Little Rascals and Breckyn ("how redundant")

Finally, I have a singer!

One of my favorite movies of all time is Little Rascals. I quote it all the time and my kids where wanting to see the movie. When I was at Walmart, I saw it on sale for $7.50 and got it. My kids really like it. But my Breckyn LOOOOOOVES it. She watches it over and over. So here she is watching it and singing along with her favorite part. It is so funny because I have always been one to repeat, talk AND ask questions about all the mistakes that they make in movies (just ask my fam and even RaRa and Ajax, it annoys them). Well my girl is once again, me to a 'T'. She has the movie memorized already a tells it to anyone who will listen.

Football Season Comes to an End For QC/Ajax

Queen Creek Bulldogs!

Ajax-one of our "teens"

Since Maggie and Kinney came to Arizona back in September, we have been to nearly every QC game. After the first one, we decided to get babysitters and make a date out of it. We had so much fun and by the end of the season, Troy was standing to watch the games. In the beginning he wanted everyone to sit down. Now he sees why it is easier to be on your feet when the game gets intense. I really enjoyed being with him and sharing something that I love with him.

Here are a few pics of Ajax playing and him with his dad Bart and with Maggie.

There are a few games that stand out to us. Queen Creek vs Higley for sure. My cousin Blake plays for Higley so it made it even more fun to watch. Plus my Uncle John was taking pictures of the game and got a few with Ajax in them.

#70, who is jumping and touching the banner, is Blake. It was Senior Night for him.

This game was my 2nd favorite. First of all this is the "rival" team. The stands were filled. The Bulldogs were losing bad, until the end of the 3rd quarter. Then they woke up and played the best 1 1/2 quarters EVER! and won the game.


Last night was my favorite game. They were playing Green Way for State Playoffs and everyone was pumped for it. But at the beginning of the week, they lost a boy named Lorin who had been their guard, #62 last season. He had cancer and lost the battle. The community seemed to really come together. Lorin's favorite color was red and so the text messages started around to let everyone know to wear red to the game. When we got to there, we saw that the team and even the cheerleaders were wearing red socks.

At the beginning of the game, they let 62 red balloons go in honor of him and his #62 jersey is at the top of the press box. I didn't know him at all but I still got teary eyed during the presentation and again when I saw his parents walk into the stands and sit surrounded by family.

Ok, then the game started. Let me just say that Ajax may be a little short for his liking....but it has absolutely NO effect on how tough he is on the field. He had so many tackles and a GREAT, HARD quarterback sack. He even knocked the quarterback out of bounds and when Ajax got up...he still lied there for a few seconds. I think that is when he really started to watch for #57.

My camera is not very good when it comes to football games. The lights I guess. So I tried recording him play a little. If you can find him....he is the last man on the line closest to you and always the last one down into position. I think this is because he is so wound up, that he cannot be still for 2 seconds. If ever you want to find him...just look for the one pacing or jumping up and down:-) Hopefully you can find him and see one of his many tackles.

SO I HAD TO PUT THIS SHORT CLIP ON. It is so funny, at least to me. If you watch Ajax and #34...you will see them step at the exact same time and they even do a cross over thing. Well I thought it was funny.

Well to make a long story short (haha). We ended up losing at the very end of the game by 1 STINKING POINT. 21 us 22 them. It was horrible to know that we would not see him play again but at least the team played a great game and went down being able to hold their heads high. Even Ajax was ok. He even talked, smiled and took pictures afterward. The last game they lost, we were lucky to get a hug :) He is very competitive.....complete opposite of my family hehe.

Alright boy, with this picture you had better realize how much we love you. I HATE PICTURES OF ME!

Well Ajax, you have had a heck of a season and we are so happy to have had the opportunity and privilege of being there with you. You are an amazing athlete and an even better "teen". We are proud of you!!!

Fridge Tagged - Thanks Jill

Ok so I guess that since I made such a big deal out of everyone getting blogs...I deserve to get tagged now and then. But a refrigerator tag? Come on really. Isn't my life embarrassing enough? LOL

Well at least I have a new and pretty one :-). These are all my pictures, reminders and magnets on the the front.Well as you can see I have no food. Basically we have milk, Troy's Gatorade (grape FIERCE only), water, 2 apples, sierra mist free and of course Nutren Jr.......Keegan's only source of nutrition. Oh and don't forget the jars off pickle juice for Troy's pickled eggs (YUK)

I tag: Anissa, Jennifer, Nat and Stacey

VA Veterans Day Parade 2008

OUR OWN FAMILY HERO!

This is Frank Leland Nikolaus. He served as a Staff Sergeant in the Army during World War II. He loves to tell stories about his time in the services but is also careful of what he tells to whom. My favorite is when he talks about being the Mormon boy who was in charge of rationing the alcohol. He quickly became a a new friend to all. But for all of you that know Grandpa....it didn't help them out a bit :) We love you Grandpa and are so thankful to you for the sacrifices that you made for your/our Country and family.


The Phoenix Veterans Day Parade is one of the 4th largest in the Country. I have been in more parades than I can count but had not realized that my Morgan had not even seen one. (at least one that she was old enough to remember) Fortunately her 4th Grade Recorder Marching Band, got to go to and march in this parade.I could not pass up the opportunity to experience both the largest parade I had ever been a part of nor her 1st. We met at the school at 7:30. There were 35 4th graders, I think 12 cheerleaders (much older) and roughly 10 adults. These are a few of Morgan's friends. Allot of her friends are boys but she didn't want pictures with them LOL.
We got on the bus and left a little after 8:00. This is Asia, Morg and India (yes, they are sisters, not twins yet in the same grade??). We had to go clear over to 7th and Indian School in Phoenix (about 45 min to 1 hour).
They had all of the marching bands meet in a field by a school and line up to be judged. We waited around and stood in line for potty breaks (Morg and her friends wouldn't go in until I gave them each a Wet One and showed them that I had sanitizer for when they came out LOL) for close to an hour. They got to listen to a Veteran play the Bagpipes. He played about 4 patriotic songs and the field was completely silent. All of the other bands that we were with were High Schools. We found out that we were the ONLY elementary band in the parade. That was great because we get a trophy for being the best :) :)We finally got in line, we were #35. As we neared the street, we ended up waiting on an access road for another 45 min. The kids were getting hot and tired although only the cheerleaders complained :( At least we did get close enough to see some of the parade while we were waiting. That made it much easier.35. MOUNTAIN VISTA 4th to 8th GRADER RECORDER MARCHING BAND: This group is playing their recorders for the first time in the VA Veterans Day Parade. This is how it reads in the program.
The crowd was amazing. I never imagined that many people in a 2 mile long parade. They all loved the kids and I could hear allot of the comments as we passed by. They thought they were "so cute" and "they couldn't be over 8" (that upset Morg hehe) and of course "goodness they are playing recorders, I used to play that". It was fun to see and hear how great they thought our kids were. AND THEY ARE. Although I was rude to 1 teenager as she booed us, I simply walked very close to her and told her to "Shut up or GO HOME" you all know me and so you can imagine how sweetly I said it :)

I loved seeing all of the flags and posters along the way, along with all of the military personnel with their families and in uniform. Everyone there were so proud of and thankful for our Vets.
Being #35 out of 93, we only got to see some of the entries. The kids of course LOVED all the soldiers and the Red Cross truck and they all wanted to know how those tiny horses could pull those "BIG OLD MEN". They also really enjoyed it when we would tell everyone to look out for the horse poop on the road and 2 of the cheerleaders stepped in it BOTH TIMES.


Here is part of THE song that they played. You may have to look to the right to see my girl because as we all know, I cannot walk, record, think AND pay attention all at once. So Timothy?? is the star of my video....but the beauty is on the right.

Prior to this, my sister Jill and I had discussed taking recorders and harmonicas around caroling when we go up for Christmas:) :) I have since determined that my mom would like her neighbors to like her even after the holidays LOL. :( :( j/k I actually loved it.

All in all, we had a great time. Morgan did not show it but said that when we first got there and started out....she was VERY scarred. So for her to hide it as well as she did, I am very proud. And if you cannot tell by the video or pics, she was a line leader. She did a great job keeping the 8 or 9 kids behind her in line. She continues to amaze me.

As you all know....this was very hard for her, she is so shy. But she loved it and more importantly THEY, THE VETERANS loved it.

HAPPY VETERANS DAY! THANK YOU TO ALL WHO SERVED AND WHO ARE NOW SERVING TO PROTECT AND HONOR OUR GREAT NATION!

Morgan, Keegan and Breckyn were tagged by Jax

Questions that are answered by Breckyn. . .
1. What is something mom always says to you? "tease me"
2. what makes mom happy? "When you clean up"
3. what makes mom sad? "when you don't clean up"
4. how does mom make you laugh? action: twisting finger around and around by her ear "crazy"
5. what was mom like as a child? shrugged shoulders
6. how old is your mom? "really old"
7. How tall is your mom? "really big"
8. what is her favorite thing to do? "tickle me"
9. what does your mom do when you're not around? "be mad"
10. if your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? "cause"
11. what is your mom really good at? "making us noodles"
12. what is your mom not very good at?"nothing"
13. what does your mom do for her job?"on your blog"
14. what is your mom's favorite food? "Pizza"
15. what makes you proud of your mom? "makes noodles."
16. if your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? "Sponge Bob, with holes in you"
17. what do you and your mom do together?"dance"
18. how are you and your mom the same?"when we wear white"
19. how are you and your mom different? "when I have curly hair and you don't"
20. how do you know your mom loves you? "When I say, mom I love you..you say I love you infinity"

Questions that are answered by Keegan. . .
1. What is something mom always says to you? "Clean my room"
2. what makes mom happy? "Taking care of her and doing stuff whatever she says"
3. what makes mom sad? "When Grandma Chalk died"
4. how does mom make you laugh? "you um...chase us"
5. what was mom like as a child?"like a angel" (man I have him fooled)
6. how old is your mom? whisper"how old are you?"
7. How tall is your mom? "8ft tall"
8. what is her favorite thing to do? "play games"
9. what does your mom do when you're not around? "do stuff"
10. if your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? "singing, because you're really famous singer."
11. what is your mom really good at? "really good driving"
12. what is your mom not very good at? "you're not good at thumb wrestling"
13. what does your mom do for her job? "cleaning the dishes"
14. what is your mom's favorite food? "Lasagna" I mean everything"
15. what makes you proud of your mom? "being nice" and I got a hug with it
16. if your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? "Annie"
17. what do you and your mom do together? "go to town and doctors"
18. how are you and your mom the same? "we have the same hair and the same eyes"
19. how are you and your mom different? "you are big, I am little...I mean..no wait, darn it...and you have glasses and I don't"
20. how do you know your mom loves you? "I don't know"


Questions that are answered by Morgan. . .
1. What is something mom always says to you? "tell us to tell you that you are the best mom in the world." I gotta get it somehow
2. what makes mom happy? "When we give you um...hugs and kisses."
3. what makes mom sad? "When we make a mess"
4. how does mom make you laugh?"when Breckyn says something really weird"
5. what was mom like as a child? "small and cute"
6. how old is your mom? "36 no, no, no, 32 no, it's 31!"
7. How tall is your mom? squeaking "I don't know, um....tall"
8. what is her favorite thing to do? "Go on the computer and spend time with us because you spend time with us, yes"
9. what does your mom do when you're not around? "Go on the computer"
10. if your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? "Making the best blog ever and finding the best new websites and singing""
11. what is your mom really good at? "Playing softball, pitching, pitching."
12. what is your mom not very good at? "DRAWING"
13. what does your mom do for her job? "Take care of us."
14. what is your mom's favorite food? "what is your favorite food? Lasagna"
15. what makes you proud of your mom? "Helping me with sports."
16. if your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? "Miss piggy? no Fozzy Bear"
17. what do you and your mom do together? "Play softball"
18. how are you and your mom the same? "We love sports"
19. how are you and your mom different? "I can draw, you can't"
20. how do you know your mom loves you? "When you....um....mmmm....spend time with us."
Atkinsons tag: Maggie, Tyler, Makena, Ashlyn,

Let's Hear It For The Girls(and a little for the husbands)

US
(established bloggers)

Well it all started with my sister Katie (married to Brant) starting a blog. All I wanted to do was make a comment about my sweet little Ali. So I signed up just to comment. Well I guess I didn't explain that to her and Brant and soon I was on there Blogging List. I decided that I had better start a blog so that when people I knew would click on my name, they would have something to look at.
Well I am hooked. I am sure that no one has noticed. So I was determined to get the other girls in my life to follow. First my Morgan started hers (although she needs to post), Cheyanne started hers for the trip to Honduras and although I talked about it all the time and threatened my brothers....it took them until last week to get their wives the Internet. Now my sisters Jill (married to Willie), Lindsay (married to Britton) and Maggie/mom have all started their own blogs.

THEM
(beginning bloggers)

I AM SO EXCITED THAT WE ALL (except Tracy..still working on her) HAVE BLOGS AND CAN SEE ALL OF THE KIDS. It helps make up the distance between all of us and makes me feel more a part of their lives.

Objective: Convert TargetGoal: Activate Blogging Status

So THANK YOU sisters and mom, for spending a few(maybe more) frustrating hours getting it all set up JUST FOR ME :) :) I always thought that I was the favorite....but now I KNOW I AM.

Love you all!!

Oh ya and for all of you who follow my blog, make sure to check out the Nikolaus blogs too. There are 7 all together.

3 Nights of Halloween......Long Post

Painting Pumpkins

Breckyn loves to write "B s"

See how his mouth forms when he's concentrating?

My Artist!

Getting Ready

Numbers

Lashes

Beard

Well this is the first year that the kids have had to have anything really done on their faces, so Troy got to help out this year. He huffed at first but after the first one, he really enjoyed it.
I love him.

AND NOW FOR THE ATKINSONS

Morgan, my Twisted Witch! She loved having black fingernails, streaks in her hair and LONG shiny eyelashes. She looked beautiful.Keegan of course wanted to be a cowboy. I told him that it wasn't a costume if he looked like that all the time. So he added a beard and walla...he's his dad:)
My Breckyn was going to be Dora, but with all of her hair..the wig wouldn't fit. She decided to be a cheerleader. The numbers are for Ajax-57 and the Nikolaus Family-15. She likes to do cheers with her BFF, Ashlyn.

"Trunk or Treat"

On Wednesday our ward had its annual trunk or treat. We also had chili and cornbread. I was really good until Troy pulled out a LONG BLACK piece of hair........DONE. The kids love to go because they don't have to walk allot and get a ton of candy. This is also the only place where Troy passes out candy because nobody comes to our house (surprising?).


We had to take something over to Ajax's house and so we decided to stop by the new library. The kids went in and loved it, it is huge and has a ton of books. But even though we live in Queen Creek, we don't live in Maricopa County. We live in Pinal :(, so we have to pay $50.00 to get a card. So, we went outside and rode their bikes.

"Trick or Treat"

And finally....we went to the McCleve's as we have done for the past 4 years and went "trick or treating" around their subdivision. The houses are all about 1 1/2 acres apart and every year the kids start complaining about being tired halfway around. So this year we took the middle seat out of the van, opened the back gate and piled in. There was only a few whines and we got done in record time. The kids don't go to many houses, but because of that, there are not many kids so they get a ton of candy.

So here we have all of the kids. These 6 spend more time together than anyone I know. There was the "Ghost Rider"-Tyler, "Twisted Witch"-Morgan, "Troy the Cowboy"-Keegan, "Rodeo Clown"-Makena, "Cheerleader"-Breckyn and "Dorthy(she called it a princess)"-Ashlyn. Aren't they the cutest kids EVER?

OK, here's the deal. Anissa has been trying to get a picture of me ever since I put one of her on my blog. So here she tries....but I got her instead (I am quick with the camera). Later.....again she tries but does not succeed unless you consider my hair and arm to be a picture. Sorry Ness you are no match with my picture dodging skills. haha:)

This is the kids with "Grandma and Grandpa" or Dan and Geri our backyard neighbors for the past 8 years.

All in all it was a fun week and the kids had a blast. They are already picking out what they want to be next year.