QuicKutz Rules!

What's QuicKutz? My Mom thought it was a place to get your hair cut. NO, no, no. QuicKutz is a company that makes the coolest scrapbook tools. My girl Ariane introduced me to their nifty squeeze tool 4+ years ago and I've been an addict ever since.

They just released these divine new shapes {chandelier, crowns, damask} and I had to try them out today. Just as I'm thinking, "I SO love QuicKutz," the doorbell rings.It's QuicKutz. {Or the UPS man with a box from QK} He delivered the rest of my goodies from my winnings! I am so excited...

S'Not Funny

My sister sent Alexander a few of these books a couple years back... can I just say they've turned into a bit of an obsession? Captain Underpants, that's right {and the Plight of the Purple Potty People, and the Wicked Wedgie Woman, and the Bionic Booger Boy... the list goes on}. They are 200% gross, but very entertaining to a 9-year-old boy! As we were driving to church today, Alexander was reading one of these gems, and Courtney said, "Xander, you shouldn't bring one of those books into the church. People will think that's wicked inappropriate." {"Wicked" is a term we picked up living in New England. There it means "really." Wicked cold, wicked good-- you get the picture} I laughed out loud! Our Maine-born child is true to her birth state!

Christmas Day

Our Christmas was very simple this year. We don't have extended family here, so we just spent the day enjoying each other and then had a delish dinner & games @ the Boices.Xander Man was so excited about his DS. We are having a difficult time pulling he & Darren away from this little toy!
He has been wanting this toy for a year... Crash & Smash Stadium. He & Darren are faithful Monster Jam attendees {minus the mullets}.
A dollhouse for the Barbies!

Her face says it all. Darren & I got Courtney a bike for Christmas, but we wrapped up a bike seat & training wheels so she'd have something under the tree to unwrap. She saw this, was completely disgusted, and chucked it across the room {not knowing what it was}. What a stinker! She was a much happier girl when we finally convinced her to go look on the front porch to see her new bike.

This was my Christmas surprise! A pink beach cruiser. I haven't ridden a bike in probably 10 years, so it should be an adventure. Darren got it home by strapping it to the front of his Jeep! As he was in the middle of figuring out how the heck he was going to get it home, some good friends of ours pulled up next to him in the parking lot and helped him strap it down. Thanks, Kim & Elliot:) Darren's Christmas was pretty boring... new brakes for his Jeep.

36 to 63

Last year, Alexander had one Christmas wish--to see snow. So on Christmas Eve, we packed up and headed north. This year we decided to keep that tradition and drove 2 hours to spend the day in the mountains east of Payson, Arizona. This is our kind of snow... one magical day that requires no shoveling.The snow was fresh, sparkly and still clinging to the trees. It was breathtaking!
The snow bunnies:) We have no winter attire, so we had to improvise bigtime.

WooHoo! The girls were too chicken to walk down this hill, so Momma became the human sled.

Happy to see the snow-- for about 5 minutes. She told us, "Next time you need to find some warm snow. This kind is too cold!"

The snowball throwing champion. We all got pelted pretty good by this boy. It doesn't help that we watched "Elf" on the way up here.
We always pull off at this beautiful campground, just up in the mountains a bit. Darren brought his camp stove and we devoured chili and hot cocoa. Notice how far my table sank into the snow!
Brrrrr it's cold! Look at those poor little fingers & red nose! 36 degrees...
Aahhhhh... back to reality. 63 degrees and 2 hours later, we're sitting in the backyard {notice that Xander doesn't even have shoes on} around the fire, eating pizza. What a day of extremes.
Happy Christmas Eve!

FHE @ the Temple

Last Monday we tried to go to the temple lights, but the forecast called for rain, so we decided to postpone until this week. Guess what? It rained!

Pictures don't do this temple justice. It is so beautiful.

Palm trees+night+rain

Alexander rode his heelys all around the temple grounds. It is usually packed this time of year, but because of the rain, attendance was sparse. Only the tough Idahoan Maineacs can withstand these harsh Arizona winters:)

Courtney's favorite was the big nativity they have on the grounds. We went to a live nativity on Saturday, and she giggled through the whole program because the goat kept saying, "Maaaaa."
Inside the visitor center they have nativity sets from around the world. Here are some of our favorites. We dried off a bit in the theatre as we watched Luke 2. A soggy but wonderful night:)

Hot Cocoa & Warm Gingerbread

On a dear friend's blog, it mentioned "Things to Do" this holiday season. One idea was to drink more hot cocoa! The kids have been begging for it-- we were freezing @ 60 degrees today:)The last 2 cookies...
Having kids help in the kitchen is so fun. It's usually easier & faster to do it myself, but the kiddos love helping and get such satisfaction when I brag them up to their Daddy when they've helped make something. We're trying to keep busy this last week before Christmas:)
Here are their cute little gingerbread people. We went for a walk around the block to look @ Christmas lights & warmed up afterward with cocoa {stirred with candy canes} & delicious gingerbread.

Merry Christmas!

Put on your Sunday best, kids-- we're taking a picture!

This is the best we could do with the self-timer on a tripod, camera batteries dying, and a very long day @ church. {Just don't ask what Darren did to get the kids to laugh}

We Love Our Teachers!

Christmas cards for the kids' teachers...

They looked a little goth, so I blinged them up with some Stickles to make them look more festive:)

But Mom...

The other day, I was perusing YouTube videos & came across this classic by Weird Al. Courtney was in her office, doing homework. A little while later, we were making dinner, and I asked her something. Her response was, "But Mom, I'm just a white nerd egg." I guess she was listening to the "White & Nerdy" video after all. She's been singing her version of it all week.

{Darren says this is disturbing on so many levels because he can relate:}

Dancing Under the Stars

Daddy/Daughter dance moves!

Crisis Averted

PURPLE??? Darren bought this enormous box of hot chocolate -- the box was RED, so naturally, I assumed the cute little packets would be a festive shade of red as well. I didn't know how I could possibly make holiday gifts in purple packaging, but a trip to Scrapbooks, Etc. later, and the universe was at peace once more. I went with a winter/snowflake theme instead:) It's a work in progress-- I ran out of cellophane bags!

'Tis the Season...

We keep passing this nasty cold around in our family. Just when one person is over it, someone else picks it up. My kiddos both have the sniffles, so some homemade chicken noodle soup is in order.

I've never been a fan... those slimy noodles & soggy veggies totally make me gag! Until... my cute friend Amy brought us some of HER chicken noodle soup. I haven't mastered it quite yet, but here's my attempt:

Chicken Noodle Soup

Fill crock pot 1/2 full of water

Add 2 chicken bouillon cubes

Mix in one can cream of chicken soup

Add 3 chicken breasts {I do the frozen--again, slimy+Natalie=YUCK!}

Add 1/2 cup chopped onion

Let this simmer on low all morning

Around 1 p.m., add your veggies {carrots, potato cubes, etc.}

1 hour before serving, shred chicken, add Country Pasta noodles, more water {if needed}, salt & pepper {to taste} & simmer on high.

These noodles are the secret! I thought they could only be bought in Idaho, but since then I've found them @ Super Wal-Mart. They look a little funny {Alexander thought I was adding rubber bands to the soup:} but SO good!

Chess Make Your Move!

Darren brought back a chess board for Alexander {that nerd convention must have rubbed off on him}! The kids love it & Darren enjoys imparting his words of wisdom as they play.

Alexander was getting a little frustrated that he couldn't beat Dad, so Darren suggested that he "play Mom" to boost his confidence. {I didn't attend the nerd convention, so I'm doomed}

For Our Anniversary, We Went...

Here!

And Here!

And here! {all in one day!} Yep, you guessed it... Las Vegas, baby! 12 years ago, we came here on our Honeymoon, and haven't had a getaway since. My wonderful Mother came to tend the kids, and Darren & I got to have a very fun & relaxing vacation. You know, no matter where you are, {even in cheezy/sinful/noisy Vegas} beauty can still be found.

Darren was there attending a nerd convention-- I mean an Autodesk convention. Their main entertainment was the "Powerpoint Comedian"-- need I say more?

The Venetian

Darren's convention was held in the Venetian, which is a lavish and gorgeous hotel. They have this amazing river running through it, and Darren took me on a romantic gondola ride. Kissing under the bridges is supposed to bring good luck! We have high hopes for 2009;)

Our gondolier, serenading us in Italian... she was from Italy, so it seemed authentic. I was trying to be inconspicuous recording her.. so don't mind my sideways face:)

Phantom

Our last night, Darren surprised me with tickets to Phantom of the Opera. I've seen it a few times, but it was Darren's 1st Broadway show. It was amazing {as always} and the Phantom rocked {more so than Michael Crawford!}.

Decorating the Tree

Darren & I were married at Christmastime, and for a wedding gift, my parents gave us a Christmas tree {with all the pink trimmings!}. It is rather girly, but it is beautiful & we love it. It's fun to see the excitement in my children's eyes as they open each box or look at each ornament.Xander Man in his snuggly jammies. He loves Holidays and family activities together.
The kids take turns putting on the star. This year they both agreed since this is the 1st time Grandma has been here, she would have the honor of bestowing the star.

My Mom brought this fun book about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade for the kids. They love it since they've both actually been to the parade in New York.

Who's That Cowgirl?

My sweet Mother flew into town this weekend. She wanted to surprise the kids, so... Darren picked her up @ the airport, and they headed to Rawhide. I told the kids we were going there to visit Santa & see the lights, so they were completely excited. The workers @ one of the cafes there wanted to be in on the surprise, too. They handed her an apron & hat, and she posed as a waitress at the counter. The kids didn't quite know what to think--they kept saying, "She looks familiar..."
It was Grandma Kathie! They are so thrilled to have her here for the week.
Santa much prefers the Arizona winters... he's hanging out at Rawhide {in case you were wondering}. This year Courtney wants a dollhouse and a kitten from the Disney Store.
Two years ago on Christmas Eve, we realized the kids hadn't seen Santa yet. We headed to see him that night, where Alexander totally changed his mind about what he wanted from Santa. We tried to explain that Santa's sleigh was probably already loaded, but he was confident Santa would fulfill his wish. Poor kid. Santa already had the toys waiting at home. This year Darren insisted {wise man} to get the visit to Santa with over early to avoid last minute disappointment:) This year Alexander narrowed down his list to a DS.

November Showers Bring...

Rainbows??? We had the greatest rainstorm today. Here in the desert sometimes the dust and dirt in the air make the sky so hazy. When it rains, it clears the air and everything smells so fresh-- we love it! There was this gorgeous rainbow that spanned the sky. By the time Darren rushed out with the camera, this was all that was left of it.

Shopping!

My shopping guru girls {aka Tiffany & Krista} just posted some Black Friday ads. If you want to check them out, click http://www.black-friday.net/. Darren always works the day after Thanksgiving, so I'm probably out. I tried the 1st year we were here, but 2 kids and the whole Phoenix population got the better of me. Good luck, y'all! Elbow a pushy woman for me;)