Our 7 year old

OH my goodness....

Isn't he the CUTEST 7 year old EVER!!!

At 7 Tyler---

you are an AWESOME reader---I cannot believe you can read WHOLE books!

You love Math

You love school

Ethan R. is your best friend in Mrs. Adkin's 1st grade class

You are a crack up!!

You still love sitting on mom's lap---and mom LOVES that!

you're playing basketball right now

Your room is usually messy

you are learning to answer the phone properly

you love when you get an occasional night alone with mom & dad

you like to ride your bike

You just got a DS and an MP3 player

you like stuffed animals--and like to carry them in your backpack to school

you LOVE to ride the bus to school

you like going to church

you are a terribly picky dresser--your socks and your shoes are the worst

you cannot take medicine (you got that from your mom!)

you are NOT a morning person--it's much better if we don't have to wake you

We love you SO much and we are so THANKFUL that God choose us to be your parents.  You are a JOY to us.  I love meeting you at 4:13pm when the bus brings you home.  I love holding you and I love just talking with you.  You are Special and we love you very much.

love---mom and dad

Where the time goes

Oh where the time goes in a week.


Saturday and Sunday I was sick.  In bed.
Monday Tyler started getting sick.
Tuesday Tyler stayed home from school sick.
Tuesday I had a "party" in Paige's class at school AND I got to take snacks to Jaden's class 
        because he was Star of the Week...and I got to read a book to the class!  Yes, of course, 
        these things were both at the same time!!
Tuesday Steve started getting sick!
SICK SICK SICK
YUCK YUCK YUCK!!!
And, now the week is half over.


On a happier note--- Jaden and Paige are healthy and they went to Grandma and Grandpa Roth's house tonight to spend the night and spend the day with them tomorrow because, as rare as it is, both Steve and I are working tomorrow!!  (Well, I am working part of the day and playing the rest--if we're being honest!!)


So--tonight it was just 3 of us left to watch the K-State game.
Tyler found out the little ones were going to Abuelo's for cheese-dip and that didn't settle well.  So, we got Quesso from Carlos O Kelly's and had that for dinner (with some other junk!)
This made Tyler happy.

Then, Tyler got to sit on my lap the ENTIRE basketball game.  He didn't have to fight his brother and sister for my lap (and usually Tyler loses this fight).  So---he was one HAPPY BOY!


And, to top it off....I told him I would take him to school tomorrow morning and we could go to McD for breakfast.  He liked the idea---so McD it is!!!  (It was a 50-50 chance if he'd take me up on the offer because he LOVES to ride the bus!)  So, I was thrilled he would let me take him.


OH--and in the midst of today I scrubbed my kitchen clean with BLEACH cleaner.  To rid it of the germs.  I LOVE the smell of bleach, truly I do!!!  So, that made me happy!!!

A busy week

Tyler turned 7 on Jan. 17!  

These 3 have been super busy!!

But, especially this Birthday Boy!!

The fun started on Thursday--the 14th.

I took these cookies to Tyler's school for his b-day treats!

His teacher asked me if I made these cookies.  UMMMM.....NO!!!

That would be Mrs. Dillons!  She does such a great job for me.  I just love her :)

The next day...Friday...Steve and I left early for KC for my Premier Designs Rally!!

FUN with my friends, awesome new jewelry, and learning LOTS!!

I love PREMIER!!!!!

We got home about 9pm on Saturday, got the kids to bed, and started getting ready for Tyler's b-day

 on Sunday!!

 We had his Family B-day Party Sunday---the 17th!!

He was out of school Monday and Tuesday so we went to the K-State/Texas b-ball game on Monday night. The game was at 8pm!!  We went early and SHOPPED for K-state clothes for all of us.

As if anyone in our house needs more KSU clothes!  But, I think we all got something!!

Then, we went to Emily's dorm room and took her to dinner!

I think the boys were surprised how little her "house" was.  (DORM!!)

Jaden kept asking when we could go see Emily's new house!!!!

Then, off to the GAME!!!  And, was it ever FUN!!!!!

Booing Texas!!!

And, as if that all isn't enough....

We got home at 2am on Monday night

to turn around and have Tyler's friend party Tuesday afternoon.

Now, his birthday is officially OVER!!!  Wow---It was LOTS OF FUN, but tiring!

When I told Tyler goodnight Tuesday night, he said, "well, I guess my birthday is over tomorrow."

Yeah, I guess it is.

Happy Birthday WEEK Tyler!!!

The last of Christmas pics

Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa Balzer's

Grandma Balzer LOVES to buy the 3 grand-daughters cute/fancy Christmas dresses.  

This year was a bit of an ordeal, but isn't Paige cute.  And the boys wore plaid button-down shirts that matched the ribbon in her dress---Super Cute!

I don't necessarily like the "fancy" dresses because they are not practical.  We don't dress up this much for church on Sunday, so she doesn't get to wear it that much.

But, Paige sure LOVES IT!!!!

Holding onto his HUGE pile of presents!!

Tyler's not mad---just very patiently waiting HIS TURN to open a gift.

This year was actually quite calm.  Everyone waited their turn VERY NICELY and there were not major problems.  Actually, I don't think there were even any minor melt-downs.

Holding up his MAGIC SET!!

And an MP3 PLAYER!!  WOW!!

Tyler thought he was "big stuff"!  A few days before Christmas I told Tyler he forgot to ask for an MP3 Player (knowing, of course, that he was going to get one).  He could not believe he forgot to ask for it.  So, I told him maybe for his b-day.  He got this from Aunt Stacy and Uncle Jason and they even loaded it with songs and a movie!!  YEAH!!  Thanks :)

Christmas MORNING at our house

**I didn't get good pictures of Santa gifts because it was just too crazy with all 3 kids screaming for JOY!!**

Santa brought Tyler a new 20" bike

Jaden an electric piano (with a stool and attached microphone) and sitting on the stool was a new

Build-a-Bear

Paige got a "Beauty Shop"  or "Booty Shop" as she calls it (and really it's just a toy vanity with mirror and stool---but it's her BOOTY SHOP!!

Then, gifts from mom and dad

Everyone helping Paige---she got to go first!!

Paige and Tyler both got new outfits for their Build-a-Bears.

Jaden got a new DOG Build-a-Bear with a Batman outfit on it (he didn't like the Bat Man outfit, he changed it and put the basketball outfit on the dog--should have known.)

Sitting on the stool from his Electric Piano

Jaden got Bakugans like Tyler---WOW!  Very cool to get the same thing as your older brother!!

Each kid gets their own paper.  Jaden was at Hobby Lobby with me when I bought the Christmas wrap, so he got to pick out everyone's paper.

Reindeer for Jaden, Stripes for Tyler, and a "girly Design" for Paige!

OK---yes, I greatly encouraged the all matching red/white themed papers !!

I like the gifts to all coordinate under the tree and to go with the decor in our house.

I know, silly, but that's ME!!!

Paige sitting on her stool from her "Booty Shop" with her PILE of gifts in front of her!

Notice the "Girly paper" and the Striped paper!!

Christmas Day at Grandma and Grandpa Roths

Paige got a Barbie Guitar and she LOVED IT!!!

I think by the time we got to Grandma and Grandpa Roths--mom was tired and didn't take too many pictures.  Again, it's a little crazy trying to watch 3 kids open presents.  Grandma Roth isn't as strict about making the kids go one at a time...so it's much harder to take pictures of all the kids.

  They rip open and want to move on to the next one.

Grandma did tell the kids to show everyone what they got.
Jaden listened.  He would open a gift and then PARADE around the room with his gift above his head showing EVERYONE!  It was too cute.  I am pretty sure he did this with every gift!  And, he'd stand in front of Grandma until she noticed him.

Silly boys--

Like their new basketball outfits?  You can't see them too well, but they are matching pants AND jackets.  I got them on Black Friday for $3 at Wal-Mart, for the SET.  SCORE!!!!  We've already gotten our $3 use out of them!!  I love deals like this.

Hanging out with Grandma on the couch--watch the movie Elf

Christmas is over.  Back to work.  Back to the normal.

Now it's time to plan Tyler's b-day parties.  Well, they are planned.

Time to execute them!!!

Goodbye decorations

What goes UP, must come DOWN....
Christmas is over....so time to take down all the decorations.


So---the "fun" started yesterday!  Steve had to work (yes--on  New Year's Day!) and we had planned to take down all the decorations when he got home.  He usually brings the tubs upstairs, I fill them, and then he takes them back down-stairs and puts in the store-room, in just the perfect way and just how he wants them organized!!


Well, I decided coming home from working on New Year's Day .. on the top of his list was probably NOT to help me take down decorations.  So--I decided to surprise him and take down ALL THE DECORATIONS BY MYSELF (expect our main big tree--I couldn't take that down!!)


I worked HARD and FAST so I could finish before he got home.
I got everything down and put in the storeroom and most of my "normal" decorations back up before he got home at 3pm!!  


He was surprised and THANKFUL TOO!!!


Then, the 5 of us headed to Alvin and the Chipmunks the Squeakquel....it was very funny!!  Whoever gave it a 1-Star rating was wrong.  We all loved it!!!  Then, home for  Biscuits and Gravy for Dinner!!  (This is our favorite meal and we didn't have time for it in the AM, so we had it for dinner.  And, EVERYONE eats good when we have this meal!!!


So---here's a little of what I took down yesterday!!
Until next year....

Thanks to Amanda and Danielle telling me about Picnik.com --I learned to make these cool collages!!
Fun huh!!!

A Christmas Play

A new tradition this year--or hopefully a tradition...

Aunt Amanda helped the grandkids act out the Christmas Story

Mom read the story and

the kids would act out their part accordingly

Lined up ---waiting their turn to appear

Mary and Joseph

Uncle David got to be the Donkey Mary rode on

If you notice, "Mary" had a baby doll and blanket under her shirt---the kids thought that was too funny!

Then, the ANGEL of the Lord comes and says "Do not be Afraid"

Paige had the only speaking part and did great!!  Too cute

Then, the SHEPARDS came !

Jaden LOVED being in the play.

He loved being Introduced and

He loved using the old cane as his Shepards crook

I have decided Tyler is going to be like Uncle David---and never take a "Bad" picture.

He is just so photogenic!  Why is it always the GUYS that are photogenic??

Sweety pie, handsome guy!!

And at the end they all sang Away in a Manager with the actions, of course

Too Sweet!!!

Thanks Amanda for doing this!  The kids loved it!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!!

Welcome 2010

Here area  few Christmas family pics to share with you!

2 kids looking at the camera---1 not!

And, who is the one ALWAYS not looking or ALWAYS acting goofy??

JADEN!!!!   Oh sweet Jaden...  my sweet love bug!

Even if your dressed nice---you can still wrestle !!

Grandma and Grandpa and all the grandkids!!

Sweet memories!