BRACES!!!

Today Alyssa got her braces on! She was so excited until this afternoon as they start to "hurt".

Well as you see here He is back in braces too. His teeth are very straight he just has a huge overbite they want to correct.

Here they are together. So cute. I love that they really do enjoy each other and this gives them one more thing in common. So for now yes, I am officially poor. We have no dental insurance that covers Orthodontics, just cavities and check ups. We usually save for these kinds of things but this year we have had a really hard year in regards to cars breaking down and things relating to owning a home. If I good just get a hold of a money tree we would be fine right???

CUTEST KIDS EVER IN BRACES!

The funniest visit to Santa ever!

We have a real life Santa who lives close to our house. each year he sets up his entire yard and sits out front from 6-8pm until Christmas eve. So every year we get to go and have our annual visit FREE! This first pic is of My 4 year old. She has told Santa two times she wants a Dora flashlight which I can not find anywhere. HELP.


This of course is where the story get absolutely hilarious. OK maybe not to everyone but I thought it was so funny/embarrassing! Santa asked my 5 year old son what grade he was in... his response 4th grade! Umm the truth is he is in kinder! Then he asks him what do you want for Christmas.....? I want a bazooka and a machine gun! NICE!!! Where does a kid get something like that? We are pretty strict on what he watches and have no clue where he learned that! I asked him why he said he was in the 4th grade and he said because he wouldn't bring me that if I told him I was in kinder and I would not be big enough. Oh like a 4th grader needs those either? He will always be my one kid who makes me laugh!
The BIG kids!

Apparently my 2 year old liked this Santa because she will not even get close to any other Santa we have ever been around. She said she did not want to sit with him and then at the very last minute she went over and did it. I do not think she liked it much and was very shy but I think the candy cane she got took care of any fear she had!

This is what I have been up to!

Alright, so way back in August my daughter had her 10th birthday and I bought her this comforter set. Her room was the blue color you see in the bottom corner of one of the pics. So knowing this was in no way going to match I promised her I would redo her room. Well as you all know I have been consumed with my semester of school, which might I add started the same day as her birthday. I never got to her room. I told her the day I finish school I will do it. Well I kept my promise here it is. I can not believe I took this project on while being in the middle of Christmas but if it was not now it would be another crazy time in my life.
I do not know why one picture looks much pinker than the other but it came out perfect. Well after a ton of work that is. You see I got the pink from Home Depot, after one coat it was so bright it blinded my eyes to look at it. I was off to the depot to get another gallon of a much lighter color when my brilliant hubby said to just add white. Well half a gallon of white later this is what I came up with. Today when I put the comforter up to it is was an exact match. I of course have to do all the baseboards white now but that is to come after I get a hold of Christmas. I have all the presents for the 6 kids and my husband and a few friends to get wrapped. I hope to not be up alllllll night, every night until Christmas eve wrapping but I am afraid that is my reality.


Before I had time to finish this project today, I had to trek across Arizona at such a convenient time. You see my mom and dad live in California. They go way alllllll out at Christmas for my kids. Tuesday afternoon I get the call from mom saying "how would you like to drive to Yuma"? Ummm not right? No I really did go. I woke up at the crack of dawn (6am) and got two kids out of bed to go with me and drove all the way to Yuma. That is the half way point we decided on. I was actually home by 1:45 after meeting "Santa" in the McDonald's parking lot and going to get some I Hop. It was not as bad as I thought although the timing was not the greatest. I still have a few things to buy and a huge amount of organizing to get done. So I am off to get some of it done catch up more later!

So much to catch everyone up on!

So I think it has been since September since I really have had a chance to post anything that has really been going on in my life other than school. The semester is finally over!!! I did a lot better than I had expected and am loving having this month off. I am having a hard time thinking about going back but for now I do not want to think about it.
I am on day 5 and have accomplished so much already. I have continued my running and have finally reached 5 straight minutes of running! I really feel it is getting easier as I get a bit stronger. We repeat the steps twice and I have to say that when it gets to the end I REALLY have to push myself. My legs are killing me tonight and I sometimes do not enjoy it but I am happy that I am doing something other than thinking about exercise!
I finally started Christmas shopping yesterday. I think I am already more than half done in just 24 hours. I really just wish money grew on trees this time of the year.
I cleaned all the toy boxes out and donated two bags of toys and threw one entire bag of odds and ends away. Just in time to make room for all the extra crap we get this year.
I started painting my daughters room. Her birthday was in August and I bought her new bedding and promised I would paint it. Well I never got to it so I told her as soon as the semester is over I would do her room. I am having a bit of trouble getting the color just right and have had to take a break to get the Christmas shopping in so tomorrow I hope to finish it up.
We got a Christmas tree! I know it is very late but you know how busy I have been. Studying for finals and trying to get the entire family together at one time in one place is no easy task. We only get real trees so it takes a bit more planning than just going to the garage and fishing out the artificial one. I always think about going to an artificial tree but can never make that change. I have never had anything but the real thing. I love the smell but hate the mess. So glad it is done.
I am planning on the Christmas cards and a few presents in the next few days so wish me luck. I have so much to say about the last three months but want to add pictures to the posts so during the next few days I will try to update the past!

I DID IT!!

I know, I know, I know this is so not a big deal to all of you that run on a normal level. However, for me I really never believed I would ever do my goal. Today my friend Julie and I ran for 3 minutes straight! Not just once either 3 times !!!!!! We also ran one stretch for 2 1/2 minutes. We started at 60 seconds a couple weeks ago and really thought there was no way we could ever get to three minutes. Again I know this means nothing to those of you who run often or do the marathons but for me I am really really proud of the progress I have made. I will just be shocked when it gets to the point where I can run for 30 minutes or more at one stretch but I know I will get there! For now I am extremely happy with where I am!!!!!

Wishing for some free time.

OK, so the way the story goes is... I went to the scrapbook store yesterday to die cut some tags for my daughters' school project. I walk in and see a few people I had not seen in months. I then see a few more people that I happen to love to chat with and find just how much I miss scrapbooking. I happen to go just while they were doing one of my favorite classes too. So of course I by the kit. One huge problem I forgot to go back and pick it up so I have to wait until they open Monday morning! I then remember Wednesday is the album party that is at the store. You get some fun free product and socialize with everyone. That's when I realize I can not go I have my practical final that night. Great news not!!!! I just realized how much I love the social part as well as the awesome classes that I have missed this semester. I know I will have more time later in my life but right now I am so wanting some free time to do all the fun things I have put to the side. So now that I vented I feel a bit better but will be up for some serious scrap time during the worst time of the year... the Christmas season. At least I can get my Christmas cards done right?

Ok 8 days til I am done and have one month and 4 days with no school.

OK Already, I will post!

To all who inquired, wondered, emailed, and commented on my lack of blogging this post is for you! I will have to say how much I have truly missed blogging. I found early in the semester of school, that if I wanted to pass this course I had to eliminate somethings from my life. Well since this was not technically a necessity I chose to just surf other blogs and not post on my own. I know what you are all saying.... " It takes way more time to look at others than post". How quickly I found that to be true. I very rarely look at others now. I can not tell you how much I hate it. I have to physically restrain myself from doing it.

So I have 12 more days until the semester is done! YEAH!!!!!! I cant wait to spend entire day watching t.v. and movies, another to blog, one for scrapbooking, and maybe if I am lucky I might even be able to sleep! OK so I am pushing it but I promise I will catch everyone up on what the last three months of my life.

I have enjoyed "peeking" at all of yours and can't wait to dive back in. Until then count down 12 more days and I will post again then. See Ya, gotta go study the real sheep's brain I have at my house!