Buhrley Christmas 2008!!!

We enjoyed every minute of Christmas this year!

Starting with the Nativity..... we love this tradition. We usually scramble around looking for costumes, which include pillowcases, karate uniforms, and Luke Skywalker dress-ups! This year however, was different.....we had a special delivery Christmas Eve. Lou's brother Mike and wife Pepper sent us beautiful, handmade,authentic costumes! They added so much detail, including pictures (modeled by their adorable boys,) of how each costume is worn!

This will be a treasured gift for years.

Christmas Eve is my very favorite! There is such excitement and love in the air. I love the feeling in the home. The anticipation, whispering about gifts, new pj's, 7-layer dip, deliveries at the door from friends and neighbors........

I don't want it to end!


The kids are so much fun to give gifts to.
They are always so excited and sooooo very appreciative. I'll never forget when Mac was 4 years old and recieved a "Christmas bannana" in his stocking.
He was so thrilled ! He ran around crying his thanks for 20 minutes!
We didn't have any Christmas bannana's this year,
but expressions of gratitude were heard throughout the day.


It is always fun to watch someone open something they have really been wanting! The only thing Mitch really asked for, was a Calvin and Hobbs book. He was hoping with all his might he would get his wish.
It was so much fun to see that Santa had brought him not just one book but the entire Calvin and Hobbs collection,(notice picture above!)
He couldn't believe it and has yet to leave it far from his reach!:)

We spent the day in our pj's , relaxing and enjoying time together-eating and playing the day away. A favorite game played was Justin and Gracie's ,
"What am I?" (notice the picture above.):)


As the day was closing, we decided to put Justin and Gracie to bed and play some "big kid" games,(not that we didn't enjoy Who am I?...but....:):) We were ready to up the competion and .....maybe watch a movie.

This picture was taken after we had put them to bed. As you can see, Justin and Gracie snuck down and joined their siblings on the couch. I walked in and gave them a very suprised look! To which Justin quickly replied, " Mom, aren't you happy we came down so we could be a WHOLE family altogether?!!!!" What could I say to that? Yes, he is smooth.

We ended the night as a WHOLE family altogether watching a fun family favorite, "Get Smart".
A really,really good day.

White Christmas!!!

It looks like we may have aWhite Christmas this year! Gracie tried to convince us, (and herself!) that her swimming suit was warm enough....

that didn't last long, but she did try!!

I for one, LOVE our typically mild winters.......my kids however, are loving the snow!

I do have to admit, it is beautiful.
Thrilled to be off school while we have great snow, Mac is going snow boarding first thing in the morning and I'm sure the others will spend most of the day outside enjoying the snow!
As long as they are playing, they don't seem to feel the cold!

(they didn't inherit that from me!)

Sounds of Christmas........

For me, Christmas music is one of my favorite things about the Holidays!

This year, we have our own pianist that will play for us on request!!

(in fact, he started playing Jingle Bells 2 months ago!)

It has been so much fun seeing Mitch enjoy piano. Throughout the day we will ask for "one more" song and he never disappoints his fans! I have never had to ask or remind Mitch to practice. ( I know, every mothers dream!)

He fills our home with music.

Mandi joined the choir this year in middle school! On Thursday they had their first concert.I really hope this is something she wants to continue! We can already see how she is developing her musical talent, and in just a few short months!

I love to hear Mandi sing.

Yes, with a wrestler in the family.........

cheering, yelling, and whistle blowing are also sounds of Christmas!!

Especially now that Mac is in High School. Their season is before, during, and after Christmas!

This past weekend Mac had a tournament, where 24 High schools from around the state,(and one from Nevada,) participated.

They wrestled 6 different duals, so Mac had 6 matches. We only have pictures from one match.......

However, these say it all. The picture with the referee about to call the pin.......this happened all 6 times!

He was the only undefeated 103 lb at the tournament.

Not a bad way to start off the season!

"If you weren't my sister, I would marry you."

I'm not sure what happened before I started listening......or what prompted all this "sweet talk"! ? But, I just overheard this private little conversation and it made the 20 huge messes they have already created this morning, seem not soooo bad. I know I can't post EVERY word my toddlers say....but I couldn't help myself on this one!

"Justin, I like your clothes. "

"Thanks Grace, I like your clothes."

"Justin, I like your shoes."

"Thanks Grace,(he looks down and sees she doesn't have shoes on)

I like your feet! "

Gracie giggles and says "Thank you."

" Gracie, I'm almost five and I'm getting really strong! I will be strong enough to punch you, but don't worry I would never do that. You are my sister and

I love you."

(no comment from Gracie, I'm not sure she knew how to take that one!)

"Gracie, if you weren't my sister, I would marry you. You are sooooo beautiful. Actually Grace, when I am a dad...

I will marry you!"

Gracie gave him a hug.

Christmas Oranges....

Here is where it all began!

The first,(but not last,)

Christmas orange creation.
I wanted to show how we decorate our home for Christmas!
"Christmas Designs", created by Gracie! Gracie eats clementines like candy! She calls them "cuties" (or sometimes "peaches." ) For the last 2 weeks I have been hearing her trying to wake up Justin with the yummy tempting thought of cuties. "Justin, wake up....wanna go get some peaches?!"
In years past I may not have found orange peels ALL OvEr My HoUsE~ something so endearing! Perhaps because I will never have a three year old again, this makes me smile. I do eventually have to throw them away, but not to worry more "designs" pop up everyday! We will forever now look at cuties not only as a yummy winter fruit......but as fabulous Christmas decor!!
(oh, and don't let the swimming suit throw you....these pictures were taken this week.)
Thought I would also post some of our more "typical" holiday traditions! However, I don't think this festive creation will last until Christmas. The candies keep "falling" off....:) Hmmmmm..... The orange gumdrops went first, then the yellow.(their my favorite.)

"Families that work together....Stay together!"

Where were Mac and I during this "family work" you may ask???!!!:)
Mac had wrestling......however, he got the fun job of bagging the leaves. I told him we should have taken a picture! For some reason, he didn't mind.

And for me... well, I will be honest. I got out of ( i mean missed out on ) all the fun.

I thought Lou took some great pictures!

First Snow!

First SNOW!! Does it count as a "first snow" if it only lasts an hour?

I guess it should if my kids played in it for the entire hour! Mitch got a taste of it before he headed off to school. Justin and Gracie enjoyed every minute of the little snow fall we had.

Notice Justin's attempt at Snow Angels, and if you look really close to the pictures on the trampoline, you can see them taking turns throwing snowballs at each other! Although, I think I have to say the highlight,as it usually is, was coming in for hot chocolate.

A Day of "FIRSTS"!!!!!!!

We just got back from Mac's first High School dual. I assured Mac I would NOT be posting about every High School dual he has this year!! However......how often do you have a FIRST HIGH SCHOOL DUAL while being the only Freshman on Varsity??!!!!

They usually start the dual with the lighter weights. Tonight's dual ended ,(and was won,) with the lightweights!! The picture is bLuRrY , but if you notice the score of the match and the team score,(they were down 2 points before Mac's match.) You will see why I have no voice left! My head is also spinning from all the yelling and cheering from the crowd! Mac commented on the way home, "it's night's like tonight that make all the hard work worth it." Wrestling is definitely a Love/Hate sport. Tonight..... was all "Love"!

Mac's match being at the end of such a great team comeback, couldn't have made for a better night of "firsts" !

And yet, it did! Lou and I used the dual as an excuse to have a "date night."

(2 hours holding hands while I dig my fingernails into Lou's palms with nervous energy, could be worse!)

We got two of the BEST babysitters ever so we could have a "worry free" evening. I would tell you who they are, but I want to keep this valuable secret to myself for as long as I can!:)

We came home to happy kids AND a clean house! This makes for a very happy mom!

Thank you Mitch and Mandi!!

p.s. Oh, and just in case you can't tell.....Mac is the one with his arm,being raised.....:):)
"

My friend never has to go home.......

Justin and I were talking about how some families only have one child. This seemed to bother him, and then he replied, "That's so sad! When they are playing with a friend and it's time to go home, they won't have a friend anymore! My friend NEVER has to go home!"

Words can not describe the joy these two best friends have brought into our home. We couldn't imagine our family complete without them. Daily we watch them play,create,discover,(and make messes:) for hours on end ,and think," is this for real?" Toddlers have such a way of bringing the spirit into the home! Even on the craziest, grumpiest kind of day their smiles,hugs,and unconditional love melt you and bring a smile. They remind us of the best things in life,

Living,loving,and forgiving

It's not uncommon when one child is put on "bench time", for the other child to come and sit by them, or be the first to let me know when the timer has gone off, and bench time is through. Their love and compassion for each other brings forgiveness without hesitation. :) (Sometimes it may take 2 minutes.) It is never worth staying mad if they could be playing and having fun!!

Today Justin was teasing Gracie, (yes he is a tease!!!) Gracie was upset! I said,"Justin, don't be a bugger!! "Gracie immediately jumped in saying," Justin is not a bugger mom, be nice!" (Forget that Justin was running around the house hiding her baby!)......Don't you dare call her brother a bugger! At this, Justin stopped teasing and looked at her and me. I said with smile, "Wow, Justin your sister sure loves you! You are being a stinker and she wants me to be nice to YOU!" He smiled,went over to give her a big hug AND her baby. "Gracie your baby is so cute, want to go play?"

You know when one of them is mad.....because you will hear the worst possible thing they can think of saying to each other..........."I won't sleep in your bed!"
I'm not sure what they will do next year when Justin heads off to Kindergarten without her! I'm sure I will hear daily joyous reunions when he comes home. One of the sweetest sounds I hear each morning is them saying "Good morning!" to each other with such love you would think they hadn't seen each other in a week!

What also warms my heart, is the knowledge that these two learned how to love by all the love they have seen and felt. They have been blessed with siblings that love each other.

At the end of the cRaZy schedules, and the "not so perfect "and sweet days, this is all that matters.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

We were the lucky ones this year to get Grandma and Grandpa Whiting for Thanksgiving! It was so much fun to have the time(without other responsibilities,) to just spend time together! I love Thanksgiving as it reminds us to take the time to recognize our many,many blessings.

Grandma and Grandpa are very easy to please! Grandma is known for saying,"Don't go to any trouble for us! Just give us a "bar" and we will be fine!"(a "bar" being a protein bar of some kind!) Well, we did give them a little more then a "bar"! We enjoyed preparing, and eating a more typical Thanksgiving feast. And yes, that is Gracie at the Thanksgiving table in her Tinkerbell swimsuit. She asked if we could buy Grandma one! Of course I told her, and she can wear it for Thanksgiving dinner next year!!:)

We played games, worked on a 1,500 piece puzzle,(a work in progress) , played Wii......grandma and grandpa took the fitness test, they are as fit as an 80 yr. old:)......(the wii MUST be broken!!)We went to a movie,read many books,cleaned up the kitchen 2 dozen times,(because we never quit eating,) , went to Mandi's indoor soccer game, and visited Lou's new office being built. You will notice Gracie changed into a new swimsuit before we headed to the office. Hmmmmm .......can any of our Arizona or California family members say they spent Thanksgiving in a swimsuit?!!!! Come see us in Boise, you will hardly even notice it's just a LiTtLe colder!! Besides, you can always just put a coat on over your swimsuit!:)

Thank you for coming Grandma and Grandpa!!!
We LOVE you!

Mac & Dad take Seattle.....

Lou and Mac spent last weekend in Seattle for a wrestling tournament. However, considering how Mac loves to travel and especially to big cities, I think the wrestling was just a good excuse! They packed a lot into one weekend.....a National tournament, the Space Needle, Jimmy Hendrix museum,Uncle Jer!!, a lot of food (AFTER weigh-ins,) and walking the streets of Seattle.

I've been told, by Mac, not to mention much about the tournament! (in fact, I had to sneak in the trophy picture.) For some reason,(maybe because I am my mother's daughter?).... he is worried I may have inherited some of Grandma's "bragging" genes! So I will just say.... it was a big tournament, and a great way to start the season,(high school practice started this week.) We all know that you can learn a lot from the times you loose....but......can I also say that winning can be a lot more FUN?!!;)

With Mac's love for playing the guitar,the Jimmy Hendrix museum was a HUGE highlight. As was getting to spend some time with Jer. They had a great time catching up with Jer,Joel,and Molly of course! It was a GREAT trip to Seattle, next time ....I'm tagging along!

Jolyn vs Deer!

(yes, that is fur.)

I often see deer while ON my early morning runs in the foothills, but I have never seen a deer while DRIVING home!! That is..... until this last Thursday. On Eagle road of all places, with early morning traffic all going 55mpr. Luckily, I slowed down a bit because I saw a couple of deer crossing the road 100 yards in front of me. At that exact moment another deer hit me. It all happened so quickly. I won't give you all the yummy details.....let's just say I saw actual body parts flying in front of me.

I refused to get out of the car in fear of what may still be attached. When Lou and the kids came into the garage as I pulled in I saw jaws drop and Mitch ask,"Why is there fur on your car?" I stayed IN the car.
After carpooling kids around, and I COULDN'T find an open car wash,(other then the self serve kind...NO thanks!) I was brave....I got out of my car.

Gracie just could not believe what I had done. "Mom, WHY did you do that?! I really,really like deer!" She wanted to know if it was a baby deer, I assured her it was not! However, that did not make her feel any better. "Was it a mommy? Oh, the mommy will miss her babies. The babies will be looking for the mommy!!" "I am sure it was a daddy deer," I told her. "Oh, no...Oh, no! The mommy will really,really miss him!" I couldn't win. Justin did his best to try and ease her pain by telling her, "Don't worry Gracie, deer are really just for eating." (what? where did he hear that? We don't even hunt!) That did NOT help her. Justin gave me a look that said, "Sorry mom, I tried! What are we going to do with her?"

She did perk up as we were going to get the rental car......in hopes that we just might get a PINK car! Justin said he just wanted a car that didn't STINK. Apparently, he has been in a lot of stinky cars?? Justin got his wish, Gracie did

not.

Justin is very excited for his "Snack and Share" day at school tomorrow! " I'm not going to bring in a share mom, I'm just going to talk." "Oh, what are you going to talk about?" I asked. "You hitting a deer!" He got even more excited when I told him he could bring in a picture of the car. "Can I bring in a picture of the deer?" "I don't have a picture of the deer," I told him! " Can we go take one right now, pleeeeease?" " I don't think so bud!" The picture of the car will just have to due!! Oh, how having toddlers in the home can make you smile in ANY situation!:)

The cost of my first deer=$5,000!

Daddy/Daughter Pinewood Derby!

Isn't a Daddy/Daughter Pindwood Derby a great idea?!?!! Although, they had only 10 days notice, Mandi and Lou created the FuNnESt car!!! They had a lot of fun working together. It was quite the different experience watching this car come together then with the boys!:) The boys were all about having the FASTEST car.....Mandi, well the car speaks for itself! Pink, girly, and now a decoration for her room! (it actually turned out to be pretty fast too!) I am REALLY glad it was a daddy/daughter and not a Mommy/daughter derby! :) These two creative minds made a great team!

The Legend of Grandpa and the Bull

If you are a Buhrley, one story may come to your mind when you see these pictures! A story of how our cherished Grandpa "Lou" Buhrley wrestled with a bull ........and won! I am pretty sure I heard this story from Lou when we were dating even before he told me the names of his siblings! He loves his grandpa so much, as do we all.

So, last Sunday Lou and his primary class of llyr. old boys were in charge of Sharing Time. My husband Lou is now a legend in our ward along with his grandpa Lou! We, as a Primary Presidency sometimes worry when a man is in charge of the Sharing Time, (sorry men!) but there was no need to worry here.

Lou drew, yes DREW, this bull! He then had the kids on the edge of their seats listening to this incredible, and true story! It was so much fun to watch! His boys read from the scriptures ways we can have a "link" of protection from the "bulls" in our lives. He made a nose ring for the bull and each scripture example was a link that was then attached to the bull's nose ring. Lou is such a good teacher, I just sat back in awe. I don't think any of the kids,(or adults) will ever forget that lesson.

It's my turn for ST next week! I will be asking my husband for help!!:)

It was very special to see such a treasured family story teach such a valuable lesson.

Halloween!

This year we had two Princesses, one Prince, and one "Scary" guy! Mandi hasn't wanted to be a princess since she was four! She finally left the witch and zombie football days behind and came back to her senses! Mitch has wanted to be something with BLOOD since he was four, and I finally gave in!?!?! We had a great time and the weather couldn't have been better. Of course, the highlight of the night for Lou, Mac, and I........going through the bags and making sure there isn't anything "poisonous"!:)

Backyard Fun!

Our family pretty much lives outside! Which is just another reason I love living in Boise. Although we get four seasons, with our (usually:)) mild winters you can find my kids playing outside all year long. Of course, my kids will also wear shorts all year long......so we may not be the norm! Our "backyard fun" always gets a little more exciting when there is some competition. I know, hard to believe, the buhrley kids competitive??!?:)

Fall Fun

So. it's been a while.......a LONG while! I have a lot of catching up to do! My neice Emily has put me to shame by starting her own blog! (I am sure I will be calling her for help. )Here is my first attemp on my own.:) I'll start with our "first day of school" pic's and go from there, I'm crossing my fingers........Justin and Gracie start pre-school together!

My little "actors" showing their "SCARED to go to school" face!

Mitch 3rd grade!

Mandi 6th grade and middle school!

Mac 9th grade/High School freshman!

Ordinary Day....

"Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. "

- MaryJean Iron

Boston Marathon

Here I am with my running partners at the finish line, pre-race!
DaNel, Kristi, Me and Lori - My running sisters!

Pictures taken at mile 18!!!

Being able to run the Boston Marathon was a dream come true! Something I have always wanted to do and it definitely lived up to the hype! It was what I imagined and so much more! The process of taking it to the next level to reach this goal was so worth it! Because I had to run the race slow due to an injury, I didn't feel any of the normal marathon anxieties. I was able to just enjoy the thousands of people calling my name and cheering the entire 26.2 miles! I took in the full Boston experience which included the womens olympic trials the day before! It was an amazing experience I am so grateful I was able to have and especially to share with Lou. This will be a trip we will always remember.

Yes, and all the more sweet that I didn't qualify overnight:)

Let's give it a try.........!!

I've decided to TRY and enter the blogging world! I thought it would be a great way to record our family memories. Here it goes...........(keep your expectations low!)