Who made the naughty list?

The other morning Macie and I were talking about christmas and it went something like this.

Me "Macie are you excited for Santa to come?"

Macie "Yes, I've been a good girl"

Me "Santa only comes to good girls and boys do you think Santa will bring you something?"

Macie "Yes he will and Tom too but not you Mommy you are mean!!!"

I guess I have made the naughty list this year and I am trying to change my ways I hope 8 days is enough time!!!!

Photo shoot

We got together today with some friends and shot some pictures of our kids I just love these three pictures!!!! Something about their faces the style of the picture and their bare feet in their nice clothes. LOVE THEM!

A little "sappy" read at your own risk!

It has been interesting watching Macie learn how to say Good-bye. It is something that is getting more and more hard on me so I have been fascinated at how she handles it.

For us Good-byes are going to be very regular in our lives for some time. Yes I know they are regular for most, however when I was growing up we lived in the same house the whole time I was at home in fact my parents still live there. I remember my "one" tramatic experince when my friend Ben Mason moved away in the 4th grade and ended up moving back 1 year latter to the same neighborhood and house.

I remember listening to my Brother once explain how he made some of the best frinds in his life one semester of college and had to say good-bye to them knowing that he would probably never see them again. I remember thinking to myself "well that is sad" and I didn't give it much more thought till lately.

I have been thinking of the many GREAT friends that I have made and have had to say Good-bye to who have taught me more about life, motherhood, the gospel, and frindship than I could have ever imagined. I am so greatful to all of you who have been my friend; Thanks to Kinley who helped make it possible for me to graduate from college by watching Macie, I knew she was well taken care of and loved so I could concentrate on getting that degree. Thanks to Emalee who had know idea that when she knocked on my door the night of general relief society to see if I would go with her that I had already been and had come home crying because I had no one to sit with and felt alone. Thanks to Shalet who helped me understand better feeding habits for my kids and that being honest with my feelings is okay and that I don't have to pretend to be who I am not! And Amber for listening to me regularly and laughing with me about myself. And thanks to those friends who endured Beauty school with me I still think about you daily and wish we could watch our family's grow up together. To all of my friends (and the list could go on forever, Allison, Arlee, Dianna, Jenni, Megan...)who I have said good-bye to and to those who are next (I don't even want to think about it) and are not named, I have learned from each of you and love you.

So I guess what I started out saying and got off track is there isn't a day that goes by when Macie doesn't mention Emma Ogilvie, or her cousin Sydney but that is another story, anyway I can't help but post these pictures of them together they had so much fun and I loved watching them grow together. Hopefully she learns to value friendship through all of her stages of life and all of the moves she will endure...

Happy Birthday MAcie

Happy Birthday Macie! We are so glad to have you in our lives!! You make us smile and feel better about life everyday! We love you so much sweet girl!!

P51D Mustang

Here are a few pictures of the new plane in action.  This is Sky's newest plane.  Its probably his biggest plane and it looks great!  He got this off craigslist from a guy that was desperate for the cash so he could get a wedding ring.  Sky was pretty excited because he got a killer of a deal!

Smart little guy.

Lately Thomas has been randomly coming up to me and saying "I love you Mommy" It has taken me until today when I realized that following all of those "I love yous" was me finding crayon colored all over the kitchen table or a mess in his room or something had been broken. I realized this when I was taking care of the dishes and I had asked Thomas to do something for me. I watched him and he did something naughty instead. Tom thought I wasn't watching came up to me and said "I love you mommy" and ran off before I could say anything. That kid has his mom figured out!!!

Finally the summer update

Here are a few updates from summer that we didn't get a chance to publish until now...

The kids loved riding on the mower with grandpa

Turns out Tom likes cats more than Macie! He strangled this poor cat and chased it around. Macie just screamed and ran!

Tom enjoyed a fun birthday!

We REALLY had a good time in Mexico.

Sky re-built and old airplane for his dad and helped him get started with it.

Did I mention that we enjoyed Mexico! We swam here nightly and it was AMAZING!

We love Fall - Part 2

It has been a lot of fun this fall! We have some much fun together!  Macie and Tom absolutely love playing out in the leaves, Sky loves taking us out to fly, and I love doing a crafts with my good friends.  It has been a blast and we are loving every moment of it.  Hopefully we can somehow extend it and make time stand still if only for a moment!

Happy Halloween

Here are our Halloween pumpkins.  We had a nice relaxing Halloween.  The kids obviously got a little too much candy, but who cares!  They had lots of fun doing it!  Thanks to all our fun neighbors!

I love this stuff!!!

So I bought a can of TIGI Dirty Secret dry shampoo thinking that it can't do what it says it does well it did. I love it! On days when I am in a hurry and I don't have time to shampoo my hair I use this dry shampoo and just shower. It is great stuff my hair smells clean and doesn't look greasy so for all of you busy women out there or for your daughters I recommend this!!!

What I love about fall...

I LOVE FALL TIME!!! To me there is something so magical about the way the air outside feels on my cheek or the smell of a home filled with fragrances of cinnamon and spice, or the colors that catch my eye in all directions weather it be the red leaves on the trees or decor in peoples homes I just can't get enough of it.

I love the fall styles in clothing just cool enough to wear layers with out having to cover them up with a coat, and the walks to the park with out feeling the sun beat down on my neck. I love thanksgiving time and remembering all that I have and thinking that I should feel this way all year round, however for some reason comes easier in the fall time for me.

I wonder is there anywhere that is fall year round please let me know and we will be there as soon as possible...

( This picture is from the William-Sonoma web site I just love this place setting)

Summer Fun...

Summer has come and gone and for most people that is a bummer but to me it means it is Fall time and if you know anything about me it is obvious(to me anyway) that I LOVE fall!!!

The last couple of posts have been about my kids and Sky so this one is to fill you in on what I have been up to which of course involves all of the above because they are my life.

For months I have been looking forward to Sky's 2 Week summer break where we were anticipating driving to Idaho spending time with our parents and then leaving the kids with Grandma and Grandpa Hammond while Sky and I went to Mexico for a whole week. I was hesitant and nervous to leave the kids for that long but in the end We had a great time. One day it was so hot outside i didn't think I could take another day of it so we went to the local mall and saw two movies back to back not a  normal occurrence in our lives. Lots of time reading on the beach swimming in the pool and most of all it was fun to not have to be anywhere and do anything for anyone for a whole week. I know sounds selfish but it was great!!!!

After Mexico Sky had to get back to school so the kids and I stayed for 3 more weeks yup you didn't read that wrong 3 weeks...We stayed because My youngest sister Jessica was getting married mid September and it just didn't make sense to come back to Wisconsin and then back to Idaho within a three week period. The kids and I had a great time visiting my sister in Boise for a week. The kids had a blast with their cousins and I had a blast with my sister Jen!! I love hanging out with her and to be honest I think I have been in denial of how much I miss family especially my sisters... there you have it my moment of weakness don't tell anyone okay?

My sisters wedding went well. She looked beautiful and happy. I met her now husband for the first time and he is very nice and makes my sister happy, so I am happy for them. My sister Camille did the flowers and they looked fantastic and the yard looked beautiful as always my mom does such a great job. It was fun to have all of the siblings together again and remember what strong fun personality's everyone has...

I can't seem to get the pictures up loaded so whne I can I will add them to the post until then have a great Fall day!!!!

Oazauke County Fair

We went to the oazauke county fair last weekend and it is one of our family's favorite things to do here in wisconsin. It is a small town and a perfect fair. Everyone had a great time Macie was in a magic show and giggled with lilly the whole time it was so cute!!

Macie was able to ride this roller coaster with her dad and Thomas rode his first ride with his sister. He was so excited and said bye and jumped on without looking back. We love these kids!!!

Help...

It has been interesting at our house lattly, I have been struggling with a three year old who decided that it is okay to be whinney all day long, argue with me about everything, not listen to me and turns and says "Whatever mom". (but at the same time she can turn around and be soooo sweet and perfect) If she is like this at three I have no idea what we will be doing when she is thirteen.

I have been doing a lot of thinking and praying and wondering how to handle these fits without loosing my cool, I know all of you fantastic Mom and Dads have dealt with similar situations and I am wondering what you have done to help your child understand that they are not going to get what they want when they pitch a fit and when they don't listen without being completely frustrated and lost.  Any ideas are welcome I am lost!!!!