HAPPY 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY(May 16, 1998)................. (10 years= tin, aluminum, diamond- How do those all fit together!?)

In honor of 10 years (14 if you count dating) together, here are 10 things I LOVE about Dan:

1. He LOVES ME! Including all my quirks and mentalness (?)

2. He makes me laugh- he doesn't think he does, but he does.

3. He is an honorable priesthood holder.

4. He gave me 4 wonderful kids.

5. He is a hard worker.

6. Says whatever he wants or feels without caring what others think- sometimes good, bad or embarrassing (sometimes I think the same thing in my head, and I'm just to chicken to say it)

7. Supports me in EVERYTHING!

8. Always tells me I'm HOT! (So maybe he isn't as honest with me....hee, hee)

9. Wonderful Father!



10. He is so smart (he married me didn't he!?)

GAS Wars!


No really..... We have been having a gas war here in Brighton.

I was listening to the radio while taking children to school, and heard about a gas station in Brighton who's gas prices were $3.19. WOW! I knew where it was so after dropping kids off I went and filled up. I was so proud of the bargain I got. Then later I went by again........$2.96!

A new gas station opened last Fri. and started out their pricing at $3.43 the gas station down the street decided that it was going to stay at least $.03 cheaper. So Sunday the "new" gas station ran out of gas when the prices were $3.12. So of course the competitor upped their pricing back . "New" gas station got more gas and so it began again.

It's kind of fun to watch all the excitement. The last time I drove by, the cops were at both locations directing traffic, news media is all over the place, the lines are incredible!

I don't feel now that I got the best price ;)

THIS is beautiful!

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.
You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.
At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated.
You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want.
You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way!

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.
You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.
You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow.
You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily.
Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in.
You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising.
You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care.

Happy belated Cinco De Mayo!!





This is my attempt at celebrating...... Fried Ice Cream!!! I had planned a Mexican themed dinner, but Rachel (my sis-in-law) called and wanted to know if we wanted to go out with them to a Mexican restaurant. There is such a selection here in Brighton. What!? Brighton has Mexican restaurants! :) We decided upon El Jimador (pronounced Hee-ma-dor). But I had frozen these babies earlier that morning, so I didn't want my creations to go to waste, so no dessert at the restaurant.

In a miracle, we got Dan to meet us for dinner at 7pm. Dinner went well considering we had 7 kids under the age of 9. I was glad he could make it because he was going to be in Kansas City, MO (his favorite place in the WORLD) until the end of the week, so it was nice to do something fun before he left.

What a way to start May...........




This is what it looked like on May 1, 2008. Yep! It's snowing! What really is funny is the day before it was almost 80 degrees and I got my first sunburn of the season (I was shoveling rock trying to get some landscaping done).

And like I promised ........ here are pics of Dan's 3/3 tournament. This was exclusively for Farmers employees, but they raised $3,000 for March of Dimes. Yes, Dan was the PUNISHER!



His team didn't win the whole tourny. They won 2 and lost 2. It was fun watching all the different skill levels :)

The pics below are of how Jake occupied his time while basketball was going on.........



stuffing his face.

Raenie sent this as an email, so I thought I would blog it so everyone could see...........

1. YOUR NAME:
Emily Lewis

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (first 3 letters of real name plus izzle)

Emi-izzle

3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (fav color and fav animal)

Red Cow

4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (your middle name and the street you live on)

Pratt Hedgerow

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of
your first)
Lewem

6. YOUR SUPERHERO NAME: (Your 2nd favorite color, and favorite drink)
Orange Dr. Pepper

7. YOUR IRAQI NAME: (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, any letter of your middle name, 2nd letter of your moms maiden name, 3rd letter of your dads middle name, 1st letter of a siblings first name, and last letter of your moms middle name)

mwalnek

8. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (parents middle names)
clark lenox

9. YOUR GOTH NAME: (black, and the name of one of your pets)

Black Elbi

WE LOVE BABIES!..............

Saturday was the March of Dimes Walk
It was a six mile walk through Down Town Denver starting at Civic Center Park. It wasn't the warmest day, but we did it!



The Guy with the microphone is James Purcell, the Colorado State Executive for Farmers Insurance. Farmers is one the largest national contributors for March of Dimes.



This is what the "Farmers Team" shirts looked like. The top photo is the front of the shirt, the lower one is the back with the super baby (I know, a little weird). We all wore our shirts, except for Jake and Zach because they didn't have small enough ones.

The boys all bundled up for a great walk.


Tanner and Jayla getting their sugar high before the walk. Don't let the sun deceive you....... it was windy and COLD!


WOW! Who's that handsome guy....... Oh that's my guy! Dan is also carb loading before the walk.




This is us after the 6 miles of windy coldness. But, we did it for the babies! Tanner and Jayla did such a great job. Tanner walked the whole way and Dan carried Jayla a short stint.

Next weekend is the 3 on 3 basketball tournament at Thunder Ridge H.S. Ya! You can bet I will be taking a lot o pics there! I am an observer at that one. The kids and I are going to have a great time watching.

This is cute!

Having Bleu has been way different than I thought. I get up in the morning and take him for a run. He gets so excited to see me and to go. The kids have really had a great time with him too. They get to go with me in the evening to take him for a walk again. Zach and Jake can't leave him alone when he is in the house, but he loves to just stay in the back yard and lounge around the patio and sand/trampoline box.

We are definitely going to have to get our own. It's just a matter of what kind. I really want one that can go on runs with me, that can be great with kids, will chill when we need it to etc.

Any one have any ideas?

About Me

About Me

This is for Raenie!

Four jobs I have had:
1.working in an industrial lighting warehouse, doing everything from receptionist, cleaning the bathroom, organizing the lights and stuff.

2. Subway Sandwich Artist

3. Camping World

4. GNC

Four people who email me:

1. Bob and Renae

2. Hungry Girl

3. Relief Society

4. all friends and family

Four favorite foods:

1. steak

2. Ice cream

3. grapefruit

4. Sweet potatoes

Four places I'd rather be:

1. Mexico or anywhere on a nice warm beach soaking up some rays (Dan can come-no kids)

2. Vegas (again Dan can come-no kids)

3. Disneyland, world or somewhere fun WITH the kids

4. or shopping- as long as there would be no guilty feelings after.

Four people I think will or I would like to respond:

1.Martha

2. Ellen

3. Melissa (if she isn't sick or packing)

4. Mom- I think she will try if she can figure out how

Four movies I would watch over and over: (the first 2 I copied Raenie, but only because I really would watch them over and over!)

1.Ever After

2.The Mask of Zorro

3. Sabrina ( the newer one)

4. Oceans 11

Four places I have lived:

1. Salt Lake City, Utah

2. St. Louis, MO

3. Arvada, CO

4. Brighton, CO

Four TV shows I watch:

1. American Idol

2. The Office

3. ER

4.UFC (Ultimate Fighter)

Four websites I visit daily:

1. All of my friends and families blogs

2. Compass Bank

3. Angry Chicken

4. allrecipes.com

Four things I always carry with me:

1. cell phone

2. diapers and wipes ( I will count those together)

3. chapstick

4. antibacterial gel

Four random facts about me:

1. I hate grocery shopping and put it off as long as possible

2. I am learning I am not as social a person as I thought I was.

3. I am like my dad, and am always looking for the "best" deal possible - not to the point of dumpster diving, though.

4. I am always falling in love with my husband over and over- I'll include my kids in that , as I am learning more and more about them as people, and not just my kids.

INTRODUCING................... The Newest Adopted Lewis!




This is Bleu! He is a 85 lb., 8yr old husky. He will be staying with us for about a month while his "mommy" is in Los Angeles, CA. Kristie (his mom) works with Dan. The company wanted her to work on some projects back in L.A. , so she will be working 12 hour days and Dan felt bad for him so................we took Bleu.

We have been discussing getting a dog for about 6 months but were just unsure about how the kids would be. They tell us that if we were to get one they "would totally help out!" Well here's their trial run! If they help with him, we will get a dog of our own.

He is such a beautiful and well behaved dog. He is VERY mellow and deals with the kids great. In the above photos I think he is wanting to take a nap, but Zach and Jayla keep "bugging" him and he just takes it. Had Jake been awake he would have been trying to sit on him.
He will probably love the peace and quiet when Kristie gets back.

PICTURES!!!



Tanners birthday! 9 is so old (only cuz it makes me old). the other boy in the picture is one of Tanners friends

Mom/Grandma made matching bunny cakes (great job by the way) for Jake and Tanner for their birthdays. Jakes was on easter and Tanners was March 28. LOVE THE CAKES and the KIDS!


Dressed in their Easter Best.

Jake blowing candles. Happy number 2!
Tanner had Pinewood derby and took 3rd place in the wolf den, and 5th in the whole pack. Dan and Tanner took a whole 3 days to make the car. It's amazing what you can do under pressure! Love you Dan and Tanner!

What's For Dinner!?

I always hate that question. Well in honor of April Fools Day, this was our dinner. After reading my great friends blog. I felt I need to let loose today and do something fun for my family (thanks Melissa!). I ditched the fixating on having a clean house and getting laundry done, so after volunteering at the school I spent the rest of the day whipping this up.

Yes, it was for "fools" day so don't let the picture deceive you. The "cake" is meat loaf "frosted" with whipped potatoes and cherry tomatoes top it off. The "hamburgers" were made with vanilla wafers, peppermint patties, frosting and green coconut.

The kids thought it was great, except Jake. When he took a bite of his "cake" he started to cry and whine "cake, me cake!" Tanner had 3 helpings of "cake".

src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5U8WWhkc7WDQYzLxSoBsr7ZYlHdw6u2pzqaURNpOelHpUFCrSqy-sDghRg36uxLcKRx0Us6HuHqgSay0JLtuqc5vMTzQQOFJIYaDKilUCMlmmOT1i9GZ42Ib_5bo4lDZlKWb/s400/Jayla's+b-day+2008.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184686341612088114" />




Happy Birthday Jayla!!!!!!!!!!! (sorry it took me a month to post)

I don't know what I would do without my sweet Jayla. It is always us against the boys. She is so studious, and loves learning and drawing. You can usually find her in her room quietly playing or "keeping busy" while her brothers are ransacking the rest of the house. She is so pleasant (most of the time) and is greatly missed when she isn't around. She is a wonderful big sister, and has taught the little boys how to play a "mean" prince and the proper way to dance with a princess.


WE LOVE YOU!!!!

Well, Dans been gone again. He gets to come home long enough to sleep, but then is gone at the crack o'dawn. The one night he did come home it was to watch the kids so I could go to my enrichment planning meeting, whoa- who! He works hard and wants to to a good job. This week he is in Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Lamar .... all those places down there. He has another dinner on Fri at Garden of the Gods(click). I am meeting him down there for that.
I feel like I'm being teased when he has weeks like this... "hi, I'm home , I'm tired, going to bed. Gotta leave at 5:30am, won't see you until 11:30pm. I have to leave again early tomorrow. LOVE YA!"

This morning Jake got my cell phone and was "talking" to Daddy. "come home. I wuv you. home!" Zach on Mon. night (Dan was staying the night in Pueblo) came into my room and just needed "to hold your hand until I fall asleep. I'm scared." He only does this when Dan is gone.

All in all, though. I love him! He, himself, never wanted to work this hard. He does like his job and the people he works with and gets to meet.

Tonight I get to do parent teacher conferences on my own. It will be great because my kids are great! It will be quick and easy because I see the kids teachers weekly when I volunteer, so there really isn't anything that goes on that I don't know about.

Being in Relief Society is going to be a REAL learning experience. We (me and my enrichment leader) have decided to NOT do a "super saturday". Oh ya!!! I can't wait to get the back lash on this one. Already 2 of the committee is freaking out.... nicely,but still freaking out. The commitee leader has been in for over 2 years and she tallied up the # of crafts she's done and it totals over 30. I totally back her up!

What are your ideas and some of the HFPE night you like/ remember? (my way of asking for help :) )

The Colorado Rockies are so amazing!! I took this on my way to Grand Junction to meet up with Dan. As many times as I have driven this route the mountains never fail to impress me. It was probably a dangerous stunt to take this while driving winding roads, but .... oh, well. I probably shouldn't have taken the next one either.....





I went to Grand Junction (last Fri. 2/29 ) for a district banquet that Dan needed to be at. I jumped at the opportunity to go spend a night with him and away from the kids. I rented a car, a Nissan Xterra, so that we could drive back together. I have never really toured Grand Junction than to stop right off I-70 for a lunch break to or from Utah. It is really a nice town

It's been too long......

literally. Too long since I have posted, and my hair too long. So for Valentines day Dan took the kids for a few hours while I got my hair done at a local salon. The last time I had done that was after Jayla was born. I usually am last minute "I need a hair cut, hope great clips isn't too busy," kind of a person. So here is the before and after.
The after is also after being on the treadmill, so I don't look totally put together but I needed a picture before I lose my time to get things posted. I will post one where I look more like the rock star I am.



And YA! I got a work out in! Tanner and Jayla are home because of Pres. day, so they kept the other 2 busy so I could do "something" to work out. They are such great helpers! I am having a moment of great love for all my kids. They are really great kids.

Well there is now a lot of screaming going on ,so there go my time.

How is everyone doing on their "health"?

Laundry.........


I think the one thing that drives me most crazy about laundry is matching socks. I DESPISE this part of the laundry. Well I decided to try to fix the problem and try to think of ways that would make this chore easier. I found this idea, and so far has worked great (as long as your family members will do their part.) Maybe some of you already knew to do this, but humor me because I think I have reinvented the wheel. I bought lingerie bags and have pinned or tied them to the laundry baskets. When socks are dirty the family is to put them into the lingerie bags together. When it's time for a load of wash, zip up the lingerie bag and wash and dry it with the load. Tada! The socks are together, no matching necessary. YA!
In I and Dan's laundry I bought 2 bags, one for white socks and one for colored.

If you would like pictures I would be happy to share, since I really am excited about this "new" way of being organized in the laundry scheme. I will post them as I figure out my new digital camera.

OOOOHHH What have I done......

I have eaten like CRAP and still no work outs in. I am trying to ignore the life that is going on around me and wish I could be a hermit for a couple of days and not be bothered. I have hit my low for the week and will try to recommit myself for the rest of month.
Added Goal:
I want to feel better in my clothes by my birthday. I won't say how much I want to lose because I tend to think I can lose more than is a reality.

I miss my husband and the kids miss their dad. Usually we get to talk more, but because of the conference he is at he has had 12 hr days and then usually a happy hour after all the meetings. (I hope he is keeping it together and not dancing on tables or anything like that). It hasn't left him much "down" time to keep in touch.

The kids had a great time at school today. Tom Nalen(click on the name) from the Broncos came and talked to them at school and showed them his "gear" and his super bowl rings. They thought that was pretty great.


It's funny because Dan and I went to dinner with some friends about a year ago and saw him in person. He walked right by our table with jeans and a t-shirt on, we were at a really nice restaurant and we were all dressed up. I forget that Dan is just as big as some of these pro. athletes, Tom wasn't any bigger really than Dan. On T.V. though he looks enormous(Tom not Dan). There is a connection that Dan has with the Broncos, namely John Lynch. I'll blog about that later when I have more time.


Namaste ( that's for Dan, I love you!)