New Year's Eve

Our thoughts and hearts were with Darren and the Roos family today. Darren was able to fly up to Idaho for his Grandpa's funeral. We miss him! Back in AZ, we enjoyed a lovely dinner & evening of games. I wanted to have the New Years countdown @ 9 pm, but Grandma pleaded for the Grandkids to stay up. When I finally agreed to let them stay up until midnight, you would have thought I had given my kids the best present in the world.

Seriously.

Courtney got on the kitchen table and started doing the worm.

Not kidding.

How does she even know what that is?

It was hilarious. The games were great, the company was great, and I hope to always remember it.

Volcano!!!!

Grandpa Raeo picked out this awesome volcano kit for Alexander for Christmas. Grandpa Terrell helped Alexander put it together. It was quite a process-- mixing the cement, pouring it in the molds-- a messy project!

After a not-too-spectacular display of club soda & tablets, we got a little creative. Needless to say, we are out of baking soda and vinegar at the Roos house.

{and it may or may not be because Rebecca & I decided to make volcanoes in our mouths}

I know.

I've heard that when you're with your siblings, you revert back to being 10.

Blame it on that.

Grandpa Charlie

We found out that Darren's dear Grandpa Charlie passed away. Darren was able to say goodbye over the phone last week, when he called Grandpa on his birthday. Tender memories. He will be missed! Grandpa loved the Gospel, his family, sports, Rush Limbaugh:), trucking, traveling & staying active. We were grateful and amazed that he drove here to AZ from Idaho last year to visit.
Sharon, Grandpa's new wife {since having lost his first wife} has been such a blessing. She has cared for Grandpa and added such warmth to our family. She's an angel. Here they are, posing near Grandfather Cactus @ Rawhide.
Great-Grandpa congratulating Alexander with a handshake and hug after his confirmation. We are truly blessed to have had this great man in our lives.

Temple Lights

They still had the lights up at the temple, and we loved going even though it was after Christmas. Breathtaking. I feel such a spirit of peace just being near the house of the Lord.
My boys

Silly Auntie Rebecca can always get my kiddos riled up. She's a hoot and they love her dearly.

Awww...

Not to detract, but just wanted to let you know that isn't a headdress my Mom is wearing-- just some foliage in the background;)

Happy times!

Mangos with My Mama

My Mother's Birthday is in December, so we went out to celebrate. She was a bit... wary when we walked in the door, just because the atmosphere wasn't quite what she's accustomed to. All in all, she acquiesced and decided she had a great meal. {and yes, the walls are that green}
Dad enjoying some fried ice cream.

I dared Rebecca to try a Singin' in the Rain pose. Love it!

The Sherlock Cheesecake Workout

It sounded like a terriffic plan...

Park the car by the theatre.

Walk through the mall to Cheesecake Factory for some Godiva sinfulness.

Walk back through the mall to the theatre, plenty of time to spare, to watch Sherlock Holmes.

Yeah, only...

Yes, I am a bad influence, introducing my baby Sis to the wonder that is Cheesecake Factory:)

K, so, back to the story. When we finished our cheesecake, the doors leading back into the mall were locked!

Chandler Fashion is a HUGE, two story mall, and we were at the opposite end of it.

We power walked like crazy women outside, down a flight of stairs, through a few parking lots, climbed the rock wall by Sears, all the while thinking of dumb movie quotes to keep our minds off the fact that we were two women out alone very late at night. Bunch of crazies!

We made it just in time {missed the previews} and worked off our cheesecake in the process.

Yum. Not talking about the cheesecake here. Did I mention we saw it twice?

Visitors From the North

My Sister, Dad & Mom came down for a quick visit after Christmas. We had the BEST time! My dearest darling Seester, Rebecca, who had been up for days prior to this picture. She was starving, tired & so crazy fun to be with. She just finished putting together a "Jane Austen Ball" up at BYU-I {sounds magnificent, huh?} and was also just cast in a leading role in "South Pacific."

The second day she was here, we played duets on the piano for hours. We might have laughed a little more than we played.

Sweet Grandma Kathie. Lately she's been calling every night and the kids read her a chapter in one of their books. They love it. Here she and Courtney were singing songs from "Wicked."

This was my Dad's first visit to AZ. I was surprised that he enjoyed playing Wii with Alexander. They had a great time--I hope Grandpa's shoulder recovers!

BYU Brownies

Yes, THE BYU Brownies. You know, the brownies that caused quite a stir at the Young Women Fundraiser back in 2006? {Where the brownies were auctioned, as well as the recipe?} Sorry Buckmisters, the recipe is out. Here it is {tweaked a bit}: Prepare one 9 x 13 inch brownie mix according to package directions. Bake and cool.

{While it's baking, hop on your treadmill--it will save you some guilt later}

Mint Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar
6 TBS butter
1 tsp. mint extract
3 TBS. milk
green food coloring

Mix until smooth, then spread on baked & cooled brownies.

Chocolate Topping

Melt 1 cup chocolate chips with 6 TBS. butter and smooth on top of mint frosting. Chill before serving. Enjoy!

Elements of Christmas...

. . . that I love. . . The name "Natalie" means Christmas child-- it's no wonder why I love this season. My parents gave us this beautiful tree as our wedding present. It's so Victorian & pink! Love baking with the kids
Love our little New England Christmas village-- it reminds me of nostalgic Maine.

When we were kids, my family & I used to gather on cold December evenings and read Christmas stories & scriptures.

I guess we've evolved a bit. We turn out all the lights {except the tree}, make ourselves cozy with blankets & pillows, & watch Christmas videos on the laptop.

We love remembering the life & birth of our Savior.

Chrsitmas Morning

Yet another blog hiatus. For Christmas, we got a new camera {yea!} but I am still trying to figure out how the thing works with uploading/editing/etc.

Geeky smart computer friends, where are you?

Here are some pics from our old camera, just to tide you over...

By far, Alexander's favorite is his new cell phone. It's really important to him to keep in contact with relatives & friends, so this is perfect. He had it figured out a lot faster & better than we did!Babies, babies, babies! Courtney has been begging for a new baby sister or brother, {sorry, can't help you out there} :( but she is content for the moment taking care of a few new baby dolls.

Santa!!! I Know Him...

The general theme for Christmas wishes at tonight's Ward Party revolved around pets-- mostly puppies. When it was Courtney's turn, I was confident that a DS is what she'd ask for. Instead, we heard:

"Please bring me back my lost kitten."

Um.

So.

Anyone seen a lost cat? He's grey and black striped and has been missing for over 2 years.

There was a group of older boys {including my son} who hung back during the whole Santa thing. They were too grown up to openly believe, but kept a safe distance, just in case. Being the horrible Mom that I am, I insisted on one last year on Santa's lap.

Does he really have to grow up?

Empty Plates

Here's how the conversation went:

Darren: So why are we giving empty plates away as gifts this year? Shouldn't they have cookies on them or something?

Natalie: They're not plates, they're chargers. It's meant to be a decoration--I put vinyl on them.

Darren: {Holding up battery charger} This is a charger. A Charger is a car made by Dodge. That is a plate.

Natalie: {rolling eyes} OK, while you're standing there, hand me another plate.

Darren: Ha!

Darren: {Handing embellished vinyl charger to the Bishop} Here you go. Merry Christmas. Enjoy your plate of. . . vinyl.
I thought they were brilliant! Maybe not.
{The red ones had bright white vinyl on them-- the pic makes it look ivory}

Yikes!

White-knuckling it home from Flagstaff. How do people live in this all winter long? We were totally scared!

Flagstaff

We had a fun family getaway up to Flagstaff this week. The kids were in HEA-VEN playing in the snow for a few days. Happy kids. I don't think they stopped smiling.
Sledding! I had the kids bring some stadium seat cushions {since you can't buy sleds in Phoenix} and they worked fantastic!

Courtney was amazed when it started snowing. "I've never seen snow falling from the sky before!" She was just 18 months old when we moved from Maine, so she doesn't remember a "real" winter.
The wet, cold snow didn't even phase the kids this time. They were having way too much fun!

'Tis the Season...

...for basketball! Alexander started practice this week. So excited to see him play again. He & Big Daddy were trying out some sweet moves!

Parties!

I have no idea what I was thinking, taking on being room mom for both kids' classes this year. We had a fun Friday, with Christmas Carol Pictionary, an indoor snowball fight, Christmas scramble, Stocking Relays--lots of activities & games. The kids made snowmen out of powdered donuts, pretzel sticks & other goodies.
Some were very creative! I think I'm taking next week off. Thank goodness for Christmas vacation!

Sugar Plum Fairy

Miss Courtney had a little performance @ her dance class today. She is doing so well! Quite the accessories: )

Bling It On...

You KNOW how much I love my Silhouette, right? The brilliant minds @ Quickutz have now released rhinestone templates & all the sparkly goodness that goes along with bling.

Can't wait to try this out!

Hair Hotline

Seriously, they need to make a 1-800 hotline/support group for people who are trying to grow out their hair. I can only get to a certain point, then I freak out in my impatient, ugly duckling phase & chop it all off again.

Some days I need someone to talk me down...."Ma'am, put the scissors down... The only one you're hurting is yourself... This too shall pass... Lack of a current hairdo does not make you less of a person..."

Ugh. I think I'll go put some more gel in.

Christmas Caroling

Tonight for FHE some of the families in our ward went on a Christmas Caroling hayride. The Farabees opened their home & shared their hay-laden trailer & hot chocolate with us. Fun! {I'm hoping to snag some pics from one of the other families that went-- I forgot my camera!} The word "choir potluck" usually strikes fear in the innermost, germ-a-phobic part of my heart. Issues aside, I got this fantastic idea to make red velvet oreos... festive.

We came home covered in hay, hoarse voices-- totally exhausted. {my ankles are sticking together because of some kicked over cups of hot chocolate:} Proof that we all had a wonderful evening!

Gingerbread Cheater-Pants

This year's gingerbread house was quite enjoyable to make. Darren saw a kit for $7 @ the store, candy & icing included! So I lit a yummy quasi-gingerbread candle {for ambiance} and let the kids go to town. Sticky business!
The finished product

Super easy! We totally cheated this year, but it was fun, nonetheless:)

What Have I Done?

I've been obsessing about doing this to my front room wall for a couple of years. In my mind, it looked a little different. There is supposed to be a fantastic, life changing quote made of vinyl inside the frame. Trouble is, I haven't found the perfect one yet.

Do I dare ask for suggestions? Unfortunately, we've ruled out quotes from Nacho Libre and Adam Sandler movies. {Dang!} {Oh, and pay no attention to those random flowers in the bicycle. It's too high for me to reach, so I just threw a few up there to see if I liked the color}.

It's Snowing!

Courtney was helping me make breadsticks in the kitchen. She sprinkled some flour and started singing "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!" Yeah, baby! We love our Arizona snow!