample halloween tag backed with a scalloped circle]

Email me at JCarter751@cox.net
Please include tag number, name you want on tag and your email address.
(All tag numbers are listed at the bottom of the tag)

Thanks for looking.

holiday tag 01

holiday tag 02


holiday tag 03


holiday tag 04


holiday tag 05


holiday tag 06

eleven for today

1. it was more than a week ago... we were heading home from the dayton's and max was not happy. darric kept turning around from the front seat to try and cheer him up. once he turned around and gave him a big thumbs up. max responded with a big thumbs down. he did cheer up before we got home.

2. the smith's shopping center by our house has been repainted. and not in a good way. in my opinion. there's blue, then brown, then green. i liked it the way it was. 

3. the christmas stuff is all up at target now. those tall nutcrackers have been up for weeks though. every time max passes them (at least 5 times now) he has to stop and try them out.

4. madi has lost two teeth in the past two saturdays. both came out while we were at the dayton's home. both, got her $5 from the tooth fairy (who was a day late on the first tooth - but redeemed herself with the second one). dad helped the second one out by tying floss around it several times for madi to yank on. now, we'll see if those two new ones can wait a little longer to come in so madi can sing "all i want for christmas".

5. the girl's favorite new show: brainsurge on nickelodeon

6. max and darric's new thing... "are you squaring up on me?" "are you squaring up on me?"

7. every wednesday, i can count on golden spoon to make me happy, when i receive my buy one regular get one regular free text. 

8. the girls wake up at 6:30 on school days. lately though, at 6:00, i can hear the pantry door open up. mackenzie is up getting her cereal ready. i think duke was waking her up, but now i think she enjoys the 30 minutes of quiet.

9. darric measured max. he's 41.5 inches tall in his tennis shoes. which means, he'll get to ride lots of new rides this year. like space mountain, splash mountain, thunder mountain... but, he'll just barely miss the height requirement for mulhulland madness and the grizzly river run. unless we bring his boots and change his shoes right before we get to the ride. you see, he's 42 inches in his boots, but his boots are a little too small on him.

10. monday, while me and max were at dance with madi, kenzie was home getting dinner started. she put the chicken breasts in the oven and boiled the potatoes for mashed potatoes. she did a good job. and, when we were just about done eating, she says "oh, i forgot to wash the potatoes" no wonder the water in the pot was so dirty.

11. if max is mad, he says...  "i'm having the worst day ever". if max is happy, he says...  "i'm having the best day ever"  sometimes, he has both in the same day.

75% of the candy stash is GONE

the kids got to keep 25% of their halloween candy
yesterday we ate about 10% of the halloween candy
and today darric took 65% of the candy to work. 

and this is how our HALLOWEEN went this year....

saturday morning
i threw the roast in the crock pot,
baked mini pumpkin pies
and muffin shaped brownies.
madison worked on getting her second top, front tooth out.
max asked, several times, "when are we going to billy's house?"
darric and the kids counted max's change.
there was over $50.
me and max took a drive for sonic drinks. 
the girls watched game shows.
new and old ones.
and then played game shows.
kenzie made spinach dip.
i crimped kenzie's hair
then curled madi's hair.
and we all got our costumes on.
except darric.
we arrived early to the dayton's house to help get things ready.
madi finally got her tooth out.
everyone else arrived shortly after
and on time. ;)
thanks to halloween being on a saturday this year.
i grabbed my kiddos for some quick pictures outside.
some friends followed

madison as elle woods (from legally blonde) she forgot her dog at home

mackenzie as a mature bumble bee

and max got to pick out his own costume this year... ben 10

saturday night
we ate dinner. it was a lot like last year's.
french dip sandwiches, macaroni & cheese,
funeral potatoes, meatballs, spinach dip and mummy dogs.
then we had dessert.
brownies, pumpkin pies, sugar cookies and root beer floats.
we snapped some quick pictures of the kids...

from left to right: michael jackson (billy), ben 10 (max), jojo (quincy), red power ranger (tommy), pirate (ellie), storn trooper (chase - christi's son), lil' bumble bee (brooklynn), elle woods (madison), napoleon dynamite (jacob), the snow princess (alison), anakin skywalker (mason), big bumble bee (mackenzie), la spanish dancer (gracie) and the professional cyclist (beckam)
not pictured: baby cow (piper)

then we were off to the first house.

the big kids were usually the first ones to the door
max would get to the door, get his candy and then hang out
until the rest of the kids were done.
there were a lot of houses that weren't passing out candy
but the kids still ended up with a bunch of goodies.
at this one house, the couple was dressed up.
the lady was a loud witch that wanted to eat the kids
and the man wore a mask and limped.
beckam and billy didn't want anything to do with them
tommy just wanted some candy, so he didn't mind them at all.
we got to one house, no one came to the door,
so max tried to open it. 
the kids (and some parents) were super excited
about the boxes of  red vines again this year. 
after we all got back to the house,
aunt dani took the 3 bigger kids around the corner
to a few other houses.
little did they know, she had plans of scaring them.
it worked on kenzie and madi,
but jacob wasn't buying it. 

halloween 2009
another fun year.

 

halloween post coming soon

last friday, the kids didn't have school. so i slept in a little bit. when i woke up, darric had the tv on and was in the shower getting ready. this commercial came on. i thought it was some kind of joke. when darric came back in the room, i told him all about it. he thought it was a joke too. so i looked it up online. i don't think it's a joke.  

go here to find out what i'm talking about, but NOT if you are at work. and please... if you order some for the man in your life... i don't want to know.

fifth week in october

26 : monday
my dad left for italy early this morning... max and i went to walmart for groceries and mini pumpkins... then to the new target for a few things... returned library books before they were late... cropped photos... took madi to dance... she wore her costume and took her teacher the cookies in a jar... tonight they learned a dance to thriller... the one from 13 going on 30... i think i was able to memorize most of it... taco soup for dinner

27 : tuesday
it was so cold today... didn't know that when i sent the girls to school in shorts and a dress... went to jodie's house to hang out... went to the gym after picking up girls... walked 6.5 miles... for dinner we had chicken, real mashed potatoes, asparagus and rolls... for dessert and for duke's birthday, we went to get golden spoon... duke didn't get any and neither did max... he didn't eat his dinner

28 : wednesday
kenzie handed out her birthday invites... i ordered bread bowls... went to target to get the girls bigger pumpkins... and root beer for madi's class... ran to michaels for sticks... cropped photos... got mcdonalds... cropped photos... picked up girls... went to gym... walked 6.65 miles... had chicken and steamed veggies for dinner... made caramel and chocolate covered apples... 

 

watched part of the monsters vs. aliens: mutant pumpkins for outer space... it was only 30 minutes long and all three kids fell asleep before it was over

29 : thursday
my grandpa's birthday... girls took their teachers the cookies in a jar... madi bought hot lunch... she said it was something for halloween... went to joanns to see if they had any costume stuff, uh no... went over to costco... then to the scrapbook store... one of the only ones left... scrappin' time... got some christmas paper to make my christmas planner... paper is expensive... went to bread store to pick up bread bowls and lunch... went to girl's school for their class halloween parties... hung chocolate donut holes on strings in madi's class... oh, how i wanted to eat them... the students all told who they were... nobody really knew who madi was... the kids played a few games...

 we snuck over to kenzie's class... right next door... had some orange glow punch that her teacher made... max tripped and fell... he was embarrassed... he always falls in kenzie's class... took some pictures... 

 

and it was time to come home... went to jen & dave's (minus dave) for soup bowls and pumpkin carving... fun, fun, fun

30 : friday
no school... nevada day... and dave sedillo's birthday... happy birthday... took all the kids to albertsons for a few things... kids got candy from the starbucks counter... went to a couple halloween stores... didn't get anything... went to scrubs & beyond... got me some cheap blue scrubs for my lexi grey costume... kids got more candy from their counter... picked up lunch and came home... cropped photos... toasted pumpkin seeds... ordered rosatti's for dinner... discovered broken pumpkins

31 : saturday
halloween... already blogged about today

01 : sunday
my phone and the cable box helped remind me to turn back the rest of the clocks today... then i didn't feel so bad about sleeping in... we were super duper lazy today... kenzie and i did go for a drive to sonic... and then we sat around... and ate leftover halloween treats and candy... i did crop a bunch of photos 

not even 24 hours later

before the mold could even take over on our target bought pumpkins. 

friday night, just as the sun was setting, the rosatti's delivery man brought our pizza to the door. as i was signing for it, i noticed pieces of orange in the driveway and street. max's pumpkin sat safely next to the crooked halloween light post on our porch. but the girl's pumpkins... they were no longer recognizable.  

mackenzie was worried i was really going to call the police. i was so ticked. my guess is, it was either the 5 year old boy down the street that came to our door 3 or 4 times that day (once carrying a pocket knife) or the white trash family across the street (the teenagers). i'll probably never know for sure, but don't think i'm not going to investigate further. ;)

now, 22 hours earlier...

the kids and i happily packed our pumpkins and great harvest bread bowls into the car and headed over to the sedillos. we helped decorate some cupcakes before everyone else arrived. 

[all jennifer's idea]

the meltons and my mom arrived and the soups started cooking. josh and awburn (the newlyweds) arrived. grandma dee arrived with her chili. then sandy, steve and calie arrived with BACON (steve's yummy bacon) and some pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting. chris and tauni arrived. and of course, all the kiddos too. and we ate. and ate. then it was time to make the kids super happy. time to carve pumpkins. 

max scooped the seeds from his little pumpkin. he didn't really have a whole lot of guts. then i helped him with the carving. he wanted a cute face. so i gave him a cute face.

kenzie carved a face with tears. she had it drawn up a week ago. 

madi went with a stencil. can you guess what it was? i couldn't see the cat until it was lit up. and we had to wait a little while to light it up. she was the very last one done. 

and the finished products...

it was chilly outside, but we needed a picture will all of the pumpkin owners...

left to right: max, quincy, kenzie, josh, cade, grace, jacob (i drew his ny, but calie helped him carve it), madison and mason

the kids were so excited to show their dad their pumpkins. and then we took them straight out to the front porch. big mistake.

since my dad wasn't with us this year, i decided to save the pumpkin seeds. the next day, i found a recipe online for cinnamon and sugar ones and we toasted them. they could have used a little more cinnamon and sugar (and seed). mackenzie liked them.