Easter in Phoenix with Danny

For Easter weekend 

we took the girls out of school early, loaded up the car (and squished together in Amelia & Jon's Fusion) and took off for Phoenix!!  We were heading down to help Daniel with some of his "new home" projects, enjoy some warmth, and...

color Easter Eggs!

We had a great time putting together furniture from IKEA, repairing his laundry room door, giving advice, going to Farmer's Market and fixing meals. 

Our #1 furniture assembler.  She's awesome!

 

 

On Sunday, we colored Easter Eggs in diluted colors - thanks to a lack of vinegar, laughed and teased each other and then had awesome Egg Wars (of which I didn't get any pictures). 

But I did get these other cool pictures of the concentration on the "Egg decorators" faces!!

Some of us ate lots of candy.  I won't say who....

  Rachel and Danny tried to cheat and put reinforcing tape on their eggs.

 
  Someone sneaky even thought of freezing their egg!!

 
In the end,  Dad won this year, but since we don't have pictures to prove it, then it doesn't count, right???

Lawnmowers and Freight Trains

I slept half the night next to a snoring freight train.

Now I feel as if I got run over by one.

You see,

my husband snores.

No kidding.

When we were first married, most of my dreams involved motor boats 

 

or lawnmowers.

 

I wasn't used to hearing those sounds all night and so my overactive sleep imagination would incorporate them into my dreams.

Now, however, I just get woken up when the "volcano" is going off.

Then I get frustrated and cranky.

So, last night, after 4 hours of motor cross next to me in bed, 

I kicked him out.

I told him it was my turn to get some sleep.

No worries, though, for those who don't appreciate my 'tongue in cheek' humor.

I still love the guy.

The snoring is little price to pay for being with the best man in the world.

Valentine's Weekend

Loren and Samantha came home for a visit on V-day weekend.

The main reason for their visit, besides doing laundry and getting some free meals, was for Loren to see Ivan, who just got home from his mission.  

Loren and Ivan were tight buds growing up.  
Partners in crime.

Saturday morning, while Samantha did homework and I baked,
the girls and Loren helped Dan in the yard. 
 
Well, they helped for quite a while, then they played with the soccer ball in the warm sunshine.


The weather was perfect! 


We then went on a picnic at Pioneer Park.  

Afterwards, the kids hiked around and then sat out on the warm rocks.



It was fun.  
The rest of the weekend we made amazing cupcakes,

The most amazing cupcake EVER!!

played games and watched some movies.  
Then Loren & Sam had to go back up north.

Monday - Valentine's Day.

A total bust.

Dan was sick and I caught it a day later.  I got my own flowers from the craft room and put them in a vase, blew up some balloons, decorated the dining room, prepared gifts for the girls, and made a gourmet dinner for all of us with candlelight, etc.  
Not really what I had in mind, though, for a romantic dinner.
But, still, I was surrounded by those I love best - minus a few of the older ones.  And that's what counts.

Plus, I told Dan I was holding a 'rain check' from him for a future romantic getaway.  
I'm sure I'll have to plan it for him! ;)

A New Year - Another Chance to Get it Right!

I've come across some humorous quotes on New Year's resolutions.   Here are a few:

 

From Bill Vaughn:

"An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves."

From good ol' Mark Twain:  

 " Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual."

 From Ogden Nash:

"Every new year is the direct descendant, isn't it, of a long line of proven criminals?"

From Unknown:

"Many people look forward to the New Year for a new start on old habits."
and

"A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other." 

Yep, some of these ring with truth! 

On the other hand, here are some inspirational quotes:

From Benjamin Franklin:

"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man."

From Charles Lamb:

"New Year's Day is every man's birthday. "

From John Burroughs:

"One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this:  To rise above the little things."

From Edith Lovejoy Pierce:

"We will open the book.  Its pages are blank.  We are going to put words on them ourselves.  The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. "

And my favorite, from Oprah Winfrey:

"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right."

 

What are some of your favorite New Year quotes?

 

Christmas Magic revisited

Jess -- finishing breakfast before all the candy!

 I do believe that Christmas is made more magical with little ones around.

That anticipation and fluttery feelings in your stomach, the feeling that you just can't wait to open that certain present are enhanced by the presence of children.

I DO have children, but the youngest is going on 16.

Jess & Rachel - getting into their stockings

So, in my own complicated mind, I re-focused this year.

No longer expecting those feelings mentioned above, I eagerly anticipated the gathering of loved ones for a day. 

I planned, I prepared, I really looked forward to it - avoiding any stress or "gift" hassles as much as possilbe.

And it worked!

Danny & Mary - checking out their stockings

Loren & Daniel - waiting for the fun to begin!

Jessica - "what did Santa bring me???"

Rachel - "What did Santa bring ME??  (Jess is wondering about the size differences....)

Mary - "What could it be??

Still going on that stocking candy!

Christmas was really wonderful this year!!

Rachel - STILL opening that BIG gift!!

Christmas 2010 - 1st Installment

Ahhhh...Christmas is over and  I can now blog sans guilt.

Actually, Christmas this year was quite wonderful.

Why?

We simplified.  Big time.

We didn't go overboard and we didn't go 

 into debt.

I made about 75% of my gifts.  Dan made about 35%.

Yeah, the kids got less, but no one complained. 

They were happy and appreciative.

For that I am grateful.

So, to get this post going.

Amelia and Jon visited the week before Christmas before heading on up to 

Washington state to be with his family.  

So, we hung out and played.  

We did their yearly photo shoot. 

(see http://dpstonephotography.com)

It rained all week, but we still had a good time.

Then, on their last evening with us (a week ago today) we had our 

first installment of Christmas - for them.

Amelia is trying to eat the ornament!!  Oh NoOOO!!!

First, we had them open their yearly ornament.  

This year we gave them a Christmas Pickle ornament!

New tradition for the Stone household.

Every Christmas Eve, "Santa" hides a pickle ornament somewhere on the tree.

The first one to find it on Christmas morning gets the honor of handing out presents!  

(Some families have the pickle designate who gets the first present of the day.)

Then the present opening began in earnest!!

The girl LOVES chocolate!!

Jon with his BYU hat, apron & cookbook!  He was a happy camper!

Meli & Jon in their homemade beanies - ready for the cold north!

She asked for books - and she got 'em!

 Next, since Jon had drawn Rachel's name (and vice versa), we let Rachel open her present from Jon that night. 

What could it be????

Whoa!!!  It's Jon's old laptop computer!!  WooHoo!!

Another VERY happy camper!!

 So, although it was sad to see them leave before Danny got here, 

we had a great time with the Brame's.  

It was a great visit with great family, and that's a big part of 

what Christmas is all about, right??

San Diego T-Day

My next most memorable Thanksgiving was 8 years ago.  

Memorable because it was my first Thanksgiving without my mother - she had passed away that spring.  

And Dan, being sensitive to my missing my mom AND Danny who was on his mission, 

 

thought we should do something out of the ordinary.  Something a little more fun.

So, we went to California for the Thanksgiving holiday.  We loaded up the car with all 7 of us (Danny was in Russia) and made the 7-9 hour (depending on # of potty stops) to Escondido, CA.

 The STAR of this memory is NOT Amelia - but she is one of the STARS.  

(Sorry baby girl!  Gotta share the spotlight once again!)

We had a great Thanksgiving dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Stone.

I even tried to make a low-fat pumpkin pie - but it bombed. 

(Don't try to worry about low-fat on Thanksgiving.  

Just go for the good stuff and repent later.  Or not.)

 
 After stuffing ourselves, we drove down to the ocean for a walk on the beach and the pier.

 

That's part of what made this memorable.  

It was just so much fun to be together and enjoy the beautiful day.  

 (plus, getting away from all of Amelia's boyfriends was nice!)

Even Mary was enjoying the water!

And we got to listen to some "hippies" playing their guitars on the boardwalk.

It was a pretty darn good Thanksgiving!!

(can't figure out why Loren isn't in any of the pictures - unless he stayed behind with his cousins?)