MeRrY ChRiStMaS!!

I can't believe Christmas in 3 days!! I don't know what my deal is but I'm not really in the Christmas spirit this year. I have been a HUGE slacker, in getting things ready and bought! Here's our Christmas card I got made but NOT mailed, it's only 3 days away so I figure why bother...right?

Well I've got LOTS to get done in the next few days, I just wanted to post this so it didn't go to a total waste... We hope you all have a MeRrY ChRiSTMaS and a HaPpY NeW YeAR!!

A little run down...

of what's been shakin @ the Hales house:) We celebrated Thanksgiving this year w/ my family and I must say the food was fabulous!! Then the 1st weekend in December my mom and sisters and I thought we'd attempt to make caramels and chocolates. Jacki, Becki and I were the planners and our original plan was to have Gm. Kent come and give us a few pointers. But in mid November she fell and broke her ankle and can't put any weight on it for 3 to 6 months. So we just had to talk things over w/ her before hand and called her a million times during:) lol It was pretty interesting and it's not something you can do in 2 days. But we had fun & learned a few things....like our moms stove SUCKS!! And it's probably a project to do when you don't have a house full of 20 people:) But we enjoyed our selves and I think we did a pretty good job for our 1st time. I'll post a few pictures of the finished product next week, we have to get together one more day to wrap things up and make a few more items. We let all the kids help and over all had a great time and made some good memories:)

Then this year we got our VERY 1st REAL Christmas tree. It has been fun and smells so nice... But we have also had a few funny moments, 1st of all it's not really OCD friendly, for a gal like me:) pine needles are EVERY where and it kinda tilts to the one side but my kids think it's great! and so does their dad:) James and I went and got the tree while the kids were in school and they were both excited when they got home. James sat the tree up while I was @ work and then it sat there for 4 days before we got around to decorating it. James happened to be @ work and @ the bottom of the tree were a few random branches that I thought needed to be trimmed so being the handy man I'm NOT I thought I'd get a saw & saw them off before we got goin on the lights and decorations. I went out to the shed and got a saw I had saw James using to trim the trunk and thought I bet I can handle this. My kids were like oh NO!! I walk in the house w/ the saw and Kobe says mom I'm not sure about this??? And I was like what? He says while looking and pointing @ Maddi, I don't think this is a good idea (me using the saw) and I said why? He says cause we aren't gonna be able to drive you to the hospital! LOL I was like I think I can handle it, while thinking to myself WTH I have NO idea how to even turn this baby on, but little to my surprise and theirs I figured it out and gotter done! Needless to say it tipped over a few times and I had to spend an hour vacuuming my floor... But all fixed up it looks fabulous!

Then...

I have been enjoying my new job, it's been one of the BEST things that has happened!! Of course it's a job so I'm not full of anxiety waiting to go, but I don't dread it either. It's so different and I am getting lots of practice on using tools :) Something that doesn't come easy for me, but my trainer has been wonderful and has lots of patience w/ all my "blonde moments" :) My hubby thinks I'm a lot nicer, it's amazing how stress can have such an impact on how you feel and treat others. I'm so grateful that I finally found a new job! :)

James is full of SMILES cause he loves this time of year! He went on his 1st ride for the season 2 weeks ago:)

Maddi is busy hangin w/ her peeps and is loving dancing... she also is full of attitude and thinks she is too COOL for us! :)

And my lil Kobe man is still in love w/ his Star Wars toys and is really into Lego's....

That's all folks.... thanks for stopping by :)

After 14yrs. of service....

James & I retired our VERY 1st purchase we made together... our stereo:( I have been wanting to get rid of it for a while but James never would let me, I guess I finally got him a board my ship:) We bought this stereo the month before we got married @ Stokes Brothers in Logan 14yrs. ago. It's played some pretty pumping tunes while cleaning house and Maddi has loved shakin her groove to her tunes. It was kinda bitter, sweet and definitely a blogging moment for me...

As I was taking it down I thought I better grab a picture before we said good bye!

HaPpY BiRtHDaY BabY!!

On November 22nd James had a birthday!! I guess he's one year older and he's always been the wiser one:) I made him a giant cupcake (as seen on TV) lol chocolate w/ cherry filling and whipping cream for the frosting... I must say this was my favorite part of his day! hee hee hee

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE!!

We don't really go all out for birthdays here @ the Hales house. But I just want James to know how blessed the kids and I are to have him as our daddy!! He is truly amazing!!

The Boys Trip

On the 19th of November my dad took all the boys in our family on a Steel head fishing trip to Riggins Idaho. James and Kobe had an awesome time and were able to catch some pretty big fish.

Here are a few photos I stole off Ben's facebook:)

P, Dilla, Scooby and Bubba

James and Kobe enjoying the scenery on their way up the Salmon River

Thanks Dad, Gp. Rick and Rick....they had a good time:)

HALLOWEEN 2010

We had a pretty fun Halloween this year... Grandpa Rick and the Uncles have some mini bulls that they bought in on earlier in the year that they contract out for rodeos. So Uncle Connor thought it would be fun to have a lil rodeo called "Spooks and Spurs" they had it Saturday afternoon in the indoor arena @ the fair grounds. The cowboys we suppose to dress up and got higher points on their ride for doing so.... It was a family event and lot of fun!!

Mads helping tend lil CD before the rodeo

Connor the Announcer, dressed up in some of Grandpa Udy's and Grandpa Sid's old clothes form tip to top:)

Caleb and Julie as old people, They looked super cute!! Caleb is also wearing some of my Grandpa Udy's old work clothes. It was fun to see him and Connor wearing them and bougth back some good memories.... Caleb told Julie they couldn't get into the rodeo unless they were dressed up:) LOL So she went to DI and found her granny clothes...nice job Julie!

Addie and Baby Em aren't they the cutest lil girls... Addie is a blue fairy and Em is a witch

Grandpa Rick as a clown and Trev
Grandpa cooked hot dogs and scones for everyone and the lil girls enjoyed helping him get things rollin:)

Grandma Lynn and Aunt Kates w/ all the lil cousins

lil CD as a frog, Baby Em as a witch, Addie as a blue fairy and Baby Zack as a monkey...might I add a chunky monkey:) LOL

Bubba and Show Bobby the rodeo ridin cowboys...

Shay, Mads, Kobe and lil CD

The rodeo was lots of fun and we hope to make it an annual event. My dad is always so good @ giving us all opportunities to live, learn and grow...THANKS DAD!

After the rodeo we headed up to Grandma Kent's, she always has homemade cookies and chili and the kids didn't wanna miss out!

Then we headed home to freshen up and get ready for the rainiest trunk or treating EVER!! It was raining so hard but the kids still got loads of candy!!

Maddi as a witch and Kobe as Darth

Hope you all had a safe and fun HALLOWEEN!

Halloween w/ our friends & family

Friday we meet our cousin friends and friends up town @ Midland Square and went trick-or-treating up town. Then after we went to Jenni's for a lil Halloween party...It was lots of FUN!! We took the kids to Bear River City to a haunted maze:) LOL Madison was so scared, but James and I made her do it!! It was hilarious!! The maze was FREE and I was SUPER impressed!! After the maze we went back to Jenni's for root beer floats and a Halloween movie.

All the cousin friends minus lil CD & Aunt Kate's kids

Jenni, Me and Kalli Ann

Mads and Shay trying to show off their face paintings, but Shay has hers on the other cheek:)

Carson & Kobe showing off their scary face paintings!

Taygen

and of course Kobe one more time pretending he is dead, with his eyes open:) LOL

The Pumpkin Walk...

Every year @ McKinley they do a lil Pumpkin Walk and each class has a theme. We aren't to talented or crafty here @ our house so I always get a little stressed! But Grandma Delorise found a cute idea in the paper for Mads & thanks to good old Google I found a pattern for Kobe's and I must say they turned out pretty good! The kids were both happy so that's what counts!

Maddi's classes theme was....Scary Monsters, so we did a Frankentstein. And Kobe's was Destenation Disney... and we carved a Mickey Mouse. I had to work on Thursday night so James took the kids and they had a good time.

Hello...

Well as you all can tell it's been awhile since I have blogged. So here is a lil update about what's been going on @ the Hales house...

I still need a new camera so sorry not to many pictures and the pictures I do have aren't that great! But I'm waiting for Black Friday to get a good deal!!

We recently got put into a new ward so now we are members of the Tremonton 12th Ward. It's been a nice lil change, but I sure do miss the 8th ward. Any how w/ this change I got a new calling which is Achievement Day Leader and I get to be my Maddi's leader. It has been fun getting to know the girls. Maddi was pretty bummed when I told her, she said I would be embarrassing. But I think she has found out differently... I told her I was a COOL mom and most kids would die to have a mom like me!! LOL:)I had been an Achievement Day Leader before right after we moved into the 8th ward and I didn't love it. But I think I have grown up a little and have a better understanding of the gospel and I am really enjoying being involved. I get over whelmed really easy so this calling is PERFECT for me.

The last year or so life @ work had been getting pretty rough so I had been looking & applying for jobs and I finally got a NEW job!! My dream job is to be a stay @ home mom.... but that's HEAVY on DREAM!! :) On October 4th I started @ Malt-o-Meal and it has been AWESOME!! The people and atmosphere have been just what I needed. My hubby says I'm alot nicer too:) So life is good! Sometimes it seems like nothing ever works out or all the bad comes @ once and I start losing focus... But I just remind myself things happen for a reason and we learn & grow form our trails. (Sorry I just added that last little bit for myself)

Any how now for James he is finishing up his fall applications spraying for my dad and is getting ready for the BIG SNOW!! (I say BOO!) Other than that he's the same ole same ole.

Now for my Mads she is growing up WAY to FAST!! She is loving dance and is the best lil student, we just went to parent teachers and she is an AWESOME lil lady! As always she helps us all stay on track and there are times I have to bite my tongue cause she is so her "mother's daughter" :) But I love her to pieces! She also enjoys hanging @ her "new" families house the Belew's her and Shay love hanging out. She has kinda been growing out of loving to go to Gp. & Gm.'s which makes me sad, she getting to be a pre-teen and it's all about the friends now! :)

Now for my lil Kobe Man.. He is truly one of a kind! He on the other hand is not the best student his teacher says he's all about being "cool" :) LOL I say just like his daddy! He is finally done w/ football his team was AWESOME!! They won every game and Kobe did awesome for his 1st year. With the new ward change he hasn't had a scout leader until this week so he is super excited to start scouting again.. James & I are working really hard w/ him so when we go to parent teachers next time his teacher will give us a better report!! He's a good kid, he just gets side tracked EASILY!! (I wonder where he gets that from?) I love you son!

We haven't done anything too cool or out of the ordinary lately.. Just chillin and getting used to life w/ my new work schedule. Hope all is well w/ all of you!

Bear Lake 10/15/2010

A few weekends ago we went to Bear Lake for our annual outing w/ the Kent clan. Kobe had a play off game so James, Kobe and I didn't go up til Saturday. Mads went up w/ Aunt Kates on Friday... It was a fun lil get away and a fun tradition my family has been doing since I was a babe.

3 of the most handsome boys!!



Baby Em taking a tub in the sink :)

Willard Bay

We went to Willard Bay w/ Gp. Rick & Gm. Lynn on Labor Day, it was lots of FUN!! My parents got a boat earlier this summer and this was the first time we were able to go, I love the SUN and water as well as my family so to me this day was EXCELLENT!! But I must say it was a bit cold, and my dad is one CRAZY driver!!

We have a pretty big family so it's hard to get everyone together on the same day, so dad & mom just plan a day and who ever comes, comes! My mom got Pizza Hut for lunch and we just hang out on the beach and took turns...

Aunt B and Gm. Lynn were the babysitters and did a lil hand work :)

James & I....sorry James looks a lil corny! :) LOL <3>

The 2 cutest babes EVER!! lil CD and baby Em

Lets just say Mads was NOT impressed by Gp. Rick's CRAZY driving! She never got out of the boat and was about in tears... I'd say she was mad but I think pissed is more how she felt. (sorry for the language) Becki and I were laughing so hard, cause it was kinda SCARY!! No one got hurt and all was well:)

So I must say we are a bit "redneck" and I think Connor played the part well:) LOL He broke his foot so he had to put garbage bags around it to help it from getting wet.... YEP!! He's a REDNECK!! and we LOVE him! :)

Connor and I on the tube ...now I must say we are pretty EXTREME or maybe it's my dad's race car driving skills that makes us feel that way! When we fell off we hit so hard I was so sore the next day.... I think that's a good sign I'm getting OLD!!

James and Connor

Carson & Kobe just chillin :)

Carson and I

Thanks Mom and Dad for a GREAT day!!

Camper World

We planned to go camping over Labor Day but do to do football we decided to just chill @ home. We had dinner w/ the Belew's on Friday night & then Saturday night after football we headed up to Camper World to hang w/ my family for smores and swimming:) Then Sunday after church we went back up for dutch oven dinner, YUMMY YUMMY!! After dinner we went back to the Belew's for a LATE night!! Us moms went to redbox & got The Last Song a MUST see. Me and Mads had been wanting to see it and it was EXCELLENT!!

Here's a few pics @ Camper World, Aunt B kinda gets a kick out of her self and came up w/ the job "smores assistant" so as you can see she is being our "smores assistant" and our smores tasted better than EVER!!

Aunt Jacks and the babes

Carson, Kobe and CD

Aunt B helping Gp. Rick w/ his smore, what a WONDERFUL assistant:)

Then Monday we heaed to Willard Bay for our lil families first trip on Gp. Ricks boat:) Stay tuned for pictures......

Let's go BEARS!!

A few weekends ago we went to BEARS vs. Box Elder high school football game. We had a BLAST!! We started the night off getting to baby sit the cutest lil Mr. He is just so dang handsome, and is always so full of smiles:) My kids & James were both so excited!! I love having my nieces and nephews over but my lil family just loves CD (Clancy) Kobe says YES!! We get to tend him for 3 hours, and he can come to my football practice:) LOL Mads and I had a rough time getting our selves & this lil man ready, I am so out of the baby loop, but we got it done!

Here's Mads & CD after she feed him some applesauce:)


We went to the game w/ the 2 Belew families and met up w/ Roxie & Tom as well as Aunt B and the boys and Aunt Kates and her kids. Aunt B was getting a lil crazy signing all the cheers w/ the band, Clayton was impressed!! LOL:)

Here's are Marki after dancing @ half time:)

School Days...

Summer went by so quick! I don't think I was ready for school to start, I love the summer sun and late nights. But my Maddi couldn't wait!! She loves school and she was super excited to have Mr. Esplin again. She had him in the 3rd grade and we loved him and are looking forward to another great year.

I can't believe my baby girl is in the 5th grade WOW!! She is growing up so fast and is so sweet and sassy just like ME!!

Now Kobe wasn't so excited!! School is not his favorite, he would rather be playin outside or coming up w/ some CRAZY contraption:) He is in the 3rd grade and has Mrs. Bitton, when he came home on the 1st day he said he thinks he has the BEST teacher @ McKinley and Maddi has the 2nd BEST!! lol:)

I think Kobe's favorite part of starting school was being able to wear his new LEGO STAR WARS shirt! It was a lil cold so he had his jacket on & I didn't think to have him take it off for the photo, and don't worry I didn't let him wear those hip and trendy shades to school:)