Merry Birthday Dane!

Jace and Parker's friend Dane Jelinek had his 4th birthday this past Saturday, and what a fun interruption to the holiday festivities (which seem kinda sparce without family around.)

Kelli is THE BEST party planner and everything is always a hit. She's one of those rare people that can do a spectacular party with delicous food and great decor without it feeling stuffy or like she's trying too hard. It's just who she is, and I want to be just like her-unfortunately, it will never happen; I couldn't wrap a present without bumps and wrinkles if my life depended on it, and I've NEVER made a theme cake. I've made cakes that taste great, but they usually aren't so easy on the eyes.

They had the party at Freestone Park--it has a train, ferris wheel, boats and a carousel. It was FREEZING (51 degrees), but we were troopers. They had an incredible train cake, that looked and tasted great (I didn't get a photo!) and the cutest train cookies, conductor hats, and whistles as souveniers.

There are a few pictures of Parker and Olivia--they are BFFs. I asked Parker if Olivia was his girlfriend, and he said, "No, she is my GIRL." Love it!

Thank Goodness for Doctors!

Today was a scary day. James got tubes put in his ears. It's the first time any of my kids have had to have surgery. It went amazingly well. We were there at 6 am, surgery started at 7 am and we were home by 7:45 am. He did so well, took fine to the anaesthesia, and didn't even freak out too much when he woke up.
James has had 10 ear infections and one that took 3 antibiotics to get it to go away. When the doctor went inside his ears, he told me he had a build up of a thick glue-like substance. No wonder they were always hurting him!! I can't believe he has still been such a sweet baby; his pain tolerance must be incredible. I am soooo glad we did this. Hopefully it will make for a healthier winter. I am extremely grateful for the miracle of modern medicine.
Yesterday Mike and I fasted so that things would go well during the surgery. I will admit that I'm not the best at fasting with a purpose or for a real reason--I usually just skip two meals, but as I fasted yesterday for the safety of my child, I realized that us fasting probably wouldn't change the outcome of the surgery for the better or the worse, but it felt good to involve God in my life, to ask for his peace, protection and inspiration. After yesterday, I felt a little more willing to submit, to accept his will. I guess that's what I'm starting to learn...that for the most part men are in charge of their own lives, but by keeping our will close to the Lord's we are able to act and react the way He would want us to, which is always in our best interest.

These are a few of my favorite things...

Is anyone else's Christmas station obsessed with playing Rod Stewart's version of this song? When did that become a Christmas tune? That's not what this post is about though. I wanted to share a few of my favorites, and some would make good gifts for others.

1. I found the perfect JEANS! As fun as it is to ALWAYS be pulling your pants up or wearing 5 layers in order to keep the top of my rear covered, I was done. I've been on the hunt for higher waisted, cute jeans that don't look like "mom" jeans, and I found them. They are the brand Kut, and you can find them at Nordstrom and Dillards. They ride just under my belly button and suck in the part of my stomach that will never leave. I love them. If you've had kiddos, they are a great pair to have. They are a little pricey ($85, but you can get them on sale) and come in a few different styles (flap pockets on the booty for me, since I don't have much junk in the trunk.) Truly they are worth every penny. Oh, the other good thing, my friend Lyric has some, our bodies are totally different and she looks great in them too! http://shop.nordstrom.com/SR?KeyWord=kut+jeans&searchorigin=KeywordSearch

2. I also found the perfect sweater. Since I really don't need a coat here, I wanted a yummy sweater I could wear to the park everyday, and I found it, at Target no less. I also grabbed a pair of their wide leg super soft jeans for $22, and I have to hem them, but they are great. Three cheers for target. http://www.target.com/Juniors-Mossimo-Supply-Cardigan-Sweater/dp/B000SDKN3I/sr=1-3/qid=1197668141/ref=sr_1_3/602-4929195-9111028?ie=UTF8&index=target&rh=k%3Ajuniors%20mossimo%20sweater&page=1

http://www.target.com/Juniors-Mossimo-Supply-5-Pocket-Jeans/dp/B000VZLG7U/sr=1-8/qid=1197668193/ref=sr_1_8/602-4929195-9111028?ie=UTF8&index=target&rh=k%3Amossimo%20wide%20leg%20jean%20juniors&page=1

3. Love love love the Josh Groban Christmas CD. Every song is gorgeous.
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11242584&search=josh%20groban%20christmas&Mo=1&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=0&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=josh%20groban%20christmas&Ntt=josh%20groban%20christmas&No=1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1

4. The book A Thousand Splendid Suns. It is by the same guy who wrote the Kite Runner, but I like it even better. The writing is beautiful and the sotry is unforgettable. Truly the triumph of women in the midst of hatred. It moves quickly and when I finised the book I wanted to cry because I was not ready to say good bye to the characters. Give it a shot--you'll love it.
http://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Splendid-Suns-Khaled-Hosseini/dp/1594489505/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197668327&sr=8-1

Mele Kalikimaka

I shouldn't have complained last week because Mike and I just spent the weekend in HAWAII!!! He got a couple of free airline tickets at work and they had to be used by the end of the year plus it's almost our 8 year anniversary, so Thursday morning we headed out to Oahu and spent 4 beautiful days on Waikiki beach. It was sooo fun and so needed. Honestly, I could have done 4 days alone with Mike anywhere, but it didn't hurt that we were in Hawaii. I'll apologize in advance for all the cheesy pictures, but since this is also my personal journal, I'm including them. My parents were so amazing and kind to come out and watch the kiddos for us--they are the best and the kids had a great time; hardly even missed us.

On Thursday we had a 6 hour flight next to Lavonda who was afraid to fly and talked a lot. Amazingly we still got some good reading in. That night we stayed with our GREAT friends Troy and Molly and spent time with their cute kiddos. Molly cooked us a yummy dinner and it was so good to reconnect.

Friday we stopped at the Hawaii temple, but it was closed because of a power outage, and we spent all day at the Polynesian Cultural Center; it was such a great experience. Every island was so interesting and we learned so much. We had our own personal tour guide named Lisa who was the cutest little girl from New Zealand. It was pouring rain all day, so it was the perfect day to go to the PCC. We got fake tatoos, learned the hula, can say hello in many island languages and are really great at twisting these cool balls around and around. The one down side-- the food was disgusting!! Even the hula dancers and decent music were not enough to take away the bad ward party taste, but it was fun.

Saturday morning we took a walk along Waikiki along with the million runners who were there to run the Honolulu marathon. We think marathon runners are great but really a little nuts. Apparently every person in Japan came to run the marathon because the streets were flooded with millions of super skinny Asian tourists who practiced their meditation and stretching on every free inch of sand (Mike joined a little stretching group for a minute!!)

After our walk we ate a yummy breakfast and then headed to a less crowded spot to snorkel. The water was cold but the tropical fish and coral were well worth the less than Phoenix temperatures. I even took a nap on the beach. Mike actually sat still and read a book for a good hour. Pretty amazing. I also had a quick teenage moment and decided not to put sunscreen everywhere so I could come home tan. Seriously? Do I think I'm 15? Not such a great idea for my pale little body. Luckily it looked worse than it felt after a shower.

After the beach we shared my favorite meal of the trip and juicy cheesburger topped with pineapple, avocado bacon and some great sauce. Yum! We then checked out some local artists hanging their stuff on a zoo wall. I found a guy who does nature photos that I love and I can't wait to get my hands on one of his pieces. We then shopped the rest of the day and got ourselves lost in a 3 floor maze of duty free items we were not supposed to look at (apparently it's only for people who live outside the US). You should have seen us--just like little rats in a corner trying to get out of an Hermes and Prada confine. We were laughing so hard by the time we got out and decided we'd had enough shopping. We went back to the hotel (which was awesome, by the way. Right on the beach) and got ready and headed to dinner. We met Troy and Molly there and closed down the place after we sat at our table for 4 hours (don't worry, no one else was waiting).

Sunday morning we slept in, ate a yummy breakfast overlooking the ocean, went to church, checked out Pearl Harbor, which was really neat. Then walked along a more secluded beautiful beach owned by Marriott. It was so nice to just relax and breathe in Hawaii. The best part was all the time we got to spend with each other. I'm really sappy, I know, but my husband is THE greatest. We always have such a great time together; he is my best friend, makes me feel so safe and loved all the time. I am so grateful for him. Sunday night we passed the late hours with Troy and Molly and headed to our 11:55pm flight. With the help of a couple Tylenol PM we slept the whole way home. Monday morning, when we walked in the door, real life hit us right in the face and our kids were so excited to see us. We were glad to get back to them. You feel like you can do anything after 4 great days with the love of your life. Lucky me!

Why I'd like to be a man...sometimes

My husband wonders why I have very little sympathy for him when he is sick. This is why: This is my 4 th day of a sinus infection. I didn't know I had one until yesterday, so I went to the doctor today. Last night I finally fell asleep about 1:30. I woke up at 6:15 with my 1 yr. old who is in the middle of an ear infection. I cleaned my house, bathrooms and all since my parents are coming into town tomorrow. I taught my dance class. I waited for a moment when everyone would sleep so I could rest--never happened, because Parker has a ear infection and can't lay down. Went to the park for a couple of hours to let my kids play and enjoy some fresh air and good company. Headed to Target to pick up prescriptions. Made dinner. Put super tired Parker to bed. Husabnd came home for 15 minutes, said hi, left for church meetings. Start cleaning up the kitchen. Parker woke up screaming because his ear hurt right as I was putting baby to sleep. Baby won't go to sleep with all the crying. Try to lay with Parker, but no luck. Put Parker on couch with Dora, put sad baby to bed. Parker decides he's hungry. Make another dinner since he slept through the first one. Finish cleaning again. Fight my kids about not having candy...give in. PA friend comes over to look at Parker's ear. Yep, big ear infection. As she's leaving, baby screams from bedroom. He's thrown up everywhere. I clean up throw up, change sheets, put baby back to bed, get a sugary, wound up Jace and a not so tired Parker to brush teeth, say prayers, and read a book. Kiss them good night. All while Mike is gone...amazing. Now, I have 5 loads of laundry to fold, throw up sheets and clothes to wash and have to try to do it all without leaning over just in case my head pops off from all the sinus pressure. And he wonders why he has a total of ONE day of sympathy. Here's to all you moms out there--this is why it seems like we never get sick; not true, we just don't have time to act sick.

It's the most wonderful time...

For many reasons, but one on the tip top of my list is CHRISTMAS CARDS!! I love to send and receive them and received my first one today!! (Way to go Jenny!)
There are so many people I have reconnected with while blogging, so if I didn't send you one last year, I'd love to send you one this year. If you are new to my list or your address has changed, please send me your address at brookeromney@cox.net
Merry Christmas!

Last Thanksgiving Entry...

I know, I'm out of control, but my mom took a million pictures and we had such a great time, so I had to blog about all of it. On Saturday day the girls went shopping again, while the boys watched the BYU game. Mike got his fancy root beer for the occasion, and my mom gave Katie and I a little cash to buy something fun for ourselves. She is so great. We came home to very happy men (I have to give a shout out to Kim Crook and Jed Gines--I'll save the real trash talking for my husband who does it much better than I)

That night we we went to dinner at a yummy and fun spot called Joe's Farm Grill where are the food is organic and grown right there, then went to the lights at the Mesa temple; which we beautiful again and surprised my family (they thought Salt Lake was the only special temple). Parker loved being there and kept asking Mike to tell him the story about baby Jesus again and again. When it was time to to, he didn't want to leave and started to cry. If you'll notice, it was freezing ( I think maybe 55 degrees), and there are no Park family pictures--Ezzie and Lukers had had enough fun and fell asleep in the car.

On Sunday my fam came to church with us and then per my dad's request, I fixed my famous butternut squash soup, which I could eat everyday! It was sad to see everyone go--Jace started crying and hid under the table, but we'll see them again soon. What a trip.

Fore!!

On Saturday morning, we decided to have a competitive round of golf at an exclusive club called "Golfland." Since the kids were present, nothing got ugly; it really is a GREAT mini-golf course, like the old school ones where you actually try to putt your ball through a house instead of just looking at a fake house while you putt down a straight line to a hole. Jace sped through and golfed twice, my dad got a "turkey" (three hole in ones in a row), and I played my worst round of mini-golf ever (which is bad). After the golf game went spent awhile in a cute maze they had there for the kiddos, and of course Grandma Kimmi was armed with her camera!

The fun never ends

Warning!! If you visit us, it's non stop fun. I don't know if I've always been like this or if it's my ADD husband that is the motivator, but we don't do a lot of sitting at our house. The day after Thanksgiving was no exception.That morning we were off to the trian park in Scottsdale for a little choo choo fun. I think everyone in Arizona thought it would be fun to go too, usually we are some of the only people there, but nonetheless it was still a great time. In the afternoon the girls went shopping and found some great deals. That night we went out to an "adult dinner" at Bonefish Grill which we love (If you live in AZ, you must go!). It was so fun to have some uninterrupted chit chat. And, my boys had their first sleepover since cousin Ezra went right to bed with them. The next morning Jace and Parks woke up at 6 and Ezzie slept till 8:30. He was the perfect overnight guest!