7 Brides 4 7 Brothers

My brother's fiance, Elizabeth is Dorkus in SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS at Hale Theatre, so we went to Closing Night lastnight to see her...

She was INCREDIBLE!
Not to mention that this play is one of my absolute FAVORITES!
Thank you mom & dad for buying all of us tickets!

We decided it has been too long since we went on a DATE & we need to go out more often without the kiddos:)

This has been such a FUN week, with Matt off work on Tuesday, Wed & Thursday...I guess we are back to reality tomorrow!

Thankful for...

The Christmas decorations are UP...ALMOST.
I pulled the nativity sets out yesterday & this Fisher price one is always a favorite for the kids.

I set it out on this table & I thought these boys were so cute when they woke up this morning & were playing together...

Even though I just finished packing away my FALL decor, I have one more Thanksgiving story for you...

On Thanksgiving I asked Parker, "What are you thankful for this year?"
He said, "My mommy" (good answer!)
I said, "What else?"
He said, "Jesus"
I said, "What else?"
He said, "The other Jesus" (haha-not really sure about this, Matt interpreted it to be Heavenly Father:) cute)
I said, "What else?"
He said, "Daddy"
I said, "What else?"
He said, "Baby Ryder" (he kind of pronounces Ryler's name with a D instead of an L...it is so cute)

I think he covered everything! He is such a sweetheart!

Thanksgiving '09

This was Ryler's 1st Thanksgiving & he was LOVING the fact that we have Thanksgiving in the desert!
This boy could LIVE OUTDOORS! He LOVES being outside!
He was a happy camper with rocks galore...

He even found a BALL to keep him entertained...

Hanging out with Grandpa...

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner & then laughed and laughed & laughed with all of our cousins, rode horses & golf carts & when it got dark, we built a campfire & the kids roasted marshmellows!
Once it got dark, we headed out to go see the Allen's, but we snapped this picture before we left.
We all look exhausted from a long, fun day!

We stopped by the Allen's & found them playing Apples to Apples & Matt quickly joined the fun!
I'm so thankful both our families are nearby & we can see both sides on holidays!

This year I have to say how thankful I am for my BOYS!
I love Matt, Parker & Ryler make me smile each & every day. Being a stay at home mom can be hard & EXHAUSTING...but I love them so much & am so grateful for my family!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year!!!

5 Years down...an Eternity to go!

Our Anniversary was perfect this year.
Nothing fancy, but I loved it!

Last week when I remembered that our anniversary was coming up, I told Matt that he should take off work and we should do something fun!
He replied, "I already did. And the next day. My mom is babysitting for us in the morning, while we do temple sealings & go to lunch and then your mom is babysitting at night while we go to dinner & shopping." I thought it was SO GREAT that he had taken off work & planned out the day for us! I asked him why we were going shopping, because we NEVER go shopping & he said he was going to book a hotel room, but knew I'd rather spend that money on buying some clothes or something for the house. He knows me so WELL!

So...November 24th rolled around & we had such a great day together.
Temple session in the morning & Ned's for lunch(that was our 1st date post mission)
That afternoon we just hung out with our boys & were lazy...meaning, we gave ourselves permission to watch the house get messy, instead of following the boys around all day, cleaning up after them.

That night we went to dinner & ate way too much, including dessert & then went to a couple of stores to find some new shirts & then back to pick up the boys.

It was such a wonderful day & I just have to say that I am so happy that Matt & I found each other!

And for sentimental/journaling purposes, here is the poem that Matt wrote to propose to me...
(I hope this doesn't embarass him)


I want to grow old with you by my side
Without you my future just wouldn't be right
I'm in love with you and all the little things you do
I want to spend the rest of my life with you
You're an angel sent from above
And I don't deserve your love
You drive me crazy, You're all I think about
With you as my wife, I'll be blessed, no doubt
I've been lucky to know you in the past
Now you make me happy like no one else has
My life without you would be a disgrace
I want to wake up in the morning and see your face
As I think of marrying you, I get excited and I can't wait
I want you to be my eternal mate
Together forever I want us to be
For time and all eternity
Staci Brinton will you marry me?

...I said YES!!!

& here we are, FIVE YEARS later & still in love...

with 2 ADORABLE boys adding to the FUN!!!

Enjoy your turkey...and Win a Clock!

Hope you all have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING today!!!

Forget about your diet today & enjoy yourself!

Don't forget...TODAY is the last day to enter to win one of these clocks....

Must enter by 11:59pm TONIGHT!

Good luck!

Tick Tock...

Want to try your luck at winning one of my new pressed tin clocks???

You have NOTHING to lose!!!
Go HERE to enter today!!!

*If you are like me, you may feel like you NEVER win anything...but hey, give it a shot...you NEVER KNOW...might be your lucky day...

And if you don't win, I PROMISE I will appreciate the advertising :)
A LOT.

THANKS...in advance;)

PS. You can live ANYWHERE & win...I will ship the clock wherever!
PSS. You don't have to have a blog. You can facebook about it & leave a comment as Anonymous.
PSS. Thank you!

ABC...123...

Just over a week ago, I announced that I was going to start teaching PRESCHOOL again in January...

I was soooo worried that nobody would sign up.
Or worse...I would get 2 kids & would have to tell their parents that I wasn't going to do it, because I couldn't get a full class:(

BUT...
{thankfully}
my entire class filled within a week!

THANK YOU to all of you that signed your kiddos up!!!

I can't wait to start teaching again...we are going to have FUN!

--------

To get things ready, I have been having fun decorating our PLAYROOM into a PRESCHOOL room...which will work out the same, because before I was sure I was going to even do preschool, I knew I wanted a yellow room with green, blue & red accents & I wanted to do an ALPHABET theme!

My sister got rid of these tables she used at her house for preschool for a few years & I decided to grab them before they went to DI.
They were brown, but I just spray painted them green, red & blue to add some color to the room..

I also ordered the entire alphabet in vinyl for my Plant Shelf(mostly so I won't have to put anything up there...which would result in dusting that I would never actually do)

Here is a shot of the whole thing. I was a little off on my spacing...so there was more room on the left side. Oops! I was hoping nobody would notice, but when my husband noticed right away, I knew I had to fix it. I went into my kitchen and grabbed a fake apple out of a bowl & cut it in half and stuck it up on the wall to balance it out:)

Today I decided to break out my CRICUT...
{finally}
It has been sitting UNOPENED since my birthday...which was over a month ago. With moving & everything, I didn't want to get it out, until I had a place to use it. Yesterday, I finally tackled our MESSY OFFICE...which has been housing a TON of boxes & organized a space big enough to set up a table & opened the box! I toyed around last night with some simple shapes & I already know I am going to have fun with it!

When the boys went down for naps, I decided to Cricut out some 6" numbers (easy enough for my 1st project)...

I had no idea what I was going to do with them???
I thought maybe stick them in a big frame, but I am IMPATIENT & I only had an hour left of nap time & no frame in sight...
so I went & found these orange & black boards that I bought at Michael's a few years back for .99 cents. I was going to paint the whole thing, but when I found these paint pens in a drawer, I decided to keep the checkered look & just color them different colors, so that they wouldn't look Halloween-ish.

I put it above the entry way, inside the playroom...

Does anyone have any more fun "alphabet themed" or "school themed" ideas???
I still have a lot of blank wall space to fill in that room!


Projects that I'm thinking about are a calendar/weather chart & a big vinyl-on-the-wall clock...


gotta run, I hear one of my boys waking up...

Ryler-11 Months

I haven't done an 11 month old update on Ryler yet...so here it goes...

Eating Habits:
He is completely on formula...and not just any formula, SOY FORMULA.
Yep...he is allergic to dairy.
I don't know how we didn't know this for the past 11 months, but we didn't & we are happy to have FINALLY figured out WHAT was causing his TERRIBLE ECZEMA!

It has COMPLETELY cleared up since I took him off dairy & I wish I got pictures of his poor legs... it was getting REALLY bad.

I'm HOPING that he won't be lactose intolerant forever & that he will grow out of it. I guess we will start slowly introducing some dairy products in a couple more months & see how he reacts.

He still eats almost anything I put in front of him(but not eating dairy has cut out SEVERAL things I used to feed him!) He loves feeding himself & does not like it when I spoon feed him. He turned away his 1st food this week. It was a can of chicken noodle soup & he wouldn't TOUCH it. I thought it was funny, as he is normally a garbage disposal and will EAT ANYTHING. I don't think he liked the feel of the noodles in his mouth??


Sleeping Habits:
Ryler is a GREAT sleeper...MOST of the time.
I can just lay him in his crib when it is his nap time or bed time & he will fall asleep...which is SO nice.
He was still waking up once around 5-6am in the morning hungry for the past few months. He would go right back to sleep until around 8am, but I still didn't like waking up early & trying to go back to sleep. In this last week...that has also stopped, which has been heaven!
He still uses his pacifier, but I'm thinking about taking it away at a YEAR OLD?? We'll see...
I might wait until 18 months, like I did with Parker.

Play Habits:
Ryler is ALL BOY & is in to EVERYTHING!
No more sitting still at church, he is CONSTANTLY on the go & finds a way to get into every cupboard, every room, every toilet...pretty much anywhere he is not suppose to get into. He is ADORABLE & so much FUN & he LOVES to play with his big brother(most of the time). He is really into basketball right now & will sit in the stroller and watch the neighbors/Matt play ball forEVER and he loves to walk around the house...carrying a basketball & throwing it down & picking it back up. He is SO ticklish & will laugh and laugh and laugh, if you tickle him. He is just starting to "flirt" with people he doesn't know & it is so cute. If he sees a girl smile at him at church, he will get really shy & smile & put his head down & hide behind a chair or something. Then he peaks out to make sure she is still playing with him & smiles real big again & hides all over again. It is sooo cute:)
He would play outside ALL DAY long if I let him & with how our weather has been...he pretty much has been! Only breaking to nap or eat. Our new neighbors have dogs & cats & he is always chasing after them in the front yard! He never ever holds still & is just a ball of fun! Parker can be quite a bully, yet he is so easy going & rarely fusses throughout the day.

Thank goodness for his big, hard head...because he is ALWAYS falling & bruises/scrapes on his head are beginning to be the norm. We joke that he was built to withstand Parker, who more often than not...is pretty rough with him. But no matter how many times Parker pushes him down or takes away him toys, Ryler loves him so much!
We LOVE you Ryler!
I cannot believe my baby is almost a year!!!

Love at (kind of)FIRST sight...

Can you count it as "Love at First Sight" if you already knew eachother for 15 years when it happens?!? *Snowboarding together- March 2006


Sure, Matt & I grew up together.
We liked each other at different times as we grew up.
We went on a whoppin' 2 dates during high school.
We were always just good friends...nothing more.

All I know is that when he returned home & I went to his house for his Open House, we can both remember the EXACT MOMENT when we saw each other. We both remember EXACTLY what the other person was wearing. We both remember EXACTLY what was said to each other. We both remember EVERY little thing that happened that night. We both remember what we were thinking at the time. And we both wanted to see each other again...SOON...REAL SOON.

That was Sunday night...he called me Tuesday.
Monday was one of the longest days of my life.
We hung out on Tuesday & ever night the rest of that week.
Our 1st post-mission DATE was that Saturday.
He picked me up in the afternoon and we went and saw Shrek 2 & then he took me to Ned's for lunch after.

Things pretty much rollercoaster-ed from there...but with no downs...just ups.

We already knew each other.
We had spent the last 15 years growing up together.
We knew each other's families. There was no awkward "meet the parents" dinner.
We just started dating from the moment we laid eyes on each other...post mission.

6 months later...we were married.

Love at 1st-{After the mission}-sight!

November Lovin'

I LOVE November!

Why?

Because it is FINALLY starting to cool down.
Because I get to eat delicious PUMPKIN treats.
Because Thanksgiving is almost here.
Because Christmas comes soon after.
Because winter grass is growing.
Because I love soup...and better yet, it is an EASY dinner to make.
Because we spend the majority of our days playing at a park.
Because it is the month I married my BEST FRIEND.




Just for fun, I'm going to share some things this month about mine & Matt's relationship that you may or may not already know. Maybe you don't care to know. But, maybe...just maybe...my kiddos will one day want to know:)


Matt served a 2 year mission in Santiago Chile.
Matt wrote me 2 letters.
For some reason I saved those 2 letters.
Probably because I have been in love with him since I was 2...ok maybe since I was 5.

(these are just excerpts of the ends of each letter)


First Letter:

He wrote:
"Don't be afraid to send me a wedding invitation! JK"

What he really meant:
"Don't you dare get married while I'm gone, I have big plans for you and I"

He also wrote:
"Love, Elder Allen"

What he really meant:
exactly what he wrote:)

2nd Letter:
He wrote:
"I don't think I'll make it to your wedding."

What he meant:
I don't think I can make it to YOUR wedding, but I will make it to OUR wedding:)

He wrote:
"You can go to mine though. It won't be until 2007, so I don't know if you will be able to find a babysitter for your 4 kids"

What he meant:
"I want to marry you in 2004. Is that ok? Oh, and I want you to have my 4 children...cool?"

He wrote:
"Chao, Elder Allen"

What he meant:
LOVE, Elder Allen

MHS V-ball

Last week was "Senior Night" at MHS.
Which means it was their last home game, so it was Heidi's last game at MHS.
Heidi did AWESOME...even though they didn't pull off the win.

I think it was kind of sad for my mom to watch her "baby" be done. She has watched MANY MANY MANY Volleyball games over the years & I can't believe Heidi is graduating!
She gets to sit on the field this year at Graduation, as Heidi is her 7th & last to graduate!

Heidi's FANS at her last game!:)

It was also "Alumni Night" & they invited all V-ball alumni to come back & watch the game & eat treats & play a game afterwards. It was fun to see all of my V-ball coaches! I didn't stay to play{I wanted to} but left for my friend Tara's baby shower, which was SOOOOO cute! I'm SO excited for her to be a mommy!!!

Happy Veteran's Day

I loved walking out my front door this morning & seeing our street lined with American Flags!
I hope everyone has had a wonderful Veteran's Day!
We enjoyed watching the parade downtown...

Since we watched the parade right in front of my dad's office, Grandpa was able to break away for a bit & watch the parade with all of his grandkids!

I thought it was cute that they were all in jeans & navy shirts, standing there, watching the parade:)
Parker...of course, thought the parade was too loud & covered his ears most of the time!

I am so grateful for the men & women that have served this country and continue to serve this country!!!

Preschool Patch

I am teaching PRESCHOOL again & even though it is the middle of the year...I will be starting in January PLAYSCHOOL style(2-4 years old) & PRESCHOOL style for the 2010-2011 school year(3-5 years old-must be potty trained)
If interested in signing your child up, go to my preschool blog for more info...

Whether you didn't sign your child up this year or if he/she is already in preschool and you want to make the switch...I would be EXCITED to teach your child for the remainder of the school year!

NEW CLOCKS

NEW CLOCK DESIGNS!!!
& maybe a bit more AFFORDABLE in this economy!

Check out my new pressed TIN clocks for $35!!!
available in green, beige & brown
-or several custom tin options that range from $40-50!!!-

Or how about the VINYL ON THE WALL clocks that look SO cute!?
$30-50!!!
I can do ANY design, but this will help give you an idea of an option...

*photo from Bedbathandbeyond.com

And if you place an order by DEC. 1st...I will reduce my prices on my regular wooden clocks!!!

$10 OFF -12" wood clocks
$25 OFF- 18" wood clocks
$50 OFF - 24", 36" & 48" clocks

Email Me @ clocksbystaci@gmail.com today to place your order
They are a PERFECT Christmas Gift for your family or friends!!!

Winter Lawn

We have GRASS coming in & I LOVEEEEE it!!!!!!

My brother proposed...

And she said YES!

They are PERFECT for eachother!!!

AND...
it was REALLY FUN to BE THERE to help set up/take pics!

CONGRATULATIONS JEFF & ELIZABETH!!!

Terrible Twos Times Two

Innocent...

Until Proven Guilty...

Which didn't take very long to prove when we found them in the middle of this pile of food in the pantry, at Grandma & Grandpa's house on Sunday!
See these empty canisters below?
Parker & Talia emptied 10 of them all together, before we heard a crash in the pantry & discovered them sitting in a pile of "year supply trail mix". *They were sent to time out while the mess was cleaned & then they both held hands & walked in and gave Grandpa a big hug and said SORRY, followed by Grandma...promising to never do it again! I HOPE they keep their promise, I felt TERRIBLE! Matt's mom could not stop laughing, which made me feel a million times better. What in the world are we going to do with these TWO 2 year olds!?!

FALL BOUTIQUE

Have plans on Saturday?
Oh...me too! I'm walking the MS WALK & can't wait...even though that will mean I have to get up early.
(PS.it is not too late to come & join our team if you want to come & walk!)

What about later in the afternoon?
Of course you are busy, because it is SATURDAY & Saturday's ALWAYS seem busy...no matter what.

But how about THIS SATURDAY...you give yourself a little BREAK & come visit & shop @ a VERY CUTE BOUTIQUE???

Sound good?

OK...see you there!!!

I will be there, taking custom clock orders for CHRISTMAS!

----------------------------

Fall Boutique
Saturday, November 7th
11:00-3:00pm

My cousin Heidi's home in Gilbert

(Leave your e-mail in comment box and I will forward directions or you can e-mail Heidi directly at: heidiphelps@hotmail.com)

Now is the perfect time to start your Christmas
shopping and get in the Holiday mood!

Check out some of our vendors websites and blogs for a
sneak peak of what you will see on Saturday!

American Shirt Company - http://www.americanshirtco.com/ Designer T-shirts for great prices!
A Card Maker - http://www.acardmaker.com/ Custom cards, invitations and announcements for all your special occasions and events.
Barns and Betty - http://www.wagner102000.etsy.com/ Baby Decor/Accessories
Bella Soles - http://www.bellasoles.com/ Shoes/Boots/Handbags. You won't want to miss her first showing here in Arizona!
Clocks by Staci - http://www.clocksbystaci.blogspot.com/ Custom Made Clocks. Check out her blog for her latest designs!
Connie Balluff Photograpy -www.conniebphotography.blogspot.com
Itsy Bitsy Baby - http://www.kiwipinkbaby.blogspot.com/ Baby Decor/Accessories
Kiwi Pink Boutique - http://www.kiwipinkboutique.blogspot.com/ Home Decor/Accessories
Marba's Baked Goods- Cinnamon Rolls, Cinnamon Orange Rolls, Mini Pumpkin Muffins, Mini Cranberry Muffins, Truffles, Gingerbread Cookies and more. Custom Orders Available.
Rocks, Paper, Sugar - Handmade Doll Furniture similar to American Doll Collections
Through Liz's Lens - http://www.throughlizslens.blogspot.com/ Photography
Sashay - http://www.sashayjewelry.com/ Fashionable Jewelry and Accessories
Scentsy - http://www.scentsy.com/ Candles/Warmers/Plug-ins

Come enjoy some goodies and treats as you browse around. Hope to see ya there!
Rag Doll Clothing- http://www.ragdollclothing.com/ Baby & Toddler Clothing

No Tricks...lots of Treats!

Halloween night, we passed out candy for the 1st time in our marriage!
It is fun to live on a street with LOTS & LOTS of trick or treaters & Parker had fun waiting for them to come by. After passing out candy for awhile, Matt took Parker trick or treating to a few houses on our block, but he was a little too shy/scared to really get into it by himself.
We decided to head over to the Grandparent's & trick or treat at their houses.

1st stop-getting some candy from Grandma Brinton

Oh...and yes, Parker is a Suns player because he refused to put on his Buzz Lightyear or Mushu ccostume & was already wearing that orange shirt that day, so I convinced him to put on a jersey:) I think he was something different at almost every party we went to this year .

Quick family picture, minus one cute cat...Ryler fell asleep on the way to Grandma's, so he slept in the car while we went in to get a treat:) I sprayed his hair black to be a Sumo Wrestler again & decided it was too cold, so I put on a black onsie & painted some whiskers on him-sad I didn't get a picture of him. Parker kept calling him a WOLF, I thought that was cute!

Next we stopped at the Allen's & the house was full of people getting ready for Halloween parties!
Matt's sister Aimee & her friend Nicole looked SO CUTE!
I wish I got a picture of his sister Whitney & her group of friends...some very cute & some very scary!

We saw Rob & Julie's car out in front of Matt's parent's house, so we called to see if they were in the neighborhood & they were...so Matt took Parker trick or treating with his cousins for a little while & then it was fun to see Mason, Tanner & Gemma all dressed up when they stopped by!

Hope everyone had a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!