Kourtney had her Christmas band concert. They are getting so good. She plays Tenor Sax this year with one other boy she calls Spock. My disc got full and cut out right as they were beginning their best song, but I got the first two. Feel free to listen in for a few seconds. If it's a bit wobbly, that's because I'm not the greatest with a video camera and because Grace keeps grabbing my arm :0

Nutcracker

Ashley's little ballet studio did their own Nutcracker production again this year. So much fun. Ashley added a jazz class, and so she had to do a hair and costume change. She did a great job!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

HAPPY HAUNTING!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

(Be sure to click "Full Screen" for best images)

The girls had a fun Halloween. We went to Nise and Mike's to see family and eat sushi, then we rushed the girls off to their trick or treating events. Ash wore her fancy schmancy vampire costume (for which she had to earn some serious cash) to Tessa's, Kourt went to her friend's birthday party where they all dressed as princesses (except Anna, who was a banana). Grace had her preschool parade on Friday and went trick or treating with Summer and Jansson.

This is it--Michael Jackson's final show

Went with my girlfriends to the Michael Jackson movie. I was a little reluctant to go at first, but I figured I'd I would like to see it, and what better way than with friends? Kelly got us all advance tickets early, and as time progressed we got more and more into it.

We decided to wear MJ shirts (6.99 at Rue21) and meet for shakes before the show. Then we decided to dress 80s, which involved a crimper, some leg warmers, an impulse silver glove buy at the register.

Then Voila! We had ourselves a fun-filled evening tribute to Michael Jackson. Except when I got in the car, I was the only one who had gone all out with the super poofy hair and big earrings, lotsa blue eyeshadow-the works. Boo, I was reluctant to get outta the car and only swallowed my pride cuz it was nearly Halloween.

When we got to Red Robin, however, there was Trista in her cute crimped ponytail on toppa her head, rolled pants w/white socks n loafers--a white glove too. After that it was just fun.

The movie was really great--Michael was an amazing, creepy, sad little man. What a tremendous amount of talent packed into one teeny, tiny 80 pound body. He looked about the size of Ashley. His dancers were sooo talented, but looked actually looked choppy and second-rate compared to Michael. The concert would have been spectacular.

I LOVED the addition to Thriller!! All the video footage and set designs were so much fun.

Two Weddings and a Funeral (plus a Reunion)

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

(Click on the play button, wait for it to load and then flip through the scrapbook.It's kinda small because I did the free version)

This summer we went to my Uncle Thayne's funeral, our Burtenshaw Reunion in Logan, Lindsey's wedding and Shallie's wedding.

Lil punkins

Ashley and I had fun at the pumpkin patch with Grace's preschool class.

A Knight of Murder

Our friends Trista and Heather pulled together an amazing murder mystery party on Saturday. Everone came dressed to the nines (we had friends who rented from Hale theater for the occasion). Kev and I came in more of the Kmart 30% off attire--which worked just fine. Kev looked kinda like Joseph Smith. My platinum hair and two-inch eyelashes looked like Barbie swallowed Cher. We had a great time.

King Randy stood around demanding more ale, Maid Medusa reminded me all night that I'd ruined her happiness, Sir Rufus died gallantly and had his outline taped to Trista's floor. The jester bounced around the room and under the table. We were served an entire rotissoire chicken per couple! The sherrif looked like Lord Farquardt from Shrek!

We will have to make it an annual tradition.

Wyatt Worker and Maid Victoria
The good citizens of Fernwood

Pretty Projects

Amy and I also decided we could make our own watch bands and keychains. Kind of an expensive hobby. I thought they all turned out cute, and they were really easy. The silver/crystal is really versatile, and the dark green/black is just fun. Besides, I needed the dark green because it matches my Aragon (click on it to see how fun) nail polish. And everyone knows if you're going to buy vampy green nail polish, you're eventually going to need a matching watch band and keychain :) I know, right?!

Ashley made herself a silver/crystal watch band too, and I still have enough to make another dangly charm set for my laptop bag. So really the beads yielded quite a lot of things.

Of peaches and tomatoes

My friend Amy and I have been busy with some projects. First we thought we'd do some canning. After two weeks of bottling, freezing, and juicing peaches and tomatoes and jalapenos for salsa, bottles of produce, and flash frozen individual peaches and jalapenos, I'm so over the garden. It is nice to see beautiful jars of hard work lined up on the counter. There's peach nectar and peach freezer jam too.

Grace's first Dentist Visit

Grace was so excited to go to the dentist. She marked the occasion by wearing her favorite yellow sundress. She giggled through her x-ray.

She giggled through her chair ride while wearing the sunglasses.

She opened wide for her cleaning.

She did really well until the end when she needed flouride. The hygienist said she was going to paint Grace's teeth with flouride, and Grace was worried her teeth would permenantly be some other color.

We all (Grace included) got a clean report-no cavities. I celebrated by taking the girls to Cold Stone. Hmm.

Back to the Routine

It' s fall and back to school, back to the regular routine. Ashley was actually the first to go back. She started 4th grade at the end of July, but I failed to take pictures. I wasn't really thinking about school then because Ashley also finished up 3rd grade at the beginning of July. So we'll begin with Kourtney.
Kourtney is now in 8th grade. She catches the bus around 7:20--except on Fridays when she catches the bus at 9:20. She's cheerfully letting me take multiple pictures.

Kourt gets off the bus at 3:15 every day.

She's now tired of the pictures.
She started school toward the end of August.
Ashley, as I mentioned, both finished 3rd grade and started 4th grade in July. We drive carpool with neighbors (I only have to drive every three weeks) and get her to school at 8:50. She gets home around 4:00, except on Fridays when she gets home early around 2:00.
We staged these photos on the same day we did Grace's. She's getting a water bottle because her classroom is in a portable this year.
Gracie goes to Miss Heidi's preschool around the corner 3 days a week: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 12-2:30. She started school after Labor Day.

We've also added to the mix: soccer practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30-6:00. Soccer games are occasionally on Monday evenings and always on Saturdays. Dance is now Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30-7:30 and on Wednesday from 4:30-5:30.

Now, did anybody understand this new "routine" schedule of ours? If so, please email me detailed instructions of how to follow it cuz I'm a bit lost.

Gracie turns four

Grace has been anxiously awaiting her birthday since December. She's been patiently cheerful to celebrate other people's birthdays as we've told her each month "Not yet."

Because I'm apparantly out of blogging practice, the following photos are of Grace's birthday in reverse:
And she loved riding her new Barbie scooter at the end of the day with her big sisters!

She blew out that number 4 candle with gusto!

Thanks to everyone who sent and gave presents!!!

She was thrilled with her princess cake with light-up skirts.

Grace really wanted to go to Wendy's for lunch, so off we went together. We snapped pics but could never get both our faces quite in the center of the screen.

First thing in the morning, Kevin called Grace downstairs and gave her the purple Disney princess bike and her new Sketchers high tops (because he had to work late). She was thrilled. This is the close-up of the high tops and Grace pedaling her new bike through the KITCHEN!

Stuck in my throat: a tale of woe involving Prilosec, Mylanta and Zytrec

Boys be warned: This story involves girl talk.

SOOOO, I went to my lady doctor last Monday to have my IUD removed. After asking me if I wanted to keep said IUD for my wall (I politely declined--she was kidding), she prescribed an antibiotic for me as a precaution. I didn't even fill the prescription for another day because I thought it was unnecessary. Finally, guilt told me it was better to be safe than show up back at the office with some unwanted something or other that could have been prevented if I'd just played it safe.

Fine, I filled the prescription last Tuesday and took one blue pill that night (the bottle said twice a day for five days). Wednesday morning, it felt like the pill had dissolved in my throat, and I had some heartburn off and on. My friend said heartburn is common with antibiotics. The next day, I choked on most everything I ate and had more heartburn. I remember the choking being just another form of heartburn from being pregnant with Grace.

I was out of town on Thursday, so the next time I took the stuff was on Friday. More heartburn. On Saturday morning, before I even took a pill, I drank a glass of water and felt stabbing pain shoot down my arms, back and chest. Same with breakfast. I quit taking the antibiotic and looked it up online.

Doxycycline, (click here for more info.) it turns out, commonly causes heartburn. The more serious side effects are "difficulty swallowing or throat pain." In less than 1 percent of people, it causes esophagus damage and ulcers of the esophagus.

My neighbor/doctor told me to get on a strict regimen of Prilosec, Zyrtec and Mylanta. He told me to call him if I didn't start feeling better within a few days, and he'd probably have to put me on Prednisone, a steroid that makes your face swell. NICE!

SO, I'm now slowly starting to feel the effects reverse. Sunday was terrible, Monday about the same. I could feel each bite go down my throat just fine and then shoot spasms of pain everywhere once it hit about my chest area. Mashed potatoes and banana smoothies, ironically, were the worst. Tuesday was a little better, today the pain is occasionally, and hopefully tomorrow I'll be back to choking heartburn.

Oh, and Dr. Danes said chances of me getting anything from my IUD removal (the reason why I took the antibiotic in the first place) were very slim. There you have it . As a result of being precautious, I caused myself a week's worth (hope that's all) of stupid, unnecessary, over-the-top pain.

Pet snuggie

Kevin HATES the Snuggie. After the presidential election, he was thoroughly irritated that Snuggie sales increased substantially. I sent him this link I saw today on MSN. Thought I'd share.

Favorite new quote

Just got this from my friend, Jen. Love it.

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractively and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, screaming "WOO HOO! What a Ride!"

Summer pics

Pics from Idaho in the gardens. My sister Kerry bought the cousins red, white n blue shirts and orchestrated some cute cousin pics.
And some not so cute.

Kourtney--cute braids.

Ashley--cute Ashley.

Cousins in the veggie garden.

Cousins on a corral. I love how Baby Wyatt is kinda perched up there on the far right and Hallie is looking down at him like she's kinda worried (or like she's gonna kiss his little head).

Grace and her favorite McKay on haybales. Kerry did this trip much more justice on her blog :) http://www.kjudy24.blogspot.com/