Halloween concert @ Cottonwood High School 2011

This is the last Halloween concert from the Bolander boys. Kind of sad to think about. My brothers are both talented musicians, and it's been fun to watch them! My favorite is Jazz Band, especially when they solo. Christian used the Cru Jones costume(so glad it has had multiple uses!!). He looked rad, as usual. His solo was rad as well. Aniston loved it! She was bouncing around the whole time!
Solo time, gotta strut your stuff when you walk down to the mic!
I hope he knows how rad he is, but I'm thinking he does in this shot.
His solo was awesome, couldn't even tell his sax was broken!

Bouncing beauty! She didn't stop moving the whole time we were there, she was lovin' every second!

Amber always has a bunch of costumes she changes throughout the concert, it's fun to see what she comes up with.
This I'll never get over, I'm still giggling about it! As I'm looking around I see this kid...

I'm thinking, wow this kid has Bieber Fever!!, but then I look closer. Bieber Fever kid has a pirate costume on. What? I had to take his picture, he's a perfect look-a-like! I asked Christian about him, and he just laughed. Says the kid is way nice and just so happens to look like Bieber without even trying.

FHE

Grammy and Aniston collected acorns, and got a great idea from Cheryl to draw faces on them. So, when Chris got home from work we had made an acorn family!

Papa

We celebrated Papa's Birthday Oct.16th, just a few days late. He is getting a little older in #s but not at heart! We love him. He and Christian came over for dinner and cake to celebrate. After the food, he played with Aniston. They played outside and inside, and giggled and laughed together. How did I get so lucky to be this man's daughter? I think someone knew I needed him, because without him I wouldn't be me! Thanks Papa for being the very best. We love you- xoxo

one and only time

I don't think I'll ever set myself up for this kind of project again. I have never been so frustrated with something crafty in all my crafting. At one point, Chris and Aniston had to leave the room. I think I hit my thumb with the hammer more times during this project than Papa has his whole life!



I started these chairs last year sometime. I had high hopes for a retro style table and chairs that Shelbi was getting rid of before the big move to the Windy City. Chris tried to tell me I was getting in pretty deep, but that made me more determined(I haven't changed a bit from my teens). I did give up on the table, but not completely. Papa still has it, and it catches my eye every time.
So after stripping the old fabric off, sanding off the rust, painting all the metal gray, Chris cutting new boards for the chair backs and seats, cutting foam, finding fabric for the chairs and getting it cut out, putting the foam on and stapling the fabric and plastic covering on, and then finally pounding each brad into the chair backs, I finally finished them, over a year after I started. They are done! There are a few issues but nothing a little super glue can't fix!

funny 4 year old

There's no doubt that Aniston and I have similar personality traits. She is bossy, sassy, persistent, impatient, and stubborn. She also likes to clean, most of the time, just like her mom.
This is a mild mess compared to some, but she had it cleaned up pretty fast.


She's also pretty good at leaving her stuff strewn all over the house, just like her Dad. But, they BOTH clean up after themselves.



Aniston is pretty darn funny, just like her Dad. She's always saying the funniest things and catching us off guard with a few others:
***"Here is your proof, drink it Mom," as she hands me one of my perfume bottles shaped like a flask.
***"You shouldn't," is a common smart-alick response.
***"Oh no! Are you going to have to sell yourself?" she said this after we got home and I realized I had missed the visiting teachers.
***Chris woke up one morning to Aniston saying "what the hell Chris!"
***One of my sweet friends from work watched Aniston one day for us and she has a Halloween village on her piano that caught Aniston's attention. She told Paige "This house is magical!"
***Another sweet friends from work, that has been my saving grace this semester, watches Aniston a bunch for us. Her son Tyler and Aniston are in preschool together, which has been so fun! Tyler and Aniston play pretty good together, but their preschool teacher put it best when she told us they act like brother and sister. Aniston is always causing drama and Tyler likes to pester her, I love it!

Murder Mystery Party

The theme: 1950's class reunion in a malt shop.

Welcome to Jones' Diner



The alumni:

L to R: Jordan, Megan, Chylie, Tren, Chris, Jena, Kalli, and Joe
We served burgers and fries to the alumni and then started the game.

The classmates:

Penny and Del

E.C. and Joe

Dee and Rick

Pris and Cal

We were all a little bit confused at the beginning, but everyone caught on fast and got down to business. I had no idea our friends were such great actors and actresses! Everyone was hysterical and played it up making the game a success. After we found out who killed our dear friend Rock N. Roley, we celebrated their success with malts! The game was a hit, thanks to everyone that came! We've got the best and most hysterical friends, and I can't wait to do this again next year!

The boys

The girls



Pris might be disgusted by the nerd, but I'll kiss him any day!

big smoochers

I remember buying these from the store in Orderville when I was little. Aniston had a blast with them...

crazy fun

Aniston likes to do homework, and she will even does mine for me!
She's still working on her Rupunzel hair, but until it gets that long she's sticking with the towel. It was really hard to get it off her head once she was asleep. Every time we tried, she would wake up!
We had a blast with our cousins at the "Maquarium".
We had to have twinner toes! Aniston was a little upset that she couldn't get gel toe nails, so we did the best we could with the polish at our house!
She loved getting a pedi from Mom!

With all the craziness at our house, we're still havin' fun...
Chris has fun too, he's been practicing hard for Cross races.

Cross-Oct. 1st

Cross season is upon us. I love this time of year and love watching Chris race(even if I do get nervous watching). Oct. 1st was the first race, and I was excited to watch Chris race in spite of the fact that I had just worked all night. Chris had some mechanical problems right from the start, something about a valve. It made us all uptight, and Chris ended up having to switch wheels which I am told screwed up the tune-up his friend had just done on the bike the night before. Despite the "issue", Chris lined up to start and was off! Things went pretty well at first, but then went down hill for all of us...


Chris' bike wasn't shifting right
Aniston had drank a drink she was told not to drink until later
I was feeling the fuzz, the fuzz you get when you haven't slept in 24+ hours
Chris wasn't able to "mash" because his bike would shift when he did
mashing+shifting issue= problem
Aniston had to go to the bathroom
I was so out of it, short tempered, and unaware of where the bathrooms were


We left right after Chris crossed the finish line. Let's just say that NONE of us were in the good mood we came with, Aniston learned the hard way that you don't pee in public, and I gave myself the "mother of the year award" for not taking my child to the bathroom that was right in front of my face(I was so, so tired but that's no excuse for not looking). Chris was disappointed and I'm pretty sure we're going to have to beg him to let us come and watch in the future.

1st field trip

{Thanksgiving Point Farm 9/28/2011}
Aniston went on her first field trip with her preschool class. She was super excited about it, and even more happy when she found out I was coming with her AND that she was going to have lunch there too!
Mrs. Wixom's Super Kids!!
Tyler and Aniston feeding the ducks

playing in the old jail house...



wagon ride!

Aniston loves preschool. I'm pretty sure she loves it for more than one reason, which was very apparent last Thursday when I showed up to pick her up. She was so excited to play at Katie's house with Tyler and baby Sydney, but when I showed up because my class was canceled it was very obvious she wasn't excited to see me...
smile turned to utter dismayed look..."Mom! You weren't supposed to pick me up!" and then came the sobbing... Just a few seconds before I walk in she had run up to Katie and said"Guess what?! Today is the next day(Katie had told her the day before that she could come to her house after preschool and play) and I get to come to your house!" It was very sad to soo her so upset.