Grandma Debbie's Annual Christmas Party

She might be really mad that I posted a picture of her.... (she is singing in this one) haha!

But this was her party that she threw, and it's only fitting.

My mom is such a neat lady, and she throws our whole family (which is HUGE) the most fun Christmas party EVER.

This year she really wanted to make sure that everyone really got the feeling for the true meaning of Christmas. She found a family in her ward that wasn't going to have a Christmas this year due to health bills and reasons. So each family bought a present for each person in their family. We all brought them to the party that night. It was amazing how much we had. But I was even more amazed by how many gifts my mom personally bought for this family. She did a whole entire Christmas by herself before we even added our presents to the mix. She is the most giving person I have EVER met in my life.

We packed all the gifts up, went to the families house, unloaded all of them onto their front porch. Then we had all the children ring the doorbell, once they answered the children sang "We wish you a Merry Christmas, then took off and ran to the cars" It was a very neat experience.

I'm personally very proud of my own boys, they paid half out of their own money to help pay for the gifts we bought for these children. They have a great compassion for others that are going without. I think they realize that they are pretty lucky for all that they have.

Gage and his cousin Addason

Jace (this seems to be the look every time I take a picture of him lately)


Avery (Clay's best cousin) & Clay singing Christmas Carols
Clay loves to sing!!!




Tristie, Grandma Debbie, Gage & Addason

We always do a live Nativity, Gage played a Shepard and Clay played Joseph

The actors and actresses

Clay (Joseph) Avery (Mary) Teneya (Angel) Gage ( Shepard) Tanner (Wiseman)

Then of course Santa comes every year to the party

He makes sure all the kids have been good, asks each of them what they are wanting for Christmas and gives them a little gift for the night. Last but not least he sing a couple of Christmas songs with us.

Gage asked for a football helmet

Clay asked for a video game and checkers

Jace asked for a air soft gun

Elementary's Christmas Programs

This will be the last year that I have all three boys in the same school which means this will be the last time that will have 3 different Christmas Programs to go to. I'm kinda of sad about it, all the little children singing, gets you in the spirit of Christmas. I'm so glad to see that Wellsville Elementary still sings songs about Christ, I'm so glad it's not just about Santa!! Gage and Clay are really into singing their little hearts out, but Jace not so much!! Both Clay and Gage had speaking parts, they did perfect. I think Clay needs to be a public speaker of some sort!! And Gage's part was kind of long, I couldn't believe that he could remember it all.

Temple Square

I can't remember that last time I went to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights. So I made a point of going this season. My mom, Kunane and my neice came along with us. It was such a fun night. We first went and saw the Joseph Smith movie, then we walked around and looked at all the beautiful lights we also got to see the nativity they have there. After temple square, my sweet mother had plans to take us out to eat a some really nice place.....well the wait was 1 1/2 hours and they told her she didn't need to make reservations. So that fell through. The kids picked Chucka Rama (out of all places) to eat at. My kids LOVE buffets more then any other place to eat. One the way home we went and saw the lights at Willard Bay. It really was a fun filled night. I'm really glad that we did it!!!!

2010 Basketball Season

All the boys did awesome this year in basketball, I think it's the favorite sport for all 3 of them. Clay's coach was Shane Simper this year, it was also Clay's soccer coach. He was so good to Clay and taught the boys alot.
This is the first year Josh didn't coach a basketball team.....and what does it look like he is doing in this picture?? LOL. He just gets sucked into the game and can't help himself. He is such a great coach, I love to watch him work with the kids. He teaches them so much. He was just subbing for Jace's coach this time and he loved every minute of it. I bet he will coach next year, he missed it too much.

Jace LOVES basketball, mostly I think because Josh played and he wants to do everything his dad did. But he really does love it and want to play it year around. They had a fun, good little team this year. They are getting old enough that some of the games start to get intense.

And here is mister competive!!! Gage is just good with any kind of ball in his hand. He loves it all and wants to play it all. He is so much fun to watch and gives it his all each game.

Clay's Birthday

This was Clay's Birthday Breakfast.
Can't believe he is already 9

We are starting to only do 'friend' birthday parties on the kids even birthday. So this year we did a family birthday with Clay. Clay got donuts for breakfast, then got to take birthday treats to school (rice krispie sushi, his favorite) Then Grandma Debbie checked him out of school for lunch. He got to pick whatever place he wanted to eat at, then she took him to go pick out a present. After school, Clay got to open his birthday presents from us. He got a wallet, a necklace (which he asked for) an outfit, a snuggy and a scooter. Geesh!! Pretty spoiled. Then we went out to eat. He picked Iron Gate Grill. By the time we got home it was pretty late. If you ask Clay, it doesn't get better then that for his 9 year old birthday.

yep...Halloween Pics in December

LOL....Jace got ahold of my camera again and this is what I found on it!! What a Dork!! LOL
Well, I must say. Halloween is NOT about me, or the costumes I want my cute kids to wear anymore & I must say, it's just not as much fun.
Jace was Larry the cable guy (his idea, which I thought was quiet clever & cheap I might add) Clay was some scarey, ucky, ugly guy and Gage was a Ninja. If I had it my way we would have done something way cutier, matching and/or themed. But NNNNOOOO!!

Me helping the boys (excluding Jace) crarve the pumkins

Clay and his pumkin

Gage and his pumkin (yes, Gage has tats all over his face.)

Full-time mom

The beginning of 2010 I decided to give up my very successful business of Slumber Parties which I had done and grown for the past 5 years. This business had become something I loved very much, where I met so many amazing women whether they were clients or Slumber sisters. It was a very hard decision for me to make, but for me I knew it was right for many reasons. The number 1 reason was because my youngest Gage was going to start first grade in August and my business mostly consisted of me being gone at night. So sense all my kids were going to be gone in school all day then I really didn't want to be gone at night.

Once I stopped Slumber Parties I needed to find a way to help support our family but still keep me home most of the time or at least when my kids were home. I did preschool for the year 2009-2010 in the morning...which was so fun, but once the year ended I decided not to continue with that because I ended up spending more then what I was making (again, because it was so much fun) Early in the spring of 2010 I decided to apply for a part time job at the Buckle. This job sounded like something right up my ally, I had been in sales for the past 5 yrs. I love the social atmosphere and I love clothes. I was so excited to get the job.

A week or two into the job my boss asked me if I was interested in being one of their assistant managers. I could not believe that an offer like that would come my way. I was super stoked and felt so privileged that I was even considered for the job. There was no way I could turn down an opportunity like that!!! Right???

Over the summer during the back to school season I was trained to be buckle's new assistant manager in Logan. It was hard during the summer with the kids but I kept convincing myself that once school started that it would be much easier for me to work full time because the kids would be gone most of the hours that I was gone.

Fast forward to now, so here I am working full-time, which I know so many other mom's do. But I can't help feeling like I put my most important job on the back burner. Missing soccer games, not being home when my kids get home to see how their day has gone, not doing homework with them (Josh was there, but not me) ect. Somehow, somewhere from the beginning of the year to now I lost view of why I stopped Slumber Parties in the first place. I wanted to be home, I want to be a full-time mom and maybe have a part-time job. I want to be there for my kids when ever they need me. I know why I lost my view, because I started to feel the financial strain of not working full time.

There are so many things that my wonderful mother has taught me. But as I'm struggling on what decisions I should make with my "career" I keep thinking of 2 things my mom taught me.

#1- My parents have 9 children, and we were very poor, but my mom was a stay at home mom always. I remember coming home from school every day, she seemed to always have some kind of homemade after school snack waiting for us. It was something that was so nice to come home to. My mom was ALWAYS there for me anytime of the day no matter what!

#2-Many of you may not know this but I had a baby brother that died when he was 1, and my mom always has said. I am so glad that I stayed home, because I know that I spent as much time with my baby as I possibly could.... No regrets on the time that we spend together! But just the same, my kids are growing SO fast, I don't want to miss any time with them. I don't want to look back when they grown and out of the house thinking about how much I missed and why didn't I cherish them while they wanted me, needed me!!!

So.....decisions made.....went to my boss Monday and told her that I was stepping down from my position. I am going by complete faith that somehow, someway this is going to work out because I know that it is the right thing to do for my family. We may be eating Top Ramen for the rest of our days, clipping coupons, maybe even have to sell some stuff. But the bigger picture is family, and "mom" will be my full time job.