Gearing up for church

AP gave the prayer tonight and in preparation for church tomorrow said, "please bless the people sitting up front that they will be able to withstand the meeting." When I asked him later what he meant by that, he said he didn't want them to get bored and fall asleep in front of everyone. Leave it to kids to say it how it is.

My Lucky Day!

I love St. Patrick's Day, though, I'm really not sure why. Maybe because green is my favorite color and seeing everyone decked out in it just makes me smile. It's also the one day of the year I can serve cabbage and no one complains (in fact my wee ones think it's cool that we are eating traditional Irish fare). Or maybe I just like the idea that everyone is lucky on this day!

Everyone in their green eating our traditional St. Patty's meal: corned beef, cabbage, and new potatoes. Yummy!

We painted AJ's fingernails light green with sparkly little shamrocks, and though you can't tell they turned out pretty cute!

cuz why?

D has started his "why" stage.

Me: time to get your shoes bud
D: cuz why?
Me: to go to the car
D: cuz why?
Me: to take the kids to school
D: cuz why?
Me: So they can learn
D: cuz why?
Me: to be smart
D: cuz why?
Me: Just because!
D: oh. (pause) cuz why?

You get the idea. I know it's a stage all kids go through, and we've been there before. So I don't know if it's just been so long that I don't remember how soon it starts, but I was not expecting the never-ending stream of why's before he has even hit two! Oh well it's cute and I'm enjoying it (for now).

Oklahoma!

Last week weekend we flew to Oklahoma to visit J's parents and little brother for a few days. AJ was very excited to learn that Grandpa and Grandma's house not only bordered some woods, but they had seen coyotes and foxes out there. She was determined to have a sighting of her own. Unfortunately that never happened, but she did have fun on her nature walk with Grandpa and Daddy. She made the "bridge" so that baby foxes could cross safely.
On Saturday we took a drive to the Oklahoma temple. D stayed with Spence. It was cold out! J and I had only brought jackets and I was shivering so much he gave me his to layer over my own. He had to be freezing but didn't let on. What a man!
After the temple we visited the Federal building memorial. Sad, as can be expected at any memorial. There was a chair sculpture for each person who died in the bombing; the most heartbreaking were the tiny little chairs that represented children who had died.

Love the quiet moments; especially when they involve a book and snuggles!

Not long after they moved in, Grandpa had a storm shelter dug in their garage (had to get ready for those tornados!). He was excited to show us and the kids were excited to see it; until he told them about the spiders he had recently found in there. Then A&A couldnt' get out fast enough! D liked it though and the rest of our visit he kept begging to go to the "goj" and when took out diapers he would point insistently at the hatch door. Gotta say, I understand. It's the kind of thing I would have loved as a kid (I admit it got my imagination going).

whose team?

We were at the park where a group of teenage boys were playing football. As we passed by one of the boys let out a few expletives. AP looked shocked and then said shaking his head, "That kid must really love Satan."

Get fit!

My husband is a genius when it comes to nutrition and exercise. Most of what I know is the result of him, and he is largely responsible for my own good health. You might think I am biased, but with as much interest as he gets in his program, and the success of those he has helped, I can confidently say he knows his stuff. Because he does get so many questions about fitness and nutrition he decided to start a blog. If you're interested you can check it out at:

http://average-dna-fitness.blogspot.com

Wishing you good health!!

The meanest mom

The kids are off-track and their mantra begins: "you are the meanest mom!" And what can I say, the evidence is there:
(1)I make them do homework (including the hard stuff like crafts and art) everyday but Saturday. Sometimes we make cookies or some other treat for math, but I make them figure out the measurements. What's worse though is that sometimes we play math bingo with candy.
(2)I make them do chores (including making their beds and getting dressed everyday). They also have to do things like dishes, vacuuming, and laundry.
(3)I make them walk to the playground so they can get sunshine and fresh air. You know how offensive the sun can be, but to make it worse I play with them while we are there. Can you believe my nerve?
(4) And the final and greatest offense is I limit their electronic time even on vacation days and Saturdays. I mean, didn't you know that every other mom in the world lets their kids play video games all day when they are not in school? Apparently it's true.
So there you have it, I am the meanest mom; but just to make sure I keep up my reputation, what could I possibly do to be meaner?

Putting together my kitchen

I decided before we moved that it would be fun to have a coastal style kitchen; something bright and cheerful where I could display some of our beach finds as a reminder of our fun and relaxing trips. This first picture is similar (with the light wood cabinetry and gray countertops) to mine, and I love the refreshing blue and green accents.


So I knew that I wanted to use blues and greens, but with the layout of the house being so open, I feel like I need to tie in some red (since that is the dominant color in the front room). I like this color scheme.


I LOVE this table setting. I'm hoping to find a red, green, and blue stripe fabric and some fun colored dishes. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with shells sitting on the table uncontained though. . . they would end up in my little one's mouth. I'm thinking that an apothecary jar filled with shells would be a better way to go.

Or several jars like these! I do have sand, shells, and pebbles.

Then again jars might be better on a shelf. I have a little nook right above the microwave that I have been trying to figure out how to decorate. Maybe something like one of these shelves?
I can picture it all in my head, but it has been impossible to find the things I'm looking for in a store! If only wishing them here would do the trick I could have my kitchen done (not to mention the rest of my house)!

Daily with D

After dropping off the older two kids our morning goes something like this:

D: ur Da-deeee? (Where's daddy)
Me: at work
D: Oh. Ur Bah-beeee? (where's AJ)
Me: at school
D: Oh. Ur Ah-deeeee? (where's AP)
Me: at school
D: unt da-deeeee! (want daddy)
Me: I know. He's so fun, but he's at work.
D: oh. unt Bah-beeeeee!
Me: she's at school.
D: (big scowl) unt ah-deeeee!
Me: he's at school
D: ma-meeeee! (like it's my fault somehow)
Me: sorry bud. How about Caillou? (gotta distract him somehow!)
D: unt Cai-yooooooo! (want Caillou)
Me: Ok! Let's go!

so we do. He sits on my lap and watches while I catch up on computer stuff (thanks to the joys of youtube and split screens!) After the show is over we get to work!

and then it starts all over again. . . although we watch Kipper ("dog") or Thomas ("tins"). Or we read books, sort shapes ("chapes"), play with trains, duplos, etc (so we're not watching shows all day). He also REALLY likes to vacuum and sweep the floor and wipe the table. Well now Caillou is over so we're off to try some of those chores!

Wishing you [future] Happy New Years!

AP saw a history channel special about the world ending in 2012 that gave him nightmares. Nothing I could say could say helped him feel better, but when he got back to school his teacher handed out bracelets with the year 2016 on them. That was enough to convince him they were from the future and therefore proof the world would not end in 2012. He came up with this song and sang it to Grandpa and Grandma New Years morning:

Into the future what a surprise 2016 we'll still be alive Some people think the world will end 2012 maybe it's a trend but I say Into the future what a surprise 2016 we'll still be alive!

Nativity blooper

J's mom made us a set of nativity puppets, so AJ was excited to do a production for us. Unfortunately, as soon as the innkeeper refused Mary and Joseph room he lost his eye. . . we thought it was pretty funny (except AJ). But AP explained the innkeeper got what was coming to him; in fact they did more bloopers with Herod being done in by an earthquake, swallowed up by quicksand, and having the star fall on him. Hope we don't offend anyone by using creative license with the nativity story ;).

Backtracking

So as much as I want to "let it go" and not catch-up, this is my only way of keeping track of things these days. So I've got to get it down here before I forget what pictures happened when ;)

Be forewarned this is a whole month's worth of pictures and they are not in order!

D "undecorating" the tree (which AJ decorated for us)

"Best friends" sleepover

A couple in our ward does a nativity open house every Christmas. It was awesome!! Not only did they have nativities on display from all over the world they had all of the costumes for the kids to dress up in and get their pictures taken. We had a great time!

We found a recipe for cornstarch playdough in Family Fun magazine and (of course) had to try it out!! Probably the best GF playdough I have found.

Each of the kids got a cake mix in their stocking. AP used his to make Google a birthday cake.

They also each got a box of mac'n'cheese. Here AJ is making hers with Ashley. They are sporting the matching aprons Grandma made for them (Hannah Montana print).

Playing in the snow!!

Christmas cookies; we made a TON, but they didn't last long. So yummy! Oh and I have to mention the sugar/gingerbread man with the sad face is sad because he fell down playing and got covered in grass stains (thus the green). Each cookie had a story and they all cracked me up!

Christmas eve (one present each gets opened)

Christmas morning!

Just hangin out Sunday morning (yes I had to get him reading his scriptures on film!)

This is the bouncy ball maker they got for Christmas; they made the balls then gave them to D to play with

Help!

So tell me, how do you fit it all in?! Personal scripture time, scriptures with the kids, scripture study as a couple, prayers, one-on-one with the kids, one-on-one with your spouse . . . in addition to the daily grind of drop-off/pick-up, lessons here, scouts/activity days there, PTA, church responsibilities, working out . . . Not to mention time for fun things like books, movies/tv, etc. Aghhhh, I forgot to include house upkeep (LAUNDRY especially!) AND let's not forget sleep. Oh how I need my 8 hours. Seriously, I am one of those people that doesn't function well on less than that. So help a girl out: how do YOU make it work. Where do you find the hours in the day? Tell me your schedule, give me some ideas because I could use the HELP!!

Better with age

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE HOTTEST GUY I KNOW!!! So following Stacey's lead I decided to do a top 10 list of my own. Here's what I love about you (in no particular order):

1. You eat gluten free with us and don't feel deprived
2. Besides being a physical power house you are mentally, emotionally, and spiritually strong
3. You make me laugh everyday
4. You do the laundry
5. You help the kids with their homework
6. You compliment me everyday, several times a day
7. Your Bo Chubb stories are awesome! (just ask the kids)
8. You are sooooo snuggable
9. You are not afraid to scrub toilets
10. You work (out) hard
11. You are perceptive
12. I love your smile
13. You have great lips
14. You have eyes like the sea after a storm . . .
15. I know I'm past 10, and I could go on because there is SO much I love about you, but the best part is that you just keep getting better! LOVE YOU and hope your day is great even though we don't get to celebrate until Saturday!

P.S. For those who were wondering, I'm proud to announce he's 35! (hopefully he's proud to admit it, otherwise I might be in trouble, hee, hee)

In the spirit of Christmas. . .

AJ was helping my mom get ready for Relief Society "super night," and was given the assignment of cleaning the manger sheep to be used as decorations. I didn't know that and thought she was just petting and brushing them for fun. So when D wanted to play with them I asked her to share. Her quick reply was, "But Mom! I have to clean off all the filth so they can surround baby Jesus!"

Our house

Well here it is! the facade anyway. . .

I *might* post some more of the inside later, once we get some furniture heh, heh. Right now we're a little primitive (everyone on the rug, it's storytime!)

picture perfect

Today I had one of those moments where you wish you had your camera, but since you don't you just have to hope that the image will stay in your mind forever. I took the kids to the park for some fresh air and exercise. I'll often do obstacle courses with them, run races, leapfrog, anything to get a good cardio while engaging them. It was pretty cold, the slides were wet, and the ground mushy so we were a bit limited in what we could do and it was hard for me to feel motivated myself let alone get them involved. Things were not going all that well until D climbed onto the merry- go-round. So with D in the middle and AP and AJ on each side to protect him, I started pushing (great way to get the heart-rate up!). They wanted me to go faster (of course) so I did with the result of a simultaneous scream followed by uncontrollable laughter from all three. I looked down at them all clinging to each other, their little faces glowing with delight, and was overcome with such love and gratitude. It was the perfect picture of happiness.

Biz Town Fieldtrip

The end of October I went with AP on the coolest fieldtrip to BizTown (thanks to my awesome dad who took work off to watch AJ and D). We started by entering the "magical elevator" that turns 5th graders into adults. We exited the elevator on the top floor of the children's museum where there is an entire city. There each of the kids had a job, an income, and a bank account. They actually get paid and get to go shopping during their work breaks. They have a city council and get the opportunity to vote. AP was given the job as a meter reader for the electrical company. His partner was so great with him; very patient and kind. I was SO impressed with how well the kids worked with and helped him. And as cool as BizTown was the best part was seeing the interaction between AP and the other kids. When we got to the school everyone was lining up to get on the bus and they were all excited to see us. There were several greeting and exclamations of "All right! AP is here. AP made it! Come line up by me AP." AP didn't want to sit by me on the bus (are we really at that age?). He did a great job trying to make conversation with his seatmate and dealing with the sensory overload. At one point he started to get upset over all the noise and the bumpy ride, but pulled it together really quickly. Once we got back to the school and were leaving one of the boys called after us, "Thanks for coming AP. It was great to have you." Warmed my heart.

city council

busy at work

reading meters

preparing to do a TV advertisement

Here we go again!

Ah, yes. Nikki reminded me that I haven't given a house update. . . How to make a long story short? We offered on two different short sales: one I LOVED and one that I liked. And then we kept looking, in case nothing happened with either. Well the first got assigned to a negotiater and is still a long way from going anywhere. So we looked into getting an apartment and waiting it out on the second, but couldn't find anything with lease terms that felt right to us. So with two weeks to homeless we made an offer on a house just a few streets up from us (not a short-sale). Things are moving quickly, given we only made our offer last week, but we'll still have a one week lag before we can get into the new place. We (minus J who has to stick around for work) are going to stay at my parents while we wait (thank goodness the kids are off-track; although it has made packing hard, at least they won't miss school). We will have to store our stuff for a couple of weeks too, thus the pod planted in our driveway. So not the ideal moving situation, but if it was it wouldn't be us! And all things considered, while things aren't going quite like I had hoped or planned they seem to be working out pretty well. So how's that for a long story?

Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone had a great one!

Let's play!

should it be toys. . .

or boxes?

These days it's boxes since most of the toys are packed;
good thing he likes them so much!
P.S. Thanks Julie for the endless supply of boxes--you're the best!

Now back to filling them up. . .

great!

Because AP loves the computer so much we have to keep it password protected to monitor his time. Of course he is always trying to find out what the password is. . . so the other day I finally gave him a hint. I told him it is something that I am. He thought for a minute and then brightened as he said, "the password is GREAT?!" Well, no but I loved the guess! Those little unexpected and uninteneded compliments are the best.

So not perfect

Gotta say I agree with Suzy, that while blogs can be a lot of fun they can be a huge downer too. I've had one of those weeks where I look at other people's blogs and realize how truly imperfect I am. I know comparison is not a good thing and we're supposed to focus on our own strengths and talents while appreciating others' . . .but it's just been one of those weeks where I can't help but think, "how does [that person] do it all, with such a great attitude, AND great hair, AND (among other things) perfectly dressed and manicured children in every single picture on her blog . . . and wouldn't it be nice to be like that." But then again I probably couldn't handle whatever challenges she actually deals with (even though there don't appear to be any). So I'll take what I've got and just be happy with seriously imperfect me.

Beautiful baptism day

AJ was baptized on Saturday and it couldn't have been a nicer day. The weather was a little cool, but the sun was shining and so was she! Amber gave an awesome talk on the "3 Bears" of baptism: bearing one another's burdens, bearing the name of Christ, and bearing testimony of Him. Kyle spoke about the Holy Ghost and it's role as a comfort and a guide. I loved the Bishop's remarks and his comment about her bringing the sun with her each morning when he and LeAnn see her riding off to school. Thanks to Cathy for playing the piano and LeAnn for leading the music. We appreciate the family and friends who came to support her. It was so wonderful to have you; we love you all so much! When I asked AJ how she felt after she said, "It's hard for me to keep the tears back because I feel so happy."

Ready to go!

The sun was so bright!

With Grandpa, Grandma, and Amber

Happy HAPPY birthday

Sweet little AJ. She has blessed our lives in so many ways. She came with such a calm, kind, and independent spirit. That independence was such a needed blessing when she was small (though as she gets older it has been a bit much to swallow). I'm grateful for her willingness and desire to comfort, to help, and to include others. I love her bright smile, her sweet hugs, and her creativity. We are so grateful to have her in our family!!Things have been so busy I wasn't sure when I would get the birthday shopping done. But Costco had me covered this year! I found everything she wanted while shopping for groceries. They had a webkinz pack with the two she wanted most (a husky and pink cat), the Hello Kitty CD player she has been asking for the last two years, and a littlest petshop set with a husky and lamb (two of the three she asked for)! I was beyond thrilled to finish my grocery and birthday shopping all at once. And she couldn't have been happier with her loot!

(Squeal of delight) "I have wanted this forever!"

We give our kids the option of having a birthday party at home with unlimited guests or taking one friend to do something bigger. This year was a tough choice. She really wanted to take her best friend to Build a Bear Workshop, but didn't want to leave her cousins. . . so we took all 4 girls and had a slumber party too. I have to admit I was a bit relieved afterward when she told me she didn't want another birthday slumber party until she is 12 or 13.

I honestly thought I was going to get out of doing a themed cake this year. I planned to do a double layered marble cake (her favorite). But when I asked her what kind of frosting she said, "well I like vanilla, but want it to be a brown bear with pink nose and ears." A bear?! Her response, "It is a Build a Bear party." When I explained my plan she was so disappointed I had to comply to her bear request. Here she is blowing out the candles!