Mother of the year strikes again.

I caught my darling daughter in the bathroom again today. Again! When will I learn to shut the door? Actually I do about 90% of the time. Mike does about 1% of the time, but she never goes in when he leaves it open. She was back in the drawer. She had her brand new stuffed puppy "Jake" (Jr.) and I told her to get out. About an hour later I noticed puppy Jake had red on his light brown fur. I asked her if she did it. (making them admit it is the first step right?) She said yes, so, I told her to go to time out. Time out at our house is the stairs - which she did. I was so proud that I didn't yell. I was thinking what am I going to say to her? Should I take puppy Jake away? Will she understand that it's a result of what she did? How am I going to stop her?

Well - I go and sit by her on the stairs and I told her she made mommy very sad. (guilt always works for me) Then I noticed my wall - it had red all over it, so did her shirt, and her pants and her hands, how did I miss this? Then I thought, that's not chapstick, crayon or marker, it's blood! She had cut her finger, sliced it right open and I put her in time out! What a good little mommy I am!

Could someone please get that child a hair cut? Oh, Hi. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

My mom has this little bench in her living room that all the grandchildren love. I think we have pictures of every grandchild on this bench. It's adorable, and just their size. Well, after exactly 46 pictures I got one of Grace and Max looking at the camera, and it's not too shabby. I love their little holiday sweaters.... (Hey they are cute when they are young... :)

Nayvie and Ty are never one's to miss a photo op! We were at Grandma Kate's for Christmas Eve. We spent time eating, decorating Ginger bread houses, trains, condemned buildings and castles. We talked, ate some more and called it an evening.

Patch getting some loves from Jake.

Grace really did not understand the concept of Santa this year. I told her all month long that we have presents because the wise men brought baby Jesus presents - and she stared at me like, "Yeah, I'm not two yet - ..... duh!" And we had such a wonderful meeting with Santa earlier in the year I wasn't sure how she was going to react when we told her he had visited during the night.



She came into the living room, and stood there for a few minutes, then she saw the baby doll.. (Her first CPK....Mommy might have told Santa specifically which one...) And the stroller, and the crib and the swing and she was in heaven! We had to lug the baby and the carrier and the stroller every where we have went for the past three days...

Grace also got a kitchen from her Grandma, she has played with her dollies, and the kitchen non stop. I love it! She is just so cute.

Max got a car seat for Christmas, since his feet hung way over the edge, and it was like lifting a 30lbs bowling ball in his carrier. Mike says it's a baby lazy boy, and I admit it's pretty plush. He also got a basketball hoop, which he has learned really fast where the balls go and some other fun toys.

Christmas day we had breakfast at Mike's mom and dads and then headed up to Hyrum for Christmas lunch. We expected snow. We should have planned better. We ended up spending the night in Hyrum, both of us missed work on Friday because of the snow. Hyrum got at least a foot, but with the drifts the snow was up to the middle of my car door. It had rained before it had snowed, so all of the car doors were frozen shut, and it took Mike and my brothers 2 1/2 hours to shovel us out. Thanks boys! Then after a two hour drive home, on the worst roads I had ever been on - we made it home, to clean up Christmas. What a fun week we had! Lot's of Love to all our families and friends! (Only 362 days to go til Christmas 09!)

Make up!

"So after a long, long, night of drinking I felt trashed in the morning. Maybe mom needs to check the date on my apple juice?"




OK, so I should probably just leave this one to the pictures, they speak for themselves... But I won't. So, the other day I was making some treats which required constant stiring. I thought Grace would have fun with me in the kitchen, but I was so wrong. Of course she got into my drawer in the bathroom and made herself pretty.

My first thought when I saw her was, "I don't have anything that is red!" but then I saw that she had used chapstick as her base and blush, and eye liner to accent her cheekbones. What a talented little girl I have. (Thanks Cassie for leaving your chapstick.)

You should have seen her face, she was so scared when she got caught, but I'm not sure what she thought when I laughed and said I need to get the camera don't move!

From Max's point of view

Hey, were being good mom.

See, we are all smiles, mom.

Mom, I'm the good one, remember?

Hmm...how many times has my bis sis been mean to me?

Oh, she is in perfect position now!

And then I whack her, just like this!

And then, she takes this fun toy from me, just like always!

And then she tells me no. I'm not sure what that means...

And then she laughs, and laughs. She thinks she's won, but soon I'll be bigger than her and then we'll see.

Really getting into Christmas

Max loves the Christmas tree, he has for the past week. He won't stay out of it, but he has never got anything off the tree, so I haven't really cared. All that changed.

I was in the kitchen when Max started coughing really bad, and crying. I ran into the living room where he had pulled a bulb off my tree. Well, my darling Max got the glitter bulb off the tree, separated it from it's hook and had glitter EVERYWHERE. In his mouth, in his eyes, in his hair, in his walker, on the floor. When all was said and done I was covered, and I had glitter in the living room, hall way, my bedroom and the kids room. Now, my sweet, sweet boy has a cough, it started that night and has lasted for about 4 days now. I don't know if it's from the glitter, or just a cough??? I love him. But I was so not pleased!

I tried to post a video several times, but it just sits there for hours and hours and says loading....

Christmas's Long Long Ago....

As a child I remember Christmas traditions so fondly. I remember driving to Preston to see the lights each year - I remember getting lost trying to find that one really cool house with all the lights. I remember my dad getting so mad and saying he was never going again. I remember decorating for Christmas - and I love sitting in the dark with the Christmas tree lights on. I remember our family Christmas Eve party with my dad's sister and my cousins. We would play this dress up game that everyone complained about but we always laughed so much. I look back at those pictures of my Grandma and Grandpa McBride and I miss them. I remember how my Grandpa would tease my Grandma so much. I remember their Hawaiian palm tree with a few decorations, and the little fold out nativity scene. I remember sneaking up the stairs with my brother to see what Santa had brought during the night and scared we were going to get caught. I remember sitting at the bottom of the stairs yelling for my parents to get up at five in the morning so we could open presents. I remember each Cabbage Patch Kid I got for Christmas and how excited I was. I remember never having a bad Christmas. I remember going to my Grandpa Ronald's and Grandma Patty's house for Christmas lunch. I remember the smells and the food and how much they loved us. I remember their orange Christmas tree and crowding around that little living room with the whole family opening presents. I remember the way they hid hundred dollar bills in unique places for my uncles, one year in a fortune cookie. I remember my Grandpa Ronald teaching me how to make chocolates one year. Mine are never as good as his were, but I'm glad he taught me.

I want my kids to have those same feelings when they look back at Christmas in 20-30 years. Here are some of the fun things we have done this December -

Max & my Mom

We had friends and family over for a holiday breakfast, we had so much fun visiting with everyone, and making new friends! This is something we hope to do next year too! Grace and Max were so good, they love having people over!

We took the kids to temple square this week to see the lights. The family picture didn't turn out so so well, but I think you can see how bundled up the kids were. It was so cold, but so beautiful. We listened to story of Christ's birth and then President Hinckley's words about Christmas. We have done this for the past three years, and I never get tired of seeing the temple grounds all lit up.

We also drove around Kaysville and Layton looking at the lights, Grace loves them. She says "Oh mom, I like it. I like it." Mike suggested we drive around every other night because Grace has never been so calm in the car!

So, from the Tyler's to you - may your holiday's be filled with traditions, family, friends and the Savior!

6 quirks Tag

I have been tagged to list 6 quirks about me... Quirks I have - quirks I'm willing to list - hmmm....

1- I can not sit back an enjoy things. The entire time I think about what is next. This makes it sound like I'm not happy, and that is not it at all. Examples - when we are out boating, the entire time I'm thinking about getting finished and cleaning the boat. When we go on vacation the entire time I'm thinking about packing up and going home, and unpacking, and doing the laundry, and getting everything put away. If there is a mess in the house, I can not sit and relax until it is picked up. I hate this about me. I enjoy boating, I enjoy going on vacation, and I even enjoy cleaning, but I wish I could just take a chill pill and relax and enjoy the moments a little bit more.

2- I can not stand dirty dishes sitting in front of me. When we go out to dinner the waiter/waitress/watri better clear my plate and drinks as I get finished with them or I get really antsy. Many times I put my plate under Mikes plate so it's not sitting in front of me anymore. I'm not sure where this came from, but I don't like to see the dirty plates.

3- I have a bubble. It's a fairly large bubble and I don't like people in my bubble. My kids are an exception - usually - but I like my space.

4 - I over analyse situations, before they even happen. I rehearse situations, conversations, lessons, interviews, and anything else I can think of way before they ever happen. Almost always I am prepared for bad conversations to come up - and they never do. I guess I want to be ready for "the fight" when it comes. But it's even with really random people, like the Primary President, the Bishop, temple workers, people in the store, customers that come in to the office. I don't have a clue why I do this - but I'm prepared should a good shouting match come up. (Mike will tell you I'm one of the most passive people alive, and a few years ago I would have had the guts to call someone out - and I did several times, usually waitresses, but I don't know. I've kind of mellowed.)

5 - I have the weirdest phobia's I've ever heard of. I am afraid of objects pointing at me. (This is very bold of my to put this on my blog I know....) If you go out to dinner with me you may notice I always turn my straw away from me. I can not look at someone with a pencil in their ear, and those trucks that drive with the pipes cause panic attacks. There is a name for it - Aichmophobia - I also do not like the circus. I hate it - when I was young I saw someone fall from a high wire and hit their head - blood, blood, blood. Yeah - I don't like it. Sometimes I have dreams of clowns, they are not friendly. I also don't like wood, especially wet wood, wooden knives, spoons. I'm not afraid of it, I just can't touch it.

6 - I'm a girl, so I'm always right. But I do like other's opinions and suggestions. I can not walk into a paint store and pick out a paint color to save my life. Give me three options and I can choose from the three. I think that Home Depot is a torcher chamber and I would rather lie on a bed of broken glass.

So - that is my 6 quirks. I tag Stacy and Nicole...