Spiffy

Don't let the innocent face fool you...

When I first put the tie on him he didn't notice anything was out of the ordinary...
But then he realized that something was different...

really different...

and he wanted noooo part of it...

The "tie fit" surprisingly only lasted a few seconds and the tie remained intact all the way through church!Now does anyone have good advice as to what I can put on his forehead to keep it from scaring? The marks aren't fading and the ointments that I have been applying don't seem to help. And yes I photoshopped them out of the first picture.

The Spirit of Christmas

"To catch the real meaning of the spirit of Christmas we need only drop the last syllable and it becomes the spirit of Christ" President Thomas S. Monson

Larson Family Photo Shoot

So on the infamous day that Branson and I had our stroller mishap by the river I was able to take the Larson family photos. Alissa is Sydney's awesome piano teacher and her husband Ben works with John at McLoughlin. They have an adorable little girl, Katie, who is almost two. I have been itching to share their photo shoot but wanted to wait until their Christmas card was out so I didn't take anything away from their family pictures. Katie is beautiful and I couldn't get enough of her eyes and lips! So I just have to point out...see that little strip of dry grass directly behind the Larson family...yep, that's the rut that sent me and Branson flying.

Blue Christmas!!!

Yep...the cast is back on. When they removed the first cast the x-ray showed that the break was healing well. Branson hobbled around without the cast for a few days and then refused to put any pressure on his injured foot and started crawling again. The doctor said there is no way to re-injure this type of break but that his leg probably needs more time in the cast for the added support. So for five more weeks we will be having sponge baths. We went for the dark blue cast this time and he has been walking around on it better than ever. In fact...he has insisted on helping out more around the house. I have made the appointments and the rest of the family will be getting their casts put on next week.

Guess Who?

So I spent the better part of today turning a clearance Guess Who game into a personal game to give to Sydney for Christmas...

I bought the MARVEL game for $7.99 with the idea to cover all the X Men, Super Heroes and Villains with Pictures of Sydney's family and cousins. I just printed out photos to match the size of the card sets and then attached my pictures over the comic book characters. (I just may or may not have glued John's photo over all the Mr. Fantastic cards)

With 24 different characters I was able to do both sets of Grandparents, mom and dad, all her cousins, the dog, the cat and her closest second cousin.

Think she'll like it?

The True Christmas Spirit!

Branson got his cast off on Friday and the first thing we did was stick him in the bath. (You don't know how badly I wanted to Photoshop all his bumps and scrapes...but he has been having a rough month to say the least.) He had added a few action figures to his bath water and he kept pointing to one of them and saying something over and over... "Jesus!"

OK honey...yes he has a beard but I don't think Jesus ever dressed up like Rambo.

True Authentic Mom?

My Blogging friend Kristin tagged me as a True Authentic Mom! If I was ever to feel honored about accepting an award...this would be it. Us mom's don't get too many pats on the back and this was such a sweet surprise. Kristin says she picked me because, "Your stories and your pictures of your children could win awards." Now she doesn't say WHAT awards. It could be The Crappiest Mom of the Year award....or the Don't ever Listen to HER Advice award, but I'll take it! I am now supposed to tell five things that make me an authentic Mom.

#1

FROZEN FOOD

I opened my fridge to take a picture of all the boxes of frozen pizzas, corn dogs and other teen friendly foods but they were already gone! My boys eat 4-5 meals a day and I cannot keep up! So you are thinking..."you feed them that crud? You're a terrible mom!" I feed them a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner. The "Teen Foods" are for the after school meal and the right before bed meal. How do you eat a dinner of Chili, cornbread, chips and cookie salad and then two hours later eat three pizza pockets? These boys are a bottomless pit!#2

HEIGHT WALL

I have a "height wall." It's mismatched, sloppy and sporadic and I love it!

I love looking back at the years when the kids wanted me to measure them several times a month.I love that we have more than just the kids on the wall. And to say that my boys are excited to make their marks OVER mine is an understatement. Should I tell them that 4 foot 11 isn't a hard mark to beat?#3

OUR PLAYROOM

When we added on to the house many years back I designed the playroom so that it is smack in the middle of the kitchen area and the family room. You actually have to walk through the toys to get between the two rooms. Yes it often looks like this....But all toys, coloring books, puzzles, board books, VHS movies, games, and learning materials are in one room.And I was called "crazy" for the placement of the room. People have asked if I run a preschool or daycare. Nope, I am just a mom who knows that wherever mom is...that is where the kids and toys will end up. I actually love it. And when it is clean I love it even more.And someday (I am NOT in any hurry) when the kids are done with their room, the crazy road carpet will be replaced with wood floors and the walls will be lined with beautiful bookcases. But my dream library can just wait, cause I think our playroom rocks...and so does Branson.#4

Christmas Tree Patrol

I love Christmas but throw in a curious toddler and I love it even more. My kids love the tree and whenever we have a little one at Christmas John and I make wagers about how many ornaments will end up smashed at the bottom of the stairs or in pieces under the tree. So far Branson has only sent one red ball to its doom. He prefers to pull the little top off the balls and smell the insides. Go figure. Christmas ornaments have replaced Hot Wheels cars for the moment. I pick up at least ten a day...sitting under the tree minus their metal hanger and top.Oh he knows he isn't supposed to "mess" with the tree.But those bright, shiny, glass orbs are just so dang tempting.And it isn't just the 2 year old who "plays" with the tree. Sydney seems to enjoy it almost as much.
#5

CREATIVE FUN

I have wanted to post about our "Summer Sledding" for quite some time. But the boys tend to do it in the dark and that makes taking photos a bit challenging. Those who know me well, know that I am VERY picky about my lawn. I love it to be freshly mowed and dark green and weed free. But my front and back yards are often turned into a four wheeler race track. I really try not to cringe as they turn sharply on two wheels but I put my foot down and insist that they do NOT continue to turn around on the same patch of grass over and over again.

Several years ago we had a green winter but I had bought the boys each a round, plastic disk sled. They hooked one of them up to the four wheeler with a rope and off they went. Well the disks didn't survive and so Grandpa Cazier fused the two disks together and reinforced the front with wood so the rope wouldn't break through. Now the boys whip each other, and their friends, around our lawn all year long. A bit white trash looking but they love it! So I may not be named mother of the year but I don't care. I love being a mom. It is all I ever wanted to be, and some days (most days) I have to remind myself of that fact. But I also love that my friends and family around me are also moms. I am now supposed to nominate 5 other Moms as a Truly Authentic Mom. How do you do that? How do you leave someone out? My list of women are the first 5 ladies that came to my mind. Whether they blog or not isn't part of the criteria...

Trish- She has never let 6 kids slow her down or wear her out. She loves being home with her kids and always puts being a mom at the top of her list.

Alicia- She worries more than anyone I know that she isn't doing her best at being a mom. This alone makes her good at what she does. Often when I call in the middle of the day she is playing a board game with her kids or taking fun trips to McDonalds.

Danyelle- She is great at teaching her kids the standards and beliefs of the gospel. She has a family theme every year and she is always making sure that she surrounds her kids in appropriate and uplifting activities.

Bren- Her four beautiful children were adopted and Bren is the perfect example that being a mom isn't about giving birth. She is a real person who isn't afraid to ask for help as a mom and she is her kids number one fan and advocate.

Debie and Debbie- So I couldn't leave it at 5. These ladies have such good, fun loving kids. Both of their blogs are full of the funny things their kids say and do. They keep it real and they are great moms.