Gingerbread House Competition

So, Corey and I got a bit competitive with our Gingerbread houses.......then, of course, we both were convinced that ours were the best. Really the only thing we could agree on was that we should let our friends and family decide. So, VOTE on the poll to the right.......

#1

#2

Gingerbread Houses

The last time we tried to do gingerbread houses, we made them from graham crackers like I did when I was little, but we apparently didn't have the right "glue". The frosting we used wouldn't let the houses stick together and it was super frustrating. So, this year I was proactive and used the glue gun to put them together before hand. Worked GREAT!

Rhys got really into it and even made a pond in the front yard! Such a cutie!

Malik, true to form, made his a masterpiece, he spend a great deal of time on the design and made it just right. Our little artist!

Bet you can't guess which one Jorie did.....

Clue, most of her decorating went right in her mouth!!!

Salt Dough Candle Holders

Malik got a book at school called Craft Ideas For Kids. He and Rhys looked through it at least 50 times then announced that they would be making Salt Dough Christmas Candle Holders for their teachers and Grandma's and Papa's for Christmas. After looking over the ingredient list and making a list on Saturday we headed to the store. Then, yesterday after church, we began our 7 hour project. Mind you it's not a difficult project, my children are just perfectionists! They spent almost 4 hours painting them after they had cooked! Fun project, even Jorie and Dad got into it!

Check out the green paint on Rhys' forehead and red paint on his cheek....When Malik is really consentrating he sticks his tongue out the side of his mouth....

Enloe Update!

Hello all! Just thought I would rejoin the land of blogging and give you all an update from our new little neck of the woods.

The move went without a hitch and we have temporarily moved into a 3 bedroom home that a friend of our is giving us a great deal on. We are currently in the middle of trying to make a decision (which you all know isn;t an easy thing for us to do) about more permanent living arrangements. Hopefully, by February, we will either be breaking ground for a new home or have found one that we love and in the purchase process. For now, our rental is just fine and in a great location.

Malik started into his new 2nd grade class and loves it!!! Initially he was so sad/mad about the move but to his surprise he has fallen right in step and has made some great new friends. I also have been pretty inpressed with this new school, don't be jealous, but there are only 15 students in his class!!! It's a dream!

After hours on the phone trying to find a preschool for Rhys with openings, I finally found one. The only one in the whole stinkin' valley with an opening! In hopes that we might be able to pay Rhys' tuition in January, I will be selling a kidney. Let me know if you are interested. Rhys loves his school! They have movement classes on Mondays, gymnastics on Thursdays, and they get to play in the bounce house once a week. The play yard is like nothing I have ever seen! The have a bear cave, tunnels and hills, a treehouse and most recently (and Rhys' fav), sledding hills and sleds. They have a great time and Rhys always leaves with a smile!

Jorie and I spend a couple of hours on Monday at a play gym called GiminiKids. There are always kids her age to play with and I think the change of scenery is very welcome for Jorie. She misses her brothers while they are gone but is so happy when they get home. She is very chatty and is going through a phase where she asks thousands of questions, not only once but 5-6 times! Cute but kind of annoying. She is getting so big!

Corey is definately in his element! He loves his new job (not to mention the 5 powder days he has had in the last 3 weeks, thanks to 3-4 feet of new snow). This job in this area was made for Corey! He has always been very content with his job but now I see a huge difference in him when he comes home at night, he is so happy! He is getting ready to put the kids in ski school and can't wait for spring so we can all bike and hike the thousands of trails availabe to us.

I am very happy here but more than once a day I miss my old routine and my girlfriends and family. I love being a mom and I love my family. I am happiest when I am with them!

We love you all and hope you all want to take fun and exciting vacations to visit us, we will make it worth your while!!!! Promise!!

Yesterday afternoon it warmed up by about 10 degrees (which brought it just above freezing) and some of the snow on our tin roof began to slide. Although not for long, the temp dropped well below 15 degrees pretty quick. This morning the kids were facinated by this scene in our backyard. The snow was curved and the icesicles curved in toward our house!!! Crazy, but really pretty cool, just thought we'd share!

Chicago

I really look forward to, what seems to have turned into a tradition, making the annual trip with Corey to Chicago for his budget reviews in the late fall. Last year, Ty and Carrie were able to make the trip with us, which was a blast! This year it ended up just the two of us and Corey knowing how much I wanted to see "Dirty Dancing", was able to finagle great tickets for us!

Over our 10 years of marriage, food has become our hobby and not just food......GREAT food, which in turn has lent us the nickname, "Food Snobs". This night was no different, we had dinner at a restaurant called 312 Chicago, which happens to be managed by a friend of ours, it was amazing! Then off to the show! Super fun and entertaining (even Corey loved it!), if you have a chance to see it, I would highly recommend it!

Our last night in Chicago we went to Sushi (ever try super white tuna? DELISH!) then to a renowned comedy club called The Second City. We had never heard of it but when we walked in we instantly recognized tons of the alumni pic all over he walls, everyone from Alan Alda to John Candy and Steve Carell to Tina Fay got there comedy start here! I could never explain how seriously funny it was! My cheeks hurt and my belly ached from all the laughing! I really hope to see these Comedians around someday, they were great!

Sushi - Yum Yum!

PS -After all of this I really need to make sure my mom knows how grateful we are to her for being able and will in to come stay with our kids while we went and played. She is a wunderful woman and our children adore her and are so lucky yo have her in their lives!
Thanks again Grandma Marj!

Punkins, Parades, Cousins, Leaves, Trick-or-Treat, and FIRE

Punkins

For family night, we carved our punkins, much to Corey's dismay. Corey wishes every year that the kids would just plan forget about carving pumpkins. The smell and texture of the inerds hits the gag reflex and it's all down hill from there. So, with the fans on and the windows open wide, we attempted to spend a bit of quality time as a family. Dad cut off the tops, then retreated to his happy place while and mom and the kids scooped out the guts. Incidentally, Jorie and Malik love the inerds and have no problem, but Rhys on the other hand may have a bit of the dads weak stomach. He tried so hard but I think he may have turned green.

Parades

Malik's Halloween parade was on Thursday, due to the fact that there wasn't any school on Friday this week. I'm pretty sure I don't have any shy children, including Malik, he walked the whole parade acting like a Transformer and ate up all the attention, he was Bumblebee this year and acted the part to the T.
Malik and his friend Tyrell

Cousins
We are so lucky to have cousins! Jorie especially eats up all the attention that Cedar and Tannen give her. She has so much fun with them and they are so good to her. Jorie and the girls had a blast playing in the leaves all afternoon before we went trick-or-treating. So Cute!
Tannen, Jorie and Cedar
Trick-or-Treat
Traditionally, the kids and I go to dads work and trick-or-treat around the hotel. The kids eat it up, they get so much attention from everyone. Hanging out at dads work is always a highlight for the kids. Then later, that day all our cousins came to play, have dinner and go trick-or-treating. We were such a heard walking up and down the street, not unusual though, we are for sure the Martin heard when we are all together. I wouldn't trade it for he world, I love my family!
Optimus Prime (aka:Rhys) Ladybug (aka:Jorie) Bumblebee (aka:Malik)
Trick-orTreating at Daddy's hotel
CousinsIvy and Jorie
Uncle Papa (or Uncle Kevin) and Jorie
(she started calling him Uncle Papa tonight, so so cute)

FIRE
After we all had our fill of trick-or-treating, we went back to our house to light the fire pit and have hot chocolate in the circle (good thing, it was a chilling 65 degrees out!) All in all it was a great day and a super fun night. Thanks all for helping us make fun memories!
Rhys and Cam
Malik and Christian

So Proud I May Actually Burst!

Last night I received a phone call from Malik's teacher telling me that during the assembly on Friday he would be receiving the "Principal's Award" and if we could attend that would be great. I was so excited for him! Many of you can relate to this feeling, it begins with a little lump in your throat, your heart jumps a bit and finally, when you can't hold it back any longer, you cry tears of joy for your sweet child. As his mother, I have the amazing opportunity to know how smart, creative and funny Malik is, but it is always makes a mom proud to know that others see those same things.

I love you Mal, you make my heart happy!
Sorry, it's a little blurry, Malik is dead center in the stripped shirt.

News

Well, I guess it's time to make it official. My amazing husband has hit one of his top professional goals. Corey has been offered the GM job at the hotel he used to be the controller for. (I don't want to be to specific about where and when on the blog but if you want details, give me a call or email me) So, I guess the point of this post is to let everyone know we are moving! We are excited for this opportunity but at the same time we are very sad to leave everyone/everything we love here and start again. It was a hard decision, but we definitely have been guide and we know this is where we are suppose to be.

Wish us luck and PLEASE come visit soon!

4 and 4 Tag (then maybe 6 and 6?)

Ok, this is fun! Marinda and Carrie did this fun tag where you had to pick your fourth folder and your fourth picture from your photos on your computer, post it and tell about. Fun right? I thought so, so here it goes......

Christian, Malik, Rhys
Such fun memories, I will take any chance I get to remember super important events. This was the day we blessed Rhys, he was 2 1/2 months old and looked so cute in his little newsboy cap. Malik was so excited to have a new baby, he took every chance he could get to hold Rhys, but on the other hand he was so mad at Corey and I for months.
Also, my nephew Christian and Malik were born on the same day one year apart, they are lucky to have a cousin who is one of your best friends.

Now, everyone else, show me your 4 and 4 too........ and while you are at to maybe your 6 and 6!

Here's my 6 and 6, this is kind of addicting!
Carrie and Ty
What a crack up!!!!! For Carrie's 30th birthday I put together a book with some pictures for her about her life, Ty sent me a bunch of pics and....... apparently this is my 6 and 6! I don't even know the story behind this one (maybe Carrie can shed some light) but I do know that this is very typical of them. Ty, mellow and doesn't really like to smile for pics and Carrie, silly, beggin' for more and lovin' the camera!

First Snow........ Now It's Gone

Malik and Rhys woke up this morning with wide eyes and big plans for our first snow of the year. Snowmen, sledding, snowball fights, they couldn't their ideas out fast enough. They were so cute as they ushered Jorie to the back door to show her the snow, or as she calls it, snowman. I know you can't see it very well but the snow is coming down pretty hard, then it stopped and before church at 1:00, it had melted. The boys were so disappointed, I really don't think the snow will come to soon for them. I don't know if I can agree, I really want a few more weeks of fall!

Clone Wars Party

I think I have mentioned it before, but Malik and Rhys are super freaks when it comes to Star Wars. Last Friday night was the premiere of a new show on cartoon network, Clone Wars - The Series. The boys counted down the days, then as the day arrived, the hours until it started. Malik invited two of his friends, Easton and Cannon, and Rhys invited his friends Jacob and Owen to have a Clone Wars premiere party, stalked with treats of every kind to get them through the hour. They were so funny, what a fun late night!

All the Ladies in my life...

If you are a lady in my life, this is for you! I started a new blog, just for me and my ladies! Nothing spectacular, just random thoughts I'd like to share that really have nothing to do with my family blog, it's really just an outlet for me. Check it out, come be silly with me! motherof3andstillme.blogspot.com

Flag Football or aka Organized Chaos

Malik started flag football on Tuesday. Seriously, who ever thought teaching a bunch of 7 year olds to play flag football was a good idea? Two words, total chaos! Although, there is an entertainment factor that can't be overlooked. I am just going to give then the benefit of the doubt and wait til after a few practices and games, maybe they will start to catch on. Thankfully, they have great coachs, thanks for your patients JD and Eric, it might pay off.

Malik - dead center

"Pissess Dess"

The other day Jorie was super angry with me and screaming "pissess dess" at me, I just wasn't getting it! Finally after close o an hour I figured it out, she wanted to wear her "princess dress"!!! Oh right! Silly mommy!
We put on her dress from Hillary's wedding and
she made Rhys "twirw" or twirl with her in the living room.
She was so funny, I think I know what she should ask for for christmas.........

Mal's last soccer game......until Spring!

Thursday night's victory over the Wildcat team marked Malik's last soccer game until spring. They won 3-2 and were ecstatic! They are a pretty good little team for their age and hopefully they will keep getting better. I can't wait for spring, I love to watch him play!

Malik's team was the Cobras and when we went to pick up his jersey he choose number 1 and was so excited to be number 1. When we arrived at the first game, every kid had the same jersey, number 1. Maybe they got a good deal on jerseys this year. He was so disappointed!
Malik is just left of the ball in the white jersey, he was getting ready to steel the ball!

Jeff and Hillary's Wedding

After much anticipation, Jeff and Hillary were married in the Bountiful Temple last weekend. What an amazing sealing. Their Sealer had a lot of great advise and words of counsel.

The reception in Vernal the next day was a bit crazy what with the rain and all, but in the end it turned out great. Anita spent over 100 hours on Jorie and Olivia's dresses, but it was well worth it! They were almost more beautiful than Hillary.

Welcome to the craziness Jeff, you are going to fit right in!!! Congratulations, Hillary and Jeff!

Grandma Velva (GG)

I am very behind on my family posts, granted the last two weeks have been crazy.

On September 9th, we received word hat Corey's grandmother, Velva Skousen (Enloe), passed away. She has been progressively not as healthy in the last few months and we knew that we didn't have much time left with her. The funeral was nice and there wasn't a dry eye. I learned some things I hadn't known about her and I'm sad I didn't take more opportunities to talk with her. She was a fun loving, strong woman who will be remembered with much love.

Rhys' First Day of Preschool

Rhys went back to school yesterday, 4 year old preschool. This year is going to be great! Rhys is so lucky to have the best teacher in the whole preschool, Mrs. Dansie. It just so happens that she is in our ward and we were able to request her for this year. Malik was able to ahve her in preschool too so we knew just what to expect, tons of learning fun!

Just outside the door if the blue room there is a board for each child to sign in on. Rhys watched Malik do this for a year and was so excited to get his turn. As he signed his name I turned to talk to Mrs. Dansie and when we looked back Rhys had signed his name in perfect mirror image. I told her I had never seen him do that before and her response to me was that writing his name backwards was actually very talented. She went on to tell me that kids his age start to get bored with the whole name thing as they start to learn more new things with their letters, numbers and words. It becomes old hat and they start to try new things when writing their name. She said don't be surpeised if he starts writing it perfectly upside down either. Silly kid!
As we rode home after his first day, he could n't stopping talking about his monster picture he made. He said that was his favorite thing about his first day of school.