Lean your ear this way….for a good laugh

 

So I finally caught on tape the way Sadie sings for us…but no one else! A sweet neighbor has offered to teach Sadie piano for FREE...I know so nice huh! She claims she wants to do it because she loves teaching, that may be true, but I think she’s doing it because she’s a saint \’’/ At first in this video you see Sadie drawing on her fingers. She’s putting dots on her fingers like her teacher taught her to remind her to use her fingertips while playing. It’s fun to watch her build up confidence as she tries to master this song!!!

There really is a Santa

Want to know how it is I KNOW….because only Santa would have known that all I really wanted for Christmas was SOME PEACE AND QUIET….and that’s EXACTLY WHAT I GOT! I woke up Christmas morning with two throbbing ears that no longer could hear well….sounds like I’m under water. I was hoping more for a certificate to a spa or an all expense trip to Hawaii…but hey I’ll take any kind of peace I can get!

Crazy thing is I’ve been on antibiotics for the past week trying to get over strep throat…how on earth did I develop ear infections while taking antibiotics??? Maybe that’s because I JUST CAN’T GET HEALTHY! Any guesses what next’s week illness may be???

NICKIE’S FAMILY PARTY at my sister’s house!

12 Grandkids…

Yes I’m jealous of her WIDE OPEN SPACES….it was beautiful up there.

We made an appearance even though we were sick…us sick….yes I know surprising. I had strep throat and Kendyl had an ear infection.

CHRISTMAS OUTFITS…

The best part about our kids being vertically challenged is that they usually wear their clothes for 2 seasons before growing out of them. Yes these are their outfits from last Christmas…..EVEN KENDYL IS WEARING THE SAME DRESS. Last year she was only 2 weeks old when she wore this. It was big on her then…this year she was sportin a cute little mini \’’/

Santa…leave the gifts and HIT THE ROAD!

So a couple of nights ago we arranged to have a Santa come to the house. We invited some friends from California over who have two little boys. After dinner as we were cleaning up the dishes the kids went into the family room to watch a show. The next thing I hear is SHREKS OF TERROR and kids frantically running seeking cover. That’s when I realized from the kitchen that our visitor must be here. The funny thing was…..SANTA DID NOT KNOCK….HE JUST BUSTED IN THE DOOR AND STARTED HO…HO…HOing! The kids were terrified….can you blame them??? I would be terrified too!!!

When Santa came in Mason jumped over the couch and hid behind this chair….THE CHAIR SANTA CHOOSE TO SIT IN…he was TRAPPED!!!!! We tried everything to get him to come out……no chance of that. Surprisingly he wasn’t crying, but I could tell how nervous he was. Well he have proof of how nervous he was….and this is it:

Notice in his hand he’s holding something. This was a Christmas ornament given to us by a neighbor. Apparently he had it in his hand when Santa walked in. During the first 5 minutes Santa was in our house he TORE THIS LITTLE ORNAMENT TO SHREADS by clawing the thing with his fingers!

Meanwhile, Sadie was hiding in the bathroom. It took her a couple of minutes to come out. It didn’t take her long to realize Santa must be a pretty nice guy because he brought her a gift…she warmed up real quick!

Mason, however, never warmed up. He wanted nothing to do with him. The only reason he agreed to get this close to Santa was because he knew Santa carried gifts and candy canes. BUT OH DID WE PAY FOR IT LATER…Mason was up for two hours in the middle of the night screaming that he was scared. So next year….Santa leave the gifts and hit the road!!! (p.s. do you like Mason’s hand? Rich placed it there on his leg and he was so nervous I don’t think he even realized he was touching Santa).

CHRISTMAS…

Christmas jammies from Grandma Reeves….so cute! (p.s. Grandma…as soon as Sadie pulled out the snowman slippers she put them on and started doing the funniest little ballerina dance. I got it on tape and once I can download it for you I will).

We spent Christmas Eve over at our friend’s house the COONS….we had fun eating, playing games and making gingerbread houses. Mason loved karate chopping his and going at it!

This is our version of “FLIP THIS HOUSE”! I found this baby at the D.I (thift store) for $8.00. Rich and I refinished it and here was what was waiting by the tree for Sadie…

After staying up until 3 a.m. two nights in a row, I was going to cry if Sadie didn’t like it….but SHE LOVED IT!!! And we got the furniture dirt cheap off ksl.com. SCORE….CHEAP PRESENT that won the heart of a 5 year old! (p.s. do you like the self portraits of the Barbie's. I took those pictures at 2 a.m. and I couldn’t stop laughing as I would pose them and do my best to get the lighting just right. These Barbie models are pretty high maintenance….they wouldn’t listen to anything I said…they were so uncooperative and just kept falling over).

TOO PROUD TO BE EMBARRASSED….So in an effort to save money this year I did 90% of the kids Christmas shopping at the D.I. The doll is from money Grandma Reeves sent us….and these cute outfits that she absolutely loved where only a couple of dollars at the D.I. I’m not too good to shop used….this Christmas was a hit! (p.s. Grandma your money went towards a play-dough set for Mason…he loved it…THANK YOU).

SADIE….wore her dress up clothes AND SKATES all day long. I got a good laugh at her baby stepping around the house all day. The best was the faster she tried to move the more she ended up just skating in place.

More used treasures….although Mason loved his batman suit…I think it’s just going to encourage him to be more violent!

Then we squeezed half of my side of the family into our kitchen for a Christmas meal.

Rich and I decided not to get each other gifts this year so we can put some money towards a new computer…since this one is on it’s last leg. (PLUS THANKS TO THE KIND ACT OF AN ANONYMOUS GIVER….WE GOT CHRISTMAS A WEEK EARLY. THANK YOU OUR UNKNOWN FRIEND’S SO MUCH IF IT WAS YOU AND YOU ARE READING THIS)…It was weird not having any surprises to look forward too….but at the same time I REALLY GOT INTO finding so much joy watching my children light up over the things we gave them. This holiday is not about receiving…it’s about giving and sacrificing. I love that my focus was different this year!

I accept the challenge...

A friend of mine has extended a challenge to her friends to spend some time before Christmas writting on our blogs our testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ. I accept your challenge Kim, because I know it's exactly what I need. I need to put aside my "Christmas to-do" list (which will probably never be completed anyway)...and focus on the true meaning of Christmas.

After reading Kim's blog (the link is under Eric and Kim on the side of my blog)...I felt like writting "ditto" and just telling you to go to her blog to read her wonderful insights. Well I am....I know it sounds like cheating....here's why...

Everything she mentioned I know and believe to be true. And rather then spending the limited amount of spare time I get as a mother of young children, I would rather explain to you WHY I believe these things to be true.

From a young age I remember being touched and influenced by the spirit. Through the years I have been able to recongnize it's presence better in my life...especially when I was striving to do what was right. The influence of the spirit has always brought a peace to my mind unlike any other peace the world can provide. It's clear and unquestionale. It reinforces to me what I'm doing with my life is good and correct.

When I was twelve, while camping out in the middle of the mountains, I took sometime to myself to go for a little hike where I read my scriptures and prayed to my Heavenly Father (now keep in mind at this age I rarely picked up the scriptures and praying was one of those things you always dreaded when someone asked you to do). But I will never forget the feelings and answers I received by JUST ASKING! I had a lot of questions...even at a young age....regarding truth and religion. I left that hike that day knowing with clear understanding who I was and how much my Heavenly Father loves me personally. Although he is the Supreme Diety, he know and loves us personally. He loved me enough to send me a Savior to sacrifice for my short comings just so I could return to live with him again. As a parent I cannot wrap my mind around watching my own child suffer the way he had to. But he did to allow his plan, the Plan of Happiness, to move forward.

The Plan of Happiness is just what it sounds like. It's a way for us to live and make choices to help us return to live with our Heavenly Father again....which will bring to us full and complete happiness. Although parts of this plan may bring us sorrow in this life (such as death), with the knowledge we have of eternal life we only have to feel such sorrow for a short time. Knowing and understanding that we will be with loved ones again brings us peace in this life and complete joy in the next life when we are reunited.

There have been three somewhat recent events in my life where I have felt the spirit so strong I will never be able to deny what I have learned from these experiences.

1. The day I married my husband. Rich and I were married in the Salt Lake Temple where we kneeled across the alter hand in hand, married not only for this life, but for time and eternity. I knew what I was doing that day was good and peaceful feelings I felt reassured to me that my Heavenly Father loved me for my decision to marry such a great man. And that our decision to be married in the temple would be the beginning of our efforts to build an eternal family with children who will be sealed to us in the eternities after this mortal probation.

2. A little over a year after we were married my mom passed away. As difficult as it was...and it was very difficult to lose someone I was so close to...I found myself turning to my Heavenly Father pleading for some peace and deliverance from my sorrow. It came! And I had many experiences during that time that taught me that there is many things to look forward to and be hopeful about. It's still difficult moving on through life without my mom, but I know I will get to live with her again, and I look forward to that happy reunion.

3. The day each one of my children were born. I cherish the moment I get to meet my babies as they enter into this world. They come from our Heavenly Father's presence, and they bring with them his love and spirit.

These three things (Eternal marriage, experiencing births and deaths and our willingness to be baptized) are fundamental parts of our Heavenly Father's plan.

I'm very grateful for the amount of love our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for us to be so willing to make the many sacred sacrifices they have. Our Savior lovingly agreed to come to this world in such humble circumstances, to leave his throne on high, to become like us...meek and lowly, to completely understand what it's like to suffer so he could succor us in time of need. I'm thankful we have this time of year to reflect and rejoice his birth. But I pray we will seek him always...even after the holiday seasons has passed.

If you have any thoughts or feelings please comment or email me nickiereeves@gmail.com or go to lds.org

I'M EXTENDING THE CHALLENGE FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO ACCEPT IT.....THE CHALLENGE IS YOU WRITE YOUR TESTIMONY OF OUR SAVIOR ON YOUR BLOG...FACEBOOK...OR EMAIL. IF YOU CHOOSE TO DO SO COMMENT THAT YOU ARE ACCEPTING THIS CHALLENGE ON MY POST SO I CAN ENJOY YOUR THOUGHTS AND INSIGHTS...AND THEN PASS THE CHALLENGE TO OTHERS!

HAVE FUN!

Merry Christmas from us...

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope you are enjoying this holiday season and wish that this Christmas will be a merry one for you. We are bummed and feel sorry that we couldn't get our family Christmas cards out to you this year! This computer is almost on it's death bed and it will not let allow me to download any pictures through photo websites...or onto a disk. I've been trying to create these cards since early December and now I'm finally throwing in the towel. But we just want to let you know we are thinking of you and your family and our hope is that you are happy and that you and your families are doing well. We are so thankful for your friendship and what a blessing you are in our lives. We are also thankful for the knowledge of our Saviors birth, life and sacrifice. We are thankful that through this knowledge we can obtain happiness and joy that cannot be found anywhere else. Hope your 2009 was great and that your 2010 is even better!

Love,
Rich, Nickie and Family

Do our kids even stand a chance of being normal?

(Disclaimer….this post will contain some material that may not be suitable for all eyes…it does involve some anatomy…)

Do you think it’s possible for them to be socially normal when their dad does THIS for a living…

So the other day Rich and I were sitting on the ground playing a board game. The kids were sitting behind us on the couch. And of course Mason had been running around all night in his underwear….because that’s all we can ever get Mason to wear in the house!  So I hear Sadie say something and it takes me running what she said subconsciously through my mind 2 or 3 times before I realize I should turn to see what’s going on…..this is what I heard:

“Mason hold still I’m going to give you an exam like you are a cow….”

I quickly turn to find that she had taken off one of his sock’s and was wearing it on her hand. She had him bent over and was in the process of pulling down his underwear. Of course the sudden SHREAK of my voice stopped all exams in progress! We then went over the “What’s appropriate…what’s not appropriate” discussion.

Poor kids…they just want to play like they are a vet just like daddy. Maybe we should start telling them daddy switch careers and now he’s a house cleaner \’’/

Then….

Here’s a conversation I had with Sadie today….

S: “Mom did you know Dad did something REALLY IMPORTANT today"?”

M: “Oh really….what’s that”

S: “Well you know the circle thing that fills up with pee before you use the bathroom?”

M: “Um no…not really”

S: “Well we have this circle thing that fills up with pee, and this usually only happens when we get older, but there was a bunch of sand in it and Dad had to cut it open and get it out!”

M: “WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT…..HOW DID YOU GET SAND IN YOUR PEE PEE”

S: “Mom…..NOT ME silly…..the HORSE!!!”

M: “Of course it was a horse….phew!”

Are we the only SICKO’S?

 

You know it’s bad when it comes to this….sleeping on the DOG DISH! So why is he sleeping on the dog dish you ask….well there’s two reasons I can think of….1) He may be sick AGAIN….along with the rest of us! 2) The only floor clear enough to lay down on is in the kitchen. (This is what happens when mommy feels like she on her death bed)

This week we are sick AGAIN…we have been sick nearly every week since the weather became cold (about 2 months). I’m ready to pack up our things and head back to either California or Arizona where we spent the past 4 years. We have NEVER BEEN THIS SICK BEFORE….I’m tired \’’/

Sadie has been running a high fever since Saturday (almost a week) and has had major cheek pain….what’ that???? I thought maybe it was an ear infection…nope. Maybe tonsillitis…nope. A cavity or decaying teeth….doctor doesn’t think so. She’s a mystery. 

Kendyl has been running a high fever for 4 days. Turns out she has an ear infection…yet taking antibiotics has not helped her one bit. Her fever was 104.5 all though last night…even with Motrin and Tylenol. And for some reason she’s not fond of the middle of the night bath treatments she’s been getting just to keep things under control.

Needless to say…the Reeves are not getting ANY SLEEP!

Then I wake up very sick today….of course I do…it’s been a couple days since I’ve felt sick last. That’s way too long to feel good with the pattern of sickness’ going through our family.

So Santa if you’re reading this we are changing our wish list….please bring us Tylenol and Motrin by the gallon. We are going through it like crazy!

Mystery murder night in the NORTH POLE!

Some sweet neighbors of ours (The Jenkins…whom I didn’t even get pictures of…duh me) hosted a fun filled game night in the North Pole.  My character was Cindy Lou Why and Rich was the Gingerbread Man…who was killed off (EATEN) during the first part of the evening. As you can see we didn’t put much thought into our costumes…but we sure did get a kick out the people who did….SO FUNNY!  It was awesome to have a night away from the kids and have time to just laugh at each other….THANKS HEATHER AND JAMES for such a fun night!

  

 

Birthday Girl!

Is it REALLY TRUE…is my baby girl already a YEAR OLD!

It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to!

Kendyl was not happy when we took away the choking hazards (yellow roses)…

 

 

 

 

 

I think she’s

had her fill !!!!!