Just a few pictures from Christmas Eve & Day...

I don't think you can see it, but Tanner took a digger on his bike, landed on his chin. It is nice shades of blue/green/yellow. He also has a nice scab on his face. When he first hurt himself it looked like he was growing a mustache!

Merry Christmas

Hope my 3 blog readers have a great Christmas!!!

The Proposal

Have you seen this? I watched it yesterday (3 times)...and I loved it. Just my kind of movie! If you haven't seen it yet, I like chick flick type movies- you must watch this! It was just what I needed to bring me out of my bad mood!

Anyone else feeling a little "bah humbug"....??? or is it just me?

I have not been so happy about how things have been going on in my life and then I read this blog- Fancy Feet.

OMG- I am addicted to her blog now...I have to know more. If you read her story, I don't think you can ever feel sorry for yourself for too long.

Thanksgiving 2009

Our Thanksgiving tradition (well for the last 4 years) is to go to Red Mountain and have our feast with about 50+ people and our dirt bikes, etc. It is alot of fun, although I wish that Mark didn't like to be out there so many days!
There is an abandoned mine that we can ride to from our camp and we always go and check it out- at least 2 or 3 times during the trip. (easy kid ride!). I look so old in this picture with Caroline, Cami, Jake, Isabella and Riley, it must be the no makeup, right???

The Sorensen tradition is to dress up as pilgrims and indians for Thanksgiving. I found these cute pilgrim hats in the $1.00 bin at Target.

Jake so wanted me to take a picture of him going over this jump (showing how much air he got!) I couldn't get the shot- but trust me he got "air".

Tanner, Cord & Ian- They were supposed to be putting "war paint" on their faces- don't know how the silly beards & mustaches fit in with Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Day!

Vegas bound

The girls did it- they placed 2nd last night in the Jamz cheer competition! We are off to Vegas in January! :)

The girls did fabulous! Really, their best performance ever! I may be a bit biased (you think?) but seriously, I think their routine was original and fun.

Do you like my new banner? I am so excited that I know how to do this now. I followed a link from Pam's blog to another blog, (I think it was Clover Lane), that gave this tutorial on how to do this on Picasa (it's free to use). Now that I know how to do this, I will be able to change it all the time. This banner was just a test run! :)

It's been awhile since I posted and I have nothing really to say...kind of in a funk again. But I thought I would post this picture of Princess...this cat makes me laugh, she is the weirdest cat ever!

This is my new read. I came home yesterday afternoon after Tanner's depressing loss (football) and elimination from the playoffs and started reading this. I didn't know what it was about, but I thought I would lose myself in a new book. And boy did I. I am already 1/2 way through it and I only read for a couple of hours. It is a really good book. Too bad it isn't one of those funny, uplifting books (really what I was wanting to read). This book is really hitting home with me as what the character has, it what my grandmother had- scary.
Here is what one person said about the book (on Barnes & Noble)

For anyone whose life has been touched by Alzheimer's disease (as so many have been, and many more will be), or for anyone who is approaching the far side of middle age, this book is at the same time clarifying and terrifying. The author takes the perspective of the Alzheimer's patient herself, one which is frequently overlooked by more "scholarly" works on the topic, and changes the whole tone of her writing as well as the subjects portrayed, as the narrator progresses further into the grip of the disease. She brings out many seldom-contemplated factors such as quality of life, support groups and counseling for the patient as well as the caregivers, and provides a gripping, touching, and horrifying sense of how it must be to feel yourself slipping away. I highly recommend this book to anyone. I have already passed around my advance copy and plan to buy several copies for family members and friends when it is released. A must-read for caregivers, relatives, and persons in the early stages of Alzheimers, and a goldmine for book groups

my finds...

on Etsy- aren't they so cute? I love the little tiles- I think they are scrabble tiles!

and this is just too cute...

Competition

Riley's competition is coming up....this is one of their new stunts...I hope they do well.

I swear if this girl could cheer every day she would. It is her absolute favorite thing to do and her favorite girls to be around. It makes me happy to see her so happy!

I love this face....such a happy boy....I hope he always stays that way.

So last night Tanner made us all dinner for extra credit in Home Ec. I have to say he did a great job...he cooked, set the table and then helped with the clean up.

We had cheesy corn bites (I thought I posted this recipe here, but I cannot find it) VERY good!
Hamburgers
Sauteed mushrooms for your burger
Potato casserole

I totally forgot to take pictures- what was I thinking!!! Not a very good scrapbooker!

my favorites

some favorite pictures right now...Riley & her cheer squad in the parade, a really cool outdoor living room that I want, the outdoor kitchen I really need to have and the Halloween/Fall scrapbooking products that I need.

too bad I cannot afford any of it! :)

A full weekend...

Riley's cheer squad was in the Tustin Tiller Day parade- they placed 2nd place in their age group. They were a little disappointed that they didn't get first- but I think they got over that quickly! A picture of her squad is in the OC Register today and Riley happens to be the only one looking at the camera... :)

I thought I would post a picture of the boys, since all I have been posting lately is Miss Riley. So, both pictures are of Tanner & Jake getting to carry the ball - unfortunately neither one scored, but they both came close. Tanner, is obviously in the first and Jake's picture is kind of blurry, but that is him carrying the ball! :)

I was a proud mama this weekend!

Queen Bees & Wannabes

I bought this book on a recommendation from a couple of moms that have read this. It is supposed to be good advice for moms on how to talk to your daughter when she is having difficulties at school with friends and at this point do I ever need it. Hopefully Riley will listen to advice from her mother, though, I have my doubts....

Cotillion

Riley really enjoyed her first time at Cotillion. I was very proud of her, she didn't know anyone that was going to be there, so usually she would be extremely shy. She didn't want to join the group at first, but then she saw a couple of girls she knew from school. Her favorite dance was the Mexican Hat Dance and she got to dance with four different boys (I think that was the best part for her, although she won't admit it!)

friends

These two met at the sitter's house when they were six months old- they were born a day apart. My short Riley is the older one! They went on to the same preschool and now go to separate grade schools, but they still get together for play days. But now, they are both cheering for Tanner's team, so they get to see each other 3 days a week at practice and on game days!

Do you ever have a day, week, hour, where you just want to feel sorry for yourself? You don’t really know why in particular, but there seems to be a million little things that add up? I hate it when I do, it is hard to motivate myself to do anything other than laying on the couch and flip channels. Luckily, I don’t a chance to do it often, (lay on the couch) – but today, today is one of those days, where all I want to do is cry and one kind work from someone, anyone, even a stranger sets my tears to flowing.

I wonder if this is what people who are chronically depressed feel like? I feel bad for them if it is.

I hope tomorrow brings a better day!

Part of our weekend in Temecula...we went to South Coast Winery (way too crowded for me). They had some great red wines though! Dinner at mom & larry's- game time in Game room and Mark & Jake went horseback riding. A very nice relaxing time!

friends

this is not the best, nor the most recent picture of us, but this is the only one that I could find...

Isn't it great that when you are with true friends it doesn't matter if you haven't seen each other in months, it still feels like you just saw them? I don't know what I would do without my two bff's....they understand & know me sometimes better than I know myself.

Thanks for always being there girls-through think and thin! Love ya!

First Day of School 2009

Well, they are all settled (I hope) in their new classrooms. Hopefully, the day went well for them all- I can trouble brewing already for Riley and friends....why do girls have to be so difficult sometimes?

Jake turns 7!!

We had a pool party for Jake's 7th birthday...it was so hot, I don't think it mattered that the pool wasn't heated! He had alot of fun playing with his friends and opening presents. One present in particular, the look on his face when he opened it was classic, and I, of couse didn't get the shot, because I ran out of film....my friend Cami, made the comment, that she didnt' know anyone that uses film anymore.... :) I guess I am the last one... :)

Wow- a picture when they are not fighting and arguing with each other!