Murder Mystery & Breakfast with Santa!!

This last Saturday was a fun filled day for sure! I decided to throw a MURDER MYSTERY this year for out friend Christmas party. It was not quite what i had expected. It was a bit slow at times and pretty long but we made it fun for sure. I drew out of a hat who got what characters and told everyone to dress up...here are the results:)

Erika was "Nelly Eskimo" and Ben was "bludnguts Polar Bear...head of security" they looked pretty awesome and even won a prize at the end "best accents"


Erin was "Tubby the trainee reindeer" hahaha! Sadly she doesn't fit the tubby part, but she makes a very cute reindeer! She also won a prize at the end for "best game spirit" she seriously made me start to cry i was laughing so hard! Nick Was "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" and Cohwen was "Blitzen the Brown Nosing Reindeer" Cohwen Inst a big fan of spending money on costumes or even dressing up, but for me he was willing to make some antlers out of a paper bag and wear them:)



I was "Longbeard the elf, Santa's assistant." I also made part of my costume. The sweet white beard. I made it out of Paper towls. It was pretty fun to play with i wont lie! Erin even got in on the action as you can see below. It was very soft to the touch:) Then i decided to try on Jaimes costume. You will she who she is below!



Jaime was "Mrs Christmas" and Darrin was "Father Christmas" jaime won "best costume" and i think you can see why. She has a fat suit on and it was classic!



Domi and Trent were also there but i didn't get a pic of them. Domi was "Frosty the Killer Snowman" and Trent was "Postman Knox"

It was a really fun night full of great friends! I have some of the best friends EVER! I love you all and am so glad you were able to be a part of my holiday fun!

Before the Party that night we had Breakfast with Santa at our ward building. The photographer canceled last minute so they asked me to take pics. I have NO photography skills but luckily they turned out pretty good. It was really fun to see all the kids and how they reacted to Santa. As you can see from below Yazzi LOVED him this year and Tate HATED him. It was a pretty fun morning!

Peace...For Now

So i know i've posted LOTS of crazy posts in the last few months about how CRAZY my kids have been and i'm proud to post today that they have been AWESOME! A few lil freak out moments but nothing CRAZY like the poop, pee or nail polish posts! Thank goodness!!!! I think they realized they needed to be nicer to their mom...Or maybe its cause i threaten them with giving their Christmas presents away if they arent good:) Ha! You do what you gotta do right:) Anyway they have been angels and i'm so glad too cause i've picked up alot of hours to get some extra cash for the holidays and i dont think i could handle anything too CRAZY right now. Lets hope it lasts!

The Forgotten Carols!

My family tried to go to the Forgotten Carols each year and it gets better each time. We went last night and WOW...It hits you where you need it most. I love the message, the music and the feeling it leaves you with. If you have not been...You should try to go. It's an amazing Christmas experience that you will never forget.

Here are some really good songs from it. My favorite is "Homeless" but i couldnt find that one:(

Am I the only one?

This is me!

So i'm that mom that doenst shower or get dressed in the appropriate clothes for the day until like early afternoon. Am i the only one?!? I swear i am! Mon, weds and fris yazzi has preschool and i literally get out of bed, throw on a sweater and some shoes (usually crocks or flip flops) and take her to school. No shower, brushing of the teeth or even running a comb through my hair. When i get there all the other moms are in cute clothes with nice shoes, makeup and their hair all did! WOW, i suck. I guess i just dont see the point in showering when i'm just coming home to mop, do laundry, clean up after tate, scrub bathrooms, try to work out etc. I wont lie, i'm a sweater...I sweat and i dont want to be all clean and pretty and then get all sweaty again. So i figure as long as i'm showered and look somewhat presentable by the time my hubby gets home from work then i'm good. Please tell me there are other people out there like me and you arent all stepford wives like the moms that have kids in preschool with Yazzi!!!

Adoption...

I've been thinking alot about how blessed i am and the fact that i was adopted seems to be one of the main things i feel blessed for lately.

I was the "mistake" one couple made that "changed" another couples lives.

My Birth mom Loretta, is someone i will forever love and be grateful for no matter what. She made the HUGE decision at her young age NOT to abort me and give me to a couple that was unable to have children at the time. How she could hold her baby in her arms and then knowingly give her away must have been that HARDEST thing for her, but she did it and she will forever be on my AMAZING PERSON list!! She is strong now and was strong then and it changed my life. I love her for loving me enough to do what she knew was best for me. So selfless, so loving, so caring, so strong, so thoughtful, so AMAZING!

Now onto my Adopted parents...How can i put into words what i feel for them. Being given unconditional love when they didnt even know me at three days old.

I wont lie, i gave them a run for their money raising me, especially my mom. My poor mom. i said everything possible to her that i new would hurt her when i was mad. "you're not my real mom" being the one i remember using the most. And for that i will FOREVER be sorry. She did what she thought was best and she did it well. I dont regret one day of my home life with them and i NEVER will. Imagine not having the 9 months to prepare for your baby, imagine just getting the phone call one day saying..."your baby is here"...Being thrown into being a parent and expected by the child to be perfect. NOT POSSIBLE.

I know i never appreciated them and thanked them enough for choosing me, picking to keep me, wanting me, never giving up on me. They chose me and that makes it SO much more special in my eyes.

I love them so much for giving me the life i never could have dreamt of. For loving me with all their hearts and showing me that they do everyday.

I will always have "issues" from being adopted like abandonment, not feeling good enough or like i'm the one who may get left behind. But they struggle daily to help remind me that those "issues" are just in my head and not real. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for ALWAYS reminding me that they are my parents and they love me.

I am also extremely grateful for my sisters and extended family who NEVER have treated me like anything but someone they love and adore. I love them so much for so many different reasons its crazy. They make me so happy and i couldnt ask for a more loving family.

I love you mom for never giving up when i was horrible to you.

I love you dad for being more of a dad to me than i think 99% of real dads are to their kids.

I love you Karli for being the first person younger than me that i look up to.

I love you Kerri for being such a shinning example that happiness is what you make of it, not what it makes of you.

I love you extended family for loving me...always loving me.

I love you Loretta for being the strongest example of selfless true love i have.

I love you Cooper family for always trying your best to keep me a part of your family.

And I even love you Kevin because if it wasnt for you...i wouldnt be here.

The Lovely Bones

Okay...I fell in love with this book ALONG time ago and they FINALLY made it into a movie!!! I cant wait to go and see it! The preview makes the movie look just as AMAZING as the book was. I am telling you, if you haven't read the book...YOU SHOULD!

A twilight party.

So it was Domi's B-day a few weeks ago and Erin though of the GREATEST idea...A twilight party! Erin is the queen of party planning and it turned out awesome! We had a Nacho fountain with all kinds of toppings, enchiladas, 7 layer dip, veggies, fruit and Vampire/werewolf (i have no clue how to spell that?) cupcakes to top it off! The room was decorated with all sorts of spider webs and there were paper lanterns that were home made and the best decoration of all was the cardboard cutout of Edward. It was a fine night! Good job Erin!!!!