I had a birthday, shout hurray!

I am officially a thirty-something. Since my birthday landed on a Sunday this year and we all know how Sundays go around this household, I celebrated on Saturday. I had quite a fun filled day. My friend, Lynae, along with our moms took me to The Gilbert House for brunch. This was the first time I had been there and it was YUMMY! I split a quiche, spinach salad, and green chili omelet with my mom. Afterwards we went to Target to kill some time, then headed over to Martinee's for pedicures.

Here's a picture of our little piggies:

Later that evening Bret took me to Brio and then we window shopped around the San Tan Mall. We also stopped at Paradise Bakery for some hot chocolate and cookies! A day full of my favorites, what more could I ask for?

Have you had your rice cereal today?

We started Mabel on cereal on Christmas day. I remember feeding Grayson cereal and it did not go well! Mabel on the other hand scarfed it right up. To Gray's credit, I did start him about a month earlier. But I was still surprised how well she did. Now that she's getting her second tooth I think she's ready for steak!

A Nativity

Grandma Yellow had all of the grandkids (and a few adults) dress up and perform the annual nativity. It was so cute! We were in the garage so it was a little bit dusty, you'll have to pardon my pictures.

Aiden was a shepherd. And what a handsome shepherd he was.

Grayson was (supposed to be) a sheep. He wouldn't have anything to do with the mask. But he would get on the ground and act like a sheep.

Mabel was the baby Jesus. Sacreligious?? Not a bit. She was the only baby in the family. We could have used a doll, you say? Now where's the fun in that! She was too cute and I'm not a bit bias!
The rest of the cast:

Mary.....Kelsie

Joseph.....Weston

Donkey.....Cade

Inn Keepers.....Kaleb and Jackson(? You try telling them apart!)

Angels/stars.....Amanda and Ressa

Sheperd.....Carson (?)
Three Wise Men.....Chad, Jed, and Ryan

Stable Animals.....Conner, Tyler (phew, I got off easy here), and Lauren

Boy from the future......Talon (he was as cooperative as Gray with the costume).

I hope I didn't forget anyone!

This picture doesn't have anything to do with the nativity but it was just too cute not to post! Here is Mabel and Uncle Jed at Grandma Yellow's house.

Christmas!

Well, it came and went. Christmas was so much fun this year. Here is the run down:

5:00 p.m. Christmas Eve dinner hosted by Kendra and Jay, attended by John, Rose, Mom, and us!

6:30 p.m. Aiden and Gray open their gifts (jammies and this year Aiden got slippers since he just barely got new jammies and asked for slippers when I wore mine).

6:35 p.m. Aiden is none too happy with his slippers.

7:00 p.m. Start THE Monopoly game

10:00-ish p.m. Grayson pukes at Kendra's (he should have had something more than Candy and ice cream for dinner).

10:20 p.m. Kendra wins the big Monopoly game...I was close, so very,very close.

10:30 p.m. Take kids home so visions of sugar plums can dance in their heads

11:15-ish p.m. Aiden pukes all over his bed! He should have eaten a little bit less...he was a little piggy!

5:30 a.m. Aiden wakes up for some present opening

6:00 a.m. Present opening commences

7:oo a.m. Present opening concludes- play with toys and such

9:45 a.m. Head over to Grandma's Chloe's house for brunch and more present opening!

Play

Play

Feed Mabel her first cereal! (more on that later)

Play some more

3:15-ish p.m. Head over to Coolidge for Grandma Yellow's dinner and sleepover festivities.

THE Play (more on that later)

Play

Sleep...sort of...Gray and Mabel and I were up coughing pretty much all night which kept

Bret up. Aiden slept like a rock...surprise, surprise.

Play some more

7:00-ish p.m. Head home!

The End!

I hope your Christmas was as merry and bright as ours!

Lost and Found

Aiden recently lost a tooth, it looks like Mabel found it. I'd take a picture, but it's really not noticeable, you can only feel it. Time to start weening the girl...I'm not taking my life into my own hands with those chompers coming in!

Annual Gingerbread Party 2008!!!

This year's party was another success (phew)! I couldn't wait to blog about it! We had ten entrants (a do-able number for me). My friend, Lynae, was able to make it for the first year and I was able to reconnect with an old friend, Christie (even though we kinda already have through the world wide web!). Anyhow, despite the absence of my usual judges (thank you John and Rose for stepping up to the task!), this was one of my favorite years! I've kind of been dreading this Christmas (for obvious reasons), but this party really got me in the mood! We kicked off the night with some YUMMY turkey tacos (one of my faves) with all the fixins and beans and rice. I ditched the whole Thanksgiving meal idea...I needed two ovens for that and it just got too hard. Then we moved into the decorating, and lastly the judging. Without further ado here are the results:

In first place, we had John and Rachael, with their beach bungalow titled "Hang 10". Rachael is always so creative and detailed and in short just AMAZING! I wish we had closer pics of the houses so you could see the detail but I'm not the one with the camera (there I go bad-mouthing my husband again...sorry dear, but I really do wish it). Click on the pic and you can see it larger. I am grateful we have the pictures though...I never get the time to snap them myself. In second place, we had Tim and Nancy with their "Carousel Ranch". This was a fun idea. A little carousel with a grapefruit base off to the side! Ethan and Joshua (Tim's sons) were doubting you guys the whole night! I guess you showed them! Very colorful and just all-around cute! In third place, Jay and Kendra with "The White House". I guess I wasn't able to sabotage this one enough! I gave Kendra my gingerbread and icing recipes and neither turned out so great at first (I still am unsure why...maybe it's the baker???) I was absolutely ASTOUNDED by their creation. If you look closely enough you'll see "Obama" standing in front of the White House. This was a very cool idea...I don't get that creative with mine! I'll have to do more research next year.

And here are all of the big ol' losers. I can say that because I was one of them!

This is my friend and neighbor Tracy. Her hubby was M.I.A. He was out on a job in Texas and his flight kept getting delayed. She was a trooper and flew this night solo! This is her quaint little house titled none other than "Tracy's House".

Here are my friends and neighbors, Mike and Rene. This is a house that I was QUITE impressed with and I thought should have taken home a gift card (then again if I was a judge they would all take home gift cards...good thing I'm not!) Theirs was titled "A Roman Christmas". Another very detailed house and Rene even broke out the fondant and gum paste. Here's my friend, Christie, and her husband, Kevin. And let's not forget cute little Gavin (I really do love babies in beanies!) Another beach house, this one titled "Surf's Up". Loved it! Excellent for a first timer! Yet another creative gal! Loved the fish in the ocean in particular. Here's my good old friend, Jules, and her husband, Preston. Can I just say I LOVE this picture. They're so cute, awwwww! Julie informed me they weren't feeling very creative this year, but this turned out cute and colorful. I really do like good old traditional gingerbread houses. This one was titled "The house with the Krispie Car". It reminds me of when you're trying to tell someone which house is yours on the block and you say, "Oh it's the one with...whatever". You get the idea.
This is my friend, Gennifer. Where is her partner you ask? He's probably in the house playing with toys! Gennifer came into this thing this year with her little nephew, 4-year old(?) Lincoln (Genice's son), as her cohort. I wish we had gotten him in the picture. Lincoln and Gennifer's house was called "The Chapel". It had a cute little cemetery. And let's not forget the ring sitting in the cemetery; funny, but nonetheless illegal. The ring was removed (not edible). It was funny because it had a little Virgin Mary in it, sitting next to one of the headstones...he he. Here are Zack, Genice, and Aubrey (another cutie). Zack and Genice's house is always good if you ask me, but has yet to place. Apparently the judges don't appreciate the anti-Politically correct houses. Makes me laugh my head off every year. Always good for a laugh, this year's was titled "Foreclosure". Too funny!
Lastly, here is our house! My friend, Lynae was also flying solo, so she jumped in with us. Ours was titled "Blue Christmas" and you can see why it didn't place. But we sure had fun doing it and that's all that really matters! I'm stepping it up a notch (maybe 2) next year people. This is the 2nd year we didn't place! That cannot be happening...I need bragging rights!It wouldn't be a gingerbread party without at least a mention of my dad. He always got a kick out of judging these houses and he was really missed this year! I remember he came in one year with his own score cards. Apparently my way of judging wasn't good enough for him. I said pick your 4 favorites (in case we won...we don't take prizes, just bragging rights as noted above). He had to go and assign a point system for "most creative", "most colorful", and "neatness counts!". He was cute... I am glad I have yet another happy memory to associate him with and I will always think of him when I'm rolling out my gingerbread dough with his homemade rolling pin (and I'll probably always be crying...so don't call/come over when I'm making gingerbread...I'm having a moment!).

All He Wants for Christmas...

Aiden lost his first tooth yesterday! He just told me it was loose yesterday morning as I was dropping him off at school. Then he comes home and tells me it came out...that was fast and painless. He was on a field trip to the Stuffington Bear Factory so I don't know who the lucky soul was who got to pack the bloody thing up so nicely in some toilet paper and a little baggie...a teacher, an aide, a brave parent volunteer?? I'm just glad it wasn't me, blech!

Of course the Tooth Fairy visited our house last night and left Aiden a dollar. I spoke with her and told her in no uncertain terms that he was NOT to get more than that. I hear about these kids getting up to $5 and that is ridiculous! It's a baby tooth folks, he's gonna loose like what 27 more? Oh how I long for the days when a quarter was all that was left (fifty cents if you were lucky). Anyhow, that's the late-breaking news from the Rowley household.

Oh yes, and meet Aiden's bear that he made. His name was something along the lines of Teddy Karate Bear. He's a cowboy. Maybe he should have been named Chuck Norris...

Ward Christmas Partay!

Saturday was our Ward Christmas party. I am so grateful to our activities committee for switching it to Breakfast with Santa! It has been so hard to go in the past to make it to the dinners what with Bret's work party and my Gingerbread Party. Aiden did have to miss his soccer game, but let's face it, he just doesn't seem to care about sports!

Anyhow, we had a pancake and ham breakfast with some fresh fruit and O.J. YUM! They had crayons out so the kids could color on the butcher paper. Then we sang some Christmas Carols (my personal favorite part of Christmas) with a few special musical numbers. And then we got to have a picture with the "special guest".

Notice Grayson and Mabel are in their jammies (Ok, Mae is always in her jammies) and Aiden is not. Some kids come in their p.j.'s and others don't. Well we were going to have all our kids in their pj's but at the very last minute Aiden says, I don't want to wear my pajamas. So he runs and changes, and he comes out in his Transformers shirt. Aaaargh! I cannot even tell you the number of times we've fought over this shirt. I didn't have time to argue this morning, so he got away with it. This shirt is the every morning request. He would wear that thing daily if I let him. What is it about "You will stink" that he doesn't get? How can I explain to my five year old that it's bad hygiene to wear a shirt every day or even without washing it between wearings (at least for a 5 year old). Anyhow, could have been a cute picture if my kids had all worn the same thing but instead looks a bit white trash. But I'm learning to choose my battles with this kid.


Aiden leading the music...No he was not asked to do so, he should have been sitting down singing along. Again, (through clenched teeth) choosing my battles.

Grayson enjoying the goods from Santa! He broke into his candy cane unbeknownst to me. I didn't notice until it was all over the floor and him (and I'm sure everything he touched between opening and my finding out). Bret was off doing bishopric duties and I was fending for myself at this one! Good times, good times... (Did you hear that in the voice of Phil Hartman in News Radio? If you didn't you're not Derek or a member of my family).

Rolling, Rollling, Rolling

Mabel is now rolling. Okay, she's been rolling for about 2 months, but I'm just now documenting it (stinks being child #3). And now she's quite proficient at it. She even teaches classes. Here's Rolling 101:

Step 1: curl knees up

Step 2: Swing left to gain momentum

Step 3: Throw legs back to the right

Step 4: Roll!

TA DA!

And now the review:

After being on her tummy for too long she starts to fuss. Can anyone teach her how to roll back?

What??

I was just downloading some pics of Mabel (in the next post) and I found these pictures on my camera! I guess Bret took some pictures. It's always a pleasant surprise when I'm not the one behind the camera. This is what Aiden made in school. Isn't it cute! He's my little Pilgrim.

Being the great mom that I am, I didn't take any pictures of it. Thank you Bret!

On a side note, Bret also took this picture:

Notice the shoes neatly lined up in a row along the couch. I don't remember where I had gone but I came home to find all the toys had been cleaned up and this. This was Bret's idea of cleaning. Don't get me wrong, I loved that the house had been picked up and the shoes laid so nicely. I questioned him about the shoe row and he said the boys were already in bed and he didn't want to wake them to put the shoes in their room. But as you can see, Grayson is clearly WIDE AWAKE. Maybe Aiden was asleep... I don't know, but a Mack truck couldn't wake that boy once he's out, as evidenced by the infamous toilet picture. But thank you again honey for allowing me to come home to a clean house!

A Few Grayisms that Made me Giggle!

I was at the grocery store and walking down the candy isle. I was in search of some Andes Mints so as I'm looking intently, Grayson is walking along doing the same...looking, touching, in awe of the assortment before him. I'm not paying much attention to him, and suddenly he's in front of me waving a sucker back and forth saying, "Sank you, Mommy! Sank you, Mommy!" Of course, I said no. We can't be giving him everything he wants any time he pulls something so cute! The funny thing is, he happily walks back to where he got it and puts it back. No fit, not even a whine! As I write this, I'm wishing I had bought it for him now. I'll just have to give him some of his potty training stash.

Another cute thing: While driving to go to Albertson's, we pass by Grandma Chloe's house. After we've just passed the street that turns into her neighborhood Grayson says, "No, no, (pointing to the street) Kamma's house! No, no, Kamma's house!" He was trying to tell me I had missed the turn. I never realized he paid that much attention to direction. Now I have another backseat driver to tell me I don't know where I'm going...Aiden does this all the time!

She's so Vain

If you can believe it, only 2 seconds prior to this photo Mabel-dee-dable was screaming bloody murder! I have found the answer to my problems...a mirror. This child loves to look at herself. No more having to strip her down and put her in a warm bath, all I need to do is put her in front of a mirror! I have noticed that every time I tell her she's a beautiful girl, she gets a huge grin on her face, so you'd think I would have figured this out sooner. Now if I could just leave her in her Bumbo in front of that mirror all day! Oh wait, that's why they recalled the Bumbos, bad parents. Now I just need to figure out a way to make her sprout some locks.

That boy can crash ANYWHERE!

Last night the boys were in the tub having a good ol' time and I hear someone hop out (am I a bad mom? I let them play in there for quite a while without supervision). So I go in to make sure it's just for a potty break. I see all is clear, so I go back to watching Dancing with the Stars, not my favorite, but what else is on on Mondays? Anyhow, Bret later goes in to wash their hair and get them out but he comes in and tells me, "Hollie, come here, you've got to see this." So I go in and this is what I find:

Aiden has fallen asleep on the TOILET. Not your most comfortable place to sleep, but who am I to judge, right? I wouldn't have posted this picture if not for the strategically placed car he had in his hand. Now he has a good reason to hate me for life.

And then there's Grayson squealing away in the backgrond...he sleeps even with all that noise!

I swore I wouldn't blog this much, but sometimes the material just writes itself!

My Beef with kids' sports...

Flashback about 17 years ago. I made the All-Star team for girls softball. We were practicing and I was playing 2nd baseman. A ball went through my legs. My bad, I should have had my glove down. Then I hear a mom from the bleachers say, "*big sigh* Put her back on the bench where she belongs!" It was her daughter I was competing with by the way. That was my first experience with how ugly parents can be in sports. Well, it was practice and we were going all the way to exotic Elko, Nevada for the play offs, so you can see the cause for her concern.

Fast forward to 2008. We've finally decided to put Aiden in sports. We figured it will help him redirect some of his energy. His team, the Cheetahs, has won their first 2 games and tied their 3rd. So I missed his 4th game due to setting up for Gray's B-day party. It's a good thing I missed it because I would have been duking some Grandma and possibly Aiden's coach. Bret comes home and tells me the Cheetahs lost 7 to nothing to a good team. The most goals scored in any previous game was probably 3 total. Anyhow, Bret tells me some kid's Grandma is over there saying, "This is embarassing. Put your best defenders in!" Well...this is 4-5 year old soccer, most of these kids just learned what a defender even is. Guess his coach, whom I've been pretty impressed with up 'til now told Aiden, "If you're going to be out here playing you need to FOCUS and stop dancing around!" I can kind of get that because Aiden has a hard time focusing. But I've seen coach get a little too into these games. Let's simmer down a bit folks. So I ask you people, what is more embarassing?

Grayson's BIG Day!

So yesterday was Gray's birthday party. I always look forward to planning the birthdays each year and then after the birthday I am reminded of why I don't care much for throwing the party. It is quite the mess! But the kids always have a good time, so I guess that's enough reason to do them.
This year we called a spade a spade and themed the party 'Make a MESS'. Guess where I got the idea...that's right MarthaStewart.com. Man, if it wasn't for Martha... We finger painted, colored with sidewalk chalk, made some play-dough (I'm still paying for that one), and decorated cupcakes. There was a huge mess afterwards but at least it was in the back yard.

All of the presents were a hit! And I already have a headache from all of the NOISE! I'm happy to have another birthday party behind me!