Bowling

 We took the kiddos bowling-the perfect rainy Saturday activity.  We hadn't been for so long and the kids loved it.  We definitely need to go more often.

Averee was really good-I think all that Wii bowling really paid off! :)

Bubble Wrap Clothes

The kids found a bunch of bubble wrap in Danny's office & decided to make clothes out of it. They are so creative! Notice Reese is not wearing pants...we are still potty training. And she won't even smile for the camera cuz she is too busy playing games on her daddy's phone!

Adee is Belle from Beauty & the BeastOwen is a knight in shining armor

Averee is Princess Jasmine

Captain Underpants

Reese was such a good sport and let the 3 older kids dress her up in some underwear-luckily it was CLEAN underwear!

It FINALLY snowed!

The kids couldn't wait to get out and play in the first snow of the winter. We had to make a snowman, snow angels, have a snowball fight & we even found a little hill to sled down. We had a blast! When we finally had enough of the cold, we headed inside for some hot chocolate with marshmallows & candy canes. YUM!

Family Pictures

I decided it was high time we got some professional family pictures taken. My friend Errin Andrus did a great job, I love how they turned out. We had a fun afternoon getting some great shots. Here are a few of the favs:

Gymnastic Prowess

Sorry about my last post...pretty somber. But I promise to lighten things up today. In that last post I mentioned 'showing kids how to do a cartwheel'-well, here is the story that goes along with that:

One day last week, the kiddos and I were in the kitchen making granola bars (a family fav). Averee starts talking about how Alana-a girl at school-is really good at cartwheels. She says that she isn't very good at them though, so she is going to have Daddy show her how to do one when he gets home...EXCUSE ME?! I try to hide my amusement at the thought of Danny doing a cartwheel and I say 'Well, I can do a cartwheel, I will show you.' Averee looks at me like I am made of cheese & Adee says 'Huh? YOU can do a cartwheel?' At this point I am a little put out that they think so little of my athletic abilities. 'That's it! Everyone outside-I will show you a cartwheel & a dang good round-off too!'

We head outside, the kids seem pretty excited. My pride is on the line & as I stand on the thresh hold of dazzling my children with my gymnastic prowess....I start to doubt-get nervous. What if I can't do a cartwheel anymore? It has been YEARS & 4 kids since I have done one. What if I hurt myself? I glance at the kids-all lined up on the edge of the porch, ready to witness a miracle. No backing down now so I go for it...SUCCESS! The kids are shocked & excited. I do a couple more just to show off, then I pull out the big guns & do a round off. Averee was especially impressed with that one. :0) I spend the next half hour trying to help the kids do a cartwheel, then Danny gets home. The kids animatedly tell of our adventurous afternoon then Danny looks at me in disbelief and says 'YOU did a cartwheel?' Alright-it's go time! Seriously?! Does no one remember that I was a fairly decent athlete in high school? Anyway-I proceed to show off my gymnastic skills & Danny is more than impressed. Now the best part-Danny did a couple cartwheels too! Not too shabby for a couple of old married farts!

Well, hopefully the kiddos will have a little more faith in their soft, squishy mommy next time!

P.S. don't tell anyone but I did kinda hurt myself...that first cartwheel pulled something in my side. Nothing serious-it was gone by bedtime :0)

Funny Tag...

I got this e-tag the other day & it was too funny NOT to share...

1. My rock star name (first pet and current car): King Muffin Van

2. My gangsta name (favorite candy bar and favorite cookie): 5th Avenue Thin Mint

3. My "brotha" name (first initial of first name and first three letters of last name: M Jon

4. My detective name (favorite color and favorite animal): Red Giraffe

5. My soap opera name (first name and city where you were born): Maren Oak Harbor

6. My Star Wars name (first three letters of your last name and first two letters of your first name then the word "of" then a medication you are on): Jonmaofclaritin

7. My superhero name (2nd favorite color and favorite drink with "The" in front): The Purple Raspberry Lemonade

8. My Nascar name (first names of your grandfathers): Bert Owen

9. My stripper name (name of your favorite perfume/cologne and your favorite candy):

Escape Sour Patch Kid

10. My witness-protection name (mother's and father's middle names):

Lee Funk

Isn't that silly! It made me sMiLe & I hope it does the same for you! If you wanna play along I would love to see this on your blog...:0)

ABC tag...

Thanks for the tag Michelle! Here ya go:

A- Attached or single: Attached

B- Best Friend: Danny

C- Cake or Pie: Cake a la mode or Key Lime Pie

D- Day of Choice: Saturday & Sunday

E- Essential Item: chapstick

F- Favorite Color: right now it is RED

G- Gummi Bears or Worms: bears

H- Hometown: St. George UT

I -Indulgence(s): smelly lotion, books, chocolate chips, clean sheets, & new contacts

J- January or July: can I say neither?

K-Kids: 3-Averee, Adelyn & Owen

L-Life is incomplete without: LOVE (good answer Michelle)

M- Marriage Date: March 13, 1999

N- Number of Siblings: 4- Jason, Kyle, Kjarsten & Alesha

O- Oranges or Apples: both

P- Phobias or Fears: Water (especially if I can't see the bottom-like at the lake) YIKES!

Q- Quote(s): Enjoy the Journey, Give Live Love, 'No success can compensate for failure in the home'

R- Reason To Smile: refer to 'K' answer :0)

S- Season: Spring

T- Tag Five: Christan, Jessica, Stacy, Hillary, Tammy & anyone else who wants to play!

U- Unknown Fact About Me: I can't think of anything that at least one person doesn't already know...how bout I blow my nose in the shower (but I think Christan may know this) sorry that's kinda gross! :0)

V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Opressor of Animals-mostly chickens :0)

W- Worst Habit: 'busy body' sums up several bad habits!

X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: ultrasounds for sure! :0)

Y- Your Favorite Food: can't think of just one-but I love anything with cream cheese in it

Z-Zodiac: Taurus

Tagged...

Thanks for this tag Christan! It is fun to learn a little more about each others lives & husbands...

This is a picture of Danny proudly holding a huge salmon that he caught in Alaska.

My Husband:

What is his name? Daniel Vause Jones

How long have you been together? 12 years (9 years married)

How long did you date? 3 years & 3 months (2 years of which he was on his mission-does that still count as dating?) he he he

How old is he? just turned 30 on January 27th

Who eats more? Danny

Who said I love you first? can't remember...how sad :0(

Who is taller? Him

Who can sing better? I would have to say me since I have only heard him sing a handful of times. But since the girls ask me to stop singing in the car sometimes-I am guessing that I don't sound that great...

Who is smarter? Danny

Who does the laundry? Me, duh!

Who pays the bills? Danny

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Danny

Who mows the lawn? Danny

Who cooks dinner? Me

Who drives? Danny

Who is more stubborn? Danny

Who kissed who first? Danny seems to think that I 'went in for the kill' first. :0)

Who asked who out first? It was a blind date, so I guess Tyler March & Jeremy Mendenhall asked us out! :0)

Who proposed? There was no actual 'proposal'-we had talk alot about it & just started thinking about a wedding date, then when he got the ring he handed it to me & said 'So, will you still marry me?' How romantic! :0p

Who has more friends? Me

Who is more sensitive? Me, a little too sensitive for Danny's taste :0)

Who has more siblings? Danny, there are 7 kids in his family & 5 in mine.

Who wears the pants? I would like to think we both wear the shorts-but who am I kidding-he wears the pants! :0)

Here is Danny with his 'Big Mac' that almost broke the state record up at Flaming Gorge! That fish was huge!

Now tag your it!

P.S. I promise that cruise pics are coming soon...

You leave the room for just a sec...

I was looking through some pictures today & realized that I have pictures of all three kiddos asleep at the wheel...I mean plate. How funny! Averee is a little over 2 in her picture, Adee is only 1 in hers & Owen is about 18 months in his mug shot. Of course, being the picky eater she was-Averee's food is untouched. :0) Adee almost ate it all (notice the noodles in her hair), but Owen might have even licked his tray clean! :0) Or he fed it all to the dog-which is the most likely scenario. I can also see how relaxed I have gotten as a mother. Averee's food is on a plate & she is wearing a full body bib. he he he! Adee & Owen have no plate & no bib. Silly how uptight we are with our first born huh? Or maybe that was just me? Anyway-I just love looking thru past pictures of my kids-it brings back some great memories. Hope you enjoyed this walk down my memory lane...now go enjoy your own.

Four things...

I got this email from my sis-in-law Shannon (who I adore!) & thought it would be more fun to answer on my blog & tag all of you! :0) So here it goes:

*Four jobs I have had in my life:

1. Stock girl at Dutchman's

2. Salad girl at Lin's Deli

3. Interior Design Consultant at Westwood Carpet

4. 'Executive Assistant' (Secretary) :0) at Capital Energy

*Four places I have lived:

1. Oak Harbor WA

2. Fallon NV

3. Santa Clara UT

4. Ivins UT

*Four TV Shows that I watch:

1. The Office

2. Rules of Engagement

3. Oprah

4. Anything on HGTV

*Four places I have been (other than where I lived):

1. Hawaii

2. Mexico

3. Wyoming

4. New York

*Four of my favorite foods: only 4?

1. raspberry yogurt with granola

2. Italian CrockPot Chicken (Thanks Kristie!)

3. Chicken Squares (Thanks Jess!)

4. Mom's homemade chicken noodle soup over mashed potatoes

P.S. I guess it's obvious I'm a chicken lover!

*Four places I would rather be right now:

1. Disneyland with kids

2. anywhere with Danny alone ;0)

3. Church History Tour

4. Humanitarian Expedition

*Four friends that I think will respond:

1. you all better!

*Four favorite books: again, only 4?

1. Twilight Series- DUH! by Stephenie Meyer

2. Kingdom & the Crown Series by Gerald Lund

3. Harry Potter (#4-the Goblet of Fire was my favorite)

4. Celebration! The 10 principles to more joyous living by Jaroldeen Asplund Edwards

*Four things I look forward to in the next year:

1. Caribbean Cruise (2 weeks from today!)

2. Camping this summer

3. Disneyland this fall

4. Maybe another baby? (I gotta talk Danny into it first) :0)

Okay, now I tag all of my fellow bloggers: Christan, Jessica, Tiffany, Errin, Andrea & anyone else reading this & if you don't blog-you can email!

Danny got tagged!

Thanks Tiff for tagging Danny-but since he doesn't ever look at our blog (I don't think he really knows what one is? he he he) I will answer the questions. Here it goes....

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both! It mostly depends on the gift & how weird of a shape it is. The weirder the shape the harder to wrap-so then I put it in a bag. Although I do think wrapping looks better & it is more fun to open.

2. Real tree or artificial? I love the smell of a real tree-but not the mess. So, we have a fake tree. But I figured out a trick to get the smell- the little pine scented car airfresheners work great! I just hide one in the middle of the tree & it smells pretty real.

3. When do you put up the tree? It is our family tradition to put it up the weekend of Thanksgiving. The kids had a ball putting all the decor up this year. What good helpers I have!

4. When do you take the tree down? Sometime after the New Year.

5. Do you like eggnog? ABSOLUTELY NOT! But Danny does...yuck!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? The one that sticks out the most is a purple bike (with a banana seat!) that I got around the age of 8. I loved it-it was so pretty & just what I wanted. But my favorite memory of it was seeing my dad ride it down the hill by our house on Christmas morning with his robe flapping in the breeze behind him! Love ya Dad!

7. Do you have a nativity scene? I have 3. A small kidish one that the kids love to play with. Except we keep losing peices. Even baby Jesus was lost for awhile-but we found him! Thank goodness! The only one missing right now is one of the Wise Men. Poor guy! Then I have the Willow Tree one & I love it. It is so beautiful. My mom even got me the newest peices : the Ox & Goat for Christmas! Last but not least-my mom also got me the new Willow Tree Natvity that is just Mary, Joseph & Baby Jesus. It is quiet a bit bigger that the other Willow Tree Nativity. I absolutely love it-it is gorgeous. It took my breath away the first time I saw it & I knew I had to have it. Luckily my mom was with me & she was able to finish some of her Christmas shopping! he he he! She is so good to me...

8. Hardest person to buy for? My father-in-law, hands down! He is the type that can & does go buy whatever he wants whenever he wants.

9. Easiest person to buy for? My mother-in-law. She loves books & so a gift certificte to Deseret Book is always just what she wants.

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? The only thing I can think of is the year that I really, really, really wanted the Barbie Ice Cream Shop-but I got an electric blanket instead.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail! Mine will be going out soon-I am just waiting for the pictures to get here.

12. Favorite Christmas movie? All of them-especially the old school animated ones.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I am thinking about it off & on all year.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think so...but we did recycle some wedding gifts! Isn't that horrible! I can't believe I just admitted that!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Anything with peppermint flavor: hot chocolate, candy, desserts.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear

17. Favorite Christmas song? Anything sung by Josh Groban or Celine. I even like Josh's version of the Little Drummer Boy. Usually I can't stand that song!

18. Travel for Christmas or stay home? Travel around the holiday, but try to stay home on Christmas Day.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and of course Rudolph (I just stole Tiff's answers)

20. Angel on the treetop or a star? Star (Averee wishes it was an angel)

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We open new pajamas on Christmas Eve & everything else in the morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? The lame people who complain about too much 'Christ' in Christmas...go figure!

23. What I love most about Christmas? Everything! I can't name just one thing. The smells, food, lights, magic for the kids, all of it!

Well, now I tag: Christan, Jess, Andrea & Shannon-looks like you better start a blog! he he he!

Adam's Toe Squishes?

Okay, so yesterday our ward's sacrament meeting was the primary program...talk about hilarious! Between a little girl banging on the piano (not once, but twice!) & a kid yelling into the microphone I thought I was going to pee my pants! But the funniest thing I have heard in awhile was when a little boy was reciting one of the articles of faith-the one that says "men will be punished for their own sins & not for Adams transgressions", well the little boy said "men will be punished for their new skins & not for Adams toe squishes". I seriously peed my pants a little! It was hilarious & the whole congregation was laughing. His poor parents! Anyway, hope that puts a smile on your face! :0)