So, yeah....

Rhys

Kind of loves....

TACKLING!!!!

Katsuta Kup 2011

Trevor and Jeremy "What happens on the mat, stays on the mat."

This is Trevors second year in Judo. We are really proud of him for sticking to it and he really enjoys the exersise AND competing with his friends=)

Angry Birds

There is a game that is very popular on the new iPhones and iTouches right now. It is called Angry Birds and it is a very fun, addicting, frustrating game. Since Trevors "big" present for his 12th birhtday was an iTouch I decided that an Angry Birds Cake was appropriate.

Fondant Angry Birds and Pigs

It was also Owen's 8th Birthday today, so he got in on the cake action=)

Anybody know....

....how to get blood stains out of a white Gi??

Knee to the nose during Judo=bragging rights when you are 11 years old. "Mom, do we HAVE to wash out the stains? Imagine how it will look at the tounament if I have BLOOD all down my Gi!"

I know I'm behind...

and I have 2 or 3 posts for February that I will be publishing soon...probably....but for now here's something that made me laugh out loud. Enjoy=)

An 11 step program you need to complete if you are even thinkg about having kids

Lesson 1

1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.

Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)
Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? T o find out...
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.
Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment.
Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 7
Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 8
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.
You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 9
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 10
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 11
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.


This is all very tongue in cheek; anyone who is parent will say 'it's all worth it!' Share it with your friends, both those who do and don't have kids. I guarantee they'll get a chuckle out of it. Remember, a sense of humor is one of the most important things you'll need when you become a parent!

And the WINNER is.....

A little "technical" help from Grandpa=)

RHYS!!!!! and his amazing KubKar!!! Rhsy had a great time making his car and he won for fastest car this year....Gary Rhys did a great job!!

Terina is TEN!!!!

 For Terinas birthday this year we had and Family party (complete with a "Three tier wedding cake style" cake....in PINK), a friend party (with candy making and a trip to the Galaxy theater to see Gnomeo and Juliet) and of course, WAFFLES for breakfast (with icecream and chocolate sauce=)

Happy Birthday Sweetie!!!

Mothers Day

is coming up....just saying.

I have a Confession...

 I grew up sitting down to supper every night as a family. We would laugh and visit and fight and eat...not necessarily in that order. Gary also grew up sitting down to a family table. Here's our confession: We have never sat our family down to a TABLE and had a meal. We have eaten in restaurants, at other family’s homes, picnics and almost any other way to have a meal, but never just our family sitting down to a table...together...at the same time for the same meal. I blame the island in our kitchen. It is soooo much easier to just plate the food from the stove and hand it to kids sitting at the island. There are no serving dishes or utensils, no "setting" the table...okay so I'm lazy, that's the bottom line.

So tonight I decided that our family would set the table, transfer all the food into the dining room and SIT DOWN TO MEAL TOGETHER. I asked the girls to please set the table for dinner and Alaina instantly yelled "Yay! Lily's coming!! I'll watch for Aunt Jenies Suburban!!". No. Joke. I patiently explained (read *yelled*) that it was just OUR family for dinner and got several blank looks and then "Well, we eat at the table at Grandpa Kims and Grandma Sandys...." (implied "so I guess you haven't COMPLETELY lost it").

The girls set the table and we sat down to dinner. The 3 youngest LOVED it, Gary and I enjoyed it and Trevor tolerated it and then asked to be excused as soon as the last bite was in his mouth and bolted for his DS, so I guess it was a success.

HOW does he think of these things???

A conversation in my kitchen the other day:
Terina: My friends at school are teasing me.
Me: What freinds? Like Tai and Adeline?
Terina: No, Quincy and Jack and ....
Me: So BOYS are teasing you?
Terina: Yeah and following me around.
Me: Let me explain about boys honey....
Trevor: Tell them to talk to me.
Terina: WHY??
Trevor: I'll set them straight, and if that doesn't help I just tape my sandwich to their back and say "This is my brother Rhys, he hasn't eaten in a week. I'd run if I were you!"

You've got to admire his originality.

Rhys is EIGHT!!!

January 22, 2011

While we were gone on our cruise Rhys turned EIGHT! I can't believe my baby boy is growing up so fast but I am so proud of him and the choices he is making in his life.

Two of Rhys' Great Grandfathers were able act as the witnesses for his baptism. What a wonderful blessing!

As usual a big gathering with lots of food and visiting with friends and family. What better way to celebrate?

Scary. A large group of pre-teen girls all working together....not a good sign, lol.

Rhys' pacman birthday cake, it took 6 cake mixes to make this cake and we only took 5 pieces home. A job well done=)

The man of the hour.

This picture is especially sweet to me. Rhys with 2 sets of his great grandparents, the Hamons and the Bowlbys. We are so blessed to have so many Great Grandparents in our childrens lives. Growing up I only knew one of my Great Grandmothers and I didn't really get to spend time with her because she live so far away. Our children have 4 sets of great grandparents that are a part of their lives and I think that is so wonderful. Grandma and Grandpa Wynder were not able to be with us that day because of their health and inability to travel. Later that same day Grandma Wynder passed away peacefully. She will be missed.

Our 15th Anniversary

For our 15th we decided to go all out and treat ourselves to a Cruise. We took the Carnival Imagination from Miami, to Key West, then Cozumel Mexico, then back to Miami. It was 5 days and 4 nights of relaxation, amazing sunrises and sunsets, LOTS of food, plenty of chances to take beautiful and fun pictures, a chance to learn about new places and people. All in all a VERY good idea and money well spent. The above picture is our first sunset at sea...did I mention that Gary got me(us) a new camera for our anny?  A Sony Digital SLR(what DOES that mean anyway???) with 2 lenses and regular one and a telephoto one and we had a GREAT time putting it through its paces. 

First sunrise at Sea, just off of Key West. Wow.

The Ruins at Tulum, it is one of the reasons we took this particular cruise. Both of us have always wanted to see Mayan ruins and the opportunity really lived up to expectations. This place is beautiful,  inspiring and interesting and we can't wait to go back one day.

Ahhhhhhhhh.....the beach......

The ferry ride back to the boat from Playa Del Carmen to Cozumel was, to say the least, uncomfortable. We were seasick all the next day thanks to this little toy boat and rough seas=(

Home Sweet Home (ours is the one on the left)

Freaky little towel monkey, lol.

The Holocaust Memorial in South Beach. Very powerful. South Beach has such an interesting history I was fascinated by a tour I never wanted to take, lol.

One of the MANY Art Deco buildings that has been refurbished. Driving through SB is like driving through a movie set from the '40's. Really cool.

Last, but not least, a little wildlife at Jungle Island in Miami.

We took about 500 pictures on the trip and I have had them all developed and ordered a picture book of my favorites so this is just a taste and a way to make sure this experience is in our family journal for this year!