Happy Birthday Mayson!

Happy Birthday to my nephew Mayson! He is 12 years old today!

Here are two fun facts about Mayson.

• He is Matthew's favorite cousin. The things those 2 boys do together is both scary and totally awesome.
• He knows a lot of stuff about rabbits and raises prize winning ones through the 4H program and at the fair. (Does that make sense? He's a Rabbit Ninja!)

Happy Birthday Mayson! I love you!

Happy Birthday Regann!

Happy Birthday to my niece Regann. She is 14 years old!

Here are 2 fun facts about Regann.

• She earned her Young Women's medallion as a beehive...back in November.
• Today is her first youth conference and her first youth dance is TONIGHT. very cool.

Happy Birthday Regann! I love you!

Happy Birthday Mark!

Happy birthday to my nephew Mark! He is 8 years old.

This is a super exciting birthday for him because he gets to be baptized.  I'm really excited for him.

Happy birthday Mark!

Happy Birthday Joshua!

Happy Birthday Joshua! 

Today is my nephew, Joshua's birthday. He is 11 years old!

Here are 2 fun facts about Joshua.

He is really good at strategy board games. I like to bring a specific game to his house now and again so we can play. He's very serious and has good strategies. I learn a lot from him.

He doesn't like hugs but sometimes he gives me one.

Happy birthday Joshua! I love you!


ps, this is your lucky birthday! 11 years old on the 11th. As a bonus, it's in the year ending in 11. You are SUPER lucky!!

Happy Birthday Wendi!

Happy Birthday to my oldest sister, Wendi! She's 41 today.

Here are 2 fun facts about Wendi.

She never sits down. You can spend hours at her house and she is in the kitchen the whole time working, doing laundry, feeding the animals (barn type, not the feline type.)

She doesn't like to read books, so she doesn't.  :)

Happy birthday Wendi! I love you a lot.

Happy Birthday Brandon!

Happy Birthday to my nephew Brandon! He is 13 years old today.

Two things I've heard Brandon say that are worth repeating...

• If awesomeness were a sin, I'd go straight to hell.
• I may not be popular but everyone knows who I am.

Happy Birthday Brandon! I love you You are awesome.

You're invited!

Since I've already received my first RSVP I guess I should make it official. You're all invited to my sweet 34 slumber party.  October 21, 2011 from 8pm (Amy I made it an hour earlier) until breakfast the next morning. Bring your favorite treat, your wedding album/scrapbook/pictures and stuff to sleep on. We have blankets, no extra pillows or air mattresses. Invitations will go out in the mail the first of October. Bring a friend if you want. We have room.

Post about birthday celebrations or something

Last night we spent the evening in Poulsbo at my sister's house, celebrating my Dad's birthday. I got a call yesterday morning-an invitation to dinner. I said no. I got another call and was reminded it was my Dad's birthday. I actually knew it was Dad's birthday, I just didn't put 2 and 2 together. (4). Ken got off work an hour early so we actually got to Wendi and Larry's by 6. (1.5 hour drive each way-which is why I said no.) Here is how my side of the family celebrates birthdays.

We don't.

Anna asked yesterday if Grandpa was going to get presents. I said no. She asked if we were going to sing Happy Birthday. I said if we remember. She asked if there was going to be cake. I said I don't know, but assured her of good food for dinner.  Last minute I loaded the cake I made on Sunday night that was waiting to be consumed after Family Home Evening-and a container of cool whip because I was out of frosting.

We ate a delicious dinner, visited for a while and then ate cake. We didn't sing Happy Birthday. We didn't call the cake and ice cream-birthday cake and ice cream. It never even crossed my mind.  When we were getting our coats on to leave, I felt something in my pocket and remember that I actually did have a gift for me Dad. (Best. Daughter. Ever.) I walked over to him, told him I had a gift for him. He was surprised. (Not the 'I'm so excited I can't believe it kind of surprised. More like, Really? Are you serious?) I handed him a ketchup packet I'd had in my pocket since the 15th.

Adam threw it at me in Safeway in Cle Elum when we were all there shopping for our Ensign Ranch groceries. I told him to get me some ketchup. First thing he did when I saw him was he started throwing ketchup packets at me. I saved one for a rainy day-or emergency birthday gift. Dad was at Cle Elum with us so he knew the story. He told me said ketchup packet could become the next Love Dust. What is Love Dust you ask? Stay tuned. I have a really good story for you.

Final Thought: Birthday to me are like Anniversaries. (Not just because they are celebrated 1 day a year-geniuses!) Ken and I don't celebrate our Anniversary. Most years we aren't even in the same state when it shows it face. And you know what? That's okay. We love each other everyday. We don't need one special day to remember that. Birthday's are the same. I love my Dad everyday. As well as each of my family members. Do we really need to set apart a special day each year to tell them? nah. But I sure love spending an evening with extended family! I really missed that when we lived far away. I've seen my brothers, sisters and Dad more in the last 9 months that I did in the last 5 years combined.

All that being said, I want you all to know we don't neglect our kids on their birthdays. They get gifts, a cake and their favorite meal. But, I am not consistent on the awesomeness. I just don't have the spirit of the birthday instilled in me. I think they are a little bit over rated. BUT, you should still feel obligated to give me gifts. All the time. 10-24-11 is right around the corner. My sweet 34. Shop now. Shop often. Come to my slumber party.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy Birthday to my Dad! He is 19 years old...again.  (History does repeat itself.)

In honor of his birthday, here are 2 fun facts.

• He has a lot of knowledge in topics that may not seem important. My sister and her roommates call him Google. I call him when I want to know about anything that I'm too lazy to look up on Google.
• He's a temple worker.

Happy Birthday Dad! I love you a lot. Thank you for always being there for me because you always have been.

Happy Birthday Sarah!

Today Sarah is 1 year old. My sister and her husband have been raising her since the day she was born and they are going to adopt her. Although it's not final yet, she still deserves a shout out.

No Title Good Enough

My brother and sister in law lost a baby 5 years ago today. He was still born and his name was Jacob. Each year I try to remember the date but I end up having to call or text someone and ask.

I'm going to blog about each of my family members on their birthdays this year and Jacob deserves a mention to.  I'm sorry I never got to know him. I'm also sorry that his Mom and Dad never got to know him either.

I love you Garen and Andrea. You're in my prayers today.

I need a birthday calendar!

I just found out that I missed a birthday yesterday. I didn't know we had a duplicate birthday! It's embarassing too, because the little guy is SIX YEARS OLD!

Happy Birthday to my AWESOME nephew NOLAHN!

Here's a picture for your viewing pleasure. He's the leader of this group. (In this picture anyhow)

Today

 SuRPriSe!

 Today is Rick's birthday!

 Happy birthday to my brother in law, Rick. He is 30!! 

Can you tell he and Ken are brothers?

Just a little?

These photos were taken at Disneyland on January 2, 2009.

The best vacation gloves ever! Great vacation too.

Yesterday

I forgot to mention...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEVON!!

My nephew is 14 years old and amazingly AWESOME!

My picture I have chosen to display for his birthday is of rootbeer floats.  the only time  I've ever eaten/drank (?) two rootbeer floats in one sitting was when I was hanging out with Devon.

To my favorite Newton, who's not just fruit and cake

Once upon a time my little brother, Garen, and I had a paper route.  It wasn't your typical 'we're kids so we deliver papers on our bicycles after school' route. No. It was a 'we're in high school and junior high and we don't have enough on our plates, so we'll work a middle of the night auto route that keeps us out of the house from 11pm to 4am 6 days a week' kind of route. It was horrible and awesome all at the same time. We filled many of the Seattle Post Intelligencer (The P.I.) paper machines in Silverdale, WA and then delivered to about 125 houses/apartments in neighborhoods along Silverdale Way and Ridgetop. Here are some of the best parts about having this paper route.

• We got paid pretty well.
• We often got to eat a middle of the night meal with our brother, Ryan, who was the night auditor at Silverdale on the Bay Hotel.
• We listened to the radio as loud as we wanted in the car.
• We could talk about anything and everything.
• It was a time in our life when we were working like adults (that have peaked by getting their own paper route) and being carefree like children.
• I don't know of any other time when Garen and I were so close.

Often times I would say things to him and my ending comment would be, 'got it cookie?' After a short time he got clever and his reply would be, 'I'm not a cookie. I'm a newton...fruit and cake.' Now. If we weren't kids and didn't have the naivety that came along with being kids, I probably would have made fun of him for announcing that he was fruit and cake, but alas...it was a simpler time and I was uncorrupt. 

Since those days, 15 years ago (!) I have often thought about them with great memories. Some of the BIG memories that stick out to me that will probably mean nothing to you, but would put Garen and I back in our Dad's Buick Somerset Regal (best. car. ever) delivering the P.I. are:

• Hearing 'Sold' by John Michael Montgomery
• Hearing 'What Mattered Most' by Ty Herndon

Her eyes are blue, her hair is long

In '64 she was born in Baton Rouge
Her favorite song is "In My Life"
I memorized her every move
I knew her books, her car, her cloths
But I paid no attention to what mattered most

• Hearing 'Angels Among Us' by Alabama --they had remixed this song to had commentary about the Oklahoma City Bombing that had just happened.
• I worked at Silverdale on the Bay for about eight months, but when I see that hotel, I think of all time we spent in the foyer with Ryan and Dale, watching movies and eating free restaurant food at 2 in the morning.
• When I drive through Old Town Silverdale and pass the bar by the Arco. I can still see that old lady with long dirty blonde hair we met onthe paper route. Our interactions were - hi - here you go - have a good night - be safe out there - but I liked them.
• Malcolm, the old guy that distributed the papers, was really nice to Garen and me because we were kids. He had minty breath. (probably to hide cigarette and alcohol smells)
• There was a crazy gas attendant that worked at the Chevron on Kitsap Way.
• Many nights we would get home about 90 minutes before I had to be to seminary, so we would buy stuff to cook breakfast when we got home. The first time I ever smelled burnt bacon was when Garen cooked it...maybe I was helping. hahaha

Garen and I don't talk very often on the telephone. We both have our own lives and they are busy. But, everytime I drove through Newton, KS I called or texted. When I beat my Dad at Othello, he needed to know. I guess what I'm trying to say is that we call when it's important, and I'm glad.

I bet you're wondering why I'm telling you all of this.

TODAY GAREN IS 30 YEARS OLD!!

That's right people, he's an old man. In honor of his 30th birthday, I have found 2 photos for your viewing pleasure.

Happy birthday Newton!

When Garen joined the Coast Guard his wife was pregnant. We soon found out they were having a boy. I had been watching the movie 'Melody Time' a lot with my kids during this time and I love the cartoon Little Toot. It was while watching this movie that I decided since Garen was a coasty, I would need to call his son Little Toot. Sadly, I've only met Hayden a handful of times, so the nickname couldn't stick, but here's a picture of Little Toot.

Red Robin Birthday Song

Happy happy birthday. Today's your special day. Happy happy birthday. We're glad you came our way. Happy happy birthday. May all your dreams come truuuuueeeeeeee. Happy happy birthday, from Red Robin to you. Hey! (I typed hay first.)

Happy Birthday to my Brother in Law, LARRY!!

This is my mom's car. It died in May. My dad gave it to the fire department. They broke it. The guy in the back seat, center front is my brother in law, Larry. He's awesome...and 40 today. I love you Larry!

November 3, 2010

Right now one of my children is sitting in their room crying. I interrupted their story to tell them to put pants on. They're too old to be walking around the house in their underwear. Can my one thing I'm thankful for today be doors and pillows to cry in? GOOD GRIEF!

Today Matthew only had a half day of school because of parent teacher conferences. He also has tomorrow and Friday off because of said conferences. I went to his conference today. He's doing really well but they said he gets easily distracted and he talks too much. I'm pretty sure he got that from Ken. (or me)

The thing I'm thankful for today is $20 coupons off of purchases that are even under $20. Because of said coupons I was able to buy a Christmas present for one of my children and 3 pairs of crazy knee high socks today for nothing. That's right.  It was free. I didn't have to add stuff to meet a limit so my purchase of $19.51 cost me nothing...except for all the shoes I bought at famous footwear to earn said coupon. So worth it though!

In other news...Nicole continues to be doing really well learning at home. She's found her niche and I'm just trying to provide her with enough information because she can't seem to get enough of it! (except for history. We seem to fall asleep during movies.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Sister in Law, RHONDA!!

I couldn't find a picture of her but she likes pickles so this is for her. :)

and now for the TMI section...
I need to buy new deodorant. I think mine is betraying me.  If I'm around you and I stink, please tell me in a way as nice as possible. gracias.

Lastly, but not least-ly...
Will you pretty please with sugar on top help me earn my Personal Progress Medallion and Honor Bee by participating in my PP blog? I'd be most grateful!  http://honorbee.blogspot.com/.

Birthday dinner

To celebrate my birthday which was last Sunday, the 24th, we went out to dinner on Friday to Red Robin--my favorite restaurant. I ordered the California Chicken Burger, something I don't usually order but used to often enough. It was not as good as remembered. They sang to me and we got a free sundae. I videoed them singing because, really it's no fun to watch a video of a person being sang to. My favorite part was when the waiter told the restaurant that I was celebrating my 21st birthday. That's correct too. 21 for the 12th time. Writing that makes me a little bit sad. I'm not going to lie.

Here are some pictures of Ken and me. The usual kind. The 2nd one reminded me of a Picasso painting...kind of.

The other thing I like about this video is Ken's face because he was embarrassed. muhahaahha Also, the singers seem to be SO excited, don't you think?

Happy Birthday to ME!

Today is my 33rd birthday. It's not really a big deal, birthdays never really were in my family. Growing up we got a cake and an honorable mention and that is okay. As a gift I rewarded myself with a new package of vacuum bags...we've needed them for a while. Instead of gifts, I've found 33 things that I love and am grateful for...in no specific order. I tried to order them but that venture was unsuccessful.  So, here goes!

Nicole Roylance Cheney. I love this girl! When I was pregnant with her we were told she was a boy. We didn't find out until she was born that the Dr. was wrong. (Huang, haha) What a great surprise!

 Matthew Kent Cheney. I love this boy. I call him my best boy. He told me the other day he hopes we never have any more boys in our home because he needs to be the best boy.

 I LOVE this book! I've read it twice this year. You should too...at least one time.

BEST MOVIE EVER! This is the first movie I saw in the theater 2 times. I still watch it a few times a year and we quote it All. The. Time.

Duck. Tape. I had checks with this immage on them. It makes me happy. AFLAC!

I Love to sew. I love this sewing machine. It's not fancy but it does everything I need it to do plus it has a needle threader. I can't really ask for more than that!

My beloved cellphone.

Snow days! They're the best.

Willow Tree Statues...I love them all. I have this Nativity Scene. It's my favorite Christmas Decoration and I'm going to put it on my Mom's organ this year. A little rebellious way to honor

her. Maybe it should face the wall.

Whirlpool Cabrio washer and drier. Who knew laundry to could be tolerable?!

I'm glad we have a car that works. Before we got this car we were driving an OLD VW Jetta. It was a replacement car after Ken totaled ours. The Jetta was a money pit. The muffler was non existent. We lost the exhaust pipe driving down I 84. If we had too many people in it, the wheel well would rub on the tire. Any of our friends in the Columbia Ward in Troutdale can attest to this. They knew we were coming a couple miles away. They were all happy for us when we finally replaced it 4 years ago.

This is proof of the 1 and only time ever, that my mom went down a slide with me. Gina says the same thing. Mom freaked out going up the stairs and tried to turn around and go back down, but we wouldn't get out of her way. She had to go to the top them we reminded her she'd get down faster if she just rode the slide.

These are delicious.

Beautiful!

Love this camera.

The Seattle Temple. I did most of my youth temple trips to this temple. All my brothers and sisters went through for the first time here and were married/sealed here, that are of age. Ken and I were married here. It's BEAUTIFUL and my favorite.

Best hair gunk ever. LOVE IT!

Celtic Thunder. Guys in kilts. I like both.

The glorious Kitchenaid. Red just makes it better.

My Mom and Dad. I love them.

I LOVE KANSAS! I really miss my friends there and the awesome weather...minus tornado warnings.

Grandpa Price. Best. Grandpa. Ever.

I like google. This was their logo on an April Fools Day a few years ago. I also enjoy Topeka.

Do these next two pictures look similar to you? I love to blog. That's the one on the bottom. The picture on the top I took while driving home from the Wichita Airport in Kansas. It's somewhere between Sterling and Chase on a back road. Beautiful.

My piano. I enjoy the piano in general but this one makes me especially happy. I got an awesome deal on this almost new beauty and I paid for it myself.

I love him. (I tried putting him at the top and as you can see that didn't work well at all!)

28. I'm thankful for the opportunity I had to hold my 3rd baby, Robert, and for the knowledge I have that I am sealed to him forever.

29. I love the smell of Fall on the first day of school and the magic of Christmas morning.

30. I love living in the Pacific Northwest. It rains a lot. The tall trees bring me comfort. Knowing I'm so close to 6/7 of my siblings and my Dad also brings me comfort. I breathe much easier here.

31. I hate snakes and zoos scare me.

32. I am inept at the remote control and the microwave. I burn food and can't find my show even when I'm just trying to turn the volume up.

33. White Musk perfume is my favorite because #1 it is cheap and #2 it smells nice.

Uhaul Trucks...

You may think that the best part about having a Uhaul Truck is that it is a fantastic tool to get all your stuff from one location to another. I think that same thing! Sadly, I've been informed that both you and I are incorrect.

Matthew knows there is something WAY better about said truck that the fact that it transports all our junk.

We kept the truck until Friday, even though we were done with it Tuesday night so he could play. His birthday was on June 3rd (11 years old now!) and all he wanted was a an airline ticket to Washington + a week with his favorite cousin (check!) and a Uhaul truck in the driveway (check!). He's actually been asking for these things since July of last year, it was a fluke that it worked out so well, but he doesn't need to know that until he's older and decides to read this blog.