Me + Math= Failure

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

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?

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

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!!!

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

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

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!