Youth Sports Saturday

After watching the 49ers fall apart in the second half of the NFC Championship and BYU's Men's Basketball team crumble in triple overtime, I would not have expected this to turn into such a great week for sports.   It started Saturday morning with Brody's Junior Jazz game.  It was only his third game, but it has been fun to watch him grow so quickly.  The first week he played great defense but didn't have any chances on the offensive end.  Last week there was some definite improvement.  But this week was just a joy to watch. He was clearly one of the two best players on the floor.  He snagged several rebounds, dribbled the length of the court, made some great stops and some great passes, too, but the most memorable thing was his first basket.  Sure he shot about 20% for the game, but all I will remember was the look on his face as he ran back on defense.

McKinley's first scrimmage for the indoor soccer season was later in the afternoon and she put on a  showcase.  She handled her nerves better than I have ever seen. Usually it's the third game before she starts to relax and play with confidence, but today she was so composed.  It helped that she started as the center fullback, which is her favorite position.  Nothing was getting by her; she helped to keep the other team scoreless.   But her best play came on offense.  Her coach talked to her during the game about moving forward when the ball was at the other end. Late in the second half, she advanced as a ball was played into the midfield about 40 feet from the goal.  I watched with pride as she accelerated and struck the ball on the move.  It was a perfect strike, flying above the heads of the other players and into the back of the net.  It was the best play that I have ever seen her make.

All of which goes to show that the failures of my favorite sports teams mean nothing in comparison to the accomplishments of my children.  Only one thing makes me feel greater happiness than to see my children reach a milestone, accomplish a goal, or fulfill a dream.   That one thing is knowing that their accomplishments are molding them into happy, confident people with a sense of purpose and knowledge that they can do anything they put their mind to.  I am one proud father!

Moving

  In January I had this overwhelming feeling that we NEEDED to move.  I laughed it off, and thought there is no way I will ever be able to get Michael to agree to that, and we could never afford to move either.  A few more weeks went by and a neighbor of ours put their house on the market.  Michael and I started talking more and more about moving before interest rates went back up.

In the meantime I really have been working on cleaning out and de-junking our house.  Mostly for myself to feel like I enjoy my surroundings.  In mid February we got hooked up with a realtor and he told us what he thought he could get for our house.(keep in mind I spent the 4 days before he came cleaning and staging our house.  I even hired someone for an afternoon to clean for me.)  The market in our area was kind of in a funny place where new jobs were coming and there really wasn't a lot on the market for under $200,000.  We COULD do it!!!  We could sell our house for enough to pay a realtor and have a 10% down payment on our next home.  We had a photographer come on a Saturday afternoon, Monday evening our house was officially on the market and by Wednesday afternoon our house was under contract for only $3000 less than what we were asking.  It happened so fast.

At the same time we were looking for a house in the Lehi area.  We looked at everything available and couldn't find anything we were interested in living in.  Michael had been pushing for us to move to Daybreak and I was very hesitant because of losing my babysitting, and moving from where we were familiar.  I really like Lehi, but Daybreak is a lot closer to Michael's work.  I agreed to go and look in the area.  That night we also went to houses on the Herriman area.  We looked at quite a few but, nothing is what we felt good about.  Our final house we went to see was on a 3 acre park in Daybreak. It was such a cute house, and if I wasn't going to have much of a yard......a park could totally make up for that.  I remember standing on the front porch and getting this warm feeling.  I knew before we walked in that this was OUR house.  I wasn't going to say anything to Michael because he thinks I get too excited to quick.  He looked at me though, and I knew he felt the same way as I did.

We made an offer that night, the next morning as we waited to hear back, we went to an open house close to the house we made an offer on.  We like the open house house but, it didn't have everything our house had.  At 2pm we heard back and the house was ours IF we could rent it back to the current owners until June....late June.

We said yes, without really thinking about how long the end of March to the end of June was.  Luckily I have to coolest parents in the world, who agreed to let us live with them for almost 3 1/2 months.

March went by quick, we had home inspections, appraisals that went bad and good.  Getting a storage unit, helping move my parents house around so there was room for us to live.  We moved into my parents house, closed on our Lehi house all before the end of March.  I was so relieved when everything was finalized on our townhouse.  I was so nervous the whole time we lived in that house that we were going to be there forever, because of how bad the market had gotten.

The first week of April we closed on our new house. We own it, but are renting it.  Hanging out in Alpine has been a lot of fun.  My parents really like having the kids around and I really like having my parents around.  It is a nice change of pace.  I am currently driving a lot to get kiddos to and from school, but it isn't too bad.  I am glad we didn't have to change things too much for them.

I would like to say that this whole moving experience has been a real eye opener for me.  I truly believe in being guided to what where you are supposed to be in life.  I am not the most spiritual person and will never proclaim to be, but I do believe if our hearts are good and we have genuine intentions we will be guided to where we are supposed to be.  My Heavenly Father knows me, and how I genuinely believe in my family and what I want for it.  I am grateful that he knows me and I know him.  Not in the way that everyone around feels that I should be, but in the way I am comfortable with and in a way I understand and learn.

Stay tuned for our "Moving In" adventures.

Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and more...

I am behind keeping track if our happenings.  Here are a few of the things we have been up to the last few months.

New Years!!!

I am relieved that 2012 is over.  It was a hard year for me and it is nice to think that we get to have a new start.  Michael and the kids have been home from school for almost 2 weeks and we have a done house projects and PLAYED!!!  This has been a really long vacation for Michael and it has been so nice to have him home.  The kids have loved it, and I have really loved  it.

Here is a funny thing he did yesterday:

In his stocking for Christmas he received a $15 itunes gift card.  He realized that he didn't know where it had gone after Christmas and started scouring the house for it.  It was no where to be found.  He decided that he must have thrown it away and started digging through the trash.  It has Christmas garbage, tile floor garbage and I am sure much more.  HE FOUND IT!!!  He threw it away on accident and was so relieved when he found that $15 gift card.

Kim and Billy watched the kids for us over night so we could go on a date.  I received a gift card to Ruth's Chris for Christmas and Michael got Movie tickets in his stocking so it was going to be an awesome night out.  It was the most delicious meal...totally worth the cost.  Skyfall was a great movie. The kids had fun with their Aunt and Uncle.  They had a treasure hunt, decorated cookies, played hide and seek and much more.  They had so much fun.  We really appreciate Kim and Billy for watching them for us.

TILE
We started tiling our kitchen right before Christmas.  It was a pretty easy project and we felt like we had done a pretty good job considering what was there before.  I am going to do a whole post on the house changes we have made in the last eight weeks.  We are tired of projects and will be taking a break for a little while.

Christmas
I am really learning how to do this Christmas thing with kids.  I like to keep it relaxing and easy.  It was a little busy this year, but worth it.  We were able to spend a few days with the Clutter's which was really great.  The kids really enjoyed those times and can't wait to see them again.  We spent the few days after Christmas as a family enjoying time together.  I know these years where the kids enjoy the "Magic" of Christmas won't last long and I hope that I can make them very memorable years for them.

Mr. Peaker
We started a new tradition this year  "Elf on the Shelf".  Ours name is Mr. Peaker and will look forward to many years of him coming to visit us. The kids really fell in love with him and his crazy ideas.



Brody and Michael's Birthday
We kept Birthday's simple this year.  Went to dinner with Nana and Papa for Dad's birthday and Brody had a small birthday party and after that has a small dinner with family that lives close.   We have fun on Birthdays and are always so excited for this time of year when we get to celebrate together.


Thanksgiving
Elizabeth was so wonderful to host Thanksgiving this year.  We had the most amazing time with everyone.  I am so glad we were able to spend so much time with cousins and siblings.  Thanks! Ben for all of the fun food.

Brody Says: 5th Edition

Brody Says: 5th Edition

Different Shoes

We were excited to get out of the house and go to the new outlets by our house a few weekends ago.  Brody and Michael were in the Nike Outlet when Brody saw the Mannequins with  2 different shoes on.  He hurried over to grab me and show me this mannequin.  He was so excited about these different shoes.  He LOVES Nikes and thinks they are the worlds greatest shoes.  He was getting a new pair for his Birthday a few days later.  He wore his new Mikes for a few days and now has decided that he is going to be like the guys in the store and wear 2 different shoes.  He went to school today and was so excited to show all of his friends his shoes.  What a trend setter!!!

"B" wall

I spent Monday and Tuesday painting my kitchen that REALLY needed to be painted.  I also took off all the baseboards in the kitchen in preparation for tile in the next few weeks.  It was so refreshing to have clean walls that were a little different in color.

"B" wall

I have wanted to do a "B" wall for 3 years now.  I love monograms.  It symbolizes something you are proud of.  So what better way to be proud of your family than an initial wall.  I have been collecting b's here and there for a while now.  I told Michael that I was going to make a "B" wall and he thought I was insane.  Over Thanksgiving weekend my sister in laws thought the idea was a little crazy also.  I started out slowly. It took an entire day (I was also babysitting) to figure out how I wanted it to work.  Here are the results.  I think it is so nice looking I even had my photographer friend take a photo of it so you really get the best picture of it.

Thanks for looking!

Brody Says

Michael and Brody at the BYU basketball game.  

Their seats were the second to last row of seats.

"Brody isn't it cool that we get to sit so high up?"

"Yeah, Dad!  It would be better if we could sit one more row up."

Table and Chairs

I worked on two projects this week.  I had an old oak sofa table that my in laws weren't using anymore and 2 oak chairs that My Grandpa Pyrah had brought from Montana to refinish and never got around to before he passed away.  My Grandma passed away early on in the week and I needed some serious distraction.  If I slowed down at all I would get really sad so it was easier to work on these projects that I have been putting off for awhile.

Here are the before photos

 The picture above is the only one that I have.  

I need to be better about taking a before picture.

I have two of these chairs, I am only going to show you the first one I got finished and when I finish my front room changes I will show it to you all put together.  

Here are the afters!!!

 The table is too small for my large wall so it is going to have to find another spot, and I will need to find something else for that spot. It turned out really great looking though.


The chairs are so cute, the first picture makes it look more cherry red
than it really is.  The second one gives you a better idea of what it really looks like.  My plan is some Chevron pillows to go in my red chairs.  We will see how my vision comes out.

These two projects were my favorite ever that I have done.  I think it was because of the circumstances of the week, I put a lot of heart and soul into them.  I know those chairs will be cherished in my home for years to come.  I really enjoy thinking that I was able to do something with them where Grandpa couldn't.  

Thanks for reading!

Hard Labor

Thursday rolled around and I was slowly working on organizing the house, but not feeling like I was getting very far.  I told the kids no friends after school and we are going to earn a lot of tickets.  They were not very happy about this in the beginning.  They helped me get a lot of chores done really fast and we had a blast together.  My patients gets tried because it would be a lot faster just to do it myself, but they need to learn how to clean things.  Here is a fun picture of them working hard cleaning Mom and Dad's bathroom.  

I think I am going to institute a cleaning afternoon every week.

Caterpillar

A few weeks ago I found this caterpillar on the floor in my kitchen.  Brody was really excited about this little creature so we put him in a jar to watch for a few days.  I thought he would probably die or I would let him out once the interest died down.  The kids loved watching the caterpillar.  After about a week I was cleaning the kitchen and I looked in the jar and this little guy was making a caccoon.  I watched him for a day or two to make sure he wasn't actually just dead.  I decided to be patient and just wait to see what happened.  The kids and I watched closely everyday to see if there were any changes. After about three weeks this is what we saw in the jar.

I know it is just a moth, but it was a really fun thing for the kids to see and watch happen!  We let our little friend free in the freezing weather.  I felt really bad about that.  I wasn't really sure what else to do.

Goodbye sweet caterpillar!!!

Armoire turned Pantry

My friend was trying to sell this armoire a few weeks ago and I really wanted to buy it and turn it into a pantry.  My kitchen doesn't have a pantry.  I have gone through a couple different options for storage in my kitchen and haven't found something that I like.  That being said, I didn't have the money so I just decided that I would wait for something else to come around.   Fast forward a few weeks and no one had bought it, and they just wanted it gone.  So cheapskate me took my hubby over and picked it up for FREE!!!

This is the mess that I wake up to everyday.  I try really hard to keep it under control. I ALWAYS loose!  The kids get crayons out, their million papers, dog stuff, reciepts, ect. ect. it goes on and on.  I try to not let it bother me, but it would be so much better not to see this mess everyday.

I only had the garage space for a day, so I had to get crackin.  I was debating to do it all black or a mixture of the wood and black.  I have a wood table and cupboards, but black appliances.  If I am not careful my plans for my kitchen will get too dark.  I decided to go with a mix of wood and black.  It was easier this way too.  I started off by taping and lightly sanding the areas I was going to paint black.  This is a really nice piece of furniture, so for the wood areas I just used some polish and called it good.  I painted the areas that I picked for the black paint and went to the store for some new knobs.  I really liked the color that was on there just not the style.  I found some new hardware that I really liked.  I also found some chevron fabric to give it a little pop of color when you open the doors.  Here is the final product.

 I am really excited about it!  It is bulkier than I wanted, but I am removing everything from my dining area except for this and the table.  Once I get it all loaded up and decorate a little I will add a few more pictures.  In the next few weeks we are painting and tiling the floor.  My kitchen is getting closer to how I would picture it.  My next house will probably have a lighter look when it comes to cabinets (I love white cabinets). You make it work with what you have!

Thanks for reading!

I love these knobs!

 

Sunday Breakfast

Daylight Savings time ended last night.  It was lighter outside earlier, so the kiddos were up earlier.  Lately, we have been letting them turn on the T.V. and watch cartoons while we sleep in a little.  After about 30 minutes of the kids being awake they started trying to get us out of bed.  I wasn't feeling great, so Michael got up to see what they wanted.  They had worked together to make us a "Family Breakfast."  They had set the table together, filled the glasses with ice water, made toast and carrots for everyone.  This is one of my favorite moments ever!  I am one lucky Mom! 

BEST SUNDAY BREAKFAST!!

  

CHORE CHART

We had a great chore system during the Summer and since school had started we haven't really had a system, so I end up doing most of the work, and the kids have no incentive to help out around the house.

Our new system is a "Ticket" system.  I have written down chores they can choose to do.  The first 3 chores they accomplish they get 1 ticket and for each additional chore they get another ticket.  When they hit 25 tickets they get $5 in credit from Mom and Dad.  They can choose to spend it or save it for something bigger.

 I also made baskets for the kids "stuff".  I hate having to go up the stairs just trying to pick up socks, toys, hair things, ect.  This way they can be responsible for their own stuff.  They can empty their basket to work towards tickets also.



"Toy Jail" has also been instituted.  If I ask for something to be picked up more than once it goes to "Toy Jail".  They can give me a ticket for their toy, do a ticket chore, or if it is there longer than a week it gets thrown away or donated.  Three days in we haven't had any toy go to jail.  I am sure the excitement will wear off and lots of toys will have to spend some time in the slammer.  

 So far this system has worked wonderfully. The kids are very excited to help everyday and they are also learning how to do new chores that really help mom out.

Brody (aka: Batman) vacuuming under the couch cushions.  He LOVED doing this chore.

I am sure in a few months I will have to change the system up again.  For now this is really working for us, and it is always nice to have a little help around the house.

Thanks for reading!

Brody Says: 3rd Edition

B:"Mom, I want to look my very best when I go to church."

Mom:"That's great Brody.  Did you learn that in primary."

B:"No Mom, I came up with that myself."

This is really funny because Brody will not wear anything but a character t-shirt and basketball pants\ shorts.  On Sunday it is a different story, he loves to dress up and look nice.  It doesn't alway match, but Boy! does that boy try.  His BYU tie is now his favorite thing to wear.

NATALIE SAYS:

"Mom, just don't worry about it."

Owl Wreath

I was in need of a wreath for the time between Halloween and December.  I like leaves, but I was just not into the idea of your "traditional" fall wreath.  I went to Hobby Lobby to get the items needed for my Thankful Tree and decided to see what I could find.  

This is what I came up with and it also has some meaning to it also.

This is my Great Grandma and Grandpa Huntsman.  They both have passed away.  Owls are really popular right now.  Every store I go into I see an owl for decoration.  I love them!  They remind me of my Great Grandma.  In her yard growing up she had so many yard decorations.  We would love to go to her house and look at all of them.  She was an amazing women with lots of love.  When she passed away My Mom gave me an owl that was hers.  When we moved back from California 5 years ago my owl got a little chipped.  I have put my owl away for now, having kids and breakables doesn't work for me.  I don't want to have to worry about "my stuff" and always getting after my kids about not touching things.  For now in life I just put that stuff away.  When I see owls it reminds me of my sweet Grandma Huntsman.  I am really excited this turned out so cute.  I can use it for years to come.

 This wreath cost about $11.00 to make.  Here is the breakdown in cost. I try and always take a Hobby Lobby coupon with me it helps a lot with cost.  They will also let you do a separate transaction for each person you have with you. I am always glad I have Natalie with me.  It always saves me a few extra dollars.

Wreath- $2.98

Letter "B"- $1.99

Owl- $4.99

Owl Paper- $.30

I had the burlap, It doesn't cost very much and a little goes a long way.  Modge podge and hot glue were also used.  I always have those.

This was also a really quick and easy project, it only took about an hour to make(with lots of interruptions from kids) and have on the door.

House Of Order Day 1

I had done a little work before today.  I went around my house and made a few lists.  Read a few blogs about organizing and setting up chore charts for kids.

These are the lists that I made.  I also made a binder with my list along with notebooks.  I love making list, so having a notebook devoted to whatever thing I am trying to accomplish is very helpful.

Household cleaning Schedule
(I always try and do a general pick-up in the morning and in the evening before Michael come home.  Just so overall things are picked up and put away.  This usually only takes a few minutes if I am on top of things.)

• Weekly cleaning- I am planning on spending an hour a day on this item.  Each day of the week is a different area of the house.
• Bi-Weekly cleaning- Something I concentrate on during the week as I do my daily cleaning. Week 1 is closets and Cupboards & Week 2 Storage, Van, Garage
• Monthly Cleaning- Bigger items such as windows, baseboards, touching up paint.

I am hoping the more I get on top of things around the house I can pay more attention to DEEP CLEANING these items.  I feel like my house is picked up, but not really CLEAN!

Household Maintenance List- Things that need to be checked by a professional periodically.  I figure if I try and do one of them every 2 months, I can afford it and I will know things in my house are working well.

Organize- Things that I need to work out a system of organization.

House for Sale List-  This is a long & expensive list.  These are things that would have to be done to Sell my house.  I am hoping to do some of these things slowly to enjoy where I live more.

Kids Chore Chart- I worked out a system that works for our family.  I think it is different for every family and what works for you.  My kids are just starting to realize that they can actually do chores.  I am not a huge supporter of allowance so this is a way for my kids to earn money on my terms.  I will do another post explaining our new system another day, and link it to here.  I also think you sometimes have to change your system up.  Kids get board, a simple change can make all the difference when it comes to helping out and doing their part.

Thankful Tree

 The last few years I have really wanted to do a Thankful Tree.  

This is what I came up with. 

 The kids loved deciding at dinner time what they were thankful for. 

I used chalkboard card stock for the paper.  McKinley loved being able to write it on her own. 

I was able to get the branches from Hobby Lobby.  They look real, unless you touch them.  They are pliable, so you can make it look the way you want it too.  I am glad they are fake because I am glad that I can use them again next year.  This project cost me a little less than $15.  Here is what I bought:

2 Branches- $7.99 

Chalkboard Card Stock- $1.99

Leaf Stickers- $1.99

Chalk- $1.27

Ribbon- $1.00

My friend Cathy thought the branches would look cute with Ornaments on them.  Maybe I could use them for Christmas too. 

HALLOWEEN FUN!!!

HALLOWEEN

I am sitting here relishing in the fact that we went all the way around the Alpine neighborhood without a stroller of any kind.   GREAT BIG SMILE ON MY FACE

This morning started out really great!  The kids slept horribly so Momma was tired, but the kids were so excited to start the day with their Halloween Muffin Breakfast.  

 The magic that kids see in a fun breakfast on a Holiday is priceless.  It is silly and only took a few minutes to put together, but to McKinley it means the world.  I was still in bed when she came upstairs to Thank me for her breakfast and she is such a sweetheart she started to cry.  I love being her Mom!

Then it was time for school, here is the photo of them with their friends we take to school in the morning.  They get so excited to see one another and talk about their costumes.

McKinley was a Princess, we used her flower girl dress from Kim's wedding and added a few accessories

Batman, Robin, & the 2 Princesses

Brody loves comic book heroes.  His bedroom is decorated with them and he has several costumes that he wears around the house like I wear jeans and a T-shirt.  This Halloween he wanted to be Ironman, Hulk, and Captain America before he settled on Batman.  I looked up costumes online because he wanted to look like the the classic Batman as opposed to the Dark Night.  I must have been in a strange mood because I told Jennifer maybe I could be a caped crusader too.  Before I could change my mind Jennifer had completed the order.  I have to admit I was embarrassed to dress up as Boy Wonder, but it was so much fun to be part of the Dynamic Duo.  Brody is the most confident kid I have ever seen, but he is usually content to just stroll along.  Tonight was different.  He walked down the sidewalk like he might leap into the air and fly away, and he had this serious look on his face like he was protecting all of us.  It was a fun night, and I'm sure we will relive it on a regular basis when he pulls out his costume and becomes the hero of Gotham.

-Michael

Natalie was really shy at first, once she figured it out she was a goer.  She kept up with us all night.  McKinley is an old pro at Trick-or-Treating.
This was an awesome night as a family and I am so grateful for Batman, Robin, and my princesses.
Thanks!  Nana for the dinner and BIG candy bars.
The weather was amazing!!!

Brody Says: 2nd Edition

Brody Says:
While watching football together...
B: "Dad who's playing?
M: "The Denver Broncos and the New Orleans Saints."
B: "Hmmmm? Kinda like Latter Day Saints."

I couldn't wait to get this one written down.

Lehi City Halloween Extravaganza

Lehi City Halloween Extravaganza

  Last year we went to the City Halloween Party and had a blast, so we decided for the next few years while it is still fun for the kids we will go every Halloween.  They have trick or treating, games, mascots and cheerleaders from the sports teams around the state.  The kids really have a good time walking the track for the trick or treating, and playing all of the carnival games.  

Brody's has two Halloween costumes this year.  Mom and Dad bought him a classic Batman costume and last week Kim and Billy brought him an early birthday present they found at Scheels.  It is a BYU football player costume.  He LOVES it!  For the city party he decided to be a BYU player. Which I think was a great idea considering the new friends he found while we were trick or treating.  The actual BYU cheerleaders were there and they LOVED Brody.  In the picture he was flexing his muscle's because they asked him too.  It was a really fun moment.  The lighting was bad, but you get the idea.

Here are a few other photos from last night.  It is fun doing these things with the kids. They remember everything!  Sometimes as "Mom" it is exhausting planning and putting things together, but when I realize the great memories they are making it is totally worth it.  

Brody Says:

Brody Says:

These are just a few of his one liners from this past week.

Brody:"Mom, I almost cried a little at Kim's wedding."
Me:"You did, why?"
Brody: "I don't know, I just did!"


Brody: "Dad, I can count to 127.  No, I can even count to one million and twenty-seven."

Brody: "I used the force today and it really worked."


Michael:  "Billy is now your real Uncle.  You can call him Uncle Billy now."
Brody: "No, I will just call him Billy still."