Not a creature was stirring....

On your mark, get set....GO!

Just what he needs, to be encouraged to hit!

Jake and his truck

Emilee's look-a-like doll, "Kit".

Wonder pets...a favorite at our house

Princess "jazmint", as Gracie would say.

Haydn has turned into quite the bookworm.

Yeah, wii got the wii!!

Garbage collector..

Aftermath...

One of Gracie's many Fairy costumes.

Yeah right! My kids were up at the crack of dawn....I guess I'm just not that motivated by gifts anymore. :) But I do love to watch the kids' reactions as they open their gifts. Our Christmas was not as big this year, (Grandma and Grandpa Hillesheim took us to Disneyland for Christmas) so we didn't have the usual mountain of gifts piled up by the tree. It was kind of nice to keep things simple...less garbage to clean up and haul out! Of course we finished in record time because they only take turns for the first few presents and then they're opening everything all at once. It was a good day....but this year was a little different for me. I think because we were so busy and gone a lot the month of Nov., I didn't have as much time to prepare myself or even get excited for Christmas. The older I get, the more Christmas means something different...which is good, I guess that means I'm growing up. :) Of course, it will ALWAYS be my favorite time of year......(with the exception of those quiet moments when I'm walking in the fall and can hear the wind catch the leaves on the ground and swirl them up into the air)....okay, okay, guess I should enjoy a little spring and summer first. But I do hope that everyone had a good Christmas and enjoyed the time spent with family and friends.....besides, that's really what it's all about....isn't it?

Silent Night

We have a tradition, like many others, where the kids are given one present to open on Christmas eve....PJ's! They always know what they're getting, but it's still fun for them. Who doesn't want new pajamas?!

Riley's Christmas Program

Riley with his gingerbread house and kazoo

Riley up on stage...good job bud!!

Riley had his program at school and wasn't very excited about it...until I told him Delon and I would be there. The entire kindergarten class made reindeer t-shirts and sang several different Christmas songs. At first I thought it was your average Christmas program, especially coming from a group so young. Little did I know it would end up being so entertaining! The best part was watching Riley and a couple other girls from our ward get so incredibly bored with singing, that they resorted to yawning...staring...stretching and waving at mom and dad. Gotta love it!

Cherie...need I say more?!

Okay, Cherie. I told you it would happen again sooner or later. This morning I was on the treadmill and Gracie comes running down the stairs with a pen yelling" Mom, Jake wrote on the computer!!" So of course, I'm thinking, no big deal, he's usually got a pencil in his hand. Then I look at the pen she's holding and realize it's a ....SHARPIE!!!!  Oh yeah...all over my 20 in. Mac screen....everywhere! So of course I start hyperventilating, and run to go and find a cleaner that will do the job. Fortunately it was on the glass...after a little Clorox and window cleaner, and a lot of scrubbing, it was gone.  Okay, so maybe I overreacted, but c'mon...a Sharpie...that never comes off anything. So Cherie, this is for you and for those days you wonder if it's ever going to get easier.....

Thanksgiving, better late than never....

Just wanted to let all of my family know how much I love them. This time of year is a great time for me to reflect on those things that make my life "full".  

Do I Dazzle You?

My sister Wendy had vampire teeth she slipped on for this picture. I was blinking, it makes the picture much more intense than I intended.

Me on the famous Ducati bike that Edward bought, but gave to Jasper.

All of us

Ok, my sisters talked me into taking an energy drink...never had one before.

The famous hands on the cover of Twilight...except with a candied apple. They were good.

Mmmm, I want to drink your blood!

My sisters Brooke, Natalie and Wendy

Red Chocolate fondue

Candied apples

Me and the man of the hour...he's a lot stiffer in person!

My official Twilight Premiere Pass

Hotel room, we also had a living room and kitchen.

All us girls right before we left for the night!

Well, it has come and gone quickly. But what a great time we had! Thursday night (20th) I headed down to Salt Lake to hook up with my sisters, mom and friend from CA. We all attended the Twilight Premiere Event where they had a special midnight showing of the movie. To start off the night we all went to get pedicures, although, I ended up with just a manicure of "blood-red" nail polish, which I thought was appropriately called, "Dazzling Red." Then we dropped by the Olive Garden for a little "bite" to eat. I had the Mushroom Ravioli...sooo good. After dinner we went to check-in to the Hotel. We figured since the movie was so late we'd come back to a Hotel and hang out. After we checked in and freshened up, we headed over to the main event. When we got there they had a Red Carpet photo-op, an appetizer buffet...complete with red chocolate fondue, candied apples and much more. There were several different booths, all of which were the sponsors for the event. Jewelry, T-shirts, Ducati bikes, Cold Stone Ice Cream, photo booths...lots of picture opportunities. They even had vampire make-overs....no thanks. Finally, at about 11:30, they started letting everyone in for the movie...with reserved seats... it was nice not to have to scramble for a good seat. Once we got into the theater they handed out gift bags complete with gift cards, a Twilight hat, treats and popcorn. Now of course, once the lights began to dim and the movie started, there was a lot of screaming. I had been anticipating this movie and was very curious as to how it could possibly fit all the great moments into a two hour time slot, though we all know, the movie is never as good as the book. I was very pleasantly surprised. Although, I have to mention, I started to feel very sick within the last hour of the movie and worried more about whether or not I was going to throw-up on the person in front of me, than how the movie was. I was a little frustrated with the whole situation and went and saw it again with one of my sisters first thing Friday morning. This was a good thing and a whole new experience. For those of you who've seen the movie, it's even better the second time around. I thought, although reading the book is a much better experience, the movie incorporated all the critical moments, and I was very happy with the way Edward and Bella were portrayed. When you take into account the small budget for the movie, it really is amazing some of the great shots they got...all without CGI's. And I appreciate that the vampires have more human-like qualities than in other films... they were believable. And it doesn't hurt that the movie has a great soundtrack. When all was said and done, this night was a good memory for me. Not just because of the anticipation over the last two or three months, but because I was able to spend time with people that I love who all share the same opinion and excitement for a great book, a good movie and a fun time.

Does Edward "dazzle" me? Of course he does... but I'm old enough to know better and know that he's a character in a book, a great book nonetheless, but just a character. It's always fun to escape reality, even if it is just two hours. Thanks to Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart for bringing our favorite characters to life! And to Stephenie Meyer for a great ride!

Thank You

Just wanted to give a big "thank you" to my mom and dad for the trip! We all had so much fun and made so many great memories...we love you guys. And mom, thanks for all your hard work. The T-shirts, the activity pack, the treats, the calendars....etc.  You  were busy! Love you :)

The Happiest Place on Earth....

Sisters and Friends...obviously thought we were done taking the picture.

Jake and Gracie dancing during the magical hour at California Adventure. ( We were able to spend an hour with about 200 other people at the park after it closed!)

Painted faces...so cute!

Gracie and Tinkerbell

Gracie, Emilee and Pixie Hollow Fairies

Me, the boys and Mickey...

Imagine that, Gracie and Tinkerbell again!

Family Photo...a little blurry. All the Christmas deco was up, it was so pretty!

All of us girls...with red-eye. Can't seem to get rid of it!

The boys on Bugs Life ride

Grumpy Bugs!!

The boys with their cousin Zach

Brother-in-Law , Pa, sang with this quartet...pretty cool! My sister Brooke performed with them earlier that day in front of everyone. They asked her to come up and sing.

The girls...Gracie, her cousin Lily, and Kenzee and Kaylee, our friend's twin daughters.

Yeah, a peaceful moment!

Merry-go-round...Jake loved it!

Gracie and the Princess Castle...she wanted to stay there!

Splash Mountain...scared Riley, it was funny to see his face!

The whole family!! My mom made shirts for all the grandkids with their favorite Disney character!

Nov. 10th we left with my entire family for Disneyland. It's a sort of Christmas present from my parents...and a way to get all of us together at the same time in the same place for longer than 2 hrs. We had so much fun, despite the occasional whining kid and frustrated parent. Disneyland has always been a favorite of my mom's, and I have a lot of good memories from there with my family. We also ventured into California Adventure...which I have grown to love even more. There was definitely a lot of walking, standing in line, tired cranky kids, expensive food, begging for unnecessary toys....blah , blah , blah. But in the end , the only things I really remember from this trip are the moments I laughed so hard with my sisters I thought I'd pee my pants, or knowing that my brother and brother-in-laws get along well and that the cousins couldn't wait to see each other every morning. Or even the fact that I love to ride Thunder Mountain in the dark, that I hate churros but love the frozen lemonade, and pushing a stroller with two kids and 50 lbs. of "crap" is not my idea of "strolling". Nevertheless, I got to spend time with the people I love most, the people who are most important in my life. So whether we're in Disneyland stuck on Indiana Jones, again...waiting 45 min. for a 2min. ride, we were there together, helping each other along the way, crying, laughing and screaming. Now these are memories!!

Fright Night

Haydn "Skeleton Pirate"

Gracie "Diamond Castle Princess"

Emilee "Vampiric Mistress"...sloppy eater

Riley "Vampire"... obviously hates the light

Well, Halloween is one of my favorites because you can be anyone you want to be! And this year, I decided to be a mom...you know, the one that is busy getting everyone else in their costumes and then hands out the candy? Anyway, we went to Trunk or Treat, not my favorite, but fun to see the others in their costumes. And afterwards I took  Riley and Gracie around the neighborhood while Emilee was off with her friend Hannah.  Delon had Haydn and Jake at the Aggie basketball game...it's that time of year again! It was a fun night but a busy one. Hope everyone had a great Halloween!  (For those of you wondering...Jake didn't dress up this year. No luck getting him in anything!)