Joys to my little World...

Aside from my wonderful husband and boys, who are the absolute joys to my world, I love giving. I think the "giving heart" was given to me by my parents. I love to make others happy and see the look of happiness...so it should be of no surprise my dream job would be to be a decorator for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (Yes, Ty Pennington I want your job ; ) )! However since that job is filled I have found other ways to give and have fun with it... I have added a blog link on the right hand side of my blog. It is in loving memory of my Grandma Sanders, who loved nothing better to give such happiness through the art of cookie for others, that we named and dedicated the blog. We started it last year and had such a wonderful and fun Christmas Season of giving and recipes. (At least I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did).
Those who won the contest can tell you that they are easy and no strings attached AND everyone that won have gotten their fun goodies! Then we went on a big life hiatus and now we are back, ready for the fall cooking season and gearing up for a larger, fun and Crazy Christmas giving season!! I don't care who comments or looks, go ahead and stalk my recipe blog, I would love it!! Enjoy and do enter...I would love to send you something fun!

Stupid but well intended...

I meant well but now I have lost everything! When I posted hubby's birthday wish so late I completely didn't know what I was doing and I have erased everything...including my blog list. I have some of you back on the list because you have commented. So for those of you who comment, it will be easy and fast to get you back up....others of you don't comment so I need all you who want me to continue to be involved in your blog to please comment or I can't add you back to the list I deleted during my hubby's birthday Raider Blog dedication.

Thanks for you help....I hope you all comment and if you don't don't be surprised if I don't add you to the list. I am not trying to snub anyone...if you are not on my list..you haven't ever commented or it is back too far I can't find you!

So sorry I will try to remember to not erase everything next blog change!

Back to Back!

This is not a sick joke, it is in honor of my husband's birthday!

Happy Birthday Hubby! Yes, I am so original...you asked for it...you got it...AGAIN!

Picture from your seats!!

September 20th, 2009

Arrowhead Stadium

Section 114 Row 7!!

Back to back baby!!

Enjoy!!

We love you and you deserve this and so much more! Have fun and enjoy watching the game with the Denver Bronco's number one fan...Uncle Jake!

First Day of School!

Now I know how Marlin the fish feels on Nemo... you have to let them go at a certain point and it is hard for a parent to do so. I keep looking at the clock and wondering how he is doing. (Yes, it is only 9:05 a.m.). I have cried for over a week now off and on, like whenever I would see his school clothes or backpack or even have to think about school stuff. Saturday night after Jay gave him a father's blessing for school I cried myself to sleep. When I woke up that morning looking like death, I said to myself I have got to stop. Then I started to notice the Gap Cowboy looking nervous at me and asking nervous questions so I realized I had better start making school sound fun. So since Sunday I have stopped the moping around and the crying and I have must every ounce of strength I have to make it seem fun and a happy time for him.

If any of you know the Cowboy you know how he gets so excited for stuff. Well he was so excited last night that the day had finally arrived he barely could sleep. While I was outside finishing up some yard stuff before the storm, he got into his dad's cologne and sprayed it all over himself. Oh, he smelled so strong! I love cologne but this was strong it was yuck! It wasn't until 9:30 that he finally fell asleep. He then was the first one awake ready to go back to school. Then out the door and off to school. As I was following him down the hall to his section of the building I started to tear up and about lost it but I pushed back any forming tears and held tough. After a couple photos I moved on real fast and Mr. C and I went home.

Most people would really enjoy quiet but when I came in and it was so quiet I just had to turn on the TV for the background noise. I am certain Mr. C and I will get used to it but for right now we may have to have Noggin on in the background!

Here are some pictures of the open house and his first day of school!

His classroom has fish!

There's his name!!

First day of school. We had a storm so it was a bit chilly

but warmed up so he wore his new jacket too.

Off to his classroom!

This is where I said by good-byes. Other parents were inside
the classroom but I had to go I couldn't take it anymore.
I had been lucky to push back the tears this far I didn't want
to press my luck by going in.

Trip Part 6: Louisville, KY and Nashville, TN

While researching our trip I discovered that we were a little over 5 hours away from some good old college friends...Amy and Pati! We hadn't seen them in like 5 years so I told Amy one day on the phone that since were so close she should just get in the car and I would get in my car at the same time and we could just drive and meet somewhere and see each other... well the idea went from that to....hmm 5 hours....hmmm... Then I started to research Nashville and it had been a "Bucket List" item for me since I grew up watching Hee-Haw and for some reason when I hear a fiddle my Daniels blood starts pumping and I can't help but like it! So I asked hubby what he thought and he really liked the idea and told me to plan it. It was so fun to call Amy the next day and tell her we were coming all the way to Nashville. Amy was one of the two running partners I had back in college and on those 5 mile runs we all formed a long lasting friendship. One that has kept us all in contact over the past years. Since Amy had just had surgery I was excited to show up and cook and clean for her and do some service for her as she recovered. My hubby and Pati were already friends, however our boys had never met.... Amy and Pati have 3 boys and the ages are similar.
I was so excited for this last leg of the trip. Aside from Nashville I would get to see a dear friend and our boys would meet. It was surreal to watch these little guys! They were fast friends. My oldest and her oldest were immediately buddies! The whole unfortunate thing about it all was that I FORGOT to take any pictures at that point. I was so focused on not making Amy over do it and wanting to just visit myself that I completely forgot....Luckily Amy did so when I get some pictures I will post those.
This is the last of the pictures...GOOD...tired of them...well you asked for them so you got them!
Enjoy!

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Trip Part 5: Normal, IL

So prior to our trip I researched and researched (all at night while the kiddies were in bed). Of fun places to visit. By Thursday we were exhausted and we still had one leg of the trip left so I knew I had to down scale it a bit and do some much needed laundry and relaxing. The boys were happy to be out of the car and run around the hotel room and later in the afternoon we headed to a place called Normal, IL. I had research kid friendly attractions around Champaign, IL where we were staying and this children's museum looked so fun. It was a random find but so what my boys needed at the time and it really was THE best children's museum we have been to. I love how nice and clean it was too.
Enjoy!

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Trip Part 4: Chicago, IL

Chicago with two boys and all by myself. I don't know if I mentioned before or if I just assumed that everyone knew but we were tagging along with hubby during a business trip. We thought it would be a wonderful idea that the kids and I tour around the state of Illionois as hubby was at the boot camp for Farm Service Center Leaders in his company. Hubby's company paid for the mileage to the point of destination for the meeting and paid hotels for the trip over, during and back from the conference. They also paid for his meals, so it was a cheaper way for us to do all we did with hotel room and most of our mileage paid. So during the week I was all by myself touring all over the state of Illionois. I had never handled the boys in this type of situation... vacation, touring and single parenting it. I have been to several times some the largest cities this country has to offer. I navigated them with ease and big cities have never intimidated me. However this was done when I was single and I had nothing but myself to care about or for. So I was determined my boys have a large city experience especially with all the fun things to do. However, I was very nervous and a little stressed. I would be driving the Yukon, a very large car, into a city that I had read about the traffic and my dad who had previously been there for a Chicago Bulls Game back in the Jordan years said: "you have to keep one foot ready for the break one ready for the gas, one hand on the steering wheel and one hand ready for the horn." Then I talked to my sister-in-law a Chicago area native and the surprise and hesistation in her voice to help actually made me a little more nervous. She wasn't too sure if helping me find my way in that city was considered murder or not and she sounded a little nervous for me! ; )
So I pushed on, with my dad's stubborness to never let anything intimidate, which makes even that more determined to do it. I thought about every instance that could happen and tried to make sure I was prepared with every street smart I had learned prior. I devised and research every safe plan I had. My goal was to drive in at a not so busy time of day and park the car. Once I have parked the car I would use cabs to get around because they know that city far better and navigate with ease. As for not losing my 5 year old that has a tendency to stop and look at things every 5 minutes...well I had to have my "A game" on and always have one eye on him and one eye on Carson. I wore city appropriate clothes too. I had some cute Bermuda shorts that had two front button pockets which I put my cell phone and my debit card in one and my keys in another and tried to be discrete when I would take the stuff out to use. I had several telephone numbers for my sister-in-law's parents if I needed anything, so I had people ready to come to my aid if I needed anything. I know, I know, I sound like a crazy lady but those boys mean the world to hubby and I and I also know from experience all it takes is once being in the wrong place at the wrong time and the cities increase those wrong place chances especially knowing I had "in over-her-head tourist" stamped on my back end!
Well it turned out wonderfully, we had a fun time, the Gap Cowboy loved everything and we had some fun memories of Chicago! We got to do all on our list, including shopping down the Magnificent Mile!
So here are some of our fun Chicago memories...

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Trip Part 3: Amish Country

It has always intrigued me how the Amish live with out many of the modern conveniences. I love their peaceful ways and how they really live in the world and not of it. Also I am a huge fan of their quilts and hand crafts and wood working. All things I need to work on. My mom has always been intrigued to this group of people for those same reasons. She just loves their quilts and so do I. When ever around a community of them I always dream of one day owning a authentic quilt made by Amish hands and not a machine. So just as my mom did I got my boys all pumped up about the Amish. I told the Gap Cowboy that they were farms and like to live like pioneers. He found it every exciting to see all the buggies driving around and he was very curious as to their clothes and he really wanted to know if they ever got to play.
Because of my curiosity of this group I have a lot of pictures the boys and I really had a lot of fun in this area. The farms were beautiful and their yards clean. We actually found ourselves returning to this area because of the beauty and peace amongst these intriguing people.

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Trip Part 2: Hannibal, MO and Carthage, IL

Several years ago I visited Hannibal, MO with my parents and siblings. It was such a cute river town that I had to put it on the list of must see items. I knew the boys would like this place. I also returned and conquered the hot, sticky, steep hike to the top of a hill to see their little lighthouse. I love lighthouse and have been able to see a few gorgeous ones on the east coast. My sister Pam and I hiked to the top and we practically ran. This time after stopping a couple of times I felt I did pretty good for an old lady! ; )
Carthage, is another special place to me. I remember my first visit there and the special spirit this place has. This time as we returned I had my MoTab playing the new Joseph Smith CD so songs like Praise to the Man and We Thank Thee O God for our Prophet were still fresh in my head. While we were in Nauvoo a van from the State of New York was driving around yelling to everyone as we went from house to house "Jesus not Joe." I wanted to grab them by the collar and take them to Carthage and have them sit and listen to the taped presentation in the room Joseph was gunned down in and then severly lecture them on the beliefs of the church and that our church is the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and that we love and revere our latter day prophet Joseph Smith for his courage to do what is right when it wasn't popular and eventually took his life! A key no brainer though, is that the church never faltered without Joseph Smith, it continued without our dear prophet BECAUSE it was the TRUE church of Jesus Christ.
Sorry I could not resist getting on my soap box! I love our prophet Joseph Smith, his courage has brought me much happiness!
Enjoy the pictures!

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Trip Part 1: Nauvoo

Our vacation was so long and we have 200+ pictures I am doing them in segments. I am editing for your behalf. Some turned out really good and some are of some fun memories for us that you all may think "What?" So I hope you enjoy.
We love Nauvoo!!! The was my second time so it was nice to know where and what to do. My family loved every inch of Nauvoo! It is such a happy memory for us. It will be fun to take the boys back when they are older and understand more. We did Nauvoo on the way to Jay's Boot Camp, so we were lucky to have Jay with us these couple of days while site seeing!

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