Let's Dance

A couple of weeks ago my girls had a little informal dance recital. I really did not tell anyone about it because I figured it was just a work in progress one and I didn't think anyone would care to come. I know I need to be better about just telling about these things and letting family and friends decide for themselves if they want to come. So if you are one who would have come please don't be upset with me, I am really bad at this sort of stuff.
So this recital was dubbed a work in progress and it was super informal. No costumes, no fancy lighting, just the kids showing what they have been learning so far. I have to say that my three girls were the best looking and all did so good in their dancing. I love seeing how much they have progressed from the previous year.
Avynlea and Rylee performed the Ballet dance they have been working on and they did really great. They are on their way to becoming fantastic little dancers, making their Mama oh so proud.
Rylee got a pink leotard for Christmas and Avy got a blue one. They were told to wear a solid colored Leotard with a skirt for the recital. Avy did not have a skirt to go with her blue Leotard and I really wanted them to match so I thought I would have them wear their black leotards with the black skirts, but I could not find Avynleas Leotard, it has gone missing. I have since found out that it has been at her friends house hanging out for the past two months. She went to a birthday party one night right after dance class and because she changed at their house her Dance clothes got left their forgotten. What a relief to know where her stuff has been. So since I had no black Leo for Avy and since they needed pink tights without holes I went to Wal-Mart to get some supplies. While there I grabbed a pink leotard for Avynlea, pink skirts for both and pink tights for both. Luckily the items were all pretty cheap. Really cute but really cheap..how I like it! Once we got home and got them dressed I realized that I got two medium skirts instead of small. My girls are super thin and so the skirts sagged a bit. I told Rylee she needed to keep her belly pushed out in order to hold up her skirt but instead of pushing out she kept sucking in. I kept saying "no push OUT" but she didn't get it and kept sucking in. Oh well, they were adorable!




Kenedy got to perform her hip hop number they have been working on and she did amazing! This girl has some dancing talent! I love it! She was nervous but she did great and she had a lot of fun performing the routine she has been working on for months. She had two friends who wanted to come and watch and so we brought them along with us. It warmed my heart to see her friends there supporting her and telling her how great she did. Kenedy really has a super group of friends and I love that she has that support and love from them. Not all of her friends were able to make it but the two who did were really sweet to come and watch!
Kenedy's teacher told the girls to wear whatever shirt they wanted, jeans and tennis shoes for the dance. Kenedy chose an appropriate shirt for the number with my help but instead of tennis shoes wore her boots. She does not have tennis shoes only boots but it worked and she looked great!


Natalia, Kenedy and Cassie

Scout Pack Meeting

Last week was Rykers first Pack Meeting. I having never been in the boy scout program did not know what Pack meetings were. So apparently the families all go with their scouts and this is the time that any badges or patches that have been earned get handed out. We got there fairly early because Kefford had some Bishopric stuff to do so the waiting around got old but when the Scout Master came in looking for volunteers to help in the flag ceremony Ryker was pleased as punch to be able to volunteer. Ryker was so cute walking in with the troops flag. I really love seeing him so excited about things, it never gets old!

How cute is my boy? Granted his eyes look a little wonky but that is what happens when you take a picture of someone in the middle of a blink.

Ryker earned his Bobcat patch and so he was awarded that one this night. They pinned it on upside down because he had to do a good turn in order to get it turned around the right way. I thought that was odd but it's tradition and I guess it is a good thing. :0) His good turn was to clean up some in his sisters room. What a good brother!

After he got his patch he was given a pin that was a smaller metal version of his patch and was told it was for me and he needed to pin it on me. Scary! Ha! I knew it was coming and so I wore a sweater to make it easier on both of us. No pin sticks here! Kenedy had achievement days that night and could not make it so she gave us her camera and told us to take pictures. I never got around to it..oops..but Avynlea took it upon herself to try to get a picture and so in the bottom picture you can see our own little paparazzi. Too bad she couldn't figure out how to work the camera and thus no pictures for Kenedy. bummer.

kids!

This is a funny story. I left Rylee to play at her friends house while I went to the school to help out in the kids classrooms. When I got back i was talking with her friends Mom and Rylee kept telling me she had a secret to tell. I finally told her to wait till we got in the car and I hurried to finish up the conversation. Once we got to the car and Rylee climbed in she leaned in to whisper her secret in my ear "I took a marble". What? She said it again and not quite sure knowing what to think I looked in her backpack to see if she really did take a marble. Sure enough there was a red marble underneath some of the papers she had in there. I gave Rylee another little lecture, this time about taking things that do not belong to us and then I took the marble and returned it to its rightful owner. She is such a crazy kid. Have to give the little lady props for her honesty!

While I am thinking about it I might as well write down a funny that happened to me at the kids school. Rykers teacher usually has me go out in the hallway with one of the students to help them individually. I was in the hall helping one of the boys in his class one day when suddenly he turned to me and said "Something smells stinky". I immediately drew my head further back away from him because I knew it was my breath, I had not yet eaten that day though it was past lunch time and I could taste that my breath was kicking. In the seconds that it too for me to process all of this this honest little boy looked at me and said "It could be your breath". I of course, acting like the mature adult that I am quickly retorted "Maybe it's YOUR breath". It kinda silenced him but we both knew who had the stinky breath. I now actively chew breath mints any time I even think about volunteering at that school! :0)

Happy New Year!

On New Years Eve I went to the store to get a bunch of grub for our annual new years party. Our tradition is to party here at home with our kids with lots of food, fun games and good movies. Once every thing was ready we all filled our plates with Tator tots, mini pigs in a blanket, fried chicken, chips and salsa, and nachos, quite the spread! Once we all had our food we sat together in the family room to watch Lord of the Rings. I know that might sound weird but we couldn't decide on anything else and it was playing on TV so there you go. After we ate I broke out the cookies, See's candy and made root beer floats for everyone, yum yum. At about 9:00 I put the two younger ones to bed and then the rest of us settled down to finish our movie and wait for midnight. I am not ashamed to admit that I fell asleep first. I didn't even try to stay awake, been there done that. I am way too sleepy at night to make it that long. According to the one who managed to stay awake till midnight Kenedy fell asleep next and then Kefford at about 11:30. Yup Ryker was the lone man ringing in the new year. That kid has way too much energy!

The next morning we drug ourselves out of bed and turned on the Rose Parade. I love watching the Rose Parade but it is not something my kids have really gotten into. Maybe that will come as they get older. While everyone was lazing around I made a Jalapeno dip for the Peterson New Years Day party. This was a recipe I found on a blogging site I like to read and it got rave reviews from all those who ate it. I did not get a chance to try it out so I was pretty nervous about it making it's debut at the party. But I have some guts and so I went with it.

Keffords Grandpa Farrell and Grandma Marge have the Peterson Party at their house every year. It is a fun tradition that I love of getting together with all of Keffords Family on the Peterson side. Not everyone is able to come every year but that is OK because we know/hope to see them at the next ones. While there we ate good food, I am happy and relieved to report that my dip was a hit and got eaten up really quick..phew :0), visited with great people and enjoyed a little football. Finally it was time to open presents. Grandma is always so thoughtful and thinks up really nice things to get us all. This year the Great Grandchildren got Dr Seuss or Winnie the Pooh books plus a stuffed animal to go along with it. I didn't get any pictures at the party..:0/ but I did take a picture of the kids with their fun gifts not too long ago so we could send thank yous.

They love their animals and books and i thought it was such a fun idea. The married Grandkids and their spouses got a book on Joseph Smith with a picture of Grandpa and Grandma in it from their mission. They served in the Carthage Jail area and have developed a deep love for the Prophet. I love that they are passing on their Heritage in this way. We also got some things for our food storage. Everyone got a timer with one of Grandmas sweet poems and on the paper was a number and that number represented what food item we got. Kefford and I managed to get a couple of bags of brown sugar and chocolate chips! Love it!

We had a really great time spending New Years Day with people we really like and look forward to seeing those who were not able to be there, at the next one!

Lessons learned at the library

I took Rylee to the library today because she loves it there and I had some books on reserve. When we first got there she wanted to play on the computers so we did. I let her play for about half an hour and then it was time to be heading home. Before we went to the check out desk I let her pick a movie to get and then we went to check out. For some reason she decided she needed to be loud and so she started this really annoying screaming yelling thing. I told her to knock it off and she kind of did. I did not have my library card, I had Kenedys, and there was a book that I had reserved that had come in but was not on the shelf yet so I asked if the librarian could get it for me. She said that since I did not have my card I would need to show my ID. That was in the car so Rylee and I walked out to the car, got my ID, left the books and movie we already checked out and walked back in to get my other book. While the girl was off finding the book Rylee started edging away towards the doors I told her to stay inside and I kept an eye on her. She was standing right by the door just waiting when this kid opened the door and walked in. Rylee saw the opening and ran out. I ran out after her and yelled for her to stop she looked at me, laughed and kept running. I finally caught up to her and when I grabbed her I told her that was not OK and that because she was naughty she had to take back the movie she picked. She started crying and was super loud but I ignored that I took her by the hand went back in got the book I wanted walked back out out to the car got the video and marched her back in and made her put the movie in the return slot. She was not happy and was really crying/ screaming hard. Once we got back to the car I gave her a little lecture about why what she did was wrong and why she had to put the movie back. I really hope she learned her lesson cause I do not want to have to go through that again!

Where did all the comments go?

Lately the comments on my blog postings have really tapered off. I used to average about 10 comments per post and now it has dwindles to about 3 or 4. I LOVE comments like most people do I am sure. I really try hard to comment on others blogs because I know how much I like it and i want to return the favor. I realize that lately I have not been as good about leaving comments and so I have really been working on that. Also I realize my postings have been pretty sporadic and so maybe people have not been checking as often. Well I am here and I am trying hard to be a more regular blogger. Not just for the sake of all of you out there reading but for me in keeping track of our lives. :0) The Blog book making website that I use to turn my blog into a book is called Blog2print. One of the biggest reasons that I love this site so much is because it gives you the option of having the comments included in the book. I love reading the comments and most of them are ones I want to keep forever which is why it is so exciting to have them included in my blog book. So won't you please start leaving me comments again? And if you don't normally leave comments will you check in every once in a while to let me know you care? :0)

Christmas Day

Last year before the kids went to bed on Christmas eve we told them they were not allowed to get up until seven. This year we didn't give any specific time and that proved to be dastardly. Our kids woke up and were out of their beds at 5:45 am! Yeah that was early. But they were excited and so we let them get their stockings and come into our room to open them. Of course no pictures were taken. I can tell you that Ryker tore into his stocking and got all of his stuff opened first, Kenedy and Avynlea were both equally patient while opening their stockings and came in sometime in the middle with their opening. Little Rylee was the last to open her stocking. it was so, so, so cute to see this little girl sitting on the bed with her stocking resting on her little stretched out legs slowly opening her stocking presents. Precious! They all were so excited and loved everything in their stockings. Oh something I just thought of, that night when it was time to go to bed I told the kids to put on their new pajamas again and Rylee looked at me and said "Is Santa leaving our stockings on our bed again?" She thought that wearing the new pajamas meant it would be Christmas again every time she wore them. How cute is that? Too cute! So the kids got done opening their stockings and were anxious to go down and see what Santa left them. Previous years Kefford made the kids get dressed before being allowed to go downstairs. It was something he grew up doing and he somehow implemented it in our home. I have always hated this practice of getting dressed and decided that this year I was going to fight him on it. The kids all wanted to be allowed to wear their pajamas downstairs and I saw nothing wrong with that. Heck I wanted to wear mine. So after many days of arguing about it I finally got my wish. I told Kefford that I would make sure their hair was done but how cute were they going to be wearing their new cute pajamas that I made for them while opening their presents. I won! Yes! Finally after waiting for Kefford to shower and dress and patiently getting their hair done the kids were allowed downstairs. They came down one at a time and they all were good about posing for the camera!

After checking that Santa ate his cookies and the reindeer got their snack the kids admired the tree with the candy canes and all the glorious presents underneath! Once the kids were done looking around at everything we got down to some serious present opening. Kefford told Avynlea she could play Santa this year and hand out the presents but that did not work so well. A lot of the presents I wrote the name on the paper and unless you knew where to look you could not see it and Kefford numbered most of the ones he wrapped so we had to do a lot of helping with the reading and knowing who each present was for.

The first present they got to open was the final gift from my Moms 25 days of Christmas thing she did. This gift has been greatly anticipated by all the kids but mostly Rylee. She was so anxious to get to the bag that was fully packed. So they opened it and found Disney themed silly bands, so fun. they were really excited and loved everything about the 25 days of Christmas thing she did!

So the kids got to open their presents and this year we had a little bit of a theme going on it was the year of the fake outs! Not a lot but enough to make us laugh. A couple days before Christmas Kefford said he wanted to make the two older kids be grateful for what they got and not act bratty if they didn't get what they wished for so he was going to hide the presents and then after we were all done pull them out. I was really worried about this idea because I really did not want tears or bad moods to spoil Christmas. I told him maybe not. But then Kenedy got really snotty about something and I told Kefford lets do it! So we did. We hid the two major presents they were getting behind some books and after everyone was done opening their presents we waited a little bit to see how they were going to react. they acted pretty good, a little quiet but not bad so Kefford pulled out Rykers. As soon as Ryker got it he lit up a little and once he made the first big rip of the paper and saw what it was he was jumping out of his pants he was so excited. We got him the number one item on his wish list a DSi but Kefford took it a step further and got him the limited edition XL red one. He was so happy. He has been wanting one for a couple of years now but this is the first year that he really showed he wanted one. I am glad that we waited till now to give it to him, I think he appreciates it a lot more.

The number one item on Kenedys wish list was a digital camera. Kefford kept teasing her and saying that she already has a camera and it just needs new batteries. She kept saying no it does not take good pictures and that she needs a better one. They would go back and forth all the time like this and so while I know she was really hoping for a new camera, I am not sure what she was thinking about whether she would get one or not. Finally he pulled out her last present and gave it to her, when she pulled off the paper and saw the box she got excited and said "a camera!" Kefford said no that is the box from your Moms camera. She looked bummed but then opened the box to see it really was a new camera just for her. She was also super excited with her gift and I am glad that we were able to make that happen for her!

The third and final fake out came from me to Kefford. He pretty much knew what most of his presents were which is a disappointment for me. I love surprises but Kefford does not care so much but I wanted to give him a surprise. He knew he was getting a new Wii game for Christmas but what he didn't know was that I got him a DVD that he has been wanting for quite a few years. He once saw the movie "Duel" by Steven Spielberg and became a little obsessed with it. Every so often he would look into getting it but then would make a decision to not get it. I finally bought it for him and since i wanted to surprise him I wrapped that up in wrapping paper knowing Kefford would think it was the Wii game and I wrapped the Wii game up in fruit snack box so it would not look like the game. I gave him the DVD to open and he was thinking he was so smart saying snarky things like "oohhh I wonder what this is" wink wink, and "Maybe it's a movie". Oh man I was giggling so hard and really almost jumping on the couch I was so excited for the reveal. Once he finally got it open he was so surprised and I yelled out "haha fake out!" Oh man it was the best. I was laughing so hard and he was so surprised. It was really great!

We had a really great Christmas morning. It was fun and relaxing and everyone was super happy with what they got. I got Kefford an intake for his pickup truck and he spent the morning putting that in while I spent the morning baking bread with my new bread machine. We also got the Family game night for the Wii and the kids and i had fun playing with that while Kefford worked in the garage and while my new gadget baked us bread.

T'was the Night Before Christmas

The day before Christmas was a very relaxing kind of day. Kefford had the day off and it was nice to have him home with us. That has not always been the case in the past and so I really enjoyed having him around. We spent the day hanging out, playing the wii, and playing with each other. I also took a little time to lock myself in the computer room to wrap up the stocking gifts. At one point Kefford and I ran to the store because I was running low on tape but it was a quick jaunt. Kenedy called while we were on our way back and asked when we were going to be home Kefford told her an hour and she said OK and hung up. I was immediately suspicious. As soon as we walked into the house Ryker was on the couch and when he saw us he jumped up and ran into the kitchen and banged on the sliding glass doors. We followed and saw the girls outside. Upon questioning Ryker on his odd behavior he finally spilled the beans that Kenedy was trying to climb onto the roof and she had told him that he better not tell on her..or else..:0/ Kefford got the girls inside and lectured Kenedy about her behavior and then lectured Ryker about listening to someone who is threatening them. Seriously these kids sometimes! Whatever though, we all got past it and finally it was time to get ready to settle down for the night. We got everyone together and watched a video on the Nativity which was really great and then we gathered the kids together around the Christmas tree to open their pajama gift. I made them their pajamas this year and they turned out really cute. I could not find a solid colored shirt to match the pajama bottoms I made for the two little girls but I did find the exact colors i needed in shirts that had prints on them. So I bought the shirts and added fairies from Rylees leftover material to the flowers that were on her shirt and I cut out a frog in the shape of the big flower on Avynleas shirt to hide that design. They looked so cute and looked like the tops and bottoms were made for each other. Everyone really liked their pajamas. i wanted to make Kefford a pair of pajamas also this year bit could not find good manly material at Jo-Ann's, they are seriously lacking in the male department. So I went to Fred Myers and found a nice pair which he liked.


Then it was on to the kids getting their new ornament. In the past I would buy them all the same ornament but this year and here on out they will get an ornament handpicked to reflect them and their hobbies or personalities. McCall has this place called The Christmas House which is attached to The Pancake House a place we traditionally go to when we are all in McCall in November. So I got their ornaments their. Rylee and Avynlea both got a ballerina because they are my little ballerinas and i have really loved watching them fall in love with dancing. Ryker I wanted to get something to do with basketball but could not find anything good in that category at the store. So upon more searching I found a fun BSU football ornament that I knew he would like, and he did, he loved it! Kenedy I had a little bit of a harder time trying to decide which ornament she should get. I thought about getting her a dance one but the ballerina ones they had just didn't seem to work. Finally I found a tree that had cooking ornaments on it and that is where I found the one for her. A cupcake. She really enjoys baking and cupcakes are something she makes often so I knew that was the right one for her! All of the kids loved their ornaments and it was even more special because they were handpicked for them.

After that was done the kids put out cookies and eggnog for Santa and 9 carrots for the reindeer. It is so cute to see the excitement in the kids I absolutely love Christmas time with kids! Avynlea remembered that she had some reindeer dust from her teacher in her backpack so she went to get that. Reindeer dust is oatmeal mixed with glitter and you throw it out on your lawn to help guide the reindeer to your house. The kids ran out and sprinkled it on the "lawn" and then hurried to come back inside because it was not a warm night. We then had them brush their teeth and sat together to read our nightly scriptures. Of course this night we read about the Saviors birth. Then it was kisses goodnight and bedtime for the kids. I anticipated a long night of kids trying to fall asleep but they surprised me and went to sleep quick. I hope that is a trend that continues on in years to come!

Once the kids were asleep Kefford and I got to work setting everything up. I put their stockings on their beds and then Kefford and I set all the presents out by the tree. I have to tell how giddy I was while doing all of this prep work. Christmas and getting presents is fun for anybody but having Christmas with kids is a whole other world. I was so excited about my kids waking up the next morning and them seeing the tree and opening their presents. It is really fun to watch them be excited. At the last minute I remembered the candy canes and I then put 40 candy canes on our tree. It was alot!:0)

Kefford and I then relaxed and looked forward to the next morning!

The days leading up to Christmas

For me the month of December flew by at rapid speed! I had so much going on in the days leading up to Christmas that the weeks seemed to be almost non-existent. On the 11Th in addition to all that I have recorded in the previous post that night Kefford and I went to the Bishopric Christmas dinner. It was a lot of fun to interact with the other members of the Bishopric and their wives. We had a really delicious dinner prepared by Bishop Whieler and his wife and then after we ate we had a white elephant gift exchange. I have to admit that the gift Kefford and I brought was by far the best gift there. We found a pair of pajama bottoms at Fred Myer that were designed to look like a pair of pants with chaps. They were awesomely repulsive. I was embarrassed walking through the store with them on the way to the check out, that is how bad they were. But they were the life of the party and got stolen twice to end up belonging to the Bishop and his wife..so fun! After the silliness they gave us each a gift bag that had a little treasure chest with three bags filled with Gold painted rocks, frankincense and Myrrh. It was given to us to help us remember the true meaning of the season and to bring a little bit more life to the Christmas story when told in our home. It was a really special gift and means a lot to us.





The next day which was Sunday I got the lovely job of speaking in church. It was the Bishops wish that all the wives of the Bishopric members to take a turn giving a talk. My topic was "Finding peace and joy while going through adversity". I thought alot about it and figured I could use alot of my Moms experiences because if anyone knows about finding peace while going through adversity it would be her. I thought that would be a good direction to go but in talking with my much older yet very, very good friend who told me that I was just as qualified to talk about my own experiences as anybody else I decided she was right and i could do this on my own. So I did and it was great. I felt really good about the talk I had written and given and I got massive amounts of compliments from the members of our ward. :0)



Monday morning I woke up with a sore throat and I felt achy all day long. Not good. I had the Relief Society Christmas dinner that I was in charge of the next night and I could not afford to be sick. So despite the pains I delivered all of the food that needed to be cooked to the willing volunteers and I went to Costco to get the things I needed for the dinner. Tuesday morning i woke up again feeling yucky along with the sore throat but I got myself up and over to the church to get the tables and chairs set up. Luckily my friend Lanette came to help and when I expressed how I did not feel good she volunteered to put together the cake that I was supposed to do. The dinner turned out really great and the program and everything came together perfect and for that I am thankful. It was alot of hard work putting these things together and I was glad to have it over with. The bad part was because of my sore throat every bite of food I tried to swallow felt like knives going down my throat. Not a good feeling.



Wednesday morning when I woke up yet again with the sore throat I knew i needed to get to the Dr. Here is a funny story. I went into Primary Health feeling horrible and looking it I am sure. Luckily it was not busy at all and they got me in pretty quick. One thing that was super annoying was the receptionist asked me all kinds of questions about my insurance, medical history, and even me. She also took my insurance card and Drivers license and scanned them into her computer. Yet even after doing all of that she made me fill out a form with all of the same things she just asked and entered into her computer. I did not appreciate the repetitiveness! So the nurse took me back and she said they needed to do a swab test to check for strep. I thought all they were going to do was swab my cheeks but she took this mile long q-tip and without any warning shoved it into the back of my throat. I was not prepared for this and I started gagging and instinctively my hand went up and pushed her arm out of my throat. I was a little embarrassed acting like a two year old and I apologized and told her it caught me by surprise. She said it was OK but she didn't get what she needed and had to do it again. At that point I wanted to act like a two year old and tell her no way but my two little girls were in there with me and I don't think they needed to see their Mom acting like a baby so I had to let her go in again. After what seemed like forever with me gagging and her probing in the back of my throat she finally pulled free. I started coughing from the gagging and I totally coughed right in her face. Once again I was so embarrassed and I kept apologizing and she said it was fine but once she left the room I could totally hear her scrubbing like mad. I felt like the biggest dork! The Dr. finally came in and told me I had strep, I started crying for some reason, and he hurried to give me a prescription and then he ran out the door. Man I am such a baby. I am glad that I got it taken care of and that I got the drugs which kicked in later that day to help me feel better. All I could think about though was how I was at that dinner last night infecting all the ladies of the ward. I felt horrible that I might have gotten someone sick and so I prayed long and hard that they would all be protected from my illness. I have not heard of a strep epidemic going around our Ward so I know my prayers were answered! :0)

And the finally, at the end of this long week we had our Ward Christmas Party to go to. The dinner was fine, the decorations were fun and the entertainment was mostly great. :0) Each auxiliary was in charge of putting together a little musical number for entertainment. The primary had the cute primary kids get up to sing a couple of songs. They were so cute and it is always fun to see my kiddos perform!

Avynlea half hid herself but I still saw her!

The Bishops wife decided I needed to set a better example since I was the only one of the Bishoprics wives not wearing anything festive so she stuck the reindeer antlers that you can almost see in this picture on my head. I wore them willingly and did not feel too silly!

Rylee did not want to be left out of the entertaining so she snuck on the stage with her sister!

Then it was time to meet Santa. You know what is weird. Every year there is a lady whom I have no clue who she is and she is always in the back with Santa taking pictures of each child sitting on his lap. I assume she is the wife of whoever is in the costume, that also I do not know. But anyway I always think that it is cool that someone is there to take a picture for us but not once have I ever seen any of those pictures. I think it is a little odd and I have to assume that she is taking them for her own personal photo albums. It is weird. Luckily I never rely on others to do what I am quite capable to do myself so I do get pictures of my kids with Santa.

I gave Rylee a taste of my apple pie and after giving it a lick she decided she did not like it and would not try anymore.

Santa gave the kids a bag of treats which included an orange, a candy cane, silly bands and various random candies. One of the candies was a sourbomb and I managed to capture Rykers face as he tried his!
The Beehives and Deacons of our Ward were in charge of being Santa's Helpers for the night. After waiting until almost no more kids in line Kenedy and her friends decided to get in line to take their turn with Santa. I caught Kenedy flirting with a couple of the Deacons but the only picture I could get was her looking the other way. It made me laugh to see her and her girlfriends giggling it up for the boys!

All in a days work

A couple of weeks before Christmas we went to the kids elementary school for a Breakfast with Santa. The price of admission was $2 or we could donate food to the food bank. We have a bunch of boxes of cereal that I got for about $.30 a year ago which the kids were not eating because they did not like it. So I told them to each grab a box and we will donate the cereal in exchange for our admission. The kids got a little bit upset with Rylee because she insisted on taking a box of Honeycomb which is one the kids all like. I told them to chill out and leave her alone and that she was the only one who was really doing it right by giving away something she liked. I really don't think she got what was going on, I think she thought we were taking the cereal to eat but I did not let on, i wanted these kids humbled. :0)
The breakfast was fine but we all thought Santa was going to be there eating with us which he was not. He hadn't arrived yet. Boooo. Rylee was especially disappointed she was really excited to see him. While we waited to Santa to arrive we walked around and looked at the booths that were filled with crafts. There really was not anything that excited me enough to want to buy although I did find a booth that had some really cutes bows for sale. They had ones that would have matched each of my three girls Christmas dresses perfectly. I contemplated but finally decided I was not willing to pay the eight dollars a bow she wanted.
Finally Santa arrived and we were first in line for the meet and greet. They had a photographer there to take pictures of all the kids with Santa but of course she was not quite set up and ready so while she was doing her thing I took my own pictures. I love how unafraid Rylee was and all the kids thought it was kind of fun!

After the Breakfast we took Kenedy to her friends house so that she could ride with her to another friends birthday party and the rest of us headed out to go to Rykers last basketball game of the season. Keffords brother Trevor came so he could watch Ryker play and Kefford video taped it so that Ryker could show his Grandpa all of his sweet moves. Ryker had a great experience this season and is looking forward to playing again next fall.

After the game we went to Fred Myers because earlier we saw a sign saying the wienermobile was going to be there at noon. We got there right a noon and saw a whole lotta nothing. So we walked around the store, bought a couple of things and then finally 30 minutes late the thing showed up. We went out to see it and they let us peek inside the door and that was it. I was so disappointed! Free hotdogs would have been great, maybe a dancing hotdog running around or at the very least to have them actually let us inside the vehicle would have been nice. Oh well the kids did get a sticker saying they saw the wienermobile so I guess that is something.