Sunday, October 31, 2010

I told the kids we were having a special Halloween dinner. I had made beans the other day and needed to use up the rest of them so I put together some chili and homemade corn bread. I felt like it was a perfect meal for Halloween, however the boys weren't quite as impressed. I hope one day they won't mind all different types of food.

We made cupcakes and decorated them tonight. They turned out pretty cute.

I think we all had to much candy over this Halloween weekend. I'm looking forward to getting rid of it...some place other than the boys stomachs.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Parties, parties and more parties.

I don't look forward to posting everyday but I know I'll be glad I did it when the year is over. And I'll be even more thankful twenty years down the road. It'll be fun to read through our family book and remember what our day to day lives were like and see how they are different for my grand children, if my boys ever start liking girls. They still find them "hideous" as they like to say.

Soccer closing ceremonies, Grandma came and some Aunts and cousins too. The boys were excited to have them there.

Two more Halloween activities tonight. We are all worn out from the fun times.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Buster had a pumpkin carving party today at school. They did it for math and science time. They had to weigh the pumpkin, measure the height and width, pull out the seeds, count them and then they got to carve. I took Boss and Crate and our little girl who comes during the day and we all stood outside and helped with the class project as sweat dripped from our faces. I stood there wondering why I had bothered with a shower for today, but what was even more frustrating was that it was the end of October and at one o'clock on the afternoon I am dripping sweat. Not to mention I had the line of boob sweat on my shirt. Gross, huh. Bottom line was that Buster had fun and I believe on Monday they'll create a class graph comparing every body's pumpkins.

Tonight I took the boys to a community harvest festival put on by a local church. I'll admit I really didn't want to go and if the kids weren't talking about it at school Buster would have never asked to go. But alas we went. I was nervous to take all three of them by myself in a crowded area but they all stayed right by me and had a good time. As I stood there watching them play the carnival games I was grateful for two things:
1. That I wasn't sweating anymore while being outside &
2. That I had a stroller. Whoever invented the stroller deserves a big prize. Like a really big prize. It would have killed my back to carry around a 25 pound boy dressed like a pumpkin all night.
I took the camera but realized the battery was dead right after I got there. I was proud of myself that I remembered it in the first place.

When we got home I watched a movie with the boys called How to Train a Dragon. We hadn't seen it before and we all loved it. Another great invention...RedBox.

Pops strolled in around 9pm tonight. I'm thankful he works his tail off so I can do things with the boys like I did tonight. In that area I am blessed.

I told Pops I'm ready for a date again...like an all day date. Spend the entire day together alone. I think he's ready for one too. Now if we could just figure out a day...

Last soccer game tomorrow, for a little while at least. Yeah!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

We'll try once again.

When is it OK to speak your mind and when should you just let things go? I have been asking myself this question lately...like for the last couple of years.

I feel like sometimes I have a hard time being honest and realistic while writing this Blog versus complaining about everything. I hope I don't come across misleading...life isn't perfect. And I really believe having a positive attitude makes dealing with life better. There is always a bright side. Even if that bright side is realizing what we are learning from our trials or mistakes. Hopefully once we realize what we have learned we won't have to learn the same lesson over again, we can move on.

I'm grateful I'm not a single parent. There are many days that go by in a row that Pops and I aren't together. Those days get long and hard but I know in the end I have a partner who is on the same page with me, who has the same goals as I and who helps me raise these boys. My heart really aches to those who do it alone. Especially to those whose spouse has passed on while the children are still growing. I can't imagine, day in and day out bearing the responsibility all alone.

I am grateful to people who allow others to help them.

I've got problem I have to figure out.

I believe children have the right to be raised with a mother and father in the home if possible.

I finished the Book of Mormon again tonight with the boys. They choose breakfast at McDonald's for their reward. Gross. I'll try and do some convincing tomorrow. Is it sad that they choose this as their last reward and I never took them? The idea of breakfast at McDonald's makes me ill.

Do I go to bed or wait up for Pops?

I'm again grateful for my family's health.

Is it wrong to say that to me Hymn's are like scripture? Sometimes the wording in Hymns is sacred and powerful and many times can be an answer to prayers. While Hymns may not be words written by modern prophets or prophets of old, I feel those who wrote the Hymns were inspired by the Holy Ghost.

I have lots of favorite Hymns. I always wonder that if I am able to plan my funeral what Hymns would I choose? On a side not...whoever plans my funeral please make sure there are lots of musical numbers. I love musical numbers.
...I hope I don't have to plan my funeral for a long time.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Last bathroom got cleaned today. It's always the master bath that needs cleaning the most and for some reason it's always the last one to get cleaned. Probably because it's the one no one sees.

My bed sheets are clean and I can't wait to climb in them. Tomorrow I will wash the boys' bed sheets.

I read my scriptures right in the middle of the day. I really like doing that instead of 4:45am or at 10pm. My mind was so much more clear and alert. Both babies were sleeping and both boys were at school so it worked out perfectly.

I thought it was cool outside when I needed to go get Buster from school so Boss and I decided to walk. The actual air was really nice but it was the blazing sun that made it hot. Oh well...it was nice to be outside anyways. I carried one baby on my chest, pushed on in the stroller and Boss rode the tricycle. Which he is way to big for but his bike tires were flat and I didn't have time to pump them up. After picking up Buster and dropping one baby off with her dad we started walking home and decided to stop to play at the neighborhood park. It was actually really fun. It had been a long time since I climbed up a slide, did the monkey bars, and slid down a pole. I realized parks are built for little kids...it was much easier to run around on those things when I was younger. However, I did have fun chasing the boys around and playing their favorite game "Mean Nanna" Crate was giggling at us as he was watching us. It made me grateful to have school so close, good weather and time to play with the boys in the afternoon. It's moments like these that are memory makers for both the boys and I.

What is "Mean Nanna?" A few years back I pretended to put on this mean face and transform into a mean nanny that chased after the boys trying to get them to do chores. It was all in good fun and I was teasing them when I did it. Well, it's turned into a game now that we play all the time. And instead of them calling it mean nanny like it was intended to be called they have always called it mean nanna. However Boss almost always cry's when we play it cause he thinks mean nanna has taken away his mom. I always laugh because after I capture him and pretend like I'm going to eat him he totally freaks out. He's so sincere about wanting his real mom back that it makes me feel really loved. OK..it might be a mean form of torture to feel loved. :) But really the boys are always begging to play it. I have to be in the mood to chase them around 'cause honestly it's not my favorite past time. I'm remembering to be grateful they still want to play this. There will come a time when they won't want me chasing them.

Crate fell on the floor and cried his eyes out when Pops left to go to the office this morning. It was so sweet and so sad at the same time. I wished I had the video camera out at the moment.

Another successful personal progress night. I love it when the young women come prepared with goals that they have passed off over the month.

Now I'm off to find the pliers and try and pull Busters front tooth out. It's literally been hanging there for two months. He's asleep and it's time for it to come out.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

I knew this week would be busy. I haven't been prepared for the little things that have popped up the last two days but I have been focusing on how these little things are more like service and by doing them they help to bring the spirit of service into our family. Looking on the bright side makes things flow better.

Last soccer practice of the season tonight. They all seemed to have lots of extra wiggles in them so needless to say I made them run each time they were having a hard time listening. We ran a lot. It was good for me too, I needed the exercise.

I need to wash all the bed sheets again. Hopefully tomorrow I can get to that.

I need a new wallet. Mine is trashed. I haven't bought a wallet in years.

I haven't nursed Crate since yesterday morning. Does this mean he is stopping?

Made a stop by the park today and the boys loved it. I love that the weather is changing. We only had 10 minutes to play but it was worth it.

Two clean bathrooms. One to go.

Can it really be that time again? Time for another floor mopping? Oh heck, no it can't, I'll just shut my eyes.

I'm thankful for my bed. I love my bed. It's like my best friend...the more time I spend with it the better.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Going to bed.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Fourth Sunday meetings, church, visiting teachers, missionary prep class and a youth fireside Pops and I both had to be to. Thank goodness for good babysitters. For Sunday being a day of rest between the two of us we didn't get to much rest. The fireside seemed to be a huge success. Biggest turn out yet to a stake fireside. That was good to see. When Boss heard me talking about the fireside he asked "are the fireman gonna be there? I want to go see them!"

This is going to be a hectic week. I'm gearing up for it already. It's just seven days so it's not to bad. You can do anything for seven days right?

Pancakes for dinner...non whole wheat pancakes. I felt guilty for about 1/10th of a second that I was feeding my children white pancakes for dinner. That quickly passed, I was just happy to get something in their stomach and not leave it up to the sitter. Not to mention they were pretty happy. I'm not one to hold guilt for to long especially when it comes to pancakes.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Soccer games started off the morning but not before Pops played basketball of course. Marmie (My mom) and Grandpa Charlie came to watch the boys play. We really appreciated them coming out and supporting the boys. Buster even scored a goal during his game. Boss did better at paying attention to the ball and running after it, he must finally be getting the idea of soccer.

Pops had to take off early from the game to work so Marmie came and stayed with the boys while I took the van to get it washed. It needed it really bad. I took all the car seats/booster seats out and they cleaned the seats really good. It will be so nice to ride around in a clean car once again. Now if I could only find time to put away the full laundry basket of stuff I pulled out of the van. Random things that seriously filled a large size basket.

Tonight was the ward Halloween party. The boys had a blast once again. Buster was Darth Maul and Boss was a Clone trooper (both from Star Wars) I looked all over for a baby Yoda costume but could never find one so Crate was a little pumpkin. And a very cute one I might add. Here are pictures to show for it. Although Buster was not in a picture taking mood. :)






Friday, October 22, 2010

I had two great workouts today. Once again, I love a great sweat.

Pops worked from home today and I realized how much I miss him being gone. I was able to run out and get Buster from school without having to wake up Crate. It was also nice to call him out for dinner and have him eat with us. It's seriously been awhile.

Buster had an assembly today since he made the Honor Roll at school. Pops came with us to congratulate him and watch him get his award. I hope he keeps up the good grades.

He seemed pretty happy to get his award and even waved at us while sitting with his class. I was surprised he wasn't to "cool" to acknowledge his parents. It's nice that in some ways he hasn't reached that stage yet.

Looking forward to bed tonight.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Made cupcakes with homemade chocolate frosting...yum. I googled homemade frosting and found some great options. I also found there are a lot of ingredients for baking that I don't usually have on hand.

Another babysitter for the boys tonight. I hope it went well, Pops is the one that took her home. Sometimes I feel bad they have babysitters so often. But I know they love having a sitter so I shouldn't feel too bad.

Attended the district school board meeting tonight. That was interesting.

It's Thursday which means one thing...tomorrow is FRIDAY!!! I think it'll be a family date night tomorrow. Looking forward to that!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Today seemed to be an event-filled day. I did an early morning walk with a friend. The weather was great and the company was great. Meaningful conversation, I like that. Did another workout with Pops after I got home. Had to end a few minutes early because Crate's backside is so red with a massive rash. He was crying from the pain so I put him in a cool bath to try and ease the pain. It's a pretty nasty rash, I'd post pictures but I'm sure they would land me in jail for doing such a thing. Drove for preschool carpool today, ran to the bank, went to the grocery store with two one year olds, picked up Buster from his half day at school, emptied the dishwasher and folded one load of laundry, had the extra baby for an extra hour today, briefly visited our old house since it is empty and up for rent. Oh the memories. It was a great house but I don't miss the neighborhood. Vacuumed the kitchen floor countless times, got side dishes ready for dinner, changed 17 diapers today. No Joke. Pulled out the ping pong table for the cub scouts. They needed to learn an individual sport so the leaders brought them over for "table tennis" (glad to be in YW and not cub scouts), did dinner, cleaned up really fast, threw Crate in the bath, got everyone ready for bed and then got things ready for mutual tonight. We had a combined activity with the YM and carved pumpkins in the backyard and then delivered them to some families in the ward. While they were carving the pumpkins the leaders fixed hot chocolate and roasted the pumpkin seeds for the treat. It's kind of chilly night so it all worked perfect together. I think the kids had a good time and it ended up being a successful activity! Pops got home around 8 and was kind enough to clean everything up while we were out delivering the pumpkins. Of course now he is off participating in his weekly love...basketball. Tomorrow should be a little calmer of a day. I hope Crates chubby bum can heal real soon. It's not fun to watch him squirm in pain.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

I successfully made beautiful loaves of french bread. I was happy they turned out great. Now if I can only stop eating them...bread and I are in love. However I don't think my backside loves bread to much, or maybe it does and that's why it will not let go of it. I should go on a bread diet. Never mind, I'd rather pull my own eye balls out with needle nose pliers.

Crate smiles ALL THE TIME. I love to see his eight little teeth each time he smiles. It always melts my heart when he flashes a smile. I feel so blessed to have him, Boss and Buster.

PTA, Site council tonight and soccer practice...two are at the same time. That cloning idea would come in real handy right about now.

Now it's off to soccer practice. Only two more weeks! Yeah!!!

Monday, October 18, 2010

I don't usually get to this point but today I did. You know, the point where anything and everything bugs you. For starters I know I was tired. Went to bed at 12:04am last night and woke up at 4:55am. That was problem #1. Then I had three extra kids all day. I let Buster stay home from school today to play with cousins and I swear the house was non-stop chaos. I can usually handle a lot of chaos but being extra tired today I didn't handle it very well. Then this afternoon we made cupcakes and I had envisioned a moment of all the children sitting around the table doing their best Halloween decorations on the cupcakes, giving each other ideas while also offering praise and encouragement and then cleaning up after themselves, being careful to not let a drop of sprinkles fall on the, oh so precious, recently mopped floor. Let's just say it didn't go according to plan. We decorated six hours ago and my kitchen still is showing the effects. However, I'm choosing to ignore the mess and head to bed. I decided that for tonight my sleep is more important than a clean kitchen. I was not the nicest mom today and I must repent. I hope my boys know how much I love them, I will do better at showing it to them tomorrow. I'm grateful there is a tomorrow.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

I made it through the majority of sacrament meeting without having to take Crate out. That was nice...he was fussy at first but after the sacrament he did really well, actually all three of them did good. I'm looking forward to next Sunday cause Pop's should be back with us.

Pops started teaching the stake missionary prep class again on Sunday afternoons. He's gone from 4pm-6:30pm so that means one thing...German Pancakes for dinner on most Sunday nights. Except tonight I made spaghetti and meatball with homemade bread sticks from her Blog. Thanks for sharing the recipe Ashlee, they turned out delicious.

Cousins are over for the night. They didn't get to bed as easily as I had hoped but the house is finally quiet.

Pops is enthralled in this new suspense book, I can't wait to read it when he's done. He says it's really good. I just can't remember the name of it.

The home teachers came by tonight and brought a treat...we love treats. One of these days Boss will sit reverently and still the entire time they're here. We're still working on that for right now though. The boys love when they come over!

Another week starts tomorrow and for me I'll have 6 kids by 7am, I'm thinking tomorrow is going to be a long and busy day. Let's pray everyone is happy...including myself.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Finally!!! A Saturday with nothing on the agenda except soccer!!!

That meant:

*the truck got washed and is ready to sell. 2007 Quad cab Dodge Ram Big Horn edition, low miles(I think less than 40k) and in great condition. Lets just say the kids only road in that truck a small handful of times. Pops used it mainly to show houses to clients. If you know someone interested let me know...I'm not sure what the price is yet.

*all the baby stuff got put in the attic. It's been sitting in the hallway for 6+ months.

*Crate took a great nap.

*the boys each had a friend over to play.

*it's only 4pm and showers are done and p.j.'s are on.

*mac & cheese for lunch.

*buster scored a goal at soccer.

*pops worked from home.

*pops changed the air filters.

*the backyard will receive attention tonight.

*i'm thinking about putting the kids to bed and heading out for a chick flick with a friend.

*the house is mostly picked up...except for the fort in the boys bedroom.

*i worked out on the treadmill for 65 minutes at one in the afternoon and it felt great since it wasn't 5am.

*i did a little grocery shopping between soccer games.

*pops fixed the blinker light on the van.

*i finally washed my hair.

I love doing things on Saturday but once in a while it's nice to have a free one with no obligations.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Random Thoughts

*I still can't find that dang camera cord.

*Just learned a friend is prego! So excited!

*Crate has a black eye...actually it's more like purple and blue. Poor kid, he hit his eye on the coffee table last night. His cry was so sad, you could really tell he was hurt.

*Speaking of Crate, his favorite thing to do right now is play with a ball, he'll pick one up throw it and then chase it. It's hours of entertainment for him.

*My cannibalism instincts have kicked in with the boys again. I love them so much I could just eat them.

*I really need to wash my hair.

*$1 at the state fair tonight? Is it worth going? Haven't gone in like 15 years.

*Thinking I'll make a really simple dinner tonight since it's Friday. When the boys are a little older I'll officially declare Fridays a "fend for yourself" night when it comes to dinner.

*Still a fort in the boys bedroom. Do I fight with them to clean it up or let them enjoy it for another week?

*I've cleaned the kitchen floor 3 times today. I know I haven't done it for the last time of the day yet.

*Plumber came today to look at our hot water problem. He's a old friend and it was great catching up with him. When I'm with his wife I laugh harder than when I'm with anyone else. Her laugh is infectious. We might be able to take a shower in the master bathroom once again. It's only been a year, actually maybe longer. I don't think I'll miss sharing a bathroom with the boys once it's fixed.

*Two really good workouts today. I love exercising, probably more than I should...I also love eating, probably more than I should. :)

*I love breads, anything with any type of dip, I love fruit...especially with dip, I love a good piece of meat, I love grilled vegetables, the list could go on and on.

*More soccer games tomorrow and soccer pictures.

*I love weekends, especially when Pops isn't working.

*I'm excited for the cooler weather next week.

*Talked with somebody from the school board today for a while...interesting conversation.

*Sounds like the boys want a Star Wars theme for Halloween this year...shocker. Good thing we already have the costumes.

*Crate has a dirty diaper again, this is the fifth time today. I'm glad to know is colon is working. Must go take care of my motherly duties.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

This would be post number 500! Holy cow...that's a lot of posts.

What exciting thing should I document for post #500? I almost said "to heck with it all" today and threw in the towel. I wanted to get a few errands done and there wasn't one happy baby or child. Needless to say I decided it wasn't worth skipping naps or being irritable so we just hung out here. Then Pops said he didn't have any appointments tonight and would be home by 6:30pm. He got home at 6:28pm ate his dinner he found in the microwave and left at 6:49pm for a 7pm appointment that popped up at the last minute. Oh well. I'm thankful for this last minute appointment because that means one more client. However he didn't shave...it doesn't look too professional.

I took a bunch of pictures today but can't find the cord to download them. Crate looked so cute in them. He seems to be having so much fun now that he's walking. He's becoming just like his brothers...always has a sword in his hand.

Yeah for Friday tomorrow!

I'm going to bed by 9pm tonight. I must stick to that.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

So I finally mopped the floor today. Not just a quick mopping but the kind where the chairs got put up on the table. I even moved the entire dinning room table and chairs out of the dinning area. The living room furniture got moved into Pop's office and all rugs were removed from the tile. That's what happens when you have the young women coming over for a yoga class and you realize no one wants to lay on a crumb filled floor. It was pretty bad, especially under the dining room rug, which is interesting how so many crumbs can find their way under there when we rarely use that table. Anyhow the yoga was a good excuse to clean the floor. I pulled out the yellow industrial size mop bucket (yes, like the ones found a home depot) and the industrial size mop and started going to town. Then I had a problem...two one year old's wanted to participate. Let's just say trying to mop the floors with two one year old's walking on your wet surface is like trying to wipe your rear with wet toilet paper...it just doesn't work. Not to mention Pops is usually in charge of this chore, but he's kind of been slacking the last, well, year or so. Finally I just gave up and finished mopping after Buster got home from school because that meant only one, one year old for him to entertain. He's the best big brother.

Boss seems to be doing much better. Thank goodness. It breaks my heart to see my kids suffer. I can't imagine all those mothers that have to watch their children suffer from chronic illness, disease or something even worse. My heart goes out to them.

I think it's safe to say Crate is officially walking now. He prefers walking over crawling and is getting a bit quicker each day.

My house isn't looking very Halloween-ish. I lack in the decorations department.I think we own one skeleton that should be hanging on the door...but it's not. Maybe I'll get it up tomorrow.

I folded all seven loads of laundry today and put them away. That was a job.

Gratitude moment: Working out with Pops while everyone was awake and not being interrupted at all. I love my boys but I also love a solid workout especially with Pops. Everyone was content and entertained for a solid hour. I'm thankful to have a healthy body and a spouse that likes to sweat with me. I'm also thankful I didn't wake up at 5am to do the workout. My alarm went off but after waking up multiple times throughout the night I decided to sleep in til 6:15am. It was wonderful.

I realized that each child woke up multiple times last night so if my calculations are correct I nursed three times in the night, got a drink for Boss 7 times (literally) throughout the night and was woken up by Buster telling me he had to go potty twice in the night. For some reason he always comes in and lets me know he's taking care of business. I've reassured him if it's 2am or 2pm it doesn't matter...I DON'T NEED TO KNOW! That's at least a dozen times of waking up. Now I feel like I can barely function and can't wait to crawl into my most favorite posession in this house.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Holy busy day...we we're gone a lot today.

I learned one thing today: my body can't handle a half bottle of 5 hour energy. I felt like at any given moment steam was going to start coming out of my ears because I had so much energy. I literally ran from one room to the next around the house. I got a lot accomplished. But on the other hand I was very shaky and a little nauseous. However because I had so much energy I had an amazing workout. I felt like I could do plyometrics for three hours in a row instead of one. I love the feeling of sweat dripping down my face and back. Gross I know.

We attended Ashlynn's birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's. What kid wouldn't want to go there to help celebrate a birthday? Needless to say my boys were so happy and couldn't wait until school was over so we could go. If you ever are looking to have a party there do it on a Tuesday afternoon at 3pm. You'll have the entire place to yourself! It was awesome. The cousins got to run around and play any game without having to share the place with any other kids. I also discovered one more thing today about myself...I have an addiction to winning tickets for my kids. I think if I was a gambler I would be an addict. I kept grabbing Boss' tokens wanting to play the games and win the bonus rounds so I could get him 50 tickets on one try vs. three tickets. I only won once but I must have tried 25 times. The best part was that Ashlynn's grandparents (my sister's inlaws) drove all the way from St. George Utah just to surprise her and attend her party and are turning around and driving home tonight so they can be back to work. That's 12 total hours for a 2 hour birthday party. I thought that was the coolest thing that they would put the time and effort into doing that. Ashlynn sure felt loved. It made me think once again how important it is to kids to feel loved and appreciated while growing up.

Poor Boss is so sick. He fell asleep on my lap at Chuck E Cheese's. Man I'm worried for that kid. He doesn't get sick to often and this time I can tell he really isn't doing well. I was grateful to hold him and rock him tonight.

My gratitude moment for today: Pops coming home from is appointment right away to give Boss a blessing before he headed to bed. The power of the priesthood in the home is never to be taken for granted. Another moment of gratitude was to my sisters and nieces for helping out with Crate while I attended to Boss during the party. Pops wasn't able to come and if they weren't there it would have been really hard to take care of Boss and keep an eye on Crate.

Monday, October 11, 2010

I made a super good dinner tonight. Pops said he'd be home at 5pm to eat with us. It was ready at 5:30pm, he got home just before 7pm. I watched him eat. But I did have fun eating with the boys and hearing about their day.

FHE--I learned a new story from the Old Testament. Even Buster knew the story, how did I miss that one? Pops gave the lesson and did a good job.

I cut the boys hair today. They sure look handsome. Crate looks like a little toddler rather than a baby. I still don't like the mess it makes even though I do cut it outside.

I feel like I got a ton done today but on the other hand I feel like nothing got accomplished. Once again it's the laundry that is waiting to be folded, seven loads. Yuck.

Gratitude moment today...dinner was really good and I didn't burn it. The boys went to bed with no issues and we're asleep by 7:40pm.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Pancakes for dinner tonight. I didn't have much motivation to cook and now I'm hungry and craving a good dinner. Oh well.

With Buster going back to school tomorrow means I start babysitting again. I'm thankful to do the babysitting and feel blessed not to have to find a sitter.

I'm teaching yoga to the YW this week. I'm actually pretty excited and can't wait to give them a good challenge.

I can't remember what the opening song in church was today, I know it's one I'm familiar with, anyhow the words really touched me, it had a great message. If only I could remember it. It touched me so much I forgot it. What's up with that?

My fridge needs a serious cleaning.

Tomorrow is going to be a packed day.

The garage door is broke.

The check engine light came on in the van.

Both A/C units for the house needs a check up.

I'm hoping Pops can fix these things himself for a very small price.

The camera has several pictures that need to be downloaded again. I love having a nice camera, we take tons of pictures with it. I need to learn to love the downloading and organizing part.

I'm thinking of having a gratitude blog...one that just reminds me of my daily blessings...I know the more often I look for those blessings the more I'll find.

The spirit whispered to me to as I was pulling out of the drive way in the truck (which I don't enjoy driving by the way cause it's big and I can't see very well in it, plus I'm not used to driving it) to roll down the window. I start backing up and next thing I hear is Boss yelling "Mom!, Mom!" He wanted to give me a hug and a kiss but was walking behind the truck where I didn't see him. I literally wouldn't have known he was there if I hadn't rolled down the window and heard him yelling. I don't even want to think of the possible things that could have happened. I just know I'm thankful for that very quiet thought that popped in my mind to roll the window down as I backed out. As I drove away I thanked my Heavenly Father for that prompting. It's moments like these that my gratitude for the Holy Ghost is overwhelming.

He's such a silly guy.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

The last two days I have done well in limiting my computer time during the day, however at night if all my "chores" are done I have no problem sitting here checking out stuff of my liking. And I feel no guilt. It's great.

There is some massive party going on somewhere in the neighborhood. Sounds like they have a D.J. and some major dancing going on...it kind of makes me wish I was there. If I'm in the right mood I love a great party, especially a dance party.

Buster scored two goals in his soccer game today. We were sure proud of him. Boston didn't cry during his entire game, again, we were sure proud.

The weather is finally beautiful in the morning and at night. Yesterday I took the boys walking with me. I pushed Boss and Crate in the stroller and Buster rode his bike. We did five miles and everyone was happy the entire time so we stopped by the park and played for awhile before coming home. I love starting the day off like that. I think I am more sad than Buster is that he has to go back to school this week.

Some more pics of our awesome and fun hike on Thursday...





Then there was this one spot where this squirrel came up and would literally eat our granola bar right out of our hands. Actually it was a "Fiber One" bar so I can't imagine it was to good for his body. Oh well, at least I didn't have to clean up after him.





Munching away...


Proof that I was there...


Crate getting tired of the carrier...


Boss with his walking stick he found:
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A few things we learned on the trip:
1. Boss did not have any tennis shoes, he only likes wearing flip flops and the closet thing we had to tennis shoes were his soccer cleats. Thus a quick stop at Wal-mart on our way out of town to purchase some shoes.

2. Wal-mart sells ugly tennis shoes for a four year old boy.

3. The car seat we bought for Crate for his birthday was a lifesaver. The car seat he did have was pretty old and I don't think there was any padding left for his little bum cheeks. He did not travel very well in it. But this new one we bought at Costco on our way out of town solved his crying spells while traveling. Here is how he spent the two hours up and back home:

It was blissful. I can't tell if he's doing yoga or sleeping?

(Don't mind the nasty dirty car...it's getting a really good cleaning this week.)

Buster was a little worn out from the hike also, can you tell? This is about 30 seconds before his eyes closed for a good 90 minutes.


The party is still going on...I tempted to drive by. It sounds really fun. Right now they are playing "Girls just wanna have fun" I'm starting to wonder if the cops will be showing up anytime, it's almost midnight.

Tonight I organized 2500 pictures into their proper folders. I feel like I got something major accomplished. The next thing on my list to organize is my fridge. It needs a major cleaning out.

I must go to bed. It's the 2nd Sunday so that means Pops won't be with us at church at all. I need my sleep so I have my patience with the boys tomorrow.

I didn't proof read this tonight so hopefully there are not to many mistakes.

Friday, October 8, 2010

I really wanted to post yesterday...it was a very important day, Crate's 1st birthday! I can't believe he's one. We were out celebrating all day and then I headed out for the night and by the time I arrived home it was way past midnight so I just went to bed.

But lets just pretend like it is October 7th and go back a day...

One year ago today my not-so-little 9 pound 8oz pumpkin arrived in time to celebrate his first holiday...Halloween. (Is that really a holiday?)



My water broke while I was running bleachers at the high school...he was eight days past due and my doctor would only let me go two more days before he would take him out his self. Knowing I wanted another unmedicated birth I was doing anything to avoid being induced, hence the bleacher running and it worked! My water broke at 7:45am and he was born at 7:49pm, my longest labor yet...isn't labor supposed to get shorter with each child? Everything went well for the most part, A little scary towards the end and during the first several minutes of his arrival. I remember the nurse holding my hand and saying he's not breathing, just pray. I didn't see him right away but one of the other nurses yelled out "he's got red hair!" I was shocked. After several minutes, tears and lots of praying this little guy made his first sounds and is happy and healthy has can be now. We are blessed to have him apart of our family, even though people always stop me and say "is he yours?", "where did he get that red hair?", "are those his real brothers?" On a side note...if you ever want attention anywhere you go do one of two things:
1. Have three boys tag along with you
or
2. Have a red head child.
or do both these things and get several comments during your outing.

Anyhow, we celebrated little Crate's birthday by going to the Tonto Natural Bridge in Payson, AZ. Which I would HIGHLY recommend for a day trip or a family get away. We took TONS of pictures but here are a few of my favorites.



Check out the cool rainbow created by the always flowing waterfall above.

Once we got home we celebrated as a family with pizza for dinner and cupcakes for the boys. Crate LOVED his cupcake! I hope his wishes always come true.



I have so many more pictures I want to post but for some reason it won't let me so it'll have to wait until tomorrow.

Here he is on his birthday...Aunt Jeaniece gave him this awesome shirt for his birthday! Thank you! It says "This little monkey is one" A perfect shirt to wear on his first birthday. For his present he got a new car seat pretty exciting for a one year old!


I sure love this little boy and am so grateful to celebrate his first year with us.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

The computer

My thoughts on "the computer."

What an immense blessing this thing called the "computer" is. It can compute a lot of things. (That was a joke) It can connect you with the entire world in the blink of an eye. Information on anything is literally at your fingertips. Sometimes the information is correct and sometimes is a little skewed but any topic you want to search is right there waiting to give you an answer. The computer is what allowed Pops to work from home for 5 years, it's created millions of jobs, it's allowed more people than ever to receive an education, it's shared the gospel, it's given me recipes I would have never tried before, it's connected me to friends I would have lost contact with, it's stored all my thousands of photos of my sweet children, it allows me send a message to Pops when I know he can't talk on the phone, the list goes on and on and the blessings of a computer are amazing.

However, this massive blessings can be a horrible, horrible vice. A vice in many forms and I'm realizing how much of a vice it is for me. I have to say the computer is probably my biggest distraction in my life. Having the TV on...not a temptation, actually I could throw the TV out the window and be perfectly happy. However, the computer is like a beautiful curse. The possibilities are endless and the time wasted on it can be endless too. It can suck you in...I'll just check my email really quick, I'll just check this blog really quick, I'll just check Facebook really quick, I'll just check out this website really quick...so on and so forth. I've decided it's sometimes pathetic that websites in any form get priority attention to my personal prayers and scriptures. By 1pm today I hadn't read my scriptures or said my morning prayers but I had check my email and facebook and a few other things on the computer. So as of tonight my life is shifting. I am now putting a limit on my computer time (unless I'm working of course) to 20 minutes a day. This is going to be like going on a diet. I will allow myself to splurge on the days when my priorities have been taken care of and I need some down time, usually at night, but most days I will shut the lid to the vice and use it only when necessary. I'm not saying this is for everybody but it is what is needed for me so I can make sure I do not waist this precious time I have as a mother on unnecessary and sometimes unproductive screen time. I limit my children's screen time so why not limit my own? I think I might feel out of touch with the world but it won't kill me. My boys are growing up right before my eyes and the world is to scary of a place to let them grow up without my undivided attention. I don't like diets, and I know I'm not gonna like this but I know it's what is needed for the time being.

Wow...look what happens once again when your journal is out there for everyone to see. Please don't judge. :)

Moving on, Crate had is first real play time at the park. He loved climbing up the stairs and tried the slide once but it was still to hot and kind of burned his legs going down. Hello, it's a week into October and the plastic slide is still to hot? Yuck. Buster and Boss had fun playing though. They especially like the monkey bars right now. For the rest of the day the boys and I took it easy. They helped me fold laundry, pick up and vacuum the house for young women's tonight and then we sat down for a movie afternoon while Crate was asleep. That only lasted 45 minutes but it was fun watching part of Karate Kid with them. Needless to say our home has been one big Kung Fu Studio since seeing that movie. Is that how you spell Kung Fu?

I had a friend show up at my door with dinner this afternoon, a REALLY good dinner too. I was so thankful and it was such a great surprise. The best part was I hadn't started dinner for the day so it came in really handy. She said she had a bunch left over and wanted to share. How awesome is that?

I made brownies with applesauce for the YW tonight. They turned out pretty good. Since they are supposed to be much less fattening does that mean I can eat 8 instead of 5? Someone stop me please!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Today it finally rained, not just sprinkled but was a complete down poor. It was so refreshing, the smell, the sky, the mood of it all. Buster didn't care for the storm and was pretty scared. I felt bad for him but he made it through...obviously.

Took the boys with me to get my hair done...which by the way I really like. Then we stopped off at the store to find a b-day present for G-ma. We walked in several different stores and the boys did really well. It reminded me that when everyone is in the right mood we really have fun hanging out together. I was tempted to stop by Pop's work but it was pouring so hard I didn't want to ruin my hair by getting out of the car so we drove right on by. Again, my hair is a priority. Hopefully I can go at least a week before I have to wash it or blow dry it again. Thank goodness for shower caps. And Pops actually noticed that I got it cut before I said anything to him. Miracles haven't ceasehttp://www.blogger.com/posts.g?blogID=1066478300544841384d.

I actually did a craft tonight. Thank goodness for crafty people who know what they're doing and can help me out. Also, thank goodness for people who like to make crafts and then sell them. Purchasing them is my favorite part.

Not to get to mushy once again, but Pops is a good guy. A really good guy. Part of me is thankful there are sides to him that no one knows about, good sides. It's like my little secret that I'm not willing or ready to share with anyone else. I'm just thankful he is who he is. Not saying he's perfect and I'm not trying to brag about him, I'm just glad I'm married, it's been a blessing in more ways than one.

I'm excited for our mutual night tomorrow. We're learning all about nutrition. I hope the girls learn something they can remember for when they are wives and mothers, and hopefully they'll learn something they can use now in their lives.

So far I'm not wanting fall break to end. So far, so good.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Man, why can't I just listen to promptings and follow through with them? I once again learned my lesson. Luckily it turned out good but if I would have just followed through on the first time it would have made someone else's life a little easier.

I had a list minute opportunity to serve today. It wasn't in the plans for the day but I was actually, truly more than happy to do it. I knew she was really grateful and I knew she would have done the same for me if the tables were turned. It's moments like these that I can feel the joy of serving.

FHE tonight was on family responsibilities. The boys learned the difference between a maid and a mother. New job charts were created so hopefully the boys can stick to them. They promised to do chores without complaining and doing things on the first time they were asked. We'll see how long this lasts.

Looking forward to tomorrow. I get a haircut and highlight. I haven't had my hair highlighted since March and it needs it REALLY bad.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Awe, another season of general conference is over. I had two epiphanies during these last two days. Each are pretty personal but just so I don't forget they are:
1. Follow the Prophet
2. I'm where I am for a reason. Learn to love it, don't go against the Lord.

The advice to follow the prophet is so simple yet, especially right now, so vitally important. So many people giving their input on what to do, where to go, how to handle the economic problems and so on. But I think the advice is clear. Follow the Prophet. Follow the spirit. I need to weed out the things that make me nervous or put thoughts in my mind that would lead me to rely on "man" or the "arm of flesh." I must always follow the Prophet and follow his council.

Also, I must play a part in teaching the YW how to live a virtuous life and I must live one myself. I must watch what I wear, I must make sure nothing could be perceived as being possibly immodest (I am a firm believer that this also doesn't mean I have to dress frumpy) I must teach them the importance of a temple marriage. Lots of work ahead for us as leaders.

Now it's time for bed! Yeah for fall break tomorrow!

Saturday, October 2, 2010

First session of general conference...awesome! Can't wait for the second session. We had a good turn out with the young women here. Each had a job to do to get breakfast on the table and it turned out great. We had pancakes, eggs, bacon, a fruit platter and orange juice to wash it all down. Everything was delicious and it's a good thing I don't eat breakfast like that every morning. The girls stayed and they seemed to all be taking notes during the conference. Once again Elder Holland delivered. I always love his messages. Actually all the talks were awesome.

Looking forward to the afternoon session. I have the boys conference packets printed up for them. Maybe Crate will even sleep during the afternoon session.

Pops was so kind and coached soccer for me, he also had to coach Busters team because the regular coach is out of town. Can't say I really missed being out in the heat today, it was a much more lovely time being here with the YW.

Trying to think of something fun to do with the boys this afternoon while Pops is at the priesthood session. Dang weather is messing up all my plans. Usually I take the boys to the park and get pizza for dinner while Pops is gone but considering it's 105 degrees today I think I'm gonna pass.

OK now it's time to clean the kitchen.

Friday, October 1, 2010

I don't like it when I'm about to crawl in bed and then I remember that I haven't done a post yet.

After Busters half day I took the boys to Pop's office and we convinced him to take the rest of the afternoon off. I was so excited he agreed. So we headed to the mall (OK, I had to do A LOT of convincing to all the males in the car) but we made it and had fun hanging out together. The boys of course searched the Lego store up and down and pointed out everything they would like to have. I think it probably would total $4k if I was to buy everything on their list. Walking out of the store empty handed was not a high point in their day today.(Not a high point in my day either...I will be patient, I will be patient...) However, they did love playing in the play area although Buster is way to big to still be playing in there. I can see the evil eye the other parents are giving him as he's running around chasing his brother knocking over every little two year old. The parents are saying under their breath "where is that kids mother" as I'm sitting in the corner hiding my face.

Poor Crate still isn't feeling well. He's pretty hot. If he's not better by Monday I'll take him in.

Tomorrow is our semi-annual general conference breakfast with the YW. It should be fun and I'm just hoping Pops can get everything hooked up since we'll be streaming it live online and we'll have the computer plugged into the TV so everyone can see it. Shame on the people who canceled it on the "free" channels, that would make life much easier.

Now, it's almost mid-night so I must lay down my weary head.