Where ya been, Shay?

Did you ever watch the season of Biggest Loser with Shay?

Anywho, she had been gone for like 2 months then when she returned home for a visit, her step-son said,

"Where ya been, Shay?"

Hilarious.

It's a favorite family phrase now.

I mean really.

Did he have no idea where she was for the past 8 weeks?!!?

Here's the segway...

I know you're dying to know where we've been?

The Tatwood family has up & disappeared.

Been doing stuff like this:

First of all,

Christmas Highlights:

Utah with wonderful Family

Lots of treats (wrapper or no wrapper)

Thrilled with the Santa goods

A few bumps & bruises

goose-egg courtesy of wall corner on the stair landing

black eye courtesy of tipping over a chair on the wooden floor while scaling it

LOVING the snow play

  

Spent half of 2010 planning for the Stake Youth Dance of All Dances

New Year's Eve Dance

New Year's in New York

It was AWESOME.

My Californina love is only deepened by gorgeous January days up in Sausalito.

Bay Area Discovery Museum

       This is seriously the view from the parking lot of the museum.

Breathtaking.

                                        

I guess I'm an embarrassment to society.

I was in a rush to get out of the house so I just grabbed

the top 2 floating socks in my drawer.

They aren't a pair.

They both have holes.

I forgot that there's a room where you have to take off your shoes.

Sorry. 

Teaching our kids we ain't no lazies around here.

Now get to work.

The reds were sick for a whole week.

Double ear infections.

Fevers.

Coughs.

Faucet snot noses.

SLEEPLESS. NIGHTS.

It was close to torture for all.

But the silver lining is that Gingersnaps 1 & 2 had some good sibling bonding time.

And here's a sweet moment worth documenting,

(if you're not feeling sentimental right now...skip this)

After I was completely exhausted, ready to throw in the towel, questioning my capabilities of being a decent mom, I opened up a book my friend gave me & the first thing I read was this scripture,

"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

I immediately felt so blessed that I have the awesome responsibility to shape these 2 babes into people.

They are my treasure.

How lucky I am that I get to be with them every day.

Maybe I'll make a vinyl sign out of that.

Tat's been making hobo stoves in his spare time.

This isn't his, but the same idea.

& when asked why, he proudly boasted,

"The ward campout's coming up.

If people are lucky, I'll give some away as door prizes."

Brothers & Sisters, bring your lucky rabbit's foot & you may be so fortunate.

We went to a friend's birthday party & he brought his homemade stove & denatured alcohol.

You KNOW he stole the show.

And last, but definitely not least,

Grandma is in town!!!

YAY!

You know the drill...

she

cooks

cleans

organizes

cleans off my washer & dryer

takes the kids for walks

does the laundry

wakes up at night with Buddy the sleep devil

offers to clean out my car

bakes cookies, then delivers them to the neighbors

bakes peanut butter bars

 cleans my windows

ahhh...

We've also been playing a bit.

Santana Row

                                                     

Our favorite candy store in Los Gatos

And that's where we been, Shay.