Christmas Fun!

We had a great Christmas, here is some of the fun we had. Sunday we had dinner and present at Grandma and Grandpa's before they went to Denver. Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa!

Bridger and Maddi came to play on Tuesday and it was a blast. They all loved playing together.

Christmas Eve we went and saw The Tale of Despereaux. I thought it was good and the kids liked it. Christmas morning we opened presents at our house.

We then went to Gramie and Pop Pop's house for more presents and breakfast. Sherman looks pretty cool in his Bronco head. Matthew and Nic got super hero gloves and hats. They can hardly stand to take them off. Uncle Mikey came for breakfast and it was fun to have him there. Thank you, Gramie and Pop Pop!

Christmas dinner was at our house. It was nice to have everyone here and to enjoy one another company. We hope everyone had a Great Christmas where ever you were. We send you all Seasons Greetings and our best wishes for a Happy New Year!

First Tournament of Wrestling

This weekend the boys wrestled at the Little Dawgs Tournament. They has two different options for weight-ins. Wrestlers could weight in that day or the night before. I chose that day which in hind sight was not the best. We had to get up a little before six in the morning to be there early to do them. This made for a very long day. They were suppose to start at 8:30 but started an hour late or better. Then they had the brackets all screwed up so you really had to pay attention. In Shermie's they had a kid who got two bys straight to the final until Sherman Peter pointed it out. But what can you do. It was still worth it. The boys did Awesome!!!! They each wrestled their hardest. This is how it ended, Shermie took 2nd (missed 1st by only one take down), Tuffer took 4th (he fought and worked hard), Matthew took 2nd (the coach for the other boy was heard to mumble, "Man! he's aggressive" about Matt, my thought was "no duh!"), and Nicholas took 2nd (having taken down a kid a whole head taller). They really did EXCELLENT!

Part II Tournament Video

Here are a few of their matches. Shermie's is the one he lost but it was so close and he did so good I just had to share it. Tuffer also lost his but it was still a great effort. The other two won theirs and are fun to watch. You probably want to turn the sound down though or you will hear a lot of yelling from me, oops.

Bocker's Christmas Program

Nicholas had his Christmas program this week. He of course was the cutest one there. He did a great job! Matthew decided to return the naughty favor and had a hard time sitting still. (might that have something to do with the fact that he was sitting next to Pop pop? Mmmm I think so)

They even had a visit from Santa Claus.

Doctor's Appointment

We went into see my doctor today for a regular appointment. Sherman Peter went with me. I had said we maybe able to get a sneak peek if we were put in the right exam room which we were not, much to Sherman's disappointment. When the doctor came in Sherman asked if we got a fifth child sneak peek. Since the ultra sound tech wasn't busy he said we could. This is what we got and she's a girl!!! Look how sweet she looks.

Sucking her thumb.

Sherman saw this one and said, "Oh, that's a girl."

Baby feet aren't they cute!!

Thank you, Kevin, for the peek!

The Tree is Up...But Who's Turn is it to Put on the Star

The boys take turns putting the star on the tree. There was some discussion over who's turn it was this year. Sherman had told Shermie that he could do it. I had told Tuffer it was his turn. This was easily determined by consulting the Star box as we keep track of this on it's side. (Sherman writes it down every year) Guess who was right. When will they learn? ;0)

Putting up the tree is one of my favorite thing at this time of year. It's fun to pull out all the different hand made ornaments and talk about who made them or where we got others. The boys especially love their "1st Christmas" ones the best.

We let the boys decorate the tree themselves. It's always tempting to me to go and redistribute the ornaments when they get too concentrated in one area but this year I think It turned out very nice.

What a nice looking bunch.

Matthew's Christmas Concert

Matthew had his kindergarten music program the other night. When I got there his music teacher came running over to me and said, "Wait until you see Matthew! When he is singing, it is so loud and he is so intense with the hand motions. It is hilarious, I just love it!". I knew exactly what she meant having witnessed this at church and other programs. I was glad to see that someone other than me got it. While we waited for it to start, I was letting Nic blow off some steam hoping he would behave better later (it didn't work). At one point when there got to be to many people to continue letting him run, he got a little out of control and fell off the low, risers. There was a gasp from the crowd as they watched him fall. He rolled out of it and was on his feet when he saw me coming. (as a wrestling mom it was a very impressive move) Knowing he hadn't been hurt I, some what calmly (I was mad because I had already told him to sit down), chased him down and swatted his butt, not even bothering to check him out for injuries. Probably not what the crowd was expecting. I got a few confused and dirty looks but it made me chuckle because that's just Bocker. He knows how to fall. When the program started Nic got a little better but not much. Matthew did a great job. He had us laughing the whole time with his antics. It was super fun to watch.

Stuffed!!!

I don't now about you but I'm stuffed. What a week!

We had all of Sherm's family in town. That's Susan, Steve, Jessie, Darrin, Eathan, Gavin, Katie, Sherman, me, Shermie, Tuffer, Matthew, Nicholas, Stevie, Scott, Jen, Savannah, Sydney, and Spencer. Shoooooo! We had a great time. The Boys love playing with their cousins (fighting with them too). There was never a dull moment.

I think though, that in the future the game RISK is going to have to be ban because the bigger Boys get too into it and with the help of the antagonist (you know who you are, if you don't it starts with a "D"...just kidding) it got pretty heated. =) It was pretty amusing to be watching and not playing, it made me laugh.

We had family pictures done which I think are going to turn out great. Kelli did a good job getting it all done before the kids lost it. Thanks Kel!!! ( she said she'd have a DVD for everyone on Friday of this week and we will mail them to you so you can choose what you want)

Those who went home missed out on some great Filipino Adobo that Spencer made on Saturday night so Nananana! Thanks Spens, I have been craving it for weeks! Masurap!

It was good to see everybody. Have a good Holiday Season! Love you all!

My Son the Chef; To Be Thankful

My mom decided to go all out this Thanksgiving and invited Shermie to help with the pies. Needless to say he was all for it. He made his own pie crust. Put it in the pie dish and pinched the edges. Then made the pumpkin pie filling and filled it up. They made two pumpkin pies, an apple pie and a pecan pie. Yummmmmmmmmmmmmm! Here he is hamming it up for the camera.

This Thanksgiving I have been thinking about the importance of being thankful. I believe it is what helps us appreciate the sacrifices that are made on our behalf. To be thankful we must look outside of ourselves and take in all that we have been given and all that has been done for us. Gratitude takes Humility. To admit we can't and often don't do it alone. It is easy sometimes to be so wrapped up in what we are doing, or what we are missing, or the sacrifices we feel we are making that we forget to be grateful for the kind services we receive and the things that are truly important. Our Family and loved ones, our health and our Faith.

We have a loving Heavenly Father who is always blessing us, who always wants the best for us. We have a loving Brother the Savior who has made it possible for us to return to our Heavenly Father, who has made it possible for our families to be Forever Families. They support us in our joys as well as our trials. What more can we ask for than that. If we were to have nothing else, we would still have everything we needed.

Thank you, to all those who add to my life in friendship and love. To my husband I could not stand to be without. To my children who are the joys of my life (as well as my headaches). To my parent who raised me right and for all that they have done and continue to do. To my brothers and sisters, though we may fight we know we really always love each other anyway. (RIGHT?!) To my in-laws who love me as their own and do anything to help. To our Savior for loving EACH of us enough to make it all possible with His sacrifice.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Leaves, Leaves and More Leaves

The boys were out raking leaves up again today. They do such a good job. As they got done with the back yard, we heard the leaf pick-up truck coming into the neighborhood. So Sherman Peter helped them get the front yard done before it got to our house. They finished just in the nic-of-time.

I'ts that Time of year Again...

Here are some pictures from last night. Top Rt. to Lt. Shermie, Tuffer, Matthew, Nicholas. Shermie and Tuffer practicing take downs. Bottom Rt. to Lt. Nicholas pining his opponent. Matthew the Intimidater.

...Can you smell the sweat in the air.

The boys started wrestling practice last night. Some needed a little convincing while others were rearing to go. They all did great though and worked hard. If they keep up the attitude from last night we should have a great year. With three practices in a row a week, for 45 minutes and an option extra 45minutes, it's a long first half of the week. It's especially fun to take them all by myself when Sherman works. Oh, the things we do for our kids. I really get a kick out of watching them and am amazed at how quickly they improve. They have a great coach who we appreciate a lot. He is wonderful with the kids and they all look up to him which makes it easy for them to learn.

Only Twelve Days to the Movie Twilight

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

See you for our Girls Night, can't wait!
Here is the link to our book club: http://thegjgirlsbookclub.blogspot.com/

Happy Birthday, Cousin Marcus!

Marcus is 2! Now his mom is in for the real fun! To celebrate we all went to Chuck E. Cheese, which I think has nasty food but the kids love the games so the adults endure it. They had a lot of fun playing with there cousins.

Watch this ham go! What a good dancer!

Our Ward Party and a Suprise E-mail

I love Halloween!!!!
Here are the pictures from our ward party. The Boys had a good time and our family won "Most Original" in the costume contest. So our winning streak has not been broken.

All though I think Mande's Family was pretty darn original and stinking cute!!! She made all the costumes and that plankton is the coolest.

Mom asked that I do a secession of the costumes I have done over the years but I couldn't find all the pictures so here is what I do have. They are listed in order from Sherman Peter and Me then from oldest to youngest. I went with the pictures I had and have resolved to take a complete family picture each year from here on out.

As you can see there are some holes and missing people. If you have any pictures that I don't e-mail them to me and I will update it.

Oh, I almost forgot. I got an e-mail from the local news station today asking if we (Mande and I) wanted to be on the morning news on Halloween to show off our pumpkins! I couldn't believe it. Not wanting to miss our 15 sec. of fame we of course said we would love too. I will have them burn me a copy for the blog and post it later. So Stay Tuned.

Butch McCain Our Weatherman

My husband insisted I make a pumpkin to enter into a contest that our local news channel is having. It was not what I wanted to do but I guess it turned out alright. What do you think?

Well, what we lack in talent we can make up for with presentation,right? Here is Matthew posing as Butch doing the weather. (Oops! I wasn't suppose to say it was him. He was very clear he didn't want anyone to know he did this, so let's just say this is Nicholas)

Enjoy!

Another Pumpkin

Here is one Mande did of Lauren Whitney the morning weathergirl.

Pumpkins and Palin

Here are some fun pictures of our pumpkins. These grew in the front garden on there own and we had just enough for each of the boys. I thought it very fortunate and the boys absolutely loved watching them grow. We threw some of the seeds back in the garden for next year. The boys could hardly wait to carve them. We held off as long as we could for fear the pumpkins would be shriveled before Halloween but oh well. Shermie and Tuffer did their own designs. Tuffer did a ghost and Shermie did a giant squid. Such creative boys.

Sarah Palin made a stop in Grand Junction this week so Amy and I took the opportunity to go and see her. I was greatly and nicely surprised to see the turn out. The news said that 15,000 people RSVP and 22,000 showed up (when Obama came he only had 3,000 so there). It was Awesome! People started to show up at 5:00 a.m. in the morning to stand in line when she wasn't to speak until 7:15 p.m. It stretched around the football stadium and all the way out to the street. We weren't sure that we would get in but at the last minute they opened the over flow seating and we were there. Although the picture in the bottom left above is what I could see due to my lovely shortness. (I could actually see if I stood on my toes) But the guy next to me was videoing it and I could see pretty good on his screen. It was a good time even still. Thanks Amy for being a conservative freak and going with me. Go Vote People.

Totally Awesome, Blue Angels!!

For Tuffer's Birthday, he decided he wanted to see the Air Show. Boy, was that the great idea! We got there at 9:00 that gave us 2hrs. to stake out our spot, look at all the cool displays, meet the military guys, see and play in the helicopters and have some lunch. We met my brother there with Sheali and it was nice to have them with us.

The Marines had a "pull up" booth where you could see how many you could do. Of course they all had to try it. The goofys.

The helicopters were very neat to look at. The boys loved to be able to climb all through them. Matthew and Nic especially liked the buttons (which all had to be pushed) and the "shoot" button on the control stick. When he got into the cockpit the first thing Nic did was to grab the control and start shooting! Those terrorists better watch out, they are in for it! (everyone is)

The airshow started with paratroopers. It was cool how they could land exactly on target. You won't catch me jumping out of a plane!! Then they had several different planes and acts throughout the day. There was a truck that had jet engines on it and blew fire. It raced the airplanes and jets from the ground. That thing was so incredible fast and the boys loved the fire(go figure). We had a good spot to watch but we didn't think to bring chairs, so all we had was a blanket on the ground. It worked because you stood most of the time anyway. The kids where close enough to the front that they went and stood in front of the gate. They got to shake hands with some of the pilots.

We ran into some people that didn't like children and to them I say, " If you don't like children don't go to where there are children." The kids were all being really good and weren't even in front of them and they made Sheali cry. Not nice. But the guy who was next to us with his kids went up and let those people have it. Several other people did the same. Then they didn't seem to mind the kids so much. Oh well, what do you do.

The best of course was the Blue Angels! Those guys are just Awesome!!! It was Incredible! I could not believe all the stuff they could do and they were so loud.

Here are some Tips if you plan to go in the future:

1. Sun screen and hat are a must

2. Bring a chair and sealed water

3. Have cash

4. Get there early and plant your chair right in front of the gate

5. Umbrellas for shade aren't a bad idea, it can get hot.

6. Use the shuttle bus (save time and money)

And last but not least be nice to the kids.

Also if you're really smart you will load up your pick up with everything you need and head out to the desert behind the airport. But you have to get there off of 25 road. That way it's free!

Fishing with Gramie and Pop pop '08

Here are some of the pictures of the boys fishing with Gramie and Pop pop. They each got to go with them one at a time for camping and fishing. The boys really look forward to it and enjoy it lot! In fact some try to get to go twice (Matthew).

Mostly it's just catch and release because none of us are big on eating fish with some exceptions (Tuffer). Most of us do like salmon and halibut but not other fish.

Tuffer brought these home for us to eat. (yuck!) Luckily we happened to be having salmon that night so it impersonated Tuffer's trout and everyone was happy.

The one rule is you have to be four years old to go with them overnight, much to Nicholas' disappointment. He will be old enough next year and he will get to go on a day fishing trip this year.

Rockies, Broncos and Broken Glass

Happy Birthday Sherman Peter! For his birthday we went to Denver to attend a Rockies game and visit with Scott and Jen. We went over Friday afternoon and went to the Rockies vs. Dodgers game that night (rockies lost). With us were Scott, Jen, Savannah and Sydney, Susan and Steve and Stevie. Despite the forecast for rain, it did not and we had a great time!!!

The boys were really good! Even though the people in front of us were not impressed. They left the game in the 3rd inning. If you don't like kids don't go to a ball park, the chances are good there will be kids there.

Thanks, Susan and Steve for the tickets!

Saturday the Big Boys went golfing. Then the Girls went to lunch without the kids. It was nice to spend time together without being hung on. The boys and I headed home then and Sherman stayed for another Rockies game and a Broncos game. He should feel a little spoiled by now but he's worth it and deserves it for all his hard work. He'll be home today.

While Sherman was not home, last night, we had a big scare. Thankfully no one was hurt. We had all just gotten in bed. There was a huge banging, crashing and glass breaking noise. It was so loud I thought someone had fallen through the roof or crashed into the house. Upon investigation this is what I found, besides wide-eyed boys.

This is the mirror that had been on the wall in the boys' bathroom. Without any warning sign or explanation it just fell off and shattered into pieces, which covered the bathroom and all the way out into the hallway. Thank goodness the boys had not been in there when it happened! Even the broken pieces were heavy. I still can't find any reason for it falling, very weird. All though it did not have any additional support to keep it on the wall, like those little mounting brackets that you may sometimes see. I will be checking the other mirrors in the house and putting brackets on them. You may want to too. This could have been very bad. You would not believe how heavy they are.

Monkeys at the Park

Here is some pictures of the fun we had at the park.



This video is of Tuffer's signature move:

Remember 9/11

Let's not forget, we did not start this fight but lets make sure we finish it.
Thank You to the troops that make it possible for us to be safe.

Surprise! Number Five!

Yes, we are expecting our fifth child! Due May 18th 2009. Thank goodness for winter pregnancy! I think we are both in a little bit of shock but very excited!!! We will tell the boys tonight when every one is at home.

I found out this morning, much to my surprise, and was a little unsure how to break the news to Sherman. I had seen these pregnancy tickers on other blog pages and decided to find one for ours. After I had it in place I called him at work and said that I had put a new feature on the blog that I wanted him to look at and tell me what he thought. He pulled it up and said "What's this?" I said "what does it look like?" In his head he was trying to figure out who in the family might be pregnant. Then he tried to justify how it might be someone else and why they would be on our page. After coming to the conclusion that this was "OUR" family blog he asked "Are YOU pregnant?" And yes I am. This page was then forwarded to the rest of the family to see if they spotted the ticker quicker.

Of course we are all excited and ask for your prayer that all goes well. We will keep you posted.
We have girl names but no boy names since we have already used up eight good boy names (2 for each). Have any suggestions?

Boys, Rocks and Dirt

This weekend Sherman decided to take us on a picnic and hike. So after picking up some KFC and some camel backs for the boys and ourselves, we headed up to the Devil's Kitchen. We went in the middle of the day (the hottest part no less) but it was still fairly cool with the breeze that was blowing up through the canyon. Shermie held Bocker's hand as they walked, too cutie. Matthew and Tuffer thought it was fun to race most of the time and to look for lizards. We found a cool rock that had huge holes worn into it by the wind and water. We got all the boys up into it for a picture.

When we started out we weren't really sure how far we would be able to go with Nicholas walking himself. But after half an hour we reached the end of the trail and he had done great! There was plenty of shade to sit in and have our lunch. Also there was a small water hole that has a waterfall when it rains. The boys quickly entertained themselves with throwing rocks into the water. What is it with boys and rocks. They just can't leave them alone. They're dad taught them to skip them on the water. Shermie was pretty good at it.

Not wanting to pack a bunch, we had gotten finger foods for the picnic. Chicken strips, wings, corn on the cob, biscuits and a bag of frozen fruit. The fruit was the best because it was still cold and it was a nice cool treat. Nicholas had dirt with his meal because he insisted on having one of everything which he set on his camel back in the dirt. Tasty! Oh whats a little dirt hurt right.

The hike back seemed to take less time then going in but we could see that had it been any longer we would have been carrying Nic. As it was he held his own. The boys, including Sherman Peter, decided to race up the hill to the car. Daddy lost because he has weak ankles and twisted it. So the boys won. Luckily it didn't seem as bad as it had been on previous occasions. He'll live. It was a wonderful family activity which we plan to do more often. The boys love it.

Back to School! So Soon?

...And away they go!

It got here to quick for me! I loved having them all home. Now the house feels a little lonely. Bocker is sure loving it though. He follows me around talking the whole time. Taking full advantage of the undivided attention. I think he too is going to miss them soon enough. To me our house never seems full enough.

The older boys are all very excited for the school year. Shermie was a little apprehensive until he saw that he knew a lot of the kids in his class. Tuffer is Tuffer and just went with the flow. Matthew acted like he's been going to kindergarten his whole life. He went like he owned the place but that's Matthew. He has a male teacher which I think is just perfect for him. He already thinks his teacher is the greatest because he made him laugh.

Shermie says his teacher is really nice. He is already looking forward to some of the things she has planned for them this year. Tuffer has the same teacher Shermie did in first grade and she is awesome. He will enjoy being in her class though Tuffer is easily please. They are smart Boys!

Nicholas thinks it's great to be mom's Big Helper at home. It did take some convincing though because there has always been someone else to do the little chores around the house i.e. picking up his own room and clothes, cleaning windows etc. He is taking it in stride, even if he has been a bit spoiled until now (and still is : ).

Last Days Of Summer Fun

I can't believe how quickly this summer has gone by. Three of the boys start school next week. Shermie will be in third grade, Tuffer in first, and Matthew is starting Kindergarten. Nicholas isn't going to know what to do with himself. This weekend we took the boys school clothes shopping. It was actually not as painful as I had anticipated, shopping with four boys. I'm glad Sherman Peter went too. It was very helpful and we did a good job staying in our budget which was an extra bonus. We did have to hurry though so Matthew could make it to his friend 's birthday party.

Matthew had a great time at his friend Ryan's party at Banana's Fun Park. They had pizza, pop and cupcakes. They played on the bump and jump, drove bumper boats, played video games and Laser tag! That was a lot of fun to watch!!!

Oh, MAMA MIA! Vampires!

Here' s to the best girls night ever!! This last Friday my sister Mande, Jennifer, Becca, their mom and her friend and I met at Chili's to start with appetizers before going to a movie. It was a good start. Yuummmmy artichoke dip!!!

Then we headed to the theater to see "MAMA, MIA!". It was full even though it's been out for a while. I can see now why it was. It was the best!!! I love ABBA and have not had so much fun in I can't remember how long. We were singing at the top of our lungs and laughing the whole time. It's just one of those movies. It's a good thing the theater was full mostly of women. I did feel sorry for the guys who were drag to it.

At the end of the movie there was an additional song "Waterloo", at which point Mande jumps up and starts dancing. Well, there was no way I would let her dance alone and besides that was the exact thought that I had. Everyone in the theater started shouting and clapping for us which made more people join us. Oh so much fun!!!!

We then went to IHOP for dinner and to wait for the main event, (though I would say that that was the movie). Most of the time was spent making jokes and laughing. It was great to have adult conversation for a change.

Afterward, we met Amy at Barns and Noble for the much anticipated book release of "Breaking Dawn" the four book in the Twilight series. It was a "Vampire Prom Theme" and while the average age in the room was probable about 15 it was still fun (which included the young women for my ward). We registered for door prizes and got our ticket to get the book. Then we filled in the questions on a book trivia paper and got temporary tattoos. Jennifer won a door prize of a free copy and to be the first in line to get it. Lucky Jennifer, yes I was jealous and was not alone. We were out until 1:00 in the morning and I bet that most of us were up later than that reading!!!

Thanks, you gals that was AWESOME!!!!! See ya on December 12th, if not sooner, for the opening of "Twilight", the first movie from the book series.

Of Snakes and Boys

I heard shouting, fighting and running coming up the stairs.....okay that could be any given day at any given time...so anyway, the Boys were so thrilled to find this little guy out in our backyard.** (Their Great-Mas would be freaking out, she hates snakes! So you better not read this to her, Gramie)


We have another snake living around our yard that we see all the time. They call it "Our Friend Snake". Every time it's spotted, they feel the need to pick it up (even when told not to, they are such boys) or have me do it (good thing I don't mind, I know some friends who would mind-- well you know who you are).

Usually I talk them into "just looking" a little while then I say, "Okay, it has to go back to it's family now. That way it will want to stay around the yard." Which maybe that should be rethought if snakes are going to start populating the yard. Oh well, less bugs. It sure was a cool little snake. Don't worry though, it survived the man-handling and was released outside.
**No snakes where harmed in the making of this blog post

Singing in the Shower...Just Sing in the Shower

Matthew was in the shower just singing up a storm. So I thought I'd better get it on video for future harassment, like to show girls when he's older.

You can see he thinks someone might be watching but he isn't quiet sure at first. Then he see me but I don't think he knew I was recording it. He just makes me laugh. It sure didn't phase him if he did.

He had started out sing, "I do what I want to! Whatever I want to!". Yea, good luck with that one bubby. He can dream anyway.

Little Did You Know

I bet you didn't know there was such talent to be had at the Alexander house hold. The clips below are just a sampling to make you laugh. After the boys saw the one Monte Lee sent us they said they needed one of their own. Just Smile and Enjoy!

Cool Boys

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