Janellybellys World

I don't have anything much new to post, but I just hate neglecting my blog for too long because I hate it when other people do that :D My niece Raquel is here visiting on her break from LDS business college so I have had someone to pal around with while Mark is working and sleeping and the kids are at school. I've been working on my SIL Denise's babys shower, and also putting my popcorn business back on track, which is really exciting. I'm excited for Friday and Saturday, my fun family will be here to play Settlers and have a going away party to send off Emily to BYU and Nick, Hannah and the kids to BYU Hawaii. We also have our ward talent show, which will be fun I'm sure. Cade, my dad and I are playing someting really pretty. Its shaping up to be a pretty good week, all things considering.

Well as you may or may not know, I am very talented at wasting time that I should be using to do the many things that must be done in a day. I just needed an hour or so to pout and feel sorry for myself because money is super tight and Sadie stayed home from school AGAIN with a stomach ache and headache, and I ate cake and coke for breakfast so I feel yucky. Waaaaah poor me!!! Boo hoo. OK thats over.

I did something SUPER productive with my wah wah time and dowloaded a bunch of songs that were used in this years fabulous season of So You Think You Can Dance. There were a couple I couldn't get, but I did get some goodies. I put them on this blog so I could hear them all the time. ( because I'm poor and lame so I don't have an ipod with a dock to play in the house ) Hopefully I can make a CD later! I know, I know, you are welcome!!! Suddenly I feel like this day could get better :D

SO ya, the week started and I was totally stoked to have the week of school all day for the kids......well as a cruel joke I have had someone home almost every day this week. Bleh. Add to that all the first week fo school adjustment with tired kids, waking up on the wrong side of the bed, morning drama over shoes and lunches. Dayton had gotten sick Tuesday night, so I let him stay home wed, since he still seemed a little under the weather with the sunk in eyes and all. hen Thursday I convinced him to go to school but he ended up coming home by noon and throwing up again. Then I let Cade and Sadie stay up last night because their cousins are here from Panama, so we all stayed up and did a late night Sonic run then ordered a movie on the dish (Knowing, it was pretty good) so I told Cade that depending on what happened in the morning with the cousins going with their grandma, that he could stay home if his cousins were here at the house. Well of course he took that to mean that he had the day off of school no matter what. This morning once we figured out what was going on, the boys were going with thier grandma for the day until about 3, he was not happy that I made him go to school. Sadie was already there, but I got the call on the way out the door that she was in the nurse's office. So now she's home with stomach pains. Well, so much for footloose and fancy free, huh?? Mabye next week.

The fam damily reunion!!! I can't truly sum up the actual party as one event, because we actually missed it......but we did get to spend some time with my extended family. The reunion was for my dads side, actually my dads mothers side. There were several family members there from Sweden and some from Norway. They came over to see our family and also to travel a few other places for their other family geneology. After spending some time with these people, it was very clear to me that the main purpose of me being able to attend this reunion was to get my booty in gear and get my family history done. Its been nagging at me for about 6 years now, but I know absolutely NOTHING about how to get started, but it is becoming more and more clear. I won't bore everyone with all the details, although just for myself I may post them later just so I don't forget how it all came about, but for now, yes, it is very obvious that someone needs their work done. I have a great resource in these wonderful people who have spent the last 30 years working on my family history back to the 1200's (no lie!) and I am so grateful for that!

So, here are some fun things from our week with the family:



This is pretty much what went on every night after we took off. Cade stayed out at my Uncle Diggers and they played music all night. They call his house the "hun-n shack" . (ya know, like hunting shack......but not) Thats Digg there playing a gorgeous amazing sounding guitar made by my Uncle Glen. And my dad and Cade in the background playing along.

I spent a couple of hours with my Grandpa on my moms side, Grandpa Harlan. He happens to live in the little town where we stayed so he came down to the lake and hung out for a while. It was great to get to know him better and hear some of his cool stories.









So heres the fam. This is just who could make it on Saturday before the real party. It was originally going to be on Saturday, so we all made our travel plans accordingly but then they had to change it so it got kind of messed up. Cade got to go though so we were represented.





Kids in my great Aunts backyard, my kids and my cute niece Ava. Those trees are the "fence" between the houses, so awesome and fun to play in.

It really was fun, everyone was so gracious to us and helpful, and we have the best memories! My grandma -you can see her in the group photo, she has the white fluffy hair, my cousins call her "cotton-top" hee hee she got the reunion shirts for the kids, and all sorts of fun treats and games for the kids to take in the car on the way home. My great-aunt Cindy always brings my kids fun things from where she lives in Alaska, like key chains and books. My great Aunt Rita had these fun beaded necklaces for the kids to make and taught them their Norwegian names to write on the necklaces, it was a big hit.


On the way back home, we headed to KS again and stayed with Marks brothers fam again. We crashed in on them for a day and a half (so fun! We wish we lived closer!) and then after resting up a little we headed for home. It was about 8 hours from Moose Lake to KS, then its 20 hours home from KS. F A R.

On the way we went thru Des Moines and visited Suzanne and her new hubby, Greg the Russian. They treated us to a breakfast buffet and we got to catch up.

Thanks Guys, it was really fun! Next time we go up there we need to put together a real KS tracker reunion!


We decided to go about 90minutes out of our way to stop in Amarillo, TX and eat at the Big Texan Steak house. It was really fun, I'm glad we took the time. Dinner was good, I think the meat could have been seasoned a little more, but the rolls were to die for and all the other stuff was really good. They did have a deal where if you eat a 76 oz steak, potato, salad, shrimp cocktail and a roll, you get the dinner free.If you don't eat it, its 76 bucks! It looks like this:



Yiiiikes! LOL A guy was trying to do it while we were there, but he didn't make it. You only have an hour. Then as we left, another guys was starting. You have to sit up on this platform and there is a big timer counting down your time. It was really fun and VERY western.

They got the hats with the kids meal, and the big dollar is actually the menu folded up.


Mmmmmm, those rolls were to die for!

It was a great trip, but it was so great to be back home, back in my bed, but not back to the stresses. It was all worth it though!

Its back to school they go!! All of them....All day!!! I have waited years.....and years......and years!! Seriously, I adore my kiddos to pieces, but for the last 10 years or so, during those tough days and weeks and months of diapers, toddler tantrums, bottles, kids at the grocery store, foregoing stuff I wanted to do (like go to the scrapbook store, out to lunch with girlfriends, matinee movies) and keeping a cleaned up house for more than 10 minutes, the future promise of this day has kept me going, and given me hope that I could have a minute to be a person instead of a human barf catcher or live-in maid. The day has finally arrived!!!! And I can pretty much guess that from this day on, I will be trying as hard as I can to keep them all close to me and not want them to grow up any more! :D I'd love to just freeze time, right now. No babies, No teenagers (for the next 3 months) I'm living in the parental "sweet spot" right now, and I want it to stay like this....forever!!!

7th, 6th, 1st, 2nd, and 4th!!!

I adore Sadie in this picture..........And the boys INSISTED on wearing jeans......crazy boys!



Anywahoo, They were so excited for today. The anticipation was tangible last night, I remember that feeling of the "jimmy legs" as you were trying to settle down the night before school. They all got blessing from Mark, we had a little family home evening where I introduced the family theme for the semester, and we played a game of Settlers.It was the perfect start to the year. Dayton was super excited, he loves his teacher and classroom already since we visited it at meet the teacher. Of course for my kids, the biggest treat was getting to wear their new shoes. And use the new lunchboxes. The 3 little boys all picked the same GI Joe lunchbox. Funny kids. I made breakfast, but nobody ate very much, they aren't used to eating so early! I made scrambled eggs and bacon, so hopefully the protein they did eat will stick with them until lunch.


These 2 start school an hour later than the elementary kids-

Poor Cade and Sadie missed their middle school open house night because of vacation, so they were a little anxious, especially Sadie! I took them early so they could get their schedules and look around to get their bearings for all the different buildings. The buildings are well marked (its a brand new school, which is fun)and I was able to kind of show them how the numbering system works, so I think they will be OK. And I reminded them that pretty much every other kid is going to be lost too, so don't feel stupid. Sadie found her friend Heather pretty quick and that was relieving, and then I turned around and Cade was long gone, so hopefully he found his friends. Then I was standing there all by myself, so.....I left :D

And now I'm home, Mark will be getting up soon, and we have the day to do something fun!