Senior Day

It was senior day for all of the girls on varsity soccer team. We had lunch at Yves Bistro and the seniors were all recognized. Each one of them received a Tiffany Necklace and a blanket with some pictures of them on the field playing. It was really nice and sad to know they'll all be going in different directions soon.

Spoiled Rotten Dog

I've had my Dog Desi for almost 10 years. He is a good lil' dog but he has MAJOR attitude at times, snores like a very loud human, licks the air for hours at a time, and now ... he picks and chooses what he will and won't eat. He's been on Iams Dog food since day one. Now, Iams is a bit costly compared to the other brands out there, and hey ... times are hard so we're ALL gonna cut corners is my motto. I've tried to change his dog food in the past and he's gone on strike not eating for up to 3 days. I gave in (what parent wouldn't) ?

Yesterday while I was at Target I saw that the Kibbles N Bits bag was not only cheaper by about $6.00 ($8.49 vs. $13.99) but it was also on clearance. I thought I'd grab the bag in addition to the usual Iams bag since it was only $4.24 and I'd mix the 2 bags to get him adapted. Twice as much dog food and a whole TWO months to get him on the new brand. My darn dog picked thru the pieces he wanted to eat and made a mess around the dog bowls with the pieces he refuses to eat.

Same size bag ... both look pretty ... this could be a GREAT mix 

 The cheaper brand even comes with FOUR different flavors and 100% COMPLETE 

THE RESULT :  

 

Can you see the floor scattered with dog food ... My dog has got to get with the program. 

"Change is good Desi,  I promise ... " .

a weekend in Vegas with family

We went to Vegas last weekend with Matthew, Corey's mom, brother Michael, his wife Stephanie and lil' girl Abby. We stayed at Circus Circus so there would be entertainment for Michael the kids. It was my first time staying there and quite different then the Vegas trips I've taken in the past BUT the "change" was good and it was all about getting together and spending some time away. 

 We walked the strip and came across some characters. 

When Matthew saw this guy we knew we needed to take a picture with him. 

We had walked to Aria  to check out the new casino/hotel. It was soooo neat and believe it or not it smelled sooooo good. Hard to believe, but it did! Mom put $1.00 in the penny slot and within 2 minutes she turned it in to over $30.00 bucks !!!! Who says slots aren't worth getting your fingers dirty ? 

Outside of Aria there's a really pretty waterfall sculpture wall. I took a few pictures in front of it with Matthew. 

They never get a family pic because Michael hates to take pictures ...

I was happy to get this one below.

What ???? Where are the pics of Beckham, Corey, and myself  ???? Ummmmm yeah, those pics just didn't happen. Sooooo this one's for you Babe. It's my favorite picture of Corey and I from November 2009 at the M on one of our weekend Vegas trips.

First EASY change

For me, change is VERY difficult, so I thought I'd begin with a few easy ones. I decided to "change" my blog page with the holidays / seasons. This could be fun, right? Change can be good, right?

LOL ... I know I know I have a few other "changes" on my list but I just can't get around to "changing" them yet. I am working on them tho' and I am looking forward to it. I think the word change is soooo much easier then New Years Resolution. Case in point, here's just a few :

1. fast on fast Sundays. (OK in my defense I hadn't thought of my new word for 2011 yet by the 1st Sunday in January)

2. stop drinking so much soda. change it up a bit with water and juice. ( I actually am doing a lil' better with this one. I can't say I'm willing to give up soda all together, but I am willing to change the bad habit a bit)

3. don't be in such a rush (since having Beckham this one has actually been really easy for me. I'm not in a hurry to go go go like I once was. I take time to enjoy the small things and spend more time with my family. I've tried to pause a bit more and remember this moment in time goes sooooo fast and I'll never get it back.)

4. asking for help / admitting my weakness ( I have always been so independent that this has been a very hard one. I have a wonderful husband who supports me and wants to help any way I need. I tend to control a situation or just do things myself to get them done, or assure myself they get done the way I want them done. So sad when I re-read that last sentence. This is a BIG if not the BIGGEST change I am working on.

I'm a work in progress ... line upon line ...

I read this quote today on a blog and it was really inspiring so I wanted to share

"A house is a place where people live in peace and happiness. A house can be a cave, a cottage, a tent, a palace, a cabin, or a hogan. The size or beauty of a building does not make it a home; happy people make a home. Each of us should create a feeling in our home that will inspire our family."

Another photo shoot by sister

Lindsay loves photography. She's always loved taking and editing pictures.

Now, Beckham never minds getting his picture taken, but when Lindsay does it, it's usually poses,  wardrobe changes, and props, etc. etc. 

He didn't last to long today but she did manage to get a few that I really liked.

Happy Birthday to me

Last night the girls and I went out to dinner at BJ's because I knew I wanted to have a bazookie for my bday. After dinner we went to see the movie Country Strong. 

It was a fun night out with the girls.

Lindsay had stayed home with Beckham so that I could go. When I got home they were both still awake and gave me such a great gift. I know Lindsay worked hard on this and it meant the world to me. I absolutely love it and am so happy when I read it and I love it hanging on the wall.

" I just KNOW I can fit those hands in my mouth "

"And I'll karate chop anyone 

who doubts me"

A gift for both of us :)

Today my friend Gaylynn brought over a toy for Beckham. Even tho' it's my Birthday I've had soooo much fun watching him play in it today. So, getting to see my lil' guy smile and laugh has been the best gift ever!

Now, if you can see in the picture above it has a piano keyboard under his feet. He's already figured out how to make it play music by stepping (well, in his case kicking) on the keys.

MY WORD for the year

Each year I try to have a word that I either use / live by / or try to focus on. Last year my word was FAMILY and boy oh boy did that one ever pay off. I got married to the most wonderful guy and we added a new lil' guy to our FAMILY. I am so blessed.
I've thought a lot these past few days about what my word for this year would be. I came up with it finally today,

My word for this year is CHANGE. 

There are lots of changes in store this year and I want to have an open heart and an open mind through them all.  I have to admit the recent changes in my life have made me such a better and happier person. I am looking forward to this year and all the changes it has in store for me and my family. 

* Ice Skating * an adventure for Matthew

We decided to take the kids ice skating. Matthew was all for it, until we got there and he got his skates on. He was a lil scared on the ice. By the time he'd had a chance to use the "helper" he was happy to be out there and really getting the hang of it. Lindsay and Cody were great to help him.

Corey and I even got to do a little "couples skating"  

College OH College * Where OH Where will it be ?

While we were in Utah one of the things Lindsay wanted to do was tour some of the colleges. We saw her top 2 choices which are the U of U and Utah State. She's REALLY hoping to get in at the U. If she gets in at the U then she'll be staying at our house in the basement which has been turned in to a lil' studio.

our trip to Utah = FUN SNOW and FAMILY

So ... We ended up spending a week in Utah and the kids had sooo much fun. The trip was originally planned for a New Years Trip and I asked Lindsay to join Beckham and I (really not thinking she'd say yes, but was so happy when she did). I figured she'd make her own plans for New Years and not want to spend it with me (let alone in Utah, away from friends) ... But at Christmas we had invited Cody to come and when he said yes, I knew that her trip would be that much better. Linds and Cody are close cousins and I am thankful and happy he joined us.

I was happy to get a picture of our three kids. It's THE VERY FIRST picture they've all taken together. It turned out pretty good and I'm happy to see a winter picture with real snow in it. 

LINDSAY (17 yrs)  *  BECKHAM (3 mo)  *  MATTHEW  (8yrs)

Lindsay and Matthew got along great (or maybe Lindsay exercised some patience getting used to an 8 year old lil' brother). Wait let me change that (or maybe Matthew exercised some tolerance getting used to a 17 year old big sister) ... What ever the case may be they both had fun and it was so nice to have our whole family together UNDER THE SAME ROOF IN THE SAME STATE !!!