Sweetest Thing

Reef and Kaia - soul mates... no question. 

Never seen siblings interact quite like them.

Convinced they are thrilled to be back together again after having a blast in heaven.

Tender, genuine...truly connected.

They speak a language all their own.

Watching them is a testimony of how pure and deep love can be.

Oh, and don't mind the tattooed faces,

all the kids decided that they would do some face painting... with sharpies.  

Oh SANTA...

Mekena has been busy making lists for YOU on my computer... although I think she plans on mailing them or leaving them for you or for one of your elves on the doorstep, this is what I found {make sure to read the second list too, looks like there have been a few revisions}:

Mekenas  Christmas list

1* fijit (willa  the purple one)

2* raccoon stuffed animal

3*standing up microphone

4*friendship braclet maker

5*a globe

6*polly pockets

ccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc
dear santa ,

I love you I know you are nice.if I could get one thing for Christmas I would get a fijit the purple one named willa.bye santa

                          Love,

                                          Mekena packer

Mekenas  Christmas List
1* FIJIT (WILLA the PURPLE ONE)

2*RACCOON STUFFED ANIMAL       

3*POLLY POCKETS              
4*FRIENDSHIP BRACELET MAKER 

5*TEACHERS GUIDE BOOK    

6* KAIAS CUTE DRESS BOOTS (ENY COLOR)                                                    

7*ALL DIFFERENT COLORS OF THE PAPER MATE PENS

8*STANDING MICERFONE      
9*COOK BOOKS OF MY FAVERET FOODS 

10*LOVE                         

ccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

DEAR SANTA,            

I DO BELIEVE IN YOU WHY DO YOU ONLY DELIVER PRESSENTS AT NIGHT? IS IT BECAUSE THE NIGHT IS LONGER? OR IS IT BECAUSE YOU WANT IT TO BE A SURPRISE? I DON’T CARE I LOVE YOU A LOT

                                                             LOVE

                                                                    MEKENA PACKER                                                                                                                      

C.A.N.D.Y.

 

It's almost been a month since Halloween...

and I'm still finding candy wrappers in secret hiding spots.

In the past I've let the kids eat their candy a couple days after Halloween and then we donate what is left, but this year they've been so cute sorting and having candy trading games.  Even one day I played, it was fun.  So the candy is still around.  Soon to be gone.

Halloween was great, the girls dressed up like gypsies.  Mekena begged Reef to go along with the theme, but he was determined to be Batman.  Here he is preparing a couple days before Halloween:

He was so quiet one day sitting at the table coloring.  I didn't realize he wasn't coloring on paper.  Thank you Crayola for creating washable markers.  I'm a huge fan!

It was quite the production getting everyone dressed, but once the transformations were complete off we went to the traditional Burke Family Trick-or-Treating.  {The Burkes are one of our favorite Florida families, they were our neighbors in our first home, we met them 10 years ago Halloween night.}  The kids love Halloween, Reef keeps asking "mom, can we go get more candy from some houses?".  We may have to do a little off season trick or treating, wouldn't be the first time we've gone in costume to the neighbors and said trick or treat in July.  Oh to be Packer People neighbors... bless them all!

We did love our Halloween... and all of the yummy treats!!!

It's a JUNGLE out there!

We had a WILD time celebrating Kaia's 1st birthday and Reef's 3rd birthday this past August {love two for one birthday parties!}.  We figured a jungle theme would suit our two little monkey's perfectly.  

Reef and Kaia were smiles the entire time!  Here's a glimpse at our ROARING good time (click on the photo if you want to see it supersized and grandparents out there if you right click you can save it to your computer or print it)...

Party Invitations & Thank You's

Birthday Boy

The Cake - Reef's and Kaia's

Yummies

Some of the Fun

Birthday Baby 

Smash Cake

Reef had to show Kaia how it's done!  Kaia slowly dug in as we cheered "cake, cake, cake" and she danced back and forth.  She didn't want to stop eating... and when we finally took the cake away she reached for it to come back.  We're going to pretend that every one year old should eat lots and lots of food coloring! 

Animals... EVERYWHERE!

 Party aNiMaLs!!

And how spoiled were they to have Noni, Auntie Chrissy, Auntie Amy and Uncle Craig on the guest list!!  You'd think we lived by family with that kind of line up. 

Reef SUPER excited about whatever is in his bag.... 

With all of his excitement I was for some reason expecting a lot more in the bag. 

This still makes me laugh!

THANKS to all our family and friends that joined us and made for a fun CELEBRATION!!!

*** Kaia's dress and the girls skirts were handmade by Super Noni Pasqua.  Invitations, thank you notes and all of the other fun printables were custom created by my very favorite graphic designer, Kelli.  Here's her cute etsy shop. www.etsy.com/shop/kellimaree.  The cake - toppers by a favorite find on Etsy, cake from our local grocery baker.  Photography - Auntie Amy {of course!}.  Pin the Tail on the Giraffe game - R.Henry Artistry.  :)  Yummy food - Hottie Boy Chef & Super Noni.  Clean bathrooms and mopped floors - Tiffani, the cleaning lady. 



Full of Great, that makes me Greatful....

I guess that would be spelled grateful.  And indeed I am!  Here's just a few of the greats that keep me full:

My adorable husband and companion that my soul was destined to find
The most genius and creative girl I've ever met, Mekena
The sweetest cored girl I've ever met, Kirra
The coolest most dapper boy I've ever met, Reef
The most loving, snuggly baby in the WORLD, Kaia
My home {although a huge mess right now}
The amazing nature right outside my door
My parents, all four of them; My siblings, all five of them... emotion too tender to even begin noting why I'm grateful for each of them individually - eyes already welling up, must stop
A sister that makes long drives because she craves us weirdo's and her wonderful new hubby that is willing to oblige her crazy request to visit us again and again
Super fabulous in-laws that love us and support us
Being a member of the LDS church, couldn't imagine a life without it
The Henry's, every single one of them - I can't get enough!!
A very healthy and capable body
One incredible client that allows my creative side to stretch, and stretch, and stretch
A girl named Tristin, a girl named Reyna and a girl named Anggie
My garbage men, I'm serious
Upcoming family visits
Being able to stay at home with my fascinating children, I don't want to miss a thing!
And GRATEFUL that this is just an itty bitty list of all the greats.  I could go on, and on, and on...

... oh, one more, and of course frozen yogurt.  Yes for that I am grateful!

halloween [booo]...by mekena

I have always loved halloween. The reason that i love halloween sooo much is because you get to dress up and get so much candy[yummm.] This year i wanted to be a vampire,then i wanted to be strawberry
shortcake. Yesterday my mom had me see a picture of a cute jipsy costume for halloween my mom is the best for showing me that cute,cute picture of that jipsy.
have a spooktackuler night

good boo, love mekena.

Recovered Addict

So if you've known me for some time, you know of my addiction for, no not frozen yogurt, but cereal.  And almost any kind of cereal at that.  Any type, any time, any place.  The love for cereal could possibly have paralleled my love for my most favorite humans.  If you ask me for a bite of my cereal expect to hear an inner grunt, I DO NOT like to share my cereal, not because I'm stingy but because it messes up the cereal to milk ratio.  This ratio thing is no joke.

Cereal o'clock is the same time every day - 4:00pm.  And sometimes there's a second cereal o'clock around 11:45pm. 

A change occurred a few months ago.  I began noticing that cereal and I weren't getting along.  My lifetime commitment to its scrumptiousness was coming at a price.  I was feeling grouchy, almost mad and knew it was nutrition related.  I couldn't ignore the feeling anymore and couldn't ignore that maybe just maybe it was the milk and cereal.  According to Dr. D'Adamo Eat Right for Your Type (a book I found about 12 years ago and find it to be brilliant, worth the read!!) milk is the culprit to such feelings and should be avoided.  And I've never felt great about milk, seems a little unnatural to drink from a cow.  I know we'd all rather just drink the stuff and not consider where it's actually coming from... but the studies, the hormones, young children and early maturation... blah, blah, blah - bottom line I bought almond milk.  Mekena liked it at first but wants to try rice milk now, Reef loves it and I've noticed major changes in him, Kirra never liked milk anyhow and doesn't like the almond milk either, Kaia is addicted to mama milk and Rand goes 1/2 cow 1/2 almond, and as for me... I can't bring myself to try it - it's so slimy looking.  But I cut out cereal and milk for a few weeks and wow big difference in how I feel.  I've tried to eat a bowl a couple of times and couldn't stomach it.  I'm a little sad, it's weird I don't crave it, and although I cut it out for a three month period way back in 1999, I think this time I'm really a recovered milk in the cereal addict.  Cereal may be welcomed back if I can become more friendly with the almond milk.

And I know there's milk in frozen yogurt, but it's different - don't know how, don't know why, but it is.  Maybe it's the hot fudge and mochi.  :)  Not sure how Dr. D'Adamo feels about frozen yogurt but I know I feel great about IT!  And I love the way I feel after I eat frozen yogurt, love it, love it, love it!  Hmmm, all this talk about frozen yogurt, I'm gonna go get me some!! 

Good bye cow milk!

GOOD to know!

I am so thankful to know that I have not wasted my life!!! 
Packer people and messes are around the pinky tight!

My LIFE is yummy!

Kids begged me for yogurt again today... went a little something like this...


Me:  "Hey guys want to go out and get some yogurt?"
Mekena:  "Um, sure"
Kirra: "Maybe a cupcake mom"
Reef:  "no, I want ice cream"


So we went and got yogurt cause they begged so much for it and I didn't want to hear them keep begging alllll day long!  {or something like that.}

I love how Kaia just goes from person to person seeking out a spoonful of yumminess!

The NEST is lighter....

 

Kirra has joined the ranks of school attenders. 

And she loves it as we knew she would.  She tells us how she pulls out her classmates chairs if she sees them walking towards their desk - warm fuzzy!  She has a quiet sweetness that I've grown to recognize and adore.  She loves her teacher and all of her new friends. 

I miss her being home.  But I guess it's time.  :( 

Reef, Kaia and I are getting into a new rhythm.  It's quiet and calm, relaxing and easy... well almost. 
I actually kind of like these new days.  Stacking blocks and learning about letters and numbers. 
It's been a while since I've been with itty bitty's.  And they are so cute, especially together. 

Two is easy, I forgot. 

Here's proof that I've let my big girls leave the nest - FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL...

 

 

Mekena loves to walk Kirra to her class every day to make sure she unloads
her back pack and gets settled. 

  

*************************************************************

And a look back to Mekena's first day of kindergarten in 2009...

 

So it begins...

I got a little taste of being a parent this week. 

Granted I've parented for 2,740 days already (yes that's really the amount of days, who's counting), but this was real parenting I had to do.  I had to say NO to something my two older girls really wanted to do and something I would have loved them to do.  Their cheerleading teams were having a team party.  The challenge, the party was from 7:30pm to 11:00pm.  Rand and I talked about it and neither of us were comfortable with them being there so late and because of a prior commitment neither of us could go and be wall flowers.  I hoped the girls would just somehow forget about the party and never bring it up, ya right! 

I overheard them talking about how much fun the party was going to be and decided I had to break the news... I said a little something like this:

"Girls, I know you are very excited about your team party.  Unfortunately, dad and I talked about it and we've decided it's best you not go.  We don't feel it's safe and we feel that it's a little late for girls your age." 

Suprisingly there was not any grumbling or pretty pleeeeeease's that I would have expected to follow.  Later that same night while we were laying down for bed I asked them how they felt about not being able to go to the party, Mekena said "Mom I understand, thank you for wanting to keep us safe".  And then Kirra followed with "at first I wanted to cry and then I realized it was ok".  REALLY???  Thanking me for not letting them go to the party... wasn't quite what I expected.  How thankful I was that they understood.
I'm thinking this may not be so easy once we approach teenage years, but I'll take the ease for now and be hopeful!  I feel with all of my heart that my job is to nurture and stay in tune to what Rand and I feel is right and wrong for our children, it's tough out there and I'd rather them miss out on some of the "fun" than for them to be in a bad situation where we don't get a second chance to make the right choice.  I probably won't always be the cool mom, but that's ok.

la, la, la, la, la, la... sing a happy song...

Hope you're havin' a smurfin' great day!  Four cute kids and I went to see Smurfs at the movie theater.  It's fun to go see movies with my kids that I saw when I was itty bitty.  {I refuse to allow this type of experience make me feel old.} 

Mekena wanted to hear all about my smurf memories...
Here's a few Smurf memories circa 1980 by Tiffani Packer:
Memory #1: I really thought that somewhere in a magical forest little blue people really did exist and wondered if maybe just maybe I would find this magical forest some day.
Memory #2: I LOVED smurf berry crunch cereal and remember feeding it to squirrels when camping.
Memory #3: I thought Smurfette was beautiful and thought it would be cool to look like her.  {I really didn't like my freckles when I was little, guess I figured blue skin must be better.}

This is one cartoon I never thought would make a come back but believe it or not here it is cashin' in on box office dinero.  Keep your eyes out for Smurf Berry Crunch!  You know I'll be buying a box... and maybe even introducing it to all of our squirrel friends living on our property.

Smurf out!

GREEN pox

Found a funny memory today... about two years ago I came into Reef's room to find he had a terrible case of green pox.  Have your kids ever had this before? 

I couldn't figure out where the green marker could have come from.  I know I hadn't put him down for his nap with a green marker.  Had he secretly hid it for his planned scare of the greenies?  Hmm...

Well wait, back to the photo right above, do you see what I see, above Reef's head... could that be a shadow?  Is that possibly the little green guy that sneaks in while your children are sleeping to make his mark?

I think we have a suspect.

Confirmed!! Guilty!

And things haven't changed a bit from this day.  Well maybe a little, Reef isn't green anymore.  But it's a guarantee that cute little goblin' standing behind Reef is behind quite a bit of the mischief around here.  And that same little look, she's still got it!  Oh the many laughs that she's created around our home, couldn't imagine our days without her funny ways.