Another week—life is good but it’s kinda busy! 

But kindergarten basketball is over 🎉🎉🎉 one of my players older sisters was the photographer for me…so I did some cropping. But I love the grin on Seth’s face in the second pic down! 

Cannon played Saturday too, no good in game pics though. 

And Sis…all we do is play 😉

Sunday before church Miss Santa Claus and her reindeer were hard at work/play. Safety…maybe not our thing. 🙃 I did try to get them to have that band around their chests instead of necks but they told me that “wasn’t realistic” 😂 

They were pretty happy I had wrapped a few packages. That thing on Seth’s face reminded me the primary gave them little goodies and they were completely sugared up during Sacrament meeting. Yikes!  No thanks. 

We did get to go to the temple and priesthood preview thing with Colt that was fun —and a little bit of a gut check too, just cuz the baptism preview thing for him was the Sunday after we buried Riz. It was fine it was just like whoa 4 years -almost-

Monday was the start of a fun week of holiday dress up fun. 

And a (way too  typical) walk of shame for Enzo…the neighbor called said he was walking down the highway. 

Isaac “I guess I should’ve closed the gate, I just thought since he came home (he’s been over at the neighbors) he’d stay home.” …Ever the optimist…

The latest load of gravel on the driveway disaster…kindof looks like all the rest…

And a quick temple trip

Sis was so excited to go with us but…it’s a little bit too long of a quick trip for her. 

The drive home was a bit rough. 

Thursday I took Santa to Seth’s class party with me to pass out candy canes…she was a hit! 



And LOVED getting in on the “big kid” party. 

This girl…if her brothers are going to hide candy in their room (I’ve asked them not to) she IS going to find it. 

Seth came out of school wrapped as a present! He’s a goof! But it’s true—he is a gift, they all are. Maybe someone can remind me in the middle of the next fit. 😉

And tonight they’re making present towers. 

And this girl is marking her scriptures! Does it ruin the scriptures? Well kindof but it’s totally worth it to me to have them in their hands-loving them in their own way! So if down the road we need to buy more scriptures-great! 

Bout it…

Well and the last few weeks video

https://youtu.be/Xhg_gMNvyJs?si=DTfxIpoCfhA9_Eyh

I’ve tried so many times to print the blog-no luck-it says it’s 1 page too long 🙄 I’ve deleted way more than 1 page worth of pictures but still no luck so I think I’ve going to have to put the Christmas post at the front of next years book. (Praying that works) 

Saturday was basketball then some more concrete work and the ward party…

They had it catered by (our favorite) Mexican restaurant! 

Sold. It was delicious-best ward party! 

Addi and Seth got to help Sis Davis with the symbols of Christmas. 



Cann was so embarrassed at the abundance of participation…😂

They topped it off with cookie decorating! 

It was pretty fun but they ran off and we cleaned up our table by removing the centerpiece then folding everything else into that table cloth and finding the nearest garbage. When they asked about their cookies I assured them we’d make more sometime. 👍🏻 Besides they weren’t as interested in eating then as they were in using up every last drop of frosting and sprinkle…they were a mess! And Cann assured me I make yummier cookies anyway! 😉

Sunday I got up and curled my hair-the boys all wore Rizzy ties for me-Addi and I had red on, I was pumped Isaac had agreed to a new family picture🎉🎉🎉 and the weather was warm enough to pull it off! But all week I had been going to ask the friend that I minister to when her daughters baptism was—but I hadn’t…it was right after church. We had to stay, we always try to support whoever is getting baptized and the daughter is in Tanner’s class…so I was already pushing my luck with after church and nap time and such but that pushed it back even more. We try to help Cannon (soon to be Colt) out with his deacon duty and get the  garbages so after the baptism I was grabbing the garbage in the women’s restroom and Isaac was grabbing a couple tags off the little angel tree they had a the back of the church. Only problem is he told our kids we should get Christmas for the kids in need INSTEAD of them. Ug! Of course he never really meant that I don’t know what was actually said but that’s how they took it. I could’ve killed him. Now we’re late tired hungry AND in tears headed to family pictures. Great! But I’m not backing down—I’m throwing skittles at them,  snacks, treats,  anything just please smile right? I love over at the cemetery cuz I feel like Riz gets in on it a little but I kinda liked the idea of just here in our yard too—maybe the big barn as the background. Well the kids voted cemetery because they didn’t want to come home and not get to change. Ok-great-to the cemetery! But we pulled up and the Hiltons were there. I’m glad they got to see the nativity but they were loading up and were piling out trying to be fast (mistake) so instead of setting up my tripod and using the timer or the watch remote (Nevermind I’d snuck into Colts Christmas to even find one that would do that) but it just seemed a lot easier to just ask Brittany if she’d snap a few quick pics…so that’s what we did. But then I rushed and she clicked then we rushed to one more spot and she clicked again and we were out of there…good enough right? No! 

Our eyes all way too squinty in the first one because it was noonday sun. And I really wanted different kids on different sides but I couldn’t think in the moment. In the second we worked around shadows and light and had a mostly good set up but Seth refused to stand so that threw off the balance and you can barely see him. And Addi was pouting in every single one because she was so mad that she had to sit by me when she wanted to be held by her dad. again-nap time. 

I was so mad and upset afterward. I don’t think a decent family pic is too much to ask for but this one was doomed from the beginning. And to top it off-My curled hair-completely straight!

It just sucked! 

Nothing I’d put on my wall and I didn’t want it on a Christmas card either! …but I did end up making a little card and using it as a little pic…but still😡

I still like the idea of this family picture but…I don’t like either one very much. Bummer! 

Sunday night was the Christmas devotional and Addi was super pumped “her guy” Elder Bednar was conducting. 

Monday it was back to work (or play…not the work that pays the bills…)

Sticking buddies

I went up to Kahoka and watched Cann play Clark Co

I was hoping to go early and make a temple day out of it but the temple was only open in the morning. 

I should take pics of I’m going to be critical but…face up to the basket and get your feet set buddy! 



My Piano man was back at at it no mo and as you can see he had big help. 

We think it’s gunna work🤞🏻

Seth’s glass to see the Grinch today 



And the antlers from our mini kid date (Seth and eye) after taking Cann to bball. Seth is crazy exhausting and funny in a store…I’m glad we don’t do that often 


I think that’s about it! 

Depending on how bball goes maybe I’ll get a video made tomorrow…

We’ll see. 

5 cent skittles and a stinky house…

With a blog title like that who could resist reading our weekly shenanigans…

I finally satisfied Seth with a craft at home…but he’s blocked out of the pic-sorry buddy! They all had fun though. 

A little dodgeball at the church…

Isaac helping me with my spinner for primary—he’s the best! 

The only thing worse than the teenager with his face in a screen is the teenager -or screen-ager- and ALL of his siblings with their face in the screen🤯🤯🤯

Family bonding? Ug-not what I in mind! 

And this cat😡 wants to be an inside cat and I’m not having any of it! At least I have a helper to get the dumb thing out. I don’t want to jinx myself but I haven’t had to touch it yet. 

This next pic is only 1/2 the story…

We ended up gluing the g# key together…but at the wrong angle??? Whoops—how did we screw that up?—but it didn’t fit back in at all…so the he went at it with a jig saw…but by time it would fit back in it was too narrow…so he glued more wood to the other side. 

And that’s are far as we are in the story. 

Time will tell! 

Tuesday morning I had a plastic kid plate on the front burner and accidentally turned it on instead of the back one-then I left and went in the other room so that was a bit of a disaster. 

By time I found it there was smoke so thick I could barely see through it everywhere and the smell of burning plastic. It was awful! Oh and it was 16 degrees outside so having all the windows open wasn’t very fun. And I should’ve opened the doors but I didn’t want the stupid cats in. It was awful! It was a good day to be gone because of the lingering burnt plastic smell. Addi and I went ministering. We had an extra errand of running Seth his backpack but we left just after 9:00 and didn’t get back until 1:30 😳

It was kindof a disaster, maybe if I was a better ministering sister I’d have known the gal was having some hearing issues. But we’d made an appointment and drove a 1/2 hour

but no one answered so I called-nothing. So I called another friend who lives up that way drove 10 or so more minutes and visited, it was fun to see her-I learned her husband was having a pacemaker put in Thursday it was just good to see them and we stayed plenty long. When I walked outside my phone started dinging with the text that hadn’t come through while I was in her house-it was the other gal asking if I was lost. Ug, no, I thought we were headed home but instead told her we were  our way…and we stayed there plenty long too. But it was good to visit and I learned a lot. Good enough! Driving home we drove by one of those Discount Grocery Stores I’d never been to—so we swung in,  this one was definitely Amish. Anyway I ended up buying Colt a pack of sour skittles for a nickel and it was the hit of the week. I’m sure those babies were on the normal store shelves 2+ years ago. Whatever-the kids loved them! 

After all of that Wednesday we laid low except for setting up the nativity over at the cemetery. No one will see it over there but I don’t care-I know it’s there and that’s all that matters. 

I think I’m going to change it a little—then I’ll post a pic

Somehow he talked me into buying basketball pics. …so I bought the cheapest ones and took a picture of the picture: 



Tonight we took everyone over to the game in Milan





But the highlight was stopping by the Hatcher’s on the way back. Isaac bought a chainsaw (he’s needed one for a while) and it was just fun to see Kathy since we don’t see each other at church anymore with the way the ward boundaries changed. 

Anyway. 

I gotta quit. I’m falling asleep! 

Since YouTube kicked me off I’ve slowed down on weekly video…might have to become an every few weeks kinda thing…