Changes

I am in a blogging bad mood- I don't feel like writing about our day to day frivolities, nor do I feel like sharing my real feelings and thoughts- so I don't post. I love to post- It is my record of our life- so it's bad when I feel like I have nothing to say. There will be changes to come.....stay tuned!

Weekend Update

We spent the entire last week sick in bed- our whole family had the flu- luckily the kids had a much lighter version, thanks to the flu shot- but Jeff and I were very sick- horrible. Finally we felt better- so on Sunday we had my family over for dinner. Then Monday we spent the day hiking up Big Cottonwood Canyon. We loaded up the snow gear and headed out of the smog to the most beautiful trail. The view was incredible, the sun was shining, it was perfect. Despite the fact that I had complained the whole way there about how cold I would get and what a crazy idea it was to hike in the snow, the trip was really fun. On the way down we got to do some sledding. Afterwards we went to lunch and then spent the rest of the day playing games and lounging around.

Martin Luther King day reminded me of the fact that I never did finish memorizing the speech he gave. I love this speech- even more so this year as we have the first black president. Today is a very special day in history. Ashtyn was so excited to get to watch the inauguration at school. She has the best teacher that has made history a priority. Ashtyn can tell you what every word in the pledge means. It's exciting to think about what the next four years will bring.

One more thing...Nie- she's back :)

My girls

Here are my girls from high school. This is just a picture of a few of them. I love you girls! This picture was taken at our holiday lunch. (I took the picture- Shown left to right are Nicole, Kathryn, Laura, Annie, Jessica and Tristan)

Reviews

There are a few items that I found to be lovely and frustrating these holiday season and wanted to share them and my thoughts about them.



1. My Meeba- Have you heard of this toy?

This was new for 2008. It is a tube that hides a secret unknown creature inside. There is a small electronic display on the outside and you have to take care of the little cyber creature on the screen and help it to grow and develop through seven levels- then the tube will magically pop open and reveal the stuffed creature within. The graphics are comparable to the early Attari era. There are three games to play on one side of the screen and three nurture areas on the right side. You earn hearts by taking your creature to each opening. Once you have three hearts you can choose to evolve. This was Whitney's gift. She is a little impatient and didn't like that it took more than a day to win. I stayed up a few nights playing it, but it was still taking a while to make the little darling evlove. Finally we gave it to Ethan and he evolved it through four stages in a few hours. It was really fun waiting to see what was inside. There are several different colored tubes to choose from and each color has a wide array of creatures that could appear. I would recommend this toy- it is inexpensive for an electronic toy, it's fun and I like toys that keep your attention for more than one minute. Once it pops out you can still play with the electronic creature on the screen, it will just no longer evolve and doesn't have very many options. To check out My Meebas see here:
http://mymeebas.everythinggirl.com/



2. Transformers

Ethan is a huge Transformer fan- I love that all the old school toys are making a come back- how ever- has anyone out there ever actually been able to make one transform? Ok- Jeff can do some of them- but I don't think the toy makers really meant for them to work and the ages listed on the packaging are so far off. I do like the animated ones- they are more simple, but the advanced ones that say 5 and up- I'm not so sure about. Even the instructions are hard to understand. I don't like it when my child has to ask for my help with a toy every five seconds- that's why I buy them toys- so I can have five minutes to do the dishes..LOL. Ethan loves them no matter what- so I can see myself buying more.

3. Webkinz

I must be the only parent on the planet that hadn't bought their child a Webkinz. I love these little stuffed animals. They have a complete virtual world where you can decorate their room, feed them, cloth them, get a job, go to school, play games, mine for gems, chat with other Webkinz owners(in a very fun safe way), etc. etc. What a fun idea. I even found myself playing with them when the kids weren't home. I would earn money so that we could buy furniture for their rooms. It is really fun and very addicting. My kids take such good care of these little guys and make sure they visit often to feed them and play with them. They come with a free one year membership and then after a year you just have to buy another pet. There are lots to choose from. Check them out here: http://www.webkinz.com/us_en/

Happy New Year

Welcome 2009. Jeff went to the Utah Basketball game on New Year's Eve, so the kids and I had our own little party. We made hats, time capsules out of toilet paper rolls, wrote a 2009 wish list of all the things we want to try this year, drank Koolaid from champagne glasses, marched in a parade, banged pots and pans, and of course gave each other kisses to ring in the new year. We did all of this before 9 PM. Then we went to bed so that we could get up early the next day and go bowling with Jeff's family. It is a tradition that has become so so fun since the kids are old enough to bowl now. We all love this. We bowl two games and then head over to one of the relatives homes and have brunch. The entire week of Dec 28-Jan 3 was a blast.

This week we started back to school. While the kids were at school Ethan and I spent the day cleaning up all the holiday goodness that had turned into giant messes. Monday night Jeff took Ashtyn to the Jazz game. That was a crazy night- it snowed like crazy. My sister called and offered us the tickets that evening. I was suppose to go and get them, but couldn't find my keys so she brought them to us. Jeff was going to leave work early to come home and get Ashtyn. Then my sister in law called and asked me if I would watch her girls because they too had been offered Jazz tickets last minute. We decided to have them take Ashtyn, so I called Jeff and told him to stay at work. Mean while it took my brother in law two hours to get home in the snow. I called Jeff and told him that he needed to come home and get Ashtyn. Then my brother in law got home and I called Jeff a third time and he stayed there. The traffic heading toward our house was horrible. My in-law's called and asked me to meet them at tracks so they could avoid the traffic. I raced around to find my keys, only to get everyone in the car and have it not start. My neighbor offered the use of her car and she kept Ethan and Whitney and Ashtyn and I headed for tracks. It took us a while because the roads were very slick. We finally got there, traded kids and headed back home with a screaming baby and talkative toddler- who's new favorite answer to everything is "SURE". We made it home, they made it to the game and the Jazz won- wahoo!

Today we had to have the battery replaced in the car and it is still snowing. I spent today babysitting for my neighbor who's pipe burst and basement flooded. My resolution this year was to be more consistent in my routine and upkeep of the house- but so far we have had to be flexible. I'm excited for the changes this year will bring- a new cousin, Ethan starting school and maybe a new house..we'll have to see.

No I'm Not Pregnant...but

My sister is pregnant- YIPPEE- more cute cousins on my side of the family. I put a ticker in my side bar for her baby because she doesn't have a blog of her own, so now when she reads ours she can see how her little baby is growing. CONGRATULATIONS MELINDA!