SHELL'S TALES

Lex-isms

2011-04-06T09:30:00.000-07:00

Lately me and Lex have been spending a lot of time together. With Hay's now on some sort of schedule, me and Lex hang out a lot while she is sleeping. And it seems that my daughter thinks a lot about life, maybe even a little too much. Things that come out of her mouth either make me laugh, make me mad, or disgust me.

Lex didn't eat her dinner one night so she didn't get a treat after. An hour after dinner she asked why she couldn't have a treat. I told her that she didn't eat her dinner so she didn't get anything else the rest of the night. She looked at me and said, "Well if you would start making something good for dinner maybe I would eat it!" She then walked out of my room and into hers and slammed the door shut. My feelings should have been hurt, but laughing was the only thing I could do.

The next day we were playing Candy Land. She started getting mad that I was winning so she slyly took her foot and pushed the board over so that we all lost. I asked her why she did this and she shrugged her shoulders and said, "I didn't it was my foot."

Then to top of the week of Lex-isms yesterday she was picking her nose. (Yes, I know disgusting), and she asked me if all boogers have hair in them. I told her I didn't think any boogers had hair in them why? She said, "well mine do! Well that's great! I never thought I would have a child that had hairy boogers, but I guess I am lucky enough to get one! I can't wait to see what her teenage years bring.

Vitamins

2011-02-04T07:48:00.000-08:00

One day I thought that I would be really frugal and buy my childrens vitamins at Costco. They only kind they had were the Flintstone kind so I thought that we would give them a try.

Every single one of my kids hates them. They think they are sour and most mornings I catch the kids dry heaving when they start to chew them. But I never saw Lex do that. I thought she was my only angel quietly putting them in her mouth and eating them like a good little girl should do.

Wrong!! I was cleaning her room today and noticed a piece of paper behind her dresser. I went to pick it up and what did I see? About 8 or 9 un-eaten vitamins hiding behind her dresser! I tried not to laugh as I called her into the room. I asked her what those were and she immediately burst into tears. I told her that she wasn't in trouble but that made her cry worse. So I knew she felt guilty. I made her pick them up and put them in the trash and she thought she would never have to eat them again.

Wrong again! This morning I made her sit down at the table while she cried and cried and dry heaved. You may think that I am mean, but I bought those things at Costco. So you know the size of that bottle and I am not wasting those! So until they are gone, my kids are going to have to dry heave every morning!

Family Night

2011-01-23T14:59:00.000-08:00

So in the Christensen household playing games is quite a chore. We start with good intentions and by the end of the game at least one is in tears and two are so angry that no amount of teasing can change the mood. Here is one example.

We decided that we were going to play this game that the kids got for Christmas. It's pictionary for the Wii. We had never played it before so we thought that this would be a great time to test it out. Started out fine but here was my first mistake: Putting Chad and Pk on the same team. I got Tan and Lex, thinking that I was at a disadvantage because I got a 4 yr old on my team. Not so!!

First clue Pk starts drawing. The answer was treasure chest. He draws it and waits for Chad to answer. Chad guesses everything you can think of and starts to get a little mad. "Come on Pk draw something else! What the crap! I have no idea what that is. KEEP DRAWING! Oh whatever, I give up!" All the while me and Tan are looking at each other and laughing while Pk is now totally mad at Chad. (Which in my opinion he had every right to be).

Our turn, Tan gets a mailbox. 5 seconds into it Lex yells mailbox!! Score!! This is how the rest of the game goes. PK yelling at Chad, Chad yelling at Pk, me and Tan getting clues like square, Chad getting mad that we got a clue like square, Chad telling us the game was rigged, Pk crying everytime we get another point, Pk crying everytime they lose another point, me laughing at how ridiculous Chad and Pk are, me secretly cheering that we are kicking their butts because of the way they are behaving, Chad and Pk threatening to quit the game, Tan rocking every clue he draws, me laughing some more, Lex getting bored, Chad telling Pk to draw better, Pk telling Chad to draw better, me laughing, Pk telling Chad he never wants to play on Chad's team again, Chad telling Pk he never wants to be on his team again, me calling both of them babies, Tan laughing, and finally Pk crying, Chad pissed, me laughing, Tan gloating, and Lex oblivious to what went on.

Needless to say we probably won't be playing pictionary in our near future. But if we do I am totally putting Tan and Lex on my team!

Medical Emergency

2010-12-12T15:27:00.000-08:00

Before you get all concerned thinking that we had a very serious problem let me explain:
The day after I had my baby the Dr. came in to feel my belly. He was touching my belly button and told me that I now have a hernia from being pregnant with her. My thought was, "Oh goody just another thing to add to the ever growing list of things I am going to have to fix to put myself back together!" Then I didn't give it another thought.

A couple of days ago I noticed that my belly button was kind of hurting every time I would bend a certain way, or touch it. So I casually asked my mother what it could be. I then let her feel my belly button to see if it felt funny. Well the look on her face said it all. I thought that I was in for some serious trouble and that I was going to have to be rushed to the emergency room! She slowly looked up at me and said, "Oh honey I wouldn't worry about your belly button. It's the size of your stomach that has me concerned! You should ask your Dr. about that!"

Huh? Well I knew that my belly was big but I didn't think it was so big that it required medical attention. And I know that the only thing my Dr. would say is, "Well Michelle you could lose a couple of pounds and that might get rid of it." I think that my mom must have forgotten that I gave birth four months ago, or the fact that this is my 4th c-section!

So for now there is no reason to be concerned about my hernia. Instead I think I will stay awake at night worrying that the size of my belly is causing my mom some serious stress! I guess I should be grateful that she brought this medical emergency to my attention. After all, it is the size of your belly that matters most of all!

Pumpkin Carving

2010-10-31T09:00:00.000-07:00

Haven't done this in awhile so my pictures are a little backwards. The picture above is Chad's finished project, after three hours of carving! He is too much of a perfectionist to do it any faster. It was really cool when it was done, I promise!

The kids dressed up. I was so bummed they wouldn't let me do a theme this year. But that's all right I'll get them next year.
My little rabbit
She is 12 weeks old now and getting BIG! You should see the triple chin she is sporting around. Awesome!
Me helping Chad poke holes in his pumpkin. He had been working on it for about an hour and all the kids were done. I stepped in to help because I felt sorry for the guy.
Pk carving so hard that he broke my poor knife. Just imagine how the pumpkin must have looked.
Chad carefully taping
The boys carving.
Lex is all done painting her beautiful pumpkin. (What she said)
Before the festivities began
All smiles because the knew they got to use knives

What I want to be when I grow up

2010-07-26T19:22:00.000-07:00

The other night at dinner we were asking the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up. We turned to Tan who said, "I don't know but Pk wants to be a football or basketball player." Apparently the kid can't come up with what he wants to be, but I am glad he has Pk's career figured out. We then asked Pk who said, "I don't really care." Glad that one has a lot of ambition. We then turned to Lex who goes, "Umm what I want to do is sit on my butt and watch TV." Tan quickly burst out laughing and said, "Ya you could be just like mom!"

Now wait a second. I know that the last few weeks my energy has depleted, I no longer have patience, and thinking of walking up the 4 different flights of stairs we have makes me want to cry. But I did not think that I watched TV ALL day. And I don't sit on my butt all day because with the size that my butt has grown too, its actually quite uncomfortable to do that.

But I guess its time for me to set a better example to my children. Instead of sitting on my butt all day watching TV, I am going to lay down in my bed reading. Lets see how they like that one!

Cotton Candy

2010-06-23T18:51:00.001-07:00

We took the kids to a baseball game and invited their aunt Amber to come with us. Little did we know the trouble she would cause. She decided that she wanted to buy our kids cotton candy because every time the lady would come around my kids would look longingly at her. Chad and I are not big fans of cotton candy or what it does to their teeth but their aunt bought it for them anyway. And this is what happened:

Now I am going to add HYPER, CRAZY and RIDICULOUS to the list of why we won't be eating cotton candy again anytime soon! Thanks Amber.

Lassie

2010-05-10T18:09:00.001-07:00

How, may you ask, do I know that I have a Lassie? Because people keep telling me that I do. I have never seen the movie, or read the book, but apparently Lucky is now called Lassie.

A couple of weeks ago my dad fell off a ladder and got hurt. I didn't know this because I am not aware of a lot that goes on around me. All of the sudden Lucky comes running downstairs and starts pacing at my feet. So I follow her upstairs and she starts pacing at the back door. I open it and she runs to my dad who is holding is elbow and not looking to good. I jokingly asked, "What ya do fall off the ladder?" To which he replied "YES!" Then I felt really bad and ran over to help. He wouldn't let me to anything to help. He thought he cracked his elbow, I offer to take him to the ER, which he turned down. He said he knocked himself out and I said, you might have a concussion. His reply, "Oh I'm all right, I got to go to work anyway." "WHAT!" Who goes to work after cracking their elbow and knocking themself out? Well he kindly let me put a bandaid on the elbow that was cracked because it was bleeding a ton.

As we are sitting there I tell him what Lucky did. He looks at the dog and says, "Oh my heck I have my own Lassie! She saved my life!" Now, I looked at the man who is sitting there holding his elbow, bleeding, with cuts all over him, and possibly a concussion and I thought, "How in the world did she save your life?" Lucky coming to get me and me going out there made no difference at all. How can the dog save his life if he wants no help? But I let that go and said nothing.

Many people heard about the dog saving his life. My dad made the dog eggs and toast, steak and rolls for the next couple of days. Oh please! Then we hear about a dog on the news who saved his family by showing the firemen where his house was that was on fire. My dad and brother start talking about it, saying how Lucky would do the same thing!! Oh my word this is getting out of hand. First of all Lucky would never find the firefighters and if she did she would probably lead them to the wrong house! And second, Lucky would sleep through the entire fire so she would be saving NOBODY!

Yes I think it's awesome that she knew my dad was hurt and came to get me. But by no means did she save a life. But I guess it's kind of nice for people to think that so she got a little special treatment for awhile. She probably deserved it after all. She puts up with all of us!

Happy Anniversary

2010-05-06T13:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was mine and Chad's 10th anniversary. Yes, we got married on Cinco de Mayo. We figured that would be the only way for both of us to remember the date. But unfortunately, this year I sucked big time. I didn't forget that it was our anniversary, I was just thinking that we weren't going to do anything. Yup, I got him no gift, no card and he said Happy Anniversary first. You may think that I am a terrible wife and you may just be right. Blame it on pregnancy or the fact that I am trying to move or that I am just too plain lazy to do anything right now. Whichever one you choose you are right.

I got a surprise with 14 roses being delivered to the house. Why the number 14 I don't know but I will take them. We got to go to dinner and go SHOPPING!!!!! (My favorite thing if it's for me). Well for all my sucky wifeness I got my payback. As we were leaving dinner I stood up and saw quite a few people look at my belly and then start talking to each other. Then at another store while we were in line a little boy says, "Wow mom look at her belly!" The mom looked at me and apologized, but hey I don't care. This belly is hard to miss.

Chad secretly might have been smiling and laughing, but if he was he didn't show it. He was either being really nice or didn't want to say anything because he secretly agreed. Who knows and it doesn't matter. I owe in one.

The art of Language

2010-04-12T17:05:00.000-07:00

The last couple of months I have begun to realize something. I don't talk so appropriately in front of my children. When the boys were little they didn't seem to mimic me, or care what I said. But now I have little Miss Lex who repeats anything she hears. At first I thought it was a little funny but now I'm not so sure.

About two months ago I put Lex in swimming lessons. She was so excited to go; then she saw who her teacher was and all excitment left. He was a big man who scared her to death. When I say big, I mean no offense, but he probably weighed close to 250 and he was probably 5"5. About 10 min into her lesson she started to cry uncontrollably. I calmed her down and told her we would try the next day. But, the same thing happened the next day, and the day after that she wouldn't even get in the pool. I went to get my money back, and while I was standing there she asked if she had to go back. I told her no and she said, "Good, because that guy was a FREAK!" Now how do you argue with that? I wouldn't want to take lessons from a freak either!

A couple of weeks later she was running and ran into the wall. Her response? "Oh Suck!" Then tonight she was wrestling Chad. He was pinning her to the ground and she said, "Your creeping me out dad!" He looked at me and started to laugh and I kept thinking, where in the Crap did she hear that? After a couple of minutes of wrestling she finally told Chad to stop because he was making her onery. Which I swear I don't know where she has heard that. Honest!!

So maybe I need to watch how I talk in front of her. But it's SO hard. I mean freaks kind of creep me out and not only that, they make me onery! So go ahead and express yourself Lex. Because I don't think I can stop!

Lessons Learned

2010-03-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

You know how they say that you should "lead by example," when teaching your kids? Well my motto around here is "Do as I say, not as I do." I learned this the hard way last week.

Pk has a tendency to lose things. He does not keep track of anything and then afterwards tells me that is wasn't that important to begin with. Two weeks ago he lost his wallet that had about 6 dollars in it. I said, "Pk that is a lot of money, how did you lose your wallet?" He then told me that 6 dollars wasn't that much money mom, so he didn't care. I then said that it may have only been 6 dollars but he should think about how long it took him to get that 6 dollars.

A couple of nights later Chad gave the kids their money for doing their chores. Pk got down from the dinner table and there by his plate was 3 dollars. So I decided that this would be the perfect time to teach him a lesson and I took the money and hid it. He didn't even notice for two days and then he came up to me and said, "Mom I know you took my money where did you put it." I said, "I don't know Pk. I am not going to give it back to you until you find your wallet." Chad heard me and said, "Come on Pk I will go help you find it."

As soon as they left the room I started to panic. I could not for the life of me remember where I had put his money! I tried to think and think of where I put it, praying that they wouldn't find his wallet. (I know that's a terrible thing to think). But I needed more time!! After about 10 minutes Pk came in with a huge smile on his face saying that dad had found it behind his dresser. "Where did you put my money mom?" My reply was "Gee I don't know Pk where do YOU think I put your money?" I was stalling, yes I was. Pk said, "Well mom I think you put it behind the computer because that's where I saw you put it." I look over and sure enough there was 3 dollars sticking out from behind the computer. I told him he could go get it, but that he needed to take better care of his things.

The whole time I was giving this speech I was trying not to laugh thinking how stupid I sounded. I was trying to teach him a lesson about how to take care of his things, and I can't keep track of his lousy 3 dollars. The good thing is that Pk never knew this occured. The bad thing is that I know, and now I am done trying to teach anybody a lesson. I always end up teaching it to myself instead!

It's Even

2010-03-17T06:55:00.001-07:00

And now it is even, we will have 2 to 2!!! Two boys and two girls and we couldn't be happier. Now on to the names.

Yes its True

2010-03-09T11:07:00.000-08:00

I haven't been keeping up on my blog like I should and there is a reason why. Yes, we are expecting baby number 4! Now, the reason I feel I need to put this out there is because some people have seen my belly expand and grow the last 4 and 1/2 months and then are surprised when they find out. So that leads me to believe that my belly has always been quite large and for me to look like I am pregnant is not new to anyone!

This lady (who shall remain nameless) was very shocked when this guy that we both know said congratulations to me. She looked at me and said, "For what?" Now come on!!! My belly looks like I am 8 months along, my belly button has been sticking out for the last 2 months and you are shocked?? How big is my belly normally? Then 10 minutes later we see someone else that we both know. This lady tells her that I am pregnant and what does this other lady do?? "No way Michelle I never would have guessed?" Well feeling quite depressed I share this story with Chad and my mother expecting them to shake their head and say something to make me feel better. NOPE! They both do a pity little laugh and saying NOTHING! So yes I am pregnant, but if you see me please don't act surprised or my tummy tuck is coming a lot sooner than Chad thinks!

The imaginary friend

2010-01-29T17:13:00.000-08:00

Lately Lex has been talking about her friend Jenni. Lex has no friends that are named Jenni so I asked her who she was. Well apparently Jenni is a boy and he plays with her all the time. WHAT THE CRAP!!!!!

So I got a little freaked out and started asking her more questions. Jenni flies in the air and flushes Lex down the toilet when she goes to the bathroom. And Lex considers him a friend? She is always talking to him and in the grocery store she tells me stuff to buy that she thinks Jenni will like. Now I know that some people might consider this to be cute or sweet but Not ME! I think its weird and to tell you the truth a little bit creepy. I feel like at any moment she is going to have an exorcist moment where her head starts spinnng in circles as she repeats the name Jenni over and over.

I know that I am being a little dramatic and there are lots of kids that have imaginary friends. (None that I know of though). I don't know if this means that she is going to be very creative when she grows up, or that she is going to need a lot of therapy as she gets older. Whatever it is I just wish she would stop telling me about it. I don't want to have nightmares at night.

Bring on the Snow

2010-01-24T12:13:00.000-08:00

The boys got new sleds from Santa this year for Christmas, so for their Christmas break we put them to good use. It snowed so much and it was so cold that we were able to find some really good places to go why their dad was at work.

Tan had a hard time staying on his sled and got frusturated. Next thing I know he was standing up on it using it like a snow board. He did suprisingly better going down like that.

Pk decided that one of their old sleds was faster so he resorted to using his old one instead.

Lex who was freezing that day. But she is my little daredevil and wanted to go down every bump that she could find. She flew off more than once, but that didn't stop her. Yes, she had a hat but she got going so fast down the hills that it kept flying off.

I made Pk go down with her when she got too daring. I think Pk secretly had more fun this way because they went down so fast I could hear them laughing the whole way down.

Tan still trying to get the hang of his sled.

Walking up the hill for the 10th time.

Tan decided that it would be fun to hang on to the back of Lex's sled as she went down.

We had a lot of fun using the sleds during the break. We went with my whole family where I saw my parents go sledding for the first time ever!! And when it snowed a ton one day and they hadn't plowed our street yet, the boys hiked up to the very top of the street and sled the whole way down. Me and my sisters used to do this when we were teenagers and it was hysterical to watch the boys go down. I swear they were going at least 20 miles an hour the whole way down. So there are advantages to living on a hill. We hope to get many more uses out of their sleds this winter. And maybe by the end Tan can get the hang of his sled!

Oh My heck

2010-01-08T13:56:00.000-08:00

Today I had an "Oh my HECK" moment. I was at the Cheesecake Factory and our waiter came up to me and said, " I never do this, but do you see many famous people?" Now except for the occassional Donny Osmond sighting, no I don't see a lot of famous people. He then continued to tell us the Jon Gosselin from Jon and Kate plus eight was there. My first response? "Oh my heck, shut up! Are you lying?"

Obviously I don't meet many famous people if I am excited to see him. He then told us exactly where he was sitting in the restaurant and that we needed to hurry if we were going to see him because he was getting ready to leave. Well that's all I needed to get me out of my seat and walking toward him. My mom hurried and got up too and my kind dad offered to stay with Lex because he didn't need to see the guy from the "Notebook". (I am telling you right now that if it had been the guy from the Notebook I would have done a lot more than causally walk by his table.)

Now you would think that I would have been a little dignified in walking by his table. Not me!! I laughed and smiled the WHOLE time I was trying to act "causual". He looked at us once, (I think out of pity), and then we went in the bathroom. Our first reaction? "Oh my heck it was him!"

Once I got back to the table I was beside myself. All I had was my camera phone to take a picture. Now how obvious would I look if I pointed a camera at him? By the time I had my stakeout decided I stand up and he's gone!! Oppurtunity to make money by selling his picture to a tabloid gone!

But as soon as we stood up to leave guess who we were walking out with? HIM!! (When I say walking out with what I really mean is that I saw him walking towards the door and I grabbed Lex's arm and ran as fast as I could. Even if it meant dragging Lex from behind). I was like 2 feet away from him and I throw my phone to my dad and tell him to take a picture. He got embarrassed and chickened out! But we did follow him out of the parking lot and I got some awesome pictures of the back of his car.

Now my mom and dad were a little shocked at my reaction. After all he's not really that famous. But at least I learned some valuable lessons today. Always bring a camera with you because you never know who you are going to meet. And I definetly need more of the "Oh my heck" moments in my life."

Christmas

2009-12-28T08:51:00.001-08:00

This is when you know you have had a very successful Christmas!

The Case of the Black Tongue

2009-11-27T16:24:00.000-08:00

Have you ever woke up and felt odd in some way? Maybe felt a little bit different? This happened to me the day after Thanksgiving. I woke up early because me and my sister were going to go shopping. I went to brush my teeth and took my toothbrush out of my mouth. And the whole thing was black!!!!

Well this freaked me out (just a little) and I thought maybe I was seeing things because I was so tired. So I opened my mouth and my entire tongue was black. Not my teeth, just my tongue. I brushed and brushed and after three times it finally came off. I was panicked at this point thinking that because I turned 30 my whole body was now going to do strange things. Like turn odd parts of my body black. So I called Chad at work and he so nicely told me that I must have squished a spider in the middle of the night and swallowed the remainder of it. That made me feel so much better to think that I am eating bugs at night, and bugs that turn my tongue black no less.

So I was shopping with my sister and her husband and asked them. My brother in law said that there was no way that a spider would do that and he thinks I have something medically wrong with me. Comfort number two!!! Not only do I eat bugs, but now I have a medical condition that is going to start turning things black at random. Turning 30 is getting more and more awesome!!!

So I come home and tell my parents who get a worried look on their face and tell me, "Well that's not normal!" Thanks guys, I know it's not normal thats why I'm asking. So my mother tells me that I need to hurry and google "waking up with a black tongue." So I do. And three sites tell me that if you take Pepto Bismol before you go to bed that is can cause your tongue to turn black. And then I remembered that because I am now 30 I had a stomach ache the night before and took some pepto before I went to bed. CASE SOLVED!!!

The more I thought about it, I thought that Pepto should put a warning on the box. So I ran to look at the box and there it is. May cause tongue to go black. So let this be a lesson to you: Don't take Pepto and read warnings before you take something. It could cause a lot of damage not only to your tongue, but to your heart from all the stress of thinking you are going to die if you don't.

Feeding the Ducks

2009-11-08T14:59:00.000-08:00

The month of October was kind of crazy for us. We dealt with some sickness and then we had birthday's, school parties, baptism and Halloween. It seemed like every weekend we were gone doing something. So the first weekend in November we thought we would just relax. We thought that it would be so much fun to stay at home and play in the yard and not do a thing.

I don't know how many times it's going to take for me to realize that when all of your kids are home, there is no relaxing. There is no playing in the yard peacefully. So we had to come up with something to do and fast! I remembered that when the boys were little I used to take them to this duck pond and they loved it. It's been so warm latetly that we were hoping that the ducks would still be there. We were in luck!

She wanted to climb a tree just like her brothers. She didn't make it very far, thank heavens!

Pk was having so much fun climbing that I think I am going to plant a tree that will grow massive. Then maybe he can entertain himself!

Tan stood at the bottom of the tree. I think he has learned that if he climbs to far, he probably won't make it down on his feet.

Tan dancing for the ducks.

Pk in his BYU hat. He thinks BYU is awesome, and we can't quite figure out why. We don't claim to be big fans, but we think it's because my dad took him to a game and he loved it.

Tan throwing his bread.

Chad and Tan chasing the ducks. Or geese, I don't know what they are. But they had a great time seeing how many they could get to fly.

Lex concentrating so hard to throw the bread just right.

The boys. We had fun and we stayed for a long time. But maybe next weekend we can have a relaxing weekend. Maybe??

Our Scooby Doo Gang

2009-11-01T14:55:00.001-08:00

This year I got the bright idea to have my whole family dress up as a theme. I ended up choosing Scooby Doo because it had the perfect number. Chad wasn't to happy about it, and after seeing myself in costume, I don't think I was either.

Velma, Scooby and Shaggy. Yes I know I look ridiculous. I was actually embarrassed for myself.

Sccoby and Shaggy. Pk was so unhappy with his costume until I bought him the wig and drew a goatee on him. When he got to the bus stop for school everyone kept telling him how cool he looked and that made him feel better. But up until that point I felt terrible!

Fred and Daphne. She looked stinkin adorable!!

The gang. It was a lot of fun to get all the costumes and it was fun to have me and Chad dress up this year. Pk said "Mom, it was a lot of fun to dress up as Shaggy, but next year I'm picking my own costume!" All right by me!

The Big Birthday

2009-10-25T14:37:00.000-07:00

This year Pk's birthday kind of sucked. We were all sick with the flu, so he got to open his presents in the morning and then we all went back to bed. Happy Birthday PK!!

But the week before he had a birthday party with some of his friends. We decided to take them to a corn maze where we wouldn't have to do a lot of work. But we didn't think about how much work it was going to be trying to keep track of nine boys running around a corn maze!
Here are the boys before we went on a trick or treat hay ride. On the ride they threw handfuls and handfuls of candy at the kids. I managed to catch A LOT and I didn't share it with any of them! They tried to get it from me, but when it comes to my candy, BACK OFF!

On the ride. They were still searching for any candy that was left hidden in the hay. (It was in my pocket)!

Tan going down the slide. The slide was so close to picnic tables that when they got to the bottom of the slide they ran into people and almost knocked them down. That's when you walk away and pretend you don't know the kid.

Pk's turn!

After the corn maze we came back to the house to open the presents. Pk got a lot of soccer and basketballs. That just shows you how well his friends know him!

Cute little man! It's sad for me to think that my little baby isn't one anymore. He is an eight year old energetic, lively, hyper, sweet ,opinionated, loud, determined boy! And we still love him!!!! Happy Birthday PK!

Lodge Pole

2009-10-01T17:21:00.001-07:00

On Fri we went to visit Chad's parents and grandparents. They had been camping all week up at Lodge Pole and invited us to come up for dinner. Amber, Chad's sister came up with us and it was so much fun.
This is Chad's grandpa, Rex. He was teaching Lex how to play cards. I guess it's good to teach them at an early age, right?

Here's Lex with her Grandpa Randy. She is the only granddaughter so she is a little spoiled with attention by her Grandpa.

For some reason this appeared on the tree why we were there. I don't know who put it there, and I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that I was threatening Chad and his dad to put it there. Who knows?

Still don't know who put it there. But it looks pretty awesome!

Chad and his dad laughing at something. Even though we were only up there for a couple of hours it was a lot of fun. We got to see some cows walking through the campground, we discovered our names carved in a tree, and we got to eat, a lot. And not one person cried. Pretty successful evening!

That motherly touch

2009-09-25T08:32:00.000-07:00

When you have a daughter you think they are going to grow up to be loving and sweet and gentle. You imagine that when they play with their baby dolls they will walk around with them with a tender touch. Not this little girl. You give her a doll and this is what happens:

The game was to see who could throw their babies down the stairs the fastest.

The poor doll hitting every step on her way down.

This is how the babies ended up. Lex and Mya would laugh and laugh as they did this over and over. I guess this is what happens when you have two older brothers that probably taught her this game. Maybe the gentleness and caring come the older you get. Maybe?

The end of another Season

2009-09-21T08:36:00.000-07:00

One of our most favorite sports is soccer. It's been this way for a couple of years for one reason: Pk. He loves this sport so much, and we love to watch him. I don't like to brag about my kids, but I love to see the determination on Pk's face every game. If he is having a hard time getting the ball to go in the goal, he gets this look on his face and he tries ten times harder. He practices every night out in the back, and this is his favorite recess activity. One of Pk's gifts in life is this amazing athletic ability that he has. In whatever sport he plays he wants to be the fastest, quickest player out there.

Every year for four years Chad has been Pk's coach. He gets roped in to it every year by a couple of the parents that keep requesting him. But this has been fun because Pk plays with most of the same kids every year, and the parents have had a lot of fun watching them together.

Every other year Tan is old enough to play on the same team and this year was it. Tan tried really hard this year and what he wanted to do most this year was score a goal. It didn't happen but it was awesome to watch him try so hard!

These are some of the players that we have played with for a couple of years. The kids have all become really good friends.

Chad with his two favorite players. (I hope)!

Tan and Pk with the medals that they got.

It was so hot that day and the kids were so dehydrated.

Here's one of his looks when he is ready to go out there! He hates sitting on the sidelines.

Here they are on their last day. Can you tell they were really excited?

Pk proud of himself. They were undefeated this year and the whole team was so happy about it!

We were sad to see another season end, but maybe I can get my voice and my husband back!

Dance Class

2009-09-06T13:19:00.000-07:00

Adorable! Precious! The cutest things that you have ever seen. These were the words to describe Lex and my little cousin on the first day of their very first dance class. I was so excited to take them because I thought that they looked absolutely adorable and that they were going to love every minute of it.

WRONG!! I came to pick them up and wish that I hadn't. It was one of those moments that you want to say, "That's not my kid!" The teacher told me that they didn't listen at all, that they were yelling and fighting with each other the whole time. Apparently there was a smack down going on when they were told to go stand in line, and they were the only kids in the class that did not get a sucker.

As she was telling me this, my little cousin ran over to the sucker basket, stole two of them and shoved them in her mouth before they could be taken away. Therefore Lex had to have one because it was only fair. The teacher told me we could seperate them into two different classes and try it one more time. And to top it off all the mothers were watching and listening to all of this going on. I'm sure that my face was a little red, if not completely!

On the way out to the car I asked the girls if they were naughty in class. Lex immediately said no but my little cousin says, "Ya, I was naughty, I didn't listen." Well thank goodness for honesty!

So not only do I have a little liar on my hands, but at the age of three she got kicked out of her very first dance class. She make look innocent, but she has everyone fooled! So here's to the first and only dance class of her career.

Sunday night Football

2009-08-31T16:56:00.001-07:00

On Sunday me and Angie and my mom were outside watching the kids play. Some neighbors down the street were playing football and Pk tried to inch his way closer and closer to them, in hopes of them asking him to play. His attempt failed and we felt so sorry for him. All I had to do is tell his dad and Papa what had happened and they came to the rescue. They each took a boy and played football with them and they all had a great time! Me and Lex tried to get in on the action, but apparently boys should not play football with their mom. Thanks for the advice mom!

Here's Pk in full form!

And Tan ready for some action.

Tan trying to throw it to my dad. He was having a lot of fun but he was trying to throw it so far that he was hurting his shoulder.

Chad. Have no idea who he is throwing it too, maybe he's trying to hit Lex's purse in the middle of the grass.

This is how exciting it was to watch. Go football!!

Papa. I think he was excited to be playing football with someone again, because he had a great time teaching Tan how to throw the ball.

Lex showing everyone that she is number one!

Chad again. Still don't know who he's throwing it too!

Papa again.

Pk throwing it as hard as he could.

Tan's face was hilarious when he threw the ball. He had no idea that he was making the face which made it even more adorable!

Me + Math= Failure

2009-08-25T07:53:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know me and math do not get along. I hate math so much that I have tried to come up with degrees that I could get that wouldn't make me take any more math than I already have. In fact, in college Chad would try and help me with my math homework and I would end up yelling at him because he understood it and I didn't. I'm not proud of the fact that I don't understand it. I have just come to accept that math is what I hate more than anything in this life.

Well, yesterday actually made me feel worse about my whole math situation. Pk came home with some homework that he had to get done for the week. We started looking through it and we came to the math pages. I started skimming through it and realized something: I did not understand SECOND grade math!! I was so confused on the first page. And these are problems about drawing the set of apples that come next in a sequence. So, I tried to come up with the number of apples that was going to come next and guess what? Couldn't figure the dumb crap out. Every answer I came up with was wrong.

Now, I was doing this in my head because I didn't want Pk to see that I was having trouble. But then I started to sweat a little thinking that Pk was going to fail math all because of me! Then something incredibly embarrassing happened. He took the packet out of my hand, looked over the problems and said, "oh this is easy!" HUH?? They are? He wanted to work on them right then, but I had to stall him. What if he had a question about an answer he got? So I told him that I really didn't have time right then to help him, so we should wait until his dad got home. He was really excited because he usually has to do his homework when he gets home and I was actually telling him to wait.

Looks like Chad will once again have to tutor me in math. With it being second grade I might not get so angry this time. (Or I might be worse because it's second grade). Either way it is going to be a very long year for me. Good thing I married an accountant!

Wanna be Rocker

2009-08-18T16:05:00.001-07:00

For a couple of years now Tan has wanted to be a rocker. He has asked for a drum set, a keyboard and a guitar. (The guitar is Pk's but Tan has claimed it as his own). He has received all of these either for Christmas or his birthday. We encourage this dream because it's the only thing that Tan is really passionate about. He doesn't really care about sports because he doesn't have a competitive bone in his body. So if Tan wants to be a rocker, then good for him. Maybe he'll give me some of his earnings when he gets older! Or write a song about me! Or thank me in his award acceptance speech!

He made this "studio" up after riding in the car with Chad and listening to Led Zeppelin.

Who do you look like?

2009-08-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

A little over a week ago my older sister was still in town. The night before she left we were all having a discussion about what famous people we look like. We have always said that my younger sister looks like Drew Barrymore. I don't think this is a bad thing, but Angie swears that this is the worst thing that you can possibly say to her. Then we moved on to my sister Lindsay. I said that she looks like Kate Beckinsale or Sheryl Crow. She was very flattered with the Kate comparison, not so much about Sheryl Crow. Well then they moved on to me.

One of my sisters, which I won't name names because you already know who you are, looked at me and said, "You know everytime I look at you I kind of see..... Martha Stewart." WHAT THE CRAP??????? Who wants to be told that they resemble Martha Stewart? And how would this such person think that I would take this as a compliment. I waited and waited for the "I'm just kidding," but that never came, and in fact she was saying this with a straight face! And then this such person told me that this isn't meant to be a bad thing. They get mad about being called Drew Barrymore and Sheryl Crow, but Martha Stewart isn's so bad? Seriously?

Well she went on to clarify that what she meant was that I am a lot like Martha. Hmmm, let's see, I don't cook very well, I am not crafty AT ALL, and I don't have a lot of money to embezzle with. I'm not seeing the comparison very clear, but I would take Kate or Sheryl any day!

And yes, I still love you anyway!

Road Trip

2009-08-08T19:03:00.001-07:00

This past week we took a very unexpected road trip to Tuscon, Az. When I say unexpected we found out at 5:00 pm on Tues. and left at 8:00 am on Wed. so that we could be there by Thurs. To get there it is a twelve hour drive and to do it all in one day SUCKED! But the kids were great and excited on the way there, and not so excited and great on the way back. But we had a really eventful, fun, tiring three days. Lex with her pretty purple purse that our friends gave her and she loves it. She never leaves home without it.

Lex with chocolate all over her face. She was so hyper on the way down that we finally had to tell her to talk to herself.

Chad so happy to be driving. This was hour 6!

Us at the Lake Powell dam.

The dam at Lake Powell. We got out of the car on the way there so the kids could walk across the dam. Pk kept telling me how creepy it was and Tan kept saying that you would "definetly" die if you fell off. Why Yes Tan I think you would!

My most favorite place LAKE POWELL!! It reminds me so much of when I was younger going there with our boat as a family that I was thrilled to be there again.

Pk had just gotten dunked so he was trying to catch his breath.

Lex and Tan chilling in the hot tub. Tan was really tired.

The kids finally asleep after going swimming three different times that day. (Chad had the car for a couple of hours so that's all me and the kids could do)!

The GRAND CANYON!!! We decided on our way home that we were only 30 miles away so we should go. Totally worth it, I just wished we could have stayed a little bit longer.

Me and the kids at the Grand Canyon. Yes I was a little bit onery can you tell?

Here they are walking back to the car after the Grand Canyon. None of us wanted to get back into that car.

To travel over 24 hours in 3 days is not ideal but we still managed to have some fun. Although I never want to step foot back into my car, and I don't think my bum will ever be the same.

It can't be!!!

2009-08-04T08:58:00.000-07:00

My first reaction was "How can this be?" I know that I have been under a lot of stress lately but is this for real?

I have often made fun of my siblings when this happens to them. I have even made fun of Chad on occasion because this is a normal occurrence for him. I just thought that it would never happen to me.

Now that it has happened I feel a sense of loss. Youth is long gone and I have to start behaving like a full blown adult and I don't think I am ready for that. I think most people feel the way that I do when they discover this. I don't think that I am wrong in my feelings of sadness or that my pride is taking a HUGE blow.

I found my first gray hair!!!!!!!!!!!

But rest assure that this gray hair no longer exists.

Stuart Falls Hike

2009-07-25T17:42:00.000-07:00

The other day something really strange happened. I thought I might die. I thought I was going to die a slow and very painful death. One that would land in the record books for being the worst death ever. Why? Because I took 8 children hiking up to Stuart Falls. My lovely sister had the "bright" idea that while she was in town she wanted to take her children up to Stuart Falls. Me, being the genius that I am, said that I wanted to come.

We rode the Sundance tram up to the start of the hike. I thought that once you got to the top of the tram all you had to do was step off and you would be at the fall. Little did I know that you had to hike a mile and a half to get to the fall. Then it was another mile and a half to get back down. It took us 4 hours to do 3 miles. Not bad.

Right at the beginning of the hike everyone was all smiles.

This is how Chad and my brother-in-law looked the entire time. It was not smart to bring any child 5 and under. At least it wasn't me that had to carry her! We wouldn't have made it down alive.

Most of the group. I think we were probably still happy at this point.

At the falls. I think they were really excited to have the little girls off their shoulders.

Tan exploring. He was the best hiker. He didn't complain once even when he was really tired. So he got a special treat from his Papa when we got back to the cabin.

Lex so excited because she finally got to get down and explore. She was so hot too.

Pk trying to get his face as wet as he could because he was "So Hot!"

Cute, very tired, hungry boys.

The falls! It was well worth it as soon as we got there because the fall is gorgeous!

This was at the end of the hike when no one was very happy. They were starving, and had to go to the bathroom.

Lex looking at some rocks that she had found.

Lex and Chad. They were best buds after this hike because she got to spend some quality time on dad's shoulders.

We were so tired that I don't think we could smile.

On the tram to go up to the start of the hike.

It was very long, but it really was a lot of fun. I think next time I wouldn't do it when it's 100 degrees outside. And I would definetly leave Lex at home. Then again if I did that I would have no one to blame for it taking so long.

Staduim of FIRE

2009-07-08T13:03:00.001-07:00

A couple of months ago we heard that the Jonas Bros. were coming to the Stadium of Fire. My kids LOVE them, especially my 2 year old. (Yes, I know, another thing I might be doing wrong)! We got tickets for our family, my sister and two of her children and my brother and his little girl. My brother couldn't sit by us but we had a great time anyway!

The group. Look how excited Chad is to be there. He was so excited before we went that he was jumping up and down screaming the Jonas Bros. name! Weird, but true.

Me and Lex showing our excitement. I'm trying to hold Lex down before she tries to run on the stage to rip the Jonas Bros shirts off of them. She kept saying, "Hold me back mom, hold me back."

Tan trying to smother his thrill at being there.

Pk so excited that he was having a hard time getting the smile off of his face. No matter how hard we tried to get him to stop, he wouldn't! Lex practicing what she was going to do when she ran up on stage.

The youngest looks so much like Tan that we had to get a picture of him. I think he's adorable.

Tan wondering what he got himself into.

"YAY for the Jonas Bros!"

Lex fell asleep until the Jonas Bros came on stage. Then she heard her mom sceaming and it woke her up. Needless to say, she was in a little trance for awhile.

We really did have a great time. The best part was that I knew EVERY song they sang. I knew them so well that Pk called me weird after the night was over. AAHH, great times!

Happy Birthday Tanner!

2009-06-20T07:51:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that Tanner is 6 years old. He stills looks like he did when he was 2, just a couple inches taller. He had a great day and he got a lot of "awesome" things.
His new skateboard.

Tanner incredibly bored waiting to open his next present.

One new squirt gun. The next day he had a great time drenching some friends as pay back for all the times that he has been the one soaked.

He was really excited about his balloons. And he wanted cupcakes instead of a cake. Whatever.

Happy Birthday!

You know it's Summer when...

2009-06-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

You know it's Summer when your kids are up at 7:00 a.m. asking what they can do.

You know it's Summer when you once again signed Pk up for too many activities. The reason being that if you don't sign him up for all these activities he will continue to bug everybody and everyone because he is so bored.

You know it's Summer when your food bill doubles because you have kids home all day eating everything they can get their hands on.

You know it's Summer when all day long you hear, "Mom I'm bored."

You know it's Summer when there is constant fighting between children over who gets what to play with.

You know it's Summer when you have to sit through Coach pitch AGAIN. We thought it would be more entertaining to watch then T-ball, but boy were we wrong.

You know it's Summer when Lex wants her brothers to "Go away."

You know it's Summer when kids are in and out of your house all day long. And to make matters worse, you have no idea who some of these kids are.

And lastly, you know it's Summer when mom desperately needs a nap, has a headache, is onery the majority of the day, is sunburned from sitting outside watching kids, and is constantly telling kids to be quiet so they don't wake up their sister.

Summer, piece of cake!

The "Talk"

2009-05-19T07:28:00.000-07:00

When I was 5 years old I got "the talk." I asked my mom why a lady in our ward was pregnant when she was not married. In turn, my mom told me all about the birds and the bees. At 5 I didn't listen very well, but what I did hear traumatized me for life. After awhile I think I fell asleep so I wouldn't have to hear anymore! Now, I have made fun of my mom for this ever since. Teased and tormented her to the point where now she denies it ever happening.

This past week Tan and I were watching some quality TV together (Spongebob), and he turned to me and asked me where he came from. I swallowed hard and said "heaven." He looked at me and said, "No mom, I mean where did I come from?" My mouth was starting to get very dry and I said, "My belly." He rolled his eyes and said, "NO! I mean WHERE did I come from?" Oh crap! Chad and I had a deal that he would talk to the boys about this, and I would get to talk to the girls. And now Chad isn't even here!! So I took a deep breath and said, "Tan when two people love each other...." Tan immediately stopped me and said, "Mom, what STATE did I come from?" I told him Utah and he asked, "So I was born in Utah and now live in Utah?" Yup. He said ok and walked away.

PHEW! That was close. And now I know what my mom felt like. When your child is asking you a question you feel like you need to tell them the truth. So mom, I will never make fun of you for this again. I have plenty more to make fun of you for!

My Favorite Sound

2009-05-08T08:54:00.000-07:00

I have a favorite sound. When I hear this sound it puts a big smile on my face, and it can lighten my mood instantly. It's the sound of a baby's diaper as they run. I love the squishing and scrunching sound it makes as there short little legs try to run as fast as they can. I love how the diaper pads their little bum and makes it seem larger than it is.

I am going to miss this sound. For a couple of weeks Lex has been potty trained, and while I am so proud of her, I can't help but feel a little sadness. I love the baby/ toddler, age and now I have a "big girl." I bought her 4 new princess shoes when she potty trained and I have never seen a little girl look at her feet more. Just to see how pretty the shoes are as she walks. So while this is a great milestone in her life, I think it's going to take me awhile to feel all the joy that comes with it.

Who's the Ugliest

2009-05-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

When I get bored one of three things will happen:
1. I become really obnoxious.
2. I BUG people to no end. I can bug someone until they are almost in tears, and I can't stop. I learned this from my father who still does it to me.
3. I come up with what I think are great ideas, and then the next day I realize how dumb the idea really was. Hence, the pictures below. I was so bored one night that we decided to have an "Who can take the ugliest picture contest." Yes, you can say that you shouldn't teach your kids what ugly is. But when you look at these pictures there are no other words to describe them. I am warning you though, these pictures may be disturbing to some.

Pk. Ya, he looks a little funny, but not too bad.

Tan. Pretty good, but still not the best.

Lex. I thought she looked cute, so not the winner.

Chad. Creepiest that I have ever seen him look in my life to be honest. Still kind of disturbing to look at this.

And me. I think I look awesome and should be crowned the winner. But then I got to thinking. Do I really want to be crowned the ugliest? Do I really want to brag to people that I won this competition. Not good for my self-esteem, so I think I declare Chad the winner!!

Bowling

2009-04-27T07:32:00.000-07:00

The weather was so crappy on Saturday that we decided to take the kids bowling. The reason we decided on bowling is because we all ROCK at Wii bowling. So the kids thought, "how hard can real bowling be?" Well, it wasn't hard for them, but somehow it was REALLY hard for their mother!! I was on the 6th frame and my score was 32. That's terrible, yes, but when your 2 year old score is in the 50s then it can be a little embarrassing. Then whenever you go up to take your turn and your kids are laughing hysterically behind you, then it can be a lot embarrassing.
Here's PK. I just thought he looked so handsome in this picture.

Tan doing a dance because he is awesome. (His words not mine)

5 minutes of no fighting. Wish it would last a little but longer.

Lex so excited to get to push the ball.

Here she was after she pushed the ball.

Pk with one of his amazing shots. (once again, not my words)

And Tan.

There are no pictures of me because I looked ridiculous! There are no pictures of Chad bowling because he was bugging me. He was trying for his 4th strike in a row, and I was trying to keep my ball from going in the gutter. I think that Chad can take the kids bowling again, and I will stay home and play the Wii. Because I am a pro at that!

What happens in Vegas......

2009-04-20T07:15:00.000-07:00

You know the saying "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas?" I found out how true that is this weekend. Chad and I went to Vegas for our anniversary, which isn't for two more weeks. This weekend was the only time we could go, and we had so much fun! We went there on our honeymoon, so it was fun to go back and see how much it has changed.

It was so much fun to go without kids. I know that sounds terrible, but we have not been anywhere just the two of us in 6 years. We got to sleep in and walk where we wanted to, and take our time at the places we were at. We got to ride roller coasters and eat at some fun places.

I missed my kids and was so excited to see them. As soon as we get in the car I hear Lex saying "mom, mom, mom, mom, mom!" I hear Pk in the back telling Lex to be quiet. I look back at Tan who I think went to his happy place, because he was staring out the window. So when they say, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas", I think they were talking about my relaxation and quiet. It's gone! It's still in Vegas and I think I'm going to have to go back next year to find it.

We went to Siegfried and Roys garden and saw a Dolphin close up. It was so cool.

This is Chad after 16, yes I said 16 cups of coke! We went to the Coke factory, which is Chad's dream. He wanted to try coke from all around the world and this is the tray he got.

Chad got very sick after this, I wonder why? He was so happy when he brought the tray to the table, and was so pale around the 10th cup. But he kept going. This older couple sitting by us were amazed that he was doing this all by himself. Other tables were sharing this tray between 5 people.

Chad at his most favorite place in the world!

My favorite place in the whole world!!!

My first taxi ride. We were so tired that we decided to take a taxi. I got SOOO car sick. It was hot and the taxi smelled TERRIBLE!

Me and Chad on one of the roller coasters!

My Insecurities

2009-04-02T18:57:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize that I have so many insecurities, but the more I go through life, the more these insecurities keep popping up. The one that I have had since I've had babies is my body. If you saw the belly and the way it sometimes looks like my butt is now on my belly, you would know what I am talking about. Well this body has come to haunt me this week.

I had to have an ultrasound for my gall bladder this week. When my name was called to go back, I look up and there is a very young, good looking man. "Oh suck!" was my first thought. Then I see the student following him and my second thought was I was going to be the person that they talk about when I leave saying, "Holy crap did you see that belly?" I walked in very slowly.

Three days later it came to haunt me again. Me and my sister have had a dermatology appt. made for about a month to have our moles checked. We went together thinking that it would be less embarrassing. What I found out, though, was that you have to take of all your clothes and stand there while he examines you with a microscope!! What the CRAP! Who wants to stand there while a guy is looking an inch away from your face searching your entire body?

The sad truth is I was more worried about me having to stand there naked then I was about him finding a cancerous mole. A mole can be taken off, this belly is not going anywhere without some major nipping and tucking! So this week has made me rethink a lot of things. I think a tummy tuck is in my near future. And maybe some liposuction. An whatever else I can talk Chad into paying for. Am I vain? Yes. Do I feel bad? No. Should I? Maybe. Is that going to make me change my mind? Nope!

My Little Helpers

2009-03-25T08:58:00.001-07:00

This is a picture of Lex "helping" Grandma get ready. Every Friday my mom has work off, and every Friday Lex will not leave her side. She cleans the bathroom with her, she helps her fold the clothes, and they get ready together. I think it's adorable.

Tan helped me babysit my niece. He was so excited that she was there, and he took his job very seriously.

My niece is so cute!!! We can't get enough of her when she is here.

Tan holding the toy up to her, and then she would sway back and forth to the sound. I think my brother has a future dancer on his hands.

Disney on Ice

2009-03-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

We do this to ourselves all the time. We get a great idea and then we end up dreading having to actually do it. The boys have gone to Disney on Ice before, but we had never taken Lex.

This is how excited Lex was on the way up there!

Tan who is always excited to do anything.

Lex with her toy. Every time we go we promise ourselves that we are not going to go through the lobby passed the toys that cost way to much. $50. later we were quite dissappointed in ourselves.

Chad was really excited, he just won't admit it to anyone.

Pk ate 3/4 the popcorn. He is going to make me go broke in a couple of years with my food bill.

It started!

Lex seeing Minnie and Mickey come on stage for the first time.

Almost over! We had a lot of fun, and it was nice to do something different for a change.

It happened

2009-03-08T13:17:00.001-07:00

It finally happened. I knew it would be coming, I was just wishing that it wouldn't come so fast. In fact, when it happened my heart sank and I felt like someone had thrown me to the ground and jumped on me. What, you ask?

My 7 year old is embarrassed of his mother!! How can that be, you wonder? Well I thought the same thing. Who in the world would be embarrassed to be seen with me? Well, his name is Pk and he is a lot cooler than me and therefore I am not allowed to talk to him when we turn the corner near is bus stop. I am not to touch him, or hug him or heaven forbid give him a kiss goodbye. To make matters worse, I can't even say goodbye to him in front of his friends. I have to whisper it to him and then he gives me a half-wave goodbye. But of course the half-wave his behind his back so no one else can see it.

I am heart broken about this. I thought that maybe this stage would hit when he was about 10 or 12 but 7? I don't want to be one of those mothers that kisses their kids goodbye in front of their friends, even though the child doesn't want them to. But to not even give me a nice wave goodbye? Am I really that embarrassing? Depends on who you ask.

We made a deal and I can give him a hug and a kiss before we leave the house to go to the bus stop. And then once we turn the corner where the other kids can see him I have to stop there and let him walk the rest of the way by himself. So I am being told how close to walk to him, and when to hide so he doesn't have to be seen with his mother. Pretty pathetic if you ask me!

Golfing

2009-03-02T08:33:00.000-08:00

Our condo in Mesquite was right off a driving range. So we all decided that we would try to golf. There are a few in this group who love to golf, and there are a few who think that maybe it's not the funnest thing to do. (That would be me)!

My mom and Lex who I think was tired out from all the fun.

We were bored waiting for our turn so we took lots of pics.

Trying to take a pic with Tan acting normal is hard. This is the best that we could do.

Lex taking her turn. She hit the ball which is more than I can say for her mother!

Chad showing everyone his skills.

Yup I look like a pro!! I hit the ball a couple of times, I just don't look very good when I do it.

Pk getting help from his Papa. After this he wouldn't let anyone help him.

If Pk got help from Papa then Tan had to also.

And so then it was Lex's turn. No one could be left out from the wisdom of their Papa!

Broken Heart

2009-02-24T07:26:00.001-08:00

This past weekend we went to Mesquite for a little vacation with my family. The condo that we stayed in didn't allow pets, so we had to board our dog Lucky. This was very hard on the kids for some reason. Yes, I felt bad having to leave her, but I was more excited about the break I was going to get from her.

As we were walking her into the Vet's, Tan looked at me and said, "Mom I have a crack in my heart." I asked why trying not to laugh because he was so serious. He replied, "My heart is breaking that we have to leave Lucky." Well that makes perfect sense. Of course your heart will have a crack if it's breaking, so I told him to give Lucky a big hug so that his heart can feel better.

Three days later we went to pick her up. As we were walking in the exact same spot as before Tan looked at me and said, "Mom, my heart is turning from black to red. It's not broken anymore." So there you have it. If you love your pet enough, your heart will crack when you leave it, and may even turn black, but you can always pick them up and heal your heart right back up.

Thank you Lucky for always making our hearts feel good no matter what you do!

The Phone Call

2009-02-11T09:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday it happened; I got the phone call that every parent dreads when they put their kids into school. The phone call from..... the teacher! This particular teacher called as soon as school got out and my immediate thought was that my child had gotten sick at school. NOPE! My sweet, lovable, melt you with one look Tanner was flipping people off at school. She told me what happened and explained that the only reason she was calling was to let me know that Tan was upset. So I hurried and called Chad to ask him what the punishment was going to be. After his shock, he said that crying in front of your kindergarten class was punishment enough for the kid. That is a typical boy response. Well, I was going to take care of this and I was all set to get mad, and then he stepped off the bus. One look at his face and I felt so bad for him. His eyes were red and puffy and he was trying to pretend that nothing was wrong.

As soon as I took him into his room to talk to him the tears started all over again. His story was he was flipping himself off. HUH? How and why do you flip yourself off? Do you get satisfaction from flipping yourself off as you would say someone who was bugging you? I will never know because I could not ask the questions. I had to send him on his way before I laughed at the situation. I always thought that I would get the teacher call because my children were amazing and they just had to call to tell me! Instead my child goes around flipping himself off. I guess it could have been worse and he could have been flipping his teacher off. Thank goodness for small blessings!

Potty Mouth

2009-02-05T18:32:00.000-08:00

We have a problem in our house. We use bad words all the time. Me and Chad say them to each other, we say them to the kids, and they same them to everyone. In fact, my dad has requested that if we say these words upstairs we owe him a dollar.

What are these words you ask? Here goes: nerd, dork and duff. Yes, I know that these aren't the most loving words. I can't help myself though. They just come out and I can't stop myself. Sometimes I can think of no other word to describe what my children are at that moment. Sometimes I think they are nerds, and I think Chad is a big dork a lot of the times. I don't know how to stop.

And then I realized why I do this. My mother used to call me a butthead when I was little. Yes, you heard me, a butthead. She swears she would never say such a thing, but you can ask my sister's and they will agree. My brother has no recollection, but this is coming from a guy whose nickname growing up was "BG booger butt." So of course he wouldn't remember me being called butthead, he was to busy trying to shake off his own nickname.

Now I think I turned out semi-normal after all the abuse I had to endure.(HE HE). So I am hoping that my kids will turn out just fine with all the loving nicknames that they have to overcome. Let's face it: with me being their mother they are going to have to endure a lot more than some potty words I use to describe them. PK will always have to live down the other nickname he has: Parker Poopers!

Thankful

2009-01-29T09:18:00.001-08:00

Lately it seems that I have been a little depressed. I always get like this towards the middle of the winter. I call it my "winter blues". We spend to many days stuck inside, which leads to more kids fighting. I have also realized that when I am stuck inside I think more negatively about everything going on in my life. I always think about what I don't have, instead of what I do. My friend Kristina has written on her blog all the things that she is grateful for so I thought to get me out of my winter blues I am going to do the same; so her goes.

I am grateful for Chad having a job. He recently got a new one, and I can see how much happier he is. He no longer has to get up at 3:30 in the morning, which means he can now stay up past 8! WOO HOO! Now it is me who usually goes to bed before him.

I am grateful for my parents. We have been living with them for a year now, (Happy Anniversary mom and dad)! This wasn't initially the plan, but due to unforseen circumstances we are here longer. They have never once pressured us to move, or told me they are tired of us, (even though I can see an occasional eye roll dad), and that makes me so grateful. My children have grown closer to them, and I know that when we do move, Lex will be destroyed. She has 2 breaksfasts' in the morning. One on her own, one sitting on my mom's lap eating hers. She has 3 dinners, hers, my dad's and then my mom's. And Pk includes them in all his family stuff at school. He had to draw a picture of his family, and Papa and Grandma were included. Yesterday, Tan had art class and I asked him if I could take him. He told me no, Papa was going to take him. I asked him if I could take him just once, and he told me no again. "What would Papa do then mom?" I will always be grateful to my parents for letting us live here, and I hope my children will always remember how close they were to their grandparents.

I am grateful for my children. Yes, I do need to remind myself of this. They have been little buggers lately, being cooped up inside. But, what would I do without them? I love each one of them and they make me smile, laugh, cry, pull out my hair and yell like I've never heard myself yell. I love every minute of it.

Tv Review

2009-01-22T12:36:00.000-08:00

Here is my update on my no TV for a week rule.
Day 1: Not so bad because it was a holiday and the boys played with their cousin most of the day.
Day 2: I caved in a little on this day. I knew that PK would be watching the inauguration on TV at school and I wanted Tanner to watch it as well. I thought it was very important for them to know who the new President was and to be able to watch history being made. After he took the oath of office we turned it off.
Day 3: I had to stop myself from caving on this day. I was not in a very good mood, and I didn't want to have to entertain them. It worked out fine, though. Tan had his art class that kept him busy, so I only had to deal with one whiney boy instead of two.
Day 4: TV has been on ALL DAY and I DO NOT CARE! We made it four days, I think I could technically count that as a week!

Oh come On!

2009-01-18T13:18:00.000-08:00

I discovered something this morning that I knew was happening, I just didn't know to what extent. I was making the kids breakfast and I turned around to discover that Pk was taking a piece of toast and then walking in to the family room to sit in front of the TV. I have noticed him and Tan doing this before, but I have never really stopped it because I was too rushed to worry about it. Since I wasn't able to start school this semester I thought now is the time to change a couple of things that have been pushed aside.

So I stopped what I was doing and declared to everyone that this week is going to be a NO TV WEEK! This not only includes TV shows and movies, I told them that it also includes the Wii. Their reply? "Oh come on!"

I'm tired of my kids waking up at 6:30 in the morning to watch it. Then they come home from school and immediately turn it on. I also have a two year old little girl who is addicted to I Carly. For those of you who do not know what that show is, lets just say a two year old should not be watching it, let alone have the shows memorized. It's going to make this week a very long and dreadful week, but hopefully we may be able to get rid of some of our bad habits.

And what the kids don't know is that I'm sure the TV will be on when Lex is asleep and they are at school. And I'm most definetly not going to give up my primetime shows once I put the kids to bed. I at least have to make this week bearable some how. And besides, maybe the kids will learn a lesson about to much TV. They just don't have to know about my addiction to it!

The Art of Sledding

2009-01-14T07:17:00.000-08:00

This past weekned we went sledding with some of our favorite friends. The kids had an awesome time, the adults had an even better time. I don't know what it is about sledding that makes you feel like a kid again. And because you start to feel like a kid, you start to act like one as well. I get so excited to do things, then I realize that I have a little more weight on me and the fall is going to hurt a lot worse than when I was a kid. I think I went down three times before the BIG ONE, and after that I realized that my bum was never going to be the same again.

Making the trek up the huge hill

Chad and his best buds. They are all so different, yet get along great. I'm so glad that they are all friends.

Lex in between her crying fit

Chad attempting the hill.

Tan enjoying the snow

The three boys ready for take-off

Look how adorable they all are!

Skiing 101

2009-01-04T16:11:00.000-08:00

Last week I went skiing for the first time in 15 years. The last time that I went skiing I threw up in my dad's ski boot so I haven't really been allowed to go since then. It was my brother-in-laws 30th birthday and my sister knows how much he loves to ski. So she roped us into going along with them. After all the planning that was involved it ended up being me, my sister, brother and brother-in-law that went.

The first lesson that I learned is when you are borrowing someone ski's make sure that the boot fits into the binding of the ski. I learned this the hard way. All four of us got on the same lift, and right as I sat down, my ski flew off. The people behind us picked it up and dropped it off to me at the next stop. Me and my brother started going down the hill and I actually started to get a little confident in myself. I had a huge smile on my face and started going even faster and then CRASH! My ski flew off. I picked myself up and tried to get my ski on for the next 10 minutes then took off again. It flew off again but this time my leg twisted with it and I hurt my knee, bruised my bum, and scraped my back from the fall. This continued until my brother noticed that my boot didn't fit with the ski. Awesome! It took me an hour to make it down the hill without killing myself. I took the ski off, sent my brother down the hill again and waited for my sister which takes us to lesson number two.

Don't try and go down a huge slope on a snowboard when you have never done it before. My sister has never tried to ski, let alone snowboard, and she thought it would be easy to just get on and "smoke it" down the hill. This quickly changed as she got off the lift and immediately fell. This worker ran over to help her up and as soon as she got upright, she fell again. After these two times of falling she scooted herself over to the side of the mountain, and decided that she was done. My brother and I took off while her husband tried and tried to get her up, but it didn't matter. Everytime she stood up she fell and gave up after two hours. After that she took the snowboard off and walked the rest of the way down the mountain. We came up with a different plan.

Lesson number three: If there is a bunny hill you should try that first instead of the slope. My brother and brother in law took off and I took my sister to the bunny hill where she could stand and actually go down a couple of feet without falling. She did much better and I realized we should have taken her down that first. Was it more fun watching her try to go down the slope? VERY! We had a great day and I can't wait to try it again; as soon as my bum heals, I can walk with no pain, and my muscles aren't screaming at me everytime I move.

Mrs. Clause Big Mistake

2008-12-29T08:07:00.001-08:00

A couple of weeks before Christmas, Mrs. Clause had a great idea. She saw in a magazine a basketball hoop for her 7 year old. Not just any basketball hoop; this had a double sided hoop that timed you and counted the baskets that you made. PERFECT! Mrs. Clause put it in their shed and forgot about it until Christmas Eve.

Mrs. Clause came into the family room ,after putting children to bed ,and what she saw kind of left her in shock. This basketball hoop that Santa and his helper had been assembling for about 30 min. looked like a big pile of crap. There were screws everywhere, poles in every direction and two not very happy looking people. Now what Mrs. Clause hadn't realized was that the basketball hoop was about 7 feet tall, my guess is 8 feet long and Santa and his helper had no idea where to put the thing. Mrs. Clause suggested the toy room so they moved it in there. Then my bright little sister realized that there was no plug in that room to plug the thing in. Plug it in? Mrs. Clause thought that it would need a couple of batteries and that would be it!

3 Hours later (11:30 PM) the hoop was set up, Santa had been up for 21 hours, his helper had been up about almost 19, and the two of them kept glaring at Mrs. Clause. I have no idea why!

The hoop. I swear to you this picture does not do it justice. The thing is HUGE!

The kids other toys are stuck in this room forever. They can't get to them to get them out.

The very excited 7 year old!

Parker and the "helper" amazed at what was before them.

Mrs. Clause learned to look at the size of things on the boxes that she buys. Santa learned never to trust his wife when it came to deciding what the children should get. The helper learned to never offer up his services again. But, Parker loved it and that's all that matters.

Let it Snow!

2008-12-21T08:54:00.000-08:00

The past couple of days we have gotten quite a bit of snow. The first day that it started, the kids got so excited that they immediately put on all their snow gear and ran outside. Since then, we have more than doubled the snow on the yard, but on this day, this was all the snow that we needed!

Chad practicing for our big ski trip in a couple of weeks! He's never been, but maybe practicing on the hill in the front yard will be enough so he doesn't break a leg.

Pk and Lex at the bottom of the hill. Lex took off down the hill with nobody knowing and Pk ran over to catch her from going into the middle of the street.

Lex doesn't seem fazed that she scared anyone. She got down the hill and started eating the snow that had collected on her glove.

Tan starting the whole thing. I looked up and Tan had a determined look on his face and the next thing I know he took off!

Tan getting snow off his dad's truck.

Pk shoveling the little bit of snow that we had got. Little did he know that the next couple of days he would be out there a whole lot more.

All bundled up for the cold.

Tan dancing because he was so happy to be outside.

Lex happily eating the snow. That's all she did, we just had to explain that if it was yellow she couldn't put it in her mouth. Hopefully, she listened.

Is this a sign?

2008-12-10T07:49:00.001-08:00

So, this is the week before my finals. I have been dreading this week since I started since I remember how stressful they can be. I went to my night class and he gave me some great news. My final was going to be a take home one! Yay! Then he said that it would be three essay questions that had to be 2-3 pages long. Oh! Well at least I get to do them at home.

On the way home I heard a song that was talking about it being a brand new day. I was starting to get really pumped up and thinking I can handle this. Then I walked through the door.

Lexie came running up to see me excited and happy. I picked her up and started walking downstairs, and she threw up all over me. I ran her to the kitchen to clean myself up, and she threw up all over herself, the counter, and the floor. I tried to clean everything up but Lexie was screaming, and my poor mother cleaned up the mess, while I cleaned Lexie and myself off. I took her downstairs and found out that Chad had been throwing up too. Brand new day, huh?

The flu ended up not being that bad between the two of them, and the next day I went to my other class where I heard some more great news. This final will be a take home one as well! He's going to give me three essay questions that need to be 3 pages long! I did the math in my head and this weekend I will be writing 15 pages of essay questions. I think this might be a sign of how well my finals are going to go. So, get ready my two siblings who proof-read for me. Your going to have a busy weekend!

Friday Nights

2008-12-06T13:07:00.000-08:00

On Friday nights we have a tradition in our family. We pull out all the mattresses, blankets, pillows, and we have a camp-out. We put on a movie, pop some popcorn, and go to sleep when everyone gets tired. I love it because I get to have all of my kids in one room. The kids love it because they get to stay up late, and eat junk. Chad hasn't quite learned to love it yet!

Me and Lex ready for our fun filled night.

Mom and the boys. I'm getting a little tired, but I made it a goal to stay up later than the kids.

Chad wishing that he was in his happy place. He tends to go there a lot in his mind.

The kids watching their movie, and Lucky wishing that she could eat the popcorn. She was waiting for one of them to drop a piece.

These were the last happy memories from the night.

Tanner jumping on the mattress, which we don't allow because some little kid, not naming names, gets hurt a lot when he is doing this!

Tanner in time out because of the jumping on the mattress incident.

Parker and Lexie sharing a nice bowl of popcorn.

Lexie deciding that she didn't want to share anymore and tried to get away with taking the whole bowl for herself.

Lexie crying because Parker found her and she had to share the bowl again.

I found Chad in the pitch black in one of the bedrooms, talking on the phone. He was trying to hide from all the kids, but he can't hide from me! I dragged him back out there to help.

Why do we do this? Because the kids won't let us forget, and because we keep hoping that one of these times we may actually make it throught the night with no crying or fighting. Good luck to us!

The Leaf Blower

2008-12-01T07:43:00.000-08:00

Our Thanksgiving was very quite this year. It was my parents and most of my siblings, except for the one that decide's to live as for away as possible from her family! The kids had a lot of fun with their cousin and they were all very hyper most of the day. Now, it wasn't the turkey that was making them excited. It wasn't the pie that they had to look forward to, or being able to stuff their faces the entire day. No, it was the excitement of the leaf blower.

The kids went outside to play in the sandbox because it was such a nice day. They all got so dirty that their Papa told them they couldn't come inside until they got clean. That's when Papa pulled out the leaf blower. As soon as the kids saw this, they ran back to the sandbox and covered themselves in sand. They were rolling aorund in it, pouring it over their heads, just to see how much sand could be blown off of them.

After this, the blowing began:

Pk picked up the dog so that she could take the majority of the hit.

Miranda who his so little that it looked like the power of the wind was going to blow her away.

Tan thinking that the dirtiest part of him was his bum. He was probably right!

I love this weather

2008-11-19T12:19:00.000-08:00

Today was such a beautiful day! We went and played outside in the morning because it was so nice. I love that its the middle of November and it stills feels like early October! I know that I have said it before but this is my favorite time of year!

Lexie and Mya playing with some rocks, because the sand was to wet to play in.

Lexie and Mya torturing Lucky. It's what they do best.

Lexie had major attitude and she wouldn't turn and look at me. She kept saying "No momma!"

All three looking down the window well at all the balls that have been kicked down there. I think this time it was number 3!

This is in the front yard. I love the color that these leaves change to.

Tan up in his fort. Notice that he doesn't have a jacket on. Are you jealous Lindsay??

Playing in the field behind the house. This was covered in snow two weeks ago and the dirt was completely dry now. I know that I should be praying for some moisture but I don't want to. This is too perfect!

She did it!

2008-11-18T10:36:00.000-08:00

My little Lexie has done the impossible! She has gone twice on the big girl potty. She runs up to me and says that she needs to go, and SHE GOES! This is exciting, but the most exciting part is that she didn't try and stand up to do it. Yes, she has been trying to go to the potty while standing in front of it, like a boy. She would swirl her little hips around and around and when you would ask her what she was doing, she would tell you she was going pee like Parker and Tanner! This was then a lesson to Parker and Tanner to close the door while going to the bathroom so there little sister wouldn't watch them. All we can hope for is that this will continue, but in the mean time, GOOD JOB LEX!!

You're not 30?

2008-11-13T07:14:00.000-08:00

Have I ever mentioned that I am not a big fan of my birthday? I kind of don't like getting older, and I think they are a little depressing. Well, my birthday is in the near future and this nice person came to drop of some cookies for me at the beginning of the week. Very thoughtful, and I really enjoy talking to her but I don't think we can be friends any longer!

We were talking about birthdays and how they are not fun once you get passed a certain age. You can no longer throw yourself birthday parties and you don't get to be the queen for the day at school anymore. And she happened to say, "Ya you know when you hit like 30 they get worse and worse right?" I kind of just blurted out, not very nicely, "I'm not 30!" She looks astonished for a minute and then goes, "You're not?" Now come on! There is nothing wrong with being 30, if that's how old you are. But when you are not 30 and people are acting surprised by that then I think there may be a problem.

I now have come to the realization that I look not only my age, but older than my age as well. I am at the age where my 7 year old makes fun of how old I am. I am at the age where my husband, who looks like he is 12, may soon look like my child. And after talking about all of this I think I feel a wrinkle on my face. This birthday may top the most depressing of all. Not only am I getting older, but apparently people are going to be surprised that I'm not older than I am! Can you imagine what I'll be like next year when I actually hit 30!!!

Halloween Fun

2008-11-03T12:54:00.000-08:00

Halloween was so much fun this year. This year we made the kids work hard for their candy and took them all over the neighborhood trying to get as much as we could! I technically took Lex on two streets and then came home with her. But, I told Chad that he couldn't come home until the boys bags were filled to the top. That way I would have a bigger selection to look through after they went to bed!

Tanner and Parker's pumpkins. This was the first year we let them carve them, by themsleves. After we saw them both handle a knife we quickly changed our minds and helped them.

Mine and Chad's and Lexie's Chad got so into carving he hid the pumpkin from everyone until he was finished. Strange considering he didn't want to carve in the first place.

Everyone on their way out the door!

Pk was batman. This was a last minute purchase after the other costume fell through. Lesson for me: Do not procrastinate!

The boys school had a parade that day and me and Chad kept seeing all these students dressed like nerds. I immediately thought of Chad (he, he) and we put this costume together in five minutes. Sad thing was, some of this we borrowed from my dad, who had worn this stuff some time in his life. Huh, maybe I dressed up the wrong person to be the nerd!

Tan as a skeleton. Like I said last minute costume, and I bought it too small, I thought it would fit. He had the biggest wedgie all day!

Lex, who had a great time trick or treating. She got so good at it, that eventually kids would walk by her and she would take the treats out of their bags without them knowing. I taught her well!

Is it Lunchtime yet?

2008-10-29T07:35:00.000-07:00

Are dog Lucky knows exactly when its lunchtime. As soon as I put Lexie in her highchair the dog goes and sits under it hoping to catch the food that falls from Lexie's attempts at trying to get the food in her mouth. Lucky always gets quite full!

She's making begging noises while waiting for the food.

My Smartness part 2

2008-10-26T09:29:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I have been in school for about two months now, and this past week was midterms. Now I did not know this until someone from my class happenend to mention how many tests she was going to be taking. Then I looked down at my syllabus, and the doom set in. I had yet to take a test, just the ever popular quizzes, and my heart started to race and my palms started to sweat. Then a thought occurred to me; where is the testing center in the first place?

With a very detailed map, which a girl in my class drew for me, I found it! It was really crowded and a lot bigger than I remembered. I walked in there with my student id and my number 2 pencil and loudly said my name and class. That's when I noticed a couple of people looking at me and the girl at the counter shaking their heads. So, I must have been more nervous than I thought because I didn't think I was that loud. Then I remembered that I am used to yelling at the top of my lungs to be heard, so I think I need to tone it down a little.

I started the test and began to feel very confident in myself, almost to the point of cocky. This was going to be so easy. I sailed through to number 25 and then got to number 26; I didn't understand the question so how was I going to answer it? I did what they tell you to do, which was process of elimination. But what they don't tell you is what you do after that, when you still have 2 possible answers? Then I remebered that they say when in doubt put C. Well, what if C isn't an option? This continued for the next 25 minutes, where I then decided to just put down an answer and leave. I got my score, (which is totally irrevelant), and went home defeated.

Next, I had to write 2 papers for another class and decided to send them to my very smart, annoyingly so, older brother to read. When you get a phone call that starts out, "Do you have a pencil ready", you know you're in trouble. 45 minutes later, I turned in some well written papers, so Brad I hope you get an A. Because they were pretty darn good!

Parent's Trait's

2008-10-19T08:03:00.000-07:00

When I was little I thought of all the trait's that I possessed and wondered which ones I would pass down to my children. I didn't have much that I wanted my children to have, but for some reason those are the ones they inherited.

In the first picture you see Parker and Chad, who no matter what they try in the athletic field, they accomplish it and are pretty good at whatever it is.

Chad getting on the skateboard, which he hasn't been on in years, and he picks up right where he left off. Kind of not fair!

Then there is Parker. We made him lay down on it because he didn't have his pads or helmet on. But, he took off going full speed laughing the whole time.
Lexie, didn't want to be left out, got right on the skateboard and was pushing herself around and around.
Then, you have me and Tanner. We are one in the same when it comes to our coordination skills. Which means, that we have none. When you can trip going up stairs, and then continue to slide all the way back down, you might be lacking in your ability to even stand upright sometimes. Yes, I in fact tripped this past week while my children looked on laughing!
Tanner, who was so excited to be on his scooter on flat terrain. We live on a hill so we had to take them to the church parking lot so they wouldn't decide to see how fast they could make it down the hill.

Maybe 2 minutes later he had already fallen off his scooter and scraped up his whole arm. Tanner should probably be the poster child for why you wear helmets.
So after that he decided he was done with the scooter and he was going to try the skateboard. But as you can see, he is headed straight for Lexie's bike completely unaware that there is going to be a crash in his near future!
After his crash with the bike, he decided his safest bet would be to get on the little bike, because even if he fell, the damage would be minimal. I'm so sorry Tan that you had to inherit this. But hey, at least you also inherited my looks!! HE HE

7 Years old

2008-10-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

I am officially old! Parker's birthday was this week, and all I keep thinking is that I have a seven year old! Where did all the time go? I love Parker's birthday's because it reminds me of how lucky I am to have him. We had a hard time getting him here seven years ago, and I thought that after carrying him for nine months I would never get to hold him, and he would never get to meet me. Now, I have a very lovable, sensitive, sarcastic, gross little boy that I wouldn't trade for the world. HAPPY BIRTHDAY PARKER!!!

Pk with his balloons he got in the morning, since he had school that day

His cake. Yes, that is a soccer ball, not a spotted cow!
With his new coat. My brother wouldn't come over unless we watched the debate, so in all the pictures, the TV is in the background. At least we will remember what was going on that year.
His new skateboard! Keep watching for when I tell you about all the broken bones he has because of this thing
The finale! He had a great day, I think. He is now 7 so he can't show too much excitement, it's not cool!

Stay at Home Mom's RULE

2008-10-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

I've had a really eye opening experience the last two days. I went to my night class, where they started talking about stay at home mom's. They said that if I lived outside of Utah, I would be looked at as weird. I raised my hand and replied, "I don't think I would be considered weird. I would think they would say that I was Lucky."

Then today I went to my afternoon class. Don't remember how we got on the subject, (Don't think I was paying attention), but all I heard was someone say that all that stay at home mom's do is sit on their butt and make brownies for their kids, and bug their kids teacher's because they are bored and have nothing better to do! What the crap!!! This, coming from some punk eighteen year old boy, yes I did say boy, who has probably never experienced anything in his life. And how would he know what they do all day?

So, I say that we ROCK! Who else would want to deal with tantrums, and yelling, and the chocolate stains on their shirts! (But, in all fairness the chocolate stains are from me, not my children)!! We do laundry, and cook, and clean, and yes sometimes I even talk to my childrens teacher's! It's out of love, not boredom. And I wish that I could sit around all day being bored and eating brownies! But if I did that then I would have to share the brownies with my children, which I don't intend on doing. My point is, whether you work or stay at home people need to stop having misconceptions about both!

And while we are at it, does anyone have a really good brownie recipe? HA HA!!

My Mischevious Lexie

2008-10-07T08:50:00.001-07:00

When I found out that I was having a girl, I was excited, but I also didn't believe it. I told everyone that we were not one hundred percent sure until she came out and we saw for ourselves. I was so happy to have a sweet little angel, to love, and cuddle, and who would do no wrong!

WRONG! You know when they say that you will get payback when you have your own kids? I didn't do anything wrong as a child to have payback! I have had bronchitis and she took full advantage of her mom being down. I was writing a paper and as I was about to push save, she turns of the whole computer. Paper lost! She took a pen and wrote and Grandma's couches, sorry Grandma! She hit her brother, took books off their bookshelf, ripped a book all with this smile on her face. So I ask you, how do you get mad at this?
Payback, huh? Must be her dad's fault!

Anger

2008-10-01T15:51:00.000-07:00

So me and my sister were talking on the phone one day, both complaining about how onery we were getting around a certain time of the month. We both said it was getting worse the older we got. Then on that same day I was cleaning out my e-mail, and happened to come across this one that my mom had sent me awhile back. I think it fits perfect and also made me laugh, and brightened up my day just a little!

Subject: Always...This is an actual letter from an Austin woman sent to American company Proctor and Gamble regarding their feminine products. She really gets rolling after the first paragraph. It's PC Magazine's 2007 editors' choice for best webmail-award-winning letter.

Dear Mr. Thatcher,I have been a loyal user of your 'Always' maxi pads for over 20 years and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core or Dri-Weave absorbency, I'd probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I'd certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there's a little F-16 in my pants.

Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? Ever suffered from the curse'? I'm guessing you haven't. Well, my time of the month is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I'll be transformed into what my husband likes to call 'an inbred hillbilly with knife skills.' Isn't the human body amazing?As Brand Manager in the Feminine-Hygiene Division, you've no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customer's monthly visits from 'Aunt Flo'. Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it's a tough time for most women. In fact, only last week, my friend Jennifer fought the violent urge to shove her boyfriend's testicles into a George Foreman Grill just because he told her he thought Grey's Anatomy was written by drunken chimps. Crazy!

The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants... Which brings me to the reason for my letter. Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi-pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: 'Have a Happy Period.'Are you f------ kidding me? What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness - actual smiling, laughing happiness, is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unless you're some kind of sick S&M freak, there will never be anything 'happy' about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don't march down to the local Walgreen's armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory.For the love of God, pull your head out, man! If you have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn't it make more sense to say something that's actually pertinent, like 'Put down the Hammer' or 'Vehicular Manslaughter is Wrong', or are you just picking on us?Sir, please inform your Accounting Department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flex-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bullshit. And that's a promise I will keep.

Always.Best,Wendi AaronsAustin , TX

I Love Fall

2008-09-27T14:53:00.000-07:00

I LOVE fall. This is my favorite time of year! Every year I forget that this is the time of year where I absolutely LOVE Utah. We went up through the Alpine Loop and stopped everytime that we could find a place to pull over. We also went to Cascade Springs which I don't ever remember going through, but it was awesome! The loop was crowded, the parking lots were crowded, and none of us cared because we were having so much fun.

Parker on one of our hikes
This was up at Cascade Springs
Me and Lex standing underneath a tree. Lex in trance number one out of exhaustion
Lex in trance number two

The boys proud of themselves for making it up this steep slope
Lex showing us her pretty leaf that she held onto the whole time

I know there are a ton of pics but I couldn't choose my favorites. At least I didn't put the hundred that I took while we were up there!

Thank you Teacher's

2008-09-25T15:52:00.000-07:00

Today I went on a field trip with Pk and his first grade class. We went up to Granite Flats, and it was such a long day. I didn't do much (as always) but I still feel tired. So, thank you to all the teachers out there. We were on a bus with three other classes, and it was so loud and the teacher's thought nothing of it. They knew exactly what to do, and where to go once we got up there. Teachers are so patient and it's amazing to me that they can do this. So thank you teachers, I'm glad someone can be patient with my energetic, opioniated, awesome little guy. But, it was a great time and I'm glad I went so that I could remember to appreciate his teacher a little bit more than I have!

Siblings

2008-09-22T09:20:00.001-07:00

Sometimes it's kind of nice to be reminded that your children like each other. With all the constant fighting, yelling, tattling, and Lexie saying, "Tanner won't share me," it's nice to walk into a room and see that first once, they may actually like each other!

My Smartness

2008-09-15T20:22:00.000-07:00

So I thought that I would give everyone a little update on my first month of school. Now, I have one class that the professor thinks that it is quite fun to give you reading assignments. Now, I know that when I say college, you expect there to be reading. But, the amount that he gives me is to some, a little insane.

So I started reading all the numerous pages that I was assigned. I did it as I was helping a six year old study his spelling words, trying to get a five year old to do his reading, and get my 2 year old to stop telling me how hungry she is. I know some of you might say that you should feed her if she is hungry, but she's telling me this as she is shoving handfuls of pretzel's into her mouth. Well, I eventually finished and I went to class pretty confident in myself. First thing the professor does is pull up a quiz! Now my heart started to race just a little because I haven't taken anything resembaling a quiz in 7 years. But there I sat in my desk taking this quiz with my number 2 pencil. I finished and felt proud that I had survived my first official quiz.

Then he said that we were going to score them right then and there. That was ok by me because I know that I did awesome. We began, and guess what? Number one, WRONG! Number two, WRONG! Number three, RIGHT! Number four and five were WRONG! I got one out of five right. You might think that I was embarrassed, but no not me. I politley asked the professor if this was going to be a big part of our grade. He laughed and said, Don't worry, unless you got, like, one right! Laughter throughout the class, and yes I laughed too so no one would know that I was the sorry person that got one right. Took another one Wed. got 5 out of ten. Hey, improved by four. Took the exact same quiz today as last time and got 7 right. YES!! So I must say, I am either getting way smarter, or I'm just learning how to guess a lot better!!

CABIN TRIP

2008-09-12T08:06:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went up to our family cabin for a night. Even though it was just for one night we had a great time. On Sunday (we had Stake Conf, and yes for us that is a free day), we took the kids up to Sundance to walk around. It was really relaxing and the kids had a lot of fun.

Tanner in his gangsta shirt with his gangsta pose. Pretty cool huh!
Pk trying to copy his brother! He might also be making fun of him. I'm not sure!
I tried to take the pic myself. Instead I just made my face look really fat.
Tan was begging to take a pic and this is his masterpiece.

Me and Lex. Yes, I was tired!
My adorable kids posing for yet another picture

I wish that we would remember to go up to the cabing more often. It's not that far away, but its so relaxing when you're there. If any of you need a break, I suggest you go for a ride up in the mountains. Especially this time of year. It's beautiful!

Stressed!

2008-09-10T08:22:00.000-07:00

Ok I need help with how to relax! Any suggestions? I realized last night that I am way to stressed. I yelled at the kids all night long, yelled at Chad, and was getting annoyed with my parents. I thought, what is wrong with these people? Can't they all just act normal? Then as I was yelling for the tenth time Parker says, "Gol mom, your onery!" First of all, I was not onery just annoyed. Second, if they would all stop bugging me then I wouldn't have to be annoyed, and third, I AM STRESSED!

My school is not fun, half the time I can't even help Pk or Tan with there's and for some reason, (don't know why she does this, honest), Lex screams for whatever she wants. So I need help on how not to be stressed. I wish I could stop eating but oh well!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEX

2008-09-07T15:46:00.001-07:00

It was my baby girl's birthday last week. And let me be the first to say that she did it! She finally did it! She has hit the TERRIBLE TWO'S!! She had such a fun time being the "princess" for the day and being the center of attention. And she did love all of her presents. I absolutely love having a girl and I hope that we will always be able to be close, just like me and my mom are. But it might be nice to not have the whining, crying, temper tantrum throwing diva attitude for maybe an hour. I think I might be asking to much though. But we all love her anyway. Happy Birthday Lexie!!

I'm opening the present for her because apparently I was to excited to wait for her to do it.
Yes that is a wand if you can't tell. For our Princess Lexie.
Lex getting to hold her new baby cousin Grace for the first time on her birthday. She is officially a big girl now.
Lexie the Diva at our cabin the following day. All the attention seeking carried over to the next day. Can you tell?

Rainy Days

2008-09-01T14:57:00.001-07:00

We were wondering what to do on Labor Day, when we drove passed a park that had flooded with all the rain that we had received that day. The kids thought that this would be "So Cool" if we could stop and play in it. Since we had nothing else to do we decided to let them have at it.

Parker was "brave" enough to wade out into the middle of the pond. I think he regretted that decision as soon as he was out there.

Tanner's teeth would not stop chattering because he was so cold. They are not used to 60 degree weather!
Little Miss Dare Devil who immediately took off when she saw the water.
"The Pond"

The boys slowly walking to their fate
I made their dad get in their with them. I was the only smart person that stayed out. (I was also the only one wearing jeans and you all know what happens to jeans when they get wet. CLAUSTROPHOBIC!!)
Pk making sure that his sister wasn't going to fall. That or he was getting ready to shove her head and make her fall in. I choose to beleive the first. The second is what happened.
Tanner was screaming because he was so cold. He thought the louder he screamed the warmer he would get.
All in all it was a lot of fun. But next time I might want to remember to have towels waiting for them when they get out!

My Turn

2008-08-27T15:31:00.000-07:00

I thought that since I have been doing these tributes to my children on their first day of school, I mine as well do one to myself! I am going back to school tonight and let me tell you I am right now, this very minute, PETRIFIED!! I now think that this might have been a mistake, and if I wasn't as old as I am I would be crying to my mother to please not make me go. So if any of you call me or try to contact me in any way and I don't answer than you know that I ran away and might possibly never return! GOOD LUCK TO ME!

My stylin back pack that I think is going to make me look really cool. (Yes, I know, most people could care less about what your bag looks like, but mine will be the exception).
Me REALLY REALLY excited. (Can't you tell)?

HIgh School

2008-08-26T07:20:00.000-07:00

High School Tag (Thanks a lot Jen. You probably know all the answers and just wanted me to have to admit it to everyone)

1. Did you date someone from your school? I dated people that had at one point gone to my school, but had graduated a couple years before me!

2. What kind of car did you drive? Two, one was a jeep wrangler, then I wrecked my dads car so ,he made me drive a chevy truck. That truck was awesome!

3. Were you a party animal? No

5. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? No

6. Were you a nerd? Depends on who you ask

7. Were you on any varsity teams? No

8. Did you get suspended/expelled? One day from seminary!

9. Can you still sing the fight song? Never knew it to begin with

10. Who were your favorite teachers? I blocked them all out of my head!

11. Where did you sit during lunch? We left school or we sat by my locker

12. What was your school's full name? Pleasant Grove High School

13. School mascot? I think the Vikings

14. If you could go back and do it again, would you? If I knew what the outcome would be then sure

15. What do you remember most about graduation? Leaving and never having to go back

16. Where did you go senior skip day? Honestly can't remember. Must not have been that exciting

17. Were you in any clubs? No

18. Have you gained some weight since then? Ha Ha more than I care to admit

19. Who was your prom date? I went to 4 proms. Jordan, John, Jessie, and I can't not for the life of me remember the name of the other guy. Sorry to whoever you are

20.Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion? It was this year and I did not go and probably will never go. Unless I become famous, lose all the weight, marry Brad Pitt, and am worth more than 20 million dollars. Then maybe I would consider it. MAYBE

1ST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

2008-08-25T08:11:00.000-07:00

Tan starts kindergarten today and I have never seen a little boy more excited. He was up at six and he has not stopped asking when he gets to go to school. He was ready when we dropped his brother off and was devastated to learn he had to wait a couple more hours. And this is a little boy who I have been so nervous about starting. He is very quiet and shy and actually is ok to play by himself. I realized this morning that he doesn't mind all this. He doesn't care that he plays by himself, to him, he prefers it that way. So I may not need to worry about him in school after all. (Cross fingers)!

I'm going to miss him in the afternoons when it was just him and I. It might actually be a little lonely. Not lonely enough to stop giving Lexie naps, but just lonely enough to ache when I think of him in school, sitting at his little table, learning all his exciting new things. So, good luck Tanner I know that you are going to do great!

Isn't he adorable? Can you see why I am going to miss him?

DOGGY DILEMMA

2008-08-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

LUCKY (MY DILEMMA)

I first off want to start by saying that I really do love this dog. With that being said, does anyone want her? She is like having another child! She is frusturating, annoying, sweet and cuddly all at the same time. And now I am trying to house train her. We have had her for almost four months and I thought that I was doing pretty good. I am pretty good at being inconsistent, and letting her get away with things, and sometimes just not caring when she has an accident. Yes, I will clean it up, but that is the extent of it. But I decided that I was going to change and be better at punishing her, and being consistent with her. I was doing really well (I thought). The first day went great, the second day even better. And then the third day hit. She pooped 3 times in one room and while I was cleaning the mess up, I felt that my hand was becoming more and more wet. I look down to realize that the hand I am using to hold myself upright is laying in pee! Right then and there I came to a conclusion. I think that I am going to give up my new method and go back to being inconsistent. It seemed to work a lot better!

BACK TO SCHOOL BLUES

2008-08-18T07:31:00.000-07:00

Parker got on the bus today and before he left he asked me if I would be waiting for him when he got off. This brought back so many fears that I had when I was going to school.

I would cry myself to sleep every year the night before school started. I was so worried that I wouldn't have anyone to eat lunch with, or have any friends at recess. And who was I going to sit by in class? Once I got to school I was fine, but I have realized that I now worry about these same things with my own children.

If you know Parker, you know that he is very sarcastic, playful, full of energy, and friendly. Yet, I still have the fear that he will eat lunch alone, play alone, or sit alone. I know that it probably won't be the case. I'm just sad that I won't get to be there to correct him when he does somthing wrong, or praise him when he does a good deed, or sit and smile as I watch his little mind work. I just now need to hope that I have raised him right (probably not), and wish that everything we have taught him up until now will stick with him.

So the answer is YES Parker I will be waiting at the bus stop for you with the biggest hug and hoping that maybe you might need one too.

LEMONADE STAND

2008-08-15T17:39:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you have an 8 year old, two six year olds, a five year old, and a three year old come upstairs and say they want to have a lemonade stand and they want you to make cookies for it? You send your older sister to go buy $25 worth of candy, set it up for them, and wait for the cash to roll in! An hour later we came home with two screaming kids, hot and tired children, and two defeated parents who only made $6 back (two dollars of that being my own money)! So the lesson is if your children come to you with this same idea, walk away fast!

Setting up for the fun
Cousin Maddie waiting for our first customer
Aunt Lindsay looking very HOT
Daddy coming to save the day! (hence the two dollars)
Driving home from their long hard day of work

GOODBYE SUMMER

2008-08-15T13:30:00.000-07:00

We love Summer around here, and we are so sad to see it come to an end. Parker and Tanner are starting school Monday, I start in a week, and are busy life will come back once again. We will miss you summer especially when I am trying to dig us out of three feet of snow.

This is Lexie being bored as we wait for a key to be brought to us. We were locked out of our condo in Park City and she was not happy.

Parker riding a bike that is probably for two year olds but all the kids had a great time with it.
Lexie getting whatever she wants from her Uncle Brad and Aunt Sonja.
The kids found a merry go round which they had a ball with trying to see who could push them the fastest.
Tanner hiding his face because he was crying for the 5th time that day and mom wanted to capture the true Tanner. He got mad and wouldn't show his face.

OUR TRIP TO PARK CITY

2008-08-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

This past week my whole family stayed in Park City. My older sister is here with her family from England so we wanted to take the opportunity to go somewhere with everyone. We had a great time riding the zip line and the coaster. The kids went swimming a lot and the whole family had a great time! Can't wait to do it next year.

Tanner eating his much beloved spaghetti after a long day of swimming

Lexie sleeping while mom is trying to beat her sister at the Wii
Tanner being Tanner
All of us swimming with the whole family

Most of the grandkids with their Aunt Angie. Uncle Tony is in there somewhere

Is she ready?

2008-08-04T12:40:00.000-07:00

If you know Lexie you will agree when I say she is determined, independent, and free-spirited. So naturally potty training is not going so well. She is determined to stay in diapers, independent from my pleadings, and free-spirited enough to not care.! So is she ready? The consensus is, probably NOT!

Welcome

2008-08-01T14:42:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new blog. Here you will get to hear all about my trial and tribulations as I take care of my three adorable children, the ups and downs of marriage and one non-potty trained puppy. And now I am going to try and go back to college to get my degree. Sadly, I'm not worried about how hard the classes are going to be. I'm more worried about if my clothes are going to be in style and if my backpack is cool enough!