Christmas Day

It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year....

Finally I can say that the Wallick Family is up and running! We have had a busy last week of school before the break... with the Winter Concert and class parties life here was crazy.. throw in Adam with the flu from Monday night to Friday and Makenzie with Strep throat from Tuesday till Friday... it was MADNESS! In between being a nurse to "Man Baby"(so true!) and to Makenzie, I had to squeeze in a lunch date and a neighborhood "bus buddies" Christmas party. It was a fun but exhausting week and I still haven't fully caught up on the regular chores. Yesterday, Adam and I celebrated our Christmas early. We went to the "Chinese New Year Spectacular" in Atlanta. The costumes were amazing as was the performances. You can check it out at www.DivineArts.org.
We are on the final countdown to Christmas and the celebration of our Saviors birth. With that being said, remember true love of Christ is Charity! The Relief Society Motto is- "Charity never Faileth". If you feel impressed to say something uplifting or do something uplifting to someone you know or even don't know- listen to that "still small voice" and as President Hinckley used to say "Just do it!" Have a Wonderful Christmas! With Much Love and Hugs-

 

Turn Out the Lights Sweet Darlings!

Cause tonight it's all the way! Yes- that's right- the lights are finally up and the trees are trimmed! I must admit that it has been really hard for me to get in the mood for this holiday season. Last night helped lift my spirits because for FHE we read a talk from the Nov "Ensign" by Elder Marcos Al Aidukaitis titled "Because My Father Read the Book of Mormon". We have really been faithful in reading our scriptures nightly as a family and are on our third time this year. I can honestly say that it is something I look forward to each night, because it is the one moment in our day where I can feel the loving calmness as we sit together. Of course there are times when I am exhausted but our kids keep us on track, especially Parker! He will not go to sleep with out us reading our Scriptures. (maybe it's because we read in his room!) It was last night that I thought- "snap out of it-get busy- and be of good cheer!" My little ones are so excited about Christmas and all of the reasons why we celebrate. It is time that I get in the mood too! Tonight we will kick off our annual "Dancing by the Tree". Each night- one kid will pick a song from our collections of Christmas tunes, and we all sing and dance by the tree. It is one of their favorite traditions and most nights, we end up dancing to more than one! Hope you are all feeling the magic in the air! Love and Hugs

Much to Be Thankful For.....

In these times of economic hardships and the feelings of no job security- I thought I would take this time to express my thankfulness to our loving Heavenly Father. I am so thankful that we have a roof over our heads, that we have food on the table, that we have loving family and friends and that we have the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives. Recently when meeting with a member of our Bishopric, I was truly amazed at this brothers attitude. You see, he had just been laid off at his law firm- as did 9 other lawyers. A lawyer! Something I never thought could happen, and yet here he was testifying to us at how he has faith that things will be fine! I was so impressed and thought- wow! Could I be so sure?
"Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him." D&C 7:12
So remember to give thanks for all that you are privileged to enjoy. I wish you all the Happiest of Thanksgivings and the best of times with your families.

Parkers Big Day!

Our family tradition is to have a pancake breakfast in the shape of the age the birthday child has turned. We really had to move fast since we were also trying to get ready for 9 a.m church. This is something our kids really look forward to. Our records got read in at church and when they called Parkers name he stood up and waved like he was a politician running for office. The ward got a laugh out of that! He was also recognized in Primary which Makenzie said he really liked. His Larson cousins sang to him which he said "sweet" to and he was excited when grandma Pam finally got a hold of him but he was to busy watching Wall-e that he really wouldn't talk. ( he had called to thank her for his present and had gotten her voicemail AFTER he had gotten the vm of Aunt Emily and Aunt Marci so by the time he got grandmas he was really mad!) Later on we went to Julies and wow! She had decorated her dining room table with ballons, m&ms, bubbles, lil cars, gummy worms, jelly bellies, umbrellas for the drinks, crazy straws and of course party hats for all. He really thought that was cool. Everyone was a good sport and wore the hats, even Julies grandpa! We all ate a tasty hamburger dinner, with all the sides and fixins, and FINALLY it was time for cake and ice cream! Thanks Julie for doing so much for our sweet lil boy- he loves you and your family! All in all he had a good birthday and of course we wish everyone could have been here!

Happy Happy Birthday!

Nine years ago, on November 23rd I gave birth to this sweet, wonderful little boy. Life was so good because we had him- a son. We didn't care that he had Downs Syndrome. We only cared how other people would treat him. To us he was perfect, and we wanted to give him the best life possible. Since that time, he has really shown our family what the meaning of life really is. He always wakes up with a smile, he knows how to make us laugh, and we couldn't imagine our family with-out his radiance! Check out his favorite music of the moment. He loves "Hairspray" since his sisters tormented him by watching it a lot on our trip down here. I have never heard "I'm Yours" but he really liked it when we were on my sister in laws blog. I had to play it over and over while he played air guitar. That explains his fascination with "We will Rock You", it has a great guitar solo.
I hope you are all well, and life is good for you!

Not For the Sensitive

If you have NOT seen the "Twilight" movie but plan to- do not read the following because I'm about to give my personal opinion.
The night started off pretty good- a girl from my ward organized a small group of women to go to dinner and then to the movie. My sweet husband, not wanting to forfeit our Friday night date decided to join us. So off to the Red Robin we went. It seemed that everyone in the restaurant was heading over to the movie after dinner (okay- so they were a BUNCH of teeny boppers but...) After our nice dinner and conversations we headed over to the theatre to stand in line for over and hour. Simple enough, we were all having a good time talking and laughing AND we were pretty much in the front of the line. So, now it's time to head into the theatre and two girls from our group LITERALLY RUN and SCREAM- which was funny until all the people behind us started to do the SAME THING! (kinda reminded me of Black Friday)
I am laughing so hard that I can't walk- Adams face in the midst of all this was-- priceless! So- we find our group just in time for me to witness one of the girls hurdle over a chair to quickly sit in the row she wanted us to sit in. She actually took a 12 year old girl with her, which made us laugh even more. You could feel the excitement in the air UNTIL about 5 minutes into the movie! Yeah- you read it right. Not only would I NOT pay 10 bucks to see this movie again, I am gonna recommend that if you LOVED the book- DON'T go see the movie. There were certain times through out the movie that we all felt like we were at a comedy club. I am certain that we, the audience should not have been laughing. The acting was terrible, the cinematography was horrible and the music reminded me of a really bad 70's late night movie! There I said it, but YOU be the judge.

NO TRICKS ALL TREATS!

We had a great Halloween, and it all went too fast! Adam and I hosted a fun party for Parkers class, and then rushed home to have Julie and Jay ( our local cousins- who by the way, are AWESOME!) come over, followed by pumpkin carving, and getting Makenzie into her costume and out the door for a birthday party! Then we took the two younger ones out to dinner and FINALLY they were able to "trick or treat". Taylor was soo excited and could not walk to contain her excitement. I guess door to door was WAY more exciting than car to car! That ended with a firepit/movie in the cul-de-sac. We couldn't stay long because Adam had to rush to get his family from the MARTA. Yes- I said "the family"! It was the BIGGEST treat we could have gotten, and it was so amazing and unbelievable. They had gone to Mexico and while in Mexico City some computer problem forced the plane to leave late, causing them to miss their connecting flight here in ATL! It was fine with us! So we were able to spend some time with them, even if 6 of those hours were spent sleeping. Of course saying good-bye again was just as hard for us the second time, especially Makenzie. She cried her eyes out for a long while, and it was very sad. It really makes me reflect back in sadness, and really regret all the times I took them for granted. You know that saying- "you never really know what you had, until its gone"? Well, its true! I urge you to really appreciate your loved ones if you are lucky enough to be near them! Spend some time with them and make sure they know that you love and care for them. Living so far from the ones we love really is hard- harder than I ever thought. I am grateful to our loving Heavenly Father who has placed us in an area where we feel a big part of our neighborhood, and where we are surrounded by great,caring and loving people.

Much love and hugs- hope you all are well.

CUZ THIS IS THRILLER- THRILLER NIGHT AND NO ONES GONNA SAVE YOU FROM THE BEASTS ABOUT TO STRIKE!

AAAARRRGGGHHH! My girls back home- having fun without me! Andi, Tuesdee and Donna- at Gabs 10th B-day party- Nice- they tied kids up and took their props! I miss em like crazy but life here is good! I can't complain- I'm just glad that we are all happy, safe, and together! Hope the same for all you!

Oh yeah and don't have too much fun without me- I know it will be sad since we have spent the last 11 years together but make sure you have a moment of silence for me!

CC 2nd Ward Please Read

This goes out to my ward family back home- would someone please take a "trick or trunk" invite to the renters in my house? Remember- they are totally inactive, the wife wants to get back into the church, and they have two girls, one boy. This would be the perfect way to show your sweet missionary skills. (you know, besides your numb- chuck skills, and your computer hacking skills!) Thanks!

NO REST FOR THE WALLICKS!

We had a fun Saturday and Sunday, but very exhausting! We have had Adams cousin Joey here from Texas since Wednesday, and so we HAD to make sure that he got to do the TWO things he really wanted to. Saturday we took the MARTA ( like a subway) into the downtown area to go to the aquarium. That was fun because Julie- our fun loving cousin met up with us, and while we were eating at Johnny Rockets in the downtown area, our neighbors from across the street walk in! We actually knew someone! It was funny! So as you can see from the pictures it was really cool- we even visited the Titanic exhibit. I was a first class passenger ( of course!) AND I survived! That was neat. Yesterday at church we had a good time and everyone was really nice. We found out that we missed the "trunk or treat" so that was a bummer but what can you do? After lunch we went to Stone Mountain. If you don't know what that is about, google it because I'm too tired to go on. Just wanted to share some fun pictures and I will post again soon!

WHAT TIME IS IT?

Yup- it's Wildcat Time! So we took the kids and a bunch of us from the neighborhood went to see the movie. It was cute, great dance numbers, very colorful and imaginative, but lots and lots of duets between "Troy" and "Gabriella". From a mothers point of view, I thought it was worth the 7.50 per kid- 8. per adult and the $16 bag of popcorn and two soda price tag. (No- Adam did not go- he was working ) It's just too bad that Disney needed to cash in on releasing this movie in the theater because it would have definitely been okay to just show it on t.v. Oh well, we are suckers for good entertainment for our kids, so we will pay it- right?

After the movie ended- Parker got up and ran to the front of the theatre with Taylor following right behind him. It was fun to watch him sing and dance with Taylor- but then somehow Parker ended up dancing with some other little girl and it was soo cute. Her siblings were clapping and the moms were all saying "aawww". Cute and fun for all- so go see it if you must!

I would post pictures but my camera is out of batteries sooooo........ next time!

Hope all is well-

That's Life in the BIG CITY

So we have had a very interesting weekend/week. I know- it's only Wednesday but...
This past Sunday was supposed to be our first time at church but it WASN'T. Taylor woke up with the vomits at 2:45a.m. Yeah I know- Lame, I mean - poor baby! Then it escalated to a high fever- which made it worse because of the tossing and turning and the pure heat radiating off her little body. She spent the good portion of the day sick, with the heaving and the aches.
Now it's Monday and I am overtaken by ANTS! Fire Ants to say the least. They are in my pantry, my laundry room and by my front door. I mean, it was enough to give me the hebbie jibbies. LOTS of ants, so I sucked them up with the vacuum and Adam killed them with some spray- GROSS. Now it's Wednesday and MY throat has been aching! I am happy to report that Taylor went to school yesterday, Bulwark pest control annihilated the ant problem and hey- IF I do get sick- NO BIG DEAL!!! Just wanted to make sure you all are good and hope all is well.

I FEEL LIKE DANCING WOO- DANCING

So- I'm feeling pretty good- house is clean, I'm dressed with full hair and make up and guess what people? Most of you are not even up yet! That's right! It's 9 am here so it's 7 there and ....
so there!
It's not too bad once you get going but... seriously! We are in the swing of things here, all the kids are now bus riders- which is nice since all 3 go to different schools! Tays' bus comes at 6:40, Parkers next at 7:05 and then Kenz at 8:25. Parker got kicked out after his first week. Well, not that bad but.. the school he started at doesn't have a special education program but they wanted to see how he would do, even though WE knew it would not last. He was miserable because he is not used to the rigors of "normal" class work. So the lady at the school who deals with kids with special needs asked us if she could meet with us and have a committee set up so that we could talk about Parkers needs. WOW!! We showed up and so did 8 other people including the principals from Vickery Creek (first) and Sawnee ( current). We were really impressed and they really seemed to have Parkers needs first on their list. They were not impressed with the services provided to him in Utah ( sorry) but back home Parker got 20 min a week of speech because the district shares Speech Therapists. His school here has 6- ya you heard me-6 full time on site speech therapists! We are excited to see how he grows and hope that his speech will come. He is really liking his new school and class and I'm sure within no time- he will once again be the B.M.O.C.( Big Man On Campus)
The girls are happy- making lots of friends, and really seeming to flourish in their schools. Kenzie has jumped right in and has been doing better with the whole move. Jetta has made some doggie friends of her own, and Adam and I are happy that we are all here together, and that he is working.
I don't know about you all, but this whole economy mess really scares me! I pray that each of you will feel Heavenly Fathers love, that each of you will continue to be blessed and that you will have the strength to get through whatever may come your way. Love and hugs- Shannon
By the way- hope the new tunes get you in a dancing mood!

Georgia- We ARE HERE!

Well my dears- we are here! We are 100% unpacked and the kids will have their first day of
school tomorrow! We had to jump through some MAJOR hoops to get this to happen! Here in
Georgia the kids have to have their second chicken pox shot and a flu shot, hearing exam,
dental exam and a vision check before they could start- so when I say we had to jump some
hoops- Im not kidding. Then today we had to meet with counselors to determine classrooms
and schedules. Blah Blah Blah! Listen to the most obscene part- Parker and Taylor have to be
at the bus stop at 6:40! Gross! That is a.m. people! :K-5th goes from 7:40 to 2:20. Kenz goes
from 9-4:15 and will get off the bus at around 4:45- just in time for dinner and homework!
What a nightmare but what can you do?
Enough about me and us- just wanted to say a special "THANK YOU" to The Gustaveson
Family for hosting a farewell dessert get together, "THANKS" to all our fabulous friends who
stopped in to say good-bye, 'THANKS" to the Schoffs for having us over for dinner the night
our furniture was on its way here, and 'THANKS TO ALL OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY" for
the love and tears. I truly miss my life in St.George but the neighbors here have rolled out the
"welcome wagon" and have just been wonderful. We have had dinner brought to our front
door- and our nieghbors across the street have introduced Makenzie and Taylor to all the girls
their ages in the area. Its been nice. Like I said- there is NO place like home but ......

I am thankful that we are here as a family, I am thankful beyond words that my husband is
able to have a job in this crazy economy, I am so thankful that we have a renter in our home,
and I am so thankful for the internet because we were able to watch General Conference! I
know that all the blessings in my life have been because of our Loving Father in Heaven, and I
am grateful to have such amazing friends like you all back home. I love and miss each of you
and please keep an eye on my house.

DONT STEP ON MY BLUE SUEDE SHOES

That's right people- we are in Memphis! We have actually had a really good time in our travels. The kids have all been good and so has the dog. The country is beautiful- as soon as we entered Oklahoma and even in Arkansas we saw lots of flats prairie lands, barns, white cows, and lots and lots of crosses, and lots of "Jesus" stuff- like "Jesus Saves" and the " infant Jesus of Prague seminole" whatever that was. We are in the bible belt for sure. Everyone has been nice and the kids are having a good time seeing all the different things each state has to offer.
As for me- I have my silent tears moments because I just cant grip the fact that I'm not in "Kansas" anymore. Dorothy was right when she said "there's no place like home."
I miss St.George like crazy but I have to be a big girl, "cuz big girls don't cry." We are heading over to see Graceland today so I need to get my butt off the couch and head to the shower.
Even though I don't blog each of you personally- don't think I don't think about you all

IM LEAVING... ON THAT MIDNIGHT TRAIN TO GEORGIA

Yes- we have officially left St.George and boy was it hard! We left Fri night and drove to Flagstaff Az. Yesterday morning we woke up with a phone call from my brother saying he was in Flagstaff for a soccer game, so we spent a little time with him and his cute family before we headed to Albaqurque New Mexiceo. It's pretty here, and the hotels we have been staying in have been pretty amazing. I took some sweet pics of the kids in the lobby this morning but for some reason, they are not down loading fast enough and we are in a hurry to get out of here. Today is our long drive- Oklahoma City. We want to get there in enough time so that I can watch- Desp House Wifes. I doubt we will make it since its already 11 but we will try. Just wanted you to know how we are and where we are. Post you all soon- Love and hugs too.

Bustin A Move!

OMGosh!! Have we been bustin our tails over here! Seriously- I feel like I have been doing some serious manual labor over here! The time is getting closer to us having to move- and I would like to express my heartfelt thanks for ALL the OFFERS of HELP and ALL the MEALS that were offered! I couldn't except the help because I needed to go through stuff and figure out what goes where and if they were even wanted, and I didn't want the meals because we are trying to eat what we can so that all the frozen stuff and what not doesnt go to waste. At any rate- THANK YOU- THANK YOU- THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHO HAVE TRIED TO HELP! I love you all and trust me when I say- you will be missed! Blog you all LATER

IT'S THE WAITING GAME- STILL!!!!

Yes- we are STILL waiting to hear when we are moving! The military has not given us a written contract yet, although they have given us a verbal agreement. We did go Altanta this past weekend to look at the area and homes. The house pictured is the one we chose to rent in the suburbs of the ATL. It is 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms - so there will still be plenty of room for all of us to fit into to. It is a brand new home, which really makes me happy because everyhouse we looked at that was nice on the outside was horrible on the inside!

I am so not looking forward to moving and having to deal with all the packing and unpacking! I promised myself that I would be really strong and really supportive when Adam got this job, so please dont make me get all emotional, just give me hugs and tell me we will see eachother soon.

Does this make sense? I just love living here and being around all of you and to think of moving so far is just so sad! So, lets all agree to say "God be with you till we meet again."-( One of my favorite hyms.)

COME ON ALREADY!!!!

I'm sorry to report at this time- we still have not heard weather or not the rental will go through. Part of me doesn't really want to rent out my house for fear of my house being trashed. Nobody cares and loves your home more than you do right? Now, the other half of me is just thinking "come on already, let's get the show on the road." We know we have to move, we accept that fact but... in the last 17 months of trying we have experienced a lot of emotions. We were first excited, then optimistic, then defeated, then comfortable, then drained, then hopeful and now it is almost like a desperate feeling. We need to be in the region that Adam is regional manager over soon. Although an ultimatum has not been giving yet- we both feel that Vita-mix has been so patient with us, that they are going to not put up with it for very much longer. Make sense? So this morning we had some Re-max realtors come through and hopefully they will find us a buyer. I would much rather sell then rent.
Also on the downside of us thinking we had a renter, I had to withdraw from classes at Dixie which was a sad day for me. Taylor said "mom, your a college drop-out huh?". Not what you wanna hear from your 6 year old but what can you do? Once again, Wallick life is on hold!

OH THE IRONY!!!

So- we have had a strange week! On Friday- I came home to find a car sitting outside our house, and I got a feeling that they wanted to look at our house even though they drove away.
I came in and finished cleaning and sure enough later that day- our realtor called and said someone was interested.
Here is the catch- it is the gov'ment and they want to pay us to rent the house out to one of their military Navy recruiters. He seemed to be nice, ex-member of the church so I was able to do a little missionary work and I feel really good about him and his family being here.
Do I really want to move? No! especially since we would have to be out in 2 weeks! The irony is the fact that I had a purpose in my life! Going to school, Parker finally in May coming off a waiting list that he has been on since he was 2 weeks old in order to get services thru the state! He has a buddy that comes 3 times a week for two hours and teaches him sign language, and school study skills and just be his buddy. Now everything could change! Not sure if Im so happy about it but is this the answer that Heavenly Father is giving us? Of all the homes to choose from- why ours? We will let you know!

Back to School

It is that time of the year again and I am so torn! I LOVE having my kids home this summer because we had a terrific time but at the same time, now that they are all in school I can get a lot more done around the house! Okay- so theoretically, I should be doing a lot more but taking it slow for one week has been nice! Tonight I went to the Temple to be with my sister in law Emily. Her and her husband took out thier endowments today. I sure did need to go as I have been so restless about my life. Drum roll please...........................................

I have enrolled at Dixie State!!! Thats right- its back to school for me too!

We will have to see how it goes- I have registered for 13 credits. Not sure how that is going to work with being a mom, and Adam going out of town.

Go Rebels! (these are pics of the kids first day of school- after Makenzie went to her first day of 6th grade we took her and her friends out to celebrate at DQ)

Party like a Vamp!

So as you can see, we were quite a group and the envy of all with our cool shirts! This is our "Charlie" and he was more that happy to pose with the likes of us! The excitement was in the air- that was for sure! So now- I am ALMOST done with the book and I gotta say- I called the imprinting thing with Jacob!!! If you did too, before you read on let me know! Gotta go finish cleaning so that I can get on with the final few chapters!

Worth the Wait?

Fo Shizzle! What a fun night! We started off at Barnes and I gotta be honest- it wasn't that great! My feet are sore from walking around doing the "hunt" and it was hot, and there were people EVERYWHERE! We did get our picture taken with a security guy who we were calling "Charlie"- that was pretty funny. Some guy who was an "Edward" wannabe posed with us for a picture too and was he weird! After we spent all that time finding the questions to answer (40) and then answering them my friends decided they wanted to leave to go to LP.- We get there, and the party is pretty much over. So I decided to leave and head to Wal-mart and honesty that was way fun! Who knew?

While in line I met the cutest girls and we had fun chattin away, AND the best part is Wal-mart had prizes for us all! I got a trailer dvd, a button, and a sticker sheet. Everywhere in the store was so pumped and so excited! Even better was the price (13.68) and the fact that you didnt have to pre-buy ( LP was selling them for 22!) and you didn't have to have a bracelet and pay 25 to join the book club just to get your book for 16( Barnes).My friend Shelly ened up joining me there and so thankfully the night ended good.

By the way- like my shirt? Not sure if you can see it that good but when my friend Andi gets a sec she will send me a group shot of us and then you can see the shirts better.

Looking forward to doing nothing but reading! Enjoy and good-night

More Vacation Pics

Just wanted to get this page up since I scrapped it a while ago. I will be posting again soon so till then take care and thanks for stopping by.

IM GOIN' BACK TO CALI-CALI- CALI....

So as you can see, we had a great time at our summer beach vacation. This year Adams parents joined us and so did my niece Isabel and nephew Trevor. My parents also decided to join us which was a nice surprise! They all got there on Saturday which gave me and Adam time to have our kids to ourselves. Each one of our kids boogie boarded pretty much the WHOLE day. Makenzie always goes off and makes friends and stays in the water catching the waves. Shes really good at it too. Parker and Taylor mark this as the first year they actually got in past the shallows. (we usually pull them on the boards in the very shallow area) They had a blast- and as luck would have it, the camera got left at the hotel. Oh well! Adam and I trade off on who gets to go in with Kenze, but this year I took my "Twilight" book so I was okay to stay under our big shade tent and devour the book... again... for the third time!

The rest of the time the two younger ones went about the normal part of just hanging in the shallow areas on the boards and digging in the sand. Everyday we were lucky enough to have front row parking- if you have ever been there, you would understand the nightmare of finding good parking! When the Wallicks go the beach- it is ALL DAY LONG! I hate leaving, Newport is one of my favorite spots to vacation and we have done it every summer since 1998.

We did Downtown Disney and enjoyed our families. The fireworks and the excitement of the music is always fun for the kids, especially Taylor who is still in love with "Build A Bear". "Bubba Gumps" is a GREAT place to eat if you ever see one- you have to try it! ( I should get paid for all the advertising I do on my blog huh?)

We had a blast, don't want to bore you, just wanted to share some pictures with you all!

UNDER CONSTRUCTION!!!!

So please have some paitience with me- I have been busy and more busy than I thought would be possible! No excuse since most of you diehards have been on top of yours while still maintaining your daily lifes but with us going on vacation and then coming home to find out a week later- Kenz would be gettin her gal bladder out to showing our house- I have had no time!
Now listen- all you blogstalkers who admit that you have been on my blog and have read every single entry- let me know so I can check yours out!
Pioneer Day was fun but it sure did get me thinking of all the faithful people who left so many things behind to come to Zion. I could not imagine having to wear long dresses while fighting off bugs, dirt, lack of food, bearing children, raising children, walking, pulling a hand cart... and the heat! We sure are lucky that the work has been done so that we could live in such a beautiful town!
Have a good Sunday and hopefully my blog will be in full swing by monday!

Whaz UP?

So- Ive not been feeling well, but alas- I am all better. I had a horrible head cold for a full week, and I'm so thankful that it is behind me! So, I will be blogging again!
Girls Nite Out was fant-ab-ulous! We spent 5 hours of un-interrupted time at Applebee's just chatting it up and laughing out loud! Meow!
We are in full swing of summer- enjoying our cute kids and each other.
Hope all is well with everyone and I will be posting again this weekend and giving a more detailed account of whats happening and goin on!

Busy as a Worker Bee

So- I know it has been awhile! Everyone stop calling and complaining- I had a Fabulous B-day.
I ditched playing tennis ( which surprised Adam) and I laid on the couch for the first part of my morning. Then we took the kids to Pizza Factory and I was able to see my beautiful new niece- Libby. I really came to grips that day that I am never having another baby. I'm 39 and NEVER having another baby! As I sat there, holding her in my arms, I had this warmth in my heart that even though this child wasn't mine- I am now able to focus on her and my other little nieces and nephews more because my kids are older. Bitter sweet.
Then we came back home and I took a nap- and then we went to the Temple. I love to see the Temple....
We enjoyed being there with other ward members and it was a good session. After- we went to dinner with a couple from our ward, The Richeys. They are and were a lot of fun.
I had a very enjoyable b-day, doing exactly what I wanted.
So- Adam is gone again and as luck would have it- Parker lost his first tooth! So exciting for him and I was so surprised at how calm he was as he handed it to me!
Tomorrow is GIRLS NITE OUT!!!

Must be Nice!

So, here I am at home, runnin the show alone. Adam is away "working". I say it that way because he has gotten to go hang out with some of his "people" at a country club in Charlotte NC and now he is in Tampa going to a dinner and movie.
Girls why do men feel that this is work? Meanwhile my day started at 6:45, and more than 12 hours later I know that I have story time, a promised game of Trouble, Scripture reading, and the bedtime routine still ahead of me. When that's done and everyones settled I will finally be able to read my own leisure book. That wont be for another hour to hour and a half.
Now- I don't feel sorry for myself because this has been my life for the last 11 years, since our first child was born. All I'm saying is that my interpretation of work is clearly different from most- meaning my husband and I'm sure a lot of other husbands.
I think also maybe I'm a little envious- envious that Adam has not even once thought of calling since he is so "busy" enjoying himself. How many of us mothers can last 20 minutes away from our babies with out worrying about how they are doing, and if they are safe?
I don't wish for that ability, all I want to know is- am I the only one out there who feels this way?

Kickin It Old School!

Forgot to mention- listen to some of my summer tunes- these songs bring back some good memories of my summers growin up. (except Rock Star by Prima J- it's a song I heard on Nickolodean) Thanks for bloggin

39 and STILL hot- or Not!

So maybe I've lost some flair but I'm lookin forward to this year of being 39! I can't help but wonder- where did my youth go? I have so many fond memories of my childhood, and the one that just came to my head was- I was always worried where I was goin to be- I used to tell my mom that I wish I had a fast forward button so that I would know where I was goin to be later in life. She would tell me- "Stop worrying- slow down- enjoy this time- these are the best years of your life." That was when I was in high school and yet my thought haven't changed. I still wish sometimes I had that fast forward button.(especially now that we are trying to sell our home)
All I know is- each year as I gain another year, I look forward to it. Maybe I will change my attitude when I hit the big 4-0!
That being said, I am still on my quest to loose my last 5 which was 4 but is now back up to 5.
I know- I failed to lose the last 5! I really didn't put forth the effort but by July 4th you'll be congratulating me! So put that on your calendars.
Also- for those of you who live in my area- Check out this new cute store when you are in the area off Sunset by the" Golden Spoon." It's called "Queens and Jacks" and is owned by one of our local teachers whose name happens to be the coolest- Shannon!
She carries a variety of fun, stylish, top brand clothes. I just got two very cute shirts and spent just under $70. I love em and wore one of them the other day and got a few compliments.
Check her store out and lets keep her busy! (If you go there on a tues or wed you can stop in the Golden Spoon when it's two for one punch day- so DOUBLE treat yourself!)

IM STILL HERE!

So yeah- it's been awhile, since my last post- I'm trying to earn the "Mother of the Year" award by just filling in the gaps for my kids. Kenzie had some "friend" issues the last day of school- so that was sad- so we did a shopping spree for her! That was fun but that still doesn't take away the "sting" of the jealous girl bite. Girls are cruel! I'm sooo glad that my daughter knows when to stand up for herself and her beliefs. Thankfully she's over it and on to enjoying her summer.
Parker is still holding on the that very loose front tooth of his- I cant wait to post that picture.
As for Tay- we have had a busy week with tennis and safety town. She is in tennis on tues and thurs and will go everyday to Safety Town. For those in our area- if you want to know more about this FANTASTIC 2 week program- call me!
So- tonight I was at Wendy's with Parker and Tay ( Kenzie was up at Veyo with her bff Kayla) and so I see this cute young couple with their two young babies. I noticed them because she reminded me of my bff Kim from elem. So I'm watching them interact and talk and all of a sudden she starts crackin up- I mean laughing hysterically at her husband. I'm trying to be covert- but I kinda start to snicker myself. She is hanging off the chair, holding on to the table,laughing hysterically! He is just sitting there with half a burger shoved into his mouth just staring at her with this look of "what". Turns out- he hadn't styled his hair and it was sticking out all over the place ( he did look kinda goofy) but the point of my story is- as I sat there and watched I thought how lucky it is that you could be so close, so in love with someone, and still have such a good laugh- not necessarily with them but AT them. He was so sweet and so good and got up and went to look at himself in the mirror. He came back and had put water in it to calm it all down- but she started up with the laughing anyways. It just made me miss Adam- he is in Tennessee right now. So for all you out there who are lucky enough to go to bed every night with your spouse- remember how lucky you are and give them lots of loves!
P.S- scroll down to see very real pics of a dead bird inside someones grill of their Chevy Suburb.
I saw this out in the parking lot of Old Navy and grabbed my camera. It was so sad. Other people stopped to see what I was doing and then they got out their cells. How could you not know or see this in your grill?

SO TRUE- SO REAL!!!

Let The Good Times Roll!

So as you can see- we had a wonderful time during our short visit to the Magic Kingdom! It all goes so fast when you are away from the everyday busy life. It reminds me of a song called "back to life", it was played back in the day. ( Check and click in the music section if you want to hear) So now we are back in reality and wishing another vacation was on the horizon. We had such a good time and I think that Disney is so much more fun now that the kids are older. I just think it is so funny that my fu-fu girl Taylor wanted nothing to do with the Princess Boutique. She didn't even want to stand in line to meet them. All she cared about was riding the rides and meeting Minnie and Mickey. All and all we had a fantabulous time and are sooo looking forward to our next mini vacation. Every summer we head to Newport Beach, so if you all are up for it- Lets go and Let the Good Times Roll!

Here Comes The Sun, and I Say It's All Right

So what a day! We woke up to beautiful weather, and kids in good moods. The photo on the top is the view from our balcony and as you can see the sun was shining! We all had a good time- I even found 5 bucks, but I turned it in. I know- most people wouldn't do that, but I believe in karma! The workers acted like they were gonna hold it, but I'm sure they didn't really care. So we did see everything- in fact most of the rides only had a 10-15 minute wait. Of course for Nemo is was about a 45 min wait but we knocked that out early- it was our first ride. We did have to talk Taylor into alot of the big rides, but she conquered her fears! It is really late here, so I'm going to close and post more tomorrow when we get home! Since Parker is the focus here- I will continue. What can be said about this sweet boy? He was totally into EVERY ride and LOVED the fact that he could build his own Jedi sword! The worker was so sweet and helpful to him and kicked in a few extra crystals and sounds! He loved being with his dad- in fact- DAD was all he wanted today! He sure was a trooper.

OH WHAT A DAY!!!

We had a great day despite waking up to a constant drizzle of rain. We were not excited about it, but it turned out to be good because the park was virtually empty for a good hour to hour and a half. We were wet and cold but we persevered! Eventually the weather cleared and we were able to do all the rides with the exception of the water rapids. Taylor got "kicked" off the "Jumpin Jelly Fish" because she was crying. That was at the start of our day and she was a little freaked out. Adam threatened to take her back to the hotel room, so she asked for one more chance and she ended up jumpin on the rocket ride which takes you high in the air. The picture of her with the wind in her face is her "flying" above the park. Grandma Pam is with us and thank goodness for that because she was able to be a great companion for Makenzie- they are die hards for the scary rides. Speakin of SCARY- Parker is the MAN! Riding ALL the roller coasters- he LOVED them! We all agreed that "Soarin" is pretty amazing! We did see a family from our neck of the woods- Makenzies' lil "boyfriend" Calvin. They are great friends and his lil sister is in Taylors class so they were SO excited to see each other here.

Pam and I were the dancers for "Jedidiah and his band". They got a kick out of us dancing in the street and called us their "Rockettes". Pam and I ended our night with "The Tower of Terror".

I hung on to her as if she were Adam- it was so fun and I just have to say- my bottom came up out of the chair- freaky! Hope tomorrows a better weather day.

Were Here!! Disneyland Lets Party!

I can NOT believe that it took her FOREVER to figure out- we were at DISNEY! We are walking around the lobby- we are in the elevator- we are in our room and we are on the balcony( which over-looks the pool and we have a clear view of the Adventure Park where we can see Mickeys head on the roller-coaster) This picture captures her EXACT reaction when Adam helped her figure it out!

Celebrate Good Times- Come On!

So today was Taylors birthday and what a fun day SHE planned. ( She planned out all her meals and what we were doing before school) So she requested for breakfast a half of a toasted bagel with sausage, over medium egg and cheese. Then off Taylor and I went to SHOP! She picked out cute sparkly flip-flops from Payless( the ones in the picture above)- and a really super cute dress from the Childrens Place. Adam was hiking Zions with Makenzie and her classmates today which made it nice for Tay and I to have some time alone. For lunch Tay wanted a mini pizza- which was so easy for me! I then took her to school and rushed to piano- to then rush home, grab Adam and head to a meeting about Parker ( more on that at a later time), then rush back home to decorate and fill balloons with helium. I wanted everything done when she got home as a surprise. She loved it! The bday girl wanted her favorite for dinner- TACOS! Then for her treat she wanted cookie dough ice-cream, brownies, hot fudge, and fresh strawberries. Uncle Rod, Aunt Diane, and Grandma Pam came to help us celebrate!

She says " this was a good day to be 6." She also wished today was her friends party again.

We had a party last Friday to celebrate since 2mmrow is father/sons weekend. It was fun but windy! Taylor was so excited to have her first boy/girl party and to have her closest friends from her class, and all her cousins there! She doesn't even know it but the biggest surprise will come Sunday afternoon when we check into Disney's Grand Californian Hotel. We are taking her there as a surprise- check our blog daily after Sunday night to see our daily pics!

Cinco De Mayo

Party time! Yes- it was good news this morning! We are off to the gym- post ya later!

May Day,May Day!

I cant shut my mind off- thinking about the end of school? beginning of summer? Or is it the fact that I am STARVING? My stomach is just crying out to me, but I will hold tight! ( Fine Melissa aka Pinky- I will confess- I had SOME carmel corn tonight) Which leads me to my next topic. I am so impressed with the VK fam and their ability to remain extremely calm and patient in the mist of a "situation". (Think potty training) Not only that- but Pinky managed to make popcorn ( in an air popper) and THEN she covered it in HOMEMADE "carmel" of butter, brown sugar, and marshmallows. Who knew it could be sooo good? We had a fun game night and are now in total and complete awe of this family who is raising 4 small, wonderful, and extremely good lil boys. Check out her blog to learn more about this family.
I am hoping that I will have lost at least a pound this week- we will see in the morning!

Not what I thought!

So as promised here is my current weight! I thought somehow I would wake up and have magically lost 3 pounds! Wouldn't that be awesome? So there you have it folks!

If you read my comments you will notice how not smart "chinny chin chin" is- she just ratted herself out! In my defense- it wasn't a loud "toot" - AND we were at a Mexican food place ( even though I had a ceaser salad BUT I did have chips n salsa!)

So Chiners isnt as funny as she thinks she is!! Wish me luck and let me know whose jumpin on the wagon with me- chiners lets have another competition! Your going down- again! In case you just joined us- scroll down and find out why my weight is here

IT'S A NEW DAWN, IT'S A NEW DAY

Okay- so, I was having lunch today with my friend who we will call "chinny chin chin" ( to protect her identity, and hide the fact that at age 37, while we were eating I noticed a tell tale sign of aging- A HAIR ON HER CHIN!!!) Any whooze- after I pointed this out to her, she tried to pull it out, and Im talking this hair was about the size of a babys' eyelash- she somehow managed to "curl" the hair! So now it is curled in towards her chin instead of hanging down! We were probably the 2 biggest dorks out in the parking lot of Panchangas! We almost peed our pants! Then I told her she should add a bow or a bead and go into work that way! I am cracking myself up again-it was hysterical! So she managed to pull the hair out completely- but I still have visions of her with a bead hanging off her chin " hello- may I help you?"

Oh the laughs! So this same person chastised me for not having my bffs on my favs( bet she's regrettin that now!)

So my new idea is..... I will be a brave girl here... Im going out on a limb....

Starting tommorrow, I am going to weigh myself in the morning after I have gotten completely naked, and I am going to post my weight! Why am I doing this? Well, some of you know that Adam and I have really gotten into tennis and running but for some reason- I have not been able to drop my last 5 pounds. Sometimes Im at 126, sometimes 129, but TODAY of course I was at 131! So I need some cheering on- so get your pom poms and megaphones out and lets have ourselves a game here!

I will be 39 on June 7th, and Im hoping to be around 123-125- Can I do it? Guess we will have to see! Anyone interested in joining me? Now there are some of you who are out for obvious reasons- Alisa, Heather J, Michelle B, and anyone else who weighs less than me! So look for my picture of my actual weight tommorrow in the a.m. This should help keep me on track!

By the way- "lakishckas" is what Taylor calls strawberry shortcakes. We dont know why- she just does!

Just Plain Lazy!

Well people- I admit defeat! I am too tired to hook up my camera to transfer pics so I thought maybe I would just take this time to gab!
Everyone had a good week- no major bumps or stitches needed- yeah for that.
How about I tell you all of my favs and not so favs?

1. I HATE when my husband has control of the remote.
2. I love desp housewifes and Grey's anatomy- Adam hates those two shows
3. He just commented to me that we should ask the Bishop if the first mentioned show is something we should have in our home ( I would like to see him do that since he is sitting here in the same room watching)
4. I love being a stay at home mom even though I am rarely home!
5. I do NOT like overly sweet things but dont mind an occassional licorice twist (red) or an occassional piece of chocolate cake.( wedding cake being the BEST)
6. I love holding babies and smelling their sweet little heads.
7. I love the smell of puppies breath- not dog- PUPPY breath!
8. I love my calling but am glad when Sunday nights come around.
9. Texting! What a great thing! ( for the times I don't feel like talking but don't mind a conversation)
10. I HATE when I forget someones name, but LOVE when they remember mine! ( is that mean?)
11. Love my house- HATE to have to move away!
12. Wish I had that piece of cake right now
13. Love going to the beach- HATE that it takes awhile to feel like all the sand is off me
14. Love to sing along to "Fast car" and pretend I CAN actually sing
15. I love to play dress up and go on dates with my husband!
Those are my top 15 thoughts for the night. I will try to do my REAL page 2morrow- so Melissa VK- chill-ax gurl- I will try to update more for ya! I will admit that you are correct when you say I am a pretty exciting girl but....Not so much tonight!

So, our big major event of the week was Taylor falling off the stool while brushing her teeth! As you can see, she had a big gash on her chin and needed to get 2 stitches. She was such a brave girl about it- she hardly cried AT ALL! Even when the doctor "pulled" some fat out of her chin, AND she wasn't even completly numb so you can imagine the pain of having the fish hook needle going in and out of her chin! Needless to say I did have to bribe her by giving her a trip to Target for whatever she wanted. So $35 later and a lunch trip to Jack in the Box- she was stitched up and on her way to school. She ended her day with a 100% on her first spelling test!

Parker earned a "yellow arrow" in Cub Scouts along with a patch for selling the most Scout Expo tickets. He also got a compass, a pocket knife, a flashlight for his head and a basketball. It was the most expensive compass, pocket knife, flashlight, and basketball we ever paid for! ( Hey- I have no shame, and when it comes to Parker- money is not an issue!) It warms my heart that he LOVES Scouts and that everyone is soooo sweet to him.

Makenzie got off restriction in time to enjoy her 4 day weekend. She passed off her "Give me Liberty" challenge which was honesty quite hard! She did in 1 week what normally should have taken her all school year. The picture of her and her friends is the future Relief Society! Her and her two best friends went and saw "Emma Smith", and when the movie was over- in their words- " we were surrounded by old people!" FUNNY!

So there you have our week, as for Adam and myself , the week was spent doing the normal things we parents do! We did manage to see "The forbidden Kingdom with Jet Li and Jackie Chan( good) and we have been playing "American Idol" on the wii- which is hysterical because I suck! So here is my question for the week-

Do you think we as parents push our kids enough to do their best?

I ask because I feel like I am constantly pushing and pushing and its not until my kids actually do it and "see" the fruit of their labors that they get excited. Why do we have to constantly push?

Oh and by the way- Deal or No Deal is NOT over yet- I got a golden ticket in the mail guaranteeing that the producers WILL watch my 5 minute video ( thanks to my friend Becki who got there late, wore heels and was there past 7pm!) I'm still not sure what I'm going to do but I am workin on it!

So Im back from the Deal or No Deal tryouts! We did so good- it was tough! I still can't believe that people actually camped out the night before. We got there about 8 am and waited and waited and waited! Glad I didn't wear heels because you never got to sit! The line just kept moving and moving. So, we went in groups of 10 and we each had 20 seconds to just be ourself.

I was my normal dorky self and I did my Michael Jackson impersonation of "Hee Hee Hee".

Well that worked! I got to go on to the next part- and so now I had only 10 seconds to make an impression. I thought I did a great job but sadly I got beat out by some guy who claimed to have invented a new way to speak and by some girl who admitted that she waxed off part of her eyebrow the night before. Lame Sauce! But like the producers said- that doesnt mean Im out of the running. They do go thru our applications and sometimes they call people up to a year later.

I WONT BE WAITING BY THE PHONE but I do hope they call. All and all it was fun to be with my sister in law and her sister in law Charity- who happens to be in my ward.

Yes, so everyone out there is so funny because I'm getting ripped on for not updating like on a regular basis! I have a little bit of time today so.....
2mrw- I'm going to Salt Lake with my sister Melissa and we are going to go audition for Deal or No Deal. I doubt I will make it but like my friend Becki says " it will be fun anyways". I agree and you know I think the break would be nice. Adam will have to do hair and make up for Kenz plus get her down to the college by 7:40 am! Kenz has a dance competition and it could take all day. I have been doing this by myself with all three kids since she started on Pizazz which was 5 years ago. It is not easy and hopefully Adam will realize this is no cake walk! I will let you know how it all goes so just wish the Wallick family a lot of luck this weekend!

Adam

Adam is so proud of himself because HE is the one who did the "our spring pics" scrapbook page! Isn't he cute? Im sure later on he will want something in return- wink wink!