Pinch me please!

New year. Same craziness. Things always get a little hectic this time of year for me with a competition to plan, 2 birthdays to pull off, Christmas and everything that comes with it. This year we added a few more things to the nut farm with Troy's calling, me adding another dance competition to plan and prepare for and me taking on a part time job doing a long term substitute position. I'm not going to lie. Sometimes it seems like more than I can handle. My mom happened to catch me in one of those moments where I felt like I was on the verge of a meltdown. When she asked what she could do I was quick to suggest taking the kids for a few days while they were off track. She was happy to oblige.

So after my two day girls weekend she packed up the girls and took them to Logan for four days. Holy cow. Is it bad to say that it was absolutely AMAZING, REJUVENATING and an unbelievably PRODUCTIVE four days? I think it should be a yearly requirement for every marriage. And while you would think that we would take advantage of a no-kid house and go out to dinner and on date nights we did just the opposite. We wrapped up in warm cozy blankets, turned on movies, got out both of our laptops and worked like crazy. Sounds less than romantic but actually it was! Eventually we would get hungry so we would stop and go make dinner together. We ran our errands together. We actually got to talk uninterrupted. Can't remember the last time that happened.

And while we missed our kiddos I realized that I had missed by hubby and was reminded why I fell in love with him in the first place. Our lives get so crazy that we go into roommate mode simply crossing paths during the day. So a huge, gigantic thank you to my parents and a huge I love you to the hubby. I was able to scratch obscene amounts of things of the to-do list and feel like I can actually breath again.

And while I'm rambling can I just give a shout out to the most amazing friends in the entire world. I don't know how I got so lucky to find these ladies and you know who you are. They are my key to sanity! I can't even begin to tell you how many hours they have my children while I am working, judging, or who knows what else. They are my shoulder to cry on, my ears to vent to, my brains to bounce ideas off of. So while I'm handing out the love - here's to you girls! Can't thank you enough!

Annual Girls weekend

FOOD - SHOPPING - GIRLS ONLY WEEKEND = I {HEART} YOU!!!

Can't believe it's that time again when my mom, sis, sis-in law and cousin do our annual Christmas shopping weekend. We combined it with Adree's big 30th birthday bash and partied like rock stars by shopping at Walmart in the wee hours of the night. What can I say....we are animals! I made Adree this awesome crown and sash which I made her wear throughout the night. Own it baby! You only turn the big 3-0 once!

My mom always provides lots of laughs on our getaways even when she doesn't mean to. She is a creature of habit and always losing SOMETHING during our excursions. Last time she just thought she lost something and after putting us all on high alert, retracing our steps and calling the restaurant she realized she hadn't lost it after all. It was in her bag the whole time. THIS time however, she really did lose something and it wasn't a small something...her Ipad. I thought the woman was going to have a nervous breakdown. She lives, eats, and breaths with that thing by her side. Luckily we hadn't gone far and were able to go back to the restaurant where luckily they had found it.

Our other laugh came from this picture. We always stay at the Courtyard Marriott where they have the best continental breakfast. My mom is obsessed with their Belgium waffles and every time we go she points out to all of us how amazing they are. She even went out an bought similar waffle maker and has tried numerous recipes trying to replicate their waffles. Just a little obsessive don't ya think? On this trip she once again striked up a conversation with the kitchen staff about what makes their waffles so good. They were super cute and even though they had to think she was slightly crazy they gave her all their secrets in amazing detail. Before you know it they have called over the manager to ask if she can buy a bag of the mix. As you can see....she got it. It was her most prized purchase of the weekend.

Just had to document our first trip to the Utah H&M. Let's just say "overrated!"

Thanks for the laughs girls. Till next year...

Happy Birthday Hopers!!!

For Hope's 7th birthday she decided she wanted to take a couple of friends to the Mayan for dinner. (Mexican restaurant with high divers that jump off cliffs during dinner). Sounded easy enough and required very little effort on my part. PERFECT! I have more than I can handle on my plate right now so I was actually grateful for the choice. About two weeks before the big day we heard the news on the radio. The Mayan had closed its doors for good. Oh crud. Now what?

Hope's second choice was a friend birthday party which pretty much terrified me considering my to-do list. With a little brainstorming we came up with a fuss free PAJAMA party.

What Pajama party would be complete without a PILLOW FIGHT and a game of FREEZE DANCE? Gotta say, these girls can move!

The girlies watched Hopes favorite movie "LITTLE RASCALS." (Gotta say it's actually one of mine too!)

Hope was such a gracious recipient and took the time to give each one of her friends a gigantic hug after each gift. It's one of the things we love most about Hope. Her passion and love for life is contagious. She LOVED each and every gift and made such a big deal about each one. So cute!

Hope was VERY particular when it came to her birthday cake. Absolutely NO CUPCAKES! She insisted on the red velvet cake from Costco. What can I say, the girl has good taste! Stick a few candles in it and Wha La - Hope's perfect cake!

Also on the party agenda - Make your own nightshirt!

And to complete the night - a pair of soft cozy sock/slippers with a note that says "Thanks for "slipping" in to my party!"

Hope had a great time and judging by the amount of giggles during the night I'm guessing it's a safe bet to say they all did. Happy Birthday Hope! We love ya!

Happy Halloween!

It was another successful Halloween at the Hodges household. More candy than one should ever consume, 3 cute costumes and a house with as many tricks as treats! Hope

"THE MERMAID"

Caymbree
"THE WATERMELON"

Hallee

"THE FLAPPER"

The school carnival was another big hit with more volunteers than ever! Whoot whoot!!! I created a booth using the jelly belly game called Beanboozled. Kids would come up to the board, spin the wheel and see what it stopped on. Then they would get a jelly bean of that color that would be one of two flavors (skunk or licorice, pencil shavings or banana, moldy cheese or Carmel corn, baby wipes or coconut) It was so fun to see their reaction when they realized they were eating a jelly bean that tasted exactly like a SKUNK!!

Trinity and Hallee

Hope, Elle, and Grace

Hope, Caymbree, Cash, Elle, Jovie, Grace, Indy, Trinity and Hallee