Another Year Older And Wiser Too!

Jacob has turned eleven! I can hardly believe it. It's taken a while to get this one up, but I'm doing better than I was before! If only I had an extra hour or two in the day. Anyway, Jacob invited some friends over and, after opening some presents and having some cake, we took them all to a Utah Flash game (Utah's new D-League team).

Jake got all sorts of gifts, and his friends know him really well!! He got not one, not two, but FOUR football (one was from his brother). We gave him the option of taking a couple of them back, but he would have none of it! He wanted to have all four footballs!He had eleven kids, including Jacob, his cousin Jax, and Nathan--I'm amazed we were able to get them all in the house!We had about a half an hour to open presents and eat cake, and then it was off to the game! I've never seen kids eat quite so fast!! Even for boys!We had to take two cars to the game. We borrowed Tammy's Durango, and piled everyone between the truck and the durango. I'm so glad I only have the two boys! Anyway, We got to the game and ended up with seats right behind the basket. It was pretty cool (especially as they had been on Bajio's 2 for 1 special!). We took up a good part of two rows, and I got to sit behind a bunch of boys so I could bonk them on the head when necessary! I probably considered it more necessary than I should have, but it was way too much fun! The Flash's mascot, Flash Fox, came by and paused in front of us, I happened to catch his eye, point at Jake, and tell him it was his birthday. The fox did a double take, made sure which one I was talking about, then thought for a minute and shrugged his shoulders and walked away. About twenty minutes later he came back with 2 cans of silly string and covered Jacob!! It was about the greatest thing ever!! We tried to take pictures with Robert's phone, but it didn't work very well. I have never seen a person so covered in silly string before! It looked like he was a bug wrapped up by a spider!! Every once in awhile, the fox would come by and torment Jake and then walk away. Toward the end of the game, he came out and gave Jacob a cupcake for his birthday. How cool is that?!? They didn't have to do anything at all for him, but they made it quite a special birthday! It was a great time!

Nate Turns Eight!!

So my little man has finally turned eight! I about can't stand it. Where did the time go? He was so incredibly excited for his birthday--he'd been counting down since before Christmas! The night before his birthday, when I was putting him to bed, he asked me if we were all going to come in and sing Happy Birthday while he was still in bed (obviously not excited at all). The next morning, he woke up incredibly early for a Saturday, so we did not sing to him in bed (is that like breakfast in bed or something?). I did make him a special breakfast at his request--a repeat of our Christmas waffles and ice cream. When we sat down to say the blessing, he told me that whoever was saying it needed to make sure that they talk about his birthday!! I couldn't decide if that was cute or being spoiled. Anyway, we had an exciting day planned. As this was his eighth birthday, he got to have a 'friend party' which is easier said than done with a winter birthday. We didn't have a clue as to what we were going to do. Nate wanted to go to Jump on It or Kangaroo Zoo, which are both indoor bounce houses--one with trampolines and the other with the big, air filled, creatures. Both options were extremely expensive, so we were still at a loss. Robert and I started talking after Christmas about how fun it would be to have a big room and a bunch of Nerf guns (the inspiration came from the Christmas day battles). Unfortunately, we had no idea how to accomplish that! Luckily, I was talking to the lady that does my hair about it, and she had a great idea: There is a place called Noah's that rents out rooms for pretty cheap!

There are all sorts of rooms--conference rooms, billiard rooms, theater rooms, even an ice skating rink! So I stopped by on my way home and found the perfect thing--a racquetball court! We rented it out for 15 bucks a session (it ended up being 2 1/2 hours!) We found some inexpensive Nerf guns, and had a ball!

It was a huge hit, and each kid went home with their own nerf gun! The best part of all was that I got to sit behind the glass wall and watch, without all of the noise and chaos that was going on in the racquetball court! Lovely! A grand time was had by all--and I didn't have a ginormous mess to clean up afterward.

Some of the kids said that it was the best birthday party they'd ever been to, even if I forgot to bring some matches to light the candles on the cake!! Nate wasn't too happy about it, and he wouldn't pretend to blow them out for posterity, but who can blame him!

Anyway, we had a lot of fun and now my little guy gets to be baptized--man, I'm getting old!

Winter Fun

Ok, so I've never been one for any type of winter sport--It's too cold!!! Well, this year all of my excuses were taken away from me. Robert bought me snow pants, boots, gloves, etc. and took us all out sledding. He invited our friends, the Fralicks, which made it impossible for me to decline. So, with very little complaining from me (just a lot of silence) we went out to the Cedar Hills Golf Course and went sledding.

Jacob and Nathan had a blast! They never tired out and wanted to stay all day. They were up and down the mountain faster than I could keep up with. They had a great time with their friends and tried experimenting on the best ways to go down the hill. This is Brennen, Caleb, and Nathan--if I remember correctly, they biffed it at the bottom! The second picture is all of the kids making a sled train. I'm not actually sure if they made it down the hill together or not.

Robert made it down safely several times! I, however, only made it down the mountain once without falling off of my sled! I guess it makes a difference if you've been sledding somewhere in the last, oh I don't know, twenty-five years!!! This one is a picture of one of Robert's perfect runs.

By the end of the day, I had fallen off about four times and made it safely down the hill once. Unfortunately there are no pictures of me actually on a sled, but I do have proof!! If you will notice in the picture of my friend, Mariah, and me, the whole side of my body is covered in dirt! This is thanks to all of the wipe-outs that I was oh, so good at!

Anyway, a fun time was had by all. We went home, a bit sore, to the warmth of home and some home made (with the help of Bear Creek) chili. Now, Robert says that he wants to take skiing lessons! I'm not so sure about that one!!

Christmas

Christmas was an amazing day this year! The boys both said that it was the "Best Christmas Ever! . . .so far." I think it is only because they were thoroughly spoiled rotten this year. I know that it's hard to tell in the picture, but if you can see the amount of presents that were under the tree. . . I'm not sure I could get anything else under there if I tried! Anyway, this was what the living room looked like on Christmas morning--we won't let the boys down the stairs until we go down and light everything up. Santa even remembered Cooper!

Nathan was (if you can't tell by the dropped jaw) absolutely impressed by what Santa brought him--it's a Vbot (there's a video on amazon.com that shows what this little guy does). Unfortunately, the picture that actually shows what it looks like got lost when I was trying to rotate it this morning (sniff, sniff. . .I am still trying to get over that one). It is a r/c car that transforms into a dancing robot! Kind of cool, and lots of fun! It can hook up to an mp3 player and acts as a speaker. Anyway--Nate had a great time playing with that one!

Jacob, after years of waiting, finally got his electric guitar! Santa decided that he deserved it this year (I'm not sure that he's ready for it, but it seems to be motivating him to practice a bit more!). He has had a lot of fun exploring what it can do! He went back to lessons on Wednesday, and has actually tuned on his own without being pestered! His goal is to be able to play Greenday and Metallica (we'll see on that one).

Anyway, the next few pictures show just how spoiled these two actually are (as if the first two didn't illustrate that enough!). Nate finally got his stereo system. This one will hook up to his mp3 as well, so he can listen to a cd or his mp3. Santa brought him a Naked Brother's Band cd that he's wanted for a while (sounds weird, but it's a show on Nickelodeon that he really likes) that has taken up permanent residence in his stereo.

Jacob also got a r/c toy--this one is a beast! It is a called Tri-Clops. It spins around on three legs and shoots round disks everywhere. Jake has had a lot of fun with it, but it makes me nervous!

Robert got a heavy bag and the stuff for boxing in the basement--you should have seen Jacob and me trying to get a 100lb heavy bag from the car and up into his closet to hide for Christmas! It was a challenge, but you know me! We used a two wheeled hand cart to get it up the stairs--me pulling and Jake pushing. We even enlisted Nate's help on the top stair! It was worth the reaction on Christmas morning, however. He was able to use his Christmas money to get a bag stand so he could get it all set up in the basement.

As for me, of course there are no pictures of me (which I will probably get reprimanded for) because I was behind the camera all morning! But, I got some great things--the boys, with the help of Grandpa Lister, got me the most amazing blanket! It is the warmest, coziest thing I have ever had, and it has gotten the most use since Christmas (as I am a cold blooded creature that can never seem to get warm). I have give strict instructions that everyone has to share--except me! That is MY blanket, and nobody else gets to touch it! Robert and Santa got me a bunch of Aveda product so I can pamper myself, and some sheet music for the piano. The boys got me a bunch of stuff to make my own jewelry! My friend, Jenna, used to be my connection but, sadly, she moved to LA (it's been great for her, but I miss her a ton!) and I have decided to use her as my example and try it out for myself. The picture is my first attempt at making anything, and I am pretty proud of myself! Thanks, Jenna, for being my inspiration!

The boys both got robes from Grandma Lister that they wore for most of the morning! They really enjoyed those!

They also got nerf guns from Grandma and Grandpa Orr--which I think was on of the great hits of the day--Robert got involved and we had nerf wars that afternoon (which ended up being the inspiration for Nate's birthday party--update coming!) unfortunately, I don't have pictures of the war--I was keeping my cover so I didn't get hit! Ultimately, however, the biggest hit ended up being the Wii. It was totally and completely unexpected--and a last minute addition to the Christmas gifts (we had a friend come up find one and gave us first option--Thanks Jeremiah!). The boys were so surprised--check out Nathan's face in the picture! They even got me playing before the day was over and I was surprised to find out how fun it is--it helps that I win at bowling almost every time ;-) Anyway, it actually gets up up off of your hind end and forces you to be active while playing! It puts us all on the same level--no body is really better than anyone else--Nate's beaten me at tennis almost every time!

They did say that they were surprised that they didn't get clothes other than PJs and robes--they always get clothes at Christmas--we didn't think they'd notice! Anyway, it was a great day--we got to take naps (well, Robert and I did, the boys were too busy playing!) We had the traditional Christmas breakfast of waffles and ice cream, but added some eggs and bacon as well--but, sorry Listers, I have corrupted the idea of strawberries--they all went for the maple syrup (which was a new recipe to us courtesy of Grandma Lister's recipe collection--it has become our favorite syrup)!

Another tradition of ours (thanks to my mom) is to see a movie on Christmas. We went to see The Water Horse, which was absolutely fantastic--I recommend it to all. Jacob made fun of me because I was getting nervous and reacting to certain parts of the movie--it's his new favorite past time--make fun of Mom at the movies!!

Anyway, it was a great day and, while we missed being around the rest of the family for the holiday, we loved having a relaxing Christmas day!

Catch Up

Ok, so I've not been the best at staying on top of this thing--I'm still trying to balance life and the updates. Today I will be posting a number of things that will catch you up as to what has been going on in the Lister family. We've had a lot of things going on of late, so there is a lot to talk about!

Halloween

I love Halloween!! It has always been one of my favorite days. I love the season and it is absolutely beautiful here! The trees have all changed colors and the mountains are alive with rich reds, oranges, yellows, and browns! It is amazing how beautiful autumn is. Anyway, back to Halloween. The boys decided to go as football players this year. This really didn't surprise me as they are constantly outside with the neighborhood kids playing football. Anyway, Jacob went as Vince Young, and Nathan went as Terry Bradshaw. We didn't have any problem getting them out of bed that morning, since they got to dress up for the whole day!Sorry, the picture is a little dark, but there will be more later. I have had so much fun with halloween this year--especially since I can dress up at school. Two years ago, I went as Maleficent. Last year I was Cruella De Ville, and this year was my absolute favorite! I got to be the Evil Queen from Snow White (notice the Disney villain theme--I tell my students that my true self comes out on Halloween). I was surprised that this one was my favorite, because Maleficent is my favorite Disney villain, but this costume was amazing! I got to stand at the door to my classroom and glare at students as they walked by. It was great fun--I actually told a student that I don't talk to peasants! The class loved it! So, here it is, the greatest costume I own!

I had to wear monster boots so that the dress didn't drag the ground, but it really added to the effect. I also wore huge jeweled rings on my fingers and painted my fingernails blood red. The only thing I was missing was the apple! One of the other English teachers ended up dressing up as Snow White--they made us get a picture taken for the yearbook.It's a little dorky, but it was a lot of fun. We had a Trunk or Treat on Monday night, and the boys had a great time running around the church parking log a dozen times. I didn't have time to dress up because I got home late from visiting teaching, and I actually had a couple of people disappointed! They had heard that I go all out for Halloween, and wanted to see what I did. So, of course, we took the boys around the neighborhood with me in my costume. It was a big hit!
The other tradition we have is decorating Halloween cookies. I can't remember a Halloween (or Christmas for that matter) as a child when we didn't decorate cookies. It was always pumpkin cookies that we'd decorate with M&M's and candy corn. So, the tradition continues!

I made cookies and frosting, Robert and I frosted, and the boys decorated. . .and snuck candy (notice the shape of Jacob's lips? He popped one in right before my finger hit the button). Nathan did the same thing. . . In the end, we had four dozen cookies--half of which were covered in candy, a few that had creative faces, and a couple that remained candy free (those are my favorite--even though I'm not supposed to have them--I just can't resist! It's Halloween, after all). We went to bed around ten (that's really late for us!!)--the boys on a sugar high. The next day at school was crazy!! Too many kids going nuts on sugar and wanting to share their adventures from the night before! Anyway, it was a great day this year, and a grand time was had by all!

We're Still Here

So, as I am new to this whole blog thing, I keep forgetting that things that are commonplace to me might be news to others. Therefore, I haven't been updating this thing as much as I should be. Things are pretty normal around here. We just finished our Fall Break, and first term ends next Friday. I can't believe that a quarter of the school year has already gone by. I don't really know how I missed it! I'm having great fun in the classroom this year and am loving the new opportunities that keep coming my way. My school put projectors and sound systems in all our rooms over the summer, and I absolutely love it! It is so easy to use PowerPoint presentations and music every day in class. My students hate me because I make them listen to 'elevator music.' It's just instrumental jazz, but they've complained from day one! Then, on Tuesday I didn't have a chance to get it in before class started, and then they commented on how they missed it!

Nathan has become a popular little guy in school. He is attending his second birthday party of the year tomorrow evening. He was really nervous last time because he's so used to attending things with Jacob, but he did it and had a blast! He is so excited to get to go places without Jake.

Jacob is reading a lot of late. He just asked me to come help him find a good book to read last night. That is a huge relief to me! He has loved sports and music for so long (which is great, don't get me wrong. . . I am a fanatic myself, after all), but I've had the hardest time getting him interested in books--which is another one of my favorite things! Anyway, hopefully he continues with this interest. We try really hard to help our boys be well rounded. We want them to have as many opportunities as possible.

Which reminds me, we're taking group guitar lessons! My friend, Valarie, is teaching Jacob, Nathan, and me to play the guitar. We haven't gotten very far yet, but we're trying!

Anyway, this is full of words, and my main purpose for this one was to give everyone some pictures to look at. Now, I don't have a bunch of recent photos, but these are some that are great! Here are my boys! This was taken this summer in SanFrancisco. We were going on a boat tour under The Golden Gate Bridge, and around Alcatraz.

We had a blast, although it got pretty cold. This was taken before we left the pier. And these were taken on the way to the bridge. I didn't want to sit on the edge, which ended up being great for me. Robert and Nathan wanted to sit where they could see better and ended up getting soaked. Luckily for me, I was blocked by the cabin.

It's funny, because when we left the pier the sky was a beautiful clear blue, but when we got further out, the fog thickened! Once we started heading back toward Alcatraz, though, it was quite a nice ride.

This is one of the better pictures of the bridge. It was hard to get a good one because it was so foggy! Every morning that we were there, the fog would be this thick all around, but would burn off for the most part by the afternoon. Unfortunately, Golden Gate was covered in fog the whole time.

We had a great time while we were there. We were able to see the Giants and the A's play. The Giants' game was great. It was a beautiful day and the game was really good, although the Giants lost in the end. The A's game was freezing! Who would've thought we'd need winter coats in July! We were wrapped in blankets and our jackets. I don't think I've ever been that cold in California.

The view at AT&T Stadium was amazing. I think as far as stadiums go, it is one of my favorites. I loved being able to see the Bay Bridge and the ocean right outsid of the stadium. In my opinion, baseball stadiums are one of the greatest sights, and the ocean is another.

So, to put them both together put me rather close to heaven! It also had a great quote from a wonderful movie, so that gives it another plus!

Anyway, this is getting rather long, so I'm going to quit for now. I'll try to get it updated a little more often in the future.