Where the heck did February go???

This is a quick and definitely not all-inclusive glance back at our February. Lots of fun things filling up the schedule...

First up...our annual (most years anyway) Valentine's Day Party. It was a pretty packed house and Kallie told me it was loud and claustrophobic but overall it was a success (minus some of the big kids threatening to "beat-up" the little kids...seriously?!?).

I took pictures of most of the kids with their houses but I'm only going to post a few. Kallie- because she's my daughter.

Benson- because this one cracks me up.

Ethan- because I took two and he smiled the same in both :)

Heart Pizza from Papa Murphys.

Of course you guessed it...BINGO!

Valentine's morning I heard Kallie downstairs shuffling around in the kitchen. She came up and got all of us & made us close our eyes and surprised us with this! So cute & very creative! She is so totally & perfectly sweet almost all of the times these days. I love that girl!

Forgot to re-size this one (sorry)...isn't that face the greatest! This girl is almost always good for a huge smile and a giant hug and kiss. I love this girl!

Syd actually picked out the necklaces for both her and Kallie. I made her promise not to tell or I told her I would drive right back to the store and return them. Yay- the first secret she's ever kept (really).

Love THIS hair blog...as mentioned many times before. This one was a huge hit and it actually stayed in all day!

A few days later...the guests of honor who's birthdays are only one day apart. I couldn't help but have flashbacks to one year ago exactly when we celebrated their birthdays over dinner at our house, man alive what a year it's been! We love, love it when Aunt B and Uncle Corky park their motor home in Vegas for a few weeks! We had a great time with pizza (that they brought), presents, party hats and the pooch!

Sydney picked out Byrleen's present. She was sure Aunt B needed this clearance rack Valentine doggie from Target. Turns out Beau "loves" it a lot (if you know what I mean) and all the laughs they gotten from him trying to be frisky with the dog were definitely worth the $4 we paid for the dog!

Kallie picked out Corky's present and she was sure he needed a back scratcher. Luckily grandma Patti knew where we could pick one up and we got a bonus back massager too...score!

Corky's favorite b-day present was his Medicare card...can't you tell by the look of joy on his face?!?

Forgot to re-size this one too...if I wasn't quite so tired I'd go back and fix it. I thought this picture was so cute of Syd peeking around the cupboard playing with Beau. This little doggie is so happy...in my next life I want to be Byrleen's dog too :)

Dessert...the perfect ending to a fun night.

Just imagine a few more pictures from the Brad Paisley concert Dan and I went to for our anniversary. We had a GREAT time (in a total hick/white trash sorta way)! Thanks again Amy for babysitting. So much fun...and I was laughing that Dan knew almost every word of every song! I love that guy!

Used to...

I used to consider Amy one of my greatest friends. But today that ended. Click below to find out why. (Amy you WILL watch the whole thing you hear me, including the annoying commercial at the beginning)...

Click Here for the reason

Amy...I'm going to miss you. All because you said you weren't a fan...so sad.

(Growing up it was against the rules to say "just kidding", my parents hated it when people said that. So sorry mom & dad I'm going to say it...I'm just kidding about not being friends with Amy anymore :).

But yes, thanks (once again) to Craig's List, Dan and I are going to see him live next Saturday. The tickets are my anniversary/Valentine's Day gift to my cute hubby who thinks Brad Paisley is beyond hilarious and makes me listen to his songs a million times over at the office. I mean really, who wouldn't think a song about choosing your love of fishing over your wife isn't hilarious!?!

Not to be too cheesy, but over this last year (from you-know-where) I've truly realized that Dan is my whole life and my whole world. I guess I will dedicate that song to him (will that be cheesy?).

So I guess since I can't be friends with Amy anymore, I'll make her come to my house all the way from Idaho just to watch my girls for free while we go to the concert!

Young Women...

Today I fasted for these cute little Beehives that I work with in Young Women's. I haven't been in very long and I know these things take time, but how do I get to know them? I mean REALLY get to know them? How do I help our relationship reach a point that they would want to come hang out at my house or have a heart to heart talk about something that's bothering them?

Some of you have served faithfully with the Young Women's organization and I would really like some of your thoughts on how to get past the "casual" relationship. I feel like I can't really be an instrument in the Lord's hands if I have no idea what's really going on in these girls lives.

I really love working with them and spending time with them...that is why I want to truly be there for them and with them in the good times, the happy times, the hard times and the spiritual times.

How do I get to that point with them?

Happy 88th!

(Sorry these pictures are gigantic! I'm not sure what I did to them, but I'm too lazy to go change all of them. Hopefully your computer can handle it:)

Friday, January 29 was Dan's Grandma Sellers 88th birthday! One of the most fabulous things about living in Vegas is being close to Grandma and aunt Linda. We have loved being able to spend time with them and really build a relationship that is hard when you live far away.

Linda prepared a delicious feast for the whole gang...

No party is complete without the most annoying noisemakers you can find. I tried really hard to find party hats too, but if you can believe it- Walmart only had Transformer hats. Bummer! Grandma would have looked so cute with a noisemaker and a party hat!!!

Grandma's request for dessert...lemon! Most of you know that I love these little Pepperidge Farms cakes from the frozen section (probably because I could eat a whole one by myself). We had three to choose from...lemon, chocolate and coconut.

Wouldn't it have been great to really have 88 candles?!? Maybe we'll do that next year for #89.

This picture was actually taken a couple weeks ago when Dan's parents were in town for a visit. Dan's mom (Grandma Sherry) is standing in the back, Aunt Linda on the left and Grandma Sellers on the right. Love this picture!

Last (and certainly least) if any of you are interested in seeing some "professional" pictures of my running the race last weekend go HERE. Most of them are pretty hilarious. I either look like I'm crying or about to lay down and die (it was true actually). And little did I know that a tiny section of my belly was hanging out for all to see during most of the race. Pretty funny if you ask me!

Painters Half...

It happened. The half marathon that I've been talking about has come and gone. Saturday, January 23rd was the big day. And what a great day it was (seriously).

Rachelle Abbott, Amanda Parker and I were up and on the road at 5am sharp so we could be in St. George for the 9am start time (plus the 1 hr time change). It had been raining/snowing the night before but was dry and cold for the entire race.

Not making excuses, but I've been fighting an I.T. injury that happened during a short run on New Year's day. As of last Wednesday, I wasn't sure if the race was even a possibility. But after a physical therapy visit, a steroid injection in my knee (administered by he-who-shall-remain-nameless), and some good stretching on a foam roller I was able to make it through the Painter's Half Marathon.

Rachelle and I right before the race...look at all that bright sunshine :)

Rachelle finished at an AWESOME 1hr 55mins and I was trailing along behind (still happy) at 2hrs 12 mins. It was such a great experience and I'm totally up for another one (after my IT heals of course). Following the race we had a GREAT time playing the day away with lunch at Olive Garden, Pier One, Outlets, Movies (w/ popcorn of course), and ice cream on the way home (we had to replace all 1500 calories we had burned during the race :). A huge thank you to Rachelle and Lindsey for a fun lunch! And a huge thank you to my cute hubby for hanging out with the girlies for the day (lets just say the 'Squeakquel' was on their list).


And this perfect little note was waiting for me when I got home...

And your deep thought for the day is:

"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired." George Patton, 1912 Olympian

Disney...

So I just got online and read about the "Disney Day of Service" program they have going on right now. If you haven't read about it you should!!!

It's not a buy one get one free sorta deal...if you give service with one of their participating organizations you get a free day at Disney. Even kids over the age of 6 are eligible.

I checked out Las Vegas and there were 5 pages of organizations that are participating with Disney's Day of Service.

As far as I understand...our ENTIRE family can go to Disney for FREE after we go give our day of service! What a great opportunity to get involved in the community at the same time. We are TOTALLY doing it!!!

Just saying...you might want to be one of the first million people to check it out because I know a good stopping place on your way to California!!!

Contrary to what you might think...

We did celebrate Christmas this year. It just takes me forever to post things these days...why is that??? And contrary to what you might think...we did spend some great quality time with the Norris family, I just failed to take any photos of our time over there. But we love them A LOT just the same. I'll do better next year...

Christmas nativity scene...Cute Sadie kept whispering something in donkey Dan's ear over and over. At the end we asked Dan what she was saying and he told us she didn't say a word the entire time she just kept breathing really heavy in his ear :)

Every year for as long as I can remember we've had a talent show. We used to participate in the show but now we just take pictures of our kids showing off their talents. KayLynn took this picture and I thought the effect was so cool. James was showing us how fast he could stack his cups...I think we'll all agree that is pretty dang fast!!!

Kallie and Syd singing the "12 Dogs of Christmas"...each day was a different dog and on the 12th day "my true love gave to me...a CAT!" They learned it in choir class at their school. Notice their "NEW YORK" shirts from Grandma Sherry!

Grandpa's talent...getting kids all rialed up (how in the heck do you spell rialed???).

And look at that great Santa straight from the North Pole!!! Their faces crack me up and I love how she has to hold onto the chair so she doesn't fall to the floor.

What did Dave want for Christmas? A Wii!

Look at those cute PJs and even cuter fuzzy socks!

CHRISTMAS MORNING!!! I told the girls they couldn't get up until the clock said 7-0-0. Syd had to get up at 6:15 to go the bathroom and then proceeded to come into our room every 5 minutes after that saying..."Mom it's 6-2-3 can we get up now?" NO "Mom it's 6-3-1 can we get up now?" NO...you get the idea.

Look what Santa brought? Are you having flash backs to your childhood?

And the best present of all...a "go fish" game from the $1 aisle at Target. I haven't seen everyone laugh that hard for a long time! Of course I couldn't play because I was on the sidelines for HOURS assembling a Playmobil horse stall.

Coming soon...amazing photos from KayLynn from their visit to Vegas for New Years. Since KayLynn doesn't have internet right now she burned them on a disc for me to post. She got some good ones too...and hopefully it won't be a month before I actually get them on here :)

Why???

Why does it occasionally feel like Dan and I are sometimes the victims of random acts of crime? (Remember the car bombing in St. George???)

Why would somebody throw a cement brick paver through one of the windows at the office and steal some really random items out of Dan's lab? Why would anyone want a medical grade pressure pot and two dental articulators? Why is it not fair that Dan now gets a pressure pot for Christmas?

Why oh why oh why...didn't our ALARM GO OFF???

Why do I suddenly feel like I need to keep mace with me at the office since I'm there alone a lot? Why am I having second thoughts about all the late nights Dan spends working in his lab?

Why is my daughter drawing pictures of robbers climbing in the window...and why did my other daughter sleep in bed with us last night?

Why they didn't take some of the equipment/electronics that were far more valuable I'll never know....but I'm EXTREMELY grateful for how minimal the damage really was and that we're all safe and sound.

But seriously...a pressure pot and two articulators...WHY?

In case you wanted to know...

As mentioned in my last post...I came home from Utah feeling a little under the weather. Because of this, our suitcases made it as far as the floor in our bedroom and no further. And there they have sat, untouched unless someone needed to dig through them to find some long lost item, for exactly two weeks. Yes, it's true. For two weeks we've walked around them, stepped over them, shoved them to the side and stubbed our toes on them. But I figured that since they are going to be re-packed in one week to head back up to Grandma's house for Christmas...it is high time that they get cleaned out and put away. So today was the day!

Ahhhh...can you hear my sigh of relief. Suitcases gone! (Isn't rental carpet great :)

Last weekend I made a not-so-quick trip to Costco to do a little secret Christmas shopping. I came home with one of their fabulous gingerbread house kits. The girls were thrilled beyond belief and they didn't even complain about dividing the house right down the middle so they could each decorate half. During the celebration Kallie said, "Mom, this is a tradition because we do it EVERY year." I wanted to sing right then and there! I feel like we've moved around so much, and lived in so many places that traditions in the little Norris house are few and far between. I was so happy that in Kallie's mind...we do have one. Thank you Costco!

Kallie's Santa gingerbread man that she, somehow, got to stay on top of the roof!

(Pretend this picture is in focus ok...) Please notice the "PEEPERS" on Kallie's hand. They were selling them at their school for a mere Four Dollars! Kallie told me that her teacher said they used to have them at the dollar store but they don't any more. Hopefully one of their programs at school is benefiting from a $3 profit on each set of peepers. I'm hoping to see some new playground equipment coming soon :) But Kallie & Syd were dying to have some and they did many chores to earn the money for them....as long as they're happy, I'm happy!

And for any who care...I ran again yesterday after taking two and a half weeks off due to illness. I rolled my lazy, tired body out of bed and thought I heard rain drops. I said to myself, "there is no way in heck I'm running if it's raining." And of course, I was secretly hoping it WAS raining so I could climb back in my warm cozy bed for an extra hour. But, no such luck...not even a drop on the sidewalk. So I headed out and had no sooner left the front gate of the neighborhood when I felt a drop...by the time I got down the street I was getting poured on. This can't be good for the congestion I'm trying to get over :) But, there was only one thing to do...keep going and run home! Funny how motivating a looming half marathon that you've already paid for is...even on a Saturday...even in the rain!

Sick...

I came home from our trip to Utah feeling like C R A P to put it mildly. I totally jinxed myself when I told my family on Saturday that I almost never get sick. Diane said..."don't say that out loud, knock on wood." But not me, I continued on.."No really, I almost never get sick."

Could it possibly be the yucky something that's been making it's way through Dan's parents household (Lanny...Sherry...Zane...Jamey).

Who knows, but I was just wondering if you think Ibuprofen and Robitussin are considered a well balanced breakfast?!?

For Adrie...

So a few people have informed me that I've been slacking on my blog lately. No, I didn't die. No, I'm not in the hospital with the swine flu. No, I'm not pregnant (unfortunately). No, I'm not laying on the beach on a tropical island. No, I'm not off cleaning my house. No, I'm not doing a million things that I should be doing.

But...Yes, my girls have been off track for an entire month. Yes, this "break" messed with our schedule a little. Yes, I'm extremely grateful to all of you who helped us out during our time of need :) Yes, Dan and I did stay at the office until 11pm every night while our girls were gone. Yes, we are crazy busy at the office. Yes, that's a good thing. Yes, I did get called as YW second counselor. Yes, this is going to be a time consuming calling. Yes, I am willing to serve wherever the Lord wants me. Yes, time has been flying by at warp speed and I'm not doing very good at keeping up at that pace.

So...I've repented and hopefully we'll be seeing a little bit more of each other :) The kids going back to school tomorrow should help right?!?

We just got back from a visit to Utah for Thanksgiving. We conned KayLynn into snapping a few photos of our little family, bless her heart (in a mother-in-law voice). The REAL photo is going to be mailed in a Christmas card (I'm determined to do one this year). But, I thought I would share a few of the "bloopers" with you...

You remember being grossed out when your parents kissed...

Syd's face made me laugh in this one...

Hold that pose...

This one's not really a blooper...thought it was kinda cute actually!

He must have had stinky breath or something :)

Now...in the last year or so, many of you have moved (like us), and I've gotten back in touch with some old friends. Needless to say my address book needs serious updating and I would love to add you to my X-Mas list. If you are at all interested in getting a Christmas card from us...please leave me your address or email it to me at norrisbunch@yahoo.com. Even if you think I should have your address, have mercy on this crazy lady and send it to me again!!! Thanks!

Be afraid...be very afraid!

Cheetah Girl (gone a little wrong) costume and hair both courtesy of Diane. Truthfully, it was a little alarming how easily my hair got this big (yes I'm having jr. high flashbacks). Sorry if this picture frightens your small innocent children.

More photos of Halloween (and the entire month of October) coming soon!!!