Let It Snow!

IT's snowing in VEGAS! Can you believe it? I love it! I feel like we're actually having a winter this year. Well here are some pics to prove it.

I'm so glad when Daddy is Home!

The boys are ecstatic! Brad is done with school for about 4 weeks and you'd think it wouldn't be a big deal. But the boys can't seem to get enough of him. I'm glad they appreciate having him around and can tell the difference.

PS. Brad got all A's and B's this semester, even in his business law class. Good job, Honey!

the Value of Work

We had a cord of firewood delivered and you would have thought it was already Christmas morning. The boys couldn't wait to get their hands on it. So, Papa put them to work. They sure are learning alot from the men in their lives and I'm grateful for the awesome examples they have to follow.

Ready, Set, Christmas!!!

Here we go! As you can see we're all geared up for Christmas. The boys could hardly wait to put up and decorate the tree. Jake tried several times to get us motivated before we were really ready.

Then it finally came time and this year was more fun than the last. The boys are finally getting to where they get "it". It's nice to be able to do these things without as much chaos as in the past.

Anyway, the tree is up, the lights are on, and now there are just songs to sing, and a little baking to do. I love it.

Enjoy the pictures and Happy Holidays!!!

Thanksgiving

Okay, I'm officially a slacker! But being 81/2 months prego, I think I have a pretty good excuse. Anyway, this is the only pic I took at Thanksgiving. We were cleaning the house for my baby shower, when Carla went outside to clean the sliding door the boys jumped in to do the inside. The funny thing is that they would do their hand right along with hers in unison. It was really cute.

There are lots of pics from the shower but I don't have them yet. So, hang in there!

Just Like Daddy

Brad left the clippers out and next thing I know I could hear Jake and Teegan in the bathroom with them. Their explanation for the spots of hair (which I've been trying to grow out for months) missing from their heads was that they wanted to look "like Daddy." So "Daddy" obliged. Now, Jake looks like Mr. Clean, and Teegan has peach fuzz and blames the whole thing on Jake. Funny thing is he never once yelled for help while Jake was cutting away.

Enjoy the pictures!

Halloween Town

It's Halloween time again already. And we've been having a good time. The boys enjoyed the annual trunk or treat and their school parties. All they really care about is how much of their candy can they eat. Teegan keeps asking for more because he's still hungary; I just have to laugh and explain that candy does NOT make a meal. Anyway, I've included a video and a few pictures for you to enjoy. Have a great BOO day!

Sad Loss

We got a phone call this morning that my Uncle Gene passed away last night after a freak accident. We're really going to miss him. He was a gentle, hard working, kind, and generous man. The world is worse off with him gone. All our prayers are with Ann Marie and the kids and we wish we could be there with them. We'll always remember him in the best way.

Allow me to brag for a moment.

Yeah Me!

I'm very proud of myself today. I've been stuggling, trying to find leashes, not for my kids, but for pacifiers. I had a couple for the boys but lately I've been looking and haven't found any that would work with most pacifiers (except the Mam ones). Anyway, in my frustration I got to thinking, "to heck with it, I'll figure out how to make some". So I set out to the craft store. And after a little trial and some ugliness, presto! I have pacifier leashes. Check them out! Cute, huh? I think so and now I also have a great baby gift whenever I need one.

Now, I just have to figure out a cute way to add a bow or something. I have a few ideas but would love some suggestions too. I'm also on the hunt for a better clip. Ebay has a couple of options but I haven't narrowed it down yet. Okay I'm done!

Also, if any of you want one or two let me know they are really easy and take very little time.

Heads Up

Just a Heads Up!

My sister is throwing a baby shower for me Thanksgiving weekend. We hope all our friends and family can make it. It should be quite the party. Here are the details.

Sat.,Nov. 29th

11a-2p at my house.

Light lunch served.

I have registries at Target, Walmart, and Babies R Us

Hope to see you there.

Family Night Fun

Big Thank You's to Aunt YaYa (Laura)! She had set up a company party at Sunset Station's bowling lanes and no one showed up so she called me and invited us to come and bowl for free. So we went for it! It was sooooooo much fun. The boys LOVED it and were actually well behaved. So Mom and Dad had fun too. The only problem was that Brent and Teegan did just as good as the grown ups. Anyway, I've included video of one of Brent's victory dances and pics of a few other moments. Enjoy!

Tagged: Crazy 8's

Allison Campbell Tagged Me!

Here it goes!

8 TV Shows I love to watch:
Dancing with the Stars
ER
Deadliest Catch
Survivor
So You Think You Can Dance
Extreme Makeover-Home Edition
Robin Hood (BBC)
American Idol

8 Favorite Restaurants:
Macayo's
Red Robin
Benihana
Tuscano's (Provo)
Claim Jumper
Lonestar
Olive Garden
Macaroni Grill

8 Things That Happened Yesterday:
I got to church on time.
They announced ward boundries will change next week.
Bishop said his release testimony.
Had waffles for dinner.
The boys all took naps.
Brad didn't have extra meetings.
Finished unstiching the quilt I'm doing for the baby.
The boys were unusually loud all evening.

8 Things I Look Forward To:
Halloween
Paying off the van
Thanksgiving
No More ReRuns-Premieres start next week!
My baby shower. I have no girl stuff.
Carla being home for the Holidays.
The end of this semester for Brad.
Brad graduating.

8 Things I Love About Fall:
Halloween
Cooler Temps
Making Stew
Everything Orange
Pumpkin Pie
Sweatshirts
Tennis Shoes
Did I say Halloween

8 Things On My Wish List:
Clothes that fit-ha!
My own house.
Chevy Tahoe Hybrid
Take the boys camping
Pedicures
Jake to potty train himself
Travel to far off places
Pay off debts

8 People I'm Tagging:
Laura
Carla
Michelle Campbell
Diana Bevell
Janine Worthen
Laurel Brennan
Suzie Kleinman
Emily Beech

Think Pink

It's official! We are having a girl! Can you say finally?
We're all very excited and look forward to a little less testostirone in the house. And finally I get to buy something pink and frilly. Thanks to everyone who voted on the boy name poll. Feel free to use those names for yourselves someday.
Anyway, thanks for all the prayers and well wishes, we feel really blessed.

Teegan's 1st Day

Monday was Teegan's first day of Kindergarten. He was so excited and he never showed a moment of fear. He's done really well so far and it's fun to see him starting to get into the school routine.

Jake and I are having a great time being by ourselves and we're acomplishing alot. He's a great helper. He did have one moment of missing his brothers but he'll get used to them being gone soon.

Congratulations, Teegan, keep up the good work.

Dilema

Help! I have a dilema. Brad and I cannot decide on a name for the baby if it's a boy. We'll find out the sex of the baby Sept. 4th so we have a few weeks, but we need your help. You'll find a poll with our favorites to the right. So pick your 2 favorite names. Unfortunatley, you don't get the chance to vote for a girl name, we've had one ever since I was pregnant with Brent and obviously we haven't been able to use it yet.
So make your voice heard and help us out. Thanks!

BAD WIFE

I am a bad wife. Yesterday was Brad's birthday and I completely forgot. It wasn't until about 6pm when Brent came down the hall and said something about it that I realized what I had done. It had been a crazy day with the kids, and cleaning, and my dad coming home from vacation that there wasn't room in my head for much else. And having pregnant brain doesn't help.
I'm sure 'm not the only one to have ever done this but it's so out of my character that it makes me feel even worse.
Don't worry I have plans to make up for it in the next few days .
Brad was pretty okay with it and even laughed at me, but I think he really was shocked and a little hurt. Thank goodness his mom didn't forget or he might be really upset.
Anyway, I promise to do my best to never let it happen again and always make it special.
Sorry, Brad, I Love You.

Olympic Fever

We've caught the bug!

Olympic Medal winners at NBC Olympics.com!

Vacation Part 2, Days 4&5&6

Day 4 - We said goodbye to Jen, Adrian, and their kids then drove to Boise, Idaho.

Day 5 - We had breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa at the hotel, said goodbye to Kabi and Dave, then we took the chance to drive around and see a couple of Brad's childhood homes and spent some time at a park he played at as a kid. We fed ducks, walked over to see the river, and got some of the boys wiggles out.

Then we got back in the van and drove to Ogden. The boys played and we bbq'd. After dinner Brad, his mom, Brent and I played a rousing game of UNO Spin. And I even got a chance to bum some fabric from Mom to add to my new quilt project that I picked up in Cannon Beach. We were not looking forward to returning home the next day (Day 6).

All in all after about 3500 miles and alot of time in the car, we pretty much loved every minute of our trip and are grateful to be able to do it. Now we just need a vacation to recover. Unfortunatley it's back to life for all of us.

Oh, here are a few more pics.

Vacation Part 2, Day 3

Okay, this was our final full day in Cannon Beach. We left around 10am and drove to Tillamook. We are all big fans of their cheese. When we arrived there we took another family picture then buddied up and headed in to see the cheese. It was fun to watch the ladies slice and package 12inx12in blocks of cheese into the many forms we see in the store every day. Then we had the pleasure of sampling their goods and went a little crazy buying cheese. We also took the opportunity to have and ice cream before heading back to Cannon Beach.

When we returned Brad watched the boys while I headed into town to visit the quilt shop and walk around town for a little quiet time. Then I picked up the family and we went into town for dinner. It began to get stormy and cold again so we headed back to the hotel and started to get things wrapped up so we could be ready to leave for home the next morning. And of course I took the opprotunity to take a few more pictures.

Vacation Part 2, Day 2

Day 2 started with Brad taking Brent and Teegan on an early morning walk on the beach so Jakob could get some sleep and Mom could get made up for the day. They happened to have pefect timin to check out the Tide Pools near Haystack Rock and were able to see and touch Starfish and Crab.
When they returned we went to a neighboring town called Seaside and did some shopping, rode the carousel, and walked the promenade. Then Jake had a meltdown so we headed back early and took a rest. Brad took a walk with his Dad and got things set up for a family picture. The family picture time was a trial with all the kids being tired so we scrapped it and decided to try flying some kites.
After some great kite time Brad, his sisters, and their spouses (including me) left the kids with Grandma and Grandpa and had some alone time. Then we got the chance to have a quiet dinner together at the Driftwood Inn. It was great to be able to have a real conversation without having screaming kids interjecting.
When we returned it was time for bed and Grandma and Grandpa looked no worse for wear.
Here is a video for you to enjoy.

Vacation Part 2 - Cannon Beach, OR

After or jaunt to Meeker we drove to Salt Lake and had a great visit with our friends the Brennan's, spent the night in Ogden at Brad's parents house and headed for Oregan the next day. It took 2 days to get there but WOW it was totally amazing. When we arrived it was cloudy and cool and we wet directly to the beach for walk. While we were walking on the beach it began to rain, but it was light and misty so we stayed a little longer. Then we went to fing some lunch. We ended up eating sandwiches in the van, but that was as good as anything else. We took a little walk in town and headed to the hotel to meet up with the rest of the family and get our room.

We visited for a while then got settled in our rooms before meeting up again for pizza and swimming.

After a long day and alot of fun we all crashed that night.

I've included a pic I took when we first arrived.

Vacation Part 1 - Meeker

We had a long trip to Meeker but after 5yrs. it was time and worth it, too. We had a great time being outdoors and visiting with my family. Many had never seen Jake in person and the last time I was there Teegan was only 3 weeks old. We've all changed alot so it was good to catch up and get to see everyone in person.

The boys loved being able to do alot of new things. Papa took them fishing and for a horse ride, he also taught Teegan a little about playing Horseshoes. They loved just being outside for the whole day after spending half the summer stuck in the house because of how hot it gets here.

We are hoping to do it again next year and stay a few more days and really do things right. We sure love and miss everyone there and what a beautiful place to be.

Hot Fun In The Summertime

We are having a great time during Aunt Carla's visit and it's only the 1st day. We went to the pool for a swim and had a great time. We can't wait for the rest of our time together. Thanks, Carla!

Alien Baby

The official due date is Jan. 28th, 2009. Here is a picture of our little alien baby. Atleast that is what it looks to me right now. It's little face is taking a peek and it was hard to get that because they didn't want to hold still. The good news is that I'm 4 days away from the end of the first trimester and any morning sickness should be going away. Yeah!

Rockstar

I don't know where he got it but Jake was singing to us and he threw in the funniest thing so I jumped on the chance to get a video of it. Watch the leg and listen for "Rockstar".

Hard At Work

Okay my explorations into the scrapbook world has brought many fun new toys into my life. I love traditional scrapbooking but I have found many fun things to do with digital scrapbooking also. So inbetween my bouts of nausea and tyrannical children I've had the chance to do some creating. I produced a slideshow with music and text for my dad's Alaska cruise. I did the scrapbook page you can see at the top of the blog (thanks Emily), and I've done some photo collages of my favorite Cook family moments. I'll include a one of the pages for you to see. I hope I get to continue these types projects and I hope I'll be able to share them with all of you from time to time.

Stay creative!

Suprise

Yes, that's right. According to Mr. EPT we'll be having a baby sometime between Jan and March of next year. It was in the planning stage but happened rather quickly. We were thinking August. Anyway, we're very excited and the boys are all praying we get a girl. We'll keep you posted with all the info as we get it.

My Day

Could it get any worse?

Today went from bad to worse. I keep wondering what else is going to happen. We started out okay. I got up early so I could get to church early to set up my Sharing Time activity. Just about the time I was ready to leave Brad had locked the bedroom door to keep the boys out, then he came out of the room and closed the door. So we all were locked out. And of course it's the one door we can't get open from the outside without a key! So I yell to my Dad for help, having never dealt with this kind of situation, I hoped he could get us out of it quickly; but no, he could not. So he proceeded to start taking the window out so we could put one of the boys through it and open the door. Brad stayed behind with Brent and Jake because his clothes were in the locked bedroom and he didn't think it would be right to show up at church in his garments.

Well at this point I grabbed Teegan and left for church. (Thankfully all my lesson and sharing time stuff was in the laundry room.)

When we got to Primary Teegan had an accident in his pants so Brad (who finally made it to church) took him home and Brent ended up giving Teegan's talk. Then by the time they were ready for me to present my sharing time acitvity I only had 5 minutes to give a 20-30 minute presentation.

And now we're onto class where I spent most the time reminding one of my girls that we don't kick the walls in Heavenly Father's house. I'm suprised I got the lesson taught and the other kids actually payed attention enough to remember what I was teaching.

Finally church was over and I came home to find that the window broke in the fiasco of trying to get into the bedroom and I had sheets to change and some mess to vacuum up. Which isn't done yet and it's 6:30.

Then I was in the bedroom for ten minutes and the boys were playing quietly, or so I thought. Jake had come in the room and was messing around so I sent him out while I finished checking my email from Carla (she left for a month out on a carrier). What I didn't notice was that he had taken a huge garbage bad full of paper shreds out of my room and spread it all over the family room. I did manage to clean it up with grin.

I think if I don't laugh about what a "Murphy" day I have had I might cry.

So I hope you get a laugh out of My Day. I sure have.

Teegan's prep

Today was a big day for Teegan. He graduated from preschool. What a year it's been with him. I wasn't sure we would ever make it this far. But after alot of prayer and hard work on his teachers part we made it. We are really proud of him and the progress he made; the teachers even told us how much they loved him and how fun he was for them. They also said that of all their students this year he had come the furthest. From where he started to today he was the most improved. So there is hope, and all we have to figure out now is how to get him to sit still and that his hands don't always have to be moving.

Now we look forward to Kindergarten and I have already warned Brent's teacher that he's coming her way. We requested that Teegan get her too. She's great and I think she'll be able to harness all that energy.

Enjoy the pics and video. We get a good laugh out of them. Especially the one where Teegan is trying to catch the tassle in his mouth.

When Mom's Away She Likes To Play

Well, Brad and my Dad were nice enough to take on the boys for the weekend and let me go with Laura to California to visit Carla and work on her scrapbooking project. As you can see in the pictures we came fully armed each with our own arsenal of goodies.

I found Jamba. I scared my sisters to death when I screamed Jamba from the back seat. But I was really excited; I hadn't had a Jamba juice since we moved to Vegas 3 yrs. ago.

Between the scrapbooking all day Saturday and the Hot Tub each night I was one happy little mama. I even stopped thinking/worrying about what was going on at home for just a little while.

All in all the weekend was a success.

Thanks to all those who were a part of a great memory.