Slacker!

Yes, I have been a BIG blog slacker. I haven't blogged or read blogs in ages. It's time I get caught up. We're doing well here. I am definitely ready for spring but we've survived the long winter and made the best of it. I finally joined a gym because it's a little distracting to run on the treadmill while kids are screaming at the gate for me. Instead of looking hotter & having more energy, it's just the opposite- I'm always hungry & tired. Hopefully, the benefits will kick in soon.

Here are a few glimpses into the Roos' life over the past couple months.

Mr. Boy has a best buddy & they get into some major trouble together.

They were alone in MB's room for 10 minutes while ZoZo & I unloaded & loaded the dishwasher. The little stinkers emptied every drawer AND a storage container with clothes.



Yep, time for Time Out.



After all that hard work, they were tired.



I've been doing a "Babysitting Swap" with two other ladies & I love it. We each have a day when we watch the kids for 2 hours. That gives us two days (4 hours) a week to get things done without the munchkins. I must admit that it is very nice. It's amazing all the things I've been able to do- a little pampering, clean the house from top to bottom, go to the gym, and shower without screaming children at the door. It has also been great for the kids to get some playtime in and have something to look forward to.

I started adding a little structure to it when they come over. I came up with a schedule and we have "school" for 40 minutes & the rest is free play. It reminded me of how much I enjoy teaching and preparing lessons. One day, we learned all about the letter "M." We had a Mystery Bag with all sorts of objects that started with M, we sang the Monkey song, went on a scavenger hunt to find hidden letter M's, and colored. It's fun thinking of activities for them to do.

ZoZo & my friend's 6 month old baby hang out on my hips while the three older kids do the things 2 year-old's do.

Mr. Boy still amazes me with his healthy food preferences (but we have discovered Cheetos & Doritos are his weakness) which results in this:



This totally cracked me up. I bought sprinkled donuts for them & thought they would think it was the coolest thing ever. Instead they nibbled a bit at the donuts and then went for the apples & cottage cheese.



ZoZo has done a lot of growing up lately. She's not my little baby anymore. She loves stacking & gathering things. She's like a little chipmunk- she gathers toys & objects (sometimes storing them in her mouth) and she does not like to let go of them. She will carry the same items in her hands from morning to night.



She also decided it was time to stop "crawlking" (crawling/walking on her knees) and start walking. It took her almost 18 months but she did it and there's no stopping her. Mr. Boy has decided she's actually kind of fun after all. She is quite feisty and can hold her own in a wrestling match & scowling contest.





These little kiddos of mine tickle me to the core. I love them so much.

HeRoos is amazing as ever. He is still commuting to Lindon,UT for work and doesn't complain although I know him well enough to know that it's wearing on him. As soon as we finish updating the master bathroom, we're going to put our house back on the market (boo hoo). The other day I was thinking about how blessed I am to have such a good husband. He is such an amazing father & supports me in whatever I do. My church calling requires me to be away one night a week and for meetings on Sunday. HeRoos watches the kids without needing any instruction and gives me time to prepare lessons. He even helps out with the housework. Although, he is off the hook with washing clothes after turning 2 loads strange colors. Maybe he did that on purpose. ;)

Life is good and we feel blessed.

DigiDisney

HeRoos works for a very generous company, DigiCert. They took all the employees and their families to Disneyland for the weekend. HeRoos and I haven't been in years so it seemed like the first time for us. It's a good thing we took pictures on our phones because I accidentally deleted ALL of the pictures that were on our camera. I could cry about it but what good would that do?!!

This was Zo's first time on an airplane.




Our competitiveness came out. On Friday, we spent all day on a scavenger hunt. We had to find places & take pictures. It was crazy and the kids didn't enjoy it BUT we won 1st place (and a Kindle). The kids caught up on their sleep and we were prepared with plenty of snacks and a bubble gun. No joke, the Bubble Gun we bought for $10 was worth every penny. The kids made bubbles every where they went and it entertained them while we waited in lines. We kept buying refills.













The World of Color Show was awesome!





The kids were so tired that they fell asleep eating ice cream!



We are truly grateful and humbled with the kindness the people at DigiCert have shown. They put in a lot of time and preparation to make this a magical experience and we are blessed to be part of it. Thanks DigiCert!

A Texas Thanksgiving

HeRoos, Mr. Boy, ZoZo, G.G., Pops, and I headed out before the big storm hit Utah. We drove 24 hours STRAIGHT to Texas. My dad and HeRoos took turns driving. The kids did amazingly well. They seemed content watching videos, eating junk food, and sleeping in the car.







This picture makes me laugh out loud every time I look at it. Can you smell the morning breath?



We arrived in Allen, Texas to spend time with my Aunt Bette Jo and cousin April. It was so fun to hang out with them.












Growing up in Texas, we spent every Thanksgiving together so it was nice to reunited again. My aunt cooked up a Thanksgiving meal that was divine and her apple pie was just as delicious as I remember. My aunt & I were craaazy and hit a couple Black Friday sales at 4 am. What were we thinking?!



Mr. Boy & ZoZo had a blast with their cousins and all the fun toys at my aunt's house.



My dad & his sister.



Since HeRoos is so difficult to buy gifts for, I got him an early Christmas present- a 4th row ticket to his favorite team. He enjoyed himself at the game. I'm not sure if he enjoyed this view more...



or this one.



Mr. Boy was exhausted from all of the fun. He fell asleep in HeRoos' lap as he was eating.



We also visited some of my friends who I've known since 5th grade. I'm so disappointed that I forgot my camera. It was fun seeing Christina & Leslie and their families. It's amazing we've remained such good friends for all these years.

I think the trip was definitely worth it. Easy for me to say, I didn't drive!

Young Women In Excellence

I love working with the 12-18 year old girls in my ward (church). They are such amazing young women and my calling helps keep my focused on what is important. We had a Young Women In Excellence program last month that focused on the girls achieving their Personal Progress so they can marry in the temple. It was a spiritual night.

This was one of the leader's wedding gowns. All of the leaders displayed pictures of them at the temple. If you look behind the dress, the girls got to pick a picture of their favorite temple on a hanger to put in their closet as a reminder to dress modestly.



A wedding cupcake display with temple mints.



Each girl received a "Temple Can" containing quotes and other fun things that they are to look at to remind them of their goals.

The girls took turns talking about items they brought (such as temple pictures or Personal Progress projects). There were also some speakers who talked about the blessings that have come into their lives from attending the temple. I hope the girls enjoyed it and will avoid getting sucked into the pressures of the world and focus on what will bring lasting happiness.

Halloween 2010

Friday night HeRoos' sister graciously offered to watch our kids while we headed to Lindon, UT for a party. The Bretschneider's hosted the Scallywag Soiree at their beautiful home. It was quite the event. People went all out in their costumes and the house was full of decoration & the atmosphere was amazing. The pictures don't do it justice. (Someday, I am going to take photography lessons so you can actually see some quality shots. For now, just use your imagination).

This was the sunset as we were dropping off the kids at their Aunt Kim's house.





The theme of the party was pirates. People were asked to bring food to donate that will be delivered to a food bank. Service & fun are a great combination, if you ask me. Come on, go ahead, ask me. jk



Part of the fun was taking a tour of their home. ZoZo & Max would be in heaven in this playroom.





There was even a mermaid...for real. ;)









We celebrated Halloween the next day with the traditional trick-or-treating. It was pouring rain. Can you figure out what Mr. Boy is dressed up as?

If you guessed: A stubborn 2 year old, or himself...you are correct! I decided that Halloween is about HIM, not me so I didn't force the costume issue. If he wants to be superman next year, he has a cape awaiting him. If not, I will still love his little boy guts.

He was so happy to get candy. His favorite selection was suckers. He passed up a full size candy bar for a sucker. He definitley doesn't take after his mom. When he got home he went through his candy and followed this routine 10 times: unwrap sucker, lick once, throw away, unwrap sucker, lick once, throw away...




Zo was more than happy to show off her Superbaby/Wonderwoman costume. She was quite fond of the suckers too. Don't worry, we took an extra long time brushing our teeth that night.



Some scary witch & her husband came by to visit us. The kids weren't sure what to think of G.G.'s new look.



I hope you all had a fantastic Halloween!