MYLO XYLOTO

So it's been a while since we did a post on music we like and since nothing new is happening this would be a good time. A GREAT time actually since this is a new album...and it's a GREAT one!

Now let me fist tell you that I have a love/hate relationship with Coldplay. I either love it or hate it. So far I have enjoyed a track here and there with a few really speaking to me. So when Gina announced that she had listened to the new album, Mylo Xyloto, and it was amazing, I was intrigued. I already liked the single they had released in September, Paradise. Of course being the kind of person that is always looking for new music & pulled it up on Spotify & listened. I liked it! All of it! I was shocked! I have been listening to it constantly since then...well not as much as U2 but we ALL know what an obsession I have with those Irish boys that no one other than my own talented family can top!

I put together a playlist for you all to listen to from what I felt was my favorites of the album...short of a few that Playlist didn't have available. I challenge those of you who aren't Coldplay fans to listen. In the words of an old commercial: "Try it, you might like it"!

7Eves...

...is their name & music is their game

This is Michael's band that he plays drums in. At times they channel AC/DC & they are LOUD! Mike & Bridge have been playing together for about a year now & finally found 2 other guys to play with them. After months of perfecting their sound, they are bring their music to the world. They are headlining in the

Brotherhood of Rock concert at Boothe Brothers Performance Center in Spanish Fork.

If you like music and are in the area you should come check them out. Really they sound pretty good & this isn't just Mom supporting her kids. My Mom (AKA Grandma) thinks they sound pretty good & she raised me on "Bubble Gum" music...a FAR cry from hard rock...

It's $7 at the door OR $5 in advance by contacting us

ROCK ON

SO it's become a yearly thing now...

...and what a year is has been! You will just have to excuse our absence, life is just NUTS! Here are some highlights in everyone's lives:

Mathew: Started as the Bass drumline instructor for the Salem Hills Skyhawks Marching Band this summer and LOVED working with the kids on something he LOVES...maybe more than life itself! Got his childhood dream job this fall: he is a ZAMBONI driver at The Peaks Ice Arena in Provo. He found out that he can still skate after 25ish years & loves it as much as he ever did! Hockey anyone?

Mary-Jocelyn: Same old same old...and is just getting/feeling OLD!

Gina: 2 Proms...yeah she is THAT cute, SHHS graduate, last time at girls camp, 2 scholarships to SNOW college, debate team, won't be home as much this next semester, 19...still 5'5"

Michael: SHHS Junior, went to first Homecoming, tenors in SHHS marching band, 7Eves is the name, ROCK is the game...they tend to channel AC/DC at times & Mike is the drummer, 16...5'10"...will he grow more? He's eating like he will!

Isabella: SFJH 9th grade, 1st bass in the SHHS marching band, winter colorguard,

1st job: snack shack @ Salem's ball fields, teaching drums, 1st year at Youth Conference, driving, 15...5'9" and will only wear 3 inch heels!

Gabriel: SFJH 8th grade, teaching trombone, 5th bass in SHHS winter drumline as well as next year's marching band because he will FINALLY be old enough, fishing, scouts, is OFFICIALLY a teenager: 13...5'3" and counting!

Elaina: KINDERGARTEN, lost first tooth, Michael Jackson everything: Halloween costume, The Michael Jackson experience for XBOX, This Is It, and videos on youtube, sleepovers with cousins, 6...3'11"

Isaac: School next year, has the house to himself every afternoon witch includes but isn't limited to XBOX & computer, loves cars and bugs, is a TOTAL boy and a HUGE tease, almost 5...3'6" and hoping to grow!

We won't promise anything...so maybe it won't be another year before we post again...if not here's to 2012 and we'll catch y'all up next year!

Quote of the week...

"If you don't stay with me, I will be naughty!"

~Elaina 4 years old

Laney has been saying this a lot lately. We know it is pure bribery on her part because she is a social kind of girl...but it still works...some times...she even tried it at church in Primary because MJ's in Sr. Primary, not Jr. with her anymore. We just can't WAIT for her to hit the teen years!

Happy Birthday Isabella!

Isabella Mae

December 27, 1996

8:43 AM Central

8lbs.

19.75" long

Chisago Lakes Hospital

Chisago Lakes, Minnesota

Today is Izzy's birthday and she is officially a teenager! Although she has been acting like one for a while now... Izzy is our third child and a blessing that came to us to help us grow closer as a family. Over the years she has grow up with a HUGE smile on her face & a hug for all. She is kind to all and is always standing up for what she feels is right & those who are being picked on. Truly she is a beacon of light to us all with her example.

Izzy LOVES music...yeah we know we just don't make them any other way...She started Violin 3 and a half years ago & now can make the strings sing beautifully. She started percussion this year at the Junior High & has joined the High School Winter drum line. She also plays the piano and sings like an angel.

Izzy has quite a few nicknames: Izzy, Bella, Izzy-Bella, Izzy-B, Bells, and our ALL time favorite Izzy-Berry-Belly from her strawberry shaped birthmark on her tummy...it is still there. She was SUPPOSED to called Belle and while MJ was pregnant with her everyone called her Belle...until she was born and Mathew took one look at her & said "Sorry honey, I just can't call her Belle, she's an Izzy".

Out of our 6 kids Izzy is the ONLY one who was born on the day she was due. It wasn't with out her futile attempts that started 3 months early.

Izzy is so helpful with her siblings and is so much fun to be around. We love her with all of our hearts & are SO grateful to have her as part of our family.

LOVE YOU BELLS!

Happy Birthday Gina!

Gina Mary

December 18, 1992

11:48 AM Central

6lb. 3oz. 19.5" long

Children's/United Hosp.

St. Paul, Minnesota

17 years ago today we welcomed our first child to our family. She was 3 weeks early & just couldn't wait to be here with us on earth. She has been off and running ever since! We should have known that her early arrival was a clue to her personality & energy level!

MMMM...Slushie...she would live on these if she could!

Gina is amazing! She loves all things music & can pretty much play any instrument. She started with the upright bass in orchestra, then added percussion & piano. This year she was on the snare line for marching band & is now the center snare for winter drum line & next years marching band. She is the first girl center snare at Salem Hills High School...a goal she wanted to reach for her senior year but got it early!

Gina is a fun kid with crazy ideas & keeps us on her toes. She is so thoughtful & kind to everyone. Gina is good to help with her siblings & with house hold chores. She loves her friends & puts aside her problems to help them through theirs. It has been said that she is the "Coolest Girl" at Salem Hills...not just by the students but teachers too! We have to agree with that. All of thee things make her beautiful inside to match her outer beauty that is obvious to all.

Thanks Gina for being a part of our family...we love you!

Beautiful Girl...but still WAY cool!

Sledding in plastic bags...guess we "forgot" to tell her it ISN'T a good idea to put bags over your head!

We're back to posting

It's been a while...to say the least...but we are back to posting.

So why have we been absent? COMPLETE chaos is about the only way to describe it. With the kids getting older, it's harder to find the time to sit down and compose just what is going on.

Gina is a Junior in high school now & is still involved with all things music. Marching band, jazz band, percussion ensemble, winter drum line & pep band. Plus she has been playing at other various music things. She achieved her goal of being Salem's first female center snare early! She aimed for the marching band season of her senior year but got it for winter drum line this year. WTG kid! For those of you who don't know what this position is: she is the one who sets the beat for the band & leads the drum line...aka the #1 position in the percussion.

Mike is a "freshman" now but as Nebo school district keeps the 9th graders at the junior high that is why it's in quotes. He joined the marching band this year and played the bass drum. Now he is also in the winter drum line playing the quints (tenors). In the high school pep band he is playing the sax instead of drums! He has started making hemp bracelets and has made some cool designs by adding in colored hemp. He sells them for a dollar a piece to his friends. Not sure if he is making money but he is having fun!

Izzy is now in the 7th grade & is FINALLY at the junior high! She has managed to grow a bunch and catch up to Gina & Mike. We know he will pass up Gina soon. She is still playing the violin & finished book 1 last winter. She is about half way through book 2 of The Suzuki method. She plays beautifully and we love hearing her play. She also started band & is in the percussion section...go figure! Because the high school isn't competing for winter drum line this year the 7th & 8th graders were invited to join. She is in the bass drum line & has managed to wrangle herself a position in the high school pep band! She was also called to be the beehive class president at church this fall & is doing a great job!

Gabe is the only kid in the elementary school & rules the school in the 6th grade. He is still playing the piano. He has mastered the moon walk and is obsessed with Michael Jackson...for Halloween that is who he dressed up as. Some girl dressed up as HIM for Halloween...complete with the red hat he always wears!

Laney is 4 now & is a hand full! She cut her hair twice this year...once on Mothers Day & then the night before the Primary program. Last week her hair was finally long enough to get it fixed at the salon & it looks cute now.

Isaac is 2 and a half & ALL boy! He always has cars in hand & loves following Gabe & Mike around. He is a happy little guy most of the time & can say "Oh nooooooo" just like Mr. Bill from SNL

It's good to be back & we hope to be more vigilant with our posts!

Plain White T's

It's a new week and a new band. Hopefully the happy music of the Plain White T's will inspire the weather to stay nice! We got SPOILED this weekend with weather in the high 50's & low 60's that The Plain White T's just fits! Their newest album "Big Bad World" is full of great songs that have you singing along...just like their previous albums. Trust us...it's addicting! Sit back, relax & enjoy the music...

Muse

So, it's a Monday, the weather is bleak & Muse just matches today. Not that they are bleak...just dramatic. Once we tried to define their music & came up with dramatic-emo-rock...or in better words today's version of Queen! While their music is hard to define it is fun to listen to & their musicianship is hard to match. So sit back, relax & enjoy...

The Goings on...

Why is it the months of January & February are so slow? Is it because we are in such a rush with the holidays in November & December that they just seem slower? Is it the fact that it's too cold to go out & do anything? Are we burnt out from the past year? Could it be that everyone gets colds this time of year & is so stinkin' miserable they just hang out on the couch? Or is there just nothing going on? We are thinking it is a combo of all of the above at our house.

Where we haven't been up to much, we have been too busy to blog & update. Hmmm...does that even make sense? Mathew has been dealing with the sickness while MJ has been working MANY hours for overtime. Gina has been bogged down with pep band & drum line. Mike became an EBay junkie & now has every kind of Rubik's cube out there. Izzy has finished the 1st Suzuki Book for violin. Gabe has been grounded more than not. Laney & Isaac have been ruling the roost & taking over! Everyone got the "winter cold"...except from MJ, she just lost her voice & somehow found Kathleen Turners voice for a week until hers returned...not sure where Kathleen Turners voice went.

Now that the sickness has left & the weather is warming up (can you say 50 degrees expected this weekend?!) we are busy with new adventures: Mathew is grouting the kitchen floor :) MJ has cut back on the overtime...she is SO burnt out. Gina has discovered she can graduate a semester early but isn't exactly sure what she will do & is getting ready for marching band starting soon. Mike is having Jazz Band Ensemble competitions. Izzy has dropped the cello...not literally...& is starting Suzuki book 2 in Violin & preparing for festival. Gabe is starting his science fair project. Laney & Isaac have completely taken over & now dictate all that goes on between the hours of 8AM & 3PM.

That is it for now folks. Hope to blog a bit more now but we are making NO promises! Spring brake is coming up & we will be doing some remodeling in the basement & soon it will be time to start taking the mini vacations we have been planning. Until next time...

This weeks answer is...

Mathew! Mathew loves spy/action/adventure type movies but his all time favorite is "The Saint". He always hoped that they would make a sequel to it but too much time has passed by now. He likes how Val Kilmer's character changes who he is so easily & dupes so many people...maybe he has always had a secret desire to do the same? Bonus is Elizabeth Shue is "hot" in that movie. So if you ever wonder just what to get Mathew for his Birthday or Christmas? Get "The Saint"! We still have it on video (no DVD's when it came out...yes it is THAT old!) & amazingly it is in good shape! It's a good movie to revisit & enjoy again.

How the "Cowboys" hunt

Every year Mathew goes Elk Hunting up on the property of good friends. For the first time they used the horses instead of snowmobiles. He had a great time & enjoyed getting back up onto a horse after a few too many years...he was a little sore ;) He looks pretty good as a "Cowboy", don't ya think? Of course now the kids want to go riding...they are going to HAVE to wait until it gets warm though!

This weeks answer is...

Isabella! She wants to go into the Air Force and fly planes. Good thing she does well in school and the Air Force Academy is just in Colorado...close to home :) She also wants to be a Mom and do photography on the side. We hope she has time for all of that! She certainly will be the cutest pilot out there!

80's Movies Mix

With this whole Facebook thing and connecting with friends from high school I have been on a HUGE 80's kick. It's been fun to reminisce, listen to old songs, see old photos, etc. Some of my favorite movies are from the 80's so I decided to do an 80's music Mix for this week. WARNING: there will be more of these play lists as I like to keep the play lists shorter for our blog. There were just TOO many movies to NOT include them all...plus I am researching more songs for them ;)
Here's the challenge...can you name all of the movies these songs are from? Some are obvious, some, not so much!
So sit back, remember & enjoy the music...

This Weeks Answer

Our only Moreno with blue eyes...so far...is Gabe! Blond hair & blue eyes...yes he IS ours! Gabe is such a fun kid with a crazy personality. He is full of life, jokes, a smile, and most of all love. As a little kid he LOVED to make others laugh. He would do things repeatedly if someone laughed. He is one of the most friendly kids there is & loves to hang out with his friends. He makes up fun games & helps with the little kids. After being the youngest child for 7 years he was SO excited to be a big brother. He was especially excited when we had Isaac because he loves having a little brother...he loves Laney too. We think HE could be his own reality show sometimes! He likes school & does especially well in science. He is a musician and has composed a few songs for certain siblings on the piano...with out lessons! When he performed one of his compositions in a talent show a neighbor & friend asked how long he had been taking lessons to be so good at such a young age (he was 8 & she teaches piano). She was amazed that he had not had a single lesson in his life. He also plays the drums & can pick up a beat faster than others can count it out. One time up the canyon around a camp fire he picked up the djembe drum after Mathew had finished with it and started playing. Mathew thought "Who is playing that? They are good!" and looked to see who it was. He was proud to see that it was "his boy". We love Gabe to death & we are happy to have our little blond haired blue eyed "Bubba" in our family.

This Weeks Answer

Isaac! That's right the youngest Moreno had perfect rhythm at the youngest age. Not sure why. Good genes? Possible. Constant percussion in the house? Possible. The "Drum room" next to his room? Possible & yes we have a room designated just for drums! Falling asleep in his Daddy's arms while Daddy plays the drums? Possible. Combination of the four? We're guessing YES! Regardless, when we noticed at 9 months old that he played the pots and pans with perfect rhythm we knew we had another one on our hands. Now that he is strong enough to hold drum sticks he joins in with the rest of them! Regardless we love him & his perfect rhythm!

Harry Connick Jr.

We love to listen to Harry Connick Jr. in our house. He plays the clssics as well as his own compositions. It's piano, it's big band, it's funky even. He hit it big with the "When Harry Met Sally" soundtrack & has been running with it ever since. The Recipe for Love is one of our favorites & Mathew always has it ready in the CD player when he picks me up from a trip @ the airport. You could call it one of "our songs"...we have a few of those after 18 years together! We chose a lot of his earlier work for this week and maybe one day we'll include newer work. Sit back, relax or grab someone to dance and enjoy the music...

Postal Service

So it's a new year, and time for some new music. We chose Postal Service & it is diffrent from what we usually post. For those of you who have no clue who they are it's the lead singer from Death Cab for Cutie & it's about as techno as we get around our house. They have a great rendition of "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins as well as other fun music. Really it is GREAT driving music as it just flows out of the speakers with it's beat & get you to where you need to be before you even know it! Enjoy the music...

And this weeks...or last weeks...answer is:

Gina! She loves ALL shades of green but really tends to favor the more "olive" tones. Just one more way she is like her mom...it really gets scary when you think about how similair they are. Laney, who tends to be ALOT like Gina, is saying her favorite is green too BUT then her answers change DAILY...oh to be 3 again. Good luck with this weeks poll!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ISABELLA!

We can't believe that Isabella is 12 today! It seems just like yesterday she was born. She came in to the world at 8:37 AM and weighed exactly 8lbs. & was 20 inches long. She had the CUTEST dimples in each of her cheeks as well as her chin. She also had a strawberry shaped birthmark on her belly. Because it was red and a little raised in places it was like a real strawberry. Izzy has the MOST nicknames! Izzy, Bella, Izzy-Bella, Izzy-B, Izzy-berry-belly (from the birthmark), Izzy-Bug, Izz, and Isabelita.

She plays the violin and has started to learn the cello...although the violin IS her favorite. She does so well in school and loves to go to church. She is a great babysitter & kids just love her. One day she wants to be a pilot & has chosen the Air Force to learn

When she was little she had NO fear! She could climb anything & was tough. She has frequented the ER the most out of all of our kids. She got the top of her finger cut off in the door at age 2 & just sat there with big tears in her eyes. When her toe got stuck in the exercise bike & all but came off she rode in the front seat quietly. She is TOUGH!

We are so happy that Izzy is a part of our family & we love her so much. Hope your day is great Isabella! Happy Birthday!