Hawaii 2009

I know this is going to sound weird but this has been a really hard thing to post. We went to Hawaii in January for a two week vacation with the Stone family. It was just long enough to start believing it was our new life and then we came home. Every time I look at my pictures I get this sadness that falls over me. We had the most incredible time together and I want to go back so bad that it hurts. I had it all there with the warm sunshine, the beautiful blue ocean with waves to play in, the perfumed sented flowers in the air, unbelievable fish and fruit, and most importantly my family around me all day every day. It truly was heaven on earth. I tried everything I could think of to stay there which included loosing my drivers licence, looking for a job for Chip or myself, trying to talk Chip into quiting his job and living off the land and many other tactics that did not work. Since we have been back my kids have gone back to school, Chip is gone at work, and London, Wyatt and I look out the cold window at our brown grass. I miss the ocean and dream to live by it one day but until then I am so grateful for the blessing we had to go to Hawaii and create amazing memories. I am also grateful that my camera survived the sand. It was a risk taking it to the beach every day but now I'm glad I did so I can look back with such fond memories.

Greatest idea for a Christmas Party

I have to share this idea for anyone out there looking for a great Christmas party next year. It's never to early to start planning. Kelly Pack planned an ugly Christmas sweater party. We all dug out some winners and we had such a great time laughing at styles that we were old enough to have worn not too long ago. Kelly made an amazing dinner and I mean amazing and we laughed the whole night.


As a avid BYU fan, this is Chip's idea of an "Ugly Sweater"

Notice the shoulder pads???

Christmas- was it really that long ago???

I know Im about a month late on my posting but Christmas seems like it's still hanging around our house. Wyatt is still singing Jingle Bells at least once a day, I just took down my Christmas cards today and the snow is still falling so I thought Im justified in posting my Christmas so here it goes....


Wyatt making snow angels in the first snow of the year

Chandler, Christian and Camden came over to help us make our candy house, oh did I say make? I meant eat the candy house!!


We took the boys to the Kurt Bestor Christmas concert to try and inspire them to like practicing the piano.

Christmas Jammies

Don't they just look so cute???

Packer family at our house for a Christmas Eve brunch. We had so much fun.

All the Packer cousin's minus Spence and Sarah's adorable kids. We miss you guys!

Auntie Sheri

Finally some men in her life that are her size.

I love that look on her face!

Christmas morning- so magical!!

London's first dolly. I think she loved it!

Wyatt moment

I have to share because even though at the time I was about in tears it makes me laugh now. Monday is my Costco day with Wyatt and London. It is one of the more exhausting things I do in my life so I try and get all pumped up for the event by listening to loud music and eating a heavy dose of sugar before we go. Wyatt usually makes his rounds in the store by grabbing and running, grabbing and running some more but on this particular Costco trip he was a perfect angel. I couldn't believe how our shopping experience was pure bliss and I was hoping this was the dawn of a new era for Wyatt. As we were leaving I asked him if he wanted to stop and get some lunch. As we sat down to enjoy our chicken bake together I thought I would profess my love to Wyatt. I wanted to do the psychology thing where you point out all the good so they keeping trying to be good. I went on and on about how there was no one else in the whole world who I would rather be with than him at that moment. I told him how he was just the best child in the whole world and I loved him so much. When I was finally finished with the plethora of complements he turned to me and simply replied, "But mommy I don't love you, I love daddy!" I gathered up our food and decided it was time to go, our good thing had come to an end.

THANKSGIVING

I have to say we have Thanksgiving dinner down pack. We plan two of them in one day. The first is at the Grand America buffet with the Stone side. Here we don't have to cook or clean and there are 6 huge tables of food to choose from waffles, to Crab legs, to Turkey. Then we play a little football in between to work off the 50,000 calories that we consumed in 1 hour time, then another home cooked meal at Chip's parents home. As we waddled to our car and I look down at my belly that looks 7 months pregnant again I smiled and commented to Chip that it's a good thing it's only once a year.






Isn't she so cute!!

My Birthday

It feels like it was a million years ago but my blog is my journal and I wanted to remember this birthday. Is it wrong to admit at 34 I have always secretly wanted a surprise party? Ok it probably is but Im going to admit it anyway because that is what I got. Chip threw me a surprise party with some of our dear friends in our neighborhood and he had it catered with yummy food from Costa VIda which is my favorite. It was such a fun night but the best was that I had no idea. I usually pride myself on figuring things out before but this one took me completely by surprise. On the day of my birthday Twilight premeired so Chip had no option but to see it with me. He actually liked it better than I did. After word we had a free night stay at a hotel in Salt Lake so the kids stayed with my mom. I have to say that even though Im getting older I still LOVE birthdays!!!!

Time to blog again

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season filled with beautiful memories. I took a vacation from blogging so I could fully enjoy the chaos going on in my house so now I need to catch up. We were able to start the holidays off with a family trip to Disneyland before Thanksgiving. It was so magical to be there with all the cousins and grandparents on the Stone side. My kids want to know why we can't live there and to tell the truth I didn't have a good answer. I just hope we will be blessed enough to go many more times in our lives.

I have found Paradise!!!

Do I dare say that, I have found paradise? Well it is the closest thing I have come to it in this life time. We had the most amazing week of my life down in Costa Rica with my 3 best friends the I have had since I was a little girl and their husbands. Seven out of eight of us graduated from the same high school and we have know each other for almost 20 years. Now with that long a bond between us what better way to celebrate than a week in Costa Rica at Nate and Diana's parents house on the Papaguyo peninsula at the Four Seasons. Did I mention that we were able to stay there for free? Now you are getting my drift about paradise. We stayed in this house that they usually rent out for $12,000.00 a night and it was absolutely breath taking. We enjoyed a relaxing vacation that was still filled with fun events like learning to surf, touching sea turtles, golfing with the guys, swing like monkeys on a zip line course through the jungle, snorkeling, kayacking, and just sitting by the beach. We didn't have a car so we never drove around Costa Rica but we never really wanted to leave the resort either. We were treated like movie stars with bottle water handed to us every 30 minutes and cool lemon scented towels to cool us down or frozen fruit on a stick. If that wasn't enough they would spirits you with Evian water spray. I don't even drink Evian water let alone spray it on my face. Then when I would say, "Thank you" their reply would be, "Welcome to serve you." Can you see where I am going with my paradise conclusion? I have never felt more rested from a vacation and although I hesitated leaving my baby girl and boys for 7 days I was grateful for loving family who took great care of them. Since I have been home reality has hit me hard. I am back to doing my own dishes and mopping my floor and serving breakfast to my kids but even though no one is saying, "Welcome to serve you" I am grateful for the memories that will live in my mind for a long time. Thanks Nate and Diana for sharing your beautiful home!!!

Catch up time for Halloween

Ok the vacuume is finally put away and it's time to catch up on my blogging.

Halloween was such a fun time this year we filled it with fun events the whole month log. It was wonderfully warm so we enjoyed ton's of great activities outside. Here are some of the things that we did.



Do you think baby London is loved??? We went to a Halloween event at Thanksgiving Point with some neighborhood friends. This is Reese and Wyatt giving all their love to baby London.


London picking out pumpkins



Now some of my friends have accused me of London being my favorite child because most of my pictures are of her (yes Im talking about you Lisa O.) but it's not my fault that I have burned out my other kids and they will no longer pose for a picture.



OK 3 out of 4 isn't that bad.


I took the kids to pick out pumpkins with Grandma Faunice and Grandpa Richard.

Baby London just had to see if they taste as good as they look.
They ran through the corn maze and got lost a few times.



We went to Gardner Village with some friends in the neigborhood and my mom. They had a ton of witches all dressed up around the whole village so Lisa planned this adorable scavenger hunt for the kids to find different witches. They loved it.


This is cute Grandma Faunice with the kids

This was our ward Halloween Party with Wendy and Heather. I just love for a chance to dress up!

So my kids dress up this year with no cute theme or rhyme or reason but they were all cute on an individual scale. Brayden was a broken leg skelton. Tyson is a space commander. Wyatt is a cowboy on a horse with a totally awsome mustache (his favorite part) and London is a beautiful butterfly. They all looked so cute.


Happy October!!!

What is this???

Does anyone know what this picture is all about? It represents my life right now. It is my vacuum that has been sitting in my living room for two days now just waiting to pick up all the dirt that is on my floor before it finds it's way into London's mouth. It seems like more and more tasks in my life only get half way done. I did bring it all the way out from it's resting spot but I can't seem to find the time to use it. Do you think it fits in with the decor enough to leave it for a few more days?

GOING PRIVATE

I think I finally figured out how to do my setting on the blog to only allow friends to read my blog. I have just head some really weird stories lately about blog stocking (which I do my self) but i am just a curious house wife unlike the others stories I heard about so I need to put my blog as private access. If you feel like you would like to see what is going on in the Packers life every once in a while please email me your email address and I will program it in to view our blog. I love to blog because I feel like it is my families journal and a fun way to keep in touch with friends so if you are interested please email me at:

lisapacker1@yahoo.com

I'll be doing this in about 2 weeks so try and email me by then.
Thanks!!! Lisa