A good way to start the Christmas festivities!

Brady and I got to spend the afternoon with my nieces and nephew yesterday while my sister and Sam were out. I love spending time with them. They are hysterical; Emma is ridiculously smart so everything she does is with thought and has a method to it; Ally is the biggest entertainer I know, she is naturally funny and talented, she can perform on the spot with dancing, singing, cheering, etc.; and Sam is a typical boy; he loves playing and checking everything out; he is the happiest kid I know; he smiles and laughs with that big belly laugh like no one I have ever met. I love, love, love these kids and I am so grateful when I get to spend quality time with them.

This is a note that Emma wrote in the morning in preparation for our arrival (see methodical...)

I try to bring some sort of craft, game, or even baking ideas for them when I come over. It can be a bit tricky with a very smart 7-year old, a very entertaining 4 year old, and a very busy 2 year old boy. Trying to find something that will entertain all three of them can be a bit of a challenge, but I scored yesterday! We built a gingerbread house and a gingerbread train (Sam is in love with trains right now and may or may not have a Thomas set under my tree).

Our finished products...

I'm pretty sure they didn't stay like this for long though because I saw some hands reaching in and grabbing some candy off before the mess was even cleaned up. :)

What a great day!

Senior Pictures...

Senior Year is up and running at the Strong Household... I cannot believe Rachel is a Senior!

Here is a couple of her senior pictures. I listed my favorite right on top, they were so hard to choose from, she did such an amazing job. I was honored to get to be part of her session and I'm not gonna lie, I had to wipe a tear or two.

She is absolutely beautiful and I am so very proud of her.

More to come on our senior journey... college bound we are!

Brady's 1st Football Game

Today was B's first football game. He played safety, kick return, and kick off; he is still getting used to this new game but we are so proud of him for getting out there are trying his best.

A group huddle before the game!

Dad giving him a little pep talk between plays.

I am excited to be a "football mom" now and I am in need of a new "proud football mom" shirt to cheer on my team. I will post his schedule in the blog side bar as I have done with his soccer games. Everyone is welcome to come cheer on the team".

My new ride~and a roadtrip!

A couple of months ago, Brian's parents made us a great deal on their car, THAT I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED that we couldn't resist. Everyone that knows me knows that I love convertibles, and now that 2 out of my 3 kids have their own cars, I can have one. Brian and I flew down to Florida and spent a day with his parents and started our 1950 mile drive home. That is a long drive, but well worth it. I love my new car, it is awesome and everything I could have wanted (with the exception of the horrible turning radius on it).

Here I am in my new (to me) 2004 Volvo C70 Convertible! I am pretty cute, right? Thanks Chuck and Kathy for my beautiful car, I am taking very good care of it, Bella (that is her name) has transitioned well to the mountain air vs. the ocean air she was used to.

Middle School... Are you sure?

Sniff, sniff! I took Brady to Middle School last week. It was so exciting and sad at the same time. I cannot believe that he is a 6th grader. He looked so grown up dropping him off and watching him walk into this giant school. He is also starting a whole new school this year, we have decided to let him go to MS instead of Zion. Zion only goes to 8th grade and all of his friends from soccer are going to MS and he begged to go there instead of Zion this year with his friends so that he could be with them for middle school and then into high school. He is loving it so far and I am so hopeful that it will stay that way.

Two more weeks and Rachel will be starting her Senior Year and Mason his Junior. I will be sniffling that day too. Senior? Are you sure? We are planning her Senior pictures now and we head out to Fort Hayes, Kansas for our first college field trip day in a couple of weeks.

This is going to be a hard mom year. Oldest finishing high school, the youngest starting middle school. No more babies in the Strong Household ~

Isn't she lovely?

Rachel went out with her best friend Ashlee for her Birthday last night. They all dressed up and went out to dinner. It's not very often that I get to see her dressed up with her hair and make-up done. I had a lot of fun helping her get ready to go. I was very excited to do her hair up and put a little make-up on. She looked so beautiful.

Our Newest Family Member!

Meet Tater Moreno-Strong! (Moreno is her maiden name)

I have lost my ever-loving mind! I don't know what the hell is happening in this household. Do you know that I don't really like dogs? Or so I thought. They shed, smell, bark, eat, poo, etc. and no matter how many times your kids promise to clean up after them or help out, they don't. I still pick up after them as much as I pick up after the kids. It's ridiculous, but I love them.



Riley is our old man, he is almost 10. I got him for Brian for Valentine's Day right after we were married. Crazy then, and I swore that he was the one and only dog we would have. When he died in 15-20 years we were done! Or so I thought...



Then about 2 years ago, Brady put us on this huge guilt-trip. He was the youngest and Rach and Mas weren't here all of the time, he was lonely. So, we got Blake. He was supposed to be Brady's surrogate brother and friend. And I swore that he would go to college with Brady and we wouldn't get any more pets. Or so I thought...



Then we were at a BBQ at my friend Kelly's house a couple of weeks ago, and we met Tater. She is a doll, such a lover and her parents were thinking about finding her a new home because their lives had become so chaotic with 2 1/2 kids under 2 at home and they felt like Tater wasn't getting the love and attention that she had always received. Well Brian and I fell in love with her and even teased that we were going to put her in our car that night. We didn't that day, but a few days later I met her mommy for a typical McDonalds-weekend-kid-exchange :) and Tater came home to surprise her new adoptive mommy, Rachel.



Rachel had been begging for a dog of her own to love and carry around in her purse, Tate (Tater tot, Tatinator, T-Tot, etc.) has been a perfect addition to our family. She is a typical girl around here, spoiled rotten. Luckily, she came from a wonderful home and is very well behaved, with the exception of the bark, which gets her in a little trouble sometimes.



The Strong Family Zoo is up and running! Please do not show me any other pets, don't invite me to your house if you are trying to get rid of a pet, or tell me about any pets at the humane society needing homes... I am not getting anymore pets. PERIOD!

Wow ! Mason is 16!

I cannot believe that this the same kid I married 10 years ago; he is now taller than I am, has his driver's permit, and is shaving - it is completely and utterly crazy!

Happy 16th Birthday Mason, here is to a great year!

Happy 1st Birthday Jett!

We celebrated my nephew Jett's 1st Birthday last weekend. He is sooo cute. He had a firetruck themed Birthday party and shared it with many family and friends. I can't believe he is already 1 and walking, it seems that he may be the last little one born in our family for a while so I am trying to enjoy it. He has the sweetest little chubby cheeks and not to seem biased, but he looks just like my brother did when he was a baby. Happy 1st Birthday Little Man! May you have a wonderful year of "firsts".

Eat More Chik'in!

We have been so proud of Mason and his new job at Chic Fil A. He is having so much fun and actually got his very first paycheck last week. Until school got out, he was only able to work a couple hours a night and this week is on the schedule for over 20 hours. He is already adding his hours up for how much his next paycheck will be.

Last week, he was asked to dress as the cow for "Kids Night". He was dreading it all day, he wasn't sure what he would do. We kept telling him that he could be anything he wanted, but he wasn't biting. He was not excited. Flash forward 3 hours and he was grinning from ear to ear. He loved it. He said he couldn't stop smiling under that costume. The kids were running to him and were so excited. He was dancing and even played the limbo.

He wouldn't allow us to come have dinner there that night and take pictures, and I thought we would respect his wishes. He promised me that he would get me a picture though.

If you want to see him dancing and doing the limbo, go to facebook and look up Brighton Chic Fil A, the date Mason dressed up is May 25.

It's been awhile...

I haven't blogged for awhile, but my goal for the long weekend is to catch family and friends on what we have been up to.

I thought I would start the weekend off with a pic of my sweet children who are driving me crazy. I love summer for the kids because I remember how much I loved having summer's off. However, I now know why my mom would be crazy most of the time.

2 teenagers and 1 tween are here ALL day long while Brian and I are at work. They don't do much... already making me crazy and they have been out for less than a week. I don't know what they do all day, but I do know that they eat, drink, and lounge around. I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt for about 1-2 weeks and then I am going to scream.

I will find them things to do if I have to (and they won't be fun, Kids) if they are in the same place every day when we get home. I can't handle it. So... I love my kids, but I love when they have stuff to do, busy kids are kids who stay out of trouble (in and outside of the home).

Happy Summer Break Everyone! I wish I had the summer off....

Happy Birthday Grandma Kathy!

With Brian's parents living in Florida, we very rarely get to spend Birthdays or holidays with them. This year though, Chuck and Kathy are here visiting us for a few weeks so with Kathy's Birthday on May 1, we were able to celebrate with her. Yes, she was victim to my cake decorating skills....

We had a little pizza party (something she was craving) and spent some good - quality - game playing - family time together. Just the beginning of our wonderful time together.

Happy Birthday Grandma / Mom!

We are glad we got to spend your Birthday with you this year!

How sweet is this?

Brady and I babysat for Emma, Ally, and Sammy Saturday night so my sister and brother-in-law could have a much needed date night. We had a lot of fun. The little ones love Rachel, Mason, and Brady and they fight over who Sammy loves the most - I think it's pretty even most of the time. But Rachel and Mason were spending time with their mom this week, so Brady and I were on our own.



Sammy loves Brady and Brady has become such a big help when babysitting and really wanted to put Sammy to bed that night, which Sammy loved. He carried him up to his room and read him 2 books (the evening ritual) before laying him down.

I had to take this picture because seeing Brady read to him melted my heart.

Road Trip - Day 4

Another day in Arizona Paradise! We headed to the pool first thing this morning for a little reading and relaxation.

Then, everyone told us that we had to eat at an In and Out while we were here, so that's where we headed for lunch. It was good, crazy busy there. Lacie and Rhonda thought they needed hats. Nice ladies! It really is too bad that I wasn't able to join you in the picture, someone has to take the photo though...

After lunch, I went to IKEA! Holy Cow - I am in love... that place is awesome! We don't have one in Denver yet, but I have been told that we are getting one in 2011 - just in time for Rachel to need stuff for college. I had waaayyy to much fun there and I might have to go back for a few more fun things tomorrow, for Brian's parents of course. That place makes Sam's Club or Costco look the size of a convenience store. My feet actually hurt at the end of the trip and we didn't even look at everything. I am thinking it was a good thing we ended up driving here instead of flying, we will need a way to get all of this home.

A little photo-op with my Gramps, I'm not sure where he is looking.

Off to dinner at The Tilted Kilt. Very fun place - the girls where some interesting outfits - it's like a Hooters Irish style. I ordered a drink (or two) called the Purple Haze... ummm' I know why they call it that - I felt a little hazed afterwards.

Road Trip - Day 3

Today was supposed to be our pool day, it ended up being very cloudy all day, however that didn't stop us from hanging out at the pool and have a good time. We went to breakfast, did a little gambling (there is a casino in our hotel, not a good idea) (I'm being good honey I promise) (ohhhh, we are going to IKEA tomorrow so that may change). Brian had to work and go to school all day so us girls had to find our own things to do. Here is proof that I was at the pool. No swimming suit shots for me.

When Brian got off of work we took him to Benihana's, one of his favorite places. We had yummy dinner and celebrated more of Birthday weekend. We had a few cocktails, Rhonda tried sushi rolls and we found out quickly that sushi is not her thing, nor was the onion soup, or the ginger salad dressing, however she loved the rice, veggie's and meat - so not a big fan until the main course.

Road Trip - Day 2

Well we made it to the Arizona Birthday Boy today. I swear it seemed like forever before we would get here... we had a lot of laughs again today,

found some dinasaurs,

went through the petrified forest,

saw snow (in Arizona, who knew?)

and finally ended up in Chandler, AZ where it was 84 degrees and finally got to surpise the Birthday Boy with our arrival and then surprised him with our Grandpa, who met us for dinner at The Keg. Brian's girlfriend, Lacie also flew in for his Birthday - she planned all of this. We had a great meal and shared Birthday cake (more of my cake skills at work).

Looking forward to spending more time with Brian and Lacie - can't wait to hang out at the pool tomorrow and do some relaxing until Brian gets out of class.

Road Trip - Day 1

Well today started our road trip to Chandler, AZ to visit my cousin Brian and surprise him for his 24th Birthday. My Aunt and I are headed there as we speak leaving Brian home with the kids (thank you honey, don't worry I'll be home soon, yes Brady has practice 3 times a week + a game, yes Rachel has a college visit day, yes they are hungry all of the time).

We got a little bit of a late start this morning but made really good time and are currently in Albuquerque, NM for the night. We will get started bright and early tomorrow, okay, maybe not bright and early, more like 9:0o ish after we have a little breakfast and find a Starbucks - I mean we can't get there too early we can't even check into our hotel until 3:00 - why rush? Our day was filled with much needed laughter and entertainment from each other. Apparently, there aren't any Conoco's or Phillips 66 Gas Stations in Colorado anymore - guess which gas card we had with us (Thank you Gramps)? Yep, Conoco and Phillips 66 - they have all turned into Loaf n' Jugs. The entire town of Pueblo for sure doesn't have one, I know that because we drove through the entire town, twice -looking for one because the Garmon said so, it lied. But hit New Mexico and holy cow, there is a Phillips 66 on every corner.

Anyhow, here is a picture from our first day, I'm sure by day 5 we will be looking more refreshed and tan - okay so I may look more tan, my aunt already looks well done or she will look even more tan and I will still be white; that's probably more like it.

Stay tuned for days 2-5.

Bringin home the bacon!

Mason was offered a job today - he is the newest employee at Chic-fil-a in Brighton. Thanks to a good word from Triple G (that's what the kids call Grandma Kim) and his excelled interviewing skills (didn't know the teenager could speak), the kid has a job. He starts orientation next week and is nervous but excited about it. I think he has called my mom about 20 times in the last two weeks with questions about interviewing and now orientation. He has been hired to work the front counter, although he thinks he wants to work in the kitchen, crazy kid - stay up front - that's where you'll see all of the hot girls. We are extremely proud of him, I guess he is ready to start earning and spending his own money, tired of asking the rents for money. I will post a picture of him in his cute uniform as soon as he gets it. I have a feeling we will be hearing "my pleasure" a lot coming from him; should be entertaining to watch.

Happy Easter!

Here are a few photos from Easter Weekend. We spent time at Brady's soccer game, fixing up Brian's parents house, dying Easter eggs, Easter dinner with my side of the family, and the Traditional Austin Family Easter Egg Hunt. We had a great weekend, I hope you all did too.

Brian's parents sent me these beautiful flowers for Easter;

Tulips and Iris - my favorites

A few of our favorite eggs... guess which one I did?

My beautiful Kids...

Brady and Emma (her cousin did her make-up)

The little one's looking for eggs

Boys to Men

Who are these young men and where did my little boys go? These handsome boys to men are my little guys growing up in front of my very own eyes... They only need a ride from me now (and that's only for another year because Mason will have his license by next summer). I took them to play golf last week during spring break, they played 9 holes and Mason drove the cart. I basically drove there, paid for them, went and got them lunch, and picked them up, other than that they were just fine on their own.

I called Brian from the parking lot and said "they don't need me anymore". As sad as it was, I was so incredibly PROUD of them. Mason for being such a responsible, caring big brother, and Brady for being responsible and listening to his older brother. They were soo cute (sorry boys but you are still cute to me). When I met them at the 9th hole because I wanted to take their picture, Brady came running up to me and said "Mom, Mason is being so cool and nice to me, I am having so much fun".

So I guess now that they are growing up, they don't need me as much, but they need each other. Brady is so lucky to have Rachel and Mason, even on the bad days of fighting, they always make up at the end of the day.