100th Post of the year!

I just noticed that this would be the 100th time I have posted this year! Wow! Thought I would use it to update on the fam!

We had a great Thanksgiving week. Mat's bro, Mike and his wife, Julia flew down on Monday. They stayed at our place and it was great. Julia did my hair - hallelujah! We took them down to the strip and they took us out to eat! Yummy buffet! The rest of the Wilson family came in on Wednesday. Mom and dad, Cristin, Eric, and Sarah flew down in the morning; Mark, Dannielle and Paityn drove down and got here in the early afternoon. They all stayed at the Marriott down the street, but it was a full house with everyone hanging out! I loved it! I loved having all of the family here. I loved meeting Paityn! I loved it!
That night we went to the Outlet Mall to shop and eat. I had to go into work, but everyone else was tired and wanted to go back and sleep anyway, so I didn't feel too left out! :)

The next morning was Thanksgiving day. We all got pretty and went over to our church to do some family pictures. Our church has some stairs and flowers and trees out front so I thought it would be a nice quiet place to do the pics. Let me just say - the Wilson boys are trouble makers! They don't like pictures and it is like pulling teeth to get them to be normal! We did get some nice shots though, and I will post them later.

Then we headed to the Silverton Lodge and Casino for dinner! That is the best way to do it - especially when you are the one hosting everyone! Everyone ate everything they could stuff in their mouth! It wasn't even very busy so that was a HUGE bonus! After eating - and trying to digest a little so we could walk! - we went shopping at the Bass Pro Shop at the Silverton. I think everyone enjoyed that, even though it was an outdoors shop. There was a cute Santa workshop set up for the kids to play. The girls liked all of the games there was to play. (Tourists! Taking pics of everything! hehehe!)

After we ate and shopped, we went back home for naps!

That night all of the big girls went to see New Moon! It was great! It was nice to see it with all of them! Julia has never read the books, but went and saw Twilight with us last year, so it is fun to watch her react to it without knowing what is going to happen!

On black Friday, most of the boys wanted to go back to Bass Pro Shop! Guess there were some good sales or something!

Sarah and Eric hung out at our place and played games and watched movies!

Friday afternoon we went back down to the strip with everyone. Then we went to the Chocolate Factory here in Henderson. The cactus garden was all decorated and we got there at dusk when the lights are turned on! Good timing!

It was fun to see how Nevada decorates for Christmas!

I had to head to work at 4, so that was the end of my Thanksgiving weekend, and seeing everyone! (I was at work until 3 am the next morning and everyone flew out in the am, so I had to say my goodbyes at the Gardens.)

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We had a ton of fun having everyone here! It totally made Thanksgiving for me, having family around. I missed my family and wished we could have seen them as well. I am grateful for all of our family and the memories we have with them!

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P.S. More pics to come soon! I am still trying to recover from this weekend of working! I worked 21 hours in about the time of about 38 hours! I am pooped! Glad Black Friday weekend is over!

Reflections

Kat won 2nd place in Photography in the school's PTA Reflections Program. She was so excited to win because she thinks she never wins anything! She was even more excited that she got a trophy!

I am so proud of her! Mostly because she deserves to win something she loves doing, and partly because it is Photography! The Awards Banquet was last week, but I wasn't able to upload the pics until now. I didn't edit them, because if I waited til I did that they might never get posted!
Here she is with her picture, her ribbon and her trophy! Now it goes onto the state level, so we'll see that happens!

Happy Birthday Sis!

Today is my big sister's birthday. Bambi would be 31 today. But she is forever etched in our minds as a beautiful 24 year old. Even as I type that , it seems so unreal. Can it really have been that long ago? She has not been here for 7 birthdays. She was just shy of her 25th birthday when she passed away. I can not believe it has been that long. I know I have said this before, but sometimes it seems like yesterday she was here with me; sometimes it feels like forever!

I have been thinking about her all day today. Instead of feeling sad, I have been trying to think of things that we would have been doing together, or what she would be like.

First, I am pretty sure she would be freaking out that she was 'in her thirties'! I can almost hear her complaining!!! She would have said that last year didn't count, because '30' doesn't count. (I am sure I will make the same argument in a few years!) At first she would pout about being 'in her thirties', but then she would want to plan - or me/Danny to plan - a HUGE party! I would have done it. I always did what she asked. Not because she bullied me into it (most of the time) but because I loved her so much and literally would do anything for her. I looked up to her so much. She was my best friend and I knew I could tell her anything and she would give me great advice. Hopefully she thought the same things about me. I am pretty sure she did. She did so much for me.

I am also fairly certain that this weekend we would have been 'Twihards'. I am convinced that she would have read the Twilight books multiple times and we would dish to each other about our own Vampire fantasies! We would have gone to the midnight showing on Thursday night - in our Twilight T-shirts. She never did anything halfway! It was all or nothing. That is something I love about her. She forced me to open up and try new things. She pushed me when I was uncertain. All or nothing. I try to still live up to that today!

I know she would have been an amazing mom. She would cherish Ellie like nothing else, probably making Ellie a little spoiled as an only child. Bambi would have done everything for Ellie, because I know Bambi wouldn't have had any more children. She is an amazing mom. I know she is Ellie's Guardian Angel. She watches over Ellie in everything. I know Bambi is happy with Ellie growing up with two sisters. Bambi wouldn't have wanted her to be an only child, because it would have been lonely at times. I know Bambi helped push Jen and Danny together. I know that she is at peace with Jen raising her baby and all that Jen does for Ellie.

I hope it doesn't make me crazy to think these kinds of things. I guess I have a secret fantasy life where Bambi is still here. I can call her when I am bored, or when I need advice. We go shopping together and she drives me crazy when she has to go into every single store and look around. Like a movie playing in my head. Sometimes I talk to her when I am alone in the car. Maybe this is the only way to keep me from going crazy? Pretend that in some way she is still here? I don't know.

I am sad. This is the first time I have cried - while typing this - today. She is gone and I know that she is up in Heaven sad that she can't be here with all of us. But she is an angel in Heaven. She has always been an angel to me. I can't wait for the day that I get to reunite with her in our Home up Above. It will be beautiful. Just like my sister.

I love you Bambi!!!! I miss you every day. I am positive things would be sooo different if you were still here. But it's ok. I know that it happened because our Father in Heaven needed you to go home. I miss you and love you so much!!! I am so excited for the day I can see you again. I am glad that my big sister will be there to greet me and show me around Heaven! You will be able to look out for me the same way you did on Earth. Love you always and forever! Happy Birthday Sis!

Panic Attack!

I am having a Panic Attack!!!
For some reason, my computer is not reading any of my memory cards from my camera!
I was going to post pictures from last night; my computer won't let me!!!!
AHHHHHH!!!!!
Panic Attack is setting in and I am unsure of the next step to take. Going to try to turn off the computer and walk away for a minute. Hopefully the Computer gods will smile down upon my desk and make all well in my world! We'll see.......

The Sioux

Today Kat had her first report! I think it is kind of a big milestone!

The kids picked a Native American Tribe to do their report on. Kat picked the Sioux Indians.

She checked a book out from the library and we looked some information up online. Kat took notes while I told her info from online. She took all of the notes and wrote her report, mostly by herself. (I had to put the control freak in me in time out and remember that she was suppose to do it, not me!) I gave her an idea of how to organize her notes and she wrote it out! Then we printed off some pics off of the Internet and copied some pics from her book. She made the poster by herself. (Except for the letters that I cut out with my Cricut.) She even made a little 'doll' from a TP tube! It looked like the dolls in the pic that the kids made and played with. (?!?)

She practiced her report for us and did great!

Her teacher said she did an awesome job!

I am proud of her and the great job she did!

(And that she did it mostly by herself!)

A Happy Update!

My mom sent me an e-mail this morning. She told me I needed to update my blog with some happy news.
I got Thanksgiving off! It was just a few weeks ago that I found out Old Navy would be open on Thanksgiving for the first time ever! I was upset, because I knew I would end up having to work. This also put a wrench in our plans. Mat's family is coming down for Thanksgiving and that is the only day that I knew I would be able to relax and spend with them. I talked to my manager and she was so great about it. She told me enough people had volunteered to work on Thanksgiving, that I was ok to not have to come in. YAY!!! Now I can go see "New Moon" with all my sister-in-laws that night! And I won't have to hurry to eat and rush everything that day! YAY!!!
My 0ther piece of happy news is that I also got the whole week of Christmas off approved! DOUBLE YAY!!! I was getting so depressed about this. I kept thinking "There is no way I am staying in Vegas for Christmas!" I had put in two requests (each for different amounts of time off) and both had come back denied, because they are black out days. I finally got fed up with that and frustrated with the whole situation. I was ready to walk in and give my two weeks notice. I went in and talked to my manager again, and told her the situation. She agreed to letting me have it of if I could find someone to train as a cash handler and to do signage. I agreed! So now I have Dec 20 - 27 off!!! YAY!!! I am so happy!!!
I feel so much better knowing I will be able to spend a whole week up in Utah and be able to be with all of our family to celebrate!
A piece of happy news from Mat - he only has to work a half day on Thanksgiving, so he will be home around 9am. That means we will be able to spend the whole day together! Yay! Also, he has a feeling he will be sick (cough, cough) on Christmas! We are still waiting to see what happens with his job, to know how long he will be up in Utah with us. He has applied to lots of new positions, and so we are waiting to see what comes of it.

Even knowing that this year will be kind of a 'Charlie Brown' Christmas for us (mostly Mat and I, the girls will be spoiled as usual) it doesn't matter. All I want for Christmas is for my girls to be with their Grandparents and cousins; Mat and I to be together; be in Utah with all of our family!!! It is a wish that has been granted to me and I am so thankful!

Appreciation

I was online looking for some ideas for the Primary newsletter that I am working on for next month and came across this little story. It made me stop and think, and realize how much I have to be thankful for. I get caught up in so much that I forget what is really important.

Thought I would share it with everyone! I got it from The idea door website. http://www.theideadoor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=497&Itemid=765

Appreciation

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"It was great, Dad."

"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked

Oh yeah," said the son.

"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four.
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.
We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.
Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.
We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.
We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.
We buy our food, but they grow theirs.
We have walls around our property to protect us; they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.

I feel poopy today. It's mostly in my head. I feel poopy in my head.

I guess I am just depressed. Not sure.

I feel sad and sleepy. Things are just kind of sucky right now and I wish they weren't.

It's the holidays and I don't feel very festive. (All of my Christmas decorations are in storage in Utah - poopy!) Plus, it is hard to get into the 'spirit' of the holidays when it is still 70's here! Jeeze!

Sucks when you don't have family to go visit on the holidays too! I love the holidays. Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year. This year I wish it would sort of just pass us by. It would solve a lot of problems! Money, time off from work, money, being away from Family. I have to say that this will probably be the hardest Christmas since Mat and I have been married. Hard for a lot of reasons, mostly that I don't want to go into in detail. Sadly, it mostly boils down to money. Not that Christmas is or should be about money. But Mat does not get paid time off until May. I have been denied the week of Christmas off at my work. We can barely pay our bills, let alone buy presents! It is just really getting to me, I guess.

I'm sorry. This post is really depressing, isn't it? Sorry! I don't want pitty or anything. I promise! Things will be ok. I have Faith in that. Our families are amazing and have done so much for us. Just needed to vent and get some of my emotions out.

I think I am going to watch Spongebob with Em. That always makes me smile :)

Scary Fairy!

Kat's costume turned into a Vampire-ish Fairy towards Halloween! After I had already started her tu-tu and bought her wings, she told me she wanted to be a vampire! Well, I told her since she had picked black and red as her tu-tu colors, that we could kind of make her a 'scary fairy'! This is the first year that she has actually wanted to be something even a little bit scary, so it was actually kind of fun to do her makeup!

She wanted to show off her 'fangs' (that she didn't even have!) and instead, she is showing off her missing tooth! Funny!

Everyone loved her wings! Even if she did keep bumping into things and could barely fit through doors!

I can't remember what was making Mat laugh, but he was laughing so hard!

I am glad we went all out on the night of Kat's Carnival at school and the Ward Trunk-or-Treat. By Friday morning Kat and I were both coughing and by Saturday we felt miserable! We still let the girls get dressed up on Halloween and took them down to where I work, but that was all.

I think the girls still had fun and we did some fun things together as a family!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Silvermist Fairy

Emma was a Fairy for Halloween. She thinks she was "Silvermist" from the Tinkerbell Movie, and so that's what we went with! I made her headband and tu-tu. (Super easy! No sewing required!) She wouldn't let me put any makeup on her, but she looked super cute anyway! Every where she went she hopped and skipped! It was so cute! :)

Em's Trick-or-Treat Bag was almost as big as her!

I told Em to pretend to fly - so she started spinning around! Silly girl!