Stevie's Magical Night

Stevie and I went to see Disney's Princess on Ice tour last week. It was so magical for her and I loved watching her take it all in. She spent a few days deciding what to wear and then on the day of the show, she literally spent about an hour picking out accessories and laying everything out on her bed. I really think she might go into fashion someday.


I think Gracie and Miss Caren enjoyed it as much as we did too. Stevie's favorite princess was Ariel and her favorite part was when all of the princesses came out at the end and danced together. My favorite part was watching the girls get so excited...and the other favorite part for me...I got away without buying any of the expensive souvenirs!

So You Think You Can Dance?

Uh...I know I can't dance. But I am a sucker for some reality TV shows...and I kinda like So You Think You Can Dance. Guilty pleasure. Sara, Brittoni, Katie and I went to see the Season 5 tour last weekend. Fun times! I really loved looking at all of the fasion statements being made by all of the fans, and watching and wondering why so many men were at the show. I'm pretty sure that it would take a lot of bribing for my husband to even consider such an event.

Anyway...for the record...I don't like Season 6...but I love Ade, Kayla, Jeanine, and Melissa from Season 5.

Stevie's Imaginary Friend

Before I forget her name again...I want to introduce you to Ellajanea aka Stevie's imaginary friend. She has been around for a few weeks. I'm guessing on the spelling of Ellajanea's name because Stevie couldn't provide that info for me. But she did tell me that Ellajanea is 5 years old, just like Jake. She is always dressed as a princess and even wears princess dresses to bed. I'm hoping to find out more about her soon :-)

Quote of the Day

Stevie - "I want to marry Jake."
Jake - "Maybe, but I am too old for you Stevie. You are 3 1/2 and I am 5."
Me - "Jake I thought you wanted to marry me?"
Jake - "Mom...you are really too old. You are 31 and I am only 5."
Me - "Right, I am old"

Halloween 2009

Introducing...
Jake the Transformer
Steve aka Cinderella
Kelly the Lil Devil

The morning after...counting the candy. I have awesome memories of doing this as a kid and it is so fun to watch them get excited about Halloween now.

Bramhalls in New York

My side of the family has been spoiled. So far all 8 siblings have lived fairly close together. The furthest away is Nikki and her family and they are near Las Vegas. Still within driving distance, weekend trips, etc. And I feel like we get to see them quite a bit considering the distance (thanks to Nikki for doing most of the driving).

It was bound to happen...and now Tracie and her family have moved to New York. Not going to lie...I have been so sad about them leaving. Even though it is hard, I am used to having the Hough side of the family far away. Now I will adjust to having one of my sisters across the country too. My kids are really close to Taylor so that will be an adjustment for Jake and Stevie. But to focus on the positive, I am excited for the Bramhalls in this new adventure and excited that I have a place to stay somewhere near the east coast. If anyone can handle this drastic change...it would be Dave and Tracie. Thank heavens for texting, emailing, cell phones, blogging, and even Facebook :-)

Bike Racing

My guess is that Steve has spent more time on his bike this summer & fall than ever before. He loves mtn biking and I usually embrace this passion. I know how it feels like to release stress with exercise and just to feel better about life. Anyway...Steve and my brother Casey and brothers-in-law Duff, Troy, and Dave decided to train and complete the 24 Hours in Moab race. They did the race 3 weeks ago and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. I was impressed at how well they did as a team , placing 6th in their division. The team motto was "Beware of Duff"...so true. That race doesn't apeal to me very much because of the night-riding factor...but the team race sounds kinda cool. Here are a few pics from the weekend.

After that race, Steve was inspired by Duff to try out Cyclocross racing (hope I spelled that right). The kids and I went to watch Steve and Duff race and it was easy to watch and cool to see something different. He liked that race too. But now that we have been getting snow...I think his frame of mind is shifting in ski season mode...his other outdoor passion :-)