Weiland Warriors

Easter? Really?!

2009-10-28T10:19:00.001-07:00

I know we've been busy, but Easter? OK, so it's been a while since I've made time to post anything. I've really been trying to simplify things and make time for what really matters. It's much easier now that school is back in. Summers are SO CRAZY with practically no schedule!

We were shooting a little too "from the hip" around here so I made a new, fun chore chart for Coop and thought I'd share the download with whomever wants a copy.

It's made for ONE kid, SEVEN days, and SIX jobs. There are text boxes over the top and side rows so you can add what you want. Or you can print it off and write stuff in. I hope this helps someone. Coop is loving putting a sticker on each day.

CHORE CHART

Easter Sunday

2009-05-01T22:34:00.000-07:00

Gathered around the table!
My friend Lesleigh made these adorable easter cookies for us. Check her out here.

And instead of a traditional easter ham, we opted this year for the new tradition of an easter taco salad. Yummy!!!

Jumpy places with Cooper!

2009-05-01T22:31:00.000-07:00

It was time to update Utah Valley magazine for the fitness challenge and I needed a new picture. We took a TON to get a great shot of Cooper and I. Check out the article here.

my hot man!

2009-05-01T22:29:00.000-07:00

i took this picture on one of our day dates. Now that we are both working a ton and working at night, it was cutting in rather heinously to our dating life. So we have started going on afternoon dates. yeah me!!

Buddies...

2009-05-01T22:27:00.000-07:00

Brad Metcalf, Michael B and Tim. It is always a riot when these guys get together!

The big promotion!

2009-05-01T22:23:00.000-07:00

So i'm not sure why I'm making such a stupid pose, but the first picture I took was so boring that I sassed it up. But this is my first shift as a Customer Service Manager at our Walmart in Cedar Hills. Yeah!!

This is our breakroom....

And these are my WAY COMFY shoes that save my feet everyday.

Same month?!

2009-05-01T22:20:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken a few days BEFORE the next picture!! Sometimes i am just blown away by the weather here in Utah.

And how cool are Cooper and his friends?!

Some of our favorite food!

2009-05-01T22:15:00.000-07:00

I have been eating chocolate shakes and french fries together for as long as I can remember. Although I do prefer McDonald;s chocolate shakes and fries to Wendy's I won't turn these down!

Magic Cookie Bars!! These are super easy to make and REALLY yummy!

Crock Pot Roast is such a great Sunday meal.

This is the sad substitute for our usual Cinnamon Rolls for Conference Morning. I've been so busy with work and such that I had to pop these in a pan and not make them from scratch. But they were all eaten nonetheless!!

Is this a JOKE?!

2009-05-01T22:13:00.000-07:00

This is what we woke up to on April 1st!! I can't believe the snow is STILL coming!!

It was silly sock day at school, so Coop wore these fabulous WOOL socks of Tim's.

My obsession knows no bounds!

2009-05-01T22:06:00.000-07:00

So here is my uber-organized refrigerator. I tend to get a little bent out of shape when things are put in the wrong place, so notice what I do to keep this from happening.

My Cooper Dooper Super Trooper!

2009-03-30T22:54:00.001-07:00

Now this is a REAL BOY!!! Look how dirty he is! When I told him to wash his hands, he was all "but they're not THAT dirty!

Tim and I took Cooper to the park on Saturday to play baseball. We had so much fun that we had to come home and set up the practice cage so he could keep going. (We were a little worn out). He played in the front yard for HOURS!!!

Cooper helped us plant a couple of trees in the backyard. He's a really great hole digger!

Birthday Dinner @ Blue Lemon

2009-03-30T22:47:00.000-07:00

Kati, Susan, Al, Rebecca, Emily, Amanda, Corinne, Patty, Kim, me.

Thanks to Susan for having a birthday! We had such a fun time at the new restaurant in Highland ::Blue Lemon:: We have a really fun neighborhood and little did we know that two of these women's husbands would be major players in the ward split on Sunday.
Our ward split (sad) and Amanda's husband is our new first counselor and Kim's husband is the new bishop in the ward we split from. And we were talking about the upcoming split at dinner!

Susan and Al were going to be in other wards so I was texting the new bishoprics to them in Sacrament Meeting. Not the greatest example to Bailey, but I think it was okay this once! It was such a BIG DEAL!!

Josh and Jax

2009-03-30T22:45:00.000-07:00

Love this smile!!

This is Jax with his blanket. He likes to put the "Corny" in his ear.

Show me your tongue!

Lone Peak Baseball

2009-03-30T22:42:00.000-07:00

One of our customers from Lone Peak Football ordered a sign for her son for Baseball season. I LOVE how these signs turned out. We offer them in 23" and 15" (below).

Friday Play Date

2009-03-30T22:37:00.000-07:00

Cooper has every other Friday off of school. We try and do something new. This week we took Micah with us to Backyard Adventures in Draper. They are the company that makes the really expensive wooden playsets. They have a large playset and five different inflatable sets for the kids to play on. The kids had so much fun!! Cooper fell asleep so fast that night.

St. Patrick's Day Eve

2009-03-30T22:35:00.000-07:00

Cooper left a note and some treats for the lucky leprechaun who came by our house.

Here are the gold coins and the note that the leprechaun left for Cooper. LUCKY BOY!!

New Cedar Hills WalMart GRAND OPENING!!

2009-03-30T22:10:00.000-07:00

There were a TON of really fun activities when the store opened on Wednesday march 18th. Vendors were giving out all kinds of free things. Cooper got to meet Miss Utah 2009.

And he got to make ANYTHING he wanted with a table full of legos. This is his sweet fighter jet.

Cool lego guy

even COOLER lego guy!!

This is the breakroom where I spend 15 minutes every 2 hours or so and 30 minutes every four hours or so...

And these are my comfortable shoes that keep me going on my feet all shift long. Yeah for comfy shoes!!

Fun to Reconnect!

2009-03-30T21:49:00.000-07:00

So here is a picture of my very first date with my very best friends! Donny Seamons, Linda Schvaneveldt, me and Byron Winward circa February 1988.

Thanks to Facebook, I was able to reconnect with a bunch of "old" friends. I met Linda for lunch in Salt Lake. Three hours FLEW by and it was just not enough!! So fun!!!!!!

And Byron came down to dinner with his family.

We used to live across the street from one another back in the 80's. My mom and Bonnie used to go walking every morning.

Bonnie and Alma. WONDERFUL people!

Bonnie and mom

Ryan and Byron

Jason and Jake

2009-03-10T18:22:00.000-07:00

Jason brought his little brother Jake over the other day. I couldn't help taking a picture. Look how they're both dressed....

Taylor's 19th Birthday

2009-03-10T18:20:00.000-07:00

Can't quite believe that Tay is 19! When did this happen?

Naperville Get Together

2009-03-10T18:14:00.000-07:00

A few of the kids from Naperville came over last Saturday night. It was so great to see everybody again!!

Justin and Melissa are both from Naperville and got married last summer. Cute!

Maddie is out here going to school and working in an Elementary School.

Laura is student teaching math at Lone Peak high which is interesting because she was randomly assigned a high school and it just happens to be the one that Bailey goes to.

Abby just got back from her mission in Astonia and Lauryn is graduating in a couple of months in idaho and will be joining her husband in San Antonio.

Mac's Birthday Lunch at Thai Siam

2009-03-10T18:07:00.000-07:00

Our friend Mac had a birthday lunch at one of our favorite restaurants...Thai Siam. It's this great Thai place in Salt Lake. Fun was had by all....

I always get the Massiman curry....

Super yummy desserts...like this fried bananas and ice cream

or this sweet rice with mangos. AWESOME!!!

tee hee

2009-03-10T18:05:00.000-07:00

Cooper took this picture of himself.....

Lily's 3rd Birthday

2009-03-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

LOVE this picture! Lily is so stinking cute! We went up to John's house last Sunday for Lily's birthday party. She is so into babies and stuffed animals. She was THRILLED with every present.

Too cute!

Carter LOVED the cupcakes and thought it was so funny that he got it all over his face!

Cooper's Art Award

2009-03-10T17:52:00.000-07:00

Cooper's class had an Art Show. He won "most original" and "Choice of Class" He made some great watercolors and was particularly proud of this piece.

Chillows (Cheek Pillows)

2009-03-10T17:47:00.000-07:00

Look at the chillows on this little Cooper. He belongs to Ashlie, the photographer at Cherished Moments. Check out her work at cherishedmomentsphotos.com

Goodbye Becca :(

2009-03-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

So my cute neighbor Becca is moving to St. George! we have been next door neighbors for the last what 4 years?! She is so fun loving. I'm glad she's not going too far away. Four hours is not too bad. we had a great going away dinner at the new Olive Garden in American Fork.

Me, Bev and Kari

Amanda, Bria and Shauna

Lindsay, Ashley and Ava

Shauna, Brenda (and the twins), Jenn and Natalie.

My Mom...

2009-03-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

So how cute is my mom? She needed some pictures taken for work. She was the subject of a magazine article in a national Accounts Payable magazine. (I'll post it when it comes out) This one was my favorite.

MY BIRTHDAY!

2009-03-10T17:27:00.001-07:00

So here I am. 37 years old. when the heck did that happen? I feel like Meg Ryan in when Harry Met Sally. "And I'm gonna be 40!" "When?" "Someday!" " In like 8 years..." Except in my case it's 3 years. But still....does this make me a grownup? weird.

here is my cute little neighbor Jeffrey. His mom, Mary is by far one of the best cooks/bakers I have ever met. he is bringing me some birthday bread. It lasted about three seconds.

And here is the MAJOR indulgence of my birthday. I have a thing for Costco frosting. Not the cake part mind you, just the frosting. So I bought all 300 cupcakes (ok like 20) so I could have a few. It was completely naughty but OH SO GOOD!!

Thankfully my visiting teachers were so thoughtful and gave me a birthday snack i actually SHOULD be eating! They really helped balance out the massive sugar overload from the cupcakes. Love those girls!!

My new BFF

2009-02-18T14:47:00.000-08:00

This is a site I see almost daily and I am really learning to love my new BFF-Gold's Gym.

Our college girls!

2009-02-18T14:45:00.000-08:00

How cute are Tay and Amanda? They have been best friends for so many years and it's been so fun to watch them grow up together. They're now both in college and so it's such a treat to see them hanging around the house together.

Matchy matchy...

2009-02-18T14:41:00.000-08:00

this picture just cracks me up! Bailey bought this plaid shirt that Cooper is wearing, but it was too small for her after she washed it but it fit Coop. She loved it so much and it was so inexpensive that she went back and bought another one for herself. They both happened to be wearing their shirts today so of course I had to get a picture of it!!

Happy Birthday to ME!

2009-02-18T14:36:00.000-08:00

We celebrated my birthday on Sunday with our family and friends....Tay put together this AMAZING book with notes from people I love. Thanks Tay!! You are so thoughtful!! I love it!

Joshy making his funny face.

The girls

My hot hubby!!

Mike and Ethan....Cynthia was somewhere else in the house...

Stacia and Bryon...would you get married already?!

The four and 1/4 Burr's....congratulations on baby #3!!

Morgan and his friend Kelly and her son Conner....Harrison was somewhere...

Ben and Mary. We LOVE Mary! This is the first time we got to meet her and we just thoroughly enjoyed having her around. I think they make a GREAT couple!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-18T14:35:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's Day we went to see "Confessions of a Shopaholic" which I HIGHLY recommend! Then we took the kids out for chinese.

My creative kids!!

2009-02-18T14:31:00.000-08:00

This is outright bragging, but it's my blog, so.....

Cooper LOVES legos! Grandma and Grandpa Weiland got this set for him while he was in Vegas a couple of weeks ago. He is able to assemble the entire thing by himself and this one has bullets and rockets that launch and a bunch of moving parts! What a stud!

This beautiful bouquet of flowers was given to me by Bailey. She made them out of plastic shopping bags. What a fun surprise. They are now part of the decor in my scrapbooking room. I think I'm more creative with them on my table!

Fitness Challenge Update

2009-02-18T14:27:00.000-08:00

So I am 8 weeks into the program and I just submitted my photo (above) and my write up for the next issue of the magazine. I am down 16 pounds, 4% body fat and 5 inches!!

Sam and I were at the mall with her friend Lindsay, and I HAD to take a picture of myself TODAY to send to the magazine because the deadline was the next day. I figured something would come to me. When we walked into Express I saw these four mannequins dressed in black, grey and white. It was like they were shining and waiting for me to join them! Look for the article in the upcoming issue of Utah Valley Magazine.

Utah Food!

2009-02-18T14:17:00.000-08:00

So apparently, although DC is the capital of our country, it is not the capital of good food. Sam said that there are mainly boutiquey type restaurants that are really expensive and a few fast food chains like McDonalds. So when she was here there was a strict plan in place to eat at certain restaurants....

Marleys in Lindon. They are part of the new Harley Davidson place. SUPER YUMMY sliders!!

Breakfast at Magelby's Fresh in Provo.

The remnants of the sent from heaven syrup for the all you can eat pancakes and french toast. if my trainer is reading this, I had two bites!!

Costa Vida!! So Yummy is the half salad!

This picture just cracks me up. It was taken just before the above picture. Not everyone was ready and Sam looks really concerned! She was asking if I was taking a picture of the whole table or just one side.

Chinese Buffet in Orem. We went to lunch with Shawn's family. It was so great to see all of them again!

Sam's Birthday Visit to Utah!

2009-02-18T14:06:00.002-08:00

So Sam flew out here to Utah for a WEEK! So we could celebrate her 30th birthday with her. Every minute was planned so she could pack everything in. It was so FUN having her here and I was WAY sad to see her go!

This is the stack of scrapbook pages that she finished. She did over 300 pictures while she was here and filled two albums.

Sam in action!

Sam and Tay

Mom took us out on Friday for both of our birthdays (three days apart). Of course we chose to spend our birthday money at Archivers!!! BTW....I look like a giant in this picture! Sam has started wearing flats of all things!

I love this picture because it looks like I have really long hair!

This is the first picture of getting mom to do kissy lips! We went to see "New in Town." Really cute show!

Sam and Ben

Coat Drive

2009-02-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

For our first meeting of the Ten Club we did a coat drive. From just 5 ladies, we got all these coats!! And with all of our $10's we raised $50 for next months project! If you want more information about the club, go to our neighborhood website. It's a service club. Check it out!!
we took the coats to the Road Home in SLC. They have an upsurge in homeless families right now, so the kids and women's coats are really needed.

Family Night at the Burr's

2009-02-08T11:45:00.000-08:00

Jared and Julie invited us over last Monday night for dinner and family night. We had such a great time! Dinner was delish! And the boys were so cute with the Noah's Ark lesson.

The transfer is now complete!

2009-02-08T09:43:00.000-08:00

I had YEARS of photos on my mac, but now I am working on my laptop with Photoshop Elements for all our pictures. I was trying to figure out different ways to get them from one computer to the next, but seeing as I am not too tech savvy, I ended up burning them all to CD and putting them on my new computer. I figured I wanted a copy on CD to keep at my mom's house (in case of fire) anyway, so here they ALL are! It was a long process, but I sure had fun looking at some old pictures!!

Shawny's Birthday!!

2009-02-08T09:40:00.000-08:00

Happy 31st Birthday Shawny!! Shawn and Sam live in DC, but he just happened to be out here the week of his birthday to pick up his car and his brother to drive back to DC. So we were super excited to not only get to see him, but to give him squishy loves for his birthday too!!

SLC Comedy Show

2009-02-08T09:26:00.000-08:00

We went to our friends comedy show in SLC a couple of weeks ago. It was typical Michael B. Totally funny and a great night out. Thanks for sharing!!

Us and our friends

Mac and Kay Sims

Michael B torturing some poor kid

Moments before the unexpected torture. Well, it was unexpected to him, most of us knew it was coming!

Mitch English. Really funny guy. Weatherman in Florida by day, comedian in Utah by night.

Dustin Chafin. Super funny guy! Google him...it will be totally worth it!

Dr. Ping Pong Von Laserstein

2009-02-05T15:07:00.000-08:00

This is NOT Dr. Ping Pong. This is "Rex". **Not his real name**. This is a neighborhood NON-stray that has a family, but took up residence all summer and fall on our porch chairs. Then when Ben moved in he started feeding the cat, named him Rex and he became a permanent fixture outside our home. Knowing that the kids of this cat might be upset if we "adopted" Rex and made him our house cat, we instead took a trip to the pound and found...

Dr. Ping Pong Von Laserstein. (Ben is responsible for the name.)

First Grade Devotional

2009-02-05T14:57:00.000-08:00

The First grade is studying the Doctrine and Covenants/Church History this year. This was their devotional sharing what they have learned so far this year...It is always such a delight to see your child learn and grow and for that to include the basic core beliefs of the gospel of Jesus Christ...well...I couldn't ask for anything better!

My little pioneer...

And his class....

His part: Seven year old Alma Smith lived in Haun's Mill Missouri. One day a mob came and killed many of the church members who lived there. Alma was shot in the hip blowing the bone away. There were no doctors to take him to. Alma's mother prayed to know what to do.

It was such a wonderful program! The spirit of those pioneers and early church members filled the room. These sweet young kids sharing such a strong message pulls on your heartstrings. Just one more thing I love about American Heritage school! You feel the spirit!!

My new job!!

2009-02-05T14:53:00.000-08:00

I just got a job at the new WalMart in Cedar Hills!! This picture is of the Lindon store, but I put it in for effect! The new store opens in March but I will start training in the next couple of weeks. I got hired as a part time cashier at night, but I heard something about being made a CSM. If my WalMart shopping experiences have taught me anything, I believe I will be the one up front in the red vest being helpful when and where needed.

I'm actually really excited to start this job! Like I said, it's just part time at night but if I need a full time, bring home the bacon type of job, I'm sure I could transition into it.

BTW, Tim is still looking for gainful employ, so if you know of anyone hiring a ruggedly handsome, overqualified, model American citizen. Let me know!

WARNING grody picture!

2009-02-05T14:48:00.000-08:00

this little guys name is Deathmeat. He tried to choke Bailey! Seriously though, the other night Bailey was literally {{choking}} on this piece of death meat. She could not breathe and was signaling with her hands for help. Tim tried to help but it wouldn't come out. I tried the Heimlich but I was too soft. So Tim tried the Heimlich and this little guy came flying out! It was one of the scariest things! I'm sure it was a few second adventure, but it felt like FOREVER! i wouldn't let go of her for quite a while after that. stupid deathmeat!

AWESOME new book that you MUST read!

2009-02-04T08:41:00.000-08:00

So when we were at the Hoover Dam I met Gary Hansen and his wife Becca. He is the author of this amazing book called "Wet Desert". I really enjoyed chatting with them. They have four kids, they live in Kaysville and this is his FIRST novel. I hope he is working on another one because I LOVED this book. I read it OUT LOUD the entire way home on the drive home from Las Vegas because I was into it that Tim wanted to hear some.

I highly encourage you to get this book! Go to his website for more information or you can directly to Amazon.

WET DESERT

Wet Desert is a crime fiction novel where Grant Stevens, a mid-level manager for the Bureau of Reclamation, helps the FBI track down an environmental terrorist attempting to restore the Colorado River by blowing up the dams.

REAR FLAP

Grant Stevens, a mid-level manager for the Bureau of Reclamation, only wanted to build dams. He never imagined he would be swept into a desperate race against an environmental terrorist bent on restoring the Colorado River by blowing up the dams.

Left temporarily in charge of the Bureau, Grant must react when the first dam is attacked. He faces the unthinkable task of mitigating the massive flood roaring down the Colorado. The flood will eventually threaten the mighty Hoover Dam, and if Hoover fails, the other dams downstream will fall like dominos.

Working with the FBI, Grant uses his engineering skills, river knowledge, and plenty of gut instinct in an attempt to outmaneuver the terrorist. The chase will lead all the way downstream to the Gulf of California in a cat and mouse game where the stakes are high and the potential for destruction is enormous.

It was especially fun to read because I met him AT the Hoover Dam and the story takes place all along the Colorado River with some main parts at Hoover. Really cool. I had to remind myself afterwards that it was a story...

Bureau of Reclamation Seal....part of the book.

The Nevada side of the dam...

The view over the edge of the dam.

Hoover Dam

2009-02-04T08:36:00.000-08:00

Tim is explaining how the dam works to cooper. He was a little nervous looking over the edge. I don't blame him! I try really hard not to feel like the edge is sucking me over!!

Look how low the water level is!

This is the new bridge they are building so traffic will not have to go over the dam. It's pretty amazing. The picture doesn't do it justice!

This is, of course, not the dam at all, but Nico the cat. I love how she just sits there like she's people.

My little military man!

2009-02-04T08:33:00.000-08:00

Coop drew this picture for Grandpa Weiland for Veteran's day. I never got around to mailing it, so we took it with us when we went to Vegas.

Cooper and Grandpa practiced his salute. I think he's about ready. Especially with Grandpa's cap and the flight suit he got at the base.

Fitness Challenge Update

2009-01-22T21:01:00.000-08:00

So here is a picture of Utah Valley Magazine with the start of my fitness challenge. You can see it online at uvmag.com page 33 of the Jan/Feb issue.

This is my lifesaver that I take with me to my new BFF Gold's Gym. I have a workout playlist with some awesome songs!! If you see me at the gym, I will probably be trying hard not to rock out, but to no avail. I have found myself having an "angry rocker face" on occassion. Good thing no one is there to look at me! But that will change!! Here is my update after four weeks on my new program:

weight: down 9.2
body fat: down 2.3%
measurements: down 2 inches

A blast from the past...

2009-01-22T20:58:00.000-08:00

In cataloging Tim's old photos, I loved looking at this brand new little family just starting off on their journey. These are of Tim and his mom and dad. {{LOVE Them!}}

I married the CUTEST guy!

2009-01-22T20:55:00.000-08:00

I've been scanning and cataloging all of our old pictures. These ones of Tim are so stinkin' cute!!

Our temple

2009-01-22T20:53:00.000-08:00

we've been having this inversion/fog thing going on. I thought the temple looked really cool in the mist.

The deer and the driver

2009-01-22T20:50:00.000-08:00

This is my mom's car after an early morning "run-in" {pun intended} with a BIG deer. She said it had quite the rack on it. (No joke necessary...it's too obvious!)

How I felt the first few times at the GYM...

2009-01-14T13:15:00.000-08:00

2009...

2009-01-12T08:31:00.000-08:00

The first few days of 2009 were so quiet and wonderful. No one was back at school yet and things were still so peaceful. Here are a few things we did to pass the time...

Tim and Bay started this puzzle...it ended up being a lot harder than it looked. The pink and lighter pink sky was a bit tricky and the blue and the darker blue ice at the bottom were also challenging.

Cooper and Ben went to a Rock Shop in town and found some really cool rocks. Coop and I took pictures of all of his rocks and are making a "catalog" so he will remember what they're all called.

Coopers creative side was in full force this holiday season.

New Ward Building

2009-01-12T08:22:00.000-08:00

Our ward moved into our new building the first Sunday of 2009. It's so funny to see how many churches there are so close together! Just in our little city of less than 3,000 families we have two stakes, two stake centers and (if i'm counting right) 7 church buildings. It's a far cry from our stake in Naperville. I've decided that it's not better or worse, just different. It sure makes Visiting Teaching easy with everyone living so close!

This is our new nursery room. There are a few changes that are fun. The chalk boards are lower to the ground so the kids can use them and the chairs don't fold so there will be no pinched fingers from the chairs this year!

i got to organize the closets and the toys for both wards. I know that sounds lame, but I really love to organize things, so it was a lot of fun! There are only two wards in our building right now. They meet at 9 and we meet at 1 so there is no overlap at all!! Our ward will be splitting sometime in the near future then we'll be back to three wards in the building. It will be nice to be a smaller ward again, but we will MISS our bishop! We love Bishop Besselievere and are sad that he lives on the other side of the neighborhood! So we're not anxious about the split. It's just an inevitable thing.

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-12T08:18:00.000-08:00

New Years Eve is usually a quiet time for the Weiland's. We don't stay up too late. In the past we have had a "New Years Noon" party. When the clock strikes 12:00 (noon) we celebrate and ring in the new year! That way we can go to bed! It worked really well when the kids were younger, but even Cooper proved his stamina this year!

Cooper was invited over to the Collier's home for a New Years Eve party. Here he is with his friends Porter and Peyton at 11pm!! I was a bit of a party pooper and took him home, but he'll have something to look forward to next year when he's 8!

Ben and Grandma and I played a rousing game of Scrabble!! Watch out!

Christmas was so fun!!

2009-01-12T08:12:00.000-08:00

We had such a great couple of weeks over the Christmas holiday. Tons of people came over, we got to relax and enjoy one another's company, Ben moved back in with us, and we all got to sleep in!

Tay, Bay, Jules and Jason

Cooper, Josh and Jax made this KILLER TANK and pushed each other around the house. They are still playing with it almost three weeks later!

we love the Burr family!!!

On the TWELFTH Date of Christmas....

2008-12-25T07:28:00.000-08:00

This date is a tradition that we started in 2001. Tim was working for a global company and after 9/11 they laid off most of their US employees. That was the first week in October 2001. The second week our newly finished basement FLOODED with 2 feet of water and the third week, Cooper was born. It had been quite the eventful couple of weeks. Knowing that we had to conserve what money we had until Tim could find a new job and to rebuild the basement, Christmas was going to be thin. So instead of bemoaning it, we started a WONDERFUL tradition that we all look forward to each year.
On Thanksgiving we draw names and have until Christmas Eve to MAKE our person a gift. Only Mom knows who everyone has so it's a fun reveal on Christmas Eve.

Grandma gave Cooper this really cool book. She was the author and Illustrator!

Tay gave bay this really sweet hat with custom dingle balls and glitter!

View 2

Lani made this magnet board for Tay to hang up in her apartment.

Morgan made Lani a really cute bracelet.

Dad made Harrison a CD with all his favorite Weird Al songs.

Cooper made Morgan a photo cube with pictures of the two of them and a cute note. Cooper did his Secret Santa all by himself this year.

Bailey made me a really sweet keychain.

Harrison made dad a CD of his favorite songs. Funny...they had each other and they each made CDs.....Like father, like son!

I made grandma three picture collections of her three kids in frames to put on her fridge. {{Cutest kid is in the middle!}}

Christmas Eve Surprise!!!

2008-12-25T07:17:00.000-08:00

We were enjoying our Christmas Eve festivities when the doorbell rang. We thought it was the boys because they got here just minutes later. But it was a box FULL of presents. I mean FULL of presents. Look at all this!! And another box with Christmas Dinner inside. We were SHOCKED!!
Things are lean this year, but with nothing we could do about it we forged on with our normal Christmas merriment. Admittedly, I was a little nervous about how Coop would respond to the few things we got him. I knew the older kids would understand, but at 7 you have a very clear idea about what Santa will do for you....plus he's a really good boy!! No coal excuses!!

So it was so touching to see that "SOMEONE" was thinking about us. Cooper was BESIDE himself with all the gifts. We kept pulling them out of the box shaking our heads in disbelief. There was a silence in the room and a genuine feeling of Christlike love that filled our hearts in that moment. A very special THANK YOU to that someone...whoever you are.

Christmas Eve with John, Carter and Lily

2008-12-25T07:08:00.000-08:00

John and his kids came down for Christmas Eve and it was SO FUN having them here! I can't believe how big the kids are now!!

Lily loves to run and jump and play and laugh. It's the most contagious laugh ever!!

I think she's got some cousins wrapped around her fingers!

First Barbie!! Yeah!!!

Our twins...Lily and Taylor. Tay looked so much like Lily at her age. And their Birthdays are only ONE DAY apart!

Tay and Lil

Carter has grown up so much!! Here is his space shuttle toy. He knows so many cool things and he is READING at 4 1/2!!

John trying to get to all the Barbie accessories that are superglued to the packaging...

Carter and Lily....watch this neat trick....

Wouldn't you love to bend your body completely in half?!

On the ELEVENTH Date of Christmas...

2008-12-23T19:59:00.000-08:00

Back on December 5th (Ben's Birthday) he wanted us to do some kind of service for his birthday. It's harder than you think in the month of December to give service through an organization. We wanted to do something through the Food and Care Coalition. The first opportunity that fit our whole group was making sack lunches for them to hand out at the center. So we all came together tonight to make 50 sack lunches. Grandma bought the food, Ryan and Alicia (grandmas renters and our friends!) brought the clementines and I bought the paper bags. (I think I got the good end of that deal!) Tim and I are going to deliver them to the center in the morning.

Cooper and Alicia making sure each bag is getting one of everything.

Bailey packaging cookies for the lunches.

Tay and Ryan opening tuna cans.

The final check....

On the TENTH Date of Christmas...

2008-12-23T19:56:00.000-08:00

We watched it snow ALL DAY. That's what we did. It snowed at least a foot at our house. The kids went sledding during the day, we shoveled the driveway and sidewalks together then warmed up with hot chocolate and tomato soup.

Our original plan was to go see "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever"that night, but by the time it came to go, the girls were having fun at their friends house, Coop was at his friends house and so Tim and I decided to go down and visit with Ben instead.

On the NINTH Date of Christmas...

2008-12-23T19:53:00.000-08:00

Game Night!! We played a new game called Hit the Deck.

Tay, Jared and Cooper

Me and Bay

Julie, Grandma and Tim

This is Jared with his million points.....but with this game, less is more.

Say CHEESE!!!

2008-12-23T19:52:00.000-08:00

This is what Josh and Jax did when I said "Say Cheese."

Fitness Challenge....at Christmas?!

2008-12-23T19:47:00.000-08:00

After church on Sunday we received all of this within a 3 hour span. oh....it looks so good!! I was okay after the first couple. I just smelled them...literally! and walked away. Then they kept coming and smelling just wasn't enough! But I couldn't give in. Tim was gone home teaching and I needed support!! I LOCKED myself in my bathroom with my cell phone to text my trainer. After being in there for a few minutes, I talked myself off the ledge, went back out and enjoyed the evening with my family. And I ate this.....

I am gonna look SOOOO good!!

How cute is she?!

2008-12-23T19:45:00.000-08:00

This is my friend, Carmindy in her mom's boutique. Don't you just want to reach through the screen and kiss those cheeks?!

On the EIGHTH Date of Christmas...

2008-12-23T19:39:00.000-08:00

We met up with Pete and his family at John's house in Salt Lake to watch the Cowboys game.

Morgan, Tay and Dad

Pete and Gigi

Tay and Jason

Edith and John

Emma and Cooper

Morgan and Lani

Edith, Emma and Gigi

Me and Tim

Three of the four Weiland Boys..John, Pete and Tim

On the SEVENTH Date of Christmas....

2008-12-23T19:37:00.000-08:00

We did a little girls night out for our date tonight. The girls all went to Grandmas house to hang out and give each other manicures. The boys stayed home and did boy things...

Cooper's School Christmas Party

2008-12-23T19:32:00.000-08:00

This is Cooper's AWESOME teacher!! Mrs. Soderstrom.

They had the desks all set up ready for our Christmas party!!

Tim as a Teenager!!

2008-12-19T09:01:00.001-08:00

This is Tim in Omaha NE with his friend Jeff Lorenz circa 1974!! Jeff just emailed these pictures to Tim. what a hoot!!

A little fuzzy, but other than that...this could be any teenage boy today!

On the SIXTH DATE of Christmas...

2008-12-19T08:58:00.000-08:00

So this night did not turn out as planned. We planned on going up to Temple Square to look at the lights and to go through the visitors center, but with the snowstorm it didn't seem like such a good idea to go over the point of the mountain {{scary and slippery}}. So the girls went to their friends concert, my mom and I went to visit Ben and Tim and Coop stayed home and did boy stuff.

We all still want to go see the lights before they're gone, so we'll wait for a clear day and go then....

On the FIFTH DATE of Christmas...

2008-12-19T08:55:00.000-08:00

We wanted to go to a dollar movie, but there was nothing good playing so we sucked it up and paid for a real movie. We went to see Four Christmases. It was really cute! Tim and Cooper were out getting snacks while we took pictures so you'll just have to trust me that they were there!

On the FOURTH DATE of Christmas...

2008-12-17T13:30:00.001-08:00

We went to DI, found some AWESOME sweaters, came home and decorated them. never you fear! there will be a reveal!!

On the THIRD DATE of Christmas...

2008-12-17T13:20:00.000-08:00

We gathered in the living room, read our favorite Christmas stories then made Rice Krismas houses (the easier way to do gingerbread houses)

Tim's homage to Frank Lloyd Wright

Cooper rubbing butter on his hands. A VERY important step in shaping your house.

Tim's final house

Coops house

Taylors Christmas Bug

Jason's pimped out car

Oh the humanity!!!

2008-12-17T13:05:00.000-08:00

So there is a valid reason for me posting this old exercise modeling picture. (It was for the new step trainer for old people circa 1990) I have much more embarrassing things on the horizon.

it stems from some REALLY GREAT NEWS!! I have been chosen (and I started monday morning) to be in the Utah Valley magazine fitness challenge for 2009. I have a kick-@%$ trainer named Dan at Total Health and Fitness in orem. I get a meal plan, an exercise plan and overall guidance to a lifestyle makeover. i, of course, will be blogging about it, but that is not the embarrassing part.... Here goes...

In the Jan/Feb issue of the magazine will be a BEFORE picture of me with my WEIGHT, BODY FAT and other vital statistics listed right next to me. YIKES!!! That is some bravery! But never you fear, I figure no one is going to all of a sudden realize I'm fat, so I'm good.

I'm really stoked about this {{yelling and screaming into the phone when I got the call}}. You can track my progress here on the blog and in the magazine.

Along the way I will reveal my goals. The end goal is going to be KILLER!!

School Uniform Debate

2008-12-17T13:01:00.000-08:00

Bay had to write a paper on school uniforms and she needed some pictures for the different points of view. So she and coop had a little photo shoot. just try and figure out picture #3.

On the SECOND DATE of Christmas....

2008-12-17T12:40:00.000-08:00

we picked a fun Christmas movie (the Santa Clause), made muddy buddies {{yum}} and settled in for a warm night at home.

Of course, it ended up being the Cowboys game, but still a fun night together!!

On the FIRST DATE of Christmas...

2008-12-17T12:30:00.000-08:00

We got hot chocolate, jumped in the car and drove around looking at Christmas Lights. We went through Alpine, Orem and Provo and ended up at the Festival of Lights in Spanish Fork. It's $5 per car and worth it!

The roundabout in Alpine.

Killer house in Orem South of 16th North and 450 east

Chilly....

No lie, this was in someones front room in a house in Orem on 8th South.

This was a funny display at a house in Provo on Riverwood Drive.

The 12 "dates" of Christmas

2008-12-16T09:50:00.000-08:00

We have started a new tradition in our house! We are doing the 12 DATES of Christmas. Every night from the 13th to the 24th we are doing a family date. These are my gold, frankincense and myrrh trees. Gold is wonder (thus the gold ornaments), frankincense is meaning (all the family and kid made ornaments for the last 23 years) and myrrh is usefulness. The myrrh tree is where I put the present each day for our date. We open it up as a family and it tells us what we are doing that night.

How Old AM I?!?!!!

2008-12-16T09:45:00.000-08:00

I had the most surreal experience on Saturday. I drove up to Ogden and had brunch with some of my old friends from High School. Go weber!! I just kept staring at their faces trying to place the last 20 years on their faces. They look so amazing and have all these great stories and lives. It was so fun to catch up.

Christmas Advent Calendar of Christ's Life and Mission

2008-12-04T09:37:00.001-08:00

This is one you won't want to miss! Check out my friends blog for a really uplifting message every day.

Debbie B. Blog

Merry Christmas!!

Baptism Preview

2008-12-04T09:14:00.000-08:00

Our ward had our Baptism Preview on Sunday night. This is where they get all the families together of the kids turning 8 in 2009 and talk about baptism and the logistics behind it.
These are all the boys in our ward turning 8 next year!

Coop's birthday isn't until October, so he still has 10 months, but he is SO EXCITED about getting baptized and confirmed a member of the church. I can't wait to compare this picture to his actual baptism picture to see how much he will have changed over the year.

Weird Weilands

2008-12-04T09:12:00.000-08:00

So here are some things we do when we're hanging around the house....

Hail Me! Hail Myself!
I'm the German Ethel Merman don't ya know?!
(Go watch the Producers if that reference means nothing to you!)

The Band-Aid mummy!

The Greatest Burger in the Wasatch Front Challenge!

2008-12-04T09:05:00.000-08:00

So we went to Marley's, which is the restaurant inside the Timpanogos Harley Davidson store in Lindon, for dinner the other night. (Thanks Grandma!) And upon sampling the DELISH sliders they have we have instituted the First Annual Greatest Burger in the Wasatch Front Challenge! We are making it our mission to taste all the Burgers, Fries and Shakes that are NOT fast food and come up with our top five or ten list. This will be our great contribution to society.

So far, Marley's and Five Guys have made the list for Burgers and fries and JCW is on the list for their shakes.

If you have a recommendation, please let us know and we will add it to our quest.

2008-12-04T09:01:00.000-08:00

My brother Ben lived with our mom for a while and then came to live with us. It was really great having him around. He is now back in the hospital for some needed care. He's doing alright, and I will update you when I have more news.

This is a picture of Tim and mom laying new carpet in the spare room at her house. The funniest part for me was when they finished (I was sick, but supportive! I laid on her couch the whole time.) Tim came out and said I should go look at it, it was done, then mom followed up with "And I helped" with a southern accent just like the little girl said it on the Shake n bake commercials from a million years ago. FUNNY! Guess you had to be there.

Sisters

2008-12-04T08:56:00.000-08:00

Wanna have some real fun? Give your camera to two cute girls and have them snap away! I have so many AWESOME pictures of my girls that I got FROM them. Here are a few post-Thanksgiving, not sure what to do next, people are napping pictures of Tay and Bay.

What we're really thankful for...

2008-12-04T08:51:00.000-08:00

Football!! Could this picture be more staged?! Go Cowboys!

Seriously though, we had such a great day just hanging out, being together and sharing a bottle of Pepto.

Tay and Coop

tay and Dad

tay and Harrison

tay and ....no wait! No tay! Cooper, Morgan and his CUTE girlfriend Lani.

Congratulations!! It's a food baby!

2008-12-04T08:44:00.000-08:00

Tay and Bay are expecting...to feel sick really soon!

Our friend, Bryon Danielson and his food baby

Morgan claims that this is how he always looks....

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2008-12-04T08:35:00.000-08:00

So here's my crazy family posing for our non-traditional happy thanksgiving shot! We have entirely too much fun together!

The MENU...

We took this delicious and healthy mountain o fruit and turned it into....

...this delicious whipped cream fruit salad. YUMMY YUMMY!

And these nutritious YAMS into this brown sugar/marshmallow candy side dish.

And of course we had to take the ever so good for you green beans and dip them in batter then FRY them, yes I said FRY them. This was a DIET COKE batter...does that make it healthier because it's Diet?

Oh yeah, then the turkey. We didn't carmelize it or anything! We just ate it like this! Except of course the fat drippings gravy I made. Hmmmm....How many pounds to people gain over the holidays?

Team Edward!!

2008-12-04T08:26:00.000-08:00

So I LOVED the book Twilight and the last one Breaking Dawn. (the two in the middle were SOOOOOOO boring!!) And I never really understood why Edward was so into Bella. She is so whiny! But the movie was really great and helped me see the chemistry {{the forest scene where he backs her up against a tree?!}} HOT! Don't go in with too high expectations and you'll really enjoy it! One note * I wanted him to sparkle more!

Beautiful Bailey

2008-11-16T17:26:00.001-08:00

there's not much to say about Bay except she is so Beautiful!! Oh, and she's wearing Coopers shirt.

Bad Economy?!

2008-11-16T17:24:00.000-08:00

Not for us!! This is our new ride!! OR we went to the 40th Birthday party for the CEO of APX alarms (thanks grandma J for the invite) and this is what HE pulled up in. I think it's rented. I HOPE it's rented.

Coop and Grandma

2008-11-16T17:22:00.000-08:00

Grandma is a great reader and story teller. Coop loves to have her read to him. I loved this scene though, because the title of the book is Junk Food and Coop is munching away on Cheetos! oh the irony...

Great Finds for your Family!!

2008-11-15T16:10:00.000-08:00

Tim and I went to the Family Christmas Gift Show at the SouthTowne Expo center. Besides shopping at Allyson's baby bliss accessories booth (of course!) we found a few things that we really loved.

These are from a company called Real Hero Posters. They are the most amazing scriptures story posters. Besides being very moving, they have a scripture quote in the top left corner, dates of the scripture events, and are perfect to inspire your family.
I was standing in their booth and was so moved by the spirit that I actually teared up! I was a little embarrassed because we're in the middle of a trade show, but looking into the face of the daughters poster and seeing the strength of my girls in her, I was touched.

They are an amazing value at $55 for ALL 12 posters!! I am going to rotate mine around my house. Even if you just use them for your church lesson or FHE, they are only $4.50 a poster. And what a statement they make.

We met the artist and his wife and they are an absolute delight! Check this one out!!

Real Hero Posters.com

Our friends own a TShirt Company. They sell fresh, funny tees that will make you giggle.
Check them out at these websites:

8 Apparel

Sunday Drive Shirts

I didn't buy these DVDs because I'm not sure if my kids are too old for them, but they are so cute. I might get them anyway!

FHE on DVD

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders!!!!

2008-11-10T11:01:00.000-08:00

Not many of you know of my COMPLETE OBSESSION with the DCC. (this is Brooke, she is one of my favorites since Megan Fox retired and became assistant choreographer) We lived in Dallas for a short while when I was a kid and then I was fortunate enought to marry a Cowboys fan. We've been to games at Texas Stadium and toured the stadium. And NOW with the Making the Team show on CMT in it's third season, I am getting even more out of control!

But all this has a point...I have decided to exercise!!!! i know you need a moment....take it all in.....

I love a good themed party and a themed scrapbook page and a themed room, so I have decided to make our unused exercise room into our Dallas Cowboys/Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader room. the walls are currently pink, so there is some maintenance that will need to be done, but in my effort to check out the room this morning and take up my DCC stuff, (which includes calendars, photos, pom pons and my own barbie doll) I chose to stay, put in a dance video and exercise. This may be the start of something big!!!

Comedy weekend

2008-11-08T12:30:00.000-08:00

rotfl, lol, lmao....whichever you choose....these will do the trick.

WARNING: a little PG-13 but SO FUNNY!!!

Lynne Koplitz this is her whole comedy central half hour special.

Sebastian Maniscalco this is just one part of his comedy central special.
Another one

Henry Phillips I don't usually like guitar playing comedians, but this guy is FUNNY. disturbed...but funny....

I Barely Move.

2008-11-04T12:03:00.001-08:00

so one of our favorite comedians, Jim Gaffigan, talks about going to IHOP.
"When I leave there I've never felt like hoppin'. They should call it I need a wheelchair or I barely move."
It's always been one of our favorite places to go for overpriced carbs.

Weiland Warriors

Easter? Really?!

Easter Sunday

Jumpy places with Cooper!

my hot man!

Buddies...

The big promotion!

Same month?!

Some of our favorite food!

Is this a JOKE?!

My obsession knows no bounds!

My Cooper Dooper Super Trooper!

Birthday Dinner @ Blue Lemon

Josh and Jax

Lone Peak Baseball

Friday Play Date

St. Patrick's Day Eve

New Cedar Hills WalMart GRAND OPENING!!

Fun to Reconnect!

Jason and Jake

Taylor's 19th Birthday

Naperville Get Together

Mac's Birthday Lunch at Thai Siam

tee hee

Lily's 3rd Birthday

Cooper's Art Award

Chillows (Cheek Pillows)

Goodbye Becca :(

My Mom...

MY BIRTHDAY!

My new BFF

Our college girls!

Matchy matchy...

Happy Birthday to ME!

Happy Valentine's Day!

My creative kids!!

Fitness Challenge Update

Utah Food!

Sam's Birthday Visit to Utah!

Coat Drive

Family Night at the Burr's

The transfer is now complete!

Shawny's Birthday!!

SLC Comedy Show

Dr. Ping Pong Von Laserstein

First Grade Devotional

My new job!!

**WARNING** grody picture!

AWESOME new book that you MUST read!

Hoover Dam

My little military man!

Fitness Challenge Update

A blast from the past...

I married the CUTEST guy!

Our temple

The deer and the driver

How I felt the first few times at the GYM...

2009...

New Ward Building

Happy New Year!!

Christmas was so fun!!

On the TWELFTH Date of Christmas....

Christmas Eve Surprise!!!

Christmas Eve with John, Carter and Lily

On the ELEVENTH Date of Christmas...

On the TENTH Date of Christmas...

On the NINTH Date of Christmas...

Say CHEESE!!!

Fitness Challenge....at Christmas?!

How cute is she?!

On the EIGHTH Date of Christmas...

On the SEVENTH Date of Christmas....

Cooper's School Christmas Party

Tim as a Teenager!!

On the SIXTH DATE of Christmas...

On the FIFTH DATE of Christmas...

On the FOURTH DATE of Christmas...

On the THIRD DATE of Christmas...

Oh the humanity!!!

School Uniform Debate

WARNING grody picture!