Best mom in HISTORY!

How did I get that title?? Well, on the list was letting them eat Cheetos as part of their dinner (Brian was gone, what the heck!!)
Every year the local radio station has a St. Jude fundraiser for three days. You just call and donate $20 a month for the next year. They also offer incentives to get people to join. Well, this year when I renewed they were giving away 2 Nascar tickets for Saturdays race. Brian and Dave are helping their parents move so they were going to be down there anyway..Need I remind you how big a fan Brian is?? If you go back and look at all his pictures, I'm pretty sure most of them he's in his Kurt Busch shirt!! Anyway, I figured he and Dave could go. When I went to pick them up they had a HUGE stack and I asked if I could have one more figuring Brian could take Jacob and Joey since Dave's not That big of a fan and the gal said "Of Course!!" and gave me three!! I did feel guilty about not getting one for Dave, but I felt dumb asking for 1!
I called Brian and he was sooo excited! Well, about two hours later Brian called and said Dave really wants to go so if I could just go back and ask for another one that would be great.
HUH??? I was already embarrassed to ask for the third because, it's for St. Jude not tickets right!?!?!? Well, being the wonderful wife that I am, loaded the kids in the car and drove down to the radio station. Hoping the whole way that the volunteers were on lunch or something so I wouldn't feel like a mooch!
I walked in and of course it was all the same people and no phones were ringing so they all heard me ask for another ticket. I offered to make another 1 time donation to make up for it. The one guy among all the ladies said " What do you think this is, Burger King? Just have it your way?" Then proceeded to laugh!!! LOL!! That made me feel better and the gal with the tickets was so nice and gave me another one... does that make me the best sis-in-law in history also??

Funny for your Friday

A husband and wife came for counseling after 20 years of marriage. When asked what the problem was, the wife went into a passionate, painful tirade listing every problem they had ever had in the 20 years they had been married. She went on and on and on: neglect, lack of intimacy, emptiness, loneliness, feeling unloved and unlovable, an entire laundry list of unmet needs she had endured over the course of their marriage. Finally, after allowing this to go on for a sufficient length of time, the therapist got up, walked around the desk and, after asking the wife to stand, embraced and kissed her passionately as her husband watched with a raised eyebrow. The woman shut up and quietly sat down as though in a daze. The therapist turned to the husband and said, "This is what your wife needs at least three times a week. Can you do this?" The husband thought for a Moment and replied, "Well, I can drop her off here on Mondays and Wednesdays, but on Fridays, I fish."
LOL!! Have a great weekend!!

Jo Jo

Joey came home today with a ton of yellow papers. He brings them home once in awhile and it's a cute note from someone in his class on why they appreciate that person.
Joey came home with 14!!! I appreciate Joey because he is quiet, he is nice, he helps me spell, etc....
Brian went to SEP's yesterday and Joey's teacher LOVES him! One of her favorite qualities? When they are doing work and someone doesn't understand, Joey goes and explains it to them without being asked! "It's rare that not only does he understand the concept, but he's able to teach it to someone else."
If she only new how he was out of school, LOL!! That boy is crazy. I have pictures of him hanging out of the car window yelling "Whew! This is fantastic!" at the top of his lungs.. anyone see Bolt?
I sure appreciate Joey, and love him a ton!!

Pine Wood Derby

We had our annual Pine Wood Derby tonight and it was AWESOME!! Last year with Brian working in Idaho he had no time to work on a car so poor Jacob did not do well at all. It was heartbreaking!
This time, Brian made it a priority and Jacob not only broke the track record but he gets to race in "The Dixie 500" on a regional level!!!
Dave and Brian swear Hayden's dad, who has been the champ every year, cried. It was a fun night for all and Joey can't wait to race next year!!

Thanks Kristi and Dave for coming!!!

Grown Men Don't Cry

Have you ever heard that song by Tim McGraw?? I'm a huge fan.
When we were leaving the hotel Monday morning, we saw two men who were in the Military. My boys think they (the military in general) are the coolest people on earth! The idolize uncle Mel because he drove a tank. Anyway, my boys were begging to say hi. Brian took them to the front desk so they could and when they got up to them they both said "Thanks for being great Americans!" The men were shocked and got teary!! It was an amazing moment. The two men shook the boys hands and said "Thank you so much, it means a lot to us to have your support" There were tears in numerous eyes at that moment, truly awesome.

Happy Days

Jack got his cast off!! Wa-hoo!!! He still favors his leg but he's running like there's no tomorrow... I'm a happy girl!!

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday Hunny Bunny!! We had a crazy week followed up by an even crazier weekend but we FINALLY officially celebrated Brian's bday!!
His birthday was Friday and we ended up going to Salt Lake for a night, coming home only to get back in the car to have dinner in Vegas...Macayo's is a tradition for birthday's in the Stratton family ;) getting home at 1am and leaving back to Salt Lake on Sunday and getting home last night about 7pm...whew!!!
I'm so glad to be home. We could have been in Ft. Collins or half way to Tennessee by now!!!
We've had fun these last few days being able to see our super good friends Auntie Carri and Uncle Brian in Santaquin..Thanks for letting us stay at your house, making us dinner and breakfast AND watching the kids for us for 5 hours!! You guys are the BEST!!

Haylee

Ok, so am I a nut or what? I'm having so much fun with her hair! I was not impressed with Target's supply of hair bows, I need to find some cute BIG ones! This makes her look younger but it's still cute!!
She wrote me a note with hearts all over that unfortunately you can't see.. From Haylee To Ra Ra I love you mom
Have I told you lately how much I love being a mom??

Cute Hair

I'm actually doing cute hair!! Haylee loves it when I play with her hair and especially when I break out the camera~~ I am going to try to do "cute hair" everyday this week, let's see what I can do next!! I guess I should mention this is 3 different do's...Her "sassy" on the top right is just 2 twists with a messy side bun and bottom right is ropes pulled to the side instead of criss crossed

Valentine's Day!!

What a great day!! Brian surprised me yesterday with flowers. He is always so good at planning and spoiling me rotten! I told him he could at least smile and he just rolls his eyes when I break out my camera. I also got a package from Jenny which had a candle, some cute valentines that the girls made, and some other cute stuff...thanks Jenny!!
We went to dinner with some friends last night, Brazilian BBQ, and wow was it yummy.
This morning the boys surprised us with breakfast in bed which consisted of; milk, a graham cracker and Apple Jacks!
I just love being a mom!!
Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Facebook

Ok, so I'm in big trouble!! Jenny text me this morning " join facebook, it's so much fun" I'm NEVER going to get anything done now!! Where have I been?? It's amazing!!
I found my best friend from junior high! Ember has been looking for me for awhile now and in a few clicks we are reunited. She was my Denver Bronco buddy when no one else was :)
I still remember her favorite Bronco outfit that she wore. It's funny the things I remember because I have a horrible memory.
Jenny, I'll blame you when Brian comes home to a dirty house!!!

Valentine's Hair

So I'm not the best at girl hair as you know but I found these cute hairstyles on another blog.. here's what I've been practicing, yes, I know you can see the blue pony!! I'm off to Target to get some cute hairbows!!
Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Here it Goes

Alright, I've been hesitant to post this because I feel like a schmuck but... We gave Roxy back to Jadeth on Tuesday. Before you burn me at the stake for taking away Jacob's dog, you have to know the kids are totally fine with it.
Roxy was a major liability, every time we opened the back door she would try to jump the wall to get to the neighbors dogs. Which she did twice. Luckily Brian got her the first, but do you know how terrifying it was for me to jump the wall and break up a dog fight???!! I had to carry her out of the yard with her squirming and two dogs trying to jump to get her. You get the point. It was also fun the two times JJ opened the front door and she took off running, we were hoping there wasn't anyone out walking their dog!! She almost tipped the stroller over on a walk because dogs on both sides of the street were barking. The list goes on and on!!
The last straw was her growling at JJ, which thankfully she warned him that he was getting on her nerves, but JJ thought it was funny and would jump on her at that point, once again another worry.
Jadeth gave her to us because he was moving to SLC and didn't have a place for her. He was sad because he's had her since she was a puppy and she really was his baby. Well, last week he called Brian and said he found a place with a yard and if we ever had to get rid of her, he would really like her back. WOW! That worked out great for me!! It really was a cute reunion!!
I can open the door and not worry!! Oh yea, did I mention she chewed the door jams and the banister one day we left her home alone?
I feel bad but since the kids are fine, I feel much better. I'm keeping my eye out for a cute little cocker spaniel that doesn't jump!!

Sleeping Prince

This is how I found my sweetie this morning when I got out of bed!! I love the bum in the air!!!

Pinchingyourpennies.com

I have been wanting to "coupon" again. I haven't used coupons for about a year because we thought our house was sold and I didn't want to stockpile and have more stuff to move. If you know Brian, every time we move he throws stuff away, doesn't matter if we use it or not!
I just LOVE going into Albertsons and coming out with a basket full of stuff for $30!! I called the newspaper today and ordered a subscription including 5 extra Sun papers. Some of my better deals that I can remember are; 18 full size tubes of Crest for $3.75, deodorant for free or .25 and of course cereal, Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, etc.. for under $1. One time I went with my mom in Tucson and the store had senior discount day so we got cereal for .25 a box! We brought home 40 boxes LOL!!!
I'll let you know some of my GREAT deals!!
Pinching Your Pennies, here I come!!

Mommy 1, Mommy 2

I've been trying to get Jack to call me Ra Ra. You know how kids call everyone mommy and I didn't want Christi to feel bad about him calling me that. I handed him over to her the other day and Jack looked at me and said "mommy 2" Christi just laughed and said at home he refers to me as mommy 2 and her mommy 1.
When he was born grandma made him two blankets with bunny heads that now that he can talk he refers to them as bunny 1 and bunny 2 so he has done the same thing with us! She is so good about it and says she doesn't mind him having 2 mommies, it's good for him! I love her :)

Best Mom Ever!

I try to do something everyday to get me that title, at least where my kids are concerned. I know soon enough I'll be fighting with them about this or that and daily hugs may become a thing of the past. I really hope not but you just never know!!
Jacob and Joey love hats and they are really into Scouts so a double whammy; scout hats!! They wore them last night and this morning until school started, I also got plenty of hugs ;) aawwwww

JJ

I love this little guy! It's a good thing he's so cute because boy does he get into stuff! I've been calling him Dennis the Menace because I've seen a pattern!! He came to me the other day and said; "mom look, Chinese!!" We laughed so hard! Where does he come up with this?? Oh wait, I bet Joey!

Neptune

Jacob has an oral report on the planet Neptune. Brian helped him all day Saturday to get this ready. Jacob is so nervous/excited to present this report and the teacher has put him off for three days but he gets to present it tomorrow @ 3pm.
Good luck Jake!!!

Vegas

The top 5 reasons I love going to Vegas, not in any particular order:

5. The constant construction

4. The multitude of people

3. The million cars that belong to the multitude of people

2. Porn billboards, the latest "Drop your trunks for $500!!" No, Brian won't do it :)

And the number 1 reason, yes this one is in order,

1. Getting rear ended!!! Not only rear ended, but rear ended by an UNINSURED MOTORIST!!

Isn't that just dandy?? We went to Vegas today, again, to get a part for the curb machine. The officer was really nice and just happened to be about 8 cars behind us. Brian and I just had to laugh, it is just our luck. Thankfully no one was hurt and it isn't terrible damage.
The lady wouldn't even look or talk to us, no I'm sorry or are you OK or anything, she just sat in her car and smoked. The officer got our information for the police report and came back " Here's your info, I'm sorry I can't do anything about her not having insurance. You obviously won't be given a citation, her on the other hand will receive quite a few!"
We didn't hang around to find out just how many. This was a great lesson on teaching the kids, this is why we wear our seat belts!!
Maybe Brian should reconsider the billboard..it'll pay our deductible! LOL :)

JJ

JJ is such a great helper!! I sort and he loads, then when I have the clothes folded into respective piles he takes them to the kids rooms and puts it on their bed. Wow, what a helper!!
The big bruise is what happens when your jumping on a trailer and slip :( The part you can't see is the 1/2 lump underneath!! There are always bumps and bruises around here!!

***SPECIAL POST***

Alright, I promise this is the last post for today!!!
A friend just called and asked for my help.
Her name is Jennifer Feltner and 3 of her 5 kids are allergic to the sun, they have a rare disease that's called XP for short. The group that she belongs to to help find a cure is having a fundraiser and she asked if I'd help sell donuts. Krispy Kreme donuts for $10 a box. It's for a great cause so if you could help, that would be awesome!! The fundraiser is through the 20th of this month and donuts will be delivered the 27th.

Thanks!!!

Why didn't I think of that??

Ok, so I know I'm going crazy with the posts today but when I have time, I just go for it!!
I was checking my email and I received a newsletter from Youcanmakethis.com. It had a
Stay Dry Bathing Apron & Towel!! It's a towel/apron that you tie around your neck and when you're giving the little one a bath it keeps you dry and it's easier to wrap around the baby when you're done, amazing!! And when you have to lay them down just untie the strap from the back and viola! Maybe it's my mood but I think it's the coolest idea!!!

Have a GREAT day!!

Made my Day!

For those who don't know, Brian has wanted to be a member of SWAT for as long as he could remember, guns are something that really gets him excited. If you didn't know him and just talked to him about the police dept you would think he's nuts!!
Well, we have been debating moving back to Vegas so he could pursue his dream yet something always comes up. Long story short, he's back on the police dept wagon and yesterday he came home and made my, day my week, my month, my year.. we're going to STAY in St. George!!!! Sorry Sherri, I really was looking forward to hanging out with ya but I really love it here.
Brian had a meeting with Scott, his boss now that he really likes/respects, and Scott stroked his ego just right ( remind me to give him a HUGE HUG!! ) and Brian decided he'd give up the dream for a little while.
The thought of living in Vegas is not appealing to either of us especially when we have to put our kids in school there. Yes I'll admit we're spoiled but I don't care. I know a lot of people who like it there and that's great. As for me... WA-HOO!!!
Thanks Hunny Bunny!!

Ryan

Happy Birthday Uncle Ryan!! We hope you have a GREAT day!!!

Haylee

Baby girl has taught herself the splits!! She is growing up so fast.
We all know I can't do girl hair to begin with, well Haylee keeps trying to push her bangs to the side like some girls she has seen. I told her "you have momma's forehead sweetie, you need bangs!" We have come to a compromise... at night she can push them to the side and before school she'll let me fix them down!!
I love her!!

Update on Jack

Haylee was so proud of Jack being able to walk that she took him dancing! He is walking like crazy and he even went on the scooter, nothing can stop this little guy!

Goodbye's

What an awesome week! It was amazing to see Mariette and the kids really bonded with her. We have decided to make this an annual event! She is back home with her family and everything went well as far as traveling.
There is no In-n-out or chocolate ice cream dipped cones, apparently they only have vanilla ice cream and when she found out we had chocolate dipped, watch out! We ate and ate and ate. I think we hit In-n-out three times!! LOL! Should I even admit that?!?!? She said she's not eating for a month!!
It was hard to say goodbye and Haylee and I had misty eyes on the way home but it was great nonetheless.

Thanks for coming Ma-we-yette!! Love Ya!!

Lunch

The kids love it when we have lunch with them, especially when daddy makes it also... JJ has this wink that he does, don't know why but we think it's hilarious and Brian loves to make fun of him :)