No Pets Allowed...ok, Only WebKinz Pets Allowed

"It's true", I say with indignation (hands on hips). I'm doing it to help Tyler.

We have a new "pet" at our house. Through a series of not so unfortunate events, Tyler has ended up with this adorable pug, who he named Sparky. He belongs to our family and to the much larger WebKinz community.

So, if you've never heard of Webkinz, you need to check it out. But, it's basically a community (shops, money, games, food, and so forth ) where your adopted pet lives. Just like real life, once you earn money, you can take care of your pet. So, being the dutiful mom that I am, I just wanted to make sure that Tyler had enough money to make playing on the website fun for him. Is there really any doubt? Anway...I BECAME ADDICTED to one of the games. I played it so much last night (in the guise of earning Tyler money) that my hand came away in the shape of a claw.


I was wondering if anyone knows of a support group for this?

Wii Had a Merry Christmas

I hope every one's day was wonderful. It struck me today how much like preparing dinner Christmas morning is, let me explain: it takes so much preparation and a lot of work to prepare and then the meal is eaten in 10 minutes. Now, we even try drag out the morning and presents by playing with Santa presents, eating breakfast, then opening presents one-by-one from youngest to oldest, but still the morning seems to fly by. And, Steve and I are left to look at each other wide-eyed in amazement.

As mentioned in previous blogs, hands down, I have the BEST husband and he always manages to place a few surprises for me under the tree. I love you Steve and thank you for spoiling me.
This year was the same. However, I am happy to report that I did manage to surprise Steve with a present of my own for him this year. It wasn't even his most expensive present, but the one I enjoyed giving him most because of the element of surprise. I was able to surprise him with a blender! Yahoo, I am ready to be the recipient of the smoothies that he wants to make.

I love this picture of my dear boys at the top of the stairs in their new Christmas jammies. After a very rough night, we are finally ready for Christmas to begin. I love this "tradition!
And, it's one my husband and I both share. As children, we had to wait at either the top (me) or the bottom (him) of the stairs for the parental permission that we could advance to the family room and enjoy Christmas morning.

Here is my dear daughter in her Christmas outfit. Isn't she darling? I love having a Christmas outfit for her to wear! And I found these cute pants (can't remember the fashionable term for these) for only $1.50. Can't beat that!!

We were the lucky recipients of a Nintendo Wii for Christmas from my in-laws. Aren't wii lucky? Thanks Mom and Dad!! So, most of our afternoon has been spent getting acquainted with the game system.

And we also tested out Ethan's new snow boggie board. He loved it and is pretty athletic, so he picked up on the technique pretty fast. He was such a good sport because it was FREEZING cold and would have stayed out there all night practicing.

These last pictures are for my mom, I thought you would enjoy these:









On Christmas eve, after putting the kids in bed and getting ready for the next morning, Steve and I were able to enjoy some quiet time together. Our conversation drifted to our Sunday School lesson from the day before. We had both been struck by different elements of the Christmas story. In years past, I have only focused on the birth of the Savior in a stable (the conditions, the animals, etc.). For the first time, I wondered about the character of Mary. I feel most of my weaknesses are excerbated in moments of parenting. So, being the mother of our Savior, what must she have been like? I know the Lord would only pick someone truly special to be that mother. I wish we knew more about her. Steve, was struck by the faith that Joseph must have had. Not only to accept Mary's situation, but also to be the earthly Father to the Savior.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone!

A Funny Conversation

This was such a funny conversation with Ethan, I just had to laugh out loud!

Ethan: Mom, do you want me to wear a long sleeved shirt.
Me: Yes, I think you should because it's a very cold day outside.
Ethan: Mom, but I don't have any long sleeved shirts.
Me: Ethan, I know if I look in your drawer, you have tons of long sleeved shirts.

Me going on to help the other children get dressed, brush teeth, and so forth.

Finally back in Ethan's room, me distracted by changing the sheets on his bed.

Ethan: Mom, I can't find any long sleeve shirts to WEAR.
Me: to WHERE (what do you mean "where", you are going to school)?
Ethan: yes, to wear?
Me: to where?

Both of us getting frustrated by this conversation that is going nowhere!!

Ethan: to wear?
Me: what do you mean, to where?

Finally understanding dawns on me and I just have to laugh and go hug him.

Desperately Seeking Santa

(Siren, Siren)

Steve: I think that is Santa Claus
Tiercy: Oh, that's right, the city was going to have Santa come by on a firetruck.

Steve goes to tell the children.

Tiercy: Did they get to see him?
Steve: Yeah, they waved because Santa went by too fast to get coats and shoes on.

A FEW MINUTES LATER...


"Santa, where are you?" "I can hear your sleigh." asks Tyler standing out in our driveway. This is echoed by Ethan's sentiments who is standing right beside brother.

Okay, I can't stand this, I am going to drive them to see if we can find Santa.

Success!!! HO HO HOs and treats were given by Santa, what could be better than that?

FAMILY means...

FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)nd (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU

I saw this in an email from a friend. I thought it was really cute and wanted to share it. I had never heard it before.

The Littlest Jedi

Tonight Ethan found a new partner in his favorite pastime: playing "Lightsabers." She may be the littlest Jedi, but she is filled with the force and holds her own. I thought these were too cute and couldn't resist.

Any Favorite Christmas Traditions?

Hey everyone,

I was wondering if anyone had a Christmas tradition they'd like to share? I would like to have a few more to do with my family. So, if you don't mind if I adopt the tradition of my own, please share.

I blogged about our favorite tradition. You can read about and see the accompanying pictures.

Thanks for sharing!

Which City Should You Live In?

I found this cute little link from someone else's blog and had to do it. According to this quiz, I should live in ROME. I say...bring on the Tuscan sun. However, I don't really agree with their reasoning...it said "my laidback lifestyle" ha!!! My lifestyle may be laidback, but that is to compensate for my intense personality. This way I can be part of the solution not part of the problem.

Which city should you live in?

WHICH DISNEY PRINCESS ARE YOU?

Okay, I took this test on the same site. I am....Pocahontas. You defy convention and sometimes do what is considered taboo. Unfortunately, others do not always appreciate your differences, so it's good that you are so strong-willed. You are loyal and you believe in fate. Your true love will find you one day.

Dashing Through the Snow

Yesterday was the perfect day for sledding! Just ask my boys. Yesterday, Tyler and Ethan got all bundled up and braved the hill and the weather. Tyler and Ethan had soooooo much fun. I, although not filled with the exuberance of youth, had a great time too. We headed over to the big hill at the entrance of our neighborhood.

At first, because of all the previous sled rides down the hill, there were spots that would either completely slow Ty and Ethan down or stop them all together. But, then the snow started falling. It made it such a winter wonderland. And, being the smart boys that they are, they discovered that if they rode down together the sled went much faster!! They were happy.

At one point, I noticed one of my dear friends coming down on her own sled. She landed right in the muddy slush, but was a good sport about it. So, to go and socialize I traversed the "mountain" (don't you like that it's a mountain when I climb it?) in my slippers. Have I mentioned that up til this point, I had been watching from my nice, warm heated car?

Luckily for me she had her camera and was taking pictures of my boys and her boys. Don't you love the age of digital? Whats a few more pictures? Anyway...she emailed them to me, so we can all enjoy them.

By the time we left, both boys were soaked. Even then I had to entice them to leave with promises of hot chocolate. But the temperature had dropped and I was turning into an icicle. We finished off our sledding excursion with nice, steaming cups of hot cocoa. That's what being a kid is all about.








Notice the beautiful eyelashes on both of my boys!!! (You might need to enlarge the photo.)

Tiercy Gets a Tree Too

Yahoo, I finally have a "Tiercy tree". I have wanted a tree with white lights ever since I was married. My time of waiting is now over. Dear husband brought home an artificial tree with the lights attached already. All I had to do was buy the decorations. I love it!! I decided to go with red, white and silver ornaments, a red ribbon, and a white/silver beaded garland. I think it is so beautiful.

The only thing is I haven't found the perfect tree skirt or tree topper. This just gives me a quest for next year. I've spent enough money already.

















Silly as this may sound, having my "tiercy tree" had made me appreciate our family tree all the more. I like to see them both and they both put smiles on my face.

This Confirms What I Always Knew...

Okay, on a morning where I am just feeling: overwhelmed by my daughter and her need for food at 4:23 in the morning, sorry for myself because I am so tired and this badge of motherhood is wearing thin, and frustrated by my husband's lack of need to be involved in the drama (not even enough to validate or empathize), (truth be told, I SHOULD NOT be feeling sorry for myself, my life is great), what do I do...check the blogs.

So here's what I found out. From a friend's blog, there was this link that caught my attention. Basically it tells you the level of education required to read my blog. So, if you can read and comprehend my blog, pat yourselves on the back. Here is what this site said about my blog:



Truth be told, even though my friend's blog was rated slightly lower at the juvenile Jr. High School, she is far smarter than I am.

Our Favorite Christmas Tradition

I just love Christmas traditions! Eating a picnic dinner by our Christmas tree the night after we put it up is one of our favorites. I read about this tradition in a magazine when Steve and I were engaged and loved it. We have done it every year since then. The children absolutely love it too! Our dinner isn't super fancy, in fact it has somehow evolved into a pizza picnic every year.

Trimming the Tree

Yes, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around our house! Steve and I decided to embrace our children's hyperness (because after all, there really is no stopping it) and put up our Christmas tree.