Coyote of the Month

Tanner received the Coyote of the Month (kind of like Student of the month) award @ school today! It is supposed to be a surprise to the students. The kids have caught onto the note sent home @ the end of the month addressed to their parents. When Tanner saw me @ school, I tried to play it off like I was there for the Friday sing. I told him I was there for the music :). I guess the surprise is to see which award they are getting. There are usually one to two students who get the award for the character trait & one who gets Coyote of the Month. This months character trait that they focused on was RESPECT. Mr. B. said "Tanner meets & exceeds all of the 3rd grade standards & that he is a student that comes to school every day with enthusiasm. He is happy to be here, happy to learn, & happy to do his best".

Tanner's best friend Jake received Coyote of the Month in his classroom this month too! Way to go boys!!!

Keep up the great work Tanner. Dad & I are so proud of you!

Warmth & Sunshine

This is why we live in California! We were able to enjoy a wonderful, warm afternoon with some friends @ the park. Hello!!!! it is the end of February & we enjoyed the warm sunshine. Have I mentioned how warm it was today-wink? Tanner will tell you it is HOT (because there is no rain or wind). The boys were in shorts & happy to be outside & running around. Brody enjoyed going down the slide for the first time with Tanner. Garrett was evil Kan-evil on his bike. This boy was popping wheelies on his two wheeler. Hello!!!! he is three. And Carter...this boy had about 5 girls from school chasing him around the park (picture is blurry but you get the idea). It was hilarious & I think he secretly loved it! I am so thankful for the warm weather & am SO GLAD I live in California :). I hope you all are enjoying the sunshine wherever you live!

P.S. Tanner's AND 1 basketball team won their semi final playoff game tonight by 4 points. It was awesome. We are going to the finals on Saturday! Tanner is so pumped. His positive thinking all the way to the game worked. He repeated to himself over & over again: "We are going to win". It wasn't in a cocky way, just self motivating! It was very cute & it worked. I am so proud of him.

For your Giggling Pleasure

Garrett can always get Brody to giggle! Thought we'd share this for your giggling pleasure! Don't forget to hit the pause button on the music. Enjoy!

exhausted

Enough said! For those of you who know our little Garrett very well, you know that this shirt had to have been made for him! He is the energizer bunny! So full of life & non-stop action. When I saw this shirt yesterday, I knew I had to buy it! We love that he is a happy, energetic, active little boy! And now I think I need a nap!

RANDOMNESS

First of all, thank you for all of the kind birthday wishes/posts for my Mom! She said she enjoyed reading them through out the day while she was @ work. THANK YOU!

I have been tagged by my friend Lisa! Here are 7 RaNdOm things about me:

1. I love to scrapbook (GASP, I bet you didn't see that coming) & shop for SB supplies.

2. I always read/look at my magazines from back to front.

3. I planted tulips back in the fall & they are beginning to sprout, I am so excited!

4. I am really into polka dots right now (headbands, shoes, tote bags, scrapbook paper).

5. I am enjoying Girl Scout cookies this week, maybe too much!

6. I am missing my family in the Bay Area more than normal this week.

7. I have never traveled outside of the United States.

8. **BONUS ** My current favorite song is SAY by John Mayer.

I am tagging everybody who reads this! Can't wait to read your answers!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday Mom! You are truly one in a million! We wish we could be there to today to help you celebrate your big day!

My Mom is the best! She is kind, happy, smart, creative, generous, so talented, true to her beliefs, gifted, & fun! I am so thankful to have her in my life. She has not only touched the lives of her family & friends but all those that she comes in contact with. She is always doing something kind for someone else. Whether is is delivering treats to neighbors, helping friends make baby quilts for their grandkids, or holding an accident victims head for the parmedics (because the paramedic in training isn't ready for such a sight), or taking dinner to a sick friend. She is amazing! She has worked for the YWCA in the Rape Crisis Center for more than 25 years. It takes somebody special to deal with those sorts of things day in & day out. She has a big heart that overflows with compassion! I want to be just like her when I grow up!

Today we CELEBRATE you & are thinking of you! We hope you take time to celebrate YOU today! We love you! Happy Birthday!
XOXO
Raimi, John, & boys

Please help me wish my Mom a special Happy Birthday! She is 50 something today & I think it would be cool if we could get close to that many birthday wishes/posts!

Tissue Anyone?

Mr. Brody emptied out the entire box of tissues while I was putting dinner into the Crock Pot this morning! The funny thing is, he is the one who needs it the most right now. We are going on two weeks now of having a sick baby. Fingers are crossed that this is it! Happy Tuesday!

Week in Review

No clever or cute title to this post. Just a week in review. My friend Stephanie brought Garrett home from his speech class this week and this is what greeted me @ the front door on Monday morning: You are My Sunshine! His teacher & the helper are so great!! Not only does he get help working on his speech & certain sounds weekly, but they do fun crafts & projects that ties the weekly theme in so well. He loves school!

Valentine's Day was fun! I know some people don't enjoy a holiday that tells them that they need to do something special for their loved ones but I REALLY do love Valentine's Day. John & I were able to enjoy lunch together & it was fun to see the boys enjoy all of the Valentine's & candy that they had received at school that day.

Friday was crazy hair day @ school. My boys love this day & the excuse it gives them to put crazy colors in their hair. We had blue & red spray & John helped put it in their hair.

On Friday morning, Garrett & I were able to attend a play with his preschool pals. It was the Three Little Pigs with a twist. It was very cute & kept the children entertained. It was a fun morning out with Garrett & our friends Stephanie & "T".

Tanner had a basketball game on Friday night. Those boys were the Come Back Kids. They played their hearts out & only lost by 2 points. They were down by 10 @ the start of the last period. It is amazing to see what a year in age does for the competiveness on the court. The boys on the other team were so aggresive & rough, kind of hard to watch. Our boys held their own.

Big news @ our house this weekend is that Carter's basketball team finally won their first game. It was a very competitive game. The score was very close during the entire game. Carter hit two clutch free throws & made a lay up with a minute left to go in the game, allowing his team to win by three points. He was one happy camper.

John & I spoke in Sacrament meeting today. I am glad our talks are done. One more thing to check off our list & to not worry about. John did an awesome job on his talk. He was asked to talk on Home Teaching. He used great examples & just really did a great job. Thank you for all of the feedback on the Small & Simple Things in your life on my blog post a few days ago. I used several of them today in my talk as examples, so thank you. All of your comments really made me realize that Small & Simple things/acts of kindness really do go long way & can really make a big differnce in ones attitude. So thank you so much for your help.

We have enjoyed a quiet day @ home. I am so grateful for Sundays & the chance it gives us to relax & regroup after a long week. We hope you are enjoying your day!

P.S. Tomorrow night is Make & Take Monday @ the scrapbook store. We will be making a one page layout with simple stamping techniques. I believe you can drop in anytime between 5-8 pm. I am not sure what the fee is but it shouldn't be very much!

Happy Valentine's Day

We want to wish each of you a Happy Valentine's day!

I love this holiday. I love the hearts, the love notes, & the colors that this day represents. Okay, lets be honest, I love the chocolate too!

Today is my Grandma Shore's birthday! We hope she had an amazing day! She is truly a blessing in our lives & we are so thankful for her. Happy Birthday Gram!

I woke up to a dozen long stemmed, red roses. They are beautiful & I will enjoy them all week long. Thanks John! The boys loved their parties @ school. I don't even want to know the amount of sweets that have been consumed today. Carter made a sweet Valentine card for us. Mrs. Stevens took pictures of all of them holding a Valentine. It is very sweet. And the note was even better.

We hope you all enjoyed a sweet day with those you love.

Happy Valentine's Day!

My Baby is...

9 months old today! I can't believe how old he is! We are just 3 months away from his 1st birthday, but who's counting! WOW!

At 9 months Brody:
- has his first tooth (bottom, front right one)

-had his 2nd tooth come in on the 24th of Feb..
- weighs 23 lbs. 2 oz.
- wears clothes that are size 18 mo..
- wears a size 3 or 4 diaper depending on the brand.
- can say Mama & Dada.
- knows how to clap.
- is starting to wave.
- enjoys a good game of chase with the brothers.
- loves Garrett, nobody can get him to giggle like Garrett can.
- is still drinking 8 oz. of formula @ each feeding.
- enjoys rice cereal. veggies & some fruits. Just had yogurt for the 1st time today & liked it.
- is starting to stand on his own for about 15 seconds @ a time.
- likes to pull up on everything & then pats around till he can reach something.
- clears the coffe table & printer cabinet off as soon as we put something on it.
- he was away from Mom for the first time over night while Mom went to Dillon Beach.
- takes two good naps a day (one in the morning & one in the afternoon.)
- has an ear infection.
- loves to sit on the trampoline with Dad & watch the older boys play.
- Does not enjoy his breathing treatments for Asthma that is induced by colds.
- loves to look @ board book
- he is a blankie boy. loves to snuggle his blankets.

- he is very hard to photograph. He is always on the move!

Brody is so much fun & is so full of life. He has had a scab on his nose for the last two weeks. This boy is always on the move & is always bumping into something. I am enjoying every second with this sweet baby. He is growing up way too fast & he moves even faster. We have added another nickname to the list. It is Bruiser. Baby bug & bruiser go hand in hand, don't cha think?

HELP & Valentine's Eve

I am asking for your help tonight! I am hoping you each will take a minute & respond. When you hear the words "Small & Simple Things" what is the first thing that comes to your mind? You can sum it up in one word or lay it out there for me (examples are great too)! I'll explain later. Thanks in advance for your help.

On to fun & exciting things! We have been getting ready for Valentine's Day. I baked sugar cookies by the dozen last night. We frosted those sugar cookies today. We have been busy addressing Valentines for classmates, & we have wrapped treats for our neighbors & the people we VT/HT. I found these cute little ceramic heart shaped dishes(in white, pink, & red) @ Michael's. I made sugar cookies that fit right into the heart shaped dish & made a tag to go with them. The boys will love delivering them tomorrow. Tanner & Carter are very excited for their class parties tomorrow. I am sure it will be one big sugar fest.

We hope you enjoy a day that is filled with those you love! Happy Valentine's Day!

Weekend get away!

I am home! I enjoyed a great weekend away. It was a fabulous weekend filled with lots of scrapbooking, girlfriend time, & lack of sleep :). There were 9 of us girls who went this year & we had a blast. We enjoyed music, movies, good food, sunshine, the 1000 piece puzzle, jokes, stories about our families, & staying up way too late. You would not believe the amount of scrapbook stuff that was toted up to the beach. We even had lap tops, printers, scanners & electronic die cut machines. We were high tech @ the beach. Eve & Debby did an amazing job planning all of the details, great & small. There was a scrapbook survival goodie bag @ each of our tables. It was loaded with candy, chapstick (homemade by Eve), band-aids, gum & a cute little quote on how you know you're a scrapbooker when... Then when we went to bed on the first night, there was a cute Valentine bag with a piece of choclate & Valentine candy on everyones night stand. Very sweet & very thoughtful. We had a little check list that was passed out. It had things to complete while scrapbooking. For each item completed (things like creating a page with hot pink on it, completing a Christmas page, scrapbook a page about you & your hubby, help someone learn to use a new tool, etc..) we received a raffle ticket. So through out the weekend, lots of prizes were given away. Denise & I ended up winning the grand prizes. They were cute scrapbooking totes/bags! I was able to complete 15 layouts this weekend. After my page a day in January & a weekend of scrapbooking, I have had my share of scrapbooking for a long while.

Some highlights & favorite memories/quotes for me during the weekend were:
-Having one of my best friends, Michelle drive up from the Bay Area (she is a wonderful friend & I miss her) it is was great to spend time with her.
- Eve sharing her story about her son & "Busting a Grumpy".
- Hearing about how Matt is related to our new propeht (2nd cousin 3 times removed or something along those lines)
-that Cornflakes can be used as a topping for all foods.
- Green jello with shredded cheese on a bed of lettuce(EEEEWWWWW)
- Denise needs to be a rep for Club Scrap, this girl loves their paper :).
-Homemade Tortillas
-My DJ bling from Eve & Debby. I was in charge of the music last year(keeping the music on & picking Cd's to play) & they brought my DJ bling from the dollar store this year-it was a crack up.
-Michelle was saying her prayers one night (@ about 2 am) & Denise comes in the room & says "what are you doing"? while giggling. Denise was wondering why Michelle was doing Yoga @ 2 am???
-Giggling @ 2 am(& not being able to stop) while listening to text messages that were sent as jokes- "what you doing"? "I'm calling you, ring ring". "I like ponies, do you like ponies"?

I know some of these are things you just had to be there for but I wanted to get them down so I would remember them.

It was an awesome weekend filled with fun, laughter & the things I love to do. I am looking forward to next year. John was amazing & took care of EVERYTHING while I was away. I know it was a crazy weekend for him but I am so grateful that he knows how important it is for me to get breaks from time to time. Thanks sweetie!

Thanks for the Memories girls, you are the best.

Heading Out

I am leaving tomorrow! A little mini vacation is just what I need right about now. I have been running around like a crazy lady trying to get ready for my weekend get away. I taught the VIP 10 Things I Love mini album class @ the scrapbook store tonight. It was a class of 24. One more thing to check off my list.
I am looking forward to getting away & catching up with friends. I will miss my cute little family while I am gone. I am thankful for John. He is amazing. It is nice to know that I can sneak away & all will be well. The boys are looking forward to having him home for the next couple of days. I am sure they will fill his days from sun up to sun down. Have a great weekend!
P.S. The LO is one more that I completed in January for my LOAD challenge.

Weekend Update

Another busy weekend. The big news at our house this weekend is that Carter lost another tooth. He is missing his two front teeth & it looks so cute. This boy let his loose tooth just dangle there for about two days. It drives me bananas. I always offer to pull them. He never takes me up on my offer. We are happy it is out! Now if that forgetful Tooth Fairy will remember to come tonight. She probably forgot because she was just @ our house-eeeekkkkkk!

Tanner & Carter had basketball games this weekend. Both games were rough for both teams. They lost. It was Tanner's teams first loss of the season. The other team we played was very physical & it left the boys on our team frustrated & defeated.

Garrett was playing out in the back on Friday. Tanner & Carter came running in the house saying "Garrett just fell in the mud". He was crying but as soon as he saw my camera he started smiling & giggling. Had to get a picture for the blog - wink! Life with boys!

And Brody....well he is just so fun & cute. He fell asleep during Carter's basketball game. He normally loves to watch the game. His head will move from left to right the entire game. I guess he just wasn't into this game. He loves to play chase with John & the boys. They will get down on all fours & chase him. He giggles the whole time.

John & I attempted to go see a movie for our date night last night. John stood in line to buy tickets. I ran inside to get drinks & popcorn. My line was moving faster. I had paid for everything when John came to find me to tell me that the movie was sold out. We tried to buy tickets to another movie & it was sold out too. We were able to get our money back & leave our treats behind. . We went to Chili's for dessert & then did our grocery shopping. Not quite the date night we had envisioned but it was nice to get out without the kids. So far, we have kept our New Years resolution for our monthly date night.

The countdown is on. 4 days till I leave for the beach. I am so looking forward to my scrapbook weekend. Lots of scrapbooking, good friends, good food, fun music, & lots of chatting. I CAN'T WAIT.

We hope you had a great weekend.

Pinewood Derby

Happy February! I hope it is off to a great start.

We attended the annual Pinewood Derby last night for our Pack. My boys had a great time. Tanner did not win the over all race but he sure did have a great time running his car down the track. As we walked into the house last night, Tanner commented on how much fun he had & that it was okay that he didn't win. That one comment did this Mama's heart proud to know that he knew it was all about having fun & not all about winning. This years theme was Car Show. He drew a pencil sketch of what he wanted. John created the actaul shape for him using the power tools & then Tanner sanded, painted & even put the graphite on the wheels. He was proud of his car & I am proud that he worked on it himself with some guidance from Dad. He received the CLASSIEST CAR AWARD.

There was even a siblings race that Carter participated in. Carter used a car that my Grandpa (his Great Grandpa who passed away before he was even born) had designed for one of my brothers. The car had never been used. It was shaped but that was about it. Carter painted it red(his favorite color). Carter & Daddy added some weights to it. Carter took first place in all of the sibling heats except one. I am so glad they let the siblings participate, it gets them excited about the Scouting program. He was having such a great time. He can't wait to be a Scout next year. Our goal next year is to be working on the cars way before the actual race, right John (WINK- WINK)?