VB Family Blitz

Dani's Version of a Saturday

2010-11-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

This is my version of a Saturday. So I wake up, go see if Britti and Nica are awake and try not to pester. Then I go downstairs and check my e-mail. After that I make Dad a lunch. I eat breakfast and head to my room. Then I read. Next, I go downstairs. While there I either play Wii or watch TV. (This is always all done before 8:00 am.) Then I wait for Britti and Nica to wake up. After that , I wave bye to Dad. Then they wake up. (usually nobody is up while I do all of the above.) Then anything could happen.

Up bright and early!......... This post was published by Dani!!!!!!!!

Smashing Pumpkins

2010-11-07T10:19:00.000-07:00

Not the band....the actual thing. The girls had a blast and got really gross feet. I don't know why they wanted to step on it...but at least Ry cleaned it up!

Dani is 12!

2010-11-07T10:17:00.001-07:00

She wanted that on the birthday invites. It is a fun year. She is so old. Going to Young Women's, Dance's, movies with friends, babysitting. I love her fire and passion for life. She makes me happy (sometimes even when she sasses I can't help but laugh as I send her to her room).

This was our birthday activity on Sunday. Dad made it xtra special with the cool driveway. It was so fun and we loved sharing the day with Remi for her blessing.

Trick or Treat!

2010-11-07T10:11:00.001-07:00

Halloween was fun as always. It was kind of nice to have Dani's special day be a whole separate thing. Although I still think she enjoys it best when we celebrate halloween too.

Even Ryan and I dressed up this year! (If you count a hat) I was a twi-hard, Dani some creepy thing (Opi got a great shot with her eyes glowing), Britti a ninja, and Nica a Vampire. Not sure what to call Ryan....maybe a modern Zoro? Thanks Oma for the cupcakes and Omi for the chili!

Nightmares!

2010-11-07T10:06:00.001-07:00

Thursday October 28th 2010

Before:

After:

Sorry if you've seen this on another blog! I thought it was fun too and wanted to share with a few others!

Dani's Party

2010-11-07T10:01:00.001-07:00

So for Dani's party we went to Scary Hill (Cherry Hill). Mini golf was pretty loaded but we played anyway. It was tons of fun and worked out great. After that we rock climbed and played Aeroball. It was a blast!

Training with Lance and Em paid off! Dani made it to the top of the medium while most of the others went for the easy! (Nica got to the top while many of Dani's friends didn't, funny huh.)

Rockin mini golf....

Don't know where Isa went....I'm guessing off with Britti?

P.S. You may want to ask about the live crickets!!!!

Remienna Jade

2010-11-07T09:42:00.000-07:00

Our niece has been here awhile, but we haven't shown her off yet! I love her name and she is quite a beauty already!

Brigham's going to be a great big brother!

Just some catching up

2010-11-07T09:36:00.000-07:00

So there are a few things I wanted to post and my life will be getting crazier over the next couple months. Here is the state fair:

All you can eat ice cream!

The BEST Bunch!

Feeding the goats was kind of scary!

EWWWWW!

2010-11-05T12:58:00.001-06:00

I hate this whole growing up thing. It really gives me joy and all, but still..... can't they just stay little forever!? So this morning I am at work with no make up on. I know I don't exactly cake it on and going without it on a family day is not so bad, I just look like I'm half dead or something. But this post is really about the reason I am here with no make up on.

This morning Dani was up bright and early hitting the shower (not her favorite thing, she'd rather read or talk to Oma in the morning). She packed a bag with her cutest clothes, a brush, and MY Make up! The school is having a dance! EWWWWW boys! Fortunately for me, Dani is friends with everyone, regardless of gender (annoyance is a factor however), and I know she'll have a good time without thinking that dancing together turns you into anything more than friends. But just you wait people...you'll be weirded out too when it's your own!

Excitement

2010-10-30T08:36:00.000-06:00

So if Dani had an assignment to write a poem about an emotion, what do you think she'd pick? Obviously the title of this post gives it away, but I am guessing most of you could have picked without any help. Excitement is pretty much Dani's life, not many people can match her passion for every single thing that ever happens. Here is her poem:

Excitement rushes out of me,

I am waiting for that day to come,

The day I'm waiting for,

I am excited; it will be so fun,

It will not be a bore

as excitement hurries from my core.

Bouncing off of walls,

Spinning 'round

Running through halls!

I can't wait

as day falls.

The day will make me feel great!

For I can't wait!

Excited, Excited,

Full speed ahead!

I cannot lie in my bed,

while excitement is in my head!

This assignment was at just the right time for Dani's feelings to be intense. Her birthday and Halloween being the same day and coming up. I truly believe it "hurries from her core"!

Feast your eyes on this!

2010-10-23T10:33:00.000-06:00

The fourth grade had a feast and all the kids dressed as knights, peasants, kings, and princesses. Britti went for the knight deal and it looked great. I don't think Knights should end up in the stocks though!

Hogle Zoo

2010-10-23T10:29:00.000-06:00

The zoo is such a fun first grade field trip. Our group was the tigers and we had the cutest kids in our group.

Byngo Bongo Rojo

2010-10-23T10:23:00.000-06:00

So I don't know if anyone else plays the byngo bongo game in the car, but my kids do. They decided to add rojo and when Nica taught it to Sydney, it turned into the music I heard for 30 minutes on the bus ride.

Diorama

2010-10-23T10:19:00.000-06:00

Have you ever been so excited about something you just couldn't stand it!? Well that's how Nica felt about this. It was her news event of the day and she wouldn't let it go. She wanted to get it all done that very day. I could not comply at the moment, so I heard about it everyday till it was done. It is of the white-tailed deer, which she molded out of playdough herself. You should ask her what she learned!

Don't mind the milk carton waiting to go out! Just be glad the rest of my house wasn't in the picture!

Geology Rocks!

2010-10-23T10:08:00.000-06:00

Britti knows quite a bit of geology now. This is her trifold she presented to the first grade.

Climbing monkeys

2010-10-06T21:36:00.000-06:00

FHE with the Lance VB Fam! Rock Climbing! Great Lesson! No Rain! Good Food!

Britti looking a bit concerned!

Dani and Britt - Who will reach the top first?

"Ahh, I feel so much better with my feet on the ground!"

Nica's first attempt - Alot of slips and hanging by the rope - Dont look down!

Nica would not give up! Keep climbing!

"Dad I made it to the top! Do I have to come down?"

Tin Foil Dinners right out of the fire! Yum Yum - (Thanks Emily)

Strangers

2010-09-23T14:35:00.000-06:00

Hi,
So I just got hugged by a random stranger. I found his keys. They were on the table he'd checked at least 10 times.

My favorite pic

2010-09-12T20:34:00.000-06:00

This is my favorite pic of Britti on the soccer field. She gets to play with her cousin Isabella and they are having a great time! Goooooo Lucky Leprechauns!

Wall Lake and Beyond

2010-09-07T16:55:00.000-06:00

Wall Lake here we come! Boy was it a COLD morning!!

Time for Lunch....Sue's Deli was served!

Enjoy it while you can! Soon comes the little snot nose baby!

Wow! What cuties!

On the way down, we decided to climb up "the wall" at wall lake, see the small people in back, thats the stewarts.

Nothings better than a nice shake to finish off the day!

Teeth

2010-08-27T10:45:00.002-06:00

So Nica is now obsessed with loosing a tooth. She is tired of waiting. She's pretty convinced she's got a loose one, which is possible. She could feel it long before anyone else could see it, so who knows. Anyway, she now dreams, almost nightly of loosing a tooth. One night, she dreamed she sneezed and her tooth flew out. Another night it was that we were at the grocery store and she accidentally smashed her face on the handle of the cart and it came out (I guess I stopped and she didn't notice or something). Dreams are crazy. She's even got Britti dreaming about it now. She dreamed that she pulled a tooth out and the one next to it fell out. She went to spit it out and all the teeth in her mouth went with it. Maybe the Tooth Fairy should just yank one of those babies out for the little Nicster!

Tour of Utah

2010-08-22T16:45:00.000-06:00

Nica is up first to race!

Around the corner she goes!

Britti! Good Luck!

Super fast around the corner!

Dani's Race, These kids were Serious!

Go Dani go!, Just happens to be Cousin Elle right behind her.

Dani with Race leader - Levi Leipheimer

Race leaders, ready to start

There they go! Jeff L. of Utah ended up winning the stage!

We all had a Great time! We will be sure to catch it again next year!

Sofia and Nica

2010-08-11T16:48:00.000-06:00

This is Nica's post....from here on out it is her words and picture selection.

me and sofia are in line for sum thing at disneland! we had fun. we are bbbbbbrm as i said we are at disneland! aha aha aha we had bbbbbbrm fun aha aha aha aha aha fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun of cors we had to have ....fun by Nica THE END

Antelope Island Hike

2010-08-10T08:36:00.001-06:00

Ready to go!!

Huge! Yucky Spider!!!

First Break Weather finally Cleared out!

About 2 Hours into the Hike...Anyone see lightning?

"Dad, My head is heavy..." "Ok Hop on...."

Hi!.....My name is Dani!

Antelope roaming, they were Big, kinda scary to get close to them, picture does not show it, but their horns were higher then our heads.......

5 Hrs later, water gone, and having to Run to make it back before dark, the girls did an awsome job! Yes they have red faces, but seriously after more than 10 miles hiked I dont blame them!! I love you girls!!

Hi!

2010-08-09T10:38:00.000-06:00

What?

2010-08-09T10:31:00.000-06:00

Smile Please.....Come on Tess!

2010-08-09T10:24:00.000-06:00

Summertime!

2010-08-09T10:17:00.000-06:00

The old man is a good sport

2010-08-08T16:59:00.000-06:00

Ryan is such a good sport. The last few years the reunion has fallen on his birthday. No different this year, but the next day (Monday), we celebrated with his mom (her day was the coming Wednesday) and had a party.

Britti the one eyed wonder.

Dani making a splash.

I don't think Nica has enough speed to jusitfy closing her eyes.

Opi was the hit of the night.

The older crowd.

Jordan claims to be a bit goofy when it comes to physical skills.

She proved herself wrong.

So Old

2010-08-08T16:47:00.000-06:00

Ry is getting so old. If only he knew it. Here's his beautiful leg after a mountian bike crash.
This pic is after a long spell with an ice pack wrapped around using an ace bandage. It looks like his blood froze in his veins!

Ryan does not have an ounce of fat in his body. So when he had cankles we knew it was a major injury!

Thanks Oma and Opa!

2010-07-31T09:32:00.000-06:00

My parents came home from their trip to Germany on the 16th around 10:30 and were up to the cabin for the party the next day. That is one commited daughter! We of course were showered with souveniers. Didn't get a pic of mine, Dani's or Ry's, but these two found a way to display some of them.

The Family Reunion (Lava style)

2010-07-31T09:28:00.001-06:00

So after I got home Friday, we fixed the sprinklers (love that Ryan has that skill), and Saturday we headed up to Lava for the annual reunion (and my Grandma's 80th bday party).

One of my Aunt's is so clever when it comes to words. She wrote a song for my Grandma to the tune of the Brady Bunch. My other Aunt made a fun game, and with Grandma's sense of humor things usually end near the hysterical side.

Also FYI, emily's tips for dutch oven fried scones made them, delish!

Girls Camp

2010-07-31T09:17:00.000-06:00

Girls camp was at lake Lyman. I arrived on Wednesday and left Friday morning. It was a blast and thankfully Kayla didn't dump us into the leech filled lake.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-07-31T09:13:00.000-06:00

So, on July 5th I worked the fireworks tent. I was packing up and at 12:04 am I got a birthday call from a couple of little munchkins. After we were done at around 12:30 we headed home. This is what I came home to.....

Loved it!

I know, we all look lovely. Remember that this is nearing 1 am, and that camera's and late nights add 10 lbs and lots of wrinkles! Yeah right.

Clooney the Clown

2010-06-15T09:59:00.000-06:00

I had a surprise visit from Clooney the Clown. I may just hire this clown to come to

my birthday party this year!

Summer Games Pics

2010-06-15T09:57:00.000-06:00

First the games.

This is what we did while Dani was at the Athlete Social.

Dani and her friend Jacelyn at the Athletes Celebration.

The fireworks were better than any 4th of July celebration I've been to.

The pool was sooooo warm.

The team at the social.

Dani - The Gold Medalist

In Dani's words exactly

2010-06-13T10:29:00.001-06:00

This is the email I got this morning (I know I was there, but she sent it to a few people). Pictures to come......

Hi!

What have you been up to lately? My family went to Utah Summer Games last Wednesday! On Wednesday, we drove down to Cedar City for my first game. We beat Murray Max 2-0! Then we went back to our hotel in St. George, The Crystal Inn. We swam in the pool late at night. In the morning, we had hot breakfast at our hotel. Then we went straight to my next game against the FC Tigers. We beat them 4-1! Later that day, we went to my third game, the one against the Dominators. We also won them 3-0! (I think!) Then my team went to the Athletes Social. Only the Athletes got to play the games and get free pizza and popsicles. then we went to the Opening Ceremonies. All the Athletes' parents, friends and family were in the stands. All the teams and athletes got to march all around the stadium and wave at their family it was fun. Then we all got glow sticks. Then the band Boogie Nights played lots of cool songs live on stage! We all started rockin' out! then while the music played on, we watched the coolest, loudest , awesomest Fireworks I've ever seen!! Then we went to bed at the hotel. On Friday, in the morning I got a hashbrown, bacon,sausage,eggs, an english muffin, and Apple juice for breakfast. Then we went and watched some power tumbling. It looked hard. After that we watched swimming. Later on, we spectated fencing. When we were done watching that, we headed over to my game. It was Wasatch (us) vs. Rampage. We tied them 2-2. After that , my team went to the Pizza Factory. I had Fetuchinni Alfredo It tasted good. We went back to the hotel. On Saturday, we faced Rampage in the gold medal match. The winner would get a gold medal and the losers would get a silver medal. First place or second place. At the end of the game, the score was 4-1. For WASATCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We got the GOLD MEDAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was sooooooooooooo AWESOME!!!!!!! Please write me back!

Dani, the gold medalist

She is so pumped (if you couldn't tell)!

What have we been up to?

2010-05-30T12:31:00.000-06:00

Well, most of it has been during rain, but sun did peek through here and there. These are Dani's pics from the last while.

Dad rocks with creativity. Britt loved it!

We watched the apple tree blossom.

We run pretty quick!

We've had some weird weather!

We watched a lot of soccer!

We read some good books! This is the 3rd of the Fablehaven series. Recommended!

Jazz playoff games are loud!

The tulips have come and gone.

Watched more soccer. (Here come the summer games!)

Dad's a master chef when it comes to Barbeque!

As much bike riding as possible and yes Britti's elbows look double jointed.

Bike safety week at school. Nica learned the hand signals. Only 4 days left!

More weird weather!

Now we'll see what memorial day brings.

Saturday with Oma and Opa was a blast! (They spoil us.)

Burning question......

2010-05-13T14:54:00.003-06:00

Have you ever had one of those? Well, my kids have a lot lately.

Question 1: Started out with a phone call, "Mom! There's a fire in the microwave!"

Dani's answer: Throw a cup of water on it (apparently the flame was the size of a candle)

Mom and Dad's answer: Unplug the microwave!

Question 2 (A result of question 1): You'll know it when you see the answer.

Mom and Dad's answer: Yes, twist ties have metal in them. You have to take them off BEFORE you use the microwave.

Question 3: How long do you cook bacon?

Dad's answer: (to prevent under cooking when doing small amounts) 1 minute per slice.

Question 4 (result of answer to question 3): Why is the bacon burnt and melted to the napkin? 10 minutes for 10 slices right?

Dad's answer: Start small

Question 5: Is this mug OK in the microwave?

Mom's Answer: It's now sparking so no! (There was decorative metal)

Pretty funny microwave experiences.

Thanks OMI - Zoo was a Blast

2010-04-09T16:53:00.008-06:00

We all found the Baby Elephant so Sweet - Dani wants one as a pet in our back yard! "Dani is on waste removal" Really Chickens might not be so bad!

Guess this Animal?

Lindsay and Lyla! Are you Really Moving away???

Omi and the Girls (Wait Gus is there, Hi Gus!!)

SNOW in April....Anyone want to move to AZ or TX with me??

2010-04-09T16:51:00.001-06:00

Just should not happen...Where is Summer?

Easter Fun!!

2010-04-09T16:36:00.004-06:00

First BOIL your Eggs ! They taste so good on a Sandwich AFTER Easter!

Now Get to work making them "Pretty"

Dani Ran in to who??? ANNA! - Thanks Farmington and Lagoon, Free Lagoon Tickets are allways nice!

Nica you look cold! - Dont worry the hunt will start soon!!

Am I a Fool?

2010-04-02T20:32:00.002-06:00

No but sometimes I still get got!

So the morning of April 1st was a busy one. Correcting some homework, preparing food, getting sprayed by the sprayer. Yep, Dani rigged it to spray whoever used the sink, aka MOM! She called Oma to fake a broken arm with which Oma fooled her into actually thinking she believed it. Then Dani and Britti had a great idea. We wrapped their arms with ace bandages and added an arm sling (Britti and Ryan (the anti milk drinkers) have both broken an arm before so we had slings) and it worked marvelously. They had classmates fooled all day long. One boy wouldn't even believe it was an april fools joke, so Dani pulled her arm out and waved it around. Teachers on the other hand were fooled for about a minute (maybe).

Nica tried to get into the action but had no school so we wrapped her arm with an ace bandage anyway. A bit later she says to me "after I trick dad, can we take this off?" Dad had been home for quite awhile, so I don't know how that would work. Then I looked at her arm and said I'd just take it off now. She asked why and I said "because your fingers are blue!" I felt so bad! I had no idea I had wrapped it so tight. She said "It has been hurting for a while."

I tried to get a picture but a dead battery put that idea in the grave.

Thanks Nancy!

2010-03-27T10:20:00.003-06:00

Ruby's was so delicious. The crazy part was the fact that we were dealing with a bit of storm surge so we were constantly feeling the pier sway. Every now and then I'd just get that sea sick feeling for a second, then I'd dig into my breakfast food and shake.

The walk to Ruby's

Gage deciding what he wants to eat.

Ryan's girls.

The House

2010-03-27T10:02:00.003-06:00

The house we stayed in was totally awesome. A private room with bathroom for each family, 2 hot tubs, 2 roof top decks, 2 full kitchens, 2 family rooms, beach front view and access, mile (walking distance) from Ruby's, and family everywhere! It was loads of fun.

View from the lower rooftop

Patio Hot tub

Some of the awesomest women you could ever meet!

Extravaganza Day 2

2010-03-23T09:17:00.004-06:00

Day 2 began with a dip in the pool. Too chilly for me, but the kids were pumped.

The bathing beauties over 12 and Lyla. (Lindz can decide if Ty qualifies)

I think these girls.....

Actually spent more time in the hot tub!

Brigham may just be a great swimmer like his dad! Check out that form!

What is it with Lyla and her tongue? It can only be intense concentration.

Disney part 3

2010-03-23T09:01:00.004-06:00

Mickey was a highlight! (I love Henrick's face here)

This is Wonder Grandma, with 4 kids in tow!

(She may tell you, she was in tow)

Nica and Brigham are in Heaven at Opi's side.

Farewell and Thanks for the free day!

And a special Thanks to Trina and Jeff!

Make that, Give a Day, Get a JEDI day!

2010-03-23T08:45:00.004-06:00

Britti, Nica, and Caelen are all now Jedi's. (Dani was previously trained a couple years ago). They attended Jedi training. There isn't anything quite as fun as seeing your little girl cream Darth Vader. Or in Cae's case Vader and Maul!

Caelen and Nica, at the ready!

Britti in the process of ducking.

Nica battles the dark side.

Britti was well trained as you can see!

Give a Day, Get a Disney Day!

2010-03-23T08:43:00.000-06:00

Extravaganza Day 1:

Nearly 30 members of our VB fam earned the free tickets. It was so fun to have them all at Disneyland together. We did the first few rides together (yay! no riding with strangers) and met at the castle for pictures (still need to get one from Bob). It was funny because everywhere we went there was family. Someone always ended up nearby, no matter what part of the park we were in! Dani, Britti, and their cousins, sprinted at the opening to be first under the castle (aka, first in Disneyland).

We met Tinkerbell and Terrance

Small World was fun

Jungle Cruise was dangerous....

...But not as dangerous as splash mountain!

We're outta here!

2010-03-22T10:19:00.000-06:00

At least we were. Anyway this is the beginning of a week long extravaganza of fun.

Ry's hair has gotten a bit shaggy since November!

Britti is Nine!

2010-02-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

Our pretty Britti is now nine years old. She is a feisty little girl, that makes us all light up to see her. She is adventurous and happy and we are so glad to say she belongs to us!

Grab your tissue

2010-02-18T16:14:00.001-07:00

I should not have read this at work, but I had to finish it. Sharon may recognize much of this post, but I don't care (neither will she), I want all those close to me to see it.
This is clipped from Sharon's blog.

"So my freind posted this link on her blog. As she called it "a mother's livng nightmare." Have you ever left your toddler/baby in the tub just to grab something? If you want to know what I'm talking about you need to read this amazing story... http://www.stakerzxposed.blogspot.com/ Or you can watch the shorter version, this is a video the dad made...http://www.stakerzxposed.blogspot.com/2010/02/bronson-miracle.html .(you will want to scroll all the way down and hit mute on the her music before watching the video.) Have some tissues ready. I could barely read the story. Or if you want you can watch the news clip no KSL http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=9654005 But even though I may not know them, this is a really good reminder and a very touching story, and another example that Miracles do happen.

My Life (Stacy not Ryan)

2010-02-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

Really, right now, my life seems to revolve around BW and saturday soccer games. This week was a crazy one. BW happens to be Ryan's life too, but this post is not about the craziness he deals with. Here is my BW life:

I'm beginning to know the regulars more and more now. I know what they look for and am actually disappointed if we don't get it in. Here are a few of them and what they want.

Nicholle the hair and nail lady. Anything to do with hair and nails is on her radar. This week, no such luck, but she bought some stuff to decorate with.

George, Nicholle's dad. He meets his daughter every Thursday, just as she's finishing up. He likes anything tooly and unusual liquids. He also snags occassional jewelry for his wife to work with. Nicholle saves stuff for him.

Dawn, the silverware and wedding lady. Already mentioned her in a previous post. Haven't seen her this week, I'm guessing Aaron got her today.

Karen, the Jack of all trades. Likes random tools, decor, furniture, and scrapbooking stuff.

And the Burnette lady (I can never remember her first name, even though I just read it, it makes me crazy!) She buys party supplies for her sister in Canada. Apparrently the wiggles are hot in Canada (glad I don't live there!), but we are out, so now she's moved on to curious george and the purple hat theme.

Anyway, working the store is always interesting. I get sick of surfing the web in like 2 minutes. There are some cute grandparents in here with their grandkids. I've never seen people so happy that we have carts. Our theme for the week: Need a Rug? We've got loads.

Nica Nica Nica!

2010-02-01T20:53:00.001-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICA!!

We forgot the Camera for Nica's Party but she sure was proud of her loot when she got home. I cant belive she is 5. (Just so you know she is 6, but my baby girl will allways be 5)

This is a Simple Pencil Sketch Ryan did for Nica's Birthday. I think he over tried on this one. ( I know Ryan's Eyes are Creepy)

Hmmmm

2010-01-22T13:11:00.001-07:00

People are so strange. I am sitting here at that awesome store. You know, Bargain Warehouse. I am people watching. I realize now how awesome my kids are. Generally, most parents just don't care what their kids are doing. Thanks girls, for being so wonderful.

One lady comes every week. I call her the silverware lady, she's bought loads. She's so totally nice. She's planning a wedding. The last of 5 daughters. Aleece and I think of Trina when she comes. I'm so excited for Trina and Jeff, although I don't think stilts are included in the wedding plans. Bummer.

Men hang back and try to look uninterested (even though they can't help but touch the tools and toys), women bring friends and parents. Grandmothers try on shoes and forget they are wearing them and think there is only one shoe available. I've had some pretty funny things happen. We had a tire in. Small. Weird. Goes to who knows what. It actually sold! I am always surprised at the weird things that come and go here.

What I love most: A little kindness goes a long way. Even though there are some weirdos out there, mostly people have a smile and a kind word. I like finding the good in the world.

Have you ever......

2010-01-14T22:24:00.000-07:00

had FUN with crackers??

Dani's creation (she had to step away for a moment)

Britti's creation (I soooo love her name....still)

Nica's creation (not bad cheese writing for a 5 year old)

Eggcellent

2010-01-14T22:19:00.000-07:00

Love them pearly whites!

The Rec Center

2010-01-14T22:18:00.001-07:00

Well Thanks to Grandma we all had a total blast during a late night at the Rec center. It was so fun. The kids couldn't get enough of the slide at the pool and were pumped to head out on the ice. Nica in particular loved it. Until of course she fell one major time. Her feet went up and her head went down. Hard. Here are the results.

It was a pretty good shiner. Quite swollen, but it mostly looked like eye shadow on one eye when it was open. The funny thing was that she would not sit there and relax for even a minute. She wanted to ice skate and when we went back out, she was mad that she had to hold my hand!! Now it has several lovely shades of green and yellow with a touch of purple. I LOVE her positive attitude!

How did we kick off the New Year?

2010-01-14T22:10:00.001-07:00

With a BANG of course! If only I had captured those on camera.

Oh well. These girls have plenty of pop and made a lot of noise!

Until they couldn't take it anymore.

P.S. Ashley and Trevor are gross

and slightly cute too.

sorry for the blurry vision!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-06T10:10:00.000-07:00

Christmas Eve Cuties! Dani won the Elf hat in a class auction!

Christmas day was so fun. Thanks for all the thoughtful gifts. Our family is so blessed!

As stated in a previous post, for some reason fun in the VB family, fun always seems to involve pain. I love Lance's face.

Dani and Gage were best buds this day.

Dani and her bows.

This girls sincerely loves everything good about everybody and everything.

Britti always enjoys the Stewart roll in the wrapping!

Tracking Santa

2009-12-24T09:52:00.004-07:00

We're tracking Santa, are you?

http://www.noradsanta.org/

Light Parade

2009-12-15T20:48:00.004-07:00

Thanks for the invite, it was fun!
The Gang

The lights

Gorgeous Gage

Happy Henrik (I promise he was.)

Babes all around!

Shocked

2009-12-15T20:44:00.002-07:00

I don't know why, but fun often involves pain in the VB household. Britti, is the toughest.

P.S. Don't fret, voltage was on low!

How do you feel about Cranberry Sauce?

2009-12-15T20:27:00.001-07:00

The kind that stays in the shape of a can?

Here's how Nica felt.

In her words exactly...."disgust"

SKIP!!!

2009-12-14T17:40:00.001-07:00

Life Moves Fast.....Sure is nice to have a Skip card in hand???? Keep bugging us about the Blog and we may SKIP you! Try and Guess who the winner was??

Looking for something new?

2009-11-25T11:07:00.000-07:00

Give this one a try: http://www.vbcrafts.blogspot.com/
Each week shows something new!

REAL SALT LAKE WINS!!

2009-11-22T22:45:00.000-07:00

WOW! What a game! Can't make it much more dramatic than that. Finally Utah has a championship team!

Hail to the Chief!

2009-11-22T22:42:00.000-07:00

Dani is now the 5th grade president. She is so excited. They have a meeting on Tuesday and they are supposed to bring ideas (totally planned out), and share them. Her only problem is that she has so many. I told her she could bring more than two if she wanted.

Help I've FALLen, should I get up?

2009-11-12T21:18:00.000-07:00

Why get up?

Manny Votes for Dani

2009-11-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

Dani is running for 5th grade class officer. Her slogan, thanks to Uncle Eric, is Manny votes for Dani. She had fun playing on that thought. And used Ice age as the theme. Sid's word bubble says, "That's definitely a good idea". Diego's says "Wow, for once Sid has a good idea!" And scrat's thought bubble is about nuts.

This is her other idea, using a profile perspective.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-11T19:13:00.000-07:00

Vampires, Pirates, & Skeletons...Oh My!

Happy B-day to Mo and Dani!

The entire crew!Skeletons in your closet?

Happy Birthday Dani!

2009-11-11T19:05:00.000-07:00

11 years ago my life changed forever! I love this little person, although, we often refer to her as Ginormica lately. We love you Dani!

Arizona

2009-11-11T18:43:00.002-07:00

So we spent the last week of October in Arizona. It was so nice. We totally love the Phoenix Zoo.

They actually have Peter Piper Pizza there still. It was a fun reward for a rather boring day for the girls.

I love how much Dani loves animals. Notice how close and snuggly she gets.

They fell asleep this way.

Swimming was nice.

I love Nica's face here. The goats had been playing king of the bench. So it made her a bit nervous.

Thanks Oma, for the fun travel stuff!

What were you doing October 26th?

2009-11-11T12:16:00.003-07:00

I have heard that you were freezing. Arizona is simply lovely this time of year. Here's what we were doing!

Kids Rock!

2009-11-11T09:29:00.003-07:00

These videos are just too strange not to share! Sorry about the quality. Dani wasn't concerned with lighting at the moment. The first one is like a face cam view of her doing a flip onto the bean bag.

Hmmm....Interesting. Very, Very, Interesting

2009-11-11T09:24:00.000-07:00

What happens when kids have free reign on the camera? It's a combination of beautiful and strange. I guess then, you get strangeful? Or maybe beautistrange.

Cae

max 'n' sof

Dan

Brit n Dan

The older half (Minus Britti)

Nic

Nica's foot

zwei blumen

Hmmm...

???

yum, butter

Do I have enough?

She may not appreciate this.

This actually looks kind of real.

Grades

2009-11-05T08:37:00.000-07:00

What kind of grades do 3 little talented girls bring home?

Straight A's across the board of course!

Way to go girls! Hopefully this love of learning lasts your whole life through!

Chef Nica !

2009-10-21T16:24:00.000-06:00

What is Nica making? Something Yummy I am sure. Smells Terrific! Her Future HUSBAND will be proud.

Hair anyone?

2009-10-21T16:18:00.001-06:00

The Girls take pride in doing their hair. Time for hair cutts???

Hat Day !

2009-10-21T16:09:00.000-06:00

So Red Ribbon week brings a new thing each day, Today happens to be Hat day, The girls choices cracked me up. I love my girls!

Little Baby Lyla !!

2009-10-20T12:53:00.001-06:00

I can't believe my little sister is a MOM. Lyla is so cute! I can still hear her singing, When I grow up, I want to be a Mommy, and have a family, one little, two little, three little, puppies of my own!! Come to find out after talking with Tyler, Lyla's name was first heard when their friend called out to their dog. I guess Lindsay was a little prophetic back then. Congrats Tyler and Lindsay! We all adore Lyla!

(DISCLAIMER) WITH MY MEMORY OF THE PAST A LITTLE CLOUDY, IT COULD HAVE BEEN ALEECE OR ASHLEY THAT WAS SINGING IT. AFTER TALKING WITH MY MOM, SHE SAID WE WOULD JUST TEASE THEM ABOUT SINGING IT. I STILL THINK LINDSAY DID!!

Britti's latest

2009-10-16T22:51:00.000-06:00

So Britti had another crazy dream. When they're really unusual she tells me first thing in the morning. It is funny, she really can't do anything else till after she's told me it all.

This morning as we were closing the door to a sleeping sister and heading down for breakfast she informed me of her dream and went on to describe it. Here it is.

For some reason her cousin Josh is half penguin. She and Josh were left out of a family hike right at the trail head because they were too small (I have no idea where Lauryn and Nica were). Josh decided he wanted to go so Britti let him walk to the trail and he took off. She took the nearest tunnel that would slide her to where Oma was. When she got to Oma Britti said "What are you doing here just relaxing?" Oma smiled then asked Britti what she needed. Britti told her about josh so Oma picked up the nearest turtle shell (a bunch had come out of the tunnel Britti came through), put the shell to her ear and listened. Then she told Britti Josh was dead, she found out by listening to the turtle shell. He got swallowed up in the water full of monsters. Then she woke up and the house was creepy quiet and she got teary eyed thinking maybe it was really one of us that died. Then I walked in and she found out all was well.

I don't really get the penguin part but whatever, it's not like the rest of it made sense.

Clarity

2009-10-09T22:22:00.000-06:00

Just a little clarification for anyone who may read this and is not from Utah. Smith's is a local grocery store. It is funny to me that a grocery store is Dani's favorite store. Also Dani's Smith's face is the face she makes when she is begging to go to Smith's. Sorry if I was a bit confusing.

What's your favorite store?

2009-10-08T22:32:00.003-06:00

So what do you think my 11 year old's favorite store is? Some of you may say Toys 'R' Us? How about some sort of clothing store? Maybe even some little jewelry shop? Nope, this is Dani's Smith's face. I'm not putting a plug on here for Lance and Em. It is the one store Dani loves, "especially at night" as she puts it. We can't pass one without her begging to go in. She's a nut! But I have personally heard Bob say that this little nut has not fallen far from the tree! FYI that is Ryan's side of the trunk. Anyway, I had to go tonight and she seriously almost cried when she thought I was going after she went to bed (which I was). I caved and went early so she could go.

Check yes or no (sing the song)

2009-10-08T22:27:00.003-06:00

I know it's not a great picture but I thought it was funny. You can click on it to make it bigger but I'll write what it says. The author of this note was Britti.

Please can I come out? I promise I'll be good! Please sign! (with an arrow pointing to the Yes line)

Yes
Please don't sign! (with an arrow pointing to the No line)
No

Harry Potter

2009-10-08T22:22:00.002-06:00

So we girls are finally reading Harry Potter. I just finished the 4th, Dani is midway through the 4th and Britti is in the 1st. I think it is number 5 that came out as a PG13 movie. What do you all think about the book? I plan on reading it before I let Dani but I was wondering what other people thought. Too mature for an 11 year old (yes I'm rounding up)? What about an 8 year old? Thanks!

Fall is in the air!

2009-10-08T22:09:00.003-06:00

Dani was very proud to have come up with this all on her own. She made the entire thing from the idea down to the feathers for hay. October is easily Dani's favorite month of the year (due to her birthday) and she celebrated the beginning of the month in style. I thought it was rather creative and clever myself.

Oh, and in this picture Britti is planning her family party that she is hosting. I've got a feeling that I just might win the awesome Bingo prize! (FYI our kids constantly host private parties, immediate family only, they rock!) Dani just wanted a piece of wheat bread. And no Nica did not spend the entire day in jammies.

Yo!

2009-10-08T22:02:00.002-06:00

Thanks to Omi and Opi's plentiful Yo Yo collection, Dani can continue her love for it. She has an interesting technique don't you think?

We'll start off with Nica

2009-10-08T21:57:00.003-06:00

So this is how Wednesday was spent for Nica. No known cause or any real idea of what her problem is. Just a tummy ache. No other side effects. After 3 decent naps on Wednesday and a good one today, things seem to be getting better! School is a great motivator for her to be healthy, so hopefully tommorrow is the day she's done with quarantine!

Strange, is it true?

2009-09-14T09:56:00.003-06:00

So I have no pic for this, I will have to paint a picture for you. Britti painted this for me.

Imagine a time when all the family is together. Both sides in fact, and you get to pick the game we will all play. Hide and seek is the choice and we are all about to play, when all of the sudden Trina and Jeff appear. They are BOTH wearing wedding dresses and on STILTS, and they're JUMPING! Then I woke her up.

This was Britti's dream this morning. I love how weird dreams are! So Trina, will this be fact or fiction!?

And I just like these pics!

2009-09-09T14:45:00.001-06:00

Nica

Britti

Dani

Pro's and Con's of Adam's Canyon

2009-09-09T14:35:00.002-06:00

Pro: Family

Con: Yucky shoes

Pro: Family

Con: Rattlesnakes

Adam's Canyon

2009-09-09T14:23:00.003-06:00

Whoever the Adams' are, thanks! It was a blast!

Britti is an animal!

Britti got the wettest, and her skin & bones body type doesn't offer much warmth!

This is post-waterfall entry! I was the most chicken! I thought my feet might fall off with frostbite!

Our girls rock!

The Longmore's were missed by all! Here is proof!

Isn't she special!

2009-09-09T14:12:00.003-06:00

I soooo love this picture. Wendy's hat rocks! It was her gift from Dani; Britt & Nic, made her cards. She is an awesome Aunt, and we are so glad to have her around rather than traveling the world as usual! We love you Wendy!

Anything cuter?!

2009-09-09T14:09:00.001-06:00

Is there anything cuter than a kindergartner in love with school & homework?

Note to self....

2009-09-09T14:05:00.003-06:00

Plant less zucchini!

At this home we harvest children as well. And FYI fresh cucumber and tomatoes made dinner so satisfying yesterday!

Happy Anniversary!

2009-08-31T15:56:00.004-06:00

12 years is a long time to most people, but not when you live with Ryan! Every day is an adventure! I love you, even when my hair is out of control and yes, every wrinkle belongs to you!

Ever had one of those moments when.....

2009-08-31T15:53:00.003-06:00

Everyone is staring at you? We did. Having your car break down, near a major freeway entrance, and having a cop back you up, is really annoying. People just sit there and wait for you, not realizing you are stuck! Thanks Lance for celebrating our anniversary with us during the repair work!

Total Match

2009-08-22T20:20:00.001-06:00

This is what Dani and Britti refer to as the "Total Match" They had identical outfits the first day and loved every minute of it!

First day of School!!

2009-08-19T17:01:00.007-06:00

Nica Nica Nica, I can't believe she is starting school already - Her excitment was amazing to watch!

Dani, WOW 5th grade, first ..umm Male teacher, We will see if she can keep up the grades, you know us, we expect the best!

Britti, 3rd Grade. First day of school brought many stories, ask her about the Frog!

Is my baby girl really in school??? The house will be so so so so quiet!

I guess after a day like today, its nice to come home to an after school snack! Zucchini bread with chocolate chips! (Ryan Dreaming) Chocolate chip cookies will do.....But the Bread does sound YUMMY!

Too much time??

2009-08-15T08:19:00.002-06:00

This may cause you to say, Hmmmm, do they have too much time on their hands?! No, we just like to goof off, every chance we get. The girls all voted against this new hairdo. Surprise, surprise.

As for the week, this has been a week of organization. The DI stuff loaded, the junk in the garbage can, and it does feel good. Thanks Ry! (He did most of the work)