Tanner's 16

Tanner didn't really want to do anything for his 16th birthday but I believed he just had to, he's 16! So he invited Daniel, Michael, Karl, and Spencer to Lowe's Xtreme Air Sports, which is basically a big foam pit. They had a big trapeze, climbing wall, and trampolines. The boys had a great time. Unfortunately we went on President's Day and lots of other people had the same idea. We were the last ones they let in, shew!

Then we went to Zupa's for lunch which is Tanner's favorite eating place.

On Tanner's actual birthday, he shares it with his Grandpa Buddy, Grandma Marilyn, and George Washington. Grandpa Buddy was the only one available that day, so we went to their house for cheesecake.

Pintresting

(Created by the one and only Maddie Ostenson)

       Save the date! March nineteenth, two-thousand and twelve I am..... getting my braces off!!!! I am so delightfully anxious that I had to make a chain. Right now there are 29 links on it and it looks   f  o  r  e  v  e  r   long!! Now, you guys are probably thinking, 'why is this blog called pintresting, not brace face?' Well, I made this valentines chain that I found on pintrest that was absolutely adorable! No, I am not so excited for Valentines next year, so I made a chain counting down the 365 days, as my grandma thought. It is until my braces come off my teeth. Here it is!

Close-up...

 The Chain!!!!!

 Daisy is also SUPER excited.

          I've also discovered lots of other great crafts on pintrest! Here are a few.

A stylish headband...

A super adorable indian scarf...

and a super cute flowy vest...thing.

I know you guys are all thinking, 'Maddie is such a crafty, talented, creative girl.' but you have got to give my mom some credit for coming up with the title. Pintresting HEHE. Anyway! If you have not experienced pintrest before, you have to! It is so amazing! Have fun, you'll be hooked in seconds!

Valentine's Day

On Sunday I started thinking, "Wait, a minute, Seth is still in Elementary school, I wonder if he needs to bring Valentines." So I asked him and he said, "Yep." Maddie said she was on it, she just needed suckers. Good thing Seth has a creative and willing sister. So Monday (all the candy was pretty wiped out) we found mini suckers that she made work. They turned out really cute, it was an idea she got from pintrest. Then Seth mentioned on Monday night he also needed to bring a decorated box to school. Seth! He took a little canister I had and called it good.

 In Sixth grade, the school does a unit where they teach them 6-8 dances including the cha cha, waltz, Macarena (the important ones) :) Then they have the parents come to the school from 1-2 to watch and dance with their children. It's pretty fun. There are a couple of dances that the boys have to ask the girls to dance or vice versa. They have one minute to escort a girl out on the dance floor and everyone is included which is nice. There are a few more girls than boys so they can tap someone on the shoulder half way through to dance. Max was a little nervous about it but when it was over he said it was pretty fun. I can never get videos to upload or I would show the dance.

I Spy

Jon and I bought this piece of art when we first got married. We actually bought "Little Red Riding Hood" first then "Snow White" a year later. Our kids have grown up playing "I Spy" with it because there's a lot of detail. Now that the kids are older I forgot all about that game. Then the other day I came home and Maddie and Seth were playing it. 

Who Wants Cinnamon Rolls?

This recipe was found in the Friend Magazine in, I think the 1950's. My neighbor shared it with us for a Young Women's activity. It's super easy, yummy, and fast. Those are the descriptions I like before making something. :) It only takes 15 minutes to let them rise and 15 minutes to cook them. Here's the recipe.
Quick Cinnamon Rolls
1/2    C. Sugar
4 1/2 T. Yeast
3/4    C. Butter
2       C. Hot Water
Mix in mixer and let set for 15 minutes.

Then Add
3  eggs
2 1/2 t. salt
7 1/4 C. flour
Mix in mixer.
Roll out onto floured surface 1/2" thick. Spread 1/2 C. melted butter over dough. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon ( I don't have measurements for this, but the more you use the tastier it is. Probably like a cup of brown sugar and 1/4 C. of cinnamon?) Roll up dough to create a long tube. Use a long piece of thread to cut into 1" thick slices.  Place on cookie sheet. Bake 425 for 10-15 minutes. It made 25 when we did it.
Frost: 3 C. powdered sugar, 2-6 T. butter, 3/8 C. hot water.

New Year, New Start

It's really hard for me to get in the mood to deep clean. After I do it  I always feel so much better and think, "Why was I living like that?" For instance, I have lots of cupboards full of stuff that I never use. I've had these white dishes for probably 10 years, they're very inexpensive and never used. I finally got them out of the cupboard and took them to D.I. Ahhhhh.

 This cupboard is just full of CDs that I hardly listen to. I decided to put the ones I still like on my i-pod and clear out that space too.

 The pantry is what I really dread.  I set the timer on the microwave for 45 minutes and made a goal to be done by the time it went off. It took me that long just to get everything out. So, it was closer to two hours but I talked to the kids as they came home from school to get their snacks out of the pantry and it finally got done. Now I know what I have and what I need and where everything is. It's a good feeling.
Now, for the closets...maybe next January.

Jon's Birthday

Since we were in Idaho 3 days before Jon's 40th birthday, we had a party with his family then came back and had one with my family. The party never ends! Jon's mom got him some fun presents that Maddie and Calli made a treasure hunt for him to find. They were laughing while doing it and the reason why was because they made Jon go upstairs and downstairs 4 times. It was a good work out.

 Have to have an ice cream cake! Peanutbutter Playground.

 All day in Idaho and in Utah Jon would say "It's my birthday so I get to do..." So Maddie got him this balloon.

 We thought the neighborhood should know how old Jon is. As you can see we have NO snow. It was actually in the 60's. Crazy.

 We went to Wing Nutz and had a great dinner of wings, Jon's favorite!

Here's to another 40...50...60 years!!

Christmas in Idaho

 This year we decided to spend Christmas in Idaho. It's a little tricky to bring the presents but we managed to fit everything. For Christmas Eve we had a little program. We started with White Elephant gifts. I actually got new socks and so did Maddie so we did pretty well. There were some beauties! Then Jon's mom had us open her presents which were pajamas. We all got our pajamas on and had Grammy and Papa (Jon's grandparents) tell a couple of stories about Christmas when they were younger. Then we read Luke 2 and let the kids put the characters from the Nativity down. It was a nice evening. Jon's sister Becca and their family came and Jon's brother Michael and their family came. Also, Jon's brothers Tim and Ben. It was a full house. That's how we like it.

 Jon's mom also made us a "Movie Cuddle" blanket. It is warm and soft. The whole back is made out of minky. We got up about 7 which wasn't bad and opened presents. Church wasn't until 11 so we just took it easy, got ready and went to church. Jon's mom was in charge of the choir singing so Jon and Becca both sang in it. It was great!

The next day was beautiful so we went to the Idaho Falls temple and walked around. The visitor's center had different statues from the Life of Christ so that was nice. The cousins really enjoy being together.

Christmas Break

I walked passed the "computer room" the other day and this is what I saw...the backs of 7 boys' heads.

       "Boys, look at me!" Guess Seth didn't get the memo.

 Maddie's funny. She loves to stay busy!! I'm getting tired of trying to think of things for her to do. She was a big help with some neighbor gifts. We took around some paper plates and said "let us do the dishes for you." When Maddie handed people empty paper plates where they're expecting to see treats, she got some funny reactions. "Thanks for the...plates." Then they would read it and think it was great, hopefully.

Christmas Bunny

Maddie REALLY wanted a rabbit for Christmas. So much so that I had to yell at her to stop talking about it! She would follow me around telling me all about this rabbit she found in a shelter that would be put to sleep soon if she wasn't adopted. I told Maddie not to worry, someone would probably adopt her. Well, nobody did. Maddie knew this because she would email them everyday. Then, Jon says that it would be okay to get a rabbit. WHAT?! I knew once Maddie heard that we were doomed. I decided if Maddie could convince the boys to get rid of their lizards and she would share her rabbit with them then maybe we would get the rabbit. The boys agreed right away. WHAT? The boys were getting very tired of feeding them crickets everyday and so was I. So, Jon and Maddie drove to the shelter to get the rabbit. When Maddie walked in and asked about Daisy the rabbit, the lady said, "Are you Maddie?"

 Maddie's room is turning into a rabbit cage. Daisy is good at hopping into her cage to go to the bathroom and then playing in Maddie's room all day while she's at school. If you roll a ball in front of her she dives towards it and bats it away. I don't know if she likes playing ball or if it makes her really mad. Maddie is really good at cleaning her cage often and giving her lots of lettuce and carrots and apples and cardboard. Rabbits can pretty much eat anything. She's pretty cute.

One more belt

Max and David tested for their Oreo belt last week. It's called Oreo belt because...well, you can probably guess why. Now, he does a series of other tests to see if he's ready for his Black belt in March.

 Thought it was appropriate to buy him his own pack of oreos for doing such a good job!

Concerts

 Maddie is in Symphonic Band this year which means she's getting good and she gets to buy a dress. Grandma had to hem the skirt for her because it was a foot too long. She looks beautiful!

Max and Seth performed their songs for the school today. I didn't go because I already got to see them.:) They sing at a retirement home tomorrow and then between each grade at their school concert on Thursday. Then they're done. Fast year.

Westfield Singers/Festival of Trees

Max and Seth sing in the elementary school choir. This year one of their events to sing at was the Festival of Trees. When I saw that on the schedule it made me excited. I love the Festival! It's so beautiful and all the trees are donated for an auction and all the proceeds go to Primary Children's Hospital. It gets me in the Christmas spirit. They were scheduled to sing at 11:30 so Jon and I checked Maddie out of school at 9:30 (we asked Tanner but he didn't want to miss H.S., it's a little harder to catch up.) We got there and walked around and ate sweet rolls and scones.

                                               Here's the "gingerbread house" display.

 The Westfield Singers sounded So great! Max is on the top row right under Mrs. Curtis's hand. Seth is in the front row between the two boys that are a little shorter than he is. They played "Little Drummer Boy" with Boom Whackers, it was pretty cool. They also did a kazoo number. Pretty entertaining.

                                                  Maddie, pretty happy to have a day off.