Nate's ward had their Christmas party this last weekend. As usual they had Santa there. The kids really wanted to see him. Ressa was so excited to stand in line I thought she might pee in her pants. Foster was along for the ride as he would have much rather been doing ball tag with Jake. Ammon was great until he got near Santa. Cyanne went to put him on his lap with Ressa, but he wouldn't go. She finally ended up holding him.

Yesterday was the boys birthday. Foster turned 8 and Ammon turned 2. We didn't plan any big thing, but did get each of them a little something and had a few friends over... mostly those we could pull together in only 2 hours. The boys didn't seem to mind. Foster gets a sleepover next weekend... a prospect he is VERY excited about.




















My poor cakes. Foster wanted a "cool" cake. The kids had gotten him some mini Transformers so we used them on the cake. I have decided though that my frosting making skills are limited at best. Kristin, I think I need help!! I didn't get it to set up, and ended up with WAY too much frosting! I was trying to write happy birthday in orange on Foster's and when I had to start over twice he said, "Its okay mom. I don't need it and would rather another mountain on top". Thanks babe!










Ammon got his own mini cake to dive into. He did really well... ate half of it. What followed was an extreme sugar crash.



















Foster got Indy for his birthday, thanks Jenn, and then the kids got him transformers and we threw in a couple new ties. All in all I think he loved it!















Ammon has been trying to get into Foster's legos for the last 8 months or so. This usually results in screaming when he realizes he can't get the lid off the bin they are in. When the older kids play with him he does pretty well. Sometimes I find one in his hand or mouth that didn't get put in the bin when the older kids were done. It has been an issue. Anyway, we got him some nice big legos for his birthday. At first he didn't understand the wrapping paper. Once he figured out it was okay to rip it he had a blast. He slept holding onto one brick, and hasn't put them away yet. We scored on his gift!

I am not sure who gave us these pajamas when Ammon came along, but if it was any of you, please know we adore him in these. He wears them whenever they are clean, and cries if he finds them and can't wear them. We just get a kick out of his big belly and the stripes.

Foster has been doing an incredible job with Indy. He has been doing all the hard work and hasn't complained once. He is pretty much exhausted at the end of the day, and the two of them LOVE bed time...

Cyanne's soccer team made it to the play offs. Last Saturday we had a double header. To move on to this weekend their team would have to win both games. Go DevilRays!!!

Anyway, the girls shut out the first team. 3-0 really had the girls happy.

A couple hours later they took on the toughest team in their age division. In fact we were the only team to beat them this season and that was a narrow 1-0 win.

It was an intense game to say the very least. The other team was super physical, and one of our girls was given a red card for hitting back. That just sparked the other team's parents and the coach rushed the field. Normally that kind of behavior would stop the game, but the ref let it continue.

The game was high adrenaline as we were tied (we would have won since we had more points for the shut out in the first game), and then in the last few minutes the other team scored and we lost. I think every single DevilRay was in tears... yes even Cyanne. They put themselves back together for the end of game cheer and hand shakes, for the most part anyway. Our team parents are great and didn't let them dwell on the loss, bad behavior or time controversy. The game went 3 minutes over on time and that was what allowed them to win.






Now we are planning the end of season party that will happen next month. We will miss all the girls and I will miss the moms. We were VERY lucky to have such a great group this season. Many of our friends were not so lucky. On to the next thing I guess... whatever she decides that might be.

We ventured over to Queen Creek to see Jenn and the kids for the holiday. All 8 kids were fantastic... never had to split up a fight! Jenn and I had a great time making the dinner and catching up. For the most part we had a relaxing time.

We took the kids one night so Jenn could go on a date, then she took the kids so we could go on a date, then Jenn and I went to see Twilight for a girls night. Beyond all the dating we just had fun. We played kickball in the park, went disc golfing at a short course, and went to her friend's house to see their newborn goats. They have some property with chickens, goats and a mini horse. Ammon was a kick with the animals. He loved them as long as they were at a distance. Did let him "ride" the pygmy goat though. With a lot of help that is. I forgot my camera, so there are no pictures to show you. Lame I know.

I know we declared our house a baby free zone, but we have gone and added yet another family member. Foster spent a lot of time with the last of Jenn's chiwenie (half chihuahua and half wiener dog) puppies. At the end of our stay he approached us and asked if he could have him for his birthday. We told him it was a lot of responsibility, but he said he wanted it and would give up the video game he had previously asked for. Now he has a dog, and has been doing fantastic with taking care of him. No arguments on potty training or feeding. We are pretty impressed!

The official name is Indiana Jones, of course, but we call him Indy. First he wanted to name him Firedamage (his online video game tag), then moved on to Dr. Jones. I turned that down because I didn't want to run down the street screaming, "Dr. Jones get back in that house!". No need to advertise how crazy I am already. Indy just seems less crazy.




He is a great puppy, and seems that he will be easy to train. He doesn't like to get in trouble, but loves to get praise. He plays well with the kids and dogs, but knows where his cage is for some peace and quiet. As you can see he has a striking resemblance to our jack russel terrier, Daisy. He is so well tempered it is really hard not to love him right away.