baseball, movies, family, and floss

M2B =) days 86 - 91.  Saturday, May 1st - Thursday May 6th.

Here we go again:

Saturday, May 1st happiness was watching James play baseball.  Brian, Joe and I all went together.  We got to hang with Jared. =)  We sat, we talked, we watched, the weather was nice - not too hot.   James is awesome!

Sunday, May 2nd happiness:  Since we missed our Friday night movie this week, Joe and I watched a Sunday afternoon movie.  We borrowed Fantastic Mr. Fox from the Gonzo's.  I never really had any desire at all to see this movie, but I really liked it.  There were a lot of clever moments in it.  My favorite had to be when the bully was picking on Mr. Fox's son.  His cousin comes over and takes of his shoe.  The bully asks: "why'd you take your shoes off?"  The fox responds: 'So I don't break your nose when I kick it."  He then proceeds to take out the bully with some precision karate moves.  The bully walks off crying.   Then the fox being picked on turns to his cousin and says: "I can fight my own fights."   "No you can't" his cousin responds. Good stuff.  
Also tonight, FHE.  I loved this photo of everyone crowded around Paul's laptop to watch a video of Jared's latest track win.  I love how intently Ro is watching the video.  I also love Addy's face in this photo too.
Later, during the talent portion of the evening, Michael and Alex performed a silly song from their upcoming school play.  It was great.
Ok, no photos for the next few days.   Oh, well.

Monday, May 3rd happiness:  Had a really busy day, but also got a lot accomplished.  I love feeling that at the end of the day.

Tuesday, May 4th:  So, I have had a song that keeps popping in my head lately.  It's been stuck in there a while, and I couldn't for the life of me remember who sang it.  That kind of thing really irritates me.  I know it's in there somewhere, I just can't make my brain remember.  Well, today, out of the blue, it came to me.  It just popped in my head.  Now it won't drive me crazy anymore.  Hey, it's the little things that make us happy, right?

Wednesday, May 5th:  Ok, so Brian and I both have allergies, and get bad sinus headaches, and congestion.  So, a while back, Brian bought this stuff called Sinus Buster.  It's got capsaicin pepper in it.  You shoot it up your nose, and believe me, it clears your sinuses.  It is painful and will make you cry - not kidding, but it totally works.  So, when I am desperate enough, or basically when I complain so much, that he makes me do it, I use it and then I cry while my sinuses clear.  Why the long story?  Because today, I had the pleasure of watching Brian spray the Sinus Buster up his nose.  Feel the pain baby!  (I know I am mean - don't judge me.  You aren't there when he is laughing at my pain).  

Also today - free lawn mower.  Gotta love Craig's list.  Brian did have to drive to Queen Creek to get it, but our lawn mower died about 2 weeks ago, so it was desperately needed.  Free = happy.

Thursday, May 6th happiness:  Yes, it is another photo of Joe at the doctor's office.  I think it is awesome.  I won't give up Dr. Gentile until I absolutely have to.

Also today, I watched Josh play with this wad of dental floss for about 30 minutes.  It's amazing how it doesn't take much to keep kids happy.

Tonight was awesome, because Joe sat and focused and did his homework non stop for like an hour.  This is huge people.  He usually tries to take a break every 5 or 10 minutes.  It really helped that it was a creative writing project for Language Arts.  He really loves that kind of stuff.  It was nice to know that he CAN focus.

That's it for today.  I'm out

Happy Day!

Happy April part 3. Finally!

M2B=) days 77 - 85.  Thursday April 22nd - Friday April 30th.  

Now that we are a third of the way into May, I thought I'd finish up April.  Someday I'll catch up.  Maybe, maybe not.  Oh well.

Thursday, April 22nd:  This morning I got to hang with this bunch.  We played toys and ate popcorn and watched a movie.  Good times.

This clown is making the rounds at my mom's house.  It is widely known that most of the Gonzales family is scared of clowns.  Someone at that house keeps moving this clown around, so that when you least, expect it....there he is - looking at you.  Creepy and hilarious at the same time.  He has been spotted in the window, on the mailbox, in a tree...today he was in a bush in the backyard.  
Also today:  Gorgeous clouds.  
Also today: Joe, Brian and I went to Oregano's for dinner.  Yeah, today was a pretty happy day all around.

Friday, April 23rd happiness:  Movie night again.  This week was Brian's pick - The Emperor's New Groove.  It is hands down my favorite Disney movie.  Funny stuff.
Saturday, April 24th happiness:  Brian, Joe and I, along with a number of people from our ward drove to see the new Gila Valley Temple.  The rough part was that we had to get up at 4:30 a.m.  The fun part was the road trip.  I love a good road trip.  We brought doughnuts, and listened to tunes, and had a good time.  We got to drive through the Tunnel in Superior.  You know what that means:  Windows down, lots of screaming, and horn honking.  

The temple was gorgeous and I am glad that Joe got to go through it.  He did get to see the Snowflake temple before it was dedicated, but he was 4 and didn't really appreciate the experience.  If I was smarter, I would have had someone take a picture of me, Brian and Joe together, but oh well.
There was snow on Mt. Graham.  It was gorgeous.
Sunday, April 25th happiness:  I really enjoyed the first speaker in church today.   Best sacrament meeting talk I've heard in a while.  It did a lot to lift my spirits.

Monday, April 26th was kind of a rough day.  I wasn't feeling very good.  I spent a lot of time on my big cozy couch today.  I love that couch and today it was my happiness.

Tuesday, April 27th I got to go see Max in his kindergarten "bug" play.  He was awesome of course.  I have such a soft spot for this kid.  Max is awesome.  As a plus, I also got to see Sami.  She was the cutest ladybug ever.  Sadly, my photo of Sami turned out blurry, so you'll just have to take my word for it.
Wednesday, April 28th happiness:  Brian and I were watching Letterman tonight, and caught his "small town news".  I think that's what it's called.  Anyway, they show things that have actually appeared in newspapers.  We could not stop laughing.  My favorites were an add for bananas that showed a picture of bananas, and the ad said "curved yellow fruit, on sale."  I also enjoyed the want ad that said: " Wanted:  Someone to travel back in time with me.  This is serious.  Safety NOT guaranteed.  I will pay you when we get back."  We could not stop laughing.  I love watching t.v. with Brian late at night.  Everything is hilarious when you are really tired.

Thursday, April 29th happiness:  Book club, or should I say: The Meeting of the Elite Literary Society.   I really enjoyed this month's book.  One of my favorite books EVER.  You know it had to be a good read because we actually spent the majority of the time discussing it.  
Friday, April 30th happiness:  I got to go to see Ben (aka: Pat Tillman).  He was awesome.
I also got to go watch Jared Ammon run tonight.  He did awesome.  He broke his personal best record, set a record for the meet, and beat everyone else by at least 10 seconds.  I've been watching the video's of him run that Paul has been posting on line, but being there is even better.  Woo hoo!
That's it for April.  And that's it for now.

Happy Day!

Happy April part 2

M2B =) days 67-76. Monday, April 12th - Wednesday, April 21st.


So, I'm still playing catch up here. Let's get to it. While I have been thinking about and writing down the little things that make me happy each day, I have not been very good about taking my photos. So, a lot of these are taken off the internet. I'm sure you'll be able to tell which I took and which I didn't.


Monday, April 12th: Today I finished reading book 4 in the Leven Thumps series. I love to read and I like this series. Not my favorite series of all time, but still fun to read. I love the character Clover. He has the best lines. I also enjoy Ezra, the angry toothpick who is trying to take over the world.
Tuesday April 13th: Had fun watching the boys freeze in the pool today. They were cold, but also having too much fun to get out.
Loved Michael's face in this photo. I couldn't resist posting it.
Also today - Looney Tunes. How I love Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck and all of those silly characters. When I came to my mom's today, Josh was watching. It made me think of watching those cartoons when I was growing up. Good times.
Wednesday, April 14th: Tonight I watched glee. It is finally back on. I realize that Glee airs on Tuesdays and it was actually back on yesterday, but I didn't watch it until tonight. Yes, it is a cheesy musical, and yes, I love it. Wouldn't life be hilarious if it was like a musical? Whenever you are angry, or happy, or sad, or confused, just bust out singing a song, do a little dancing, and all will be well.
Also tonight: As a preview for next week's Glee, which is a tribute to Madonna songs, there was a video at the end of the show: Sue Sylvester Vogue. Basically she has remade Madonna's Vogue video with herself in it. It was pretty funny. As an added plus, I spotted one of my favorite dancers from last season's "So You Think You Can Dance", in the video. He was one of the back up dancers. It was Nathan:
Thursday, April 15th: Tonight's happiness was Elmers for dinner. Need I say more? Also tonight, America's Best Dance Crew had the winners of the past 5 season's together all on one show. I got to see Quest Crew and the Jabbawockeez together on the same show. It did not disappoint. In case you can't tell, I love all things dance.

Friday, April 16th: Family movie night. I am loving this new tradition. Joe, Brian and I together, hanging out, watching a movie. Good stuff. This week was my pick. I chose "The Blind Side". I had never seen it. I liked it so much.
Saturday, April 17th: Tonight was game night at a friends house. And it is the perfect house for games. They've got a pool table, and a ping pong table. And, and area upstairs for the kids to play video games, or watch a movie. So, we send Joe upstairs to hang with the kids, while we hang out downstairs. Good food, fun people, awesome night.


Sunday, April 18th: Today I got to see Alex be ordained to the priesthood. Of all the things I missed taking photos of, I am kicking myself for this one the most. I can't believe I forgot my camera. Alex is an awesome kid. I'm glad we could be there on his special day. Afterwards, treats at Sheri's house. Yum.


Monday, April 19th: Today I did Tae Bo. I have totally slacked off in my exercising lately, so it felt really good. I also decided I need a punching bag. It would be a good way to release stress or anger. Also, it is really fun to punch stuff.


Tuesday, April 20th: Joe decided he would start exercising with me, so for the first time in a long time, we went to the gym today. It felt good. Hopefully we can keep it up.


Also today in the yard we had this little visitor:
We were trying to say our morning family prayer, and we heard the strangest noises coming from the yard. When we checked it out we found 3 ducks in the yard. 2 flew away, but this one stayed a while.


Wednesday April 21st: It's all about the clouds today. I loved how the sky in the background was so dark, but the sun was shining on the palm trees.
Clouds make for gorgeous sunsets, and tonight's did not disappoint.

Also tonight, I saw a commercial for "So You Think You Can Dance". It's funny, I was just telling Brian the other day that I was worried it wasn't going to be back on. I'm so glad that it is. Can't wait.
So, that's it for now. I'll finish up April soon, and then I can move on to May.


Happy Day!

Happy April part 1

M2B =) days 56 - 66.  Thursday April 1st - Sunday April 11th.

Well, I kinda thought that when Joe went back to school after spring break I would have tons of free time, and I wouldn't get so behind on the blogging.  Not so much.  April has been super busy.  And I am now nearly a month behind.  Oh well.  

Since I am super far behind, there is no way I am going to try to catch up all at once.  I'll do a few and then post the rest later.  Some have pictures, some don't.  Oh well.

Thursday, April 1st:  I really hate April fools day, like A LOT.  I was happy today that no April fools day pranks came my way.  Also today - sugar cookies.  Yum.

Friday April 2nd:  Coloring eggs at the park with my family.  We were a big, noisy mess, and I loved it.

Joe decided to do tye dye eggs this year.
They turned out pretty cool.

Love the look of concentration on James' face.

I came with 3 dozen white eggs and left with about a dozen and  a half colored ones.  I always bring extra's so I can share.

Saturday, April 3rd:  Family picnic at my mom's house.  We hid eggs for the little kids and then we ate and ate and ate.  How could that not be fun?


I was so happy Grandmother came.  It made me think of all of the Easter picnics that we had at her house over the years.  I really miss those.  It seems like Easter is one of the few times that we all got together with extended family.  I missed seeing my aunts and uncles and cousins that we typically see at Easter time.  We have just gotten to be such a big group that no ones house can hold us all.  Maybe the park next year?
Someone needs to give this sad boy a push.

Sunday, April 4th:  Saturday we typically spend with my family, and Easter Sunday is for visiting Brian's family.  I love the set up they've got going on in the back yard.  Brian and I decided that we seriously need a patio in the back yard so we can hang out.  Of course there was more egg hiding for the kids and lots and lots of eating.  Good times.
Later, the kids took turns hiding the eggs for each other.  It became a contest to see who could hide them in the hardest to find places.

Monday April 5th:  Ok, so the front lawn has been out of control.  I've let it go on too long because my lawn mower is broken.  Typically I would borrow my mom's, but hers is broken too.  The only other alternative is to just edge the entire thing.  Now, I have a pretty tiny front lawn, but to edge the whole thing would take about an hour and a half.  I know because I have had to do it before.  With a lawn mower, it takes 5 -10 minutes.  Anyway, I'm about 20 minutes in and barely making a dent, when my neighbor across the street comes over and offers to let me use his mower.  Woo hoo!  Got the rest of it done in 5 minutes.  So, today what makes me happy is friendly neighbors who see a need, and are willing to share.

Tuesday, April 6th:  Today's happiness is hair cuts.  I haven't had one in about 6 months.  It was much needed.  Thank heaven's for Michelle.  She gave hair cuts to me, Joe and Brian tonight.  Thanks so much Michelle.  We love you!
Wednesday, April 7th:  I got to hang out with this kid for a while:
Also tonight for young women's we did a service project.  We made sock puppets.  Someone in the stake put out the word that they needed 200o of them to take to Nauvoo in June for some reason.  So, we decided to make a few.
Most of the girls finished 2 or 3 that night.  I only got one done:

Next time I am doing something easier.

Thursday, April 8th:  Tonight was the finale for America's Best Dance Crew.  I love dance and will watch almost any show that has dancing on it.  This happens to be one of my favorites.  My top 2 favorite crew's made it to the finale, so I was happy with whoever won.  The winners were Poreotix.  These guys are super fun and super talented.Friday, April 9th:  I got to spend time with these 3 little monkeys today.  I love kids. 
Also on Friday was the start of a new tradition for me, Brian and Joe:  Family Movie Night.  It was Joe's idea.  He wanted a night where it was just the 3 of us and we could hang out together and watch a movie and spend time together.  I love it.  We decided we would each take a turn picking the movie.  Joe was up this week.  He picked "Enchanted".  Great movie.

Saturday, April 10th:  I felt really sick today and spent most of the day in bed, so no photos.  I am grateful today for Brian, who picks up the slack when I am sick.  Not only did he help friends move this morning, but he ran errands for me this afternoon, and made sure everything got done that needed to be done.  So grateful today to have someone to rely on.

Sunday, April 11th happiness:  I know it's petty of me, but I am SOOOO happy that Carol and Brandi FINALLY got kicked off of the Amazing Race.  They are mean spirited people and total complainers.  I was so glad to finally see them go.  It was even sweeter justice that Brent and Catie were the reason that they came in last.  They have spent the entire season talking about how stupid Brent and Catie are.  It was awesome that they were the ones to get them kicked off.  Who is stupid now?   I love this show!  
That's enough for now.  I'll catch up more later.

Happy Day!

How to train your dragon

M2B =) days 53 - 55.  Monday, March 29th - Wednesday, March 31st.

Monday was Joe's last day of freedom before school started up again.  We went to see "How To Train Your Dragon."  Grandma, Grandpa, Alex, Michael and Joshua came with us.  I have to say, I really enjoyed this one.  I thought it was cute.  It was even more fun sitting by Joshua and hearing all of his thoughts on the movie.  Kids make everything better.

Tuesday and Wednesday's happiness consisted of going to a few scrapbook stores.  I haven't done any scrapbooking in a really, really, long time.  I hit a few stores and I remembered how much I love this stuff, and how behind I am on working on Joe's books.  I am determined and excited to pick this up again.  

Happy Day!