Black Friday

How good would the deal have to be for you to sleep outside a store all night? Ponder that question as you read the rest of the message. Apparently for us, it’s not about the deal it’s about the experience, because we didn’t buy a single thing for ourselves. For those who may be wondering what I am talking about, I accompanied Chris on his annual Black Friday sale campout. This is the third year that Chris has actually slept overnight and by doing so he is helping feed into the hysteria that is the Best Buy Black Friday sale. The first year he went he left our house around 6pm and he was about 20^th in line. Last year he left at five and he was down to the corner of the building, maybe 30^th. This year we got there at four and the line was already around the corner, holding down the 50^th position. WHAT THE HECK!?! Imagine me saying that slowly and with emphasis to accentuate my point.

Ordinarily sane people seem to hear the word sale and lose all rational thought. Four of my brothers came with us, and I know this may sound strange, but truthfully the first eleven hours went by pretty quickly. The boys played video games against each other, and I watched some shows Chris downloaded on the early Christmas present he gave me. I was able to go to the Wal-Mart down the street for some snacks and a power inverter (who knew that was an essential), and I slept in the car for about an hour. We even had a few visitors bring us hot chocolate and looks of pity.

At about three the group in front of us decided to pack up their chairs and just stand in line. This left a big gap between them and our group and we were around the corner so some people thought the end of the line was at the end of the building, at least that’s what they wanted us to believe (I saw a couple of ladies in line and they were only wearing hoodies, so I know they weren’t there all night like all of the people around them). We cleaned all of our stuff up in a mad rush and hurried to secure our place in line. Then we waited. The store didn’t open until 5am and those last two hours were the longest of the whole night. I was getting pretty cranky at this point and all I could think was, “This is stupid; people who do this are stupid. This is a dumb way to live.” It really wasn’t the happiest I’ve ever been. It was better for my brother Brian though, he won a PSP and some DVD’s in a raffle held by the local cable company just before the store opened. It was bitter-sweet because the winning number was 90 and Chris’s number was 89 and mine was 91. If only we had been standing together it could have been ours. I think we have enough video game paraphernalia in our home so it was probably a good thing.

So what was the massive deal we did all of this for? A laptop-printer combo for only $230.00! Yes it was an excellent bargain, but as I mentioned before Chris and I didn’t get anything for us. We were able to fill all of the laptop requests we had received, and once the store actually opened we were all done and in our cars within 20 min. A little anti-climatic I know. Chris said the behavior was pretty tame compare to years past which was fine for me. I guess I can say that I have done it and I don’t ever have to do it again.

The Order of Things

Kaylee wrote an excellent blog and she set it to post today, but our computer is never willing to cooperate, so it posted before the blog I posted last night. It is very cute so I want to make sure it isn't overlooked, so make sure you all read it. She wrote the whole thing herself, I wasn't allowed to read it until this morning. Today is our anniversary but I think she paid a great tribute so I'm going to leave it at that. She did mention our Black Friday overnighter and I'm sure I'll have plenty of stories about that tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! Today is the day to give thanks, party, and have a feast. Oh yeah, one more thing. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MOM AND DAD!!!!!!!! They’ve been married for about ten years now. They make such a cute couple. My dad’s the video-game crazy computer-guy we all know and love. My mom is the smart, beautiful maid of the house. In honor of they’re anniversary, my mom decided to go with my dad on his Sale-o-holic adventures. In English: they’re going to camp out at Best Buy for about twelve hours in hopes of finding more computer stuff to annoy my mom. Sometimes arguing, always crazy, I think they’re the best parents in the world. (Oh, and mom, this is like repaying you for bragging about us in that one blog) HAPPY BIRTHDAY AARON, LANCE, AND LUKIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Smokin' Hot Lady

I know, you all see there is a video clip and you are wondering if you are at the right site. What, pictures on muckus.com, and not just pictures, those new-fangled moving pictures?!? My technical staff (a.k.a. Chris) is off from his real job this week so he is doing what he does best. The video is an ad for a cable phone company that some of you have seen I’m sure.

My nephew Jayden comes to our house a few times a week and this has become his favorite things to say. He and my kids have even made up a little booty shake to go along with it. I have to admit, I laughed out loud the first time it came out of his four year old mouth. One day he said “Hey Uncle Kristen, you are a smokin’ hot lady” (he gets mixed up on our names pretty often, I know it’s our own fault, our names being so matchy matchy and all.) Chris hadn’t seen the commercial yet so he thought it just came out of nowhere, so he practically laughed his guts out. Since then it has become a regular exchange between him and Jayden. I’m glad they have something they can connect on.

The guy Chris works with gave us a Barbie car and a couple of nights ago I heard the car driving around. I didn’t think much of it until I realized that Kaylee, Ashton and Aiden were all in the house. We went outside to see Dalin as proud as could be driving himself around the backyard. Okay it wasn’t really “around”, he can’t steer around any obstacles, but it was hilarity. He would drive until he crashed into something (he was completely unfazed) then Chris or one of the girls would put it into reverse and off he went again. I guess it’s better than his other favorite pastime of dumping everything he can get his hands on, on the floor.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! Today is the day to give thanks, party, and have a feast. Oh yeah, one more thing. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MOM AND DAD!!!!!!!! They’ve been married for about ten years now. They make such a cute couple. My dad’s the video-game crazy computer-guy we all know and love. My mom is the smart, beautiful maid of the house. In honor of they’re anniversary, my mom decided to go with my dad on his Sale-o-holic adventures. In English: they’re going to camp out at Best Buy for about twelve hours in hopes of finding more computer stuff to annoy my mom. Sometimes arguing, always crazy, I think they’re the best parents in the world. (Oh, and mom, this is like repaying you for bragging about us in that one blog) HAPPY BIRTHDAY AARON, LANCE, AND LUKIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The rewards of Parenthood

I have been thinking lately how truly blessed I am to be the mother of my children so I have decided to devote a post to shout their praises. (I’m the mom, I’m allowed to brag once and a while) All of my kids are my favorites so I’m just going to go from oldest to youngest.

Kaylee is a wonderful oldest child. She was a dream baby and she has grown into a smart, funny and beautiful little girl. She is so responsible and honest. When she turned eight we let her choose if she would fast on fast Sunday’s, it is really hard for her but she does it willingly. She has been a great example to me and has made me want to better myself. She is also very honest. At school they have a program where they walk around the field during recess and after they’ve gone around a certain amount of times, they get a prize. Kaylee was walking with one of her good friends from last year. One day I asked her if she was still walking with her friend and she said, “No she and some other kids we walk with have been cutting corners and I didn’t think that was right so I walk by myself now.” I don’t think I was that upstanding when I was eight. She loves to read, and she will rarely go anywhere without a book. She often reads bedtime stories to Ashton and Aiden. I am so proud if her every day.

Ashton is the most tenderhearted child I know. She always wants to take care of everyone, and make sure everyone is happy. She is always willing to give up whatever she has if she thinks it will make some one else happy. She is the first one to comfort someone who has been hurt or had their feelings hurt. She is so willing to help her family, and she usually answers with an endearing “sure” whenever Chris or I ask her to do anything. She is so willing to try new things, quite unlike her mother, but I'm coming around. She is smart, and her reading skills have just grown by leaps and bounds in the last couple of months. She loves to be active, and she does really well at any sports she tries. She is quick to make friends where ever she goes, and she is a fierce defender off her brothers and sister. We were at a family dinner once and Ashton saw my seven year old cousin take something from Aiden. My cousin is really big for his age, but that didn’t deter Ashton from jumping up to get the toy back for Aiden. She was a little hard for us to handle as a baby, but she has more than made up for it with the wonderful attitude she has now.

Any of you who have read our blog know that most of our comedy comes from Aiden. He is funny when he doesn’t try and even when he does try, which isn’t always the case with little kids. He has this sly smile when he thinks he is being funny that always makes me smile. He is very mathematically inclined, and I love to watch him figure things out. He is so patient with Dalin, and he hasn’t ever been jealous of the baby. He was the youngest much longer than the girls, so he knew how good it was, but he has been great in sharing his things with Dalin. Aiden can entertain himself by making whatever he has fight. It is hilarious to watch him make his fingers and hands go to war with each other when he thinks no one is looking.

Dalin’s little one year old body is overflowing with personality. He loves to think he is big, and he is so proud of himself when he can keep up with the older kids. He too has learned comedy. He will do things, I know we didn’t teach him, because he knows it will make us laugh. I keep a jar with loose change on my vanity, and he will pull it down and shove coins under the bathroom door when I am in there, you know in case I need it. He is very sweet and he makes sure to give all of the kid’s hugs before he goes to bed every night. He loves to sing and does so as loudly as he can, even if he can’t really say any words yet. He loves to help Chris fix things. Anytime he sees his dad sit down on the floor he will back up and sit down on his lap ready to work.

I know that Chris and I are very lucky parents to have healthy happy and beautiful children, and I want my kids to know I love them everyday.

Helen Adams Edwards

Last week Chris’s paternal grandmother (grandma Helen) passed away. It was sad, but she was 91 years old and she has been in poor health for the past several years. I truly believe that she was relieved to be free from all of the limitations of her earthly body, and that she is having a joyous reunion with her husband and parents. She was the oldest of six children and when she was 14 years old her mother father and younger sister were all stricken by typhoid fever and sadly her mother and sister didn’t survive. A year later her father, weakened by the typhoid fever had a heart attack and passed also. She dropped out of school to take care of her brothers and sisters, so her family wouldn’t get split up. Her aunts and uncles eventually convinced her to go back to school but the children were sent to live with different relatives. Through it all she was able to stay close to her brothers and sisters and remained a mother figure to all of them. She out lived most of her family (I think there is still one sister), and Chris’s uncle said it was probably because she needed to make sure everyone was okay before she could leave.The service was very nice and the great grandchildren that were able to attend sang. Even Dalin added his part as loudly as he could from the back of the room where I was holding him.Even though it was a sad occasion, Chris’s sister who he hasn’t seen in over two years was there and it was a nice reunion for their family.

Who would have thought we'd last this long?

Happy Anniversary! Today is muckus.com’s first anniversary and we are excited to still be around. When we first started I didn’t know how often I would really use the site, but it has been a lot of fun to go back and read previous posts from the last year. I can hear my dad saying, “aren’t you glad you wrote that down”, or “I told you so”, but I am glad we have our small piece of the web and I thank all of you who have read along.

Chris took his second test Friday, and when he came home I asked how he did. “I passed,” so I had to be more specific and ask what his score was. He got 1,000 out of 1,000 and all he could think to tell me was that he passed (and he wonders where our kids get their muckus from). So we are very excited for him and happy to know all of his studying paid off.

Last week Chris decided he wanted to see the house that I looked at while he was gone. I had pretty much given up on that house because whenever I had talked to Chris about it he made it sound like he didn’t really want the house and it didn’t seem very realistic that we would get it. Then last Saturday we went over to the house and he looked through the windows and he decided that he wanted the house. We’re still slowly getting our house in a condition to sell, but if that house is still available when we are ready, then maybe it is the house for us. We are kind of instant gratification people and we have been known to make impulsive purchases, so I am a little nervous that we might just be leaping before we look, but the house is really a great bargain so we’ll see how it goes. That Phrase seems to have become my mantra.

In honor of our one year mark, I want to leave you with my favorite story from muckus.com. This comes from our first post, but it still makes me laugh every time I read it. Our whole family had gone to the mall so Chris and I could vote. We took separate cars so Chris wouldn’t get roped into shoe shopping with me. When it was time to go Aiden decided he wanted to stay with me even though I told him we would be looking to get some shoes for me. By the time we came to the last store Aiden was done and probably rethinking his choice of staying with me. I picked up a pair of shoes and asked how he liked them he said, “Not…I mean good.” “Good?” I asked. “If I say not good you will have to look some more and we will have to stay longer.” He was only four and he already had things figured out.

A Picture Perfect Halloween

Happy (belated) Nevada Day/Halloween! I don't know that it was actually picture perfect, but we did have a good day. When I was growing up we were always out of school on Halloween day because it was Nevada Day as well. My first Halloween at college was really weird for me because I actually had to go to school on Halloween. Even now Nevada Day is observed on the Friday before the 31^st so it’s really not the same. Enough nostalgia, I did write a blog yesterday but when I tried to post it the whole thing was lost. Here is attempt numero dos and hopefully it will take this time.

To celebrate (or despite) our state’s birthday we decided to get family pictures taken, and no we weren’t in costume. We did see several other families who were, but that really isn’t my thing. We were able to get right in and I figured Dalin would be a little nervous, so I thought if the other kids went first, he would see that it was harmless and he wouldn’t freak out. I woke up from that dream pretty quickly. Dalin refused to sit any where accept in my arms and he was crying the biggest tears I’ve ever seen. The idea came to me to have him sit on a block, because he loves to sit on things his size. It worked long enough for us to get a few good shots, and looking at the pictures you would never know there were any problems at all. Kaylee, Ashton and Aiden did a really good job on their individual pictures, but they were a little too worried about making Dalin smile, and as a result several of the group shots we got of all the kids had Dalin looking at the camera and the other kids looking at him. I know I should be able to post pictures by now, but I can't so after Chris is done taking his tests I'll have him post the latest Edwards Family Photos. Maybe I'll sit in on that so I can actually learn how to do it as well. After we were done we took the kids to the donut shop where they were more interested in watching the donuts be made than actually eating them, but that’s not really a bad thing.

After the donut shop Chris went to take the aforementioned test. His trip to CA. was to get training to take a series of five tests to become a CCSP (I put that lingo in there for any of you computer lovers, a.k.a. geeks, out there). He’s only taking two of the tests for now, but on Monday he found out he had to take the tests by Friday or he would have to pay for them himself. He thought he had another week before he had to take them, so he's been a little stressed out for the last few days. He took the first one yesterday and he’ll take the second one on Friday. For all his nervousness he did really well, he got 988 out of 1,000. He always goes into these tests expecting to fail but he always does an excellent job. I am excited for him to be done with these tests so he can actually think of other things like oh I don’t know, maybe painting the house (hint, hint).

My brother and his wife and one year old daughter came with us trick or treating. Chris usually takes the kids and I stay home to pass out the candy, but we all went this year, and it was pretty fun. My niece held Ashton’s hand the whole night, and she even threw a fit at one point because her mom picked her up and she wasn’t holding Ashton’s hand anymore. It was pretty cute. Dalin was a little reluctant at the first house we went to, but after he saw the candy in his bucket, we could not get to the next house fast enough. I think the combination of feeling like a big kid and seeing his bucket fill up with candy made him feel like he was in heaven. He even said his own form of trick or treat that sounded like “eeeet”. The kids got a pretty good haul and we are all on a bit of a candy high right now.

You may have noticed a blog recently posted by Kaylee. She has decided she would like to write more blogs to help her practice writing while she is on track break. I really enjoy reading what she writes, because she does such a good job and I think she is pretty funny. Chris set up Ashton so she can add to the website as well, so stay tuned for all the latest and greatest from our budding authors.