Pictures of the kiddos...finally :)

Lexi after playing in the dirt outside...see the tear...awww...her face was so dirty that the tears were cleaning it...

Playing outside...they love to play in the dirt! This picture is from December...look at the SUN! awww. Arizona weather.

Lexi is sitting on Jacob's toy car thing...using the steering wheel as her table for her mac and cheese. haha.

sunday

the sun is out :) loving the weather.

went to sunday school and relief society for the first time in a long time ... released from primary counselor over cub scouts ... but my last few duties as cub scout leader end a week from tuesday. I'm heading up the Blue & Gold Dinner and I'm so super excited!!! The preparations this next week will be stressful...but I'm LOVING getting ready for this. I love to do pack meetings and stuff for the boys cause its so much fun during the hour that the boys get to have their recognition...it makes the many hours of preparation so worth it. I'm going to miss my calling. sad face. pack meeting is like planning a party every month...i've LOVED it. i think my favorite was the jungle safari...but i really liked the cub scout heros cause i got to incorporate americana theme...my favorite! haha. i guess i'll have to throw real parties with fun themes to make up for not planning pack meetings anymore...um...ya...that would be crazy. lol. or...i could go to church the first sunday in Colorado in my scout shirt...HI! I'm Julie Avery...call me as a scout leader please. haha...who asks for that? ! crazy.

packed part of my master closet last night. i had 2 trash boxes, 2 garage sale/goodwill boxes, and the rest won't be boxed yet (not til week 6:)...it feels so much better. why don't i do this more often?! i'm thinking that in a year work will make us move AGAIN (STORY OF MY LIFE) and i'll get this amazing opportunity to uproot my life, kids, loose friends :.( , loose the junk in my house, and clean clean clean all over again. lucky me, right?! i know your jealous of my mad moving skills. deeeep sigh.

funny. we don't have a flat yet. we have 3 big boxy tv's that were all given to us one in the TV room, jacob's room, and one in the master room. this past christmas we talked about getting heath's 'dream tv' haha, he's never called it that...but i think it is. so anyways, we didn't cause we didn't want to move with a freakin 60 whatever inch tv...not the best idea. and we were thinking to save space during the move of selling the largest boxy one at our garage sale for what...10 bucks. haha. i dunno. anyways...so the master TV just started making a humming sound, jacob's TV started only working when it feels like it, and the BIG TV (that we wanted to sell is working just fine. Of course. just my luck. decisions decisions. I joked with heath that we should ditch all the tv's and just buy one small flat for the kids' room. mount it on the wall and that's that. we don't watch tv's anyways..just use the computer. DONE...walmart...can you please have an amazing tv deal...? thanks.

got a fortune cookie last week that was funny. it said, "ask your mom". LOVE IT! good idea. just ask your mom. duh.

Alive...barely...

Still alive over here in Sunny Arizona...NO WAIT its raining cats and dogs. Loving the weather...but I sure wish it was still a beautiful 70 degrees. We're moving in, wait...let me count the days...35 days. 5 weeks....2 days ago it was going to be in 4 weeks...this keeps changing...well, a date has never been set...so it can't change right. K, enough of my babbling.

Still moving to Colorado. Current city we're interested in is Arvada. We'll be finalizing the decision on the 6th (fingers crossed) so I can start imagining how things will look in our new prison. ( I mean Place) We'll be downsizing for the next 6 months or year...depending on how long I can take it...trying to be Stupid (I mean responsible)...kill me. No, really...we're going to be fine. :) We've been spoiled with a 2300 sq. foot house with our little family...its been like a vacation this past year living near family and in such comfort. I might even decide to ditch my cal king during this move...WTF?!! Has she gone mad?!! Maybe.

I've been packing (following my 6 week, wanna be 12 week plan). My garage sale pile is getting HUGE and I'm totally throwing away half my life...hmmm. Went thru my old Tennis stuff and Hot Dog on a Stick stuff last night...couldn't throw one single thing away. Oh well....who needs purge packing anyways!?

Wearing my purple and black flats today, yes..IN THE RAIN...nothing will stop me from enjoying the Arizona weather for the next month. I'd like to promise pictures sometime soon...but I know that just won't happen. Sorry Folks. Cub Scouts and Packing is ruining (I mean Running) ... my life. There I go again with the cheesy jokes. You love it.

Julie

my youngest is still sleeping...crazy...so i actually have time for a shower, breakfast, and a quick house clean up before i go for my morning run....to get a d.coke of course. loving today...except that i still have a cold. ugh

hoping to blog some pictures....someday.

No freakin way...

My son is so funny I just could blog his funnies all day.

Here's the latest...

He came home from preschool the other day with Candy Cane from SANTA! WOW! :) He told me about his visit with Santa and that he got a delicious candy cane. Thanks Santa!

So here's what he said to me this morning while I was 'decking the halls'...

"MOM!!! Stop decorating! Christmas is over!"

"What are you talking about Jacob?! Christmas is next week?!"

"No mom, Santa already came to my preschool and gave me a candy cane. It was delicious. Christmas is over. Stop decorating!!"

(cracking up inside I say...) "Christmas is next week, Santa is coming to our house too Jacob!" :D

"No mom"

Hugs and kisses....who could resist hugs and kisses after that one?!!

That was pretty much the extent of our conversation. Alrighty then Jacob. So if I understand this correctly...he got a FREAKIN CANDY CANE from Santa and he's satisfied?! Sheesh. Good thing I took it easy on the gifts this year...maybe I should have bought him a whole box of candy canes for $1.09 at Walmart and spend the rest of the $ on myself! Shoot. :) Loving our life!!!

pj

team...

After watching this video ... heath decided I should get Jacob a shirt that says "Team Jacob" I totally chuckled...its too late to lol. But it was flipping hilarious. Should be sleeping...but going online to look for ep.2 of Prep&Landing. Cute show. While watching I'll be organizing my cub scout crap and maybe wrapping gifts. Um. Maybe I'll just eat ice cream instead.

-j

sitting...

babysitting today. just stole away a few moments to check my email. the kiddos are all happy at the moment and its a stinkin miracle. loving life (again) at the moment. Today has been productive...while being a mommy of 4 today...i hand mopped my kitchen floor during naps (yes all 4 napped! miracle!)...washed AND folded 3 loads of laundry...now that ones the true miracle...did some dishes...not quite done yet...made chocolate chip cookies for the kiddos...made lunch...made dinner to pop in the oven around 4:30...cleaned the baseboards in the play room...yuck...vacuumed the window seals and around baseboards in playroom...wiped snotty noses all stinkin day...and gave hundreds of hugs and kisses. played legos, watched lady and the trap, and sung ABCs z zillion times. loving today.

Christmas Shopping...

So---my shopping is pretty much complete. My trick to not over buying...not shopping. So far this season this has worked for me. UNTIL today...I didn't really buy...But I want...

I went to walmart for cheese, eggs, blah blah...and I found so many cute things my kiddos would love! Awww....am I depriving my kiddos cause I'm trying not to spoil...um....k...I'm done asking myself that one...nope. They have plenty. Right..? Deep sigh. They'll still love me just as much on December 26th as they do today. Ok. I'm done. But I do think I'm going back to walmart to buy them round disney chairs for $17 ea. ugh. I want them. Not in the plan...but I want I want.

j

Cooking Party...

Was a success! I am DOG TIRED! I finally got home, unloaded my meals into the fridge/freezer, and jumped into bead by 3:15 am...yes yes AM! My sweet mother watched my son today while Lexi and I took a nap. heaven.

What's for Dinner tonight....um....let me choose one of the many in my freezer...and pop it in the oven!

Yay!

Why did I do all that hard work last night just to start eating it all right away? ... I want to see which recipes my family likes...then I'll try to have another (maybe solo? maybe with friends?) cooking party to stock up on meals to eat during my packing times. awww...that would be blissful.

More details about the cooking party coming soon...when I have the pictures! :)

Once a Month Cooking Party!

Yay! I'm participating in my very first OAMC Party! Wohooo! Thanks to my friend Becca for organizing EVERYTHING for the party! I was given a 40 lb box of chicken to cook and shred in advance and 6 lbs of ground beef. The party is 6pm-12pm tonight...wish me luck!