My awesome 3 day birthday.....

Saturday night with my family.

Sunday night Allisa fixed me dinner.

Birthday cupcakes, YUM!!

Monday I went to lunch with some of my work friends.

Just a few of the balloons I got.  I also got 4 cupcakes from the Cocoa Bean.  Yes, I will need to start that diet January 1.

Oops, this one is a little out of order.  Purple purse from Ray and the girls.  Luv, luv, luv it!!

Kinlee's Dance recital

Kinlee's dance class does a Christmas program every year. Here are the pictures we took.

Can you tell which one she is? Her stomach (pillow) was falling out, because her backstage helper was not very helpful. Yes it was me.  That is why I usually just sit in the audience and video/take pictures.

Kinlee decorating the tree ALONE.

I have been a complete and total BAH HUMBUG this year for several reasons.  However, we still needed to put up a tree.  Well, as in we I guess I mean Kinlee.  Our tree that we have had for the last 15 years broke last year and we needed a new one and I thought I could get one on clearance, but I never found one.  Well, this year we found this little 6 footer in the shed, so we decided to just put it up instead.  Kinlee was the only one that really wanted to decorate it and if any of you know me, that is highly unlike me at all.  I even let her put on some ornaments that didn't match the others (yes, I am off my game this year).  While I was at the computer and Ray was napping, she did everything but put the lights on, Ray did do that.

This is the old star and I am not really sure why we still have it in the box of stuff, we haven't put in on the tree for years, but she thought she was cute as the tree herself.

Another thinking she is cute picture - okay she is cute.

Yes, Ray is sleeping in this picture.  He did open his eyes for a minute, but has absolutely no recollection of this picture being taken.  I guess it is a good thing he doesn't look at my blog.

I told Kinlee the night she put the tree up that if she cleaned her room, she could put up the rest of the decorations.  Well, she finally got her room cleaned tonight, which is the 22nd.  She asked me if she could still put up the decorations since her room was clean and I told her I thought it was a little late.  Maybe next year she could have her room cleaned all the time so it would work better in her favor.  I guess it wasn't really a good motivational thing for her.  I finally motivated her by telling her I wasn't putting anymore presents under the tree for her until her room was ALL done.  So, that is why she finally got it done.

Adrian Brown - Blake's Son - My Nephew

Tonight has been crazy and I really wanted to get these pictures posted with the story, but tonight it will just be the pictures, with a little story.  This is Blake's son that he put up for adoption over 19 years ago.  Blake met him the weekend before Thanksgiving and we were all able to meet him the following Friday.  It was an amazing experience and Blake could have never asked for better adoptive parents, they are wonderful. 

We love them all!!

The Pinnocks

I love these guys and they were kind enough to let me take their picture before the snow fell. Here are a few of the family ones I took, with a few alterations. Even though there wasn't snow, it was really cold outside and windy too. They were all troopers even though I know they were freezing. I think next time we take them we need a different location and warmer weather. But, they are all pretty photogenic so it all worked out. It really is about the people standing in front of the camera, not the goofy person behind it pushing the button.
 Thank guys!! Luv ya


This was their sad faces.

Nearing the end of drivers ed.

Here is Jerika changing the tire on my car for drivers ed. It is a little crazy how things work these days. When I took drivers ed, my dad told me how to change a tire and then said we would actually do it later (I will be 40 something next month and we still have yet to accomplish that task). Well, they have gotten so wise in this electronic age and they require that you take a picture of them actually changing the tire and email it to the teacher.  So, here is what we sent to the teacher.

 

Go Jerika!!

Halloween Daddy Daughter Date

The Mia Maids in our ward wanted to have a Daddy/Daughter date.  They finally ended up having it for Halloween.  Ray was really late getting there, but I was there taking pictures, so Jerika had someone there and he did finally make it.

I'm really not sure what they are dressed up as, but I guess it was something a little different normal (kind of).  Jerika is kind of a party pooper sometimes and doesn't like to join in the fun.  All of the other girls had costumes on and I think she thought that a steelers sweatshirt that she borrowed from someone counted as a costume.  Sometimes it is a fight to get her to go to stuff like this, so I was just glad she made it.

They had a relay and the dad's had to paint the girl's fingernails.  I do believe Mr. Briggs was cheating and Ray was trying to get him to behave.  Well, if any of you know Mr. Briggs or Ray you know there is not much behaving between the two of them.

She was showing me her fingernails that her dad painted, she was pretty impressed.

These are all of our Mia Maids with their dads.  Yes, that is just the Mia Maids.  We have about 33 girls all together.  It is a PARTY all the time.

Halloween Night

Since Jerika thinks she needs to do teenage stuff now, it was just the 3 of us for Halloween.  Which was good, because Ray isn't usually home for this fun holiday.  The local movie theater, fun center was having a trick or treat, so that is where we decided to go.  The main reason for going was to play golf in the glow in the dark golf course.  It was free that night, so it even worked out better than we thought.  These are pictures we took while we were golfing.  Some of the decor was pretty crazy!!

Daxton and Lydia came to trick or treat here before they went to grandmas, so we took pictures of all the monsters.  Okay, some of them weren't monster, just my two. 

Halloween Day

We went to Idaho Falls and met Mauna and Granny for lunch.  Before we met them, we stopped at the mall to look around and found us some halloween stuff for 50% off.  So, we dressed up, it was fun.

Jerika had ears (we aren't sure what kind they were), Kinlee dressed up as dracula with a cape and teeth, Ray had a spider head band and I was a beauty queen.

No, Jerika doesn't really have glasses, she wears them for fun, which I totally do not understand, because I hate mine.  Wow, that was a really long run on sentence.

I promise that there is nothing red on my chin ever!!  Every picture I take lately it looks like there is and I don't get it.  One of these days I am going to think of something amazing and thoughtful to say on my blog, but right now just isn't that day.  So, you get my little short explanations.

Kinlee's Solar System Project

Boy, was I thankful for the talented men in family this week!!  I don't do well with projects.  So, the night of the funeral Torey and Ray helped Kinlee with her solar system project.  I thought they were quite the over achievers until I saw some of the insane stuff other parents did for their kids.  At least Kinlee helped with hers, some of the other kids not so much.  But, who am I to judge.

Don't these girls look excited, we should have been making cards or scrapbooking while Kinlee & the boys were working.

Polar Bear - this is Nichole's child that she brought into the family when she married Torey.  He really is a good dog, even though I'm not much of a dog lover, he was very well behaved.  We call him Po for short.

Naomi.  This kid is the smartest kid ever!!  You would just have to meet her to believe it.  She amazed us the whole time she was here with all of her mad skills!!  And look how cute she is too.

Still working and yes, Kinlee did help, she would just put down what she was doing to pose for the picture.

Display day at the school.  All of the parents of the 4th graders were invited to come and look at Everyone's solar systems.  Kinlee's for sure was the best ever!!