Meyer Mischief

A little Update

2011-11-20T17:20:00.000-08:00

It's a quiet Sunday evening, all 4 kids quietly watching a movie downstairs, hubby in the kitchen, the casserole he put together baking and in the process of making cookies, and here I sit, all alone on the couch, enjoying the quiet. I just haven't felt a huge desire to do much with my blog for the past almost year - so here's just a little update and who knows? Maybe more will follow!

Rick has been busy with work (so thankful for his job!) and enjoying being a member of the American Festival Choir. The choir just recently performed a Requiem of some sort, that took him away for pretty much a week (between work and the choir we pretty much didn't see him). It's nice to have him back again, but I am glad that he has this fun thing he can do. He is always busy doing some kind of website design or other technical computer stuff that my non-technical brain does not understand, but that is enjoyable for him. Oh, and last nite I finally got him to start on a little demolition project in the basement! Fun times were had by all as we used crow bars and jack hammers to tear apart some brick work!

I have not been up to a whole lot. The last few weeks I have been busy with several vendor booths at local craft fairs and other events, selling Usborne Books (they are truly the best!) and doing some home parties. I've recently started attending Zumba classes and love my Zumba time! Such a fun workout that really does kick my bum!

We, Rick & I, celebrated out 10th anniversary last month in style. We went on a Norwegian Cruise to the Bahamas. Other than a couple little things that were out of our control, lost luggage & not being able to go to one of the ports of call, we had a great time! I highly recommend a cruise to anyone! So nice to be pampered and waited on for a little while. So glad we went and took that time for us that we really did need! And the kids had such a blast being spoiled at Nana & Papa's that I don't think they even noticed we were gone!

Gabriella is now 9 years old and in 4th grade. When did I become old enuf to have a 9 year old? She has started playing the violin in the school orchestra and is really enjoying that. She is still a little book worm (like her mom!) and is doing fantastic in school, and though she misses her best friend from American Fork, she has made some great friends here that she keeps busy with. She loves going to Activity Days (Achievement Days - I never know what to call it!) and wants to be a veterinarian and an artist when she grows up. She is such a great helper to me, I often have to remind myself that she is only 9!

William is 7 and in 2nd grade. He was excited to discover that one of the boys in his class lives right behind us. Hooray for new friends! He is a little bit of a book worm as well, though not as much as his sister, and doing fabulously in school. This summer he learned to ride a bike. We'd started working on it last summer, but he was just too nervous and worried about falling. He finally got over his fears and got it figured out. He loves trying to keep up with his sister and do whatever she is doing. He is a very active and loud boy a lot of the time - often getting reminded that we are right here and he can use a quiet voice, or to hold still while he is eating his dinner - what is it with little boys just not wanting to hold still?

Tabitha is 5 and started Kindergarten this year. She loves it! Always comes home with crazy stories to tell - I really don't know how Kindergarten teachers do it! They are amazing! The patience for 20 5 year olds. Wow! I worried that she was a little behind on some things, I knew I had not been as diligent with her as I had the others, on learning and practicing certain things, but she seems to be right where she should be. She is so excited to be learning to read. She loves "reading" to Jackson when it is just the 2 of them home in the mornings. She is taking dance, which is probably the highlight of her week! She is quite the little dancer and performer. She also learned how to ride a bike this summer - just took off almost as soon as we took the training wheels off. She really keeps us on our toes - she can be so stubborn, but then so sweet and loving with random hugs and kisses.

Jackson, our litte Bubba, is not so little anymore. If you call him a baby (which he still IS my baby!), you will be corrected and told "I a toddler!" Why does my little boy have to grow up so fast?! He is such a sweet, fun boy (most of the time!). Loves to give hugs and kisses. Loves to pretend that he is a dinosaur, or a puppy, or a fire engine, or jumping frog. Loves Yo Gabba Gabba, and is often heard shouting "Yo Gabba! Yo Gabba Gabba! Yo!" and Bob the Builder he has recently discovered. He has recently hit that common 2 year old "Me do it!" phase. It's always "No! Bubba do it - Bubba do!" He loves play-doh, playing cars, the movie Cars, Toy Story, rubber duckies, and fire engines. And for some silly reason, no idea why, he thinks he has to have a cracker in his hand to go to bed. Oh how I love this silly little blondie boy of mine!

We are excited to see ALL of my family for Thanksgiving this year (ok, me and the kids are excited) - all 9 of us and our 14 kiddos will be at my mom's, plus a few friends. Crazy times to come, I am sure!

Friday Morning

2011-02-25T08:49:00.000-08:00

It's 9:49 am. And I really have nothing I have to do. Ok, sure, there are plenty of things I COULD do. Clean up the breakfast dishes. Throw in a load of laundry. Make my bed. Those kinds of things. But really I just. don't. want. to.

I feel a cold working its way into my system. Hubby's been all nasty & congested for over a week now. Bubba's had a runny nose for a few days. Guess as much as I tried to wash my hands a hundred times a day and stay away from the yucky germs, they still found me.

And so I sit here, catching up on a few blogs, the little 2 nicely playing and looking at books next to me. And I am grateful that today, right now, there is nothing that I just HAVE to do. No errands to run. No child to get ready for preschool or dance. No one expected over that I need to clean up for. No appointments to keep.

And so, for the first day this week, I am going to sit and enjoy being lazy, enjoy doing whatever I want, with no demands on my time.

I think I'll start reading to the Princess from the giant book of bugs & insects that she is looking at (yuck!) And maybe later I'll feel up to it and tackle that load of laundry. And maybe even pick up a few things. Maybe.

Christmas 2010

2011-02-08T11:43:00.000-08:00

We had a good Christmas at home. We like staying home for Christmas - no worrying about travelling in bad weather, just nice and relaxed, making memories with the kids. And though we never go all out for Christmas like many people do, the kids thoroughly enjoyed it and were still spoiled! Rick's parents did come up and have Christmas dinner with us, which I took the easy route this year and we had Papa Murphy's Pizza, which we all thoroughly enjoyed - and I LOVED the easy clean up! (I'm not always that lazy! This was a first for me, it somehow felt wrong!! But I had just prepared a big turkey dinner for Thanksgiving!)

Here's Jackson, digging into his Santa Pancake -

our traditional Christmas Eve dinner.

He already ate the chocolate, M&M eyes!

Gabriella with all her gifts

My William Bug

the Princess Tabitha

Bubba with his favorite presents - Balls!

Just after we had finished opening all the presents, and were headed to the kitchen for breakfast, the doorbell rang. Opening it, we found a bag full of presents from Santa - one for each of the kids - guess they must have gotten lost in the sleigh so he dropped them off on his way back to the North Pole! Here's Gabriella with her bathtub Barbie.

Halloween 2010

2011-02-08T09:07:00.000-08:00

Just for fun - here's pictures of the kids in their costumes!

My little witch

A VERY Scary Vampire

Dead Vampire Bride

(what happened to being a princess or fairy or SOMETHING sweet & cute?!)

The Little Green Froggy wasn't feeling too well that night

Quite the scary bunch!

My little Dancers

2011-02-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

In December the girls had a mini dance recital at their studio to show off what they've been learning.

Gabriella started taking dance a few weeks before she turned 3, but then when she was 6 she took a year off. When she found out I was signing Tabitha up for a class last fall, she decided she was ready to dance again - Here is she after her performance!

Tabitha kinda got jipped a little bit. I wanted to get her started in dance when she turned 3 and she REALLY wanted to start dance class, but with our circumstances as they were (hubby out of a job) things like dance were not very feasible. So she was thrilled when I told her she could start taking dance when we moved. She has always been our little dancer, our fancy dresser. Here she is at home after her performance (I kinda forgot the camera on her recital nite!)

This outfit had been one of Gabriella's from dance a few years ago - it is one of Tabitha's FAVORITES to wear at home or at dance! (In fact, she's wearing it right now!)

My 2 little dancers

The Princess turned 5

2011-02-08T08:23:00.000-08:00

Yep, that's right. My little miss Tabitha, my baby girl, is now 5 years old.

Why is it that 5 seems to be such a defining age? Maybe because the next step for most 5 year olds is going off to Kindergarten? And why is it that I had a harder time with her turning 5 than either of her older siblings? Perhaps, as I said, it is because she IS my "baby" girl. She loves to play that she is a baby, and talk like a baby. And then the next minute she is taking care of her babies, or her baby brother (who really is NOT a baby anymore!)

She had a great birthday - a birthday week, really. First a little party at Nana & Papa's house a couple days early. Then our little family party at home on the actual day. And then a few days later a party with a few friends.

Happy Birthday, Princess!

My little Troublemaker!

2011-02-07T21:25:00.001-08:00

As Rick was uploading some pictures tonite, we came across these that I had totally forgotten about:

(Yes, his head is stuck! and it was stuck GOOD! Just after we moved into our new house!)

And then there were these, that I SO remember:

My little Troublemaker started off Young!

But oh how I do LOVE him to pieces!!

How could I resist this sweet little face?!

(you can't see it, but his t-shirt says "Why I'm in Trouble" - it fits him SO well!)

My Hubby's Projects

2011-02-07T20:05:00.000-08:00

Since moving last August, Rick has been a busy man! He likes having fun projects to work on and I sure like coming up with them! (not that all of mine are that fun, but a woman has needs!)

First off - here is a picture of our new home!

Notice the little workshop in the back?

PERFECT spot for Rick - his own little man cave!

Here is the Princess Castle Bunk Bed that he made for the girls -

this is a project we had wanted to do for a LONG time!

And here is the finished project after I painted it!

Not to toot our own horns or anything, but we think

it turned out pretty good and are proud of ourselves!

A simple little project - shelves in the basement storage room -

HOW can people not have any shelves in their storage room?!

I had to have a place for all my food storage and our camping gear.

And his latest finished project - he built these small bookshelves

for each of the kids rooms to organize all their books & special things.

Next on the list, and already in progress, are 2 tall bookcases for the family room. We have a TON of books. Love Love LOVE books! And for years I have wanted some nice bookcases to put them all in (rather than piled up on my closet shelf where mine are or in the hall closet!) After looking at several not long ago, Rick decided it would be cheaper to build some and then we would have them just the way we wanted them, too! I am super excited (and a little impatient!) for them to be done!

I seriously don't know what I would do without a handyman husband!!

I'm Back

2011-01-17T13:54:00.001-08:00

Don't have a heart attack, but after 5 month away, I think I am ready to start blogging again!

The highlights and some updates of the past few months:

Gabriella started 3rd grade. She love it - as always! And loves to read! I love that my kids take after me in those ways (yep, I was pretty much a nerd! loved school, loved to read!) I have often caught her with a book in bed, reading in the semi-dark! She has started taking dance again and has a lot of fun with that. She read the Book of Mormon, on her own, in 2010. She has discovered the world of Webkinz and loves taking care of Sally the Seal. Her new best friend is Makelle and they love making up silly words and talking in even sillier voices with each other. I just wish Makelle lived a little bit closer, that playing together happened more often. As it is, by the time kids are home from school and homework is done, I am fixing dinner (or should be!) and playing with friends just doesn't happen. And most important of all, Gabriella turned 8 and was baptized in October! She wants to be an artist when she grows up.

William is my sweet 1st grader. He loves school and reading almost as much as his big sister does. He especially likes non-fiction books - anything to do with bugs and science stuff or the body fascinates him. He loves doing crafty type art projects. He, too, has discovered computer time and tries really hard to keep his room clean so that he can have his time each day and play with his Moshi Monster. He almost accomplished learning how to ride a bike. I am positive that this summer he will get it in no time!

Tabitha loves to be my little baby girl and talk in a little baby girl voice and be carried around. Sometime I indulge her. Other times it just annoys me to no end. She will be 5 in only a couple of weeks. She loves going to preschool (we joined a co-op a high school friend of mine and some of her neighbors were doing) and every week we go to storytime at the library. And, after wanting to for over a year, she is now taking dance lessons as well. She never ceases to get us laughing with some crazy, off the wall thing she has to say. She really does live in a fantasy world all of her own, where things just happen of some made up person did some totally random thing, or she'll go off in a monologue of something a friend or sibling did and she is very detailed about it (and non of it ever really happened, but she believes it with all her little princess heart!).

Jackson is now officially a toddler. At 1 1/2 he is all boy. I have never had a child who could get into so much, so often, and who climbed on everything, the way this boy does. I love him. I love him with all of my heart. And I am often repeating this to myself thru out the day, as I discover yet another mess that he has left for me. He really does bring so much to our family. I love his laugh. I love his silly smiles and the way he smiles with his bottom lip pulled in, his front teeth hanging out the front, like a little beaver. I love how he likes to play kitties with me and will meow and come cuddle up underneath me. He likes to play cars and makes all sorts of fun car nosies. He loves dogs and his bear and his stuffed mouse. He is learning more words everyday and is such a good little helper with laundry, cleaning up his toys, throwing away his stinky diapers. He loves his big brother and sisters. He loves his daddy and often asks for him thru out the day. And I love how he blows kisses and loves to give kisses.

Rick is still enjoying his job. He just auditioned for, and got into, a choir - the American Festival Choir. The director/conductor is Craig Jessop (previously director of Mormon Tabernacle Choir). He is excited for this. And I am hoping it will get him singing around the house more! He has been busy with several little projects about the house. He has his own shed for all his fun projects now and recently built some shelves in them. He built a princess castle bunk bed for the girls, shelves in the storage room, small bookshelves to put in the kids closets, and is soon going to make a couple of nice bookcases to go in our family room.

And me. I find it hard to write about myself. Just yesterday, I received my first calling in our ward. I am the new secretary in the Relief Society. It will be a great way for me to get to know all the ladies in the ward. I have loved this ward. Though we've only been here a few months, I feel as at home here as I ever did after 5 years in our ward in AF. I know a lot of it has to do with me, and my outlook and attitude. That doesn't mean I have all sorts of wonderful friends. I don't. But I feel very comfortable here and the warm welcome we received when we were brand new made such an impact on me. I needed it. I've done some painting - a couple of bathrooms, the 3rd one is still in the process (I can't decide what color to do), I painted the laundry room. I really want to do something with the downstairs family room, but it's so big and I don't know what to do! What I need now is some motivation! I've also been trying to get my Usborne Books business going. I did a few booths at some events before Christmas and now just following up on leads from those.

Overall, things are good. We are happy and healthy and looking forward to what this new year brings!

On the Move

2010-08-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't heard . . .

The Meyers are Moving!

Rick's job in Logan, where he was hired on 3 months ago as a temporary employee, has turned into permanent employment! So we are moving back to Logan. Really, I do not want to move, but a job is a very good thing! and Logan is one of the places that we both like - except for those dang cold winters!! NOT looking forward to that! But I am getting really excited now for the move - except the moving and packing and cleaning part! :)

Things have happened really fast - we spent 2 weekends house hunting (where Rick and our realtor thot I was being a bit picky! what do they know?!) and have ended up with the first one that "made me jump up and down." That's what I had told Rick - I was looking for a house that would get me excited - and this one did. No, it's not the "perfect" house - but I think with any house, over time you will find things you don't like about it. But we are excited for it! It actually wasn't even on our list to look at, but one that the realtor (a different one than the one that thot I was picky) knew about from it being in his neighborhood.

That was the 24th of July weekend. Rick has already taken a load of stuff to the house - the owner was SO nice to let us move in before closing so that we would be settled before school started - and then let us have the keys even earlier than agreed upon! The plan was to move in on the 21st - at that time I thot that school started on the 26th. But then just a few days ago I found out that school starts on the 18th!! Oh My Heck!! What a HUGE difference a week makes in moving! So we are going to get as much done this weekend as we can and move up but will most likely be back to AF the next weekend to finish up.

Now if we can just find the perfect renters!! Or even some unperfect ones!

Bear Lake

2010-06-29T15:56:00.000-07:00

Like most kids, mine LOVE the beach! So we went on another little beach trip, this time much closer to home! A couple weekends ago we picked up Rick in Logan and headed thru Logan Canyon to find us a camping spot for the nite.

We love camping, though it has been some time, and the drive thru the canyon was beautiful! We stayed at Beaver Creek and were lucky to get their last camping site! The kids had a great time "hiking" thru the woods around us, and cooking their own hot dogs and roasting marshmallows for smores. Jackson wasn't too keen on the whole sleeping under the stars thing, but finally settled down once we all went to bed.

The next day we went to "the beach" - Bear Lake - for some fun in the sun!

This picture pretty much sums it up!

Lots of Smiles - Happy Kids
Silly ones, too!

This boy was SO content playing in the sand

I think this little girl grew a fin!

We had a very fun day and the kids keep asking when we can go back! We used to go to Bear Lake every summer, sometimes twice during the summer, when we lived in Wellsville. It's been too long since we've been back so this was a very nice little treat for us! Hopefully we can go again later this summer.

And just for those who didn't know - for the last 2 months Rick has been working in Logan. He was hired on by an engineering firm there "temporary, but with the possibility of going permanent" (sound familiar?) So he drives up to Logan Sunday evenings, stays the week with his old childhood neighbors, and then comes home on Friday nites. Overall it is working out pretty good - of course we miss having him home, but we make the most of our weekends when we do have him with us, and are grateful for the work that he has.

Vancouver & the Oregon Coast

2010-06-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we made the not very short drive up to WA/OR for Rick's brother's wedding. I was really dreading the drive, but the kids were really good - Jackson even decided that it was in fact, ok to sleep in the van - a small miracle!

Just before getting to Vancouver, we stopped here:

Multnomah Falls -

and hiked up partway to the waterfall

We also hiked this giant rock -

Beacon Rock.

The view from the top was gorgeous!

I am surprised at what good little hikers my

kids are - pretty happy ones, don't ya think?

Before heading to the coast, we stopped at OMSI - the Oregon Museum of Science & Technology.

The kids loved the dinosaur exhibit,

but the water area was their favorite!

They seriously could have played there all day.

And then it was on to the coast, near Astoria, where we stayed in a huge old Victorian house with a total of 29 people. It was crazy, and loud, and fun. And I am kicking myself for not taking pictures of all the wonderful people that we do not get to see near enough!

The wedding was on the beach, near the shipwreck of the Peter Iredale - and the weather actually cooperated!

Rick was one of the groomsmen - I thot

he looked hot in his linen suit & hot pink tie!

and Jackson is just always cute!

Here's my cute little flower girls and 1 of the ring bearers

and I just absolutely LOVE this picture of the girls spinning!

And again, that was about it of the pictures I took on the coast - not even a single one of the bride & groom!

Congrats Ross & Kari!
We love you guys!

Gabriella's New Do

2010-06-02T20:13:00.001-07:00

For months Gabriella has been asking, begging, to get her hair cut. And I wouldn't let her. She has such beautiful, long, thick hair. And I wanted her to want to cut it because SHE really wanted to. Not just because a couple of girls at school had gotten their hair cut!

I finally gave in. Sunday morning she reminded me that I had told her a couple days before that I would cut it for her the next time she washed it.

I tried to get her to be satisfied with just a few inches off, like we've done a few times before. But she wouldn't be happy with that. She wanted it cut just above her shoulders, but we comprised and settled on just past her shoulders. In all, it was about 7 inches we took off!

I know it isn't completely even, and the one side ended up quite a bit shorted than the other, which is why she has a bit of "layering" around her face, but I think it turned out quite cute!

And most of all - she loves it!

A Week Off From Facebook

2010-06-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

So yesterday began the No Facebook for a Week Challenge. I saw one of my cousins was participating in this and decided for numerous reasons that I would too.

I think Facebook is great!

Really, I do.

But if you are like me, you find yourself hopping on several times throughout the day to see what the lastest is, who's doing what, who took their turn on what game, or who left a comment on your post.

And wasting so much time.

My oldest sister Laura recently said something along the lines of "Isn't that what all you little homemakey moms do all day?" (play on FB)

I definitely do NOT want to be in that category!

Yes, FB is fun. Yes, you can connect with old friends. But seriously, if you haven't had any contact with them in the last 10 years, are they really that important to you?! Is there really that much important stuff constantly going on?

NO!!

Honestly, I really haven't missed it that much. And yes, I am getting more done and spending more time with my kids.

Yet, last nite & much of today, I find myself thinking in Facebookese.

Lisa Meyer is tired of cleaning up barf!

Lisa Meyer is LOVING her new washing machine!

Lisa Meyer - Oh no! Now the baby's throwing up!

Lisa Meyer is wishing my hubby was here to take his turn with the barf!

Lisa Meyer is tired.

Lisa Meyer needs a nap.

Lisa Meyer took the kiddos mini-golfing. It won't be happening again soon.

Lisa Meyer is cleaning up even more barf.

Lisa Meyer is excited for our trip to the Oregon Coast in a couple weeks!

Happy 1st Birthday, Jackson!

2010-06-02T19:41:00.001-07:00

Aren't those baby blues just gorgeous?!

Well, the day came.

The day that I have been excited for and wishing

wouldn't come, both at the same time.

My BABY turned 1!

May 30th was Jackson's birthday.

I can hardly believe it has been a year.

It has gone by WAY too fast & he is growing

WAY too fast! I wish I could freeze him for a little while!

But for now, I LOVE that he is not walking,

he's a great cuddler, and is such a happy little guy!

His Train Cake

We went to Rick's parents for dinner & to celebrate.

He was so careful digging in to his cake!

A few days ago, I realized it was too quiet -
you know the quiet I'm talking about!
And this is where I found Jackson - IN the tub!
No idea how he got in it, but he did -
and without making a sound either!

He was LOVING it!
This is a typical happy, scrunchy face - LOVE it!

Me & my little Bubba!

Have I mentioned that I LOVE this little guy?!

I am so lucky & blessed to be his mommy!

Easter

2010-06-02T19:25:00.000-07:00

Easter was good.

Here are my 4 little bunnies -

wearing their new shirts from Nana.

My cute little scrunchy nosed Bubba!

I am SO totally in love with this little boy!

Showing off their new outfits.

Gabriella & Tabitha showing off their awesome
spinning skirts I made them.
(nice messy background, don't ya think?)

The IceBreaker Recap - FINALLY!

2010-06-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

Not the best picture, but sadly, the only one I have from the IceBreaker mini-Triathlon that Rick & I particpated in way back in March!

My weeks of training paid off - I finished!! No, I did not win anything or set any awesome records, but I DID IT!! And I felt dang proud of myself, too! I had such a HUGE feeling of accomplishment as I crossed the finish line and collapsed, crying, into my husband's arms.

My swim went pretty good - Rick & I were some of the very last ones (of about 200) to start. Biking could have gone better - there was a hill right at the beginning that really slowed me down! I don't like hills!! And I didn't quite have the gears on the bike figured out. I felt like I was the absolute last person finishing on the bike - LOTS of people passed me. LOTS of people on their run, passed me! Running after biking that many miles was hard! Especially going up that dang hill! Just as I started my running, another runner caught up to me and we chatted a little and kind of stayed together, pushing each other on for a while. I'd run a little, then walk some, run some mroe, and walk again. But I really pushed myself and I ran across the finish line!

My time was 1 hour 45 minutes - not too shabby for a first timer.
Rick's time was 1 hour 38 minutes - he beat his last year's time by 27 1/2 minutes!!

I am EXCITED to do it again next year!

Randomness

2010-03-29T20:59:00.000-07:00

- I Survived the IceBreaker!! Not only survived, but I did pretty good for a newbie! It felt so good to cross that finish line and then collapse in Rick's arms and cry. Yes, he beat me. By a whole 7 minutes! Picture and more to come someday - maybe soon. But probably not until after April 15.

- I only have 3 weeks left of working! It's sad. I really like my little job. Especially Fridays - we go out to lunch every Friday. And I get paid for it. Pretty nice. But seriously, the time has FLOWN by! Last year it seemed to drag on and on and now I can't believe how soon the end is coming. It's sad. Really.

- I feel like I get nothing done on the days I am home. But really I do get a lot done, there is just SO STINKIN' MUCH of it that needs doing! Today my to-do list read something like this: Tennis, Schedule dentist appointments for the kids, renew my medicaid app for the kids, go visiting teaching, dishes, laundry, fix dinner, go to work for a couple of hours, take William to soccer practice, make some Usborne Books phone calls (want to host a party?), mop the kitchen/dining room, clean my bathroom, clean the main bathroom, and lots more. And that doesn't even count anything to do with the kids daily life! Rick's Honey-Do list (since he was not working today - sigh) was something like this: Clean out the Garage, dump the recycling, make a phone call. Fair?! I think not! So nice that I am learning more and more how to delegate things to him! He got to go to soccer practice with William, do the dishes, help with laundry, pick up kids from school and get them lunch, and tomorrow he can sweep and mop - if he's home. And the other half of my to-do list will have to wait until next Monday.

- I dyed my hair last nite. Saturday I got a good trim and thinning and then last nite turned out to be a mistake. My "Golden" Blonde is really Strawberry Orange Blonde. Good think I have a cute hat to hide under for a few weeks.

- We hung Easter Eggs on our cute little stick tree this afternoon - very festive and the kids were SO excited!

- I LOVE playing tennis! Yes, it was #1 on my list of things to do today. Gotta get my exercise in for the day. Priorities, Priorities!

- Tomorrow nite I am going with my good neighbor friend to the Taste of Home Cooking School! SO Excited!! This will be the 3rd one we've gone to and love every minute of it!

- My baby is too big. Plain and simple. I wish I could just freeze him at this age he is at - he is just too stinkin' cute! I CANNOT get enuf of him! Except for maybe at 3 in the morning. He army crawls all over the place so fast that why bother learning to do the real crawling thing?

- I made some brownies last week - nothin' fancy - just some Betty Crocker mix - and the last few minutes of baking I sprinkled with marshmallows and Andes baking chips - YUMMIEST brownies ever!! Made them for a little Girls' Nite of sorts I had and then hid the rest from Rick and the kids and munched on them in secret. Now I crave them. Think I need to make myself some more next time the hubs is gone! Shhh!!

- I think if I do that, I'll gain back the 6 pounds I've lost REALLY fast! At least it will be for a good cause, right?

A little update

2010-03-06T13:10:00.000-08:00

So just a little update on what we've been up to the last few weeks!

Gabriella and William had SEPs at school (parent/teacher conference) and they are both doing wonderfully! I do have some smart kids! Gabriella is reading WAY above the "normal" level and William AMAZES me at how good he is doing with his reading. They are both going to be playing soccer this spring and are so excited for it!

Tabitha is crazy as ever! I WISH I knew some trick to get her to sleep longer! She will NOT nap, but oh how she needs it! Some nites she plays in bed and isn't asleep until 8:30 or so, and then is up right about 6:30 every morning - sometimes earlier. And wakes me up. And I do NOT like being woken up that early - especially when I still have a baby waking me up at nite!

And oh how I LOVE that baby!! Jackson is now 9 months and 9 months has brought a LOT of new things all at once, and so suddenly (or so it seems!). I really do forget when new things are supposed to be happening and at what ages my other kids did things. If army crawling was an Olympic sport, Jackson would take the Gold - hands down! I know that none of my other kids did any army crawling, but he has been at it for at least 6 weeks now! And man can he move fast! Nothing is safe from him! In the last week he has learned how to sit up on his own (from a laying position), how to pull himself up standing in his crib, and he is working on teeth 4 and 5 coming in. I do NOT like his new little tricks of sitting up and standing up. The last week he has not wanted to sleep when it is nap time or bed time. He wants to sit up and stand up and play and then whine and fuss until someone lays him back down and then he screams! until he sits up again and then he plays and then he whines and fusses until we lay him back down again and then he screams and yeah - you get the picture! It has not been a very good week sleep-wise for our not-so-little Bubba. Until Daddy set up the pack-n-play yesterday. Brilliant! (ok, really, it was MY idea!) He goes right to sleep, nice as can be. Silly little boy of mine.

Rick has been LOVING being at home with the kids all week while I am working. (did you catch that sarcasm there?) I think the kids like having dad in charge instead of mom because dad doesn't make them clean their rooms and lets them have friends over every day, all afternoon. What a nice daddy he is! He did have a job interview last week that we are waiting to hear from and he has another job lead he is pursuing. Maybe, just maybe, we will get a job soon! He's been working out 5 days a week and is doing AWESOME!

I have really been enjoying my job. I'm now only working 4 days a week instead of 5, which has really been nice - I NEED that day to get things done! (though the paycheck isn't quite so nice) I've been doing my workouts at least 5 days a week as well. I haven't quit worked up to running those 3 miles at once yet, but I did push myself a few days ago and I did run/jog/walk it in MUCH better timing than before! Swimming is going SO much better for me, too. I'm still pretty slow, but feel a lot more confident in my skills.

Only 2 more weeks until The Icebreaker!

Happy (belated) Birthday to the Princess!

2010-02-15T12:38:00.000-08:00

Princess Tabitha turned 4 on February 1 -

To celebrate, she had her first little friend party.

A Princess Party, of course.

I had some trouble with the cake, but after tossing one that

compeltely caved in, I was very happy with the final result!

Her Princess Cakes!

4 Dancing Princesses!

And just for fun - here she is,

playing with Jackson - he makes such a good pillow!

Pushing my Limits

2010-01-25T19:11:00.000-08:00

Today I ran (jogged) a mile. A full, stinkin' mile!

And I am proud of myself for it - VERY proud!

And then I cycled for 11 miles, partly uphill.

And then I tried to run some more.

But my legs had had enuf!

At the Fitness Center where I run, I have to do 13 laps around the indoor track to complete a mile. When I started a couple of weeks ago, I made it only 3 laps before stopping to walk. On Saturday, I made it 8 laps. But today I did ALL 13. And it felt great!

As I ran (jogged) I kept thinking how truly AMAZING our bodies are. We can do SO much more than what we think we can. The first 5 laps were pretty easy. Then I was feeling tired. I wanted to stop and walk many times, but I kept going. I pushed myself and pushed some more. And I did it.

Ok, now I know for a LOT of people, a mile is nothing! A friend's post on Facebook today said she was going to run 4 miles - 4! And here I am, all pleased with my 1. But I am because for me that is good - that is AWESOME!

And tomorrow I will do it again - and then some.

I have a personal rule that whatever I do the day before, I will do at least that much the next day, if not more. So from now on, it is going the full mile before stopping to walk - and working my way up to 3 of those miles!

Brothers

2010-01-22T13:44:00.001-08:00

Who could resist these handsome, silly guys?

NOT ME!

(2 0f my 3 favorite boys!)

In the beginning, William didn't care too much to bother with Jackson. But now that Jackson is bigger and a whole lot more playful, William LOVES holding him and playing with him. (In fact, William and Gabriella often argue over whose turn it is to hold Bubba!) He is a sweet boy, loves to give compliments to his mom and sisters and girls at school, telling us that we are pretty or he likes our shirt. And he loves singing songs for us that he's learned at school.

Jackson is at such a fun stage!! He is almost 8 months old now! The time is going by way too fast for me, though. I just want him to stay little for a while longer so I can enjoy it all more. He is such a sweet, happy little guy. He takes great naps, going to sleep on his own, and is finally down to only waking once in the middle of the nite (thank you!). He is doing pretty good sitting on his own - a little wobbly at times still, and is trying to crawl! He does a cute little inchworm movement and can be halfway across the room in no time! And why is it that he is attracted to all the things he shouldn't have? Shoes, papers, cords, etc, are his favorite things to chew on - and with 2 teeth, you better watch out!

It Is Time!

2010-01-20T13:03:00.000-08:00

For these 2 to get in SHAPE!

(and I don't mean round!)

(Thank you to the Princess Tabitha for taking our picture -

I look terrible! I had just gotten back from my workout &

Rick was getting ready to leave for his)

Really - I'm just posting this for us - for me. A goal not written down is only a wish, right? So here it goes and here I will randomly do updates and see how we are both improving!

So, here's the skinny of it. Rick and I have both signed up for The Ice Breaker. It's a mini-Triathlon that happens on Saturday, March 20th - 2 months from today. 300 Meter Swim, 11 mile Bike (almost 1/2 of that being uphill! kill me now) and 3.1 mile Run (a good part of that uphill, too!)

Can I just scream? Am I totally and completely NUTS?! Those who know me well, know that I am NOT a biker, I do NOT run (in fact, in 6th grade was told that I couldn't because of my asthma), and as far as swimming - well, I can stay afloat, but breathing in the water? I don't think so.

And ok, so maybe I am on the skinny side. But that doesn't mean much. I am WEAK. I am a WIMP! But Rick on the other hand, is um, not quite what you would call skinny, but he is STRONG! That big guy there can run faster and longer than my skinny little weak legs can any day! He can bike twice as far, twice as fast as I can!

I was chatting with a friend about this the other day - how a lot of people have that misconception that Skinny = Fit. NOT TRUE!! My husband is a whole lot more "in shape" and Fit than I am. But watch out, Baby! That is about to change!

So - WHY do this to myself? To US? Well, for me, I vowed that after this baby (who is now almost 8 months old - cry) I WOULD lose the baby fat, I WOULD get in shape. And Rick has had a long term goal of that (and a Harley ride coming at him, too!) Oh, and we promised ourselves a cruise for 2 once he's dropped 100 pounds. So, NOW is the time!

Rick did The Ice Breaker last year. With very minimal training/working out, he DID it. He finished and I was so proud of him for that accomplishment. But now, doing it together, we can push each other, encourage each other, and hopefully we can do MORE than just finish!

And in doing it, we WILL get into better shape and hopefully create some good exercise/eating habits that will continue with us. And be good role models for our kids, too.

So, our training officially started 10 days ago. (I say "officially" because for the last couple of months we have been exercising pretty regulary on our own, but not like this!)

Rick is continuing with his Boot Camp class that he does 2 mornings a week, plus going to the gym to run, cycle, swim, whatever, at least 3 other days a week. And on the days when he isn't working right now, he is spending even more time at the gym.

I have started taking a 2 hour cycling/swimming class once a week. The rest of the week I jog/walk a mile (for now - I will get better and work my way up to 3!) and cycle for 11 miles (about 30 minutes) and/or swim laps. I'd also really like to get into the weight room, but I'm too chicken to go alone.

If YOU are in the area and interested in The Ice Breaker, go to http://www.timptriclub.com/

Starting Weights:

Lisa - 128 pounds Rick - 320 pounds

Hmmm . . .

2010-01-20T12:43:00.001-08:00

Anyone else ever find odd pictures like this on their camera?

Or maybe something like this?

How about a headless child?

Or perhaps something like this?

If so, maybe you have ONE OF THESE at your house!

This little princess absolutely LOVES taking pictures!! She is always grabbing the camera or a cell phone and setting things up and clicking away. And she doesn't do all that bad all the time either!! Anyone have any suggestions for a child-friendly digital camera that doesn't cost a whole lot? The Princess has a birthday coming VERY soon! (You can see her birthday countdown chain hanging on the wall in the 2nd picture!)

Oh, and the crown was from Santa - I think it may be permanently stuck to her head.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-20T12:24:00.000-08:00

Ok, so a LITTLE behind here! Just a few fun pictures from Christmas - I didn't take many, but here's some fun ones!

My Crazies!

But they can be Angels, too!

My little Christmas Elf!

Christmas Morning - in their new jammies!

Tabitha posing and showing off her dress -
(that she insisted on wearing almost EVERY day in December!)
and matching bows I made.

A visit with Santa!
(oops - thot I fixed the red eyes - oh well!)

All in all, a good Christmas - spent Christmas Eve at Nana & Pap's (Rick's parents) and then Christmas morning at home opening presents. Rick's parents and Melissa joined us for our Christmas turkey dinner and then a fun rest of the day playing with the new toys and games.

The week after Christmas we spent in Idaho with Lisa's family and Rick spent the week remodeling her sister's bathroom - fun times! The kids had a great time playing with ALL of their cousins, including the 2 brand new little ones that had just been born!

Centers!

2010-01-18T13:54:00.001-08:00

The kids had no school today.

Thank you, Dr. King, for what you did for our country.

But what to do? I was NOT about to take 4 kids out for fun -

stressing about being home every 1 1/2 hours for naptime

(yes, he sleeps that often!)

By 9:30, I could tell it was going to be a LONG day -

a very LOOOOOOONG day if I did not do something to entertain these kids.

A light bulb clicked on - CENTERS!!

William often tells me about how he did "centers" at school and how much he enjoys them.

For those who aren't familiar, the idea is simple. Just set up different activities for the kids to do around the house, and rotate every 10 - 15 minutes (or as needed!)

We had 5 different centers this morning:

Reading

Wipe-Off Activity Boards

Art

Spelling

Yogo Math (sorting and counting Yogos by color)

It was a HIT! William was so excited to help get the centers all ready. The kids rotated every 12 minutes and we had a fun, quiet hour, with the kids all working independently.

Took a break for a couple of hours (I had a lunch meeting) and then shortly after getting back home, they were literally BEGGING to do MORE centers!

So this afternoon we did:

Building (blocks & legos)

Reading (yes, again - we love books!)

File Folder Games

Puzzles

Art (again!)

Play-doh

Jello Jiggler Making with Mom

All while listening to some fun kid music!

There are SO many different things you can do for this! The kids LOVED it, had a fun day where we even incorporated learning into it, they got their reading done for the day, and I was able to get some things done (in 12 minute increments!) on my own.

The main thing is to have things that all of your children can do at their level. My art table was simple - lots of construction paper, crayons, markers, kid scissors, glue, and a kid safe paper cutter (Tabitha LOVED this!) - if you aren't comfortable with your kids using scissors, you can do something as simple as coloring books or pages. At our math center, Gabriella had some real math problems to solve with her yogos, while William and Tabitha just counted out the different colors. Smaller kids could even just sort the colors or shapes or whatever! Just make it fun!

We will DEFINITELY be doing Centers again on another No School day!

2009 Tag

2010-01-16T12:46:00.000-08:00

1 - What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Became a Full-Time Working Mom for 2 1/2 months (getting ready to do it again, too!)

2 - Did you keep your New Year's Resolutions and will you make more for next year?
Pretty much - see previous post!

3 - Did anyone close to you give birth?
Myself, baby sister Jessie (girl), SIL Johnna (Joe's wife, boy), cousin Kristina (girl)

4 - Did anyone close to you die?
Rick's wonderful Uncle Larry - one of the greatest, sweetest men I know

5 - What vacations did you take?
Wonderful Meyer Family Reunion in Michigan - including 3 days on the lake

6 - What do you wish you'd done more of?
Scrapbooking, reading, playing with my kids, exercising, blogging

7 - What was the best book you read?
Absolutely LOVED Goose Girl by Shannon Hale - not sure if that was the best, but the best that comes to mind right away!

8 - What was something you wanted but didn't get?
Nothing really - I don't have a lot of major wants - just one thing, and it's still a work in progress.

9 - What kept you sane?
Same thing that always does - an early bedtime for the kiddos! and trips to Kohl's!

10 - What valuable life lesson did you learn?
Regardless of what's going on, I can choose to be happy - no one else can make me that way, it's all up to me.

Happy 2010

2010-01-05T08:56:00.000-08:00

It's THAT time again.

A New Year - and that means New Year's Resolutions.

I've been reading over my list of resolutions for 2009, and evalutating how I did. Overall, I did ok - could have been lots better, like always, but not too bad.

Here's a recap of what I wrote one year ago:

1 - Keep up with the dishes. Overall I have done pretty good at this one - mostly. Yes, having a new baby kinda screwed things up for awhile (including a day a neighbor came just at the right moment when I was about to have a breakdown and she so kindly did my mountain of dishes and cleaned the kitchen for me) and slowed me down, but mostly I did ok with this one. Hopefully I can do even better this year!

2 - Piano lessons for Gabriella. Absolutely did NOT happen. In fact, I'd totally forgotten about that. Maybe this summer, we'll see.

3 - Scrapbook. I've done a little, but nowhere close to doing the first year of each of my children. I will definitely keep working on this when I can.

4 - Hair Bows. Again, I've made some, including some to go with T's Christmas dress that I was very pleased with, but not as many as I thot I would.

5 - Eat more fruits & veggies. This one I actually feel like I did very well with. Our family in general eats a lot better now than we used to and for that I am very happy. (and I only gained 32 pounds during my pregnancy, my goal had been 30, like I was hoping to!)

Now, in my defense, shortly after making these goals, I started working Full Time - something I hadn't been planning on doing the first of January. So that REALLY threw things for a loop. And then I had a baby. And I am going to start working again in 4 weeks, but this time I am planning on it and know what to expect so I can be prepared (and not use it as an excuse for next year!) Oh, and I will NOT be having a baby this year.

So, my goals for this year, for 2010 are:

1 - Continue with the 5 from last year.

2 - Make weekly Meal Plans. SO frustrating when it gets to be 4, 5 o'clock and I'm wondering "What's for dinner?" and asking the kids and I always get responses like "Pancakes" "McDonald's" "Pizza!" When I don't have anything written out and planned ahead of time, it is so frustrating! But when I do, we have yummy dinners at a decent time. And to go along with this, I need to take time in January to make a bunch of freezer meals to be prepared for when I start working soon.

3 - Attend the temple once a month. Really, it shouldn't be that hard to go, should it? Especially since it is literally up the road!

4 - Exercise. I've been doing more of this the last couple of months, but I really need to keep at it. I have a little bit of baby weight that I still need to get rid of and I want to overall be healthier and more fit.

And to go along with #4 -

5 - Compete in the Ice Breaker Mini-Triathlon. This scares me. It really does! I am not a great swimmer, biker, or runner! Rick did the Ice Breaker last year (and finished!) and plans to do it this year and I have been toying around with the idea of doing it with him. I figure if he can do it, I can do it - right?! It's in April if I remember correctly, so I really gotta get busy on goal #4!

Anyone want to join us?

1st Day of School

2009-11-04T09:48:00.000-08:00

(Just a little behind here!)

First day of school! Ok, technically not Gabriella's first day - she'd already gone a few days, but bad mom here didn't take a picture then! Oops! So here's the 2 on William's first day of Kindergarten!

Waiting for the bell to ring!
What a brave little boy he was!

But me on the other hand? I cried. I tried SO hard to contain it until I left him, and then I cried on the way home, and silly me cried when I picked him up and saw him come out the door, all happy and smiling.

And I just wondered Why? I didn't have any trouble at all when Gabriella went to school for the first time. And that was going to 1st Grade even! Maybe because she was SO ready. And he is just my little boy. My sweet little, sensitive little boy. Or maybe it was still just post-pregnancy/nursing hormones. Who knows.

But I am happy that both of my kids are LOVING school and LOVING their wonderful teachers!

More of Michigan

2009-10-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Michigan in August was so much fun!

WARNING: LOTS OF PICTURES

A great way to end the trip was having Gabriella lose a shoe in the swamp. Yes, it was her only pair of shoes. And this was the nite before our early morning flight home - wonderful.

Rick tried, but couldn't find it - guess the Swamp Monster ate it.

Our last day there, we met up with this grat friend and her hubby and kiddos for a trip to the Toledo Zoo and some yummy lunch.

Thanks again, Rachel & Brandon, for meeting up with us!

Probably the highlight of the zoo, for the kids at least, was climbing on animal statues. It was hot and humid and they got tired and cranky really fast. It was rather frustrating for me, but we called it a day pretty early.

A few days were spent in Traverse City, at Rick's Uncle Pete & Aunt Lisa's home. They were such wonderful hosts!

The girls with Uncle Ross (Rick's brother) and cousin David.

Uncle Pete and son David - he was so good to play with the kids! They just loved him! Sadly, no picture of Aunt Lisa.

Proof that I WAS there!

Kari (Ross's girlfriend), Stefanie (Ryan's girlfriend), Gramps, Rick, Ryan (Rick's brother), and Great Aunt Ann (Grami's sister-in-law) -

Hanging out in the awesome addition Pete just built.

4 Generations of Meyer Men

Tabitha, Me, Gabriella, Nana (Rick's Mom), Grami (Rick's Dad's Mom), and Melissa (Rick's Sister)

The kids and Gramps making their silly faces!

Uncle Robi helping Tabitha with a puzzle

Caught a snake! and covered in Chocolate!

This boy was in HEAVEN!!

Rick and the kids on the raft in the swamp in Grami & Gramps backyard

Off on an adventure down the driveway - thru the woods!

Grami & Gramps meeting Jackson, their Great Grandson, for the 1st time

Gabriella playing at a science museum

The Beach! (Lake Michigan)

Outside our hotel room in Traverse City

Someday I dream of owning a beach house!

Goodbye Tonsils!

2009-10-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

Monday morning, my little boy had his tonsils out! Or, as he was telling people, "Monday morning I am getting my tonsils cut out so I can sleep better!"

A few months ago, when I'd taken him in for his 5 year old/pre-K doctor check-up, our doctor was shocked at how big this healthy little boy's tonsils were. He suggested we see an ENT and think about having them taken out. So finally a couple of weeks ago we were able to meet with the specialist. He scheduled William for surgery for the next week.

Here is my BRAVE BOY just before they wheeled him away - all smiles (we only talked about the good, fun stuff - eating ice cream and popsicles, etc. - not the pain!) So he was excited!

Shortly after they brought him into the recovery room - AFTER he had gotten some pain meds and interested in the Disney Channel. Why, oh WHY, did they not give him pain meds while he was still out?! Instead it was 20 minutes of crying in pain, waiting for the meds and then waiting for the meds to kick in. He had his bunny buddy, Blueberry Blue, (who used to be mine!) with him the whole time - I thot it was so cute that they even put a big blue car bandaid on Blueberry's arm, just like William had on his (where the IV was). Poor kid - he was pretty miserable!

A few hours later, on the way home - calmed and relaxed (Drugged!) and hugging his new friend The Cat in the Hat that the sweet nurse gave him for being so very brave!

So, that all happened Monday. He is doing pretty good for the most part now. He HATES the nasty tasting pain meds and will NOT take it unless he is really hurting. So, sadly, there have been a few times of him being in pain, crying, and me just holding him until the meds kick in. He's starting to get a good appetite back and eating popsicles and ice cream. His teacher gave me some "homework" he could do and he has LOVED that - he loves coloring and practicing his letters, so that has been really fun for him to keep him busy. Hopefully Monday he will be able to go back to school.

I really hope none of my other kids have to go thru this!! He really needed them out, though! They were HUGE!! The doctor was so excited, almost like a little kid on Christmas morning, after taking them out - they were so big, they just made his day! But now, hopefully William will no longer snore, thus he will sleep better, and therefore he will not be tired and whiny all the time - an overall happier kid!

Randomness

2009-08-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

I know I am behind - WAY behind - on blogging. Sorry.

Life's been a bit crazy the last few months.

And I blame it all on one sweet little guy.

But instead of playing catch up right now,

I am just going to post some random pictures

that pretty much summarizes what's been going on.

And one of these days, I will catch up. Promise.

I had my FIRST EVER Pedicure! And it was WONDERFUL!

I've never allowed myself that luxury, feeling it too frivolous a thing to spend money on.

But after a friend invited me and I turned her down and Rick encouraged me to go,

I jumped at the chance the next time she called! And my hubby even thinks it is a

pampering well worth it! So there will DEFINITELY be more of this in the future!

Thanks to Taryn and Rick, the best husband I'll ever have!

Here is that sweet little guy that has turned our world crazy!

We can't get enuf of little Jackson - who really isn't so little now - he is chunking up good!

Almost 3 months old now!
He takes great naps - as long as he's on his tummy!

This was Rick's little project a couple days ago.

I decided the microwave took up too much counter space so he took out the worthless fan that was above the stove and put in a little shelf -perfect! It does stick out a bit, but for now it works.

How does our Garden grow? Well, see for yourself!
This was our pickings from Sunday.
We had mashed potatoes and steamed carrots for dinner.
Also this week we've had stuffed peppers, Greek salad with zuchinni, tomatoes, and onions from the garden, and tonite's pasta will have fresh tomatoes and onions
and some zuchinni and squash on the side - yummy!
We have WAY too many tomatoes to keep up with - anybody want some?

We spent a wonderful week in Michigan, visiting the Meyer family - Grami & Gramps,
Uncle Pete & Aunt Lisa and son David, Great Aunt Ann - and all Rick's siblings
were there and his parents as well. It was a great vacation!

We spent 3 nites at a hotel on the beach - this is Lake Michigan.
And yes, my kids are in the PJs - it was our last nite and I had to get a family picture!
I have to say - I absolutely LOVED the beach! Jackson and I enjoyed a few romantic
late nite and early morning walks while everyone else was in bed. So peaceful!
Someday I dream of having my own beach house. Someday . . .

We went out for brunch with all the family one day while on our vacation.
Such YUMMY food that included a chocolate fountain!
This boy really enjoyed the chocolate dipped marshmallows!

6 Weeks

2009-07-12T15:41:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was Jackson's 6 week birthday! Rick got these adorable smiles, and many more, out of him!

He has learned to love sleeping in his swing during the day and will normally sleep a 4-5 hour stretch at nite.

Gabriella is such a good helper with him - she loves that I will sometimes let her pick him up. Today she got him out of his swing after a nap and sat down with him. Within a few minutes he was asleep on her. We teased her that she couldn't move until he woke up. They stayed there, him sleeping peacefully on her, for about 25 minutes.

Other news - anyone know how to get an awesome deal on a rental vehicle?! We need one next month when we fly to MI for a week to visit family.

Anyone know of a great engineering job anywhere? Unfortunately, the great temp job that Rick had, that we all were so hopeful would end up permanent, didn't. So we are on the look out again!

Um . . What?!

2009-07-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

While browsing thru pictures today, I came across this photo:

and this:

Guess that's what happens when daddy and Papa take the kids out fishing for the afternoon!

And just for fun, here's William, making faces and hiding behind his marble tower.

Blessing Day!

2009-07-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

Today was Jackson and Rick's big day! Rick did a wonderful job on blessing Jackson in church. I am so thankful for a husband who is worthy to hold the priesthood and the blessings we receive from it.

Rick's dad Bill (Papa), Jackson, & Rick

Our first new family picture

(gotta love William's little hands!)

My blue-eyed boy!

All decked out in his tux!

The picture cut off the bottom of his blanket - it was from our RS Presidency - it has his full name and birthdate embroidered on - love it! Such a sweet gift!

So I was REALLY worried that Jackson would scream during his blessing - lately he is just such a momma's boy - only wants mom to hold him and cries and screams for anyone else. But I was wrong! He did a great job - didn't make a sound, even when he started slipping from the strong hands of his daddy and the other men helping.

We enjoyed a yummy BBQ lunch afterwards with family and a few close friends. Such a great day! Thanks again to everyone who came for this special day!

JUNE - Part Uno

2009-07-04T21:57:00.000-07:00

June was a Busy, BUSY month! I can't believe it is gone already and baby Jackson is already a month old! We had a LOT of visitors this month.

Rick's parents visited in the hospital and at other times
(and I still have not gotten a pictureof Papa and the boy!)

and sweet Donna (whom Rozie cares for) came too.

Rick's wondeful Aunt Leesa and Aunt Jenny

My 2 BFFs from Roberts/high school -

Rachel was visiting from Ohio and Jen came from SLC

for visiting and yummy Mexican food.

My mom and grandma came -

it was SO nice to have mom here for a few days!

Our first at home visitor's were my brother James,

his son Jayden, and his cute wife Michelle.

This man is a BABY HOG!!

Baby Jackson is Here!

2009-06-07T15:35:00.000-07:00

Jackson Howard Meyer was born Saturday, May 30 (his due date!)
at 10:26 am.

Weighing 7 pounds, 9 ounces, and 19 1/2 inches long.

He's been a bit jaundiced and I ended up with an infection in my uterus, but we are both doing pretty good now! Now if only I could figure out how to get him to sleep without being cuddled at nite!

As for his name, we had already decided to use Howard as the middle name, but had no idea for a first name until a few weeks ago. We were picking rocks out of the garden one day and got talking about names. We really had no ideas. So Rick asked the kids what they thot we should name the baby if it was a boy. Gabriella hollered out "Jack!" William said "NO! Zack!" Gabriella turned to Tabitha and said "What do you think we should name the baby? Jack or Zack?" and Tabitha said "Jack." Rick turned to me and said, "Well, there you go. We'll name him Jack." But I wasn't that big on Jack. Just too plain and simple and boring for me. Though I did think it funny that Gabriella came up with it and it was my Grandpa's name. So anyways, we came up with Jackson. It's a good name - I wouldn't say I love it, but I like it, and it is definitely growing on me!

And to add a little spin on it all, as Rick puts it "Howard is Lisa's father's name. Jack is Lisa's father's father's name. So, Jack's son Howard is Lisa's dad, and Jackson Howard is Lisa's son. (say it...it's fun)"

If you want to know all the wonderful birth details, keep reading!

If not, stop! :)

So all that week, I had been ready to have this baby! I had never felt that way with any of my other kids - Tabitha was even 10 days late and I was totally fine with waiting longer (but I was induced). But I was just READY to have this baby! So I started going on walks, jumping on the trampoline a little bit, just trying to get things started. Well, nothing was happening and I was rather discouraged on Tuesday of that week when my doctor told me I was only dilated to a 2+.

So Friday afternoon I got me some castor oil. Mixed it with some OJ, prepared for the worst, and drank it as fast as I could. And waited. Half an hour later nothing was happening. According to my dear expert friend on this, I should have been on the throne, miserable. So I gave her a call to find out why nothing was happening. Turns out I hadn't taken enuf of the castor oil. So I downed some more. And waited.
Dinner time I started feeling kinda crampy, but nothing bad. When I FINALLY had to spend some time in the bathroom that evening, I was SO Excited! After about 20 minutes I started having contractions that were 5 minutes apart. They lasted about an hour and stopped. It was about 11 pm then so I went to bed, thinking for sure that I'd wake up in the middle of the nite, in full blown labor.

Instead I woke up just after 6 (thank you little birdies singing outside my window!). At 6:15 the contractions started. They came every 2 minutes, occasionally 3 minutes, or even just 1 minute apart, but pretty regularly 2 minutes. I had been hoping to labor at home as long as possible, but that made me a bit nervous, being only 2 minutes apart. By 8 am, they were starting to get a little uncomfortable, so we got ready to go to the hospital.

Just before leaving, Gabriella told me "Mom, it will be ok if the baby is a boy." And I reminded William that I thot it was going to be a boy and if so, then yes, it was ok, we would love him. The kids have all wanted a girl. William would even say "I don't like boys. I only like girls. If it's a boy I'm not gonna love it." So I was a bit worried, since I really did feel like it was a boy.

When the nurse checked me at 8:15, I was dilated to 4+. I was a bit disappointed, not even being halfway there and already at the hospital. But I told her that I was wanting to go natural and did not want to be hooked up and monitored unless I absolutely had to me. A world of choices was then opened to me! And hour later I was to a 7! And yes, at this point the contractions were definitely uncomfortable, not painful, but uncomfortable. I was excited because with Gabriella I had wanted to go natural, and only made it to a 7 before I was BEGGING for an epidural! So I was way excited that I had made it that far already and things were going good.

The nurse asked if I'd like to take a hot bath. My first big CHOICE! All my other babies I'd been stuck in bed being monitored or had already had an epidural by then. So I got into a nice, hot tub and within 10 minutes I was at an 8. And then things got really uncomfortable. Ok, painful even.

I was in the tub maybe 40 minutes at the most, when my water popped. I say popped instead of broke, because that it exactly how it felt. I'd never had my water break on its own. It felt just like there was a water balloon inside of me that had suddenly, and painfully popped and everything gushed out of me. I yelled out. (According to Rick, it was NOT a scream, just a good yell) And the nurse came running in my room. She helped me get out and to my bed for a quick check. I was ready!

The doctor walked in just then and asked "Ok, so how do we want to do this?" I was completely confused! "Standing up, lying down, or sitting?" It was pretty cool. So in a semi reclined position I got ready to push.

I pushed through about 6 contractions (I think). And it was NOT fun. At all. Pushing was very painful. I felt like everything down there was just going to burst open! Once or twice I said that I couldn't do it. And the nurses just said "Oh yes, you can!" Though there was no turning back now! I wondered why it was taking so long, with so many pushes. At least it felt like so long to me - in reality it was maybe 15 minutes.

At one point the nurse said "I see a baldy! You have a bald baby." "I don't have bald babies," I told her. And that's when they realized that this baby was not cooperating like he/she should have. Instead of coming out face down, it was posterior, or face up. The reason the pushing was so bad.

As soon as I felt him finally pop out of me, I felt such relief. But I was SO drained. So completely physically and emotionally drained. The doctor had immediately placed the baby on my tummy, so it was me who announced that it was a boy and I just held him in one arm, crying. (and Rick was immediately updating our Facebook status!) I really had no desire at that moment, no strength really, to hold him or pay much attention to Jackson. So after they had taken him, weighed and measured, and cleaned him, I told the nurse to give him to his daddy. It took me probably a good 20 minutes after that before I felt like I was ready. I really just needed time to lay back and relax, to recover a little after what I'd just done. And I must admit, I was/am rather proud of myself. I accomplished what I'd wanted by birthing naturally. Though it wasn't the calm, peaceful, or graceful birth - yes, there was defintiely some screaming involved! - that I had envisioned, I DID IT! And it was all over with.

We came home from the hospital the next afternoon and overall things are going good. Jackson is a bit jaundiced and I developed an infection in my uterus. THAT was horrible, excruciatingly painful when it started! I was in tears, telling Rick that I would rather go thru my natural birth all over again. 3 different antibiotics seem to be getting it cleared up though!

Yard Sales, Pizza, and Balloon Animals

2009-05-24T14:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Saturday, we had our first Yard Sale of the year. We normally have 2 every summer - one at the beginning and one at the end. My backyard neighbor Amie joined me, as always, and a couple other neighbors brought a few things over as well. The weather was perfect! Nice and overcast and not too hot. It went pretty good - we made about what we normally do. But I know that I really overdid it this weekend! By 11 am I was feeling so worn out. And not feeling too well, either. William's had a terrible cough all week and we got him started on some meds first thing that morning, and I am afraid I am getting it, or something! Though I am feeling quite a bit better today actually.

We ended up going longer than normal with our yard sale, and it was 4 in the afternoon before we were all finished, everything packed up and a load taken to the D.I. Time to think about something for dinner! And with the way I was feeling, having to be up and fixing anything really did not sound fun - I wanted nothing more than to sit - sit and be catered to! So, since we both had gift cards to a pizza place we'd never been, Amie and I decided that going out for pizza was the perfect end to our day!

Brick Oven Pizza is pretty much right on BYU campus - it was huge inside! And SO yummy! Our family had the Deluxe Chicken Alfredo pizza and salad bar with it. I think it was the best, yummiest pizza I have ever had! (which reminds me, the one remaining piece is in the fridge - snack time!) But the best part of all, for the kids anyways, was that there was a balloon twister making the rounds.

This guy Jeremy is AMAZING!! Totally blows away the simple little dog I can make! But then again, he has been doing it for over 6 years! And does it seriously, too! Here he is working on William's awesome Triceratops!

Here's all the kids with their balloon creations: Zach has a Nimbus 2000 Broomstick (can't see it all, but it was awesome!), Madison has Tinkerbell, Gabriella has Aerial, Hannah has a dalmation (no spots, she had to draw those on herself!), Annalise has an awesome Cinderella that made Tabitha completely jealous - her Tinkerbell wasn't big enuf! And William and his Triceratops.

It was a fun, and very relazing evening! Delicious food (that I didn't have to fix!). And as soon as we got home it was bedtime and I got to lay on the couch and put my feet up and just relax!

Graduation Time!

2009-05-24T13:58:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday was William's Preschool Graduation. I can't believe my little boy is ready for and will soon be starting Kindergarten! He has learned SO much in his fun little preschool. I admit, I was a bit worried about what he would learn, since this was a "cheap" preschool. But I have been impressed with SO much of it - I would recommend The Wooden Cottage to anyone!

The kids put on a nice little program (of which none of my pictures turned out since the camera was on a wierd setting - oops!) showing off what they have learned this year and singing lots of cute little songs. Then they got ready for their graduation march. His teacher, Mrs. Geanna (or Mrs. G as William likes to call her!) had these cute little caps and gowns for them to wear - complete with tassels! It was so cute watching each of the kids walk in and get their diploma from her!

Mrs. Geanna, William, and Miss Carrie

Ok, cute little story here!

This little girl is Lily - and I had never met her or even heard anything about her from William. But her parents came up to us after the little ceremony and said they had to get a picture of William and Lily together, because Lily said that he was her boyfriend. And she would talk about him almost everyday after preschool - telling her parents how William had told her that her hair looked pretty or he liked her shirt or something sweet like that. Her mom said that often Lily would say things like, I need to wear this shirt today because William really likes it. Or, I want my hair fixed this way because William says it is pretty. TOO STINKIN' CUTE! He is VERY nice and sweet with his compliments like that! Always telling me and his sisters that we looked pretty. If you ask William, he has 8 girlfriends. But he can't remember all their names!

Gabriella, the proud big sister, and Tabitha.

We let Gabriella miss part of school to come to the graduation. She said "I've never been to a preschool graduation before!" She was thrilled.

Congratulations, William!
You have done a great job and learned SO much!
I know you will do wonderful in Kindergarten!

The Secret to Butter

2009-05-24T13:49:00.000-07:00

A week or so ago, William told me (very randomly) that butterflies make butter. And he knew this because our 7 year old neighbor friend, Hannah, had told him this. And Hannah knows EVERYTHING. She even knows more than his older and wiser mom.

He would NOT believe me when I told him that butter did NOT come from butterflies. It was made from cream, from milk, that comes from cows. He insisted that butterflies made butter. In a way, it kinda makes sense - why else would they be called BUTTERflies?

So Rick had the great idea that we should teach the kids how to make butter and let them make some on their own.

So here's a picture of the kids with their little jars, shaking and shaking the cream, watching it turn into butter, leaving behind the buttermilk (which we used to make buttermilk pancakes!)
You can see the butter on a little plate in front on them.

But, even after all of that, William still insists that Butterflies make Butter!

Mother's Day 2009

2009-05-24T13:24:00.000-07:00

I had a great Mother's Day this year. The kids woke me up nice and early around 7, (not so great!) so excited to bring me their little gifts they had made in school and primary - each one wrapped in either paper towels or a blanket. Pretty darn cute! After oohing and ahhing over each one, I nudged Rick to wake him up. He had a very nice card for me with a gift card to Kohl's - my favorite store! - with strict instructions that it was to be used on me, NOT the kids. Yeah, I kinda have a little problem with that!

Rick and the kids fixed me breakfast in bed, then it was off to church, where mothers were given a giant candy bar - chocolate, yummy! We spent the late afternoon and evening at Rick's parents', where we had a very yummy dinner and enjoyed visiting.

Me and my sweet, silly kiddos!

Me and the kids with my mom a week recently.

For Your Listening Pleasure!

2009-05-12T15:16:00.000-07:00

Time to plant!

2009-05-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

This week we have been SO busy getting our garden area ready! Ok, ok, by "we" I really mean Rick - mostly Rick! I DID help.
The beginning of the week there just seemed to be SO much to do - our little garden spots were just full of huge weeds, grass over a foot high, and more weeds! So we needed to get all the weeds/grass cleared out, compost brought in, tilled, and planted - and guess what? We did it!
Rick and I spent a couple of evenings after the kids were in bed, pulling out all the weeds. One evening a backyard neighbor saw us and offered us raspberry starts. I LOVE raspberries! We have a few very small plants that my sister gave us last year, so we gladly took what was offered us! And Rick spent even more time outside, in the dark, that evening, clearing away more weeds/grass and planting the new raspberries.
He went and got a truckload of compost before work one morning, came home on his lunch break to unload it, and spread it out and tilled it in that evening.
Today has been spent cleaning up a big rock pile (we have very rocky dirt!) weed whacking the rest of the horrid weeds, shopping for seeds and plants, and planting! The kids helped me plant beans, carrots, squash and zucchini. And then Rick, William, and I planted tomatoes, green peppers, onions, cucumbers, corn, pumpkin, and broccoli. Busy day! And still to come - watermelon and potatoes - and possibly more - depending on whatever else I come up with!
Thanks Rick, for all your hard work and help this week! No way I could have done it all myself! I was worried I was going to put myself into labor pulling out some of those weeds!

My men - hard at work!

On another note - I lost 2 pounds in the last 2 weeks! My goal for this pregnancy has been to keep my weight gain around 30 pounds, hopefully no more than 35. As of Tuesday, I was at 29 pounds, down 2 (probably because I had been yucky sick Monday morning!)

The doctor is sure that the baby is head down! Very good news! And she/he is more active than ever! One of my favorite things is being able to see my tummy move - big waves and sudden pokes - love it!

And most exciting of all: The baby has a name!! As Rick and I were tossing rocks into the wheelbarrow today, I brought up the topic of names - again. And with a little bit of help from the kids, and a bit of compromise from both of us, we have officially decided on first AND middle names for the baby - a boy name and a girl name. So happy and excited to have that taken care of! Oh, but don't ask, cuz we won't tell! Nope - no one will know until the baby is here! :)

Any guesses when that might be? I'd love to get some guesses of dates and boy/girl and see if anyone gets it right! The kids are all hoping for a girl. Rick definitely wants a boy, and I am hoping for a girl, but I kinda feel like it's going to be a boy AND that he is going to come early - or at least on time! (May 30! only 3 weeks left! ) No idea why I feel that way - my kids have all been late, but who knows? What do you think?

8 Down, Only 1 to Go!

2009-05-03T20:41:00.000-07:00

4 Weeks to Go! SO EXCITED!
(It's a bit blurry - sorry!)
Also shows off my not-so-new haircut -
I know, it's taken me a long time to get a picture of me on here!

Until a week or so ago, the baby had been breech. Not fun at all when your doctor tells you you may have to have a C-Section! So I took matters into my own hands and tried out some natural methods to try and get the baby to turn. Mostly laying on my ironing board, on the stairs, upside down. It was pretty hilarious. The kids got great laughs out of that. But it worked! Or something did! Or the baby just moved on its own. Who knows? I like to think that it was the crazy upside down ironing board laying!

Totally Random

2009-04-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

So tonite we were all sitting at the table, eating dinner. And out of the blue comes this:

William (completely serious) - I want to move to Hollywood.

Rick & I - Why do you want to move to Hollywood?!
Total shocker - had no idea the boy even knows what Hollywood is!

William - Cuz I want to be famous!

Me - Who do you want to be famous like?
Again, NO idea he understands the concept of "being famous"!

William - Like GRANDMA!

So, there you have it! William wants to move to Hollywood to be famous like Grandma!!

OR . . .

Maybe he will become a famous dancer?!?!?

I'm Home!

2009-04-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

I am back from being a full-time working mom to being a full-time stay-at-home mom! Wednesday last week was my last day, but starting Monday, I will go in for a few hours once a week and keep the filing, mailing, billing, etc. done. - and the kiddos can go with me.
I must admit, I can get pretty impatient at times with these kids - William and Tabitha can REALLY go at it! And I have wished that I was back at work, but I really am enjoying being home. I love that I can do dishes, laundry, sweep, mop, go grocery shopping, scrub toilets, and all the other mundane household chores during the day, and not spend all of my evenings doing that. My evenings can now be my own again for doing what I WANT to do, instead of what I HAVE to do. (Ok, so not saying that I do all of that all day long, but I am trying to keep up!)
There are also some bigger projects that have needed done for months that I am now trying to get done in the next few weeks! I've gotten all of my little boy clothes organized and boxed up (some were in boxes, some in a pile in my "messy room" and others William has more recently outgrown were tossed on the changing table.) and still needing to do all the little girl clothes! Today I spent a good part of the morning outside spraying dandelions! Our yard is really about 1/2 grass and 1/2 weeds and I HATE it! So I am hoping my efforts will pay off! It would be nice if it would rain Weed-B-Gone one night.
I am also excited to get back to doing some scrapbooking - my goal was to have each of my children's first year of life done by the end of the year and I think I've done 1 or 2 pages for each. And bow making! I want to make lots more pretty little hair bows for my girls! (yes Joy, I know I STILL owe you some!) And I told Gabriella I'd make her some cute pajamas. I really better get busy!
I am hearing lots of unhappy, yelling whiny voices from upstairs, so I guess my time here is done!

Catching Up: Easter

2009-04-22T14:59:00.000-07:00

We had a fun Easter weekend. Saturday morning we spent at 2 Easter Egg Hunts - one the city put on (not too fun - way too many people, cold and drizzling, and not near enuf eggs for the kids - oh and Gabriella had a little squabble with a boy in her class over a little blue bunny - the boy won and Gabriella's basket broke - not a good way to start off the big hunt!) and then one put on by our backyard neighbors which was tons of fun! Way too many eggs and treats for the kids! William's and Tabitha's baskets were full within 5 minutes so they started filling up a plastic bag! The hunt was followed by a hot dog roast. Lots of fun!

Here's the kiddos, Sunday morning, after getting their baskets
and finding all the eggs and candy left by the Easter Bunny.

Proudly showing off their capes I made them (you can see the
other side in the top picture - reversible! Thanks to
Rachel for the fun idea - they are loving them!)

Ready for church!
and even on time at 9 am!
(Thanks to Nana & Papa for the beautiful dresses!)

Ready to take off!
(wearing new spring outfits from Grandma!)

Sunday evening we went to Nana & Papa's (Rick's parents) for dinner and yet ANOTHER egg hunt! Rick's brother Ross and his girlfriend Kari were there and the kids had lots of fun playing with them, climbing a tree and running around in their new capes - until Gabriella wiped out. :(

Sunday was a gorgeous day, but a couple days later,
we woke to this! Hello Spring Break!

Catching Up: Dance Competition Pictures

2009-04-22T14:50:00.001-07:00

Ok, trying to get caught up here a bit - so lots of pictures!! These are from Gabriella's Dance Competition, end of March.

She is Gorgeous - don't ya think?

Ready to perform "When Somebody Loves Me"

With her company before "Shake a Tail Feather" -
and of course, she is the one really not looking!

Afterwards, proudly showing her trophy!

I just couldn't resist taking this picture of the
gorgeous sunrise on our drive that morning!

Baby Stuff

2009-04-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

Hypnobirthing. Ever heard of it? Anyone ever tried it? I am SO excited to do it! This birth is going to be amazing!! I've been reading a book that a friend lent me and was hoping to take a class on it, but I don't know what is up with the gal teaching the class I was wanting to take. She won't respond to me or another friend's emails or phone calls. And the first class is Monday. So I have decided - Who needs to take a class? I can do it! And I am excited!

My baby has yet to be named. Rick is being difficult. He finally told me that he really does not like either the girl's or the boy's name that I have picked out. And he is totally not helpful in giving me new ideas. So I need help!! Please anyone, give me some name ideas that sound good with the 3 kiddos we already have!! But really, I keep telling myself I shouldn't worry too much. He'll come around. He didn't like Gabriella or Tabitha either.

And my next little dilemma. A car seat. Has anyone ever had a regular carseat, one that can be rear facing for the baby and then forward facing when they are older? I was at Wal-Mart today and just went down the car seat aisle for fun (we do need a new one!) and saw this pretty pink flowered one and I love it! And I thot how cool that that would be the only carseat we would need. AND it was on clearance!! So I snatched it up. But now I am just wondering, what do people do with their baby? If it falls asleep, do they just carry it, cuz you certainly can't lug that big thing around like you do the infant carrier carseats! And to go anywhere, you have to hold it the whole time - not that that's bad, but your arms do get tired! And then again, if this baby of mine is a boy, the car seat is a definite no! So opinions please! Tabitha took one look at it and got SO excited and said "Is that a new car seat for ME?!" and she has been sitting in it, cuddling up in it all day! Maybe we should just keep it for her - she really could use a new seat, too.

I did not eat a whole banana a couple of days ago and woke up several times in the middle of the nite with either horrid charlie horses in BOTH feet or even horrider ones in BOTH legs. I seriously thot my left shin bone was going to split in 2. It was NOT a good nite, to say the least. For a while I had been getting frequent cramps like this, some terribly painful like the other nite. So I started eating a banana a day for potassium and taking a calcium/magnesium supplement and as long as I do both of those every day I am fine. But if not, I am in trouble!

I get rather annoyed when people tell me how tiny I am. I'm now 7 months pregnant and certainly feel it. But I have not gained near as much weight with this baby as I did with the other 3 (eating healthier and going up and down stairs numerous times at work really helps!) so I am trying to learn to take it as a compliment when someone says something like how small I am.

And I am starting to get tired of my maternity clothes.

And I really wish I was on a cruise right now, someplace nice and warm. (Then I could wear all my cute maternity swimsuits that I haven't had a chance to wear.)

And I have missed riding my bike to work the last couple of weeks. We had one gorgeous week that I rode to work every day and I LOVED it! Go away snow!! Go away rain! Come back 60 degree weather!

Saturday's Catch-up

2009-04-04T20:36:00.000-07:00

The last 2 weeks:

1 - Gabriella had another dance competition last Saturday. Her team did great again, placing 1st and 4th and she got to bring home another trophy. She was one happy little dancer.

2 - Rick participated in his first ever mini Triathlon. And I did not get to be there (see #1). But he accomplished his goal - he finished! Swimming 300 meters, biking 11 miles (half of that being uphill) and running 3 miles took him just over 2 hours, finishing 2nd from last. I am so proud of him for doing it and for not giving up! And he is thinking he wants to do another 1 or 2 this year. I even told him that maybe I would do this one, The Icebreaker, with him next year. Maybe.

3 - William has been learning about the weather, volcanoes, the letter V, and much more at preschool. He loves telling us if it is just breezy, instead of windy, or if it is a blizzard instead of just snowing outside. And yes, we've had snow off and on all week - yucky yucky, blizzardy snow! What happened to spring?!

4 - I have just started my next fun sewing project - I am SO excited! Something fun for the kids - was going to be a surprise from the Easter Bunny, but they've all got a glimpse so it will just be a surprise from Mommy in their baskets. (I will post pictures later!)

5 - Tabitha didn't want to go to sleep tonite. First her kitty kept meowing loudly. Then she insited on a drink. And then she kept hollering "MOM!" until I hollered (quietly) back "What?" and she asked (holleringfrom her room to me in the lving room again) "Are my cousins in Lehi?" She is such a crazy little nutcase!

6 - I only have a week and a half working full-time left. And I am both excited by that and kinda bummed too - it's really been a lot of fun. Nites are still hectic, trying to cram everything in with the kids in just a couple of hours, but I've really enjoyed it.

7 - I did some awesome multi-tasking while listening to conference today! First, Gabriella helped me do some cleaning/organizing in my "messy room." Christmas and Halloween is officially put away - completely away!! Next I put away lots of canned foods and boxes of cereal in the storage room. I get lazy, I get in a hurry, and I just toss the bags in, or pile up the cases of canned foods. So it really needed some attention. I have 41 boxes of cereal, 2 cases of black beans (1 that I didn't know I had), a case of tomato sauce I didn't know about and I am completely out of peanut butter! AND I got all the material for my kiddos surprise cut out!

8 -Rick got a job!! (Sorry, thot I had already posted about that, but guess not!) We were lucky - very lucky. He was only out of work for 2 weeks and then started working for Franson Civil Engineers. For now it is just a temporary position, about 3 months they said, but it could very well end up being permanent if they get some big projects they are bidding on and/or they see how awesome of an engineer he is. And lots of perks - higher wage, closer to room (right down the street!!! He can ride his bike if it will stop snowing!) and HEALT INSURANCE!!! That will definitely come in handy. And he says the bosses are better, employees are better (a few were buddies he studied with at USU), and the work is more what he has wanted to do - "Cooler projects" he says.

9 - Tabitha cracks us up with how she eats apples. Most people eat apples going around the core. Not her. She starts in one spot and digs in, going right into the middle of the apple. And she will eat it ALL. She got very upset with me today when I picked up the half of a core that was left and tossed it in the garbage, thinking she was done. Nope. She would have eaten that half of the core, seeds and all. What was I thinking?

10 - My baby is kicking. A lot. And I LOVE it! Sometimes she/he gets so active and moving so much that just by looking at my covered tummy, you can see it moving. (I'm sure anyone who has been pregnant knows what I'm talking about!) I just love it - like right now. It is just fun and makes me laugh.

A little of this and that

2009-03-22T21:44:00.000-07:00

We had a pretty busy weekend, so just thot I'd give a little update!

Saturday was BUSY!! A LONG, busy day.
Gabriella had her first ever dance competition! And she had to be there at 7:30 in the morning! Not a nice thing to do to little girls - or their moms! So she and I were up early, fixing hair, putting on make-up, getting all fancied, and out the door by 7:10. Too early!
Her team performed 2 dances. They placed 1st on one and 2nd on the other! Very exciting! Plus one of the dances won another award - can't remember what exactly - and her studio won the best overall Showmanship Award, plus numerous others. Rick and the other 2 did join us in time for her 2nd dance performance - the first was at 8:30, a bit early to have everyone up and ready and there! But they made it in the nick of time - we were literally running down the hall and up the stairs and to our seats!
It was a busy, fun day, and we get to do it all over again this coming weekend, at her 2nd competition! However, this time I will NOT wear cute little heels - no matter how nice the weather is or anything - I will NOT!

After that we made a little stop at Chuck E. Cheese - we had some tokens left over from a previous visit so thot we'd let the kids ride a few rides, play a few games, and have fun before heading home. They had lots of fun with their few tokens each, Rick ran into an old buddy of his from USU that we haven't seen for over a year or more, and I got hit on. Yep, me and all my 6 1/2 month pregnant glory and 3 kids trailing along, was hit on by a guy. Too bad he wasn't cute. Maybe then I would have felt flattered.

And I was diagnosed, by my PA neighbor, thru our backyard fences, as having a herniated umbilicus. Yep - my belly button has issues. And my neighbor has seen and touched it. Maybe we're a bit too neighborly.

William entertained us at dinner tonite with all of his preschool color rhymes. "Red, red, forgot his head." "Pink, pink, sat in the sink." "Brown, brown, his jeans fell down." and on and on. It was hilarious! I am really impressed that he can remember all of them! He is really one smart little cookie!

Tabitha insisted on my calling her "Dorothy Ann" all evening. No idea where in the world that came from, but whatever. She had an apple just before bedtime, that I think took her about 46 minutes to eat - but she ate it - ALL of it except the seeds. Like, the seeds were all that was left.

Sadly, I didn't get any pictures of the big competition, except a couple of Gabriella with her little trophy after the awards were given out - my battery was dead and then by the time Rick came with more, it was just such a rush. But I will do better this weekend when we do it all again!

Oh, and Rick is participating in his first ever Mini-Triathlon this Saturday!! Anyone know how I can physically be in 2 places at the same time?!

OH! And I cut my hair - ok, it would be better to say, I chopped my hair! And I am really loving it!

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . .

2009-03-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

So I know that line is from a book, but honestly I can't tell you what book it is from! Terrible, I am sure! And even worse, I am pretty sure I have never even read that book!

But anyways, to the point. The bad news is that my hubby lost his job today. Yep. Laid off. Let go. Fired. Whatever you want to call it, it happened. After yesterday we were pretty sure it was going to happen - all the employees (about 10 in the office) had their hours cut from 40 to 32/week. Someone was laid off. A comment by one boss that he needed to talk to Rick and Rick's immediate boss was made. So last nite we put 2 and 2 together and figured that today would be the day for him. Of course we hoped not, but we tried to prepare ourselves for the worst. And it happened. Oh, and his severance pay? They let him keep a laptop. How nice of them.

But we are being optimistic. And hopeful. And thankful that I have my fun little job - for 5 more weeks. Hmmm . . . don't think I've even mentioned on here that I am working right now!

February 2nd, I started working FT, Monday - Friday, 9-5, as an administrative assistant (sounds much fancier than secretary!) for a gal in our ward that has her own tax business. I was so stressed about it at first and worried about the kids and everything, and just kept telling myself, "It's only for 10 weeks. It's only for 10 weeks" - but it has been a lot of fun -and I am learning things I never knew about taxes! And after the first week or so the kids adjusted to having a babysitter everyday (a mom of 2 that I used to babysit for) and it is really working out well! Of course, the evenings are hectic and a bit stressful, trying to cram so much in in only a couple of hours, but we are making it work and Rick has learned that he has to help out more, which is awesome! I love it when he willingly, without me saying anything, goes and does the dishes! Wow! Now is that sexy or what?!

And now, more than ever, I am thankful for this little job that I have, and sad too, that my 10 weeks is already halfway over.

6 Down!

2009-03-02T19:17:00.000-08:00

I'm two-thirds of the way there!

(And Please, ignore the red, evil eyes!)

Valentine's Day . . .

2009-02-14T13:56:00.000-08:00

Stinks!

(Thanks for letting me say that. I just had to get it out and maybe now I can have a better day. And please, no "I'm so sorry" pity comments. Like I said, I just had to get that out.)

Lucky You!

2009-02-14T13:52:00.000-08:00

I got this from a friend's blog and thot it sounded like fun! (and I really need to do something nice for others today to cheer myself up!)

Lucky you!

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!

2. What I create will be just for you.

3. It’ll be done this year. {hopefully slightly sooner;)}

4. You have no clue what it’s going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or maybe even some creation I haven’t even invented yet. I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that’s for sure! (But lets be honest here. This is me and I am not the best at wonderful ideas! I may bake or scrapbook or bow something, but I really haven’t thought that far ahead;)

5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange (if I feel the desire).

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!

* * *Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

It's a Whopper!

2009-02-07T20:35:00.000-08:00

So last Sunday I was making some chicken soup and needed some carrots. Made my dear hubby go all the way to the back yard and dig me up a few. And this is the monster he brought me! (and by "monster" I mean the orange thing, the carrot! NOT me! Even though I do look pretty scary - just ignore me and focus on the giant orange thing!!)

So, although my garden this past year may have been a huge flop overall,
I DO know how to grow some good carrots!!

Tabitha's Birthday Pictures

2009-02-07T20:22:00.000-08:00

Finally got the kinks worked out with my computer/camera - so here are just a few pics from Tabitha's birthday party at home.

We also went out to dinner with Rick's family a couple nites before to celebrate. His sister Melissa, 2 of his 3 brothers, Ross and Ryan, and Ryan's girlfriend Stephenie, were all here visiting. We all went out to Tucanos - a delicious all-you-can-eat (make-yourself-sick) - Brazilian restaurant. A couple of Rick's cousins joined us and later some more relatives stopped by, so it was a fun night. And Tabitha was really spoiled by all of them!

Cupcake in one hand, giant waffle cone in the other =
1 Happy little girl!

I took the easy route and made cupcakes instead of a cake
And then the kids got to do their own decorating.
And they all loved it!

This is Tabitha in her new dress up outfit from Rick's family.

She loves it!! She INSISTED on wearing it as a nightgown the first 3 nites and with her new crown on she calls herself "Fumbelina" - it's so cute! Not sure where she got the Thumbelina idea, since it is not a Thumbelina dress or crown, but that is who she is when she wears them together! What a cute little pose! She keeps talking lately about "when I get to go to dance class." What a little princess she is! Now, as a mother, I know you are not supposed to have favorties, but is it ok to have favorites at their different ages/stages?! She is most definitely the cutest, funniest, silliest little 2/3 year old that I have had!

Technical Difficulties

2009-02-01T20:34:00.000-08:00

So I was already tonite to come and upload pictures taken from Tabitha's 3rd birthday today, and blog all about it, but my computer/camera is having some kind of PMS or something. It's connected, but just not finding it. I've spent about an hour trying different things and nothing is working!! So the pictures and birthday news will have to wait!

But until then, here is just a sweet picture of my adorable little girl!! It's about a year old, but I just love it! And I can't look thru anymore - looking at "old" pictures of her just makes me realize how big my baby is! And in my wonderfully emotional pregnant state if I don't stop now, the waterworks will be in full force! She has grown SO Much in the last year alone!

Tabitha Rose - you are the sweetest little thing EVER!!
We love you SO MUCH!!!

Singing Dragons & Learning Spanish

2009-01-21T13:04:00.000-08:00

Ok, I have got to get this written down somewhere before I forget! So here it is!

Earlier today, as we were on our way home From Wal-Mart, Kelly Clarkson's song, "Because of You" came on the radio. William's comment made me burst out laughing.

"Mom! This sounds like a real dragon singing!"

And when the song was over, "Yep, that was a REAL dragon singing! A real GIRL dragon! I think it was the dragon from Shrek."

My apologies go out to Kelly.

And then this afternoon the kids were watching a Barney video. What can I say? My 6 year old Gabriella truly is a genius.

"Mom! We're learning Spanish from Dora AND from Barney! We just learned how to say "so long" - that means 'see you later'! So long!"

Hmmmm. . . . .

A New Do

2009-01-08T19:21:00.000-08:00

Ok, I admit it. Sometimes I am a lazy mom.

Tabitha and I were both downstairs.

She took something upstairs and didn't come back.

After maybe 7 or 8 minutes I went up to check on her.

A lot can happen in 7 or 8 minutes!

A LOT!

Like, um, giving yourself a new hairstyle!

Really, it could have been SO much worse! I did catch her before she got too far! Though according to her, she wanted her hair "to look like William's". That would have been BAD!

I have a neighbor that used to cut hair. So we went for a little visit and she was actually very impressed with how good a job Tabitha did on giving herself bangs! So she just trimmed and evened them up a bit. I am still getting used to it.

Happy 2009!!

2009-01-01T17:00:00.000-08:00

Today has been an overall, pretty good day (aside from still not getting any sleep and a headache since last nite that won't go away!). Very relaxing - so relaxing that here it is 6 PM and I am STILL in my jammies! It feels great!

The kids were up around 7:30, I think, and helped themselves to breakfast while Rick and I were lazy and tried to get some more sleep - well, I tried - he succeeded!

Rick made me a yummy breakfast of eggs over easy and fresh fruit salad. Thanks, babe!

And then, he told the kids to get dressed, that they were going somewhere and it was a suprise from mommy. They ended up just wandering around Cabela's, looking at all the fish and fun stuff. He just wanted to give me some peace and quiet and time of my own. And I VERY much appreciated it!

Here is how I spent my time:

My very first baby pages scrapbooked!!
And it's only taken me 6 1/4 years to do it! :)

And I LOVE how it turned out!!
It is SO much cuter and fancier than any other scrapbooking I have ever done!
Thank you Thank you Thank you to Taryn for introducing me to scrapbook page packets!
Complete with everything you need and instructions on how to assemble it!

Here's another spread I did, just need to sort thru pictures more to fine the perfect ones of my Baby William to add to it. (Sorry it came out the wrong way, not sure why!! Just turn your head to the left, or your screen to the right!)

This one I did after Rick and the kids were home.AND after my 3+ hours scrapbooking, I spent an hour making a few new hair bows. My SIL Michelle taught me how over Thanksgiving (thank you thank you again!) and I've gotten some more ideas from a friend (thanks again, you know who you are!)

Here's some I've made in the last few weeks -
most of these went to friends of Gabriella's for Christmas gifts.
A couple of them aren't so great - I'm still learning!

So - it's a new year. Anyone make any New Year's Resolutions? Remember any you made last year? I sure don't remember if/what!! But I'd love to hear yours!

Here are a couple of mine for this year - nothing big and fancy - just a couple small ones!
1 - The dishes WILL get done! Ok, so yeah, of course they get done now - eventually! But now they are going to be kept up and done regularly! No more dishes piling up in the sink, stacked up on the counter, food drying and stinking. NO MORE!!! I actually started with this the day after Christmas and it's gone good. Been so nice to just take a few minutes after each meal or whenever and get the few there done. Rick's even more willing to help out this way!
2 - Piano lessons for Gabriella. She took lessons over the summer from a gal in our ward, but then when school started and she started dance class again, we quit lessons and I attempted to teach her on my own. That worked ok for about a month and then we just got lazy. We started up again over Christmas break and it just shocked me how much she had forgotten! So now that we are catching up to where she had been, we are going to keep up with it and progress!
3 - Scrapbook!! anything!
4 - Make lots more hair bows! Joy has just shown me a few fun websites with instructions on and I am excited to learn how to make some new styles!
5 - Eat more fruits and veggies. Just because I am pregnant, does not mean that I can eat all I want of whatever I want! I'd really like to keep my weight gain down this time (40 - 50 pounds with each previous pregnancy) to 30 pounds or less. And gaining 6 pounds a month (as I did this previous month!) is not gonna make that happen! So gotta keep those healthy snacks on hand for me and for everyone. I love how William has been asking for an apple almost every day lately - and that I have had apples to give him!

So there you have it - my 5 little resolutions!

The Rest of 2008

2009-01-01T16:29:00.000-08:00

I can't believe the year is gone already!

Here is what the rest of the year brought us -

Nana & Papa came and spent Christmas Day with us. Overall it was a pretty calm and relaxing day. The kids got books - LOTS of books! And hours were (and since have been!) spent enjoying them! Here Nana & Papa are helping Gabriella & William with their "1001 Things to Spot" books. Love 'em - can't get enuf of these AWESOME books!
Santa sure made some happy kids on Christmas morning!

Gabriella and her much wished for "American Girl" doll, Alexis.
(What she doesn't know won't hurt her!)

William got the Fishing Game he'd been begging for.
Tabitha LOVES her Fur Real Kitty.
And she takes such good care of it.
(I can handle this kind of pet!)
The end of December also brought my birthday. The big 3-0 to be exact.
Honestly, as an adult, my birthday just really isn't that big a deal to me. And yesterday just was not the day! Very little sleep the night before made for a very grouchy birthday girl. Add to that the crazy hormones of pregnancy and that made for one very grouchy, emotional birthday girl!
Good thing we had gone out for my birthday dinner the night before! Tucanos - yummy!

The kids tried giving me some peace and quiet so I could TRY and get a little more sleep, but me and sleep just haven't been friends lately - wish I knew why!
They surprised me with "presents" they had made - pictures they had drawn, wrapped in holiday paper towels - it was very sweet!

And then - they even made me breakfast!
Check it out! - Honey Nut Cheerios, "toast,"a handful of dried cherries,
a mini Hershey's Special Dark bar, a single green M&M, and a candy cane Hershey Kiss. I thot my day was getting lots better when my tennis partner and I made plans to play in the afternoon. It's been a month since we've played - way too long! And the Wii we got for Christmas (thanks Mom!) just isn't quite cutting it for me! It didn't dawn on either of us that the courts might be covered in snow - which they were - Sad day. I about cried (again).

We spent the evening at a neighbor's house, eating yummy food and playing Ticket to Ride, while the kids all watched a movie and played on the Wii. Kids were in bed at 9 pm (good thing they'd ALL had naps that afternoon!) and I was before 11 - no ringing in the New Year for me!

Hope everyone else had a great New Year!

Holiday Fun

2008-12-19T19:05:00.000-08:00

As most of you, we have been busy with all the fun things that Christmas brings. Here are just a few fun pictures to share!

William was SO excited to get to make and decorate his very own Gingerbread House at preschool yesterday. He couldn't wait to share it with all of us! (But I made him wait until after dinner! and he is such a good sharer!)

Gabriella recently had 2 dance performances. The first one (where the picture is from) was at The Poinsettia Festival a couple of weeks ago. And then on Tuesday nite her studio had their Christmas Recital, where her team performed the same dance. She did a great job and she is loving her new, fancy little footie things (she is, but I'm not - they were pricey little buggers!)

And today was an overall busy day. I LOVE making sugar cookies and used to do it every year, for Christmas, Halloween, and Valentine's Day and we'd take them to all our neighbors. Well, I have just been plain lazy about that the last couple years - not wanting to bother with the mess that cute little kids make with things like that, but today I had the sudden urge to do just that! So William and Tabitha helped me make the dough, roll it out, cut out the fun shapes, and bake the cookies this morning. Then after dinner we all had fun decorating them. Tabitha just wanted to eat anything and everything she could get her little hands on. William loved trying to copy mom & dad's ideas and he did pretty good, too! And Gabriella did a little copying and a little of her own. It was fun, and went a LOT better than I had planned.

In between our cookie making/decorating, the kids BEGGED me to go sledding. This morning and early afternoon was cold, but clear. Rick thot he'd be able to come home early so silly me put the idea in the kids' heads that when Gabriella and Daddy got home, we could go sledding. Right about the time Gabriella got home, it started snowing and blowing a LOT! And then we found out Rick wouldn't be coming home eary (too much work to finish) and then eventually the snowing stopped and the kids begged to go. Do we bundled up, took our 1 little sled and drove to the sledding hill. It Was COLD!! The wind had not stopped. We were there no more than 15 minutes, but the kids had a blast. Tabitha even went down all by herself! Brave little girl, there! But since it was just me and the 3 kiddos, no pictures this time.

Rick, the master cookie decorator, hard at work.

And William, proudly showing off the mouse he decorated just like mommy's mouse - he really did a pretty good job!

A couple of silly girls, with some of their yummies.

And a baking sheet full of all our finished masterpieces! The top 3 are "Super-Bears" - Rick did one and then Gabriella and William tried their hands at it. Below that is Rick's "Easter Egg" - somebody is going to be a bit confused! And then Rick's and William's "Aliens". Under that are mine and William's "If You Take a Mouse to the Movies" mouse.

And now I think I am going to join the other 4 sleepy heads and get myself to bed early!

Morning

2008-12-16T07:41:00.000-08:00

It is now 8:38 AM.
While many children are probably just waking up or
eating their bowl of Froot Loops, mine have been busy!

As soon as Gabriella was out the door for school - at 7:45 - William was
begging to go play in the snow. It snowed all night and is still going.

They are just finishing their hot cocoa now.
And I'm sure they'll be back at it later!

Often Overheard

2008-12-03T10:24:00.000-08:00

There is a new phrase that is one often overhears in our home.

"I'm gonna beat you up, guys!"

It is not said with malice or anger. No harm is intended.
And no, we don't suddenly have a big, bully of a teenager living with us.

Instead, it comes from the sweet little voice of our petite, sweet little angel.

Tabitha.

Overheard at the dinner table - "I'm gonna beat you up, guys!"
and then when she has "beat us up" (finished her dinner before anyone else has finished):

"I beat you up, guys! I beat up Gabriella and William and Mommy and Daddy!
I beat you up, Dad!!"

Overheard at jammie time - "I'm gonna beat you up, Gabriella and William!" and off she runs to be the first one to have her jammies on, so that she can happily and proudly exclaim:

"I beat you up, guys!"

3 Down, 6 To Go

2008-11-25T07:36:00.000-08:00

Months, that is.

Me - taken today!

Surprise!

Attempted Murder & New Kids on The Block

2008-11-20T12:54:00.000-08:00

Ok - I am finally getting around to blogging about my oh so exciting Saturday night!
New Kids on the Block Concert! Oh, yeah!

It was a great girls' night out. My neighbor Jennie went with me and we met my cousin at The Old Spaghetti Factory at Trolley Square for a yummylicious dinner before, then a little bit of browsing in stores that you wouldn't dare take kids into - stores where we would never buy anything because of the OUTRAGEOUS price tags! Seriously, who pays $1461 for a crib?! And one that doesn't even convert into any other size bed?!

Ok, but before I get into all the fun concert details, let me tell you that I about DIED as I was leaving for the concert. Someone whom I thot totally loves me, tried to kill me!! Luckily his attempt at murder failed (obviously, since I am here blogging the tale!)

Saturday afternoon, Rick, my dear, sweet, loving husband, was hoping to get a few hours of work at the office in. But the brakes on my van were sounding very odd, so I asked him to please play mechanic first. Well, "playing mechanic" led to being the mechanic and changing the front brakes - they were almost completely worn. (I am SO lucky that my hubby is able to do these kinds of things!) So anyways, he spent over 2 hours changing them, didn't make it to the office, and then it was time for me to leave. I thot I'd drive up to Jennie's (2 houses away) and get her - I was anxious and excited to be on our way! So I started the van, put it in reverse and gave it a little gas. And off I went, going way to fast to be backing down the driveway. So I hit the brake. Nothing. I step on it again. Nothing. And again and again and again - and again nothing, nada, zip, zilch! Panicking, I start yelling at my neighbor who was out mowing the lawn.

"MY BRAKES AREN'T WORKING!! HELLLPPP!!!"

He just gives me a funny look. By then I am hitting the pavement, hoping and praying that no cars are coming. And panicking even more. I am scared for my life! I then notice Jennie and her hubby on the sidewalk, heading my way, their kids trailing along. I yell some more, then realize that they probably can't hear me with the window rolled up! I seriously must have looked like a lunatic!

"MY BRAKES AREN'T WORKING! I CAN'T STOP!! HELP!" I yell at them. They stare at me blankly.

I am now rolling backwards UP a small hill. Frantically I have been trying to unlock the doors and jump out! But with the van in gear, that doesn't work.

Jennie hollers at me to put it in Drive. I do and then am able to kind of drive up on the curb across from house and it finally comes to a stop. I jumped out as fast as I could, my heart racing.

So apparently, when you change your brakes you have to pump them or something first. And my dear, sweet, loving husband had forgotten to do that. And Jennie and her hubby thot I was joking - that I was just so excited and in such a hurry to leave for our night out. Rick did say that his plan was that the brakes would go out once we were on the highway. Too bad it failed.

Ok, so back to the concert!! :) Another friend, Mandy, met us there. When we got there, there was some psycho chic in a totally fake blond wig singing. She was horrible and scary, and a bit of a stripper. Definitely was not a G Rated show! I believe her name was Lady Gaga - Lady Gaggy would have been more appropriate, but whatever.

And then the REAL opening act - wow! This was ALMOST as good as New Kids themselves - almost! And something that none of us were expecting!

Natasha Bedingfield!

Ok, so I will say these are by far from the greatest videos! The sound quality is not that good, and especially on the ones of New Kids, they are pretty shaky - I couldn't help it - I was laughing, screaming, and jumping up and down! It was just like a bunch of 13 year old girls at their first concert, totally in love with the boys from the Block!

This is how it started:

And this is the best video of them singing - sadly, it isn't very long -
my memory card filled up way too fast from the videos!

The Right Stuff
(Rick calls this their "cowboy dance")

We really did have pretty good seats - for not being on the floor anyways, but we all decided we much rather would have been where we were then in the back on the floor. We were right smack in the middle so had a perfect front view. (and for being free tickets, we REALLY can't complain!)

About halfway thru the concert they came out one of the portals near us and went and sang on a little stage that was about halfway between us and the real stage - that was a nice little treat to get to see them even better!

I just kept thinking - these guys really are TOO old for this! Too old to be singing these songs that they sang back when they were teenagers and in their early 20s! And it was kinda funny that whenever a recent song came on, the crowd got a LOT quieter and most people would actually sit down!

A Few Random Things

2008-11-14T09:28:00.000-08:00

You have got to check out this blog!!

www.seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com

It totally cracks me up! Just know that it is all totally made up, in a way I find it making fun of how a lot of people are. Start at the beginning, so you are not totally lost, like I was at first, and remember, it is all completely for fun! And have a good laugh!

Rick & I went to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory last nite - yummy! I am so in love with their chicken quesadilla appetizer! Try it - Love it - Crave it!

My kids are crazy. Good crazy. Make me laugh crazy. William and Tabitha lately love to play that they are getting married. He puts on a cape and she puts on a little white leotard with a tutu and calls it her "wedding dress" and then she wears it all day, wherever we go. It's cute - Gabriella and William used to play that they were getting married, and now that she is gone all the time, it is Tabitha's turn to be the little bride.

I am amazed at how much energy they have first thing in the morning. Watching them running around around the circle from the kitchen, thru the dining room and living room, first thing in the morning, laughing and screaming (good screams) makes me even more tired than I already am at 7 am - but I love that they are so happy and having so much fun together.

I think they have finally adjusted to the time change. Getting up at 6 was no fun at all.

I paid $69 yesterday to learn that we not only have hard water, but that we have VERY hard water, that is ruining my dishwasher. Wonderful. Thank you, Maytag Man.

Since we had a half hour wait at The Cheesecake Factory last nite (not bad at all, we've waited over an hour before!) we started wandering the mall. First we got free herbal drinks to help with weight loss. In 12 weeks it has shown to lower the weight in average sized men. Wonderful - what about the bigger than average sized man? Next I got one of my thumbnails partially buffed and shined by an amazing, magic buffer. And since I am SO CUTE (she was really a great salesgal!) I could have that magic buffer for only $10. Thanks. I'll think about it. And last of all, the best part - we played doubles tennis together! On a WII - and um, sadly, I think Rick might have beat me. We were on "Add-In" which means that it would be his game point (he was serving) and then he would have beat me by 2. But if I had won the serve, we would have gone back to "Deuce" and then had to battle it out all over again until someone beat the other by 2. But anyways, we had to go. Our 30 minutes to wait was about up and I did not want to miss our table! I was hungry. So we called it a tie. Fun stuff.

And one last thing - my husband likes to play "ironing beads" as we call them. Those little perler beads that you put on the little shapes and make some pretty thing, then you can iron them and have your nice, pretty shape. Anyways, Rick loves playing them. With the kids, or alone by himself - yes, it is true! And I had a picture to prove it, or him, playing ironing beads alone, but he stole my camera and deleted it. What a stinker!

This Makes Me Laugh

2008-11-14T09:14:00.000-08:00

Guess where I am going Saturday night?!

Ok, ok, I'll give you a hint. A concert - a BIG concert! My 3rd ever concert (1 & 2 being Tim & Faith 2006 & 2007 - LOVE them, he is one sexy man - Love you too, Babe-alicious!)

So - any guesses? LOL - this seriously just makes me laugh thinking about it, talking about it - I just LAUGH!

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK!!!

Ok, so yes, back in the day - like say um, 17 years ago, I was in LOVE with NKOTB. A huge poster hung at the top of bed. I had a t-shirt that had one hot pink sleeve and one neon orange sleeve. They were the coolest. The first band I had ever really gotten into. And now, tomorrow night, I am going to their concert! Ha HA Ha HA HA!

And so how did this all suddenly come about? Certainly not something I have been planning - I did not wait in line for hours to buy these awesome tickets! Just had a lucky little moment. I admit, I love entering contests, trying to win stuff (that's how I got to see Tim & Faith the 2nd time - lucky caller number 10). So when I got an email from a radio station listing their current contests and saw New Kids, I laughed and thot, Wouldn't that be hilarious?! So I entered, laughed about it when I told Rick and asked if he'd want to go with me if I won (not a chance!) and then forgot about it.

Until a couple nights ago when I got THE phone call. Laura, from the radio station, calling to so calmly tell me that I had just won tickets to see New Kids on The Block. I laughed. I couldn't help it!

SO - Anybody want to go with me? Seriously! I have 4 - count them - 1, 2, 3, 4 tickets! I think they are crappy seats, but hey, it will be way fun girls!

Because I have been given much . . .

2008-11-09T15:27:00.000-08:00

I too must give.

As I sit here enjoying the quiet, no noise but the hum of the dishwasher (Rick & kids are at church, while I am on day 6 of being miserable), I want to share a blog with all my fellow blogging friends.

My new friend Taryn brought my attention to the plight of this family.

Since becoming a mother, any stories like this just tug at my heart. I always wonder, "What if this were us? What if everything was happy and fine in our life and then suddenly we were brought down with some horrific thing?" Rick, always the calm, nonworrier, just assures me, as he did last night as I was reading this blog and wondering the same thing aloud, "We'd get through it." Well, yes, somehow we would, for better or worse, as everyone who goes through these things does, but still.

So thank you to Taryn for posting this on your blog and letting me copy you (title and all!). And even though I feel as if my small donation really won't make any difference, in the end it will. All those little ones add up and that is how miracles can happen. So please everyone, check it out, post about it on your blog, donate what you can, and let's all hope and pray for the very best for sweet little baby Mia, that she gets her new heart soon - VERY soon.

And check out the awesome items you can purchase, with all proceeds going to this family! Taryn is the one doing the scrapbook pages - I have seen her scrapbooks and they are AMAZING!

Off to Neverland!

2008-11-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

Our theme for Halloween this year was Peter Pan. A little over a year ago, the kids saw Peter Pan for the first time and totally fell in love with it. I think it was on Halloween day 2007 that Gabriella came up with the idea that for next Halloween we all needed to dress as Peter Pan characters. William loved the idea and they have stuck with it. I was excited, and even Rick was willing to play along. Rick & I have never in our married lives dressed up (I think the last time I dressed up was in Ecuador 1999 - I was a tree - brilliant, I know, but hey, people do crazy things in foreign countries, right?).

And I had great plans of getting a headstart on costumes and having them done weeks before Halloween. HA! I admit, I was still putting little finishing touches on Rick's costume, oh and yeah, I had to make his hat that morning, too! I have seriously done more sewing in the last 3 weeks than I have in the last 10 years! And you know what? It was actually fun! Stressful at times (like making up my own patterns for certain things, or doing lots of size adjusting), but fun.

So here is our sweet little Tinkerbell - ready to fly away. Originally, I'd had great thots of a fancy dress for her, but then I just wimped out and took the easy route. Made a simple skirt and put it over a tinkerbell green onesie she already had (thanks for the idea Joy!)

Tinkerbell

Peter Pan - he loved his costume!

Gabriella LOVES her new nightgown! Thanks to Nana for doing the buttons! (a skill I have, unfortunately, never learned!)

Wendy - ready to fly away

Being silly goofs

Pumpkins didn't officially get all done until AFTER Halloween - oh well.

And proof that Rick & I were indeed there, and dressed the part!
(Sorry it's so dark - but that's what happens at night! Rick even has a wig on)
Oh and I must say that Rick made his own hook - and was very proud of it!

Tiger Lily & Captain Hook
Wendy, Peter, & Tink

Halloween 2008

Needing to Catch Up

2008-10-30T07:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have been told by more than one of you that I need to update.

I know I do. But things have just been kinda busy - like tomorrow is Halloween and I have been making (sewing!) costumes for all 5 of us! Even though I really tried to get a jump start on it and started on Gabriella's the first of September, it didn't happen. But now, with Halloween a day away, I am feeling pretty good. Just a few more finishing touches. So I now feel like I can breathe, relax, and yes, spend a little more time on the computer.

Other than that, not much else going on around here. So I will leave you with some ADORABLE (but of course, I am biased!) pictures of my little one. At church Sunday my neighbor told me "Tabitha NEEDS her pictures taken today - she is just too cute!" Did I mention this neighbor is a photographer? So I took her up on that and she spent about 10 minutes in the front yard, immediately went home and photoshopped a few, and sent us over a CD. She is AMAZING! I know the loaf of chocolate chip zucchini bread I made for her really wasn't enuf of a thank you! (oh yeah, I've been baking zucchini this week, too)

But before the pictures, just a little cute thing Tabitha said this morning. A little background first. Rick has taken to calling her "Jello" - yes, J - E - L - L - O, jello. She will often climb up on our bed and so sweetly ask "Is there room for Tabifa?" as she tries to squeeze in between the 2 of us. And Rick started responding "There's always room for jello." And it has kind of stuck. Pretty cute. Second thing, she has fallen in love with Gabriella's "ironing beads" - not sure the correct, technical name for these, but the little colored beads you put on the shapes and then iron and have a fun little plastic star or whatever (they rarely get ironed at our house - I hate having them laying around). So anyways, all week, one of the first things out of her mouth, and heard often thruout the day is "Mom, can I play my ironing beads now?" And I'll tell her yes and she'll smile, so happy, and say "Thanks, Mom!"

Ok, so this morning, before her cereal was done, she asked to play ironing beads. And she laid on her tummy in the middle of the kitchen floor and started to create her latest masterpiece.

I walked in the kitchen and said "You're cute!"

"No, I'm not cute! I'm Jello!" What a silly little girl I have!

Ok, so now (for reals) I leave you with some cute little pictures from her impromptu photo shoot! And for those wondering, Yes, the outfit is an Uncle Robi original, handed down from Gabriella!

One Word

2008-10-30T07:20:00.000-07:00

Tagged. Again.

Here are the rules. I have to answer each question with only one word and then pass it on to seven other people.

Where is your cell phone? Purse
Where is your sig. other? Work
Your hair color? Blonde
Your mother? Idaho
Your father? Heaven
Your favorite thing? Happiness
Your dream last night? Upcoming
Your dream/goal? Organization
The room you're in? Basement
Your hobby? Reading
Your fear? Tragedy
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Idaho
Where were you last night? Home
What you're not? Stupid
One of your wish list items? Money
Where you grew up? Everywhere
Last thing you ate? Cereal
What are you wearing? Robe
Your TV? Off
Your pet? None
Your computer? Purring
Your mood? Calm
Missing someone? Yes
Your car? Blue
Something you're not wearing? Bra
Favorite store? Kohls
Your summer? Gone
Love someone? Forever
Favorite color? Pink
When was the last time you laughed? Morning
When was the last time you cried? Unsure

And the 7 lucky ones I tag are: Joy, Cousin, Jenifer Beth, Taryn, Nichole, Christy, & Misty

Fourth Picture in the Fourth Folder

2008-10-17T13:24:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already done this, then consider yourself tagged!
Just go to your fourth folder and select the fourth picture and explain!
Easy & fun!

This was taken Easter Sunday 2007 (I think!) just before leaving for church. My 2 little angels in their matching new dresses. I didn't get a single good shot that wasn't blurred, but you can still see how cute they were (are!). And they had their babies all ready to go in their carseat, too.

7 Years

2008-10-13T15:10:00.001-07:00

Happy Anniversary to us!
Yesterday, October 12th, marked our 7th wedding anniversary.

7 years, 3 kids, 2 houses, 6 vehicles, 7 jobs, and lots of fun times!

Here are just a couple of my all-time favorite picss of the 2 of us.

This picture was taken at our friends' John & Jennifer's reception.
I was a bridesmaid and Rick came to see me (he didn't really know J&J yet!)
I love his goatee and I've always liked how I look in the pic (very rare!)
And afterwards we went to Pizza Hut and he told me that he
loves me - for the first time - aawwwww.

And this was a month or 2 later, at my grandparents house
celebrating my Grandpa's birthday (I think!)
I was feeding him Mud Pie - his favorite!
And I just love how we are laughing and having fun in it!
And that he is wearing his Superman shirt -
he has always been, and always will be, my Superman!

Thanks for 7 great years, Honey Bunches! Love ya!

How do YOU do it?

2008-10-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

So lately I am feeling SO overwhelmed, stressed, and frustrated by all the clutter. Clutter everywhere! In the kitchen, in the bedrooms, downstairs, the garage, bathrooms, EVERYWHERE! And as much as I'd really like to blame it on 3 kids and a husband (much as I love them!), I can't. I know that most of it is really, truly my problem! (Except for maybe the garage.) Sure there are toys and clothes and that kind of stuff and true I cannot, nor will I, keep my kids things cleaned up for them, they have to learn to do that. But how can I really expect them to when my room, my stuff, is just as bad, if not worse?!

I think one of my biggest problems is papers. Gabriella brings SO many papers home from school. William brings home a handful, too, but his mostly go in a binder. I have told Gabriella that she can choose her 1 or 2 favorite papers each day to keep and those are to go in her box under her bed. The rest I have been tossing in the recycling box. But there are still SO many - papers, magazines, mail (good & bad), coupons, etc, etc! And I just end up with piles piled up all over my long kitchen counter (which, sadly, is where most everything seems to get dumped!)

So please, I need help!! What do YOU do to keep the daily clutter down? How do you keep it from building up? How do you keep it at least somewhat organized?

Soccer

2008-10-06T13:12:00.000-07:00

August & September William played soccer on one of the city teams. I don't know if it's just our city or our county or what, but here, soccer is HUGE! Everyone plays soccer - made me feel kinda bad that I hadn't signed Gabriella up for it, too. But on the other hand, I think she does enuf stuff for now and William really needed something of his own to do - or so I thot. But I know now that he just isn't ready for stuff like this.

First Game = ALL Smiles
Ready to play & Happy to be there

By the last game (8 in all) it was a completely different story. He did NOT want to go. "Soccer is boring!" We were lucky to get him to play about a whole 3 minutes of that game - but from the picture you can see below, he REALLY wasn't into it! He just wanted to be his goofy little self!

He made us laugh so much as we watched him play! And it was made very clear that my son is a pansy boy. Yep. (not like we didn't know that anyways, but now everyone we played soccer knows it too!) He cannot run. He had such a hard time trying to keep up with that ball. As soon as he'd catch up to it, the other kids would be halfway down the field, going the other way. But he really gave it a good shot - until that last game. Most of the time he'd just be out there in his own little world, making faces, or putting his fingers in his mouth or something silly like that. I think I would have to say that his very first game was his best - especially since his team hadn't had a single practice and he really had no idea what he was supposed to be doing out there! They put him in as goalie at one time and he made the best save ever! He really pounced on that ball! And sadly, there was a slight um, video camera malfunction (videographer malfunction is more like it!) and instead of getting the great play saved on film for all of posterity, all we got was a bunch of grass and then blackness. (Good try, honey. I think next time I'll put myself in charge of the videoing.)

Ok, so I just noticed something about this picture below - check out his feet!! Is he about to trip himself up here or what?! What a crazy guy - he always has been a bit clumsy!

Most of all, I think he just loved playing with the nets.

Way to go, William! Good try! We're proud of you!

Party at Chuck E. Cheese

2008-10-06T12:54:00.000-07:00

Gabriella's party was a lot of fun - all the kids had a blast! (even the one little girl who ended up hiding under the table, scared to death of the big mouse!)

The girls made beaded bracelets, played all the fun games, enjoyed their cake & ice cream, and had an all around good time!

Gabriella loved her birthday crown -
and her new dress!

I couldn't have done it without this guy's help!
(and a neighbor's)

The birthday party gang!

Happy Birthday, Gabriella!

2008-09-19T07:41:00.000-07:00

Today is the big day that she has been counting down for for over a month! Very exciting! We're having a "small" party after school today, taking a few friends to Chuck E. Cheese. I admit, I wimped out this year. I just didn't feel I had it in me to do some big party, with a fun theme, and fancy cake, like I have in years past. I've just been too busy lately. So cupcakes and fun at the mouse's place, it is! And she can't wait! So enjoy the slideshow of her 6 years of life and stay tuned for post-party pictures!

Happy Birthday, Princess!
and Happy 100th post, dear Blog!

I totally SUCK!

2008-09-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

First of all, let me just say that I HATE that word! I really do! And I rarely, rarely say it! I hate it so much that in high school (when it seems it became such a popular, fun word to use), my great friend Jenifer Beth would say "inhales" - like, "That really inhales!" - just for me. Man, did she spoil me!

But this morning was a totally different story.

During July and part of August, I started taking tennis lessons. It was great, it was fun, it was a wonderful work-out and I was sad to see it end. So one of the other ladies in the class, Katerina, and I have been getting together early in the morning once or twice a week and playing. It is great, it's fun, and yes, a wonderful work-out, and a fantastic way to start my day, but let's face it - I totally SUCK!

Normally, I do ok - ok for a beginner, that is. Our first few times playing together, I would always win. Which was wierd, because I truly feel that Katerina is the better player. It must have been beginners luck.

My maind issue is serving. Normally if I screw up a serve, I can get it right on my second try. But I really don't know what the problem was with me today! Something was just off - more off than normal. Katerina got so many points and won so many matches because I could not properly serve the stinkin' ball! It would fall short and go into the net, or on the wrong side of the court, or out of bounds, almost anywhere but where it was supposed to go! I did much better when she was the one serving and I was on the defensive side - MUCH better!

I am now reminded of a line from The Emperor's Groove - "Dude, you threw off my groove!"

Let's hope that next week goes better - MUCH better!

On a little sidenote here - I have updated one of my previous posts (Randomness) to include a picture - so make sure you check it out!

Out of the Mouths of (My) Babes

2008-09-12T06:53:00.000-07:00

A few cute things that were heard before 8 am this morning:

William - "The sky is soggy - that's why we can't see the sun."

Gabriella - "When I was growing up, I thought that it would be hot up in the mountains because the mountains are so close to the sky."

Tabitha - "I want to watch Lady & the Trampoline!" (Lady & the Tramp)

William - "We have some bad news upstairs - There is a spider up there! A tiny tiny tiny baby spider."

"I Forgive You"

2008-09-09T08:17:00.000-07:00

Earlier this morning, William and I were cleaning & organizing his room.

Clothes were folded and put away or put in the dirty laundry. Dinosaurs were put back in their big, blue tub. Pirates were put in their box and in their spot in the closet. His train set was put back together, with extra pieces in a box next to it. Shoes were neatly arranged in their side of the closet. Puzzles were put back together and put neatly on their shelf. It was looking pretty good. (You'd think that with all this cool, fun stuff, he would spend HOURS playing in his room, with HIS toys - but NO, it is the princess dresses and polly pockets and barbies that are his toys of choice!)

We sat down together and surveyed our success.

"When you're done playing with your dinosaurs, you put them back in here and put the lid on. When you're done playing with your trains, you put the little pieces in that box and it goes right there."

Then on to the closet.

"Your shoes go right there so we don't lose them. Pirates go in their box when you're done playing with them, and your puzzles all go back on this shelf. That way your room stays nice and clean and we don't have big messes." I patiently explained to him, hoping that maybe this time, it would sink in and his room stops looking like a daily tornado has hit.

Looking into my eyes, and smiling, he very seriously said, "I forgive you, Mom."

I couldn't help it - I burst out laughing! "Forgive me for what?!" I asked him.

"I don't know," he said, laughing with me.

Well, so I guess it's MY fault for his messes. At least my silly son is forgiving!

Tagged Again

2008-09-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

I usually: don't get enuf sleep
I search: for missing kid's shoes almost daily
I wonder: what color I should paint the basement
I regret: only a couple of things
I love: my sweet little family
I care: too much about what others think
I always: procrastinate doing the dishes
I worry: about everything WAY TO MUCH!!
I am not: as organized as I would like to be
I remember: not near as much as I used to
I believe: that anyone can change if they truly want to
I dance: by myself and with my kids
I sing: when I hear a song that I love
I don’t always: finish what I start, yet it drives me crazy when my hubby does this!
I argue: when I feel strongly that I am right
I write: lots of notes, hoping to remember everything I need to do
I win: when I accomplish something
I lose: when I play Phase 10 with Rick
I wish: I had magic powers
I listen: mostly to country music
I don't understand: how bridges work! What hold them up? (anyone know a good engineer?)
I can usually be found: at home
I am scared: of things that may happen to my family
I need: to play tennis more often - it gives a great start to my day
I forget: about things I have scheduled
I am happy: for the life that I have

Thanks Cousin for the tag! And again, I tag anyone who hasn't been in the last week - take your pick!

Tagged!

2008-09-07T19:39:00.000-07:00

Jenifer just tagged me, so here goes!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:27 am - woken up by the sounds of a little girl, who ended up waking up her sister and brother - I was NOT happy!
2. Diamonds or pearls? Pearls, but I really don't have any place to wear them to!
3. What two things do you always have with you? Chapstick and my inhaler
4. What is your favorite TV show? Lost & House
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Yogurt, granola bar, and/or banana
6. What is your favorite book? Twilight series
7. What is your middle name? Dawn
8. What food do you dislike the most? "pus cheese" in Ecuador
9. What is your favorite CD? never really listen to CDs
10. What type of car do you drive? Navy blue Oldsmobile Silhouette minivan
11. Favorite sandwich? Not much of a sandwich person - maybe egg salad
12. What characteristic do you despise? lying
13. Favorite item of clothing? my soft pink fleece hoodie
14. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Hawaii or Jamaica
15. What color is your bathroom? Mine is boring white, the main one is blue & yellow
16. Favorite brand of clothing? none
17. Where would you retire to? someplace that is always warm
18. What was your most recent memorable birthday? none - can't even remember my birthday last year (hint hint, honey!)
19. Favorite day of the week? Friday, I like to have the whole weekend ahead of me.
20. How many years at your current job? just about 6
21. How many keys on your key ring? 1
22. Favorite saying? ONE . . . TWO . . . THREE! (Yes, I am a mother!)
23. When is your birthday? December 31
24. Are you a morning person or a night person? definitely NOT morning
25. What is your shoe size? 8 or 8 1/2
26. Pets? none - except when the kids pretend they are a dog or a kitty
27. What did you want to be when you were little? A teacher
28. How are you today? Tired (see question #1!)
29. What is your favorite candy? lately I am addicted to Twizzlers - but anything chocolate mint
30. What is your favorite flower? Daisies and sunflowers
31. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? October 12th - my 7th anniversary
32. What church do you attend? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
33. What are you listening to right now? Rick trying to answer questions for me
34. What was the last thing you ate? French toast Rick made for dinner
35. Do you wish on stars? Sometimes
36. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Yellow
37. How is the weather right now? a little cool
38. Do you like the person who tagged you? I love her! She's one of my best friends since 7th grade
39. Favorite soft drink? None - just give me water with lots of lemon
40. Favorite restaurant? anything Italian
41. Hair color? Blonde
42. Sibling? 8 - 3 sisters, 5 little brothers
43. Favorite day of the year? Christmas
44. What was your favorite toy as a child? Barbies
45. Summer or winter? Summer
46. Hugs or kisses? Both
47. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate, except for ice cream, then vanilla (or mint!)
48. Do you make friends easily? Not really
49. When was the last time you cried? Probably a few weeks ago on Gabriella's first day of school
50. What is under your bed? I don't even want to know
51. Who is the friend you have had the longest? Jenifer - since seventh grade.
52. Favorite smell? Rick's cologne and my kids when they are freshly bathed
53. What are you afraid of? Something happening to one of my kids or Rick
54. Plain, butter or salted popcorn? Butter
55. How many towns have you lived in? 10 (Idaho Falls, Parma, Benton City, Kennewick, Roberts, Rexburg, Cuenca, Logan, Wellsville, American Fork)
56. How many countries have you lived in? 2 - here & Ecuador

And now I tag anyone who hasn't been in the last week!

Randomness

2008-09-06T19:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the kids are in bed - not all asleep yet, but in bed. And I am bored. So here is a bunch of randomness.

1 - I am listening to "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol. I have always loved it and was so excited when I finally figured out what it was called and who sang it. Don't ask me why - I just love it. I have listened to it probably 273 times in the last 2 days. A HUGE Thank You to Alaina for putting it on your blog playlist so I can easily listen to it over and over and over and over and over again!

2 - I feel like my speedo typing skills are suddenly coming back to me in the last few days! That probably means that I have been on the computer way too much. Not a good thing.

3 - 2 nights in a row without daddy at home is not fun for mommy. I can handle 1 overnighter fine, but when it gets to the 2nd night, and 2nd day in a row without him here at all, it just gets to wear a bit much on me.

4 - Why is it that when my hubby is gone - to work, a meeting, hunting (like now), whatever - that I want him here, but then when he is here and has been here for more than a handful of hours, I start to get annoyed with him? (Sorry honey, I really do love you lots!)

5 - I think as a mother, I have neglected William in ways. Nothing tragic - he's fed and clothed (today in a shiny satin, bright yellow princess dress and crown - very beautiful) - but it seems with Gabriella I spent so much time on things like numbers, letters, signing, etc, but with William there hasn't been much. I was so impressed with him today when he got a marker and pad of paper and started writing his letters - he only got to E without needing help and a few were backwards, but I was so proud of him. I guess he's picked up a lot of things from Gabriella.

6 - Speaking of William, he started preschool on Tuesday and is loving it! He loves his teacher - Mrs. G as he calls her - I guess GeAnna is a bit tough to remember.

7 - And I am pretty darn sure that I have spoiled Tabitha way too much! She has been my "baby" for 2 1/2 years and has definitely been babied - and I've loved it and I know she has, too. She is still such a cuddler and loves to give me hugs and kisses. Is it bad to say that of my 3, she has been my favorite baby? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying she is my favorite child, but those of you with more than 1 kid, do you agree that at stages you can have a favorite for that stage - if that makes sense? I'm sure that part of it comes from being home always (I worked very part-time with Gabriella as a baby and was working full-time when I had William) and also being a more experienced mom and feeling a lot more comfortable with what to do.

8 - I need to dust the ceiling down here - I am noticing some cobwebs hanging above my head!

9 - My hair desperately needs a trim! And I am so not a spend a lot of money on my hair type of person. I just found someone on craigslist offering free haircuts to new customers - might have to check it out!

10 - My big accomplishment today: I cleaned off and organized the computer desk! I must say, I am quite impressed with myself - it has really needed it - I even went to Office Max - my new favorite store of the week - and bought a few little office type things. It is now clean and organized and most everything has a place - hopefully I can keep it this way! ("A place for everything and everything in its place" - that was my hotel boss's quote - definitely something I need to work on and put into practice!)

The satin yellow dress - his favorite!

I'm going to paint!

2008-09-06T13:11:00.000-07:00

So I have decided that I am sick and tired of plain old, boring, blah white walls! They have got to go! In the 3 years that we've been here, I have painted the main bathroom (blue & yellow with ducks), my bedroom (a light peachy color that I LOVE), we had a castle mural painted on one wall in Gabriella's room, and William's room (shades of blue).

Now it is the basements turn!

I have about 2 weeks to get ready - Rick's sister is coming to visit (and his brothers a few days later) and she is willing to help with the job - unless I get too impatient and do it without her - which really might happen!

But what color? Gabriella says "Pink! Purple! or Yellow!" William says, "No - Orange!" I need some serious, adult help here! The carpet is a dirty white (I'm sure at some point it used to be white!) and very light brown berber (which I really don't like either, but that's not going to be changing anytime soon!) So, all my blogging buddies - suggestions PLEASE!!

I LOVE a good sale!

2008-09-03T08:03:00.000-07:00

I love grocery shopping! Maybe that sounds silly - I know some people who hate it. But for me, it is fun and exciting to find awesome deals and spend as little as I can on as much as I can - and not just on groceries, but on anything and everything! It gives me this great rush when the cashier tells me "You saved $47.82" or whatever it was that day. And today was definitely one of those days! And I am going to brag about it!

This picture really does not show it all - in all there are a total of 73 items. There would have been more, but I only had 20 minutes to do it in (babysitting today and did not want to take 3 kids with me to do this!), so I just had to grab according to the quick list I made last night at William's soccer game. I will be going back to Albertson's for more before this sale ends next week! So, 73 items, ranging from milk, to muffins and granola bars and fruit snacks. And how much did I spend? First, let me tell you how much I did NOT spend - I did not spend $140 - which would have been the total before my savings. Any guesses? I'd love to hear them! Ok, so the grand total after my savings and coupons is:

$65.84 for all of this!
That is a savings of 53%!!!

And all of that will last us for a good while, too! I love saving money! Call me a cheap-o, I don't care, but really, I cannot understand how some people do not even care that they could save $75 on their grocery bill and so easily! I am already planning my next trip back!

Like I said before, I LOVE grocery shopping!

1st Day of School

2008-08-18T20:43:00.001-07:00

Today was a bit of an emotional day. My baby - my sweet little Gabriella - started school today! Her very first day of school! She was SO excited to go to school. She's been counting down the days for the last 3 weeks! And this morning she was up and ready so fast, just excited as could be!

Here she is just before we left home this morning

With William & Tabitha

When we got to school, she was so excited to see that her 2 best friends, our neighbors, sisters Madyson & Hannah were already there. Hannah is in 1st like Gabriella, but they are in different classes.

I think the hardest part was when I had to leave her there at school. We found her desk and then she just clung to me, nervous and shy. I did my best to not show her that I was nervous for her as well. So we snapped this picture, had one more hug and kiss and a promise to be there as soon as school was out and I left, fighting tears as I walked back out to the van. And then at home, I found myself constantly looking at the clock, counting down the hours, the minutes until it was time to pick her up! And when that time did come,s he was all smiles and happy and excited about her first day of school. Her favorite part of the day was lunchtime!

My little first grader - we are so proud of you, Gabriella!

Spaghetti Squash

2008-08-18T19:36:00.000-07:00

One Word - Yummy!

Why have I never tried this before? I don't think I had even seen a spaghetti squash before a few days ago when my neighbor gave me one from her garden!

So I fixed it up for dinner tonite, to go along with our spaghetti. I steamed it, put butter, salt, and pepper on it. I was in heaven! I couldn't believe how yummy it was! Kind of reminded me of buttery popcorn! So a huge thanks to Amie, my wonderful neighbor, for sharing the excess of her gardening!

And guess what will be growing in MY garden next year?

The Children Were Nestled . . .

2008-08-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

all snug in their beds! Hooray for early bedtimes!! Yes, sometimes I feel mean that my kids are the only ones in the neighborhood who go to bed while it is still light outside, but you know what? I need it, and they need it, too!

So it is just after 8 pm. There are 3 sleeping children. Rick is gone camping/hunting (cross your fingers for him! maybe this will be his first deer!) and I am going to do something I have not done in a long, long time. I seriously cannot remember the last time I have done this. I am going to sit and watch a movie - start to finish - by myself! Well, me and a bowl of cherry cordial ice cream, that is.

And no, I have not yet finished Breaking Dawn - only about 100 pages left (of 750!). Truly, I am just a bit nervous for the end - there is a big battle coming up and I just am not all that excited to read it and have it be done. And I've had this new Cary Grant movie that I have never seen, sitting on my dresser, still unopened for about 2 months now - I really need to watch it!

On Hold

2008-08-13T12:41:00.001-07:00

Yes, that's right. My life is temporarily On Hold.
Why? Simple.

I have FINALLY gotten my hands on a copy of Breaking Dawn!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer. What an amazing writer and story teller she is! These books have been on my favorites list since the beginning! And now I finally get to read how it all ends up! I am so excited!! So, for the next couple of days, nothing unless it absolutely, positively has to be done, will get done. Sorry kitchen, sorry bathrooms, sorry laundry - you all have to wait just a couple more days!

Busy Saturday

2008-08-09T21:34:00.001-07:00

What a day it has been!

I spent most of the morning at a meeting. Then an hour at Wal-Mart. Normally, I avoid Wal-Mart at all costs - especially on a Saturday, but it was on my way home and I had to pick up William's 4 year old pictures and a few other things while I was at it. Over 20 minutes I waited for assistance to pick up his dang pictures! Apparently, the one and only gal that works there does not know how to assist more than one customer at a time and will not leave one customer for a moment to help another! I finally got the pictures and got home.

Lunch time, followed by naptime for Tabitha and then Gabriella and I went to visit a sweet old lady down the road for a bit. As soon as we got home, I got a call from my brother Jason. He was in town and wanted to come and visit us (wow! Twice in one year!)

After he arrived, Rick suggested we go play Frisbee Golf. I had gone with my YW girls on Tuesday night and we wanted to go back. Now this isn't your typical Frisbee Golf in a nice green park. No - this is Frisbee Golf thru the woods, with lots of hills and other obstacles. It was quite the adventure! And the kids were SO great! Even though they were hot and getting tired - it was quite a ways we ended up walking - they stuck with it and managed to complete all 18 "holes" with us! Ok, only 16 - we couldn't find 1 and they left at the 2nd to last hole to go play at the very nearby park. But they really did great! And us big kids had a lot of fun , too - Jason and I ended up with quite a few scratches - we each got our frisbee caught in big prickly bushes a time or 2.

Got home and started marinating chicken for the grill. While it marinated I took a quick peek at Freecycle. Someone not far from me was offering free apricots - just go and pick them. So Jason and I took the kids and came home with a few bags of apricots. Since a lot of them had been picked off the ground and I was worried they wouldn't last much more than another day, I made a quick trip to the store for some pectin to make some jam - I love apricot jam!

We had a quick dinner, Jason left, got the kids in bed and then I started cutting up the apricots. I then realized I didn't have enuf jars! So another quick trip to the store (I'm so glad it's only a few minutes drive!) and then home and here is the outcome of my last minute jam making!

It was a fun and busy day!

Thoughts for the day

2008-08-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

I want to quit this "potty-training" business! It has been going on for way too long! Ok, so maybe 2 1/2 or 3 months, whatever it's been, isn't that long. I read somewhere that on average it takes 8 or 9 months - what?! Gabriella was a few weeks. William was a month or so. But my Tabitha. I know that she gets it, but I think she is just lazy. She feels like she has to go and it doesn't come right away so she hops off the potty and a minute later, dumps her brown junk on the stairs. Nice.

School starts in 11 days. I can't believe it is almost here. Gabriella is SO excited and keeps asking questions about lunch at school (she will be in 1st grade - should she buy lunch or take her own lunch? and if that's the case then she needs a lunch box and is asking every day when we are going to get one (after school starts and they are on clearance for cheap!) She asks when we are going "school shopping" for clothes and shoes and things. I have never said that term to her. I knew it came from her older, more school experienced friends. But um, no, no school shopping for us. Personally, I think she has enuf clothes - not a ton, but enuf, we don't need our drawers overflowing, or 7 garbage bags full (that's how much a neighbor just cleaned out from her 3 kids rooms) of old clothes. So she gets a few new things that have been waiting for her to grow into them, bought on clearance when I've found great deals.
And then I wonder, did I do the right thing?! Was I right to put her in 1st grade with kids whose reading and math level she is on? Or should I have had her go to kindergarten, like she technically should be since she missed the deadline by 19 days? I really hope that this is the best thing for her socially and academically. August 18th is going to be a tough day for me.

Will my house EVER be organized and clean?

Will I ever get enuf sleep?

Last night we finally got our FHE in for the week - we haven't been so good on that this summer. But we went to a park, had a nice picnic dinner of fried chicken, pasta salad, strawberries, and lemonade. Then went for a walk in the woods. The kids loved it! We had never been there before and it was a fun new adventure. Before long we came to a clearing or sorts - a small dried field. And coming in our direction, hopping along gracefully were 3 deer - a doe and her 2 fawns. We stopped and I told the kids to be quiet and watch. The deer stopped and looked at us. They were maybe 50 feet away. Then Rick and Tabitha came up behind us and she shouted out excitedly and William moved and the deer quickly started hopping away. I loved watching their run - or their hop as I call it. The kids were so excited. We continued on, now following the deers' tracks, until we got to a rocky little ridge and then decided it was time to head back. It was such a nice, peaceful evening - we will definitely have to go on a picnic and explore the woods again!

Birthday - Part 2

2008-08-04T14:33:00.000-07:00

Further reasoning of why we call William "Bug"

He'd been playing at a friend's house and they ended up catching snails by the creek, which ended up in this cup on my kitchen counter, where they tried to escape, at which point they were promptly banished from being inside my house!

Here's a picture of him and his Dinosaur cake - I admit, I took the very easy route this year - no fancy cut-up cake. Just stuck a new dinosaur on top and called it Dino-licious! And as you can see, he loved it - he especially loved licking off the triceratops frosting covered feet!

For his friends party the next day I went even easier and did cupcakes with little plastic dinosaurs on top. I am always surprised at how many kids at parties do not eat cake and ice cream! What is wrong with kids these days?! :)

Here is just a fun picture of him and his friends wearing their dinosaur hats and making silly faces at the camera.

Happy Birthday, Bug!

2008-07-27T20:57:00.000-07:00

Today was William's birthday - the big 4!
When he got up this morning he was so excited to tell me that he was now 4 years old.
"What happened to your 3?" I asked him.
He thot a minute and then said "It just disappeared."
So there you have it - being 3 disappeared and he is now my big 4 year old!

We've done some fun things to celebrate. Thursday (Pioneer Day) Rick had off work so we took the kids to Chuck E.Cheese and they had a blast playing. Friday we got a big boy haircut and then had his pictures taken. We went to lunch yesterday with Nana & Papa - not really for his birthday, but I think he thot it was. Today Nany & Papa came over for dinner and then cake & ice cream and presents (the pirate ship I got him from my neighbor's yard sale was a HUGE hit!! Yep - I am a cheapo mom - and proud of it!) And tomorrow afternoon he is having his first ever friends party. He is so excited for this dinosaur party - it'll be fun!

So here's a fun slide show of him - there's kind of a gap between new little William and then it jumps to 1 1/2 year old William - guess all those pics in between weren't digital and really, I just haven't had the time to dig thru them and scan them in - so anyways, here's our Bug!!

I guess I should clarify a bit - Bug has been his nickname ever since I can remember - since he was younger than a year old I think. And it really is the perfect nickname for him! He LOVES catching bugs and has spend a LOT of time this summer doing just that. He is such a fun, sweet little boy and I am so glad that he is mine!

There's a Mouse About the House

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

This is one of the kids new favorite books! As many of you know, I have recently signed up as a consultant with Usborne Books at Home (you can see the website at www.ubah.com/v2822) and this is one of their best selling books. The little mouse there on the front comes out and he follows the arrows all through the book, going in and out of the pages as he is searching for his cheese - really a fun, cute, and educational book.

BUT, this post has a double meaning. (It really is NOT a sales pitch!!) There REALLY is a Mouse about the house - MY House!! And I HATE HATE HATE HATE mice!! And knowing that there is one in my house just makes me sick!

Rick & I were watching a show on the computer Sunday night when he suddenly sat up and started looking around. I asked him what the problem was. He said that he thot he had just seen a mouse run across the room. No way, I thought. So he got up and went to the other side of the family room, looking around. I jumped up and ran as fast as I could to the other side and jumped up on the coffee table. He started laughing at me. We couldn't see anything, of course mice are great at hiding. So I told him to pick up the couch. He did, and the little mouse went running strait into the laundry room! And Rick ran and closed the door behind it.

"You are to find that mouse and kill it NOW!" Rick laughed at me some more. I HATE mice!! Memories of all our little rodent friends in our Wellsville home came flooding back to me - yuck!

So Rick set a couple traps and he checks them a couple times each day, but so far nothing. Who knows how the disgusting thing got inside int he first place, but hopefully he has found his way out and will tell all of his little mousey friends to stay away from here or they will DIE!

And, um, it might be awhile before all my dirty laundry gets done - unless Rick wants to do it.

Tennis, anyone?

2008-07-22T07:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I started tennis lessons.

I love to "play" tennis (rarely do though), but I don't know a lot of the rules, and I have no idea on the proper techniques.

So yesterday was just a real basic intro. There are just 5 of us in the women's only class (3 adults and 2 teenagers) and the 2 cute, much younger than me, instructors. We spent time bouncing the balls with our racket, trying to keep them in control (I was running all over!) and then we did play a little bit, with the focus on hitting the ball and getting it over the net.

Today was close to torture! To start with, I rode my bike. The high school, where the lessons are at, is only a few blocks from me, so I had Rick get my dusty bike off of its hangers in the garage, we cleaned it off, he pumped up the tires, and I was off. No problem. We started the morning doing a bit of ball bouncing again. Then we ran around the court a few times bouncing the ball with our rackets (reminded me of dribbling a basketball.) Then we were instructed on the fine points of the correct way to hit the ball, the front swing (I can't remember the right name now!) and the backhand swing.

We spent about 1/2 an hour running across both courts while the instructors, on the other side of each net, would lob the balls at us and we would hit them (or try to), then we'd gather the balls we'd hit (or hadn't) and do it again - over and over again, 1 person after another.

I am beat!! And then I had to ride my bike home and I wondered what possessed me to ride it in the first place. So I am now downstairs trying to cool off, drinking my glass of ice water and excited for tomorrow's lesson!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-07-14T17:30:00.001-07:00

Wedding Bells are Ringing

2008-07-14T17:10:00.000-07:00

Jen & Rod were married Saturday in a beautiful outdoor ceremony. By far the most beautiful and lavish wedding I have been to! The location was gorgeous! A short drive thru Millcreek Canyon, nestled in among the trees and even some small waterfalls, is Log Haven. Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful! That's all I can say about the location.

Jen was stunning! She couldn't stop smiling!

The ceremony was beautiful - the bridal party walked down the aisle to the music of an accomplished cellist. The vows that they wrote themselves about made me cry. They each read their own and then kind of did a little spoken duet of sorts - loved it!

Congratulations you two!

And I had such fun taking pictures of my 3 little ones - the girls were decked out in new dresses bought for the occasion (on clearance after Easter - great deals!) and William was in a handsome pin striped suit. I just couldn't resist the beautiful location - so here they are in a slideshow! (ok, so I can't get figure out this slideshow, so it has it's own post above!)

Afternoon Tea

2008-07-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

One of my bestest friends from Jr High/High School - Jenifer Tomchak, got married Saturday, July 12th. As part of the festivities , she hosted an Afternoon Tea at the Grand American hotel in downtown Salt Lake City on Friday. I was privileged to be among the few that were invited. This Tea was the first time that the women in her family and the women in her fiance Rod's family were meeting. I loved his family! Such wonderful, classy women. I really felt welcome and we had a great time visiting and enjoying our fancy tea party (as Rick called it!) I wish now that I had taken pictures of all the yummy yummy food - little finger sandwiches (ham, turkey, cucumber, hummus, egg salad, some kind of seafood) that were so fancy and all SO yummy! English scones with lemon curd and strawberry jam, and dessert - wow!! Such a selection! I couldn't resist the lemon curd dipped in chocolate and the strawberries & cream. And my raspberry herbal tea was so refreshing!

This is definitely a must do! Such a great time and beautiful hotel! Thanks again Jen for inviting me - it was wonderful - when can we do it again?