A little about me...courtesy of Kylie!

I saw this on Kylie's blog and thought it looked fun.
What were you doing 10 years ago? 1999, I had just celebrated Gabe's 1st birthday, and I was back in school on a more full time basis. Looking forward to getting done with school.

Favorite Snacks? Mmmm.... Snacks are my favorite. Usually I like something salty to snack on, though, like potato chips. I especially love sea salt and vinegar potato chips, even though they make the skin on the insides of my cheeks peel. I'm a glutton for punishment.
To Do List? Constantly. My lists are how I keep things from falling out of my head.
Jobs I Have Had? Busser, hostess, waitstaff; I worked a Christmas stint at Victoria's Secret and also worked for Baskin Robbins (best two sets of "perks" I've ever had in a job). I worked for my mom (okay, so this one really had the best perks, since she bought me lunch almost every day). I've worked for an eye doctor, in a craft store and out of my home.
Current job: Trying to balance full-time mama and wife with substitute teaching. I know subbing doesn't seem like the greatest job in the world, but I really enjoy it. I get to work with kids of all ages, plan my schedule around what works for me, and have the same days out of school that my kids do. What could be better? (for now....)
Places I Have Lived? Montana. I love to travel, but Montana is always home.
Bad Habits? Pop my knuckles, don't pick up my laundry, organize by piles, my list could go on and on. I'm also a horrible procrastinator.
5 Random Things People May Not Know?
1. I write (sometimes) children's fiction and want to publish a book someday.
2. When I was in high school, I wanted to go to Nashville and become a famous Country music singer. I can twang it with the best of them!
3. I had an early miscarriage between Gabe and Bethany, but we didn't even know I was preggo until I was miscarrying, and the doctor told me to take a pregnancy test. We got pregnant with Beth shortly after the miscarriage, so our family would be much different looking if that pregnancy had gone to term. (I have a gut feeling it was a boy, but we won't know until we get to Heaven).
4. I love 80's music. Especially the bands with large hair. (I'm pretty sure I posted that before, but it's kind of important). :)
5. I have fed my children ice cream as a meal.
CDs I would want if stranded on an island: Who needs cd's? Just give me my laptop and pandora.com. Then I can listen to anything I want!
What I'd Do if I Were a Billionaire: Pay off our house, provide for my children's education, pay for my school, travel, and give, give, give.
If you read all that, it's your turn!!

Arrow of Light!

At our Blue and Gold Banquet last week, Gabe received his Arrow of Light award, which is Cub Scouting's highest honor. We now have to complete the process of deciding which Boy Scout Troop he will join in May. We have loved our experience in Cub Scouting. And before I wax eloquent, (that will likely come in May) I'll just say thanks to our awesome Pack for making our experience a great one!

I'm so crafty!!

Here are some pics from my craft projects today. First, Bethany's jeans are getting too short, so I added some length to them...

Then, I took a pair of Gabe's old jeans (since Beth won't wear them as jeans, not that I blame her...), and made her a cute skirt....

And then, I patched some of Gabe's holey jeans. He goes through the knees like crazy. This is just one example of how they turned out.

I'm so proud of myself!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Today marks 14 years that Jon and I have been together, and we are looking forward to our lucky number 13 wedding anniversary in July! It's a good life.

Spelling Bee!!

Gabe is going to the County Spelling Bee! After making the top 12 of the kids in 5th grade, and then taking 5th place in the 5-8th grade bee, Gabe gets to go to the County Spelling Bee! Jon and I are so proud of him! Although we must say, there is no excuse for an A- in spelling any longer!! :)

The promised pics....

My new coat. (I adore after Christmas sales). Sorry the pic quality isn't so good.

Gabe at the Robotics Competition in Bozo-land. Note the Griz hat that he wore in strict opposition to the MSU lanyard around his neck. I'm SO proud!

Michaela blows out her candles at the bazillion girl birthday party. What a blast!

February already!!

Wow, my resolution to be better at blogging is already out the window. Life is busy and good. We are happy that robotics club is done for Gabe, it makes life one iota less crazy for the rest of the school year! His team did awesome at the Statewide competition. They took 6th place out of 42 teams! We are so proud of him! He also just won the 5th grade spelling bee, so he will advance to the 5th-8th grade round! Way to go, Gabe!!

Bethany is still playing her violin, and loves it. She has her first big recital on March 1st, so we are all looking forward to that. She is moving quickly, and we are so excited for the years to come!

Michaela is now 6, having just celebrated last week. We had a great party with several of her friends from school. They played, ate cupcakes, and opened presents. Michaela was especially excited to receive $90!!!! from relatives to put into her piggy bank to save for spending money when we go to Disneyland later this year (we're hoping for August...).

So that's been our latest in a nutshell. I'm hoping to have some time this weekend to put more pics up, since that's what you want anyway!!