The McMillans

Coming this weekend!

2011-11-17T12:29:00.001-07:00

Cowgirl Myla and her 5th Birthday

2011-06-12T16:49:00.006-07:00

Wanted: for felony cuteness and random spouts of sass. This couldn't be more true. This girl has both. For her birthday she wanted to celebrate cowgirl style...and so we did! It was a great time and her friends from school and our neighborhood came. We made cowgirl necklaces, ate a bunch of junk food, decorated cupcakes, painted fingernails and bossed around the mom (yeah, that's me). Myla was in heaven.

The Cowgirl

For her birthday Myla got her own room with a new bed. She was so excited. We've had the three kids in the same room for awhile. It's a pretty big room and they wanted to be together. But its time for the girl to get her own girl room. She loves it and so do I.

Teacher Hope

Myla just finished MELP (pre-K) and adores her teachers: Teacher Hope and Teacher Cece. She will be a big kindergartener next year. Her teachers were awesome and she is so excited to go to kindergarten.

Myla with Teacher Cece

Myla is also in dance and had her big recital a few weeks ago. They did a sleeping beauty number and a pirate tap dance. So cute!

Myla is 2nd from the left doing her sleeping beauty.

Myla at 5:
* determined
* sweet
* sassy
* so smart
* observant
* loves getting into makeup
* hates getting her hair done (by me anyway)
* loves swimming and playing t-ball
* loves her daddy and grandparents
* has tea parties and loves to paint nails
* loves helping mom in the kitchen
* wants a puppy (not gonna happen)
* is very social and loves playing with friends
* best friend in Kaitlyn from MELP
* is ready for kindergarten!!

The Gavman turns 3!

2011-06-12T16:32:00.003-07:00

Gavin is 3!! Where has the time gone!?! June is a big and busy birthday month for us, and Gavin kicks it off with his birthday. We had a little party at a small splash pad with Gavin's friends and cousins and we had so much fun! I wish I caught more pics. I managed an unblurry one of the birthday boy.

Gavin:
* so sweet
* makes goofy faces
* is charismatic
* talks non-stop
* loves joy school (on summer break)
* misses his "fwens" when we leave joy school
* loves his brother and sister and copies everything they do
* loves to say and do stuff to make us laugh
* can be bribed to do anything with the promise of apple juice
* loves swimming and riding his tricycle
* is obsessed with Thomas and all things train
* loves his daddy and is so excited when he comes home
* is about to move to a big boy bed
* loves to hold up his three fingers and say "I am freee!" when asked how old he is
* is mommy's little buddy when the older kids are in school

We're still here...

2011-05-13T16:28:00.002-07:00

Wow am I a lousy blogger. I go through phases, and this was a down for me. Obviously. :) Since there is way too much to catch up on, here is what we have been up to recently. Baseball and t-ball. Fun, fun, fun. The kids loved it. The parents...loved and loathed it. It was so fun to watch the kids. But at 2 games per kid per week for 6 weeks we are ready to get back to normal life. And we only had 2 kids in it. I can't imagine how it is for families with more than that. Anyway, their coaches were fantastic and we are so grateful for their efforts! I'm sure it's not easy. Here are some shots of the kiddos in actions:

Ok, I can't upload pics right now. I guess blogger is being silly today. But I've typed this out, so darnit I'm posting it. :) I'll try again later.

And in other super exciting news: KEVIN GOT A NURSING JOB! Yes, I shouted that. He graduated exactly a year ago, so we've been trying for awhile now. It's a great opportunity with a great company. He starts May 31st and he is thrilled. Have you ever seen Kevin thrilled? Let me tell you, it's quite a sight. :) Our summer vacation plans had to be put on hold, but it's completely worth it. He'll be doing a paid internship with a 95% chance of being hired full-time after that. It's perfect for him.

Gavin is loving joy school and loves his friends. Everytime we leave he says, "I miss my friends." It's been such a wonderful thing for him and I've really enjoyed my time with the other 2 year olds. They are such amazing little people.

Cade and Myla are loving school. They have less than 2 weeks left and then summer vacation!! We have fun things planned and I'm just looking forward to spending time with my kiddos, sleeping in a little, and not being a taxi for 8 weeks. :)

Woo Hoo!!

2011-01-20T11:41:00.004-07:00

We just received wonderful, fantastic, awesome news!! Kevin took the NCLEX yesterday, and, thanks to modern technology, we already know that he passed! He is now an official, full-fledged RN. He has been working so hard the past months studying. Yesterday he came home from the test happy. That was a good sign. Then today, when I was checking the Arizona Board of Nursing website, there it was! He passed! I won't lie, I cried a tear or two, or lots. I'm so proud of him!

SOOC New Years Eve

2011-01-09T10:53:00.003-07:00

Straight Out Of Camera Saturday (or in my case, Sunday) hosted by Marvelous Mommy:

This was taken on New Years Eve. We got some fireworks to light and the kids loved watching them. Well, all the kids except Gavin. He was not a happy camper. A double ear infection will do that to you.

I've got a case of PCD

2011-01-03T10:30:00.004-07:00

Post Christmas Depression, that is. Do you ever get it? It's kind of crazy, after all our family left and most of the holiday decor was put away, a wave a sadness hit me. Where did Christmas go this year?? I feel like I barely got to enjoy it. With all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season -- ward parties, family parties, shopping, school events, baking, trips to the ER and winter illnesses, along with normal living, it was just insane. I didn't take one picture on Christmas day. Not one. I was just too exhausted and overwhelmed to even think about the camera. In fact, after all the presents were opened and grandparents visited, we trudged home and crashed on the couch and watched movies. It was so nice to just do nothing.

And then the whole family got sick and the PCD set in. I don't know. I know this is kind of a depressing post, but it does inspire me to do some things different for next year, so it's not SO busy that we just get overwhelmed and really lose the true meaning of Christmas. I love Christmas and busyness of it. That's what makes it special, cramming in so many activities and spending extra time with loved ones and friends and baking and shopping. I love that stuff. So what was different this year?? I'll have to think about that.

On a brighter note, we had an awesome New Years Eve. My mom came over and we watched movies and played Rock Band. Then, around 11pm, Kevin's family rolled into town. Ron, Lynn, Aubrey, Aiden and Oliver spent the weekend here and we had a blast. We went to the movies, played at Jump and Shout, rode our scooters, and ate yummy food. We are so glad they came to visit.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-22T17:25:00.002-07:00

This Christmas we wish you all peace, joy and love. As cliche as it sounds, we really do mean it! We rejoice in the true meaning of this season, Jesus Christ. It has been interesting this year, teaching our children that we are celebrating Jesus and not Santa Claus and presents. They have grasped it in a way that has humbled and amazed me. This time of year is truly magical. Merry Christmas!

Snippets

2010-11-27T19:12:00.005-07:00

Just some snippets of the McMillan kids:

Super sweet Gav. Love this kiddo!

Ever wish you knew what your kid was thinking??

She'll do anything to make us laugh!

This is how Myla came home one day from preschool. There was a face painting center where they got to pain their own faces. She got pretty...artistic. It took some scrubbing (and lots of Myla tears), but it finally came off.

Favorite past time - jumping off the couch. Most of the time I'm nagging them to quit jumping on the couch, but they were having a great time and were getting along. I chose to not fight the battle this day. :)

I went in to check on the kids before I went to bed and found Cade like this, covered in chocolate (at first I wasn't sure what it was and was relieved when I smelled chocolate instead of poo). We wouldn't let him have a cookie right before bed and it seems he took matters into his own hands. Cade stole the cookie from the cookie jar and forgot to eat it before he fell asleep. It was in crumbs all over and around him.

Long time no see!

2010-11-08T13:39:00.005-07:00

I am so behind on blogging that I don't even know where to start! Do I go back over the past 4 months and try to catch up or do I just start now? Right now I'm just choosing to start now. :)

Family pictures! I love family pictures. We haven't had them taken since Gavin was 6 months old. Seeing that he is 2 now, we thought it was time. Here's some picture overload:

When Life Slows Down

2010-09-08T22:25:00.003-07:00

Lately, all my time has gone to three things: my sweet family, my new job (creating curriculum and lesson plans), and trying to keep my house from becoming a hazard to our health (I'm not sure I'm succeeding there.). I have no time to blog, no time to watch my favorite shows, no time to work out and barely any time to sleep. Life is good. We like being busy. We feel very blessed right now with the way things are working out in our life. I'll get the hang of our new schedule soon and then I'll get back to my favorite pasttimes. So here are some things I want to blog about when life slows down:

End of summer fun stuff
Cade starting Kindergarten
Myla starting MELP and preschool
Me teaching Language Arts/English at a small charter school
Gavin's cuteness
Kevin's radness or raddness (I type it both ways and I can't decide which it is)
Our super fun trip to Utah
Jay and Anna's wedding
A few fun recipes to share
Birthdays
Mommy Moments

Kroger Giftcard Winner

2010-08-06T12:10:00.003-07:00

Julie is the winner! She said:

No kids in school yet. However, I'm looking forward to joy school with my dd.

Congrats Julie! My friends are starting a joy school too. Hope yours goes great!

Sum-Sum-Summertime

2010-08-05T11:02:00.007-07:00

Summer is coming to a close. We have mixed feelings about it around here. The kids are SO excited to start school, but it's been fun to play and sleep in and not stick to much of a schedule. So, what have we been up to this summer? Our summer began by hanging out with the UT McMillan cousins! It was such a treat. Ryan and Aubrey and their two sweet boys came and stayed a week. It was a week jam packed with swimming, Chuck E Cheese, bbq's, splash park, and more swimming.

Aiden and Cade

Gavin and Ollie

I found my point and shoot camera and I was a little excited to see what was on it. It's been awhile. I love this picture. Could he get any cuter??

Um, who is that? Not my husband. :)

We went to Jump and Shout at Riverview several times. The kids love that place. As do I. It's air conditioned, the kids get out and exercise and it's very family friendly. What's not to love?? They have special family days where admission is discounted. Perfect!

Slip n Slides

What do you do when you don't have a pool? Bust out the slip n slide!

Seeing Lifehouse and Daughtry with my mom and sister.

(A highlight of my summer!)

Swimming with friends!

Playing in the monsoon rains.

Celebrating National Cheesecake Day!
This was a very yummy and easy cheesecake. I got the recipe here.
The only thing I did different was double the crust and make the crust from graham crackers instead of chocolate cookie crumbs. It's a must try.

Hope you all enjoyed your summer!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway. It ends tonight!

Back to School $25 Kroger Giftcard Giveaway

2010-07-29T18:39:00.004-07:00

Can you believe it's that time already?? Around here, we have less than two weeks before school is in session. My oldest is starting kindergarten and I've got a huge case of the school jitters...and I'm not even the one starting school! Anyway, we've been doing some back to school shopping here and there. I've found that history definitely repeats itself. Cade, faced with a zillion cool backpacks to choose from, chooses a Super Mario Brothers backpack. He's all about Mario these days. He even told me he will name one of his ten (yes, TEN) kids Mario. I have to giggle.

I digress...

Coming up on August 8th through August 21st, Kroger stores (Fry's around here) will be having an "Add Up the Savings" Event where you can stock up on all your favorite General Mills and Kimberly Clark items. (If you're anything like me, you need to know that those items include brands like: Cheerios, Huggies, Yoplait Yogurt, Pillsbury cookies and biscuits, Kleenex, Betty Crocker brownies, Cottonelle and Lucky Charms.) When you buy 8 of the participating items you'll receive $4 off. All you couponers, get your coupons ready!

On top of that, be sure to take advantage of the special Bonus Box Tops offer. All you have to do, if you haven't already, is sign up at www.rewardyourschool.com. Once you register, you automatically get 5 bonus box tops. You will also receive custom offers for box tops for buying participating items. These offers are:

* Buy any 4 Box Tops items and get 10 Bonus Box Tops

* Buy any 8 Box Tops items and get 25 Bonus Box Tops

The offers you select are loaded directly onto your Kroger Shopping Card to be redeemed once you purchase the item. They go directly to the school of your choice, so you don't have to clip and save anything. I like that feature because I can't pretty much assure you they would never get to the school.

Okay, still with me? Now is the fun part: the $25 Kroger gift card giveaway! To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment. Any old comment. Need ideas? How are you feeling about school starting? Happy? Sad? A little of both? What do you do to prepare? How do you deal with the Mommy school jitters? What do you do with all your "free time" once the kids are in school? (Funny, huh? I've gotten that question a few times.)

You have until Thursday, August 5th, 11:59pm to enter. Good luck! I look forward to checking out all the back to school blogging that will take place. :)

** General Mills, Kimberly Clark and Kroger Foods provided the giveaway gift card through MyBlogSpark.

Camping 2010

2010-07-17T13:59:00.006-07:00

I haven't been a very good blogger lately. This summer has been busy! Kevin and I have been working a lot more this summer, so it's been crazy. We decided we wanted to get out of town for a weekend so last weekend we went on a campout with my brother and sister and their families. It was so fun! We haven't been camping since Cade was a baby, and it had been too long. We threw this little camping trip together last minute. We went up to Canyon Creek where we used to camp as kids. It was perfect. There weren't a lot of other campers and the weather was great. Here are some pics of the fun:

The McMillans

The Haws's

The Webbs

All the Webb cousins

Playing at the creek

Cade

Kevin and Gavin

Gavin on the swing

Cade on the swing

Myla on the swing

I have so many other pictures, but it takes so long to upload these days. Maybe I'll get around to uploading more soon.

I learned a few things this camping trip:

* Pack double the clothes for the kids you think you'll need.

* Don't make your daughter go to the bathroom behind a tree instead of the outhouse in the middle of the night when she has never done it before...even if there is a random bear roaming the woods. She'll inevitably get her pjs totally wet. That is where packing double the clothes for the kids comes in.

* I really don't like sleeping in a sleeping bag. Claustrophic feeling. I do really like sleeping on top of one though.

* A little rain is heavenly. A lot of rain, combined with windshield wipers that bust in the middle of the storm while driving down the winding highway, can be almost disastrous.

* Just when you think you can't get any dirtier, you can.

* Just when you think you can't have more fun, you can.

* Just when you think you can't love your family any more, you can.

* Just when you think you can't be attacked by any more gigantic beatles while trying to play games at night, you so can!

* Just when you think you can't possibly laugh any more, you can.

The Princess Turns 4

2010-06-29T20:44:00.003-07:00

2010-06-15T09:25:00.002-07:00

This is my baby...who isn't such a baby anymore! Gavin turned the big 2 recently and we had a great time celebrating him.

A few tidbits about Gavin:
* He is so independent. We have to keep a really good eye on this kid because he just wants to run. He doesn't really care if mom or dad is around. He's outta here.
* Gavin doesn't really say much yet. But he definitely knows how to communicate. He says a few words on his own: down, no, stop, mama, cheese. You know, all the important words. But mostly we hear: na na na na na. Gavinese.
* Gavin loves his brother and sister. Anything they are doing he wants to be doing. It's sweet. And they are so good about playing with him.
* We've been doing Mommy and me swimming lessons and he likes it. He doesn't want to do anything we ask him to do, but he likes being in the water and roaming around.
* We moved all the kids into one room because Gavin was so sad about being left out. Every night, at bedtime, we'd put Gavin in his room downstairs and he'd make the saddest little cry as the rest of us walked upstairs to our rooms. I'm so glad we moved him up with everyone else. Now his room is the playroom and all the toys are in there.

On Gavin's birthday we went up to a cabin in Pine with about 4 other couple friends of ours. They brought their youngest kids, who happen to be Gavin's friends. All girls and so cute. We brought balloons and stuff and celebrated a little up there. The next day, when we got home, we had a family dinner with cake and ice cream.

Trying to wrangle two year olds into sitting still for a picture is fun. :)

Here we are after all the kiddos are put to bed. We played games and laughed and had a great time. It was nice to get away for a bit. Thanks Picketts!

Cade's Celebration

2010-05-27T12:06:00.003-07:00

Today we went to Cade's preschool celebration. The kids sang songs and we watched a DVD of the year. It was kind of emotional. Cade has had so much fun and has learned so much this year. He is ready for kindergarten. He told me the other day, "Mom, I'm going to kindergarten and that makes me happy. But I'll be gone from you all day and that makes me sad." That is exactly how I feel too. But we still have the summer and we will enjoy it to the fullest! Here are some pics of the day:

Cade and Friends singing songs

Gavin and Myla watching the show

Cade and Shayna
Cade says he's going to marry Shayna when they are grown ups. So cute!

Cade and Cole

Cade with his teachers, Teacher Cece and Teacher Hope
I couldn't ask for better teachers. They were amazing. They sincerely loved these kids.

Myla's Preschool Graduation

2010-05-20T13:06:00.004-07:00

Myla completed her first year of preschool at Tiny Footsteps Preschool. She loved it! Yesterday was her super cute graduation. The kids all sang a couple of songs they learned during the year. Then each child was called up to receive their diploma. They told how old they were and what they wanted to be when they grew up. Myla said she wanted to be a mom. So sweet! Usually she says she wants to be a dinosaur. Hmmm, maybe that's in the same category as a mom in her mind. :)

Myla receiving her diploma from Ms. Lisa.

Myla loves her Aunt Jamie and loved that Jamie was her teacher too!

Myla with her other teacher, Lisa.

Myla and her cousin Bradley (or as Myla calls him, Brabley). They got to be such good friends. See that cute book Bradley is holding? Each child got their very own book with pictures and things they colored. They also got a DVD of their school year. Very fun!

Tiny Footsteps Preschool is registering for next year. They are holding two day classes and three day classes. Go here for more information!

Little Ballerina

2010-05-20T12:48:00.003-07:00

Myla had her dance recital last weekend. She did a fantastic job! She was really nervous, but she did it anyway. I wish I could include pictures of her whole group. They were so cute! But I didn't have permission from the other parents. Here are a few of Myla:

Myla in her tap costume.

Myla in her ballet costume.

We are so glad we put Myla in dance. She LOVES her dance teacher and she LOVES dancing. She's showing me her moves all the time and tells me she's going to teach me how to dance. :) She already can't wait until the next session starts in the fall.

Kevin's Graduation

2010-05-20T09:46:00.003-07:00

Kevin graduated!! Kevin successfully completed the nursing program at Scottsdale Community College. All he has to do now is pass the nursing boards and he will be a full-fledged RN! We are so proud of Kevin and all the hard work he has put into his schooling. Here are a few pics of the pinning ceremony.

The processional

Receiving his pin. They did a pretty cool thing here. They told a little bit about each graduate and what their future goals are. It was sweet.

Handsome graduate

I've learned a few things about Kevin throughout this whole schooling process.

* He's not a complainer. Kevin's first clinical rotation was in a long-term care facility (nursing home). Basically he changed diapers all day. Adult diapers. Crappy job. (Ha ha) But not once did I hear him complain. Not once! In fact, I had to ask what he did at the nursing home. He just does his job without complaint. I admire that. Because, believe me, I'd be complaining about changing poopy adult diapers.

* Kevin really loves his kids. Like really a lot. He didn't like being away from them so much. He made every minute count that he was with them.

* Kevin very rarely stresses out. He gets busy. Most of the time there were four or five different important things he needed to focus on, but he rarely gets stressed.

* Kevin was called to be the Elders Quorum president in our ward about two weeks before he started nursing school. He also worked 20-30 hours a week at his regular job. And he has a family. He was really worried that he wouldn't be able to give everything 100%. There were times when one job had to be put on the backburner so he could focus on the others. I know he has given his very best effort in all things. He had almost no free time. He was going, going, going. Always. He had endless amounts of energy. There were many times when I sat in awe of everything he was trying to do. We know that the Lord was strengthening him. And we are so thankful for that.

* Working hard is good for the soul. And for a family. I've said this many times throughout the past several years, but I'll say it again: Anything worth having has to be worked for, sacrificed for. Kevin has proven that.

* I always knew this about Kevin, but he is a very compassionate person...especially for a guy. He'd worry about patients long after he worked with them. He'll make a great nurse.

* Kevin is good at a lot of things, which is why it took so long to really find a major that he wanted to stick with. This came in handy during nursing school. For projects and presentations he'd write scripts, make movies and put all that computer knowledge to work. (Before nursing, Kevin's majors were computer graphics, screenwriting, drafting and pharmacy.)

2010-05-11T12:08:00.003-07:00

Let's Get Personal

2010-04-24T22:18:00.006-07:00

It's 11:00 on a Saturday night. My kids and hubby are snoring away in their beds. I'm listening to some Brandi Carlile while catching up on my favorite blogs and enjoying the breeze through my window. Down time. Nice. I haven't done one of these in a while and saw it on this blog. Remember when tagging was all the rage in blogging? Anyway, I like these questions. They go beyond "Who did you talk to last on the phone?" and "Chocolate or vanilla?" So feel free to play along. Or not. We are pretty laid back around here. :)

1. When do you feel happiest? When my life is balanced. As much as it can be balanced.

2. How do you take care of yourself? As most adults know, when you have limited time, limited money, many responsibilities and precious little people depending on you, you have to pick and choose the best way to take care of yourself. I choose to buy fabric. It's that simple for me right now. Why? I love the process of finding fabric. I love the colors, the smells, the textures, the patterns. I love combining fabrics for a unique look. I love deciding what I want to create from the fabric. And when I buy fabric it's mine and only mine. No one else cares about the fabric I choose but me.

3. Are you internally (by yourself) or externally (by others) motivated? A little of both. I prefer to think that I'm inspired by others' successes and ideas. But the older I get the more I am internally motivated. I think that comes from knowing more what I want to accomplish in life and knowing what things don't fit into my ideals.

4. What do you do for fun? House cleaning. Just kidding! Have you seen my house lately?

I love fun. Isn't fun, fun? What movie is that from? Anyway, there are different kinds of fun. I'll break it down for you:
Kid fun: playing in the water, tickle time, looking through old pictures, dancing to Mamma Mia
Kevin fun: Talking. (These days we are lucky if we even get to have one conversation during the day, but I do love talking to Kevin.) Playing Super Mario Brothers on Wii together.
Girl fun: sewing nights, midnight showings, talking
Me fun: listening to music, reading, fabric shopping, sewing, vegging in front of the TV

5. What intimidates you? Supermoms. I will never be one. I'm not really going for the Supermom title, but sometimes I wonder what I'm missing. What is it about me that can't keep it all together? I'm not looking for any psychological advice. I'm not really worried about it.

6. What is something you're proud of? My family. My heritage. I'm proud of my wonderful, hardworking, talented grandparents who passed down their wisdom, their faith and their beautiful qualities. I'm proud of lovely parents. I would not be who I am without them...all of them. I'm proud of my brothers and sister and the lives they have created (with the amazing people they married) for themselves and their families. I'm so proud of my husband and the good man that he is. He is hardworking and kind and tries so hard to do the right thing. He has taught me so much. I am so proud of my beautiful children. I'd like to take credit for the amazing little people they are. But I can't. They are the way they are.

7. Finish this sentence. I never make my bed. I don't. There, my dirty little secret is out.

8. Favorite vacation spot. California. Hopefully someday we'll be able to expand our travels to experience more of the world than the southwest.

9. Today is a (rate from 1 - 10). To be honest, I'd rate it a 4. I'm glad it's over. I won't bore you with the details. :)

10. Finish this sentence. If you knew me really well you'd know that I'm a worrier. I'll probably have an ulcer in a couple of years. If Kevin is home 15 minutes late I've already got his funeral planned. If one of my kids cries for an unknown reason I'm convinced they have some crazy disease. I'll analyze a conversation I've had with a friend over and over again to make sure I didn't say anything offensive. I worry about the future. I worry about the past. I worry. It's annoying. I wish I didn't worry as much.

So there you go. This is my fun on a Saturday night. I was hoping to cuddle up with Kevin and watch Avatar. But since he hasn't slept for 28 hours I'm thinking sleep is more important that watching a bunch of blue people run around a jungle. On a side note about Avatar, have you heard that there is a hotline for people who are depressed that they can't live on Pandora? There's a hotline for everything these days. I need a hotline for people who can't figure out how to get their almost two year old to sleep through the night. And on that note, the Gavman needs his mom. Good night!

Giveaway Winner

2010-04-23T07:49:00.002-07:00

The winner of the Simplify your Life giveaway is Aubrey! She says: Here is my favorite snack for kids: Sliced apples, a gogurt, and string cheese.

Thanks for all your ideas and suggestions for healthy snacks. It's nice to try a new thing or two. Don't forget to grab your coupon for a free box of Simply...GoGurt. (For friends who live around here, I found Simply...GoGurt at Albertsons. They may have it at other stores now, but when I checked a couple of weeks ago they didn't.)

The Final Countdown

2010-04-21T23:46:00.003-07:00

Do you have the Europe song in your head now? I do...in all it's '80's glory. :)

Like the cap and diploma made out of Lego? It just screams Kevin. Once he sees this he'll probably put it on his list of things he wants to build with Lego. That list is getting pretty long. :)

The day is coming. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter. Kevin is almost breathing a final sigh of relief. He has three weeks until he graduates! He has taken his finals and finished lecture. Now he just needs to complete three weeks of a preceptorship at Mayo clinic and then he graduates. After than he'll still have to take the NCLEX to get his RN license, but the majority of the work is done. He's done a fantastic job and I'm so proud of him.

MySpace-Countdowns

Simplify Your Life giveaway

2010-04-15T13:01:00.008-07:00

GoGurt....one of the best creations invented for the modern mom. I love that I can throw a few frozen GoGurts in my diaper bag and pass them out to the kids on the run. Yoplait, through MyBlogSpark, sent a free coupon to try out their latest product, Simply...GoGurt. Simply...GoGurt is made from simple ingredients and doesn't have all the added stuff we don't like, like high fructose corn syrup or artificial flavors or colors. We tried it out this morning and I got the official thumbs up from Cade and Myla. They are all about yogurt. We go through it pretty quickly around here.

The great thing is that Yoplait has provided a link for 30 readers to get a coupon to try Simply...GoGurt for free. So if you are one of the first 30 people to click on the Free Yogurt tab below you'll get a coupon for a free package. After the 3o coupons are shared there will be a new link for $1.10 off coupon.

Yoplait, through MyBlogSpark, sent this great "Simplify Your Life" prize pack that includes a pocket Etch-a-Sketch, backseat organizer and and pretty little weekly organizer. They have also provided one to give away to you!

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment sharing some wholesome snacking tips for the kids. Giveaway closes Thursday, April 22nd at 11:59pm.

To the ballgame

2010-04-08T06:52:00.003-07:00

There's just something adorable about watching 5 year olds trying to play t-ball. Some of them kinda get it. Most of them don't. But they have fun. (Although the enthusiasm over the treats at the end of the game makes me think that's what they really look forward to.) Cade got to play first base last night and really had no idea what to do with all these balls that were coming his way or the kids running their little hearts at towards him. Most of the time he just moved out of the way. When he hit the ball he kindly took the bat back to the dugout and then trotted leisurely to first base. Like I said, pretty adorable!

School Pictures I'm Happy About!

2010-04-07T13:13:00.006-07:00

At the beginning of the school year Cade came home with an order form for school pictures. I was floored at the prices for one pose of not-so-great pictures. I was so excited when I learned that Jenna Jameson was offering Better School Pictures for a fantastic price. She was scheduled to take pictures of Myla's preschool class, so I arranged for her to take Cade and Gavin's pictures too. I'm so glad it worked out! Check some of them out:

Myla's preschool class

And I just had to include a picture of the cute way she packaged the CD. Such a sweet personal touch!

E-day

2010-04-05T21:45:00.004-07:00

Here are a few pics from the day. I only got a few of Myla, and she was scowling in every one of them, so they didn't make the cut. :)

Waiting for the eggs to be hid.

Easter Basket Hat

Gavin thought this was the best part. He didn't really care about the eggs.

At one point he was running toward Grandma Cat and giggling with the bucket over his eyes.

Gavin with my Grandma.

They kids got these cute gummy bunny teeth. They loved them.

Sister Shoutouts

2010-04-01T09:35:00.005-07:00

Check out the new Royalty Bowtique created by Nicki and her friend, Erin. There are tons of cute accessories for your little boy or girl. Capes, tutus, bracelets, hair bows...so much fun! Great prices and quality product. They are having a giveaway to kick off their grand opening! You can also catch Nicki on Etsy!

My sis-in-law, Jamie, is now registering for preschool for the 2010-2011 school year. She will be offering two different preschool classes this year. Go here to get all the lovely details. Myla has LOVED preschool with Miss Jamie and Miss Lisa this year. They make learning so fun. She always comes home with art projects and learning sheets and stories to tell about outside time or what her friend said. I love it! It has been so wonderful for Myla. I love that there are two teachers. Double the fun!

2010-04-01T08:35:00.003-07:00

The winner of the Spring Treats prize pack is Jill!

She said:

My favorite spring/summer time treat is fresh watermelon. Oh my gosh, I could eat a whole melon all by myself. Yummers!

Mmmm, watermelon is my favorite too. I could live off of watermelon during the summer. I can't wait until they are in season. Congrats Jill!

Thanks for all of your great spring baking recipe ideas! It was so fun reading them. Have a wonderful Easter weekend.

Spring Baking

2010-03-26T08:18:00.004-07:00

Spring cleaning? Bleh. Spring baking? Yay! I love baking. My quiet, Christie place is in the kitchen baking up some sweet treat. (Now I need to figure out how to bake without eating the product. That's a tough one.) In the past couple of weeks I've made Lemon Cream cupcakes (my favorite!), tried out this awesome carrot cake recipe (very rich - yummy!), and intend to bake up some Key Lime Pie cupcakes for Easter (if you like Key Lime Pie even a teensy little bit, you must try this recipe).

I love finding new recipes. I have a variety of websites and blogs that I look at for inspiration and direction. Baking from scratch is something I enjoy, but I am also so glad there are quicker options out there. There is a new website called Bake Sweet Memories that has some great spring recipe ideas for fun desserts using Betty Crocker cake, cookie and brownie mixes. There is a cute Easter Bunny cake that I think the kids would love.

For sewing night last night I decided to try out the Spring Fruit Pizza. Very good and very easy!

The best part is that Safeway (and family of stores) is having a fantastic sale on Betty Crocker products. Now through April 6th, Betty Crocker cake mixes and traditional brownie mixes are on sale for $0.69 each when you buy 4. You can also download coupons directly to your Safeway card from the Bake Sweet Memories website. I love that option because I can never remember my coupons.

Safeway and Betty Crocker, through MyBlogSpark generously sent me this cute little Spring Sweet Treats pack, which included a silicon baking pan, stainless steel mixing bowl, mixing spoon, oven mitt, free Betty Crocker brownie mix coupon and a $25 gift certificate to Safeway. (The silicon baking pan is a dream to bake with. I made the fruit pizza with it and I couldn't believe how easy it was to get the big cookie out. I'm thinking I need to invest in more of these babies.) They have provided me one to give away to one of you!

If you would like to win your own Spring Sweet Treats prize pack (including a silicon baking pan, stainless steel mixing bowl, mixing spoon, oven mitt, and a $25 gift certificate to Safeway), check out the Bake Sweet Memories website and come back and tell me which recipe you'd like to try out. Want a second chance? Leave another comment telling me your favorite spring treat ever - and maybe you could leave the recipe or a link to it?? I'm always on the hunt for new recipes. Want a third chance? Blog, tweet, Facebook or (whatever you do) about this giveaway and come back leaving a comment that you did.

Just to recap, you have three chances to win:
1. Leave a comment telling me what you'd like to try out from Bake Sweet Memories.
2. Leave another comment telling me your favorite spring treat.
3. Blog, tweet, Facebook about the giveaway and come back and leave a comment telling me you did.

Giveaway ends soon on Wednesday, March 31st at 11:59pm. I will randomly choose a winner at that time. Good luck!

McMillan Spring Training

2010-03-22T13:15:00.004-07:00

The weather is amazing right now, and we are taking advantage of it while it lasts!

I'm one of those moms

2010-03-17T14:11:00.003-07:00

I love to make the kids all matchy-matchy. Sometimes it's a sickness. Sometimes I have to stop myself from trying to convince Kevin to coordinate with what the kids are wearing. Like I said, it's a sickness. And no, I don't feel the need for Kevin and I to get all matchy-matchy. That's just weird. :)

Anyway, for Myla's Easter dress I did something new: I sewed dress that required a zipper. If you saw the zipper you would not be impressed. It looks pretty crappy from the back. So I won't show you the back. But it's in, and that's what matters, right? I'm trying to improve my sewing skills. I think I've got elastic and velcro down; it's time to move to the next level. I bought a fun tie pattern from here and made coordinating ties so that the boys could match their sister. I know my time is limited--soon they will be disgusted if I try to make them match. I'm taking it while I can get it. :)

Winner

2010-03-11T11:42:00.003-07:00

I apologize for being a little late to announce the winner of the giveaway.

I did things a little differently this time and threw all the names in a bowl.

My trusty sidekick closed her eyes...

and drew a name. And the winner is...

Cheryl F! She truly is a Lucky Ladybug. Congrats Cheryl!

And thanks to everyone to entered.

Stayin' Alive

2010-03-10T16:13:00.002-07:00

PhotoFunia

2010-03-06T20:51:00.004-07:00

Just what I need, another fun website to suck all my "free" time away. Like how I blame it on the website? :) Check it out here.

Bonus Box Tops For Education & Kroger $25 Giftcard Giveaway

2010-03-02T13:41:00.005-07:00

If you have school age kids you probably clip box tops or have at least heard of the idea. My oldest just barely started school, so I didn't really know much about it. General Mills, through MyBlogSpark recently provided information about a great new way to help out your neighborhood schools! It’s hard to believe that the simple act of clipping Box Top coupons has raised over $300 million for our kids’ schools. Now you can earn even more money for the school of your choice because from now through March 18, the Kroger Family of Stores is giving you the chance to get even more Bonus Box Tops.

Here's how it works: All you have to do is register at www.RewardYourSchool.com and select the personalized offers that you would like to receive.

Once you register, you will automatically receive 5 Bonus Box Tops for your school of choice just for signing up! You will also receive custom offers for bonus box tops for purchasing participating General Mills products. The offers you select will then load onto your Kroger Shopper Card to be redeemed once you purchase the items. The great part is there’s no clipping! The Bonus Box Tops will automatically go straight to your chosen school. Just remember to scan your card when purchasing the participating items.

Recently, General Mills, through MyBlogSpark, provided me with a gift card to any Kroger store (which is Fry's, in my neck of the woods) to check out how it works. It's so easy. It takes less than 5 minutes to register on www.rewardyourschool.com, and even easier to just buy the items.You get to choose which school the box top credit will go to. And then pick up those items during you next shopping trip. The website even provides a "shopping list" of products to choose from. Nice!

General Mills, through MyBlogSpark, has also provided me with a $25 Kroger gift card to give away! So, wanna win? You have three chances:
1. Leave a comment in response to this post.
2. Go register at www.rewardyourschool.com (seriously, less than 5 minutes) Come back and leave a comment telling me you did it.
3. Blog (or tweet or facebook or whatever you do) about this giveaway. Come back and leave a comment.

And yes, you can do all three to increase you chances for winning! This giveaway closes
Tuesday, March 9th at 11:59pm.

I'm NOT an organizing junkie...but aspire to be

2010-03-01T14:17:00.004-07:00

I know, this is probably not news to most of you...especially those that have lived with me at one time or another. Do you ever have that feeling that you are flying by the seat of your pants? You are rushing around trying to put out fires? You react, instead of act? Sometimes I do. Lately it seems like my day begins and ends that way...always in a rush. Always moving on to the next thing. Never ahead of the game. Playing catch-up. And that is when life feels so overwhelming me. I can never get ahead. I watch other moms and how they just seem to have it together. I think I've figured out the difference between them and me: they are organized! I need to get more organized. But where to start? Well, in my search for advice I found an article called Managing Your Household that I found on the Executive Homemaker site. It described me perfectly! I'm taking a lot of what she says to heart. I've thought about my priorities and goals and discussed them with Kevin. I have created a schedule for myself. Because I have fun doing it, I designed this daily job chart for me so I know what I'll be working on everyday. Then it won't be so overwhelming and I won't feel like a failure if I don't get the entire house cleaned everyday. And I'm working on a chore chart for the kids. They are at that age where they can take on some responsibilities around the house.

I feel so much better having a plan!

Footies

2010-02-23T18:41:00.002-07:00

What is it about footie pj's that's so adorable? I don't know, but I love them. I've been thinking about finding Kevin a pair. Think he'd wear them? :) Notice Myla holding the boys there so I can take a picture? She knows how to keep 'em in line.

I don't usually like to talk about money, but...

2010-02-23T16:07:00.004-07:00

Whew! I just finished doing our taxes. Usually I rush to the computer to do my taxes the second all of our W-2's and other tax forms arrive. There's something about filling in a form that floats my boat. I don't know...

Anyway, I decided today was the day. I sat the kids in front of Dora and went to town. So I'm just going to be honest here. Doing taxes for me is almost like a cleansing of my financial soul. I have to go through all our bills and statements to see where our money went. I cringe, and then cringe some more. Really, did I buy that much fabric this year? Did we really eat out that much? It's really eye opening for me. And I need it...every year. I beat myself up and then work out a great new budget that "I am definitely going to stick to" and continue on my way. I do great for the first few months, and then lapse into my old habits. I know this about me. It's not the big things I struggle with...buying new cars or big toys or houses when we can't afford it. It's the little things that get me in trouble. But the little things eventually add up to big things. Money burns a hole in my pocket. It's a disease.

The visiting teaching message this month is on managing our resources wisely and staying out of debt. As some friends and I were discussing this we shared our tips and tricks. Or I should say, they shared their tips and tricks with me. And after pouring over our financial records I am so excited and motivated to try a few. Maybe you could share your tips with me too?

One of the methods that I have tried (and when I stick to it it really works) is the envelope method. The amount that I budget for groceries, gas and household items gets split up into their corresponding envelopes each month and I only spend from those envelopes. When the money is gone, it's gone. For me, using the debit card makes the money intangible, and therefore harder to control. So having the physical money right there helps me stay within the budget. Here's some info on that. That's one method I've tried. What works for you?

A fun tip that one of my friends shared is that she has a shoe box or can that she tapes up really good so she can't get into it. She puts a hole in the top and she writes on it the date she starts saving. Into the box/can goes all her change and loose bills. She forgets about it after she puts it in. She said that when she went to get into it there was over $500 in it that they used on a vacation. I love that idea! So today I did it. Meet my new friend:

She's really nothing special, just an old shoe box that I taped up really, really, really well (I don't want to be tempted to get in) and covered her with a paper. Easy peasy. Then I went around the house and gathered up the piles of loose change. I couldn't believe how many piles of change we had. It's embarrassing really. But I'm excited because, like I said, money really does burn a hole in my pocket. If I have a $5 I'm thinking, "Now, how can I spend that?" I know, I'm sick. :) But this way I can shove it in the box and forget about it. And then, later on down the road we can go do something fun with it. Like a skiing trip next winter! (The Olympics have inspired me. :))

Money talk usually makes me uncomfortable, but I figure that I can't be the only one in the world who struggles with budgeting. And I know that there are a lot of you out there who are great at it. So, share your wealth of knowledge. Get it, wealth of knowledge? Hee hee.

Kid Updates.

2010-02-17T13:49:00.004-07:00

Cade is 5 years old and is a ball of energy. He never stops moving! He's either fighting imaginary Transformers or playing light sabers with Myla. He loves school and adores his teachers. He comes home everyday repeating pretty much every word they said. It's cute! He's super excited to start Kindergarten next year. He keeps telling me we need to get him ready for Kindergarten. We got some BOB books and read a couple every day. It's amazing how his reading skills have skyrocketed. It's so fun for him to be able to say he read the whole book. He's a great helper and loves Myla and Gav so much. He'll be starting T-ball soon and he can't wait for that! My dad played catch the other day with him and he loved it.

Myla is three years old, but soon to be four (she won't let me forget it!). She wants to be as old as Cade and hasn't quite figured out that she won't ever be as old as Cade. Myla is a busy little bee. She goes to preschool twice a week and also goes to her dance class once a week. She loves it all. She is my most social child and is always looking for something to do or somewhere to go. She writes her name everywhere and loves practicing the alphabet and primary songs at the top of her lungs. She loves to ride her bike and play with her brothers. Sometimes she's quite the little tomboy, having two brothers, but she's definitely all girl too.

Oh, the Gavman. He keeps us laughing. He is talking a little more lately. Mostly he just parrots what we say. Recent additions to his vocabulary include foul ball, hot dog, car, bath, Cade and Myla. He thinks he should be able to do everything his bigger siblings can do. When they play Wii he wants a turn too. When they ride their bikes he wants nothing to do with his new toddler car, he wants to ride a bike too. Gavin started nursery in December, but hasn't quite warmed up to it yet. It surprises me because when I take him to the gym kidcare he cries when I come to pick him up....he doesn't want to leave! But when we take him to nursery he throws a the fit of the century. Oh man. He'll get used to it soon. He's growing up way too fast for my liking...but isn't that always the way it goes. He is quick to smile and laugh. He's such a joy!

Kevin isn't one of my kids, but I thought I'd give a little update on him anyway. He has begun his last semester of nursing school! Can I get a woot woot?! (Ok, I can't pull that off very well.) He has a lot on his plate now with work, school, church calling and family, and sometimes it can get overwhelming, but I think he is doing a fantastic job. We all can't wait until May!

Happy Love Day!

2010-02-13T14:46:00.001-07:00

idea from here

And the winner is...

2010-02-12T01:19:00.003-07:00

Chelsea! Hooray!

She said...

My healthy tip is I eat fruit (like berries, bananas, kiwis, or whatever is your favorite) or a smoothy with yogurt, milk (opt) and fruit when I have a craving for something sweet. It takes care of the sweet tooth while providing nutrition.

Thanks for all your great tips! I appreciate it. Have a wonderful weekend! Look back soon for another giveaway!

Happy Day and a Giveway!

2010-02-06T09:39:00.007-07:00

I'm happy today, for a couple of reasons:
#1 - I'm finally starting to feel better after an icky bout of the flu. Yuck! Thanks to my sweet husband who actually let me call in sick to Mommyhood. He stayed home from work and let me stay in bed all day. Yeah, he's a keeper.

#2 - After finally being able to eat something without yacking, I tried this great Fiber One yogurt (courtesy of Fiber One, Safeway, and MyBlogSpark). It definitely made my mouth smile. Mmmm, Vanilla yogurt. Seriously. I'm a sucker for vanilla yogurt. Yes, I'm a plain Jane. Check it out. The super happy part is that there are only 50 calories in each serving...and 5 grams of fiber. Guilt-free! It's still on sale at Safeway until Tuesday, February 9th - Two 4-packs for $4.00. Go here to get a coupon for even more savings. Great deal!
#3 - I get to giveaway a $50 gift card to Safeway, thanks to Safeway, Fiber One and MyBlogSpark. 50 smackaroos! This gift card can be used at Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Genuardi's, Dominick's, Carrs, Randalls and Tom Thumb.

So, how can you win? Just leave a comment giving me a healthy tip that has worked for you. I need all the help I can get! Easy peasy! You have until Thursday, February 11th at 11:59pm to enter. I'll pick a name using the random number generator at random.org and post it first thing Friday morning. Good luck and feel free to share this info with your friends!

2010-02-03T12:04:00.006-07:00

So...how did you do on your first month of New Year's resolutions? One of my resolutions (along with a trillion other people) was to lose weight, be more active, eat healthier. I lump it all into one resolution. I'm not gonna lie, there were some days when it was hit and miss, but for the most part I feel like I improved. I lost some weight, I feel healthier and I'm still motivated. Motivation! That's half the battle. (Thanks to my sister for help in the motivation department.) But I'm definitely not perfect. I have a sweet tooth. A big sweet tooth. And something that helps me curb that sweet tooth is yogurt. It's almost like ice cream. Almost.

I signed up for MyBlogSpark a couple of months ago. It's pretty cool. I get to review products and share my opinions. It's fun (you should check it out!). MyBlogSpark, Fiber One, and Safeway have provided me an opportunity to taste and review Fiber One yogurt. I'll let you know what I think. I'm excited to try it. It would be a great addition to my diet to help my weight loss goals. Curb the sweet tooth and get more fiber. Safeway (and it’s family stores, Dominick’s, Tom Thumb, Randall’s, Vons and Genuardi’s) have a great deal going for Fiber One yogurt. Right now until Feb. 9, you can purchase two 4-packs of Fiber One yogurt for only $4. (And if you go here you can print off a coupon too! Check out the recipes and other fun stuff while you're there.)

The best part is that Safeway and MyBlogSpark are providing me a $50 gift card to Safeway (and it's family of stores) to give away! Look for the giveaway within the next couple of days!

Sweet Slumber

2010-01-29T09:05:00.002-07:00

Last night I finally wandered upstairs to go to bed and couldn't find Kevin. Usually he's studying at the computer or watching a movie on the laptop or organizing his Lego stash, but he was no where to be found. I peeked in the kids' room and there he was, "camping out" with Cade (and both of them snoring away like there was no tomorrow). This is one of many reasons why I love this man. He is so unselfish. He really loves his kids. Even though his bed is definitely more comfortable than the ground, he'll "rough it" to make them happy. And it does make them so happy.

Snow Trip

2010-01-17T19:48:00.004-07:00

Yesterday we took a semi-spontaneous trip to Flagstaff to play in the snow. Cade came busting into our room at 6:34am to wake us up to go to the snow. He was more excited about this than Santa coming! We got into Flagstaff, had breakfast at our favorite little dive, Mike and Rhonda's The Place, then went to this field behind the apartment complex I used to live at when I went to NAU. It was perfect for the kids. The hills were small and not many people were there. We spent about an hour and a half playing in the snow before we all got too cold and wet. We changed clothes, packed up our stuff, and headed home. It was a perfect family day. Here are some pics:

Just Plain Tuckered

2010-01-15T13:52:00.002-07:00

Just feeling a little nostalgic...

2010-01-13T09:14:00.003-07:00

1989

19901991

Bowling on NYE

2010-01-12T22:39:00.002-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa McMillan came to visit after Christmas. It's always fun when grandparents come to town. The family got a Wii for Christmas, so much of our leisure time during Christmas and New Years was spent Wii bowling, or Wii tennis or making Wii people (aka Mii). After awhile, Grandpa suggested going real bowling. What?! Step out of the house, get out of the 2D world and back into the real world and interact with real people and real bowling balls and really, really bowl?! Okay! So New Years Eve night we all bundled up (ok, not really...it was hovering in the high 60s that day), went out for some Mexican food (a must on New Years Eve) and then hit the lanes. Let's just say, we weren't the only ones who had the idea to go bowling. But it made it even more fun. Kids running all over the place, people sharing the ramps for little bowlers, noise, lights, popcorn...so fun!Myla taking a stab at real bowling for the first time. She had a hard time understanding why the ball didn't hit all the pins like they do on Wii bowling!

Here's Papa working it.Cade is a little worried about his score. No worries, he beat his mom...by a landslide. (I'm not the greatest bowler...even on the Wii. But I love to bowl.)

Gavin even got to bowl. That's the beauty of the ramps. Here, Kevin is just trying to wrangle him away from all the other bright and shiny things he's trying to make mischief with.

The bowling crew. They take their bowling seriously. :)

First Day of Dance

2010-01-08T13:37:00.003-07:00

Myla started dance class yesterday. She has been wanting to ever since she saw her friend, Paige, dance at her dance class. We signed her up with the same, very economical dance teacher. She got some dance clothes from Grandma Pat for Christmas and has been anxiously awaiting the day she starts.This is Myla shaking her booty--which she does often. Sometimes I worry about her teenage years. :)

Grand

2010-01-07T21:12:00.003-07:00

Granddaughter and Grandfather simply sharing a lunch together. Ain't it grand?

(I don't know why I think this pic is so sweet. It just is. Myla found this seat at Arby's and asked - or rather, demanded - that "Dampa" sit with her up there.)

Get a Look at This Face

2010-01-07T16:14:00.003-07:00

I've got a lot of blogging that I'm trying to find time to catch up on. Until I do get a look at this cute monster!

What's Your Persuasion on the Big Man?

2009-12-20T20:10:00.002-07:00

Well, my youngest was afraid of him and my oldest decided it wasn't really him. Myla was the only one who wanted to visit with Santa this year. Here she is telling him she's three years old. Santa came to visit the ward family Christmas PJ breakfast. The Elders Quorum put it on, so Kevin was up early and had gone to bed super late the night before preparing for it. It was a success!

Cade's Preschool Christmas party

2009-12-20T19:06:00.002-07:00

Cade's preschool had a Christmas party and it was quite sweet. The kids performed three Christmas songs wearing reindeer hats and it was so fun to watch Cade get into it. Then they made Christmas trees out of sugar cones and green frosting. That was fun too. Messy, but fun. I just love Cade's teachers. You can tell they love the kids and are so creative in the things they do. They also involve the family a lot. Cade has blossomed here and has made great friends that he talks about constantly. If he had his way we'd have playdates every day!

Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year

2009-12-15T10:46:00.002-07:00

We wish you a Christmas filled with joy, love, and peace! Really, we do. It's not just a generic Christmas saying. We mean it from the bottom of our hearts. :) This really is the most wonderful time of year. It's so easy to be in a good mood. People are friendlier. Family and friends are closer to our heart. Our home is cozier. Love abounds. But mostly, when reflect on what our Savior we feel closer to Him. That is such a blessing. Merry Christmas!

Myla wanted a mullet...

2009-12-13T16:04:00.003-07:00

so she decided to cut one herself. It was nice, but it needed a little more work.

The evidence.

And more evidence.

The final product. Kevin and I vetoed the mullet and encouraged her to go with a more sassy 'do...

because she has such a sassy personality.

PS Mom has recovered. Dad is still chuckling. Myla says she looks "bootiful." And she does! In the end, it's just hair. Right?

Not Your Mama's Sewing Girls

2009-12-07T21:24:00.004-07:00

The fun sewing group I belong to, The (not-so-secret) Secret Stitch Club, got together for a photoshoot. Our friend Jenna, of Jameson Photos, is quite the talented photographer. We have a great time sewing together and Jenna really captured the spirit of our little group. Check out a few of my faves:

C'mon--it's funny!

Our Zoo Fix

2009-12-04T13:34:00.002-07:00

Today Cade's preschool had a field trip to the zoo and Myla, Gavin and I were able to tag along. Cade really, really, really wanted to ride the bus, and Myla and Gavin weren't allowed, so we met him there. My little boy is growing up and getting so independent! He was such a big boy getting on that big bus. I was so proud of him. While there it was fun to get to know some of Cade's classmates and their parents better. It was also fun just roaming around the zoo and having fun. It was probably the most fun we've had at the zoo! Above is a sweet shot I got of the three of them outside the monkey exhibit.

Santa's Sweetheart Apron Giveaway

2009-11-24T21:32:00.002-07:00

I'm giving away this little baby over on the Secret Stitch site. Pop on by to enter! Happy Thanksgiving!

The Boys

2009-11-21T11:45:00.002-07:00

My sister had her baby, the adorable Rebecca Nicole, last week. So we were lucky enough to have Jared, Connor, and Rachel come over and play with us. I captured this sweet photo of the boys. They are growing up so fast!

For the love of potatoes

2009-11-17T18:20:00.002-07:00

This kid loves potatoes. He loves them so much that he licks his plate clean.

Gotta get every last drop.

I love this look. It's like he's saying, "What Mom? I love potatoes. Ooookaaayy."

Zootique

2009-11-13T00:57:00.004-07:00

Looking for something to do this Saturday? The AZ weather has finally cooled down a bit and it's a great time to go to the zoo. This Saturday, November 14th, from 9am-3pm at the Phoenix Zoo there will be a Holiday Zootique sponsored by the Phoenix Zoo volunteers. My friends and I have reserved a booth and will be selling all kinds of really cute stuff: aprons (adult and child), baby booties, baby blankets, hair clips, magnet boards, sweet appliqued onesies, and lots more. So come on out! Spend a day at the zoo and get some Christmas shopping done at the same time. Stop by the Secret Stitch booth and say hi!

Hacked

2009-11-09T13:11:00.003-07:00

I know, kind of a creepy little graphic, huh? I haven't been online very much over the past week or so. I guess you could say I've been a little gun shy. Last week (was it really only last week??!) my email was hacked into and every single person in my contact list (a ton of people from my church, family, friends, old contacts I hadn't deleted, old employers, current employer...everyone) was sent an email in which I said I was asking for money. I was mortified! And I feel like someone stole something from me. It's like they came into my house and stole my bike or wallet or something. Luckily, the hacker included a little tidbit that said I was in England, and anyone who knows me would know that isn't true. But it's definitely opened my eyes to the realities of the internet. I set my blog to private just until we could get it worked out. I was finally able to gain access to my hotmail account a few days later and found the hacker had deleted all of my contacts, changed all my info, and made it pretty useless. That's fine, because I am done with that account. Deleted. I'm just grateful nobody sent any money to the Western Union account this person was providing once someone made contact with him.

What will I do differently in the future? Well, first off, I won't have the same password for all my accounts anymore. I spent hours going through online accounts and changing passwords. I was so nervous Mr. Hackerman would reek havoc there! Second, I will change the passwords often. I hadn't changed the password to my email in 7 years. Third, I realize now it can happen to anyone. Really, who am I? I'm no one important. I don't have money. So I never even thought I'd be at risk. But we all are. In doing research on this I've found that this happens so often. Identity theft is so real. And apparently it's not that hard to do. When searching for a graphic to put to the blog I found out that there are websites out there that tell you how to hack!

Anyway, so we are back. Cautious, but back.

Days 23-25: Field trips and birthdays

2009-10-26T13:47:00.006-07:00

This weekend was a lot of fun. On Friday, Cade went on his first field trip. I was excited that I was able to attend. We walked to the park as a group.

We observed nature.
The kids drew pictures of the ducks they saw on the lake.Then they were set free to play on the playground.

Unstoppable

Friday was my birthday, and it's also my Mom Webb's birthday! The kids and I went over to take her some cake and sing her happy birthday.

The birthday girls.

Kevin really surprised me this year. I just have to brag about him for a minute. Look at this! Can you tell what it is? It's a bouquet made out of tracings of the kids hands. In the middle of each flower is written a special thing the kids will do for me. The poem is so sweet. The flowers are stuck into Junior Mint dirt (one of my favorite candies). Oh, and the spatulas are just what I needed. My other ones rotted. Yes, they rotted. :)

I don't know if you can read the poem he wrote. Here it is:

Mommy dear we love you so

And think you are so sweet.

You are so nice and kind to us

And everyone you meet.

We wanted to say thank you

For everything you do.

And want to give you a helping hand

So this is what we'll do.

Just pull a flower from the vase

And tell us what it reads.

our little hands will jump to the task

To help you when you need.

So sweet. My birthday was a fun day! Later that night we went over to Nicki's house and rocked out to some Rock Band. I love Rock Band! On the way home Kevin gave me his other gifts which are a new iron and a new ironing board cover. I am so excited! I know, it's weird I'm getting excited about an iron. But a good iron makes such a difference in sewing and my old iron was pretty bad. It had a crack down it. And my ironing board cover is all stained and has a huge hole in it. So I was pretty happy! A big thanks to my friends and family who made it so special for me.

Days 18-22

2009-10-26T13:41:00.003-07:00

Pathetic, I know. I only have one picture to show you. But it's cute, right? This is Spooky Shepherds pie that I made for dinner swap. I got the idea from Gourmet Mom, but I used Maren's shepherds pie recipe. I piped the mashed potato ghosts using a disposable frosting bag and cutting a big tip. Then I used peppercorns as the eyes. Just warn your kids about not chewing up the peppercorn. It just may ruin the whole dinner for them. Not that I know from experience or anything...

Day 14-17 - Life Goes On!

2009-10-18T11:04:00.003-07:00

This week has been fun! We got a little off track with my plan. But that's life...right?? I've learned to be flexible. :)

Some fun Halloween-y things we've done:
* Read Halloween books
* Attempted to create a Jack-o-lantern pizza out of Hungry Howie pizzas. Later I learned that Papa Murphy's is selling Jack-o-lantern pizzas right now for $6.99! Papa Murphy's is always good.
* Played outside A LOT. Yay for cooler weather!
* Made a pumpkin cheesecake that turned out pretty good. It was my first cheesecake, so I was a little nervous. I found the recipe here, but made a few changes using the readers' comments. So if you are in the mood for some pumpkin cheesecake try this recipe. It was pretty easy.

Today we have a family dinner at my grandma's house. We are having soup in pumpkin-shaped bread bowls (pictures to come later...these breadbowls are adorable!) and will play some good ol' Halloween bingo.

Day 13 - Candy Corn Mania

2009-10-13T14:31:00.003-07:00

Everything is so much better when candy corn is involved. Agree? (I hear a resounding "YES" from all of you!) Today was a fun-filled candy-corn-filled day. We went to the library this morning to check out some Halloween books. (Yes, we were supposed to go yesterday, but we didn't even get out of our jammies yesterday.) I looked for the book Julius's Candy Corn but they didn't have it. We did get some other fun Halloween books though. We stopped by Walmart to grab some candy corn and headed home for our activity. I printed off some candy corn worksheets here and we got started.
First, we counted candy corn as we put it the bowl. Then we talked about the colors of candy corn and which colors were in the top, middle, and bottom.

Then we colored our sheets and practiced the letter "C".

And, of course, ate candy corn as we worked.

Myla decided to put all the candy corn on the candy corn she colored. She was quite proud.

And Cade wanted to make a funny face for the camera. Funny kid!

Check out these other yummy candy corn treats:

Candy Corn Cookies We made these last year and they are adorable! I am thinking about making some today.

Candy Corn Cookie Bark

Candy Corn White Chocolate Popcorn

Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats

Days 8-12 - Family, Fireworks, Pumpkin Carving and New Mexico

2009-10-13T08:28:00.005-07:00

This weekend we went to New Mexico to visit Uncle Jay and his girlfriend Anna, and meet up there with Grandma Pat and Aunt Wendy. We had a great time. We carved pumpkins, saw fireworks at the Hot Air Balloon Festival, visited, laughed, ate good food and had so much fun!

Carving pumpkins:

Myla said her favorite part of the trip was carving a 'pider pumpkin with Uncle Jay.

Watching fireworks:

Gavin wasn't very happy about the loud bangs.

The drive home:

Oreo-face Gav

Some Halloween theme activities we did on the trip: color Halloween pictures, carve pumpkins, eat lots and lots and LOTS of Halloween Oreos.

Day 7 - Let Them Eat Pumpkin!

2009-10-07T19:35:00.003-07:00

On the schedule today we were supposed to make Halloween Jello Jigglers. It didn't happen. But we did have a very Halloween/Fall themed dinner: pumpkin chili, pumpkin cornbread with pumpkin fudge for dessert. Um, YUM! I got the chili and cornbread recipes from The Recipe Girl.

You can find the pumpkin chili recipe here. I added cinnamon to the chili, which I think made the pumpkin flavor pop a little and a little more salt.

You can find the pumkin cornbread here. These complement each other very well. If you make one you have to make the other.

The pumpkin fudge was very tasty. I followed this recipe. I doubled spices and added a little more pumpkin because I really wanted it to be flavorful. It was a little dry, but I suspect it was because I didn't have a candy thermometer so I followed my gut feeling, which isn't very accurate. I'm in the market for a new candy thermometer. My last one exploded. There were no casualties, except for the divinity candy I was trying to make. Oh well. I can never get that one right even when I have a candy thermometer.

Tomorrow we will be making milk jug jack-o-lanterns. I've been saving my milk jugs for this. It should be fun!

Day 6 - Pumpkin Candy Necklaces

2009-10-06T12:42:00.004-07:00

Today we created cool pumpkin candy necklaces. I grabbed this kit from Walmart. It makes 8 necklaces.

Day 5 - Caramel Apple Monsters

2009-10-05T18:54:00.005-07:00

Today we made caramel apple monsters. It was so much fun! Kevin got off of school early today and was here to do this with us. Even Gavin got in on the action.

Here are the apples, already "carameled" and the candy patiently waiting to be turned into monsters.
There goes Cade! He really got into it.

Kevin, Myla and Cade going to town. Cade's finished product.

Gavin enjoying the stickiness. I put candy on his tray and he knew right where to put it. Child genius. :)

My finished product. Like the sprinkle hair?

A most attractive picture of Myla. Nothing says glamour like a mouth full of candy corns.

Kevin striking a cheesy pose.

The hard part was eating it.

This one was a winner. They taste awesome and were so fun to do!

Day 3 & 4 - General Conference

2009-10-04T11:56:00.002-07:00

I love General Conference weekend. It's so nice to relax and listen to Church leaders. I am always inspired to be better, to love and serve more, and to do what I need to to be happy.

That being said, trying to listen with three kids presents it's challenges. So to help everyone stay calmer we are trying a few things this time. We set up a special table to do puzzles. They love puzzles. I also printed out some great General Conference coloring sheets from Sugardoodle for them to color. So far it's been okay.

Have a great weekend! Tomorrow we will be doing Caramel Apple Monsters. So fun!

Day 2 - Gluey Ghosts (or not)

2009-10-02T15:50:00.002-07:00

Wow, it's only the second day and I'm already slacking on my plans! It was just one of those days where we couldn't fit it in. I'm not going to stress about it, because this is supposed to be fun! We'll probably do it some other time, though, because I think the kids will really enjoy being able to use glue "legally." :)

I printed out General Conference coloring pages for the Saturday session here.
And for Sunday I want to do this General Conference file folder activity you can find here.

Day 1 - Glitter Pumpkins

2009-10-01T13:23:00.004-07:00

October has arrived and with it begins our 2009 edition of 31 Days of October! I was really excited to try this with the kids. I know, usually glue, glitter and pre-schoolers do not equate a good time. But I thought they would really enjoy this. And they did! I've seen these glittery pumpkins around, but officially got the instructions from Martha Stewart.

To start off with, gather some glue, glitter, paint brushes, small pumpkins, newspaper, a couple of cute little kids and put the baby down for a nap. (Not like that mattered here, because, as fate (or motherhood) would have it, 15 minutes into the project Gavin started screaming in his crib. I ran in and he had thrown up everywhere. Poor baby! So I had two preschoolers alone with glitter and glue and a crying baby with throw up everywhere. What to do? Thankfully, Kevin came home from school early. He took care of the pukey baby while I finished the pumpkins with Cade and Myla. Life is never boring!) Moving on... Next, paint a small section of the pumpkin with glue, then sprinkle some glitter over the section. " 'Prinkling" was their favorite part of the craft (I love Myla's little lisp).

Keep going until you have the whole pumpkin covered with glitter. Cade ended up running out of blue glitter, and if I was going for mom-of-the-year I probably would have scooped it all up off the newspaper and put it back in the sprinkling container. But I'm not, so I offered another color, which was even better in his book.

And wahlah! The final products. Cade has a nice dinosaur/Thomas inspired green and blue pumpkin and Myla went with the red. I chose gold. I looked for some orange glitter, but couldn't find any that didn't cost an arm and a leg. I like these colors though. They show the kids' personalities. What a fun craft!

On the schedule tomorrow are gluey ghosts. It's a good thing I picked up a few of the $0.25 bottles of glue when school started. We're gonna need it!

FYI - I found this ghost template online that I'm going to print out and put under the wax paper for the ghosts, to give them a template to glue on.

A Dino-Mite Birthday!

2009-10-01T10:03:00.004-07:00

Cade is officially five years old! He has been talking about this day since he turned four. Cade loves all things dinosaur and wanted a dinosaur party. This was so much fun to put on!

Cade helped get ready for the party by coloring dinosaur pictures that we hung on the wall. He also got all of his dinosaur toys out to put up all over the front room as decorations.Each friend that came got to choose a dinosaur mask and we gave him a dinosaur name. Cade was Cadeceratops.

And here is Gavinosaurus.

Dino Cupcakes (I got this really cute digital dinosaur scrapbook kit from here that I made the invites and cupcake picks from. After everyone chose their mask and dino name, we gave them a sticker sheet to create their own dinosaur scene! They all did a great job and were so proud of their scenes.

Then it was time for some fun dinosaur races. Here is the Prehistoric Dad telling them the rules.

I wish I got some shots of them racing. (I had a little one year old running toward the street.)They did each race acting like a different type of dinosaur: a walking dino, a flying dino, a four-legged dino. It was so fun to watch.

Then came the highlight of the party: The Dino Dig. We buried a bunch of dinosaur bone toys in the dirt, gave the kids their own shovel and rake, and let them be little paleontologists. Dirt was flying everywhere, up noses, in eyes, down shirts. It was great fun. And a great way to end the party!

Cade is such a blessing to our family. He is such a compassionate boy and always wants to help. He loves on his brother and takes great effort to include him. Myla and Cade share a room and spend hours laughing, playing and, lets be honest, fighting. It warms my heart to watch their bond. He is blossoming in his Pre-K program. He loves his teachers and talks about his new friends all the time. We are so proud of Cade and love him very much!

31 Days Has October: 2009 Edition

2009-09-27T00:00:00.003-07:00

October is coming! We love October around here. I think it might be our favorite month of the year. Remember last year how we did 31 Days of October? Basically we did a Halloween/Fall themed activity every day of the month. It was a lot of fun! Because I had it planned out ahead of time we actually did most of the activities. So I decided it'd be fun to do it again. Here is the 2009 edition of 31 Days of October. I'm posting this a couple of days ahead of time in case you want to do it with us and need to stock up on a few supplies. I tried to plan the activities that I could do with stuff I already have around the house or very inexpensive. Some of the activities are the same as last year because they are tradition around here. But there are also some fun new activities to try! Most of the activities are linked to the website where I found directions. I'd love to hear about it if you do some (or all!) of these.

October 1 - Glitter Pumpkins
October 2 - Gluey Ghosts

October 3 - General Conference activity
October 4 - General Conference activity
October 5 - Caramel Apple Monsters
October 6 - Pumpkin candy necklace

October 7 - Spooky Jello Jigglers
October 8 - Milk Jug Pumpkins
October 9 - Halloween coloring pages for NM Trip
October 10 - Sucker ghosts
October 11 - Witch color sheet
October 12 - Visit the library and check out Halloween/Fall theme books
October 13 - Read Julius Candy Corn by Kevin Henkes and do candy corn activity
October 14 - Jack-o-lantern pizzas
October 15 - Ghost Cookies
October 16 - Mr. Pumpkin Head
October 17 - Halloween cookie decorating
October 18 - Halloween Bingo
October 19 - Pumpkin bowling
October 20 - Yummy Mummy Treat Cups
October 21 - Ghostly Shepherds pie
October 22 - Rice Krispy treat pumpkins
October 23 - Paper Mache pumpkins
October 24 - Jack-o-lantern craft
October 25 - Witch Craft
October 26 - Carving Pumpkins
October 27 - Roasting pumpkin seeds
October 28 - Dinner in a Pumpkin
October 29 - Halloween Hand
October 30 -Halloween shape lunch and costume dress rehearsal
October 31 - Trick-or-Treating!!

Our First Garden

2009-09-21T14:04:00.004-07:00

We decided to stop using the excuse that we live in a townhouse to not grow a garden. Kevin and my dad built us a beautiful grow box and we finished planting our seeds today. We planted lettuce, brocolli, carrots, basil, cilantro, garlic, onions and spinach. As I was planting the seeds I talked to them a little, encouraging them to grow. It's something my mom would do. We'll see if they are obedient. I'm so excited! Hopefully we'll have some fresh veggies this fall!

Let Them Stay Little

2009-09-18T22:24:00.008-07:00

My sister-in-law Jamie inspired me with her last blog post to reminisce through older pictures of my kids, when they were littler. I put above this post a video I took of Myla when she first started walking, so she was 12 months, and Cade talking. It's kind of fun to watch...for me anyway. It make my heart melt a little. Time goes so fast! Bear with me as I take a little walk down memory lane. Here are some of my favorites:

Cade

Myla

Gavin

It's never too early...

2009-09-14T11:58:00.003-07:00

for Christmas. Bake your treats, host your holiday festivities and decorate your home in Christmas style! We are having a special in our The Secret Stitch Shop - FREE SHIPPING until October 15th on any Christmas aprons. Shop early and save. Here is a preview of what is in the shop, with more styles to be added soon.

Santa's Little Sweetheart apron
Santa's Sweetheart apron

** If there is any interest for a Santa's Little Man apron, please leave a comment to let me know. I have the design in my head and would love to make it if anyone is interested in it!

Butterfly Hotdogs

2009-09-04T13:14:00.005-07:00

A craft and lunch all in one! What a great idea! I found this idea on Gourmet Mom on the Go. It's a fun food blog for feeding kids. (I can't wait to try all her great Halloween ideas! My dinner swap group should be expecting some Ghostly Shepherd's Pie.) Today we made butterfly hotdogs. To summarize:

You make the "paint" by mixing one egg with one tablespoon water, then add food coloring and mix. One egg and one tablespoon of water was enough to make four colors with. You don't use much. Myla chose the colors for us: pink, purple, green and blue. Then you get some refrigerated biscuits (like Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits in the can), cut them in fourths and arrange around a hotdog like butterfly wings. Then let the kids paint the colored egg mixture on the biscuit butterfly wings. Cade kept it simple--two wings blue, two wings green.Myla painted each wing a different color.

Then arrange on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes.

And this is what you get! The colors distort a little, but it's so much fun.

Throw it on a plate with some fruit and chips and munch away.

Fabulous food fun!

Who's that Kid?

2009-09-03T09:32:00.003-07:00

The other day I finally cut Gavin's hair for the first time. I didn't want to. In fact, I put it off and off and off, until I decided that when he starts brushing his hair out of his eyes it's time to chop. I just loved the little curls at his neck. Oh well....

So I broke out the clippers, let him feel it for a minute to get used to it and buzzed away! He did such a great job...didn't cry or try to push my hand away or move his head around a lot. I think he was fascinated with the buzzing.

Who knew that under all that hair there was such a blondie?! When Kevin came home he didn't even recognize him. He thought, at first, that we had our nephew Bradley over.
He looks all grown up...like he aged suddenly.
I love his pointing. He points out all kinds of things: birds, dogs, airplanes, bunny-shaped benches at the school Cade goes to, Daddy, Cade and Myla.
So sweet! I do love it though. His blond hair with those beautiful dark eyes...sweet combination.

Geniuses

2009-08-31T12:22:00.006-07:00

Dinosaurs. Trains. PBS. I'm speechless. It's the perfect show! Why didn't anyone think of this before?! PBS has created a daily 30 minute happy place for 2-6 year old boys throughout the world. You should've seen Cade's face when he saw the commercial for it. Whoa. That's all I have to say. :) Check out the promo:

Not a Baby Anymore

2009-08-31T10:13:00.003-07:00

Kevin finally moved out of his 20's and into his 30's yesterday! Happy birthday Kev!

Isn't he handsome?
In honor of turning the big 3-0 I emailed family and friends to get words they thought described Kevin. I got such a great response! I chose 30, made cupcake toppers, and stuck them in 30 cupcakes. It was fun discovering how people thought of Kevin. He is loved.

I'm Outta Here

2009-08-28T21:36:00.002-07:00

Me: Wait! I want to get a picture of you on your first day of school.

Him: Well, get your camera and take it 'cause I'm outta here.

(I love playing around with actions in Photoshop. This is the Seventies action from The Pioneer Woman. I chose it because, well, he was born in the 70's and he'll be hitting the big 3-0 here in about two days.)

Winner #2

2009-08-26T07:38:00.003-07:00

Cathryn and her family live on a military base and she shops at the commissary which provides excellent shopping deals. She emailed me and graciously asked me to redo the drawing to give the card to another person who can use it. So I drew again and the winner of the gift card is Jessie! How fun, a fellow sewing friend and neighbor. That's what is fun about doing a giveaway on my family blog...I know mostly everyone who entered!

Winner!

2009-08-26T00:07:00.002-07:00

The winner of the gift card giveaway is #1 - Cathryn! I'm so surprised! #1 never wins. :)Congrats Cathryn!

Overheard

2009-08-25T11:48:00.003-07:00

On the way home from school today, Cade and Myla had this conversation in the back seat:

Myla: You are people and can have ladybugs. Gavin is just a baby.

Cade: (quite forcefully) Gavin is people too, Myla!

I couldn't stop laughing.

Great Deals and a Giveaway!!

2009-08-22T20:51:00.005-07:00

I am so excited about this post! Thanks to General Mills, PepsiCo and MyBlogSpark, I received a $30 gift card to spend at a Kroger store to see how much I could save during their Mega Savings Event sale. (In AZ we have Fry's, but elsewhere it might be Fred Meyer, Smith's, Ralphs, etc.). Basically, during the sale you buy 10 participating brands, use your Shopper Card and you instantly save $5. Sounds good, right?
Yesterday I got the gift card in the mail, sat down and made my shopping list. I got online to find some printable coupons from the Valpak website as well to make my savings stretch even more. Wanna know what I got for $27.49? Take a peek:

2 packages of Yoplait yogurt

2 Betty Crocker brownie mixes

2 2 liters of Pepsi brand soda

2 Pillsbury Grand biscuits

2 Pillsbury sweet rolls

2 Progresso soup

2 Green Giant canned peas

2 Green Giant canned corn

1 Betty Crocker scalloped potatoes

1 Green Giant frozen steamed veggies

1 Quaker Life cereal

1 Tostitos corn chips

1 Tostitos cheese dip

2 Gatorade Propel water

2 Sobe Life Water
1 Sobe drink (my fave, fave, favorite Cranberry Grapefruit Elixir)

1 Betty Crocker Transformers fruit snacks

1 Nature Valley Granola bars

1 Fiber One bars

4 lbs peaches (at $0.67/lb!)

1 loaf of Fry's bread

That is 32 total items sold. My total savings, including coupons and VIP card savings is $52.39, or 65%. Here's the proof:

The great thing is that General Mills and PepsiCo, through MyBlogSpark, are providing a $30 gift card to a Kroger grocery store for you to win on this blog! Anyone can enter. This is going to be a pretty fast giveaway because we want you to be able to take advantage of the Mega Savings event, which lasts through September 2nd. So, how can you win? Leave me a comment, any comment! That's all. If you need a little commentarial inspiration (I just made that word up :)) tell me one of your money-saving tips. You have until Tuesday, August 25th at 10:00pm (AZ time) to enter! I will use random.org to choose a winner and will post the winner Tuesday night. I can't wait to see who will win!

Crafty McCraftersons

2009-08-21T12:11:00.004-07:00

One of my favorite things about picking the kids up from preschool is watching how excited they get when they show me what they created in class that day. Painting, cutting, glueing, coloring, yarn, etc. etc. They love it! And I love it. Except, what do I do with it all? What do you guys do with it? I need some suggestions. I usually keep it around for a couple of weeks, hanging on the fridge or perched on their dresser. But then, after picking it up for the umpteenth time and taping or glueing it back together (spurred on by the inconsolable tears of the preschooler), I (sshhhh, don't tell) throw it away. I mean, it piles up and piles up. And I have enough of my own piles to shuffle around. :) But then the mom guilt kicks in. Kevin's mom still mails things she finds that Kevin made 25 years ago and I love that she does that. It's so sweet. We just don't have the room to save everything they make. So I need some suggestions. I've scoured blogville trying to discover what other moms out there do, hoping from some inspiration. What do you do with the things your kids make?

My Favorite Moment

2009-08-18T12:51:00.002-07:00

The days are hectic now. So fun, but hectic. We no longer have the luxury of staying in our PJs, sleeping in, watching TV, or even just playing. All four of us need to be up, dressed, fed, hair done, book bags gathered and out the door by 8:00am. I run my errands, and then a couple of hours later pick the kids up, get lunch made and eaten, try to pick up the house, get naps (if I'm lucky). By that time it's time to get dinner made and eaten, baths taken, prayers said and go to bed. This is a new thing for us. We are still working on a routine. I think we are getting it down, but I'll admit that sometimes we get a little frazzled. And this is only preschool! I wonder how things will be in a couple of years when they are all in school. It's a new phase in our lives and we do love it. It's fun to watch the kids learn and grow and get so excited about the new things they are doing. Anyway, the busyness of our day makes me appreciate the sweet, quiet moments a little more. This is one of them: getting Gavin up from his nap.

I love how he sleeps with his bum up in the air.
And how he always smiles when he first sees me.

He thinks its great fun to play peek-a-boo between the crib slats.

Love that face!

He always gives me a tight hug and pats my back with his little hands when I get him out of the crib. It's my moment with him, however small it may be. It doesn't last long before he wants to be let down to go see what the big kids are up to. And it's not often that he'll let me snuggle him throughout the day. So I look forward to these special little moments.

"I'm a Big Boy"

2009-08-13T10:25:00.003-07:00

Today was Cade's first day of school. He is attending what is called MELP (Mesa Early Learning Program) that is basically a pre-kindergarten class. He goes 4 days a week and it is at the school where he will go to kindergarten. So this morning we woke up (way too early thanks to the late night/early morning thunderstorms which brought the scared kids into our bedroom) and got ready for school.

Cade insisted that he do his own hair. (Please, please, please ignore the dirty mirror!) He declared, "I'm a big boy."

He dressed in his favorite dinosaur shirt and his new Transformers light-up sneakers, grabbed his new Transformers school bag I made for him last night and headed out. He took his beloved blankey but left it in the car...willingly. Yes, he is a big boy!

The story behind the school bag is that I made Myla a couple of dresses over the summer and Cade was a little miffed that I hadn't made anything for him yet. I don't blame him! So we went to the fabric store and he chose whatever fabric he wanted. Of course it was the Transformers fabric. Now what to make him? We finally came up with the school bag and he was so excited. I was so bummed because after I had assembled it and sewn it up, I turned it right side out and the fabric was upside down. So all the Transformers are looking down. Oh well. I figured if Cade complained about it I would make another one. But he didn't. As he's holding it on his shoulder, when he looks down the Transformers seem right side up. :)

In front of the school.

This is in front of his classroom door. This is where it got hard, for Cade and for Mom. He was so excited and ready to go...until it was time to go in. He clung to me a little, I got a little teary-eyed (but tried to hide it) and then his teacher came and helped him to the circle. One of his teachers is actually an old friend of mine from junior high! When we went to meet the teachers she said, "You're Christie Webb!" and I said, "You're Cece Nava!" I was surprised we recognized each other. It's been 16 years since junior high. So it was fun to tell Cade that one of his teachers was an old friend of mine.

When I picked Cade up he was excited to tell Myla and me what he did that day. He played with dinosaurs, spelled some small words for his teachers and ate ice cream. Sounds like a good day to me!

Myla is a Preschooler!

2009-08-10T11:56:00.003-07:00

Our little girl is growing up! Today was her first day of preschool. She has been waiting for this day forever (in a 3 year old's mind). She hated being left behind when I'd drop Cade off at school. Her day has finally come. Here she is walking to the car, with bookbag on her shoulder and a huge smile on her face.

Here she is wearing her new, first-day-of school dress I made:
This is one of Myla's preschool teachers (she has two teachers, on of them happens to be Aunt Jamie):

(They are some spots open for a couple of more children to join the class. Click on the button below for information.)
This is what Myla made today in class. She got to glue, color and cut!

Cade starts his Pre-K class in a couple of days. He is so excited to start school again!

On a selfish note, I'm a little bummed that the kids are starting school. We get so excited for these milestones, and we should because it is exciting. They get to learn and make new friends and grow and make decisions for themselves and progress, which is what life is all about. But it also means they are growing up and we will never have these moments again with them. Sometimes I wish I could tell them to slow down, stop growing, stay little for a little longer! But I can't. And it's okay, because the way their eyes light up when they try something new and succeed makes my heart so happy that it makes up for it. And watching their determined little faces when something doesn't go right but they keep trying anyway makes me so excited to find out what they will accomplish in life because they are so determined.

Unstoppable

2009-08-09T20:23:00.002-07:00

Ever since Gavin started walking, around his first birthday, he's been unstoppable. This makes church, grocery shopping, swimming pools, and any place with stairs a rather, shall we say, miserable experience for Kevin and I. He doesn't want to be held, he wants to walk! He wants to be like the big kids. But it's part of toddlerhood and we do enjoy watching him go, go, go. He's good entertainment. :) He's a ball of energy and at the end of the day konks out fast. Last night I went in to check on him while he was sleeping and he had the little angelic smile on his face. It was all I could do to stop myself from swooping him up and cuddling him.

Here he comes!

I love his little mischievous looks.

This is the side of him I usually see. :)

Summer is drawing to a close...

2009-08-07T17:59:00.004-07:00

even though it is still at least 110 degrees every day! The kids are starting school next week, so we are trying to fit in some last minute summer fun. Today we went swimming at Desert Oasis with some of our good friends the Buchanans and the Mannings! It was fun to catch up with our friends and enjoy the pool. By the time we were done the kids' eyes were blood-shot from the chlorine (despite their use of "water glasses" as they like to call them) and everyone had a great time!

Apron Fest '09

2009-08-03T09:32:00.004-07:00

Our good friend, The Apronista, is hosting Apron Fest '09 and I am participating!
Want to win this sweet Little Cupcake apron (size 3-6) for your little girl (or boy, who am I to say?)? Go to the Secret Stitch Club blog to enter. Want to win even more aprons? Check out The Apronista for a complete listing of apron giveaways!

PS Jill is giving away a retro-looking That 70's Apron half apron. So cute! Just leave a comment on the Secret Stitch Club blog.

The Apple Book

2009-07-31T22:07:00.002-07:00

This is Myla, my three year old, sleeping tonight. Notice anything out of the ordinary for a three year old?

She's got her stuffed animals, her pillow, her beloved blankey...and (here, let me zoom in for you)

the Twilight book. I don't get it. She can't read. There aren't any pictures. I haven't read it to her! I don't know what the fascination is with this book. Tonight she cried for 15 minutes straight (not just cried--screamed) because she wanted the apple book and I had no idea what she was talking about. I was picturing board books about fruit or a story with Dora and an apple. Kevin finally went in to talk to her, then he came out and told me she wanted the apple book. I said that I knew that, but had no idea what the apple book was. He said, "Think about it. The book with the apple on it." Oh. Twilight. Weird. We found the book, which she had already stashed somewhere in her room, and she started giggling. I don't know. More often then not, I am one baffled Mama.

I do wonder though, is she Team Edward or Team Jacob? :)

Playing house

2009-07-25T22:47:00.004-07:00

The other day I bought this really cool cardboard playhouse at Hobby Lobby. The idea is to spend hours and hours coloring it and making it pretty. Then spending hours and hours playing in it. (During those hours and hours Mom would get to clean, or sew, or...something.) The coloring lasted about 20 minutes then Kevin put it up and then Myla abandoned it all together. Cade, however, has staked his claim.
For the past three nights he has slept in it. I keep thinking he'll wake up all kinked and not want to sleep in it anymore. Not yet...he loves it!

It's a work-in-progress, and I'm hoping they'll continue coloring it. They would if I let them use markers. The dreaded markers. Does anybody else feel the same way I do about markers? They are banished, exiled, hidden from little fingers. Maybe it's time to have a marker party! I love a good theme party. :)

Harry Potter Party-time!

2009-07-13T20:21:00.005-07:00

In case anyone hasn't heard, the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie is coming out tomorrow at midnight (I guess technically that's Wednesday at midnight). And in case you didn't know, the McMillans are pretty crazy about Harry Potter. Kevin and I are going to the midnight showing tomorrow, thanks to my sweet brother, Richard, who will stay the night with the kids. But we wanted to include the kids in on all the excitement, even though it will be many years before they get to watch Half-Blood Prince (we've decided that the Harry Potter movies after the second one are too scary for our kids - all the dementors and everything). So, we had another Harry Potter party.

During the day the kids and I made our Harry Potter wizard hats.
We took a paper plate and colored it black, then I cut a hold in the middle to create ample room for the head.

Then we decorated a half-circle cut out of black construction paper.

We formed it into a cone...

and taped it to the plate to create our hat. Looking at this picture I realize we should've colored the bottom of the plate too! Oh well, they didn't last long before Gavin got ahold of them and ripped them to shreds.

Gavin Potter

Everyone getting ready to eat!

This time I made dinner. I went off of a line in Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, "He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table:roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, baconand steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding,peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs." Well, I wasn't going to make all that, but I did make roast chicken (aka. rotisserie chicken from Fry's), mashed potatoes, carrots and Yorkshire pudding (which, interestingly enough, is nothing like our American pudding, it's more of a bread that you smother with gravy--quite good actually). Then we had Butterbeer (aka cream soda in those cool bottles).

After dinner we made our wands. We dipped pretzel rods into white chocolate and sprinkled them with colored sugar.

Myla making her wand.

Our finished wands.

While our wands dried, we made potions. This was my favorite part. For our potion ingredients we had Lionfish (Swedish fish), Hippogriff gizzards (lime Jello squares), Flaxweed powder (dry jello), Doxy eggs (Skittles), Dragon tears (red Kool-aid) and Bundimum secretions (blue Kool-aid). We mixed whatever ingredients we wanted together.

I called Cade's potion "Happy All Day" potion. You wanna taste, dontcha?

Myla liked eating the ingredients as well.

Even Kevin got in on the action. He wanted to create the Felix Felicis potion which gives you good luck all day.

For dessert we got a nice surprise from our good friend Jill (whom Cade has a small crush on). She brought us Harry Potter cupcakes -- red velvet decorated with yellow and red sprinkles (Gryffindor colors). They were super yummy! Thanks for the surprise treats Jill!

So, Harry Potter is tomorrow night. I need to get my sleep in tonight since I won't be getting much tomorrow night. But I'll let you all know how it goes. No spoilers, I promise.

The McMillans

Coming this weekend!

Cowgirl Myla and her 5th Birthday

The Gavman turns 3!

We're still here...

Woo Hoo!!

SOOC New Years Eve

I've got a case of PCD

Merry Christmas!

Snippets

Long time no see!

When Life Slows Down

Kroger Giftcard Winner

Sum-Sum-Summertime

Back to School $25 Kroger Giftcard Giveaway

Camping 2010

The Princess Turns 4

Cade's Celebration

Myla's Preschool Graduation

Little Ballerina

Kevin's Graduation

Let's Get Personal

Giveaway Winner

The Final Countdown

Simplify Your Life giveaway

To the ballgame

School Pictures I'm Happy About!

E-day

Sister Shoutouts

Spring Baking

McMillan Spring Training

I'm one of those moms

Winner

Stayin' Alive

PhotoFunia

Bonus Box Tops For Education & Kroger $25 Giftcard Giveaway

I'm NOT an organizing junkie...but aspire to be

Footies

I don't usually like to talk about money, but...

Kid Updates.

Happy *Love* Day!

And the winner is...

Happy Day and a Giveway!

Sweet Slumber

Snow Trip

Just Plain Tuckered

Just feeling a little nostalgic...

Bowling on NYE

First Day of Dance

Grand

Get a Look at This Face

What's Your Persuasion on the Big Man?

Cade's Preschool Christmas party

Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year

Myla wanted a mullet...

Not Your Mama's Sewing Girls

Our Zoo Fix

Santa's Sweetheart Apron Giveaway

The Boys

For the love of potatoes

Zootique

Hacked

Days 23-25: Field trips and birthdays

Days 18-22

Day 14-17 - Life Goes On!

Day 13 - Candy Corn Mania

Days 8-12 - Family, Fireworks, Pumpkin Carving and New Mexico

Day 7 - Let Them Eat Pumpkin!

Day 6 - Pumpkin Candy Necklaces

Day 5 - Caramel Apple Monsters

Day 3 & 4 - General Conference

Day 2 - Gluey Ghosts (or not)

Day 1 - Glitter Pumpkins

A Dino-Mite Birthday!

31 Days Has October: 2009 Edition

Our First Garden

Let Them Stay Little

It's never too early...

Butterfly Hotdogs

Who's that Kid?

Happy Love Day!