A new favorite thing!

Anyone that knows me knows that I LOVE fruity, chewy treats ie... starbursts, peach rings, and yes skittles. My favorite has always been the purple bag, but I was at the store the other day and say that there was a NEW flavor out....Crazy Cores, so I anxiously picked up a bag and oh my!!!! They are sooooo yumm-er-ooo. Definitely one of my new favorite things!

Crazy hair day and strep throat

Ana loved her crazy hair! The pink really showed up well on her blonde hair....what a cutie pie!

Taelynn's hairstyle of choice.

Sienna was sooo excited for this day...she had planned out her 'look' for several days.

Last week was spirit week at the kids' school and one of the days was Crazy hair day. So we did their hair CRAZY! We had some glitter color spray that we sprayed into their hair and voila! PINK HAIR!!! Warning: this does create a very interesting 'ring around the collar'...especially on a white shirt!

Sienna had been complaining about a sore throat and since we do not currently have insurance I was reluctant to take her into the doctor. By day two of the sore throat she was pretty miserable and had NO appetite (very unusual for her) plus she was FREEZING (again, unusual for her) so my mother intuition kicked in and told me that she had strep and needed to get into the doctor. Results: Strep Throat. So we got her on antibiotics and now (four days later) she is well on the path to recovery. PHEW! Fingers crossed that no one else gets it!

Competition time!!!

Yes it is that time of year again! Competition season has begun!!! Sienna had her first dance competition last weekend and she did a FABULOUS job! I am SOOOO proud of her and what an awesome dancer she has become. She is in three routines and each routine took first place! Way to go Sienna!!!

I seriously don't know what her deal is lately with having her picture taken in her uniform...she HATES IT! That explains the look on her face in these pictures.

HELP! I tried to download some footage of her doing her routines and after about an hour of trying to get it to download I gave up, instead I am posting it on Youtube and then will link it onto the blog. ONe problem.... How do you post a youtube video directly on your blog (not just the link for it)? I have been showed before, but now can't remember! Can anyone out in bloggingville help me out??? I know that you are all DYING to see the video's LOL.

Don't you just LOVE the look on her face? It is like..."come on mom...enough!" What a kid!

The coolest field trip EVER!

On Tuesday I was able to chaperon a field trip that Sienna's grade went on. It was called JA Biztown and was on the top floor of the Children's Museum at the Gateway. For the past few months the students have been studying economics. They have learned how to manage a checkbook, the importance of savings, and other real-life things that you need to know about money. They were each given a job that they would have in one of the businesses at Biztown As soon as you walked off of the elevator you felt like you just walked onto a city street. It was so dang cute! Sienna's job was the CFO of Larry H. Miller (a local car dealership). She was pretty disappointed though, she wanted a job as a DJ or to work at Smith's Marketplace (how's that for aiming high??!!!)
Here is a link that shows a video and better describes what this experience is all about http://www.ja.org/about/about_news_video_biztown.shtml
It was such a fun experience and I can't wait to go back again! This is Sienna working at her desk

Paying all of the companies bills (she couldn't believe how many invoices she had to pay!)

Alphagraphics...that is the store that I was assisting in.

A glimpse down one of the 'streets'

Sienna's place of employment

Eating lunch at the 'Restaurant'

This boy was picked as the Mayor, he is giving a speech to welcome the citizens to Biztown

You scream, I scream, we all scream for.....PIE???!!

Yep, that's right...PIE! I don't know if any of you knew this but yesterday was national pie day. What a marvelous thing to give an entire day of recognition to!!! I LOVE PIE! My favorites are cream pies, but you can't beat a great fresh peach pie either!!! I found out about this holiday from another blog friend (thanks Momza!) and decided that we have had enough gloom and doom at our house and needed a reason to have a party. So I called up some of my wonderful friends and said "come over for a pie party!" We made it a whole family affair, so there were lots of loud children running around...but everyone had a great time! Everyone brought a pie to contribute to pot and we all stuffed our faces! I want to kiss the person that invented such a glorious day! Some of the delectable choices!

I know. What a bunch of goof balls...I just can't help it, Amy is such a picture freak and I love to look at pictures where we are doing more than just the typical 'pretty smile'. These two girls always bring out the crazy in me (truthfully, it doesn't take much! LOL)

I guess I was hungry for anything! INCLUDING Kristen's hair! HAHAHAHA you girls are the best!

Me piggin out!

Amy and Kristen. YUMMM-ER-OOOO! Thanks so much for joining us girls. I love impromptu parties, especially with you guys!

Because nice matters!

Anyone that knows me knows these two things about me... #1 I love watching the Bachelor and #2 I REALLY struggle watching movies/TV shows that show people being mistreated by others. Ask anyone and they will tell you that I can't watch war movies or concentration camp movies or movies where people are being beat up constantly. Well unfortunately on Monday these two things coincided with each other. Some of you are probably rolling your eyes right now and honestly I know that a lot of you can't stand shows like the Bachelor so I will spare the details of what happened. The bottom line here is that people hurt other people on NATIONAL television and then made excuses for their behavior. Is that really what we have succumbed to? We need to watch others pain and embarrassment for our own personal entertainment? I know, I know, it is just a show...but it really just got me thinking about how so many people are just 'OK' with watching someone hurt someone else. Why have we become so desensitized to the mistreatment of others? Why do we as adults still find the need to be openly rude or mean to others just for the sake of freedom of speech? I actually know a person (who is my age mind you, not a wishy washy teenager) who prides herself on saying "If I don't like someone I let them know it!"
SERIOUSLY??!! Is this the way that we want our children to grow up thinking is alright behavior?
I know that I am not perfect and along my road of life I have hurt others because of my own faults and insecurities and for that I am very regretful and sorry. I hate when I hurt others and really go out of my way to try to be nice...even when someone just gets under my skin. Remember that old saying "Kill them with kindness"??? It seems that people today would rather "Kill them with words".
I saw the above person on Saturday at a baptism with all her extended family and it was all I could do to not walk up to this person's mother and ask her if she knew what a mean, hurtful daughter she had raised. But that would be mean and hurtful of me to do....so instead I just smiled and said a friendly Hello.
Can you imagine how different our world would be if people thought of others feelings more than our own selfish desires? It wouldn't be called earth....it is called the Celestial Kingdom....a place I hope to someday be.
END OF SOAPBOX