40 FOR 40

So you know Monica on Friends? You know how she's like mega competitive? I'm like her - times a million. It's really proven to be mostly detrimental rather than helpful as a trait to possess. I can't just do things - I have to be the best at what I do. So I make almost everything in my life some sort of a challenge that can be won or lost. In other words, I have the need to make everything measurable for myself so that I tell myself how awesome I did at it. But mostly it's not like that, it's more like me telling myself I should have done better and that I failed. Like I said before, it's really not a positive attribute. 

BUT for the sake of making myself feel better when trying to lose weight - I make up challenges so I can feel like I'm succeeding on days (or months) that the scale doesn't move. So for this purpose I created the 40 for 40 challenge! It started after a friend and I had a conversation at the park. After disclosing to her how discouraged I was with my weight loss, she suggested incorporating an effort to increase my exercise routine. She said "Shan - just do 10 minutes. Even if it's just 10 minutes of yoga." 

I pondered what she said and I got real with myself. I KNEW I could do more, a lot more than 10 minutes, even though I didn't want to admit it. It was a legit moment in time to stop making excuses. I spent a few days mulling over numbers in my head and decided 30 minutes and 30 days seemed doable. Then I thought about bumping it up to 45 minutes so that the challenge so it could end on Thanksgiving. But 45 felt overwhelming. I sat on the idea of 45 for 45 for a few more days and it still felt like "I know I'll never do that...." So I settled on FORTY MINUTES OF EXERCISE FOR FORTY DAYS. A challenge with the perfect amount of "challenge" to it. 

I asked people to join me but it was really just a way for me to make a measurable goal that didn't relate to the scale. I'm taking steps to regaining my healthy lifestyle that I once fell in love with from 2008-2011. 

The rules were:

1: No "banking" or "making up" time. 40 continuous minutes of activity, each day. You miss a day - you start over. 

2: The 40 minutes has to be more than what you would normally do - so 40 minutes of mowing the lawn doesn't count. But 40 minutes of mowing the lawn with a push mower when you usually do it on the riding lawn mower counts. 

3: Have fun and get moving

It's simple and it has made a big difference in how I feel about myself when I go to bed at night. It has totally motivated me to do things out of my comfort zone like working out at a hotel gym while on vacation in Vegas! It has also started a habit of getting up before the family and walking our dog around the neighborhood each morning. I've been craving movement now instead of dreading it. I crave a treadmill work out now and I find myself looking for chances to be more physically engaged including adding a few weight routines to the end of my workouts. I can't say I've seen a change on the scale as the numbers are still very very slow to drop. But I can say I FEEL better, my body has been happier, my mind clearer, and I go to bed a night feeling proud of another day I refused to fail. Today is  day 20. Join my challenge and by the time I'm done you'll be where I am today - enjoying the benefits I'm telling you about. Get moving, thank your body for all it does for you on a daily basis and give it the gift of health. A tiny bit more health than you gave it yesterday - that's all it takes. 

SEVEN - PLUS 999

Seven plus about nine hundred and ninety nine, is the number of draft posts I've written and the number of times I think about things each week to write about. I fear I've neglected my little space on the inter-web and that makes me sad. It's not a matter of not having totally super awesome topics to write about - it's been a matter of discipline.

I am a very disciplined person - some might not think so by the looks of my outward appearance. But the focus of my so called skill depends on the season of life I'm in. Pre-kids, I was a really disciplined blogger and in total control of my diet and exercise. Then with Layla I maintained my writing focus and geared it toward the topic of parenting. The boys surprised me and all discipline for writing and heath sorta flew the coup, but flew right back in - just into a different location.

Over the past two years I've been very disciplined in keeping a tidy home, feeding balanced meals to the children, spending time with the kids outside, teaching them important skills, and loving them for their individuality. And lets be honest - posting a picture to 1nstagram or writing a quick post on FB really IS more convenient doable for a busy mom. But lately I don't feel like it's enough for me. I want to think hard again, I want to dig through my feelings and sort out my thoughts - now that I actually HAVE thoughts again :) Not sure I had many variable thoughts with a 2 yr old and 2 newborns, but again, now the desire to write is tugging at my brain cells. I feel like there is room now for me to add a few more areas of discipline back into my own self care routine. Over the past year I've been trying to learn about healthier, "cleaner" ways to prepare food for my family and beginning to find more discipline in my own diet. I started my 40 for 40 Challenge that I'll post more about tomorrow. It's time to crack down and make time in the day for my space here again and become a more present person each day in order to turn those drafted posts into published words. I forgot how good it feels to focus some of the control on myself instead of just on my environment.

Living It Up 2014

Part way through the year I somehow decided to modify my 2014 yearly "intention" to "Live It Up." It's basically the same idea of "Living up to my potential," it's just fell into place and seemed to fit the feel of this year. It's now that time of year where I find myself needing to clean the nooks and crannies of the house and car. All I can focus on is the need to deep clean the stroller, jogger, and diaper bags. The energy that pulsates through the air at the beginning of a new academic year is tangeable. August always brings a sense of relief as our lives begin to find rhythm and structure after a fun summer of spontaneity has whirled around us. I absolutely adore the pace that summer brings to our home, late nights, slumbering children until late in the morning, chaotic trips to fun places, days filled with vitamin D and kids looking like ragamuffins. Summer is so fun. We've lived it up to the max this summer and it's mostly due to the age of the kids allowing us to be more flexible and less stressed.

We started the summer in Disneyland... and it was MAGICAL

There were ballet recitals

I completed a 30 day "Clean Eating Challenge" lost 18 lbs and started my second Challenge yesterday. 

 Learned how to take life a little less seriously and laugh at myself. Not all trunks will fit a large human inside. But it was worth a try... and I almost peed myself laughing so hard. 

Many trips to the grocery store... and thank heavens for these "minivan carts" 

A lot of hiking... almost to the point of not needing to pack the boys anymore! 

Annual Camping trip at Jackson Lake

Girls trip to California to soak up the sun and laugh ourselves silly

I remodeled Kday's office in our basement as a surprise while he was at a 4 day High Adventure camp.

7 hours of work to frame his team jerseys (3 more not pictured) and 5 minutes before he arrived one of the frames fell off the wall and knocked 3 more down and shattered - not so awesome. 

So. many. park days. So. Many

A few bike races were thrown in there and I re-learned how to haul 4 kids up a mountain solo. 

We discovered food allergies were the culprit to this little mans poor bowel issues. He hasn't stopped smiling since. 

Every morning consisted of diapered boys in the sandbox while I tried feverishly to catch up on laundry

Mornings sleeping in and watching cartoons are a summer staple

Layla turned 5 and Elsa came to celebrate. 

Zoo trips

And more zoo trips

And somewhere in the middle of it all this kid potty trained himself. Literally, I give myself 0% credit. He decided to use the potty and in 24 hours he was accident and diaper free. 

And now we're tired... and strollers, car seats, and diaper bags need to be washed and prepared for the next season--- school and a few more trips. 

Unplugged - In the Car

Remember the old days when you would climb into the back seat of a tiny plane and fly across the country for 13 hours at a time? Oh no? Just me? Eh, well, that happened... every summer of my childhood. My family would pile into a Cessna 210 and fight over the 1 walkman tape cassette player and hope we didn't fill the "sick sack." I vaguely remember my mom packing us each a few bags of special snacks and reminding us that our snacks had to last us the whole flight. I always polished mine off before we crossed state lines. I remember coloring books. A lot of coloring books. Other than my snack pack, a coloring book, and a turn with the walkman every few hours - staying entertained was a matter of looking out the window and using my imagination. 

Today I can hardly pick up Layla's friends to hit the nearest pool when they ask "What movie do you have in your car today?" I don't get it. Well, actually I do. I get that it's way easier to tune your kids out with electronics so you don't have to engage with them. I get it because I know it can feel exhausting constantly carrying on the conversation of a toddler. But despite that.... I still don't get it. Being in the car seems like a perfect place for family interaction seeing that it's one of the only times parents aren't on their electronic devices! 

Anyway, since we travel sans ipads and DVD players - our trip to Disneyland a few months ago made me nervous as it was the longest car trip our kids had been on before. But with a little pre-drive prep and planning our 14 hour drive went amazingly. As we leave for a road tip tomorrow I figured a 5 hour trip will be a snap. But I wanted to share our tips and tricks to surviving a road trip without electronics... and not only how to survive - but how to actually enjoy your "unplugged" time with your kids. 

1. I found these awesome free printables at I Heart Organizing. this is an eye spy game and age appropriate for kids as young as two. I also printed the license plate version and we had fun working together to spot as many states as possible before we got home. Mom and Dad had to offer help but it was a good way to teach the kids how to look out the window and be excited about all the new things they see. 

2. I packed each child their own "entertainment bag." Layla had a coloring book, two eye spy books (keep them busy for at least a good 30 minutes), a sticker book, and a read a long book from Usborne. I found a little water toy for each of the kids that looks like a video game but it's like water basketball and you try to shoot the little rings into the basket. 

3. Ring pops are a MUST for car trips. I feel like they're safer than suckers because I don't have to worry about the kids choking on the stick and they last a long time. Another sucker option are the giant round suckers you can find at most gas stations - they take hours to eat and it keeps the kids mouths quiet. 

4. Hit up the local library and pick up some books on CD. I stumbled upon this trick when Layla was gifted a book on CD and I was shocked at how much she loves to listen to it in the car. The boys loved listening to the different voices of each character in the stories. 

 5. Magnedoodles: Since the boys are still in the "crayon eating" phase, the magnedoodle is a perfect alternative. They are mesmorized by their ability to erase their scribbles over and over. We also had fun with a game where Kday would draw a picture and the kids would guess what it is.

6. Rider is obsessed with Fish so I found some flash cards with fish on them at the dollar store. I hole punched the corner of each card and put them on a key ring so he could flip through and study is favorite pictures.

7. I found two Disney character fan toys. These were a big hit, they still play with them on a daily basis. Just be on the lookout when you're at the store for any cheep toy that has moving parts or a button for little kids and it really keeps their attention.

8. Look around your house for little figurines or games you already have. I pulled an Eye Spy game out of our church bag that Owen always really enjoys playing. Anything with wheels like tiny bike or monster trucks keep boys busy when stuck in a car seat. 

9. I also try to pack exciting snacks that the kids don't usually eat and use them as rewards for making mile markers without crying or getting bored. 

The kids didn't know what was in their bag and I tried my best to only give them one thing at a time to hold them off for as long as possible. I don't think we even used all their books before getting to California! It was a lot of work for Kday and I to engage with the kids and we didn't get to have our own private conversations unless all the kids were sleeping... but we really feel like it was a great way to connect with our kids instead of connecting them to electronics. I hope my kids look back on their childhood trips with fondness the way I do. I hope that when they're parents they will appreciate the work we put into being present in moment on road trips. Maybe they won't, maybe they'll curse us for being "those parents" who wouldn't let them just watch a movie on the drive.... either way I know how much I love being in the car with them and really focusing on them without electronic distractions. And I love fostering their ability to use their imagination and appreciate the beautiful scenery God has surrounded us with. 

What's you're favorite road trip tip?

AHEM.... IS THIS THING ON?

I have so much to write about. I've been wanting to write for months and yet I've undeniably found something to do with my time other than sit down, tap the keys, and spew out my enormous amounts of thoughts. So many great and wonderful things have been happening over here; vacations, graduations, remodels, rapidly growing humans, lifestyle and eating changes, discoveries, and opinions and a few soap boxes have been consuming my daily routines.
I want to share, I'm ready to share and I miss the awareness that writing in this space gave me. I miss the way writing here helped me pay more attention to the details of my day and it reminded me to process my emotions.

I'm so finding the sday that existed back in 2008-20011 - pre chaos. I want to share it. But I think there is a part of me that has been too chicken, because the more I realize that people actually started reading my written thoughts, the more they would judge me. And the more they would know my crazy. But hey, since when have I ever been one to hide my crazy? Never. Thats when.

So screw the judgment, screw the worries, I'm going to write and although I was well below average of every English class I ever took - I was always above average on daily word count, excitement for life, and awesomeness. And that's fun to read about... regardless of my tendency to I use too many commas.

Because every post deserves a picture

BROTHER BEARS

An amazing friend of mine, who also happens to be part of the Flying V's Club commissioned this darling illustration of my baby bears. Can you tell which one is which? She captured their personality perfectly!

You know how I'm all about "signs", horoscopes and hippy, psychic stuff like that? Well did you know that I KNEW this was the house for us when I saw the super random statue of two brother bears in the front yard?! It was as if the universe couldn't have made it any more obvious that this little Bears Den was meant for our growing family.

Here we are two years later and although I had plans to get rid of the "Brother Bears Statue," because it's not really our "thing" to have yard art.... the bears have stayed and it's where the nick name for my babies originated.

These two boys are gaining momentum when it comes to their love and favoritism for one another. They stay up late at night laughing with each other in the same crib. They wake up in the morning with inside jokes as they hide under Otis's crib and giggle until mom or dad finds them. The boys gang up on their sister and they are discovering how to play together in a way I had always imagined. As of late I've noticed their special vocabulary that they share. It's every day words that I hardly even notice until I leave them with a babysitter and I find myself having to give the sitter a "vocab" list with definitions!

Seer-Dots = Cereal

Bun-Tips = Buttons

Billy-Bun-Tips = Belly Buttons

Em-oh-nem-nems = M&M's

Stwaw-bah-bee-bee's = Strawberries

Ash-you-wah-wee = Actually

Ouw-gah-gore = Aligator

The Farm = Rider's Blankey

Poon = Spoon

Even Layla finds herself using their language or providing translation when she's around them. In fact Kday and I now call cereal Seer-Dots. While big sis is at school these boys have really figured out how to play together and it's so fun to listen to them giggle as I fold laundry or wash countertops. They fight as emphatically as they love and my heart swells when I think of how lucky they are to have each other. They are twins at heart, they knew they needed to find two people to get them from Heaven to Earth as close as possible. I'm quite certain they were in on Heavenly Father's plan and they giggled the same way then, as they do now at their inside joke to come to our family 4 months apart. I can't imagine one without the other. They are The Brother Bears. 

NINJA SKILLS

I'm no career woman, my 8-10 hours a month of professional work at the fanciest rehab in town really doesn't qualify me as such. I don't have a PHD in anything or an MBA, the degree I do hold is hardly anything exciting. But I'll tell you what I do have... mad ninja mom skills. And although said ninja skills won't open any doors into an Ivey League school or a New York sky-rise office... they have earned me a few badges of honor that no one can argue with, not to mention an office with the best view in town.

Although these might seem like totally useless skills, they are the details of parenting that remind me that I'm so lucky to be my kids' mom. I'm the only person who can tell you how close #2 is to falling asleep by the way he twiddles his fingers around the binding of his blanky. The smell of #1's morning breath would hardly make anyone else smile, but it does it to me every time. I know where every creaky spot of flooring is in every room of our house - so as not to wake #3, the lightest sleeper of them all. I know who likes honey on their lunch nuggets and who likes raisins instead of fruit snacks. I can tell by the look in their eyes if they're in the perfect window to be laid down for a nap or if we've missed the window and need to press on with the day. I can buckle car seats faster than most and I can tell what kind of day it will be by the way Layla makes her bed or by the cry in which owen lets out a 7am.

It's so crazy when Kday and I have moments of realization that we're grown ups, real live grown ups who are responsible for the lives of the three littles that live under this roof. We all know our kids in great detail and I love that as a mom I get to hone in on my skills every day. There are no promotions in parenting, no bonus checks come Christmas time. To the outside world it seems there's hardly even proof at the end of each day of our success or failure. But in my world, as long as I'm the one that knows the all be it small but significant details and desires of my babies lives... I consider my day a success.

BIKES VS. BIBS

Ever so slowly and hesitantly I keep tucking baby paraphernalia into storage.  It's hard for me to transition out of the baby stage. Even with the excuse that our baby stage came roaring in like a hurricane and lasted for a solid 4 years. Baby stage is everything I love about the last 5 years of my life. And although I hope for the baby years to continue on (with a slower, more manageable timeline hopefully :)), I know with a surety in my heart that I have no control over that portion of my life. If there is anything I've learned for certain from my children... it's that my Heavenly Father is the keeper of all things and He decides when and how I get to add to my family. 

I haven't dared to ask Him if there are any more yet. I think I'm afraid of the answer being different from the desires of my heart. The second thing I've learned from my most recent 5 years on Earth is that if Heavenly Father's plan is different from my mortal plan... I trust His. I'll take His plan over mine any day.  It doesn't make the butterflies of baby thoughts disappear, but I've learned FAITH in my Lord's perfect knowledge and I know over time I can get on the same page as Him - or maybe I can talk him into getting on the same page as me :) 

And last but not least, what I've learned from my three miracle babies is this: 

BE WHERE YOU ARE. 

ENJOY THE STAGE YOU'RE IN, BECAUSE IT WILL BE GONE TOMORROW. 

I'm delighting in the unruliness of my three kids. I'm happy that we have the flexibility in our routine to stop at a park on a sunny day and snacks can consist of whatever mushed up cracker or left over apple I can dig out of my bag. Bottles are tucked away but sippy cups are abound. Diapers will be traded for big boy undies by the end of the year. So I'm enjoying those diapers for now. Binki's will be replaced with big kid teeth and sassy words. Bibs have been swapped for bikes. And I like boys on bikes. So instead of wishing away the next 5 years for more children's laughter to fill the empty space of my house... I will focus on the laughter that is here and I will enjoy this dirt loving, terrible two's, fabulous four's stage of life because tomorrow it will be gone and if I don't get to do it again, I want to live with no regrets. 

The triple threat will be sweeping the local race series in the 4 and under category this fall!

MY FIRST BABY

Kish-Kash-Magee has always been my first boy. True we had a cat, Zip-Zap-Zaru, aka Zipper. But that cat never really liked any of us. He merely tolerated our family - fur-real.
But Kashi is a true companion. This dog has literally saved my life on two occasions. He has watched Kday and I grow our family and he has taken every addition in stride.

Remember that time before we had kids and the neighbor defended us to the Animal Control officer who had kenneled Kashi for jumping our fence? She begged him not to take our dog "Please officer! They can't have any kids and this dog is all they have!!!" Ha, that was the best. What a good neighbor.
He was my baby before my babies.

He thinks he's better than other dogs and deserves to be with the humans 24-7.
He hides from Owen but also tolerates Owen's over-zealous love for Kashi.
He is a jumping machine.
He loves to work, run, hike, and swim
He has the best coat of fur you'll ever find on a dog. It's like gortex.
No matter how far away he is, If I yell "Where's my baby!?" He comes a'runnin.

He's been my running partner, snow shoe guide, and companion when depression had its grasp on me. Love this dog as much as I love my kids.  Happy 7th Birthday.

SOFT

Photo Cred: Kdayracing.com

There is something about parenting full time and only working 4 hours a week that makes a person's brain soft. Foggy if you will. When I try to use any type of critical thinking skills it becomes almost impossible to reach a deep thought. I try to access the "smart" parts of my brain and it feels like I'm wearing mittens trying to pick up a needle off the freshly mopped floor.

My mushy mind makes it exceedingly difficult to write blog posts. Besides the fact that I have a new found hatred for the word "blog." Who invented that hideous word? It's 2014 we should re-invent a prettier word for logging our thoughts online.

But alas I have decided that I have the time, brain - albeit soft, and ability to lock the kids on the opposite side of the baby gate for a few minutes a week while I stir up my creativity again. Life has fully regained it's "normalcy" with the triple threat so it's much more realistic now a days to stow away for a few minutes to write. Hopefully writing will sharpen my brain a little and soon it's won't feel so effort-full to create. The mittens are ready to come off.

First up: Kashi's Birthday post.... then I'll attack our amazing trip to Disneyland.

THE FLYING V'S

I'm the first person to admit that the months of January and February are pure torture. I've always had a sleeve filled with a few tricks to surviving the gloomy, grey, inversion filled days. But this year I re-discovered my favorite coping mechanism for the winter blues.

Thanks to a rockin crowd of fellow moms who were willing to take the initiative to organize a Friday ski club, I've been sailing through the past 60 days of expected melancholy. This has been one of my easiest winters to survive and I succeeded with the recruitment of 6 fantastic friends.

Friday mornings we meet at one of the "mom" houses with ski gear and toddlers in tow. One mom stays home with the 8 miscellaneous children (ages 5,5,4,4,4,2,2,1) while the rest of us pack our ski gear into a minivan and head to our playground - Snowbasin. We jam in as many John Paul or Needle runs as we can get our freshly waxed skis down. We hunt for untracked powder or fresh groomers from 9-noon and when our legs have given way to fatigue, when our laughter has echoed through the gondolas, and when the girl talk has filled our buckets we pile back into the minivan and head back to reality. 1pm kindergarten pick up gets underway after snatching up our little ones from the designated sitter and we re-commit to next Friday. We've had 9 solid weeks of empowering ourselves, pushing our skills, and strengthening our connection as fellow mothers and women who love the outdoors. It's totally worth babysitting 8 kids for a few hours twice this season and I wouldn't have traded my last 9 Friday's for the world.

Thanks Ladies!!!

Shout out to Jan, Jami, Jessica, Natalie, Lori, and the occasional visitor Casey... may our next few weeks continue with love, laughter and good old double diamond powder runs.

You can follow us on Instagram:

@findingsday

or

#momskiclub

#theflyingVs

THERE IS SUNSHINE IN MY SOUL TODAY

Oh how my soul is singing as the rays of sun are warming my body. March has greeted us with equal parts lion and lamb.

The weather has brought the perfect balance of spring skiing powder runs on the weekend and warm park days in between. Today the sun was beckoning me and the children out to the backyard.

The kids are such an entertaining age right now and it makes for guaranteed laughable moments each day. We played, bounced, danced, and laid on the trampoline for hours today. The blue sky and white tufted clouds were perfect laying on our backs in a heap and finding alligators, ducks, and lizards in the sky.  We rolled up our sleeves and let the sun kiss our skin while we kissed each others cheeks.  Spring is here and so is the funnest stage of toddlerhood, together they're going to make the perfect combination for a supreme summer.

 WELCOME SPRING 2014

BEHAVIOR BAROMETER

After a long three years of feeling like I was drowning in motherhood and well, drowning in life really.... I feel like I've come up for breath. I'd even go as far to say that finally I feel like I'm backstroking my way across the Atlantic and I've got my three little baby ducks cruising behind in my wake. 

But today felt a little more like chasing wild barracuda in a hurricane! 

I knew my kids were tired after a late night adventure the night before, and I knew Rider was potentially coming down with a cold. But I wasn't prepared for the naughtiness and chaos that unleashed on my poor unsuspecting neighbors. When some neighborhood moms offered a warm seat in the sun to chat for a moment before getting kids home for naps - I obliged. Poor ladies, I'm sorry to have unleashed my boys on you. 

I feel like I have a pretty good system down at home and the kids know the rules, they know what's expected of them and for the most part they behave like normal 4 and 2 year olds. Not to mention that we have a time out spot and "system" in place at home, but I swear they go berzerk as soon as we leave the house! 

Suddenly all three kids (including my very capable of sharing 4 year old) could not share or take turns if their lives depended on it. Layla reverted back to an 18 month old of screaming, pouting, and whining. Owen would.not.stop climbing on top of his siblings in order to force himself in the little people car, of which was not big enough for two kids. And Rider whined the entire time until he pooped his pants. Suuuuper. 

I decided to corral them into the car one by one in an attempt to get outta dodge as soon as possible. That backfired. Rider was all over the front seat - hazard lights on, windshield wipers full blast dumping baggies of goldfish crackers in every nook and cranny available. Owen went kicking and screaming (and head butting... seriously never put your face near his when he's in a mood) into the car, and once there, poured diet coke all over the seats. Double suuuuuper. 

They make me afraid to leave the house sometimes because they have the potential to be award winningly sweet or mind blowingly naughty and I never know what I'm going to get. Would someone please invent a barometer to predict the behavior of my children? Thanks. I'll pay you in lifetime supply of dirty diet cokes. 

BUT I TOOTED

She's beyond obsessed with two things in this life.

1. Purple

2. Frozen

I'm pretty sure I could recite the lyrics to the Frozen soundtrack in my sleep, with my hand tied behind my back, a gun to my head and being dragged down the road behind a kidnapper van. 

It'. all.we.listen.to

ALL DAY

I love that she loves it so much. 

I'm just happy she finally likes something as much as she likes purple. 

3:49 IS THE BEST. 

Brush it off sister and change the subject... way to go girl.

We told her we'd make a CD of her own singing that she could listen to... that explains 3:11.
Her facial expression! Need I say more. 

YEAR OF THE HORSE

Last week was Chinese New Year and we celebrated the only way the Day Clan knows how...
over the top.

This is a long standing tradition that Kday and I cherish for numerous reasons, all of which have to do with Layla's adoption story and heritage. I hope to always instill a love and respect for her Chinese lineage. And let's be honest, who doesn't love an extra holiday to celebrate every year!?

Kday's mom always out does herself with the table decorations and prizes for the games. Chinese Bingo is a must.

With awesome prizes like these sweet shades Uncle Clay won.

The boys ate their weight in M&M's (or Rider calls them M-O nem nems), we ate our weight in chinese food and we celebrated through the night. Fortune sticks were drawn and I think I sealed my fate. We'll see, I may have made an illegal wish because I wished for something to happen next year... and my fortune said my wish wouldn't come true. It did however say a business wish would come true... do I dare predict again? Especially since I've sworn off more adoptions? Meh, who believes in that kinda stuff anyway. OH WAIT. I do! Like 100% believe in it because it predicted Layla 5 years ago and then again with the boys 2 years later! Eh, whatever. It also mentioned that someone seeks revenge against me for an imaginary wrong... yikes.

CHEERS TO THE YEAR OF THE HORSE!