100 Years

Who is this sideways old guy sporting the ZZ TOP beard? It's our one an only BEN! Evidentally he stayed in character the entire day at school, walking stooped with a cane and everything. His teachers loved it! :0)

Just a little more Christmas

Isn't she lovely? Just throwing this picture in for the fun of it! ;0)

We had a kids party with the Asays while their parent had a work party. It was a great time with cookie decorating, guinea pig holding (look at Zach) and of course a Christmas movie.

Ava goes to mother's day out two times a week. She got to decorate and eat surgar cookies for her party. Yum!

Oh, and she and her friends entertained us as well. :0)

Squeezed in between all the festivities, Ben's class went to tour the capital. Do you see Ben? He's the only one giving bunny ears to a classmate. Nice.

Christmas with the Creers!

We love the holidays! Here's a snippet of what we did this past year. We started out with a lovely piano recital. We love hearing Emma play!

Every year we drive 45 minutes on a windy road to tour this light display in Marble Falls. This year we got to take the uncles and aunt! :0)

Emma's art (look at it sideways) was featured at the public library.

Who forgot to pay their taxes in Bethlehem?

The line to get into Bethlehem was a lot of fun because we had the Cochrans with us!

Emma and her friend Megan enjoyed Bethlehem together.

Asher's class party wouldn't be complete without giving a friend some " Reindeer Ears".

We finished off our 6 Flags passes by enjoying "Holiday in the Park". The kids especially loved skating on wax "ice".

And now on to the festivities!!! Above is Ben enjoying his new DS.

Our kids line up from youngest to oldest going down to see what Santa brought. Ava decided to give her spot to Asher and hang out with big sister.

Love the new plate and mug. Thanks Mom!!!

They are cute, aren't they (I'm not biased at all)?

Hope your holidays were fabulous!!!

Thanksgiving Fun!

This year we were so fortunate to have Uncle Jeff, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Andrew fly out for Thanksgiving. Here they are suffering the effects of tryptophan! :0) Love it!

And here's our turkey briner extraordinaire! John makes one moist turkey!

Don't Have A Heart Attack!

I'm blogging. I know, it's been a while. A LONG WHILE. Anyway, I thought I'd post a few pictures and catch you up on our lives.

In November we went to Houston for two purposes. We went to walk in the JDRF walk there. It was amazing to see and feel the support there. What a wonderful event. The second reason is above. Ben's friend Hagen moved away to Houston this summer. His birthday party just happened to be the same day as the walk. Imagine his surprise when Ben walked in! It was so much fun!!!! Oh, we miss the D family, but we are glad they are not too far away that we can surprise them now and again.










This is us at the begininning of the walk. We left before the crack of dawn to make it in time, so this is not by any means a glamour shot.

Off to bed. Tomorrow we'll post Thanksgiving! Whoo-hoo!

Firebirds 2010 YMCA Soccer

Firebirds 2010 YMCA Soccer

Crockpot Burrito Filling

I believe I have mentioned before my intense appreciation for the crockpot. Here's a recipe that I go to again and again for a great meal that no one complains about (small miracle!).

Enjoy!

1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained (Confession: once I forgot to cook it and dumped it in with everything else. Newsflash: no one died or even got sick. I'd only do that with extra lean beef though).

2 cans (16 oz) refried beans

1 packet taco seasoning

1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

combine all ingredients in your greased crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 6-10 hours (or on high for 2-3 like I did today). Spread mixture on flour tortillas and add all your fav. toppings (cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, onions, olives, corn, whatever).

I could seriously lick this out of the crockpot. Actually, I think I have (relax, I wash it).

Happy dinner! :0)

Janene

Happy Birthday to Me

So, on the way home from church the kids told me they were excited to give me their gifts. Asher said that I was getting the best gift ever. I told them the best gift ever would be loving children. Asher replied, "That is not the best gift ever. That is not what you are getting."

Funny Guy!

Tonight's goodnight interchange with this one.

Mom: "Hugs! I love you."

Ben: (Hugging back) "I love you too."

Mom: "I love you more."

Ben: "How far are we going with this?"

I laughed myself silly.

Just a random picture of Ben a P. Falls this last October.

What Not To Wear!

Last fall Ava tried her hand at lipstick. Babywipes are a divine invention!

Deep In the Heart of T!

So much for the theory that winter here was for running and playing in the sun all day! Tuesday was another story! The kids played after school until into the dark and then got up to play early in the icy remains! It truly was a once in a lifetime here.

So much for global warming!

The picture below is one of Ben at his music concert this month. I want to figure out how to download his performance on the xlyophone for you. It was really cute and I'm not just saying that because he's mine. :0)

New Moon!

I didn't take any pictures to prove I was there, but I was. It was fun. A lot of ladies from church met up at the Alamo (it's one of those restaraunt, theatres). It was so much fun to just sit and visit while waiting for the midnight viewing.

If you enjoyed the book, I think you'll be happy with the movie.

Food for Thought

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved."

-Thomas S. Monson

I need to remember this more.

I Did "Good"

I did really, really "Good". John loves his car. We picked it up friday. I guess I'd better take a picture of it and put it on here, huh?

I Did Something Kind-of Crazy

I bought my husband a "new" car. I bought if off of EBAY.

Ummm...I'll let you know how that goes.

Take Off!

The kids and I are in WA visiting my family.

Yesterday as our plane exited the runway, Asher belted out with conviction, "I believe I can fly!"

He did and we all lived to tell about it.

Who's Bad?

Okay, I've got to tell you that I was one of those 12 year-old girls who had posters of Michael Jackson plastered to my floral-wall-papered bedroom walls. I was one of those 12 year old girls who got up at 7 am on Saturday to watch the Jackson 5 cartoon. I purchased magazines just to cut out the pictures of him and file them neatly in a Pee-Che. I not only owned Thriller, but pretty much every album prior to that. My classmates and I made homemade buttons that read, "I love Michael Jackson" (as a side note, my southern-bred grandpa hated those pins).

And then, sadly Michael Jackson became weird and it became too embarrassing to admit that I loved him. That is, until today.

So, I was shocked at my kids' camp today to run into a mom who was in mourning over Michael Jackson. She fully admitted that she was having a really hard time with the news of his passing. At that moment I eyeballed her and realized we were about the same age. Ah, suddenly understanding came, as did a lot of memories. Memories of entering contests to win concert tickets. Memories of hovering over MTV awaiting Thriller. Memories of Michelle Y. french kissing my Michael Jackson Poster (it never was the same after her lipgloss-yuck).

Tonight I turned on the television and evidently the entire nation is mourning his loss. As I flipped through episode after episode of press-related eulogies, I became irritated. I mean, really, what would these same journalists have said two days ago about Michael Jackson. What about the celebrities being interviewed? I didn't hear any of them singing his praises as of late.

Amidst my irritation, a thought came to me. All of Michael Jackson's quirks and pitfalls are being overlooked, at least for today. Instead he is being celebrated for his strengths, his talents and the good he brought into the world.

This realization instead of bothering me, gave me hope. Maybe that's a tender mercy of the Lord. In the end, perhaps the goodness He has given each us will be what is remembered most. Perhaps that is our inheritance.

So, farewell, Mr Jackson. You made me a very happy 12 year-old. I love the message of your music, your meticulous dancing, your videos and the poster of you in the yellow sweater-vest. ;0) Thank you.

Asher's Got a Plan

So, I was rocking Ava and heard Asher in the background rustling through the cupboards. I called, "Asher, what are you doing in the kitchen?" No response. "Asher, what are you doing in the kitchen?" I asked again.

Finally he says, "I am growing bigger."

I guess he was listening when I mentioned eating good foods helps you grow!

That's My Girl!

Tonight Ava and I were at the grocery store. As we passed the bakery, my little 11 month-old leaned forward excitedly and exclaimed, "CAKE!" . What can I say, she's mine!

The Tooth Fairy

Hey, we're out in UT right now, and I just had to share a comment from the drive. It's from our tenacious four year old again.

Asher: "So, when my teeth fall out I will put them under my pillow. Then the tooth fairy will come and take the tooth. She will leave me a quarter. I really want a quarter. That is why I am not brushing my teeth!"

That one's for you, Dr. A. Enjoy.

Asher Anecdotes

#1 "Mom, if you go to jail I will be so scared."

#2 "I don't want to get big. I don't want to go to jail. If I want to do it, I just do it."

#3 "I know what food becomes. Poop."

Pay it Forward

So, here's how this game works-the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, a handmade gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well. Before you leave your comment, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going (or be lazy and copy and paste like I did). Then come back, let me know you're going to play and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift

My Snugglebug

Tonight Asher jumped up into the rocker, recliner with me. He turned to me and said, "I want to snuggle with you."

"We are snuggling."

"No, closer."

I leaned down next to his head.

"Closer."

Then he said,

"Oh, that's nice. I like that."

Ahhhh. He's so dang cute!

Emma's Future Plans

So, the other night Emma and I were picking up a Ben prescription and got into an interesting conversation.

Emma: " I am so excited to go to UTAH!!!!!!" Every 30 seconds or so this would come out. She can't wait to see her grandparents and her cousins. We haven't been to Utah as a family in over two years. Emma has a cousin close to her age that she is really looking forward to spending time with.

I mentioned to Emma that when they are bigger, maybe she and Amy will go to college at the same school. If that happens, they could potentially be roomates. She was SO EXCITED.

Emma: "You can pick your rooomates? Oh my goodness, I am going to tell her about that when we get to Utah!"

This is what came next. I thought it was pretty hilarious.

Emma: "Most kids in my class (4th grade) haven't picked a college yet. Some of them want to go to that college on High School Musical 3 (Juliard). I know I want to go to BYU. (Why?) My parents went to BYU, so usually people go where their parents have gone."

I mentioned that Juliard was kind of hard to get into, which led her to ask how hard BYU was. When I told her it was getting kind of hard she wanted to know what it would take. I told her she needed really good grades.

Emma: "Well, I will get in. I only get A's"

Mom: "You can get some B's and still get in (I didn't mention that at one point you could even get C's in math-don't go there with me, okay?)."

We then went on to discuss college credits (I confess I didn't ask what a college credit was until I was enrolling for school).

So, then Emma went on to plan out her first semester at BYU.

Emma: "How many college credits should I take? I think I will take my easiest classes first to get used to it."

Wow! Mom, this one's for you. Evidentally I am a gene carrier, cause this didn't come from me!

What Makes Asher Happy?

This one's dedicated to Aunt Lisa.

Last week we were driving back from Sam's club. Asher let out a delighted sigh and said, "I just love Ikea."

We recently discovered that on weekdays he can play for 90 minutes while I window shop or meet up with friends. He loves the playplace and he loves the car candy or swedish fish that I sometimes break down and buy him.

What a fabulous win-win situation!

Am I An Idiot?????

Don't answer that. It's President's Day. What did we do with the time off? Hmmm.....

10 am Hour long line at Ikea for cheap dressers (I mean this in both senses of the word).

Noon Pawn off 4 children to childcare for 40 minute workout (okay, that part was smart).

1:00 pm Take 4 children to doctor's office for Ava's nine month check up and SHOTS and BLOOD TEST (dumb, dumb, dumb).

2:00 pm Feed four very hungry children at Chik fil A. Make BIG mess with Cheerios.

3 pm Get a few items at Target. Spend most of the time waiting for Asher and Ben to finish using the bathroom. Asher has never met a public restroom that he didn't LOVE.

4 pm Comfort a baby who's in pain, cook and clean for the missionaries to come over.

8pm Wonder why no one is in bed and we haven't had FHE. Hmmmm.........

Christmas Day!

Hope your holidays were lovely! I thought I'd post a few Christmas pictures now before going to bed. Nothing like waiting until February to post them! Enjoy!

The big gift was a WII. Emma got really good at Rock Band over the holiday break! Here I believe she is bowling.

Ben has loved Nutcrackers since age 2. Left is his old one, to the right is a new one that Santa left him.

All Asher wanted was lazer guns and a "SNOW GLOB". He got both. Yeehaw!

We went to Marble Falls and enjoyed the trail of lights Christmas Evening.

Thanks Aunt Jessie! Ava LOVES her bear!

Discrimination??????

So, Tom Hanks (who I have loved in ALMOST everything he's been in) stated that the Mormons who supported California's prop 8 are unAmerican and are guilty of discrimination.

First off, why are only the Mormons being attacked? Hmmmm.....could it be that it's not p.c. to point out that many African-American voters who came out to the polls felt the same? What about the Catholic church's support?

Secondly, when did it become unAmerican to have an opinion on a subject and vote in favor of it? Really????

Thirdly, this wasn't a hate-based vote by the people that I know. This was a vote in favor of preservation of the nuclear family as currently defined. I am sure that there were some people who voted who hate the homo-sexual community. That is not the stand of people from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We respect everyone's right to choose how they will live. We. like everyone else in this country have a right to believe and vote accordingly.

I am so very disappointed in this statement by Tom Hanks. Wake up! Just because I don't agree with you doesn't mean I am a hate-filled conservative. Respect my right to have an opinion different than yours and respect the electoral system, even when the majority votes contrary to your beliefs!

Hmmph! Glad to have that off my chest!

Catching Up on November!

We went to San Antonio for Thanksgiving. We
enjoyed the Alamo and a pretty calm Seaworld.

Every year on Thanksgiving we do a pirate treasure hunt. The kids really look forward to it. It usually involves getting a lego advent calendar or holiday movies. John didn't dress up this year in his usual Captain Hook attire!

Ava at age 6 months enjoying Dinoland.

We had Thanksgiving on Wednesday this year. Emma and Asher really got into the spririt of things!


2:30 am after the first showing of Twilight.

One of the perks of being diabetic: you get to take a parent on all the field trips!

The Consipiracy!

Tonight Emma made an observation. Ava has not one, but TWO teeth. She turned to Ben and indignantly exclaimed, "Mom and Dad have been keeping this a secret!"

We are sneaky ones, that's for sure!

Whew! October!

Ava and I toured the Riverwalk while Caroline went to TOFW life seminar. We did tour the Hard Rock. Ava's first trip. We have the picture, NOT the $29 t-shirt to prove it!

It was a busy month. It was enough to make

anyone a little tired!

It was so fun to go to Time Out For Women with Caroline and some other ladies from our ward (the group picture did not turn out, so we'll just show this one of us at the Rainforest Cafe). It was nice to get away and regroup.

More October

Sorry we never let you finish that book J!

Ben's favorite part of camping.

Cameron shows off his prickly pear fingers.

Allie and Emma dissect a pricky pear.

Asher and Em rest on Enchanted Rock.

We're taking a break at the bottom.

We love camping. We go twice a year. We're glad the C family could join us at Enchanted Rock. We're planning to go to Perdinales in March. Let us know if you'd like to join us!




Ava's first campout!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Hmmmm...