No more snow... yet

So it's been so long since I was able to sit down and write a blog I forgot what it was like.

So over a year, here is my update:

There is no snow on the ground anymore... yet. It is September and you know what comes next, October and right when I get used to writing the 10 on my checks the snow will start to fall. While I enjoy some snow, sometimes. I know I am no where near ready to see the fluffy stuff. Summer blew by this year and we didn't even camp! We didn't even travel! We only went to the pool 3 times!!!

{can I just say I am sooo glad I procrastinated on buying the summer pool pass!!}

Things that have happened lately? Glad you were wondering.

Andrew became a senior!

I only have 1 child in elementary school now!

The Nelson family moved back to Cedar!!

Followed by the Mom and the Dad!!

We currently have 4 cats and 3 dogs living in our house...

along with 5 adults and 5 kids!

Insane you say? Just an average day in my life!

The 5th adult would be Xavier.

That is probably the biggest thing to happen this year.

He had a heart attack, bypass surgery and moved in for a bit to recover. Somehow though he decided he liked it so much here that a couple of months wasn't gonna be long enough so he had a stroke to seal the deal. I can only make light of it now to keep from crying. So here he will stay until I can get him healthy and well enough to be on his own again.

Let me add here that I am so grateful that I am in a position to be able to be of service to him. I love my brother and am honored to help.

So that is how our lives have been. Not too bad, ya know unless I think to hard about the coming snow months. I want a summer do-over... and no takesy-backsies!

Christmas Happenings

Winter means snow in Cedar. We have a great view. I love it. With the snow comes decorating the tree. Sean is a trooper. He hauls the tree up, he assembles the tree he puts everylight we can find on the tree and then he gets to stand back while I dictate (and that is the proper word in this case) where each ornament is to be placed. By the end of the month not one of these ornaments is where it was place at first. I forget this every year and think it will look perfect through the whole holiday. Someone please remind me next year. It will save sean some frustration.

You will have to tilt your heads to catch the vision. I just don't have the time or patience to figure out how to flip it with out starting all over again. Pretty tho right?!
The next fun tradition is gingerbread houses. Everyone is cordially invited over next year to make these fun houses, enjoy hot cocoa, and partake of the fighting of the season. Screams of children fighting over candy to decorate thier homes is a time honored tradition in the Arnold home!!

This one went to our neighbors house. Which means I made it so that I knew the candys were not licked before they were applied. I hope th Sargents appreciate this simple act of kindness!

Isn't that what this season is really all about........ not spreading kiddie germs to the neighbors!

Last Thanksgiving

Cousins came to play!!

Xavier brought the kids and we got to hang out, that involved lots of laughing and general merry-ment!!

Then came snowplay. There wasn't much snow left when we got there, but that didn't stop the kids from having a blast!!

Death in numbers

Sadly our second microwave passed on, and while I didn't commemorate his passing a third death has hit our home, quite literally.

Tweety was just having a peaceful day, coasting on the wind, flying with his friends. Poor bird never saw what hit him. The Children were playing in the house, being loud and probably fighting, when all of a sudden.

BAM!

Poor Tweety hit the window and fell to the ground. The funeral was held later that evening and he is now interred next to the dragonsblood plant in the garden. His headstone was designed by Ian.

Go Team!!

It was cheer week for Anna, Emily, Zariah, and Audrina.

The girls spent the week in training and then got to cheer at the varsity game on friday.

Cedar High played Snow Canyon and lost, but only barely in double overtime.

The girls had a blast and looked so cute!

Death in the Family

A beloved member of our family has passed away.

We will dearly miss him.

He warmed our food, defrosted our meat and made yummy quesadillas.

Yes, the wonderful member of our family was fondly known as microwave.

Though we never got around to naming him, we loved him just the same.

He met his inevitable end at the hands of another family member.

Andrew plead innocence but was found guilty of not knowing the difference

between a toaster oven and a microwave oven.

He was let off with stern words because it is hard to punish the mentally challenged.

For future refernece texas toast does not take 5 minutes in a microwave oven unless micro-cide is your intention.

Back to School!!!

So thankful for the school system who gratefully agreed to take my kids again this year. Don't know what I would have done if they had put a giant reject stamp on the registration forms.

Cried, I would have cried.

Luckily I had only tears of joy today as I watched them leave the house to goto the bus stop. Every year we take the picture of their first day of school with the kids holding up the number of fingers for which grade they are starting.

While some pictures will look like cool hand gestures, I still haven't figured out what they will do when they hit 11th and 12th grade.... maybe start adding toes!

First up is Andrew...

Then Brooke....
Followed by Anna....

And Emily......

And last but not least Ian, my baby....

Summer Fun

There is a little part of me that doesn't want summer vacation to end.

Our days have been filled with laziness and water fun and many books.

But most of all it has been filled with family and friends!

Soon school will start and we won't have as much time to hang around doing nothing

while having a ton of fun doing it!

Having lived in Southern Utah for 15 years it is crazy for me to realize

we have not seen all the local sites.

Xavier and Bruno came for vacation and we remedied this a little bit.

Parowan Gap is a literal gap in a mountain that enabled

people to cut through instead of going around.

On the rocks are ancient petroglyphs.

No one knows for sure what they mean,

for us they meant we got to climb rocks and hang out as a family!!

Bruno is getting so big and had fun climbing rocks.
Who can climb the highest??

Ian and Nathan hiding in small and big caves!

I think this one means that if you follow the railroad tracks, past the second exit you will find McDonald's... either that or these people saw a giant centipede and had to document it or no one would believe it was as big as they said. It really was ginormous!!!

And I think this proves that even people in the 1800's liked to carve their name in rocks!

Powder Puff Derby

The Achievement Day girls had a Powder Puff Pinewood Derby.

Anna and Emily were excited to design and build their cars.

Anna made a cellphone car.

And Emily made a candy bar car! (A mr. goodcar)

Good job ladies!!

Picture Perfect

Here it is... proof that my children can be bribed to look like they behave on certain occasions. One might actually believe that they are enjoying themselves

and are happy to be in sunny California

and not being yelled at that if they don't smile nicely

and look at the camera that a pair of scissors will find their way

into their rooms in the middle of the night to remove most of their hair.

Hey...whatever works !!!

Olympics

February is almost over and I have no news to talk about because I have no idea what is going on in my life!! It has been taken over by the olympics!!

I love them, every 2 years I get to zone in front of the tv for 2 weeks straight

and have no guilt over it because its the olympics!!!

My house is filled with shouts of:

Go USA!!!

Hurray, we have more medals than everyone else!!

Ha ha! did you see that team/ person fall on his butt!!!

Now with only 1 day to go I am reminded of the real world...

homework, kids, housework, legal stuff, small crisis plus huge crisis...

and all manner of other things that have been put on hold.

Sadness that I have to live in the real world again... it is a world that is still getting snow!

And while I have loved watching other people play in the snow I am definitely ready for spring!

You used to be my friend Mr. Groundhog!

I am not sure I will survive another 6 weeks of winter.

I need the warmth of spring,

I need to live in a place where flowers are begining to burst from the ground.

Oh wait, I live in Cedar, where it snows into May... Okay I gotta move.

Tamales

Ian's class has been studying traditions around the world and I went in to teach all the kids how to make Tamales!! It was alot of fun and not nearly as stressfull as I thought it would be. 28 kids can make a lot of tamales!! I had made some the day before so they all got to eat one for their snack. It was all very Rachel Ray. Tamales at any time of the year Rock!! It is always so much fun hanging out with sisters and friends making them, but even better is the eating them part!!!!

Christmas Wishes

Dear Santa,
You got it all wrong...I asked for less animals. Why, oh why, did you bring back the runaway cat??? This was the 3rd time he ran away, he obviously doesn't like it here. It is because of all the kids petting him and hugging him and dressing him up that pushes him overboard. He was happy in the wild I just know it! Now you have just started a new cycle. Rascal will stick around for a few months and then get fed up and escape through a cracked door and the kids will be devestated and cry and I will have to drive all over and visit the pound, just to make sure he's not there, because they kill the animals left over 5 days. sad :(
Think next time Santa. And just remember, just because my kids ask for something doesn't mean they get to have it!! Ask them and they can tell ya, they never get what they want!

P.S. Since ya brought the cat back can I please have a year's supply of food for him??

Late Halloween Update

We have: Brooke~A Vampire, Ian~A Cowboy, Emily~A Cheerleader, Anna~A Fairy, Andrew~"I'm a teenager...it's stupid to dress up for Halloween!!!"

So, I am totally remiss in not talking about Halloween which was an amazingly fun and tiring night!!! The School's Music Department was in charge of the Halloween Carnival so Anna and Emily had to be there the whole time...which translates into the whole family being there the whole time! There was fishing and dart throwing and ring tossing and all manner of carnival games...plus the added craft section where you could create your own crap..um i mean keepsakes!

Anna and her friend Anna were in charge of the photo booth. "only one ticket... cheaper than Kmart lady!!"

Ian made a clean sweep at bingo and won every round he played I am not saying his card was the cursed one or anything but a little too spooky for Halloween night if ya ask me!! He also had a ball eating a donut on a string...I am not sure what the point was, well except to put smiles on all our faces.. it totally worked by the way!!!

And in this picture you have to look closely because it may be the only one of laverl there is this year because he changed out of his costume early cuz it itched!!! Can you see him??? The sad thing is you cannot see the Chihuahua on his left shoulder (ya know instead of a parrot) From left to right we have half of Zariah then laverl and then Emily and Audrina fishing for treasure.Pirates playing Bingo...who says all pirates want to do is pillage???

The best part of the night (for the kids) was the booths where you put your hands in something gross... like spaghetti or beans or pumpkin guts, and it felt all slimy and squishy but then you got a really cool prize like a penny!
The best part for me was going home, putting on some comfy sweats and eating some yummy dinner. It was so late by that time we didn't even make it to our usual trick or treat rounds... sad, but all for a good cause. Then we sent the kids downstairs for a movie of their own and we discovered the wonder that is the Alfred Hitchcock Show! Seriously, if you have never seen it it is totatlly worth renting!!! funny funny stuff. Who knew he had such a sense of humor??? I only wish they had left the original commercials in. I would pay some serious money for that!! Okay, not serious money, but it would really make my day!!

Saddest part of the night...well, for the kids not really for me, when Sean went to take Anna's friend home the back door got left open and Rascal escaped! One less mouth to feed, and Brooke doesn't seem that sad yet. But he does have our phone number on his collar so if he's found he could be returned...i suppose.