Family Pics

Bea Robinson took our family pics over at the Pecans. Someday I plan on moving there! Anyway...Bea did an awesome job even when Katie was being the biggest twirp! It was really bright that day. Thanks BEA!!!!!

Santa Pancakes!!

Every year on Christmas morning we do Santa Pancakes. They are super sugary so as we have gotten older the amount of "stuff" we put on gets smaller. They are fun to do and tradition. We had a super Christmas and hope everyone else did too. We were very blessed and the best part was spending time with family.

I also put in some photos of us bright and early in the morning. I look a little tired!

Christmas 2007

Our family's Christmas Eve tradition is to set up a dinner that people would have eaten in Jesus's time. So this year I decided to spice things up a bit and have everyone dress up in their finest Bethlehem clothes. There was a prize for the best costume at dinner.


Left: Kellen and a well dressed Tom.

Scott had a super costume!

Left: Erica and Jen

Right: Diana
Shellie as a wise woman. She stuffed a pillow in her head piece to give it more dimension.

Yeah for Firemen!!

Today I was the biggest dork and locked my one year old son and keys in the car outside of Katie's dance studio. Luckily, my friend Amy was still there and had a cell phone. I used it to call our trusty firemen. They arrived in their huge truck and four guys jumped out. One had the Jimmy tool thingy, the other two just watched, and the third had a little blood pressure cuff. They were going to make sure Kellen was okay before they left. It took all of 30 seconds to get my door open. I told them that Kellen was medically fine since it was not hot in the car. Then off they went. I felt like the biggest dork! The keys were sitting on the front seat and my bag was next to Kellen. I am so grateful for our firemen!!!

The whole time, which really was only five minutes, Kellen was just sucking his thumb waiting for us to get in. He was totally calm and fine about it.


**Remember we are going private so please leave your email if you haven't already!

We are going Private!!!

I just googled my name and the first thing to pop up was our family blog. Considering the fact that there are too many weirdos around I worry about safety issues. Please leave me your email so I can invite you to our blog when we go private. Or you can email me at jenieverett@yahoo.com.

Interpretive Dance By Katie

Everyday Katie turns on the music and starts to dance. Usually she is sporting a princess dress but today she opted for the fairy costume. I never get tired of watching my little one dancing and laughing around the house.

A Month In Review

Good Luck Tom!!!

Good luck on your major exam this Monday! I am so proud of you for studying faithfully for almost a year. All of your efforts will pay off! We will be praying for you!!!!

P.S. Tommy is studying for his licensing exam for Landscape Architecture. He has to take five exams. Then he will able to do commercial jobs in Arizona and eventually other states.

Being an instrument in His hands

Sometime ago after Katie was born I struggled with post pardom anxiety and at times lonely depression. This is not a feel sorry for Jeni posting, just read on. My mind and emotions were not my own. I felt that everyone, except for a select few friends simply left me. I have come to believe that it was because they didn't understand what I was going through and did not want to interfer. During that time I had been praying for a friend or friends to come along that I could truly relate to. Literally, I prayed for over a year and a half to be a part of something or to feel normal again. Finally, the answer. I was at Home Depot one night with Tommy and Katie. A girl from my ward was there with her family as well. I didn't really know her but she invited me and Katie to a play group. The friends that I met through play group will truly be friends for eternity. I will always be grateful that this girl reached out, responded to the spirit and answered my prayer. I believe that we can all be instruments in the hands of our Heavenly Father. Sometimes the only answer to our prayer will come through another person. Perhaps this holiday season we can become instruments and help change someone's life even if it seems simple and easy. You will never know that even inviting someone to a play group can change someone's life forever. For those of you in the play group, you know who you are, thank you! And for those of you that have been my friends for years and stuck by me during that time, you also know who you are, thank you! For those of you that are new friends or are becoming better friends, I thank you too!

Flying Food

Yesterday after preschool I sat Katie and Kellen down for lunch.We had chicken pot pie leftovers from the night before. It tasted okay, but of course Katie didn't like it. I made her eat it for lunch anyway because I had packed it with yummy veggies. So I gave her her lunch and went to get Kellen his stuff. All of the sudden I saw pieces of food flying everywhere! Oh yes, you guessed it, Katie was picking up her veggies one by one and chucking them throughout the kitchen. Our dog thought she had died and gone to doggie heaven as the food was just "falling from the sky". Needless to say, Katie was taken to time out real quick and given a little lecture on throwing food. Once again, never a dull moment!

New Look

If you are looking to change the look of your blog go to www.shabbycreations.blogspot.com. Michelle Baird does a great job of creating super cute blogs!

Words To Live By

My friend read this in church today and I fell in love with the words. I think this poem is my new mission statement for life. I just had to share it with everyone!

I Really Lived
By Sister Marjorie Pay Hinckley

I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.

I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp.

I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sister Schenk's lawn.

I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children.

I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden.

I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.

I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived.

Nursing Program

Okay, so I am saying it outloud now. For the past two months I have been attending school. I have two more classes to take before I can apply for the nursing program. I have always loved anatomy and the study of the body and diseases. I am really excited!!! Right now I am about ready to take my final for Medical Terminology. Wish me luck! I think I should do well since I have an A in the class so far. Going back to school after finishing college over 5 years ago is scarey but really fun!! I will be sure to keep everyone updated on how it goes.

Check out my Slide Show!

Self Confident Woman

Today Katie was getting ready in my bathroom. She insisted on doing her own hair and getting dressed all by herself. She then told me that she looked so beautiful. Then the kicker..."Mom, I do not look beautiful for a boy, I look beautiful for myself!" Our talks on self esteem are working! We have also had talks about loving ourselves because of the preschool love triangle (earlier posting). Never a dull moment in the Everett household!

Work Out With Kate!

Katie was showing me her work out today to keep fit and trim. We were on our way out the door to ballet class...hence the leotard. I am also such a dork and I am not sure how to change the view so she's not sideways.

Also, please note that I was eating, filming, and holding Kellen at the same time. Therefore, my voice sounds like a man and the camera is shaking thanks to Kellen.

Those are huge lips!

This Monday we were having Family Home Evening and Katie asked that she could also give a short lesson. Right in the middle of her little lesson Katie looked right at me and said "Mom, you have huge lips!" I replied, "Yes, honey, they are rather large." She then said, "No, Mom, they are HUGE!" Kids are so honest. I guess I will never have to worry about collegan lip treatment! She then continued with her lesson.

Here comes the bride, in her wedding glide

Katie loves to pretend that she is getting married (I know, scarey!). She has a little dress up skirt that she puts on her head as her veil. She insists on calling it her wedding glide. Our girl is so silly!

Kellen's First B-day

Our boy is one years old! Crazy! Time flies when you are having fun!

We gave him a piece of cake and a some ice cream and let him go to town. He was totally unsure of what to do. It was kind of funny! Of course, after a while, he got a hold of it and ate the yummy treats.

Happy Birthday Kellen

Kellen's birthday is actually October 10th but we were too excited to put together a slide to wait. Katie and I put together this slide for our little guy. We love our Kellen! Happy Birthday my little guy!!!

Happy Birthday Kellen!

Preschool Love Triangle

At four years of age Katie has developed her first crush. The boy in the middle of the picture is her crush. Too bad that Dylan likes Lilly (to the right) and only wants to flirt with Katie. Yesterday while at preschool I caught Katie trying to wrestle Dylan to the ground. I put the Kibosh on that one. Then I heard Lilly yell "Ms.Chris, Dylan is blowing in my face!" I have this sneaky feeling that Dylan was trying to blow in Lilly's ear.

Um, again, they are FOUR! What do you do? I never thought that this would happen so young in life. I am trying to remind Katie that you don't want a "bad boy-flirty type". Really in the long run the boy that is kind, sweet and loving is the type you want.

One Chocolate Chip

I gave Kellen one chocolate chip on the way home from the grocery store. It takes about 5 minutes to get home. In that time he took the chip and managed to get it all over the place! Who knew that one little chocolate chip would do that much damage.

Shopping Time!

One night we went to Home Depot and I could not resist taking a picture of the two "tinys", as we call them. Kellen just thought he had died and gone to heaven because he got to steer the car too.

The Many Faces of Katie

Katie loves to sit and pose for the camera. One night at dinner we decided to get her to show us her poses. The first pose shows an angry side.
Surprised!
Scared
Silly
The best of all, Happy!!

Dippin Dots

My friend Audra Campbell just opened her Dippin Dots store on Queen Creek and Ellsworth. Go and check it out. It's so yummy and I am so excited for her!

Hilarious!

Sally was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern Arizona
when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road.

As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the
Navajo woman if she would like a ride. With a silent nod of thanks, the
woman got into the car.

Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with
the Navajo woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at
everything she saw, studying every little detail, until she noticed a white
bag on the seat next to Sally.

"What is in the bag?" asked the old woman. Sally looked down at the white
bag and said, "It's a box of chocolates. I got it for my husband".

"The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two. Then speaking with
the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said: "Good trade."

Kellen's favorite toy

Why buy Christmas toys? I can just let Kel play with my suitcase!

My Sweet Sweet Child

Look at this sweet child. Isn't she darling? She is but lately she has been doing little naughty things. Let me just tell you a little story. The other night we went out to dinner. After dinner we were putting the kids in the car. I put Kellen in first and then went around the car to strap Katie in. She was already sitting in her seat waiting for me. I opened the door to find that Katie had pulled down her pants and was MOONING me! Oh yes, she was mooning her mother in Tia Rosas parking lot. It took all I had not to laugh. However, I had to talk to her instead. I have no idea where she learned this but one thing for sure...I will never forget it! I am just hoping my little lecture was enough to teach her not to do it in public ever again!

Katie

My Dad keeps telling everyone that he is 29. It confuses little kids who don't know any better. The other day Katie asked how old I was. I told her I was 27. She said "Wow, you are almost out of your 20's". Then she told that Grandpa Lyle just got out of his 20's. Thinking that on his last birthday, in August, he had just turned 30--you know, after being 29 for so long!

Um, Seriously!!

Okay, my son, Kellen, is the greatest at having a large "blow out" in public. It's getting a little annoying! Today we were at dance and he had the worst diaper ever. Of course they had NO changing area. So I had to lay him down on several diapers that I had in the bag so that he wasn't touching the floor. Did I bring an extra set of clothes? Of course not. Why? Because I thought he would be fine since we would gone for only an hour. What was I thinking! Does anyone else deal with this problem, or is it just me??!! Please share your stories. The worst "blow out" story gets a prize!

He will be walking soon!

Usually Kellen likes to pull himself up by the toliet and hang out but last night the piano bench was suited him just fine. He's so proud of himself!

I am so proud!

I was truly proud when I looked over to find that Katie had mastered the "nose trick". One cannot go to my parents house for dinner without trying the nose trick at least once. I am so proud of Katie!!

Katie's first Motorcycle ride

No, your eyes do not deceive you, Katie is riding her first motorcycle. This little bike belongs to our neighbor's little boy. It's so funny I had to take a picture. It even sounds real too. This will be the only ride she gets to take!

Katie's Birthday

Katie's b-day is actually August 5th and we finally celebrated her b-day this past weekend. I know we sound like bad parents...but we have good excuses. We (Tom & Jen) went on a cruise, then Katie's friends were having parties, and some of her friends went out of town before school. This Saturday we had about 13 little friends over to play games, open presents and have banana splits. I think next year we will go back to having cake. Tommy was the nice guy and was taking orders from the kids for ice cream, whip cream or no, chocolate sauce, etc. It was a lot of fun!

Stuck In Traffic

This morning Katie told me she was going to the bathroom. Afterwards she came out and said that she was sorry she took so long she was stuck in traffic.

Kellen

Today my sister Erica was putting gel in Kellen's hair to give him the baby fauxhak (spelled wrong?) He then moved his head away and said "NO!". This boy is 10 months old and already knows how to say NO. We are in trouble!

The Hills

My husband makes fun of me because I love the show, The Hills. I make sure to watch it every Monday night. My brother-in-law even likes it so it can't be all that bad. For those of you that love it please comment! Maybe someday I can convince Tommy that it's a super show!