Halloween Slide Show!!!

Halloween

Halloween was a blast. It's always so fun to watch the kids enjoy this day. I do remember the feeling and excitement of it all. This year we had a puppy, Hannah Montana, a witch and a ghost.

The girls woke up early this morning to get their costumes on and look perfect for school. I could barely get them to eat breakfast, they were so excited to get to the bus stop. I don't ever remember being able to dress in costumes to grade school. Maybe my memory is failing me, which is quite possible. I'm glad their school allows them to. They love it.

They had a parade at their school and they circled around the halls waving at parents and teachers. It was so cute. Each child feels so special. Then they had a class party the last hour of class. It was a great party with lots of fun activites planned. Great job Jana and Hilary. At the end of the party I did my witches brew with the dried ice. We put in the ingredients in the brew and then I had them close their eyes and while everyones eyes are closed, I put in the dried ice. Their faces were totally amazed when they saw the smoke and bubbles coming out of the brew. The kids seemed to love it.

After school we rushed to Donevan's work to show off the costumes and trick or treat to his secretaries. As always, they were spoiled there too. Then we rushed home to get ready for the girls TaVaci Singing group. They were having practice to get ready for their holiday concert and a little Halloween party. They had a great time there.

After they got home from singing, we hurried and ate some yummy baked potato soup. Then it was off to Trick or Treat. We let the girls go around the cul-de-sac and to a few neighbors by themselves. They were really excited about this and felt big. Then it started getting dark and I drove them around to some friends houses that they wanted to go to. We ended up in a neighborhood where it seemed like every house was giving away big candy bars. We will for sure remember them next year.

Finally they got tired and decided that they wanted to join Dad and D.J. at home to pass out candy. By the time we got home it was late and time for showers and bed. Wow, what a day!!!

They couldn't go to bed without laying out all the candy and sorting it. I can remember doing this every year as a child. We would sort it and put every different kind in different baggies. It was so much fun. The best thing about being a parent is we get to go through the candy and pick out the best stuff for us!!!

Now everyone is in bed asleep and Halloween of 2007 is almost over. What a great day!!! Can't wait until next year. Having kids is so much fun!

Love This Time Of Year!!!

Every year Margo (my Mother-in-law) brings us a big box of potatoes straight from her Aunt and Uncles Farm. They are the greatest!!! There is nothing better than an Idaho Potato. It's hard to tell from the picture, but these potatoes are huge. We will enjoy these all winter long. Tonight I made my favorite potato soup recipe. My family loves this and it's always a hit!!! I got this recipe years ago from my sister-in-law, Virginia. Thanks VA. This is a regular at our house in the winter.

Baked Potato Soup

4-5 Large Potatoes
2/3 c. butter
2/3 c. flour
1 ½ quarts milk
1 c. sour cream
2 c. crumbled bacon
5 oz. grated cheddar cheese
3 green onions (if desired)
salt & pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees and bake potatoes until tender. Melt butter in a saucepan. Slowly blend in flour with a wire whisk until thoroughly blended. Gradually add milk to the butter flour mixture, whisking constantly. Whisk in salt and pepper and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly. Cut potatoes in half, scoop out the centers and set aside. Chop half the potato peels and discard the remainder. When milk mixture is very hot, whisk in potatoes. Add green onion and potato peels (if desired). Whisk well, add sour cream and crumbled bacon. Heat thoroughly. Add cheese a little bit at a time until it’s melted.

Slacker Blogger!!!

Yes, I have been a slacker lately with my blog. I am so sorry, I just feel like I have been so busy. Thanks to everyone for still checking on us. Check the next few days for some fun new posts. Hannah Montana concert, Halloween, etc.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEANINE!!!

Happy Birthday to my sweet sister-in-law Jeanine!!!! We love Jeanine because:

J eanine is so creative.

E verything in her life is organized.

A great Aunt.

N ew house is beautiful

I n the classroom she is an awesome teacher

N o doubt about it, she's a great Mom.

E verytime we see her, she spoils us


Hope you have a great birthday. We sure love you. And you still look good for your age. hehehe

Caitley Carving Pumpkins

We had fun the other night carving pumpkins with some friends. It's a neighborhood tradition that we have started that we always look forward to. Caitley had fun carving. This year they were really into it, especially Caitley.

Brittany Carving Pumpkins

I think Brittany spent most of the night eating treats off the treat table than actually carving her pumpkin. She did work hard on her pumpkin once I told her to stop eating. I didn't get a picture yet, but on the other side she carved a "M" all by herself to represent Michigan. I think Donevan has sufficiently engraved into their brains that they should love Michigan Football.

Ashleigh Carving Pumkins

Ashleigh loved carving pumpkins, but she enjoyed playing with her friends more. She is my social butterfly!!

Ear Infection ='s No Sleep

I just got back from the Dr's office and DJ has an ear infection. He hasn't been sleeping good for over a week now. He's had a bad cold and just been so congested. After another horrible nights sleep I decided to take him in. I am so glad I did. I've got antibiotic in his system now and hopefully we can all get some good sleep around here now.

I also got my flu shot today. Wow, I can't believe it's that time again. They say there isn't a shortage like there has been in the past. That's good news. Now all I have to do is try to talk the triplets into getting their flu shots. That probably isn't going to happen, but it's worth a try!!! Any good advice on how to get your kids to not be horrified about getting shots?

HANNAH MONTANA CRAZE!!!

The definition of craze is fad, trend, fashion, rage, enthusiasm, obsession, vogue, in-thing!!! This is definitely Hannah Montana right now. Her tickets are selling out at large venues all over the U.S. in minutes and the face values have atleast quadrupled. Everyone who has a daughter wants to get their hands on these tickets.

I was lucky enough to get tickets to her Salt Lake City Concert for next weekend. I was on the computer at 10am when they went on sale through ticketmaster and we still got upper bowl seats. It's insane. I realized I got a great deal a few days later when I spoke with a friend that paid $250 a ticket for her seats.

So, they just recently announced that they opened another Salt Lake City show the night before ours and that it would be a live taping. Everyone has been going crazy excited to have another chance to get tickets. My friends were online this morning right when they went on sale and they weren't able to get tickets. They sold out so quickly. It's pretty sad because all of these third party ticket companies are buying these tickets and marking them up to sell. People aren't even getting a chance to pay the normal price for these tickets. I feel bad for everyone who is having to buy them on Ebay or through other means. Good luck to those parents out there searching for reasonable tickets. We all just want our kids to have a fun!!!

Crazy Busy Week!!!!

Quads

This week has been so busy. We had fun early in the week watching the girls friend Brooklin for a few days while her parents went to Vegas. It was quite interesting feeling like we had quads. Doing four little girls hair and getting these divas ready for school in the morning was quite the challenge, but it was really fun. Brooklin was so good and we sure enjoyed having her. We generally have a no friends sleepover rule. This exception to the rule was a nice treat for the girls.



Activity Day Halloween Party

Wednesday afternoon I got to host a dress up Halloween party for 10 little girls. Wow was this a blast. We had some pretty creative costumes. We had a zombie, tootsie roll, witch, pirate, princess, cheerleader and some other great costumes. I dressed up as a witch and did a fun witches brew with dried ice and rootbeer. I put plastic bugs and spider rings and gummy worms in my witches brew. The kids thought that was pretty cool. We also had contests where the girls ate donuts from a string. That was exciting, especially since the weather didn't permit us to do it outside. My kitchen floor was pretty sticky. It was a great party and I think the kids had a fun time.



Surprise Trip To The Cabin

When Donevan got home from work Thursday night, I surprised him and had packed the bags and took him to his parents cabin. He was really excited. The girls slept at Grandma and Grandpas house and they got them to school on Friday. The cabin looked great. It was the first time I had seen the finished addition done on it. The new carpet was so pretty and made it so cozy. We love the cabin and it's such a treat to be able to escape to it.



Birthday Dinner/Surprise Party

Friday night the kids and I took Donevan to his favorite restaurant, The Sandpiper. We had a nice meal, but my stomach was in knots because while we were at dinner, friends were gathering at our house for a surprise party for Donevan. I was nervous about the timing of the party all working out and getting Donevan back home.
I had not told the girls yet about the surprise party. They aren't very good about keeping surprises. So as we were leaving, I took them into the bathroom and told them about the party. I didn't want them to freak out when they opened the door and there was a house full of people scraming "surprise". The girls could barely contain themselves from talking about it in the car ride from the restaurant to home. But, they did good and didn't ruin the surprise.
When we walked in the front door, everyone yelled "Surprise". Donevan was taken back and totally surprised. He had NO idea. My living room and kitchen were crammed pack with people. I was really happy with the turnout. There is nothing worse than planning a party and having no one show up. That wasn't a problem in this case.
I had gathered a lot of Donevan's old childhood items for people to look at and they were hilarious. We laughed as we looked at old report cards, childhood journals, team pictures, school dance pictures, family pictures, etc. Thanks to everyone who made it a special night. Donevan really enjoyed himself.

Saturday

Today was supposed to be our last Soccer game of the season. We were also hosting a pizza party at our house afterwards. (If you can't tell from my week, I love hosting parties) We woke up to rain and cold weather. The game was cancelled and rescheduled for Tuesday. So, we moved the pizza party to after the game. This gives me a few days to recover before having another party.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DONEVAN!!!!!!!!

Happy 34th Birthday to my BFF!!!
Wow, it's hard to believe that we're getting old. It's even harder to believe that we have been married almost 10 years and we dated for 2. So we've been together for 12 years of Donevan's 34 years. That is sooo awesome!!!

Here are just a few reasons why I Love My Hubby So Much....

~ He can't stand to be away from me or he gets depressed.
~He is always so considerate of others
~He listens (except when watching sports)
~He loves to learn
~He's a great Dad. He always knows what to say to the girls to help them when they're having a hard day or just need some TLC. He loves his little boy so much too.
~He loves to help others
~He's a die hard Michigan fan and Saturdays are all about the maze and blue....and BYU too.
~He's generous
~He loves to watch movies
~He loves to take me out
~He loves me and tells me everyday
~He always has the best surprises
~ He wants the best for others
~He's funny
~He has intergrity
~and sooo much more. If anyone wants to add anything, feel free to comment.

Highlights of 1973!!!

Welcome to Retroville!
IN THE NEWS:
Richard M. Nixon begins his second term as 37th President
Vice President Spiro Agnew resigns
Viet Nam War ends
President Nixon accepts responsibility for Watergate and accepts the resignations of H.R. Haldeman and John D. Erlichman
President Nixon fires John W. Dean III as counsel
U.S. bombing of Cambodia ends
President Nixon fires special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox and Deputy Attorney General William D. Ruckelshaus
Attorney General Elliot L. Richardson resigns
Supreme Court rules in Roe v Wade that abortions may be legally performed throughout the United States
Former Vice President Spiro Agnew pleads guilty to tax evasion charges in a Baltimore Federal Court and receives three years probation and a $10,000 fine
The first ETHERNET (local computer network) begins operation
Gene splicing becomes a reality
Watergate hearings are televised
SKYLAB, an orbiting space laboratory, is launched into orbit
Oakland A's defeat the NY Mets to win the World Series
George Forman defeats Joe Frazier for the heavyweight championship

ON THE RADIO:
CBS Radio Mystery Theater
Future Tense
Hollywood Radio Theater
Same Time, Same Station
Superman
Zero Hour

ON TELEVISION:
The Six Million Dollar Man
Griff
Barnaby Jones
Columbo
McMillan and Wife
McCloud
Police Story
The Magician
Kojak
Love Story
Adam's Rib
Brian Keith Show
Bob Newhart Show
Emergency!

FADS & FASHION:
BIC pens
Evel Knevel stunt cycles
Perfection (the game)
Dungeons & Dragons
Streaking
Rocky Horror Picture Show

WHAT THINGS COST:
Car: $4,052
Gasoline: 39 cents per gallon
House: $35,500
Bread: 27 cents per loaf
Milk: $1.36 per gallon
Postage Stamp: 8 cents
Average Annual Salary: $13,622
Minimum Wage: $1.60 per hour

ACADEMY AWARD - BEST PICTURE:
The Sting - a dramatic film by George Roy Hill starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford

TOP SONGS:
Let's Get it On by Marvin Gaye
Midnight Train to Georgia by Gladys Knight & The Pips
Photograph by Ringo Starr

What's Up People???

Only 10 people have voted. I know I have had atleast 50 hits in the last two days and no one is voting. Donevan is winning and I'm not sure I can handle that. No just kidding!!! But seriously, VOTE. (all you VA people need to vote)

Who Do I Look Like?

I'm putting this issue into the viewers hands. (You don't have to sign in to vote) Who does D.J. look more like? Everywhere I go, either people say he looks exactly like Donevan or he looks exactly like me or my family. Donevan's family thinks he looks like a Payne and the Paynes think he looks like a Neider. It's hilarious!!! Please voice your opinion!! I'm sure of one thing, he's soooo cute!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY REAGAN!!!

Happy 15th Birthday to my neice REAGAN!!!

Reagan is so great because:
~She is beautiful inside and out.
~She has the cutest laugh
~I was able to watch her grow up
~She has the best style
~She doesn't care what other people think, she's herself!
~She's a great athlete!
~The cousins love to play with her.
~She's a big kid at heart.
~She is so loving.
~She is a great sister
~and much, much more.

Hope you have a great Birthday. We love you Reagan!!!

Congratulations ANA !!!

Congrats to my High School Girlfriend Ana who is expecting her first child. This is very exciting since at my 10 year H.S. Reunion a year ago, there were only a small few who had children already. I was the crazy one at the reunion with three children and one more on the way. I know Ana will be a great Mom and I wish her and Dave all the best of luck. Happy 16 weeks!!!

Daddy's Girl

This note was left on Donevan's nightstand. She is such a Daddy's Girl!!!

WHERE ARE MY PHONES???

This is hilarious!!! I have 5 cordless telephones on the main floor of my house. They are all interchangeable and can be charged on any of the bases. This morning the phone rings and I can't find one telephone. I run from room to room as the phone is ringing and none of the phones are on the bases. This isn't unual for me. It's pretty much a daily occurance. It's a good thing we have caller id. Why can't I just put them back on the chargers? Am I the only one with this problem?

Reward System

We started a new reward system at our house last night. We have had success with rewards systems for our children, but have found that they need to be changed often to spark more interest and help make chores fun.

I got this idea off my friend Tiffany's blog, but we changed it a bit to fit our kids ages. This is how the reward system works. My children each have three tasks a day that they have to do. 1. Bedroom clean (includes making bed), 2.Read, and 3. we rotate between three other chores. (Daisy our dog, trash, dishwasher) . Each day our children do all three of their tasks they earn one dollar from the Neider Bank. Every Monday night after family night they will have the chance to go to the Neider Store and spend the money they have earned throughout the week. I went to the dollar store and got tons of little things that I knew they would be excited about. We priced all the items and we also put for sale things like "A Date with Daddy". The date with Dad is $14, so they would have to save for two weeks straight to earn a big reward like that. What I am excited about with this reward system is that we are also going to reward the kids with extra dollars if we see them doing something good . We can also take dollars away if they don't do what they are supposed to.

To get the girls excited, we gave them all 7 dollars last night and let them go to the store. They had a blast. It was funny to watch them decide if they were going to spend all their money or save. They all ended up spending some and saving some. I hope this works out well because everyone in our house can agree that they are tired of me saying, "I'm not a live in maid!"

Go Fireflies!!!

Caitley Ashleigh Brittany
I love this picture!!! The girls have enjoyed soccer so much this season. It's the first season they have been on an all girl league. Donevan got roped into being the coach and it's hilarious watching him coach these girls. He is all into it 110%, even though soccer isn't his expertise. He's out there with his notepad with game strategy maped out and everything. I have to remind him once in a while that girls are a lot more emotional than boys and definitely not so intense.
Watching their team come up with a name was hilarious. They wanted all these really girly names that didn't sound tough at all. They finally talked Donevan into fireflies. Some of the other team names we have played this year have been the pink panthers, the purple lilacs and our personal favorite, the blue puffy clouds. LOL.
Donevan just realized the other day that he better really learn all the soccer rules and how to coach girls because he's got a lot of coaching years ahead of him. I'm proud of my girls for improving so much this year. The past few seasons they have played there hasn't really been positions or strategy. It was just a heard of kids moving around the field. This year they are playing positions and really understanding the game. I'm sad the season is coming to an end, we only have 3 more games. Go fireflies!!!

HAPPY HALLOWINTER!!!

If you live in town, drive your kids by tonight because this pumpkinman lights up!!!

Snow Again!!!

We woke up this morning to more snow. I know all you people who are enjoying fall weather wish you could have snow too. Just Kidding. This is the one thing that drives me crazy about living here. I love the fall. It's my favorite time of year, and it seems like we go from 95 degree heat to freezing overnight.

Another Saturday of snow means another soccer game missed. Ugh!!! It makes for a busy week to have a makeup game. We now will have an activity after school everyday this week. Monday is ballet, Tuesday is soccer practice, Wednesday is singing lessons, and Thursday is now the soccer game. It's crazyness, but lots of fun.

We are not prepared for snow at all. The girls wanted to go play out in the snow of course. So, we pulled out all the snow clothes to find bib overalls that are too short, only 2 pairs of boots that are too small and mismatched gloves (of course, that's a given). I guess we need to do some snow clothes shopping. Since we only had 2 pairs of boots and 3 girls that wanted to go out to play, I had to quickly come up with a strategy to make everyone happy. So then I had a bright idea, something I remember from my childhood. My mom used to put plastic bags over my shoes with rubber bands. Thanks Mom for helping not have total chaos breakout in my household today. Donevan was laughing at me, telling me that it would never work. He was wrong. It totally worked and Brittany wore plastic bags around the neighborhood all day!!!

Nothings Better Than A Warm Fire!!!

We always laugh at Ashleigh because it takes her longer to get all her snow gear on as it does for her to play outside. She doesn't like to be cold or get wet. She usually lasts about 2 mins. playing in the snow. So this year isn't any different. She'd rather be warm inside by the fire. Me too, I don't blame her.

No More Shovel

Donevan was more than happy to plow the driveway and sidewalks with his plow on his lawnmover. He's so cute!!!

All About Ashleigh

TAGGED
Name- Ashleigh Lee Neider
How Old Are you? 6
Favorite Color? PINK
What is your favorite food? Shrimp
What is your favorite song? “Girls Night Out” Hannah Montana
Favorite movie? High School Musical 2
Favorite TV Show? Hannah Montana
Favorite Restaurant? Texas Roadhouse
What do you want to be when you grow up? A Good Mom
Favorite place to go? Blast Off
Favorite thing to do at school? Math
Favorite Book? “I love you dear Dragon”
Favorite Trip? N.C. Beach this summer
What does Dad do all day? “He helps people”
What does Mom do all day? “She takes care of D.J., cleans, and takes naps”

All About Brittany

TAGGED
Name- Brittany Lee Neider

How Old Are you? 6

What is your favorite color? Purple
What is your favorite food? Strawberries
What is your favorite song? "Who Let The Dogs Out"
Favorite movie? High School Musical 1&2
Favorite TV Show? Scooby Doo
Favorite Restaurant? McDonald's with the slide
What do you want to be when you grow up? Vet
Favorite place to go? My Grandma Margo and Grandma Payne's house
Favorite thing to do at school? Recess
Favorite Book? “The Book of Mormon”
Favorite Trip? Disneyworld
What does Dad do all day? “Builds my playhouse, makes money and takes care of the family.”
What does Mom do all day? “She takes care of D.J., cooks food, and cleans”

All About Caitley

TAGGED
Name- Caitley Lee Neider
How Old Are you? 6
What is your favorite color? Green
What is your favorite food? Tuna Fish
What is your favorite song? "Get your head in the Game" High School Musical
Favorite movie? High School Musical 1
Favorite TV Show? Price is Right
Favorite Restaurant? Texas Roadhouse
What do you want to be when you grow up? A Therapist like my Dad
Favorite place to go? Go Carts
Favorite thing to do at school? Recess
Favorite Book? "Tinkerbell"
Favorite Trip? N.C. Beach this summer
What does Dad do all day? “He mows the lawn and he goes to work to help peoples heads. ”
What does Mom do all day? “She takes care of D.J. and cleans up after us.”


If You Read This, I Tagged Your Kids...only if you want to participate.

Happy Birthday to my neice GEMMA!!!

She's 1 year old today!!!

Happy Anniversary to Debbie & Rodrigo!!!!

Dinner Tonight!!!

I was in the office and Ashleigh came in and informed me that she had dinner under control. She said she was making dinner and that I shouldn't come into the kitchen. I was very curious to see what she was making, but I didn't peak. When I walked in the kitchen, I just started laughing. I thought this was really cute, especially the sign. Then her and her sisters proceeded to serve thier Dad and myself cup of noodles. I was happy to not have to cook.

This is Ashleigh's Specialty